USA > New Hampshire > Strafford County > History of Strafford County, New Hampshire and representative citizens > Part 71
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U. S. S. "Colorado," to rank as a gunner. He was honorably discharged September 7, 1867, when in the Mediterranean station. While in the naval service he took part in the attack on Fort Fisher, he being then a member of Admiral (then Lieutenant) Dewey's gig crew. His brother, Edwin H., who enlisted the same day, was with him in the attack.
Mr. Locke began his industrial life in his father's grocery store, the firm being known as Locke & Hill, with location at the corner of Fore and Main streets. In February, 1871, the store was burned and Mr. Locke next pur- chased the High street bakery, of which he was proprietor for several years, when he sold to Hon. Freeman A. Hussey. "He was then made selectman of the town of Great Falls and held the office in connection with that of road commissioner four years. He was then but 27 years of age and was the youngest selectman that had ever held that office. After serving efficiently in both these positions he bought out the trucking business of John Decatur, which he kept for a year, when he again went into public office, first as deputy sheriff for a few months, and then as street commissioner for a year. About this time he was kicked in the temple by a horse and was obliged to be out of business for a year, when he bought out the meat business of Charles L. Estes, now or recently city marshal. After conducting this for a few months he accepted the position of yard superintendent for the Great Falls Manufacturing Company, a position which he held for 24 years with honor to himself and advantage to the company. He resigned December 1, 1910, on account of ill health. He then purchased the market on Sullivan Square, Berwick, but was not able to continue it and soon sold out to Z. P. Dolby, the present proprietor.
In addition to the public offices mentioned above Mr. Locke was the only Republican alderman ever elected from Ward 4, and after becoming a resident of Ward 3, he was prominently associated with the politics of that ward. He was elected to the State senate in 1901 from the 12th Senatorial District and subsequently represented his ward at the constitutional convention and was a candidate for the office of county commissioner. He was a member of Littlefield Post, No. 8, G. A. R .; also of Libanus Lodge, No. 49, A. F. & A. M .; Edwards Chapter, No. 21, R. . \. M., and Orphans Council of Dover. He joined the Green Street Free Baptist church in 1875 and was a liberal contributor to it.
Mr. Locke married, July 3, 1869, Miss Susan A. Hamilton, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ivory W. Hamilton, of South Waterboro, Me. At his death, which occurred after about a year's illness, he left, besides his wife, three sons and two daughters, namely: Guy Howard, of Melrose Highlands, Mass .; Roy Hamilton, of Amesbury, Mass .; Edwin Cecil, of Roslindale,
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Mass .; Mrs. Annie Belle Merrill, of Washington, D. C., and Miss S. Agnes, of this city ; also two grandchildren, Stephanie Hamilton Locke, of Roslindale, and James Willis Merrill, of Washington; a brother, Charles Henry Locke, of Brockton, Mass., and an aged aunt, Mrs. Maria Emery of Somers- worth, with nephews and nieces. The daughter, Miss Agnes, is a teacher in this city. The funeral services were conducted by Rev. B. F. Tilton, of the Green Street Free Baptist church, and were participated in with impressive ceremonies by Littlefield Post, G. A. R. Interment was made in the family burial lot in Forest Glade Cemetery. A pathetic and touching incident was the coming in a body, at about eleven o'clock in the forenoon, of some forty men who worked for him when he was superintendent of the yard for the Great Falls Manufacturing Company, some of whom had gone to work with him 24 years previously and are still in the employ of the company. Many of them could not restrain their tears as they gazed their last on one whom they had learned to love. The casket was draped with the flag which he had fought to save, and about it a large and beautiful collection of floral gifts from friends.
As a husband and father Mr. Locke was generous and self sacrificing; as a business man his career was upright and honorable and won high praise from his associates; as a servant of the company and of the city he was ever faithful. Some of his best friends were of the laboring class, with whom his sterling qualities and his generosity made him a favorite.
CHARLES F. HALL,* who is one of Dover's most respected citizens, has resided on his well cultivated farm of five acres for the past 20 years. He is one of the honored veterans of the Civil war and probably to the close of his life will be a sufferer from the hardships and dangers endured during his military service. He was born at Milton, N. H., May 31, 1843, and is a son of Elijah S. and Mary (Bickford) Hall, a grandson of Daniel Hall and a direct descendant of Deacon John Hall, well known in the early history of Strafford county. The Hall family has been firmly established here for generations.
