USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Book of biographies. This volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Grafton County, New Hampshire > Part 55
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76
WILLARD F. CHASE, a well known and prosperous member of the agricultural com- munity of the town of Lyman, was born in the town of Bath, N. H., March 6, 1848. His parents were David and Sarah (Stevens) Chase.
The grandfather of our subject, Robert Chase, was a native of Bath, and one of the first resi- dents of that place; he owned and operated a farm there, and made it his home throughout luis life. His wife, Marggrit, bore him these chil- dren: Horace, Moses, Samuel, Louisa, Polly, Cyrena, and David. They were Methodists in religious belief.
David Chase was born in the Chase home- stead in Bath, and received his education in the schools of his native town. He lived the last few years in retirement, having been a hard- working agriculturist all his life. He died Jan. 31, 1897. He was a Democrat and had ever been a faithful supporter of his chosen party. He married Sarah Stevens of Haverhill, N. H., and to them were given eleven children, namely: Adelaide; Edward, deceased; Iva; Julia; and Kil- burn, deceased; Willard F .; Eliza; Laura; Alice; Fred; Josephine, deceased. Mrs. Chase passed away to the realms of bliss and peace May 21, 1884. They were members of the Methodist Church.
Willard F. Chase completed his education in the schools of Bath, and worked on farms,
310
BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, GRAFTON COUNTY.
usually being hired by the month, until 1888, when he moved to Lyman, N. H., and then pur- chased a tract of farming property, on which he remained two years and then sold and bought his present farm, then consisting of 165 acres, to which he has since added thirty-seven acres more; the land is admirably adapted to general farming, dairying, and poultry raising; Mrs. Chase devoting much time to her poultry which yields a handsome income. In political matters he always throws his influence with the Demo- cratic party.
Nov. 14, 1877, he was united in wedlock with Lucy Santy, daughter of Gray, Jr., and Lucy (Laddbush) Santy; our subject's marriage has resulted in the birth of one child, Clarence A., born Sept. 2, 1879, in Bath, N. H. Both Mr. and Mrs. Chase are attendants of the M. E. Church of Lyman, N. H., of which she is a mem- ber.
DAVID M. CALLEY, town clerk of Bristol, N. H., and a leading grocer, was born in that part of Holderness, N. H., which is now called Ashland, March 12, 1850, and is a son of the Rev. David and Mary M. (Smith) Calley, and a grand- son of David Calley, Sr.
David Calley, Sr., was born in Stratham, N. H., Nov. 15, 1774, and when a young man moved from there to Sanbornton, N. H., and later to New Hampton, N. H., where he remained several years, finally locating in Holderness, N. H., where he spent nearly all of his life in the pur- suits of agriculture, dying in the town of Ply- mouth, N. H., April, 1847. He was twice mar- ried. His first wife was a Miss Folsom of New Hampton, who bore him two children: Sally, born Feb. 2, 1803, married Joseph Bennett of Holderness, N. H .; and Hannah, who married Leavitt Smith of New Hampton, N. H. After the death of his first wife, Mr. Calley married Martha Marston, daughter of Jeremiah Marston of New Hampton, and had nine children. Almira, born Feb. 22, 1803, married Russell Cox of Holderness, and had one son, David R. Nath- . aniel, born July 29, 1808, married Louise Cox of Holderness, and became the father of one child, Henry. Jeremiah M., born July 30, 1812, married Mary P. Sheppard of Holderness, and
had four children: Maria A., David P., Mary, and Willie. David, the father of our subject, was born Nov. 8, 1815. John, born Sept. 22, 1818, was married three times: first to a Miss Shaw, second to a Miss Smart, and third to a Miss Pillsbury; he has one child living by his first wife, George, and by his third marriage three, Edwin, Ger- trude, and Georgia. Betsey, born Aug. 10, 1821, married Josiah Shaw of New Hampton, and moved out west; they had one son, Edgar. Chase W., born Aug. 13, 1823, married a Miss Keyes of Rumney, N. H., and was blessed with three children: Frank, Epps J., and Clarence. Joseph S., born Feb. 22, 1826, married Sarah Wright of Holderness, N. H .; of this union Joseph is the only one of the children living. Martha, born July 14, 1828, married John Mason of New Hampton, N. H., and lives in Boston, Mass .; they have one child, Martha G. Mrs. Calley, our subject's grandmother, was a Free Will Baptist, but her husband was liberal in his religious views. He died April, 1847.
