History of the city of Nashua, N.H., Part 85

Author: Parker, Edward Everett, 1842- ed; Reinheimer, H., & Co
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: Nashua, N.H., Telegraph Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 652

USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Nashua > History of the city of Nashua, N.H. > Part 85

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ALBERT EDWARD DE WOLFE.

Albert E. De Wolfe was born in Nashua, October I, 1861, his parents being George Gordon Byron De Wolfe and Eliza (Hargrove) De Wolfe. His paternal grand- father was Dr. Edward De Wolfe, a leading physician of St. Stephens, N. B. His maternal grandfather was Joseph Hargrove, fifty years ago a prominent building contractor at Bradford, Yorkshire, England. Mr. Har- grove built the first railroads which ran into Bradford ; another monument to his skill being the magnificent marble town hall at Bradford, the contracts for the rail- roads and hall calling for the outlay of millions of pounds. The family came to America in the fifties and

ALBERT EDWARD DE WOLFE.

located in Nashua. Of the nine children and their descendants, but two of the three of Eliza remain in this city.

Eliza Hargrove was married to George Gordon Byron De Wolfe, widely known in this section as "The Wan- dering Poet," in 1860, and of their three children Albert E. was the only son, the other two being Anna E., wife of Dr. Andrew Watt of Providence, R. I., and Martha M. De Wolfe, a teacher in the public schools of her native city. The father died Jan. 13, 1873, and Mrs. De Wolfe, Oct. 24, 1890.

Following employment in several of the manufacturing establishments of Nashua and Lowell, Albert E. saved- money enough to go through the Bryant & Stratton commercial college in Boston, and then for five years was a clerk in the Nashua post office, under postmasters H. A. Marsh, M. R. Buxton and A. N. Flinn. After a four months' trip to Europe he entered the employ of the Daily Telegraph, never having been inside of a news-

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HISTORY OF NASHUA, N. H.

paper office until the day the late O. C. Moore sent for him to become a reporter. From that day, March 12, 1888, Mr. De Wolfe has been a news-gatherer for the Telegraph, and for nearly six years past its city editor. During that time the first morning daily paper in the city was issued-The Morning Telegraph-and Mr. De Wolfe did all the local work for the morning and evening editions for the entire time the morning paper was published. The morning edition lasted but eight days, suspending because of the refusal of the press association to furnish dispatches.

Mr. De Wolfe has seen the regular edition of The Telegraph more than quadruple during the less than ten years he has been connected with the paper. For more than ten years he was the Nashua representative of the Boston Globe, and received during that time the largest remuneration, as a newspaper writer, of any person employed in Nashua newspaper work for ten consecutive years' work for one paper. He represents at present The Associated Press in southern New Hampshire and the New York World, beside attending his duties on the Telegraph. Like all active newspaper writers he has had a large fund of experience.

From reaching his majority Mr. De Wolfe has been a member of Granite lodge, I. O. O. F., is a member of Nashua lodge, Knights of Pythias, Watananock tribe, Improved Order of Red Men and is a member of several semi-social organizations. As president of the old Nashua Cycle club he is the only Nashuan to have held a leading office in a bicycle club who is not a rider of the wheel. In athletic sports and in managing entertainments of a much varied character, Mr. De Wolfe has always been prominent in Nashua. During the ten years preceding 1897, Mr. De Wolfe managed over two hundred entertain- ments, few of which were unsuccessful financially. This included the two Cycle club minstrel shows, one of which netted the largest sum ever cleared in the city from paid admissions for a local performance.

For two years Mr. De Wolfe was principal of the free evening school at the Harbor school house, and many of the pupils there are now occupying positions of honor and trust.

May 27, 1891, he married Vedora C. Shaw, daughter of the late Joseph A. Shaw of Augusta, Me. They have one daughter, Dorothy, born Jan. 11, 1894.

JAMES MEADE ADAMS.

