USA > Rhode Island > Memorial encyclopedia of the state of Rhode Island > Part 24
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Richard Roscom
Richard Roscow, a son of Thomas and Elizabeth ( Robinson) Roscow, of Hartshead, Lancashire, England, was himself born there April 4, 1860. He was educated at first in his native town, later prepared for a university course, and then entered Oxford, from which he graduated. He then re- turned to his father's home in Lancashire and there lived until 1891, in which year he came to the United States. He came at once to Pawtucket and from that time until his death made his home there. He engaged in the business of manufacturing chemical supplies, founded the Richard Roscow Company and rapidly built up a large business. This concern was incorporated with "Mr. Roscow as its president. His brother, William Roscow, became asso- ciated with him and since his death has succeeded to his place and continues the prosperous business at the present time. The company early gained a splendid reputation both for prompt and effective business methods and for absolute integrity in its dealings. The business became one of the most important of its kind in the region and to this day continues to develop and extend its market.
Besides his business activity, Mr. Roscow was a conspicuous figure in the general life of the community and was always ready to take part in any movement undertaken for the advancement of the city's interests. He was a Republican in politics, but such were the demands made upon his time and energies that he was unable to identify himself very closely with the local organization, or take the part that his talents warranted in the conduct of public affairs. Mr. Roscow was a prominent figure in the fraternal circles of the region and a member of the Masonic order, being affiliated with all the local bodies. He belonged to Barney Merry Lodge, Ancient Free and Ac- cepted Masons, of Pawtucket; Pawtucket Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Holy Sepulchre Commandery, Knights Templar ; Palestine Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and was a thirty-second degree member of the Rhode Island Consistory, Sovereign Princes of the Royal Secret.
It was at Providence, Rhode Island, on May 10, 1894, that Mr. Roscow was united in marriage with Mary Eliza Griffiths, a daughter of Captain Griffiths and Mary (Parrey) Griffiths, of Carnavon, Wales. To Mr. and Mrs. Roscow were born two children as follows: Richard March, February 27, 1895, and Harry Griffiths, April 7, 1896.
Richard Roscow was possessed of those sterling virtues upon which all success worthy of the name must be founded and which, more than any other qualities, are the gauge of a man's value in the community. In addition to these he was a very attractive companion and made many warm and devoted friends so that his death was felt deeply in a very large circle and left a gap in the city's life difficult to forget and impossible to fill. He is survived by his wife and two children who still make their home at No. 38 Lawrence street, Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
1
Captain Thomas Pearce
T HE LIFE STORY of Captain Thomas Pearce carries far back into the past, his birth and that of the nation whose starry banner he carried into every principal port of the world be- ing nearly coincident. He was of that type not rare in New England marine annals. the educated, cultured master of ships, men of adventurous spirit, who preferred the scream of the wind, the wild rush of the waves and the freedom of the great out-of-doors to the confinement of office and business life. He had moreover an inherited love for the sea, his father, Captain Nathaniel Pearce, also having been a master of ships, sailing to foreign ports. Captain Na- thaniel Pearce did not intend his son should be a mariner, and when the schoolmaster wrote him that he had an unusual bright son who should be given higher educational advantages he acted on the suggestion. When pre- pared. he placed the boy in one of the best universities in Holland and there he spent four years. But even a university course could not eradicate the inherited love for the sea, and after a trial in the counting room the young man was allowed to follow his longings. For years as supercargo and master, he sailed the seven seas, circumnavigated the globe three times and lived a life of free, untramelled power, the owners trusting him implicitly with full control of the ship and her operation.
But with the years came the desire for the society of wife and children and the quiet comfort of home, and his later life was spent in business, but it was a business connected with ships and the water front of Providence. His was the first coal yard established in Providence, called the City Coal Yard, and it is reported he imported from England the first coal sold in the city. He was a brave, hearty, wholesouled sailorman with the culture and instincts of a gentleman, spoke French fluently, and several other languages indifferently, was a capital story teller and delighted in relating his experi- ences in foreign lands to interested friends. His wit and ready speech added greatly to the interest of his stories and he never failed of an appreciative audience. He was the soul of honor, true to the strictest interpretation of every obligation, very fond of his home and family. He did not profess any distinct creed, but he believed in "The Wisdom, Power and Glory of God," which he wrote for his own monument, having made all preparation for the change which he knew was coming, and in his daily life he exemplified the best teachings of morality and goodness. Now long passed from earthly view is Captain Pearce and his contemporaries, and gone from the seas are the sailing ships, once the glory of the nation, and with one exception the family he loved and tenderly cherished have joined him in the spirit land.
