Book of biographies. This volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Grafton County, New Hampshire, Part 9

Author:
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: Buffalo, Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 612

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Edward P. Storrs was united in marriage, in 1869, to Julia Steele, daughter of David Steele of Lyme, N. H., and they have reared six chil- dren: May L., Carrie A., Adna D., Edward P., Jr .; Hattie A., and Harry' C. Socially, Mr. Storrs is a member of the Franklin Lodge, F. & A. M., No. 6; St. Andrews Chapter, and Sul- livan Commandery. He is a Republican, and fearless in the expression of his beliefs and con- victions : he has served as selectman, and as pre- cinct commissioner four years. He represented the town of Hanover in the State Legislature in 1893. Ever since the introduction of the water works system he has been assistant and su- perintendent. Mr. Storrs has met with continued success in his business life; he attracts a large and desirable class of patrons to his stores by the attractive manner in which he is known to display his goods, by his genial, good-natured manners, and not least by his unvarying habits of honor and probity.

CYRUS DOWNING, a leading farmer of Wentworth, N. H., was born in 1850. He was reared and educated in Ellsworth, N. H., by his grandfather, Jonathan Downing, a farmer of that town. His grandfather died at the age of 74, and left a family of six children.

Cyrus Downing came to Wentworth at an early age, and has spent his life there, engaged in the pursuit of agriculture. He has been quite successful in his chosen profession, and is never found behind the times in methods of farming. He is a good citizen, and is much respected by his neighbors.

In 1869, he was married to Susan, daughter of Tra Ellsworth of Wentworth. They have been blessed with a family of three children: Fred H .;. Eugene C., and Allen F. Mr. Downing lives on a farm, about two miles southeast of Wentworth village, consisting of 250 acres. He has served as selectman of the town. He is a member of the Wentworth Grange, No. 199, and is master of the same. Both Mr. Downing and wife are loyal supporters and regular attendants of the Congregational Church. Mr. Downing has served as superintendent of the Congregational Sunday School for three years.

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, GRAFTON COUNTY.

SCOTT SLOANE, a member of the law firm of Smith & Sloane, of Woodsville, was born in Montreal, Canada, June 16, 1853. He is the son of Thomas C. and Mary (Grant) Sloane, and the grandson of David Sloane. David Sloane was a native of Massachusetts; studying law as his profession. He became a very able lawyer, and was held in great respect by his associates of the bar. He located for the practice of his profession in Haverhill, N. H., where he lived the remainder of his life. He was an active and leading man in town and public affairs. He married Miss Johnson, daughter of Col. Thomas Johnson of Newbury, Vt. She died at the age of seventy-five. Mr. Sloane departed this life at the age of eighty. They reared seven chil- dren, who were named as follows: Thomas C., David, Scott, Charles, Edward, William, Henry, and Elizabeth.

Thomas C. Sloane was born in Haverhill, N. H., and was given a good education. He mar- ried Mrs. Mary Grant of Montreal, Canada; a few years after the marriage, the family moved to New York City, where Mr. Sloane was in the employ of Mason & Co. on Pearl Street. He re- mained with the firin a number of years, until his health began to fail him, when he retired to Haverhill, living there the remainder of his life, and dying there at the age of about sixty-six. His wife also fell into that last blessed sleep that knows no waking this side of the grave, at about the same age. Three boys, who yet survive them, composed their family. John D. Sloane lives in St. Paul, Minn. He was First Assistant Engineer in the United States Navy, previous to his going west. He is now extensively engaged in mining and manufacturing, and is Supervis- ing Inspector of that district. Scott was the sec- ond son and is the subject of this memoir. Wil- liam H. is in the furniture business in New York City.

