Genealogical and family history of the state of Vermont; a record of the achievements of her people in the making of a commonwealth and the founding of a nation, Vol I, Part 113

Author: Carleton, Hiram, 1838- ed
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: New York, Chicago, The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1032

USA > Vermont > Genealogical and family history of the state of Vermont; a record of the achievements of her people in the making of a commonwealth and the founding of a nation, Vol I > Part 113

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& Lumber Company, also as general passenger agent of the Hoosac Tunnel & Wilmington Rail- road Company. Here he familiarized himself with the details of the different companies, finally becoming confidential clerk to the late John C. Newton, with whom he remained until the sud- den death of the latter, September 30, 1899. He was then elected treasurer of the Deerfield River Company and of the Wilmington Grain & Lum- ber Company, while still retaining his position of general passenger agent of the railroad, and treasurer of the North River Manufacturing Company, at Jacksonville. Mr. Brown has full charge of the office at Wilmington as well as of the management of all outside business, including the sales of lumber, logging of several million feet of logs each winter, purchasing supplies, etc.,. and Mr. Brown states that the most difficult part of his work is getting the right man in the right place. The duties of his position are exceeding- ly complicated and arduous, and requires the exer- cise of unusual executive ability, but Mr. Brown brings to his work thorough training, quickness of perception, unusual industry and conscientious- fidelity to every detail. At Mr. Newton's death it seemed a stupendous undertaking for one so young to take up the work where Mr. Newton left it, but Mr. Brown has proved his ability to fill, with credit to himself and profit to all con- cerned, the position which he has won by his untiring energy and honorable methods of deal- ing. In the fall of 1902, Messrs. Moses Newton and Martin A. Brown acquired the interests of the late John C. Newton in both the Deerfield River Company and the Hoosac Tunnel & Wil- mington Railroad Company, making them sole owners of the former, and constituting them as controllers of the latter company, Mr. Brown be- coming treasurer of the railroad company.

Mr. Brown was elected representative to the state legislature in 1898, although a member of the minority party in Whitingham, and was the youngest member of the house. He served on the corporation committee, acting as clerk of the body.

In 1895 Mr. Brown was united in marriage to Miss Clara M. Holbrook, of Whitingham, and three children have been born to them: Ina MI .. Roy S. and Emma A. While residing in Jack- sonville, Mr. and Mrs. Brown took an active.

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part in the work of the Universalist church, he as president of the Young People's Christian Union and she as superintendent of the Sunday- school. Clara M. Brown was born in Whiting- ham, Vermont, March 24, 1878, and was the daughter of Henry Holbrook and Emma (Faulkner) Holbrook, and granddaughter of Peter Holbrook and S. D. Faulkner, both of whom were among the first settlers of Whiting- ham.

THOMAS REEVES.

Thomas Reeves, ex-sheriff of Chittenden county. Vermont, was born in Bolton, Chittenden county, Vermont, April 7, 1850, son of Thomas and Ann Reeves. Thomas Reeves, his father, was born in the parish of Braed-Hinton, town of Wooten Bassett, county of Witts, England, December, 1814. On March 9, 1835, he enlisted in the Graveston Guards, and served in the ariny almost seven years. The remuneration a British soldier received in those days was only six cents a day, so after joining the army Mr. Reeves learned the trade of tailoring, and in this man- ner he was enabled to add materially to his in- .come. He purchased his discharge from the army by the payment of eighteen pounds. He was allowed this privilege, owing to his excellent conduct while in the service, having never been under arrest. His discharge is dated at Montreal, November 30, 1841. Shortly after this, Mr. Reeves located in Vermont, where he was em- ployed on the Central Vermont Railroad during its construction. He subsequently entered the employ of Rollin & Gleason. He resided in Bol- ton, Vermont, until 1852, when he removed to Duxbury, where he lived for the remainder of his life. While a resident of Montreal he was mar- ried to Miss Ann Welch, a native of Ireland ; her parents having died when she was a child, she, in company with her twin sister, Grace, was taken to Montreal, where they were reared. Grace married Mr. Ross, a Scotchman. The following named children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Reeves: Sarah, wife of F. H. Dana, of Waits- field, a veteran of the Civil war, and they had two sons and three daughters; Thomas; Harvey ; Mary, who died when quite young ; Annie, wife of .George Bowlman, and they have one child, Ellen

Maria; Edward and Ellen, twins, Edward dying when quite young, and Ellen being now the widow of Joli Nero, of Norwood, New York, and they had four children, Edward, drowned in July, 1900,'Anna, John and Gertrude Nero.

