USA > New Hampshire > Merrimack County > Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Merrimack and Sullivan counties, New Hampshire > Part 14
USA > New Hampshire > Sullivan County > Biographical review containing life sketches of leading citizens of Merrimack and Sullivan counties, New Hampshire > Part 14
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entered Dartmouth College, and was graduated therefrom thoroughly equipped for his chosen vocation of a teacher. He began teaching in Haverhill, N. H., after which he taught for a time in Fitchburg. On leaving the latter place, he became principal of the Varney School of Manchester, N. H., which position he has held for many years. He was married August 24, 1887, to Miss Emily Corinne Holden, daughter of Charles A. Holden, of Langdon, and has one child, Emily Josephine Winch.
Charles Winch completed his education in Kimball Union Academy of Meriden, N. H. Returning home then, he assisted his father in the work of the farm for a time. Subse- quently he engaged in teaching school in Westford, Mass. ; but he finally returned to general farming, in which he has since been profitably engaged. His enterprises include dairying and stock-raising, and he makes a specialty of thorough bred cattle.
On September 8, 1875, Mr. Winch married Miss-Abbie L. Hubbard, who was born De- cember 5, 1846, in Sullivan, daughter of George F. and Betsey Hubbard, of that place. They have five children, namely : Elton W., born January 7, 1877; Walter T., born June 27, 1879; Clara A., born February 14, 1881; Bessie E., born May 24, 1883; and Helen L., born April 4, 1892. Elton and Walter are pupils of Cushing Academy, Ashburnham, . Mass. ; and Clara and Bessie attend the gram- . mar school of Marlow, N. H.
The Republican party has no stancher sup- porter than Mr. Winch. He was superintend- ent of schools for several years. He has served acceptably in the capacity of Select- man. He was Tax Collector for three years. In 1895 he was a Representative to the State legislature, serving on the Committee on Agriculture. For one year he was a member
of the School Board, and he is now serving as Town Auditor and Justice of the Peace. The only secret society he has connection with is the Order of the Golden Cross. An esteemed member of the Congregational church, he has been superintendent of the Sunday-school for seventeen years.
C OHN S. HUBBARD, a manufacturer of cigars and a wholesale and retail dealer in cigars and tobacco at Concord, N. H., was born in Greenville, N. H., Decem- ber 18, 1838, son of John and Mary (Ken- nedy) Hubbard. John Hubbard, his grand- father, born at New Ipswich, N. H., was a distinguished professor of mathematics at Dartmouth College for many years. He at- tained a good old age. The original progen- itor of the Hubbard family in America came from England and settled in Concord, Mass. The father, also a native of New Ipswich, was a graduate of Dartmouth College. For a por- tion of his life he taught school in Dartmouth, and always lived at the old homestead, which is still in the possession of the Hubbard fam- ily. His death occurred in 1860. By his wife, Mary, he became the father of seven children, of whom Mary A., William E., Charles L., and Louisa J. are deceased. The others are: George H., who resides at Man- chester, N. H .; Harriet B., who married Eu- gene C. Gardiner, of Springfield, Mass., and resides in that town; and John S., of this sketch.
After receiving his education in the schools of New Ipswich, John S. Hubbard learned cigar-making at Manchester, where he re- mained until 1859. For some time after that he followed the trade in various places. In May, 1861, he enlisted as a private in Com- pany K, Tenth Massachusetts Infantry, and
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subsequently in the Civil War made a most creditable record. After the battle of Antie- tam he received a commission as Second Lieutenant in the Tenth New Hampshire Vol- unteers. After Fredericksburg he was pro- moted to the grade of First Lieutenant. Still another well-deserved promotion followed these honors, when he was raised to the rank of a Captain and placed in command of a com- pany. At Malvern Hill he received a slight wound. Drury's Bluff was the last battle in which he participated. After leaving the army, he returned to business. In 1870 he went to Concord and began to manufacture cigars and deal in cigars by wholesale and retail.
