USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Book of biographies. This volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Grafton County, New Hampshire > Part 56
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ALBRO WELLS, junior member of the firm of B. L. & A. Wells, contractors and builders of the town of Bristol, was born July 26, 1860, and is a son of Benjamin L. and Mary B. (Sleeper) Wells.
The first member of the Wells family, of whom we have any definite information, is one Henry Wells, the great-great-grandfather of our sub- ject, who was a native of New Hampshire, and died about 1779 by exposure to the cold. He was a shoemaker by trade, and in the year above mentioned he went to the mill with a grist of corn, which he loaded on the back of his saddle- horse; when returning from Hill, N. H., with his grist he was caught in a snow-storm. It is sup- posed he dismounted from his horse and lost his way; he was found the next morning all stiff and cold in death.
Peter Wells, son of the foregoing, and great- grandfather of our subject, was born March 24, 1771, in New Hampton. He was a farmer by occupation and followed his chosen calling all the years of his life. He married Hannah Blake, May 13, 1790, and their union was blessed by the birth of ten children: Betsey, born Jan. 5, 1791, died Oct. 29, 1864; Mary, March 13, 1793, died
Feb. 22, 1867; Hannah, June 30, 1795, died April 14, 1862; Affa, Aug. 31, 1797, died Feb. 4, 1843; Deborah, Dec. 4, 1799, died Nov. 18, 1893; Henry, June 28, 1802, died April 26, 1883; Peter, Sept. 29, 1804, died March 1, 1825; Sally, Sept. 24, 1807, died Sept. 7, 1890; Kiah, May 24, 1810, died May 31, 1888; and Emily, Feb. 29, 1816, died Aug. 31, 1835. It is believed that they were Methodists in their religious belief.
Henry Wells, our subject's grandfather, was born in New Hampton, N. H., and was educated in the schools of that place, after which he learned the carpenter's and joiner's trade, and was considered a very good workman; this trade he followed all the active period of his life. Po- litically he was first a Free-Soiler, and later joined the ranks of the Republican party. He held the office of selectman of the town of Bris- tol, and in all public enterprises was sure to be found at the front, ready to take the leadership of the enterprise and direct the work. He mar- ried Lavina Locke, Sept. 16, 1824, and to them were given two children: Peter, born Dec. 20, 1826, died in 1845; and Benjamin L., born Dec. 21, 1832. He was a Methodist in religious be- lief and attachments. Mrs. Wells was born in Bristol, Jan. 28, 1805, and died April 16, 1884.
Benjamin Wells, the father of our subject, was born in Bristol, N. H., and after completing his education in the schools of his native place learned the carpenter's and joiner's trade, in which he has been engaged all his life in the town of Bristol. In that town he established a shop for the manufacture of house builders' lum- ber and wood supplies, and with the exception of one or two years has continued in that line of work. In 1885 he took his son, Albro, the sub- ject of this biography, into the firm, which was run under the style of B. L. & A. Wells until 1890, when they took in as a partner Charles W. Fling, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this volume, and the firm was known as Wells & Fling, and did a very large and flourishing busi- ness. In 1895 Mr. Wells and his son bought Mr. Fling's interest, and since that time the firm has done business as B. L. & A. Wells. The busi- ness has grown and prospered under the joint management of father and son, and yields them a handsome income annually. They have built some very fine residences in the town of Bris- tol, and also a shoe factory, four stories high,
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with ground dimensions 32x75. Mr. Wells may be found at election time supporting the candi- dates of the Republican party at the polls. In 1857 he was joined in the bonds of matrimony with Mary Sleeper, daughter of Leavitt Sleeper; one child, Albro, the subject of this notice, was born to them. After Mrs. Wells's death, June 22, 1861, her husband formed a second union with Hannah Rollins, daughter of Uriah Rollins of Andover, N. H., which resulted in one child, Ellen C., who married Charles A. George of Bris- tol, N. H., and has one child, Marguerite, who was born in 1896. Both Mr. and Mrs. Wells are members of the M. E. Church.
Albro Wells was educated in the schools of Bristol, and learned the carpenter's and joiner's trade from his father, and has followed it stead- ily since 1877, and is now in company with his parent, as has been before mentioned. He is a Republican of no uncertain or wavering type, and is now a member of the school board. So- cially he is a member of the A. O. U. W. of Bris- tol, Merrill Lodge, No. 23.
On Sept. 15, 1885, he was joined in matrimony with Harriet A. Robie, daughter of George A. Robie of Bristol, and they have been blessed with the birth of three children: Mary, born July 17, 1886; Harry D., April 6, 1888; and Sarah E., Jan. 21, 1895. He is a Methodist in religious belief.
