USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Book of biographies. This volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Grafton County, New Hampshire > Part 70
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ble yet, even after the lapse of almost half a century. He moved three large barns from dif- ferent places, and grouped them on his land in one solid mass of buildings. He then remodeled them and arranged them into convenient apart- ments for the varied needs of a well-conducted farm. The house was also remodeled and made more convenient for its owner's use. Israel was a practical man in every sense of the word, and all the improvements were made with the idea of convenience and greater utility. He was born July 5, 1812, and died March 10, 1883. His wife was born in 1816, and departed this life in 1873. The children that resulted from this happy union were: Walter B., born Nov. 3, 1837; Harris B., born March 31, 1839; Mary A., born June 7, 1840; Samuel S., born June 13, 1841; Martha E., born July 26, 1849; Ira, born June II, 1852; and Nettie F., born Sept. 25, 1855.
Samuel S. Mitchell, the husband of the subject of this sketch, enlisted in 1862, in Co. B., 15th Reg. N. H. Vol. Inf., and served one year as a sixth corporal, and received an honorable dis- charge. During the remainder of his life he re- mained on the farm. He carried out his father's idea of practical farming to its fullest extent; after the house burned down in 1876, he built a new and a larger one, and began to take boarders. Since that time he has had all the boarders he could wish; they have been of the most choice class, and have been more than pleased with the accommodations and the sur- roundings. The farm is finely located in the val- ley of Bog Brook, with the house built on a rise of ground, from which one may have a fine view of mountain scenery; Kearsarge Mountain, although many miles distant, is plainly seen, and affords a pleasant background for scenes that are nearer. There are many other peaks that are near by; among these peaks is Bald Hill, with an elevation of 1,300 feet; it is easy of ac- cess, and its flat rock on the very summit affords the finest place conceivable for enjoying the scenery, with its many peaks and valleys, forest- crested hill and low-lying cultivated fields. Samuel S. Mitchell died Feb. 7, 1893; his death was caused by being struck by a locomotive while attempting to cross the railroad tracks at Plymouth; after the accident he only lived two weeks. He was universally respected by his large circle of acquaintances for his many noble
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traits of character, and his death was a severe blow both to the family and surrounding friends, and to the community at large. In politics he was an Independent Democrat. He supported the Universalist Church heartily, and that organ- ization lost one of its best members in his death. He was an honored member of the local G. A. R. Post.
He married- Millie H. Homans, daughter of Gilbert W. and Jane (Bryant) Homans. Gilbert W. Homans was born in Campton, and is a son of John and Hannah (Ramsey) Homans. John Homans's birth-place was Campton, N. H. His father, Joseph Homans, was a native of New- buryport, Mass., having moved to Campton at an early period. John Homans cleared several farms, selling them as fast as he could improve them, and in this way helped to settle the town with a desirable class of people. He cleared farms on Beech Hill and Campton Bog; he also built saw and grist-mills, which have since been torn down. He was a very progressive man and aided much in the early development of Camp- ton. He had the quality of push coupled with that of perseverance, and was bound to succeed. He was killed in middle age, by being run down by an ox team. He was married twice, and had nineteen children. Gilbert W., father of our sub- ject, at his father's death, took charge of the farm and oversaw the necessary work of the farm. Later he built a large saw and grist-mill further down the same brook, where his father had operated mills before him; he became the owner of some 300 acres of land by strict econ- omy and judicious farming. He was born in 1812, and died in 1886. His wife was born in 1814, and died in 1896. Their children were: G. Madison; G. Frank; Elbridge; Anna C .; David R .; and Millie H., the eldest. Mr. Homans was a stanch Republican in politics.
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Four children were born to our subject and her husband. May Louise was born June 23, 1871, and is a school teacher. Annie Frances was born July 26, 1872, and is also a teacher. Carl Albert was born March 18, 1875, and assists his mother in the care and management of the farm. Lester Elbridge was born March 9, 1888. Mrs. Mitchell keeps a choice dairy, and has a very fine grafted orchard.
The portrait of Samuel S. Mitchell appears on another page of this work.
REV. JOHN QUINCY BITTINGER, de- ceased, was born in Berwick, Pa., March 20, 1831. His father, Joseph Bittinger, was the sec- ond son of Joseph, the son of Nicholas Budinger, who was the second son of Adam Budinger, who came from Germany and settled in Pennsylvania about the year 1737.
