Canton Town (part 2 of 2)

" 3rd. - It is agreed that the whole Cost of erecting s'd Building, and procuring the Machinery shall be considered as part of money advanced towards Stock, and each one shall be credited as he has advanced and that the privilege of water, and also of land on which s'd Building is erected, or any additional Improvement that may be made and other convenient necessary Room for carrying on s'd Business or manufactory shall continue five Years from the date hereof."

It was also "agreed that the work people may be boarded by the partners in proportion to their respective rights in Stock provided nevertheless, that the place of board be conveniently near the factory, and the food and Drink be of such a Quality

| as is fit and necessary to comfort and invigorate people employ'd in s'd Business and that the rate of Board allowed each partner | shall be similar in similar Circumstances,

Reminiscences of James Beaumont. - The following reminiscences of manufacturing in Canton from 1803 to 1813 were written by the late James Beaumont, when in his eightieth year : build the dam. & Factory building, and due time I got the Machinery to work (with some assistance) which consisted of 3 Cards, a drawing and roveing, frame and a Mule of 144 spindles, I had made with my own hands, the drawing and roving Cans, and other tin work, in a coppersmiths shop in Boston. we first began to make, Wick yarn for the Candle makers the first. lot was made from sea Island Cotton, and was very smooth and

"Mr. Ezra Sampson was a partner and active manager in the soap, and candle, department, he pronounsed the wicking firstrate, and they gave me a large order and agreed to give me 75 cents @ tb for it. the stained sea Island Cotton had cost me. about 23 or 24 cents P Ib but Mr. Sampson surmised that the

""A year or two after this, the Mess's Davis & Co.s Candles, got into such request. especially the moulders, that I worked up for them eleven (11) Bales of Cotton into wicking in one year

""when the machinery had got well gated - we began to make warp & filling yarn for domestick cloth; the first Piece was for sheeting this was made from seaisland Cotton was warped on common warping barr it was sized in the chain. I wrung it out of the size tub myself hand over hand. 'Tattershall, an Thus, in 1802 was the first piece of Cotton cloth ever. made in America from Mule

"T put a sample of my first. sheeting in the Museum at Lowell 7 or 8 years ago, Mr. Kimball, of that establishment who had been a manufactor said he had no doubt of the authentisity of the relek, after examining it.

"My partners in business, Fisher & Bailey, I found out was not desirous to continue with me their only object from the first was to dispose of the Everton place, and they had not Money to carry on with, so they gave me a bond fora Deed I concern was so successful that I had several offers from Gentlemen of cappital to become partners; amongst the rest was I. Smith Boyce of Dorchester he proposed that I should sell out at Canton, and he would furnish me with funds and have a Factory built at Dorchester on a large scale. we had had several

''However Mr Boyce being an extreamly industrious active man, he did get a Factory agoing say about the year 1807 or 8. this was without doubt the most prosperous and Proflitable concern of the kind ever established in the Vnion

"Tn the embargo Cotton got down to 8 or 9 Cents but when war was declared it rose to the enormous price to 40 Cents and once to 48 the seacoast was blockaded, but it was found that Cotton could be brougt by teams, all the way by land so that it could be afforded at the first mentioned price or less

'"Tt a was fine sight to behold these Teams & their drivers IT once saw a string those teams pass through Dedham 6 or 8 in number fine well cared for brown and black horses, 4 or 6 in the horses; cuff was in his glory then flourshing his long wip and grinning at the Dedhamites in merry glee saying dare you you cannot displays sich a fine team of osses as dis in your poor plantations (nor could they)

"A Bale of Goods, seemingly India Cotton, much used then had fallen from one of the Wagons, and the drivers balled out in corous to the conductor (the only white man amongst them) who speedily replaced it by as many black paws as could get hold of it

"In my remarks on the other page, I meant to notice respecting the great success of the Dorchester Factory that the owners before the war was commenced had purchased a very large quantity of Cotton at the lowest figure, when as before stated it rose to 4 or 5 times its originall cost