Charles F. Hall was three years old when his parents left Milton and moved to Dover and there he attended the district school and helped his father in every way an industrious youth could think of. In June, 1862, he enlisted for service in the Civil war, becoming a member of the 9th N. H. Volunteer Infantry, which became a part of the 9th Army Corps in the Army of the Potomac. He took part in the battles of South Mountain and Antietam and in the latter was so severely wounded that he was not able to return to the field after being confined in a military hospital near Frederick City, Md.,
.
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from September, 1862, until March 9, 1863, when he was honorably dis- charged. He returned to Dover where for many years afterward he followed shoemaking and then settled on his present farm.
Mr. Hall was married to Miss Ida Howe, of Barrington, N. H., who is survived by one daughter, Mabel E., who is the wife of Edward Burgess, of Somerville, Mass. Mr. Hall was married secondly to Miss Cora H. Wiggin, who was born at Farmington, N. H., a daughter of Lewis R. and Delia (Decatur) Wiggin, the former of whom was born at Moultonboro, and the latter at New Durham, N. H. Mr. and Mrs. Hall have reared Helen E. Rowe, a grand-niece of Mr. Hall, as their daughter, and have given her educational and social advantages. Mr. Hall is a Republican in his political views.
DENNIS ANDREW JOHNSON,* who is one of the well known and highly respected citizens of Dover, N. H., belongs to a very old family of Strafford county, the Johnsons having settled very early in the vicinity of Barrington, where both his father and grandfather were born. He was born at Dover, December 12, 1836, and is a son of Dennis and Sarah (Weeks) Johnson.
Dennis Johnson, the father, was a son of Andrew Johnson, and it is possible that the founder of the family came from Ireland to Strafford county, N. H., prior to the latter's birth at Barrington. Dennis Johnson had reached manhood when he settled at Dover, N. H., where for many years afterward he was a custom boot and shoemaker, subsequently becoming a farmer. He lived a quiet, industrious life which was prolonged into old age, his death occurring in 1888 when he was in his 85th year. In his early political activities he was a Whig and later became a Republican. He married Sarah Weeks, who was born at Kittery, York county, Me., and they had the following children : Dennis A. and William H., both of whom live at Dover ; Joseph, who makes his home in Nebraska; Isaiah and Elzira, both of whom reside at Dover : and John G., Hannah E., Sarah A. and James H., who are deceased. John G. Johnson was once sheriff of Strafford county.
Dennis A. Johnson attended the Long Hill district school in boyhood and afterward assisted his father, mainly on the farm, and during the greater part of his life he has been engaged in farm pursuits and now owns and oversees a well cultivated tract of 34 acres in the vicinity of Dover.
In July, 1873, Mr. Johnson was married to Miss Addie E. Stevens, who died November 19, 1876. She is survived by an only daughter, Addie E., who is the wife of Arthur Pettigrew, of Kittery, Me. Mrs. Johnson was a daughter of Samuel Stevens, a former resident of Dover. She attended the Adventist
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church. Mr. Johnson casts his vote with the Republican party but has never consented to accept public office. He has been a worthy citizen, however, ever lending his influence to advance movements that have promised to be beneficial to his section of country.
WALTER ENGLAND,* proprietor of "The Maples," a fine agricultural tract situated on the corner of Oak and Cocheco streets, Dover, N. H., is one of the well known men of this section, practically all of his life having been passed in Strafford county. He was born near Gonic, N. H., February 13, 1859, and is a son of Michael and Phebe J. (Roberts ) England.
Michael England was born in England and was 18 years old when he came to the United States, shortly afterward securing employment in a cotton mill at Salmon Falls, N. H., where he continued to work for several years. He then moved to Gonic and in that vicinity was engaged in farming until his death, which occurred early in the seventies. He married Phebe J. Roberts, who was born in Strafford county, N. H., and of their children the following survive : Sarah A., who is the widow of Walter Wiggin, a former resident of New Market, N. H., she now living at Dover; William H., who is a resident of Lowell, Mass .; George W., whose home is at Amesburg, Mass .; Walter, who lives at Dover ; and Freeman, who is a resident of Gonic.
Walter England attended the public schools until he was about 15 years of age, at which time his father died. He worked as a farmer for others until he was 17 years old. He then went to Rollinsford and in the follow- ing year began to farm on his own responsibility. He continued a farmer there for over a quarter of a century and then located on his present place. As a good citizen, Mr. England has been interested in the substantial develop- ment of Strafford county at all times but has never consented to accept any public office. In his political views he is a Democrat.
