USA > Rhode Island > Rhode Island : three centuries of democracy, Vol. III > Part 40
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Born in Rehoboth, Massachusetts, December 18,
1867, he is a son of Johnstone and Isabella (Mc- Intosh) Black, both of Rehoboth, whose marriage is recorded in 1856. His father was a son of Ralph and Elizabeth (Erwin) Black, and a grandson of William and Rebecca (Hamilton) Black. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1832 and came to America in 1851. For a time he resided in Lowell, Massachusetts, and in Nashua, New Hampshire, removing to Rehoboth about 1866 and there con- ducting a general merchandise business. He was appointed postmaster there and held the office for twenty-five years. Disposing of his mercantile business, he established one in the grocery trade in Warren, Rhode Island, taking into partnership his sons, Robert and David. His death occurred in Warren, November 27, 1908. David C. was edu- cated in the public schools of Rehoboth and in the business college in Providence, after which he became a clerk in a grocery store. In 1889 he opened a store of his own in Warren, which he conducted until 1920, when he retired. He has since devoted his attention to real estate development in Warren. For' six years he was a member of the town council. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and serves it as a trustee and on its official board. Fraternally, he is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, being Past Noble Grand of his lodge. He is also a member of the Masonic body, being affiliated with Washing- ton Lodge, No. 3, Free and Accepted Masons ; the Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; St. John's Com- mandery, Knights Templar; Rhode Island Consis- tory, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite Masons, in which he holds the thirty-second degree; and is a member of the Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He has held a num- ber of offices in his several bodies.
David C. Black married, August 18, 1897, Mary M. Allin, of Warren. Their children are: I. Florence Allin, born July 6, 1898, now a teacher in the Normal School at Castleton, Vermont. 2. Gertrude Johnstone, born May 7, 1902; mar- ried Henry J. Peterson, and they are the parents of a daughter, Barbara Louise, born February 24, 1930.
HARVEY ALMY BAKER-To the profes- sion of the law, to national, State and municipal service, Harvey Almy Baker, widely known mem- ber of the bar, has made noteworthy contributions. As a citizen of Providence, he stands with the leaders of those movements which have the civic
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advance of the city at heart, while his standing in the legal fraternity leaves nothing to be desired.
Born in Warwick, Rhode Island, April 24, 1881, Harvey Almy Baker is the son of Benjamin and Lucy Anna (Sisson) Baker. He is a graduate of Brown University, class of 1903, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Having early elected the law for his life work, he entered Harvard University, from whose law school he was graduated Bachelor of Laws in 1906.
Mr. Baker entered practice at once, following his admission to the Rhode Island bar, and with the exception of those periods that he has been in pub- lic office, he has been thus professionally engaged in the interests of a large and desirable clientele. His private practice has centered in Providence since 1906, when he established himself in his own office.
In connection with his profession, Mr. Baker assumed his first official position under the Federal Government when he accepted appointment by President Wilson to the post of United States dis- trict attorney for the district of Rhode Island. This office he filled with marked credit and distinc- tion for the years 1914-20.
Returning to the private practice he had left to serve his Federal appointment, Mr. Baker has been continually devoting his acknowledged talents to the great number of individuals and business houses that seek his counsel. By common consent he is esteemed one of the best equipped members of the bar of his native State.
For two years, 1906-08, Mr. Baker was a mem- ber of the military staff of Governor Higgins, serv- ing as aide-de-camp with the rank of colonel. In 1921 he was appointed by Mayor Gainer public director, representing the city of Providence in the management of the United Electric Railway Com- pany, and has held that office until the present (1929) writing. He has been secretary of this company since 1921 and is vice-president and a director of the Hope Publishing Company, pub- lishers of the "News-Tribune," and also a director of Equitable Fire and Marine Insurance Company. Since 1913 he has been a member of the Board of Recreation of the city of Providence, and in these various positions he has been impelled by his civic spirit and has exercised his many gifts to appreci- able results in collaboration with his colleagues.
In his politics, Mr. Baker is a Democrat, and, as has already been indicated, he is one of the leaders of his party, being accounted a regular and reliable member and worker therein, especially
prominent in the city and state councils of his organization. He enjoys high standing in the Rhode Island Bar Association, is affiliated with Alpha Delta Phi and Phi Beta Kappa fraternities, and is deservedly popular in social circles, being a member of the Agawam Hunt Club and the Squan- tum Club, among others.