John Quincy Bittinger received his early edu- cation in the common schools of his native town, and as apprentice in a printing office. He began fitting for college at Oxford Institute, Pa., took two years at Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass., graduated from Dartmouth College in 1857, and from Andover Theological Seminary in 1860.
He was ordained and installed at Yarmouth, Me., whence he was called to St. Albans, Vt., and became pastor of the First Congregational Church there in 1864, remaining about three years. During these seven years he took a high position as a preacher, and became known as a writer, publishing articles in the North American Review, American Theological Review, Congre- gational Review, and in the Bibliotheca Sacra.
While at St. Albans his health failed and he was obliged to resign, removing to Windsor, Vt., where he hoped a period of rest would restore him to vigor. This hope never became realized, and for almost thirty years he was an invalid, suffering much, though bravely keeping up the fight.
In 1869 he accepted the pastorate of the church at Hartland, Vt., and in 1873 was called to the important church at Haverhill, where he preached twelve years. Being unable to stand, he delivered his sermons seated in a high chair, but at the last he was unable to mount the pul- pit stairs, and was carried to the church in a wheel chair, preaching from the platform in front of the pulpit.
In 1886, his increasing infirmities compelled him to retire from public duties, and he resigned his pastorate. In 1888 he published the "History of Haverhill," the first and only history the town has ever had.
For over two years he was editor of the New Hampshire Journal, resigning in 1888. In 1892 he published "A Plea for the Sabbath and for Man," a book of 236 pages, the materials for which he had been gathering for ten years. In many respects this is considered the best recent
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work on the Sabbath, and reveals on almost every page the abundant learning of the author. This work Mr. Bittinger regarded as the crown- ing effort of his life, and it proved his last. His health rapidly failed, and before the book came from the publisher's hands, he had so nearly lost his eye-sight that he was unable to see the finished product of his brain.
Mr. Bittinger died at his home in Haverhill, April 5, 1895, of heart disease, terminating a very low physical condition of several weeks.
In 1860 he married Sarah Jones Wainwright of Hanover, who survives him with three sons and a daughter. The eldest son, Frederick W., married Aug. 3, 1886, Lillian MI. Ayer of Pike Station, N. H., and they have two children: Muriel M. and Fritz J. The second son, Joseph F., married March 6, 1889, Kate A. Teague of Memphis, Tenn. They have two children: Mar- jorie V. and Alene. The two younger children of Rev. Bittinger, Helen C. and Charles E., are un- married.
ALFRED COCK, a leading farmer of the town of Plymouth, is the son of John Cook, grandson of Cutting Cook, great-grandson of Samuel Cook, Jr., and great-great-grandson of Samuel Cook.
Samuel Cook passed his life in Newburyport, Mass. Samuel Cook, Jr., was born in Newbury- port, but early in life traveled to Campton, N. H., where he received a grant of land, and became one of the early settlers of the town. He en- gaged actively in agricultural pursuits on a large scale. He made Campton his home, and died there. He married Judith Bartlett.
Cutting Cook, the son of Samuel Cook, Jr., was born in Newburyport, where he was reared and educated to agricultural pursuits. He car- ried on his extensive farming operations with considerable profit. He lived to be seventy-five years old. His wife was Betsy Merrill. She died April 30, 1845, at the age of seventy-nine. Their children were: Cutting, Jr., Betsey, John, Han- nalı, Jemima, Sally, Judith, Mehitabel, Zebedee, Lucinda, and Lydia.
Capt. John Cook, son of the preceding, and father of the subject of this notice, was born in
Campton on the old homestead, located on what is now generally called Cook's Hill. His trade was that of a bridge-builder and carpenter, and he practiced these trades the most of his life. He lived on the homestead, and, in connection with his trade, carried on farming operations on a small scale. He passed away at the age of sev- enty-eight. He married Hannah, daughter of John Clark of Haverhill, N. H. She died at the age of eighty. Nine children was the result of this union: Emily, died at the age of five years; Martha (Whidden); Mary (Merrill); Rufus; Franklin; Alfred, Ist, died when young; John; Alfred; and Moody. They were prominent mem- bers of the Free Will Baptist Church. As a worker in the church and Sunday-school, Mr. Cook was always found at the post of duty and willing to assume his share of the responsibility, and to perform his part of the work. He was superintendent of the Sunday-school for over thirty years. He was a kindly disposed neigh- bor, and ever ready with sympathy and help for those in trouble.
As a citizen he was loyal to duty, and always exercised his best judgment in the management of public affairs. He was a public-spirited man, and served in the various town offices. His title as captain was derived from his office that he held in the State militia.
