The history of the state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, V. IV, Part 83

Author: Bicknell, Thomas Williams, 1834-1925. cn
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: New York, The American Historical Society
Number of Pages: 978

USA > Rhode Island > Providence County > Providence > The history of the state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, V. IV > Part 83

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BIOGRAPHICAL

her competitors; he attained the same success later at home with motor boats; his "Den" proved to be the fastest boat of that period in the world; later he carried his remarkable success into the automobile field, and while living in Detroit designed and manu- factured a car named the "Herreshoff," which became well known in this country for speed and other good qualities. Charles Frederick Herreshoff married April 9, 1902, Elizabeth Harrison McCormick, of New York City, where she was born Feb. 11, 1884; two children have been born of this union: Allan Stuart in New York City, Feb. 8, 1903, and Elizabeth, June 22, 1904; in 1908 a separation led to a divorce between him and his wife, and he remarried in 1912, Edna May Burt, of Detroit, and they now reside in Coronado, Cal. 4. William Stuart, born April 21, 1883, at Hampton Wick, England; his education was received at Coronado, Cal., and at the University of California, which he entered when but sixteen years of age; gifted in an unusual degree with the scientific mind, he devoted his attention to the study of elec- trical and mechanical engineering, and graduated after a full course with the class of 1903; in 1906 he was employed at the Nichols Copper Company at Laurel Hill, Long Island, and 1908-09 by the American and British Company, Bridgeport, Conn., where he de- signed high speed motors for launches and automo- biles; in 1913-14 he was again employed by the Nichols Copper Company, but left their employ to further develop the gasoline motor as applied to aeroplanes and launches, eight and sixteen cylinder machines. 5. Anna Francis, born July 5, 1886, at Bris- tol, R. I; received her early education in Coronado and Berkeley, Cal .; she graduated from the Collegiate Institute, Fort Edward, N. Y., in 1906, and was awarded the senior prize for highest excellency in studies; after attending Horace Mann School in New York City for one year, she entered Smith College, in the fall of 1907, and after one year transferred to Co- lumbia University in the city of New York; the degree of Bachelor of Arts with honors in mathematics and astronomy was conferred by Columbia University in 1911, and that of Master of Arts in 1912; since the latter date she has held a responsible position in the administrative department of that university.

Caroline Louisa Herreshoff, second child of Charles Frederick and Julia Ann (Lewis) Herreshoff, was born February 27, 1837, at Point Pleasant Farm, Bris- tol, R. I. She married, August 16, 1866, Lieutenant E. Stanton Chesebrough, a son of Albert G. and Phebe Estes (Cobb) Chesebrough, of New York City, where he was born August 17, 1841. Lieutenant Chese- brough died in Bristol, R. I., October 22, 1875, leaving one child, Albert Stanton Chesebrough, who was born in Bristol, January 11, 1868. Albert S. Chesebrough passed the early years of his life in his native place, and gained the elementary portion of his education at the local public schools. Later on he attended school in Providence, and completed his preparatory studies at the well known private school of Mowry & Goff. He then entered Brown University, but at the end of a year Mr. Chesebrough entered the em- ploy of the Herreshoff Company, the firm founded by

his uncles, and there learned details of the designing and construction of vessels. In the year 1892 he went to Boston, where he engaged in business as a de- signer of steam and sailing yachts. Some time later he received an offer from the firm of Harlan & Hol- lingsworth, ship builders, of Wilmington, Del., to become a designer for them and this he accepted, remaining in Wilmington until 1898. He then went to Baltimore and served in a similar capacity with the Maryland Steel Comany, where he was concerned in the designing and construction of torpedo boats, and other naval craft. He did not remain there very long, however, but returned in 1900 to Bristol, R. I., de- signing vessels for various builders in Boston, Wil- mington and Baltimore. He married, May 6, 1897, Emma Russell Bullock, a daughter of the Hon. J. Russell Bullock, judge of the United States Court, and Emma (Westcott) Bullock, of Rhode Island an- cestry, but herself of Boston. Miss Bullock was born at Bristol, September 25, 1869. To Mr. and Mrs. Chesebrough one daughter has been born, Edith Rus- sell, July 8, 1903, and one son, Westcote Herreshoff, born March 16, 1908. Mrs. Chesebrough died Decem- ber 6, 1908. Mr. Chesebrough died May 18, 1906.

