USA > New Hampshire > Merrimack County > Sutton > The history of Sutton, New Hampshire: consisting of the historical collections of Erastus Wadleigh, esq., and A. H. Worthen, part 2 > Part 22
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6. Ann Judson Pillsbury m. Feb. 26, 1855, William B. Marshall, of Weare. She was a very successful school-teacher for several years. They moved to Kansas in 1855, where she died the following year, much beloved and respected.
7. Adoniram Judson Pillsbury was a fine scholar, and bade fair to make an active and useful man, but for his early death.
8. William Stoughton Pillsbury m., in 1854, Sarah Crowell, of Lon- donderry. She died in about one month. He m., 2d, April 15, 1856, Martha Crowell, also of Londonderry. He became one of the most sagacious business men of the state. At the age of fourteen he com- menced to learn the trade of a shoemaker. At twenty he started a shoe manufactory at Andover. In a year or two he was engaged with a large shoe manufacturing firm at Derry, acting as agent for the firm. When the War of the Rebellion broke out he at once enlisted in his country's service, was commissioned as 1st lieutenant of the Fourth N. H. Regiment, and left for the seat of war in September, 1861. Meeting with a severe accident soon after, he resigned his com- mission, and returned to his home. Recovering from his injuries much sooner than was expected, he in a few months again offered his services, and was commissioned a recruiting officer for the 9th Regiment N. H. Vols., which was quickly raised, and he took a commission as 1st lieu- tenant of Co. A. His regiment was at once sent to Washington city, and in a short time was engaged in the conflict at South Mountain, and at the battle of Antietam, in both of which battles the Ninth Regi- ment distinguished itself, particularly Co. A, under command of Lieut. Pillsbury. Soon after this he was again attacked with a severe illness, and was obliged to resign his commission. He finally recovered his health, and, as soon as he was able, engaged in recruiting men for the army. He again went into his country's service, and was com- missioned as an officer in an artillery brigade. He was in command of a battery for a while, and was in command until the close of the war in 1865. Within a few months after his return from the war he was engaged in the manufacture of shoes at Londonderry. His busi- ness soon outgrowing his accommodations, caused him to remove his establishment to Derry Depot, where he has succeeded in building up one of the largest shoe manufacturing establishments in the country, employing some five hundred persons.
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HISTORY OF SUTTON.
Mr. Pillsbury has filled various offices of trust and honor. In 1868 he was elected one of the commissioners of Rockingham county, and during his term of office introduced and carried into effect several radi- cal reforms, much to the interest of the county. He has held the high- est offices within the gift of his fellow-townsmen, having been elected a representative to the legislature, where he served with 'honor, taking an active part in its deliberations and debates. In 1877 he was appointed by Gov. Prescott on his staff as aide-de-camp, taking rank as colonel. Mr. Pillsbury has always been identified with the Republican party. He is a member of the Presbyterian church, but is very liberal and tolerant towards all denominations. By close application to business he has accumulated quite a fortune. Of him it may be safely said that he is an honorable, active, high-toned, energetic business man.
9. Leonard Hobart Pillsbury m. Aug. 23, 1862, Evelyn F. Sanborn. At the breaking out of the War of the Rebellion, in 1861, Leonard was a student at Phillips Academy at Exeter. Notwithstanding his great desire to pursue his studies, his love of country was so strong that he felt it his duty to leave the halls of learning, and to offer his services in that country's defence. He at once undertook to raise a company of volunteers. His efforts and zeal were so great that in a short time the company was raised, and he was commissioned a captain of Co. A, of the Ninth Regiment N. H. Vols. He went to the defence of Washington about the time of Gen. Lee's raid on that city and the Northern states. He was in the battle at South Mountain, and also in the terrible battle of Antietam, where he fell wounded. He was at the battle of Fredericksburg, where nearly one third of his command were killed or disabled. He went to Vicksburg, and was engaged in the siege of that city under Gen. Grant. He was a courageous soldier and officer. After the close of the war he received an appointment in the custom-house at New York city. His health failing him, he went on a farm in the state of Kansas. He afterwards accepted the position of U. S. commissioner and assistant clerk of the U. S. District Court at Memphis, Tenn. He left that place when it was visited by the terrible plague of yellow-fever. Coming North he located in Derry, and engaged in mercantile business. He was post-master at Derry Depot for several years. Mr. Pillsbury is a popular public speaker, and an upright, honorable, much respected citizen. He is a prominent mem- ber of the Baptist church.