Rev. David Calley was educated in the com- mon schools of his native town of Holderness, N. H., and then until he was twenty-four years of age worked on the farm; from then until 1842 he held religious meetings as an exhorter. In that year he was ordained a minister of the Free Will Baptist Church, and performed his pastoral duties in North Tunbridge, Vt., until 1847, and in Bristol from then until 1849. From then until 1853 his ill-health did not permit him to do any preaching. In 1853 he again took up preaching, and followed it seven years until 1860, and then went to North Tunbridge, where he labored in the church until 1863, when he returned to Bris- tol, where he remained until 1870, and from that year till 1872 was in Alexandria, N. H .; from 1872 until 1874 was in North Sandwich, N. H .; from 1874 to 1880 in Center Sandwich; and from then until 1892 in Alexandria, Sandwich, Center Sandwich, Farnsworth, and Center Meredith, N. H. Since 1892 he has lived in retirement in Bristol, N. H. He has been zealous and untiring in his efforts to win souls for his Master, and has labored to "press forward toward the prize of the mark of the high calling, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." He has been married twice. He led his first wife, Dorcas D. Sheppard, to the altar Sept. 4, 1845. She was taken to the heav- enly home prepared on high. He then married
311
BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, GRAFTON COUNTY.
Mary M. Smith, daughter of Obadiah and Eliza Smith, March 23, 1848. Six children were born of this last union. Dorcas, born Jan. 28, 1848, married Charles Gordon of Alexandria, and has two children, Helen and Carl. David M., the second child of Rev. David Calley, is the subject of this sketch. E. Belle, born April 4, 1853, has been a teacher in the schools of the town of Bris- tol for the past twenty years. Dr. George H., born Dec. 11, 1854, married Mrs. Addie (Buck- lyn) Fowler, widow of the late Dr. Edgar Fow- ler of Bristol, N. H. By her first marriage she had one child, Maud, who is now attending school at Bristol, N. H. Charles H., born May . 5, 1859, chose as his helpmate Ella Hammond, and now lives in Denver, Col. Martha J., born Dec. 21, 1861, married Anson B. Pray of Bristol, N. H., and has one child, Francis M. The mother of our subject died Oct. 26, 1896.
David M. Calley, after completing his district school education, took a commercial course at New Hampton, N. H., in the New Hampton In- stitute. Until 1871 he worked in a paper-mill, and then entered the employ of the Fairbanks Scale Co. at St. Johnsbury, Vt., with whom he remained until 1883. In that year he com- menced to clerk for Charles Boardman, who ran a general mercantile store in Bristol two years and a half. He then engaged in the grocery and provision business on his own account, and has continued in that line ever since, winning for hiniself the esteeni and confidence of a large cir- cle of patrons. He is a firm Republican, has been justice of the peace several years, and town clerk since 1891. Socially he is a member of the I. O. O. F., Cardigan Lodge, No. 38, of Bristol, of which lodge lie has been secretary and treas- urer.
In 1874 he led to the altar of Hymen, Ida A. Moore, daughter of Russell Moore of St. Johns- bury, Vt., and was united with her in the indis- soluble bonds of marriage. They have been blessed by the birth of six children: Elfreeda M., born Jan. 22, 1875; George F., May 8, 1880; Mary A., Feb. 14, 1882; Marguerite P., Dec. 29, 1893; Edgar M., June 29, 1892; and Russell D., July 1, 1890. Elfreeda M. married E. E. Pike of Braintree, Vt., and has one child, Mildred E., born Dec. 26, 1895. David M. Calley and wife belong to the Free Will Baptist Church of Bris- tol, N. H.
