USA > Rhode Island > Rhode Island : three centuries of democracy, Vol. IV > Part 48
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An earnest adherent of the Republican party, Mr. Hazard has long been in the public service in some official capacity. He was a member of the Solvay (New York) School Board for three years. In 1928 he was elected a member of the Narragansett Town Council. He was chosen town moderator of Narragansett in March, 1929, to fill out the term of Winfield Church, and in the regular election was returned as his own successor, being the present incumbent of the office. In 1928 he was elected to the House of Representatives in this State.
Mr. Hazard's World War military record began with enlistment as a private in the 4th Regiment, Field Artillery, United States Army, in May, 1917. He was promoted to corporal and sent to Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, and before the completion of his training at that post he was ordered to the Field Artillery School at Saumur, France, for further instruction. In June, 1918, he was com- missioned second lieutenant, and was sent to the Heavy Artillery School at Angers, France. Thence he joined the 54th Regiment, Heavy Artillery, Coast Artillery Corps, with which outfit he continued in service until he was mustered out, with retention of his rank, in June, 1919. His previous military service was with the Rhode Island National Guard, in which he was a corporal of Battery A from IgII to 1914. He was the first Commander of Solvay (New York) Post, American Legion, and after he removed to this State he had his mem- bership transferred to South Kingstown Post.
He is a member of the Rhode Island Poultry
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Association, the Narragansett Chamber of Com- merce, the University Club of New York, Dunes Club of Narragansett and Saunderstown Yacht Club. He is an attendant of the Unitarian Church. He has a great fondness for working in metals and for cabinet-making.
Frederick Rowland Hazard married, in 1921, Rozelia Belden, a native of Syracuse, New York, and they have three children: Rozelia, Frederick Rowland, Jr., and Mary Peace.
THOMAS MORTON CURRY-In Rhode Island, as in the other parts of New England, the textile industry has gained a solid foothold, and is one of the leading types of business endeavor in this region of the United States. One of those men who have taken a leading part in the affairs of this great industry is Thomas Morton Curry, who is the owner of the Belleville Woolen Com- pany, of Belleville, Rhode Island, where he man- ufactures a complete line of medium and high- grade woolens for both men and women's wear, both coatings and suitings. The company em- ploys about one hundred and fifty hands, and to- day the mill ranks as one of the largest in the southern part of the State.
Mr. Curry was born in Englewood, New Jersey, on October 17, 1893, son of Thomas Edward and Annie (Ryan) Curry. His father, who was born in Cohoes, New York, was en- gaged for forty-five years in the textile business in New York State, and who, for the last quarter of a century of his life, was active in business under the firm name of Thomas E. Curry and Company, of New York City; he is now deceased. The mother, Mrs. Annie (Ryan) Curry, a native of Englewood, New Jersey, is now living.
Thomas Morton Curry received his early edu- cation in the public schools and the high school of his native place, Englewood, New Jersey, and subsequently attended the University of Pennsyl- vania, from which he was graduated in the class of 1915. He was also a student for one year at the Philadelphia Textile School, and after com- pleting his formal education he worked for three years with the Garland Woolen Company, of Staffordville, Connecticut. There he acquired a wide experience in all the practical details of the great industry in which he chose to seek his live- lihood; and, after finishing his period of service with that company, he was, for two years, with Thomas E. Curry and Company, wool commis-
sion merchants, of New York City. In 1919 he came to Belleville, Rhode Island, as manager of the Belleville Woolen Company; and of this com- pany, since 1924, he has been the sole owner. In his work in this connection, Mr. Curry has ren- dered valuable services to his fellowmen, and has, as a result of his efforts, won the lasting esteem and regard of those with whom he has been asso- ciated.
