USA > Rhode Island > Rhode Island : three centuries of democracy, Vol. III > Part 46
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Mr. Parsons was a man of the greatest per- sonal charm. He was a thorough scholar, and could discourse brilliantly on almost any phase of art and letters. He was extremely fond of the best literature, of the fine arts and of beauty wherever it might be found. His imagination was particularly vivid, and lent a rare charm to his words, both spoken and written. Mr. Par- sons was affiliated fraternally with the Free and Accepted Masons, being a member of St. John's Lodge, and of the Commandery of the Knights Templar. He was interested in every civic move- ment of value, and his contributions to benevolent enterprises were both frequent and generous.
In October, 1859, James Hepburn Parsons married Ellen Richmond, eldest daughter of George M. and Anna (Eddy) Richmond, the former a prominent business leader and manu- facturer of Providence. Anna (Eddy) Richmond, his wife, was a daughter of the Hon. Samuel Eddy, jurist and statesman, who was at one time Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island, and at another, a member of the United States Congress.
Mr. and Mrs. Parsons became the parents of two children, as follows: I. George Richmond, born on April 10, 1861, in Providence, Rhode Is- land, a graduate of the Providence schools, and of Phillips-Exeter Academy in 1882. He also
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attended Harvard College, but in his junior year was obliged to return to his family. At the twenty-fifth reunion of his class, Harvard Uni- versity gave him the degree of Bachelor of Arts. For a time he was head of the Richmond Manu- facturing Company, and later became president of the Crompton Company. He married, on October 23, 1889, Clara Turner Brayton, daugh- ter of Lodowick Brayton, first president of the Union Railway Company; and they became the parents of one daughter, Laura Turner, who mar- ried Reune Martin, Jr., of New York. 2. Mary Hepburn, born on April 18, 1862, now residing in the old family home at Providence, and active in various phases of the city's life.
Mr. Parsons' death occurred on June 16, 1876, cutting short a brilliant career at the full height of his mature powers. Kind and generous to those about him, he won for himself a secure place in the hearts of all those who knew him, and his passing was a source of deep regret to the people of this city and State.
WARREN A. SHERMAN-In the educational field, Rhode Island has had its leaders, just as it has had them in every other walk of life. One such leader, a man who has risen steadily in his profession to his present position, who has com- bined years of work in practical teaching in the classroom with administrative and executive duties, is Warren A. Sherman. In February, 1930, he received his appointment as superin- tendent of schools of the town of Warwick, Rhode Island; and in this post, as in all his other activities in his native State, he has proven himself a capable and public-spirited worker, eager ever for the promotion of the best inter- ests of his community and its people and for the maintenance of its institutions at a high level of usefulness.
Mr. Sherman was born in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, on May 3, 1888, son of Alfred A. and Lorena Blake (Congdon) Sherman. His father, also a native of Rhode Island, was en- gaged during his early manhood as a farmer in this State; after forty years and until his death he worked as a carpenter. The mother, Mrs. Lorena Blake (Congdon) Sherman, was, like her son, born in East Greenwich; and she is still living (1930). Warren A. Sherman received his early education in the public schools of North Kingstown, Rhode Island, and those of North
Providence. For his high school training he went to the East Providence High School. His next step in acquiring an education was to go to Brown University, from which he was graduated in the class of 1911 with the degree of Bach- elor of Arts; and in 1916 he took his Master of Arts degree from the same institution. In 1912-13 he pursued special work at Columbia University, New York City, with some courses at Teachers' College.
Upon completing the earlier phases of his aca- demic training, in 1911, he became an instruc- tor in history and social sciences at Juniata Col- lege, in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. That work he continued in 1911 and 1912. Then he was a teacher of mathematics for one and one-half years at Haverhill High School, in Haverhill, Massachusetts; and for seven years was a teacher of mathematics in West Warwick High School, West Warwick, Rhode Island. At the conclusion of that period, he once more took up the teach- ing of social sciences at the Commercial High School, in Providence, Rhode Island, although he continued his work as a mathematics instruc- tor at this same school. For nine years he taught there, until, in February, 1930, he received his appointment as superintendent of schools in the town of Warwick, Rhode Island, the position referred to above, and that which he holds today.
