USA > Rhode Island > Rhode Island : three centuries of democracy, Vol. III > Part 14
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In 1920, Henry Schwab married Anna Dietz, who was born in Washington. Mr. and Mrs. Schwab maintain their residence in this place.
FRANK P. LAMB-Sales and service agent for the Chrysler Motor Car Company in the western part of Kent County, Rhode Island, Frank P. Lamb is one of the well-known business men of this section. He has been a resident here for many years.
Mr. Lamb was born on September 22, 1889, at Providence, Rhode Island, a son of Patrick and
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Hannah (Loughran) Lamb, both natives of Ire- land. The father was a contracting mason, and was so engaged until the time of his death.
Frank P. Lamb was educated in the public schools of Warwick, Rhode Island, and after the completion of his educational training began his active business career at the age of sixteen. At first he was employed in a grocery and meat market, where he served his apprenticeship in business methods, and laid his plans for the future. While still a very young man, he was appointed postmaster of the town of Natick, Rhode Island, and for nine and a half years filled this office with efficiency and success.
The year 1922 marked Mr. Lamb's first connec- tion with the automobile industry. At that time he established an automobile tire and accessories en- terprise at Riverpoint, Rhode Island, and conducted it independently for a number of years. In 1923- 1924, he took over the Durant automobile sales and service for this section, and in 1925-26, be- came agent for Nash motor cars. Since 1926 he has been agent for the Chrysler Motor Car Com- pany in the western part of Kent County. Mr. Lamb's salesroom is located at Main Street and Harris Avenue, at West Warwick. He is sole owner of the business, both sales and service, and his efforts have built up a prosperous trade throughout all this section.
In politics Mr. Lamb is a member of the Dem- ocratic party, taking a prominent part in civic and political affairs. In 1928 he was elected a member of the School Board of the town of West War- wick, and is still serving in that position, having been elected chairman of the board in 1929. He is affiliated fraternally with Narragansett Tribe of the Improved Order of Red Men, and with Leo Council of the Knights of Columbus, of which he has served as Deputy Grand Knight. He is also a member of the West Warwick Country Club, while among the various associations of the men of his profession, he holds membership in the Rhode Island Automobile Dealers Association, and the National Automobile Dealers Association. Mr. Lamb's favorite recreation is golf. He wor- ships in the Roman Catholic faith, and with his family attends St. James Church of this denom- ination at West Warwick.
In 1914, Frank P. Lamb married Susie V. Gallagher, who was born at Natick, Rhode Island. They are the parents of three children: Francis D., Lawrence Leo, and Thomas. Mr. and Mrs. Lamb maintain their residence at West Warwick.
JAMES F. GOUGH-A lifelong resident of the town of West Warwick, Rhode Island, James F. Gough is well known throughout this section of the State. In early life he succeeded to the undertaking business established by his father and has since continued its direction. His is the oldest undertaking enterprise in the town of West Warwick.
Mr. Gough was born on August 20, 1887, at Arctic, in the town of West Warwick, Rhode Island. His parents were Peter J. and Adeline T. (Bryant) Gough, both natives of Arctic, and both now deceased. The father was engaged in the undertaking business at the time of his death in 1902.
James F. Gough was educated in the public schools of his birthplace and at La Salle Academy in Providence. He was only fourteen years old when his father died. Called upon to shoulder the burdens of life at this early age, he immediately entered the business established in 1884 by James F. and Peter J. Gough, and has continued as its sole proprietor ever since, operating under the name of James F. Gough, funeral director. Mr. Gough has carefully maintained the highest standards of service in carrying out his profes- sional duties. He has procured the best and most modern equipment and spared no pains to render the fullest satisfaction to the community in his work.
Mr. Gough is an independent voter in politics, and has always maintained a keen interest in civic affairs. He is a member of the Rhode Island Funeral Directors' Association, and the National Funeral Directors' Association, and of several local clubs or organizations, including the West Warwick Country Club, the J. P. Gibson Council of the Knights of Columbus, Narragansett Tribe of the Improved Order of Red Men, and the Catholic Foresters of America. He is Past Grand Knight of the local council of the Knights of Columbus, and District Deputy for the State Council. Mr. Gough attends St. James Roman Catholic Church at West Warwick. Golf and baseball are his principal diversions.
In 1911, James F. Gough married Mary C. Murphy, who was born at Fall River, Massachu- setts. They are the parents of two children: James E., and Claire C.
