USA > New Hampshire > Rockingham County > Biographical review; this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Rockingham County, New Hampshire > Part 20
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 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80
Archibald McDuffee, grandfather of George HI., was born in Auburn, a town adjoining Massabesic, but within the borders of Rocking- ham County. When eighteen years of age, he came to Candia, and purchased a farm; and from that time until his death he was profit- ably engaged in mixed husbandry. In politics he was a Republican, but was never an active participant in political matters. He died in 1887, aged eighty-five years. The six chil- dren born to him and his wife are all living, namely : John, of Candia; Harriett, wife of J. W. Harris, of Candia; Sarah A., wife of
Hiram Barnard, of Boston, Mass. ; Hannah, wife of A. C. Ferrin, of Concord; Lowell F., father of George H., residing in Candia ; Mary, wife of C. G. Pressy, of Concord.
Lowell F. McDuffee has followed farming here in Candia, and is one of her most highly esteemed citizens. Quiet and unobtrusive in character, he is no aspirant for official honors, neither is he a member of any fraternal order, preferring the enjoyments of home life to those of club or social functions. He married Dilley L. Crandal, daughter of Horace Cran- dal, and they are the parents of three children, namely : Horace, in Candia; Oscar, in Man- chester; and George H., whose name intro- duces the present sketch.
George H. McDuffee, born here May 15, 1857, was educated in the common schools of this town. He then went to Concord, and learned the mason's trade with Ordway & Fer- rin, with whom he remained six years after completing his apprenticeship. During the next thirteen years he was employed at several different places in Massachusetts and in Man- chester; and finally he started in business for himself, with headquarters in Candia. His standing and business methods are unques- tioned, and he receives contracts from all parts of the State.
On May 15, 1883, Mr. McDuffee was united in marriage with Miss Leverte A. Smith, daughter of Coffin F. Smith, of Candia. Their only living child, Frank L., ten years old, is a commendable little student, having thus early formed habits of notable prompt- ness, receiving in his nine terms of school attendance but one mark for tardiness.
In politics Mr. McDuffee is a stanch Re- publican. First elected as a member of the State legislature in 1893, he served so credita- bly that he was re-elected for a second term of two years. During his first term he was on the Labor Committee, which was instrumental in the passage of the bill for a State Labor Bureau. He also assisted in the organization of that bureau, which has proved a marked success. Since his re-election he has been on the committee in charge of the matter of Re- trenchment and Reform. The appropriation for the new court-house has also been made, Mr. McDuffee being a member of the County
167
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
Committee recommending the appropriation and amount. The fraternal organizations with which he is affiliated are Rumford Lodge, No. 46, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Concord, N. H., and Rockingham Lodge, No. 76, of Candia.
J OHN Q. PIKE, Postmaster of Epping and Treasurer of the Epping Savings Bank, was born in this town, February 18, 1855, son of John H. and Eliza J. (Thompson) Pike. John H. Pike, also a native of Epping, was a lifelong resident of the town. Beginning life with scant capital, he attained wealth and prominence, and was one of the most successful merchants and lumber dealers of Epping. A quiet and unassuming citizen, he was yet one of the public-spirited men of the town, and did a great deal for its development. He died in the fall of 1884. His wife, who is a native of Lee, is still living, and enjoys good health.
John Q. Pike attended the district school, Kingston Academy, and was one year at Exeter. When quite young, he engaged in the grocery business, and has since carried it on successfully. He is one of the leading busi- ness men of the town, and has also for some time been active and prominent in politics, having been a member of the Democratic party since the year of his majority. He has been Town Clerk for some time, and has just closed a five-year term of service as Town Treasurer. In 1889 he represented the town in the New Hampshire legislature, and he has held the position of Postmaster of Epping
since 1893. He is well advanced in Masonry, belonging to St. Alban Chapter of Exeter, the Commandery at Portsmouth, and E. A. Ray- mond Consistory of Nashua; and he belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
In 1875 Mr. Pike was married to Miss Lenora M. Cutting, daughter of Erastus Cut- ting, of Epping. She died in 1882, leaving three children - John H., Ella Frances, and Frank W. On December 25, 1884, Mr. Pike entered a second marriage, by which he was united to Sadie A. Rowe, daughter of George Rowe, of Epping. Mrs. Pike was born in Deerfield, this county, August 16, 1865, and
was one year old when her parents removed to Epping. She attended the public schools in the latter town, graduated from Watson Acad- emy in 1882, and subsequently engaged in teaching. A lady of pleasing personality, she is very popular in social circles, and has accomplished much for the Eastern Star auxil- iary of the Masonic Order. She was the first to take active measures in organizing Queen Esther Chapter of Epping. Much credit is due her for the services she has rendered it during the four years of its existence. Her official work began as the first Associate Con- ductress. In the same year she was repre- sentative to the Grand Chapter. She was then elected Associate Grand Conductress, and subsequently filled, in her own chapter, the position of Conductress and Worthy Matron. Fulfilling her duties with ability and without ostentation, she has continued to advance step by step, and is now Grand Matron of the Grand Lodge of the State of New Hampshire. Mrs. Pike is the mother of a bright little daughter, Eliza T., whose talent as a singer makes her a most desirable addition to social gatherings.
