USA > Maine > Maine; a history, Volume IV > Part 46
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he performed his public duties, since the board, which elected him as commissioner, was Demo- cratic in its makeup, yet overcame its political prejudices out of admiration for Mr. Clay as a man, and for the services he had rendered the community.
When he first came to Deering he joined the local organization of his party for a number of public offices, and was a member of the Board of Aldermen at the time of the consolidation of Deering with Portland. After this, he retired from active political life, only occasionally serv- ing on various committees. In every office which he held Mr. Clay displayed a capability and disinterestedness in all his actions, which might serve as a model to municipal officials everywhere. His interest in every problem which concerned the city, its people, or its in- stitutions, was very keen, and his very consid- erable influence was always exerted on the side of right. Mr. Clay did his full duty as a citizen in this city, and established a record for him- self for probity and honor, of which any man might feel proud. In his religious belief Mr. Clay was a Congregationalist, and attended the Woodfords Church of that denomination in Port- land, and was always a church attendant. He was a prominent member of the Masonic order and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
Hanson S. Clay was united in marriage, in June, 1849, with Julia A. Kennard, daughter of Edward and Betsy (Chase) Kennard, of Bridgton, Maine. Mrs. Clay's death occurred February 14, 1912.
CHARLES EVERETT SAYWARD, one of the best known and successful insurance men of Portland, Maine, is a member of a family which has been connected with the history of the "Pine Tree State" from a very early period. It was founded in this country by three brothers, who came from England and settled in the New Eng- land colonies as early as 1630 and from which numerous branches bearing the name have sprung and are now resident in many quarters of the country. One branch came to Maine while that State had but few settlements and was practical- ly a wilderness from end to end. Here they set- tled and the members of the family have occu- pied a prominent place in the general life of the community ever since.
Mr. Sayward's father, Charles H. Sayward, was born at Sanford, Maine, January 1, 1833. and died February 27, 1917, at Alfred, where he had re- sided since the year 1874 and was engaged in the
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occupation of farming. He married Marcia A. Junkins, a native of York, Maine, born August 6, 1839. Mrs. Sayward died over ten years be- fore her husband, July 10, 1906. They were the parents of six children, two of whom died in in- fancy, and four of whom are at present living, s follows: Charles Everett, of whom further; Lawton M., who makes his home at Alfred, Maine, where he follows the trade of carpenter; Herman J., who resides at Alfred and is also a carpenter; and Carrie M., who is now the wife of Fred J. Sherburne, of Sanford, Maine.
Born July 23, 1861, at Wells, Maine, Charles Everett Sayward did not form his childish asso- ciations with his native place. On the contrary his parents removed to York, Maine, when he was but three years of age, and it was there that he resided until he had reached the age of thir- teen years, attending in the meantime the local public schools, where he gained the elementary portion of his education. At the age of thir- teen he again accompanied his parents, who on this occasion removed to Alfred, Maine, where, as has already been stated, Mr. Sayward, Sr., continued to live until the time of his death. In the meantime, young Mr. Sayward continued his education, attending for a while the local schools where he was prepared for college, eventually matriculating at Bowdoin College, where, after leaving behind him an excellent record for char- acter and good scholarship, he was graduated with the class of 1884. Immediately thereafter he secured a position in the York county offices and worked there in a clerical capacity for about twelve months, when he gave up the position and went to Boston. In that city he took up for a time teaching as a profession and was placed in charge of the department of commercial arithmetic in the Bryant & Stratton Business College. He continued in this capacity for some fourteen years in all, and in 1897 became associated as an agent with the New York Life Insurance Company. He remained in Boston for a number of years longer, representing that company there, and then came to Portland, Maine, having been offered the post of general agent for the State by the John Han- cock Mutual Life Insurance Company, an offer which he readily accepted. He was the more willing to do so, as it not only gave him a still wider field for his activities, but also brought him back into touch with the country of his childhood and made it possible for him to see more fre- quently the members of his family. Mr. Say- ward has made a great success of this venture and has built up an insurance business which is
one of the largest of its kind in that region. He is now recognized as one of the influential busi- ness men of the city, and a potent factor in the development of the highest type of business en- terprise there. Mr. Sayward has always been a Republican in politics, and from his youth upwards has taken a keen interest in local affairs. They say that every man has a hobby, and if this be so, Mr. Sayward's hobby is unquestionably farm- ing, to which he devotes a great deal of his time and attention. He has a charming estate located near the old family home at Alfred, Maine, where he spends his leisure time during the summer months and carries on farming oper- ations on a large scale.