JULIUS HERVEY PRESTON -- Member of a family which is not only one of the oldest in America, but also one of the most ancient of rec-
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ord in Britain, Julius Hervey Preston continued in his active career the traditions of prominence long associated with the family name. The founder of the family in America was Roger Preston, descendant of a noble ancestry, who was born in England in 1614. In 1635, at the age of twenty- one years, he took the oath of allegiance in Lon- don, and sailed for America in the ship "Eliz- abeth and Ann." His name first appears on the records of the town of Ipswich, Massachusetts, in 1639. In 1657, however, he removed to Salem, Massachusetts, and there died on January 20, 1666. From him the line of descent is traced through Samuel, his son, John, son of Samuel, John (2), to John (3), who was born in 1737. He was a soldier of the Revolutionary War, marching from Ashford in Colonel Thomas Knowlton Chester's regiment, 6th Battalion, Gen- eral Wadsworth's brigade, which went to rein- force General Washington's army in New York. In 1777 he was in the Connecticut Militia, serv- ing on the Hudson, being a sergeant in Captain Aaron Foote's Company, of the regiment com- manded by Colonel Hooker. He married, in 1759, Sarah A. Eastman, daughter of Captain Peter Eastman.
Their son was John (4) Preston, and his son was Silas Preston, grandfather of Julius Hervey Preston, of this record. He was born on Feb- ruary 28, 1798, in Ashford; married in 1820, Betsey Wright, and died on December 19, 1893, at the age of ninety-six years. He was a pioneer manufacturer of shoes on a large scale, organized the bank at Eastford, serving as its first pres- ident, and was for several years connected with the bank at Stafford, Connecticut. By the pur- chase of soldiers' land warrants, he came into possession of a large amount of land in Illinois which subsequently became of considerable value.
James H. Preston, son of Silas and Betsey (Wright) Preston, was born on September 3, 1826, in Westford. As a young man he went to Providence, and was there variously engaged, win- ning success in several independent ventures, in- cluding the manufacture of jewelry. In the panic of 1857, however, he lost heavily because of the delinquency of his debtors, and was obliged to start again practically from the beginning. In 1862 he established the firm of J. H. Preston and Company, commission merchants in Provi- dence, and through the years built this business to prosperous proportions. He died in Providence on August 20, 1899, at the age of seventy-two years, having retired some years previously. Mr.
Preston married, in Providence, on October 23, 1854, Sarah Ann Pearce, born on November 4, 1829 at Cumberland, Rhode Island, daughter of Jeremiah and Mary Ann (Craig) Pearce. She died in Providence on May 17, 1900. Children of this marriage were: I. Julius Hervey, of this record. 2. Walter Lane, deceased, of whom a rec- ord appears elsewhere in this work, born on Sep- tember 6, 1859, married Mary M. Hayden, of Willimantic, Connecticut, and has three children, Marian Hayden, Whiting Hayden and James Hayden.
Julius Hervey Preston, son of James H. and Sarah Ann (Pearce) Preston, was born in Provi- dence, Rhode Island, on February 7, 1857. As a boy he attended the public schools of the city, and having acquired a competent educational training with special reference to the business career he intended to pursue, he became asso- ciated with his father in the fruit and produce enterprise established by the elder man during the Civil War. In this connection Mr. Preston not only mastered all details of the business imme- diately at hand, but with the breadth of vision which marked every phase of his career, he gained an insight into the various ramifications of the food industry and set out to associate himself with those which seemed most profitable. The range and extent of his interests were extra- ordinary. In Texas he devoted personal atten- tion to sheep raising. In the Island of San Domingo, he helped to organize the Samana Bay Fruit Company, of which he became president, for the production of bananas. But he did not confine his efforts entirely to distant points, and in New England owned and operated, with his brother, the Connecticut Valley Onion Company at South Deerfield and North Hatfield, Massa- chusetts.
In California Mr. Preston was one of the or- ganizers of the Anchor Oil Company at Bakers- field, and was president of that company from the time of his foundation until his own death. His activities also carried him to the great fruit- growing centers of Florida. He and his brother owned large orange groves at Palmetto, Tampa, and other sections of the State. He assisted in the organization of the Manatee Fruit Company of Palmetto, and was vice-president of that com- pany. All these tributary interests, of course, were closely allied with the parent company, J. H. Preston and Company of Providence, of which Mr. Preston was president following the death of the founder in 1899. In the direction of its
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affairs his brother was constantly associated with him. This company was one of the most impor- tant of its kind in the world. The largest acreage of orange properties under any individual owner- ship was theirs, and they also own the largest orange packing house in the world.
