USA > New Hampshire > Belknap County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Stafford and Belknap countries, New Hampshire > Part 8
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69
Mr. Chamberlain married Sarah Tucker, of Penacook (a part of Concord, N. H.), and has three children: Stella, wife of Harry C. Knowlton, of Haverhill, Mass .; Arthur D., who is attending the New Hampton Literary Institute; and Lucy, who is now a pupil at the seminary. for girls in Exeter, N.H. For several years Mr. Chamberlain acted as Road Commissioner. His election to the House of Representatives in 1896 was considered a notable event in this vicinity, as the Demo- cratic party had succeeded in electing its leg- islative candidate for the past fifty years; and it is predicted that the new Representative from New Durham will do honor to his town, as well as to his party. Mr. and Mrs. Chamberlain are Adventists in their religious views.
ON. JOHN G. JEWETT, of Laconia, has served the public in various offices of trust, and is one of the best known public men of Belknap County. He is also prominent as an officer in some of the leading fraternal organizations of the day. A son of Smith and Statira (Glines) Jewett, he was born September 4, 1829, in Laconia, at that time known as Meredith Bridge.
His grandfather, Samuel Jewett, was the first permanent settler in what is now Laconia, coming here in 1782, when the country here- about was covered with heavy timber, and game of all kinds was plentiful. He owned more than half the land in what is now Ward Five, his property extending along the east side of the Winnepesaukee River from far above Main Street to some distance below; in fact, he had so much land that he could almost afford to give it away, and he sold the water privilege on this side of the river and seven acres of land for seven dollars. A part of his estate is still owned by the family. His first dwelling was built near the site of Judge Jewett's present residence. Samuel Jewett was a small man, but, like Captain Myles Standish, his courage was greater than his stature. He offered his services at the breaking out of the Revolution; and, being obliged to pass under a pole to see if he was of the requisite height for military duty, he raised himself to his tiptoes, and passed the examination. He was in the battle of Bunker Hill, and served all through the war. Though not a church member, he was commonly known as "Deacon Jewett." He married Alpheus Smith, and had a family of three sons and five or six daughters.
Smith Jewett was born on the homestead in Laconia, and spent his life in this place, working at carpentry, and also following agri- cultural pursuits. He died at the age of
.
71.72
Bain James Cole
73
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
seventy-five. His wife was a native of North- field, N.H. Their family consisted of five boys and five girls.
John G. was the sixth child born to his parents. In his boyhood he attended the public schools of Laconia and Gilford Acad- emy. After finishing his studies he taught school more or less for ten years, also working at the carpenter's trade. In 1855 he went to South America, where he remained about six- teen months, returning in March, 1857. He was subsequently employed for eight years in the Laconia Car Works. In 1876 he was ap- pointed Justice of the Police Court of La- conia; and for nearly sixteen years he attended to the duties of his office, presiding with dig- nity and impartiality. In 1891 he resigned; and in April of that year he assumed charge of the post-office in Laconia, having been ap- pointed Postmaster by President Harrison. He resigned this office in May, 1895, and since that time has been retired from public life. Judge Jewett was Registrar of Probate for two years. He began to serve the public nearly forty years ago, being appointed super- intendent of the School Committee of Gilford in 1858. In 1859 he was Collector of Taxes, the three years following he was Selectman of Gilford, and in 1863 he was recruiting officer in that town. He was in the State legislature in 1867 and 1858, elected from Gilford, and while in the House served on the Committee of Belknap County to apportion the State tax. Judge Jewett was a member of the Laconia Board of Education some twelve years.
In December, 1855, he was married to Caroline E. Shannon, a native of Barnstead, N. H., and at the time of her marriage a resi- dent of Gilmanton. Mr. and Mrs. Jewett have three children: Stephen S., a prominent lawyer of Laconia; John B. ; and Katie B .- all married. The Judge has been a Free 1
Mason for over thirty years, having joined Mount Lebanon Lodge, No. 32, of Laconia, in 1864; and he is a Past Master of this lodge. He is High Priest of Union Chapter, No. 7, R. A. M. ; and belongs to Pilgrim Command- ery, Knights Templar. Though not a profess- ing church member, he contributes liberally to the support of the Congregational church in Laconia.
"ON. BENJAMIN JAMES COLE, a venerable and esteemed citizen of Laconia, N.H., for sixty years a leading business man and manufacturer of Lakeport, was born in Franconia, Grafton County, this State, September 28, 1814, the son of Isaac and Hannah (Atwood) Cole.
