USA > New Hampshire > Belknap County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Stafford and Belknap countries, New Hampshire > Part 43
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On August 22, 1860, he married Lucinda I.
Nutter, daughter of John L. Nutter, of South Barnstead. John Nutter was a large farmer, son of an early settler, and he was a leading man in his time, having held many of the im- portant offices within the gift of the town. Mr. and Mrs. Colbath have had three chil- dren, two boys who died in infancy, and one girl, Helen M., now living. She taught school until her marriage with Charles H. Morrison. She has one daughter, Grace Helen, born August 22, 1887, since whose birth four generations have lived together in the old homestead.
Mr. Colbath is a shrewd and keen man in business. He is well read, and is said to be a very forcible speaker. He is a recognized leader in the church and in all matters which will benefit his native town. In 1884 he wrote a history of the "Reunion of the Sons and Daughters of Barnstead," which took place August 30, 1882. The book contains one hundred and thirty-two pages, and is illus- trated with portraits of natives and old resi- dents of the town.
ATHANIEL G. PINKHAM, Post- master of Milton, Strafford County, N. H., was born in this town, Sep- tember 10, 1834, son of James and Sally (Jewett) Pinkham. His grandfather was Na- thaniel Pinkham, of Dover Point, N.II. James Pinkham was a custom shoemaker, and followed that business in Milton, for the greater part of his active period. He lived to be seventy years old. In politics he was a Whig. His wife, Sally Jewett Pinkham, be- came the mother of eleven children, five of whom are now living.
Nathaniel G. Pinkham was educated in the public schools of this town. When a young man he entered the employ of the Great Falls
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Manufacturing Company, and for the past thirty-five years he has been in charge of the water-power of that concern. In 1885 he was appointed Postmaster by President Cleveland, and served through that administration. He was again appointed in 1893, and his courtesy and efficiency as a public official are recog- nized and appreciated by all parties irrespec- tive of politics. Mr. Pinkham married Emily Collins, a native of Wolfboro, and has two children - Hattie L. and James D.
He is a member of the lodge of Odd Fel- lows at Milton Mills, and the family attend the Congregational church.
HOMAS HAM, of Lakeport, Belknap County, N.H., President of Lake Vil- lage Savings Bank, was born in Canter- bury, this State, February 23, 1817, son of Joseph Ham, Jr. His great-great-grandfather Ham, who was for many years a ship-carpenter of Portsmouth, N.H., died in Deerfield at a ripe old age.
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His grandfather, Joseph Ham, Sr., settled in Canterbury, where he carried on a farm. He was a Deacon of the Orthodox church there for almost forty years. Deacon Ham and his wife, Betsey Page, of Deerfield, had six children, the four sons being: Joseph, Jr., Daniel, John, and Thomas.
Joseph, Jr., the first-born son, was born in Canterbury, and lived there for many years, a well-known farmer and carpenter. He carried on his agricultural pursuits quite extensively, having one farm of one hundred and twenty acres, and another of forty acres. He was quite prominent in town affairs, being Select- man for a long period ; and he was also Repre- sentative for his town in the State legislature, although public speaking was distasteful to him. He succeeded his father as Deacon of
the church. His wife, Susan Sargent, lived to be eighty years old, he surviving her four- teen years, and dying at the extreme old age of ninety-four. Their five children were: Betsey P., Thomas, Warren, Charles, and Maria. Betsey P. is now dead, and Warren lives at the age of seventy-six. Charles holds a government position for life, the office of Appraiser, drawing a salary of seventy-five hundred dollars per annum.
Thomas, the eldest son, received his educa- tion in the common schools of Canterbury. After his school-days were over, he served an apprenticeship with a wheelwright, Mr. Will- iam M. Kimball, of Fisherville, and followed the trade for some time. He built saw and grist mills in Lawrence, Exeter, and in Mere- dith. In 1849 he became the superintendent of the Laconia Lake Company, and was in charge of the building of dams for eight or ten years. He later made patterns in the machine shops of B. J. Cole. At the time of the organization of the Lake Village Savings Bank, Mr. Ham was elected Treasurer; and this office was his until 1895, when, after as- sociation with the bank for more than twenty- seven years, he was elected President.
In 1844 Thomas Ham married Mary Eliza- beth, daughter of Captain Smith, of New Hampton, N. H. Her father, who received his title of Captain from service in the mili- tia, was proprietor of a store and hotel, and was for many years the Postmaster of New IIampton.
