Bristol County, Massachusetts - Biographical sketches (3 of 5 so headed), 1883

Biographical sketches

Guilford H. Hathaway is a lineal descendant on the paternal side from John Hathaway, the descent being as follows : John1, John2, Jacob3, Philip4, Philip5, Edmund6, Guilford H.7 On the maternal side he is descended from the same original John Hathaway, through John2, Jacob3, Meltiah4, Rev. Philip4, Betsey*, Guilford H.7

Edmund Hathaway, father of our subject, was born in Freetown, Mass., Sept. 29, 1771, and married Betsey, daughter of Rev. Philip and Abiah (Ashley) Hathaway. She was born Oct. 12, 1780, and died Oct. 11, 1873, at the advanced age of ninety-three years. They had twelve children, - six sons and six daughters, - of whom Guilford H. was the fifth child. All of this large family lived to attain their majority, and six of them are living at this writing (1883), the youngest of whom is fifty-eight years old.

Edmund Hathaway was in his day the most prominent business man of his town. He was largely engaged in ship-building; was a merchant and shipmaster, and carried on trade with the West Indies. In his varied business enterprises he was quite successful, and exerted a large influence not only in the town where he resided but beyond its limits. He was one of the original subscribers to the stock of the Fall River Bank, and one of its largest stockholders at the time of his death, which occurred Oct. 5, 1832.

Guilford H. Hathaway was born in Freetown, May 3, 1808. He was reared amid the diversified business operations carried on by his father, and grew up with some practical knowledge of these various things.

He attended the common school, and at sixteen went to Capt. Alden Partridge's Military School at Norwich, Vt., and left when that school was transferred to Middletown, Conn. He had among others lor classmates Governor Thomas H. Seymour, of Connecticut, Lieutenant-Governor Cushman, of Massachusetts, and Gideon Welles, of Connecticut, Secretary of the Navy under President Lincoln. When he was eighteen he began teaching, and taught six consecutive winters, chiefly in Fall River and in his own town. During this time he spent his summers with his father in Freetown.

About 1830 he was engaged in merchandising in Freetown, and followed the business some two years, when he retired. He has since been engaged in the same business as his father, - i.e., building vessels, - in company with others. He has owned an interest in a large number of vessels and coasters engaged in the whaling trade and in freighting. In 1836 he became a director in the Fall River (now National) Bank, which position he still retains, being the oldest living director. He was elected president of the Fall River National Bank in 1876, and still holds the office. He is the oldest living member of the Fall River Savings- Bank, Board of Investment, and has been a member since 1847.

Mr. Hathaway followed in early life the political faith of his father, being a Jeffersonian Democrat, and casting his first Presidential vote for Gen. Jackson, whom he much admired. Soon after, however, he united with the Whigs, and so became a Republican in 1856. He was collector of taxes for Freetown four years and selectman of the town five years. In Fall River he was an assessor thirteen years and was chairman of the board during that period. He was a member of the General Court in 1837, and county commissioner of Bristol County from 1868 to 1877. He was a member of the Common Council of Fall River in 1864 and 1865, and of the board of aldermen in 1866 and 1867.

He married Betsey Wilson, daughter of Edward and Hannah Wilson, Nov. 1, 1832. She was born Oct. 14, 1814, and died in Fall River, April 9, 1865. Their children are (1) Othalia W., (2) Abiah, (3) Edmund, (4) Edward W., (5) Edmund 2d, (6) Emma Florence, (7) Charles G., all deceased save Edmund 2d and Emma Florence.

Mr. Hathaway was in former days a strong antislavery man. He is opposed to all forms of slavery, an earnest advocate of temperance and other reforms, and a believer in universal education. While he is cautious and economical, he is also liberal towards all worthy objects and a friend to the poor.

Capt. Washington Read

Capt. Washington Read was born in Freetown, Bristol Co., Mass., July 2, 1813. He is the son of John and Rosamond (Hathaway) Read, and grandson of William Read, who was a farmer, and resided in that part of Freetown which is now Fall River. John Read, father of Capt. Washington, was a sea captain, and most of his life was spent as master of vessels in the merchant service. For an extended ancestral history of the Read family both in this country and in Europe, see biography of Henry C. Read elsewhere in this volume.

