USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Book of biographies. This volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Grafton County, New Hampshire > Part 12
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John Boynton, the great-great-grandfather of our subject, was born in Rowley, Mass .; his father was William Boynton, and his mother Joanna Stevens. John Boynton had two other brothers, who grew up: Richard and Joshua. Richard Boynton had three wives, but died childless in the city of Boston soon after the Revolution; he had two sisters, one of whom married a Tilton, and the other a Batchelder. Joshua Boynton had one son and a daughter: William, his son, settled in Stanstead, Canada East, and died there; the daughter married Richard Batchelder. John Boynton married Anna Smith, and reared four sons: David, Rich- ard, William, and John, Jr .; and three daughters: Molly, Betsey, and Anna. David Boynton, the great-grandfather of our subject, married his cousin, Anna Batchelder; Richard married Eunice Sanborn: William married Molly Huck- ins; John, Jr., married Lydia Dow; Molly mar- ried William Davis; Betsey married Isaac Cum- mings; and Anna married James Roby. The aforesaid David Boynton reared a family of nine children: Eben, William, John, David, Jr., Mark, Dolly, Nancy, Betsey, and Sally.
William Boynton, the son of David, and grandfather of Dr. Charles H., was born in Not- tingham, N. H., Sept. 20, 1761, and died July 26, 1814. His family circle was composed of eight members: William, Jr., Joseph, Polly, Nancy, Joanna Stevens, Eben, Charles Glidden, Sarah Jane.
Our subject's father, Ebenezer Boynton, was born Dec. 26, 1798, at New Hampton, N. IT., went with his parents in youth to Meredith, and was reared and educated to agricultural pursuits. In 1841 he moved from the town of Meredith to Plymouth, N. H., where he remained twelve years, going from there to Canterbury, N. H., moving finally, in 1866, to Lisbon, where he
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passed away in' 1881. In 1823 he married his first wife, Betsey S. Hart of Meredith, N. H .; she died at the age of thirty-three, after giving birth to five children, as follows: Abigail H. (Meade): Dr. Charles H .; Mary E. (Meade); Ann M., died in her youth; and Orrin H. He married his second wife in 1836; she was Susan R. Huckins; when she died, in 1856, at the age of forty-five, she left six children: James H., Nancy E., William E., Arthur W., Susan Luette, and Ann M. Susan Luette, wife of A. D. James of Des Moines, Ia., and Ann M., widow of Harry Engard of Phila- delphia, Pa., are the only survivors.
He married for his third wife the widow Cheney, who was soon after removed from his side, and he then married in 1866 the widow Kelsea of Lisbon, N. H.
Dr. Charles H. Boyton was born in Meredith, N. H., Sept. 20, 1826. He remained with his father on the home farm for several years, attend- ing the district schools a part of the time. When about eighteen years of age he purchased his time of his father for $100, and went to Brighton, Mass., where he was employed for one season. Returning to New Hampshire, he learned the carpenter's trade, and for the following seven years he worked at this trade, thereby earning money to defray the expenses of his education. As he has expressed himself, "I never had a dollar until I earned it myself."
He attended the New Hampshire Conference Seminary at Northfield (now Tilton) four terms, and then began the study of medicine with Dr. WV. D. Buck of Manchester, N. H. Dr. Boynton graduated from the Berkshire Medical College at Pittsfield, Mass., in 1853 and spent the ensuing winter of 1853-54 at Harvard Medical School, where he was engaged in taking post graduate work.
His practice was begun in Alexandria, N. H. In 1858 he removed to Lisbon, N. H., and still remains in that town, where by energy and de- termination he built up and still enjoys an exten- sive practice. That keenness of insight into the nature of disease, coolness and strong nerve, which are invaluable qualities in a surgeon and general practitioner, are possessed by Dr. Boyn- ton to a remarkable degree and have led to his skill being relied upon throughout Northern New Hampshire.
In 1854 he was married to Mary H., daughter of Joseph Cummings of Lisbon, N. H. She died in 1876, aged forty-eight years. He has but one child, Alice M., who married W. W. Oliver, junior member of the firm of Cogswell & Oliver, general merchants of Lisbon, 'N. H. Mr. and Mrs. Oliver have two children: Mary B., born June 7, 1890; and Charles E., born Feb. 11, 1895. Mr. Oliver's sketch appears in full on another page.
Dr. Boynton is a member of the White Moun- tain Medical Society, and has twice been its president. He is also a member of the New Hampshire Medical Society. He belongs to the following Masonic bodies: Kane Lodge, No. 64, and Franklin Chapter, R. A. M., No. 5, of Lis- bon. He has served seven consecutive years on the board of education in Lisbon. In politics he is a stanch Republican, and represented the town in the State Legislature of 1868-69, and has always been a strong and zealous worker in all matters of public moment.
