USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Book of biographies. This volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Grafton County, New Hampshire > Part 47
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in Ashland; Elias Hutchins is a resident of Ca- naan, N. H .; William H. makes his home in Holderness, N. H .; Harriet (Smith), deceased; Corilla A. (Watson) lives in Worcester, Mass.
Dr. Shaw was reared in Holderness and Campton, and attended the district schools of both towns until he was twenty years old. Upon arriving at his majority he married and bought a small farm in Holderness, and remained there one season, when he sold his property and rented farms in Holderness and Campton for some two or three years; after that he lived in Holderness until March, 1856, when he moved to his present farm, consisting of several tracts of land amount- ing in all to 150 acres, and has made this his home ever since. The proceeds of the farm, which he sold in Holderness, he loaned on poor security, and lost all of it. He studied medicine and practiced in Haverhill a number of years till his health suffered from a severe attack of typhoid fever in 1864, and has since confined his attention to agricultural labors.
He was married Nov. 25, 1841, in Holderness to Esther S. Abbott, a daughter of Thomas and Hannah (Smith) Abbott. Thomas Abbott . was born in Hillsborough, N. H., and was a sou of Paul and Naomi (Carr) Abbott; the former a son of Darius Abbott, who used to keep a tav- ern in Andover, Mass., and Mary Holt; the lat- ter, Naomi Carr, was a daughter of Thomas and Hannah Carr. Hannah Smith, a native of New Hampton, N. H., was a daughter of Benjamin and Judith (Pottle) Smith; Benjamin Smith was a soldier of the Revolution; Judith Pottle was a daughter of Samuel Pottle. Mrs. Shaw was the eldest of three children born to her parents, as . follows: Esther S .; Thomas P., who died in in- fancy; and Anna. Dr. Shaw and wife attend the Advent Church. In politics he is a Democrat, and has served the town as its road surveyor, but is not known as an office-seeker. He is the father of two children; the record reads as foi- lows: Wesley A., who is unmarried, and lives with his parents; and Edwin W.
Edwin W. Shaw is engaged in farming on a portion of his father's farm; he was born in Hav- erhill, Oct. 27, 1863, and attended the district schools of North Haverhill till he was fourteen years of age, and then went west to see what he could of the world. He reached Wyoming Ter- ritory, and remained there a year and a half
MICHAEL H. BARSTOW.
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herding on a large cattle ranch; after a year's residence at home in New Hampshire, he again went west and herded cattle for two years. Then upon his return home, and a year's stay, he went to Holland, Mich., working in a hotel there for eight months; he came home and remained through the winter, and again went to Michigan, working nine months on a railroad. Ever since coming home the last time he has been engaged in farming with his father. He married Louise H. Brooks, daughter of Otis and Sallie (Drury) Brooks, who lived in Eston when their daughter was married. Mr. and Mrs. Brooks now make their home in Franconia. Edwin Shaw is a Democrat. He is a member of Pink Granite Grange, No. 210, of North Haverhill. Both he and his father are genial and good-natured men, and have hosts of friends.
MICHAEL H. BARSTOW, a breeder of fine road horses, and general farmer of the town of Lebanon, was born in Melburn, Canada, Jan. 29, 1824. He is a son of Thomas and Sarah (Hale) Barstow, and grandson of Michael and Ruth (Abbott) Barstow.
Michael Barstow's parents came from Eng- land, and he served six years in the Revolution- ary War; afterwards he kept one of the first public houses ever kept in Thetford, Vt., but later ir. life he moved to Campton, and then to Haverhill, N. H., where he died in 1837, at the age of eighty-five; his wife reached the age of ninety-two. It is worthy of mention in this con- nection that Michael Barstow at the age of seventy would stand on the ground and jump from there to the back of his young horse, and at the age of seventy-four mowed hay all day with a scythe by the side of his son. His children were: William, Henry, Charles, Thomas, Nancy, and Ruth.
- Thomas Barstow was born at Campton, N. H., and when a young man went to Welles River, Vt., to accept a situation in a general store; after a few years employment there he went to Rum- ney, N. H., and carried on a general store him- self. After this, having inherited some money from his mother, he entered into the business of buying cattle, driving to market, and there dis-
posing of them, and did very nicely until the close of the War of 1812, when he found him- self in the market with a very large drove of cat- tle, and no demand for them, and the conse- quence was he suffered a severe loss; he then took his family to Melburn, Canada, and entered into the lumber business; succeeding in this lie enlarged the business, and again entered into cattle buying, finding a market for his droves in the city of Quebec. After a number of years engaged in this kind of work he went to North- field, Vt .; he at length retired from his position, and died in Norwich, Vt., at the age of eighty- seven. His wife also departed this life at the same age. There were born to them the follow- ing children: Sarah A .; Harriet M .; Michael H., the subject of this sketch; Thomas, who resides in California; Arthur, whose home is in Boston; Louise; Ruth A .; and William H., who lives in Boston.