Charles Everett Sayward was united in marriage, February 6, 1886, at Waltham, Massachusetts, with Alice Sidney, a native of Utica, New York. To Mr. and Mrs. Sayward two children have been born, as follows: Marion, December 18, 1889, now the wife of Clifford N. Wilson, of Waltham, Massachusetts, where he is engaged in a build- ing and contracting business, and to whom she has borne two children, Barbara and Janet; Dwight Harold, born November 18, 1893, grad- uated in 1916 from Bowdoin College, and is at the present time (1917) associated in business with his father, doing agency work for the latter.
It is somewhat trite to remark how the career of each man is determined by the two factors of his personality and the environment, how every act and circumstance, however, haphazard and fortuitous it may appear, is really the result of these two elements in their constant action and reaction upon one another. But though this is trite as an abstract proposition, the observation of it as a concrete fact in the life of the individual is never so, and we feel the same vivid interest in it as in the most primitive ages. Perennially fresh and attractive are the developments of the old struggle between the two elements, person- ality and environment, as we call them today, man and destiny, in the phrase of a more roman- tic time; attractive and full of interest without reference to what names we know them by, and as a matter of fact there is as much to claim our attention in the careers of the successful men of today as in the more perilous lives of our an- cestors. In such a case as that of Charles Everett Sayward, of Portland, Maine, there is shown not inaptly how tastes in combination with a strong will and courage can bend the environ- ment to the form desired and mould circumstance to a predetermined end.
tragarsey
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IRA G. HERSEY-Among the leaders of the Maine bar and an attorney who has won the con- fidence and respect of his professional colleagues and the community-at-large is Ira G. Hersey, a member of an exceedingly ancient and disin- guished New England family which was founded in the earliest Colonial period by William Hersie, who came to New England in 1635. The name Hersey or Hersy, is probably of French origin and appears among the list of noblemen who ac- companied William the Conqueror, to England and took part in the battle of Hastings, in 1066. In New England we find the name spelled in many different ways, the records of Hingham alone affording the forms Hersie, Harsie, and Hearsey. We find it also in other places as Harcy, Harsey, Harssy, Harsy, Hearsay, Hercy, Herecy, Hersy, etc. There were more than one hundred twenty-five enlistments of members of this family on the Massachusetts revolutionary rolls. It is claimed by one authority that the name is derived from that of the town "Herseaux" which is situated on the border between what was ancient Normandy and ancient Flanders.
(I) William Hersie came to New England in 1635 and settled at Hingham early in the autumn of that year with several others who accompanied him on the voyage from the Old World. He was grant- ed a lot of five acres on July 3, 1636, and was a prominent man in the community. It is probable that his native place was Old Hingham, in England, as most of the settlers in the town of that name in the colonies came from there, but this has not been proved finally. He was made a freeman in March, 1638, was a selectman in 1642, 1647, and 1650, and a member of the artillery company in 1652. His death occurred March 22, 1658. He married Elizabeth who survived him and they were the parents of the following children: William, who is mentioned below; Francis, Elizabeth, Judith, John, and James.
(Il) William (2) Hersey, eldest child of William (1) and Elizabeth Hersie, was probably born in England and came to the colonies with his parents in 1635. Like his father, he was an active and prominent man of the community and held several offices there. He was made freeman in 1672, served as constable in 1661, was selectman in 1678, 1682, and 1690. His death. occurred September 28, 1601. Wil- liam (2) Hersey married (first) Rebecca Chubbuck, a daughter of Thomas and Alice Chubbuck, who died June 1, 1686. He married (second) Ruhamah His children, all born by his first wife, were as follows: William, John, who is mentioned be- low; James, Rebecca, Deborah, Hannah, Eliza-
beth, Ruth, Mary, Josiah, Judith, died young; and Judith.
(III) John Hersey, second son of William (2) and Rebecca (Chubbuck) Hersey was born August 9, 16.40, at Hingham, Massachusetts, and died there August 7, 1689. He was constable at Hingham in 1701 and was prominent in town affairs. He mar- ried Sarah -- , who died January 17, 1731, and they were the parents of the following children: Sarah, Judith, Nehemiah, Abigail, Marcia, Jael, Daniel, who is mentioned below; Peter, Hannah, Betsey, and Jeremiah.