Mr. Pike attends the Congregational church, of which his wife has been a member since 1888. She has been a zealous church worker, and is. at present one of the Executive Com- mittee. Mr. and Mrs. Pike have a pleasant home in Epping. Their wide circle of ac- quaintance extends beyond the limits of the State.
AVID S. COFFIN, a retired busi- ness man residing in Hampton, is a native of Newburyport, Mass., born in February, 1818. His parents were William and Elizabeth (Swett) Coffin, natives respectively of Newburyport and of Hampton Falls. Mr. Coffin's grandfather, Captain Samuel Coffin, one of the wealthy merchants of Newburyport in the days when the old town was famous for her wealthy mer- chants, acquired his wealth in the course of many years spent in the West India trade. Captain Coffin married Elizabeth Loud, of Boston, Mass., and by her became the father of William Coffin. William for a while was
168
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
foreman of a distillery in Newburyport. Sub- sequently he was engaged in distilling rum from West India molasses, and owned a num- ber of vessels employed in importing molasses from the West Indies. His wife, Elizabeth, was a member of an old Hampton Falls family. David S. Coffin is their only child who lived after attaining maturity. A daughter died at the age of twenty-one.
David S. Coffin obtained his early education chiefly at a district school in Newburyport. He worked on a farm for a while after leaving school, and then learned the hatter's trade, working as an apprentice until of age. This trade he subsequently followed for thirty-five years. About the year 1874 he opened a sum- mer hotel in the seaside town of Swampscott, Mass. ; and he was afterward in the hotel busi- ness at Magnolia, a charming resort on the Massachusetts coast. His enterprises brought him a fortune, upon which some time ago, in consideration of his advancing years, he felt justified in retiring. He makes his home in pleasant quarters at the Whittier Hotel in Hampton. In 1884 Mr. Coffin was married to Miss Jane M. Burgess, who died in 1887. He has voted the Democratic ticket since he was qualified to exercise the suffrage, casting his first Presidential ballot for Martin Van Buren in 1840.
ILLIAM H. FAY, of Portsmouth, the leading dealer in gentlemen's clothing and furnishing goods, was born in Windsor, Vt., May 24, 1866. His parents were Edmund Stone and Frances (Kendall) Fay, both natives of Windsor County, Vermont, respectively born in the towns of Reading and Felchville. His great- grand-father, Major Ezra Fay, in the early part of this century migrated from Westboro, Mass., to Reading, Vt., and, securing two hun- dred acres of land, spent the rest of his life in that town, engaged in agriculture. Major Fay's death occurred in Reading in 1841. He was twice married. His second marriage was contracted with Mrs. Olive (Lincoln) Chamber- lain, who was a descendant of Governor Lin- coln of Massachusetts, and who, after living to a great age, died in Felchville in 1854.
