USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Book of biographies. This volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Grafton County, New Hampshire > Part 35
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Lewis T. Colby attended the Canaan Acad- emy, and then spent some two years at painting, after which he returned home and took charge of his father's farm, and has remained there ever since, easing and making happy his parents' last hours. He formerly kept a large dairy and raised a quantity of sheep, but now he only keeps a small dairy, and is interested very much in poultry. He has one of the largest yards of poultry in the town, keeping upwards of 600 choice hens and raises some 600 to 1,200 fowls a year. He has a standard and special trade in eggs at the Boston markets. He is a Democrat and a loyal supporter of Democratic principles. He is a member of the M. E. Church, and of the Grange.
July 3, 1860, he married Mary Hardy, daugh- ter of Thomas J. Hardy of Enfield; she died Oct. 15, 1870, aged thirty-three years, leaving one son, Thomas J., who was born Aug. 16, 1861. He is a machinist of Franklin, N. H .; and mar- ried Lilly Vose, and has had four children, all now deceased. Our subject was again married March 1, 1873, to Miss Jane L. Colby, daughter of Rowel, Jr., and Lydia (Dinsmore) Colby. Rowel Colby was a farmer of the town of En- field, and owned and ran the grist and saw-mill at Fish Market, which our subject later on oper- ated. He died at the age of eighty-three, and his wife at the age of seventy-seven. Their children were: Wyman P., born March 18, 1839; Ann M., born Jan. 10, 1841 ; and Jane L., our subject's wife. Our subject's second union was blessed with one son, Forest L., born June 17, 1876, who is associated with his father in farming and poul- try raising. Mr. Colby is a very popular man among his associates, because of his many ster- ling qualities, and is respected wherever he is known.
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HON. JUSTUS SARGENT, chairman of the board of selectmen, a large farmer and prom- inent citizen of Lebanon, was born in Lebanon, Grafton Co., N. H., March 27, 1838, and is a son of Orlando and Sarah (Gerrish) Sargent.
Orlando Sargent was born in Amesbury, Mass., and learned the wheelwright's trade, and early settled in Woodstock, Vt., where he car- ried on his trade some years. He then removed to Lebanon, where he became a butcher and ran a market until his death by fever at the age of fifty-five ; his wife was taken away from the midst of her family at the same age by reason of a cancer. She was a Congregationalist, while her husband was loyal to the M. E. Church. Mr. Sargent was a Democrat in his political views. The children born to them were: Mary, a maiden lady, who resides at Lebanon, N. H .; Orlando of Hillsboro, N. H .; and Justus, the sub- ject of this brief personal narration.
Justus Sargent, after attending the schools of his district in Lebanon, entered into partnership with J. W. Gerrish and went to Chateaugay, N. Y., and there engaged in the bark and lumber business for some years. He then in company with Mr. Gerrish purchased the Billings farm of 300 acres, situated near the village of Lebanon, and carried on farming there; later he sold his interests in the property to his partner, but soon bought back the whole farm, and has been largely interested in general farming ever since. He has a very large, modernized house and barn, one of the best sets of farming buildings of any farmer in the town; his orchards include the best varieties of fruit and yield him a handsome in- come. For many years he ran a milk route through the village, keeping a large dairy of thirty choice Jerseys. His poultry yards contain some 500 fancy-bred fowls; this is a work in which Mr. Sargent excels, for he is a master of the details necessary for success. In addition to other lines of work he deals extensively in cattle. He is a man of truth and integrity, and honors his business dealings with strictly honorable business principles. If there are any that are entitled to the unlimited confidence of their friends and fellow-citizens, we must surely place Mr. Sargent among that number. He stands among the leading farmers of the town and county, and is dependent on no one for his bounty. He has always been a stanch Republi-
can, and represented the town in the Legislature in 1891-92, and has been chairman of the board of selectmen since 1893, serving on the board five years previous to his being elevated to the head. In the Civil War he served eight months in the 5th Reg. Vt. Vol. Inf., as musician, play- ing the tenor horn.
Mr. Sargent was married to Charlotte Beman, daughter of Theodore Beman of Chateaugay, N. Y .; she died at the age of twenty-six. His sec- ond marriage was consummated with Miss Helen M. Felton, daughter of Moses H. and Almeda (Bromley) Felton of Schuyler Falls, N. Y .; Mr. Felton was later an iron worker of Chateaugay, N. Y. By our subject's last mar- riage he was blessed with two children: Frank Orlando, who died in 1881 at the age of nine years; and Sarah Josephine, born Jan. 6, 1873, who married F. G. Carter of Lebanon, a mem- ber of the firm of H. W. Carter & Sons, manu- facturers of overalls and shirts.