Mr. Hubbard married Clara A. Gilman, daughter of William Gilman, of Concord. They have two children - Grace L. and Helen F. Mr. Hubbard is a Gold Democrat in his politics. He cast his first Presiden- tial vote for Abraham Lincoln. He is a mem- ber of the Grand Army organization and a prominent Odd Fellow. In religion he affil- iates with the Unitarians. His fellow-towns- men esteem him as one of their foremost busi- ness men.
J OHN FRANCIS WEBSTER, of Con- cord, the treasurer of the Concord & Montreal Railroad, was born in Dor- chester, Mass., November 18, 1837, son of Nathaniel F. and Miriam (Couch) Webster, both natives of Salisbury, N. H. He was edu- cated in the public schools of Savannah, Ga., and Concord, N. H., and completed his studies at the age of nineteen. His first employment for salary was that of book-keeper for Moore, Cilley & Co., hardware merchants of this city, with whom he remained for a year and a half. On March 14, 1857, he entered the employ of the Concord Railroad Corporation as cashier
in the local freight office, where he continued until 1862, when he was promoted to the gen- eral freight office. On May 1, 1865, he was made cashier of the road, a position that he subsequently filled for nearly twenty-five years. In September, 1889, he was appointed to his present office, that of treasurer of the Concord & Montreal Railroad. His long ex- perience in the financial department of a carry- ing corporation had previously qualified him for this position. He is now a well-known railroad financier. He is also interested in the Mechanics' National Bank, of which he is a Director, and in the Loan and Trust Savings Bank of Concord, of which he is a Trustee. Politically, he is a Republican. He repre- sented Concord in the legislature during the years 1889 and 1890, and was a member of the Board of Aldermen from Ward Four in 1895, 1896, 1897, and 1898.
On June 18, 1856, Mr. Webster was united in marriage with Mary J. Cutting, of this city. She died in November, 1893, leaving four children, namely : Jennie Margaret, now the wife of Edward E. Brown, of Concord; Clara Helen, the wife of Joseph S. Mathews, of this city ; Jessie Marion; and Frances May. Mr. Webster was again married February 6, 1897, to Miss Stella Hutchinson, of Manchester, N. H. A Mason of high standing, he is a member of Blazing Star Lodge, No. 11; of Trinity Chapter, No. 2, Royal Arch Masons ; of Horace Chase Council, No. 4, Royal and Select Masters; of Mount Horeb Commandery, Knights Templar; of Edward A. Raymond Consistory, of Nashua; and of the Royal Order of Scotland. He has been the presid- ing officer of all of the Masonic bodies in Concord, and Grand Master; Grand High Priest, and Grand Commander of the State bodies. He is one of the few whose qualifica- tions enable them to reach the thirty-third
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degree, which was conferred upon him at Bos- ton, September 17, 1885, by the Supreme Council, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, for the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the United States of America. Mr. Webster is a member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church.
ANIEL C. WESTGATE, a promi- nent resident of Plainfield and an ex-member of the New Hampshire legislature, was born in this town, June 4, 1857, son of Earl and Sarah Chase (Cole) Westgate. His great-grandfather, John West- gate, who was the first ancestor of the family to settle in Plainfield, came here in 1778. John married Grace Church, of Tiverton, R.I., a descendant of Colonel Benjamin Church, who commanded the Colonial forces in the war against King Philip. They were the parents of eleven children; namely, Betsey, John, Lydia, Earl, Priscilla, Mary, George, William, Joseph, Benjamin, and Hannah. Earl Westgate, grandfather of Daniel C., accompanied his parents to this town, and spent the active period of his life upon the farm now occupied by his son, Earl Westgate (second). He married Elizabeth Waite, daughter of Nathaniel and Annie (Sweetser) Waite, of Hubbardston, Mass., and was by her the father of six children; namely, Elizabeth, John, Nathaniel W., Anna W., George, and Earl.