CHARLES W. HOLMES, the leading machinist of Bristol, and repairer of all descrip- tions of artisan's tools, was born in Sharon, Mass., Jan. 9, 1841, and is a son of Charles and Caroline E. (Smith) Holmes, both natives of Sharon, the latter a daughter of Israel Smith of that town.
Our subject's father was one of the most ex- tensive boot manufacturers in the State of Mas- sachusetts in his time, and because of the magni- tude of his business and the successful methods with which he conducted it, he was enabled to lay up a comfortable fortune, and was consid- ered a very prominent man. He reared three children, who were named as follows: Caroline L .; Mary J .; and Charles, the subject of this sketch. In religious belief, he and his wife ad- hered to the doctrines of the Calvinist Baptist Church. The mother is still living.
Our subject attended and graduated from the High School of Canton, Mass., and learned the trade of a machinist, finishing his apprenticeship with the Ruggles Printing Press Co. of Canton, Mass. He was then employed in the Springfield Armory of Springfield, Mass., after which he worked for the Remington Arms Co. as tool- maker, later being employed in the same capacity by the same company in Utica, N. Y. Follow- ing this, he turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, and also ran a steam carding shop, and gun manufactory in Colton, N. Y. Coming to New Hampshire to the town of Canaan, he kept a regular repair shop, remaining there about three years. In 1890 he moved to his present home and place of business at Bristol and pur- chased the George Robie machine shop and trade, and has since then carried on a general machine and repair shop. He also manufactures vises, jackscrews, shaftings, pulleys, and general mill work, and deals in automatic machines, water feeders, lead pipe couplings, safety split collars and couplings, and many other articles of a similar character. In his political views he is a stanch Republican.
On June 10, 1863, he was married to Sarah Douglass, daughter of James Douglass of Col- ton, N. Y., and was blessed with the birth of one child, Elizabeth, who married A. Burton Howe, and has two children, Reginald and
Mrs. Holmes died in 1887, and after the lapse of several years our subject formed a second union
312
BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, GRAFTON COUNTY.
with Henrietta Drew, daughter of Alfred Drew of Boston, Mass. His second marriage resulted in one child, Helen D. Socially he is a Mason, and belongs to Union Lodge, No. 79, of Bristol, N. H .; and Franklin Chapter of Franklin, N. H. He is also a member of the I. O. O. F., Cardi- gan Lodge, No. 38, of which he is Noble Grand. In the matter of their religious preference Mr. and Mrs. Holmes arc. members of the M. E. - subject's mother was called to her account July Church of Bristol, N. H.
LEWIS W. FLING, a prominent lawyer and highly esteemed citizen of the town of Bristol, N. H., was born in Windsor, Vt., Dcc. 6, 1824, and is a son of Abel and Hopestill (Harlow) Fling, both natives of Springfield, Vt., and a grandson of Abel Fling, Sr.
Our subject's grandfather was a native of Con- necticut, and served three years in the Revolu- tionary War, for which he afterwards drew a pension. He was an agriculturist by occupa- tion, and owned and cultivated a farm of about 100 acres; in his early years he learned the trade of a carpenter and builder, and carried on that business in connection with his farming in Wind- sor, Vt. He married Susanna Alvord, a native of the Green Mountain State, and to them were given two children: Abel, our subject's father; and Amclia, who married William Harlow of Springfield, Vt. In religious belief they favored the Universalist Church.