Michael H. Barstow attended the district schools, and at the age of seventeen years went to the town of Hanover to learn the mason's trade; having served his apprenticeship and be- come a skillful workman, he moved to Boston, where he became foreman for Greenleaf & Adams, contractors of masonry work; later on he became partner to Nathan Adams, carrying on masonry work under the firm name of Adams & Barstow, until 1876, in which year he pur- chased the Cheney farm, in the western part of the town of Lebanon, bordering on the Connecti- cut River; he chose this location in order that he might be near his aged parents, who lived across the river, in Vermont. He has one of the finest farms in the town, and owns 470 acres, 100 acres of which is in the State of Vermont. Being a great lover of fine horses he has, since his resi- dence in the country, turned his attention to the raising and breeding of fine Hambletonians, and some of the best horses ever raised in the State have come from his stables and have been broken by himself.
He has also a very fine dairy of grade Jerseys, twenty-five in number; he is not only a model farmer in every particular, but also a very suc- cessful onc. The farm is in the best of condition ; the buildings have been remodeled and enlarged, and a new carriage house has been built.
Mr. Barstow married Miss Diana Walker, of Franklin Co., N. Y., and, as their union did not
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result in any issue, their love for children and charitable disposition prompted them to adopt the following children: Sarah Mills, who mar- ried Franklin 1. Spencer; and Jane Austin, who married Fred Walters. He has always supported the Republican party, although refusing all office. While a resident of Boston he was a member of the I. O. O. F. Both Mr. Barstow and his wife are leading members of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church.
Mr. Barstow's portrait is shown in connection with this sketch on a foregoing page.
ELMER E. JONES, a prominent citizen of Enfield, who carries on an extensive business in bicycles, guns, and farming tools, was born in the above town, Sept. 6, 1861, and is a son of Alba C. and Huldah (Currier) Jones, grandson of Isaac and Hannah (Noyce) Jones, and great- grandson of Moses and Mary (Fitts) Jones.
Moses Jones, who was for a long term of years a deacon in the Free Will Baptist Church, was born in Amesbury, Mass., May 21, 1737. He served in the French and Indian War, in which he was taken prisoner, and taken to Canada, where he was held captive. By obtaining the confidence of his captors he gained a little 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 worn out by fatigue he came to a Cana- dian settler, who, taking pity on him, gave him food, and kept him hid for a time from the In- dians, who upon his departure gave chase. 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 somewhat abated. He then started across the country on foot, and when he presented him- self before his family was not at first resognized by them, for they had supposed him dead for years .. He settled at first in South Hampton, N. H., but later went to Hopkinton, N. H., where he lost his first wife, the great-grandmother of our subject. He married again, and with Ezekiel Stevens came to Enfield, 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 location of the farm has ever since been known as Jones Hill. He lived to be eighty-eight years old, dying Dec. 26, 1824. By his first wife, he had the following chil- dren: Richard, Mehitabel, Sally, Isaac, Moses, and Mary. He married as his second wife Mariam Currier, who was born in South Hamp- ton, in 1747, and died in 1823; the issue of this second marriage were the following children: Dorothy, Mariam, Hannah, Rhoda, Nancy, Jon- athan, Lucy, and John.
Isaac Jones was born in South Hampton, and settled on Jones Hill, buying a farm adjoming his father's property, and always followed his vocation of farming, dying at the age of eighty- four. His wife lived to be seventy-two years old, and bore him these children, namely: Mary, Re- lief, Rosamond, Sylvester, Alba C., and Tracy H. Isaac Jones was a Democrat, politically, and a member and deacon of the Baptist Church.
