USA > New Hampshire > State builders; an illustrated historical and biographical record of the state of New Hampshire at the beginning of the twentieth century > Part 20
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33
When he was 17 years of age he began to teach school, ยท first at Boscawen and then at Auburn and at Piscataquog, having been principal of the grammar school in the latter place. In 1858 he went to Carrolton, Illinois, where he remained as principal of a grammar school until the Civil War broke out.
When this call of duty sounded he promptly returned to New Hampshire and entered the Fourth N. H. Volun- teers as a lieutenant, enlisting at Manchester. His war record was a brilliant one, his regiment seeing some very hard fighting and his part in it being of the foremost and best. He was wounded and once taken prisoner and when the war ended he had fought his way to the brevet rank of colonel, bestowed upon him for conspicuous bravery.
At the close of the war Colonel Parker engaged in educational work once more, at first in Dayton, Ohio, where he was appointed the principal of the first normal school in that city. After taking a trip abroad, he was elected superintendent of schools in Quincy, Mass., and
273
STATE BUILDERS
there first began to attract the attention of the entire edu- cational world by his original work.
In 1880 he became one of the supervisors of Boston schools and soon afterwards was chosen principal of the Cook county normal school in Chicago. Later he joined the staff of Chicago University where his merits as an authority upon, and investigator of educational methods was fully appreciated.
To speak fittingly of Colonel Parker's life work would require the full knowledge and trained pen of a fellow expert along those lines. But even the layman in such matters knows that to this brave and honored son of New Hampshire is due great credit for the vast strides in ad- vance which the cause of education has made in the last two score years. As a soldier he did more than his share to save his country; and then he devoted himself. with the talents God had given him to the proper train- ing and culture of the youth of the new nation that was rising into glorious power.
274
CHARLES ROBERT CORNING
CHARLES ROBERT CORNING.
Since 1899 the judge of probate for Merrimack county has been Charles Robert Corning, who was born in the city of Concord on the twentieth of December, 1855. He was educated in the city schools, later continuing his studies at Phillips (Andover) academy, and under a private tutor. Selecting the legal profession as a life calling he was in 1883 admitted to the bar and began active practice. He at once demonstrated that he pos- sessed the judicial temperament to a fine degree, and that his natural and acquired attainments fitted him for suc- cess and leadership and especially as a counsellor. This early recognition of the qualities within the man on the part of his fellow-citizens and neighbors prompted them to send him to the popular branch of the state legislature in 1878 when he was only twenty-three, having been one of the youngest men ever chosen to a like position in any state of the Union. In 1883, the year of his admission to the bar, he was again returned to the legislature, a fact that shows the manner in which he fulfilled the duties imposed upon him in the first session was eminently sat- isfactory to his constituents. At the Commencement Exercises in 1887, Dartmouth College conferred the de- gree of A. M. on Mr. Corning. In 1889 he was sent to the state senate and served upon its more important committees. In 1891 he received from President Harri- son the appointment of assistant attorney in the United States department of justice and held this position
275
STATE BUILDERS
until 1894. His appointment to the probate judgeship of Merrimack county gave widespread satisfaction, for all knew that in Judge Corning were those quali- ties of heart and mind that make the ideal judge of such a court. In this current year of 1902 Judge Corn- ing was elected Mayor of his native city for a term of two years. Under his administration will be built the new city hall. His fellow-citizens believe that they have in him a chief executive eminently fitted to discharge every duty of the important office. Judge Corning is a member of Blazing Star lodge, F. & A. M., Concord.
276
HORACE P. WATTS
HORACE P. WATTS.