We present Dr. Boynton's portrait on a pre- ceding page, and we are certain it will prove a very interesting feature in this volume.
HORACE E. RANNO, foreman of the West- ern Union Telegraph Co.'s line and a resident of the village of Woodsville, N. H., was born in Salisbury, Vt., Feb. 19, 1847. He is the son of Samuel and Pernecia (Bump) Ranno of Ver- mont.
Our subject's grandfather on his father's side, was born in Vermont, and from choice and cir- cumstances led the life of a farmer. He and his good wife reared the following family of chil- dren: John, Samuel, and Mary. In religious belief they were partial to the doctrines of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Samuel Ranno, the father of our subject, was born in Hancock, Vt., and received a limited edu- cation in the schools of his native town, and learned the carpenter's trade, which, in connec- tion with farming, constituted his chief means of support. Till the final dissolution and decay of the old Whig party, Mr. Ranno remained true to its principles; when the new Republican party arose phoenix-like from the ashes of its parent, to that party our subject's father trans-
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ferred his allegiance. He served in several of the town offices. He married Pernecia Bump of Salisbury, Vt., the daughter of Capt. Harry and Sarah Bump, and to them were born six children, namely: Frank, Edward C., Charlotte M., Jessie G., Catherine M., and Horace E. The Ranno family were Methodists.
Horace E. Ranno received the education of his boyhood days in the schools of Salisbury, Vt., and hired out to the old American Telegraph Co. in his younger years as a builder. In the spring of 1865 he went to Amboy, Ill., and worked at the carpenter's trade, but remained there but a short time. He then turned his at- tention to the pursuit of agriculture, following that occupation until 1869. However, farming did not prove to be in his line, so he engaged with the Illinois Central R. R. as a brakeman, a position he held till 1873, when he accepted a position with the Western Union Telegraph Co. as foreman and still continues in the service. He superintends and keeps in repair about 400 miles of line, with headquarters in Woodsville, N. H. He is a stanch Republican, but has never had the time to devote to an active participation in politics.
March 20, 1868, he was joined in the bonds of Hymen with Rosella Griffin, daughter of John and Nancy Griffin, both natives of New York City ; the union of Mr. and Mrs. Ranno has been productive of the following six children: Edward E., born March 4, 1872; Leon F., Oct. 5, 1874; Emma P., Feb. 25, 1869; Mary A., Aug. 22, 1870; Rosie P., May 19, 1885; and Flossie M., Jan. 2, 1891. Both sons are employed on the B. & M. R. R., Edward as fireman and Leon as a passenger brakeman. The family are attend- ants of the Episcopal Church of Woodsville, N. H.
Edward C. Ranno, an elder brother of our subject, was also superintendent of construction for the Western Union Telegraph Co .; he was a man of exemplary and thorough business habits and enjoyed the entire confidence of the company. His connection with the Telegraph Company extended over eighteen years, and his death, which occurred May 13, 1878, at the age of thirty-seven, was lamented by all who respect the best qualities that go to make up a noble manhood. His brother, Frank, followed farm- ing and died in Leicester, Vt., in 1880.
ERI OAKES. As a highly respected citizen of Grafton County, a well-to-do and successful business man, though now retired from the active walks of life, and as a gentleman, honored for his sterling worth and integrity, we take great pleasure in presenting the name of the subject of this personal history, who resides in the town of Lisbon. He was born in Stewarts- town, N. H., April 14, 1845, and received his early mental training in the town of Franconia, whither his parents had moved. He is a son of James H. and Anna B. (Poor) Oakes, and a grandson of Simeon Oakes.
Among the early settlers of the town of Lis- bon, N. H., we may find prominently mentioned the name of Simeon Oakes. He came from Massachusetts; he was a farmer, and his work in his chosen calling contributed largely to the growth of the important agricultural interests of Lisbon township .. In politics, he affiliated with the Whig party. His wife, who was a native of Franconia, bore him the following children: Uriah; Eben; Hugh; Kelsea; James H .; Lucretia; Chester; and two girls. They connected themselves as members of the Free Will Baptist Church.