James Meade Adams was born in Nashua June 26, 1862, and was the third and youngest child of James P. Adams and Anna (Page) Adams. His father was a volunteer soldier in the Seventh New Hampshire regiment, dying at Beaufort, S. C., in August, 1862, and his grandfather, James Adams, was a well known schoolmaster in the early part of the present century, teaching in Henniker, Weare, Goffstown, New Boston and other towns. Both the pater- nal and maternal ancestors of Mr. Adams were among the early settlers of Henniker.

At the age of four years the subject of this sketch removed to North Weare with his widowed mother, who, dying a few months later, left him in the care of an aunt, Mrs. Eliza A. Greenleaf, with whom he resided until after he attained his majority. For a year or two, Mr. Adams worked at the printer's trade in Manchester and Concord,

leaving it to devote himself to miscellaneous literary work at his home in Weare. He became a contributor in both prose and verse to numerous papers and magazines, including Ballou's Monthly, Youth's Companion, Golden Days, The Epoch, Puck, Judge, Christian Register, and the Granite Monthly. Three of his poems appear in the volume entitled "The New Hampshire Poets." During 1884 Mr. Adams was associate editor of the American Young Folks, published at Manchester.

Mr. Adams was elected messenger of the New Hamp- shire senate in June, 1887, and served through the session, which proved to be the longest on record. He was re- elected in 1889, also serving through the extra session of 1890. In August, 1890, he was appointed by Secretary Jeremiah Rusk, state statistical agent for New Hamp- shire in the Department of Agriculture, which office he held over three years, being removed by Secretary J. Sterling Morton for " offensive partisanship." In Janu- ary, 1895, Mr. Adams was elected and served as sergeant- at-arms of the New Hampshire senate.

Mr. Adams began to contribute regularly to the edito-

JAMES MEADE ADAMS.

rial columns of the Nashua Telegraph in May, 1889, and in the following September came to Nashua to take edito- rial charge of the paper during O. C. Moore's absence in Washington as congressman. He has remained ever since and is the present editor of the Daily and Weekly Telegraph. His service embraces eight years of daily ed- itorial writing. Mr. Adams is an ardent Republican, positive in his convictions, but independent within party lines, and most uncompromising in his Americanism. He aims to be fair in the discussion of editorial topics, and is scrupulously particular not to twist or obscure the meaning of the utterances of those who disagree with him.

Mr. Adams was married Sept. 22, 1890, to Maria Dame of Lynn, Mass., daughter of the late Owen Dame, and a niece of Prof. Maria Mitchell, the distinguished astronomer. They have two children, James G., born March 24, 1892, and Constance May, born March 10, 1894.

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HISTORY OF NASHUA, N. II.

GEORGE WINTHROP FOWLER.

George W. Fowler, son of Winthrop and Annie Lydia (Locke) Fowler, was born at Pembroke Nov. 1, 1864. His immigrant ancestor on the paternal side, Philip Fowler,

GEORGE WINTIIROP FOWLER.

came to America from England in 1623 and settled at Newburyport, Mass., and, in direct line of descent, his grandfather, Winthrop Fowler, was one of the first set- tlers of Epsom. His great-grandfather on the maternal side, Ephraim Locke, was also one of the original settlers of Epsom. The descendants of both families have been prominent in the professions, in industrial and agricul- tural pursuits and the affairs of state.

Mr. Fowler obtained his primary education in the com- mon schools and was graduated in 1882 at the academy in his native town. He then entered Dartmouth college where he was graduated in 1886. While pursuing his academic studies he founded and was the first editor of The Academian, a school journal of Pembroke academy, which paper is still published; at Dartmouth he was class editor of the college paper for the first three years of his course, and managing editor the last year. Following his graduation he went to Dakota, where, at Bismarck, he taught school eight terms and was the first business man- ager of the Bismarck Morning Tribune. His ability was soon recognized and he was promoted to the position of associate editor of the Tribune, in which capacity-and when assigned in important matters as special staff corres- pondent-he obtained a wide and varied experience that equipped him as an all-around journalist. Mr. Fowler finally tired of the far west and returned to Pembroke and out-door life-taking up agricultural pursuits for a time-where he remained until 1890, when he purchased stock in the Nashua Gazette Publishing company and

became business manager and managing editor of its daily and weekly publications. Mr. Fowler sold his stock in the Gazette in 1895 to Mr. Clough and since then has been employed on the Manchester Union.

