USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Book of biographies. This volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Grafton County, New Hampshire > Part 40
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commerce. Let the United States wake up to the advantage of having a creditable merchant marine, increase it if necessary by reasonable subsidies, and then our manufacturers can secure their raw materials at a better figure, manufac- ture their products at such a figure so as to be more in the reach of all classes, and markets not. only in this country, but throughout the world will open to us that were shut to us before.
BARNEY BROTHERS, Albert E. and Arthur J., proprietors of the Mascoma Shirt and Overall Manufactory of Canaan, and also of the largest general store in the town, and rivaling the largest and best in the county, are sons of Eleazer and Emeline A. (Durrell) Barney, and grandsons of John and Nancy (Martin) Barney. The family came from Massachusetts to Canaan, and from the Bay State they may be traced back to Rhode Island, where the first emigrant of that name settled in America. *
John Barney was a son of Jabez and a grand- son of Aaron Barney, who moved from Reho- both, Mass., to New Hampshire, and took up a large timbered tract of land; he got rid of the timber by burning it off, and then sowed grain. He cleared a good farm, and became a promi- nent man of his day, and well-endowed with real estate, owning about a quarter of the town of Grafton, and 3,000 acres in towns adjoining, at one time. He was a pioneer in those days, when only bridle-paths were used to travel from home to market or to the homes of the neighbors. Jabez succeeded his father in the management and care of the farm, and married a Miss Bar- ney, by whom he had eight children, of which family John, our subject's grandfather, was one of the eldest. John Barney started out in life as a farmer, and rapidly rose to affluence and wealth, for he was one of those hard-working men who seem to know by instinct how to get the best results from the pursuit of agriculture. His wife, Nancy, was a daughter of Judge Martin, and, like her husband, was blessed with a strong, rugged constitution, and was permitted to live to a good old age. Mr. Barney was a Whig. politically, and an active man in all town affairs, viewing with interest and pleasure its growth and
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development. He gathered about him six chil- dren, namely: Mary, Finett, Eleazer, Jesse, Al- fred, and Horace.
Eleazer Barney was born in the town of Graf- ton, Grafton Co., and early in life· entered into the mercantile life of the town of Grafton, where he conducted a store: but after a short period there, he came to Canaan and bought out Currier & Wallace, and for a number of years carried on a large general store where the Cardigan Hotel is now located. When he at last disposed of his business there he bought the Barnard Block, a fine brick store on the corner of Main and Me- chanic Streets, where he was in trade until 1870, when he retired; during the last two years his son, Albert E., was associated with him under the firm name of E. Barney & Son. He bought and sold considerable land during his life, and was possessed of no small amount of property at his death, which occurred in 1884, aged sixty- five years. His wife, a daughter of David Dur- rell, is still living. Mr. and Mrs. Barney reared three children, as follows: Albert E., born Sept. 8, 1843; Arthur J., born Nov. 14, 1848; and Bertha E., born May 24, 1857.
Albert E. Barney, of the firm of Barney Bros., began his commercial and business life as a clerk in his father's establishment, remaining with his parent until he became a partner of the firm of H. S. Worth & Co., who conducted a general store. Mr. Barney sold his interest after two years, and bought a one-half interest in his father's store, and until 1870 ran the business with him. In that year his father retired, and Albert took in as a partner his brother, Arthur J. Barney. Two years later the block was burned down, entailing considerable loss on them; not disheartened in the least by this re- verse of fortune, they rebuilt the block in the fol- lowing year, and their latter end has been abund- antly blessed.
They have worked up by careful attention to business, and giving everyone satisfaction, one of the largest wholesale and retail trades in the southern portion of the county, and employ in their factory, which is run by water power, as high as fifty hands in the manufacture of the Mascoma shirts and overalls. Albert E. Barney is a Republican, and has served as town clerk one year, and represented the town in the State Legislature at Concord in 1877-78. He married
Miss Abbie A. Hutchinson, daughter of Rich- ard Hutchinson; she was born Oct. 29, 1846. They have two children by this marriage: Ernest A., born July 11, 1869; and John E., born March 15, 1876.
Arthur J. Barney of the firm of Barney Bros., after assisting his father in the store as clerk, en- tered into the present arrangement in 1870, buy- ing his father's interest, and, like his father, has won a warm friendship with a large circle of patrons. He is a Republican, and a member of the Knights of Pythias Lodge. Like his elder brother he owns a handsome residence, which is an ornament to the town, besides other valuable property, principally real estate. He married Miss Josie Hosley, a daughter of J. D. Hosley of West Lebanon, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this volume. . She died at the age of twenty- seven, leaving two children: Harry A., born Jan. 28, 1874; and Clarence F., born Feb. 26, 1877. Mr. Barney married as his second wife Miss Lillian A. Smith, daughter of F. R. Smith of Grafton, N. H.