Levi C. Fay, the grandfather of William H., was born in Reading, April 25, 1807. He learned the tailor's trade at Woodstock, Vt., and afterward the shoemaker's trade, serving an apprenticeship of three years for that purpose with David Hammond, of Read- ing. Then, purchasing Mr. Hammond's stock in trade, which consisted of boots, shoes, and farm implements, he was in business for a while. In 1838 he purchased the Slayton Hotel at South Woodstock, Vt. This proved a disastrous venture; for, after it had been re- paired and otherwise improved, within three months after its purchase it was destroyed by fire. He then leased the Ransom House in the same town, which he managed for two years. In 1840 he. returned to Reading, and again engaged in trade. Four years later he disposed of the business, and leased the Dart- mouth House at Hanover, N. H. This he con- ducted for a few months ; and then, concluding that he was better adapted for trade than for the hotel business, he engaged in the sale of merchandise in Felchville. When he finally settled down to business, he was very success- ful; and for twenty years he conducted a thriv- ing store in Felchville. In 1863 he pur- chased three stores in Windsor, Vt., and took his sons into partnership. He subsequently sold his interest to Martin Hubbard, and re- tired. In the course of his business career he erected Fay's Block and other buildings in Windsor, was an extensive dealer in real estate, and had money invested in Western mortgages. Regarding these last-named in- terests he made yearly trips West from 1843 to 1885, in order to give them his personal attention. His death occurred in February, 1891. He was married December 1, 1829, to Susan Stone, daughter of Edmund and Louisa (Sherman) Stone, and grand-daughter of Sam- uel Stone, of Connecticut. Samuel Stone was an early settler of Vermont. It was he who gave its name to Weathersfield, Vt., in com- memoration of the historic settlement in Connecticut. Susan (Stone) Fay was of the same lineage as the late General Tecumseh Sherman and Senator Hoar of Massachusetts. She reared four children, namely: Collamer A., a merchant of Holyoke, Mass. ; Amanda M. ; Edmund S. ; and Julia, Edmund Stone
169
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
.
Fay was born October 19, 1840. Taken into partnership by his father in 1863, he was in trade in Windsor until 1872, when he estab- lished the business now carried on by his son in Portsmouth. A capable and conservative business man, he conducted a prosperous trade up to the time of his death, April 19, 1893. Though in no sense of the word a politician, he always did his duty at the polls, and served with credit during one term as Mayor of Ports- mouth. His wife, who was a daughter of Harrison Kendall, of Felchville, died in 1875.
William H. Fay was six years of age when his parents removed to Portsmouth, and his first acquaintance with books was made in the primary schools of that town. He afterward attended both public and private schools in Boston, Mass. In the same city he took his first lessons in trade, serving as clerk for two years in the clothing house of Leopold Morse & Co., and later working for the wholesale house of Thompson, Witherill & Willis. In 1887 he returned to Portsmouth, and became associated with his father. On the death of the latter he became sole proprietor of the business, which he has conducted since. It is already apparent that Mr. Fay has inherited his father's capacity for business. He was married November 30, 1893, to Anna Louise, who was born in Portsmouth, September 6, 1872, daughter of George N. and Clara Jones. Mr. Fay votes the Republican ticket. So far he has taken no active part in politics.
EONARD BAILEY SMITH, a well- known farmer and lumberman of Exeter, was born in Andover, Mass., September 25, 1818, son of John and Abigail (Bailey) Smith. John Smith, a native of New Hampshire, when quite young removed to the State of Massachu- setts, and engaged in the business of a tanner and currier, and subsequently worked at it until he was fifty years of age. At that time he had reverses in business; but, not utterly depressed, he rounded out another quarter of a century of life, and finally, at the age of seventy-five, he passed away, highly esteemed by all those who had the pleasure of his ac- quaintance. Mr. Smith had been very promi-
nent in military affairs. Ilis worthy wife, who survived him, died at the venerable age of eighty- seven.
Leonard Bailey Smith had very meagre op- portunities of acquiring an education in his youth. He was unable to attend the district schools for more than one month in each year. Very early in life he found employment in a woollen-mill, and retained it until he was twenty years old. He then purchased his time from his father for fifty dollars; and, engaging with the Boston & Maine Railroad Corporation, he initiated a relationship which continued for a score of years. He subsequently en- gaged in farming and lumbering, which indus- tries have since been his principal occupations.
Mr. Smith has been twice married. His first marriage was contracted in 1841 with Miss Betsey Dole, a native of Haverhill, Mass., who died in 1845. She left two infant children, namely : Charles, who now resides at Exeter ; and Abbie, who has become the wife of James Rollins, of Stratham, this county. Mr. Smith's second wife, Mary (Folsom) Smith, a native of Laconia, Belknap County, died in August, 1893. Her children were : Leonard F., who is engaged with his father in the lumber business; Addie, who is the wife of John Hourth, of Amesbury, Mass. ; and Fannie. He has represented his town and district with credit in the New Hampshire legislature. In national politics he is iden- tified with the Republican party, and is a full believer in its principles. In religious faith Mr. Smith is a Congregationalist, and he is a member of the First Congregational Church of Exeter. He is an estimable and prominent citizen, now seventy-eight years old, and num- bered among the venerable residents of the town. He enjoys excellent health, and has a good prospect of being vouchsafed many years more of usefulness.
