The Biographical cyclopedia of representative men of Rhode Island, Part 87

Author: National biographical publishing co., pub
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Providence, National biographical publishing co.
Number of Pages: 868

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AXSON, HON. CHARLES, third son of Jonathan and Nancy (Potter) Maxson, was born in the " Amos Maxson House," near Potter Hill, in Westerly, Rhode Island, September 3, 1813. He was a descendant of Rev. John Maxson, born in 1638, " the first white child born on the island of Rhode Island," and who was one of the first settlers of Westerly. In every generation the Maxsons have been conspicuous for their abilities and virtues. The three who became distinguished Sabbatarian ministers are elsewhere sketched in this volume. The children of Jonathan and Nancy Maxson were George P., Mary P., William, Charles, Jonathan, Nancy, Edwin, and Elizabeth. Charles was edu- cated in the common schools, and learned the carpenter's trade of his father, who was a skilful mechanic and suc- cessful builder. Removing to the village of Westerly he be- came the leading carpenter and one of the most prominent citizens of that place. In 1843 he and his brother Jona- than became associated as master builders, under the firm- name of C. Maxson & Co., and long maintained a high reputation. The company owned a large lumber-yard and planing-mill on Main Street in Westerly. In 1846 their father, Jonathan Maxson, became a member of the firm, while the firm name was unchanged. Charles was the business head of the company. His executive abilities and excellent character gave him reputation and influence throughont the western part of the State. In early life he united with the Sabbatarian Church, and became one of its most active and useful members. He served on numer- ous town committees, and was chosen to the State Senate

in 1852, 1853, and 1854. From 1858 to 1880 lie was a director in the Washington Bank and Washington National Bank. IIc was an officer of the River Bend Cemetery Association, and was Chief Engineer of the Westerly Fire Department, from its origin in 1871 till the close of 1874, when he declined a re-election. For many years he was President of the Board of Trustees of the Seventh- Day Baptist Church. His benevolent contributions were large and constant, answering both to his ample means and his generous nature. He was interested in several hotels at Narragansett Pier, and was personally interested in the Mount Hope House at the Pier, and the Atlantic House at Watch Hill. In 1841 he married Ann Maria Barber, daughter of Amos and Lucia (Champlin) Barber, of Hopkinton, and had two children, Abbie and Charles Clarence. Mr. Maxson retired from active business in 1875 on account of impaired health. In vain he visited Clifton Springs, New York, for relief from disease in 1877. After much suffering he died at his residence in Westerly, February 16, 1881, in his sixty-eighth year.

UFFUM, THOMAS B., son of David and Susan Ann (Barker) Buffum, was born in Newport, Rhode Island, July 15, 1813. His ancestors were among the early settlers of Rhode Island, and his father and grandfather were prominent members of the Society of Friends, the former having been an elder in the Society at Newport for many years in the latter part of his life. Thomas B. Buffum was educated at the Friends' Boarding-School in Providence, and for a long time has been the minister of the Friends' Church at Newport. He occupies a high place in the esteem of his brethren and the community generally. As the custom of his society allows no salary to their minister, he has devoted his time and energies to farming as a means of support, and his efforts in that direction have been remarkably successful. His farm is located a short distance back of Newport. Mr. Buffum is especially noted for the excellence of his stock, having taken valuable prizes for his cattle and Southdown sheep while competing with the United States and Canada at the New England Agricultural Fairs in 1865, 1867, and 1871. His integrity and business capacity have caused him to be called upon to fill public positions, which he has repeatedly declined. He has led a quiet, useful life, and has been instrumental in accomplishing much to advance the general welfare of the community. On the 24th of November, 1853, he married Lydia R. Potter, daughter of William T. Potter, of Newport.

AYLES, COLONEL WELCOME B., was born in Bell- ingham, Massachusetts, in August, 1813. In early manhood he settled in Woonsocket, of which vil- lage he became a prominent citizen. He was ap- pointed Postmaster of Providence by President Polk 9

