USA > New Hampshire > Cheshire County > Sullivan > A history of the town of Sullivan, New Hampshire, 1777-1917, Volume I > Part 66
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ALBA L. and ELWYN G. STEVENS are sons of John G. Stevens. Alba has worked in Keene and elsewhere. Elwyn is employed by the Kimball Cutlery Company at Bennington.
JOHN SYMONDS was born in Hancock, May 18, 1816. He learned the trade of a tanner and currier in Hancock. He began business for himself at South Antrim, in 1841, Before he had hardly begun, however, his plant was destroyed by fire, leaving him badly in debt. He then went to Salem, Mass., where he worked for a time, then, in 1848, established himself in business again, at Mar- low. He built up a thriving business which added much to the wealth and prosperity of that place. In the mean time he was a deputy sheriff, select-man, and county commissioner. In 1859, he purchased the Wilson tannery at East Sullivan, which he operated for thirteen years. His administration was suc-
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cessful and was the most important industry that the town has ever had. Dur- ing the war, he accumulated a handsome property. In 1872, he moved to Keene and purchased the Asahel Nims estate in West Keene. With A. M. Bigelow & Co., extensive tanners of Boston, he built the Cheshire tannery, the most expen- sive plant of its character in the state, in such a manner as he had learned by experience would be most convenient for his business. It had a capacity for 1,800 sides a week and consumed 2,500 cords of bark in a year and gave employ- ment to from 30 to 40 men. This business did much to build up West Keene. He built a handsome residence near his business, in which he lived until his death, which occurred, Mar. 28, 1885. He was as public-spirited as he was suc- cessful. He secured for the old school district, No. 10, one of the finest district school buildings in the state and gave a good bell for its belfry. He was a rep- resentative to the General Court, but declined other political honors while in Keene. He enjoyed his home, the grounds of which were filled with the choicest flowers that the climate permitted. He was a Freemason and his body was buried with the honors of a Knight Templar, by Hugh de Payens Com- mandery. He and his widow left a large sum of money to the city of Keene, for library purposes, but the tanning business was soon syndicated and the shares in the business here depreciated to such an extent that the legacy did not prove to be of remarkable value.
ELBRIDGE H. TAFT, who was a respected citizen of the town for several years, moved to Keene and died there, May 21, 1897. His son, MILTON H. TAFT, one of the most highly esteemed young men of the place, remained in town for a time and was connected with the business of Leslie H. Goodnow. He afterwards moved to Keene and, later, to Fitchburg. He has again removed to Keene, and is engaged in the sale of pianos.
CHARLES A. TARBOX lived for a time in the house that Ellery E. Rugg built, at 39. He was a carpenter by trade and a farmer, and had lived in Nelson. After remaining in town for a few years, he moved to Keene, the town losing a good citizen, and the village a good neighbor.
WILLIAM H. H. THORNING lived in various places in town, He moved to Keene and is not living. For his son, WILLIAM BURTON THORNING, see page 603. His son, Arthur B., became totally blind by accident. See page 374. A daughter, Miss Jennie E., is a nurse.
EBENEZER TOWNE, son of Archelaus, left town early in life and became a merchant tailor. He lived in Cambridge, N. Y., and North White Creek, N. Y., and died at Bennington, Vt., Nov. 11, 1886. His son, GEO. EDWARD TOWNE, spent a part of his youth with his uncle Hosea Towne in Sullivan and was greatly liked by his young friends of that day. He went into the hotel business and was the proprietor of the Stark House at Bennington, Vt. He died at Granville, Vt., Feb. 4, 1901.
DANIEL TOWNE began his married life in Sullivan, then lived a few years in Langdon, then in several places in the state of New York, finally returning to New Hampshire, alternating between Marlborough and Sullivan. He has two sons in Marlborough, D. Watson and Lester H., two daughters in Sullivan, Mrs. S. E. Jenkins and Mrs. Albert Davis, and a daughter in Brattleborough, Mrs. Clarissa A. Clapp.
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LORIN W. TOWNE, son of Daniel, is another of the many young men of Sullivan of excellent character and business judgment who have succeeded well in life. Lorin was a grain dealer and miller, of the firm of Eames & Towne of Keene. He had previously lived in Sullivan. He was prosperous in business, but a very severe attack of rheumatism, from which he has never fully recovered, has blasted many hopes. He has been prominent in church work and is, in every way, a worthy and useful man.