He has never been satisfied with his achieve- ments in the commercial world alone, however, but has extended his activities into public life. His political alignment is with the Republican party, whose policies and principles he regularly supports; and since 1928 he has been a member of the North Kingstown school board. He is a member of a number of different clubs and organi- zations in his Rhode Island community, being active in the Massasoit Country Club, in which he belongs to the greens committee; the Point Judith Country Club; Sigma Phi Sigma of the Univer- sity of Pennsylvania Chapter; member of the Wickford Club; the Annaquatucker Country Club, in which he is at the time of writing (1930) president; Lions Club (member of Board of Gov- ernors); and the Alumni Association of the Uni- versity of Pennsylvania. In his different civic re- lationships, Mr. Curry seeks to do what he can for the advancement of the best interests of Rhode Island. He is a member of the North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce. In the American Legion he belongs to the North Kings- town Post No. 12. In the industrial work of or- ganizations connected with his own great industry, he is active, too, being a member of the Wool Institute of New York. When he is not busy with one or another of his various duties, he enjoys nothing more than participating in his favorite sports, the outdoor recreations of golf and hunt- ing. His religious faith is that of the Protestant Episcopal Church, his parish being St. Paul's, of North Kingstown. In the late war, he was active in the service of his country, having en- listed, in April, 1917, with the United States Naval Reserves, with the rank of second class seaman. In May, 1918, he was commissioned en- sign in the Naval Reserves, and afterward he was engaged in overseas transport service aboard the United States Ship "Von Steuben." He was also connected with the Naval Intelligence Service; and, after all these varied activities in behalf of his country, was discharged from the Navy in March, 1919, with the rank of ensign. Into all his activities, business and otherwise, Mr. Curry has
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consistently put forth his best efforts, with the result that he is esteemed and respected in his community and State, and is able to render out- standing service to the people of the North Kings- town region of Rhode Island.
Thomas Morton Curry married, in June, 1917, Ida C. Ellerbrook, a native of New York City. By this marriage there were the following chil- dren: I. Ida L. 2. Thomas Morton, Jr. 3. Thomas Edward, 2d. 4. Thomas Frederick.
OWEN B. THORNTON-A native and life- long resident of Clyde, West Warwick, Mr. Thornton has been engaged there for more than thirty-five years in the amusement business and today is part owner of four theatres in the Paw- tuxet Valley. His theatres are among the most popular and most modern in this section of Rhode Island, and Mr. Thornton naturally is regarded as one of the leading business men. He is a mem- ber of several social and civic organizations and can always be counted upon to support gener- ously any movements tending to advance the wel- fare of his native town.
Owen B. Thornton was born at Clyde, August I, 1871, a son of Patrick and Anne (McManus) Thornton. Both his parents were natives of Ire- land and are now deceased, his father having been a stationary engineer until his death. Mr. Thorn- ton received his education in the public schools of his native town and then worked for some three years in the Clyde Print Works. At the end of this period he became associated with his brother in the liquor business, continuing in this line until 1895. In that year, again together with his brother, he started in the amusements business in Clyde, becoming a partner in the West War- wick Theatre Company, which business associa- tion has continued ever since then. At first Mr. Thornton and his brother owned only one theatre, the Clyde Theatre, but now they own four thea- tres in different towns in the Pawtuxet Valley, one at Riverpoint, being known as Thornton's Theatre. It is characteristic of the progressive- ness of Mr. Thornton's business methods that the last named theatre has recently been converted into a sound reproducing theatre, bringing thus this new development of the motion picture indus- try to the Pawtuxet Valley. Mr. Thornton is a member of the Pawtuxet Valley Board of Trade, the West Warwick Chamber of Commerce and the West Warwick Country Club, in which latter
he is a member of the Board of Governors and of the Greens Committee. In politics he is a supporter of the Democratic party, while his re- ligious affiliations are with the Roman Catholic Church, and more particularly with St. James' Roman Catholic Church. Mr. Thornton is fond of all outdoor sports and is especially interested in golf and bowling, in which latter sport he has held all world records. He has also played ama- teur baseball.
Mr. Thornton married, in 1900, Sarah Town- send, a native of Central Falls. Mr. and Mrs. Thornton are the parents of three children: James C. Thornton, associated in business with his father; Sarah E. Thornton and Mary R. Thornton.
JOHN S. ALLEN-That branch of the Allen family of which John S. Allen, late of North Kings- town, Rhode Island, was a member, originated in this State with the settlement here of James or John, of the third generation in America, about the year 1660. Judge John Allen, one of the de- scendants, was in charge of food and general sup- plies for the Continental Army during the Revolu- tionary War. He was taken prisoner by the Brit- ish and his house burned when the invaders crossed the bay from Newport. His daughter, Lucretia, married an Allen and their son, Deacon George Allen, was one of the founders and an ardent worker for the Quidnesset Baptist Church. In the family there were nine children: Christoper, Lucretia, Emeline, Catherine, William, John, Joseph, Benjamin, and George.