Scott Sloane was about three years old when his parents moved to New York, and accord- ingly owes his primary education to the school system of that city. He came to Haverhill with his parents, and soon turned his attention to the legal profession as a means for acquiring a live- lihood, and a place in life. He studied law with Mr. G. F. Putnam, attorney at Haverhill, and Mr. E. W. Smith, attorney at Wells River, Vt. He was admitted to the bar in 1883, and imme-

diately began his practice in Woodsville, N. H., where he still resides. He has been associated with Mr. Smith since 1885. Mr. Sloane has gained an enviable reputation as a prominent and generally successful member of the bar of Grafton County. His qualifications are such that he is sure to become an ornament to the profession of his choice. He is a strong Repub- lican, and an indefatigable worker in the inter- ests of his party. He married, in 1885, Annabei, daughter of William H. Nelson of Haverhill, N. H.

AUGUSTUS H. ROBERTS, a leading grocer of the town and village of Hanover, N. H., was born in Sharon, Vt., Feb. 8, 1853; he is a son of Masel H. Roberts, and a grandson of Elip- halet Roberts, a farmer, who spent most of his life in Sharon, Vt., living to be over seventy years of age. He reared five children: Lucian; Willis: Emiline; Mashaline; and Masel H.

The latter was born in Sharon, Vt., and lived there until 1891, engaged in pursuits of an agri- cultural nature; in that year he moved to Nor- wich, N. H., where he now lives at the age of seventy. He married Sarah Richardson, daugh- ter of Aurora Richardson of North Hampton, Mass .; she is sixty-six years old. Their union was blessed with six children: Augustus, de- ceased: Josephine (Howard); Catharine; Julia A. (Carter): Gertrude (Hawkins); and Augustus H. Our subject's parents favored the Free Will Baptist Church.

Mr. Roberts spent his boyhood days in Sharon; his first introduction to a business life was as a clerk for H. H. Clough. in Hanover, with whom he remained four years and a half: the following five years and a half were spent in the store of Mr. Cobb of Hanover. He then be- gan business on his own account, opening the grocery store in Hanover, which he still con- ducts.

Mr. Roberts was married, in 1874, to Mary Richardson, daughter of Fred Richardson of Goshen, Mass .; one daughter was born them, who is attending Mt. Holyoke Seminary, being a member of the Class of 1900. Our subject is a Republican politically. He is a member of the Good Samaritan Lodge, No. 76, 1. O. O. F., and also Junior O. U. A. M.

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, GRAFTON COUNTY.

HON. EDWARD WOODS, president of the Lisbon Savings and Trust Co., and also a prac- ticing attorney of the village of Bath, N. H., is the son of Andrew S. and Eliza (Hutchins) Woods, and grandson of Andrew Woods, who was born and reared in Ireland. Soon after his marriage he emigrated to America; from Boston to Bath, he, his wife, and one child traveled through the wilderness of forests by means of the spotted trees. He settled in Bath, and re- mained there until his death, and was a large farmer of his day. He reared a family of four children.

Andrew S. Woods was born in Bath, and re- ceived a primary education in its district schools and a college training at Dartmouth, from which he graduated. He then took up the study of law, and began his practice in Bath in 1828. He was a prominent and successful lawyer, and widely known for the depth of his legal learning; in 1840, he was appointed District Judge of the Supreme Court, and remained on the bench for fifteen years. After leaving the bench, he fol- lowed his profession until his death. He mar- ried Eliza Hutchins, a daughter of James Hutchins of Bath. She was over ninety years of age at her decease. Judge Woods died at the age of sixty. They reared the following children: Eliza I. (Bingham); Rebecca N. (Smith); Cath- erine J., died at the age of twenty; Harriet J. (lied at the age of twenty; and Edward, the sub- ject of this personal sketch. Andrew S. Woods was a thorough Democrat, and favored the doc- trines of the Congregational Church.

Hon. Edward Woods was born in Bath, N. H., Oct. 24, 1835; he attended school at Exeter Academy, and graduated from Dartmouth Col- lege with the class of '56. He studied law with his father, and upon his admission to the bar of Grafton County formed a partnership with his father, Harry, and George A. Bingham of Little- ton, N. H .: this partnership continued for three years, the firm having an office in Littleton and one in Bath. From that time he was associated with his father in legal practice till his parent's death, since which time he has been alone in his office at Bath and Lisbon.

