USA > New Hampshire > Belknap County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Stafford and Belknap countries, New Hampshire > Part 3
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The financial management of the main firm, as well as the exclusive direction of the Dover establishments, remained from the beginning in the hands of James Elbridge Lothrop. After the death of his brother, Daniel Lothrop, in 1892, he purchased the entire property of D. Lothrop & Co. in New Hampshire, but subsequently sold that part of it located in Great Falls to his brother John C. Lothrop. The publishing house he carried on conjointly with Mrs. Daniel Lothrop for two years longer, and then became convinced that the magnitude of his interests, together with his advancing years, demanded a change. Accordingly, with the consent of his late brother's wife and John
C. Lothrop, he organized the Lothrop Publish- ing Company, as successors to the D. Lothrop Company, but bound to carry on the business upon the principles and plans of the original founders of the house. At the same time he withdrew from the management, and has since devoted himself to the care of his various establishments in New Hampshire. Regard- ing his other business connections it will suffice to mention that James E. Lothrop was chosen Director of the Cocheco National Bank in 1858, Vice-President in 1873, and has been its President since 1876; he was made a Director of the Cocheco Aqueduct Association in 1871, the clerk of the association in 1872, and the President in 1875; and that he has been a Director of the Portsmouth & Dover Railroad, of the Eliab Bridge Company, of the Dover Street Railroad Company, and the Pres- ident respectively of the Dover Board of Trade and the Dover Improvement Association.
In 1852, September 29, Mr. Lothrop was united in matrimony with Mary E. Morrill, a daughter of Joseph Morrill, of Amesbury, Mass. Mr. Morrill, who was interested in the Cocheco Manufacturing Company of Dover, in the course of time acquired a large amount of real estate, the care of which became his prin- cipal occupation in his later years. Mr. Lothrop has been a teacher in the Methodist Sunday-school over forty years. Mr. and Mrs. Lothrop are members of the Methodist church. In politics he supports the Republican party. In 1872 Mr. Lothrop represented Dover in the State legislature, and in 1882 and 1883 he was Mayor of the city. The origin of the Dover public library was largely due to his persever- ing efforts. Devotion to the public welfare has been a characteristic of Mr. Lothrop in his private capacity as well as in his official life. He has been prominent in all movements de- signed for the moral elevation or material good
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of the community in which he has resided. Eminently successful in business without de- sending to ignoble means, and doing good on the way as the occasion served, Mr. Lothrop reflects high credit upon the business men of New England.
DWIN GEORGE MORRISON, of the firm O. & E. Morrison, manufact- urers of woollen goods in Northfield, V. H., was born in that town, November 2, 1862, son of Byron K. and Hannah (Munsey) Morrison. His great-grandfather, Ebenezer Morrison, a native of Northfield, followed the trade of a tanner and currier in addition to farming.
Thomas L. Morrison, the grandfather, was born in Northfield, December 27, 1813. He followed his father's trade for several years, and then purchased a farm in his native town, where he became a successful general farmer and stock-raiser, and still resides. In politics he is a Republican. He married Susan Capen, and has had five children, namely : Byron K., who is no longer living; George P .; Mary; Nellie Susan; and Obadiah G. Nellie Susan married George F. Chase, of Northfield. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas L. Mor- rison are members of the Congregational church. Byron K. Morrison, born in North- field in 1840, learned the tanner's and cur- rier's trade, and subsequently worked at it until the outbreak of the Rebellion, when he enlisted as a private in Company G, Twelfth Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers. He contracted typhoid fever while in service, re- turned to Gilford, N. H., and died of a.relapse soon after. He married Hannah Munsey, daughter of George W. Munsey, of Gilford; and Edwin G., the subject of this sketch, is the only child of the marriage.
Edwin George Morrison, but ten months old when his father died, was brought up by his maternal grandparents in Gilford. He ac- quired a district-school education, and at the age of fourteen began work in Richard Firth's woollen-mill, of which he is now part proprie- tor. After spending a year and a half in the finishing-room, he received charge of the same department of another mill of Mr. Firth's in Ashland, N. H., where he had been employed for five years when his health became im- paired. He was next employed in a wholesale paper store in Washington, D.C., for a year; and in June, 1886, he went to Los Angeles, Cal., where he stayed until the following March. Upon his return to New Hampshire he formed a partnership with his uncle, under the firm name of O. & E. Morrison, for the purpose of carrying on the woollen manufact-
uring business. They bought a shoddy-mill in Northfield, and have prosperously conducted it since. They employ ninety hands. The mill and their woollen looms have been run- ning night and day for the past two years in filling their orders. Their goods find a market principally in the West.