His daughter, Miss Catherine Wheaton Pearce, resides at No. 169 Cush- ing street, Providence, her life the sole connecting link between Captain Thomas Pearce, who was born when the eighteenth century was dying, and this sixteenth year of the twentieth century.
Captain Thomas Pearce, son of Captain Nathaniel and Sarah (Stod-
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Captain Thomas Pearce
dard) Pearce, both of old and prominent New England families, was born at Providence, Rhode Island, in 1792, died in the city of his birth, February 17, 1854. He attended public school, prepared for higher study in a private school, and finished his education with a four years' course in a Dutch uni- versity, located near Amsterdam, Holland ... He returned to the United States with all the culture and attainments of a university education and entered the employ of Samuel Greene Arnold, of Providence, a shipping merchant of prominence. The counting room did not long confine him, however, and he was sent to sea as supercargo, later as master. He sailed under the Arnold house flag for several years, then formed a partnership with another and sailed his own vessels. . This partnership was not a pro- nounced success and later he abandoned the sea, after an adventurous career in which he sailed all over the then known world, carrying the flag of his country wherever there were charted seas. He located the first coal yard in Providence on the wharf at the foot of Dyer street and also rented another wharf at which the ships of the Continental Steamship Company landed their passengers and freight. He was very successful in his business and continued active until his death.
Captain Pearce married Mary Ann Chappotin, born at the family home on State street, Boston, of French descent, and a maternal granddaughter of Colonel Dudley Coleman, born August 13, 1745, died November 16, 1797, an officer of the Revolutionary army. The Pearce home was in Providence and there all the children of Captain Thomas Pearce were born: I. Adeline Chappotin, who died aged seventy-five years. 2. Sophia Chappotin, married George Sears Stevenson, of North Carolina, where he was state solicitor; he was a graduate of Brown University; both deceased. 3. Mary Ann Jen- nings, married Benjamin Tripp, who for twenty-one years was city treas- urer of Providence. 4. Sarah Louise. 5. Thomas Nathaniel. 6. Rev. James Sturgiss, a clergyman of the Protestant Episcopal church. 7. Catherine Wheaton, the only living child. 8. Samuel Wheaton. 9. Clementine Chap- potin.
This review of the life of one of the old and honored men connected with the long ago of Providence is of peculiar interest at this time (1916) when the ravages of war is bringing about a revival of the sailing vessel, temporary perhaps, but a revival nevertheless. But the type represented by Captain Thomas Pearce can never be revived. They were the product of a day that has passed forever and to their memory we bow in reverence. They created and upheld marine supremacy until steam drove them from the seas and everywhere carried the flag of freedom.
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Tra Rathan Goff
TT IS OFTEN a matter of great difficulty to express in material terms the true value of a life, of a career, or to give an ade- quate idea of the real position that a man has won for himself in the regard of his fellows. In the case for instance of such a man as Ira Nathan Goff, whose name heads this brief appreciation, and whose death in Providence, Rhode Island, on February 5, 1916, was a loss to the whole community, in such a case as his it is apt to convey a very inadequate impression to state merely in bald terms that he succeeded highly in his business, since the true significance of a man is not so much to be found in this fact as in the influence which, as a personality, he has exerted upon those with whom he came in contact. The acquirement of wealth and position does indicate that a cer- tain power exists, that certain abilities must be present, so that to enumerate these things does serve as an illustration of the talents that are in him, but it is only one illustration, the most tangible, of these things and the others may be far more important in spite of the fact that they are vastly more difficult to state. This, although an illustration, it is of little value as a real gauge or measure of these powers, for while the proposition is true that the presence of those perquisites which the world showers upon genius of a certain order proves the genius of which it is the reward, the converse is not true at all since, at the very lowest estimate, half the genius goes quite un- rewarded. It is thus with Mr. Goff; while the success achieved by him in the great commercial house of which he was so long the head in itself marks him as a man of unusual capability, yet only those who were acquainted with him personally can be aware how greatly his services to the community exceeded anything that can be expressed in terms of his business success, how it reached out and affected many who must remain totally unconscious of its origin and source.