II. Joseph Pillsbury m. Oct. 29, 1808, Miriam, dau. of Thomas and Ruth (Atwood) Wadleigh, of Sutton, b. March 30, 1786; d. June 26, 1830. Children,-
1. Micajah, b. Dec. 18, 1809.
2. Lucretia, b. May 11, 1812.
3. John C., b. March 6, 1814; d. 1854, in Concord.
.
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GENEALOGY.
4. Daniel, b. May 17, 1816 ; d. in childhood.
5. Thomas Wadleigh, b. Jan. 20, 1818.
6. Joseph, b. Oct. 8, 1820.
7. Miriam, b. Aug. 30, 1823 ; d. July 14, 1839.
8. Sarah, b. Jan. 10, 1828.
Joseph Pillsbury m., 2d, Nov. 8, 1830, Mrs. Abigail (Greeley) Lovering, widow of Dr. Benjamin Lovering, or Loverin. Child,-
9. Benjamin L., b. Aug. 21, 1831; d. Nov. 18, 1854.
Mrs. Abigail (Greeley) Pillsbury had by her 1st husband, Dr. Lovering, 2 daughters,-Minerva and Lavinia. Dr. Lovering was in this town about 1816, and the years following. He was resident in the South village. His wife was of the Salisbury branch of the Greeley family.
1. Micajah Pillsbury soon after he became of age went to Maine, where he lived several years, and there m. Huldah Walker. Children-
(1) James M. (2) Addis A.
2. Lucretia Pillsbury m. Reuben Martin, of Bradford. Children,-
(1) Miriam. (2) William. (3) Lucy.
Mrs. Martin was a lady who was loved and esteemed by all who knew her.
3. John C. Pillsbury m. Charlotte Gove, of Andover. Children,-
(1) Laura A. (2) Julius B.
John C. Pillsbury lived at different times in Andover, Franklin, Sut- ton, and Concord. He died in the prime of life. He was a warm- hearted, intelligent, and much respected man. He held many impor- tant offices of trust and responsibility, and discharged all the duties devolving on him with rare fidelity. He was sheriff of Merrimack county for several years, was repeatedly elected selectman of Concord, and after the town became a city he was city marshal of the same.
5. Thomas Wadleigh Pillsbury m. Nov. 3, 1842, Abigail B. Palmer, of Concord. Children,-
(1) Frank J. (2) Ellen A. (3) Frank K.
Thomas Wadleigh Pillsbury has lived in Concord most of his life. He is an active business man, has excellent judgment, and is highly respected. When quite young he was connected in business with his brother-in-law, Reuben Martin, in the foundry and stove business. He was for several years connected with the Concord & Claremont Rail- road Corporation. For some thirty years he was the purchasing agent of the Northern Railroad Corporation, a very responsible position, but his duties were discharged faithfully and to the satisfaction of the cor- poration. He and his excellent wife were consistent and worthy
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HISTORY OF SUTTON.
members of the First Baptist Church in Concord for many years. His wife died in 1887.
6. Joseph Pillsbury m. Esther M. Ager. Children,-
(1) Hattie L., m. Newell G. Durgin, of Wilmot. Children,- Emily C .; Frank L.
(2) Ella M.
(3) Annie HI., m. Oscar Brownell, of Wilmot. Children,- Carrie E .; John L .; Kate W.
8. Sarah Pillsbury m. John C. Clough, of Dunbarton. Children,-
(1) Carrie E., d. -. (2) Jennie M. (3) Emma D. (4) Carrie E., 2d.
Mrs. Clough is a very worthy woman, and has been for many years an exemplary member of the First Baptist church in Concord, of which city this family were for a long period residents. They now live in Dunbarton.
III. Moses Pillsbury m. Mary Carleton, of Hopkinton, who d. about 1852. Children,-
1. Mary, b. April 18, 1818 ; d. March 28, 1851. [See George S. Mor- gan.]
2. Harriet F., b. June 6, 1820; d. June 24, 1840.
3. Sarah, b. Dec. 12, 1824; d. March 20, 1855; m. 1850, Robert Rowe, of Wilmot. No children.
4. Moses L., b. Sept. 10, 1826.
5. Amanda, b. July 8, 1828; d. June 30, 1855. She was a school teacher.
Moses Pillsbury m., 2d, Nov. 1, 1854, Mrs. Anna (Blaisdell) Eaton, widow of Joshua Eaton, of Bradford. He m., 3d, April 1, 1862, Mrs. Jane Stevens.