Abel Fling, Jr., after completing a district school education in the schools of Springfield, Vt., which was very limited cven for that day, learned the trade of a carpenter and builder, and worked at it until his father's death, when he bought the homestead and carried on general farming until his death, Aug. 8. 1880. He ranked among the foremost men of his town, and was considered a very prosperous and successful man; he acquired considerable property by straightforward, square dealings, and was honest as the day is long. He was an old-linc Whig until the birth of the Republican party, when he enlisted his sympathies and influence under its banner, but never aspired to do more than to perform the simple duties of a plain citizen. He
married Hopcstill Harlow, daughter of Levi Harlow of Taunton, Mass., and later a resident of Springfield, Vt .; she was his second wife, and the mother of our subject, Lewis W. Fling, the only child born to them. His first wife, Abigail Harlow, a niece of Hopestill, bore him one child, Abbie, who married Stephen Hastings of Wind- sor, Vt .; Mrs. Hastings is now deceased. Our 19, 1865, to receive the reward promised to such as live the right kind of life here below. Our subject's father belongcd to the Calvinistic Bap- tist Church, and the mother was a member of the M. E. Church.
Lewis W. Fling attended the district schools of his native town until eighteen years of age, when he became a student at the New England Seminary, located at Windsor, Vt., and taught by Professors Jackman and Sweet; among his schoolmates at that institution were S. M. Wheeler, who afterwards courted Fortune with gratifying success in the legal profession, and Dr. Clark, a man of exceptional talents, who became a leading physician of Windsor, Vt. After leav- ing the above-mentioned seminary our subject went three terms to the academy at Lebanon, N. H., and then attended the academy at Claremont, N. H. His general education was completed in the Norwich University of Norwich, Vt., of which Gen. Ransom was at that time dcan. He then taught district and select school, both in New Hampshire and Vermont, eight terms, after which he entered the law office of J. E. Sargent of Canaan, N. H., remaining there six years, and was admitted to the bar of New Hampshire at Plymouth, this county, at the November term of court, 1851, and became a partner of Mr. Sar- gent. The law firm carried on its legal business, under the stylc of Sargent & Fling at Went- worth, N. H., until 1853. In that year Mr. Fling moved to the town of Bristol, Feb. 23, and in that town has developed a lucrative and highly satisfactory legal practice. In political belief hc is a stanch and uncompromising Democrat, and served as State Senator from the Eleventh Sena- torial District in 1871-72; and has also held the office of superintendent of the town schools, and has been a member of the school committee. He has always worked for the advancement of the educational interests of Bristol, and in any other way that was open has done his best to help the
MOSES M. WEEKS.
MRS. SALLIE M. WEEKS.
313
BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, GRAFTON COUNTY.
growth and symmetrical development of town institutions, but was never considered to be a 111an who labored thus for political notoriety. He is a Mason, and belongs to Union Lodge, No. 79, and is one of its charter members.
April 26, 1853, he was joined in the holy bonds of matrimony with Maria Currier of Wentworth, N. H. She died one year later, Aug. 19, 1854, and on Dec. 18, 1855, he formed a second alli- ance with Margaret H. Sleeper, of Bristol, N. H., who was a daughter of Rev. Walter Sleeper, one of the pioneer preachers of this section of the State. Of this second union there resulted the following children: Charles W., born Aug. 27, 1856; Harry S., who died in infancy; Eva M .; and Anna S., deceased. Eva M., who was born in 1863, married Oscar F. Fellows of Bris- tol, N. H., now a leading lawyer of Bucksport, Me .; they have two children: Raymond and Frank. Anna S., who was a talented musician, graduated from the Boston Conservatory of Music, and taught music in the Southern Female College at La Grange, Ga. She married James A. Pitman of that place, and left at her death two children to his care: Jim Fling Pitman and Anna A. Pitman.
Charles W. Fling, the oldest son of our sub- ject, was educated in the High School of Bristol, N. H., and at New Hampton Institute, and on completing his education accepted a position with the Bristol Savings Institution. He after- wards engaged in the carpentering and building business in company with B. L. and A. Welles, and continued to be interested in that branch of industry until Jan. 1, 1895, when he sold out to his partner and opened an office at No. 3 Cen- tral Square, Bristol, N. H., where he is occupied in a general insurance business, the collection of debts, the making of deeds, mortgages, and the like; he is also a notary public and a justice of the peace. He is a Democrat, and has held the office of town clerk, and has been a member of the school board for three years. He is a men- ber of the same Masonic Lodge as his father, Union No. 79, and is at present Past Master. He is also a member of l'emigewasset Chapter, No. 13, of Plymouth. In 1878 he was joined in wedlock with Etta A. Seavey of Alexander, N. H., and has two children: Lewis S., born March 8, 1880; and Eva, born Feb. 10, 1888. The family favor the Methodist Episcopal Church.