Mr. Ham is one of the principal supporters of the Orthodox church of Canterbury, and is a regular attendant of divine service. Polit- ically, he was formerly what is known as an old-line Whig, and is now a Republican. His first Presidential vote was cast in 18.10 for William Henry Harrison. He has held the office of Tax Collector, and has served as a
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CHARLES A. BUSIEL.
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Representative to the legislature for two terms. While in the legislature during the years 1859 and 1860, he was on the Committee for Division of Towns. In Masonry Mr. Ham not only belongs to lodge, chapter, and coun- cil, but has taken the thirty-second degree. He is a member of Mount Horeb Commandery, K. T., in Concord; and of Edward A. Ray- mond Consistory at Nashua.
A highly successful business man and an influential citizen, Mr. Ham is also a man of considerable musical ability. For a number of years he played the E-flat tuba in the Man- chester Cornet Band and in the Belknap Cornet Band of Laconia, and he played the flute in the Baptist and the Free Baptist churches of that place. Mr. Ham has for some time resided in his present dwelling on Park Street, and it was from this house that he and his wife saw pass the first train of cars over the. O. & M. Railroad.
ON. CHARLES ALBERT BUSIEL, Governor of New Hampshire in 1895 and 1896, is one of the leading statesmen of New England to-day. Now a resident of Laconia, he was born November 24, 1842, in Meredith Village, Belknap County, son of John W. and Julia (Tilton) Busiel. His father, a native of Moultonboro, Carroll County, was born in 1815.
After spending some time in Meredith, occupied in carding rolls and dressing cloth in a small mill hired of Daniel Smith, John W. Busiel removed with his family in 1846 to Laconia, where he resided for the rest of his life. In 1853 he bought a tract of land with its water-power, situated in Meredith, now Laconia, and in the following year erected thereon a brick factory. Upon the completion of the building he started in it the manufacture
of Saxony and German yarns and satinet cloth, adding at a later date that of hosiery. He received a gold medal from the Crystal Palace Exhibition in London for the best mixture of cotton and wool yarn. The Civil War consid- erably stimulated his business. Subsequently he restricted himself to hosiery, and was the first in the country to use patented machines in producing it. He personally conducted his mill until within a short time of his death, which occurred July 27, 1872. His wife, Julia, born in Meredith, daughter of Stephen and Julia Tilton, bore him four children, namely: Charles A. Busiel; John Tilton Busiel; Frank E. Busiel; and one daughter, Julia M. Busiel, who died at the age of eight months. Both parents were members of the Congregational church.
Charles Albert Busiel obtained his educa- tion in the public schools of Laconia and in the academy of Gilford, N. H. After leaving school he was employed by his father suc- cessively in all the departments of the mill, in order that he might thoroughly learn the busi- ness. In 1863 he purchased the mill since known as the Pitman Manufactory, which, after conducting it for a few years, he sold. Then, in 1869, he and his brother John T. entered into a partnership, and engaged in the manufacture of hosiery. Frank E. Busiel joined the firm in 1872, when the name .was changed to J. W. Busiel & Co. The three brothers have continued in the business since with increasing prosperity. At an early stage of his career Charles Albert Busiel also began to invest in railroads. Quite prominent among the stockholders, he is, perhaps, the most enterprising railroad man in New Eng- land at present. It was mainly owing to his energy that the Lake Shore Railroad was built. Convinced some time ago that the electric railroad is destined to be the railroad
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of the future, he has become an active pro- moter of this mode of transit, undeterred by the hostility of those interested in the main- tenance of steam railroads. He was Chief Engineer of the Laconia Fire Department for many years; and through his efforts the depart- ment passed from the old hand-tub to all modern apparatus, with steam fire-engines, hook-and-ladder trucks, and ample hose car- riages, also a city hydrant service.
Mr. Busiel has taken a deep interest in pol- itics for many years. Declining to believe that either of the two great parties is endowed with infallibility, he considers it no compli- ment to be described as a stanch Republican or a true-blue Democrat. Earnest in his political convictions, he cannot support any person or measure against the decision of his better judgment. He represented Laconia two terms in the legislature, 1878 and 1879, also was a delegate to the Cincinnati Demo- cratic National Convention in 1880. He was made first Mayor of Laconia for two years by an election in which he was the Republican candidate, although the city was Democratic by a majority of three or four hundred votes at that time. At the expiration of his term he left a Republican majority in the city and the senatorial district, and the entire Council, as well as all the city offices, in the hands of the party.