Along with his professional activities, Mr. Sherman has naturally sought to keep in the closest possible touch with all new developments in teaching and education. He is a member of the National Education Association. He also be- longs to the Barnard Club, of Providence, and is affiliated with several prominent fraternal orders. He is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, which honorary fraternity elected him to membership because of his scholastic attainments at college. He also belongs to the Sigma Nu Fraternity, a Greek-letter academic group. He is a Past Master of Warwick Lodge, No. 16, of the Free and Accepted Masons; King of Landmark Chapter, No. 10, of Royal Arch Masonry, Thrice Illustrious Master of Narragansett Council, No. 6 of Royal and Select Masters, and Past Patron of Ruth Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star. He has consistently given his political support to the Republican party. His religious faith is that of the Congregationalist Church. When not engaged with one or another of his numerous professional and social duties, Mr. Sherman enjoys nothing more than participation in outdoor recreational activities; and he is espe-
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cially fond of what he calls "amateur farming" as a recreation. He raises fruits and flowers in considerable quantities, and has a wide knowl- edge of agricultural methods and procedure. He also has a large collection of stamps, and is a philatelist of marked talents. In all his labors, both in education and in social fields, Mr. Sher- man has proven himself a man of unusual abil- ities; and his work has well merited the high regard in which he is held by his professional associates and by the people of Warwick and the other places where he has been professionally engaged.
Warren A. Sherman married, in December, 1913, Isabel Stuart Wood, a native of East Greenwich, Rhode Island, his own birthplace. Mrs. Sherman is a graduate of Brown Univer- sity, of Providence, from which in the class of 1910 she received her degree of Bachelor of Arts.
The children of this marriage are: Donald Stuart, Bertha Lorena, and Douglas Elmer.
FREDERICK G. BROWN-Having become connected with one of the leading industrial establishments of Warwick immediately follow- ing his graduation from college, Mr. Brown has continued his association with his company. As the result of his unusual business and executive ability and his close application to his work he has received several promotions to positions of ever increasing responsibility, at present being one of the executives. Though one of the younger generation of business men, he enjoys a high standing in the business world. He showed his patriotism by service during the World War in the military forces of the United States, while his interest in civic affairs finds expression in his active participation in local politics.
Frederick G. Brown was born at Newburgh, New York, August 2, 1898, a son of Samuel Frederick and Crissy Jane (Wood) Brown. His parents were natives of Newburgh, of which city they are still residents, his father being engaged in the wholesale milk business there. On his mother's side Mr. Brown is a direct descendant of Cornelius Wood, who fought in the American Revolution. Mr. Brown received his early educa- tion in the public schools, and having graduated from Newburgh Free Academy, he attended Brown University, from which he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1921.
Immediately following his graduation from col- lege, he became connected with the Apponaug Company, in Apponaug. In order to acquire a thorough knowledge of the business, he worked in the various departments of the company, until 1924. In that year he was made purchasing agent, which position he has since filled with marked ability, and since July, 1928, he has served as assistant treasurer also. He is a director of Phenix Trust Company, of Phenix, Rhode Island.
Mr. Brown is a member of Hudson River Lodge, No. 607, Free and Accepted Masons; the Providence Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; St. John's Commandery, Knights Templar; as well as the various bodies of the Scottish Rite in Rhode Island, including the Rhode Island Consistory. He is also a member of Delta Tau Delta Fra- ternity, the Sons of the American Revolution, the British Empire Club, and the Warwick Coun- try Club. In politics he is a supporter of the Republican party, and since 1926 he has been a member of the Town Council of Warwick. During the World War he enlisted in the United States Army in the spring of 1918 and was sent to the Officers' Training Camp at Camp Lee, Virginia, where he received his honorable dis- charge from military service in December, 1918. His religious affiliation is with the First Con- gregational Church of Providence. He is fond of outdoor life and sports and is especially inter- ested in golf.
Mr. Brown married, May 26, 1923, Grace E. Lustig, a' native of Providence, Rhode Island. Mr. and Mrs. Brown are the parents of four children: Sonia Jane, Lorand Reid, Hedwig Wood, and Joan Low.
WALTER FOSTER ANGELL-Directly de- scended from Thomas Angell, one of the first five settlers of Providence, who located here in 1636, Walter Foster Angell has practiced law in this city since 1883 and is considered one of the leaders of the New England bar.
He was born in Eminence, Illinois, December 17, 1858, a son of George Manton and Abby Owen (Evans) Angell. Following his preliminary edu- cation he entered Brown University and was grad- uated from that institution, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts and the honor of membership in the Phi Beta Kappa Fraternity in 1880. He was admitted to the Rhode Island bar in 1883 and began practice in Providence in the office of
-.