His parents had twelve children, and he is now the only survivor of the family. Several emigrants from England having the name of Cole settled in Massachusetts in the seven- teenth century, among them Thomas, the pro- genitor of this branch of the family, who was living in Salem in 1649. It is thought that he came in the "Mary and John" in 1634. His son John removed from Salem to Malden, Mass., and later to Lynn, where he died in 1703. John Cole's son Samuel settled in Box- ford, Essex County, Mass., in 1717, becoming a farmer in the West Parish.
In the early part of the eighteenth century Samuel Cole's son, Samuel Cole, Jr., the great-grandfather of Benjamin James Cole, was well known in Rowley and Boxford as a man of solid worth and property. Among his numerous children was Solomon, grandfather of the subject of this sketch, born in 1742. The family was intensely patriotic; and Solo- mon and his brothers - Daniel, Benjamin, Eliphalet, Phineas, Samuel, and Simeon - it is said, performed all together twenty-seven years of service in the Continental army dur-
74
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
ing the Revolutionary War. Solomon was en- gaged in military service throughout the great struggle. He took part in the battle of Bunker Hill and numerous other engagements, and was wounded in the battle of Chippewa Creek. The house in which he lived is still standing in Rowley, and is occupied by one of the name, Caleb Cole. Solomon Cole married a Miss Barker. and had eight sons - Timothy, John, Kimball, Isaac, Benjamin, Solomon, Samuel, and Asa. He was one of the stalwart men to whose patriotism, devotion to duty, and strong religious faith so much of our modern prosperity is due. He lived to the age of ninety-three, spending the last years of his life with his son, the Rev. Samuel Cole, in Lisbon, N.H. Samuel Cole was a preacher of the gospel for forty years; and his son, the Rev. Moores Cole, has been in the Free Bap- tist ministry for forty-eight years.
Isaac Cole, father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Rowley, Essex County, Mass. In his young manhood he learned the trade of a cooper and later that of a carpenter. He married Hannah Atwood when he was about twenty-three, and settled in Chester, N.H. Mrs. Cole was a woman of deep relig- jous principles, and carried her creed into daily practice. She was a native of Atkinson, N. H., and a cousin of Harriet Atwood, who married the Rev. William Newell, and was the first woman missionary to go from the United States to India, about 1820. Mr. Cole lived in Chester for a few years, when he purchased some land in Landaff, Grafton County, and removed thither, giving his name to Cole's Hill. As he did not incline to agriculture, he went to Franconia to assume the superintendency of the wood-working de- partment of the New Hampshire Iron Manu- facturing Company located in that place. He remained in this position for eight years, and
at the expiration of that time removed to Salisbury, now Franklin village, where he constructed one of the first foundries built in New Hampshire, and carried it on for six years. In 1827 the great advantages afforded at Batchelder's Mills, now Lakeport, induced him to remove to this place. Here he estab- lished and conducted for nine years the small foundry which was the germ of the present ex- tensive iron works of the Cole Manufacturing Company. Mr. Isaac Cole was a very alert and intelligent business man, and had great mechanical aptitude. He was a valued mem- ber of the Free Baptist church for many years.
Benjamin J. was seven years old when his father removed to Salisbury ; and he obtained his education in the schools of that town and in the Noyes School and Sanbornton Acad- emy. In 1836, after an enforced idleness of a year and a half on account of poor health, he, with two brothers, assumed control of his father's iron foundry at Lakeport, under the firm name of Cole & Co. Ten years later the name was changed to that of Cole, Davis & Co .; and at the close of another decade Mr. Cole became the sole proprietor of the plant. In 1873 the manufactured products of the busi- ness were in such great demand as to necessi- tate the erection of additional buildings, the introduction of new machinery, and a large increase of capital. The Cole Manufacturing Company was incorporated, having a capital of sixty thousand dollars. All the stock, except- ing about eight per cent., was owned by Mr. Cole and members of his family.