He was elected Governor in 1895 by a majority of ten thousand and a plurality of almost thirteen thousand. This was the largest plurality any governor of the State had ever received. On that occasion, for the first time in the history of New Hampshire, every county was carried by the Republicans, and all the county officers came under Republican control. So great has been his influence with the people that, when compelled to leave the Democratic party because of its antagonism to
protective tariffs, about ten thousand voters followed his example. During his adminis- tration he paid two hundred thousand dollars of the State debt and seventy-five thousand dollars to defray expenses incurred and left due by previous administrations. By his vetoes of unnecessary measures passed by the legislat- ure Governor Busiel practically saved a mill- ion dollars for the State; and, when he retired from office, he left in the State treasury five hundred and ninety-four thousand, seven hun- dred and six dollars and seven cents, according to the report of the auditing committee.
In 1864, November 21, he was married to Eunice Elizabeth Preston, daughter of Worces- ter Preston. He has one daughter, Frances E. Busiel. She married Wilson Longstreet Smith, of Germantown, Pa. ; and they have one son, born March 1, 1895, named Charles Albert Busiel Smith.
At the present time Mr. Busiel is President of the Laconia National Bank, also President of the City Savings Bank. He attends the Congregational Church of Laconia. The secret orders with which he has affiliation are: the Masonic Society, as a member of Mount Lebanon Lodge, No. 32, Union Chapter, No. 7, and Pilgrim Commandery; the Knights of Pythias; and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
The manifest sincerity of ex-Governor Busiel's opinions, joined to his loyalty to the common people and his friends - to which his remarkable success in public life has been jus- tifiably attributed - may well carry him to a higher sphere of usefulness with advantage to the country. He was a prominent candi- date for United States Senator in 1896; and he was New Hampshire's candidate for a member of President Mckinley's cabinet, having the practical support of the entire Republican party of his State.
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ILLIAM C. MARSHALL, a well- known manufacturer of woollen yarn in Laconia, was born October S, 18.43, in Pelham, Hillsborough County, son of Daniel and Hannah Jane (Campbell) Marshall. His grandfather, Isaac Marshall, was one of two brothers who served alternately in the Revolutionary War, the family being too poor to spare the services of both at the same time.
Grandfather Marshall attained the rank of Captain. He was a stage driver, and he also owned the farm in Pelham now occupied by his son Daniel. Many valuable relics col- lected by Isaac Marshall on Revolutionary battlefields are now cherished by his grand- sons. Isaac married a Miss Tenney, a con- nection of Frank Tenney, the well-known hotel proprietor of Washington, N.H. Their children were: Daniel, and a daughter who dicd. The father was a highly respected member of the old Presbyterian church on Gage Hill in Pelham. He passed away at the age of eight-six years.
Daniel Marshall, who was born on the old homestead, November 19, 1816, is a farmer. He also serves as Justice of the Peace, and he has probably settled more estates than any man in the county, having had as many as thirty on his hands at one time. He officiated as Selectman for several terms besides filling other offices. During the War he served as Representative from Pelham, and he was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention held in 1876. In his political affiliations he is an old-time Democrat. He still lives on the old homestead, where he was born and reared. His wife, Hannah Jane, to whom he was mar- ried January 9, 1838, is a daughter of Captain William Campbell, who received his title from the old militia. The Captain was a descend- ant of an old family in Windham, Rocking- ham County. His wife, who was a relative of
William Huse, of Nashua, bore him fifteen children. Their daughter Hannah Jane, who was born in Windham, August 3, 1817, is still living, having celebrated her golden wed- ding nine years ago. Daniel Marshall and bis wife have had six children, namely : Isaac C., who lives on the old homestead; Louisa, who married Edwin F. Bell, and lives in Lowell, Mass. ; William C., the subject of this sketch ; Clara, who died in her fifth year; Moses R., of the F. B. Rowe Hosiery firm of Laconia, N. H. ; and Lyman, who died at the age of three years. Both parents are active members of the Pelham Congregationalist church.
William C. Marshall had excellent educa- tional advantages, attending common school, Crosby Academy and Comer's Commercial Col- lege in Boston, Mass., graduating from the last- named institution at the age of eighteen years. For two years thereafter he was book-keeper of the Merrimac Mills in Lowell, Mass. After resigning his position, he leased a small mill in Pelham, where he engaged for some time in the manufacture of woollen flannels. Later he bought another mill in Meredith Centre, N. H., and continued to operate both factories until 1876. He then came to Laconia and purchased the Belknap Mills. On taking pos- session of this property, he became associated with the late J. W. Johnson, George W. Arm- strong, of the Armstrong Transfer Company, and L. A. Roby, of Nashua, under the firm name of Armstrong, Marshall & Co. They had manufactured woollen yarns for three years when Mr. Marshall bought out his associates, and thereafter conducted the factory alone. Under his able management the business has In flourished, yielding handsome returns. 1896 Mr. Marshall bought the Round Bay Farm, in which he is greatly interested. In 1895 he became associated, with Mr. Ridlon, of Boston, in the Belknap Electric Power Com-
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pany, of Laconia. He is also interested to some extent in real estate here, and is the Treasurer of the Belknap Mills.