On February 25, 1891, Mr. Morrison was united in marriage with Carrie B. Glines, daughter of James and Abigail (Chapman) Glines. Having had no children born to them, Mr. and Mrs. Morrison are bringing up Gladys Belle Healey, a daughter of Mrs. Mor- rison's deceased sister.
Mr. Morrison is actively interested in pub- lic affairs. In 1896 the Republicans elected him legislative Representative of Tilton, where he resides. On that occasion he polled the largest vote ever thrown for a legislative candidate in Tilton, receiving a majority of one hundred and sixty-eight, although Tilton is a Democratic town. Ile was made a Mason in Ashland, and is a Past Master of the lodge
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in that town. At the present time he is Wor- shipful Master of Doric Lodge and a member of St. Omer Chapter in Franklin. He is also connected with Clark Camp, Sons of Veterans, and is a charter member of Mount Belknap Lodge, Ancient Order of United Workmen. Both he and Mrs. Morrison attend the Con- gregational church.
LBERT F. SEAVEY, the junior mem- ber of the enterprising firm of J. Frank Seavey & Co., clothing deal- ers of Dover, and well deserving the high regard generally accorded him in the city, was born December 29, 1843, in the town of Roch- ester, this county, son of Samuel F. and Eliza K. (Ham) Seavey, both of whom were lifelong residents of that place. A fuller ancestral history will be found on another page, in the sketch of J. Frank Seavey.
Albert F. Seavey was reared on the old homestead in his native town, receiving his education in the old Rochester Academy. During his youthful days, when not busy at his studies, he assisted in the daily labors of the farm. Subsequently, not finding these . occupations congenial to his tastes, he sought other employment. Coming to Dover when a youth of eighteen summers, he secured work in a shoe factory, where he remained four years. At the expiration of that time he and his brother, J. Frank Seavey, united their forces and funds, and established their present business. They have an extensive and lucra- tive trade in clothing of all kinds, under the special management of the younger brother; and their store is one of the largest of its class in Dover. Mr. Seavey is likewise connected with the firm of Charles H. Seavey & Co., prominent lumber manufacturers and dealers of this city. A man of excellent judgment -
and tact, Mr. Seavey has met with eminent success in his career, and holds a high rank among the substantial men of Dover and vicinity.
On July 31, 1883, Mr. Seavey married Miss Marietta Fogg, a daughter of Charles F. and Rebecca F. (Webster) Fogg, of this city. The union has been blessed by the birth of five children -- Alice E., Marion W., Harry L., Helen Grace, and Catherine. Politically, . Mr. Seavey is a stanch advocate of the princi- ples of the Democratic party ; and he has taken a prominent part in local affairs. In 1874 and 1875 he was a member of the Common Council from Ward Two, he represented the same dis- trict in the State legislature throughout the succeeding two years, and in 1874 he served as a member of the staff of Governor James A. Weston. An active and influential worker in Masonic circles, he has taken the thirty-second degree of the order. He is also a member of Olive Branch Lodge, No. 6, K. of P., Uniform Rank; of the Knights of Honor; and of the Improved Order of Red Men. Religiously, he is not connected with any- organized body, while he is a regular attendant of the Metho- dist Episcopal church, of which his wife is a member.
RTHUR H. LAMPREY, a successful farmer and prominent resident of Bel- mont, was born where he now re- sides, November 15, 1841, son of Asa and Deborah (Sanborn) Lamprey. The farm which Mr. Lamprey owns and occupies was purchased by his father in 1828. Asa Lam- prey, who was an upright, conscientious man and a useful citizen, gained the sincere esteem of his fellow-townsmen by his personal virtues and his valuable public services, and died July 31, 1850. He was a member of the Board of Selectmen for a number of years, represented
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JAMES P. OSBORNE.