AMOS M. BRYANT, a resident of the town of Enfield, living in Enfield Center, and leading in most respects a retired life, was born in the above town, March 21, 1832, and is a son of Matthew and Lucinda M. (Morse) Bryant, and grandson of William Bryant.
William Bryant was born in Haverhill, Mass. His father came to America with his parents when he was six weeks old from Maghera, near Derry, Ireland. Tradition states that the remote ancestors of this family were in Derry when it was besieged. William Bryant came to Enfield from Cornish, N. H., and later in life moved out west, making his home in Ohio a great part of the time, and living to be almost 100 years old. He was married three times and became the father of seventeen children. His first wife died several years after the consummation of their nuptials, leaving one child, who did not long sur- vive its mother. His second wife, a member of the Webster family and grandmother of our sub- ject, bore her husband seven children, who were as follows: James, who lived in Western New York; William, who lived in Central New York; Matthew, the father of our subject; Moses, a resident of Massachusetts; Henry, who lived in
JOHN P. EATON.
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Cornish, N. H .; Mary, who made her home with Henry; and Elizabeth, who married a Mr. Har- rington of Windsor, Vt. The children by Mr. Bryant's third wife, numbering nine in all, settled in the west chiefly, several living in Joliet, Ill., and its vicinity.
Matthew Bryant was born in Cornish, N. H., Feb. 10, 1801, and when a young inan went to live with his uncle, Jonathan Johnson of Enfield, who had married Anna Bryant. Mr. Johnson was a large and prosperous farmer, so that at his death his nephew inherited a very valuable prop- erty. Matthew Bryant lived on his uncle's estate for many years and built a new house, but in 1852 traded the property for a place at Enfield Center, where he died Feb. 18, 1866. His wife, who was a daughter of William and Mary (Young) Morse, was born March 29, 1829, and departed this life Feb. 8, 1890. There were born to our subject's parents the following five chil- dren: George W., James F., Betsey H., Amos M., and Matthew. Our subject's father was originally a Democrat, but became a Republican when that party was organized on the basis of Anti-Slavery; he served the town as selectman, as county commissioner, and in other offices of trust of like character. He was a Methodist in his religious views.
Amos M. Bryant at the age of eighteen began life in earnest as a clerk for A. & G. W. Conant, remaining with them ten years until 1861, when he was the first man who enlisted from the town of Enfield. He was enrolled for three months' service in Co. K., Ist Reg. N. H. Vol. Inf., and at the expiration of his term of service and upon his return home assisted in recruiting the 11th Regiment. He then went to Tilton, where he was in the dry goods business three years with his brother, Matthew. Upon giving up the busi- ness he went west and ran as express messenger from Chicago to St. Louis for a number of years. Returning to Enfield he went into general trade with his brother, James F., until 1884, when he sold out, and has since spent most of his time in the retirement of private life in his own home, except for a little painting he does now and then.
Mr. Bryant married Miss Lizzie F. Little, daughter of Ebenezer and Almira (Tailor) Little. Ebenezer Little was born in Enfield and was a son of Ebenezer, Sr., and Elizabeth (Emerson) Little. Ebenezer Little, Sr., was born in Atkin-
son, Mass., March 5, 1777, and in 1798 settled in Enfield on George hill, where he entered upon farming operations, a neighbor of the early pion- eers of this region; he was a man of unusual energy, cleared a large farm, and became a very well-to-do man. Our subject had had three chil- dren by his union with Miss Little: Lula M., born June 1, 1868, fitted at Plymouth Normal School, and is now a teacher in the schools; Edith M., born Sept. 15, 1871, is also a teacher; and L. Gertrude, born Aug. 18, 1873, at home. Mr. Bryant has done much to advance the inter- ests of the Enfield schools; he has been long a member of the school board and was very in- strumental in having the school-house rebuilt. He is a Republican politically, and has served as overseer of the poor four years, as town clerk one year, and as tax collector. Socially, he is a member of the following organizations: Social Lodge, F. & A. M .; G. A. R. Post, No. 52, of Enfield; and the Grange. He was appointed Postmaster of Enfield Center under Harrison, serving four years.
JOHN P. EATON, a retired farmer of Went- worth, N. H., whose portrait appears on the op- posite page, is the son of Jesse, and the grandson of Moses Eaton.