Mr. Fowler was a member of the board of education of Pembroke in 1886, and resigned on going west. On his return in 1888 he was re-elected and made superintendent of schools, which position he held until he came to Nashua in 1890.

Mr. Fowler was united in marriage Jan. 17, 1888, with Etta Bartlette, daughter of John F. and Mary A. (Gor- don ) Bartlett of Suncook. One son has been born to them: George, born Nov. 28, 1890.

CHARLES ANDREW POFF.

Charles A. Poff was born in Londonderry, N. H., April 6, 1870. He is the son of Francis H. and Mary J. (Sargent) Poff, who came to America from Ireland about 1850. Mr. Poff's father is of German and Scotch descent.

Mr. Poff obtained his early education in the district schools of Londonderry. At the age of eleven he moved with his parents to Nashua, where he attended the public schools. In April, 1888, while in the High school, he was offered and accepted the position of clerk for the Telegraph Publishing company. In 1892, during the illness of the late O. C. Moore, he was promoted to assistant business manager of the Telegraph, and is still in this position, and is also clerk of the Telegraph Pub- lishing company corporation. Mr. Poff's connection with the paper is largely in the advertising department, and its columns best speak of the large line of business conducted.

Mr. Poff is a charter member of C company, N. H. N. G., organized April 23, 1887, and was commissioned second lieutenant in February, 1891, and re-commissioned in February, 1896, to be promoted in November, 1896, to first lieutenant. In social life he is a charter member of

CHARLES ANDREW POFF.

the Knights of Malta, and a member of the New Hamp- shire Press association.

Mr. Poff was married Nov. 23, 1892, to Annie S. Wynn, of Truro, Nova Scotia.

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HISTORY OF NASHUA, N. H.

WILLIAM OLIVER CLOUGH.

William O. Clough was born at Gray, Me., July 14, 1840. He is a son of John Kenney and Ellen Lunt (Lib- bey) Clough, who became residents of Meredith, his father's native place, in 1842. His immigrant ancestor on the paternal side, Daniel Clough, came to America from Scotland about the middle of the eighteenth century and settled at Whitefield. Of his large family, Oliver Clough, grandfather of the subject of this sketch, became a resi- dent of Henniker, at which place he enlisted in the Third New Hamp- shire regiment, commanded by Col. Alexander Scammell, and en- dured the dangers, hardships and pri- vations of the Rev- olutionary War. He was a pension- er of the govern- ment, and died at Meredith, Nov. 27, 1847. On the ma- ternal side he is a direct descendant in the eighth gen- eration from John Libbey, who was born in England in 1602, came to America in 1630, settled at Scarbo- ro, Me., died in 1682, and was (see history of the Lib- bey family) the progenitor of the Libbeys of New England.

Mr. Clough was educated in the public schools of Meredith and in Rev. Hosea Quim- by's academic school at that place. At the age of sixteen years lie sought his fortune in Boston, and from 1856 to 1860 was errand boy and clerk in a jewelry store. From 1860 to 1869 he was the salesman of the Cape Cod Glass company on Milk street, Boston. During his residence in Boston he was an active member of the Mer- cantile Library association, in which he served seven years as a director and chairman of its committee on dramatic, declamation and musical entertainments, being a good share of the time a student in the association's evening school, editor of its paper, The Tete-a-Tete, and a contributor to other publications. He was also the first secretary of the Park Street Church Literary associa-