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this town in the legislature, and in politics supported the Democratic party. His wife, Deborah, whom he married November 25, 1830, was a daughter of Jonathan Sanborn, a prosperous farmer of Gilmanton. Ancestors of the Sanborn family were among the first settlers in this section. Mr. and Mrs. Asa Lamprey were the parents of ten children; mamely, Alfred A., Emily A., Frances M., George H., Laura O., Arthur H., Sarah A., Mary E., Clara M., and Juliet A. Alfred A., who was for a number of years in the grocery business in Lawrence, Mass., is now Manager and Treasurer of the Lawrence Lumber Com- pany. He wedded Matilda A. Gamble, of Linneus, Me., and has had five children - Frances Kate, Alfred Edwin, Lelia Matilda, Alice Ella, and Clara May. Clara May died young. Emily A. Lamprey is the wife of J. W. Rice, the President of the United States Gutta-percha Paint Company of Provi- dence, R.I., and has two children. Frances M. Lamprey married Samuel N. Weston, a reed manufacturer of Fitchburg, Mass. George H. Lamprey served in Company K, Fourteenth Regiment, Massachusetts Volun- teers, during the Civil War, reaching the rank of Captain. He was in the grocery business in Litchfield, Mass., for several years, and died in Laconia, N.H., in 1881. By his wife, Adeline .L. (Farrar) Lamprey, a native of Belmont, he became the father of five children - Clarence R., Howard A., Christina, Lillian A., and E. Gertrude. Laura O. Lamprey in 1871 married A. W. Kimball, of Lawrence, Mass,, and died in 1874. Sarah A. died in Providence in 1874. Mary E. is a book-keeper for the United States Gutta-percha Paint Company, Provi- dence, R.I. Clara M., after teaching school for some years in Laconia and Belmont, be- came the wife of Benjamin W. Gallup, who is
in the brokerage and insurance business in Providence, and has six children. Juliet A. Lamprey is employed as a book-keeper in Providence, R.I. Mrs. Asa Lamprey died October 29, 1880.
Arthur H. Lamprey acquired a good practi- cal education. Owing to the death of his father, he was compelled to take charge of the farm at an early age. After his majority he bought the interests of the other heirs, and by making additions to the property now owns two hundred and twenty-five acres of excellent land. He has made various improvements in the buildings, considerably enhancing the value of his farm. He raises the usual crops, while making a specialty of the milk business.
On November 15, 1866, Mr. Lamprey was united in marriage with Emma James, daugh- ter of Annis C. James, of Gilford, N. H. She. has had six children, as follows: Nellie Bird, who died aged one year; Eva Emma; Carleton A .; Laura B .; Leonard A .; and Sarah E. Eva Emma, who graduated from the Laconia High School, having stood high in her class, taught school until August, 1896, when she resigned. Carleton A. was educated at the New Hampshire Literary Institute, and is now in the milk business with his father. Mrs. Lamprey died December 5, 1895. Mr. Lam- prey is a member of the Second Free Baptist Church, and is at present acting as clerk. Always temperate in his own habits, he is a strong advocate of prohibition. His activity in religious and other matters related to the general good of the community places him among the leading citizens of Belmont.
AMES PRESCOTT OSBORNE, M.D., formerly a prominent physician of Til- ton, was born in Piermont, N. H., June 3, 1833, son of Cyrus and Sally C. (Thrasher)
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Osborne. His father was a native of Candia, N.H., and was reared and educated in Pier- mont. He followed the occupation of farmer on the homestead, which he inherited; and he died in Piermont. His wife, Sally, who was a native of Candia, became the mother of four children, three of whom attained maturity. These were: James P., the subject of this sketch; Adelbert, a resident of Bradford, Vt .; and Adelaide Sarah, who married William Hibbard, of Piermont. Both parents were members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and the father was the steward of the society for many years.
James Prescott Osborne acquired his early education in the common schools and at the seminary in Newbury, Vt. He read medicine with Dr. Watkins, of Newbury, and Dr. French, of Warren, N. H., and was graduated from Dartmouth College with the class of 1855. . While pursuing his studies he taught school in Piermont, Haverhill, and other towns. His medical practice was commenced in Felchville, Vt., where he resided for nearly ten years. and acquired a good business. Not content, however, he came to Tilton in Novem- ber, 1864, and subsequently was associated with Dr. B. Lyford for some time. Afterward he worked at his profession alone, having calls from all the neighboring towns, and for some years keeping an office in Franklin, which he visited daily. It is said that he was never known to refuse a call for his services on ac- count of the poverty of the patient, and many have good cause to remember his kind and charitable disposition. He was regarded as one of the leading physicians in this part of the State, and he was much sought for in cases where consultation was deemed necessary. He invested to some extent in business enter- prises, having been one of the incorporators of the Tilton Hosiery Company; and he was its
President until his decease. His upright character, integrity, and genial bearing gained for him the respect of his fellow- townsmen; and his death, which occurred October 3, 1895, was the cause of sincere regret to all. In politics he was a Republi- can. Though deeply interested in public affairs, he never aspired to office. He was affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
On March 18, 1855, Dr. Osborne was united in marriage with Sarah P. Stanyan, daughter of Newell Stanyan of Wentworth, N.H. Mrs. Osborne's grandfather, Jonathan Stanyan, born in 1770, died in 1805. His wife, in maidenhood Martha Hook, was born in 1768. Newell Stanyan, Mrs. Osborne's father, was born in Chichester, N.H., March 30, 1798. After marriage he moved to a farm in Wentworth, where he followed the carpen- ter's trade and farming, and died October 9, 1881. He married Hannah H. Drake, who became the mother of eight children, seven of whom grew up; namely, Jonathan, David, Newell, John, Martha, James, and Sarah P. Of these Sarah P., now Mrs. Osborne, is the only survivor. Mrs. Newell Stanyan died December 15, 1875. Mrs. Osborne is a mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal church. She has had one daughter, Flora G., born in 1862, who was a graduate of the New Hampshire Conference Seminary and Female College, and died in 1888.