Moses came from Hampstead, N. H., to Went- worth, N. H., in his young manhood. He car- ried on farming very extensively, and was able to make many improvements of a permanent nature on the homestead. He married Hannah Currier. She departed this life some years previous to her husband. Mr. Eaton passed away when sixty-five years old. They reared two children: Jesse, and a sister, who married a Wolcutt.
Jesse Eaton was born in Wentworth on the old homestead, and was educated in his native town. He engaged himself in the pursuit of agriculture on the homestead, and remained on it all his life. He married Elinor, daughter of John Page of Wentworth. Jesse Eaton was called to fairer scenes at the age of seventy- seven; his wife survived him a number of years, at last joining those gathered on the golden shore in her eighty-fifth year. The children born
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to theni were: Abigail H. (Bailey), Susan M. (Wright), John P., the subject of this sketch; Hannah P. (Goodell), Louisa J. (Wright), Martha J. (Carr), and Moses C. Jesse Eaton was a Democrat until the election of Franklin Pierce; after that he supported and voted the Republican ticket. He served as selectman, and represented the town in the State Legislature. He was also town collector for many years.
John P. Eaton was born in Wentworth, Sept. 9, 1829. The district schools furnished him with a good common school education. He has always been engaged in farming up to 1894, when he removed to the village.
In 1859 he was married to Harriet C., daugh- ter of Thomas and Eliza Burroughs of Newbury, Vt. Clarence A., the only child, married Emma L., daughter of Peter Hobbs of Wentworth. They have two children: Lewis C. and Maud L.
Mr. Eaton regularly votes with the Republican party, endorsing its candidates, and, although he has a keen interest in town affairs, he has never accepted any public office.
JOSEPH W. JEWETT, a retired farmer of the town of Lebanon, and a descendant of a pioneer family of Grafton Co., was born in Hart- ford, Vt., Feb. 8, 1818, and is a son of Haynes and Hannah (Wood) Jewett, and a grandson of James Jewett, who came to New Hampshire from Rowley, Mass., and settled in Enfield.
Haynes Jewett was born in the town of En- field, Grafton Co .; his father being a Shaker and a member of a Shaker community, Haynes was educated according to Shaker ideas. He learned the blacksmith's trade, and at the age of twenty- six left the Shaker village to make his own way; he built a shop on Capt. Joseph Wood's farm, since known as Butmanville, and at that place he married Hannah, daughter of Joseph Wood, who was a prominent citizen of Lebanon. After a few years he went to White River Junction, Vt., in the town of Hartford, bought a farm, and both operated it and prosecuted his trade until 1828, when he returned to Butmanville and bought back his former blacksmith shop and also a small farm near by, living there until 1837, when he sold that property and bought a farm in
Canaan. In 1839 he returned to Lebanon and bought the Deacon Post place of 110 acres, which is now the home of our subject, where he carries on his farming. Haynes Jewett, besides being engaged in agricultural pursuits, was also in trade. His death occurred at the age of seventy-six, and that of his wife at the age of eighty-eight. Their children were: Sarah; Joseph Wood, our subject; Haynes, Jr .; and Calvin.
Our subject attended the district and high schools, and Capt. Partridge's Military School of Norwich, Vt. He then became clerk in the Union House at Norwich, Vt., for three years, returning to his father's farm at the end of that time and assisting his parent in general farming work for some two years. He then entered the Washington Coffee House at Boston as clerk; he was later connected with the Elm Street House, where he remained three years, and finally at the Broomfield Street House for three years and a half. Then in company with Daniel Chamberlain he conducted a hotel at Fall River, R. 1 .; selling his interest at length and returning to Boston, he bought an interest in the Pearl Street House, and after one and one-half years he sold and became steward at the Adams House. He was a great advocate of temperance, and during his four years with this hotel he was the means of running it as a temperance hostelry. A great aim in his life was to advance the cause of temperance by the doing away with bars' where liquor might be sold in the various hotels in which he worked. The Broomfield Street House he reorganized on a temperance basis. He was in other hotels for short periods, the last work of this kind was per- formed for the Marlborough House, which was conducted strictly on religious and tem- perance principles. He then came to the old homestead and bought out his brother in 1857, his brother having made many improvements a couple of years before. Our subject has since carried on farming, taking his son, John H., into partnership with him. They own to-day 265 acres of land, operate a fine dairy, and have a flock of 100 of the finest coarse wool sheep in the county. They have also sev- eral yards of fancy-bred poultry. They have built new barns of large dimensions, and conduct the whole farm in a model manner. In the esteem of their fellow-townsmen and neighbors
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they have secured a high and worthy place, by reason of their honorable dealings at every time and place.