TIMOTHY B. SOUTHARD, a prosperous farmer and lumber dealer of Upper Bath Vil- lage, is the son of William Southard, and was born in Bath, N. H., May 24, 1851. The grand- father of our subject was named Lemuel South- ard, and was of Irish extraction; he was born in Falley, Vt., and received his limited schooling in the common schools of his native town. He was a very enterprising and energetic man, and besides owning and operating a farm of large extent, was a bridge-builder of note in that sec- tion of the State. His untimely death occurred while working at his trade; he fell from a bridge he was constructing at White River Junction and was drowned, at the age of twenty-eight years. His widow, Jennie Moore, a native of Falley, Vt., and two children, were left to mourn
his loss; the children were named: Nancy J .; and William, the father of our subject. In poli- tics Mr. Southard was a Whig, but in his short career never found time to engage in office-seek- ing. Both he and his family were attendants of the Congregational Church.
William Southard, the father of Timothy B., was born in Falley, Vt., Oct. 16, 1807; the schools of his native place furnished mm with the means for his early mental training. At the age of fifteen he started out in life to support himself, the first dollar he earned being given to him for breaking a colt. He hired out as a farm hand, receiving the small stipend of seven dollars a month. By a careful husbanding of his in- come he was at length enabled to go to Haver- hill, N. H., where he purchased a farm with his savings; he remained in that locality for seven years, tilling the soil with excellent results. He then moved to Swiftwater, a small village in the eastern part of the town of Bath, N. H., where he bought another piece of farming property, and made it his home, and the scene of the re- mainder of his active years of toil. His death occurred Oct. 28, 1891:
On Feb. 4, 1833, he was married to Ann W., daughter of Timothy and Susan W. (White) Bar- ron, the former parent a native of Bath, and the latter of Haverhill, N. H. Eleven chuuren were born to Mr. and Mrs. Southard, as follows: William B .; Ruth A .; Nancy J .; Charley B .; Mary E .; Timothy, deceased; Lemuel J .; Ellen E .; Susan W .; Fannie K .; and Timothy B., the subject of this sketch. They also reared a grand- child, Barron D., who remained with them until he was twenty years of age. William B., the eld- est child, married Eliza Haney of Michigan; Ruth married Ira Kimball of Bath; Nancy J. be- came the life-partner of L. E. Noyes of Bath; Charley married Carrie Chisholm of Chicago, Ill .; Lemuel married Hannah Drury of Bath; Ellen was joined in marriage to E. B. DeForest of Michigan; Fannie married John H. Cutting of Haverhill, N. H. Regarding our subject's father's political attachments he was a Democrat, but was never a seeker after public office. In his religious views he was most liberal.
Timothy B. Southard received the fundamen- tal elements of a good education in the schools of Bath, and at the age of twenty sought work as a farm hand. He saved his earnings, and, in
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connection with his father, was soon in a posi- tin to purchase the starch factory, then owned . Connecticut River R. R. Afterwards he was by General Bedell of Bath, N. H. Under their connected with the Boston & Providence R. R., Hoosatonic Valley R. R., and New Jersey Cen- tral R. R., in the same capacity. During the lat- ter years of his life he held the responsible posi- tion of superintendent of bridges and buildings for the Fitchburg R. R., on the Vermont and Massachusetts Division; he held this position until his death, at the age of seventy-six. He married Elizabeth Tyler of Hinsdale, N. H .; she was taken to her heavenly home at the age of eighty-seven. They reared the following chil- dren: Frank P., the subject of this memoir; Elizabeth (Amsden), now deceased; Arthur W., deceased; and James T., who resides in Bath, N. H. The father of our sub- ject was a Democrat in politics, but never ac- cepted any nomination at the hands of his party. although frequently urged to accept. He was a Master Mason, and a member of the Unitarian Church. joint control they did a good business in the manufacture of starch for four years, when they sold the plant, and our subject assumed control of the home farm, which he has cultivated since 1880. In addition to his farming interests, which are extensive of themselves, he carries on a large lumber business, owning and operating a saw- mill, located at Swiftwater, with a sawing ca- pacity of one million feet per annum. In 1894 he purchased the present home and farm of 275 acres, which is splendidly adapted to general farming. His first wife was Lois W. Partridge of Haverhill, N. H. After her decease he formed a second matrimonial alliance with Arabella Noyes of Bath, and they have been blessed by the birth of four children, who are: Annie B .; James Noyes; Agnes F .; and Frances L., who are all attending school. Mr. Southard is a Dem- ocrat. The family is liberal in its religious views.