Alba C. Jones, our subject's father, was born in Enfield, March 6, 1817, and began life as a iarmer. Early in life, however, he entered the Shaker Mills, and worked twenty-five years, principally in the store-room. He then retired, and for his home purchased the W. C. Smith property, with a small farm attached, the cultiva- tion of which he has since superintended. He married Huldah, daughter of Henry and Huldah (Paddleford) Currier; they are both enjoying the best of health, and have had two children: Elmer E .; and Lizzie May, who was a graduate from the New Hampshire Conference Seminary and Female College (at Tilton, N. H.) in the class of 1890, afterward engaged in teaching, but died at the age of twenty-seven. Alba C. Jones and his wife are members of the M. E. Church. In pol- itics Mr. Jones was a Democrat, and has been a Republican since the formation of that party.
Elmer E. Jones attended the Enfield schools, and in 1883 graduated from the Poughkeepsie Business College of Poughkeepsie, N. Y. Re- turning to Enfield he has since been interested in farming, in which he has achieved a large de- gree of success, has worked in the factories of Enfield, was then a bookkeeper in the Greenback Woolen Mills, until he bought the Pattee & Cur-
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rier general store, which he conducted four years and a half, working up a fine patronage, and sell- ing to an advantage to Smith & Dorothy. Mr. Jones, besides caring for his parents and their property, deals very much in bicycles, guns, and all kinds of farming and agricultural tools. Mr. Jones is a man who possesses frank and manly attributes of character, and gives to all branches of his work an interest which wins him a wide circle of patrons. His affable manner and his upright and straightforward dealing cause him to be generally liked and respected, and he is re- garded as a prominent man of the town, standing upon a solid financial basis, and may be consid- ered one of the representative citizens of his sec- tion of Grafton Co. He has served the town two years as selectman.
GEORGE WELLS, a large land-owner and representative farmer of the town of Haverhill, was born in Benton, N. H., March 18, 1828; he is a son of Enos and Sallie (Clark) Wells, and grandson of Ephraim and Phoebe (Meecham) Wells. Our subject's grandfather died compara- tively young; he was the father of sixteen chil- dren; our subject's grandmother lived to be nearly ninety years old.
Enos Wells was born and reared in Canaan, N. H., where he lived to be seventy-two years old, engaged in farming. He was one of the older children in his father's family, and was always looked up to and called Mr. Wells while the rest of his brothers and sisters were called by their first name. He was a Democrat, and served as selectman, town clerk, representative in the Legislature, and as justice of the peace for many years preceding his death. He was fond of hunting, and killed many deer and other like game in his day. Few men were more popu- lar than he in his neighborhood and throughout the town, and his presence was deemed a neces- sity at the "raisings," which constituted the special social gatherings of that period. In the State militia he held a commission as captain. His second wife, mother of our subject, was born in Landaff and lived to be ninety-four years old; she was the daughter of Jacob and Polly (Mer- rill) Clark. Jacob Clark combined the occupa-
tion of a farmer with the trade of a joiner and carpenter. There were born to our subject's parents the following four boys: Caleb; George; Enos C., living in Lynn, Mass .; and Chester, who died in infancy.
George Wells passed his youthful years and attended the district schools in Benton, and took one term at Newbury, Vt., Seminary, when he was eighteen. He remained at home until he was twenty-one, giving the time of his minority to his father. When he attained his majority he began to work on the old home farm for himself, and continued in this way until 1859, when he went to Stoneham, Mass., where he worked a year and a half at shoemaking. In 1860 he re- turned to the farm and made it his home and the scene of his labors until March, 1867, when he bought his present farm of 120 acres, to which he has added at different times two adjoining farms; he also owns the home farm and three or four other farms in Benton township; in all, he is the owner of some 500 acres of valuable land.
He was joined in marriage Oct. 14, 1849, at Haverhill Center to Caroline Morse, who was a native of that town. She was a daughter of Jacob and Hannah (Jovejoy) Morse; the latter a daughter of Jacob Lovejoy, and the for- mer a son of Jonathan Morse. Our sub- ject's wife was the third of six children born to her parents, of whom five lived to maturity. The union of Mr. Wells and his wife has been blessed with the following six children: Albinus M., a conductor on the V. & C. R. R., lives at St. Albans, Vt .; Stella E. mar- ried Solomon Newell, and lives on a farm near our subject; Flavius M. is engaged in farming in our subject's neighborhood; Frank E. has been city marshal of Lynn, Mass., for six years; Arthur G. is an inspector of police at Lynn, Mass .; Fred P. is at White River Junction, and is shipping clerk for George W. Smith of that place. Mrs. Welis's grandfather was in the War of the Revolution, and died in 1838, at the age of seventy-eight. Mr. and Mrs. Wells are the grandparents of the following children: Flora G. and Ernest R., children of Albinus M. Wells; Carrie G. and Eva M., children of Flavius M. Wells; Mabel H., Earl E., and Hazel, children of Frank E. Wells; Frank F. and Marion, chil- dren of Artlınr G. Wells; and Madeline E., daughter of Fred P. Wells.
