History of Strafford County, New Hampshire and representative citizens, Part 88

Author: Scales, John, 1835-1928
Publication date: 1914
Publisher: Chicago : Richmond-Arnold
Number of Pages: 988

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In 1841 Mr. Morton was married to Miss Sarah F. Merriam, of Graf- ton, Mass., who died in 1849, survived by one daughter, Mrs. Etta Mer-

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riam, of Meriden, Conn. In 1851 Mr. Morton married Miss Armine Leavitt of York, Me., and two of their three children survive: William A., of Haverhill, Mass., and Sara Josephine. The mother of these children died in 1866 and in 1868 Mr. Morton married Miss Mary Shackford, of Ports- mouth. Mrs. Morton is living and makes her home with Miss Sarah Joseph- ine Morton, at Salmon Falls and at Buxton, Me. Both ladies are prominent in social life and are members of the Somersworth Woman's Club. Miss Morton attended the public schools of Salmon Falls, and after leaving the high school entered Robinson Seminary at Exeter, N. H., where she was graduated in 1883. She is a member of the South Berwick Woman's Club and of the Margery Sullivan Chapter of the D. A. R. at Dover. Both ladies are active workers in Christ Episcopal Church at Salmon Falls, of which Miss Morton has been the organist for many years.

JACOB S. M. FORD, owner of Riverside Farm, in the town of Dover, was born in the house in which he resides, October 26, 1835, and is a son of Jacob and Sarah ( Mitchell) Ford.

Jacob Ford was born on Dover Point, N. H., November 1I, 1800, and was a son of Jacob Ford, who moved from Massachusetts to Dover Point and lived there until death. In 1834 Jacob Ford moved from Dover Point to the farm now owned and occupied by his son, where he continued to reside until his death, June 24, 1871. He followed farming and also was a brick manufacturer and was a man of business energy. In politics he was first a Whig but later a Republican. He married Sarah Mitchell, a daughter of Samuel Mitchell and a granddaughter of John Mitchell, who was a Revo- lutionary soldier who, for a time, served on General Washington's staff. His burial was at New Durham, N. H. Of the ten children born to Jacob and Sarah Ford, there are five yet living: Betsey A., who lives with her brother, Jacob S. M .: Susan A., who is the widow of Freeman J. Houghton and a resident of Westminster, Vt .; Noah P., who is a resident of Haverhill, Mass .; Jacob S. M .; and Sarah J., who is the wife of Edwin J. Parsley, of Strafford, N. H. The mother died in December, 1884.

Jacob S. M. Ford had such educational opportunities as were common in his day and section; he helped on the home farm and also learned the shoemaking trade. Near the close of the Civil war, when fresh troops were needed by the Government mainly for guard duty near Washington, D. C., Mr. Ford offered his services, enlisting on September 1, 1864, in Com- pany D, First N. H. Heavy Artillery, and was honorably discharged nine months later, after which he returned to Dover. Riverside Farm contains

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eighty acres of productive land and he devotes it to general farming. He is a member of the G. A. R. post at Dover, being one of the two survivors of a quartette of brothers entitled to Grand Army honors: Horace K. Ford, now deceased; Noah P. and Jacob S. M., surviving, and William H., deceased. Almost a lifelong resident, Mr. Ford is widely known and he is held in respect and esteem by his fellow citizens.

HORACE W. JENKINS, who is engagd in general agriculture on a farm of 180 acres in Madbury, this county, was born in Madbury, N. H., February 8, 1864, a son of Jonathan and Martha (Emery) Jenkins. He is a grandson of Ephraim Jenkins, who was a well known citizen of Mad- bury in his day.

Jonathan Jenkins, who died in March, 1900, was a lifelong resident of Madbury, where he served as selectman. He also represented Madbury for one term in the New Hampshire legislature. He was engaged chiefly in farming, but also to some extent in the humber industry. He was a member of the Society of Friends, and in politics was a Republican. At his death Madbury lost one of its most useful and active citizens, a man who was not only well known and respected at home but also generally throughout the county. He and his wife Martha had four children, of whom there are now two survivors: Horace W. of Madbury, and Herbert T., who resides in Portsmonth, N. H.

Horace W. Jenkins was reared to man's estate in Madbury and educated in its public schools. From his youth up he has been engaged in farming and dairying and, being a mian of good practical experience along these lines, he has made it pay. In his political opinions he is a Republican with independent proclivities. He is progressive and public-spirited and favors everything calculated to advance the material or moral welfare of the com- munity in which he lives and of the county generally. He has a wide acquaintance and enjoys the reputation of being a prosperous and reliable citizen.