James H. Oakes engaged in the hotel business for several years, after the completion of his edu- cation, until 1848, when he turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, following the same the remainder of his life, dying at the age of 59 years. He was a man of superior business ability, and was especially well known for his special trait of push. He at first, with an utter defiance of the threats of the friends of slavery, openly supported the cause of the slave, by be- coming an enthusiastic and hard-working mem- ber of the Abolition party. Upon the organiza- tion of the Republican party, realizing that the era of usefulness of the party to which he had given his allegiance was gone, he joined that party, which came to take its place in the battle for the oppressed. He served in various town offices, such as selectman, collector of taxes, etc. By his first wife, the mother of our subject, who was a daughter of Job Poor, he became the proud parent of nine children, as follows: Isaac P .; Edgar A .; John N .; James A .: George A .; Calvin; the twins, Eri and Ira; and one other, the eldest, who died in infancy. His first wife died April 14, 1845, and he thereupon formed
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, GRAFTON COUNTY.
a second matrimonial alliance with Eunice Noyes of Lisbon, by whom he had two children: Anna B. and Fred. Mr. Oakes died in August, 1868, and his wife survived him two years, pass- ing away in 1870. In his religious attachments he was a Free Will Baptist.
Eri Oakes, at the age of sixteen, enlisted in Company H, 8th Regiment, N. H. Vol. Inf., Nov. 4, 1861, and served under Gen. Butler. His term of enlistment read for three years; after two years service, he re-enlisted in the field for three more years. He was discharged as a supernumerary non-commissioned officer, on ac- count of consolidation of his regiment, he hav- ing served as corporal and sergeant. He was , wounded at Baton Rouge, March 20, 1863, and was taken to the Marine Hospital at New Orleans, where he slowly became convalescent, and ready for active duty again. His twin- brother Ira, who enlisted with him, and whose place in the ranks was next to him, was killed in the battle of Labadieville, La., known as the battle of George's Landing, being mortally wounded, and living only four days. He was a brave and fearless soldier and it is especially worthy of note that his last message home was "to tell father I died fighting for my country."
At the close of the war, our subject was en- gaged in the ice business in the City of New York, remaining there until 1874, when he came to Lisbon, N. H., where, until 1888, he was in the general mercantile business, finally selling out. He (is a Republican, and on Oct. 9, 1889, his services for the party, as well as his general fitness for the position was recognized, by his being appointed postmaster of Lisbon by President Harrison. He was elected chairman of the board of selectmen in 1893, and has since held that position.
Nov. 18, 1868, Mr. Oakes celebrated his nup- tials with Ellen S. Cogswell, who was born in Landaff, Sept. 16, 1842; an account of the Cogs- well family appears between the covers of this book, in the sketch of Carlos M. Cogswell. There were born to Mr. and Mrs. Oakes four children, as follows: Ira, born June 8, 1871, and lately deceased; Etta M., born Sept. 16, 1872; Eri C., born June 12, 1883; and Carl C., born Nov. 22, 1884. Their religious sympathies incline theni toward the Congregational Church, of which they are attendants.
Ira Oakes, the eldest son of our subject, and whose recent death was mourned by so many friends, was a rising young lawyer, whose life gave promise of great success. He was born in New York City, but his early education was ob- tained in the public schools of Lisbon, after which he graduated from the St. Johnsbury, Vt., Academy. He entered upon the study of law in the office of ex-Governor Dillingham of Waterbury, Vt., remaining there a year or more. He then went to Montpelier, and entered the office of M. B. Smiley, Clerk of the Washington County Court. While with Mr. Smiley, he held the office of Deputy Sheriff, and executed the duties of that position with a fidelity that met the approval of all. From Montpelier he went to New York City, and took a year's course in the Columbian Law School, returning at the end of the time, and entered a law office in Lisbon, where he remained till his sudden and unex- pected death. During the last session of the Legislature Ira Oakes was Clerk of the Judiciary Committee, which office he filled to the entire sat- faction of the committee. For two years he held a commission as Justice of the Peace of Grafton County.
HON. CHARLES E. CLARK, deceased. In the number of prominent citizens of Landaff, Grafton Co., N. H., who have departed this life in recent years and gone to their reward, few have occupied a higher place in the estimation of their fellow-men than has our subject. Throughout his life he was engaged in that most ancient and surely most honorable of call- ings, agriculture. He was born in Lisbon, N. H., Feb. 3, 1825, and was a son of James and Lucinda (Eastman) Clark, both born and reared in Landaff.