Nahum Bater

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in 1845, and held the office until IS49. In 1853, he was reappointed by President Pierce, and remained in office until 1857. President Buchanan sent him to Arizona and other western districts to look after the interests of the United States Government, in connection with the War, Post Office, and Interior Departments. He was also ap- pointed to visit the principal cities of the South after the secession movement began, and endeavor to make such arrangements as he could with postmasters, so that the Government should sustain the least possible loss. The difficult and sometimes very delicate duties thus assigned to him, Colonel Sayles discharged with fidelity, and with the approbation of the Government. He was a faithful and efficient Postmaster, while for eight years the office in Providence was under his charge. He was a decided Democrat, and occupied a prominent position in the coun- cils of his party in the State. He was the originator and one of the first publishers of the Providence Daily Post, and during the first ten or twelve years of the existence of that paper, was its sole editor. When it was decided to raise the seventh regiment of volunteers in Rhode Island, a commission of Lieutenant-Colonel was offered to him and accepted, the date of the commission being June 5, 1862. By his personal efforts, one of the finest regiments of the State was raised, and Colonel Sayles was very popular with the men as an able officer. The regiment proceeded to Washington and thence to Fredericksburg, Virginia, where it took part in the battle at that place, December 13, 1862. At this battle, a shell from the enemy exploding near him, while he was at the head of his men, killed him. His body was sent to Providence, and there was buried with military honors. Among his personal friends and acquaintances, Colonel Sayles was warmly esteemed, and his untimely death was sincerely mourned by his fellow-citizens. He was married by Rev. Dr. Crocker, to Deborah C. Watson, May 20, 1839. They had six children, two sons and four daughters : Mary Olive, who died at the age of three years; Eliza Jane, who has been twice married, her first husband being Major Joseph C. Manchester, and her second Waldo L. Gates; Mary Edith, who married Major E. T. Raymond, of Worcester ; Julia Wilkinson, who married James H. Tower, of Provi- dence ; Philip Allen, and Lewis Leprellette.

BATES, NAHUM, merchant, son of Nahum and Per- ley (Ballou ) Bates, was born in Mendon, Massa- chusetts, March 6, 1811. His father, a farmer by occupation, was a native of Bellingham, Massa- chusetts, and an early settler of Mendon. He died January 22, 1847. Of a family of nine children four are living, Nahum and his twin sister, Perley B., widow of Alanson Thayer, William B., and Sylvia W., widow of Nathaniel Pierce, all of whom reside in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Nahum attended the district school in Mendon

until he was fourteen years of age, and for the next seven years was employed as clerk in what was then known as Penniman's store, in South Milford, Massachusetts. In 1832 he came to Pawtucket, where for five years he was a clerk for his brother-in-law, Alanson Thayer, in the dry- goods business. In 1837 he and his brother Whitman en- gaged in that branch of business, the firm-name being W. & N. Bates. Whitman Bates died in 1849, and his brother afterwards became associated with others under the firm- name of N. Bates & Co. Mr. Bates continued in business until 1853, when he sold his interest to Chilson & Bates and was obliged to retire for a period of five years, on ac- count of ill-health. In 1858 he built the Bates Block, and in December of the same year, with his brother William B., opened a boot and shoe store there under the style of N. Bates & Co. In 1867 his brother sold his interest to Frank M. Bates, son of Nahum, and the business has since been continued as N. Bates & Son. During the forty five years of his mercantile career, Mr. Bates has won the con- fidence of the citizens of Pawtucket by his integrity, indus- try, and business capacity. He has frequently been honored with important trusts and responsible offices, the duties of which were performed so acceptably as to elicit unquali- fied testimonials of approbation. In 1848-49-50, he rep- resented Pawtucket in the General Court of Massachusetts. He served as selectman for several years, and was Town Treasurer fourteen years, from 1860 to 1874, being elected annually. He was an incorporator, and has been a director in the Slater Bank (now Slater National Bank) since 1855, of which he has been Vice-President since 1871. He was one of the incorporators, and has been a Trustee in the Franklin Savings Bank (Pawtucket) since its incor- poration in 1857, and Vice-President of the same since 1869. In 1836 he united with the First Baptist Church in Pawtucket, and has served as deacon since 1862. On the 22d of May, 1837, he married Sarah M. May, daughter of Jesse and Betsey (Marsh) May, of Pawtucket. She died November 15, 1872, aged sixty-two. They had one child, Frank M. Bates, who is associated in business with his father. Mr. Bates is a man of decided character and large benevolence. During his fifty years' residence in Paw- tucket he has been identified with every movement to pro- mote the interests of the town of his adoption.