tion and its third president. The glass company with which he was connected having failed, and closed its business, he came to Nashua, and from that time to May, 1892, was city editor of the Nashua Daily Telegraph. Following his withdrawal from the Telegraph he became staff-correspondent of the New Hampshire (Daily) Re- publican, and, in September of the same year, its politi- cal editor, which position he held until the paper sus- pended publication in February, 1893. In October, 1895, Mr. Clough purchased the controlling stock of the Nash- ua Daily Gazette, and in November, 1895, changed its name to Nashua Daily Press. He also changed its politicsand policy. In January, 1896, the company be- came insolvent and its publica- tions were sus- pended. Publica- tion of the Nashua Daily Press was resumed May 20, 1896. Mr. Clough and his family are now, May, 1897, sole proprietors of the plant, and he is managing editor of the paper as he has been of every issue to this date.

Mr. Clough has been a busy man in other fields of endeavor besides those mentioned. He wrote steadily for the Boston Journal, as corres- pondent under the non - de - plume of Nashoonon, twen- ty-two years, and contributed to va- rious newspapers and magazines more than one hundred serial and short stories, es- says and sketches. In 1876 he was appointed by Mayor Williams city mar- shal of Nashua. He was reappointed by the same mayor in 1877, and by Mayor Holman in IS,S, and again in 1879, serving till January, 1881. In 1878 Governor Cheney commissioned him associate justice of the Nashua police court, and he still holds that commission. In 1893 the city council, in joint convention, elected him assessor, and the same year he was elected to represent Ward One on the same board for 1894, when he was re- elected for the term ending January 1, 1897. During Mr. Clough's residence in Nashua he has served the

WILLIAM OLIVER CLOUGH.

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IHISTORY OF NASHUA, N. II.

city thirteen years as principal of an evening school and taken an active part in many enterprises in which the people were interested. He was one of the organizers of the Indian Head Mutual Fire Insurance company at the time when the desertion of old time companies left the state without protection, and was a director in the com- pany and its last vice-president. He has also interested himself in building and loan associations and as a director in the Nashua company. Mr. Clough was the writer of the biographical department of this history.

Mr. Clough has, from his youth, been identified with secret orders. He was a made a master mason in Colum- bian lodge. A. F. and A. M., Boston, and a Royal Arch mason in St. Andrews chapter in the same city. He was one of the original members of Israel Hunt council and its first illustrious master, and he is a member of St. George commandery, K. T. He is also a Scottish Rite mason of the 32d degree, having been advanced to that grade at the Nassau valley in Boston in 1867.

Mr. Clough was united in marriage, Jan. 16, 1868, at Manchester, with Julia Moore, daughter of Jonathan H. and Hannah Van (Sleeper) Moore. (For ancestors see sketch of her brother, Orren C. Moore.) Two daughters were born of their marriage: Charlotte Moore, born at Manchester, graduated New Hampshire State Normal school, class of 1890, married Chester T. Cornish of New Bedford, Mass., May 10, 1893; Christine Rolfe, born at Nashua,

ALFRED BEARD.

Alfred Beard was born in Nelson, Feb. 28, 1808, twin brother of Albin Beard, died in Keene, April 18, 1839, buried in Nashua cemetery. He was a son of Asa and Lucy (Goodnow) Beard and grandson of David Beard. Mr. Beard obtained a common school education in his native place and learned the printer's trade in the offices of George Hough in Concord and the Sentinel at Keene. About 1830 he went to Lowell, Mass., and in company with a Mr. Meacham started a paper under the name of the Middlesex Telegraph. Two years later he sold out and came to Nashua, and in September, 1832, founded the New Hampshire Telegraph. His health failed, and, following a trip to Cuba, 1837, and while visiting in Keene, he died of consumption. Mr. Beard was a promi- nent member of the Unitarian society, which he served several years as clerk. He had quite a reputation as a vocalist and for a time conducted the music of the church. That Mr. Beard was a man who appreciated the humor- ous side of human affairs, a man whose "rare good na- ture " would not permit him to enter into the acrimoni- ous debates in which newspapers indulged, in his time, is abundantly shown by the files of the first volumes of the Telegraph, which he edited. He was a pioneer in Nashua journalism and because of his many noble traits of char- acter his name, like that of his brilliant successors on that newspaper, should be inscribed on the pages of her history. His early death was a cause of public as well as private sorrow. (See history of the Telegraph. )

SAMUEL HOMER NOYES.