Earl Westgate, Daniel C. Westgate's father, was born in Plainfield, December 17, 1808. He assisted in carrying on the farm until his father's death, when he succeeded to the property. By judicious management he obtained a good income from the estate. Failing health compelled him to retire from . active labor some years since, and the farm is now managed by his son. In religious belief
he is a Baptist, and he has been a Deacon of that church for fifty years. His first wife, in maidenhood Sarah Chase Cole, who was born in Plainfield, November 24, 1815, daughter of Daniel and Martha (Johnson) Cole, died Janu- ary 18, 1876. The maiden name of his second wife was Abigail M. Camp, and she died four years after her marriage. Earl Westgate had six children, all the offspring of his first union. They were: William E., born De- cember 9, 1840; Martha E., born January 9, 1842; Edith S., born June 29, 1846; Julia A., born August 8, 1848, who died November 19, 1865; Mary E., born November 1, 1854, who died February 29, 1864; and Daniel C., the subject of this sketch. William E., who attended school at Kimball Union Academy, has held some of the important town offices, and is now County Commissioner. He mar- ried Charlotte E. Bryant, of Cornish, N. H., and has two children - Earl and Martha E. The latter is now the wife of Edwin M. Quimby. Her aunt, Martha E. Westgate, who attended the academy and was formerly a successful school teacher, is now the widow of Freeman Holt, late of Lyme, N. H., and presides over her father's household. Edith S. Westgate, who is the wife of Carlos D. Colby, a wealthy farmer of Plainfield, has had eight children, seven of whom are living.
Daniel C. Westgate was educated in the schools of Plainfield and at New London, N. H. Since then he has given his attention to general farming at the homestead, and has had the entire charge of the farm since his father's retirement. He is one of the Repub- lican party leaders in this locality, and has served the town ably and faithfully as Town Clerk and Treasurer. Also he was Select- man for six years, having been Chairman of the Board for two years of that time ; and he repre- sented the town in the State legislature, where
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he served on the Committee on Appropriations. Hle is at present Master of Blow-me-down Grange.
On June 13, 1878, Mr. Westgate was united . in marriage with Clara J. Stone, who was born in Plainfield, March 27, 1855, daughter of Solomon Stone. She is now the mother of two daughters : Mary E., born November 27, 1879; and Bessie S., born October 15, 1883. Mary E. attended Kimball Union Academy, and is now a prominent school teacher in this town. Bessie S. is still attending school.
HARLES F. ADAMS, the junior proprietor and business manager of the needle factory at Hill, was born at Hill, October 2, 1857, youngest son of the late Harrison Adams. The grandfather, Rus- sel Adams, a farmer by occupation, moved to Hill when it was New Chester. His wife, Susan Fifield Adams, had eight children. Of these Harrison Adams was one of the principal founders of the needle factory. Associated in business with Harrison were his two sons, P. C. Shaw and Stephen Wood- ward.
Charles F. Adams received his education in the district schools and in the Choate School of Boston. He then went into his father's factory, beginning at the bottom of the ladder. From this position he worked his way up through the various departments, and is to-day the manager of the business. It is claimed that the factory employs more men than any other concern in town. Mr. Adams married Miss Henrietta B. Morrill, a daughter of Har- rison and Olive Morrill. She is now the mother of three children - Heber, George E., and Carl, who form a pleasant family group. Like his father and brother, George H., Mr. Adams is a prominent figure in social and re-
ligious organizations and a prime mover in all affairs relating to the civil and administrative welfare of the town. He is a member of the present legislature, Selectman of the town, and Chairman of the School Board, as well as an active Odd Fellow. In politics a Republi- can, he had the pleasure of casting his first Presidential vote in ISSo for General Garfield.
OSEPH L. CALL, who was a leading resident of Franklin and dealt largely in cattle, was born in this town, Au- gust 31, 1840, son of Hazen H. and Mary (Thomas) Call. His father was a native of Franklin; and his mother was born in San- bornton,-N. H. His parents' family comprised eight children. An account of his ancestry and immediate relatives will be found on an- other page in the biography of Dana W. Call.