"About the year 1802-3 John Blackbourn came over from England and soon after commeced building the Tyler Mill at Pawtucket R. I. Mr. Blackbourn was perhaps the most effeceent and skillful Machinest then in the Union he was likewice well versed in the construction of that kind of Machines call Throstle frames, a great improvement (on Arkwrights first inventions) both for cheapness and dispack of work Mr B. did not like Slater lock, bolt, and guard is establishment but the doars were freely opened to the bublick - this consern was highly prosperous, a few years after Mr Blackbourn went to Mendon in this state, and with assistance Built the largest Factory then in the country, this was also prosperous Cc hold of the machinest and manufacorers aret, and he drove it with steam speed - tbe Rhode Islanders, with Slater & Blackbourn at their head, hunted up the millsites, and waterfalls, in that part of Massachusetts now called Webster and Slaterville, were a vast business is done at this time

"To return to my own matters when establesed first at Canton T ingeneral let people have a free look, into my Mill espeshaly the females the farmers wives and daughters would come to buy yarn and would of course want to see the Factory

"T would open the outer door leading into the entry; and after shutting the same; they especially the young ones would be sore afraid when.they heard the thundering clattering noise within I would open the inner door and they would peep in, then advance a little way and look round with great aston-

| ishment, one old Lady was looking at the large slivers of cotton | drawings, advanceing out of the big drawing cans up through | the rolers - as if by majick, would exclaim now do tell.

lud amassy! is that spinning. then another having advanced further having espeyed the Mule would scream do marm, come here and look at this great big high wheel, that has everso many spindles drawing out at once and nobody to them, and then

"Canton in 1801. - When I first saw the Everton place which I afterward improved the Water course, was shooting through its natural bed, there was a Grist Mill standing on the north side and there had been a Forge for Iron worked there, but, it been sawed nearly through, and mended with bars of Iron here was dessollation mannifest ; the place had a bad name, and was said to be haunted. indeed if weather the misschief had been done by evil spirits or evil bodys in the flesh, they had made finishing work of it to manufactor Gunpowder in; before or at the time of the reyit had been moved probably on the Ice from the millprivilege above now known as the Revere copper, Co's

10 or 12 roods, and has been used since as a stable for the storage of hay, and the lodging of Cattle and there it yet stands - with the Iasabella grape vine climing up to its southern gable an emblem of youth and old age closely intwined in love together. viaduet close by, at this day - There was not any dwelling house on the premises but one, and that containing two rooms below and a low chamber above at that time in this old shell, with some additions made to it I lived very happily several years

(Yorkshire in England) She, then what do they do with theier milk in warm weather. Oh! they set it in a cool place in there stone built houses the buttery or Celler and skim it after standing 3 meals the sweet skimed milk is used in the family or sold to the neighbours at half price, the cream after being collected and soured a little in the vessel it is churned into the best Butter in the world the Butter milk is preserved and ate as a dainty to bread or thick hasty pudding, made of Oat meal - "her, Dont they use Coffee and T'ea common as whe do. No, Coffee they scarcely use att all, and Tea only used sparing by the first of near 2 years I never tasted either in my Masters house (so to say) in the second of 3 years I never drank any but once; the good old man for a good man he was, and the name of Jonathan Wood shall be ever remembered with gratitude. He had been out with me to a Benevolent quaker to see if he would not advance some money to pay legacys on real Estate I was soon to come heir to? We had succeded and I was in high spirits; when whe got home, his good old Dame as he called her, were just sitting down with her sister to an Afternoons Tea drinking. now Jimy says he sit thee down with mee and our Women folks to a dish of Tea. I did sit thereof But, the latter was sometime convenient for teams turning out you could drive on each side, and in other places the ruts would be so deep that it would be difficult to pass in winter have been very uncomfortable had it not been for the rousing fires they constantly keept, in cold weather, the cracks in the boards & holes under the doors, with the broaken glass in the windows gave them a quantum great and good Napolian Bonapart, who scattered both the lazy Spaniards and there flocks, many of the latter found their way into this country.