S. Homer Noyes was born in Portland, Me., Sept. 23, 1803, died in Nashua, Feb. 1, 1889. He was the eldest son

of Newman and Hannah ( Homer) Noyes, whose ancestors were pioneers in the settlement of Scarboro, as the terri- tory comprising Portland was originally known.

Mr. Noyes, like many another well-informed man of his generation, obtained his education at the public schools and at the printer's case. He came to Nashua in 1840, and during the next ten years was associated with Albin Beard in the publishing office of the New Hamp- shire Telegraph. In 1850 he purchased the Nashua Oasis, the only genuine literary paper ever printed in Nashua, which he edited and published until 1857. He then re- moved to Bridgeton, Me., where he edited and published the Bridgeton Reporter. A little later, owing to failing health, he sold out and returned to Nashua. He could not, however, resist the attraction of a newspaper office and so, from time to time, as his health would permit, he kept in touch with the craft by associating himself with the publishers of the Gazette. It was his pride for many years that next to Editor Prentice of Keene he was the senior of the fraternity in New Hampshire. The Oasis was a non-partisan paper and therefore Mr. Noyes did not feel like taking an active part in politics or holding pub- lic office. He took great interest in the the advancement and growth of Nashua and in everything pertaining to its interest. He was a good citizen and a true man.

Mr. Noyes was united in marriage Sept. 22, 1850, with Annie E. Wadleigh, daughter of Benjamin and Cynthia (Richards) Wadleigh. Two children were born of their marriage :- Lizzie Kent, born at Nashua, married Albert N. Flinn; George Homer, born at Nashua, married Jen- nie Taylor.

ORLANDO DANA MURRAY.

Orlando Dana Murray, son of David and Margaret (Forsyth) Murray, was born in Hartland, Vt., March 12, 1818, died at Nashua Feb. 23, 1896. The first American ancestor of this branch of the family was Isaac Murray, who came from Scotland and located at Londonderry. He married Elizabeth, daughter of John Durham, and shortly afterwards removed to Belfast, Me., where they spent their lives. Their son David removed, when a young man, to Chester where he engaged in business as carpenter and builder. He served in the War of 1812 in a cavalry troop, and for his service received a grant of land and his widow a pension. David married Margaret Forsyth of Chester in December, 1807. She was a daugh- ter of Lieut. Robert Forsyth, and grand-daughter of Dea- con Matthew Forsyth, who was born in Edinburgh, Scot- land, was graduated from the University of Edinburgh, and emigrated to America in 1730, settling at Chester. The family of David Murray removed to Nashua in 1825.

The subject of this sketch was their youngest child. He was educated at the Nashua academy and at Pinkerton academy at Derry, and subsequently fitted for college under the tutorship of Col. Isaac Kinsman, (his cousin), who had been principal of the military academy and gymnasium at Pembroke. Instead of going to college, however, at the age of sixteen years he entered the office of the Nashua Gazette as an apprentice in the art of printing, where he remained seven years, serving during that time also as assistant postmaster. In 1841 he pur- chased a half interest in the Manchester Memorial and became its editor, editing and publishing at the same

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HISTORY OF NASHUA, N. H.

time an octavo monthly called the "Iris." In the latter part of 1842 he sold out, and, in partnership with A. I. Sawtell, founded the Nashua Oasis, January, 1843, and be- came its editor. It was a clean, independent family newspaper of literary merit, and one of the ablest and brightest of its day. Mr. Murray set the type and printed the first edition of Fox's History of Dunstable. In Sep- tember, 1849, Mr. Murray sold his interest in the paper, retired from the editorial chair and embarked, with oth- ers, in the manufacture of cardboard, glazed and enam- elled paper, under the firm name of Gill & Co., and afterwards of Gage, Murray & Co. The enter- prise proved a suc- cess. In 1866 the business was sold to Gilman Broth- ers, and in 1868 Mr. Murray be- came interested in the Nashua Glazed Paper com- pany, then in its infancy, which, in 1869, was consoli- dated with the original plant and incorporated un- der the name of the Nashua Card and Glazed Paper company. Mr. Murray was made president of the new company and continued in that office, being at the same time general manager of the business, until 1883, when he sold out and retired to private life.