Among the New Hampshire men whose business sa- gacity and enterprise and rugged honesty of character entitles them to be classed among the builders of the state, was the late Horace P. Watts of Manchester. Born in the suburb of Goff's Falls, in 1819, the son of Daniel and Polly (Darrah) Watts, he lived nearly his whole life as a citizen of Manchester, and when he passed to his reward the morning of August 14, 1890, he was sincerely mourned by a wide circle of friends and associates, whose love and respect he had gained by his admirable traits of character and his walk and conversation for many years. Mr. Watts gained his early education in those nurseries of sturdy character and independence, the public schools of his vicinity, and continued it at Pinkerton academy in Derry, then, as now, distinguished for the thoroughness of its instruction and the character of its graduates. He early entered upon a business career and by his shrewd- ness and energy established a successful business. After a time he became a member of the milling firm of Hall, Watts & Co., which for a long time conducted the exten- sive flour and milling business on the Piscataquog river, on the site now occupied by the American Shuttle com- pany's mill, previously operated by J. Baldwin & Son. This business was one of the most extensive of its kind in the State, and at the time of its destruction by fire in 1875, it was grinding about seventy-five thousand bushels of wheat and the same amount of corn per annum. From
277
STATE BUILDERS
this time on, Mr. Watts engaged himself entirely in bank- ing and financial matters and in the charitable and church work in which he had always been largely interested. Mr. Watts was one of the directors of the Manchester Na- tional bank, and for a time a director of the old Nashua & Lowell railroad, now absorbed in the Boston & Maine system. He was also a director of the First National bank of Castleton, Dakota, and president of the Security Loan & Trust company of the same place. In various capacities he was interested in other leading financial in- stitutions. No local enterprise of a public nature failed to receive his support. He was an active member of the Manchester Board of Trade. When it became neces- sary to build the First Congregational church, he was largely instrumental in causing its removal to the fine location at the corner of Hanover and Union streets and contributed $5000 to the erection of the new edifice, and he was for ten years president of the society of the Church.
In the charitable work of Manchester, as has been said, Mr. Watts was much interested. The Elliot hospital, the Children's home, the City mission and the Woman's Aid home were objects of his solicitude and liberal contribu- tions.
He was firm, yet kind; generous, yet just; calm, deliber- ate, and thoughtful, weighing his every act in the scales of right.
His lofty symmetrical character, his life of unselfish purity and benevolence, won for him the confidence, re- spect, and esteem of all whose life he entered. Few men merited a more prominent position in the affairs of the city in which he lived than did he. Yet his retiring, mod- est disposition caused him to refuse many honors which his fellow citizens would have gladly bestowed upon him.
Politically, Mr. Watts was a Republican, but never an active aspirant for political honors. He represented Lon-
278
STATE BUILDERS
donderry in the legislature in 1865 and served for a time as commissioner for Rockingham county, and served on the board of assessors in Manchester one year. Mr. Watts married in 1842, Maria Boyd, who survived him five years, her death occurring March 28, 1895. Of this union there were born four children; one, a boy, passed away in infancy. His oldest daughter, now deceased, Martha B., married W. F. Holmes; his second daughter, Annie E., is the wife of Rosecrans W. Pillsbury of Lon- donderry, and Mary Alice was his third daughter.
To his home life Mr. Watts was especially devoted. The attractions of politics had few charms for him, and he never allowed the cares of business to deprive him of the pleasures of his own family.
279
MISS MARY ALICE WATTS.
The American woman is undoubtedly the highest type of her sex. Her supremacy is as inexplicable to the for- eigner as' it is everywhere acknowledged. In what it consists authorities disagree. Whether it be in her easy adaptation to all circumstances and conditions; in that comprehensive education which she receives, beginning in public schools and completed in academy, seminary or college; in that native alertness, intelligence and tact which are hers universally, the American woman has secured her fame and reputation in the world.
Miss Mary Alice Watts of Manchester is a beautiful example of this American type. Born as she was in the most populous and enterprising city of New Hampshire, she received her early education in the public schools of her native place. No institution in this country has so justified its existence as the public school. It teaches those who pass through it to appreciate men and women at their true value, and as a foundation for higher culture has no real competitor. Supplementing this with a course at the celebrated Abbott academy, of Andover, Mass., and a year spent in travel across the Atlantic, Miss Watts had exceptional opportunities for observa- tion and self-culture. These she thoroughly improved and as a result she is one of the most pleasing and enter- taining of conversationalists. Her beautiful home on Beech street, the family residence, contains many souvenirs of her extensive travel, and her library is filled
280
MARY ALICE WATTS
STATE BUILDERS
with the best works of leading writers in poetry, history, fiction and all the departments of literature. Her home displays all the evidences of refined and cultured tastes, and is the centre of a delightful yet unobtrusive hospi- tality. Naturally Miss Watts is a social favorite, her graces of mind and manner attracting many friends and retaining them. Like the typical American woman that she is, Miss Watts is largely interested in the philan- thropic institutions of the city, and her life is filled with numberless acts of kindness. The Woman's Aid home and the Elliot hospital, of which she is a trustee, are con- spicuously objects of her solicitude, and the City Mis- sion and Children's home are not strangers to her bounty. Trained and experienced in business matters as she is, possessed of executive ability and administering her affairs with wisdom and skill, she has lost thereby none of the graces of womanhood, and in that sense also is typical of the cultured American lady-always approach- able, amiable and kind, able to do, but graceful in the doing. Her home life is simple and peculiarly attractive, and the sweetness and nobility of her character are recog- nized by all who come within the circle of her influence. She is a member of the First Congregational church, and a valued helper in the varied work of the society, whose lofty ideals, attractive personality and charming man- ners are a power for good in the community.