(IV) Daniel Hersey, second son of John and Sarah Hersey, was born April 3. 1682, at Hingham and died there January 10, 1750. He was a cooper by trade and served as constable in 1736. The house in which he resided on Hersey street and which he himself built is still standing today. He married Mary May, daughter of Jonathan and Sarah (Lang- ley) May, and they were the parents of the follow- ing children: Mary, Jonathan, who is mentioned below; Sarah, Isaiah, and Susanna.
(V) Jonathan Hersey, eldest son of Daniel and Mary (May) Hersey, was born February 2, 1713, at Hingham, and died there October 2, 1760. He learned the cooper's trade from his father and prac- ticed that during his life. He married Sarah Whiton. a daughter of David and Elizabeth (Ripley) Whiton, and they were the parents of the following children : Jonathan, who is mentioned below, Deidama, Sarah. Lydia, Juliette, Deidama, Daniel, David, Peter, and Ezekiel.
(VI) Jonathan (2) Hersey, eldest child of Jona- than (1) and Sarah (Whiton) Hersey, was born October 28, 1742, at Hingham, and died at Roxbury, Massachusetts, at a very advanced age. Like his father and grandfather he was a cooper by trade, and he served in the Revolutionary War. He mar- ried (first) Margaret Tower, September 6, 1776, and she died June 13, 1777. He married (second ) Mary Berry, daughter of John Berry, of Hingham, who was born May 19, 1754, at Hingham, and died at Roxbury, November, 1832. They were the parents of the following children: Lydia, Jonathan, Mar- garet, Mary, and Henry Johnson, who removed to New York State.
At this point there is a break in the genealog- ical records of this branch of the family, but the next ancestor of Mr. Hersey was in all prob- ability a descendant of the above.
Elijah Hersey was born on Long Island, New York, March 24, 1790, and died in Linneus, Maine, in 1875, to which place he had come when it was a small pioneer settlement. He emigrated from Long Island to St. John, New Brunswick, in 1810 and
ME .- 2-15
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resided there until 1832, when he took up his abode in Aroostook county. He was a farmer by occupation and also burned charcoal. He mar- ried Annie Bell, of Buxton, in 1817, who was born April II, 1794, and died at Linneus, about 1887. They were the parents of the following children: Elijah B., Samuel B., who is mentioned below; Mary A., Catherine M., Eliza S., Willianı G., and Sarah G.
Samuel B. Hersey, second son of Elijah and Annie (Bell) Hersey, was born June 14, 1821 at St. John, New Brunswick, and came with his parents as a child to Aroostook county. He was a farmer by oc- cupation and married Elizabeth White, a daughter of William White, of that county. They were the parents of the following children: Alpheus C., Mary, Ira G., with whose career we are especially concerned ; Annie E., and Samuel M.
Ira G. Hersey, son of Samuel B. and Elizabeth (White) Hersey, was born March 31, 1858, at Hodg- don, Maine, As a lad he attended the local district school, where he was prepared for college and after- wards took a classical course at Ricker Classical In- stitute, of Houlton, Maine. Mr. Hersey was a man of strong ambitions and enterprising nature, and he decided while yet a lad to follow the profession of law. Accordingly, he entered the offices of Lyman S. Stricklamb, of Houlton, at that time one of the lead- ers of the Aroostook bar, and there pursued his stud- ies to such a good purpose, that he was admitted to the Maine bar at the September term in 1880. At that time he passed a highly creditable examination and won for himself the approbation of his exam- iners. He at once opened an office at Houlton, the county seat, and continued actively occupied in this way until 1917. Mr. Hersey is especially adapted to the career which he chose by nature and training and it was not long before he became a recognized leader of the bar in this region. For many years he handled a large proportion of the most important litigation in the county and met with uniform suc- cess. He was a deep student of his subject and in addition to his knowledge possessed unusual quali- fications as a trial lawyer, being very alert in his mental processes and always capable of meeting any contingency as it arose. In politics Mr. Hersey was identified for a considerable time with the Prohibi- tion party and was nominated on its ticket for gov- ernor of the State. He was, however, defeated in Republican Maine. Mr. Hersey is still a Prohibition- ist and is as active as ever in working for the in- terests of his cause. For many years he was identi- fied with the Republican party, believing that more effective work could be done, both for Prohibition as well as in other reform movements, hy working with-