ILLIAM RICHARDSON, M. D., a popular physician and surgeon of Londonderry, is a native of this town, born February 26, 1860. The fourth William of the family, he is a son of William P. and Sarah II. (Goodwin) Richardson. llis great-grandfather, William Richardson,
170
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
who came from Methuen, Mass., was the first of his race to settle in Londonderry. This William's son, William M., was the father of William P. William P. Richardson was also born in Londonderry. He was an enterprising and industrious man. Besides working at the blacksmith's trade, he managed a farm, and was extensively engaged in lumbering. He was well known throughout the district, was a prominent member of the Democratic party of the section, and discharged the duties of Justice of the Peace for some forty years. His death occurred May 13, 1893. Now in her sixty-fourth year, his widow resides with her son, Dr. Richardson. She had three other children - Harry, Myron, and Sarah. Harry is deceased, and Sarah is the wife of Charles U. Annis.
William Richardson, M. D., grew to man's estate in Londonderry, obtaining his early education in the schools of his native town. lIe subsequently pursued the more advanced course of the McGaw Institute at Reed's Ferry, N. H. When about twenty years of age, he took up the study of medicine with Dr. George A. Crosby, of Manchester, N. H., under whose tuition he laid a lasting founda- tion for the edifice of his professional knowl- edge. He then made the usual course at Dartmouth College, and graduated from the Medical Department in November, 1883. He entered upon his profession in Westford, Conn., and there followed it for some five years. In December, 1892, he opened an office in Londonderry, taking up his residence in the house where he was born. Here he has been very successful, and already has a large and lucrative practice, due not only to the kindly feeling of his townsmen for one of their own "boys," but also to his proved skill and his sympathetic and conscientious treatment of all cases.
In 1884 Dr. Richardson was united in mar- riage with Esther F. Whidden, a native of Auburn, this county, and a daughter of Joshua Whidden of that town. Three children - Florence E., Mabel E., and William P. -- now brighten their home. Dr. Richardson votes the Democratic ticket. He is interested in popular education, and is at present Secretary of the School Board. His home is in North
Londonderry ; and he is a member of Horace Greeley Council, No. 12, Order of United American Mechanics of that section of the town.
A LFRED FRANKLIN HOWARD, of Portsmouth, Secretary of the Granite State Fire Insurance Company, was born in the town of Marlow, Chesh- ire County, February 16, 1842. Of English extraction, he is a son of Ervin and Philinda (Simonds) Howard, both natives of Cheshire County. His grandfather, Thomas Howard, who was born in Lyme, Conn., June 22, 1757, fought in the Revolutionary War with the Connecticut troops. After the close of the war he settled in New Hampshire upon a tract of timber land in the wilds of Cheshire County, now in the township of Marlow. After clearing his land, Grandfather Howard erected good frame buildings and planted fruit trees; and, when the embryo town began to take form, no estate was in better condition than his. He died at his home August 23, 1842, His wife, whose maiden name was Hannah -, born December 4, 1756, died May 4, 1801. They reared seven children -- Nathan, Phoebe, Thomas, Martin, Daniel, Fanny, and Ervin.
Ervin Howard was born in Marlow, March 19, 1801. Reared on his father's farm, he acquired a good knowledge of agriculture, and when a young man he learned the blacksmith's trade. He purchased a farm at Baker's Cor- ners, not far from his father's home, and cul- tivated it for many years; while he also worked at his trade. The latter part of his life was spent in Marlow village, where he died in 1882. His wife, who was born in Alstead, Cheshire County, January 30, 1803, daughter of Elisha and Lucy Simonds, died in Marlow in 1886. They reared three children, namely : Alfred F., the subject of this sketch ; Mary E., the wife of James G. Freeman ; and Martha A., the wife of Albert S. Thompson. Mrs. Thompson died in 1884.
Alfred Franklin Howard received his early education in the district school near his home, in Marlow Academy, and in the New Hamp- shire Conference Academy at Tilton. He
ALDEN E. COLBY.
173
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
entered the teaching profession when twenty years of age, and taught at intervals for five years. Beginning in 1865, he studied law with Judge W. H. H. Allen, of Newport, Sullivan County, and in 1868 was admitted to the bar. He commenced practice immedi- ately in Portsmouth, after which he was in active professional work until 1873, when he was appointed Deputy Collector of Customs. A year later he was made Collector -- an office he most efficiently filled until he resigned it, in 1885. In this year he became associated with the Hon. Frank Jones in the organization of the Granite State Fire Insurance Company, with which he has been connected ever since.