Capt. Washington Read was one of a family of eleven children, and his father, not being in affluent circumstances, was unable to give to all of his children a liberal education. Among the number who received but limited advantages in that direction was Washington. His life has chiefly been spent on the waters. At the early age of nine years lie went as cabin-boy on board his father's vessel. At the age of thirteen he commanded a sloop called " Friendship," which plied between Fall River, Newport, and Providence. But it was at the age of fifteen that his life as a sailor began in earnest, He commenced at the lowest round of the ladder, shipping as a sailor before the mast with Capt. Nathaniel Briggs, on the "Ann Maria," plying between Savannah, Ga., and Darien. He continued on this vessel two years, then shipped from Providence, R. I., with Capt, Thomas Andrews on the brig " Abeona," in the West India trade. After two years on this vessel he shipped with the same captain as second mate on brig " Agenoria," engaged in the European trade. He soon became first mate, and at the age of twenty-one he was made master of the brig "Laura," It would be idle to attempt to follow minutely his adventurous and constantlychanging career, but it may be of interest to note a few of the vessels he has at different times commanded. After the "Laura" he commanded the " New England," in the New York and West India trade. Sept. 20, 1826, he took command of the "Friendship;" Nov. 27, 1827, the " Victory;" June 10, 1835, the schooner "Florida;" Sept. 2, 1835, the brig " Laurel ;" March 27, 1836, he took charge of the "New England ;" July 20, 1838, the " Agenoria." In 1840 he commanded the " Nicholas Brown," and afterwards the bark " AVilliam and James" in the European trade. He then for three years commanded the "John P. Harward." He then had a ship built at Swansea named for his wife the "Caroline Read." In this vessel, in 1850, he circumnavigated the globe. Starting from New York lie doubled Cape Horn to San Francisco ; thence to Singapore, E. I. ; thence to Calcutta ; then around Cape of Good Hope to London ; from there home to New York. The trip occupied seventeen months.

His next vessel was the ship " Pride of the Ocean ;" in her he made one voyage to London, and sold her there to a London house for use in the Crimean war.

Returning to New York he built the " Belle of the Ocean," and for a while employed her as a packet chiefly between Philadelphia and Liverpool. During the war of the American rebellion he sold her to an English house. He then went to Hull, England, and took charge of the ship " Argosa ;" sailed in her to Callao, Peru, thence back to Hamburg, thence to Newport, England, and thence to New York. After a brief intermission he went to Falmouth, England, and again took charge of the " Argosa ;" took her to Nazarre, France, where he superintended the repairing of her, then sent her to San Francisco, Cal., and returned to New York. This was Capt. Read's last voyage, and was in 1874.

It is worthy of note that in all his extensive and varied experience as commander, he never lost a vessel, and always returned in the same ship he went out unless she was sold. He has never grounded or put ashore, although he has frequently lost both spars and sails. He has rescued many survivors from numerous wrecks, and has frequently periled his life to save that of others. On one occasion, after he had rescued, during a terrific gale, fifty-two of the crew of the wrecked ship " Sea Nymph" in mid-ocean, and in doing so had encountered great peril, he was called before the lord mayor of London to receive remuneration for his brave deed, as the rescued crew were British subjects. He received high commendation from the lord mayor on this occasion, and he would have received a medal or badge of honor, only that he was in command of an American vessel. He has crossed the Atlantic more than seventy-five times, and Mrs. Read has accompanied him thirty-eight times. He has always given such satisfaction to owners and employers that he never was recalled from the command of a vessel, and has frequently been solicited to take a place in marine insurance offices. He has sailed in nearly or quite all the navigable waters of the globe, and has visited all civilized nations, and most of the principal ports of the world.

He has owned the great majority of the vessels he has sailed, and established such confidence with the capitalists and prominent business men in the different parts of the world that his word was good for any amount of money he might need or call for, and he has in his possession to-day letters from Baring- Brothers, the celebrated bankers of London, authorizing him to draw on them for any amount. Upon retiring from the life of mariner, Capt. Read returned home to his native village of Assonet, and the following year was elected to represent the sixth district of Bristol County in the State Legislature. He has always been Republican in politics.