After attending the common schools for the usual period, Joseph, at the age of seventeen, began to work as a farm assistant in this local- ity. When twenty years old, he engaged in the cattle business, which was thereafter his chief occupation. He became one of the best known drovers in this part of the State. For many years he was an extensive buyer of cattle, sheep, and hogs, which he shipped to Brighton, Mass. He was unusually success- ful. Some years ago he settled at the home- stead. He owned about four hundred acres of land, and at the time of his decease he was one of the largest general farmers in Franklin. In October, 1861, he married Ann G. Sever- ance. She was born in Salisbury, N. H., De- cember 25, 1841, daughter of Stillman and Martha (Lowell) Severance. Her parents re- sided in Salisbury until 1850, when they moved to Franklin and settled on a farm in the northern part of the town. Stillman Sev- erance died in 1862, and his wife in 1881.
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Mr. and Mrs. Call had two children, namely : Cora Belle, born in 1862, who is now the wife of Frank W. Foster, a prosperous farmer of Hill, N. H. ; and Katherine L., born Decem- ber 12, 1865, who is now the wife of Arthur B. Simonds, an employee of the needle factory in Hill. Mrs. Simonds is an accomplished singer and teacher, and has sung in different church choirs in Concord and Nashua. She and her husband reside with her parents. Mr. Hall died June 16, 1897.
Politically, Mr. Call always supported the Democratic party ; but in 1896 he voted for Mckinley and the gold standard. He ren- dered valuable service to the town as a Select- man for two years. The family are connected with the grange in Hill. Both Mr. and Mrs. Call attended the Christian church.
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B YRON MOORE, the efficient Post- master of Concord, was born in this city, October 30, 1844, son of James and Nancy (Barr) Moore, both of whom were natives of Goffstown, N.H. He comes of Scotch-Irish ancestry. His earliest pro- genitor emigrated to America in 1719, set- tling in Londonderry, N. H. He obtained his education in the public schools of Concord, being graduated from the high school at the age of nineteen years. Then he obtained em- ployment in the stove foundry of William P. Ford & Co., with whom he remained for twenty years. During a part of the time he was associated in the firm of James Moore & Sons, successful hardware merchants of this city. In 1884 they sold out, and in the next year Mr. Moore was appointed money order clerk in the post-office, which position he held for about two years. In 1894 he was ap- pointed Postmaster by President Cleveland, and he entered upon the duties of the office on
June 16 of the same year. This position he has since filled most acceptably.
On October 19, 1876, Mr. Moore was mar- ried to Sarah E. Tucker, of this city. In politics he affiliates with the Democratic party. He has been connected with Masonic organizations for thirty years, being a mem- ber of Blazing Star Lodge, No. 3, Trinity Chapter, R. A. M. ; and of Mount Horeb Com- mandery, K. T.
OHN TICKNOR DUNCAN, the Treas- urer of the Kimball Union Academy, Meriden, was born in Plainfield, De- cember 22, 1831, son of Samuel B. and Ruth (Ticknor) Duncan. His great-grandfather, James Duncan, born in 1724, resided in Haverhill, Mass. James married Elizabeth Bell, who was born December 25, 1725, and had a family of twelve children. Robert Duncan, the grandfather, was born in Haver- hill, May 21, 1760. When a young man he settled in Plainfield. He married Hannah Emerson, a native of Haverhill, and became the father of four children - Samuel B., John Thaxter, Mary A., and Hannah - all natives of Plainfield. John Thaxter, who was born in 1798, and followed a mercantile business in Vermont for a number of years, was afterward engaged in the manufacture of iron in New York State, and died in 1870. He married Fanny Dennison, and had a family of six chil- dren, four of whom are living. Mary A., born March 23, 1800, married John Bryant, of this town, who was associated with Squire Kimball in a mercantile business and the woollen manufacturing industry. She lived to be ninety-one years old, and two of her four children are living. Hannah, who was born in 1802, married Reuben True, one of the prosperous farmers and prominent residents of
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Plainfield in his day ; and she lived to the ad- vanced age of ninety-four years. She was the mother of four children, one of whom is living.