in the organization of that party than by remaining outside of it. He was elected on the Republican ticket to the office of city attorney of Houlton and has served in that capacity for many years. He is justly regarded as one of the most disinterested pub- lic men in the State and most completely free from corrupt political influences. He was elected on his record to represent Houlton in the Maine State Leg- islature in 1909 and served on that body in that and the three following years. In 1913, he was elected State Senator and served in that capacity until the end of 1916, being the president of the Maine Sen- ate in the last two years thereof. In the last named year he was elected Representative to the United States Congress from the Fourth District of Maine and was renominated without opposition to that high office in 1918. He is at the present time serving his State with great effectiveness in the National Capitol. Mr. Hersey has been identified for many years with a number of important fraternal and social organiza- tions in this region and is especially prominent in the Masonic Order, being affiliated with Monument Lodge, No. 96, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons ; Aroostook Chapter, No. 20, Royal Arch Masons ; and St. Aldemar Commandery, Knights Templar. of which he is at the present time eminent commander. He is also a member of Aroostook Council, No 16, Royal and Select Masters of Presque Isle and Kora Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Lewiston. He is a member and a past exalted ruler of the Benevolent and Protertive Order of Elks; a member and past grand master of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of Maine; and member of the local lodge, Knights of Pythias. His clubs are the Meduxnekeag and the Elks of Houlton. In his religions belief Mr. Hersey is a Methodist.
Ira G. Hersey was united in marriage on January 6, 1884, at Mars Hill, Maine, with Annie Dillon, daughter of William and Judith Dillon, old and highly respected residents of that place.
NELSON LUTHER PAGE, deceased, one of the successful and energetic business men and mann- facturers of Anburn, Maine, came of a family which for many years resided there, the members of which displayed the characteristic virtues of the fine old stock. He was taken by his parents as a child to the West and brought up in the town of Stoughton, Wis- consin. Mr. Page resided in the western town until twenty-one years of age and then removed to Alex- andria, Minnesota, and engaged in the lumher busi- ness until his return to the East later in life. He was prominent in the affairs of Alexandria and was mayor of that town for a time, but finally returned
JI. Cochrane
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to the East and settled at Auburn, Maine, and there engaged in business as a manufacturer of boxes and box shook. In this enterprise he was very success- ful, and was also prominently affiliated with a num- ber of fraternal organizations, among which should be mentioned the Masonic Order, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias. Mr. Page married, May 12, 1880, Nellie Brimson, a native of England, who came from that country to America in early youth. She survives her husband, whose death occurred March 24, 1915, and is now (1917) residing at Auburn at the age of sixty-four years. To Mr. and Mrs. Page three children were born, all of whom are now living as follows: Mary May, born May 31, 1882, and became the wife of Willis Knox, of Alexandria, Minnesota; Nelson Luther Brimson; and Stella E., who resides with her mother.
Mr. Page was one of that group of successful men whose careers have been closely identified with the greatest and most recent period in the development of the city of Auburn, Maine; one of those broad- minded, public-spirited citizens whose efforts have seemed to be directed quite as much to the advance- ment of the city's interests as to their own. There is a type of business man, only too common today, of which this cannot be truly said, but of these men of a generation past, and of their descendants, whose enterprise has spelled growth and increased pros- perity for the community of which they are members, and especially of Mr. Page, Sr., it is entirely true.
Born November I, 1883, at Alexandria, Minnesota, a son of Nelson Luther and Nellie (Brimson) Page, Nelson Luther Brimson Page passed his childhood and early youth in his native town. It was there that he attended school, and there that all his early as- sociations were formed. At the age of twenty-three he accompanied his parents, who were at that time removing to the East, and there took up his home with them at Auburn, where he continues to reside at the present time. It has already been related that his father, Nelson Luther Page, engaged here in the business of manufacturing boxes and box shook and in this enterprise his son was his partner. Dur- ing the life of the elder man he remained the presi- dent of the company, while Nelson Luther Brimson Page held the office of treasurer. The energy of both men was remarkable and it is due to the efforts of both that the present great business has been built up. Since the death of Mr. Page, Sr., his son has managed the large concern. To the running of this business Mr. Page devotes his best efforts, and is now at the head of one of the largest and most suc- cessful plants of its kind in this section of Maine. Mr. Page is the owner of a delightful pleasure boat,
a cruiser, with a commodious and well fitted cabin, which he keeps at Portland and in which, when the occasion offers, he takes trips up and down the coast. Mr. Page is a member of the Free and Ac- cepted Masons, and is a prominent figure in the so- cial life of Auburn generally. In his religious be- lief he is a Congregationalist and attends the Higli Street Church of that denomination in Auburn.