PHILIP H. STILES, a prominent citizen of Somersworth, N. H., is agent for the Great Falls Manufacturing Company. He has been a resident of this city since April, 1865, and his entire business career has been in the employ of the company he now represents. Beginning as a boy of fourteen years, he diligently applied himself to his tasks, meriting his advancement from one position to another until he was general superintendent and finally agent of the company.

Mr. Stiles was born in Harrison, Me., July 4, 1852, and is a son of David

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and Vina G. (Hunt) Stiles. His father was a native of Maine and his mother of Chatham, N. H. From Harrison he came with his parents in 1865 to Great Falls, N. H., where for a time he attended the public schools. At the age of fourteen years he began working for fifty cents per day in the carding department of the Great Falls Manufacturing Company. He con- tinued in that and the spinning department off and on for about a quarter of a century, becoming successively card grinder, second hand and overseer in the carding department. In 1900 he was appointed general superintendent, a position he filled with marked efficiency until 1911, when he was made agent of the company. He is a broad-gauged man of public spirit and has always supported movements the object of which was to advance the interests or elevate the moral tone of the community. When the first council was organ- ized after the incorporation of Somersworth, Mr. Stiles became one of the first councilmen, representing the first ward as such for three years. He has always been a Republican in politics.

Philip H. Stiles was united in marriage with Miss Addie M. Parker, who was born in Berwick, Maine, and is a daughter of Samuel T. Parker of that place. Of three children born to them but one survives, namely : Sadie A. Religiously, the family is affiliated with the High Street Baptist church.

MARSHALL B. FOSS, a prosperous and well known citizen, proprietor of the "Three Brook Farm," Madbury, was born in Strafford county, N. H., November 5, 1846, a son of Leonard and Mary A. (Bunker) Foss. His father was a native of this county, while his mother was born in the famous "Bunker Garrison" at Durham, N. H., in former days a log garrison house used by the settlers as a protection against Indians. It derived its name from a great grandfather of our subject on the maternal side. The maternal grand- father of Mr. Foss was Jolin Bunker.

Leonard Foss was a son of James Foss. He removed with his family from Strafford, N. H., to Durham, where he lived for many years, but finally died in Dover about a quarter of a century ago, at the age of 48 years. Of his four children, two now survive, Marshall B., whose name begins this sketch, and Emma F., widow of David Caswell, late of Haverhill, Mass. She now resides in Salem, Mass. A Republican in politics, Leonard Foss for a number of years served on the Durham school board. He was a good business man and had the confidence of his neighbors to such an extent that he was often called upon to act as administrator in settling estates.

Marshall B. Foss was reared in Durham and for a year or so worked with his father at carpenter work and afterwards at shoemaking, the father being engaged successively in both these occupations. The trade of carpenter

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he has followed more or less all his life, but has lately engaged in farming on the "Three Brook Farm" already mentioned, which contains about 70 acres and is one of the best farms in Madbury. He married Julia M. Willey, and they have had two children-Mary A., wife of Urban Horne who is a member of the police force of Beverly, Mass., and Fred E., who is a deco- rator and resides in Lowell, Mass. Mr. Foss is a Republican in politics and is a man who has won a well-earned reputation for good citizenship, being among the representative men of his class in Strafford county.

JAMES E. TRICKEY, whose name is well known in many sections of the country as a former genial and capable host of numerous summer resort hotels, now resides in the Long Hill neighborhood in the town of Dover, where he owns forty acres of land, which for many years has been the Trickey homestead. He was born at Jackson, N. H., July 15, 1849, and is a son of Samuel and Sarah A. (Jolinson) Trickey. The father was born in Jackson and the mother in Durham. The Trickey family is of English extraction but as far back as the grandfather, James Trickey, has belonged to New Hampshire. From Jackson Samuel Trickey moved with his family to the farm now owned by his son, and died there in his seventy-sixth year. Of his family of children three survive : Augusta A., who is the widow of Joseph N. Hayes, of Rochester; Cyrus P., who is in the piano business at Boston, Mass .; and James E., of Dover.