Samuel B. Duncan, born November 20, 1795, was educated in the schools of Plainfield and Haverhill, Mass. Soon after the comple- tion of his studies he volunteered to serve in the War of 1812 as a substitute for his brother, who had been drafted. For thirty- five years he was a Trustee of the Kimball Union Academy, and he filled the position of Treasurer for twelve years. He died Decem- ber 22, 1869. His wife, Ruth, was born in Lebanon, N.H., in 1777, daughter of John and Mabel (Green) Ticknor. She became the mother of three sons, namely: John T., the subject of this sketch; Robert H., born No- vember 12, 1833; and Samuel A., born June 19, 1836. Robert H. prepared for his col- legiate course at the Kimball Union Acad- emy, and was graduated from Dartmouth Col- lege, class of 1857. He studied law at the Poughkeepsie (N. Y.) Law School, and is now a prominent patent attorney in New York City. He married Abbie Vinning, daughter of Samuel Vinning, of Holbrook, Mass .; and she has had four children, three of whom are living. Samuel A. attended the Kimball Union Academy, and was graduated from Dartmouth with the class of 1858. After pursuing a course at the Columbia Law School, he was engaged in teaching at Quincy, Mass., for a time, and was for two years a tutor at Dartmouth College. In 1862 he was commissioned Major of the Fourteenth Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers, was later appointed Colonel of the Fourth United States Colored Regiment, and retired from the service with the rank of Brevet Major- general. During the years 1867 and 1868 he was special agent of the United States Treas- ury at Washington, was Examiner of Patents
from 1868 to 1870, and Commissioner of Patents from 1870 to 1872. Later he became associated with his brother, Robert H., in New York City, and died October 18, 1895. On December 25, 1867, he married Julia Jones, of Washington, N. H .; and she became the mother of five children, three of whom are living. She is now residing in Englewood, N. J. Mrs. Samuel B. Duncan was ninety- four years old, when she died in 1871.
After graduating from the Kimball Union Academy in 1852, John Ticknor Duncan im- mediately turned his attention to agriculture. He succeeded to the home farm, and has since carried it on with success. The property, which contains about fifty acres, is located in the village of Meriden, nearly opposite the academy and adjoining Dexter Richard Hall, where many of the students board. In 1870 he succeeded his father as Treasurer and Trus- tee of the academy. This institution has from one hundred and fifty to one hundred and seventy-five students in attendance. Dexter Richard Hall, a handsome three-story build- ing belonging to the academy, is used during the vacation season for summer boarders. Mr. Duncan has acted as a Justice of the Peace and Notary Public for the past twenty years. Politically, he supports the Republican party. He was a member of the New Hampshire Constitutional Convention of 1889.
NDREW J. MITCHELL, one of Lempster's well-to-do farmers and an ex-member of the New Hamp- shire legislature, was born in Acworth, N.H., August 3, 1828, son of William L. and El- mira (Moore) Mitchell. He is a descendant of Thomas and Mary (Mitchell) Mitchell, who emigrated from Ireland, and located in Lon- donderry, N. H. William and Martha (Wal-
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lace) Mitchell, great-grandparents of Andrew J., settled upon a farm in Acworth in 1777. Jonathan Mitchell, grandfather of Andrew J., and a native of Acworth, spent the active period of his life engaged in agriculture. He married Nancy Mitchell, of Francestown, N.H., and his children were: William L .; James L .; Nancy, who died in Acworth; and Jonathan T.
