Biographical review; this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Rockingham County, New Hampshire, Part 31

Author:
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: Boston [Mass.] Biographical review pub. co.
Number of Pages: 658

USA > New Hampshire > Rockingham County > Biographical review; this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Rockingham County, New Hampshire > Part 31

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Agent of Londonderry. He is a member of the Masonic brotherhood, having membership in St. Mark's Lodge at Derry. He is a charter member of Horaec Greeley Council of the United Order of American Mechanies at Londonderry, and he is an active member of Londonderry Grange. A well-educated man, with advanced ideas and liberal views, Mr. Bailey is held in high regard by his townsmen.

OHN WASON, an energetic and enter- prising farmer, residing at North Ches- ter, was born in Chester, February 15, 1840, a son of Frederick and Rebecca (Knowles) Wason. He is descended from an- cestors who came among the earliest settlers of the town of Chester, where James Wason, the great-great-grandfather, as well as the grandfather of John, spent their whole lives. Frederick Wason was also a lifelong resident of Chester, and one of its highly respected cit- izens. He worked at farming and lumbering during his years of activity, being for many years the owner of a saw-mill. After attain- ing a ripe old age, he died in 1886. He had survived his wife, whose death occurred in 1878. They were the parents of seven chil- dren, as follows: Harriet, who died October 20, 1879, and was the wife of Hendrick Hall, of Haverhill, Mass. ; Nathan, who died in 1862; Robert, a soldier in the late Rebellion, who died in the service in 1862; John, the subject of this sketch; Albert, who likewise served in the Civil War, died during his term of enlistment in 1864; Elbridge, residing in Haverhill, Mass., who married Miss Ellen McCreddy ; and Loren S., living at Haverhill, Mass., who married Miss Clara Hills.

John Wason obtained his education in the district schools of Chester and in the academy at Derry, N. H. In 1861 he engaged as a farm laborer in this town, and was employed in that way for four years. Returning then to the old homestead, he remained with his parents until his marriage, when he estab- lished a household of his own. He had saved enough money while working as a farm hand to warrant him in purchasing the farm . in North Chester where he now lives. Laboring here with the energy and perseverance that had

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hitherto characterized his efforts, he, in due course, had his estate paid for, and many im- portant improvements made. The property contains one hundred acres of finely improved land. In addition to cultivating his land, Mr. Wason employs his winters in lumbering. In politics he is an earnest supporter of the Republican party, and has served in various minor offices of the town. Somewhat of an antiquary, he cherishes among other old relics à copy book that has been preserved in the Knowles family for more than a century. He has also an old flint-lock rifle, formerly owned by his great-grandfather, that he prizes highly.

In December, 1864, Mr. Wason married Lavina J. Dolber, a native of Candia town- ship, this county. She was born in 1840, daughter of John Dolber, who worked at the carpenter's trade in Candia for many years. Her mother, Polly (Stevens) Dolber, also a native of Candia, surviving her father, passed her last days in Chester. Mr. and Mrs. Wason have had three children, namely : Al- bert H., who died March 30, 1888, in New Ilampton, N. II. ; Susan Jennie, who is teach- ing school in New Salem, this State; and William B., who resides at home.

HARLES T. BROWN, of Hampton Falls, a successful farmer and a repre- sentative man of the district, was born in this place, September 29, 1827. He is a son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Drake) Brown, both members of old New Hampshire families. On the paternal side his first ancestor in this part of the world was John Brown, an Englishman born in 1588, who came to America in 1635, and established a home in the town of Hampton, N. H. His property is now owned by Zaccheus Brown, a lineal descendant. John, one of the posterity of the first John Brown, married Sarah or Elizabeth Brown, and settled in the south- eastern part of Hampton, now Seabrook. Benjamin, a son of this couple, had a son Jacob, who married Mary Green ; and Nathan, the son of Jacob and Mary (Green) Brown, was the great-grandfather of Charles T. Brown. The grandfather, another Jacob Brown, was one of the most successful farmers

known in the town of Hampton, where he set- tled when a young man, after moving from Kingston, this county.