Ira Nathan Goff was a member of a well-known Providence family, being the son of Ira D. and Amy S. (Woodard) Goff, highly respected resi- dents of that city. His father died when he was a mere youth, but his mother continued to reside in Providence up to the ripe old age of eighty-three years. Mr. Goff was himself born in Providence, August 20, 1849, and passed prac- tically his entire life there. His education was received at the public schools of his native city and he proved himself an apt and industrious student. Upon completing his studies he entered the employ of the firm of Barney & Son, dealers in pianos, and thus made the acquaintance of the business that was to occupy his attention for the remainder of his life. The junior member of Barney & Son, James H. Barney, had married a sister of Mr. Goff and through that connection Mr. Goff became connected with the music business. At the time of his employment by this firm its business had run down greatly, but the vigorous and intelligent young man was soon placed in a responsible position and it was not long before its affairs were beginning to improve and eventually he once more placed it upon a sound basis. He re-
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Tra Mathan God
mained only a few years with the Barneys, however, and in 1876 established a similar business of his own on Westminster street on the site of Dimond's present store and opposite the Boston Store. He remained at this location for rather more than ten years, his business rapidly developing until it had gained a size that rendered the old quarters inadequate. About this time Mr. Goff admitted into partnership John O. Darling and the business was thenceforth transacted under the name of Goff & Darling. This partner- ship continued thirty years and was only concluded by the death of the senior partner. Shortly after this association was formed, the establish- ment was removed to new quarters at No. 268 Westminster street, where it has remained from that day to this. The establishment has continued to develop steadily until it is now one of the important mercantile enterprises of the city, with a reputation for straightforward and liberal dealing second to none. This great and praiseworthy success has been largely due to the high degree of business talent possessed by Mr. Goff and the masterly man- agement of the firm's affairs by him.
Mr. Goff's public spirit took the form, among others, of leading him to join actively in the general life of the city and identify himself with many organizations and movements of importance. In the matter of his religion he was a Congregationalist and for many years was a member of Plymouth Church in Providence. He was a liberal supporter of the work which the congregation was engaged in, especially in its philanthropic projects, and this assistance was greatly missed by the organization, as he was personally known by many of its members among whom were some of his warmest friends. In this connection, also, he was a member of the Congregational Club and prominent in its activities. He was a member of the Horticultural Society of Providence, which has done a great many things for the benefit of Providence, among others the setting out of many fruit trees and other useful and ornamental shrubs and trees. Interested intensely in public affairs, he always kept himself abreast of the times, and in the matter of politics was a supporter of the principles and policies of the Republican party. He was without a particle of ambition in this direction and consist- ently avoided anything in the nature of public office, for which his many obligations would have left but scant time.
It was at Newport, Rhode Island, on November 19, 1874, that Mr. Goff was united in marriage with Mary A. Whaley, a daughter of William and Abbie (Hazard) Whaley, of Newport, she a native of that city. Mr. and Mrs. Goff have three living children, as follows: William W., who married Sarah Sheffield, of Westerly, Rhode Island, and now lives at Providence with his wife and one son, Robert W .; Mary H., now the wife of Stephen S. Dalgarn, of Charles Town, West Virginia, and the mother of three children, Stephen, Jr., Ira Nathan Goff and Mary Elizabeth; and Ira Nathan, Jr., superintend- ent of the government plant at West Point. In the local Charles Town paper the following appeared at the time of Mr. Goff's death :
Word has been received of the death of Mr. Ira N. Goff, Sunday morning, February 7th, at his home in Providence, R. I., aged 67 years. Mr. Goff had been in poor health for the past two years. Mr. Goff had been in the piano business in Providence more than 40 years and for thirty years had been a member of the firm of Goff and Darling. He
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Bra Mathan Goff
is survived by his wife, two sons, and a daughter, Mrs. S. S. Dalgarn of Charles Town. Mr. Goff has visited Charles Town and while here made many friends who will regret to hear of his death.