Charles Frederick Herreshoff, second son and third child of Charles Frederick and Julia Ann (Lewis) Herreshoff, was born February 26, 1839, at Point Pleasant farm, at Bristol, R. I. He was educated at the schools of Bristol and at East Greenwich Acad- emy, and after completing his studies devoted himself to agricultural pursuits, for which he had a strong taste and an unusual ability. He was twice married, the first time on March 19, 1863, when he was united with Mary Potter, of Prudence Island, R. I., where she was born, March 3, 1843, a daughter of Charles and Mary (Bateman) Potter, of that place. Of this union one daughter, Julia Ann, was born, August 20, 1864, at Bristol. The first Mrs. Herreshoff died March 24, 1866, at Bristol, and Mr. Herreshoff was again married, December 3, 1868, to Alice Almy, a daughter of Isaac Cook and Alice (Bateman) Almy, of Tiver- ton, R. I., where she was born August 15, 1838. He died September 10, 1917.

John Brown Herreshoff, fourth child and third son of Charles Frederick and Julia Ann ( Lewis) Herres- hoff, was born April 24, 1841, at Point Pleasant farm, Bristol, R. I. He began his education at the schools of Bristol, but upon reaching the age of fifteen years suffered the misfortune of becoming totally blind. Undeterred by this calamity, however, he continued to educate himself with the object of taking up the busi- ness of shipbuilding, and in 1864 began the business of yacht building in Bristol. He was for a number of years associated with Dexter S. Stone, of Boston, under the firm name of Herreshoff & Stone. The reputation of Mr. Herreshoff as a designer of vessels spread rapidly, and eventually, after the retirement of Mr. Stone, Mr. Herreshoff continued the business alone, and in 1873 incorporated it, under the name of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. In this great enterprise he was associated with his brother, Na- thaniel Greene Herreshoff, who is mentioned at length below. During the early years when this business

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was in its formative state, the genius of Mr. Herres- hoff made itself conspicuously felt; some of the fast- est yachts of that day being modeled by his own hands, nor was their reputation for speed any less great than that for durability of construction and grace of line. That one lacking his sight should be able to produce such masterpieces was the marvel then and remains the marvel to-day of marine architecture. The char- acter of the business of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company was changed very largely in the early seven- ties when, although it did not abandon the building of sailing vessels, it made steam yachts its first and most important consideration. With the advent of this new department, which increased enormously even in the first years, Nathaniel Greene Herreshoff, a younger brother, was called in to manage the de- signing of hulls and engines. The steamers built by this concern have attained the greatest speed of any in the world, and the name Herreshoff is a synonym for speed and power the world over. The company has done work for the governments of the United States, Great Britain, Russia, Spain and Peru, and now, in addition to the steam yachts and sailing ves- sels, they build torpedo boats, launches, high speed engines and the tubular boilers which were the inven- tion of the eldest brother, James Brown Herreshoff, and which have since been greatly improved and brought to a state of practical perfection. John Brown Herreshoff was twice married, the first time on Octo- ber 6, 1870, when he was united with Sarah Lucas Kilton, a daughter of John and Catherine (Bumstead) Kilton, of Boston, Mass., where she was born No- vember 21, 1836. A daughter was born of this mar- riage, Katherine Kilton, on July 31, 1871, at Bristol, who married, April 29, 1896, Lewis Henry DeWolf, a son of Algernon Sidney and Clara A. (Diman) DeWolf. Mr. and Mrs. DeWolf became the parents of two children, Katherine Herreshoff, born March 19, 1897, and Louise Henry, born August 9, 1898. Lewis Henry De Wolf died September 6, 1900, aged forty-four years, eleven months, two days. After the divorce of the first Mrs. Herreshoff, Mr. Herreshoff was married on April 27, 1802, to Eugenia Tams Tucker, of Provi- dence. John B. Herreshoff continued president of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company, and took an ac- tive part in all its important and increasing business until his death, which occurred at his home in Bris- tol, R. I., July 20, 1915.