Thomas Brown, a native of Kingston, born in 1793, was two years old when his parents removed to Hampton Falls. He was reared in the latter place, receiving his education in the district school and the academy. On fin- ishing his studies he settled on a farm adjoin- ing the homestead. There he spent his quiet and useful life of seventy-five years, tilling the soil and holding friendly intercourse with the neighbors, many of whom he had known from his earliest recollection. In 1868 he hired as a farm hand a man named. Josiah L. Pike, who, after working for him six months, committed one of the foulest murders recorded in the annals of New Hampshire. This man killed Mr. and Mrs. Brown with an axe, strik- ing the defenceless old lady first, who did not regain consciousness after the blow. Mr. Brown lived four days. Pike was caught and hanged at Concord, N. II. Mrs. Brown was a daughter of Abraham Drake, of Hampton. She reared the following children: Jacob T., a farmer on the homestead of his mother's father in Hampton; Abigail A., now de- ceased, who was the wife of James W. Green, and had two children, also deceased; and Charles T., the subject of this sketch.

Charles T. Brown received a good practical education in the district school and at the Rockingham and Durham Academies. Ho taught school for a while in New Market and Exeter ; but subsequently, having learned shoe- making, made shoes for firms in Lynn, Mass. Finally, however, he took up the occupation of general farmer, which had brought prosper - ity to so many members of his family. ITis farm is a part of the old Brown estate, and was purchased in his boyhood. He erected the buildings in 1854.

Mr. Brown was married in 1854 to Martha R., daughter of Josiah and Mary (Shaw) Rob- inson, of Exeter. Mrs. Brown died June 14, 1871, having given birth to four children. These were Eddie R., who lived but six years; llelen F., who married David F. Batchelder, of Hampton Falls, and has three children Arthur D., Martha R., and Paul E. ; and Mary E. and Everett, who were twins. Everett

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died at the age of sixteen. Mary E. married Bertram T. Janvrin, and has one child, Everett B. Mr. Brown contracted a second marriage with Alice W., daughter of Joseph P. and Elizabeth ( Rundlett) Batchelder, of Hampton. Mr. Brown has voted in the interest of the Republican party for nearly half a century, although he cast his first Presidential vote for John P. Hale, the candidate of the Free Soil Democrats in 1852. He represented the dis- trict in the legislature in 1872-73. He served as Selectman in 1867, 1868, and 1869. He was also a member of the School Board, and efficiently filled the office of Town Trcas- urer for sixteen years. He has officiated as Justice of the Peace since 1854, and has ad- justed many estates in the vicinity.

B ENJAMIN M. PARKER, surveyor of lumber and ex-Secretary of the New Hampshire Mechanics' Asso- ciation, one of the oldest and most respected residents of Portsmouth, N.H., is a native of Kittery, Me., where he was born December 27, 1819. His parents were Ben- jamin and Joanna (Mugridge) Parker.

Benjamin Parker followed the life of a sea- man, and was for many years mate of a vessel. He died at sea from yellow fever, contracted at Havana, but four of the crew surviving the scourge. His wife, Joanna, was a daughter of Thomas Mugridge, a successful farmer of Kittery. She bore her husband three chil- dren, respectively named: Samuel, Thomas, and Benjamin M.

At the time of his father's death Benjamin M. Parker was a little over a year old. In 1836, when between sixteen and seventeen years of age, he came to Portsmouth, and learned the trade of a house carpenter and joiner, and worked at the latter employment for two years. He then left that business; and in 1844 he joined the Rockingham Guards, continuing with them for four years, when he received a commission as Captain of the Fifth Company of the First Regiment of New Hampshire militia. In 1862 he was elected Secretary of the Mechanics' Associa- tion ; and he remained in office till 1893, when he resigned after thirty years of faithful

and efficient service. His name has been on the membership roll fifty-four years; and he is one of the oldest, if not the oldest person connected with the organization.

In 1844 Mr. Parker was joined in marriage with Miss Sarah A. Webster, a daughter of Richard Webster, of Epsom, N.H. At the close of her earthly life, in 1863, she left five children; namely, Anna, George W., Abbott B., Ida F., and William H. In 1865 Mr. Parker was married to his present wife, Miss Frances S. Norton before marriage, a daughter of Samuel M. Norton, of Kittery. This union has been blessed by the birth of four children - Alice A., the wife of William Ward; A. Thurston; Grace E., who married George E. Fife; and John S.

In political affiliation Mr. Parker has always been a Democrat. He has served as Surveyor of Wood and Lumber since 1861. From 1860 up to 1894 he held the office of Justice of the Peace. In 1863 he was made a Notary Public, and he still holds that position. Fraternally, he is a member of Piscataqua Lodge No. 6, In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he has held nearly all the chairs. He is Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of the State, and was a representative to the United States Grand Lodge for two years. He is a communicant of the Middle Street Baptist Church, which he joined in 1840, and has served as Warden .. The year after his first marriage Mr. Parker moved into his present residence, 20 Cabot Street, which abounds with the memories and pleasant associations of the half-century that has passed since that time.