Mr. Preston was also one of the founders of the United Lace and Braid Company, of Auburn, Rhode Island, manufacturers of "Beaded Tip" shoe laces, and was a director of the Textile Finishing Machinery Company, the old United National Bank, and of the Emery Theatre. All these companies greatly benefited through his connection. As president of J. H. Preston and Company and chief owner of its various sub- sidiaries, he guided their affairs with sure hand along the pathway of success and in his active career contributed no little to the development of national prosperity. In the prosperity which he helped to create he justly shared.
Fraternally, Mr. Preston was affiliated with the Mount Vernon Lodge of the Free and Accepted Masons, while he also held membership in several clubs, including the Turks Head Club, the Rhode Island Country Club, the Wannamoisett Club, and the Providence Art Club.
On July 30, 1896, in Providence he married Elizabeth Louise Grant, daughter of Henry Thomas and Lavinia Webber (Reynolds) Grant. They became the parents of the following chil- dren: I. Julius Hervey, Jr., born on February 27, 1898, a veteran of the World War. He en- listed, at first in the American Volunteer Ambu- lance Corps, Section 7, attached to the 21st Division of the French Army. Later he became a cadet in the Inns of Court, Officers Training Corps, was commissioned lieutenant in the 2d Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders, and joined the 204th Squadron of the Royal Air Forces. In the brief period of actual combat flight which re- mained to him before the close of the war, he was credited with bringing down two and a half planes, in accordance with the military method of recording aerial combats. He married (first), July 19, 1919, Beatrice N. Frawley, of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and has one daughter, Jean Frawley, born on May 20, 1921; (second), in May, 1927, Dorothy McNamara, of Chicago, Illinois, and they have a son, Julius H., 3d, born August 16, 1930. 2. Douglas Davenport, born on March 2, 1903, died on February 7, 1917. 3. Ellen De Wolf, born on May 10, 1906; married in June I, 1931, Noel MacDonald Field. 4. Elizabeth Diman, born on August 27, 1907, who married Robert S.
Holding, Jr., May 14, 1927. They are the par- ents of two daughters, Martha Preston, born Feb- ruary 25, 1929; Audrey Stowe, born November 6, 1930.
The Preston family has always been deeply interested in church work. Mr. Preston's par- ents were charter members of the Central Con- gregational Church, of Providence, which he at- tended until his death. Mrs. Preston was formerly a member of the old Church of the Saviour (Episcopal).
Mrs. Elizabeth L. (Grant) Preston comes of old Rhode Island families, being a direct descend- ant from Christopher Grant and the Usher's of Bristol, whose sons served as ministers of St. Michael's Church over a long period of years. Through her grandmother, who was Elizabeth Diman, of Bristol, Rhode Island, she was a direct descendant from Mark Anthony De Wolf of Bris- tol, Rhode Island. Her father, born in Bristol, on February 28, 1853, was a son of Thomas C. and Elizabeth (Diman) Grant.
Julius Hervey Preston died at Providence, Rhode Island, on July 19, 1921. His passing brought to its close a life of useful service, and his death was deeply mourned by a wide circle of friends and acquaintances.
HARRY FRANKLIN SISSON-Having be- come identified with the textile industry in New England, immediately following his graduation from high school, Mr. Sisson has continued to be successfully active in this field. During his long career, covering some thirty-five years, he has been connected at different times with various well known and important textile mills in Mas- sachusetts and Rhode Island, and during the last twenty years he has served as superintendent of mills owned by the B. B. & R. Knight Company. Mr. Sisson is widely known in the textile indus- try and enjoys a high reputation as an able ex- ecutive. He is a member of numerous fraternal, social and civic organizations and in every respect represents the highest type of useful and upright citizen.
Harry Franklin Sisson was born at Fall River, Massachusetts, July 14, 1878, a son of Franklin P. and Helen M. (Chapman) Sisson. His father, now deceased, was born at Fall River, Massachu- setts, and was engaged there in the gents' furnish- ings and tailoring business until his death. His mother, still living, is a native of New York City.