Mater . Angel
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Charles S. Bradley and Edwin Metcalf. In 1893 he joined the late Stephen O. Edwards in the formation of the firm of Edwards & Angell, with which firm he is still associated. He served in 1886 and 1887 as assistant attorney-general and in 1902-07 as general counsel of the Rhode Island Company. He is a member of the American Bar Association and of the Rhode Island Bar Associa- tion and belongs to the Providence Bar Club, the Rhode Island Historical Association, and the Beta Theta Pi college fraternity. His clubs include the University, Providence, Art, and Wannamoisett Country.
Walter Foster Angell married Annie P. Studley, daughter of Theodore E. Studley of New York, June 30, 1888. She died June 29, 1912.
WILLIAM HENRY BISBEE-Descended on the maternal side from a Norman chieftain, whose name is recorded in English history as having fought under the banners of William the Con- queror at the battle of Hastings in 1066 and which, from various original spellings, became Ballou in America, William Henry Bisbee may be said to have maintained the military traditions of that re- mote ancestor, since his entire mature life was spent in the United States Army, where he at- tained the rank of brigadier-general.
He was born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, January 28, 1840, a son of William Orson and Harriet Miriam (Ballou) Bisbee, the first-named having been born in Plainfield, Massachusetts, Au- gust 28, 1805, and who died in Waterford, New Jersey, at the age of ninety-two years. He was a descendant of a pioneer family of Maine and lived in that State for a period during his early life, later removing to Cattaraugus County, New York. In about 1830 he settled in Woonsocket and on September 22, 1831, married Harriet Miriam Ballou, daughter of Levi Ballou, of Cumberland, Rhode Island. He became associated in business with his brother-in-law, Latimer W. Ballou, and in later years became an accountant and rose to be manager of the Harrison Cotton Mills, owned and operated by Dexter and Orrin A. Ballou in Woonsocket. Subsequently, from about 1870 until the closing years of his life, he was a commercial reporter for the house of R. G. Dun and Company of Philadelphia, but maintaining his home at Waterford, New Jersey.
Harriet Miriam (Ballou) Bisbee was a direct lineal descendant of Maturin Ballou, who came to
America from England in 1646 and who was a co- proprietor with Roger Williams of the Providence Plantations, the lineal descent being : Maturin, James, Obediah, Ezekiel, Levi, Esquire, and Levi Ballou. She was born at the ancestral home in Cumberland, Rhode Island, August 27, 1807, and died in Woonsocket, February 24, 1853.
The son of this union acquired his early educa- tion in the public schools of Woonsocket, leaving his books at the age of fifteen years to enter the employ of the merchandising firm of Seavey and Wales, in Woonsocket, later being sent to their branch store in Pawtucket. Following this prelim- inary experience in business, he became engaged by the wholesale merchandising house of Smith, Murphy and Company in Philadelphia, where his father had taken up his residence in 1857, and still later going to Delaware, Ohio, where he entered the service of Welch and Mendenhall, operating in similar lines. It was at this time that he tem- porarily abandoned his work in merchandising and made a trip with an itinerant photographer across the plains to the Rocky Mountains, reaching Den- ver at a period when it was a cluster of shacks. The venture was unsuccessful financially and he returned to Ohio and resumed his occupation, mak- ing his home in Delaware until the outbreak of the Civil War.