AMES OWEN, a prosperous agricultu- rist of Chester, was born June 11, 1829, in Northampton, England, where his grandfather, Richard Owen, and his parents, Samuel and Elizabeth (Lines) Owen, spent their entire lives. Samuel Owen was a shoemaker, and worked at that trade and general farming throughout his life. He was the father of ten children, namely; Austin, John, Thomas, James, William, Isaac, Eli, Mary Ann, and two others who died in in- fancy.

BENJAMIN M. PARKER.

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James Owen had very limited educational facilities in his native country. He remained beneath the parental roof until twenty years of age, and then began the battle of life for himself. He married when quite young, and for twenty or more years thereafter worked in a corset factory in England. In 1872, accom- panied by his wife and children, he came to America in search of more remunerative em- ployment. Sailing from Bristol May 4, on the " Awrongain," he landed in New York City just two weeks later. The following year he worked in a corset manufactory in Boston, Mass., there saving a little money. Going then to Kansas, he was engaged in farming in the town of Kinsley for a year. He then returned East again, and worked at corset- making for two years each in New Haven, Conn., and in Boston. Still continuing at his trade, Mr. Owen spent the next two and a half years in the cities of Detroit, Mich., and Chicago, Ill. From the latter city he came to this county, settling in Chester. Here he bought a farm, and had managed it success- fully for three years when he had the mis- fortune to be burned out. Nothing daunted, however, he bought the farm on which he now lives, but still retained possession of his first purchase. He now owns one hundred and fif- teen acres of land in this township, and car- ries on general farming after the most ap- proved methods. He is also somewhat engaged in stock raising. In politics he is identified with the Republican party, and takes an earnest interest in the welfare of the district.

On September 30, 1852, in his English home, Mr. Owen married Ruth Tyler, a native of Birmingham, England. She was born June 9, 1829, a daughter of Thomas and Ruth (Hall) Tyler, the latter of whom died when Mrs. Owen was a young girl. Her father, a tin worker by trade, continued his residence in Birmingham until his death. Mrs. Owen has had seven children, namely: Sarah, who lives in Manchester, N. HI. ; Austin, a farmer, who married Sophia Wedow, lives near his parents, and has three children - Ruth, Will- iam, and James; Henry, who is a resident of Detroit, Mich .; William, who is Physician Director of the Young Men's Christian Asso-

ciation of New Bedford, Mass .; Mary, who lives with her parents; John and one child unnamed, who both died in infancy. Both parents and children are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

EVI E. CROSS, a respected resident of Londonderry and a veteran of the Civil War, was born in Hudson, N. H., in August, 1831, and is a son of Levi, born in Litchfield, N.H., and Fannie (Goodwin) Cross, born in Merrimack, N.H. His great-grandfather Cross is said to have been a Revolutionary patriot; but little has been handed down concerning the ancestry of the family. Levi Cross removed from Litchfield to Hudson, where he resided for many years. He died there previous to the outbreak of the Civil War. In political affili- ation he was a Whig. His wife, Fannie, bore him seven children, three of whom are living, namely: Cyrus, who served in the Civil War, and is now residing in Amherst, N. H .; Levi E. ; and Marietta, wife of Clark Holden, of Wolfboro, N. H.

Levi E. Cross received his education in the district schools of Hudson. His early years were spent on the homestead farm; and, with the exception of about a year, during which he worked at the shoemaker's trade, he has been steadily engaged in agricultural pursuits since he was old enough to work. He owns a farm of one hundred acres, the tillable por- tion of which he has under good cultivation; and everything about the place betokens the thrifty New England farmer. In 1861 Mr. Cross enlisted in Company A, Eighth Regi- ment, New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry. This regiment went to New Orleans under command of General B. F. Butler, and was present at the surrender of that city. At the end of his term of enlistment Mr. Cross was honorably discharged; and in 1864 he again enlisted, this time in Company F, Eigh- teenth New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry, with which he participated,_ under General Grant, in the siege of Petersburg, and was at Appomattox when General Lee surrendered. He received his final discharge in the spring of 1865, and since that time has resided in

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Londonderry, where he enjoys the good will and respect of his neighbors and many friends.