In 1863, he was joined in the holy bonds of matrimony with Mary H. Carleton, daughter of John L. Carleton of Bath, and to them have been born the following named children: Ed-

ward, died at the age of eighteen months; Cath- erine (Blandin); Thomas S., who lives in Bos- ton; and Andrew S., who also makes his home in Boston. Mr. Woods is a believer in sound Democratic principles. He served the town over twenty years as treasurer, besides holding other minor offices. He represented the town in the State Legislature in 1873-74, and was state Senator in 1892. He is a Director and President of the Bath Lumber Co., and although he lives in Bath, he is interested in the Lisbon Savings and Trust Co., and has served as its President ever since its organization in 1890.

MAJ. HENRY J. WESTON, of the firm of Storrs & Weston, dry goods merchants and clothiers of Hanover, and Olcott, Vt., is the son of Frank R. Weston and grandson of Jehu Wes- ton.

The grandfather of our subject was a native of the State of Connecticut; his father came from England, being the first representative of the family in America. Jehu was reared in his na- tive state, and when he started out to earn his own living, he went to New York State, but soon after located in Cambridge, Vt. He still lives at the age of eighty-four. He married as his first wife Barbara Case of Cambridge, Vt .; she bore him three children: Laura (Smith); Josephine, who died at the age of eighteen; and Frank R. His second wife was Fidelia Fulling- ton of Fletcher, Vt.

Frank R. Weston was born at Cambridge, Vt., and was reared and educated there; he be- came a farmer, and followed that pursuit until his death at the age of forty-eight. He married Jane Smith, daughter of John H. Smith of Cam- bridge ; she died at the age of forty-nine, and left five children: Henry J., Carl A., Josephine (Paige), Edwin R., and Nellie.

Our subject was born at Cambridge, Vt., Jan, 13, 1865, and commenced to deal with the stern realities of life at the age of sixteen, following railroading for two years. At the age of nine- teen he went into a store to clerk at Newbury, Vt., for one year; he then clerked at Hanover three years, and in 1887 went into the dry goods and clothing business with Hon. E. P. Storrs,

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, GRAFTON COUNTY.

under the firm name of Storrs & Weston. Mr. Weston manages the business of the store at Hanover, and also of a similar one, they run at Olcott, Vt. Mr. Weston is a rising young busi- ness man of great promise, and has shown him- self capable of taking care of their large trade in a most satisfactory manner; his strict integrity and high ideas of business honor make his name respected wherever heard.

In 1888, he was married to Myrtie Holmes, daughter of Rodney Holmes of Cambridge, Vt. One child has been born to them, Hazel C. So- cially, Mr. Weston is member and P. G. of the Good Samaritan Lodge, No. 75, I. O. O. F .; Golden Rod D. of R., No. 42; Morning Star En- campment, No. 12; and Canton Hanover, No. 16. He is a member of the Dartmouth Savings Bank Association, and is a notary public. He is Assistant Commissary-General on the Staff of Brigadier-General L. S. Richmond of the First Reg., N. H. N. G.

HENRY C. CARBEE is one of the substan- tial and well-to-do farmers of Bath, N. H .; he was born in the above-named town Aug. 31, 1829. His parents were John H. Carbee and Anna Powers, both natives of Newbury, Vt. Joel Carbee, the grandfather of our subject, was a veteran of the Revolution, and a very promi- nent and influential man of his day. He settled in Newbury, Vt., where he purchased a farm and made it his home the rest of his life. He mar- ried Lois Downer of Newbury, Vt., and to them were born seven children whose names and dates of birth are as follows: John H., June 1, 1791; Moses P., May 18, 1793; Joel, April 24, 1795; William P., Nov. 3, 1798; Andrew, Aug. 10, 1802; Thomas H., Dec. 3, 1804; and Sarah, July 15, 1807. They were liberal in their religi- ous views.