HERMAN, MAJOR-GENERAL THOMAS W., U. S. A., was born at Newport, Rhode Island, March 26, 1813. His father was Elijah Sherman, and the maiden name of his mother was Martha West. They had nine children, Thomas, the subject of this sketch, being the fifth. Elijah Sherman was a farmer, a man of strong will and great determination, qualities inherited in a large degree by his son Thomas, who had but moderate advantages at school, but who, through his own indomita- ble will and application, succeeded in getting an appoint-

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ment as cadct at West Point. He entered the Military Academy July 1, 1832, graduated in 1836, and was com. missioned a Second Lieutenant of the Third Artillery, served in the Florida War, 1836-38, and in the Cherokee Nation in 1838. While emigrating the Indians to the West, March 14, 1838, he was made a First Lieutenant of the Third Artillery, and acted as Quartermaster and Com- missary. From 1842 to 1844 he was in garrison at Fort Moultrie, Charleston Harbor, and from there he was ordered to Boston on recruiting service. In April, 1846, hostilities began with Mexico, and Lieutenant Sherman was ordered to Camargo, to take charge of the quartermaster's department. His commission as Captain was dated May 26, 1846, and as Brevet Major February 23, 1847. After the capture of Monterey he was put in command of one of the four light batteries. In the battle of Buena Vista Sherman's battery did good service on the first day, and it was still more efficient on the second day, when Bragg's and Sherman's batteries were both conspicuous for the part they took in the fight. For bravery Captain Bragg re- ceived a lieutenant-colonel's commission, and Sherman was promoted to Brevet Major. In 1848 Major Sherman was in garrison at Fort Trumbull, Connecticut, at Fort Adams from 1849 to 1853, and on frontier duty at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, the following year. After that he was in com- mand of the expedition to Yellow Medicine, Minnesota; in 1857-58 was engaged in quelling the Kansas border dis- turbance; and from 1858 to 1861 he was stationed at the Artillery School of Practice, Fort Ridgely, except when in command of the expedition to Kettle Lake, Dakota, in 1859. Brevet Major Sherman served through the War of the Rebellion from 1861 to 1866. He was in command of a battery of United States Artillery and a battalion of Penn- sylvanian volunteers at Elkton, Maryland. His commis- sion as Major was dated April 27, 1861. In May of that year he was employed in guarding the Philadelphia and Baltimore Railroad, and Delaware Canal, and in reopen- ing communication through Baltimore. May 17, he was commissioned as Brigadier of Volunteers, organized an ex- pedition for seizing and holding Bull's Bay, South Caro- lina, and Fernandina, Florida, for the use of the blockading forces on the southern coast, from July 27, to October 21, and in command of land forces of the Port Royal expedi- tion from October, 1861, to March 31, 1862. Port Royal was captured, and Sherman was anxious to proceed against Charleston and Savannah, but the Commander-in-chief did not approve of the measure. General Sherman was in command of a division of the Army of the Tennessee from April 30 to June 1, 1862, and took part in the battle of Corinth, from which place he was ordered to New Orleans, where he did service in expelling the Confederates from the eastern part of Louisiana. From September 18, 1862, to January 3, 1863, he was in command of Division De- partment of the Gulf, above New Orleans. In the spring of 1863 he was in command of a division made up of the

troops at Port Hudson, under General Banks, and opera- ted against the right of the enemy's works. The assault he led in person, May 27, against a murderous fire, and fell badly wounded in his leg, which was amputated at New Orleans. For some time his life was despaired of, but at length he recovered and was placed in command of the Reserve Brigade of Artillery, Department of the Gulf, and of Forts Jackson and St. Philip, Louisiana. From June 16, 1864, to February II, 1865, he was in command of the Division of New Orleans. March 13, 1865, he was commissioned Brevet Brigadier-General of United States Artillery, for gallant and meritorious conduct at the cap- ture of Port Hudson, and as Brigadier-General, United States Volunteers, and Brevet Major-General, United States Army, for gallant and meritorious service during the Re- bellion. General Sherman was in command of the Eastern Division of Louisiana, February II to July 23, 1865. From January 1, 1868, to July I of that year, he was in com- mand of the Department of the East, and made his head- quarters at Fort Adams. December 31, 1870, he was retired from active service, and from that time up to the day of his death, which took place March 16, 1879, he resided at Newport.