Harvey Almy Baker married, September 30, 1908, Marion North Brown, of Providence. They have their hospitable home in that city, where Mr. Baker's professional address is the Industrial Trust Building.
JOHN C. HOWLAND-Native and lifelong resident of Warren, Rhode Island, John C. How- land is now manager of the Duitt Manufacturing Company, an enterprise established originally by his father. Though still in his 'twenties, Mr. How- land has proved himself a capable executive and business man, and his services have been of real value to his company which ranks among the largest manufacturers of handkerchiefs in the United States.
Mr. Howland was born at Warren, Rhode Is- land, on November 12, 1901, a son of Henry P. Howland, born at Sandwich, Massachusetts, who was engaged as a manufacturer until his death, and of Annie M. (Wheaton) Howland, born at Brooklyn, New York, who is still living.
John C. Howland received his education in the Warren public schools, and later attended Rhode Island State College, from which he was graduated in 1922, with the degree of Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering. Thereafter he took a post-graduate course at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and at the completion of his educa- tional training, became associated with the Duitt Manufacturing Company, at Warren. This enter- prise was established about 1899 by Henry P. How- land, Mr. Howland's father, and Charles M. Wheaton, and was known originally as the How- land and Wheaton Company, being the first com- pany to manufacture handkerchiefs in the State of Rhode Island. Very soon after its establish- ment it had become one of the largest enterprises of its kind in the country, and the passing years brought still further demands on its services, as its business expanded under the capable direction of its executives. This organization continued until the year 1918, when Mr. Wheaton disposed of his interest, and Henry P. Howland established what is known as the Duitt Manufacturing Company,
Harvey A. Baker.
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of which he was manager and directing spirit until his death in 1926.
It was this organization which John C. How- land joined in 1922. After the death of his father he succeeded him as manager, and has continued at the head of the business until the present time with every success. His company produces about a million and a half handkerchiefs a year, and employs about one hundred and seventy-five hands. The handkerchiefs are made of cotton and all work is done by the most modern machinery. Today the Duitt Manufacturing Company ranks about third among the manufacturers of handkerchiefs in the United States.
Aside from his business interests, Mr. Howland has been active in other phases of Warren life. He is a consistent Republican in politics, although never blindly following party leadership, while he worships in the Episcopal faith, being a member and vestryman of St. Mark's Church of this denomination at Warren. He is affiliated with the Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity, and is also pres- ident of the Warren Lions Club. Mr. Howland is fond of horses, and his favorite diversion is horseback riding.
CHARLES H. PERKINS-The years from 1830 to 1902, in which Charles H. Perkins lived, were years of mechanical improvement and ad- vancement; and in the growth of industry Mr. Perkins himself took an extensive part. The manu- facture of horse shoes and sheet iron constituted a part of his work, but only a part; for his activities extended into many and varied fields. It perhaps does not seem possible to the casual observer that a horse shoe should be sufficiently complicated to per- mit of the invention of thirty mechanical devices pertaining to it; but such was the number of inven- tions designed by Mr. Perkins in connection with this seemingly simple product. Inheriting from a line of practical ancestors a strong mechanical bent, he made full use of his talents in a variety of fields; while he was dearly loved among the people of Providence, Rhode Island, whither he came at the age of twenty-nine years, for his achievements and for his excellent qualities of character alike.
Mr. Perkins was descended from a family that had been highly esteemed both in England and in America. The immigrant ancestor of most Amer- ican Perkinses was John Perkins, of Ipswich, Massachusetts, born in 1590, it is said, at Newent,
Gloucestershire, England, who came in the ship "Lion" in 1631 to Boston, with Roger Williams, bringing his wife Judith, son John, and probably other children. In 1633 he removed to Ipswich, and in 1636 was deputy to the Massachusetts Gen- eral Court. Two of his grandsons, Joseph and Jabez, sons of Jacob, removed to Connecticut, where many of the family became famous. Noted bearers of the name have included Dr. Elisha Perkins, of Norwich, Connecticut, inventor of "metallic tractors," used in treatment of diseases ; the Rev. Nathan Perkins, 1772-1838, prominent divine; and the Hon. Seth Perkins, lawyer, and the Hon. Elisha Perkins, of Yale College fame in the period about 1781. Among the early immi- grants of New England of the Perkins name was the Rev. William Perkins, born in 1607, son of William Perkins, of London, and grandson of George, of Abbots Salford, in the County of War- wick, yeoman. The Rev. William Perkins came to New England in 1631, was a freeman in 1634, a deputy in 1644, lived at Ipswich, Weymouth and Gloucester, and died in Topsfield in 1682. Among the grantees at Hampton, New Hampshire, ap- peared Abraham Perkins, who settled there in 1628.