HOSEA TOWNE lived many years in Sullivan, at 135. He was a bright, intelligent man. He served on the school board and was several times moder- ator of the town meetings. He moved to Keene in 1859. He served in the Civil War, and, later, moved to Marlow and went into trade there, where he acquired a handsome sum of money, a portion of which was depreciated in value, later, by being invested in the savings banks which suffered so severely at one time. The happiness of his life was seriously dimmed by the loss of his only two children and by the pitiable insanity of his wife, which covered a period of about a third of a century. He removed to Keene and died there, Jan. 31, 1897.
REV. EZRA WARDWELL had four sons who lived to maturity and all located elsewhere than in Sullivan. GRANVILLE has been a commercial traveller and lecturer, and has resided in various places. He now lives in Winchester and has a store in Keene. He deals in paints and painters' supplies, also in wall paper and room mouldings. He has been much interested in tracing the histo y of his family. HARLAN was a teamster and lived in various places. He died at Weare, Mar. 19, 1897. LYMAN EZRA did business in the city of New York. He was in the decorative department of Warren, Fuller & Co., wall-paper manu- facturers. He died at Yonkers, N. Y., Aug. 4, 1898. OLIN N. lived in Keene, Winchester, and Jamaica, Vt., and was a manufacturer of mop wringers.
HERSEY WARDWELL, who was a shoemaker many years in Sullivan, moved to Westminster West, Vt. He died Aug. 1, 1871. His daughter, Mrs. M. Elizabeth Stay, has published a genealogy of the Sullivan Wardwells. His son HERBERT O., has been employed in the railroad freight office at Keene, has been the financial secretary of the Y. M. C. A., and is now the book-keeper for Knowlton & Stone, at their hardware store in Keene.
AMOS NICHOLAS WARDWELL, son of I. Nicholas, succeeded his father, for a short time upon the homestead, then lived upon the Capt. Nims place, at 149, and finally moved to Keene and became the manager of the S. K. Stone farm. He died a few years ago. His son, CLARENCE A., was for a time in the grocery business, in the firm of Nichols & Wardwell, and is now in the Bridgman grocery store at Keene.
GEORGE O. WARDWELL, son of George, was in the Civil War, and is a builder and contractor at Keene, where he has been remarkably successful in business. He has a very handsome residence upon Washington Street.
CAPT. THOMAS T. WETHERBEE lived for a time at 117, with a blacksmith- shop at 116. He afterwards lived on the Dunn place, at 122. He had been a captain in the militia and was an intelligent and upright citizen. He moved to Swanzey, but died in Westmoreland.
CHARLES J. WHITE, son of Judson, and brother of the late George White,
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was a good farmer, and lived in Swanzey several years, but died in Walpole, in 1860. Of his brilliant brother, SAMUEL SEWARD WHITE, we have already written. See pages 308, 365, and 512. They were the only two men of the family who left town.
JOSEPH WHITNEY was a merchant at East Sullivan, in a store at 15, resid- ing at 14. IIe came from Nelson and removed from here to Keene, where he also followed the business of a merchant until his death in 1879. His son, RANSEL N. WHITNEY, was an expert violinist. He was, many years, employed in the orchestra upon the Fall River line of steamboats between that port and New York. He resides in Brooklyn, N. Y. He was, for a long time, a travel- ling salesman for the Perry Davis Painkiller Company.
A. MERRILL WILDER, son of Luther, was a farmer in Sullivan, Lempster, and elsewhere, and died in South Dakota, in 1883. His son, AMBROSE S. WILDER, was employed at the bleachery in Waltham, where he was accidentally killed, Nov. 19, 1890.
J. ADDISON WILDER lived in Sullivan a few years after his marriage, then moved to the old Wilcox farm in Gilsum, where he lived until his death in 1853. His sons, WILLIAM A., AUSTIN P., and LANSING W., were all born in Sullivan. William and Lansing live in Gilsum. Austin went to the West.
EZRA WILDER, brother of J. Addison, and son of Oliver, settled on a farm in Nelson, near Munsonville, where he died in 1890. His son, Addison N. R., lives upon the old homestead in Sullivan.