Thomas Reeves, eldest son of Thomas and Ann Reeves, received a limited education, as he was compelled to assist in supporting the family when only twelve years of age. For eight years he was employed by M. C. Kennedy, of Water- bury, and in 1876 he removed to Jericho, and en- gaged in the butcher business, which he con- ducted both in Jericho and Underhill until 1890. From 1876 he was extensively engaged, in ad- dition to his other interests, in dealing in horses and live stock up to 1890.

In 1880 Mr. Reeves was elected constable of Jericho, and held the office for two years. He was then appointed deputy sheriff, served under Sheriff Drew for one year, and under Sheriff Barton for eight years. In 1890 he was elected sheriff of the county, and so faithfully and con- scientiously did he discharge his duties that he was re-elected each succeeding election up to 1902, serving as sheriff six terms of two years each. He has also served as lister of Underhill for three years. He occupied the office of sheriff or deputy for the unusual period of twenty-three years. July 5, 1898, the lawyers of the bar of Chittenden county presented to the sheriff a fine gold badge of appropriate design, handsomely en- graved and with the names of the donors on the back. The badge is surmounted with an eagle, set with two rubies. Mr. Ballard made the pre- sentation speech. During the years of his incum- bency of the office Mr. Reeves probably did more official business than any other man who has held the position, and there is scarcely a better known man in the state, because of his fine record in hunting out criminals. He vacated the office by reason of a fusion ticket and largely by a mis- understanding of the voters.

On November 2, 1876, Mr. Reeves was united in marriage to Miss Bridget McGrath, born in Northfield.' Vermont, a daughter of Thomas and Ellen McGrath, who removed to Duxbury, Ver- mont, when Mrs. Reeves was a little child. One son has been born to them: Joseph Edward, born August 10, 1878. When he attained the age of twenty-one years he was appointed deputy sheriff,

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and he was one of his father's most trusted and efficient assistants.

Mr. Reeves' life shows how a man by indus- try, frugality and good management can rise from a very humble beginning to become a prominent, respected financial man. By his honorable and upright dealings he has won not only the respect of his business associates, but also of his con- titutents.

ROSWELL H. PLACE.

Roswell .H. Place, one of the prominent and successful business man of Essex Junction, Ver- mont, was born in Westford, this state, February 25, 1839, the son of Linus and Polly (Nichols) Place. Robert Place, grandfather of Roswell H. Place, engaged extensively in farming and me- chanical pursuits in the town of Hinesburg, Ver- mont ; he was united in marriage to Miss Lucy Lincoln, and the following named children were born to them: Robert, Roswell, Prudy, Senara, Lucy, Laura, Austin, Alvin and Linus Place.

Linus Place, father of Roswell H. Place, was born in Hinesburg, Vermont, January 23, 1802, was reared on his father's farm, and acquired a practical education in the public schools of the vicinity. He subsequently learned the trade of carpenter, and his business career was character- ized by untiring diligence, progressive methods and honorable dealing, and brought to him very satisfactory financial returns. On September 7, 1828, Mr. Place married Miss Polly Nichols, who was born November 18, 1802, and their children were: Mary M., Senaca, Roswell, Sarah, and Lucy Place. After his marriage Mr. Place re- moved to Bridport, Addison county, and later to Westford, Chittenden county, Vermont, where he purchased a farm, on which they resided up to the ·time of his death, which occurred when he had at- tained the age of forty-four years; he was sur- vived by his widow, who passed away in the eighty-seventh year of her age. They were both consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

Roswell H. Place, third child in order of birth of Linus and Polly Place, attended the common schools of his native town, where he acquired an excellent literary education. He remained on his father's farm until he reached the age of eleven

years, when he removed with his mother to Starksboro, Vermont, his father having previous- ly died. His mother purchased a farm and he as- sisted her in the management of it until he became eighteen years old, when he located in Essex, bought a farm, which he disposed of six years later, and then purchased another farm in Hard- wick, which he cultivated about one year. In 1866 he finally settled in Essex Junction, where he established a business in partnership with his brother and Henry Brush, under the firm name of Place Brothers & Company. They carried a com- plete line of stoves, ranges, tin and hardware utensils, and the dairy business being the prin- ciple one in that section of Vermont, they had a large demand for milk cans, pans and vats, which they manufactured and sold in enormous quanti- ties, having wagons to deliver the goods through- out the country districts. Mr. Place remained in this line of business for twenty years, after which he disposed of his interest in the firm and devoted his entire time and attention to the real estate business, also acting for many years in the capac- ity of notary public. He has materially aided in the opening up and building of new streets, and in the general improvement of the village of Es- sex Junction. Mr. . Place visited California, and devoted considerable time to viewing the wonder- ful and beautiful scenes of nature which have made the state one of the most conspicuous in the country.