John S. Allen was born in 1832 and married Ann Green, daughter of George T. and Maria (Lewis) Green, both families belonging to the oldest of Rhode Island Colonial stock. Their chil- dren were: I. Lulu M., married Charles S. Green, and they were the parents of two children : Walter and Harold. 2. Annie H., married James Thayer. 3. Grace E., married Dr. Walter R. Riley (q. v.). 4. Milton G., married Elizabeth Merrill, and resides in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. 5. John S., married Mabel Burlingame, and they are the parents of one daughter, Virginia.
WALTER R. RILEY, D. D. S .- Born in Johnson, Rhode Island, on April 29, 1860, Walter R. Riley was the son of Job and Mary (Briggs) Riley, the first named having come to Rhode
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Island from Accrington, England, while his wife was a direct descendant of Captain Benjamin Church; the latter served valiantly in King Philip's War. Walter R. Riley attended the schools of Crompton until he was fourteen years of age, when he was compelled to abandon his studies and help support his mother. Filled with ambi- tion, he determined to study in his spare hours, and although working all day in a Centreville drug store, he pored over his books at night. He later obtained a position in the drug store of a Mr. Woods in East Providence, from which em- ployment he graduated into the position of man- ager of the drug establishment of William R. Green in Providence, who sent him to East Green- wich to establish a branch house. By this time he had obtained much information regarding drugs and expected to make medicine his profession, He decided, however, on dentistry and with this end in view became a student at the University of Pennsylvania, doing the three-year course in two with such high scholarship as to receive special commendation from the dean of the university at the time he received his degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery. He began the practice of den- tistry in 1893 and rapidly drew a large and profit- able clientele from the population. His work was excellent and he had the full confidence of the people. In 1911 Dr. Riley lived in the West for a year, taking a course at the Northern Pacific Dental College, which gave him the degree of Doctor of Dental Medicine. He was a member of King Solomon's Lodge, and an honorary mem- ber and past master of Orpheus Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; member of St. John's Commandery, Knights Templar; and of the An- cient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He was a member of the Centreville Baptist Church and an attendant at the First Baptist Church of East Greenwich, in the work of both of which he actively participated. Dr. Riley died January 10, 1924.
Walter R. Riley married Grace E. Allen, daugh- ter of John S. and Ann (Green) Allen, and they are the parents of one daughter: Inez, who mar- ried the Rev. Albert E. Gaisford, pastor of the Baptist Church at Carolina, Rhode Island, and they have one daughter, Priscilla, and a son, Richard.
Dr. Riley was deeply devoted to children, who reciprocated his affection in full. His nature was retiring and quiet, studious and thoughtful. He did nothing half way and he did nothing that would injure a fellow-creature, for he was the purest type of considerate gentleman, generous,
sympathetic and loyal to friend, to duty, and to country.
WILLIAM E. NORTON-Born and reared in one of the great textile centers of England, Mr. Norton came to this country some twenty-five years ago and since then has been identified with the textile industry of New England and espe- cially of Rhode Island. During the greater part of his career in the United States he has been connected with one and the same concern, the Esmond Mills, Esmond, Smithfield Township, Providence County. His long continuous service with one and the same concern is very charac- teristic of him, as is also the fact that he rapidly rose from a comparatively modest position to one of great importance and responsibility, having served in recent years as general superintendent of the mills. He is prominently active in many phases of the community's life, is a member of several fraternal, social and civic organizations, takes an active part in civic affairs and, indeed, in every respect represents the highest type of useful, vigorous and public-spirited citizenship.