FRANK P. MOULTON, an honored resi- (lent of the village of Bath, and locomotive engi- neer for the Bath Lumber Co., is a son of Albert G. and Elizabeth (Tyler) Moulton, and grandson of David and Martha (Knapp) Moulton. Our subject's grandfather was born in Lyman, and was reared to agricultural pursuits. His father, who was a native of England, was one of the first settlers of the town. David Moulton proved a very successful farmer, and owned a large and productive tract of land, and was very well fur- nished with the means of comfort and ease. He (lied at the age of eighty. His wife was Martha Knapp; she bore him a family of nine children, departing this life at the advanced age of eighty- eight years. Their children were: Daniel, David, Albert G., George, Benjamin, Joan, Elmira, Martha, and Ellen.
Albert G. Moulton, the father of our subject, was born in the town of Lyman, and passed his early years there, engaged in much the same duties as most boys that live on farms are en- gaged in. His first important employment was as a carpenter and bridge builder for Stone &
Harris, contractors for the construction of the
Frank P. Moulton was born April 13, 1853. at Athol, Mass., where he received his education. Having a strong desire to follow railroading, he became baggageman between Boston and the Hoosac Tunnel; after six months faithful and meritorious service he was promoted to the posi- tion of conductor on the same road, in which capacity he remained with them for eleven years: however, not all of the eleven years was spent as conductor, the last few years he acted as loco- motive engineer. Our subject's father was de- sirous of his son's leaving railroad life, and, ac- cordingly bought for him a beautiful $12,000.00 farm in the town of Bath. Mr. Moulton at once moved to the farm and engaged in agricultural pursuits ; he still makes it his home. The most of his life has been associated with the railroad, except four years, in which he was actively en- gaged in farming, and the last few years, since 1892, in which he has been locomotive engineer for the Bath Lumber Co.
Mr. Moulton was married in 1878 to Marshie E. Atwood of Lisbon, N. H. Five children have blessed their union, namely: Marion; Imogene ; Albert, who died at the age of three years; Shir- lie L .; and Helen. Mr. Moulton is a member of Mooschillock Lodge, No. 25. I. O. O. F. He is a Democrat in his political attachments, and has been justice of the peace since 1882.
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, GRAFTON COUNTY.
HON. DAVID MASON, a member of the firm of the Mason, Perkins Paper Co., manufac- turers of wood pulp and white paper, of the town of Bristol, N. H., was born June 27, 1820, and is a son of David and Esther (Moore) Mason, the former of the town of Sanbornton, and the latter a native of Goffstown, N. H.
David Mason, Sr., our subject's father, was educated in the schools of Sanbornton, and when a young man came to Bristol, and has followed pursuits of agriculture all his life in that town. His wife Esther, was a daughter of Robert Moore of Goffstown, N. H., and to them were born the following children: Daniel, David, Robert, Joseph M., Mary J., Hetta, Jerusha, and one who died in infancy. Mr. Mason was liberal in religious belief and a Republican in his politi- cal allegiance.
Our subject, after completing his education in Bristol, first engaged in lumbering business and later on entered upon the manufacture of straw- board and paper, and since 1855 he has devoted his entire attention to the wood pulp and white paper business, in which, in company with B. F. Perkins, of Bristol, N. H., under the firm name of Mason, Perkins & Co., he is extensively en- gaged in that town. The company have control- ling stock in the New Found Lake Power Co. of Bristol, N. H., which has one of the best water privileges in the entire State. He is also one of the heaviest stockholders in the Bristol Aque- duct Co. He is a member of the finance commit- tee of the Bristol Savings Bank. In his political belief and affiliations he is an uncompromising Republican, and has held the office of selectman and also represented the town of Bristol in the State Legislature for three terms. He married Elvira Gurdy, daughter of Elisha Gurdy, of Bristol, N. H. As our subject's union did not result in any issue, he and his wife adopted a girl. Addie, whom they reared and educated as one of their own flesh and blood. Addie married Charles E. Mason, a nephew of our subject. Mr. and Mrs. Mason are members of the Methodist Episcopalian Church of Bristol, N. H. He has at all times been un- tiring in his efforts to further the interests of Bristol, and is held in high esteem as one of its solid and substantial business men, who have contributed so much to its present prosperity and success.
FRANK P. FIELDS, head clerk and book- keeper for the Mason, Perkins Paper Co. of Bris- tol, N. H., was born in the town of Merrimack, of this State, Nov. 5, 1852. He is a son of Smith and Mary (Moses) Fields, and a grandson of Joshua Fields.