On January 22, 1866, Mr. Place married Miss Frances A. Brush, daughter of Hiram and Fanny ( Farfield) Brush, of St. Albans, Vermont. Mrs. Place, before her marriage, was engaged in the occupation of teaching school for many years. They have an adopted daughter, Addie, now the widow of Frederick L. Nichols. Mr. Place and his wife are active members of the Methodist Episcopal church of Essex Junction, and have contributed largely. both of their time and means, to the building up of the church and the societies connected with it.

GEORGE A. HALL.

George Arthur Hall, of Burlington, Vermont. traces his descent from an old and excellent fam- ily which has been for generations represented in New England. Parley A. Hall. his grandfather,

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was born in 1776, in Berkshire, Vermont, where he spent his entire life. He married Miss Lusk, also a native of the Green Mountain state, where she was born in 1780. Mr. and Mrs. Hall had a large family of children, but the names of only four are recorded, namely : Bryant ; Sarah Wing, of Enosburg Falls; Alvin ; and Horton. Mr. Hall lived to be eighty-five years of age, and his wife survived to the age of ninety years.

Bryant Hall, a son of Parley A. Hall, was born in 1818, in Berkshire, Vermont, and there received his education. He was a lawyer of high repute, and practiced his profession in Sheldon and St. Albans. He was a Democrat in his po- litical affiliations, and stood high in the esteem of his neighbors. He married Eunice I. Parsons, who was born in 1823, being a daughter of John Parsons, an early settler of Berkshire, Vermont, where he spent his life and died at the age of eighty years. In his family were four children, but only one of the number, Ellen, is now living, and she makes her home in California. To Mr. and Mrs. Hall were born two children, but only one of whom. George A., the subject of this re- view, is now living. Mrs. Hall passed away in death when she had reached the age of forty-two years.

George Arthur Hall, a son of Bryant and Eunice I. (Parsons) Hall, was born on the 13th of July, 1844. in Sheldon, Vermont, receiving his education at that place and also in St. Albans, and after completing his studies learned the cabi- net-maker's trade at the former place. This occu- pation he followed until an opportunity offered it- self for him to engage in the furniture business in Chester, Vermont, whither he removed and there remained for the following eight years. In 1884 he removed to Burlington, this state, and established himself in the Wheeler block, where the Burlington Hotel now stands, but in a very short time his place of business was destroyed. Far from being crushed by this calamity, he re- opened on the Ist of March, 1885, in the Rink building, where he remained for ten years, reap- ing the reward of his energy in increasing pros- perity. At the end of that period he built the Hall block, where he remained for one year, and then retired from business. After enjoying for five years this well earned leisure, Mr. Hall again felt a desire for the activities of a business career,

and therefore re-established himself in the same building, with an entirely new stock of everything requisite. Even more than the former degree of prosperity attended him, his business increas- ing to such proportions that he now has the larg- est furniture store in the state of Vermont, con- taining four floors fitted up with the very latest styles of furniture. He is also manager and treas- urer of the Yale Wonder Clock Company. In his political affiliations Mr. Hall is a Democrat, and in his fraternal relations is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons of Burlington, Ver- mont, having served as master of the blue lodge at Chester for many years, and is a member of Cornwall Chapter and of the commandery. He and his family are. members of the Unitarian church.

Mr. Hall was married in 1868 to Josephine J. Shedd, who was born in Reading, Vermont, in 1846, a daughter of Norman F. Shedd, a farmer of Reading, Vermont, and whose death occurred in Worcester, Massachusetts, his home. In his family were four children, but the daughter Jo- sephine is the only one now living. Mrs. Shedd was called to her final rest at the age of sixty years. To Mr. and Mrs. Hall were born four children, two of whom died when young, and Frances H. is the wife of Dr. Samuel Sparhawk, manager and owner of the Sparhawk Sanitarium and a prominent physician of Burlington. They have two sons, Samuel, Jr., and George H. Gert- rude the younger daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hall, resides at home and is a very talented young lady, holding a high place in the social circles of the city.

NATHAN T. SPRAGUE.