Alfred Cook, the subject of this notice, was born in Campton, March 13, 1835. At first at- tending the district schools of Campton, he built the foundation for a good education. New Hamp- ton Academy furnished him a suitable place for advanced work. Finishing the academy, he taught school for one season; but that work did not appeal to his taste, so he commenced the study of civil engineering under his older brother. After becoming proficient in the pro- fession he went west during the great period of railroad building, and executed considerable work there. Since 1870 Mr. Cook has lived in Plymouth; he has been a very successful farmer, and has the reputation of being a very practical engineer. He has devoted a great deal of time and study to his profession, and still does work in that line in the vicinity of his home.
In the year 1861 he married Hannah, dangh- ter of David Boynton of Thornton, N. H. Their family consists of: Charles A .; Herbert M. died at the age of seventeen years and six months;
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John M. died in infancy; Mary H .; Alice E .; John H .; and Flora A. His sons assist him in the carrying on of the farm work, and make a specialty of dairying. He has a fine improved farm of 200 acres; it lies in the Baker River Val- ley, about two miles from the village, and is - known as the River Side Farm.
Mr. Cook is a Republican, and, like his father before him, gives much of his attention to public affairs; in those things that directly concern the town is he most deeply interested in. He has filled several of the posts of honor and responsi- bility at the disposal of his fellow-townsmen with great credit. He is well liked by his neighbors, and very highly respected by all good citizens for his many good qualities.
HERMAN W. CLAY, a leading dairyman of Plymouth, N. H., is the son of Jonathan Laud Clay, and grandson of William Clay. William Clay was born in Salisbury, N. H., and lived there the early portion of his life; he then moved to East Andover, where he lived the most of his life. He died in Plymouth at the allotted age of man-seventy years. He reared three children: Horace, Jonathan L., and Caleb C. Mr. Clay was a shoemaker by trade, and followed it steadily through life.
Jonathan L. Clay was born in Salisbury, N. H. In early life his father apprenticed him to the stone-cutter's trade, believing that everyone should have one thing he could do and do well. Although very familiar with his trade, Jonathan never attempted to earn his living with it, but turned his attention to the pursuit of agriculture. After his marriage he removed to Plymouth, where he lived to the age of fifty-seven, when death released him from further care and worry.
He married Mary A. Gillman of Springfield, N. H .; she passed away at the age of fifty-one, after giving birth to six children: Herman W., the subject of this notice; Luhana, who married Charles Morrill of Littleton; they have two chil- dren, Willie C. and Scott B .; Ocello B. married Abbie A. Morrill of Bridgewater; they died and left one child, Ethel M .; Sherared married Susan B. Burnes, who died at the age of thirty-three; he married as his second wife Belle B. Putnam of Elnor, Vt .; Elmer X. was born in Plymouth,
and worked seven years at glove-cutting. He then bought a farm adjoining the homestead, where he settled down, and at the present time operates a dairy; he has a milk route in Ply- mouth that he has run for five years. His farm consists of 210 acres, some of which is under cul- tivation, but the greater portion is devoted to pasturage. He married, in 1888, Ella, daughter of Moses Isham of East Concord, Vt. They have one child, Bertha E. Elmer X. Clay is a member of the Lafayette Lodge, No. II, 1. O. O. F., and also of the Plymouth Grange, No. 42. Cora M., the youngest child of Jonathan L. Clay, married George Guy. Jonathan L. Clay, the father of the subject of this sketch, was a strong Democrat, as are all his sons. He served as se- lectman of Plymouth for three years.
Herman W. Clay was born in Plymouth, June 4, 1842. Glove-cutting furnished a means of em- ployment for five years, when he returned to the old homestead and made it his dwelling-place; he still resides there. On Sept. 24, 1874, he was joined in matrimonial bonds to Addie M., daugh- ter of Moses A. Choate of Enfield, N. H. They have four children: Stella M., Lucian, Helen Z., 'and Bernice. Mr. Clay, in addition to his regular farming operations, makes a specialty of dairy- ing, and has conducted a milk route in Plymouth since 1890. He has a 200-acre farm, located two miles from the village of Plymouth.