UGUSTUS DOE was a successful busi- ness man and a prominent citizen of Laconia. He was born here, June 1, 1808. Being left fatherless at a tender age, young Doe was bound out to James Hoyt, of Gilford. In early boyhood he displayed the same thoughtful and ambitious nature
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which characterized his career in after life. Painting one day to a strip of land lying be- tween the lake and the Meredith highway, he told his young companions that he would own it some time; and his assertion proved correct. He remained with Mr. Hoyt in Gil- ford until released at the expiration of the stipulated time. Then he went to Boston, ind resided there for some time. When the project of dredging the channel at the outlet of the lake was put into operation, he returned to Laconia, and was employed as a foreman on the work until it was completed. Subsequent to his marriage he resided with his father-in- law, Elliott Blaisdell, whom he assisted in carrying on the farm. This property, which fell to his wife after her father's death, in course of time was increased by Mr. Doe to about three times its former size. Besides carrying on the farm, he established and con- ducted a brick-yard, engaged in handling real estate, and was one of the most energetic business men this city has ever known. He was one of the first men in this section to champion the Abolition cause. As an active supporter of the Republican party from the time of its formation, he served as a Select- man for a number of years, and acceptably represented the town in the State legislature for a period. Able in argument and well in- formed in most topics of interest, but es- pecially in finance, he frequently worsted some of the best debaters in Laconia. He was a lover of truth and justice, espoused the cause of morality whenever opportunity permitted, was a generous contributor to all worthy charities and a strict observer of the Sabbath. His influence in the community was most beneficial; and his death, which occurred August 1, 1887, when he was over seventy-nine years old, was keenly regretted by his neighbors.
Mr. Doe married Mahala, daughter of Elliott Blaisdell, a well-known resident of Laconia. She became the mother of three children -- Morrill B., Lydia E., and Eliza. Morrill B., who met with an accident which necessitated the amputation of a leg, died from the effects of that operation, December 25, 1882, aged forty-eight years, leaving two children. He was a member of Meredith Lodge, I. O. O. F. Lydia E. and Eliza were graduated from the New Hampshire Conference Seminary. Lydia E., who married the late O. P. Warner, then a woollen manufacturer of Ashland, N.H., resides at the homestead. Eliza married William J. Morrison, who is now managing the business formerly carried on by the late Mr. Doe. Mr. Morrison, born in Plymouth, N.H., September 29, 1846, was educated in the district schools of Plymouth, and at the age of eighteen began life as a farmer. After nine years spent in the employment of Augus- tus Doe, he became a brakeman on the Boston, Concord & Montreal Railroad. From this position he worked his way forward to that of passenger conductor, in which capacity he served for four years. He resigned in 1882 on account of the extreme old age of his father-in-law and the untimely death of the latter's son, and took charge of the farm and brick business. The property contains four hundred acres of land. Mr. Morrison makes a specialty of the milk business. Politically, he is a Republican. He was elected to the first City Council of Laconia, in which body he served for three years.
AMES L. TWOMBLY, a prosperous farmer of Milton, and a veteran of the Civil War, was born June 28, 1840, in the house where he now resides, son of Lewis B. and Jane (Ford) Twombly. His great-
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grandfather, James Twombly, was one of the first settlers of Farmington, N.H. His grandfather, James Twombly (second), came to Milton when the town was in its infancy.