Mr. Goff was in the best sense of the term a "self-made inan." For in his case it did not alone apply to the very considerable position he made for himself in the business and social worlds of the region, but to many sides of his accomplishment which are not so often thought important by others so described. It refers, for example, to a side often much neglected by success- ful business men, that of general mental development and culture. His per- sonality was a strong and attractive one and with the culture which he acquired by his own efforts made a vivid and definite impression upon all his associates. It was in this direction, perhaps, that his chief influence upon his fellows must be looked for, and this was the more important because his habits and manner of life were of so exemplary a type that his example was always exerted on the side of good. Devoted to his family, fond of his home, his conduct in all the relations of life was beyond reproach and his memory should long be preserved as a model for the young men of his community who come after him.
1
William Anight Potter
T HERE WERE several of the Potter name who settled in Rhode Island previous to 1650 and since the coming of Robert Potter from England in 1634, who with his asso- ciates gave to Warwick its name, there have been Potters of prominence in each generation who have maintained the best traditions of the family name and handed it to their children not only untarnished but with additional lustre from their own deeds and worthy lives. This branch of the family settled for a period in New York City, where William Knight Potter, to whom this sketch is dedicated, was born, but in boyhood he returned to his parents' native State and located in Providence where in honor and usefulness his life was passed. He was a thorough man of buiness, and in public life was for many years the strong pillar of the Democracy, doomed for years to political obscurity, but through his efforts the organization was maintained and in 1891 William Knight Potter was elected fifteenth mayor of Provi- dence and the first Democratic chief executive of the city since the Civil War.
William Knight Potter was born in New York City, December 27, 1844, and died in Providence, Rhode Island, August 13, 1914. He was a son of Arthur Morey and Elizabeth (Luther) Potter. His father was a manufac- turer of jewelry. William K. Potter spent his youth in New York City and Providence, his education was obtained in the public schools of those places, and he was a graduate of Providence High School. His first employment was as bookkeeper for the lumber dealing firm of Archibald B. Rice, located on the corner of Cranston and Gilmore streets ; he continued in that position nine years, and attained confidential relations. He was then admitted to a partnership, Mr. Rice admitting his own son at the same time, the firm name becoming A. B. Rice & Company, but later it was incorporated as the A. B. Rice Company. Mr. Potter became well known in the business world and was highly regarded as a man of energy, uprightness and public spirit. He continued in the lumber business for many years.
From prior to the Civil War period, for thirty years onward, the history of the Democratic party in Providence was one of obscurity, but organiza- tion was maintained, candidates nominated, and infrequently elected. For years Mr. Potter was the only member of his party in the old Sixth. a strong Republican ward, to attend city party caucuses, was chairman of the ward committee and frequently the committee consisted of himself as the only active member. He was always a ward delegate to city conventions and during Mayor Doyle's term he was elected chairman of the Democratic City Committee. He injected life and courage into the organization and both he and his party increased in strength and in power in like ratio. He was city chairman in 1879, but the following years were years of inefficient party management and no further progress was made. In 1886 Mr. Potter was again elected chairman, and in 1887 had so improved party conditions
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William Knight Potter
that he was elected to the State Legislature. This election was largely a personal victory, and during his term and the following, for he was re- elected, he compiled a record of legislative efficiency that was highly credit- able. He was chairman of the finance committee of the house and was a hard committee room worker as well as upon the floor. The city of Provi- dence had elected but one Democratic mayor, Walter R. Danforth, 1853- 54, and to Mr. Potter was reserved the honor of breaking this long series of defeats and to occupy the mayor's chair as its second Democratic occupant in a period of thirty-seven years. In 1891 he was nominated by his party as the strongest man they could put forward as standard bearer, and against him was the then mayor of the city, Charles.Sydney Smith. Mr. Potter had had no previous experience in municipal government as the "Old Sixth" sent nothing but Republicans to the City Council, but in committee and in conventions he had demonstrated his fitness. He was elected after a heated campaign and so well did he meet the public conception of what a mayor should be that he was reelected, serving for two terms. After his retirement from the lumber business, Mr. Potter moved to Cranston and while residing there was a candidate for State Senator.