He entered the United States Army September 2, 1861, and was commissioned a second lieutenant and assigned to the 18th United States Infantry June 9, 1862. He participated in the Mill Spring, Kentucky, campaign under General George H. Thomas, in the winter of 1861 and 1862; General Buell's Army of the Ohio campaign from Mill Spring, Kentucky, to Shiloh, Tennessee, March and April, 1862; General H. W. Halleck's siege of Corinth, Mississippi, May, 1862; General Buell's campaign from Corinth, Mississippi, to Louisville, Kentucky in pursuit of the Confederate Army un- der General Bragg, from June 22 to September 26, 1862; General Buell's campaign against Bragg, from Louisville to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, from October 1, 1862, to January 4, 1863; engaged in the battle of Perryville, October 8, 1862; battle of Stone River, Tennessee, December 31, 1862, to January 4, 1863. He was appointed adjutant of the 2d Battalion, 18th Infantry, April 27, 1863, and served in that capacity until December 1, 1863. He was brevetted first lieutenant for gallant and meritorious services in the battle of Stone River, December 31, 1862, and promoted first lieutenant on the same date. He was engaged in the Tulla- homa campaign under General Rosecrans, from
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May, 1863, to July 23, 1863. At the battle of Hoover's Gap, Tennessee, June 26, 1863, he was wounded. He was engaged in the Atlanta campaign under General William Tecumseh Sherman from Resaca, Georgia, May 16, 1864, until its close, Sep- tember 1, 1864, and was appointed adjutant of the 2d Battalion, 18th Infantry in August, 1864, and served until September 21, 1866. He participated in the following engagements of the Atlanta cam- paign : Pumpkin Vine Creek, Georgia, May 29, 1864; New Hope Church, May 31, 1864; Kenesaw Mountain, June 19 to July 3; Neal Dow Station, July 4, 1864; Peachtree Creek, July 22; Utoy Creek, August 7; siege of Atlanta, August, 1864, wounded; Jonesboro, September I, 1864. He was brevetted captain, September I, 1864, for gallant and meritorious services at the battle of Jonesboro. He served on Lookout Mountain and vicinity with General Thomas' army, operating against General Hood, from October, 1864, to September, 1865. He then served at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and Fort Kearney, Nebraska, and in May, 1866, was en route with his regiment to open a wagon road and protect emigration through the Powder River country, from Fort Laramie, Dakota, to Gallatin Valley, Montana. He assisted in building Fort Phil Kearny, Dakota, until December 10, 1866 participating in frequent engagements with the Sioux Indians from July to December, 1866, dur- ing which time the total battalion and civilian loss was about two hundred killed. He was regimental adjutant, 18th Infantry, November 14 to December 8, 1866, and adjutant-general, Mountain District, Department of the Platte, and was promoted cap- tain, December 21, 1866, vice Fetterman, killed by Indians. Aide-de-camp December 28, 1866, to Sep- tember 1, 1868; judge advocate, Department of the Platte, January, 1867, to September, 1868. At Fort Sedgwick, Colorado, 1869; assigned to 4th Infantry in 1870. Served at Fort Fetterman, Wyo- ming; Louisville, Kentucky; Omaha Barracks, Nebraska, and Fort Douglas, Utah, until 1874, when he participated in an expedition against the Arapahoe Indians into the Big Horn Mountains. He served at Fort Bridger, Wyoming, Fort San- ders, North Platte, and other stations in the De- partment of the Platte and in 1877 was adjutant- general of the troops at the Chicago riots. He was stationed at various posts in the Missouri River sector and at Fort Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, in 1892, engaged in suppressing the miners' outbreak. He was promoted major of the 17th Infantry, May 18, 1893. He commanded the troops at Ogden, Utah, and Pocatello, Idaho, in the Debs riots and
Commonwealers' outbreaks in 1893-94. In 1895 he commanded a battalion of the 8th Infantry at Jackson's Hole, in the Bannock Indian disturbances. Promoted to lieutenant-colonel of the Ist Infantry, May 4, 1897, he commanded the regiment through- out the Santiago, Cuba, campaign, from April 21, 1898, to June 16, 1899. He protected Capron's battery at the battles of El Caney and San Juan on June 30 and July 1, 1898, and was an active participant in the operations of the army in front of Santiago to July 26, 1898. He was in charge of three thousand Spanish prisoners in Cuba in Au- gust, 1898, and returned to the United States with the 5th Army Corps. Reorganized the regiment at Montauk Point, New York, and was then stationed at Huntsville and Anniston, Alabama, until the close of the year, returning to Cuba and making regimental headquarters at Pinar del Rio, January 2, 1899. He commanded Camp Egbert, at Pinar del Rio, consisting of the Ist Infantry, a squadron of the 7th Cavalry and a Battalion of Engineers, from January to June, 1899. In charge of a pay- ment of $3,000,000 appropriated to pay the Cuban soldiers. Promoted colonel of the 13th Infantry, June 16, 1899, and relinquished four months leave to join the regiment, then on the firing line in front of Manila, Philippine Islands. Commanded Ist Brigade, Ist Division, 8th Army Corps, until October 15, 1899. Commanded his regiment as part of the brigade under General Schwan and participated in many engagements in Luzon. Re- turning to Manila, he was stationed with his regi- ment on the north line of the Manila defense during October, 1899. Was with General Whea- ton's expedition to Lingayen Gulf and participated in the landing of troops and the engagement at San Fabian, November 7. Many other engage- ments followed in that sector and from January, 1900, to December 31, he was in command of a district embracing nineteen native towns in the provinces of Pangasinan and Nueva Ecijo, Luzon, under most trying conditions of guerilla warfare, during which about one hundred murderers were convicted, forty of them executed and others sen- tenced to long terms of imprisonment. He was promoted to brigadier-general, United States Army, October 2, 1901, by President Theodore Roosevelt.