281
HENRY F. HOLLIS.
Henry French Hollis, of Concord, the most widely known man of his age in New Hampshire, was born in West Concord, August 30, 1869, the son of Major Abijah and Harriette V. M. (French) Hollis. He traces his ancestry on both sides to leaders in the colonial and early national history of our country. His father is a veteran of the Civil war and a prominent business man of Concord for half a century. One maternal great-grandfather was William M. Richardson of Chester, who was Chief Jus- tice of the N. H. Supreme Court from 1816 to 1838, while the other maternal great-grandfather was Daniel French, Attorney-General of the state. His maternal grandfather was Hon. Henry F. French, Judge of the N. H. Court of Common Pleas, and Assistant Secretary of the United States Treasury from Grant to Cleveland. An uncle is Daniel C. French, the sculptor.
Henry F. Hollis was graduated from the Concord High school in 1886 and for the ensuing year was engaged in railroad engineering between Denver and San Francisco and in a survey of the intervening mountain passes. Re- turning East he prepared at Concord, Mass., to enter Harvard college, graduating in the class of 1892. He at- tended the Harvard Law School and also studied law with the late Judge William L. Foster of Concord.
In 1893 he was admitted to the bar and since that time has practised his profession with notable success in New Hampshire and other courts. Since 1899 he has been a
282
HENRY FRENCH HOLLIS
STATE BUILDERS
partner of Attorney General Edwin G. Eastman under the firm name of Eastman & Hollis, and the important cases which they have handled'are too numerous to men- tion.
Mr. Hollis served one term on the board of education in Concord, declining a re-election; and has been a trustee of the New Hampshire Savings bank since 1895. He is a member of many clubs and societies, and is as popular socially as would be expected of a gentleman possessing as much affability, culture and savoir faire.
In 1900 Mr. Hollis sprang full-armed into the arena of politics and in the few years that have since elapsed he has made himself a national figure and has achieved a reputation that for so young a man, in the ranks of a minority party, is little short of marvellous.
In 1900 he was the candidate of the New Hampshire Democracy for congress in the second district and made a vigorous and brilliant campaign, speaking extensively and gaining wide credit for both eloquence and good sense. In the summer of 1902 he was one of the prime movers in the formation of the New England Democratic league, serving as its secretary and treasurer. He is, also, the New Hampshire member of the national Demo- cratic congressional committee.
In the summer of 1902 he was unanimously called to the chairmanship of the New Hampshire Democratic committee and this position he filled most ably for several months until another imperative call came from his party that he should be its standard bearer in the gubernatorial campaign. This duty he took up and discharged, as he does all that comes to him in the varied walks of life, with energy, enthusiasm, good judgment and sincere purpose. It is believed that no candidate for governor in New Hampshire ever ran so far ahead of his ticket as did Mr. Hollis, who was defeated by only 8,000 votes, the regular Republican majority being 15,000.
283
JOHN HENRY ALBIN.
John Henry Albin of Concord, successful lawyer, rail- road president and inan of affairs, was born in Randolph, Vt., October 17, 1843, the son of John and Emily (White) 'Albin, his ancestors on both sides coming from England to America during the Colonial period.
His parents moving to Concord in his youth, he pre- pared in the public and High schools of that city for Dartmouth college, from which he graduated in the class of 1864. He then studied law in the office of Hon. Ira A. Eastman of Concord and was admitted to the bar in 1868. From that date he has been continuously engaged in the practice of his profession in Concord, and has attained high rank in all its branches, but especially in the department of corporate law.
Always a stalwart Republican, Mr. Albin has served two terms in the legislature, where he did valuable service and was an acknowledged leader of his party.