ELBRIDGE WEEKS, who is engaged in the pursuits of agriculture in the town of Haver- hill, was born in Bath, Feb. 4, 1851; he is a son of Moses M. and Sallie (Minot) Weeks, grand- son of David and Matilda (Childs) Weeks, and great-grandson of David and Ruth (Page) Weeks. David Weeks, Sr., was born in Green- land, Vt., in 1745, and was a carpenter by trade; in 1802 he moved to the town of Bath, where he died in 1827. He fought in the War of the Revo- lution. David Weeks, Jr., was a farmer and the father of eleven children, of whom but two sur- vive.
Moses M. Weeks was born in the town of Bath, Feb. 4, 1811, and died in Haverhill, March 12, 1896. He was reared in Bath, and attended the schools there until he was perhaps twenty years old. He then bought a farm, next to the one on which he was born, and there he made his home until 1877, when he bought the farm in Haverhill, where our subject now lives; he turned the farm over to his two sons and lived with them till death released him from further mortal cares. The farm consists of 150 acres of land, of which ninety are in cultivation. Moses Weeks was a life-long Democrat of the unyield- ing type, and served on the school committee of Bath. Dec. 29, 1840, he married Sallie Minot, daughter of Samuel and Hannah (Stone) Minot ; Mrs. Weeks was born Sept. 18, 1809, in the town of Bath and died May 15, 1889, in the town of Haverhill. Samuel Minot, a farmer, came from Concord, Mass., to Bath, in 1802, where he soon attained a place as one of the town's most highly respected citizens, serving as selectman and in other official capacities. Our subject owns a rare old portrait of his wife's father, which shows him to have been a very fine-appearing gentle- man.
The subject of this sketch was reared in his native town of Bath, and attended the district schools during the years of his minority; up to the year 1877, when the family moved to Haver- hill, Mr. Weeks worked alternately on the home farm and on the adjoining farms of the neigh- bors. When the family had settled in Haverhill, Elbridge and his brother took upon themselves the active management of the farm and allowed their parents to take a well-earned rest.
Mr. Weeks was married May 26, 1894, in Lis- bon, to Mrs. Ada Howland, widow of Enoch M.
314
BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, GRAFTON COUNTY.
Howland, and daughter of Adam and Mary (Morris) Streeter; Adam Streeter was a son of Joel and Lydia (Dailey) Streeter; Mary Morris was a daughter of Samuel and Ann Maria (Whit- comb) Morris. Mrs. Weeks by her first mar- riage has one daughter, Julia Howland; her union with our subject resulted in one daughter : Sallie Morris Weeks. Mrs. Weeks is a member of the Congregational Church. Both husband and wife are members of the Grange, No. 212, at Haverhill. In his politics he is independent, voting for the best man, regardless of party lines; in State and National elections, however, he generally votes the Democratic ticket.
The portraits of Mr. Weeks's father and mother appear on another page in this work.
CLARENCE N. MERRILL, miller and dealer in flour, grain and feed, lumber, drain pipe, coal, baled hay, lime, cement, and fertil- izers, residing in the town of Bristol, N. H., was born in Hill, N. H., Dec. 31, 1850. He is a son of Clark and Elizabeth (Crowell) Merrill, grand- son of John and Betsey (Darling) Merrill, and great-grandson of Jonathan and Mary (Farnum) Merrill.
Jonathan Merrill was born Feb. 10, 1733, and settled in Alexandria, this county, and it is said that he was the first man in that town to own a cow. He bought a new farm, which for many years he was occupied in clearing and improv- ing in other ways; he remained in his chosen vocation through life, and was considered a very successful and prosperous man of his time. His wife bore him one son, John.