Nathaniel Greene Herreshoff, seventh child and fifth son of Charles Frederick and Julia Ann (Lewis) Her- reshoff, was born March 18, 1848, at Bristol, R. I. The remarkable talent of the family for invention was inherited by him and began to make itself felt at an early date. He received his preliminary education at the public schools of Bristol, and was prepared for college in the High School there. He then matricu- lated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, where his extraordinary mathematical and mechanical genius had ample room to expand and develop. Up to the time of his entering this great institution, he had shown a decided taste for that favorite realm of his ancestors, marine construction, and especially with that branch of it concerned with

sailing vessels. At the institute, however, he had his attention very forcibly directed to modern steam engine construction, and turned his attention to ex- perimental work in this direction. Of this he did a great deal, and while still a student there, built with his own hands a small rotary steam engine. With this new interest at its height, he was graduated in 1869, and immediately thereafter entered the employ- ment of the Corliss Steam Engine Company of Prov- idence and began work in the great plant there as an assistant to Mr. Corliss himself in designing, model making and expert work of all kinds. The great Corliss engine, which had been made for the purpose of driving the machinery at the great Centennial Ex- position in Philadelphia of 1876, was in part his work and it was he who went to the Exposition to super- intend setting it in place. He continued with Mr. Corliss until the year 1876, but had already, prior to that date, designed a great number of vessels for his brother, John B. Herreshoff, who had already founded what later became the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company, and in 1876 severed his connection with the Corliss Company and entered into a closer asso- ciation with his brother. In the year preceding he had taken a patent for a jointed boat or catamaran, which soon became very popular and attained the greatest speed of any sailing craft on record up to the present time. In 1879 the company was incorpor- ated under the name of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company and there can be no doubt that it has been Mr. N. G. Herreshoff's genius that has largely built up its gigantic success. It is he who designs and builds the wonderful marine engines with which the craft turned out by the concern are fitted, nor has he been one bit less successful in the line of sailing ves- sels. He it was who designed those famous yachts which have become a byword in the United States, the "Vigilant," the "Defender," the "Columbia," and the "Reliance," which for so many years have outsailed the best yachts that England could produce and de- fended the America's cup for this country. All these famous vessels were built in the construction shops of the Herreshoff Company on the harbor at Bristol.

Nathaniel Greene Herreshoff was united in mar- riage (first) December 26, 1883, with Clara Anna De Wolf, a daughter of Algernon Sidney and Clara Anna (Diman) DeWolf, of Bristol, R. I., where she was born September 5, 1853. Six children have been born to them, as follows: I. Agnes Mühler, born Oct. 19, 1884; educated in schools of Bristol; now residing at home. 2. Algernon Sidney De Wolf, born Nov. 22, 1886; was educated in the schools of Bristol, and a four years' course at the Massachusetts Insti- tute of Technology, of Boston; he entered the works of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company in 1911 as assistant superintendent, and has remained with said company to the present day, his present position being superintendent and chief draftsman; in the designing of vessels, power as well as sail, he has shown marked ability, and boats built from his designs have been unusually successful both as to speed and all desirable qualities. 3. Nathaniel Greene, Jr., born Feb. 5, 1888; was educated in the schools of Bris-

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tol, and took a course at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Boston; he took up the study of electrical engineering, and at present is at the head of that department in the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company; he has also been employed in the drafting room of the above company, and for a few months was in the employ of the General Electric Company in their works at Lynn, Mass .; married, in Bristol, in their works at Lynn, Mass .; married, in Bristol, R. I., May 20, 1918, Helen Byron Warren, of Bristol. 4. Alex- ander Griswold, born April 16, 1889; was educated in the schools of Bristol, and pursued a course of three years in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; after the close of his work there he entered the draft- ing room of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company, remaining for six months, and then entered the employ of the International Motor Company of the city of New York, in which he is now employed in the engineering department, occupied in designing and experimenting new types of motors for general use; married, in New York City, April 30, 1918, Henrietta F. Haines. 5. Lewis Francis, born Nov. 1I, 1890; was educated in Bristol schools, after which he entered the Rhode Island State College of Agricul- ture, at Kingston, from which he received the degree of M. A .; he remained in the above college for three years, perfecting himself in the occupation of agri- culture, and on completion of his course took up the improvement of the farm on Ferry Hill, Bristol, form- erly occupied by his mother's family as far back as John de Wolf, the great-great-grandfather of Lewis F .; in May, 1917, he obeyed the call of his country and enlisted in the Naval Reserve, performed his duties in Newport for two months, then was placed on board the converted yacht, "Enaj," as her captain, and per- formed important patrol work in the Atlantic ocean off the entrance of Narragansett bay, extending as far west as Montauk Point, with headquarters at Block Island. 6. Clarence DeWolf, born in Bristol, in the present home, Feb. 22, 1895: was educated in the schools of Bristol, later attended Milton Academy, Milton, Mass., for a term of four years, then spent a year at Brown University, Providence, R. I .; since then he has been employed in the drafting room of the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company, and is now a most valuable promoter of the work and interests of that company. The death of Mrs. Herreshoff occurred Nov. 25, 1905, at the Herreshoff home in Bristol, and was felt as a loss by the entire community in which she had been an influence for good throughout her life. A personal sorrow was felt by all her many friends and indeed by all who came in contact, even in the most casual manner with her. She was a grand- daughter of the late Professor John De Wolf, an emi- nent chemist in his day, and a member of the faculty of Brown University, and great-granddaughter of Bishop Alexander Viets Griswold, of the Eastern Dio- cese. On the other side of the house she was de- scended from the old and distinguished New England family of Diman, her grandfather having been Gov- ernor Byron Diman, of Bristol, while the late Profes- sor Lewis Diman was an uncle. Her childhood and young girlhood were passed on the beautiful old