Mr. Jewett married Miss Cynthia A. Ela, daughter of John and Julia (Demary) Ela; our subject's wife was born Jan. 5, 1828. John Ela was born in the town of Lebanon, and is a son of Benjamin and Abigail (Emerson) Ela. John Ela was one of the progressive farmers of the town; he lived and died on the farm that his father settled, departing this life, aged seventy- six; his wife reached the venerable age of eighty. Their children were: Cynthia A, John, Jr., Geo. W., Abbie E., Charles N., Benjamin F., Richard H., Albert B., and William H.
Our subject had three children born to him, one of whom, a son, was lost in infancy. John H., born July 1, 1861, married Maud J., daugh- ter of George L. Stearns. Edna A. married Charles Hutchins, and died at the age of twenty- four, leaving one child, Mildred J. Our subject and wife are faithful members and zealous workers of the Congregational Church. Mr. Jewett supported the Whig and then the Repub- lican party.
LEVI C. WOODS, general agent of the West Lebanon terminus of the Concord Division of the Boston & Maine R. R., and a very influential and popular citizen of the town of Lebanon, was born in Woodstock, Vt., March 22, 1840. He is a son of Benjamin and Mary (Bugbee) Woods, and grandson of Thomas and Polly Woods.
Thomas Woods came from the State of Con- necticut to Vermont, and was occupied in farm- ing all his life. Both he and his wife lived to enjoy a good old age. Their children were: William, Stillman, and Benjamin.
Our subject's father worked at agricultural pursuits and in the factory until 1844, when he went to Hooksett, Merrimac Co., N. H., and purchased a farm, but later sold and bought some property in Canaan, N. H., where he died at the age of seventy. His wife was born in 1807, and died in 1860. There were born to them the fol- lowing children: Lyndon B., Susan M., Levi C., and Alba. Our subject's two brothers served during the late war.
Levi C. Woods's early education was limited to what he received before the age of eight in the district and private schools. At the age named above he entered the cotton manufacturing mills as bobbin boy and worked there considerably until he was eighteen years of age. He then en- tered the railroad shops at Canaan, and worked at blacksmithing, welding rails, for at that day, when rails were broken, so costly were they, that the railroads always used to weld them and use them again. He worked there until 1862; in July of that year he began firing on a locomotive, and so well did he do and so faithful was he to the interests of the company, that in January, 1865, he was given an engine with a run on the line that was first known as the Northern R. R. of New Hampshire, now a part of the Boston & Maine system.
On Nov. 28, 1887, he was asked by General Superintendent Todd to go to West Lebanon to assist Col. Jewett D. Hosley, whose health was failing. Our subject did not like the idea of giv- ing up his engine, but he appreciated the nature of the request, for it required a man with not only good judgment, but one in whom the rail- road company could place implicit confidence to handle the Western Terminus of the Concord Division of the B. & M. R. R. Accordingly, Mr. Woods consented, and acted as assistant until 1891, when he was appointed Mr. Hosley's suc- cessor and general agent of the Western Termi- nus of the Concord Division of the B. & M. R. R. Since that time Mr. Woods has discharged his duties with a fidelity and zeal, which has been entirely satisfactory both to the company and to its patrons.
In all his connection with the railroad Mr. Woods has never lost any time, and has never had any serious accident. He has always lent a helping hand to his fellow-workers on the rail- road, and when his fireman by some careless oversight left a switch open, causing a slight accident, Mr. Woods shouldered all the blame to shield his subordinate, who, on finding it out, openly declared that Mr. Woods had nothing to do with it, that it was his own fault. This is only one of many acts of sympathy and kindness that might be related of him. The name of Levi C. Woods is not only honored by all railroad men, but by all who know him to appreciate his many superior qualities. Although strict in business
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and prompt with orders, he is whole-hearted and ready to forgive a fault in another and to assist lim in retrieving his error.
In 1860 he married Miss Belinda D. Colby, daughter of John C. Colby of Henniker, N. H. They have one adopted daughter, Etta B., born in May, 1877. Mr. Woods first settled at West Lebanon, but when he was an engineer he found it more convenient to live at Concord, so he pur- chased a handsome house at Nos. 13 and 17 Chaple Street, and remodeled it throughout to suit his needs. After his appointment as super- intendent he came to West Lebanon and resides on the old Barron homestead, now owned by the railroad company. His house in Concord he has divided into three suites and rents them. He was a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, and always had an active part in its management until coming to West Lebanon. He is also a member of the Franklin Lodge, No. 6, F. & A. M .; and St. Andrews Chapter.