Mr. Albin has been largely engaged in the develop- ment and management of steam and electric railroad properties in New England, showing in this capacity re- markable executive ability. He is president and a di- rector of the Sullivan County railroad of New Hamp- shire; director of the Connecticut River railroad of Mas- sachusetts; and director of the Vermont Valley railroad of Vermont. Until its recent sale to a syndicate he was the president and principal owner of the Concord street railway, a property which was greatly enlarged and im- proved under his control.
284
JOHN H. ALBIN
STATE BUILDERS
The I. O. O. F. of the state and nation owe much to General Albin's long and influential connection with the order. He was Grand Master of the grand lodge of New Hampshire in 1879, and for several sessions repre- sented the grand lodge of the state in the Sovereign grand lodge, of which body he afterwards served as grand marshal for several sessions. While an officer of the sovereign grand lodge he prepared the ritual and was largely the author of the legislation which established the Patriarch Militant rank of the order. He was one of the founders of the Odd Fellows home of New Hamp-, shire and has served as one of its trustees since its organ- ization.
Mr. Albin was married on September 5, 1872, to Miss Georgia A. Mordica, who passed away during the pres- ent year (1902) after a beautiful and useful life in her home, in her church and in society. To them two chil- dren were born: Henry A. Albin, superintendent of the Concord & Manchester Street railway, and Miss Edith G. Albin.
General Albin's career has been a singularly successful one, and it is still at its flood tide. His thorough and accurate knowledge of the law and his power as an advo- cate have placed him at the head of his profession; his sagacity and enterprise have won him an assured posi- tion in business circles; and his genial and magnetic personality, coupled with his distinguished abilities, have made him an honored and esteemed member of the so- cial and public life of the community.
285
JOHN HOSLEY.
John Hosley was born in Hancock May 12, 1826, and died in Manchester March 24, 1890.
He was one of nine children of Samuel and Sophia (Wilson) Hosley and was of English ancestry on both sides. His mother's lineage traced back to 1640 when Rev. John Wilson settled at the head of Wilson's Lane in Boston. Mr. Hosley was also a lineal descendant of Gov- ernor John Winthrop. His great-grandfather, James Hosley, was a prominent official of the town of Town- send, Mass., and in 1775 was captain of the "alarm list" that marched to the defence of Cambridge. Later he was captain of a company which marched to the assistance of General Gates at Saratoga. After the Revolution this James Hosley moved to Hancock, and the same farm he then occupied was handed down to his descendants.
John Hosley worked on a farm in youth and made the most of what schooling he could get. When he was twen- ty years of age he went to Manchester and went to work as a shoe cutter for Moses Fellows, the fourth mayor of the city. In 1849 Mr. Hosley began work as a weaver in the Amoskeag Mills, but the gold excitement then preva- lent caught him in its rush and carried him in 1851 to California where he remained two years. Returning to Manchester he was for a time in the grocery business, then became an overseer in the Amoskeag Mills and re- mained in that position until 1865.
Mr. Hosley was a member of the common council in
286
JOHN HOSLEY
STATE BUILDERS
1856-57; member of the school board in 1861-62; and alderman in 1863, '64, '71, '81 and '82. Upon the death of Mayor Daniels in 1865 Alderman Hosley was chosen to fill the vacancy and the next year he was elected mayor as a citizens' candidate. In 1886 he was again chosen mayor. He was city tax collector in 1875-76. In 1865 he was a delegate to the national union convention in Philadelphia.
Mr. Hosley was a gentleman of the old school, a true descendant of a race of hardy pioneers, inheriting the cool judgment and great ability of his ancestors. He was strictly honest and conscientious in all his public and private dealings, and the fact that he was so often called to fill important public offices emphasizes the apprecia- tion and admiration with which he was regarded by his contemporaries.
He stepped from the ranks of the workers to the helm of affairs at the instance of those who knew his worth, and filled each position to the city's honor and his own. It was men like John Hosley who made Manchester the city she is and to them she owes a heavy debt.
Mr. Hosley married in 1854 Dorothea H., daughter of Samuel and Cornelia Jones of Weare. They had one daughter, Marian J., wife of Dr. William M. Parsons of Manchester. Mr. Hosley was a Unitarian in religious belief, a member of Hillsborough lodge, I. O. O. F., of Lafayette lodge, A. F. and A. M., and of the Knights Templar.'
287
ALICE M. M. CHESLEY, M. D.