CYRUS A. KIMBALL, proprietor of the Cardigan House of Canaan, N. H., and a lead- ing business man of that town, was born in the town of Grafton, this county, April 6, 1861. He is a son of Peter and Nancy Albina (Adams) Kimball, and grandson of Benjamin Kimball and Miss Kilburn. Our subject's grandfather was among the most successful and well-to-do farmers of Boscawen, N. H.
Peter Kimball was born in Boscawen, and when a young man entered into mercantile life at Salisbury, N. H., and in 1855 he went to the town of Grafton, where, after a period of activity in the commercial circles of the town, he bought a fine farm, to which he added land from time to time, as opportunity offered, until, at his death, he owned 1,000 acres. He dealt very ex- tensively in horses and cattle, and kept a very choice dairy; during the active period of his life he ranked among the very first business men of the town; he was born in 1817, and died in 1880. He was not at all backward in improving the large property he secured for himself; he built an entirely new set of barns, and reconstructed
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the house to suit his requirements. His wife survives him, and resides at the homestead in the town of Grafton. Their children were: Mary A .: Cyrus A., who died at the age of eighteen months: Carrie A .; Cyrus A .; George B .; and Harry C., who was taken to a better world at the age of three years.
Our subject attended the Penacook Academy, and then finished at Wilmot Academy under Prof. Leary. As his father's health was failing, and the management of the farm became onerous for one of his years, Cyrus took charge of the farm and superintended it for eight years, when he left and came to Canaan and bought the Car- digan House; he has put both the house and the barns into first-class shape. His hotel is the only standard hotel in the town, which is open for guests the year around. He keeps a fine livery of fifteen horses, and the attendant turn-outs; he deals in carriages, and has dealt very extensively in horses and other kinds of stock. Like his father, he is a very energetic, progressive man, and improves every opportunity to turn an hon- est penny.
Mr. Kimball married Miss Roxanna Frances Beckford, daughter of Benjamin P. Beckford, lately a resident of Grafton township, but for- merly a citizen of the town of Bristol, where for many years he was a large woolen manufacturer.
JAMES FRANK JONES, a carpenter and mechanic of the town of Enfield, was born in the above town, March 19, 1831, and is a son of Jonathan and Margaret K. (Sawyer) Jones, and a grandson of Moses and Mariam (Currier) Jones.
The grandfather of our subject was born in Amesbury, Mass., May 21, 1737. He was one of the Colonial soldiers in the French and Indian War, and was taken prisoner and held captive in Canada for many years, being guarded by the Indians. By obtaining the confidence and good- will of his captors he gained considerable free- dom of movement, and so one day, when out hunting, he started through the forest in an at- tempt to reach an American settlement. When almost exhausted by fatigue and ready to give up he came to the log-house of a Canadian set-
tler, who, taking pity on his distress, gave him food and kept him hid from his pursuers. By a rare chance he was fortunate enough to sight an English vessel, which in response to his sig- nals took him on board and kept him there until the excitement following upon his escape had subsided. He then recommenced his journey home, and when he presented himself before his family was not at first recognized by them, for they had supposed him dead for years. He set- tled at first in his native town of Amesbury, Mass., but later went to Hopkinton, N. H., where he lost his first wife, Mary Fitts; she bore him the following children: Richard, Mehitabel, Sally, Isaac, Moses, and Mary. He married again, and with Ezekiel Stephen came to En- field, N. H., and bought a large tract of land, where the Shaker Village is now located, in 1792, but soon after traded the farm with the Shakers for the farm where his descendant, F. W. Jones, now resides; the house, with few improvements and alterations is as the Shakers built it; the loca- tion of the farm has ever since been known as Jones Hill. Moses Jones lived to be eighty- eight years old, dying Dec. 26, 1824. His second wife, Mariam Currier, the grandmother of our subject, was born in South Hampton, May 24, 1747, and died in 1823; the issue of this second marriage were the children named below: Dorothy, Mariam, Hannah, Rhoda, Nancy, Jon- athan, Lucy, and John. Moses Jones was for many years a deacon in the Free Will Baptist Church.