4. Moses L. Pillsbury has always made Sutton his residence, and it is hoped will continue to do so, as the town cannot well afford to lose such citizens as himself and his sons. His family is the only one now living here of the ancient and honorable name and lineage of Pillsbury. He is, in fact, the typical New Hampshire citizen,-honorable, intelligent, and useful,-of good estate, and always a gentleman. The same description will apply well to his father, Moses Pillsbury, and, unless they shall change materially for the worse, which is improbable, to his sons also. He m. March 30, 1852, Hannah M., dau. of Dea. John Felch. Children,-
(1) George S., b. Aug. 13, 1856.
(2) Herbert L., b. Oct. 22, 1865.
[See record of Town Officers.]
IV. John Pillsbury m. April 2, 1811, Susanna, youngest daugh- ter of Benjamin Wadleigh, Sr., b. March 23, 1793; d. 1877. Children, b. in Sutton,-
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GENEALOGY.
1. Simon Wadleigh, b. June 22, 1812; d. January, 1836.
2. George Alfred, b. Aug. 29, 1816.
3. Dolly W., b. Sept. 20, 1818 ; d. Dec. 8, 1858.
4. John Sargent, b. July 29, 1827.
5. Benjamin Franklin, b. March 29, 1831.
John Pillsbury was a prominent man in Sutton, having held the office of representative and selectman, and filled other positions, always acceptably. He was known as Capt. Pillsbury, having held a commission as such in the militia, and later, after he became a magistrate, as Esq. John Pillsbury. His wife was a descendant of Capt. Thomas Wadleigh, of Exeter, a son of Robert Wadleigh, of the same place, who was a member of the provincial legislature. The maternal grandmother of the children of John Pillsbury was Hannah, daughter of Ebenezer Kezar, so noted and so efficient in the earlier years of the town's existence. The descendants of Mr. Kezar are numerous in Sutton and other parts of the United States and Canada. John Pillsbury and his wife were both professors of religion, and led exemplary lives. All the children of this family received a good common school education.
1. Simon W., the oldest, was a remarkable young man, both physi- cally and mentally. He was a superior scholar, being considered one of the greatest mathematicians in the state at the time of his death, which, it was believed, was caused by his close application to study. When attacked by the disease which cut short his life, this ambitious young man was prepared to enter college two years in advance. He gave the first public lecture on temperance ever delivered in Sutton, in a school-house, it being considered, fifty years ago, sacrilegious to use a meeting-house for such a purpose. His success was most marked, for nearly every sober man present in the house was ready to sign the pledge.
2. George Alfred Pillsbury m. May 9, 1841, Margaret S. Carleton, dau. of Henry and Polly (Greeley) Carleton. Children,-
(1) Charles A., b. in Warner, Oct. 3, 1842.
(2) Mary Adda, b. in Warner, April 25, 1848; d. May 11, 1849.
(3) Fred C., b. in Concord, Aug. 27, 1852.
2. George A. Pillsbury, son of John and Susan (Wadleigh) Pillsbury, was born in Sutton Aug. 29, 1816. Having received a thorough com- mon-school education in his native town, and being of an active tem- perament, he manifested a desire to enter business at an early age. Accordingly, at the age of eighteen years he went to Boston, and obtained employment with Job Davis, a native of Sutton, who was doing a business at that time as a grocer and fruit-dealer, under the Boylston Market. He remained in Boston but little more than a year, 56
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HISTORY OF SUTTON.
when he returned to Sutton and engaged in the manufacture of stoves and sheet-iron ware, in company with his cousin, John C. Pillsbury. He continued there a few years, they doing an extensive business.
On the 1st of February, 1840, Mr. Pillsbury went to Warner as a clerk in the store of John H. Pearson, in which capacity he served till July of the same year, when he purchased the business, and from that time for nearly eight years he was actively engaged either on his own account, or in partnership with others. ITis partners during that time were Henry Woodman and H. D. Robertson.
In the spring of 1848 he went into a wholesale dry goods house in Boston, and in 1849, having leased the store of Ira Harvey, in Warner, and bought his stock of goods, he returned to that town and engaged in business, where he remained till the spring of 1851, when he sold back his interest to Mr. Harvey, and went out of mercantile business entirely. In 1844 he was appointed post-master at Warner, and held the office till 1849, there being at that time but one office in the town. In 1847, he served the town as selectman, in 1849 as selectman and town treasurer, and in the years 1850 and 1851 he was elected repre- sentative to the general court.