The apprehension and subsequent development of the subject potential must ever figure as the de- lineation of the maximum of personal success and usefulness in any field of endeavor, and the fail- ure to discover this potential-or line along which lie the greatest possibilities for develop- ment in any specific cause-can but militate against the untimate precedence and absolute ac- complishments of the subject. To a greater ex- tent than is usually conjectured does personal suc- cess abide in this element, and thus in the study of biography there is ever a valuable lesson to be

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gained. To the subject of this review there has come the attainment of a distinguished position in connection with the great material industries and financial institutions of our nation, and his efforts have been so discerningly directed along well defined lines that he seems to have realized at any one point of progress the full measure of his possibilities for accomplishment at that point. A man of distinctive and forceful individuality, of broad mentality and most mature judgment, he has left and is leaving his impress upon the industrial world, while his study of economic questions and matters of public polity have been so close, practical and comprehensive that his judgment is relied upon and his utterances have weight in those circles where the material pro- gress of the nation is centered.

Nathan Turner Sprague was born at Mount Holly, Vermont, June 22, 1828, and is a repre- sentative of one of the oldest American families, the ancestry being traced back to William Sprague. a son of Edward Sprague of Dorsetshire, Eng- land, who in company with two brothers left the mother country in 1629 and founded a home in the young colony of Salem, Massachusetts. One brother subsequently removed to Hingham, that state, and the other to Rhode Lsland. Among the representatives of the branch family in Rhode Island were Amsas and William Sprague, cele- brated print-goods manufacturers. Two of the representatives of the name became governors of states.

In 1786 Nathan T. Sprague, one of the de- scendants of William Sprague, was born, and as a young man began life as a merchant in Mount Holly, and for the next quarter of a century was one of the most prominent representatives of the business enterprises of that town. He became a large property owner, and was also prominent in public affairs. He held a judicial position, and for nineteen years was a member of the Vermont legislature, representing Mount Holly for four- teen years and Brandon for five years. In 1833 he removed to the latter place and was afterwards elected president of the First National Bank. He married Miss Susan Button, and to them were born five children, three of whom died in infancy, the others being Eliza, the deceased wife of R. V. Marsh, a prominent attorney of Vermont, also now deceased ; and N. T., of this review.

During his boyhood days Nathan Turner Sprague was placed in charge of his father's large estate, his father passing away in 1876, at the age of ninety years. Incidental to the care of the property was the loaning of money. At the age of eighteen he assumed the management of a large country store, which he conducted with marked success, and in 1851 he located in Wall- ingford, directing his attention to agriculture. Five years later he returned to Brandon, where he maintained his residence for some time. At one time he was in charge of twelve farms, suc- cessfully superintending their operation. For eight years he was president of the Brandon Farmers' and Mechanics' Club, and for six years was president of the Vermont Merino Sheep Breeders' Association of the United States. These indicate his prominence in agricultural circles. In 1864 he established the First National Bank of Brandon, in which his father was elected tem- porary president, and about 1867 Nathan Sprague succeeded to the presidency. In 1870 he es- tablished the Baxter National Bank of Rutland, Vermont. In 1867 he became president of the Howe Scale Works Company, of Brandon, and under his supervision the business increased four hundred per cent. He continued in charge until 1876, when he retired.

Mr. Sprague's connection with the business interests of Brooklyn began in 1879 by the pur- chase of real estate. In 1883 he established the Sprague National Bank, of which he was elected president. This was the only national banking institution in existence having a living namesake. At the end of six months this bank declared a three per cent. dividend, and since then has paid six per cent. annually in dividends. The bank now has a surplus of two hundred and forty-six thousand dollars, and is justly regarded as one of the most reliable financial institutions in this entire country.

On the 14th of November, 1849, Mr. Sprague was united in marriage to Miss Minerva Hull, of Wallingford, Vermont, who died in 1856. In October, 1858, he was again married, his second union being with Mrs. Melinda J. Evans, of Springfield, Ohio. On the 28th of June, 1885, his second wife died, and on the 14th of October, 1886, he was married to Miss Elizabeth Harris, of Brooklyn. By his first marriage he has one liv-

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ing child, a daughter, Flora, wife of Charles E. Clark, the manager and treasurer of the Buffalo Land & Trust Company.