"T then began to make all wool cloth yorkshire plains carcysand Sattinetts. for the last article I got great credit making my own cotton warps of sea Island Cotton and employing English afterwards finished you could not scarcely tell the back side from the face. I sold the finest of them for $3.50 P yard both before and during the 1812 war. I charged 25 Cents P pound for carding (full blood merino and 17 Cents half blood) into roles of Roxbury into yarn and slubbing all these Gentlemen owned small flocks of the merinoes. Esq' Amarey I think of Milton I made some cloth for I likewise continued the manufactory of my wick yarn and Wadding .

" Towards the begining of the 1812 war, and during the same there were large quantys of Muskets and Rifles were made several thousand stand for the United states and with high credit to the makers by Mess's Leonard & Kinsley, honorable Thomas French, and others

"Mr Enoch Leonard & his sons in partnership with William Dunbar made some very good horsmans Sords, & Sailors Cutlashes for Sam. There were two brothers. Bazins in Canton at the above time very ingenious and Inventive, who made stocking weaving Machines, likewise Machien for twisting the strands and laying cords & ropes - they likewise were the inventers of them sweet Musickal Instruments, the Aeolian reeds either the small tubelike ones, held the hand and blown into with the mouth as well as the larger Instruments were the bellows is applied derstood his business well a year or two later. sisted in building a Cotton Factory, & Machinery in partnership with Gen! Elijah Crane who owned a millprivilage in Canton this was the third of the kind in the town

"There was a young man, a house carpenter a very ingenious and industrious man, at the time Mr Wheatly & I began to build machinery whe hired him in his line of business as well to make the wood part of the Machines) Azel Ames by name he worked for us when in company, and afterwards for myself about in all 4 or 5 years. he had saved conciderable money, he had a younger brother work as an apprentice with him, we always boarded them and as they lost no time of conciquence he had a handsome sum to carry with him to Bridgewater his native town - soon after he went to marshfield, with his brother and built and established a Cotton Factory and they made it go well, this was the greatest effort. I ever knew, for a Mechanick in wood work only to bravely build turning Layths for wood & Iron Tools for fluting and fitting Iron & brass - also makeing Pattrens for Castings of Iron these mettles - and afterwards turning fileing & fitting them togather

'*Even the stone mason, who worked for Mr. Wheatly and us contrived to set agoing a Cotton Factory in Sharon the adjoining Town to Canton, that is with much assistance this was the third or fourth swarm so to say that had left our hive in Canton

"Thus I have given you in a straightforward way my experiences and knowledge of Cotton Manufactoring previous to the time of the Waltham Factory in 1813."

The Kinsley Iron and Machine Company. - These works were established by Leonard & Kinsley in 1787, and have been in constant operation since that time; the manufacture of steel by the German process was then commenced and continued until 1830 From 1790 to 1797 from one hundred and fifty to two hundred tons of mill-saws were made anor later.

nually. In those early days the works were very small. Early in the present century the manufacture of firearms was introduced, and a considerable quantity of muskets was furnished the government for the war of 1812. years after was used for making sleigh-shoes, horse- About 1821 the firm of Leonard & Kinsley dissolved, and the business was continued by Mr. Adam Kinsley. In 1833-35 a foundry building was constructed for the manufacture of castings. A few years later (on the death of Mr. Kinsley in 1857) the business passed into the hands of two of his sons, Lyman and Alfred.

Under Mr. Kinsley's management the manufacture of car-axles and car-wheels was added to the now growing industry ; in 1845 the work was prosecuted day and night, and forty car-wheels were made daily ; in 1846 eighteen hundred car-wheels were furnished to one Western road alone. The manufacture of wagon-axles - one of the branches of the business from its commencement - was largely increased. A rolling-mill was erected, in 1852-53, for the purpose of rolling car-axles and a beam-engine of one hundred and ninety-horse power, and an eighteen-inch train of In 1853 the idea of rolling car-axles was abandoned, and the manufacture of iron com- In 1854 the Kinsley Iron and Machine Company was chartered and in 1855 was organized ; the capital stock is two hundred thousand doliars. Mr. Lyman Kinsley was elected president and teid that position until about 1859, when he retired from Hon. Oliver Ames, of North Easton, was chosen as his successor, and held the position

Since the organization of the company the works have been in constant operation. In 1854 the axleshop was destroyed by fire ; anew building was erected built and the old foundry torn down. On the 14th of January, 1875, the rolling-mill and forge were burned ; preparations for a new mill were commenced, however, before the fire of the old mill had died out, and on the 24th of May following operations were resumed in a

The company employ about two hundred and twentyfive men. The buildings cover about one and a half acres of ground, the mill alone covering nearly one and one-quarter acres.