Capt. Jonathan Jones was born in Hopkinton, N. H., Jan. 1, 1778; he settled in Enfield with his parents, and owned the farm which his father traded with the Shakers in 1792, and lived there all of his days, being not only a thrifty farmer, but a very generous, kind-hearted neighbor, a loving husband, and a tender parent. He died at the age of sixty-seven, Aug. 18, 1845. He was a Democrat in the matter of political allegi- ance, and liberal in his religious views. He was a member of the Masonic fraternity, and served as a captain of the State militia. His wife, a daughter of Jonathan Sawyer, a Revolutionary soldier, was born July 20, 1785, and died Jan. 13, 1862. This is a record of their children: Polly C., born Feb. 24, 1803; Betsey M., Aug. 27, 1806; Rebecca, Sept. 20, 1808; Alvira, Jan. 29, 1811; Moses W., April 8, 1813; Alvira, July
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11, 1815; Mariam P., Sept. 16, 1817; Melinda and Matilda, twins, Nov. 24, 1820; Harvey B., April 12, 1823; Horace M., Sept. 4, 1825; James Frank, the subject of this biography, March 19, 1831 ; and Margaret F., Dec. 22, 1832.
Our subject worked with his father, and at- tended the district and high school until 1846, when he learned the carpenter's trade, and worked at it a few years as a journeyman. He then formed a partnership styled Plummer & Jones, and manufactured sashes and blinds some two years, then selling out his interest, he worked a short time as an cmployee of the firm. He next entered the bedstead factory as a ma- chinist, and remained there until the factory shut down for several years, when he returned to his trade, and has followed it industriously ever since. In 1870 he bought a lot on the cor- ner of Well and South Main Streets, and built a fine home and barn.
Mr. Jones was married, March 31, 1859, to Miss Emily E. Goodhue, a daughter of Theophi- lus and Eliza (Conant) Goodhue, and grand- daughter of George Conant, born in Concord, Mass., April 7, 1771. Eunice, his wife, was born in Bolton, Mass., March 16, 1772. Theophilus Goodhue was born in Enfield, March 21, 1801, and during his early years taught school, in which profession he became very proficient and successful, and taught many years. He then bought his father's farm, and settled down to farming: he retired from active labor when his years began to weigh upon him, and died at our subject's home, Dec. 6, 1885. Eliza Conant, his wife, was born Nov. 23, 1807. His children were : Emily E., our subject's wife, who was born April 18, 1832: and Catherine W., who was born Dec. 12, 1835, and died April 4, 1861. Mr. Goodhue's wife was a daughter of George and Eunice Conant ; she died Scpt. 6, 1871, aged sixty-three years.
Our subject cast his first vote for Pierce, but since then has been a loyal Republican; hc was state justice many years, served as selectman one year, and as tax collector four years. He is a very libcral supporter of the Congregational Church, and has been a leader in the choir for over thirty years. At the age of sixteen he began singing in the choir, and has been a member of it cver since, and could be able to count the times he has sung at funerals by the hundreds.
ALBERT L. HADLEY, prominent among the younger of Canaan's business men, was born in the above town, March 30, 1858. He is a son of George W. and Mary A. (Leavitt) Hadley, grandson of Moses and Almira (Proctor) Had- ley, and great-grandson of Moses and Mary (Martin) Hadley.
Moses Hadley, Sr., was born May 1, 1769; his wife was born April 10, 1772; they were en- gaged throughout life in pursuits of an agricul- tural nature. Their children were: Relief, Sophia, Amos, Moses, Norman, and Lyman.
Moses Hadley, Jr., was born March 22, 1806, and died Dec. 3, 1872; his wife was born April 5, 1805. Their only son was George W., our subject's father, who was born in 1830, and died in 1893; he was for many years a prominent far- mer of the town of Canaan, and a stanch Repub- lican politically. He and his wife were devoted and faithful members of the Free Will Baptist Church. His wife is still living, and makes her home in Canaan; she was a daughter of Joseph and Mary (Austin) Leavitt of Northfield, N. H. Our subject's parents were blessed with two chil- dren: Albert L., the subject of this sketch; and Edwin S., who was born March 30, 1868.
Albert L. Hadley received his education at New Hampton Academy, and graduated from the Commercial Department in 1876, becoming associated with R. G. Chase & Co., of Geneva, N. Y., after leaving the academy. He was later in the employ of the Model Crayon Co. of Ca- naan, until 1892, when he took the agency for Swift & Co. of Chicago for two years.