Sept. 13, 1837, he married Caroline Chase, daughter of Cape. Allen and Sarah Chase. She was born Sept. 14, 1815. They have one son, Allen Washington, born May 28, 1839. Mrs. Read is descended from one William Chase, who emigrated from England in 1630, and settled in Yarmouth in 1637. The line of

Capt. Read has a beautiful home in the picturesque little village of Assonet, and after roaming the wide world over, has followed the example of thousands of other of New England's sons, returned to the home of his childhood to spend the autumn of his days.

Dr. Thomas G. Nichols

Dr. Thomas G. Nichols, of Freetown, was the youngest son of Capt. John Nichols, of that town, born Nov. 9, 1819.1 Nurtured in a Christian home, he early manifested a desire for a liberal education, and was fitted for college under the tutelage of Mr. Benjamin Crane, A.M., a teacher in Assonet village, and entered Union College in 1839, and graduated in 1843 in the class with Hon. Alexander H. Rice. His scholarship was such as gave him high standing in his class. He studied medicine, graduating at New York Medical College and Jefferson Medical University, 1846 and 1847. Returning to his native town, he entered upon the practice of medicine, in which he continued for twelve years, and then relinquished it on account of the exposure incident to the wide circuit which it embraced. It was with much reluctance that he abandoned the profession for which he was so eminently fitted, to embark in other business. In 1862 he became a partner and financial manager in the firm of N. R. Davis & Co., manufacturers of firearms, continuing this connection till his death, which occurred Feb. 16, 1883. In his business relations he was widely known as a man of sterling integrity, just and liberal in all his dealings, careful and discriminating in judgment, courteous and considerate of the opinions and interest of his associates. Twenty years devoted to this department of manufacturing, covering the dark and trying season of the great civil war, taxed his physical powers to such a degree as to impair his health, which never was robust. In addition to his manufacturing he was active in the cause of agriculture, and was a prominent member for years of the Central Bristol Society. He early took a deep interest in public affairs, and was for many years prominent on the school board, and, in fact, was foremost in all that pertained to the best interest of his town. He was the representative of the Fourth Bristol District in the Legislature in 1858 and 1867, in which capacity his rare discretion was acknowledged, and his influence and advice highly regarded.

In early life he disclosed a reverence for the religion of his parents, and for more than thirty years was foremost in sustaining the ordinances of the gospel in his native village, and his consistent life was a perpetual illustration of the true Christian. As a trusted friend he was much consulted, and was often called to settle disputes where lawsuits were threatened. In the settlement of estates he was frequently engaged, and the widow and orphan found in him a sympathizing friend.

Politically he was a Republican, having cast his first vote for James G. Birney. He was from the first among the active Free-Soilers, and rendered efficient service in the early struggle for the overthrow of the slave power. His firmness and stability of character were conspicuous, while courtesy and respect for the opinions of others was a part of his nature. His tender regard for those in trouble or distress was early illustrated. While at the medical college his chum was stricken with the smallpox, and being far from home was abandoned by even the society of which he was a member. Dr. Nichols stood by him, though fully expecting to contract the disease, until death relieved him of his sufferings. In the more sacred and tender relation of domestic life his unsullied character was most happily revealed, while his broad culture and manly character were quickened with that benevolence that was eager in every enterprise promotive of the welfare of the family, the church, and the community where he lived. Happily married in 1852 to Miss Irene Lazell, daughter of Barzillia Crane, of Berkley, their children are Winslow, Charlotte Crane, Gilbert M., John T., and Hesler D., the latter son a member of Harvard College.

The first American ancestor of Alden Hathaway was John1 Hathaway, who was one of the first settlers in the town of Taunton, Mass. He came from England about 1640, and became a landholder in that part of Taunton now Berkley. He was a commissioner, land agent, etc., of the Plymouth Colony, and a man of prominence and note in his day. He had a son, John2, who came to what is now Freetown, and became a landholder there before the town was incorporated. This John had children, - Jacob, Thomas, Isaac, Ephraim, John, and a number of daughters.

Isaac3 inherited a part of the homestead of his father, and also the iron forge, which was established by his father. This was the first forge in the town. He was also a mill-owner, and was a man of push, sagacity, and enterprise. He had three sons - Thomas, Nicholas, and Peleg - and five daughters, - Martha, Phebe, Rebeccah, Mehala, and Jarah.