They manufacture merchant bar-iron, car and locomotive forgings, castings, machinery, finished wagonaxles, bridge-bolts, and heavy hardware.

cold-rolled. Paul Revere died in 1818, and the business was carried on by his surviving son, Joseph Warren Revere, until 1828, when the Revere Copper Company was incorporated by Joseph W. Revere, James Davis, Fred. W. Lincoln, and James Davis, Jr. Since the death of the original founder the busi- John Revere, president, S. T. Snow, treasurer, with increasing facilities, and their manufacture includes all grades from the raw material to the finest-graded articles of rolled copper.

Neponset Cotton Manufacturing Company. - In 1824 the present stone mill, generally known as the Neponset Factory, was begun, and finished in 1825, and was put in operation as a woolen-factory by Holbrook, Dexter & Hill. They manufactured satinets and kerseymere cloths. In 1828 the company failed, and the mill property and machinery was silent for nearly It had cost four hundred thousand dollars, and was sold to a new company for one hundred and forty thousand dollars, the Neponset Manufactwo years.

turing Company, which carried on the manufacture till 1838, when they abandoned the business, and the property, fixtures, and machinery was purchased by Mr. J. W. Revere for fifty thousand dollars. In 1844, Robeson, of New Bedford, leased the property

Eureka Silk Manufacturing Company. - The silk business in Canton was started in 1839, by V. J. Messinger; but some months later he removed to Needham, where he remained five years, making sew- In 1844, Mr. Messinger returned to Canton, and in partnership with his brother, V. A. Messinger, established the business They continued the manufacture of sewings and machine twist successfully and uninterruptedly till 1863, when it was transferred to Charjes Foster and J. W. C. Seavey, the latter of whom had been with Messinger & Brother since 1853. 'The firm-name was J. W. C. Seavey & Co. In 1869 the firm became Seavey, Foster & Bowman, who continued the business till 1881, when the proprietors formed a joint-stock company for the manufacture of all kinds of twisted silk, under the name and firm of the Eureka Silk Manu- They have increased their busiings, gimps, and fringes.

ness from year to year, until they have become one of the most successful and extensive manufacturers in Their favorite brands, the " Lion" and The firm have.

chines, to enable buyers to inform themselves of the To the enterprise of this firm consumers are indebted for many improvements in the style and quality of twist silks.

G. H. Mansfield & Co. - The privileges now occupied by this establishment were first utilized in 1821 by Simeon Presbrey, in the manufacture of cotton thread. He subsequently enlarged the original mill, and added the manufacture of twines. He carried on the business until 1845, when he sold it to Thomas B. Vose, who continued it until 1849, when it passed into the hands of William Mansfield. Mr. Mansfield carried on the manufacture as sole proprietor until July 1, 1858, when it was purchased by his two sons, George H. and Preston R., who have continued In 1865, W. B. White and G. H. Mansfield formed a copartnership, under the name of White & Mansfield, and commenced the manufacture of shoe-lace, and, in the spring of 1866, inaugurated the manufacture of braided fishing-lines. The firm of White & Mansfield was dissolved in 1866 by the retirement of Mr. White, and the business has since been continued by G. H. Mansfield & Co.