ENOCH O. TASKER, who has been an active business man at Dover since 1873, is well known all over Strafford county. He owns an excellent farm of 65 acres in the suburb of Dover but resides in the city, his residence being at No. 16 Prospect street. He was born March 26, 1847, on Rochester Neck. Strafford county, and is a son of Thomas J. and Comfort (Bickford) Tasker.
Thomas J. Tasker was born in Madbury, where his father, Ebenezer Tasker was born, and his ancestors had lived two centuries, the immigrant ancestor being William Tasker. Thomas J. Tasker passed the greater part of his life in Rochester, where he was a farmer and also followed the carpenter trade. He was a good farmer, an expert carpenter, an honest man in all his
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dealings with others and, though not a member, was a worthy supporter of the Free Will Baptist Church at Gonic, of which his wife was a devout meinber. Having lost his father when six years old, his success in life was creditable in every way an'd he had the esteem and confidence of all his fellow citizens. He married Comfort Bickford, who was a native of Rochester Neck, and whose immigrant ancestor, Thomas Bickford, was a resident of Dover in 1650.
Enoch O. Tasker grew to manhood on Rochester Neck, in the meanwhile being afforded educational advantages, attending Strafford Academy and bothi public school and a private school at Rochester, so that he was better qualified than many when he started into business for himself in 1873 at Dover. Here he associated himself with his brother, John C. Tasker, in the mercantile business, the firm style being John C. Tasker & Co., which con- tinued for some years and Mr. Tasker remained in the mercantile line for a quarter of a century.
When Mr. Tasker and his brother dissolved partnership he entered in the grocery and provision business with Mr. John L. Kimball, July 1, 1886. Mr. Kimball withdrew and Mr. Tasker admitted Mr. Wm. F. Cartland as his partner in the business, which was then conducted in a store on Washingtor. street, east of the old Strafford Bank building. When Mr. Anderton com- pleted his brick block on Locust street they removed to that street and occupied the large double store where now Mr. Cartland is located. The firm naine was Tasker & Cartland, and became one of the largest grocery and provision dealers in the city. Mr. Tasker retired from the business January 1, 1898, having the esteem and confidence of all his numerous customers and the public in general. In recent years he has given considerable attention to his farming interests and also carries on a teaming business at Dover.
On November 12, 1878, Mr. Tasker married Ursula M. Winkley, daughter of Darius Winkley, who for many years conducted a mill at Barrington and was a leading citizen there and widely known. They have three children : Bernice Winkley, who is the wife of N. Arthur Gifford of Somerville, Mass .; Sumner J., who is a resident of San Francisco, Cal .; and Cecil F., who is located in Boston, Mass.
Mr. Tasker and family are members of the First Parish, of which Rev. WV. A. Morgan is pastor. For many years he has been a member of Mt. Pleasant Lodge I. O. O. F. and practices the professions of that benevolent order in an exemplary manner.
GEORGE M. BEARD,* whose farm of 70 acres, in the town of Dover, is devoted to general farming and stock raising, is a member of an old
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Strafford county family and has been identified with business affairs at Dover since 1896. He was born at Farmington, N. H., November 19, 1858, and is a son of Arthur L. and Abigail (Sanborn) Beard, the former of whom was born at Lebanon and the latter at Alton, N. H. For many years they resided at Farmington and there George M. Beard, their only child, grew to manhood. Arthur L. Beard died at Farmington in 1907, having survived his wife two years.
George M. Beard attended the public schools at Farmington until he was 16 years of age, when he became an employe in a shoe manufactory and he remained connected with the shoemaking industry at Farmington for a number of years. When he first came to Dover he entered the employ of J. H. Ireland & Company, shoe manufacturers, with which firm he remained for five years, afterward becoming associated with the shoe manufacturing firm of D. L. Furber & Company, where he continues and now is foreman of the upper leather room. In 1900 Mr. Beard located on the farm which is his place of residence and here he carries on his agricultural industries with results that indicate judicious farming methods.
Mr. Beard married Miss Hannah E. Bolo, of Dover, N. H., and they have an adopted son, George F. Beard. Mr. Beard has always given his political support to the Democratic party. He has been identified with the Masonic fraternity for many years, belonging to the Blue Lodge at Farmington and also to the Chapter at Farmington, and to the Commandery at Dover.