Joshua Fields was a native of New Hampshire and farmer by occupation, following that calling throughout the active period of his life, and was very successful in his efforts to secure a liveli- hood and also to obtain a competence with which to support himself in his declining years. In his political belief he was a stanch Jacksonian Dem- ocrat, being an ardent partisan of the great Dem- ocratic leader, Andrew Jackson. He married a Miss Emerson, and to them were born four chil- dren: Hannah, Smith, Sally, and Joshua. Han- nah married Charles Sherwin, a native of Ver- mont, and had two children, Ora A., who mar- ried C. B. Gardner of Lowell, Mass., and Charles, who died at the age of twenty-one years; Sally married Peter Carlton of Amherst, N. H., and was blessed with two children, Hannah died at the age of sixteen years, and Sarah, who mar- ried John Hadlock of New Hampshire, and had two sons, Albert and John.
Smith Fields, our subject's father, carried on a prosperous farming and lumber business all his life in Merrimack, N. H., and held a leading place in the business circles of that town. He was a Democrat and held the office of selectman sev- eral years. His wife Mary was a daughter of Eben Moses, and to them were born six chil- dren: Sarah, deceased; Charles, deceased; Joshua, deceased, who married Fidelia Field of Hollis, N. H., and has one child living, Fred E .; Mary A., married Robert M. M. Gordon of New Hampton, and has one child, Adelbert M .; Scott married Susan F. Hill of Merrimack, N. H., and has three children, Warren, Elmer, and Charles; Frank P., the youngest child in the parental family, is the subject of this sketch. In religious belief our subject's parents were Methodists. The mother died July 6, 1874, and the father July 6, 1876.
Frank P. Fields was educated in the schools and New Hampton Institute of New Hampton, N. H., and engaged in the meat business for two years with Weeks & Flanders in Plymouth, N. H., he then came to Bristol in 1876, and entered the employ of the Mason, Perkins Paper Co. as
L
FAYETTE BACON.
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, GRAFTON COUNTY.
paper maker and was later advanced to the posi- tion of bookkeeper and head clerk, which posi- tion he still holds and has held for fourteen years. He is a Democrat, but has never filled any office at the gift of his towns-people, having no great desire for fame in that direction. Nov. 24, 1877, he was joined in matrimony with Clara J. Weeks of Plymouth, daughter of N. H. Weeks, and to Mr. and Mrs. Fields have been born two chil- dren: Mary E., born Sept. 24, 1880; and Chas. W., Dec. 14, 1883. Mr. Fields is a Mason and belongs to Union Lodge, No. 79, of Bristol, and in religious belief he favors the M. E. Church.
FAYETTE BACON, of Haverhill, a manu- facturer of bent stock for sleighs, sleds, carriages, etc., owning and operating a shingle mill, in ad- dition to a planing and saw-mill, was born in Haverhill on the farm that adjoins the one he now occupies, Oct. 24, 1835. He is a son of Asa and Roxana Matilda (Perry) Bacon, and grandson of Abner and Catherine (Reed) Bacon. The grandfather of our subject, it is most likely, came from Connecticut ; he settled in Putney in 1798, where he pursued his trade of a tailor and clothier; he was born Aug. 15, 1768, and died May 16, 1864, at the advanced age of ninety- six.
Asa Bacon was born in Connecticut, and was. taken by his parents to Putney, Vt., when two years old: he was married on Sunday, Feb. 29, 1824, when he was twenty-eight, and came to Haverhill and settled on the farm, where his son, Fayette, was born, and died there at the age of eighty-six, Aug. 15, 1882. He pursued the vari- ous avocations of farmer, cobbler, and shoe- maker through life. He was a member of the militia when a mere boy of sixteen, being large for his age. The company, of which he was a member, was notified to be in readiness to take the field during the War of 1812, but they were never actually called into service. His wife was born in Putney, Vt., and was a daughter of Will- iam and Eleanor (Jones) Perry, and grand- daughter of William Perry, Sr .; Eleanor Jones's father was a sea captain. The family, which our subject's parents raised consisted of the follow- ing members: Catherine, deceased; George, de-
ceased ; William, deceased; Fayette; Caroline M., who makes her home with her brother Fayette.
Our subject passed the bright and careless years of boyhood and youth on his father's farm at Center Haverhill, going to the district schools till he was twenty years old, at which age he left home to learn the wheelwright's trade at North Haverhill. In 1857 he erected a shop in Nortli Haverhill, where he remained, and carried on a good business until 1863, when he bought his present farm of 100 acres, built a shop, and trans- ferred his entire business; in his work he used horse-power until 1882, and since that time has made use of a ten-horse power steam engine. His product was at first in the line of light car- riages, but later branched out and embraced heavy wagons, carts, etc., of all descriptions. His work is now mainly confined to the manufactur- ing of bent stock for sleighs, sleds, and carriages, also hubs and shingles ; a planing and saw-mill and shingle-mill enable him to do a large and flourishing business. The shingle-mill is run by our subject's nephew, E. Henry Lewis, a bright, energetic young man, who has a decided turn tor machinery, and will probably follow his in- clinations and natural bent, and learn the ma- chinist's trade.