Memorial Hall, Ganton, Mass

The Narragansett Suspender and Web Company. - The building on the west side of the Canton Junction Station of the Boston and Providence Railroad, occupied by the Narragansett Suspender and Web Company, J. R. Wattles, proprietor, and by L. W. Wattles & Co., manufacturers of spinning and twister rings, with the entire contents, was totally destroyed by fire May 10, 1884. was the sole proprietor of both concerns, and of the buildings and land. in 1865, and had been from time to time enlarged and improved and added to.

keys, on the site now occupied by the box-factory, and continued it until 1857. In the fall of that year, in company with Charles F. Hard, he commenced the manufacture of paper boxes. partnership continued until the fall of 1868, when the establishment was purchased by Mr. Dunbar, and continued by him as sole proprietor until his death,

A committee, consisting of Frank M. Ames, James S. Shepard, Elisha Horton, Joseph W. Wattles, and Edward R. Eager, was selected, and instructed to take a deed of the land donated by Elijah A. Morse, and erect a building thereon, to be called ' Memorial Hall," from some one of the plans before the meeting.

The architecture is what may perhaps be called Modern Gothic. The underpinning and steps are of Concord granite. The walls are of brick, decorated with Longmeadow freestone and black brick. The brick are laid in black mortar. The inside finish throughout the building is of ash. The floors are of The main building is one hundred The main front has a projection of seven feet, thirty-one feet in width, which rises five feet above the walls of On each side, at the front, are

The building covers about six thousand five hundred square feet ; its extreme height is eighty feet above the grade line. The basement is eleven feet six inches high, first story twelve feet, and second story twentysix feet in the clear. The building is entered by a flight of six steps of fine hammered Concord granite, twenty feet long, ten and one-half feet wide, which are factory was destroyed by fire, and immediately rebuilt. | He has continued the manufacture to the present | | (which is fourteen feet nine inches by sixteen feet),

Memorial Hall. - At the annual meeting in April, 1878, the town appointed a committee, consisting of William Horton from School District No. 1, Elisha Horton of No. 2, Frank M. Ames of No. 3, Ellis Tucker of No. 4, George E. Downes of No. 5, basement stairs. The stairway hall is twenty-two by twenty-eight feet. On either side are flights of stairs six feet wide. On the right is a lobby, doors from and also that of the selectmen (which is eighteen feet six inches by twenty-four feet). Connected with these rooms are a fire-proof vault, for town records, and two large closets.

On the left is the librarian's room, which is twenty feet nine inches by sixteen feet. In the centre and opposite the principal entrances is a wide, double-folding door to the corridor. On either side of this door are placed the beautiful memorial tablets, a gift of Elijah A. Morse. The corridor is eight by forty-four feet.

On the right or south side are doors to the selectmen's room, also to the school committee room, which is sixteen feet three inches by twenty-four feet, and a side corridor sixteen feet long leading to the side entrance. On the left or north side is the library, twenty-four by forty-four feet. At the east end is the small, or caucus hall, which is thirty feet six inches by fortyeight feet six inches, and will seat about two hundred persons. The side entrance is eight by sixteen feet, and is entered from steps twelve feet in length, and similar to those on the front of the building.

room, corridor, small hall, and the private stairway hall which leads to the hall and stage above. From this stairway are doors to the basement stairs and town officers' toilet.

The landing at the front stairs is thirteen feet six inches by twenty-eight feet; opposite the stairs are two double-folding doors to the audience-hall and ladies' private room. On the left are stairs to the gallery and a door to the lobby, which is fourteen feet nine inches by sixteen feet. The audience-hall is fifty-eight by sixty-seven feet, and twenty-six feet high.

The gallery is provided with seats for two hundred and twenty-four persons. The floor is furnished with one hundred and fourteen settees, each seating five persons, The ordinary seating capacity of the hall is nine hundred and forty-four persons, although one thousand and fifty people can be comfortably seated.

Over the door to the corridor is the inscription : '""Hrected to commemorate the patriotism of the soldiers of Canton, who fell in defence of the Union in the War of the Rebellion." A transom running the whole width of the group has the dates 1861 - 65 repeated over each tablet bearing the soldiers' names, and the central part has the motto, " /¢ ds sweet and honorable to die for one's country."