James E. Clark was born in Landaff and re- ceived his education in the district schools of that town, afterwards pursuing a higher and more advanced course in Peacham Academy of Peacham, Vt. Being naturally gifted with an aptitude for study, he took a leading place in his classes, and so became well fitted to impart learning to others. For eleven years subsequent to the completion of his education he taught school in the district schools of Landaff and Bath, working on the farm in the summer vaca-
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tion. He then bought a farm where he lived the remainder of his life. Reading was his favorite recreation, and a book or article once read was not soon forgotten by him. He was a man of rare ability, and was especially interested in pub- lic affairs relating in any way to the advance- ment of education. His political views coincided with those of the Democratic party during its life, and upon the organization of the Republi- can party he joined its ranks. He served as selectinan, and represented his town in the State Legislature at Concord in the session of 1849. In 1824 he united his fortunes with those of Lucinda Eastman, daughter of Simeon and Anna (Kimball) Eastman, descendants of the first families to settle in Concord, N. H. Mrs. Clark was born Sept. 21, 1800. Five children blessed their marriage. The family were Meth- odists in their religious belief.
Charles E. Clark was educated in the schools of Lisbon and at Newbury Seminary of New- bury, Vt. Being the only son, he remained on the old homestead and assisted his father in car- ing for the farm, and after his parents' death he succeeded to the inheritance. His death took place there Oct. 18, 1896. In politics he was a Democrat and ably represented his town in the Legislative halls of Concord. Matters of public interest and public welfare concerned him greatly, believing that each man owed a duty to the State in assisting in every way any movement intended to promote the general good. Keen in intellect and unbiased in his opinions he was rarely at fault in his critical judgment, which was partly due to his keeping well posted on all cur- rent topics. In his dealings with his fellow-men in a personal way he was generous-hearted and ready to forgive any accidental or unintentional injury. In October, 1854, he was married to Me- hitabel Atwood, daughter of Joseph Atwood of Landaff; she died Dec. 3, 1876. A second union was formed with a cousin of his first wife, Julia Atwood, May 1, 1878; she was a daughter of David Atwood of Landaff. Mrs. Clark departed this mortal life 1893. One child was the result of this second marriage, Luella K., who was born Dec. 5, 1880, and died May 4, 1883. Mr. Clark was a regular attendant of the Methodist Church, of which he was a very liberal sup- porter, giving largely from his means to aid in its work of beneficence.
WILLIAM E. PIKE, a member of the firm of Pike Bros. (Charles W. and William E. Pike), is a prominent member of the trade circles of Lisbon, N. H., and prominently identified in all of its business interests. The firm deals in meats, vegetables, poultry, canned goods, fruit, etc., principally in the summer, and making a specialty of native and Chicago dressed beef, and also oysters in the winter. A large and in- portant part of their trade is derived from the hotels and summer resorts of all kinds, which they supply with fruits, vegetables, and meats in their season.
Our subject is the son of Samuel and Mary (Jeffers) Pike, grandson of Moses and Mary (Ball) Pike; William E. Pike was born in the town of Haverhill, N. H., April 27, 1860. Moses Pike was a native of Hebron, N. H., and followed his trade of coopering in connection with farming, as long as he felt able to continue in active manual labor. His later years. were spent in Groton, N. H. He married Mary Ball, who bore him the large family of fourteen children : Daniel; Drury; Lucinda; Mary; Lovisa; Ruth; Tama; Isaac; Daniel, the second of that name; Arthur; Moses; Drury, the second of that name; Samuel, the father of our subject, and a child, who did not pass beyond the period of infancy.
Samuel Pike was born June 10, 1814, and re- ceived a beneficial school training in the com- mon schools of Haverhill, N. H. Then, after working as a farm-laborer for a time, he pur- chased a farm, which he managed in an intelli- gent and satisfactory manner, until he engaged in the meat business in Haverhill, N. H., in which he spent the remaining years of his life, carrying on the business as long as his health would permit, retiring from active labor in 1887. In 1896 he moved to Lisbon, N. H., where he could be with his sons; he is now eighty-two years old. His first wife, who was Sarah B. Roberts of Orford, N. H., and who died in 1851, bore him four children: Adin M .; Charles A .; Laura A., and one, who died when a baby; they are all deceased now. Mr. Pike contracted a sec- ond alliance with Mary G. Jeffers, daughter of John Jeffers, and to them were born five chil- dren, as follows: Lizzie A .; Charles W .; Andrew J .; John j .; and William E. They belonged to the M. E. Church of Haverhill, N. H.
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William E. Pike received an elementary edu- cation in the schools of Haverhill, N. H., and was enabled to complete his education satis- factorily by pursuing a higher course in New- bury Academy of Newbury, Vt. He started in the struggle for a competence and a living as a dealer in meats in Haverhill, where he acquired the good will and patronage of a large trade. In 1890 he moved to Lisbon, N. H., and en- gaged in nearly the same line of business with his brother, Charles W. being still identified with this venture, in which his brothers have been very successful. They are honest, upright, young men, whose great desire is that their efforts to please and give satisfaction will meet what is generally expected of them.