Alice M. M. Chesley, M. D., of Exeter, one of the most widely known and highly successful of the women physicians of New Hampshire, was born in Nottingham, that state, October 14, 1861, the daughter of Dr. Lafay- ette and Mrs. Hannah D. (Jones) Chesley. Her father was a practising physician in Exeter so that her predilec- tion for her chosen profession was inherited as well as acquired. As a young girl Miss Chesley was eager to gain a broad and thorough culture. She graduated at the High school in Charlestown, Mass., at Chester academy, and at the Maine State normal school. She studied two years at Ann Arbor, Mich., but was called home by the death of her father and sister. Her med- ical education was then completed at Tufts college, Boston, Mass.
Large hospital experience at Detroit, New York and Boston has supplemented her professional studies and has given her skill of such degree as to secure for her a large practice in Exeter. She is a member of the New Hampshire Medical society, admission to which is a recognition of ethical and practical devotion to the sci- ence of medicine.
Dr. Chesley's ability and faithfulness have been recog- nized outside the beaten paths of her profession, for her services were sought and secured by the county of Rock- ingham for the important and laborious task of revising and indexing the records book, dating back to 1622.
288
ALICE M. M. CHESLEY, M.D.
STATE BUILDERS
This work was done so carefully and well as to gain general praise.
Dr. Chesley's career is an excellent illustration of what the young womanhood of New England can ac- complish when its ability and application are commen- strate with its ambition. Every woman physician who unites in herself, as Miss Chesley does, industry, intel- ligence, skill. training and a sincere desire to serve, fills a want, great and long recognized.
289
CHANCEY ADAMS, M. D.
Chancey Adams, A. M., M. D., a successful medical practitioner of Concord, was born in North New Port- land, Me., March 15, 1861, son of Benjamin and Eliza Briton (Sawyer) Adams. He belongs to a branch of the famous old Massachusetts family of the same name. Henry Adams, the founder of the Massachusetts family, was an English emigrant, who came over to this country in the year 1630, with his eight sons and settled in Braintree, in the Colony of Massachusetts. Of these eight sons, one subsequently returned to England. The names of the others according to the records of Massa- chusetts, were: Peter, Henry, Thomas, Edward, Jona- than, Samuel and Joseph. Samuel was the father of two sons, one of whom was Joseph Adams, who lived in North Chelmsford, Mass. Joseph was the father of Benjamin Adams, who was the father of William Adams, who was the father of Solomon Adams, who was the great-grandfather of Dr. Adams. Solomon Adams migrated from North Chelmsford, Mass., his native town, to Farmington, Me., at the close of the Revolutionary War. The record shows that he served his country during that war from May 15, 1777, to May 15, 1780, in Captain James Varnum's company, of Colonel Michael Jackson's regiment; but his active mili- tary service actually extended beyond these dates. Wil- liam Adams, son of Solomon and grandfather of Dr. Adams, was a native of Farmington, Me. He passed
290
CHANCEY ADAMS, M.D.
STATE BUILDERS
his entire life in that town, engaged in farming, and died June 12, 1862, at the age of seventy-three years. He married Nancy Hiscock, and had a numerous family of children, of whom three died in infancy. The others were born as follows: Thomas H., March 14, 1813; Hannah B., October 19, 1815; William, Jr., August 21, 1817; Nancy K., August 4, 1819; John R., August 17, 1821; Benjamin, April 7, 1823; Samuel, April 1I, 1825; Lucy J., October 6, 1829; and Dolly, September 3, 1835. Of these Benjamin, the father of Dr. Adams, was the last survivor. He was a native of Farmington, Me. In early manhood he studied law while teaching school, and was subsequently admitted to the Franklin County bar. He then took up his residence in North New Port- land, Me., where he was engaged in the practice of his profession from 1847 to 1870, when he moved to North Anson, Me. From 1849 to 1854 he was Postmaster at North New Portland. He was Register of Probate from 1854 to 1855. In 1873 he was a member of the House of Representatives of the Maine legislature. He was a Congregationalist in religious belief. In 1849 he mar- ried Eliza Briton Sawyer, daughter of Ephraim and Elizabeth (Williams) Sawyer. During the last nine years of his life he made his home with his son, Dr. Adams, at Concord, N. H. He died at the Margaret Pillsbury General Hospital at Concord, N. H., of apo- plexy, on July 17, 1902, after a short illness of five days, at the advanced age of seventy-nine years, three months and ten days.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.