During the session of 1851 Merrimack county decided to build a new jail at Concord, the old one at Hopkinton having become dilapidated and unfit for use. The convention appointed Mr. Pillsbury chairman of a committee with full authority to purchase the site, perfect plans, and erect the building. The site selected by the committee was that occupied by the jail in present use. This lot contained ten acres. The general superintendence was given by the other members of the com- mittee to Mr. Pillsbury, and he devoted his whole time to the work, which was not completed till the spring of 1852. At the time of its erection it was considered one of the best buildings of the kind in the state, and the thoroughness of its construction is shown by the fact that now, after some thirty years of service, it will compare very favor- ably with other like institutions.
In November, 1851, Mr. Pillsbury received from the Concord Rail- road Corporation an appointment as purchasing agent for the road, and entered upon the duties of the position in December of the same year, having, meantime, removed his family to Concord. He occupied this position continuously till July, 1875, a period of nearly twenty- four years. During his administration of the office, which was always most satisfactory, his purchases amounted to more than three millions of dollars, and he settled more cases of claims against the road for personal injury resulting from accident and fire than all other officers combined. In all his long term of office his relations with the officers of the road were of the most agreeable character; no fault was ever found or complaint made of his transactions by the management.
883
GENEALOGY.
During a residence of nearly twenty-seven years in Concord Mr. Pillsbury was called upon to fill many important positions of honor and trust, and he did much toward building up and beautifying the city. He was one of the committee appointed by Union School Dis- trict to build the high school building, and several other school buildings that now stand monuments of credit to our people. He was interested in the erection of several of the handsomest business blocks upon Main street, and several fine residences in the city were built by him
In 1864, Mr. Pillsbury, with others, organized and put in operation the First National Bank of Concord. He was elected a member of the first board of directors, and in 1866 became its president, and con- tinued in that office till his departure from the state. He was also instrumental more than any other person in securing the charter and putting in operation the National Savings Bank, in 1867. He was the first president of this institution, and held the position till 1874, when he resigned. During his connection with the First National Bank, that institution became, in proportion to its capital stock, the strongest of any bank in the state, and its standing is equally good to-day. Up to December, 1873, when the treasurer was discovered to be a defaulter to a large amount, the National Savings Bank was one of the most prosperous institutions of its kind in the state, but the defalcation, coupled with a general crash in business, necessitated its closing up. During the first year of its existence it received on de- posit nearly seven hundred thousand dollars, and at the time of the defalcation of its treasurer it had nearly one million six hundred thou- sand dollars on deposit ; its total deposits during the first five years of its existence, up to the time mentioned, amounted to more than three millions of dollars. The bank eventually paid a large percentage of its indebtedness.
While a resident of Concord Mr. Pillsbury was identified with most of the benevolent and charitable institutions of the day, and he was always ready to assist by his advice and contributions all organizations that had for their object the relief of the unfortunate and suffering. He was ever a liberal supporter of all moral and religious enterprises. To his generosity the city of Concord is indebted for the fine bell which hangs in the tower of the board of trade building, and for this donation he was the recipient of a vote of thanks from the city coun- cil.
The large and handsome organ in the First Baptist church was a gift from Mr. Pillsbury and his son, Charles A., both gentlemen being at the time members of that church.
He was actively engaged in instituting the Centennial Home for the Aged in Concord, made large contributions to aid in putting it in operation, and was a member of the board of its trustees. He also
884
HISTORY OF SUTTON.
contributed largely to the Orphans' Home in Franklin, and was one: of its trustees from the time of its establishment till he left the state.
Mr. Pillsbury was for several years a member of the city council of Concord, was elected mayor in 1876, and reelected the following year. During the year 1871-'72 he represented Ward Five in the legislature, and in the latter year was made chairman of the special committee on the apportionment of public taxes. In 1876 the Concord city council appointed him chairman of a committee of three to appraise all of the real estate in the city for the purposes of taxation, and in the dis- charge of the duties thus devolving upon him he personally visited every residence within the limits of the city. The position was a very responsible one, requiring the exercise of sound judgment and great patience, and the report of the conimittee gave very general satisfac- tion.
In the spring of 1878 he determined to leave Concord and take up his residence in Minneapolis, Minn., where, with his two sons and brother, he was extensively engaged in the manufacture of flour. Probably no person ever left the city who received so many expressions of regret as Mr. Pillsbury. Complimentary resolutions were unani- mously passed by both branches of the city government, and by the First National Bank, the latter testifying strongly to his integrity, honesty, and superior business qualities.