Our subject married Mrs. Bertha E. Dow, widow of the late Harvey S. Dow, who died in Canaan at the age of forty-one, leaving as a legacy a beautiful home and three children; Edith, born June 27, 1878; Pearl E., Jan. 29, 1880; and Florence B., April 28, 1883. Our sub- ject's wife was a daughter of Eleazer and Eme- line A. (Durrell) Barney, and was born May 24, 1857. Mr. Barney was born in the town of Graf- ton, this county, and was engaged in mercantile trade throughout his life until his retirement, first in Grafton, and then in Canaan, where he bought out the firm of Currier & Wallace, and for a number of years carried on a flourishing business, where the Cardigan House is now located. His last business before his retirement was done in the handsome Barnard Block, which
1
WILBUR F. SMITH.
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he bought, on the corner of Mechanic and Main Streets; he retired in 1870, and was succeeded by his two sons, Albert E. and Arthur J., under the firm name of Barney Bros. Mr. Barney owned a large quantity of real estate at his death, which occurred at the age of sixty-five. He was de- scended from Aaron Barney, the first of the family to come to New Hampshire, where he became the owner of as much as 3,000 acres of land, including a quarter of the town of Grafton, and farms in adjoining towns. Our subject has one son by a former marriage: George A., who was born Dec. 4, 1884. Mr. Hadley is a Repub- lican, and a member of the Mt. Cardigan Lodge, Knights of Pythias.
WILBUR F. SMITH, a retired farmer of Lebanon, N. H., was born in the town of En- field, N. H., Sept. 27, 1844, and is a son of Daniel L. and Sophronia (Eastman) Smith, grandson of John and Betsey (Burnham) Smith, and great-grandson of John and Sarah Smith.
Our subject's great-grandfather was a fisher- man of Essex, Mass. His son John was reared to the same calling and followed it for many years; he was a practical boat-builder, building boats and using them for a time, then selling them and making more. In 1806, becoming tired of life by the water with its perils and dangers and desiring a quiet country life on a farm, he came to Enfield, N. H., and purchased the farm now owned by Eben R. Dustin, where he ever afterward followed the calling of a farmer, except for the carpentry work that he performed in the neighborhood. Both he and his wife lived to an advanced age to enjoy the fruits of their early years. Their children were: Lucy, who died in her youth; Betsey A .; Daniel . L .; Ziba, who died at the age of twenty-one; John B .; George W .; Lucy W .; and Joshua P.
Our subject's father, Daniel L. Smith, was born in Essex and came to Enfield when a child two years old with his father. Upon reaching manhood's years he married Miss Mary Flan- ders, daughter of Moses and Annie (Currier) Flanders; he bought the Flanders farm, which was located on Methodist Hill, and carried on general farming there. With the profits of his
work he bought one piece of land after another, until he was a landed proprietor of some 600 acres. He died at the age of seventy-eight years after a long life of hard work; he could never remain inactive, was continually on the move, and so was able to become well-fixed in this world's possessions. In politics he was a Demo- crat and served as representative in 1852-53, and as selectman. He was a member in good stand- ing of the M. E. Church. His wife died at an early age, leaving two children to survive her: Ann C. married L. F. Webster, and resides in Canaan, N. H .; Mary F. died at the age of forty- four. Two other children were born to them, but died when infants. Mr. Smith married as his second wife Sophronia, daugliter of James Eastman of Canaan; she died at the age of sixty- two. She bore our subject's father two children : Wilbur F., and Moses F. E., who died at the age of seven.
Wilbur F. Smith attended the district schools and Newbury Seminary, and, being the only son living, at his father's request remained on the homestead and carried on farming operations. He has dealt considerably in real estate, having bought and sold several farms; the home sur- roundings have been improved and made to take on a prosperous and well-to-do appearance; the buildings have been altered to meet the require- ments of improved methods in farming. Our subject gave his parents the best of care and attention in their last days, as a slight payment of the fostering care bestowed upon him when he was too young to care for himself. He has been called upon to settle many estates, and has done considerable business in the probate line. He has always been a Democrat, giving his sup- port to the regular nominees of his party. He has held many offices of trust; he served the town six years as selectman, and was superin- tendent of the school board for two years; was county commissioner in 1891-92, and was regis- trar of deeds of Grafton Co. in 1894.