HON. LOCKHART WILLARD, who lived in town at the time of the incorpora- tion, and was the first town treasurer, soon moved to Keene. He built the fine mansion on Main Street, corner of Marlboro, where Mr. Marsh lives. He was a state senator, a man of energy, and a person of much prominence in the com- munity. He practised law in Keene.
DANIEL and JOSIAH WILSON, sons of Daniel, settled in Keene, N. Y., and both afterwards became prominent citizens in Charleston, Pa. Josiah had no children. The children of Daniel were highly esteemed in northern Pennsyl- vania. One son, Luman, was the register of deeds in Wellsboro, Pa., for Tioga County. JAMES WILSON, another son of Daniel, also settled at Keene, N. Y., and was killed at the battle of Plattsburg. SAMUEL WILSON, another son of Daniel, settled in Hopkinton, N. Y., and died in the adjoining town of Nichol- ville. His son Edson was one of the wealthiest men of Vallejo, Cal. A daugh- ter, Maria N., was the wife of Hon. George Wilkins of Stowe, Vt., at one time president of the Vermont senate.
DAUPHIN W. WILSON, EsQ., and his brother, C. FRANKLIN WILSON, sons of John, after spending the larger portion of their lives in Sullivan, both moved to Keene. They were bright, intelligent citizens, and their removal was a great loss to Sullivan. Both died in Keene.
DEA. ASA E. WILSON, who had conducted the tannery at East Sullivan, moved to Marlow. He lived again in two places in Sullivan, at 108 and 80, then returned to his native town of Nelson, where he died in 1890. His three sons have all died. His daughter became the wife of Dr. J. Homer Darling.
WILLIAM F. D. WILSON, son of Frederick A., is a barber at Keene. He has the finest establishment of the kind in this part of New Hampshire. He has built a handsome house on Court Street.
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BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES.
JOHN, CALEB, and THOMAS WINCH, sons of John, all eventually left Sulli- van. John was a comb-maker and died at Leominster, Mass., leaving no chil- dren. Caleb was a farmer and, after living a few years in Sullivan and Keene, went to Nebraska and prospered upon a good prairie farm. He finally returned to Keene, where his first wife died, then went to Grand Rapids, Mich., then to Leominster, Mass., where he recently died, leaving a son, Frank H. Thomas Winch lived many years on the Comstock farm, at 107, then moved to Langdon. He was an upright, intelligent citizen, and very prosperous as a farmer. He died at Marlow in 1896. His son, CHARLES WINCH, a native of Sullivan, suc- ceeded his father on the fine Langdon farm and was very successful. He has recently moved to West Keene. T. DANIEL WINCH, a brother of the latter, was in trade many years in Peterborough, and is now (1907) the postmaster of that place. GEORGE WINCH, a brother of the two preceding, was a graduate of Dartmouth College in 1883, and just escaped being enrolled among the Sullivan graduates, because he was born in Langdon shortly after his father left town, and never lived in Sullivan. He is now the principal of the Manchester High School, and a very efficient instructor.
ENOCH W., SAMUEL A., ALPHEUS B., and WILLIAM W. WINCHESTER, sons of Samuel, all left home early and were all mechanics. Enoch W. was in the cabinet and undertaking business in Keene for a time. He and his brother, Samuel A., eventually established a flourishing furniture manufactory in Grand Rapids, Mich., which they sold in 1857 to Charles C. Comstock. Alpheus B. went into business in Clinton, Iowa, where he died, Nov. 10, 1875. William W. lived at Saratoga Springs. ELLIOT CALEB WINCHESTER, a brother of all the preceding, lived many years on the old homestead in Sullivan, which he finally sold and then moved to Grand Rapids, Mich., where he died.
ENOCH WOODS, son of Enoch, was a blacksmith in Newport, N. II. He died soon after his marriage, leaving one son, who was Rev. E. C. A. Woods. See page 591.
REUBEN WRIGHT lived at 202. He moved to Washington. He had nine children who were scattered to all parts of the country. His daughter, Olive Atwood Wright, married Dea. Jesse R. Goodell, and was the mother of HON. DAVID H. GOODELL, ex-governor of New Hampshire.