John Merrill was born March 9, 1769, and died May, 1830. He was born in Bristol, and that continued to be his home through life, which was spent at his trade of tanning and in farming. Strict integrity of conduct characterized his whole life, and few men ever existed in whom one could place greater reliance. He was mar- ried Nov. 12, 1794, to .Betsey Darling, who was born April 22, 1771, and died Oct. 8, 1834. Their union was blessed with six children, who were as follows: Jonathan, born Dec. 5, 1795, died February, 1868; Susan, Dec. 24, 1797, died March 25, 1869; Mary, born Jan. 23, 1800, mar-
ried Joseph Chadwick, .April 20, 1851; John, April 10, 1802; Clark, Dec. 16, 1804, died April 2, 1887; and Moses, April 13, 1807, died March 4, 1868.
Clark Merrill, our subject's father, was edu- cated in his native town, and turned his atten- tion to agricultural pursuits, which he followed all of the active period of his life in the town of Hill, N. H. He was an active and energetic man, who delighted in being occupied at work. He was a stanch Republican in politics, and took a lively interest in the town affairs, doing all in his power to promote the general growth and de- velopment. In 1827, his nuptials with Elizabeth Crowell were consummated; she was a daugh- ter of Newman Crowell of Andover, N. H., and was born May 31, 1808. Our subject's parents reared nine children: Hannah C., born Oct. 23, 1827, married Benjamin Southmayd of Campton, N. H .; Mary E., born Oct. 19, 1831, married Merrill Greeley of Waterville, N. H .; Rose W., born April 13, 1834, married Eben K. Blodgett of Bristol, N. H., now a resident of Groton, Mass .; Moses W., born Oct. 19, 1837, married Almyra Southmayd of Campton, N. H .; George S., born Nov. 28, 1839, married Agnes Sleeper of Bristol, N. H., now of Clear Lake, Iowa; Ed- win C., born March 27, 1842, married as his first wife Sophronia Abbott of Hill, N. H., and as his second wife Lydia Davis of Grafton, N. H., and now lives at Alexandria, N. H .; Ruth A., born July 9, 1844, married William C. Kelley of Hill, N. H .; Albert L., born Jan. 17, 1847, mar- ried Mary Webster of Bristol, and now lives in West Plymouth, N. H .; and Clarence N., the subject of this sketch. Our subject's parents favored the M. E. Church.
Our subject was educated in the district schools of Bristol, and when he started out for himself, went west, and was brakeman for the Milwaukee & St. Paul R. R. for one year, when he returned to his native place. After working on the farm one year he moved to Bristol and worked about one year in a cabinet-shop. He then engaged with Messrs, Taylor and Shaw in the grain and milling business, running the mill for about twelve years. In July, 1884, he pur- chased Mr. Shaw's interest, and the business was then continued until May, 1896, under the firm name of Taylor & Merrill; since then he has been in the business alone. He owns and operates a
315
BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, GRAFTON COUNTY.
saw-mill at Groton, N. H., and also owns about 1,000 acres of valuable timber land at the same place. At Bristol, N. H., he handles fertilizers and all kinds and descriptions of farming tools and implements, making a specialty of the Worcester Buckeye Mowing Machine, and sell- ing more of them than any other man in the State except one, John B. Verrick of Manches- ter. He is a Democrat, and may always be found among the foremost of his party in the town. Socially he is a Mason and belongs to Union Lodge, No. 79; and St. Omer Chapter of Frank- lin, N. H.
In March, 1872, he was joined in marriage with Ann M. Foster, who was born Nov. 5, 1851, and is a daughter of Wilson Foster of Hill, N. H. They have one child, Everett C., born Nov. II, 1876, who is now attending school at the New Hampton Institute, New Hampton, N. H. In religious belief, they are Methodists, and be- long to the church of that denomination at Bris- tol.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.