Lewis B. Twombly, father of James L., was born in Farmington, and accompanied his parents to Milton when he was two years old. When a young man he learned the stone cut- ters' trade, which he followed in Boston for ten years. While there he helped to build the wall around Deer Island. From Boston he returned to this town, where he spent the rest of his life in tilling the soil. The house he occupied, which is now owned by his son, is one of the oldest in Milton, and was originally . the property of Lieutenant Elijah Horn. In an upper room, which was then unfinished, were held the first town meetings of Milton; and for some years it was customary for the people of the North-east Parish to hold relig- ious services here on Sundays. Here old Par- son Hasy, of Lebanon, and Parson Haven, of Newbury Plains, delivered eloquent discourses on the Word, and taught the way to salvation. The children of the settlers and the early con- verts were baptized in this room. Lewis B. Twombly died March 11, 1892, aged eighty- four years, five months, and four days. H married Jane Ford, a native of Berwick, Me., and by her became the father of four children, of whom the only survivor is James L., the subject of this sketch.
James L. Twombly grew to manhood as a farmer, and his education was acquired in the common schools. In 1861 he enlisted in Company K, Third Regiment, New Hamp- shire Volunteer Infantry, which was attached to Terry's Division, Tenth Army Corps. He served for thirty-seven months in the Civil War, successively in the capacities of private and Corporal. He survived the dangers of several notable battles in the Virginia cam-
paign, including those of the Wilderness, Fort Wagner, and Drewry's Bluff; and he was discharged in August, 1864. After his return from the army he settled upon the home farm, which is situated upon the main road leading from Milton to Milton Mills; and there he has been engaged in general farming since. In politics he acts with the Democratic party, but has never aspired to public office.
Mr. Twombly married Lizzie A. Downs, a daughter of Otis P. and Rebecca (Jenkins) Downs, of Farmington. He is a member of Miltonia Lodge, I. O. O. F .; and a comrade of Post Eli Wentworth, No. 89, G. A. R., of this town. Both he and Mrs. Twombly attend the Congregational church.
IDWIN H. SHANNON, a prominent lawyer of Laconia, was born in Gilman- ton, N. H., March 8, 1858, son of James C. and Judith Webster (Batchelder) Shannon. . The Shannon family were among the early settlers of Portsmouth. George Shannon, grandfather of Edwin H., was a native of Portsmouth, and a supporter of the Democratic party. When a young man he settled in Gilmanton, where he spent the rest of his life upon a farm ; and he died at the age of eighty years. He married Sally Tibbetts, a native of Alton, N. H., and was the father of nine children; namely, Ira, Stephen, George, Ephraim, Nathaniel, James C., John, Charles, and Ann. Charles died young.
James C. Shannon, who was born in Gil- manton, and is one of the best-known residents of that town, spent the active period of his life in agricultural pursuits. Although he is now seventy-four years old, he is still active. His wife, Judith, was born in Loudon, Merri- mack County, and is a relative of the famous American statesman, Daniel Webster. She
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has had four children, as follows: Frank E. Shannon, M. D., a successful physician and a scholar of unusual ability, who died in Gil- manton at the age of thirty-seven years; Edwin H., the subject of this sketch; Mary B., ยท whose death occurred on the same night as that of her brother Frank; and Harry, who resides with his parents on the home farm. The mother is now sixty-two years old.
Edwin H. Shannon acquired his early edu- cation in the common schools and at the Gil- manton Academy. He studied law with Thomas Cogstell, of Gilmanton, who is now United States Pension Agent at Concord; and he was admitted to the bar in June, 1880. He was for a time associated with Mr. Cog- stell as a partner, after which he practised alone until entering into partnership with W. S. Peaslee. At a later date this firm became Shannon, Peaslee & Blackstone. Mr. Shannon is now conducting a large and profit- . able general law business in Laconia. He is especially noted for his connection with several important and ably contested trials, including that of defendant's counsel in many criminal cases in Strafford, Belknap, and Merrimack Counties. As an advocate he holds a high rank, while he is second to none in his knowledge of the law.
In October, 1882, Mr. Shannon was united in marriage with Myra E., daughter of Ira L. Berry, of Barnstead, N. H., and now has two children - Ella C. and Mildred. Although his immediate relatives, like his ancestors, are Democrats, Mr. Shannon prefers to act with the Republican party. He is not, however, a politician, choosing to devote his time almost entirely to his law practice. He is connected with Mount Belknap Lodge, No. 20, Knights of Pythias. His religious convictions are those of the People's Christian Church, which he serves as President of its Board of Directors.
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