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Mr. Sisson received his education in the public schools of his native city and, having graduated from Durfee High School, took a special textile course in one of the schools devoted to this type of instruction. Having completed his education, he became associated with Hargrave's Mill, No. I, Fall River, Massachusetts, where he remained for five years. Next he spent five years with the Arkwright Mills, likewise at Fall River, and then five more years with the New England Cotton Yarn Company at Taunton, Massachusetts. In 1910 he became associated with the B. B. & R. Knight Company and in the following year he became superintendent of the Clinton Mill at Woonsocket. He remained there until 1912, when he became associated with the Centreville Manu- facturing Company, of Centreville, continuing there until 1917. He then became superintendent of the Royal Mills, West Warwick, the largest mill owned by the B. B. & R. Knight Company. He is a member of the West Warwick Chamber of Commerce, the West Warwick Lions Club, and the West Warwick Country Club, of which lat- ter he is a governor. He is also active in fra- ternal affairs, being a member of Warwick Lodge, No. 16, Free and Accepted Masons; Landmark Chapter, No. 10, Royal Arch Masons; Narragan- sett Council, Royal and Select Masters; and Prov- idence Lodge, No. 14, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. In politics he is a supporter of the Republican party, while his religious affiliation is with the Unitarian Church. He finds his chief recreations in horseback riding and golf.
Mr. Sisson married, in 1900, Agnes C. McKeon, a native of Taunton, Massachusetts. Mr. and Mrs. Sisson are the parents of one daughter, Helen Ruth Sisson.
HOWARD RUSSELL NEWMAN-A mem- ber of a family widely and favorably known in the business circles of Bristol, Mr. Newman him- self has been for many years one of the leading business men of his native city. As a partner in the firm of Newman Brothers, he has taken a very active part in the management of this well- known and successful business establishment, founded by his grandfather in 1866, and ranking today as the oldest grocery and meat store in Bristol. He is also prominently active in frater- nal and religious affairs, and is regarded as one of the substantial and representative citizens of Bristol.
Howard Russell Newman was born in Bristol,
December 29, 1885, a son of A. Russell and Zoa (Peckham) Newman. His father, likewise a na- tive of Bristol, who is now retired from active business, was for many years a partner in the firm of Newman Brothers. Mr. Newman's mother was born in Providence. Mr. Newman received his early education in the public grammar and high schools of Bristol and, after graduating from the local high school in 1904, he attended Brown Uni- versity, Providence. After leaving college he was with the Namquit Worsted Company, one of the leading woolen mills of Bristol, for two years. In 1908 he became associated with the firm of Newman Brothers, of which he has been a partner since 1923. This enterprise was started in 1866 by Mr. Newman's grandfather, the late Captain Allan M. Newman. Six years later, in 1872, Cap- tain Newman formed a' partnership with one of his sons, A. Russell Newman, the father of Howard Russell Newman, and a few years later, another son, James A. Newman, was also admitted to partnership. When Captain Newman died, his two sons continued the business under the firm name of Newman Brothers. In 1922 James A. Newman died, and soon afterwards Howard Rus- sell Newman became a partner of his father. Since the latter's retirement from active business, Mr. Newman has continued to direct the enter- prise with great success. Since 1890 the firm has been located in the same building, at No. 296 Hope Street, which has become a landmark of the city. Newman Brothers is known for the high quality of its goods, for the courtesy of its per- sonnel and for the efficiency of its organization, characteristics which have gained for it a very large measure of good-will and an equally large patronage. Mr. Newman is a member of St. Albans Lodge, No. 6, Free and Accepted Masons, of which he is a Past Master; Hope Chapter, No. 6, Royal Arch Masons, of which he is a Past High Priest; St. John's Commandery, Knights Templar; and Palestine Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is also a member of the Zeta Psi Fraternity, and president (1931) of the Bristol Rotary Club. In politics he is a Republican; and in religion he is affiliated with St. Michael's Protestant Episcopal Church, of Bristol, of which he is a vestryman and clerk of the parish. He is greatly interested in horti- culture, especially the cultivation of dahlias, and he is also fond of motoring.
Mr. Newman married, in 1909, Clara' Louise Henning, like himself a native of Bristol. Mr. and Mrs. Newman are the parents of three chil- dren: Charles H., Shirley, and Barbara R.
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ALFRED M. MERRIMAN, M. D .- For more than three decades Dr. Alfred M. Merriman has been widely known and popular as a general physi- cian and surgeon of Bristol, Rhode Island. Since 1927 he has been colonel of the Bristol Train Artillery.