This company has carried on a very exten- sive business. Its annual product has ranged as high as one hundred and twenty-five thou- sand dollars, and a force of one hundred and sixty men has been employed. Under the present business depression the product reaches
£
75
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
sixty thousand dollars, and sixty operatives are employed. Machinery is constructed for various kinds of business, such as hosiery, woollen goods, lumber, paper pulp, and paper. During and since the Civil War one hundred thousand dollars' worth of looms have been made in one year. The company also makes a specialty of manufacturing water-wheels. In their forge and foundry they make car axles, agricultural implements, and stoves. Eight sets of machinery, which were the first set up in the State of California for the manu- facture of excelsior, were made here. Mr. Cole was Treasurer and Superintendent of the corporation until 1883, when, upon his resig- nation, his son-in-law, Colonel Henry B. Quinby, was elected to succeed him. This establishment has done all the castings for the B. C. & M. R.R. since the road, of which Mr. Cole was one of the projectors, was built. The total product from this one line aggre- gates from ten thousand dollars to thirty thousand dollars per year. The power for this vast machinery is furnished mostly by water, of which there is two hundred horse-power. For only a few months' time in forty years has it been found necessary to use steam.
Mr. Cole was one of the incorporators of the Winnipiseogee Steamboat Corporation, for which he, together with the late Captain Will- iam Walker, built the "Lady of the Lake." He is an incorporator of the Lake Village Savings Bank, of which he was ten years Pres- ident ; incorporator and for ten years Director of the Laconia National Bank; and incorpo- rator, and until recently President, of the Wardwell Needle Company. For more than half a century Mr. Cole has been immediately connected with the growth and prosperity of Lakeport and one of the vital factors in its flourishing condition.
On June 17, 1838, Mr. Cole was united in
marriage with Miss Mehitable, daughter of Nathan and Peace (Clifford) Batchelder, of Lakeport. Five children were born of this union, three dying in infancy ; and two daugh- ters - Ellen A. and Octavia - are now living. Mrs. Cole died on July 15, 1893. On her father's side she was descended from the cele- brated Rev. Stephen Bachiler, the founder of Hampton, N.H. ; and on her mother's side she was allied with the old English family of Cliffords, who belonged to the nobility. Gen- eral R. N. Batchelder, Mrs. B. J. Cole's brother, having served through the Rebell- ion, was appointed a Quartermaster in the regular army, and advancing through the sev- eral grades became Quartermaster - general. He was retired July 27, 1896, during the ad- ministration of President Cleveland, having reached the limitation age of sixty-four years.
Until the breaking out of the Civil War Mr. Cole had always been a Democrat. Since that time he has voted the Republican ticket, and has held many positions of trust and honor in the public service. In 1849-50 he repre- sented Gilford in the State legislature, and in 1866-67 he served on the Governor's Council for the Second Councillor District. He was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1868 and to the National Republican Conven- tion which renominated Abraham Lincoln in 1864. He is a member of the Free Baptist church and a Trustee of the New Hampton .. Institution, and is always ready to devote time and money to the furtherance of works of benevolence or projects caculated to promote the welfare of the general public. For many years he was clerk of the church ; and together with Mr. Davis, his former pastor, he built the chapel, and helped to build the first church in Lakeport, as well as the present church, which is more costly, and has a larger society than any other in this county.
76
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
EORGE A. SIMPSON, senior mem- ber of the firm of Simpson & Towle, general merchants of Centre Harbor, was born in Rumney, N. H., October 25, 1863, son of Thomas and Adell Grace (Merrill) Simpson. The grandfather, George W. Simp- son, was a native of West Rumney: He learned the trade of a shoemaker, which he fol- lowed in addition to farming, and resided in Oxford, N. H. He was a man of considerable local prominence, and served as a Selectman for two or three years. His wife, in maiden- hood Mary Savage, was a native of Oxford.
Thomas Simpson was born in Oxford, March 7, 1835. At the age of sixteen he left the homestead, and for several years was em- ployed upon a milk farm in the vicinity of Boston. He then returned to Oxford, and, purchasing a dairy farm, carried it on for some time. Selling his property, he removed to Rumney, where he bought a farm and a saw- mill. After carrying on quite an extensive business here for a few years, he sold the mill, and worked as foreman for three or four years in the employment of the purchaser. At the end of that time he sold his farm, and removed to Rumney village. Some four years later he engaged in the tinware business, which he fol- lowed successfully for sixteen or seventeen years, driving a well-stocked cart, and for eight years making his headquarters in Plym- outh, N.H. He finally settled in Centre Harbor, and is now engaged in agricultural pursuits. His wife, Adell, who is a daughter of George L. Merrill, of Rumney, has had three children, two of whom are living, namely: George A., the subject of this sketch ; and Austin G., a resident of Campton, N. H. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Simpson are members of the Baptist church.
