Worcester County, Massachusetts - Biographical sketches (7 of 9 so headed), 1889

Biographical sketches

The subject of this sketch, Linus M. Harris, the senior member of the firm of L. M. Harris & Co., was the son of Henry and Waty (Smith) Harris, and was born in Scituate, R. I., October 24, 1814. He was the eldest child of the large family of a poor man, who was only able to give him the benefit of what schooling he could get from attending the winter terms of a common country school until he was fourteen years of age, when he went into a cotton mill as "back boy ,'> and commenced a connection with the cotton manufiicture which has continued to the present day. In addition to his boyhood schooling, he attended a school the winter after his eighteenth birthday. His experience in factory life, as a hoy, was commenced in the Richmond mill in Scituate, R. I., where he worked three years; then in the Sprague mill, at Smitbfield, R. I., one year; then with the Blackstone Manufacturing Co., at Mendon, Mass. (now Blackstone), two years ; then at Woonsocket, R. I., ten years (up to 1845), when he came to West Boylston.

While living at Woonsocket he married Mi.ss Armilla E. Rounds at Providence B. I., October 24, 1838, it being the twenty-fourth anniversary of his birth. Before leaving Woonsocket they had three children, all of whom died before the family came to Massachusetts. In 1845 Mr. Harris came to this town and commenced business in the Holt Mill at Harrisville, as noted elsewhere, where he remained about nine years, when he went into business with E. W. Holbrook at the Central Village, on the rebuilding of his mill in 1854. In 1865 Mr. Harris left the Holbrook Mill and resumed the principal management of the mill at Harrisville, which he still retains, together with the Whiting Mill, built a few years afterwards. Of these two mills he is an equal owner with his brother, Charles M. Harris, and brother-in-law, Alfred Whiting. He is also one of the owners in the large mills at Oakdale, known as the West Boylston Manufacturing Company, and also of two smaller mills in Holden on the Quinnepoxet River. Mr. Harris has been a very successful man in his business, liaving accumulated a handsome competence, and has ever been an active and influential man in public and town affairs, serving several years on the Board of Selectmen and going to the (Jeneral Court as Representative, etc.

Both Mr. Harris and his wife are still vigorous after a married life of over fifty years. Since living in West BoylstoD, three daughters and one son have been born to ihem, all of whom are living and are active, influential members of the community where they live, the youngest being now about thirty-six years of age.

Charles M. Harris

Charles M. Harris, son of Henry and Waty S. Harris, was born in Proi'idence, R. I., August 3, 1822. The family moved soon after to Scituate, R. I., where, when old enough, young Charles went to school about eight weeks in the summer and winter, or as long as the money raised for schools would last, eked out by the teachers being boarded around among the families who had children to send to school, the school-rooms being fitted up with oak slabs for seats, which were raised so high from the floor that the feet of the smaller children would hang several inches above it. This style of schooling continued until he was about thirteen years of age. After that time he was ibrtunate enough to get two short terms of school in the winter when a year or two older. This constituted all the school attendance of the subject of this sketch. At six years of age he was put into the Richmond Cotton Mill at Scituate, to work between schools, where by working from fourteen to fifteen hours a day his services were considered worth fifty cents per week or a trifle over half a cent an hour. His wages gradually increased to seventy-five cents, one dollar and one dollar and twenty-five cents per week up to the time when he was fourteen years of age, and from that time they continued to advance until, at twenty years of age, he was receiving from six to seven dollars for a week's work.

From the Richmond mill he had gone to the Sprague mill at Smithfield, R. I.; from there to the Blackstone mill at Mendon, Mass.; then to Woonsocket, R. I. In the spring of 1842 he began the manufacture of thread in company with David S. Wilder at Woonsocket, and in the fall of that year they came to West Boylston, and buying the small mill at the central village, began the manufacture of satinet warps. They also leased a mill in Uolden, in which they carried on the same business. In 1845 he sold out his interest in these mills and formed a partnership with his brothers, who had bought the "Holt mill '' at Harrisville. The next year he, with his brother Gideon, went to Scituate, R. I., and leased the old Richmond mill, in which he began work as a boy, where they remained about two years, when they returned to Harrisville, largely increased the capacity of the mill there and were doing a good business up to the time when the mill was burned in 1851. The mill was rebuilt, the machinery was all in and work was resumed again in a year from the date of the fire. In 1857 Mr. Harris went to Poquonnock, in the town of Windsor, Ct., and run a mill three and a half years, and from there went to Savage, Howard County, Md., and, in company with another party, run a mill one year and a half, then came back to West Boylston, having been very successful in business at each of these places.

In 1861 he, with his oldest brother, Linus M. Harris, and J. H. Lane, of New York, bought the large mills of the West Boylston Manufacturing Company, at Oakdale, and he assumed the general management of the business. Here he has remained up to the present time. The history of these mills is given on other pages of this history, and does not need repeating. There is little doubt that the growth and success of the business of this company is largely owing to the business talent and large executive ability of Mr. Harris since his connection with it. In November, 1848, he married Miss Emily Dean, who is still living. They have had three children, all now living. Henry F. is a lawyer in Worcester; Charles M., Jr., is a superintendent in the mill, aud Emily A. is the wife of Alonzo R. Wells.

Samuel R. Warfield

Samuel Randall Warfield, son of Luther and Alcey Thompson Warfield, was born in Mendon, Mass., September 28, 1821. He received a good education in the common and high-schools of his native town and Millbury, Mass., his father moving to Millbury when Samuel was twelve years of age. He began work in acotton-miil there and when twenty years of aye was a " mule fixer." Soon after he was promoted to overseer of the weaving-room. In 1851 he began business at Millbury for himself in the manufacture of thread or yarn, and continued it until 18.5t>. In October of that year he went to Perkinsville, Vt., where he followed the same business eight years. He then went to Griswold, Ct., and remained in the same business about three years.

He bought the property in this town in 1868, his oldest son, Edwin R. Warfield, coming here to superintend the building up and starting of the works. This son failing in health, Mr. Warfield came here three or four years afterwards and has ever since remained here.

Edwin R. Warfield died November 10, 1876, aged twenty-seven years. He was a very energetic and capable man, and his loss was a sad one to his father. It interfered much with the plans he had made for the future. Those plans, however, so far as they related to the developing of the fine water-power in this town, have been since carried out, as is shown in the history of his mills on other pages of this history.

Mr. Warfield has proved himself to be a very energetic and capable man of business, and has been a very successful one. He is still hale and hearty, promising to remain so for many years to come.

He married Miss Eliza Jane Maxwell in February, 1843, who is still living. They have had four children, two of whom died while young. The fourth, Austin H. Warfield, is now about thirty-six years of age, is married, and is an active business man, associated with his father in his present business.