John H. Carbee was born in Newbury, on the homestead of his father, and was educated in the private schools of his native village. Upon the completion of his education he entered upon farm work, laboring in the fields in the summer and cutting wood in the winter. From the wood was made pearl ash and black salts, which were condensed and made into potash and con- centrated lye. He also worked on the Con-

necticut River as a boatman; later he rafted lum- ber for a large lumber company, under the man- agement of Ebenezer Carlton of Bath Village. About the year 1819 he purchased a farm in Bath, which is now the home of our subject, and set to work to clear and prepare it for cultiva- tion. His management of the same was attended with success; he continued in the active work until late in life. He was a Whig, and later a Republican, serving as a representative of the town of Bath several years; he was also select- man, road surveyor, and justice of the peace for several years. In fraternal affiliations he was a faithful Mason, belonging to Pulaski Lodge of Newbury, Vt .; he subsequently joined Kane Lodge, No. 64, of Lisbon, N. H. He was well and most favorably known in and about the ad- joining towns as a good, upright business man and true, loyal citizen. His wife was Anna Powers, and she bore him ten children, namely: Lois, born Oct. 24, 1819; Sarah, April 5, 1821; John P., May 3, 1823; William P., April 20, 1825; Sarah, April 22, 1827; Henry C., Aug. 31, 1829; Milo, Dec. 4, 1831; Mary, Dec. 23, 1833; Samuel P., June 14, 1836; and Ann, March 6, 1840. Mr. Carbee departed this life June 25, 1877; his wife survived him till Dec. 20, 1884, when she too left to join the host gathered upon the other shore. They were Congregationalists and attended the church of that denomination in1 Wells River, Vt.

Henry C. Carbee, after the completion of his mental training in the schools of Bath, began the pursuit of agriculture on the paternal estate, and has continued on the farm he now cultivates since 1842. In politics he is a Republican, and has served as selectman, as a member of the school board, and as a road surveyor, and repre- sented his town in the Legislature in 1897-8. Like his father, he is likewise a Mason, being an honored member of Kane Lodge, No. 64, of Lisbon, N. H.

He married, April 21, 1858, Phidelia E., daughter of Lyman G. and Minda (Clifford) Clark, the former a native of Greenfield, Mass., and the latter a resident of Wentworth, N. H. Mrs. Carbee was born Oct. 25, 1832. They have reared a family of six children, consisting of the following named persons, of whom only the youngest and the oldest survive. The record is: Jennie, born May 8, 1859; Emma, May 25, 1860;

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, GRAFTON COUNTY.

Gertrude L., Aug. 21, 1864; William H., July 18, 1867; John L., Dec. 12, 1869; and Ellen P., May 28, 1872. In religious views they favor the Congregational Church, and may be found among the regular attendants and members of the Congregational Church of Wells River, Vt. Our subject is an esteemed and substantial citi- zen whose integrity and fair dealing are without question. He is always found in the front rank in the fight for better conditions of life, and a higher and more elevated type of morality.

SAMUEL W. COBB, a leading and prosper- ous merchant of the town of Hanover, N. H., is the son of Daniel Cobb, and the grandson of Nathan Cobb, who was born in Massachusetts near Cape Cod, and came to Hanover when a young man. He was a blacksmith by trade, and deputy sheriff. He served in the War of Inde- pendence. He married Lydia Bliss, who died at the advanced age of eighty-one. They reared five children, as follows: Daniel, Samuel, Lydia, Nathan, and David W.

Daniel Cobb was born and passed his younger years in Hanover, obtaining an education in its district schools. He studied law for a profes- sion, and after locating in Strafford, Vt., in 1855, lived there the rest of his life, dying in 1868; he became one of the best and most successful law- yers of the State of Vermont. He ever evinced an absorbing interest in politics, and never failed to support by every means in his power the nominees of the Democratic party. He rep- resented the town in the State Legislature sev- eral terms, and was Judge of the County Court thirteen years. He was a man who was en- (lowed with a strong and a determined will. He was lame in one foot, and it has been told, after he had enlisted for service in the War of 1812, and had gone to Plattsburgh, N. Y., a person remarked that he was not a good soldier because he could not run. Mr. Cobb made the instant rejoinder, "I came to fight, and not to run." He married Marinda Bryant, daughter of Nathan Bryant of Templeton, Mass .; she was seventy years and six months old at her death. Six children were born to them: Daniel B. B., Samuel W., Danforth, Mary M., Nathan B., and Walter B.