James E. Trickey was educated at Jackson and was nineteen years old when the family moved to Rochester, later settling in the town of Dover. He assisted his father until he found an opening in the line of business which he believed would be congenial. For thirty years afterward he was con- nected with the Laurel House at Lakewood, N. J., in an official capacity. Later he was manager of the Ferry Park House at Saco, before he went to the Laurel House for one season. He was then manager of the Baldwin, at Beach Haven, N. J., for a season, following which he spent a season as manager of the Balsams, at Dixville Notch, N. H. He was also identified officially with the Thorn-Mountain House, now known as Wentworth Hall, at Jackson, N. H., for four seasons, that being his first hotel experience and proved an excellent preparation for the strenuous activities of later positions. Mr. Trickey has had a life full of varied experiences, and while his patience and generosity were often taxed, he possessed the tact that is a part of the popular hotelkeeper's equipment, and the executive ability to provide for comfort of his guests. Mr. Trickey's neighbors feel that they know him well and welcome his permanent settling down among them. Mr. Trickey married Miss Louise S. Sherman, of Boston, Mass., a graduate of the

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Boston Normal School. They attend the Unitarian church. He belongs to Wecoliamet Lodge, No. 3, Odd Fellows, and in his political views he is a Republican.

HOLMES B. ROUNDS, a well known and esteemed citizen residing on the Log Garrison farm, Dover, N. H., was born in China, Me., November 19, 1835, a son of Joseph and Elsie (Drew) Rounds. His father was a native of New England and of Scotch ancestry, his mother also being a native of New England. The subject of this sketch was their only child.

Joseph Rounds died when his son Holmes was in his second year and Mrs. Rounds then brought her son to Strafford County, N. H., locating on the Garrison road in Dover. Here she taught school for a time, but sub- sequently married Joseph T. Peasley, now deceased, by whom she had five children. Of these latter two are living; Joseph E., died Nov. 14, 1913; he resided on the Peaslee farm, Dover; Martha E. and John T., are residents of Dover.

Holmes B. Rounds was reared in Dover, where he attended the public schools. He may truly be called a self-made man, as he has had to make his own way in the world since quite young. The Garrison farm, of which he is the owner, contains 160 acres of land and is devoted to general farm- ing. On it is located the old Log Garrison House, famous in local history as having been formerly a fort in which the early settlers here were accus- tomed to take refuge in case of Indian alarms. It is kept in a good state of preservation by our subject.

Mr. Rounds married Ellen S. Peavey, who was born in Dover, N. H., a daughter of Bryant and Anna Peavey of this city. They have passed their golden wedding anniversary, having been married over fifty years, but are still youthful in heart and mind. Their friends are numerous in this locality. Mr. Rounds belongs to Mt. Pleasant lodge of Odd Fellows at Dover and Dover Grange. He attends the Universalist church, of which his wife is a member.

WALTER F. GAGE, was one of the widely esteemed citizens of Dover, where he was born October 9, 1848. He was a lifelong resident of Gage's Hill, and died February 21, 1909. He was a son of Daniel and Sarah (Hersom) Gage, and a grandson of James Gage, who was the founder of the family in Strafford county and the original settler of Gage's Hill, to which he gave his name. Daniel Gage was born on this place and spent his life here. He married Sarah Hersom, who belonged to an old family of Berwick, Me.

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In the district schools and at Franklin Academy, Walter F. Gage was educated and throughout life was a well informed man and interesting com- panion. He followed agricultural pursuits for thirty-seven years and for this length of time conducted a milk route at Dover. In many ways he was useful to his community and served with strict integrity as a member of the city council and also as a member of the board of aldermen at Dover. In politics he was a Republican. The only fraternal body with which he was connected was the Knights of Pythias, of which he was a charter member at Dover. In his family Mr. Gage was kind, thoughtful and indulgent and in his community was accommodating, courteous and charitable.

On February 14, 1877, Mr. Gage was married to Miss Amanda J. Stir- ling, who was born January 12, 1853, at South Atkinson, Me., a daughter of Ephraim and Susan (Ham) Stirling, and a granddaughter of Harry Stirling, of New Castle, N. H., who was a sea captain and was of English extraction. Captain Stirling and one of his sons were lost at sea while on a voyage in foreign waters. Mrs. Gage has the following brothers and sisters : Wesley B., who resides on Broadway, Dover, N. H .; Truman, who is a resident of San Gabriel, Cal .; John H., who is a resident of Dover; Elsie S., who is the widow of Henry Hope, and resides at Lowell, Mass., and Isabel G., who is the wife of William Pray, of Dover. The father of Mrs. Gage was also a sea captain and owned mills at South Atkinson. He later moved to Blackwater, N. H., and was engaged in farming for a few years before removing to Garrison Hill, where he died March 30, 1888, being survived by his wife until May, 1890. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Gage: Cora B. and Everett W., both of whom remain with their mother. The Gage farm is a fine estate of about 300 acres. The family attends the Central Avenue Free Will Baptist church, to which Mr. Gage was a liberal and willing contributor.