At the time of the Civil war Mr. Sprague was a loyal advocate of the Union, raised a company of Vermont troops and went to the front, making a good military record in Missouri. He won the first prize for old relics at the Centennial Exposi- tion in Philadelphia in 1870. Among his many interesting possessions of this character is a boot- jack that was made by John Brown, the noted abolitionist, and was given to Mr. Sprague by Mr. Brown's daughter ; a marine glass used by Sir John Franklin in all his voyages around the world ; and several sets of Grant's memoirs pre- sented to him by Mrs. Julia Grant and by Colonel Fred Grant. He served for several terms as a member of the Vermont legislature, representing the district of Brandon, and in 1872 he was elected a senator from Rutland county and would have been nominated for governor on the Repub- lican ticket had he not repeatedly declined to be- come a candidate. In 1876, when the Green Mountain state failed to make an appropriation for the Vermont state building at Philadelphia, he erected it, and when paid by the state he used the money to found a free library at Brandon, now known as the Sprague Centennial Library. He has done much for Brooklyn and has the credit of making Brooklyn a central reserve city, which has added greatly to its financial strength. In 1885 he organized the City Savings Bank. He has devoted much time and money to the var- ious charities and educational institutions in Brooklyn. He is a trustee of the Brooklyn In- stitute, the Brooklyn City Dispensary, the Long Island Free Library, the Hanson Place Baptist church, and is president of the Eastern Green- wich Water Supply Company of Rhode Island, and a member of the New York chamber of commerce and of the Grant Memorial Associa- tion. He is also president of the Bay Shore, Islip and Patchogue Water Company, and also president of the Elks State Bank, of Clyde, Kan- sas. In addition he has had large stock-raising · interests for forty years, and has five farms and a beautiful country home in Vermont. He pos- sesses ability of a superior order, and as a finan- cier enjoys an enviable reputation. Although he has been engaged in business for over fifty years

he can truthfully say that in all that time no man or woman who invested capital in his many ven- tures ever lost a dollar so invested.

The career of Nathan T. Sprague has ever been such as to warrant the trust and confidence of the business world, for he has conducted all transactions on the strictest principles of honor and integrity. His devotion to the public good is unquestioned and arises from a sincere interest in the welfare of his fellow men. What the world needs is such men-men capable of manag- ing extensive, gigantic mercantile concerns and conducting business on terms that are fair alike to employer and employe, men of genuine worth, of unquestioned integrity and honor-and then the questions of oppression by capitalists and re- sistance and violence by laborers will be forever at rest.

HORACE WARD BAILEY.

Horace Ward Bailey, a prominent citizen of Newbury, Vermont, and one who has frequently been called upon to fill positions of honor and trust, is a representative of a family which was founded in America by Richard Bailey, who came from England to Rowley, Massachusetts, in 1635, and is generally spoken of in genealogical regis- ters as "Richard of Rowley." Alfred Poor, in his "Researches in the Merrimack Valley," pub- lished prior to 1850, traced over fifteen thousand descendants of Richard of Rowley. Mr. Bailey's first Vermont ancestor was Webster Bailey, in the fifth generation from Richard, who came from West Newbury, Massachusetts, to Newbury, Vermont, in 1788, and established the Vermont ancestral home of this very numerous family. At this old homestead, Parker W., the grandfather of Mr. Bailey, was born in 1792, and William U., . his father, in 1820. Although Mr. Bailey's great- grandfather established the first tannery and wholesale boot and shoe shop in the Connecticut valley north of the Massachusetts line, and car- ried on a successful business for twenty-five years, the family, both paternal and maternal, have been farmers for many generations.

Horace Ward Bailey, son of William U. and Abigail (Eaton) Bailey, was born January 16, 1852, in Newbury, Vermont. His mother came of Scotch parentage, and was the daughter of the

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late Jesse Eaton, of Wentworth, New Hampshire. Mr. Bailey was educated in the common schools of his native town, and at Newbury Seminary, for a time teaching the village school during the winter. Upon attaining his majority he entered the employ of John Lindsey at the Fabyan House in the White Mountains, at Old Orchard Beach, and in Eastman, Georgia. With Mr. Lindsey he remained for several years, and finally became executor of the Lindsey estates, which comprised the Lancaster House property at Lancaster, New Hampshire, which trust was retained by Mr. Bailey until about three years ago, when it was deeded to the late A. L. Fabyan. In 1882 he opened a store in Newbury village, where he built up a large and profitable business, and also erected a substantial property. In 1892 he retired from business, and has since been chiefly engaged in the settlement of estates in northern Vermont and New Hampshire. In 1886 he was elected town clerk, an office which he held for ten, and that of lister for four years. He was chairman of the school directors the first year under the town sys- tem law, and superintendent of schools almost continuously for eighteen years. He was for several years a trustee of the Bradford Savings Bank, and has long been a trustee of the Citizens' Savings Bank & Trust Company of St. Johns- bury.

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Genealogical and family history of the state of Vermont; a record of the achievements of her people in the making of a commonwealth and the founding of a nation, Vol I, Part 113

Author: Carleton, Hiram, 1838- ed Publication date: 1903 Publisher: New York, Chicago, The Lewis Publishing Company Number of Pages: 1032

Author: Carleton, Hiram, 1838- ed
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: New York, Chicago, The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1032