The materials used in the construction are, for the plinths at the bottom, dark Tennessee marble. For the body of the work, a cream-colored marble delicately mottled, from the Hchaillon quarries at Grenoble, France, finished with a slight polish, except where it is carved. he shafts of the four columns supporting canopies over the side tablets are of red Lisbon marble highly polished. The tablets, bearing the names, are of light-veined Italian marble.

The carving consists of the arms of the Union, in a medallion on the canopy over the left tablet, flanked by branches of the oak and palm. The medallion over the other tablet bears the arms of the State between branches of the laurel and olive. The same foliage is also used on the capitals of the four columns. The bases of the columns are enriched with appropriate foliage, and the panels below on each side have three large rosettes. The initials of the names and some words of the general inscription are painted John Evans, of Boston, executed the work from designs furnished by Mr. Earle, the architect of the building.

shape of the town lot to be very much improved. The appropriation for grading the lot, erecting and furnishing the building, amounted to thirty-one thousand dollars. The total cost, including dedicatory expenses, was thirty thousand nine hundred and

Henry B. Peirce, Secretary of State; Hon. Charles Adams, formerly treasurer; Hon. Seth Turner, of Randolph; Rufus ©. Wood, sheriff of Norfolk County ; the selectmen of Canton, viz.: William W. Brooks, William Horton, and William O. Chapman, | Esqs.; Hon. Charles H. French, Edwin Wentworth, | William Mansfield, Ezra S. Brewster, and Ellis Tucker, who have served as selectmen; Francis W. Deane, the venerable town treasurer; J. Mason Everett, chairman, Arthur C. Kollock, Jesse Fenno, John Everett, | and Thomas Lonergan, of the school committee; Rev. Father John Flatley and Rev. Willam H. Savary ; Ellis Ames, Esq., and other gentlemen of Canton and of the neighboring towns.

For a long series of years its public meetings were held in the meetinghouse belonging to the First Parish ; afterwards in the Upon the > erection of a new house by that denomination at South

Canton, the old house at the Centre was purchased by the town for the modest sum of six hundred and fifty dollars, and in that small building for half'a century the business of the town has been transacted. |

All important public events that relate to the local | affairs of a town, of course, form a part of its civil history ; so that when one of these events is brought | vividly before the mind, other events appear also, one | after another, as they are bound together by the natural laws of association.

exception. In 1795, the whole number of legal voters in the first precinct was 140; in 1875, the number | had increased to 733. even more rapidly than the population, amounting | in 1884 to $3,242,254, by the assessors' valuation, | which is exclusive of corporate stocks taxed by the State.

many years, was chosen moderator; Elijah Crane, town clerk, Joseph Bemis, treasurer; and Elijah Crane, deacon; Benjamin Tucker and Col. Nathan Crane, selectmen and assessors.

The dedicatory address was delivered by Hon. Charles Endicott, and remarks were also made by William W. Brooks, Hon. 8. B. Noyes, Governor Talbot, Elijah A. Morse, Hon. Henry B. Peirce, Secretary of State, Hon. Charles Adams, ex-treasurer of the commonwealth, Hon. Winslow Battles, of Randolph, Rev. Dr. Angier, of Holbrook, Sanford W. Billings, of Sharon, Rev. Edwin Thompson, of East Walpole, Horace E. Ware, of Milton, Rev. Father Flatley, Rev. William Savary, Rev. Nelson

The Canton Institution for Savings was chartered March 4, 1835, with the following officers: Thomas French, president ; Friend Crane and Jonathan Stone, vice-presidents; Trustees, Adam Kinsley, Elijah Spare, Joseph Downes, Samuel Davis, Simeon Presbrey, P. M. Crane, Thomas Dunbar, William Me- and treasurer; Jonathan Messinger, F. W. Lincoln, Leonard Everett, Elisha White, committee of investment. Thomas French, president upon organization ;

Francis W. Deane, secretary and treasurer, April 7, 1852; Nathaniel W. Dunbar, secretary and treasurer, March 26, 1883, present incumbent. The present trustees are Charles H. French, Charles Endicott, James S. Shepard, Ellis Ames, Virgil J. Messinger, George E. Downes, J. Mason Everett, Edward R. Eager, William O. Chapman, Frank G. Webster, Francis D. Dunbar, George H. Mansfield, Samuel H. Capen, Henry F. Baswell. Present committee of investment: Charles Endicott, James 8. Shepard, George E. Downes, William O. Chapman, Nathaniel W. Dunbar, treasurer. The first deposit was made May 2, 1835. Amount of deposits, present time, $449,964.40.