Nelson Luther Brimson Page was united in mar- riage, June 25, 1913, at Auburn, Maine, with Helen Rendall, a native of that place, a daughter of Frank A. and Emma (Verrill) Rendall, both members of old Auburn families.
EDWARD BAILEY DRAPER, of Bangor, Maine, was born March 27, 1876, at Canton, Massa- chusetts, the son of Thomas Bailey Draper and his wife, Sarah D. T. (Sumner) Draper. His father was a manufacturer of woolen goods.
He was educated at the Canton public schools from which he was graduated in 1889. He then went to the Roxbury Latin School, which course he com- pleted in 1895. He had been prepared there for Har- vard University, at which he matriculated, receiv- ing his baccalaureate degree in 1899. His studies for his profession were done in the law school of the same institution, and his degree of Bachelor of Laws obtained in 1902. From 1902 to 1910 Mr. Draper practiced his profession in Boston, Massachusetts. In the latter part of this period he had become in- terested in executive work, and in 1909 he accepted a position as manager of the Katahdin Pulp & Paper Company, of Lincoln, Maine, holding also the post of treasurer of the company, and in this business he continued until 1915. From 1915 to 1917, he took up the related work of timberlands and lumber op- erator. For two years, while a resident of Lincoln, he was the president of the Lincoln Trust Company. In his political views Mr. Draper is a Republican, and he was an independent member of the Massa- chusetts House of Representatives during the term 1905-07. He is a member of the Masonic Order. Outside of his professional interests Mr. Draper is a member of the Harvard Club of Boston, of the Tarratine Club of Bangor, and of the Rotary Club of Bangor. He is a member of the Unitarian church.
JASPER DUNCAN COCHRANE, M.D., one of the most prominent and successful physicians of Saco, Maine, is a member of an old New Hamp- shire family of Scottish origin. The Cochrane fam- ily were living at Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland, during the seventeenth century, and it was during the early part of the eighteenth century that members came to
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the New England Colonies, where they first appear in the town of Londonderry, New Hampshire, in the year 1722.
The founder of the line in that State was one James Cochrane, the great-great-grandfather of Dr. Cochrane, who after a residence of some eighteen years at Londonderry settled at Pembroke, New Hampshire, about 1750. There he erected the first mill built in that town and also the first bridge across the Suncook river. A son of James Cochrane, Major James Cochrane, one of the patriots of Pembroke, rendered his country meritorious service in the Revo- lutionary War. Ensign James Cochrane, a son of Major James Cochrane, and grandfather of Dr. Cochrane, was a prominent citizen of Pembroke, and his son, Chauncey Cochrane, was also prominent there during the early part of his life. Later, how- ever, he left that place, and in 1834 settled at East Corinth, Penobscot county, Maine, where he engaged in a mercantile business for some twenty-five years. Poor health eventually obliged him to give up work in his store and turn his attention to other lines of business. He took a prominent part in the life of the town, and represented the district in the State Legislature at Augusta, in 1851. He frequently served the town in public capacities. He finally died there in 1883.
Jasper Duncan Cochrane, son of Chauncey and Maria (Gay) Cochrane, was born December 2, 1851, at East Corinth, Maine. His early education was ac- quired in the public schools, and at East Corinth Academy. In 1868 69 he was a student at East Maine Conference Seminary at Bucksport, Maine. In 1872 he attended the Maine Wesleyan Seminary at Kents Hill, Maine, where he completed his col- lege preparatory course. During these school years he taught in the winter in the district schools of the State. In the fall of 1876 he matriculated at Wes- leyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, graduat- ing therefrom in 1880 with the degree of A.B., and in 1883 this same institution conferred upon him the degree of M. A. After his graduation followed a few years as principal in high schools of Maine, among them being Stetson Academy, Stetson, Maine. In 1882 he began the study of medicine at the Col- lege of Physicians and Surgeons, New York City. Ile completed the course in May, 1886, and received the degree of M.D.
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