ELIAS C. VARNEY, a prominent and highly esteemed citizen of Dover, residing in the Blackwater district, was born May 28, 1835, in Rochester, N. H., a son of George W. and Sarah F. (Hanson) Varney. He is a grand- son of Elias Varney, who settled at an early day in Barrington, N. H., where he resided many years and finally died. George W. Varney, father of our subject, was born in Barrington and came to Rochester at the age of ten years, becoming a member of the household of E. Cloutman, Esq., being here reared to man's estate. His wife, Sarah, whom he married here, was a native of Somersworth. Of their children the following are now living : Elias C., whose name begins this sketch; Sarah F., widow of Howard Parsons, late of Dover, N. H .; Christine, widow of Charles Horne, late of Berwick,

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Me., where she resides: Susan E., widow of the late Samuel Lord and a resident of Dover; Lenora, who is the widow of James Horne, late of Dover, of which city she is still a resident, and Emma, widow of George Cheney, late of Manchester, N. H., where she is now living. The father, George W. Varney, died in Rochester over a quarter of a century ago.

Elias C. Varney was reared to manhood in Rochester, in his boyhood attending the public schools. He then went to Boston, where he was engaged in teaming for some 20 years. Subsequently returning to Rochester, he took up farming, which occupation he has now successfully carried on for 30 years with a gratifying degree of success. He has a fine and well culti- vated farm of 145 acres, on which he is also engaged in stock raising. As a citizen he stands high in the estimation of all who know him, his capacity, integrity and progressive qualities being widely recognized. In politics he is independent, being bound by no party shackles but acting on his own private judgment when called upon to cast his vote. Both in his reading and thinking he keeps well abreast of the times, and his aid and influence can always be enlisted on behalf of any cause calculated to benefit the com- munity at large.

Mr. Varney was married in 1859 to Sarah F. Moody, a native of Tam- worth, N. H., who died June 13, 1907. She was a most worthy woman and a consistent member of the Free Will Baptist Church. She bore her husband four children, namely: George W., who resides in Rochester ; John W., a resident of Dover, N. H .; Elizabeth M., wife of Edward E. Clark, of Dover, and Frank, who is also a resident of Dover. Mr. Varney's chil- dren are all progressive, intelligent members of the communities in which they respectively reside-such as bring credit to a family name. He him- self is one of the prosperous and substantial citizens of Strafford County, having accumulated an ample competence through his own exertions, backed by industry, intelligence and economy.

EDWARD F. LORD, master carpenter, who has been connected continu- ously with the Great Falls Manufacturing Company, at Somersworth, N. H., for 33 years, is a valued employe, one whose worth has been recognized by well merited advancement. He was born at Berwick, Me., where he still maintains his home, November 17, 1854, and is a son of Benjamin S. and Sarah (Roberts) Lord, both of whom were natives also of the Pine Tree state.

Edward F. Lord attended the public schools of Berwick during his boy- hood and then learned the carpenter's trade, at which he has worked con- tinuously ever since. Since 1880 he has been connected with the carpenter shops of the Great Falls plant, some years since becoming master carpenter.

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In early manhood Mr. Lord was united in marriage with Miss Ella Fall, who was born also at Berwick, Me., as were her parents, George and Ellen (Melcher) Fall. Her father is deceased. Mr. Lord belongs to the Masonic fraternity, attending the lodge at South Berwick, and also is a member of the Odd Fellows, at Berwick. He is a highly respected, earnest and well inten- tioned citizen and gives his political support to the Democratic party. Public office has never appealed to him as he has found his time sufficiently taken up with his business affairs and his home and social interests.

OLIVER M. VICKERY, a well known and successful agriculturist of Dover, N. H., is a native of this county, having been born in Rochester, N. H., August 22, 1852. His parents were Joshua and Mary (Green) Vickery, the father a native of Wakefield, N. H., and the mother of Roch- ester. Our subject's paternal grandfather was Samuel Vickery who resided in Wakefield many years. The family is said to be of English origin.