DeWolf estate which is familiarly referred to in the region as "The Farm." The married life of the Her- reshoffs was a singularly harmonious and happy one, and Mrs. Herreshoff, though she had a host of friends and was a charming hostess, found her chief interest in her own family circle. She was fortunate in pos- sessing up to within a short time of her death un- usually fine health, a health which seemed to be even more connected with her mental than her physical nature. A spirit always cheerful, she seemed to induce the same in others as a sort of reflection from the irradiation of her own. Mrs. Herreshoff was a strongly religious woman and had always attended St. Michael's Church in Bristol. Mr. Herreshoff mar- ried (second) Oct. 7. 1915, Anne Roebuck, of Provi- dence, born in England.

John Brown Francis Herreshoff, eighth child and sixth son of Charles Frederick and Julia Ann (Lewis) Herreshoff, was born February 7, 1850, at Point Pleas- ant Farm, Bristol, R. I. He was educated first at the public schools of Bristol, and later at Brown Univer- sity, which he entered in 1867. Like practically every member of the family, he developed at an early age unusual scientific attainments, and concentrated his attention on this type of study in his college career. How remarkable was his precocity may be seen from the fact that in 1868, when only in his sophomore year, he was appointed assistant professor of chemistry at the university where he was studying, to assist Pro- fessor Appleton in the laboratory work. He remained in this position for two years and then, in 1874, re- moved to New York City, where he began his career as commercial chemist. In 1876 he was appointed superintendent of the Laurel Hill Chemical Works on Newtown Creek, Long Island, the largest establish- ment of its kind in the country, and which produces sulphuric acid in greater quantities than any manu- factory in the world. This concern had started on a very small scale, but through Mr. Herreshoff's energy was enlarged and improved until in 1895 it was reor- ganized as the Nichols Chemical Company, with Mr. Herreshoff as vice-president and superintendent. In the year 1899 a still further reorganization took place, that part of the business concerned with the manu- facture and refinement of copper being continued separately under the name of the Nichols Copper Company, while the remaining portions of the busi- ness were taken over by the General Chemical Com- pany, a merger of twenty-four of the largest and best known chemical plants in the United States. Of this enormous concern Mr. Herreshoff holds the respon- sible post of consulting engineer, while he still remains vice-president and superintendent of the Nichols Cop- per Company, which has grown to enormous propor- tions, and to-day refines nearly one-quarter of the entire output of copper in the United States. To him more than to anyone else has this enormous increase and the corresponding growth of the merged com- pany been due. In recognition of his skill in the improvement of Chemical and Manufacturing pro- cesses, he was awarded the Perkin gold medal, pre- sented to those in the world who had made the great- est improvement in such industries.

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John Brown Francis Herreshoff has been three times married, the first time on February 9, 1876, when he was united with Grace Eugenia Dyer, a daughter of John and Louisa (Chamberlain) Dyer, old and honored residents of Providence, where she herself was born March 20, 1851. One child was born of this union. Louise Chamberlain, November 29, 1876, who early in life developed a talent for the fine arts. She received a thorough education in painting in this country and in France, under the best masters, and has herself done much excellent work which she has exhibited in the salons of Paris. The first Mrs. Her- reshoff died December 2, 18So. Mr. Herreshoff mar- ried (second) October 25, 1882, Emilie Duvall Lee, a daughter of Dr. Richard Henry and Sarah (Lothrop) Lee, of Philadelphia, Pa., where she herself was born, March 24, 1863. Three children were born of this marriage, as follows: I. Francis Lee, Oct. 2, 1883, in Brooklyn, N. Y., educated principally under private tutors at home and inherits the Herreshoff gift for invention ; married, March 1, 1902, Mildred Master, of Brooklyn, by whom he has had one son, Norman Francis, born in New York, Feb. 7, 1903. 2. Fred- erick, born March 7, 1888; married Mary Faulkner; now in the United States service. 3. Sarah Lothrop, born Oct. 17, 1889; married an Italian and at present is living in Italy. Mr. Herreshoff married (third) Mrs. Caroline Ridly Enslow, of New York, to whom he was married June 7, 1919.