Early in the history of the iron industry, the Perkinses became active in this field of work in the Taunton and Raynham regions of Massachu- setts. On August 27, 1830, was born Charles H. Perkins, in Taunton, where his parents lived be- fore him. His father was David Perkins, a de- scendant of a long line of mechanically gifted and skilled iron workers; and he died while the son was very young. At the age of six, Charles H. Perkins was put to work on a farm near Taunton, receiving no wages beyond his board, but being permitted to attend the district school a few months each winter. At thirteen he was appren- ticed to learn the blacksmith's trade with Gilbert and Wheeler, who had a small country blacksmith shop near Taunton, and he made his home with the family of Mr. Wheeler, who was very kind to him. Later, Mr. Perkins employed Mr. Wheeler as a traveling salesman, and so retained him until his death. It was in 1857 that Mr. Perkins in- vented his first horse shoe machine, having mean- while learned the machinist's trade in Taunton after 1846. In 1848 he served as foreman; and soon afterward met George M. Morse, who be- came a successful manufacturer at Putnam, Con- necticut, but who then lived in Providence. Mr. Morse induced Mr. Perkins to go to Putnam in 1850 and to take a position as machinist in the
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mills of Milton S. Morse, his father. The warm friendship between George M. Morse and Mr. Perkins lasted thereafter until Mr. Perkins' death. While living in Providence at that time, Mr. Per- kins was a member of the old fire department.
While he lived at Putnam, he was engaged in many different enterprises, setting up machines and engines. In the financial crash of 1857, the mills closed because of the general cotton trade depres- sion, whereupon he turned his mind to invention. His first success was with the self-oiling axle, which had a fair sale, considering his lack of capital and consequent inability to introduce it beyond his own locality. When he made his impor- tant horse shoe invention, in 1857, he realized the necessity of removing to a more advantageous place, and in 1859 went to Providence, Rhode Is- land. He had as a partner E. A. Cutler, who fur- nished the greater part of the capital, the cash capital of Mr. Perkins at that time amounting to but two hundred dollars. The style of the firm was at first Cutler and Perkins, but later, the Union Horse-shoe Company, under which title it was chartered. This firm made many horse shoes for the government during the Civil War.
In 1864, Mr. Perkins severed his connection with the company, and commenced the manufacture of sheet iron with the Perkins Sheet Iron Company, which rolled the first Russia iron made in this country and continued in that business until 1867. In that year he discovered an entirely new process for making horse shoes, and started the Rhode Island Horse Shoe Company, with A. and W. Sprague as financial backers. The mill was at Long Pond, and was a part of the vast industries owned by A. and W. Sprague, which included the Sprague Mowing Machine Company and the Com- stock Foundry Company. Of the new iron works Mr. Perkins was made manager. After the Sprague failure, in 1873, Mr. Perkins, with F. W. Car- penter and R. W. Comstock, bought out the Rhode Island Horse Shoe Company. In 1874 the works of the company were removed from Providence to Valley Falls, in the same State, where a large estab- lishment was erected to meet the demands of the rapidly growing business, the product having in- creased from half a ton a day to more than sixty tons a day. The company was reorganized in 1891 as the Rhode Island Perkins Horse Shoe Com- pany, of which Mr. Perkins was general manager until his death. The company became famous the world over for the manufacture of the Perkins horse shoes and mule shoes, toe calks, toe weight shoes in three different weights, the Goodenough