HACE, BENJAMIN G., merchant, son of Clark Chace, was born in Somerset, Massachusetts, February 24, 1812, and is a descendant, in the seventh genera- tion, of William Chace, who emigrated from England about 1626, and settled near Salem, Massachusetts. William Chace being a Quaker, found that the Puritan ele- ment would not tolerate his religious sentiments at Salem, and he therefore removed to Roxbury. Being subjected to similar persecution at the latter place, he finally removed to Yarmouth, Massachusetts, where he continued to reside until his death. He left two sons, William and Benjamin. Several of the descendants of William, to the present gen- eration, have been prominent ministers in the Society of Friends. Benjamin G. Chace was early trained to habits of industry and economy. He remained at home until the age of twenty-one, being employed on the farm and in the pottery carried on by his father. He attended school at intervals, and made very rapid progress in his studies. The schools of that day being of an inferior character, he stud- ied surveying and other branches without the aid of teach- ers. On attaining his majority he taught school for two winters, after which he was employed for four months in a pottery at Charlestown, Massachusetts. In his twenty- third year, he entered into partnership with his father and eldest brother, in the manufacture of stoneware and fire- brick, in Somerset, Massachusetts. Mr. Chace continued in that business until 1854, and then engaged in shipbuild- ing, which proved disastrous, on account of the general depression of business at that time, the shipping interest being seriously affected. In consequence of losses thus

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sustained, he resumed work as journeyman, and continued in the manufacture of pottery-ware until the fall of 1857, when he went to the south shore of Lake Erie and en- gaged extensively in purchasing apples for the Eastern market. Despite the discouragements attending the great financial panic of 1857, he realized a handsome profit from his shipments. The following year he commenced ship- ping butter and other produce to Fall River and Taunton, Massachusetts, and Providence, Rhode Island. He was thus occupied until the fall of 1861, when he opened a store on Canal Street, Providence, for the sale of stone- ware and produce. The following spring he removed to the place now occupied by Waldron, Wightman & Co., and engaged in the wholesale grocery business, under the firm-name of B. G. Chace & Son. A short time afterward, Mr. William F. Brooks was admitted as a partner, and the business has since been carried on under the name of B. G. Chace & Co., being now located at 87 and 89 Dyer Street. Mr. Chace has been prominent in advancing the business interests in Providence, and is an earnest advocate of a scientific monetary system that shall secure a better distribution of the products of labor, and contribute to a development of the industries of the country. In early life, he took considerable interest in politics, and in 1839- 40 and '42 represented the town of Somerset in the Mas- sachusetts Legislature. Of late years his time has been entirely devoted to his business. He married, in 1838, Eunice Weaver Gibbs, daughter of Captain Robert Gibbs, of Somerset, Massachusetts. They have had four children, one son and three daughters. The son, Benjamin Frank- lin Chace, with his father, now constitute the firm of B. G. Chace & Co.

NEK ALLOU, HON. LATIMER W., son of Levi Ballou and Hepra (Metcalf) Ballou, was born at Cumberland, Rhode Island, in what is known as the Ballou neighborhood, March I, 1812. He was educated in the schools and academies in the vicinity of his native place, and at the age of sixteen finding the employments of the farm, to which much of his time had been devoted, were neither suitable to his strength nor congenial to his tastes, he went to Cambridge, Massachusetts, and there learned the art of printing, in the office of the University Press. In 1835, in company with Messrs. Metcalf & Torry, he established .The Cambridge Press, and continued it until 1842, when he removed to Woonsocket, Rhode Island, to engage in mercantile pursuits. In 1850 he was chosen cashier of the Woonsocket Falls Bank, and treasurer of the Woonsocket Institution for Savings, which positions he continues to hold. These institutions owe much of their prosperity and present standing to his wise administration. Brought by his official position into close relations with the business and economic interests of the town and State, he has had during a whole generation a continually increasing