Mr. Smith married Marie A., daughter of Winthrop Sargent of Claremont, and she has borne him three children. The eldest, Daniel L., was born Sept. 13, 1867; graduated from Dart- mouth College in 1891, and entered the Harvard Law School, from which he received his diploma in 1894, being admitted to the bar for the prac- tice of his profession in the same year. In 1895
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he was admitted to the bar of New York and is in practice in New York City, being connected with the law firm of Evarts, Choate & Beaman, at the same time having an office of his own. He married Miss Virginia Scott Yates of Washing- ton, D. C., daughter of the late Hon. Jesse Yates, member of Congress from North Caro- lina, and has one child, Marie V. The second child of our subject was Wilfred O., born April 25, 1869; he is the proprietor of a book and news store in Lebanon. He married Lottie Bishop, daughter of H. D. Bishop of Littleton. The youngest child, Harold £., born May 2, 1882, resides with his parents and is attending school.
In 1890 Mr. Smith retired from active business and moved to Lebanon, where he bought the George Billings house, No. 26 School Street; he lives in Lebanon, but has not given up the per- sonal supervision of his farm. He is a member and Past Master of Franklin Lodge, No. 6, F. & A. M. He is Past High Priest of St. Andrews Chapter, No. I, and has held offices in Washing- ton Council, No. 10; he is also a member of Sullivan Commandery, No. 6, of Claremont, N. H., and of E. A. Raymond Consistory of Nashua, and a member of the Council of High Priesthood.
He and wife are active members of the Meth- odist Church, Mr. Smith having been an officer in the church for thirty years.
As a representative farmer of the town of Leb- anon and as one who has made a success out of his chosen vocation and risen to a high place in the estimation of his fellow-townsmen, it affords us great pleasure in presenting his portrait, which appears on a page near at hand.
GEORGE F. SMITH, passenger conductor on the Boston & Maine R. R., is the only living child of Charles B. and Mary B. (Foss) Smith, natives of the State of Maine. Charles B. Smith was the son of Samuel Smith, Sr., who was a farmer; his wife was a Miss Bixby, who was of English descent.
Charles B. Smith, the third child in a family of twelve, was born in Belgrade, Me., Dec. 19, 1814, and died in Woodsville, N. H., Aug. 27, 1880.
He resided in his native State until 1854, when he removed to Union Village, Vt., living there ten years. His life was devoted to the manufac- ture of shovel handles; in 1864 he came to Woodsville, then a hamlet of four or five houses, and established a saw and grist-mill, entering upon the manufacture of shovel handles, which was the special feature of his work, and also axe- handles; he built a box-factory in addition to his other industries. The entire plant was destroyed by freshet on the 10th of December, 1878. He was preparing to rebuild, when he died. He will long be remembered for his benevolences in worthy causes, and for his open-handed liberal- ity; the Episcopal Church, the first church edifice erected in Woodsville, was indebted to him for the site and the foundation. What is now the new part of the village of Woodsville was for- merly owned and controlled by him. He served as postmaster from 1870 to the time of his death; he did not attend personally to the duties in- cumbent on that office, but employed competent deputies, assuming all the responsibility himself. While a resident of Maine he was quarter-master of militia on the Governor's staff; his sword and saddle-bags are now owned by our subject, who takes great pride in them.
Charles B. Smith was married May I, 1842, at St. Albans, Me., to Mary B. Foss, a native of Buxton, Me. She was the daughter of Moses and Hannah (Goggins) Foss, both natives of Maine. Moses Foss was a son of Moses and Betsey (Bradley) Foss. Hannah Goggins was the granddaughter of Patrick Goggins, a native of Ireland. Moses Foss, Jr., was a fifer in the militia service, and was called out in the War of 1812, but not sent to the front. His daughter, Mary B. Foss, our subject's mother, at the age of eighty, was the youngest of five living sisters.
George F. Smith, the subject of this sketch, was born in Milo, Me., May 1, 1848. At the age of six, he went with his parents to Union Village, Vt., where he first attended school. In 1864, when his parents moved to Woodsville, he at- tended Thetford Academy for two years, and spent a short time at Newbury Academy. When the halcyon days of school life were over, he worked two years in his father's mills and shops; he then became selling agent for Lewis, Bartor & Co., wholesale flour and grain dealers of Con- cord, N. H.
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In 1872 he began railroading, as a brakeman, and after two years, he accepted a position as baggage-master, in which capacity he was en- gaged for eight years. For the past fifteen years he has been a passenger conductor on the B. & M. R. R., making Woodsville his home. During the years Mr. Smith has been connected with the railroad he has witnessed the following changes in the mangament of the road. When he first began, twenty-five years ago, the road was styled the Boston, Concord & Montreal, which soon leased its lines to the Boston & Lowell Co., which, in turn, sub-leased its privileges to the Boston & Maine Co. The next step was that the Concord line bought the road, and later trans- ferred it to the Boston & Maine, which now operates nearly every mile of railroad in the State.
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