William E. Norton was born in Bradford, Eng- land, December 7, 1884, a son of the late Isaac and Maria (Toothill) Norton, both now deceased. Both his parents were natives of Bradford, where his father was connected in a mechanical capacity with various textile enterprises until his death. Mr. Norton received his education in the public grammar and high schools of his native city, and, having completed his education, he followed in his father's footsteps and became identified with one of the textile concerns of his native city. He continued in this type of work for three years, thus laying the foundation of his thorough knowl- edge of textile manufacturing, a knowledge which has enabled him to make a marked success of his later career. About 1906 he came to the United States and, for one year, was employed in the Wood Mill, Lawrence, Massachusetts. Next he worked for three years at Greystone, Providence County, where he was connected with the Joseph Benn Company, well known textile manufac- turers. In 1910 he became associated with the Esmond Mills, of Esmond, with which he has con- tinued ever since then. His first position was that of carpenter in the machine shop. So quickly did he prove his ability that in 1912 he was made assistant to the master mechanic and in the fol- lowing year, 1913, became master mechanic him- self. Four years later, in 1917, he was made me-
States Ronly
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chanical superintendent of the entire plant, in which important and responsible position he con- tinued to serve until 1926. In that year he was promoted to the superintendency of the plant and, three years later, in 1929, he became general superintendent until February 1, 1931, when he was made manager. Of course, Mr. Norton is widely known in the textile industry in New Eng- land and is regarded as one of the most able tex- tile manufacturers in Rhode Island. For many years prominently active in fraternal affairs and especially in Masonic circles, he is a member of numerous Masonic organizations, including the following: Roger Williams Lodge, No. 32, Free and Accepted Masons, of which he is a Past Mas- ter; Providence Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; St. John's Commandery, Knights Templar; Betsy Williams Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star, of which he is a Past Patron, and is again Patron in 1931. He is also a member of Greystone Lodge, and of Manchester Unity, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he is a Past Grand. Other organizations, in which he maintains membership, include the British Empire Club and the Provi- dence Chamber of Commerce. During the World War he served with the rank of second lieutenant in the Rhode Island State Guard. In politics he is a supporter of the Republican party and at one time he served for two years as a Councilman of the Town of Smithfield. He is now (1931) a member of the Republican Town Committee. His religious affiliations are with the Protestant Epis- copal Church.
Mr. Norton married, in 1908, Mamie Hill, a native of Fall River, Massachusetts.
EDWIN HALSEY REYNOLDS-A native and life-long resident of Rhode Island, where he was a leader in social, business and religious life, Edwin Halsey Reynolds held a place of high re- gard in the esteem and affections of his fellow- men. Extensively engaged in the manufacture of gold and silver plate, he was widely known in the city of Providence, as well as throughout the State; and the enterprise that he established here became outstandingly successful. The only period of his life that he spent outside his native Com- monwealth was a brief time of residence in New York City, where he began his active career; but soon afterward he returned to Providence, where he remained, keenly interested in public life for the rest of his days. A man of kindly and gener-
ous nature, strongly civic-minded, eager to sup- port the worthiest projects introduced by his fellow-citizens, Mr. Reynolds combined with these qualities a genial and pleasant disposition, which readily rendered him a leader in Rhode Island affairs. His life covered the period from 1810 to 1878, an era of fast industrial growth; and the part that he took in the advancement of com- merce and industry was a most helpful one.
Mr. Reynolds was born on May 4, 1810, at Wickford, Rhode Island, son of Joseph and Abi- gail (Updike) Reynolds, and a member of one of New England's old and honored families. The Reynolds family has traced its ancestry back to William Reynolds, who settled at an early pe- riod in Colonial history in Exeter, Rhode Island. In 1637, he and others were to pay two shillings and six pence a piece for the ground that they had been granted, and on July 27, 1640, he was one of the thirty-nine men who signed an agree- ment for a form of government. He is mentioned many times in the records of Colonial times, and on January 30, 1644, was one of the Rhode Island settlers who testified as to the outrage on War- wick settlers by Massachusetts. He had a son, James, who lived in Kingstown, Rhode Island, and died in 1700; he, too, was prominent in pub- lic life in his day and owned extensive lands in Rhode Island. From him the line of descent passes through one of his three sons-Joseph, Henry or Robert,-each of whom had a son named John, who may have been the ancestor of this Reynolds line.