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Both our subject and his beloved wife are members of the M. E. Church. In politics he is a Democrat, and served as selectman of Benton, town clerk of the same town two years, and se- lectman in Haverhill; for the past twenty years he has been a justice of the peace. In the old training days of the militia he held all the offices from orderly to major. For the past twenty-five years he has dealt quite extensively in live stock.
SIMEON A. FOSTER, deceased, was born in Bath, N. H., July 7, 1843, and departed this life March 14, 1895. He resided in Bath till he was twenty-one, and then hired out as a farm- hand for a few years. In 1871 he bought a farm, where his widow and sons now live. He was a Democrat in his political affiliations. Through- out his life he continued a hard worker; ener- getic and forceful, he usually accomplished what he set out to do; he led a frugal, peaceful life, · and was much respected by all who had the pleasure of knowing him intimately. He was. always a man of few words, but what he said had no double meaning, but was to be taken literally ; his pledge was never broken, nor did he change in his conduct to his associates without strong provocation. He was a son of John F. and Re- becca (Pearson) Foster; our subject's father was born in Bath, and lived there the most of his life. Mr. Foster's grandfather was known the country round as Uncle Edward.
Simeon A. Foster was married in Swiftwater Village, town of Haverhill, Jan. 26, 1871, to Abbie J. Johnson, who was born in Ryegate, and was a daughter of Archibald D. and Lydia P. Johnson. To our subject and wife were born two sons: John F., born Aug. 10, 1873; and Herbert A., April 4, 1877. The boys have in- herited much of their father's thrifty nature, and remain on the farm of 150 acres with their mother in preference to seeking employment in village or city. They are fond of hunting in their spare hours, and find excellent opportuni- ties for the indulgence in that sport in the sur- rounding hills. They, like their father, are firm Democrats, and may be found in the front ranks at election time. Mrs. Foster is an attendant of the M. E. Church.
JOSEPH E. BURKETT, an engineer on the B. & M. R. R., living at Woodsville, N. H., was born in Durham (now Ulverton), Province of Quebec, Nov. 3, 1858; he is a son of John and Ellen (Brown) Burkett, to whom were born two children: Joseph Edward, the subject of this sketch; and Winnie, who died in infancy.
John Burkett was a farmer by occupation, and departed this life in Canada, when our subject was a very small child. Upon the father's death our subject's mother removed with him to Lan- caster, N. H., where Joseph grew to manhood, attending the common schools until fourteen or fifteen years of age. His mother died Sept. 29, 1884, at about the age of fifty. She was of Scotch descent, while her husband was of Eng- lish parentage.
Joseph E. Burkett was a sickly child, and did not leave home to support himself till he was about eighteen years of age, when he secured a position as watchman at the round-house at Lan- caster, remaining there for a year and a half. He was then a brakeman on the road until he took to firing in 1881. In 1883 he became an engi- neer, and has been kept at the throttle ever since with the exception of two winters, when he fired.
Mr. Burkett was married Sept. 3, 1884, in Lan- caster, to Gertrude Danforth, daughter of Edward King and Matilda S. (Heath) Danforth. Mr. Danforth was a son of Samuel and Lucy (Stev- ens) Danforth; the former was born in Canter -. bury, N. H., Sept. 22, 1782, and died April 25, 1824; the latter was born in Pepperhill, Mass., June 26, 1785, and died about 1864. Edward King Danforth was born .in Haverhill, Dec. 6, 1816, married Matilda S. Heath Feb. 4, 1841, and died Dec. 27, 1886. Matilda S. Heath was born Aug. 3, 1816, at Groton (now Hebron), and died Feb. 28, 1895. She was a daughter of Daniel and Mrs. Tryphena Goodwin (nee Ladd) Heath. Daniel Heath was a soldier of the War of 1812, and drew a pension for his services. To the parents of our subject's wife were born the fol- lowing children, eight in number: Samuel, a railroad man, living in the State of Wyoming; Josephine J., deceased; George L. of Concord, a traveling man for a Concord publication; Ellen, deceased; Melissa married H. M. Austin of Wells River, Vt .; Charles also lives in the same town; Alfred lives in South Newbury, Vt .; and Ger-
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trude, the wife of our subject. Samuel and George L., the two older brothers of Mrs. Burkett, were both enlisted soldiers in the War of the Rebellion; the latter enlisted when only sixteen years of age, and acted as waiter at the captain's table. Mrs. Burkett is a member of the Universalist Church. Mr. Burkett is a Demo- crat in politics.