Mr. Murray (and it is a noticeable characteristic of all live editors of newspapers) al- ways fostered and encouraged indus- trial pursuits. He believed that the growth and prosperity of a place de- pended upon them, and being determined to do all that a good citizen ought to do to encourage progressive young men in this line of endeavor he rendered pecuniary aid and gave freely of his knowledge and experience in this direction. He was one of the stockholders of the Nashua Watch company, a member of its board of directors, one of the men who made sacrifices to firmly establish it, and a mourner when, for lack of capital, its business was re- moved to Waltham, Mass. Mr. Murray was one of the prime movers in the Pennichuck Water Works, an incor-

porator of the American Fan company, one fourth owner and a director in the Contoocook Valley Paper company at Henniker, and gave financial aid to railroads and many other undertakings that promised to be beneficial to Nashua. In a word, no citizen did more in his genera- tion to help the town and city than Mr. Murray, and no citizen deserved a more prominent place in this history.

Mr. Murray was a conspicuous figure in the political and social life of Nashua. He was town clerk in 1849-50-1, ald- erman from Ward Seven in 1858-9, from Ward Six in 1865 ; a member of the leg- islature in 1855. re-elected in 1856, and also a mem- ber in 1885 and 1886, and in 1888 was the Repub- lican candidate of the district for senator. He was also for many years a member of the board of education. In all these positions, be- ing a man of com- prehensive ideas and a vigorous debater, he ren- dered the city and state invaluable service. Mr. Mur- ray was a charter member of Granite lodge, I. O. O. F., the first lodge of the order organ- ized in the state, and was many times honored with the highest offices in its gift. He was a mem- ber of Rising Sun lodge, A. F. and A. M., Meridian Sun Royal Arch chapter and St. George command- ery, K. T .; also a Scottish Rite mason of the 32d degree. He was a Universalist.

ORLANDO DANA MURRAY.

Mr. Murray was united in marriage July 7, 1842, with Mary Jane Wetherbee, daughter of Solomon and Sarah (Wetherbee) Wetherbee of Concord, Mass. Their chil- dren were: George Dana, who was in the commissary de- partment of the 'Army of the. Potomac, deceased ; Sarah E., married William A. Crombie of Burlington, Vt., of which city he has been mayor; Levi E., married Jane (Russell) Hopkins, died Febuary, 1880; Albert C., died in infancy ; Clarence A., married Mary Elizabeth Brown of Ogdensburg, N. Y .; Charles O., married Lulu Bemis of Nashua.

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HISTORY OF NASIIUA, N. H.

NEWSPAPERS.

HISTORY OF NEWSPAPERS PUBLISHED IN DUNSTABLE AND NASHUA, N. H., FROM 1826 TO 1897, CHRONOLOGICALLY ARRANGED.

BY O. D. MURRAY.

I N 1638 the first printing press in the United States was set up in Cambridge, Mass. In 1674 the general court of Massachusetts authorized a press in Boston, and in 1681 permitted a third with this order: "That none may presume to set up any other press without the like liberty first granted."

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History of the city of Nashua, N.H., Part 85

Author: Parker, Edward Everett, 1842- ed; Reinheimer, H., & Co Publication date: 1897 Publisher: Nashua, N.H., Telegraph Publishing Company Number of Pages: 652

Author: Parker, Edward Everett, 1842- ed; Reinheimer, H., & Co
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: Nashua, N.H., Telegraph Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 652