John Reynolds, the great-grandfather of Edwin Halsey Reynolds, was born about 1680, and lived at Exeter, Rhode Island. His son, Joseph Rey- nolds, was born about 1725, at Exeter, and had several children. Of these, Joseph, the father of Edwin H. Reynolds, was born on September 27, 1772, at Exeter, and was educated in the public schools of that place. Later he became engaged in business at Norwich, Connecticut, and still later, at Wickford, Rhode Island. He became a large owner of land, and succeeded to a part of the estate of his father-in-law, Lodowick Updike; his homestead at Wickford is now in the posses- sion of Abigail Updike and Lucy Waite Reynolds, his granddaughters. Mr. Reynolds died there in October, 1843, and was buried in Elm Grove Cemetery. He was a member of the Society of Friends. He married Abigail Updike, daughter of Lodowick Updike, who was born July 12, 1725, and died on June 6, 1804, and was a son of Daniel Updike. Lodowick Updike lived in North
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Kingstown, Rhode Island, and was educated by private tutors, one of whom was the Rev. John Checkley, rector of St. John's Protestant Epis- copal Church, of Providence, an Oxford scholar, and a learned divine. Mr. Updike studied law, but never practiced. He owned a large estate in North Kingstown, and a fine farm of about fifteen hundred acres, which he inherited from his father, and from his grandfather, Richard Smith. His home was the old Updike mansion, called "Smith's Castle," near Wickford. He was a prom- inent citizen, a typical Englishman, who wore small clothes and wig, resembled George III in appearance, and was a member of the Church of England. He married, on January 25, 1759, Abi- gail Gardner, born in 1740, died in 1826, daughter of John and Mary (Taylor) Gardiner.
His daughter, Mrs. Abigail (Updike) Reynolds, mother of Edwin Halsey Reynolds, was promi- nent in the work of St. Paul's Church, and was long active in the affairs of the Protestant Epis- copal faith. She died at Wickford, on December 19, 1862, at the age of ninety-three years, and was buried at Elm Grove Cemetery. The chil- dren of Joseph and Abigail (Updike) Reynolds were: I. Abigail Updike, born May 29, 1801, at Norwich, Connecticut, who became the wife of Jabez Bullock, of Wickford. 2. Alfred Joseph, born at Norwich, October 7, 1805, died at Provi- dence. 3. Lodowick Gilbert, born April 24, 1808. 4. Edwin Halsey, of further mention.
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Edwin Halsey Reynolds received his early edu- cation in the public schools of his native Wick- ford, and when a young man went to Providence to learn the art of gold and silver plating. While in Providence he attended private schools and improved his opportunities for acquiring an edu- cation. Then, for the first work of his career, he went to New York City, where he became active as a gold and silver plater, but he did not long remain there, returning soon to Providence, Rhode Island, to begin the manufacture of gold and silver plating. First of all, he occupied a fac- tory at the corner of Dorrance and Friendship streets, and from the very outset his business prospered and grew. At first he was in partner- ship with another, the firm name having been Dodge and Reynolds; but later he was engaged in business independently under the style of E. H. Reynolds. As the years went on, he became one of the leading manufacturers in his special field, in Providence, and in this branch of indus- try continued until his death.
Highly regarded by many of the people of this
city, especially among the younger men, a num- ber of whom he had helped in their efforts to be- come established in business, and in all the rela- tionships of life, he proved himself a capable and useful citizen. His political faith was that of the Republican party, in whose behalf he was an in- fluential and generous worker. He owned an at- tractive home on Benevolent Street, in Provi- dence, and for many years spent his summers at the Reynolds homestead, in Wickford. His reli- gious affiliation was with St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, in Providence, in which he was a vestry- man, and with St. Paul's Episcopal Church, in Wickford. In all his activities he was eminently successful, and the part that he took in public affairs was always a helpful one. But he will be best remembered as a manufacturer and as an expert in gold and silver plating. He had to his credit a special process of sweating gold and silver on plate, which he had patented.
Edwin Halsey Reynolds married, at Provi- dence, Rhode Island, on June 29, 1853, Mary Randall Andrews, a native of Providence, daugh- ter of William and Delilah (Mason) Andrews. Her father was born in Dighton, son of William and Patience Andrews, and died on April 25, 1885, at the age of eighty-eight years, in Provi- dence, where his wife passed away on March II, 1877, aged seventy-nine years. Mr. Andrews was a deacon of the First Baptist Church, of Provi- dence. Mrs. Reynolds died on August 16, 1879, and was buried beside her husband, in Swan Point Cemetery. Edwin Halsey and Mary Randall (Andrews) Reynolds were the parents of three children, one of whom survives-Lucy Waite Reynolds, who is prominent in Rhode Island af- fairs and is an active worker in the Society of Colonial Dames.
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