LLEWELLYN T. WEBBER,* who is engaged in farming and stock- raising near Rollinsford, N. H., located on his fifty acres of excellent land in 1909 and has every reason to be satisfied with his success as an agricul- turist. He was born at Monroe, Waldo county, Me., March 15, 1859, and is a son of Elbridge and Mary (Warf) Webber. The original family settler was Wolford Webber, who came to America from Holland and after reach- ing the city of New York entered into business relations there and passed the rest of his life in the metropolis. He had two sons, one of whom settled on the Kennebec and the other on the Penobscot river, and Llewellyn T. Webber is a descendant of the latter. His father was born in Waldo county and his mother in a county bordering the Kennebec river.
Reared and educated in Waldo county, Llewellyn T. Webber, remained in the home neighborhood until he was 25 years old and then went to Lowell, Mass., where he lived, although not quite continuously, for ten years, moving afterward to Chelsea, Mass., where he was in the employ of the state for seven years as an engineer at a pumping station. He lived at other places in Massachusetts, including Peabody, and it was from there 44
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that he came to Rollinsford. Although he has not had a life experience on a farm, as have some of his neighbors, he finds no difficulty in carrying on his operations on his land and finds both pleasure and profit in these activities.
Mr. Webber married Miss Cassie Taylor, of Earlton, Nova Scotia. In politics he has always been a Republican but has unmistakable progressive proclivities. For a number of years he has been identified with the Masonic fraternity and belongs to the lodge at Salmon Falls, N. H.
HON. SAMUEL H. JENNESS, who is one of Dover's substantial business men, has been a resident of this city for 43 years and has occupied his present handsome residence at No. 611 Central avenue since November, 1907. He has been prominently identified with much of the substantial progress made here during that period. He was born at Somersworth, N. H., September 1, 1862, and is a son of Stephen A. and Hannah J. (Cook) Jenness, the former of whom was born at Dover and the latter at Somers- worth. The Jenness family was established early in the vicinity of Rochester, N. H., by William Jenness, who was succeeded by his son, Stephen Jenness, who was the grandfather of Samuel H. Jenness. Stephen A. Jenness spent the greater part of his life at Rochester, on a farm, removing to Dover in 1870, where he died in 1880.
Samuel H. Jenness was a babe when his parents moved to Rochester and he accompanied them to Dover in 1870, where he has maintained his home ever since. He attended the public schools and Franklin Academy, well known as a fine educational institution in his youth, and was there under the instruc- tion of Prof. John Scales. For a short time afterward he was a clerk in a mercantile house here. In 1894 he was appointed assistant postmaster of Dover and served in that capacity for three years, subsequently being appointed postmaster during the second administration of President Cleveland and serving one year. During 1901 and again in 1902 Mr. Jenness served as a member of the board of aldermen of Dover, representing the Second Ward. After retiring as postmaster he embarked in the mercantile business in which he continued for ten years, but for the past 20 years he has been in the real estate business.
Mr. Jenness is a prominent member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is a past grand of Wecoliamet Lodge No. 3 and a past chief patriot of Quocheco Encampment No. 2. He is chairman of the Odd Fellows' Building Committee, who have charge of the Odd Fellows' property, and is also a member of Major Council Royal Arcanum No. 989. He is an
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active member of the Dover Realty Company and is a member of the Board of Directors.
Mr. Jenness was first married to Miss Nellie G. Coleman of Dover, who died in 1890. His second marriage was to Mrs. Nettie L. King, widow of Theodore King, a former resident of Dover who left two children: Mary W., who is the wife of A. Roy Kennard, of Dover; and Millard O. King, also of Dover. Mr. and Mrs. Jenness attend the Methodist Episcopal church.
JAMES GOODWIN,* one of the best known residents of Rollinsford, N. H., resides on his farm of 50 acres, on which he has carried on agricultural activities ever since he reached manhood. He was born here December 27, 1848, and is the sixth of his name in direct line of descent. He is a son of Capt. James and Elizabeth (Sabory) Goodwin.
Capt. James Goodwin was born at Lebanon, Me., and was a son of James and a grandson of James Goodwin. The original ancestor was Daniel Good- win, who, at a very early day, came to the American colonies from Eng- land and settled in Maine. Capt. James Goodwin was engaged for 40 years in the business of getting out lumber for shipbuilding purposes and he was a farmer after removing to Rollinsford, N. H., where many years of his life were spent. He was captain of a militia company in Maine and in that capacity met General LaFayette, and at the time of his death, in his 78th year, was the only member left of that organization. He was a man of local prominence and at times served as selectman of what was then known as Somersworth.