On December 24, 1866, he was married to Carrie C., daughter of Benjamin F. Chase, of Hudson, Hillsborough County. They have one son, Lyman C., who is in the electric power business. In politics Mr. Marshall affiliates with the Republican party. He has recently been appointed trustee of the State Indian School. Fraternally, he is a member of Mount Lebanon Lodge, No. 32, F. & A. M. ; of Union Royal Arch Chapter, No. 7; and of Pythagorean Council, No. 6, Royal and Select Masons. Mr. and Mrs. Marshall at- tend the Congregational Church of Laconia.
OSIAH H. WHITTIER, a resident of East Rochester, and connected with the Cocheco Mills, is a native of Deerfield, N. H., where he was born April 25, 1860, his parents being Addison S. and Susan F. (Rob- inson) Whittier. Mr. Whittier's ancestry, going back through eight generations, begins with Thomas Whittier, who was born in Eng- land about the year 1622. Nathaniel Whittier, son of Thomas, born in 1658, settled in Salis- bury, Mass., and married Mary Osgood. Their son Reuben, born in 1686, resided in Salisbury, and married Deborah Pillsbury. Reuben's fourth child, also named Reuben, who was born in 1716, married Mary Flanders, and their son Daniel was born in 1753.
Daniel Whittier served in the Revolution- ary War, being a member of Captain Runnell's company in Colonel Tasker's regiment. He married Mary Quimby, and their youngest son was Josiah, born 1794. Josiah fought in the second war with England in 1812, and was at the battle of Plattsburg. He re-enlisted as Corporal in Captain Samuel Collins's com-
pany, and was at one time stationed at Ports- mouth. He married Hannah Heath, and their sixth child was Addison S., born 1830. When Addison was five years old his parents removed to the farm where he has since resided in Deerfield, receiving his education in the public schools of that town. He is a substan- tial farmer, and is much respected by his townsmen. The town had the benefit of his services in the capacity of Selectman for. a time. Mr. Whittier is a member of the Free Will Baptist church, and an active worker in its various departments. His three children are: Josiah H. Whittier; Harlan P. Whittier, of Raymond; and Josephine M., who died in 1891.
Josiah H. Whittier obtained his education in the public schools of his native town, at Raymond High School, and at Coe's Academy in Northwood. He then engaged in teaching school for a time. In January, 1882, he went to work in the Amoskeag Mills of Manches- ter. He left the mill two months after, and obtained employment in the grocery store of A. H. Gray of that city. In October of the same year he entered the employ of the Cocheco Woollen Manufacturing Company at East Rochester as assistant clerk, and he has held that position since. Mr. Whittier was a delegate to the New Hampshire Constitu- tional Convention, held in 1889. He was a prime mover in securing the enactment of the library legislation of 1891, which provided for the appointment of a Library Commission for the purpose of encouraging the establishment of public libraries, by extending aid from the State Treasury. On January 5, 1892, he was appointed a member of the commission for a term of four years, and at the end of that time he was reappointed for a second term. He has been the Secretary of the commission since its organization.
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J. H. Whittier, East Rochester.
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In 1893 Mr. Whittier issued a pamphlet for free distribution, which advocated the plan of making the support of town libraries compul- sory, and two years later he had the satisfac- tion of seeing the proposed plan embodied in a State law. He has taken an active part in the organization and maintenance of the East Rochester Reading-Room Association, which was started in 1885 for the purpose of sup- porting a free library and reading-room. He is a Trustee of the Rochester Public Library. He is a member of Humane Lodge, A. F. & A. M .; of Orphan Council, Palestine Com- mandery ; and the Order of the Eastern Star. He has also membership in Cocheco Lodge, I. O. O. F., and Rochester Grange.
ONES W. WHITEHOUSE, a practi- cal farmer of Middleton, Strafford County, was born upon the farm he now owns and occupies, May 2, . 18.42, son of John C. and Julia Ann (Jones) Whitehouse. His grandfather, Amos Whitehouse, was the first of the family to settle in Middleton, and he resided here until his death. John C. White- house was a native of this town, and he culti- vated the farm, now occupied by his son, until his death, which occurred when he was forty- three years old. In politics he was a Repub- lican. He married Julia Ann Jones, and reared two children : Jones W., the subject of this sketch ; and Hannah.