FRANK E. GOODELL, a retired farmer of Wentworth, N. H., is the son of Asa Goodell, grandson of Luther Goodell, great-grandson of Deacon Jonathan Goodell, great-great-grandson of Jonathan Goodell, great-great-great-grandson of Isaac Goodell, great-great-great-great-grand- son of Zechariah Goodell, and the great-great- great-great-great-grandson of Robert Goodell, who was born in Suffolk Co., England, in 1604, and emigrated to Salem, Mass., in 1634.
Luther Goodell, the grandfather of our sub- ject, was born in the town of Lyme, N. H. His whole life was spent in that town. He married Patty Waterman; they reared a family of eight children.
Asa was the eldest child, and was brought up to the life of a farmer. He married Polly, daughter of Justice Grant of Lyme. Asa re-
A
HON. WILLIAM A. BERRY.
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mained in Lyme about twelve years after his marriage engaged in his chosen pursuit, when he removed to Wentworth, where he spent the remainder of his peaceful life. Asa Goodell and his wife were loyal members of the Congrega- tional Church. In politics he affiliated with the Whigs, until the final dismemberment of that party, when he transferred his allegiance and trust to the Republican party. He departed this life in 1885. His wife passed away at the age of forty-five, leaving one child as the result of the union.
Frank E. Goodell was born in Lyme, March 20, 1828. He received his education in the town of his nativity, and came to Wentworth with his parents. He has been engaged in the pursuit of agriculture with generally good results until 1888, when he retired from active life, and left the old homestead and moved to the village. In 1855 he was joined in the holy bond of matri- mony to Hannah, daughter of Jesse Eaton of Wentworth, N. H. They support the Congrega- tional Church. He is a Republican in politics, and is always interested in town affairs.
HON. WILLIAM A. BERRY, a prominent manufacturer of picker sticks and all other acces- sories of cotton and woolen mills, who has his residence and factory in Bristol, N. H., was born Oct. 23. 1826, in the above town, and is a son of the "War Governor," Nathaniel S. Berry, and Ruth Smith, the former a native of Bath, Me., and the latter from Bath, N. H.
Abner Berry, the grandfather of our subject, was born in Bath, Me., and was a ship-builder by trade, which occupation he followed up to the time of his death, which was occasioned by an injury received from falling from a vessel which he was engaged in constructing. He married Betsey Springer, a native of Maine, and their union was blessed with four children: Abner, Teresa, Mary, and Nathaniel S. In their relig- ious belief they were Congregationalists.
Hon. Nathaniel S. Berry, father of our sub- ject, was born Sept. 1, 1796. in Bath, Me. In June, 1805. at the age of nine years, poverty com- pelled him to face the world and to become de- pendent on his own efforts for a livelihood, and accordingly secured a position as a chore boy at
a tavern in his native town. A short time after this he was apprenticed to a tanner of Bath, with whom he worked six years, with the exception of from four to six weeks each summer, when he was attending school. In 1807 his widowed mother married Benjamin Morse, a ship-builder of Lebanon, Me .; two years later the ship-build- ing prospects were ruined by the threatened war with England, and Mr. Morse was compelled to seek other employment, so he moved his family to Lisbon, N. H., where Nathaniel lived a few months. When he finally left home he went to Bath, N. H., where he became apprenticed to William Morrison, a saddler and harness-maker ; during the three and a half years that he spent with Mr. Morrison he added to his limited educa- tion by improving every opportunity at the Pub- lic Library, to which he had free access. There at the age of fourteen he first attended Sunday- school. At the age of sixteen he became appren- ticed to Edmond Carlton, receiving for his ser- vices $40.00 and six weeks schooling a year, but clothing himself. In April, 1818, he moved to Bristol, N. H., where he took charge of a tan- nery at a salary of $200.00 a year. In 1820 he was engaged in the manufacture of leather, and six years later erected in Bristol the first tannery in New England for tanning with hot liquors. From 1840 to 1864 he resided in Hebron, con- tinuing in the same line of business; his tannerv there was twice destroyed by fire. From 1864 to 1878 he lived in Andover, Mass., and then went west, and lived with his daughter, Mrs. Emeline Morse, now deceased, in Milwaukee, Wis., until 1883, when he returned to Bristol, N. H., where he spent his days with his son, William A. Berry, the subject of this sketch. He was a splendid type of the self-made man, start- ing out in life without means, but with persever- ance, a desire to do well what was to be done, and an evident intention to win his way in the great battle of life. How well he succeeded in commercial life we have already briefly re- counted; it only remains to tell of his valuable services to town, state, and the nation at large, for his fame was national, and his work in the aid of the Union will ever occupy a prominent place in the history of the great civil struggle of 1861-65.