Resolutions passed by the First Baptist church and society were ordered to be entered upon the records of each organization. The Webster Club, composed of fifty prominent business men of Concord, passed a series of resolutions expressive of regret for his departure from the state. A similar testimonial was also presented to Mr. Pills- bury, which was subscribed to by more than three hundred of the leading professional and business men of the city, among whom were all the ex-mayors then living, all the clergymen, all the members of both branches of the city government, all of the bank presidents and officers, twenty-six lawyers, twenty physicians, and nearly all of the business men in the city.
On the eve of their departure Mr. and Mrs. Pillsbury were presented with an elegant bronze statuette of Mozart. Such tributes, however worthily bestowed, could but afford great gratification to the recipient, showing, as they did, the great esteem in which he was held by his fellow-citizens. Mr. Pillsbury is now very pleasantly located in the beautiful city of Minneapolis, having built one of the most elegant residences in the city, and during the comparatively few years he has been there he has frequently been called upon to fill places of honor and trust.
George A. Pillsbury is a member of the firm of Charles A. Pillsbury & Co., of Minneapolis, Minn., the largest flour manufacturing firm in
885
GENEALOGY.
the world, of whose immense operations some brief mention will be made on another page of this sketch of the Pillsbury family.
The foregoing account of George A. Pillsbury is copied from the sketch of that gentleman by Allan H. Robinson, in the History of Mer- rimack and Belknap County, printed in 1885. The facts which will follow regarding some of Mr. Pillsbury's acts and generous gifts since that date are given either from personal knowledge on the part of the present writer, or are the result of letters of inquiry concerning his later operations. First, however, space should be given to the follow- ing extract from The Northwest, a popular monthly magazine published at St. Paul, Minn., which contains a fair account of him after his removal to Minnesota, up to the date of publication in 1885 :
" More than a year ago the writer said, in the columns of The North- west, that if any man in Minneapolis was asked to whom the city chiefly owed its prosperity, there would be no hesitation in his answer, 'The Pillsburys.' Since then the people of Minneapolis have had no cause to change their opinions, while last spring they gave a somewhat emphatic utterance to them by electing one of the members of this remarkable family,-the Hon. George Alfred Pillsbury,-to the mayor- alty of the city by an overwhelming vote. A liking for hard work and a belief in its virtues seem to have been early rooted in the Pills- bury family, for in England, more than two centuries and a half ago, they bore for their motto the words, Labor Omnia Vincit. But in all the generations of the Pillsburys since then who have lived and worked, from English Essex to Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Minnesota, it may be doubted whether any one of them has better de- served to bear the motto than the present mayor of Minneapolis. It was Lord Brougham who was advised by a friend ' to confine himself if possible to the work of five ordinary men,' but his toil-loving lord- ship himself might have been envious of the amount of downright hard work which Mr. Pillsbury has got through in his life. Setting his early life aside for the present, the mayor has only been in Minne- apolis six years as yet. During that time he has been president of the Minneapolis Board of Trade, of the City Council, of the Homoeopathic Hospital, and the Minneapolis Free Dispensary, and is still president of the Chamber of Commerce, of the Pillsbury and Hurlbert Elevator Company, of the Board of Water-Works, of the St. Paul and Minne- apolis Baptist Union, and the Minnesota Baptist State Convention, vice-president of the Minnesota Loan and Trust Company, member of the Board of Park Commissioners, director of the Northwestern Na- tional Bank, the Manufacturers' National Bank, the Minneapolis Elevator Company, and a trustee of institutions innumerable. All this besides mayor of the city! Here's a small trifle of work ! Eleven trusteeships and nine presidencies is a simple coming-in for one man.
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HISTORY OF SUTTON.
And in spite of the diversity of his duties, there has not been one post among all those which he has filled wherein he has failed to win the heartiest respect and approbation of all who have been brought into connection with him. 'The more difficult the kind of work he has to do, the more he appears to be able to give his undivided attention to each one. Mr. Pillsbury has shown a capacity, almost a genius, for hard and honest work totally incomprehensible to most men. This alone would compel the respect of his fellow-citizens, but by his gener- osity, his warm-heartedness, and unostentatious charity he has also won their affection. No stranger could read his public record without admiring the man who could live such a life ; but it is a stronger trib- ute to his character that no acquaintance can see the details of his private life without his admiration growing to something warmer. Mr. Pillsbury is yet only sixty-eight years of age, and it is safe to pre- dict that Minneapolis will yet be grateful to him for much good work done for her, and many benefits received at his hands."
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