George A. Simpson obtained his education in the public schools of Rumney and at the
New Hampton Institute. He commenced his business career in Plymouth as a clerk for Plummer Fox, with whom he remained five years. He then came to Centre Harbor, where, in company with Henry E. French, he started a general mercantile business, under the firm name of Simpson & French. On May 1, 1894, his partner sold his interest to Frank L. Towle; and the present firm of Simpson & Towle are conducting a thriving trade. On December 7, 1886, Mr. Simpson was united in marriage with Mabel L. Wyatt, daughter of George Wyatt. Mrs. Simpson is the mother of four children ; namely, Percy G., Leon W., Earl T., and Marian G. In politics Mr. Simpson is a Republican. He served the town as Postmaster for four years, and he was elected Moderator at town meetings in 1896. He is connected with Winnepesaukee Tribe, Improved Order of Red Men, in which he is Collector of Wampum.
REEMAN A. HUSSEY, proprietor of the principal bakery in Somersworth,
N.H., is a native of this place, born January 23, 1852, son of John and Mary (Locke) Hussey.
He spent his boyhood and youth in the parental home, and obtained his elementary education in the common schools of the vil- lage. When about nineteen years old he began to learn the baker's trade, working in the same shop about eight years, or until May, 1879, when he bought out his employer, and has since conducted the business in his own name. He has one of the largest and best equipped bakeries in Strafford County, and employs four or five men the greater part of the time. Having a thorough practical knowledge of the business, he is able to super- intend it in all its various departments.
77
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
On October 23, 1878, Mr. Hussey married Miss Celia A. E. Fall, of Somersworth, a daughter of Noah I. and Amanda (James) Fall. They have two children: Leona E., born May 5, 1880; and Edith A., born July 17, 1882.
Mr. Hussey is a stanch Republican, and has been quite active in political matters. In 1887 and ISSS he was a member of the Board of Selectmen, and is now serving his third term as Alderman from Ward Three. He belongs to Libanus Lodge, No. 49, F. & A. M .; St. Paul Commandery, K. T .; and Washington Lodge, No. 4, I. O. O. F., of Somersworth. He is an active member of the Free Baptist church, in which he holds the position of church warden.
ELSON J. CHASE, a rising young farmer of Meredith, Belknap County, N. H., was born in this town, De- cember 22, 1869, son of William and Melvina Chase. His grandfather, John Chase, who was born in Meredith, September 22, 1786, married Sally Leavitt, born March 26, 1790, and his children were: Luther M., Aaron B., William, John W., Stephen L., Wealthy, Maria, and Hosea.
Luther M. Chase was born in Meredith, April 26, 1811. With the exception of two or three years spent in Newton, Mass., he has always resided upon the homestead, which was improved by his father. He is an industrious and successful farmer. For his first wife he married Roxanna Gordon, and by that union had two sons -- Albert A. Chase, M. D., and Noah H. Albert A. was graduated from Dartmouth College. He entered the volunteer service as Assistant Surgeon of the Twenty- eighth Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry, and died in the army during the Civil War. He
was unmarried. Noah H. Chase is residing in Meredith.
William Chase, father of Nelson J., was born and educated in Meredith. He followed agricultural pursuits in this town until his death, which occurred in 1871. He wedded Mrs. Melvina Smith Taylor, daughter of William Smith, of Holderness, N. H. (An account of her parents and ancestry will be found in a sketch of Curtis F. Smith, which appears upon another page of the REVIEW.) Mrs. Chase, by her union with David Taylor, her first husband, had two children: Frank, who is no longer living; and Frank S. By her union with Mr. William Chase she had four children, namely: Flora E., who married George H. Mooney, of Lakeport, N. H .; Clara M., who died in infancy; Abbie M., wife of Harry Perks, of Everett, Mass. ; and Nelson J., the subject of this sketch. Mrs. Melvina Chase, after the death of her second husband, married his brother, Luther M. Chase.
Nelson J. Chase is a young man of untiring energy and much natural ability. He acquired a good practical education in his boyhood, and is now carrying on general farming with gratifying success. Politically, he acts with the Republican party.
1 'SRAEL HAYES, a veteran shoe manu- facturer of Farmington, and one of its most venerable and. honored citizens, was born May 9, 1816, in Milton, N. H., son of Ichabod Hayes. The Hayes family was one of the earliest to settle in Strafford County. Ichabod Hayes, born and reared in Madbury, this county, and familiar from boy- hood with the pioneer labor of clearing and improving the land, removed to Milton, where he was engaged as a tiller of the soil for the most of his life. In 1830, at the age of three-
78
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
score years, he was accidentally killed on the drawbridge at Sawyer's Mills in Dover, as the result of being thrown out of a wagon by the collision of another. His first wife, in maid- enhood Miss Wentworth, of New Castle, N. H., died a few years after their union, leaving three children - Ephraim, Sarah, and Lydia. He afterward married Miss Sally Card, and of their eight children but two survive: Israel, the subject of this sketch; and William, who resides in Stoneham, Mass.