The Neponset Bank was chartered March 31, 1836, with the following directors: F. W. Lincoln, Leonard Hodges, Leonard Everett, George H. Mann, George Downes, Jonathan Messinger, Simeon Presbrey, Jonathan Robinson, Lyman Kinsley, Zachariah Tucker, Thomas Tolman; President, Frederic W. Lincoln; Cashier, James Dunbar. Oct. 6, 1845,

March 1, 1865, with Charles H. French, president, who has continued to the present time. Francis W. Deane was the first cashier. May 24, 1880, Nathaniel W. Dunbar was chosen cashier, and is the present

Military Record. - Canton furnished three hundred and fifty men for the war, which was a surplus of twenty-three over and above all demands. were commissioned officers.

war purposes, exclusive of State aid, was thirty thousand four hundred and fifteen dollars and seventy-one In addition to this, fifteen thousand dollars were raised by private subscription for the payment

The selectmen in 1861 and 1862 were James T. Sumner, Ellis Tucker, and John Hall; in 1863, William Horton, Ellis Tucker, and Ezra S. Brewster ; 1864 and 1865, William Horton, Charles Endicott, and Ezra 8. Brewster.

required to fillits quota. It was voted to pay a bounty of one hundred dollars 'to each volunteer duly mustered." August 18th, voted, '' that the town assume and pay an additional bounty of one hundred dollars to such volunteers as have enlisted since August 5th, to fill the quota of forty men, as voted at a public meeting of citizens and been subscribed and paid by the citizens upon the faith that the town would reimburse the August 27th, voted, " to pay a bounty of one hundred and fifty dollars to each volunteer enlisting to fill the quota of the town for men in the nine months' service," and a committee of citizens was

1865. No meeting appears to have been held during the year in relation to the war. Recruiting, however, went on as usual, and the State aid continued to be paid to the families of the volunteers.

1864. April 5th, voted, 'to pay a bounty of one hundred and twenty-five dollars to each volunteer enlisting to the credit of the town, under the recent call July 5th, voted, "to pay the same amount of bounty to each volunteer

1861. The first meeting to consider matters relat- | ing to the war was held April 29th, at which it was | | John Geddis, Co. A, 4th Regt.; died in service April 12, 1863.

voted to provide "all suitable and necessary aid to families of volunteers living in the town," and the sum of five thousand dollars was appropriated for that purpose, "to be expended by a committee joined with selectmen."

Revere Encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic. - That name reaches back to the prerevolutionary years of the republic, and for three generations has been associated with patriotism and military glory. Revere Encampment, Post 94, Grand Army of the Republic, was organized in 1869. Much interest was at once manifested in the work ; it grew from year to year, and at the present time is in a very prosperous condition. The Commander in 1883 was Alexander R. Holmes, M.D.

Representatives From 1776 To 1884

They derive themselves, at least the old families of the town, mainly from English stock, and had, like so many of their neighbors, the energy, industry, and

Other more modern influences have, of course, modified influences, but the roots remain. The first settlers were mainly farmers, whose habits were determined by their occupation, and till a northeast, and Moose Hill, on the southwest, was a wilderness to the time when the forests leveled, the water-courses dammed and changed, the hills tunneled and the rivers crossed by railroads, the ponds "preserved," the one church of rude architecture, which stood on Packeen Plain "solitary and alone," generous houses, and as property is the material basis of advance in civilization, it may not be amiss to note that Canton soil, albeit in spots rugged and thin, has always been as good as that of its neighbors, and in some cases surpassing it, the historical Canton farmer has always had rather better than an average chance to improve his condition.