William L. Mitchell, whose birth occurred in Acworth in 1804, was a lifelong resident of that town. He prosperously conducted a good farm, and was highly respected as an up- right man and a worthy citizen. He lived to be seventy-six years old. His wife, Elmira Moore, who was born in Lempster in 1807, became the mother of ten children, as follows : Andrew J., the subject of this sketch; Will- iam L., who died in infancy; Elmira A., who died young; William L. (second), who mar- ried Jane Elliott, and is a farmer and milk dealer in Littleton, Mass .; Levi W., who married Harriet W. Brown, and is engaged in agriculture in Mason, N.H .; Alma A., who married Herbert L. Piper, of Acworth, and died in September, 1895; Abram, who wedded Frances Bailey, of Claremont, N. H., and is a prosperous farmer in Acworth; Jona- than T., who is also engaged in farming in that town; Nellie J., who did not reach ma- turity; and Clara L., who married George Miller, neither of whom is living. Mrs. William L. Mitchell lived to be seventy-seven -years old. She was a member of the Congre- gational church.
Andrew J. Mitchell was reared in the com- mon schools, and grew to manhood in Ac- worth. He resided at home until he was twenty-seven years old, assisting in carrying on the farm and working to some extent at shoemaking. In 1858 he bought the Way farm in Lempster, where he now resides.
Since then he has enlarged the property from one hundred and five to two hundred acres, and made various improvements upon the land and buildings. In addition to carrying on general farming, he raises some fine cattle, manufactures considerable maple sugar, and cares for a large orchard. In politics he is an active supporter of the Prohibition party. He has served as Selectman and upon the School Board. He ably represented this dis- trict in the legislature during the years 1876 and 1877, and he has been a Justice of the Peace for some time.
On April 21, 1857, Mr. Mitchell was joined in marriage with Mary M. Whittemore. She was born in Wilton, N. H., September 28, 1827, daughter of Abram and Martha (Mar- shall) Whittemore, the former of whom was a native of Greenfield, and the latter of Tewks- bury, Mass. Abram Whittemore was exten- sively engaged in agricultural and mercantile pursuits. The erection of the first cotton- mill in New Hampshire was due to his energy and enterprise. Mrs. Mitchell's grandfather, Major Amos Whittemore, was in the Revolu- tionary War, and served at Bunker Hill. Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell have three children ; namely, Abraham \V., M.D., Martha A., and Nellie J. Martha died young. Abraham W. was educated in Lempster, Newport, and Meriden, N.H. His medical studies were begun at the University of the State of Ver- mont in Burlington; and he was graduated from the New York College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1887, taking high rank in a class of one hundred and fifty-one students. He commenced the practice of his profession in Harrisville, N. H., where he remained about a year. Since then he has resided in Epping, N.H., which he now represents in the lower house of the State legislature. He married Harriett F. Perkins, daughter of Dr. Marshall
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Durkins, of Marlow, N. H., and has three chil- Gren -- Avis W., Karl P., and Richard A. Nellie J. Mitchell is now the wife of Edward 1 .. Pike, who is manager and superintendent of the cold storage buildings of the Provi- Hence Freezing Company, Providence, R.I. Mr. Mitchell is a member of the Congrega- tional church; and he is connected with Cold River Grange, No. 19, Patrons of Husbandry, of Acworth. Mr. Mitchell has had a busy and useful life, and his industry has been at- tended with good financial results.
EORGE W. GRIFFIN, of Franklin Falls village, the senior member of the firm G. W. Griffin & Co., and a native of Lisbon, N. H., was born April 2, 1839, son of George and Alice (Clark) Griffin. George Griffin manufactured wool in Danville and Barnet, Vt., for several years. Afterward he returned to Manchester, the place of his birth, and opened a store. The latter part of his life was spent at York Beach, Me. He was the proprietor of the Agamenti - cus Hotel there, and carried it on until the time of his death, which occurred in 1885, at the age of eighty-three years. He had six children, namely: William Henry, the eldest- born, who died in 1866; Almena J., who mar- ried Walter Bailey, a merchant of Lancaster, N.H. ; Clara A., who married Thomas Howard, a wheelwright of Manchester; George W., the subject of this sketch; Georgia A., George's twin sister, who died in 1865; and Heber C., a mechanic, who mar- ried Ann McKiver, of Franklin, N. H.
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