ELMER E. EMERSON, a retired mechanic of East Lebanon, Grafton Co., N. H., was born in the above town Sept. 22, 1858, and is a son of Albro V. and Josephine B. (Kempton) Emerson, and grandson of Jonathan and Polly (Collins) Emerson. The parents of our subject's grand- father were James and Lydia (Hoyt) Emerson, and his grandfather was Stephen Emerson.
Stephen Emerson was a native of Hampstead, and came to Weare, N. H., in 1762, being among the early settlers and farmers of that place and owning large tracts of land. James Emerson, his son, followed the pursuit of agriculture, but was laid low by consumption when forty years old. His children were as follows: Jonathan, Lydia, Stephen, and James. His widow married as her second husband Aaron Pingley, and had by this second marriage one child, Polly.
When a young man Jonathan Emerson left the homestead at Weare to seek his fortune, and moved to Grantham, N. H., where he leased a farm and entered upon a successful career as a farmer, being soon by judicious management able to own a farm of his own and to lay up con- siderable wealth for use when an occasion might call for it. After a few years' residence in Gran-
tham he sold his farm and followed the business of milling several years at Bradford, N. H., go- ing from there to Newbury and buying a farm. By this time he was in the possession of a com- fortable fortune, and thereafter he adopted the practice of buying farms which were in a run- down condition, occupying them a few years while bringing them into shape and then selling them at an advance in value, invariably realizing a good amount of money by these speculations. His field of operations was quite extended, in- cluding New London and many other places in that vicinity ; he finally came to Lebanon where he had determined to settle for good, buying a pleasant home on Mascoma Street; but very soon he received a good offer for the property, so he sold it and bought land in Newport, where he was bereaved of the cheering presence of his partner in life, who died at the age of seventy- nine. He then sold his Newport property and moved to Lebanon, dying in the above town in his eightieth year. He was a Democrat, and very liberal in his religious views. He reared a large family, all of whom grew up to maturity and were happily married. The family consisted of the following members: Hiram; Susan; Jona- than; Arvilla; James, who was distinguished as an inventor; Moses; Albro V .; Cyrus; and Lucinda and Lucina, twins.
Albro V. Emerson, the father of the subject of this brief memoir, was born in Sutton, N. H., and after finishing his education, which, chanced to be quite limited, he went to Newport, N. H., and served an apprenticeship to the trade of making edge tools, to which he ever afterwards devoted all his energies. In 1856 he came to the town of Lebanon and bought the Leonard Stearns place at Scytheville, and carried on his chosen business under the firm name of A. V. Emerson & Co., which after two years was changed to Emerson & Cummings, running under that style two years, when Mr. Emerson sold his interest to his partner and accepted a position as foreman for J. Cummings & Co., manufacturers. After four years Mr. Emerson bought back the plant and operated it for one year, when the firm became Emerson & Kendall for two years, Mr. Kendall being then succeeded by M. W. Emerson, the firm being known as Emerson & Co. for three years. The Emersons then sold the plant to Cummings & Purport, who .
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ran it under the style of the Mascoma Edge Tool Co.
In 1871 our subject's father went to Littleton and started a like factory, and then went to Hol- yoke, Mass., where he was engaged with his brother in testing water wheels. In 1873 he went to Taftsville, Vt., where he organized the Emerson Edge Tool Co., running it nine years. The members of the company were A. V. Emer- son, Enos Dole, and A. G. Dewey. In 1882 Mr. Emerson came to East Lebanon and ran the same business alone under the same style-the Emerson Edge Tool Co .- using the old State factory, which he remodeled and adapted to his wants. His specialties were the Emerson, Col- gate, and Diamond Axes, and the Emerson Standard Scythe. He was born in 1827, and his death occurred in 1893; his wife was born in the same year as he, but died one year earlier. She was a daughter of Silas Kempton. The follow- ing children were born to our subject's parents: Mary A .; L. Isabelle; Frank V .; Helen J .; and Elmer E., the subject of this personal history. Our subject's father was a Democrat in his politi- cal antecedents, a Baptist in his religious prefer- ences, and socially a member of Franklin Lodge, F. & A. M., No. 6.
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