President McKinley was on the eve of promot- ing Colonel Bisbee to the rank of brigadier-general when the Chief Executive was shot by an assassin at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo and it devolved upon his successor to perform the duty. Recommendations of most eulogistic character were
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at that time sent to Washington, among the officers of high rank contributing having been Major-Gen- eral Lloyd Wheaton, Major-General William R. Shafter, Major-General John R. Brooke, Major- General Arthur MacArthur, Brigadier-General J. F. Bell, Brigadier-General Theodore Schwan, and Brigadier-General John C. Bates.
Major-General Wheaton wrote :
The record of Colonel William H. Bisbee, 13th U. S. Infantry, for long, arduous and gallant service can be surpassed by few living soldiers. His gallant conduct in campaigns and on many battlefields of the Civil War, his services in Indian wars and in military operations in Cuba and the Philippines, and his able administration of civil affairs whenever devolving upon him, demonstrate his ability, capacity and worthiness. I recommend Colonel Bisbee to the consideration of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, know- ing him to be one of the ablest and most deserv- ing officers on the active list of the Army.
General MacArthur wrote:
My own personal knowledge of Colonel Bis- bee is extended over many years, during which time his uniform efficiency has been a matter of public knowledge. He is thoroughly informed in all branches of the profession, practical and theo- retical, and has great aptitude for command and administration. His many acts of good soldiership and intrepidity are of record in the archives of the War Department.
General Brooke said :
Colonel Bisbee has always borne the reputation of being one of the best officers of our Army. While serving under my command in Cuba I con- sidered him one of the most able and efficient com- manders of a difficult situation in that island. His record from the beginning is one of which any officer might be proud.
General Shafter, commanding the American forces in Cuba, wrote to President Mckinley, in part, as follows :
Colonel Bisbee, 13th U. S. Infantry, served under me in command of the Ist Infantry in the campaign in Cuba and distinguished himself by great efficiency. His subsequent record in the Philippines indicates that the same qualities have been exhibited by him. He is an officer of un- blemished character, exemplary habits and of more than ordinary ability. I recommend him to the favorable consideration of the Honorable Sec- retary of War and yourself as being one of the most efficient and active colonels of whom I have any knowledge in the Army and I regard him in every respect well qualified for promotion.
General Bisbee is a member of the Sons of the American, Revolution; Military Order of the Loyal
R. I .- 16
Legion of the United States, of which he has served twice as commander of the Massachusetts Commandery and once as junior vice-commander of the national organization; Army of the Cum- berland; 14th Corps, Army of the Cumberland; Regular Brigade, Army of the Cumberland; Soci- ety of Santiago de Cuba; Order of Indian Wars of the United States; Military Order of the Cara- bao; Military Historical Society of Massachusetts ; Industrial Defense Society of Massachusetts; Na- tional Security League of New York; National Geographic Society, and others. He was awarded medals by Congress for his activities in the Civil War, Indian wars, Spanish-American War and the Philippine Insurrection. His residence since his retirement from active service is in Beacon Street, Brookline, Massachusetts.
William Henry Bisbee married, in Columbus, Ohio, September 3, 1863, Lucy Katherine Shade, daughter of Jacob Miller and Elizabeth Cooper (Lewis) Shade, both of pioneer American ances- try. General Bisbee's wife died in her seventy- fifth year. Their children were: I. Eugene Shade, born in Columbus, Ohio, August 18, 1864. 2. Kath- erine Ballou, born in Columbus, Ohio, November 10, 1868. 3. Haymond Bird, born in Louisville, Kentucky, August 14, 1871. 4. Louise Lucille, born at Fort Bridger, Wyoming, January 8, 1875, de- ceased.
PHILIP BRADY-For many years Philip Brady has been one of the most active figures the industrial, political and journalistic fields of Rhode Island has known. His career is illustrative of an unusual versatility of accomplishment, for in each of the occupations he has from time to time fol- lowed he has become favorably conspicuous and has made many friends through his contributions to the general public welfare and instruction. His wide experience covers a period of half a cen- tury in Bristol, where he has lived since his birth. He has been frequently called to public office and in each instance has acquitted himself with credit and fully justified the confidence reposed in him by the people.
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