The subject of this biography, Samuel W. Cobb, was born in Strafford, Vt., March 2, 1822. In 1844 he began life for himself by clerking two years in a store in the village. He then opened a store on his own account in Hanover, and has followed the mercantile business ever since, hav- ing been in business over half a century; he is the oldest merchant in the village, and com- mands a good trade; his store is one of the best- stocked stores in town, and contains all lines of goods pertaining to groceries.

In 1849 he was married to Almira W. Ripley of Barre, Vt .; she died in 1868, at the age of thirty-six years and seven months, and left three children: Mary E. (Hatch), Laura M. (Hast- ings), Julia M. (Quimby). Mr. Cobb married as his second wife Caroline E. Davis of Cornish, N. H .; she was called home to join those gone before at the age of forty-five years and eight months, and left one son, Walter D., who was born in 1870, and now assists his father in the grocery business. Mr. Cobb's third wife was Luella C. Hutchinson of Norwich, Vt. Our subject is a member of the Franklin Lodge, No. 6, F. & A. M., also being a R. A. M., and a member of the Council at Lebanon. In his po- litical affiliations he is a Democrat, and at pres- ent is town agent, a position he has held for twenty years. He was postmaster during Buch- anan's administration, and Cleveland's first ad- ministration. He was one of the charter mem- bers of the Dartmouth Savings Bank and served as its vice-president.

GEORGE W. RAND, the furniture dealer, and one of the oldest and most firmly established business men of the town of Hanover, N. H., was born in Concord, N. H., Jan. 29, 1837. He is the son of Stephen Rand, who was born in Epsom, N. H.

Stephen Rand learned the chair-making trade and furniture painting of Low & Damon of Concord, N. H. In 1846 he moved to Hanover, where he followed his trade of furniture painting the remainder of his life: he died in 1884, at the age of seventy-four. He married Rebecca Turner, daughter of Joshua Turner of Norwich, Vt. She passed away two years after her hus- band at the same age. They were members of

HON. JOHN NELSON MORSE.

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, GRAFTON COUNTY.

the Congregational Church, and Mr. Rand was a strong Republican. The record of their chil- dren is as follows: Henry T .; Hamilton L .; Geo. W., the subject of this personal history; Anna (Heilge); Levi T .; Stephen; Julia H. (Clough); Lucy B. (Kempton); and Frances (Tabor).

George W. Rand came to Hanover with his parents and at the age of fifteen was apprenticed to the baker's trade, and followed it four years, but finding it to be very detrimental to his health and undermining it, he left the ovens and took up the trade of his father, furniture paint- ing, and continued in that line of work until 1865, when he opened a furniture store, and still successfully conducts the business. The en. tire store-room is devoted to furniture of first- class make and of wide variety.

His nuptials with Sarah M. S. Brown, daugh- ter of Seneca Brown of Hanover, N. H., were celebrated in I861. Their union has been blessed with three children: Wilson F., who clerks in Storrs & Weston's clothing store; Richard B .; and Anna L. Mr. Rand is a firm Republican in politics. Socially, he is a mem- ber of the Franklin Lodge, F. & A. M., of Le- banon; and also of St. Andrews Chapter, R. A. M. He is an Odd Fellow, being a member of the Good Samaritan Lodge, No. 75, I. O. O. F.