May 1, 1880, Mr. Pike was united in marriage with Lizzie C. Sherman, daughter of Stephen and Mary Sherman of Lisbon, N. H., and from this union have resulted three children: George W .: Herbert S .; and Charles R. Mrs. Pike is a member in good standing of the M. E. Churchi of Lisbon, N. H. Mr. Pike, in his political views, is a strong adherent of the Democratic Party.
FRED J. MOORE, a member of the Moore Peg Co. of Lisbon, N. H., was born in the town of Franconia, N. H., March 10, 1865. He is a son of Ovid D. and Harriet I. (Howland) Moore of Lisbon, N. H., and grandson of Joseph W. and Mary (Dolloff) Moore. Fred J. was edu- cated in the schools of Franconia, Bristol, and in New Hampton Commercial College, from which he graduated June 28, 1883. After completing his education he worked for his father in a pulp mill until 1889, when he secured employment in the peg mill of Wells & Woolson, where he re- mained and learned the business until 1890 when he was made a member of the Moore Peg Co., and still remains a member of said company.
His grandfather was a native of Bristol, where he farined and carried on an extensive lumber industry. He was a stanch Republican in poli- tics and served his town in the capacity of select- man and justice of the peace for several years. He also represented the town of Bristol in the State Legislature. His wife bore him eight chil- dren, namely: Ovid D., James G., Joseph W.,
Jane, Rachel, Mary, Josephine, and Sarah. Mr. Moore died April 30, 1880; his wife was taken to the mansions prepared above Feb. 15, 1887. They were liberal in their religious views.
Ovid Moore, the father of our subject, was born in Bristol, N. H., and at an early age en- tered upon the pursuit of agriculture and the incidental carrying on of a lumber business. In the fall of 1874 he came to Lisbon, N. H., and in company with his brother engaged in the wood pulp busi- ness, which continued to claim his attention and to yield good returns, until 1889. In the fall of 1890 he took up the shoe peg industry, as one of the Moore Peg Co., with their plant located in Lisbon, N. H .; they do an especially fine and extensive foreign trade, shipping from 3,000 to 4,000 barrels of pegs yearly. He is a loyal and true Republican, but is a man who could never be prevailed upon to accept public office of any kind, having no desire to spread his name and reputation in that manner. He married a daugh- ter of Russell M. Howland of Franconia, and by their union two children were born: Genevieve, deceased, who married William S. Nelson, a member of the Moore Peg Co., and whose per- sonal history occurs on another page in this vol- ume; and Fred J., the subject of this sketch. Our subject's mother died March 20, 1871, and Mr. Moore formed a second union with Hattie Howland. They are liberal in their religious views, and are not members of any church organization, but support indiscriminately all denominations.
Our subject is a Republican of an unyielding fibre, and he has ever remained true to the party of his choice. Socially, he is of the fraternity of Masons, belonging to Kane Lodge, No. 64, of Lisbon, N. H .; Franklin Chapter, No. 5, of Lis- bon, N. H .; and St. Girard Commandery of Lit- tleton, N. H. He is a also a member of the Washington Council of Princes of Jerusalem of Littleton, N. H .; Littleton Chapter of Rose Croix. In 1886 he was joined in marriage with Jennie E. Harris of Warren, daughter of Proctor E. and Lucy W. (Taylor) Harris. Mr. and Mrs. Moore have become the parents of one child, Hattie I., born in 1889, who is now attending the public schools of Lisbon, N. H. They are attendants of the Congregational Church of Lis- bon, N. H.
CHARLES L. WALLACE.
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, GRAFTON COUNTY.
CHARLES L. WALLACE. Conspicuous among the leading young men of Lisbon, N. H., who are destined to make a prominent place for themselves in the world, it gives us pleasure to present the name of the principal and superin- tendent of the Lisbon public schools, Charles L. Wallace. His education and early employments have been such as to eminently fit him for the position he so faithfully fills. He was born in Thornton, N. H., Nov. 7, 1860, and obtained his early education in the schools of Sandwich, N. H .; at the age of sixteen he entered the New Hampton Literary Institute, graduating in 1884. He then entered Bates College at Lewiston, Me., and completed his school education by gradu- ating from that institution of learning in 1888. Following his graduation, he went to Guilford, Conn., where he accepted a position as the prin- cipal of the Guilford Academy, and remained there one year. He then went to Lisbon, N. H., in the fall of 1889, and accepted the position of principal and superintendent of its public schools, a position he still satisfactorily occupies.
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