Alfred M. Merriman was born in Harpswell, Maine, May I, 1868, son of Captain Walter Merri- man, a native of that village, and his wife, La- vinia Merriman, now deceased, also a native of Harpswell. Dr. Merriman, a direct descendant of Joseph Curtis, of Harpswell, owns the old Curtis homestead in that town. The father of our subject was a member of the merchant marine until his death and was a man of fearless courage and reckless daring. After completing the public school course in Harpswell, the son attended the Bruns- wick, Maine, High School, and graduated from Bowdoin College in 1892 with the degree of Bach- elor of Arts. He then combined the post of assist- ant in the Department of Chemistry with his own graduate studies and was awarded his Master's degree in 1893. He continued his studies at Bow- doin, in the Medical College, graduating in 1895 with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. His in- terneship was passed at the Howard, Rhode Island, State Institution. It was thus with unusually thorough training and experience that Dr. Merri- man established himself in the practice of medi- cine and surgery in Bristol in 1896, and he has met with the success merited by his care in pre- paring himself for this difficult and responsible humanitarian task. He has for the past twenty-six years been surgeon for the Rhode Island Soldiers Home in Bristol. He belongs to the Providence and the Rhode Island State Medical societies and the American Medical Association. Dr. Merriman is very public-spirited and has served as president of the Bristol Young Men's Christian Association for some time, and for six years as a member of the Bristol School Board. He is a Republican in politics, and in 1917-18 was a lieutenant in the Rhode Island State Guard. His fraternal affilia- tions are with St. Albans Lodge, Free and Ac- cepted Masons, of which he is Past Master. His club is the Bristol Yacht Club, and his hobbies are athletic activities and the game of golf. He is a communicant of the Episcopal Church.
Alfred M. Merriman married (first), in 1899, Frances Perry, daughter of Major Raymond H. Perry, an officer in the Union Army during the Civil War. His first wife is now deceased. Dr. Merriman married (second), in 1911, Cordelia L. Allen, born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
RICHARD JOHN SIMMONS-Practically trained as a machinist and with years of experi- ence in one of the most reputable plants in New England, Richard John Simmons took up the auto- motive industry by representation of popular cars and trucks in Bristol and in a dozen years has erected an enterprise that is known throughout this section of Rhode Island for its fine work and service. Although devoted to his business and to the service of the automobile public, Mr. Simmons is an earnest citizen in his attitude toward all public affairs that are promulgated for the ad- vancement of business interests or the happiness of the people. He is also fraternally associated, and has occasional periods for recreation, while his favorite sport is hunting.
He was born in Montville, Connecticut, January 14, 1894, a son of Isaac Samuel, deceased, who was a carriage painter by trade, a native of Warren, Rhode Island, and a veteran of the Spanish-Ameri- can War; and Josephine (Forcier) Simmons, who was born in Connecticut. He was educated in the public schools of Warren, Rhode Island, and after- ward learned the machinist trade, which he fol- lowed for twelve years, during the last five of which he was in charge of the marine engine de- partment of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Com- pany of Bristol. In 1917 he undertook the inde- pendent occupation of automobile repairing and in 1922 formed a partnership with Louis A. Beaure- gard and established the Franklin Garage enter- prise, which still functions and is the largest serv- ice station in Bristol. Mr. Simmons is independent in politics and is a member of the Rotary and Seekonk Gun clubs.
He married, in 1929, Helen M. Darrah, of Hart- ford, Connecticut.
LOUIS A. BEAUREGARD was born in Providence, Rhode Island, October 24, 1895, a son of Orvilla, a roofing contractor, and Cordelia (Des Lauriers) Beauregard, of Southbridge, Massachu- setts. He was educated in Pawtucket and after completing his studies learned the electrical trade and followed that occupation until 1917, when he entered the military service of the United States for the duration of the World War. He was hon- orably mustered out in 1919 and between that time and 1922 worked at his trade, in the last-noted year becoming associated with Richard John Sim- mons in the garage and motor car repairing busi- ness as a partner in the Franklin Garage in Bris-
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tol. He is a member of Kearney Post, American Legion; is a director in the Bristol Lions Club; is independent in politics and bears a fine record as an electrician in the navy during the war. He is an active man and devoted to fishing as a recre- ation.
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