Mr. Bacon consummated his nuptials with Susanna C. Wright at Newbury, Vt., Oct. II, 1859; Mrs. Bacon was born in Warren, N. H., of Russell and Hannah (Cilley) Wright. She de- parted this life April 15, 1887, for the blessed regions, promised to those of blameless life. Our subject's sister, Caroline M. Bacon, was mar- ried Jan. 31, 1874, in North Haverhill, to Will- iam H. Lewis, and to them was born one son, E. Henry Lewis, April 17, 1878. Mr. Bacon was a charter member of the old grange years ago, when it was first organized. He has always voted the straight Republican ticket ever since attaining his majority, casting his first vote for John C. Fremont, in 1856. Mr. Bacon takes a deep interest in politics, but office has no attrac- tion for him, and he has steadily and repeatedly refused all offers of political advancement ; in the campaign of 1896, he was especially interested in and did all in his power to pile up a large ma- jority for McKinley.
Mr. Bacon's portrait, appearing on a page in proximity to this, will be, we are very certain, a valuable addition to this work.
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, GRAFTON COUNTY.
GREEN L. TILTON, a selectman and lead- ing citizen of Bristol, N. H., where he is en- gaged in teaming, was born in New Hampton, N. H., Feb. 13, 1840, and is a son of Salmon H. and Johanna (Hight) Tilton, both natives of New Hampton.
Josiah Tilton, grandfather of our subject, was born in New Hampton, N. H., and was engaged in agricultural pursuits all his life in the above town. He married Sally Keniston of Allens- town, and to them were born these children: Clarissa, Salmon H., Daniel, Betsey, Rachel, Eunice, and David. They were Free Will Bap- tists in religious belief. Mrs. Tilton died in 1882, aged 101 years, and her husband passed away in 1865, at the age of eighty.
Our subject's father, Salmon H. Tilton, was educated in the schools of New Hampton, and was engaged in farming all his life in that town. In early life he was a Whig and later a sup- porter of the Republican principles. His wife Johanna was the daughter of James Hight of New Hampton; she bore him five children, as follows: John F .; Green L., the subject of this sketch; Emily L .; George H .; and Sarah A. They favored the doctrines of the Free Will Bap- tist Church. Mr. Tilton died Oct. 7, 1893, and his wife Jan. 28, 1896.
Green L. Tilton received his education in the schools of New Hampton, and then learned the currier's and tanner's trade, which he followed ten years in the town of Bristol, N. H., for the firm of Bartlett & White, later for Mr. White alone. He then engaged in the manufacture of boots and shoes, wholesale and retail, in com- pany with Elijah Sanborn, under the style of Sanborn & Tilton. After carrying on this busi- ness five years he sold his interest and engaged in the job teaming business, which he has car- ried on ever since. He also owns and operates about 150 acres of land, which is devoted to gen- eral farming. In political belief he is a stanch Republican, and has been prominent in the coun- cils of that party in the town of Bristol. He has held the office of selectman five years, road agent sixteen years; has also been a member of the school committee, and justice of the peace, a position he now holds. Socially he belongs to Cardigan Lodge, No. 38. I. O. O. F., of Bristol. N. H., and is also a member of New Found Grange.
March 21, 1864, he was joined in matrimony with Sarah J. Fellows, daughter of Benjamin Q. Fellows of Bristol, N. H., and to them were given four children, as follows: Willie, boin April 22, 1866, died aged four months; Ardilla, now deceased, born June 21, 1867; Eva E., born March 17, 1870, married Wesley A. Dicy of Alexandria, N. H., and has three children, Maud E., Bernice D., and Mildred J .; Grace H., born Oct. II, 1877, married George F. Trussell of the town of Orford, this county. In religious belief they favor the doctrines of the Free Will Baptist Church.
WILLIS B. BLANDIN, a prominent farmer and deputy sheriff of the town of Bath, is the son of Slyvanus and Harriet (Greenwood) Blan- din, and grandson of Jonathan Blandin. Jona- than Blandin was a farmer, and devoted his life to the pursuit of agriculture; he lived the most of his life in Bethlehem. He was a man of great physical strength and endurance, and lived to the advanced age of 105 years, retaining an al- most youthful activity to the last. He served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War.
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