shoe, the Perkins snow shoe, cowboy shoes, X. Z. steel shoes, the Perkins sideweight hind shoe, and others. The thirty devices perfected by Mr. Per- kins in connection with the horse shoe revolu- tionized the horse shoe industry. He never hesi- tated when he thought it advisable to abandon completely old ideas and launch forth on new lines. The rolling of creased bars, double iron, toe and sideweight shoes, calked shoes, continuous calks, countersunk shoes-all these were his inventions. Perhaps the most interesting of them all was the manufacture of toe and sideweight shoes by a process of rolling and finishing altogether novel. He was an early inventor in the line of continuous rolling mills, and the first man in this country to substitute belts for gears in operating small mills. He perfected machinery for the pointing of horse shoe nails, and took several patents for improve- ments in toe calks; while, as an iron manufacturer, his reputation was widespread, his advice having been eagerly sought by inventors along other lines and always freely given. His inventions and ac- tivities were not entirely confined to the iron industry, the bell punch and register so long used in horse cars having originated with him. He also built the first power house of the Union Railway Company, at one time considered the most complete in the country. The fine plant of the horse shoe company at Valley Falls was of his own invention, he having had charge of the rebuilding after the fire of 1887. Content to acquire a fortune by slow and steady accumulation of money through legiti- mate business methods, Mr. Perkins was conserva- tive and non-speculative in his commercial opera- tions. He was connected with several companies, in addition to those enumerated above, including the Dean Cotton Company, the Hinkley Iron Works, the Metcalf Machine Company, S. Morse and Com- pany, the E. A. Cutler Company, and the Perkins Land Company. Of the Perkins Land Company he was president at the time of his death, and with the others he was associated in an important capacity at one time or another.
Naturally of a modest and retiring nature, Mr. Perkins nevertheless held numerous offices in civic life. His political allegiance he gave to the Re- publican party, and though he never sought political preferment he was honored by many important trusts. In 1858 he was sent to the General As- sembly of Rhode Island; and, in 1866 and 1867 and again in 1871, he was a representative in the City Council of Providence. In those positions he served with the fidelity and ability and efficiency that were characteristic of him. Strong fraternal
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affiliations were also his, for he belonged to the Free and Accepted Masons, in which order he was active in St. John's Commandery of Knights Tem- plar. He likewise was a member of several clubs and societies, among them the Central Club, the Pomham Club, the West Side Club, and the Squantum Club. Fond of outdoor life, especially gunning, he used to spend the winter season very frequently in Florida. An attendant and a liberal supporter of the Roger Williams Free Baptist Church, he lived his religion, detesting shams and makeshifts of all kinds and heartily despising an untruth. Mr. Perkins lived, from June, 1863, until his death on April 2, 1904, at the southwest cor- ner of Westminster and Harrison streets. For some years he kept a summer home at Warwick Neck, known as the old Arnold place.
Charles H. Perkins married, on June 27, 1854, Lucretia Bundy, of Putnam, Connecticut, a native of Woodstock, that State, where she was born Au- gust 15, 1837, daughter of Prosper and Lucretia (Vinton) Bundy, and granddaughter of Timothy Vinton, a soldier in the War of the American Revolution. Prosper Bundy was a painter, born April 20, 1805, lived in Putnam from 1849 until his death, October 20, 1880. His wife was born April 13, 1810, in Woodstock, and died October 13, 1884. She was a descendant in the fifth genera- tion from John Vinton, the immigrant ancestor of the line, and through his son John, John's son John, and this John's son Joseph.
The children of Charles H. and Lucretia (Bundy) Perkins were six in number: I. Frederick E .. , who was a prominent business man of Provi- dence, until his death in 1918; he married Ella J. Walden. 2. Estella A., died in infancy. 3. Charles Henry, Jr., who married Josephine V. Nicholas ; they had a son, Charles H., 3d; Mr. Perkins died December 20, 1928, after years' association with the Rhode Island Perkins Horse Shoe Company. 4. Ernest C., died in infancy. 5. Willard Clifford, who married Rachel Cross; they have three chil- dren, Frances L., Ella J., and Ada R. 6. Ada Lucretia, who became the wife of Henry A. Kirby, a record of whose life follows.