Nicholas4 married Rebecah Merritt, and became a farmer, inheriting a part of the original purchase by his grandfather, John, which was the eighteenth lot of the freemen's purchase. He had four children, - Stephen, Elkanah, Isaac, and Rebecca. She became the wife of Henry Tew.

trade. He married Hope Peirce, of Middleborough, Mass., and resided there till 1786. when he removed to Taunton, where he died in 1819. He represented Taunton in the State Legislature, and was a prominent, influential, and honored citizen. He was the guardian of numerous children, and settled many estates, and was always regarded as a man of great probity and virtue. He had a family of thirteen children, - Leonard, Alden, Stephen, Nicholas, Anna (Atwood), Elias (died young), Ebenezer, Frederick, Anson, Hope, Polly (Pierce), Erastus, and one which died in infancy.

Alden6 was born April 9, 1770. He learned carpentering when a boy, but when he grew up he went to sea and became master of a vessel. When twenty-six years of age he met with the misfortune of losing his vessel at sea, and with it most of his possessions. He then gave up a seafaring life, and returning to his native town he engaged in trade at Assonet village, and became a successful business man, accumulating quite a property for those times. He was a much .respected citizen of the town. He married Mercy Palmer, and had three children who reached maturity, - Gideon P., Anna A. (married Samuel Blake, of Taunton), and Alden. In 1821 he purchased the house formerly owned by his brother Nicholas, who was a physician, and resided there until his death, September, 1861.

Alden Hathaway, Jr., was born April 6, 1811. He received a common school education, and upon arriving at proper age he employed his time during several winters in teaching school, and in farming and trading during the summer months. He has been through life a trader and speculator and a successful business man. He is one of the few honorable and worthy representatives of one of the most ancient, useful, and respectable families of the town. Among various positions of office and trust he has i been chairman of the board of selectmen and overseer of the poor, and was member of the board eight years. He was representative to the State Legislature two years (1838-39). He was reared in theDemocratic school of politics, voted that ticket many years, and was elected to the Legislature on the Democratic platform, but he now affiliates with the Republican party. He resides on the homestead of his father in Assonet village, and is passing down the hill of life with the pleasing consciousness that the acts of his long business career will bear the closest scrutiny, and that there is nothing in his past record that does not sustain the honor of the family name.

He married Susan Hathaway, daughter of Edmund and Betsey Hathaway, and sister of Guilford H. Hathaway. (See his biography.) To this union there are three living children, one son and two daughters. The son went to California when eighteen year's of age, married there, has three children, and is a successful business man. Mrs. Hathaway died Aug. 23, 1882.

Abishai H. Chace was born in Freetown, Dec. 16, 1807. He is a son of Edward and Permelia Chace, and grandson of Edward Chace. Both of these Edwards were natives of Freetown, and were men much respected and esteemed in their day. The Chace family is a very ancient one in New England. (For an extended genealogy of the family, see elsewhere in this volume.) The educational advantages afforded boys in the rural districts at the period of Mr. Chace's boyhood were very limited indeed. An attendance of three months during the winter at the district school was the most to be hoped for, and fortunate, indeed, was the lad who could boast of an unbroken attendance during even that short term. Mr. Chace was no exception to the general rule, but he read more out of school than most boys, and so managed to secure a pretty fair English education. His first start in business life was as a farm laborer. After one year spent in this manner, he became clerk in a country store, where he remained three years. He then engaged in farming and lumbering, and this has been his business chiefly through life. In 1869, at the earnest solicitation of Mr. Joseph Grinnell, who was then president of the New Bedford and Taunton Railroad, he was induced to come to Braley Station, on that road, and assume the duties of station-agent at that place. In connection with bis duties as agent he also established a store at the same point, and has continued merchandising to the present time. He was a Democrat in politics until the election of Franklin Pierce as President of the United States. Since that time he has affiliated with the Republican party. He is a member of the Christian Baptist Church, has been selectman and overseer of the poor, and is now road commissioner. He has always been an earnest advocate of temperance, and his own hale, hearty manhood in old age is itself an impressive sermon in favor of total abstinence. In his younger days he was for many years an ensign in the militia ranks, and afterwards lieutenant.

Mr. Chace is an example of what may be accomplished in the quiet walks of life, even under adverse circumstances, by honesty, fidelity of purpose, and industry. He commenced his married life almost literally without a dollar, reared a large family of children, and is to-day in comfortable circumstances.