Julian Lewis Herreshoff, ninth child and seventh son of Charles Frederick and Julia Ann (Lewis) Her- reshoff, was born July 29, 1854, at Point Pleasant Farm, Bristol, R. I. He was educated at the local schools of Bristol. His talents and abilities, while very marked, are in a different line from those of the rest of his family, and are concerned with the fine rather than the liberal arts. In the year 1886 he went to Ger- many, and for two years studied at the University of Berlin, where he became proficient in languages and music. Returning to this country he established the Westminster School of Languages and Music, in Providence, which he himself organized and had de- veloped. He was associated with his brothers and built the well known apartment building, the "Min- den," in Providence. He married, September 1I, 1879, Ellen Frances Taft, a daughter of James Madison and Frances E. (Mowry) Taft, of Pawtucket, R. I., where she was born January 3, 1852. Of this union one child has been born, Grace, March 31, 1881; married, June 21, 1919, John Lowell Sperry, of Providence, R. I. Julian Lewis Herreshoff died February 10, 1919.

Julia Ann (Lewis) Herreshoff, the wife of Charles Frederick Herreshoff, and mother of this remarkable group of brilliant men above noted, was a member of an old New England family, which has been prom- inent in several States from a very early period. She was of the seventh generation from George Lewis, the immigrant ancestor, who was a native of Greenwich, County of Kent, England. He married in his native land, Sarah Jenkins, and they came to America some time between the years 1633 and 1636, and settled at Scituate, Mass. His death occurred at Barnstable, Mass., in 1638.

Their son, James Lewis, was born in 1633, at Green-

wich, England, and was brought as an infant to the New England colonies by his parents. He married Sarah Lane, of Hingham, Mass., where she was born in 1638, a daughter of George and Sarah Lane, of that place. James Lewis made his home at Hing- ham, and eventually died there in 1726.

John Lewis, son of James and Sarah (Lane) Lewis, was born October 29, 1656, and made his home at Hingham, where his death occurred November 8, 1715. He married, November 17, 1682, Hannah Lincoln, a daughter of Daniel and Susanna Lincoln, of Hing- ham, whose death occurred there October 30, 1715.

The Rev. Isaiah Lewis, son of John and Hannah (Lincoln) Lewis, was born June 10, 1703, at Hingham, but spent the major portion of his life at the town of Wellfleet, Mass., where for fifty-seven years he was the clergyman in charge of the one church situated there. This notable service only ended with his death, October 3, 1786. He married, June 25, 1730, Abigail Winslow, a daughter of Kenelm and Abigail ( Waterman) Winslow, and a descendant of Kenelm Winslow, who settled in Plymouth Colony, Mass., prior to 1634. He was a native of Droitwich, Wor- cestershire, England, a son of Edward Winslow, and a descendant of the old Worcestershire family of that name. Abigail (Winslow) Lewis was descended on her mother's side from Richard Warren, one of the pilgrim fathers, who came to this country in the his- toric "Mayflower."

Captain Winslow Lewis, son of the Rev. Isaiah and Abigail (Winslow) Lewis, was born July 3, 1741, in the town of Wellfleet. He was a seafaring man dur- ing the major portion of his life, and died at sea in the month of July, 1801. He married Mary Knowles, a daughter of Willard and Bethia (Atwood) Knowles, of Eastham, Mass., where she was born October 20, 1746. Her death occurred in Boston, January 31, ISO7.

Joseph Warren Lewis, son of Captain Winslow and Mary (Knowles) Lewis, was born September 20, 1784. He married, May 1, 1808, Ann Lane, a daughter of Levi and Elizabeth (Gyles) Lane, of Boston, where she was born June 21, 1786. Mr. Lewis died in Boston, May II, 1844, and Mrs. Lewis on July 13, 1856, at Bristol, R. I. It was their daughter, Julia Ann Lewis, who became the wife of Charles Frederick Herreshoff.

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The history of the state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, V. IV, Part 83

Author: Bicknell, Thomas Williams, 1834-1925. cn Publication date: 1920 Publisher: New York, The American Historical Society Number of Pages: 978

Author: Bicknell, Thomas Williams, 1834-1925. cn
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: New York, The American Historical Society
Number of Pages: 978