CALVIN WRIGHT lived a short time at 151, then moved to Surry, and finally to Gilsum, where he recently died. His son, JEROME E. WRIGHT, is the cashier of the Ashuelot Bank at Keene.
Besides those here mentioned, in these brief sketches, there are others of the last generation, who have very recently left home, and of whom we cannot speak particularly. Among them are the BLOOD boys, Ernest Leroy, in busi- ness in Keene, and Arthur and Forest, nurses in the city of New York ; REUBEN A. DUNN of Harrisville; LESTON M. BARRETT, son of Marshall J., a farmer in Keene ; CHARLES E. WINCHESTER, son of Elliot C., a carpenter and contractor, at Port Huron, Mich. ; ANDREW A. TYLER of Seekonk, Mass. ; CHARLES H. HOWARD, son of Charles A., an electrician in Winchendon, Mass. ; FRANK E. JOY, for a time the station agent at South Keene; DANIEL W. and DEXTER M. SPAULDING, sons of Dauphin, 2d; FRED, HENRY, WILLIAM, and GEORGE GAUTHIER, mechanics in Keene ; EDWARD, LOUIS, FRED, GEORGE, CHARLES,
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ALPHONSE (called Alfred), EUSEBE (called James), and OSIAS (called Henry) Beauregard, sons of Michel, all bright and energetic young fellows, in differ- ent pursuits in different places ; JOSEPH GORMAN ; FRED L. BEDAW ; UEL J. and HERBERT S. CURRIER; ARTHUR G. DAVIS, son of George HI., who has recently moved to Keene; FRANK W. HUBBARD, son of M. W., who is a clerk at Keene; DAVID F. SMITH, son of Geo. D., and HENRY L. and RAYMOND P. SMITH, sons of the late David F.
Of some families who have very recently moved from the place there will be a mention in the pages which follow.
CHAPTER XVI.
FAMILY HISTORIES.
DISTRICT NO. I.
We shall close the history proper of Sullivan with a notice of the families who have occupied the different house sites in the town, together with a notice of the location of the shops and mills. This will be done in a numerical man- ner. The number which begins each paragraph refers to the corresponding number upon the excellent map accompanying this volume, which was con- structed by Samuel Wadsworth of Keene, an accomplished civil engineer. This map is based upon actual surveys. The lot and range lines, the roads (both present roads and discontinued roads), and house sites are correctly located. The discontinued roads are indicated by dotted lines, and sites of houses not standing are indicated by small, hollow rectangles. The rivers and brooks are rightly located, and the mountain peaks are placed by an accurate triangulation, and their heights correctly calculated. In portions of the field work, valuable assistance was rendered by John Bliss of Gilsum, and the citizens of the town, very generally, gave all the assistance in their power, the number thus assisting being too large to be singly designated here ..
We shall begin with the families of District No. I. This district was for- merly bounded on the north by the south line of the Wilson, Holt, Comstock, and Buxton estates; east by Nelson ; south by Roxbury; and west by the Patent Line. In later years, the southern part of lot I, range XII., was set off to No. 4; the land of Dauphin Spaulding, 2d, 45 on map, was taken into the district ; and the farm of Mason A. Nims was set off to No. 2. The exact former boundary of the district is found on page 487 of this book. The estate of Mr. Spaulding was included, and the farm of Mr. M. A. Nims excluded, after the town decided upon this boundary. The exact bounds are shown by the map.
All the land in District No. I was a part of the old Masonian Patent, which was sold by the Masons, July 30, 1746, to a syndicate of proprietors, known as
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the Masonian Proprietors, by a deed signed Dec. II (executed Dec. 12), 1750. All of this land was included in the grant to 36 grantees of Monadnock No. 6, made May 10, 1752, on the same day that Monadnock No. 7, now Stoddard, was granted. The shares in this part of the grant were drawn by five men. Jacob Fletcher drew the first lots in all of the ranges that now come in this town, Jonathan French drew the second and third lots in the ranges as far west as the eighth. Robert Fletcher, Jr., drew the second and third lots in the ranges from the ninth to the twelfth. John Marshall drew the fourth and fifth lots in the ranges as far west as the eighth, and Zaccheus Lovewell drew the fourth and fifth lots of the ranges from the ninth to the twelfth. These men were all from the vicinity of the present city of Nashua. They never saw their lots and really drew them in the interest of Hon. Thomas Packer, the sheriff of New Hamp- shire, to whom they soon sold them for a merely nominal sum.