Jones W. Whitehouse was reared and edu- cated in Middleton, and at the age of seven- teen he took charge of the homestead farm. Hle inherited the property, which contains one hundred acres of desirably located land, and he tills the soil energetically and with good results. Politically, he supports the Republi- can party, but has never taken any active in- terest in public affairs beyond casting his vote.
Mr. Whitehouse married Abbie M. Harvey, a native of Seekonk, R. I., and has by her two children - Harvey J. and Lizzie A. The family attend the Baptist church.
IRAM RAND, a retired farmer of Barnstead, was born here April 5, 1827, son of Moses H. and Ann (Bunker) Rand. His great-grandfather, Moses Rand, came from the neighborhood of Newbury- port, Mass., and was one of the very early settlers of Barnstead, when the district was largely a wild and wooded country. In 1772 Moses Rand bought an extensive tract of land near Beauty Hill, very slightly cleared, and there made his residence. He was an honored citizen, and was a Selectman of his town. He married Abigail Wentworth, an own cousin of Governor John Wentworth, and they had three sons - Samuel, Wentworth, and Jonathan. The two latter were soldiers in the War of 1812.
Samuel Rand, grandfather of the subject of this sketch, received from his father a tract of land in Barnstead, bought at the time the latter settled there. He lived on this farm throughout the rest of his life, and was a well-to-do man, considering the large family he had to support. He married Mary Hill, daughter of Andrew Hill, of Strafford, and was the father of seven children - Moses H., Pamelia, Ruth E., Lydia A. W., Phabe, Mary and Samuel. Pamelia married Deacon John Kaime of Barnstead and died leaving two children. Ruth and Lydia remained unmar- ried. Phobe became the wife of Benjamin White, of Chester, N. H. Mary married Henry Hunkins, of Boston. Samuel married and went to live in Lowell, Mass., and at his death left one child. Samuel Rand died in northern New York,
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Moses Rand, father of Hiram, came into possession of his father's farm, and spent his life on the place, being one of the most suc- cessful farmers in that section. He was a quiet, industrious man and a shrewd trader, but scrupulously honest. Averse to office- holding, he had no political aspirations. He was a member of the Free Baptist church of Pittsfield, N. H. His wife, Anna, was the eldest daughter of Joseph Bunker, of Barnstead Parade. The latter was son of Eli Bunker, who belonged to a prominent family of that locality. Moses Rand's children were: Jo- seph B., Hiram, Mary E., and Lydia A. Joseph, who studied medicine at Dartmouth College, after receiving his degree established himself in Hartford, Vt., becoming a very successful physician, and subsequently retired from practice. Mary married Isaac A. Fletcher, a grocer and merchant of Lowell, "Mass. Lydia, now deceased, became the wife of John L. Woodhouse and resided in Iowa. The father died in 1885, within a month of the age of eighty-two.
Hiram Rand attended the district schools in his native town, and also went to private schools. After his schooling was finished, he worked on the farm with his father, and later on went to Lowell, Mass., where he remained three years, employed as engineer in a saw- mill. He then returned to Barnstead, and was engaged in the grocery business in com- pany with a Mr. Merrill for two years. His last move was back to the old farm, where he has since lived, highly respected by his towns- men. At the age of twelve he became a mem- ber of the Congregational church, and he has been Deacon of the same for the past thirty years. In politics he is an active Republican.
In 1851 Mr. Rand was married in Lowell to Harriet N. Hoitt, who was born in April, 1826, daughter of Benjamin and Mehitable
(Babson) Hoitt. Mrs. Rand's ancestry on the maternal side is a proud one, as she is a great- grandchild of General John Stark, of Revolu- tionary fame. General Stark married Eliza- beth Page, the Molly Stark of history, and they had eleven children. Of these, Eliza- beth married Isaac Babson, and had four chil- dren. Elizabeth's daughter, Mehitable, mar- ried Benjamin Hoitt, and they had twelve chil- dren, among whom were Thomas and Harriet. A more detailed account of the family may be found in the sketch of the Thomas Hoitt just mentioned. Mr. and Mrs. Rand have had two children - Anna Florence and John S. The daughter married Dr. C. B. Sturtevant, of Manchester, N. H., and died in New Boston, N. H., in 1879. John S. is doing an exten- sivé dry-goods business in Pittsfield, N. H. He is a prominent Republican, and was this year elected to the State legislature from Pittsfield. Some time ago he married Hattic Foote, daughter of Nathaniel and Mary Ann (Eastman) Foote, of Pittsfield.
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