James Goodwin attended the schools in his native town in his boyhood and through subsequent reading and interest in current events has kept well posted in world history. General farming has been his chosen occupation. On June 20, 1887, Mr. Goodwin was married to Mrs. Armine A. Foss, widow of Amos A. Foss, formerly of Bingham, Me., and a daughter of Isaac Decatur, of Barrington, N. H. Mrs. Goodwin died October 7, 1910. By her first marriage she had four children : Ernest S., who is a resident of Somersworth, N. H .; Isaac N., who lives in California; Pearl, who is a resident of Swamp- scott, Mass .; and Minnie, who is the wife of Fred Spencer, who is in the undertaking business at Berwick, Me. Mr. Goodwin has accepted the prin- ciples that are at the foundation of the Progressive party.
HON. JOSEPH B. NOLETTE,* a member of the New Hampshire legis- lature and a prosperous business man of Salmon Falls, is justly held in esteem by his fellow citizens. He was born in Canada, in Megantic county,
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90 miles from Quebec, March 21, 1868, and is a son of Abram and Desange (Deseault ) Nolette, natives also of Canada.
Joseph B. Nolette has made his own way in the world and his success is illustrative of what may be the reward of industry, courage and adherence to the teachings of a good mother. He was merely a child when he lost his father by death and was eleven years old when his mother came to the United States and settled at Somersworth, N. H., where he grew to manhood and had school opportunities. He had few of the pleasures of boyhood because as soon as old enough he had to become self supporting. For three years he worked in a cotton mill at Somersworth and later, for a short time, was a clerk in a store and then assisted his brother, Frank X. Nolette, in his meat and provision store. He thus learned the business and in 1893 came to Salmon Falls and embarked in the meat business for himself on Front street, where he has been very successful and continues.
On August 4, 1889, Mr. Nolette was married at Somersworth to Miss Philosise Cadorette, and they have five children: Hilaire G., who is one of the board of selectmen at Rollinsford; Arthur J., who lives at Salmon Falls; Albino, who is organist of St. Mary's Catholic church at Salmon Falls ; and Joseph and Alberta, both of whom live at home. Mr. Nolette and family are members of St. Mary's Catholic church. In politics he is a Democrat, with independent proclivities. He is a man of energy, enterprise and proper public spirit and has made a very good impression in the General Assembly. For some years he has been identified with the order of Eagles at Somersworth and with the Red Men at Salmon Falls,
CHARLES W. WHITEHOUSE,* who does an excellent business in the line of fruit, ice cream and confectionery, at Farmington, N. H., was born at Farmington, January 31, 1881, and is a son of Daniel P. and Marilla J. (Howard) Whitehouse. They are natives and well known and respected residents of this town.
Charles W. Whitehouse is the eldest of his parents' family of five children. and was educated in the public schools of Farmington. When 21 years old he started out to take care of himself, engaging as a clerk in the store of F. E. Breen, with whom he continued until September 26, 1906, when he bought Mr. Breen's interest and stock and has since continued the business alone. He has a wide acquaintance and both his methods and goods are calculated not only to secure patronage but also to retain it. He owns his residence and his parents reside with him.
Mr. Whitehouse is a Republican in politics but not as actively interested in public affairs as he is in his many fraternal associations. He is a member
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of the Uniform Rank, Knights of Pythias, of the Odd Fellow's Lodge and Encampment and also the Rebekahs, belongs also to the Blue Lodge, A. F. & A. M., and the Eastern Star, and to the Junior Order of United American Mechanics. Mr. Whitehouse is unmarried.
JAMES LUCEY, JR.,* owner and proprietor of the Cocheco Bottling Works, at No. 25 Summer street, Rochester, is one of the busy and enter- prising business men of this city. He was born at South Groveland, Mass., and is a son of James Lucey. He was educated in the public schools of Rochester and afterward, for ten years, was with the firm of Fineman Bros. In 1904 he came to his present location and opened the Cocheco Bottling Works for the manufacture of soda and mineral waters, and has met with deserved success. He now gives continuous employment to four men and operates two teams, his product having advertised itself through its quality. Mr. Lucey married Miss Mary O'Brien, of Rochester, and they have three sons, Gerald, Richard and Donald. Mr. Lucey and family belong to the Catholic church. Politically he is a Democrat and fraternally is identified with the A. O. H., the Elks and the Commercial Travellers' Association.
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