Packer, who lived in Portsmouth, with a country seat at Greenland, finally owned a large part of the township, all in fact which came within the limits of the present Sullivan. From him the town received the name of Packersfield, when it was incorporated, Feb. 22, 1774. Of him and his heirs the original settlers of this neighborhood purchased all of their lots, no one of which was settled before the incorporation of Sullivan. Their houses, shops, and public buildings will now be mentioned in detail.
I. This house was built by Miss Minnie Rice in 1904, by permission, upon land of Mr. Jenkins, which belongs to the lot described in the next paragraph.
2. The old Reuben Morse place. REUBEN MORSE of Dublin (now Harris- ville) purchased this place, June 26, 1792, of Hon. Thomas Packer. He sold it, March 1, 1799, to his son, REUBEN MORSE, JR., known in Sullivan as " the elder Reuben " who had already settled upon the place. The latter was a musical genius. He made bass viols and "pitched the tunes " in the meetinghouse. He died here, Mar. 16, 1841. REUBEN MORSE, 3d, known in Sullivan as Reuben, Jr., bought the place of his father, Apr. 4, 1826, with the customary obligation to care for his parents through life. He also was a musician and a good per- former upon the violin. He lived later in Marlborough and Troy. JOHN MASON, JR., bought this place of the Morses, Apr. 10, 1845. His father lived many years at 22. John, Jr., came from Lancaster, N. H., and moved from here to Keene, and finally moved to East Westmoreland, where he died. DAVID MORRISON was a tenant here, in the early fifties. He worked in Goodnow's mill. Mr. Mason sold the place, May 3, 1852, to Lucius Nims and Charles Mason, who sold it, Apr. 9, 1853, to SILAS BLACK, who came here from a neigh- boring lot in Nelson and remained until his death, June 30, 1854. He willed the place to his wife, Mrs. Elmina (Lovejoy) Black, who sold it, Nov. 21, 1865, to NATHANIEL W. FAY, who died, Oct. 4, 1888, leaving the place to his widow, Mrs. Mary Fay, who died, June 12, 1891, when, by the terms of Mr. Fay's will, the place passed to Mrs. Fay's grandson, SAMUEL EDMUND JENKINS, JR., who still owns and lives upon it. BERNARD E. JENKINS, a son of S. E. Jenkins, Jr., who was recently married, also resides upon the place with his father, as we go to press. Mr. S. E. Jenkins, Jr., has been prominent in town affairs.
3. The Alonzo Mason place. EPHRAIM ADAMS bought this place of Thomas Packer, Jan. 15, 1793. He remained II years and sold it, Aug. 21,
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1804, to JOHN WRIGHT, formerly of l'ackersfield (Nelson). Mr. Wright died in 1815, and his widow married JOSEPH FRENCH, Nov. 24, 1817, who came here to live and acquired the farm. MINOT WRIGHT, son of John, bought it of Mr. French, Nov. 25, 1833, but sold it, a month later, Dec. 28, 1833, to ALONZO MASON. Mr. Mason was a schoolmaster of much merit in his day. He was a capable man, who settled estates and did considerable business. He left the farm a few years before he sold it. A man named METCALF, a blacksmith at East Sullivan, rented it about 1848-1850. Alonzo Mason sold the place, Apr. 20, 1853, to Lucius Nims and Charles Mason, who sold the part containing the house, Nov. 16, 1859, to JEREMY MOREY, whose wife was a sister of Mrs. Black, who was living at 2. NATHAN M. BLOOD bought the same of Mr. Morey, Nov. 25, 1869. Ile was the father of E. A. Blood of this town. Mr. Blood owned the place more than five years. DANIEL H. JOY was a tenant a part of that time. Apr. 22, 1875, GEORGE W. HAZLIN bought the place. He did not live here all of the time, renting it in the meantime. He died here, Oct. 6, 1891. His widow rented the place to BRUNO THEBERGE, commonly known as " Joe. Brown ", who had rented it some years while Mr. Hazlin owned it. He finally bought it, June 9, 1896. Mr. Theberge sold the place Sept. 26, 1899, to ERNEST THOIN, who sold it, June 28, 1900, to Henry Davis, who lives upon the next lot. WM. LESTER GUILLOW was a tenant for a short time. The house is now vacant (1907).