Oliver M. Vickery was reared to man's estate in Rochester and trained to agricultural pursuits. For nine years he was employed in Dover but now owns a farm of his own of 60 acres here, devoted to general farming. He was educated in the public schools but the knowledge there acquired has been largely supplemented by practical experience in the affairs of life. He has resided on his present farm since 1896 and is doing a successful farming business. His prosperity is the result of his own personal efforts and he may be called a "self-made man" in the best sense of the phrase. That he has force of character is evidenced by the fact that he has several times been chosen by his fellow citizens to serve in public office. He was formerly a councilman of Dover, representing Ward I, and he served as alderman for two terms from the same ward, showing efficiency and a due regard for the interests of his constituents. In politics he is a Republican. As a citizen Mr. Vickery is up to date and public-spirited, being always found on the side of true progress and the moral and material improvement of the city and town. He has gained much popularity and has a wide circle of friends. Mr. Vickery married Annie B. Osborn, of Rochester, N. H., a daughter of Hiram S. Osborn, late of that city. Of this marriage there have been two children-Walter R., residing at Lakeport, N. H., and Alta, wife of Herbert Meader of Dover, N. H.

GEORGE H. WYATT, Jr., general farmer, who is successfully carrying on his agricultural industries on his 140 acres of land, which are situated three and one-half miles east of Rochester Square, on the Dover and Roch-

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ester state road, was born in the town of Farmington, N. H., September 18, 1866, and is a son of Lyman and Mary H. Wyatt.

After his school days were over, George H. Wyatt gradually became connected with the saw mill business and during the last ten years has done a large amount of lumber contracting. Recently he has sold his saw mill, through which he was known in the lumber regions of both Strafford and York counties, and now devotes his entire attention to his farm activities, which include raising and dealing in stock, particularly horses. He has placed his property in fine condition but the buildings were erected by the former owner, George W. Varney.

Mr. Wyatt was married first to Miss Alice L. True, who, at death, left four children. The second marriage of Mr. Wyatt was with Miss Nettie E. Davis. In politics he is a Democrat but has been generally unwilling to accept office; at one time he was traffic agent at Farmington. He is well and favorably known all over Strafford county.

NEWELL B. FOSS is proprietor of Broad View Farm, containing 185 acres, situated two and one-half miles west of Rochester Square. He owns also 600 more acres in Strafford county and his interests cover farming, lumbering and livestock trading. Mr. Foss was born in the town of Straf- ford, Strafford county, N. H., August 19, 1860, and is a son of Richard W. and Emily ( Place) Foss.

The Foss family came from Massachusetts to New Hampshire in the person of the great-grandfather, settling on what is now the Foss home farm of 300 acres, situated at the foot of the Parker mountains, then known as Blue Hills. James B. Foss, the grandfather, married Sarah Waldron and they had two sons and three daughters, one of the sons, Richard W., receiv- ing the farm as his portion and lived on it until he gave it to his oldest son, James H. Foss, who is the present owner. He married Emily Jane Place and they had four sons and three daughters to reach maturity.

Newell B. Foss with his brothers and sisters attended school at Straf- ford and the Newhampton Academy and in 1886 he was graduated from the Newhampton Commercial College, following which he started out on his own business responsibility. Mr. Foss's farm was formerly owned and named by George Wallace, who erected all the special buildings, and here was once carried on probably the most extensive henneries in the state, also fancy cows and horses. A partial description may give some idea of its plan of con- struction. The main barn, with dimensions of 50x100 feet, is three stories high, the first floor being arranged for horses and carriages. Hay and weighing scales occupy the second and third floors. Adjoining the main

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barn is the cow stable, 35x70 feet in dimensions, with accommodations for thirty-eight cows to be kept under sanitary conditions. The cattle barn, 100X20 feet, also has a cellar with twenty-two cow stanchions and box stalls; and the boiler house, 20×35 feet, three stories high, has a cement floor on which is located the engine, and here all the cutting and grinding of food for the cows and poultry is attended to, modern conveniences being sup- plied. The brooding quarters, 200x20 feet, and a separate steam heat plant is here utilized. There are six hen houses, 20x100 feet, all finished in proper way; and the incubator house operates two stoves and accommodations are provided for a tenant. The place and its many improvements and con- veniences must be seen in order to be appreciated. Mr. Foss has a handsome 16-room residence, built in modern style, with cement cellars and with a steam heating system. All the buildings are well supplied with water from a drilled well 298 feet deep, and reservoir holding 15,000 gallons. Many wonderful improvements have been made here since the time of Mr. Foss's grandfather, who conveyed his products to Boston by wagon.

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History of Strafford County, New Hampshire and representative citizens, Part 88

Author: Scales, John, 1835-1928 Publication date: 1914 Publisher: Chicago : Richmond-Arnold Number of Pages: 988

Author: Scales, John, 1835-1928
Publication date: 1914
Publisher: Chicago : Richmond-Arnold
Number of Pages: 988