Mr. Cross married Miss Mary J. Miller, of lludson, N. H., and they are the parents of the following children: Anna F., wife of Walter B. Chase; Ella M .: George E .; Charles D. ; Martena (deceased) ; and Arthur 11. Mr. and Mrs. Cross are communicants of the Baptist church. In political views Mr. Cross is a Republican. He is a member of Wesley B. Knight Post, No. 41, Grand Army of the Republic.

RANK W. DANIELSON, a foreman in the factory of the Portsmouth Shoe Company, was born in this town, April 6, 1858, son of Daniel and Adeline F. (Grover) Danielson. The Danielsons are old residents of the town. Grandfather Danielson came here from Norway before the year 1800, and engaged in the real estate and shipping business. At his death he left a large prop-

erty to his heirs. His wife was related to Lord Nelson, the celebrated British admiral. Her life nceded but four years to complete a century when she died. Her husband's death occurred at the age of sixty-one. They reared six children, of whom Daniel was the second- born.

Daniel Danielson, who is a native of Ports- mouth, born September 8, 1830, worked at the blacksmith's trade as journeyman for forty years. He is now employed in the finishing- room of the Portsmouth Shoe Company's fac- tory. In politics he has been a Republican since he cast his first vote in a Presidential election for Franklin Pierce in 1852. At one time he served in the office of Health In- spector. When the Civil War broke out he joined the United States Navy, and served for eighteen months on the frigate "Macedonia." Upon being discharged from the navy at the expiration of his term of service in 1862, he immediately enlisted in Company K, Six- teenth New Hampshire Volunteers, with the rank of Corporal, and subsequently shared in the actions at Fort Hudson and Fort Burton on the Red River. In the course of his scr- vice the duties of Sergeant frequently de- volved upon him. While on the Red River

he received a wound in the lcg that obliged him to remain in the hospital for three weeks. He is a member of Stooer Post, No. . 1, Grand Army of the Republic, and of the Kearsarge Veterans. In religion he is a Free Will Bap- tist, having been a member of that church for many years. His wife, who is a daughter of Captain John Grover, of York, Me., has borne him four boys, of whom three are living. These are: John, who is a conductor on the Western Division, Boston & Maine Railroad, and resides in Portland, Me. ; Alfred H., who is a finisher in the employment of the Ports- mouth Shoe Company, and lives in Greenland, this county; and Frank W., the chief subject of this notice.

Frank W. Danielson, who is the second child of his parents, after receiving his educa- tion in the public schools, worked for three years as clerk in the wholesale store of Spaulding & Parrott, iron dealers of Ports- mouth. At the end of that period the store was closed, and Mr. Danielson obtained em- ployment in the factory of the Portsmouth Shoe Company as finisher. Two years later, in 1882, he was appointed foreman of the finishing-room, a position which he has filled with credit up to the present time. In 1892 he received the further charge of the making department, and he has since superintended both departments to the complete satisfaction of his employers.

In 1884, March 9, he was united in matri- mony with Lucy A. Burke, daughter of B. F. Burke, of Portsmouth. They have had five children, of whom one died in infancy, and another at a later period of pneumonia. The three survivors are boys. In addition to being a member of the Free Will Baptist church, he has been treasurer of the society for some time, clerk of the same for fourteen years, and a Trustee, as well as Sunday-school super- intendent for about eight years. He has also been Vice-President of the Christian En- deavorers for the past two years. He takes no active interest in politics, while his prin- ciples are Democratic. His first vote was cast in behalf of Frank Jones for Governor of the State and in behalf of General Hancock for President of the United States. He is a member of the Ancient Order of United Work-

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men, and of Osgood Lodge, No. 48, Indepen- dent Order of Odd Fellows.

REENLEAF K. BARTLETT, at- torney-at-law, Derry, N. H., was born in this town, June 17, 1856. He is the eldest son now living of Greenleaf C. and Charlotte J. (Kelly) Bartlett, and a descendant of Richard Bartlett, who came from England in 1637, and settled at Bart- lett's Cove in Newbury, Mass.

His father, Greenleaf C. Bartlett, was born in Nottingham, Rockingham County, N. H. He read law in Epping, this county, and was admitted to the New Hampshire bar in 1847, having passed the usual State examination. He practised first in Salem, this county, mov- ing to Derry in 1855, and for many years was prominent as an attorney in this section, building up a large and lucrative practice through the strength of his own merits alone. A Republican in political preference, he was one of the strong men of the party, and repre- sented Derry in the State legislature for two years. In local matters he was active and prominent, giving of his time and money for the improvement of the town. His death oc- curred April 10, 1893. He was for many years identified with the Masonic Order, be- longing to St. Mark's Lodge at Derry, and was buried with Masonic rites. His wife, who was a native of Salem, this county, died April 13, 1896. Of their children the fol- lowing are living: Greenleaf K., subject of this sketch ; Charles; William; and Jennie S. Bartlett.