share in the shaping of them. As counsellor or as arbitra- tor his services have been for many years in almost con- stant demand. He is at present a trustee of Oak Hill Cemetery, treasurer of the Woonsocket Hospital, and sole trustee of the " Ezekiel Fowler Hospital Fund." In 1874 he visited Europe, where he spent several months, devoting a large part of his time to the advancement of business trusts with which he was charged. He took an active part in the organization of the Republican party in the State. In 1860 he was Presidential elector on the Lincoln and Hamlin ticket. At the outbreak of the Civil War he lab- ored indefatigably for the enlistment and comfort of soldiers, and while the enlisted men were in the field he was the cheerful adviser of their families at home, and to a great extent the unpaid medium of communication between them. Throughout the war his services were unabated. In 1872 he was a delegate to the National Republican Convention at Philadelphia, which nominated Grant and Wilson. He was elected representative to the Forty-fourth, Forty-fifth, and Forty-sixth Congresses successively, and has served as a member of the Committees on Education and Labor, Patents, and Printing. In the committee rooms he was by large experience and long training specially fitted to act, and here he made himself felt. By members of all parties his opinions were respected, and he himself honored as a man of incorruptible integrity. Of his addresses in the House of Representatives perhaps the most important was the one reviewing the relation of the National Banks to the currency of the Government. In the opinion of competent judges no more concise, logical, and effective exposition of the subject was given before Congress. His bill asking for the appointment of a commission to consider the subject of a reform in the orthography of the English language grew out of his interest in the cause of education, and the con- viction that the acquisition of the rudimentary branches of instruction by wise and uniform action may be greatly facilitated. The leading colleges and more than fifty edu- cational institutions of the country have in general terms sustained his views. Mr. Ballou was for many years treasurer of Dean Academy, in Franklin, Massachusetts, and is now its President. He married, October 20, 1836, Sarah A., daughter of Charles and Ruth Hunnewell, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, a lady gifted by nature and pos- sessed of those various excellencies that make the true wife and noble woman. She died in Woonsocket, on the 24th of June, 1879. To them were born four children, one son and three daughters, Mary Frances, Sarah Jane, Henry Latimer, and Marie Louise. Mr. Ballou carried to Wash- ington the atmosphere of a refined domestic life, and his wife and family contributed largely to the needed home element in the society of the nation's Capital. He entered heartily into the various charitable and philanthropic move- ments of that city, and was especially active and influential in the cause of temperance, holding year after year the Vice-Presidency of the Congressional Temperance Society.

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Early in life he became a member of the Universalist Church. For more than thirty years he has held the office of Superintendent of the Sunday school in Woonsocket, and a great part of the time has been President of the Soci- cty. He is at the present time President of the Rhode Island Universalist Convention. His interest in the cause of Christianity, warm and deep at first, has never abated, and most effectively has he labored to promote the religious and moral welfare of society.

OOKE, JOSEPH JESSE, second son of Joseph Sheldon and Mary (Welch) Cooke, was born in Providence, Rhode Island, June 1, 1813. He was a great- grandson of Governor Nicholas Cooke, who was Gov- ernor of the Colony from 1775 to 1778, during the most critical period of our country's history, and was Dep- uty Governor in 1768-9, and in 1775. Mr. Cooke left school at an early age, and began his mercantile education in Providence. His majority found him a clerk in his father's establishment, in New York, in which he acquired an interest of several years' continuance. A brief mercan- tile connection with another firm ensued, after the close of which, in 1842, he purchased and settled upon an estate in that part of Cranston which has since been annexed to Providence. When the early tide of emigration was setting towards California, Mr. Cooke, in connection with his brother George and Mr. Robert S. Baker, established the house of Cooke, Baker & Co., afterwards Cooke Brothers & Co. From 1852 to 1854 Mr. Cooke was the resident partner of the firm of Joseph J. Cooke & Co., New York, whose interests were identical with those of the San Fran- cisco house, being prominent alike for its early establish- ment and the magnitude of its business. When, in 1869, it was decided to construct water-works for Providence, Mr. Cooke was appointed one of the three Commissioners to carry out this great work of public improvement, and on the death of Moses B. Lockwood, the first President of the Board, was made his successor. He continued to fill this responsible position with great ability, fidelity, and credit, until November, 1876, when the work was essentially com- plete. Previous to this he purchased an estate in Newport and became a resident of that city, though passing the winter months at his Elmwood estate. The sale, in 1872, of a great portion of his Elmwood property, for upwards of a million dollars, and his subsequent repossession of the same, in 1878, constituted a real estate transaction of ex- ceptional magnitude. Mr. Cooke accumulated one of the largest and finest private libraries in the country, comprising about 25,000 volumes, in every department of literature. His suite of offices in Providence, as well as his house at Elmwood, were crowded with books, many of them exceed- ingly rare and valuable. Besides the bibliographical works which adorn the shelves, and the treasures of history, biog- raphy, and genealogy that form so large a part of this col-

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The Biographical cyclopedia of representative men of Rhode Island, Part 87

Author: National biographical publishing co., pub Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Providence, National biographical publishing co. Number of Pages: 868

Author: National biographical publishing co., pub
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Providence, National biographical publishing co.
Number of Pages: 868