Mr. Howard was married in 1869 to Eliza Fiske, daughter of the Hon. Amos Fiske, of Marlow. She died in 1875, and Mr. Howard subsequently entered a second marriage, con- tracted with Mabel Y. Smith, of Willimantic, Conn. He has one son, Arthur F., who grad- uated from Amherst in the class of 1895, and is now taking a course in electrical engineer- ing at the Boston Institute of Technology. Mr. Howard cast his first Presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln in 1864, and has been a stanch supporter of Republican principles since that time. A man of culture himself, he takes an active interest in the furtherance of educational projects. He has been Super- intendent of Schools in Newport, and has served on the school boards of Marlow and Portsmouth. He belongs to St. Andrew's Lodge, No. 56, A. F. & A. M., and to Wash- ington Commandery, No. 3, and De Witt Clin- ton Commandery, Knights Templars. He is widely known and respected in social as well as business circles.
ESTER A. COLBY, who in company with his mother, Mrs. Lucy A. Colby, is carrying on a successful business in the manufacturing of wooden boxes at Danville, N. H., is a native of this town, having been born October 2, 1860. H is a son of the late Alden E. Colby, and comes of pioneer ancestry, being descended from Or- lando Colby, who was born in 1705, and settled in the town of Sandown when a young man. His son Moses, the next in line of de-
scent, born in Sandown in 1731, became one of the early settlers of Danville, where he died in 1777.
Enos Colby, a son of Moses Colby, was born in Danville, May 13, 1761, and died May 30, 1827, on the farm now occupied by his great- grandson, Lester A. Colby. Enos Colby was a blacksmith by trade, an occupation in which his son Thomas, grandfather of Lester A., was also engaged, their smithy standing on the site of the present box-mill. They both car- ried on an excellent business, being industri- ous and enterprising. In grinding axes, they made use of water-power. Thomas Colby was a lifelong resident of Danville, the date of his birth being April 23, 1786, and that of his death April 12, 1859.
Alden E. Colby, son of Thomas, was born in 1830. He attended the district school in his childhood, then went for a while to the academy at Kingston, after which he fitted for college at Andover, Mass. He spent his active years in this town, and besides farming he was engaged in lumbering and the manu- facture of wooden boxes for over twenty-five years. His first mill being burned in 1875, hc erected the one now used by the present firm. A man of unusual energy and of sterling traits of character, he was quite successful in busi- ness, and was highly esteemed by his asso- ciates. His death occurred on August 31, 1876. To him and his wife, whose maiden name was Lucy A. Spofford, four children were born, as follows: Osmon S., who died at the age of eighteen years and eighteen days; Les- ter A. ; Herbert E., a former student at New Hampton, N. H., and a graduate of Dartmouth College, class of 1891, who also has an interest in the firm of L. A. Colby & Co., and has spent most of his time here when not at school ; and Charlotte M. Mrs. Colby, senior member of the firm of L. A. Colby & Co., with her family still occupies the homestead.
Lester A. Colby acquired his preliminary education in the public schools of Danville, completing his studies at the New Hampton Commercial College. He has always remained an inmate of the parental household; and two years after the death of his father, forming a partnership with his mother, he again started the business in which his father had been
174
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
employed. Reopening the box factory, the new firm began the manufacture of wooden boxes on a small scale, selling them princi- pally in Haverhill, Mass. In addition they are carrying on a substantial lumber business, having a large saw-mill, and selling their lum- ber in the rough. They own about two hun- dred acres of land, and in connection with their other work are engaged in general farm- ing. The firm of L. A. Colby & Co. is widely known as one of the most successful and flour- ishing in Southern New Hampshire, having built up an extensive and lucrative trade through good management and wisely directed business efforts.
Mr. Colby is a man of sterling integrity, popular with his fellow-citizens, whom he is now serving as Town Treasurer, being likewise a surveyor of lumber. In politics he is a stanch Republican. Outside of his native town also he is known as a man of good finan- cial ability, being one of the Directors of the Haverhill Safe and Deposit Company, of Haverhill, Mass. He is a Free Will Baptist in his religious views, belonging, with his mother, brother, and sister, as did their father, to the church of that denomination.
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.