Greenleaf K. Bartlett was reared to man's estate in Derry, receiving his early education at Pinkerton Academy, from which he was graduated in the class of 1873. He read law with his father, and was admitted to practice in February, 1878, working with his father from 1879 until the death of the latter in 1893. Father and son conducted a large and successful general practice under the firm name of G. C. & G. K. Bartlett; and, when the head of the firm died, the younger man easily assumed the management. He now controls a large legal business, and at the same time is active in other business enter-

prises. He is a member of the insurance firm of Bartlett & Shepard, is a Director and at present Vice-President of the Derry National Bank, a Director of the Chester & Derry Rail- road Association, and President of the Derry Electric Light Company.

Mr. Bartlett is a Republican in politics, ac- tively interested in local public affairs. He is a thirty-second degree Mason, and is Past Master of St. Mark's Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Derry, High Priest of Bell Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, of the same town, and a mem- ber of Trinity Commandery, Knights Tem- plars, of Manchester, N.H. He is identified also with the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows and with the Knights of Pythias.

Charles Bartlett is a graduate of Pinkerton Academy and a man of versatile business talent. A practical druggist, he is proprietor of a drug store in Derry; editor and publisher of the Derry News (an influential local jour- nal) ; is one of the projectors and a Director of the Chester & Derry Railroad Association, which is to operate an electric line between Derry and Chester, N.H. ; and a Director of the Derry Electric Light Company. He, too, is a Republican, and is at present Town Treas- urer of Derry.

LBERT L. REMICK, keeper of the life-saving station at Rye Beach, Rockingham County, was born in the town of Rye, December 25.

1854. His father, David Remick, was a son of Joseph and Sally (Clark) Remick, lifelong residents of this town, belonging to the thrifty community of farmers. David Remick, who was born and educated in Ryc, learned when a young man the trade of a stone mason, at which he worked during his life, besides car- rying on general farming. He lived to the good old age of seventy-eight years. His wife, whose maiden name was Abby Johnson, was a native of Rye also. They had but two children - Albert I. and George O. George O. is connected with the life -saving service, being stationed at Wallace Sands, where he has lived for the past fourteen years. To him and his wife, Clara E., two children have been born - Emma and Austin.

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Albert L. Remick obtained his education in the district schools of his native place, and from that time until attaining his majority he was engaged in nautical pursuits. Since 1875 Mr. Remick has been connected with the life- saving service, and, before assuming charge of the Rye station, gave assistance in sixteen wrecks, often at the risk of his own life. Since accepting his present responsible office, he has been instrumental in saving the follow- ing vessels and lives: September 3, 1884, the sloop "Bertie"; October 15, 1884, the schooner "Statesman "; a man in an open boat ; the schooners "Express," "Nettie Adams," "Darius Eddy," "Flying Dart," "Chilian," "The Rising Star "; three small boats that he picked up; the sloop "Sea Gull"; a man who had lost his oars, and had drifted from Newburyport, Mass., in a small dory; two nearly drowned men; these, with the schooners "Elder " and "Glendon," com- pleting the list of persons and vessels that he has rescued or assisted. The life-saving ser- vice when first established, in 1874, was rudely and meagrely equipped ; but each year important additions have been made to its ap- paratus and appurtenances, rendering it one of the most valuable and efficient institutions of the government. Mr. Remick married Miss Annie C. Macc, daughter of John Mace, of Rye: and into their pleasant household circle three children have been born - Mabel L., Walter H., and Albert M.

ERLEY C. ROBINSON, who is now somewhat retired from the active pursuits of life, was for many years one of the most substantial and prominent business men of Fremont, N. H., and an important factor in advancing the pros- perity and growth of the town. He was born here on February 26, 1830, and is a great- grandson of Josiah Robinson, who served as a drummer boy in the French War, and later was one of the carly settlers in what is now the township of Fremont, being the first of the family to make his home in Northern New England. Mr. Robinson still has in his pos- session the drum carried by his great-grand- father.

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Biographical review; this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Rockingham County, New Hampshire, Part 31

Author: Publication date: 1896 Publisher: Boston [Mass.] Biographical review pub. co. Number of Pages: 658

Author:
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: Boston [Mass.] Biographical review pub. co.
Number of Pages: 658