4. First house upon the farm where Henry Davis lives. " Molly " Packer, the eccentric widow of Thomas Packer, came into possession of this lot of land at the death of her husband. She sold it, Apr. 19, 1798, to her husband's son, Thomas Packer, the fourth in lineal descent to bear the name of Thomas. The latter sold it, June 28, 1798, to SAMUEL MASON, who came from that part of Dublin which is now Harrisville. He was born on that farm upon which stands the large mansion of Dr. Bell. The first four of Samuel Mason's 12 children were born in this house, and the second, Martin, died here in his second year, and was buried near the house. Samuel Mason was a cordwainer and made boots and shoes for his family and sometimes for neighbors. On Aug. 23, 1805, Samuel Mason bought of his father, Joseph Mason, the place in Dublin (now Harrisville) where he was born, and moved there. His last eight children were born in the latter town. He still owned this Sullivan farm, and JOSEPH MASON, JR., brother of Samuel, moved into the house and lived in it until March, 1806, when his new house, at 50, was completed. The latter's eldest child, Alonzo, was born here. On Feb. 1, 1810, Samuel Mason swapped this farm for the farm of BELA MASON in Dublin (now Harrisville), where Solon Willard lives. Bela moved at once into this house. His eight children were all born before he came here, but the youngest, Sarah, died in this house, in infancy, in a few weeks after the family had occupied it. Bela, shortly after, moved this house to the site of No. 6, so as to be near the new road, which was built about 1794.
5. This was the second house built upon the farm now owned by Henry Davis (or the third, if we should call the house that originally stood at No. 6 the second. That house, was, however, the first house on the farm, moved from No. 4). The house that stood here was built by RUFUS MASON, son of Bela, about the time of his marriage. His ten children were all born here, four of
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whom died at an early age. Rufus Mason built the new house at No. 6, and left this house in 1836, which became the ell of the one at 6, for many years.
6. The old house built by Samuel Mason at No. 4 was moved here by BELA MASON, after he bought the farm. For dates see No. 4. Bela Mason's mother spent her last days here and died in the old house upon this spot. RUFUS MASON bought the farm of his father, Bela, March 10, 1814, giving the usual bond to maintain his parents. He was married the following year, and built the house at 5. In 1836, Rufus Mason removed the old house at 6 across the road, where it became a barn and carriage house, and built the fine house which now stands upon the spot. Both Mr. and Mrs. Bela Mason lived a few years after the new house was built and died in it. Rufus Mason was a fine representative of the sturdy old New England stock ; a faithful supporter of the Congregational church to which all his family belonged; a man of unswerving integrity, and of a firm and indomitable will; and an excellent townsman and neighbor. He lived to see one son become an eminent physician, another an enterprising manufacturer, and two successful, progressive farmers, and both daughters well and happily married. He died, on a visit to his children, in Winchendon, Dec. 4, 1873. He was twice married. Each of the wives died in this house. CHARLES MASON purchased this farm of his father, Rufus Mason, April 1, 1846, giving the customary bond to continue the privileges of the estate to his parents, etc. Of Mr. Mason we have a mention upon page 616. He was twice married. His first wife and her two children, a lovely daughter, and a bright son, died here. His second wife died in Marlborough. She left a son, Joseph Henry, a graduate of Dartmouth College, who died at El Paso, Texas. See page 607. Sept. 30, 1876, HENRY DAVIS of Sullivan bought this farm of Mr. Mason, possession to be taken, Apr. 1, 1877. Mr. Mason then moved to Marlborough, where he still lives, at the great age of 91, a remarkably well- preserved man, physically and intellectually. He retains a great affection for his native town. Mr. Davis is one of the most substantial men of the town, interested in all that pertains to its welfare. He keeps the old farm in excellent order. His son, LESTON F. DAVIS, resides with him. The latter is one of the capable young men of the town, who has held several of the town offices.
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