Mr. Potter married, October 23, 1872, Anna Rice, born in Providence, daughter of Archibald B. and Asenath (Bassett) Rice, her father her hus- band's first employer and business partner. Four children were born to William K. and Anna (Rice) Potter: Arthur R., married Effie Smedley ; Archibald B .; William Knight (2) ; Ralph B. Mrs. Potter survives her hus- band, residing at No. 98 Norwood avenue.
7
Charles Carnes Phillips
OWHERE can we see more vividly illustrated the truth of the statement that time is measured by events and not by days and hours than in the various achievements of men, which in their diverse characters seem to defy the limits of time and space as we count them, so that what one cannot accomplish in the allotted three score years and ten another will complete in a little time and stand ready for fresh achievements as though the deed had been a pastime. We all know these brilliant figures who seem to play with success and win for themselves in a few years what many of us find impossible, who successfully woo the for- tune that eludes us forever, and it is always a matter of interest to us to find the career of such men set down, as though in the details of their doings we might hope to find the secret of their success. And after all their secret is no other than the secret of all accomplishment; greater talent they may happen to have, but with them as with us it is the use of those talents allotted to them that spells success, hard work, courage and patience in overcoming difficulties, without which no degree of ability avails to make success a stable thing. So it is that whether we turn to the successes of these brilliant chil- dren of fortune, or to those of others less gifted, we shall learn the same lesson if we read aright. This, for instance, is obviously true in the case of Charles Carnes Phillips, late of Providence, Rhode Island, whose death when it came on May 21, 1913, when he was but forty-seven years of age, cut short a career which, although a brief one, had placed him in a position as one of the most influential figures in the mercantile world of Providence and East Providence, as well as one of the most prominent and public-spirited of its citizens.
Charles Carnes Phillips was born March 28, 1866, in Providence, Rhode Island, a son of Charles H. and Annie Phillips, old and highly respected residents of the city. His father was for many years the trusted employee of Brown & Sharpe, a large manufacturing concern, which he served in the capacity of salesman with a high degree of success. The son, Charles Carnes Phillips, grew up to youth and manhood in his native city and for his educa- tion attended the excellent local schools, first the Thayer Street Grammar School and then the English High School. He was an extremely ambitious lad and, unlike his fellows, gave up the scanty hours of recreation after the close of school and on Saturdays to work. It was as an employee in a gro- cery store that he thus worked while his companions played, and this was the beginning of his long association with this business, although he after- wards changed the retail for the wholesale end. His first position was with the establishment of John Morse on Hope street, with whom he went while still a mere boy. He was only seventeen when a few years afterwards, in 1883, he secured a much better position with the wholesale grocery firm of Parsons-Murray Company, remaining with this concern and its successors until the end of his life. In 1890 the Parsons-Murray Company was ab-
Charles Carnes phillips
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Charles Carnes iphillips
sorbed by the firm of Waldron & Whiteman, which was absorbed in its turn in 1898 by the Brownell-Field Company. During this entire period and through both changes in the business, Mr. Phillips remained with the estab- lishment, his business judgment and general grasp of conditions making him a very valuable man and insuring his rapid rise in position. By the time the Brownell-Field Company had taken over the business, Mr. Phillips had reached the position of city salesman, a position of great responsibility. So valuable did he prove in this capacity that a few years afterwards he was advanced to the office of sales manager and became a member of the firm. His great business talent was responsible in no small degree for the rapid growth of the concern's business and he would doubtless have come into greater control had not his premature death cut short his activities. Even as it was, he was one of the best known figures in the wholesale grocery business in the city and surrounding region and was regarded as an authority on business conditions, commercial and mercantile, generally.
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