Until he was about twenty years old, Israel Hayes worked on the farm in the summer sea- son, and attended the district schools of Mil- ton or Alton in the winter. He was afterward employed for a short time at the shoemaker's trade in Alton, and then went to Natick, Mass., for a short stay. In 1840 he estab- lished himself in business in Farmington as a manufacturer of custom shoes, continuing for some years on a rather modest scale. In 1853, encouraged by the success he had met with, he erected a factory, and for a year manufactured shoes in company with H. B. Edgerly. Since that time he has continued the business in company with his son, making a specialty of manufacturing brogan shoes of a medium grade, and has built up an extensive and flourishing trade. At the present time, however, only a part of the building is occu- pied. In politics he is a firm supporter of the principles of the Republican party. He has never cared for public office, although he did serve for one year as Chairman of the Board of Selectmen.
Mr. Hayes has been twice married. His first marriage was contracted with Sarah Rich- ards, of Dover, who died soon after, leaving a daughter, named Sarah. In 1848 Mr. Hayes was married to Miss Ann F. Edgerly, who died November 12, 1889. Five children were born of this union, four of whom are now liv-
ing; namely, Edward W., Martha A., Frank C., and Mary E. Martha is the wife of J. F. Safford, of this town; and Mary is the wife of E. F. Cummings, of Beachmont, Mass. Mr. Hayes and his family attend and support the Congregational church, of which he has been a Deacon for twenty years.
OHN ALEXANDER MACDONALD, the superintendent of the John D. Bates estate at Centre Harbor, and an ex- member of the New Hampshire legislature, is a native of Prince Edward Island, and was born July 19, 1856. He is a son of Alexander and Catherine (Gillis) MacDonald, who are respectively natives of Scotland and Prince Edward Island. The grandfather, John Mac- Donald, born in Glasgow, Scotland, learned the ship-carpenter's trade in that city. After marriage he emigrated to Prince Edward Island, where he was for many years engaged in building fishing-vessels and in farming.
Alexander MacDonald, father of the subject of this sketch, emigrated with his parents when he was a boy. At the age of twenty-one he received from his father a farm located upon the seashore, which he has since suc- cessfully conducted. He has been quite ac- tive in local politics, and is identified with the Liberal party. His wife, Catherine, who is a daughter of Laughlin Gillis, of Prince Edward Island, has had three children, namely: John Alexander, the subject of this sketch; Joseph, who is now deceased; and Mary Ann. Both parents are Roman Cath- olics.
John Alexander MacDonald resided at home until he became of age, receiving his educa- tion in the public schools. He then went to Boston, and soon after his arrival there ob- tained employment on the Adams estate in
79
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
Watertown, Mass., where he remained a year. He next worked upon the Phillips estate in Beverly, Mass., for a year, and then became superintendent of the John D. Bates estate at Centre Harbor. This property, which is one of the finest rural establishments in New Eng- land, contains two hundred acres, has a deer park, trout pond, and large greenhouses. Blooded cattle and sheep of standard breeds are kept, and its stable contains ten fancy horses.
On March 4, 1886, Mr. MacDonald married Julia Butler, daughter of Andrew Dennison Butler, of Boston. They have three children --- John Alexander, Jr., Andrew Joseph, and Marguerite Loretta. In politics Mr. Mac- Donald is a Democrat, and was a member of the legislature in 1895 and 1896, serving upon the Committee on County Affairs. He is a Past Chancellor of Meredith Lodge, No. 50, Knights of Pythias, and was for three years Master of Garnet Hill Grange, Patrons of Husbandry.
MASA W. SHACKFORD, a photog- rapher, well versed in his art, and one of the foremost residents of Farm- ington, was born in Barnstead, this State, November 18, 1834. His grandfather, Josiah Shackford, who was born and bred in Ports- mouth, removed to Barnstead in the latter part of the past century. The father, Seth Shack- ford, spent the seventy-seven years of his life in Barnstead. Besides general farming he followed the occupations of cattle drover and general merchant. His reputation was that of a capable business man. A straightforward Democrat in politics, he was influential in local affairs, served in all the town offices, and for a time in the respective capacities of County Commissioner and Representative to the General Court. His first wife, whose
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.