HON. JOHN NELSON MORSE, whose portrait may be found on a preceding page, was born on the farm in North Haverhill, where he now resides, ()ct. 24, 1818. His father was John C. Morse of the town of Haverhill. The Morse family are descendants of early pioneers of Mas- sachusetts, who came from England. William and Anthony Morse came from Marlboro', Wilt- shire, England, and settled at Newbury, Essex Co., Mass., in 1635. Anthony Morse sailed from the port of Southampton, England, on the ship James and arrived at Boston, June 3, 1635, and was made a freeman of the Massachusetts Bay Colony May 25, 1636; he located one-half a mile south a most ancient cemetery at Newbury (Old Town), on a slight eminence, a field which is still known as Morse Field, and on it a trace of the original house still remains. Anthony Morse died there, Oct. 12, 1686. The line thus origi-

nating was continued through Lieut. Anthony Morse, Ensign Anthony Morse, Deacon Stephen Morse, Thomas Morse to the grandfather of our subject, Stephen Morse, who was born Jan. 28, 1756, married Sallie Kay soon after attaining his majority, and died June 14, 1843, aged eighty- seven years. He served as a soldier in the Revo- lutionary War, and after independence was achieved came to North Haverhill from Brad- ford, Mass., and resided on what is known as Morse Hill, on the old Coventry Road from North Haverhill to Coventry (now Benton), and was by occupation a blacksmith. The journey through the woods from Massachusetts was made on horseback, his wife with a baby in arms riding on the pillion. Their union was blessed with the birth of twelve sons, of whom ten lived to manhood. Our subject remembers distinctly a family reunion of the grandparents and their ten sons. The eldest son, Rev. Bryan Morse, preached a sermon, and the other eleven sat in the choir seats and furnished the music.

John C., the father of John Nelson Morse, was born in the town of Haverhill, at Horse Meadow, next house to the one now occupied by our sub- ject, April 7, 1784. He spent his years in varied occupations, among them being farming, black- smithing, manufacturing plows, wagons, sleighs. He also kept hotel for some twenty-five years in the house our subject occupies. His death occurred Feb. 8, 1853. His wife was Nancy Wheelock, who was born in 1782, and died Sept. 10, 1865. Their children were: Sarah, who mar- ried A. P. Niles; Louisa, married M. W. Burn- ham; Mary Ann, married Windsor Cobleigh; Isaac L. married a Miss Glynn; Martha M. mar- ried L. T. Whitcomb; Alfred N .; and the twins, John Nelson and Nancy B .; Nancy B. lives in Savannah, Georgia; Harriet W., the youngest child, married W. J. Fisher.

Our subject attended the country schools in his youth, and had charge of his father's hotel almost from boyhood. After his parents' death he discontinued the hotel and interested himself in the cattle business. He has been a drover most of his life after twenty-five years of age, and has made buying trips throughout Northern New Hampshire to Canada, in connection with J. P. Webster, under the firm name of Morse & Webster. Their market has been invariably Bos- ton; before the days of railroads they sometimes

BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES, GRAFTON COUNTY.

drove from Canada to Boston, and there dis- posed of their stock.

Mr. Morse married Kate Southard, who was born June 29, 1829, and departed this life Feb. 25, 1894. She was a daughter of Aaron South- ard of Ackworth or Charlestown, N. H .; he owned and cultivated a large farm on Horse Meadows. Mrs. Morse's mother was Jane Fin- ley. To Mr. and Mrs. Morse have been born two children: Katherine and John H. Kath- erine is a graduate of Wellesley College, in the Class of 1890, after a four years' course, having previously attended Haverhill Academy. Miss Morse takes a lively interest in educational mat- ters, and is a practical-minded woman in every way; she is a member of the school board of the town of Haverhill. John H. lives on the farm with his father; he attended St. Johnsbury Acad- emy, and is a graduate of Lindenville Academy. The home farm consists of a tract of 200 acres of land, that part of it which is fitted for pastur- age runs back among the hills. Mr. Morse has been a Republican ever since the dissolution of the old Whig party, and the organization of the Republican; he has represented the town in the State Legislature for one term. He was in his younger days a member of an I. O. O. F. Lodge, which has since broken up.

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Book of biographies. This volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Grafton County, New Hampshire, Part 9

Author: Publication date: 1897 Publisher: Buffalo, Biographical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 612

Author:
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: Buffalo, Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 612