COL. THOMAS P. CHENEY. The gentle- man, whose name heads this sketch, is one of the prominent and leading citizens of the town of Ashland, and is influential in its political, busi- ness, and social circles; his many virtues of hand and heart are appreciated by his fellow-towns- men, who hold him in the highest esteem. Col. Cheney was born in that part of the town of Holderness which is now included within the bounds of the town of Ashland, Feb. 24, 1833, and is a son of Elias and Mary (Plummer) Cheney, and grandson of Elias, Sr., and Ruth (Jackman) Cheney.
Elias Cheney, Sr., a lineal descendant of Han- nah Dustin, was born in Newbury, Mass., and followed the occupation of a farmer. Quite early in life he bought a large tract of land in the town of Thornton, this county, when it was but sparsely settled, and cleared the land and built a house, 30x40, with gable roof: this house, al- though upwards of one hundred and twenty-five years old, is standing in good repair to-day, and is the residence of Mrs. Wallace. On this farni of new land our subject's grandfather lived and labored until his death at over eighty years of age, his wife accompanying him throughout the greater part of the journey of life; they were both blessed with strong constitutions, and rarely knew a day of sickness.
Our subject's father. Elias Cheney, Jr., at twelve years of age moved to Ashland with his brother Moses and uncle Patty, and built the first paper-mill in the town, and there they man- ufactured the first paper; the inill stood on the present site of the Ashland Knitting Mills, in which our subject is largely interested. Elias Cheney. Jr., stayed with his uncle till he reached the age of eighteen, when he wrapped up his small possessions of clothes and money in a ban- dana handkerchief, and, like many others am-
bitious as he, set out afoot for Boston, Mass., where he assisted his half-brother, Mr. Prescott, as clerk in a coal and wood business, and after several years residence was appointed by the Mayor of the city inspector of lumber. After his marriage he returned to Ashland and went into trade, bought a store and remained in business for several years. After a period spent in Ash- land, he went back to Boston, and carried on a mercantile business until his health failed him, when he came back once more to Ashland, where he lived until his death at the age of eighty-three. He was a Baptist in religious belief, and a very well-read man, knowing the Bible almost by heart. Politically he was a Whig and a Repub- lican. His wife, who died at the age of seventy- nine, was a daughter of Jonathan and Esther Jane (Perkins) Plummer of Sanbornton, N. H. Mr. Plummer was a captain in the Continental army, and served throughout the Revolutionary War. The following children were born to our subject's parents: Eliza Ann, the wife of J. H. Applebee ; John T., who, starting out in business in Ashland, went to Illinois in 1857, and in 1861 raised a company of troops, which formed a part of the Frank P. Blair Corps, of Sherman's Army, in which organization Mr. Cheney became a major; since the war he has been engaged in dealing in real estate, and running a hotel in Sioux City, Iowa; Person, the third child, farms and conducts a hotel at Dixon, Ill., of which town he is also Mayor; the next of the sons in order of birth is Col. Thomas P., the subject of this sketch; Samuel T., who served as orderly sergeant in Co. E., 12th Reg. N. H. Vol. Inf., was killed in the san- quinary engagement at Cold Harbor, dying June 8. 1864; Mary T. married Charles Wright, late a prominent citizen of Ashland, dying Sept. 21. 1894, from severe injuries received in a railroad accident at Ashland: Daniel P. is interested in the hotel business at Sioux City, Towa; in the late war he served in the same company and reg .. iment as his brother, Samuel T.
Our subject's school education was limited to what he received in the schools of his native town and in the Conference Seminary. At the age of ten years he entered the woolen mill's employ. and for a year and a half picked black wool for $1.25 a week, the hours of work extending from 5 o'clock in the morning till 8 o'clock in the
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evening, and out of this munificent sum he boarded himself. He then went into the paper- mill for $1.50 a week until he was sixteen years old. when he became clerk in the country store of Col. Jesse Ladd, and assistant postmaster, and later clerked for his brother. After our subjeet had saved a little money he attended the Semi- nary at Tilton, N. H., paying his own way and supporting himself.
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