HENRY A. KIRBY-It was in the jewelry trade that Henry A. Kirby performed his life's work, accomplishing a great deal for the better- ment of his industry and taking a lively interest at all times in the affairs of Providence. A man of
kindly and generous spirit, eager to help others and to do what he could for the advancement of conditions among his fellowmen, he came to be esteemed and loved in his city and State, where he acquired a host of friends. His passing took from this region of New England one of its outstanding citizens, a man who contributed much to its institutions, and one whose memory lives on, a pleasant and inspiring influence in the lives of others.
Mr. Kirby was born at Huntington, Long Is- land, New York, on March 3, 1862, son of Isaac B. and Mary (Cornell) Kirby. He received his early education in the Providence public schools, and later attended the high school of this city. Upon completing his formal studies, he began his career as accountant with Tilden and Thurber, wholesale and retail jewelers. It was in 1886 that he started the manufacture of jewelry in partner- ship with B. E. Mowry under the firm name of Kirby and Mowry. This partnership was dis- solved in 1898, and the H. A. Kirby Company was in that year incorporated, with Henry A. Kirby at the head of the business. This enter- prise continued, prospering through the years, until his death in 1920. He manufactured a high grade of diamond and also other precious stones, and set a great deal of work in gold and platinum, having been noted for his skill in this field.
Along with his business activities, he was a leader in social and civic affairs. He was for many years a member of the Narragansett Boat Club, and for several years he held the title of amateur champion oarsman. He was a member, too, of the Rhode Island Country Club and the Wannamoisett Country Club. His political align- ment was with the Republican party, whose poli- cies and principles he regularly supported, though he never cared for or sought public office. His religious faith was that of the Protestant Epis- copal Church, his membership having been in Grace Church, of Providence. Fond of outdoor life, he spent a great deal of his time in healthful recreational pursuits, and had a farm at Warwick Neck, Rhode Island, where he passed a large amount of leisure time. He was especially inter- ested in dairy stock and poultry raising. Prom- inent in fraternal affairs, he was a member of the Free and Accepted Masons. Into all of these varied organizations and the activities that they represented, as into his own jewelry business, Mr. Kirby consistently put his best energies and tal-
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ents, so that his work was appreciated in many different fields of Rhode Island and New England life.
Henry A. Kirby married Ada Lucretia Perkins, daughter of Charles H. and Lucretia (Bundy) Perkins. A record of her father's life and works appears in the preceding biography. The children of Henry A. and Ada Lucretia (Perkins) Kirby were: I. Marion, who became the wife of Alex- ander R. Fritz, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; they became the parents of two children, Kirby Alex- ander and Harriet Virginia. 2. Ada Josephine, who became the wife of Darius Goff, of Paw- tucket, Rhode Island; they have two children, Marion Elizabeth, and Darius L.
The death of Henry A. Kirby, which occurred on April 12, 1920, was a cause of widespread and sincere sorrow among his hosts of friends in Rhode Island and elsewhere. He had contributed much to the well-being of Providence and had done his full share to hold high the standards of the jewelry trade. He had supported worthy movements, and had lent his aid to projects that he identified with the best interests of his State; and he is remembered as one who was a thor- oughly useful and substantial citizen.
GEORGE B. FARRELL, M. D .- A practic- ing physician at West Warwick, Rhode Island, for some years, Dr. George B. Farrell has built up a wide local following as the demands on his services have constantly increased. Thoroughly trained in the medical sciences, he has kept well abreast of latest developments by constant read- ing and study, and having quickly won the confi- dence of the community, he has risen to an important place in West Warwick life.
Dr. Farrell was born at Arkwright, Rhode Island, on December 16, 1894, a son of James T. and Nora Farrell, of that place. The father was a master printer, and a man of much ability, being associated with the Interlaken Print Works at Arkwright.
George B. Farrell received his preliminary education in the Coventry public schools, and at La Salle Academy, later entering Fordham Uni- versity in New York City. Following graduation from this institution he undertook the course of study in the Fordham Medical School, and was there graduated in June, 1920, with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. After completing his period
of interneship attached to the hospital staff, Dr. Farrell came to West Warwick, and immediately began the practice of his profession. He has con- tinued a general practice since that time, supply- ing to the community a general medical service of the finest type. He has entered into his work with energy and enthusiasm, never failing to answer every call for aid, or considering his own safety or convenience where professional duty was in- volved.
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