In his political belief he was a Democrat until 1840, and later, upon the formation of the Re-
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, GRAFTON COUNTY.
publican party, joined its ranks. He was a pub- lic-spirited man, and always occupied a promi- nent place in public affairs. He was one of the incorporators of the Bristol Branch Railroad, raising among the capitalists of the city of Bos- ton a part of the money required for its construc- tion. He was justice of the peace and quorum for New Hampshire twenty-three years, and for Massachusetts five years. He was Judge of the Court of Common Pleas from 1841-1850; Judge of Probate five years; and for several years a se- lectman of Bristol, N. H. He represented Bris- tol in the Legislature in 1828-33-34, and Hebron in 1847 and 1854. In 1835-36 he was State Sen- ator from the Eleventh Senatorial District. In 1861 he was elected Governor of New Hamp- shire, and was re-elected in 1862. As a Governor he greatly aided the Government in suppressing the Rebellion, organizing and equipping the 2nd Reg. N. H. Vol. Inf., soon after his inaugura- tion. During his tenure of office in 1861-62 he enlisted, armed, and equipped fourteen regi- ments of infantry, three companies of cavalry, and one company of heavy artillery, in all 15,000 men, and has received the honored sobriquet of the "War Governor of New Hampshire." In 1862 he was one of twenty-two Northern Gover- nors who met at Altoona, Penn., where, after a lengthened conference, he was chosen to address President Lincoln. In all his political life he never paid out a dollar to influence a man's vote, nor did he ever influence a man to support him in any way.
In 1821 he was united in marriage with Ruth Smith of Bath, N. H., and was blessed with the birth of two children: Emeline (Morse); Will- iam A., the subject of this sketch. The daughter died in 1888. Mrs. Berry departed this life July 26, 1857. In 1859 he formed a second union with Mrs. Louisa Farley of Andover, Mass., who (lied April 6, 1878. In the matter of his religious affiliations, he was a faithful worker and mem- ber of the M. E. Church of Bristol, N. H.
William A. Berry, our subject, was educated in the district schools of Bristol, N. H., and upon the completion of his education moved to Hebron, N. H., where he remained sixteen years in the employ of his father. 111 1860 he changed his residence to Bristol, N. II., and there en- gaged in the manufacture of gloves and mittens for about ten years, and in 1880 he became a
wood pulp manufacturer, continuing in that branch of industry until 1892. In that year he was appointed administrator of the William T. Taylor estate, and in 1894, after settling the above-mentioned estate, he purchased the mills formerly owned by Mr. Taylor, and since that time has been engaged in the manufacture of picker sticks, loom swells, crank arms, lap rolls, picker levers, etc., and other like supplies, used in woolen and cotton mills.
Politically, Mr. Berry is, as we might expect, a stanch Republican like his father, and repre- sented the town of Hebron three years in the State Legislature, in 1855-57-58, and is now holding the office of selectman of the town of Bristol, a position he has held for eight years. Socially, he is a Mason, and belongs to Union Lodge, No. 79, of Bristol, N. H .; and to Mt. Hope Chapter of Concord, N. H. He was one of the charter members of Union Lodge, and its first Master.
In 1852 he united his fortunes with those of Laura A. Pratt, daughter of Varnum Pratt of Hebron, N. H., and to them have been given two children: Emma Pratt, who resides at home; and one, who died in infancy. Mr. Berry and family are honored members of the M. E. Church of Bristol, N. H.
The publishers of this volume take pleasure in adding to our large gallery of portraits of the county's leading men the portrait of Mr. Berry, who has the best of rights to be included among Grafton's prominent and representative citizens, because of his splendid business record. _
FRANK V. EMERSON, superintendent and manager of the Emerson Edge Tool Co., at East Lebanon, N. H., was born in Woodstock, Vt., Sept. 16, 1854, and is a son of Albro V. and Josephine B. (Kempton) Emerson, and grandson of Jonathan and Polly (Collins) Emerson. The parents of our subject's grandfather were James and Lydia (Hoyt) Emerson, and his grandfather was Stephen Emerson.
Stephen Emerson came from Hampstead to Weare, N. H., in 1762, and was among the carly settlers and farmers of that place, owning large tracts of land. His son James also followed the
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pursuit of agriculture, but consumption claimed him as a victim when forty years old. His chil- dren were as follows: Jonathan, Lydia, Stephen, and James. His widow married as her second husband Aaron Pingley, and bore him one child, Polly.
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