Neither should it be forgotten that this primitive moral character has been modified and, to a degree, shaped by the factory-life which has for a long time existed here. Leaving out of the question all inquiry as to the economic value of a factory population in furnishing a home-market to the farmer, and it can- for education of youth, for civil government and legislation, and the barren fields are changed into fertile farms, and the silence of the wild and unpeopled valleys is broken by the sound of whirring wheels and ponderous hammers and rattling machinery, the hum of busy industrial life and labor, and all the social life wherein he is found, Canton has been fortunate in the character and ability of its leading mechanics and manufacturers, so that it is safe to say that its mechanical industries have gone to the formation of certain mental activity which is favorable to progress and thrift, as the present economic condition of its

When we add to these considerations the fact that Canton folk have always lived in easy communication with a large city, in fact, more or less a suburb of Boston, and that some of the most respectable of city society have made their summer homes here, it is evident that one cannot speak of Canton merely as a country town, or as one would speak of a rural population among the hills of New Hampshire or Maine.

is the old stock and Puritan qualities, but the coloring of their social life is of this century, and the ideas which prevail in the great world.

about the Canton man of to-day is that he is an American citizen, full of American ideas, and, like so many of his fellow-citizens, intent on making his mark and stamping his will upon the social and economic life about him. In a word, he is no other man than an American, and a pretty good representative of a people who seldom rest from attempting

Concord, N. H. He also became early interested in the various systems of theology and the history of religious sects. In 1828 he began to investigate the nature and condition of man, devoting himself to the study of biography and the investigation of out into some startling display of gathered money | lavishly spent on house or factory ; but the main fact

Biographical Sketches Nahum Capen

Nahum Capen was born in Canton, Norfolk Co., Mass., April 1, 1804. His family were among the earliest settlers in Dorchester. Bernard Capen and his wife Jane were supposedto be the ancestors of the great problems of government. He favored Andrew Jackson as a candidate for the Presidency, and was secretary of the Democratic party of Boston. He also became interested in metaphysics, and, devoting himself to the subject with great industry, he soon mastered all the ancient as well as modern systems.

by the celebrated William Wirt, Attorney-General of the United States, and by Rev. Henry Ware, D.D., of Harvard College, and others, to whom its authorship was never made known. He had an aversion to from George ILI. in 1763, and again in 1768, was the grandfather of our subject. Capen, a man of independent thought and a true gentleman, was born in Stoughton, Norfolk Co., Nov. 22,1757, and died June 1, 1846. His mother was Hannah Richards, of Sharon, Mass., a lady of character and energy, who died Nov. 23, 1843, aged seventy-three years.

At an early age Mr. Capen showed a marked tendency towards literary pursuits. always at the head of his class, and at nineteen he rewrote " Plutarch's Lives" as an exercise. He in-

In 1832 he first became acquainted with Spurzheim, with whom he contracted the closest intimacy, though at that time he was but twenty-eight years of age, while Spurzheim was fifty-six. When Spurzheim died in Boston, after a brilliant career in that city, Mr. Capen bad in his hands several thousand dollars belonging to him, besides his papers and personal He immediately requested the appointment of a committee to take charge of the prop- A biography of Spurzheim was prepared by Mr. Capen, and published as a part began the study of the profession; but delicate health prevented his completing this plan. At twenty-one he became a publisher and bookseller, and established a leading house in Boston, under the firm-name of Marsh, Capen & Lyon, witha branch in

2 See history of Columbian Lodge, by Grand Master Heard. Mr. Capen delivered a Masonic oration in Dedham, June 24, 1829, a public address before the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, in 1837. He was corresponding secretary of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts from 1833 to 1840. He wrote much during the anti-Masonic controversy, but anonymously.

a life of Spurzheim's friend and coadjutor, Dr. Gall, and edited his works translated from the French, in six volumes. He aided in revising Spurzheim's works. He was his chosen critic. Dr. Combe's works on Insanity, and the " Annals of Phrenology," in two volumes.' visited Europe for the purpose of making contracts tion, and designed plans for a model school, to be called the '"' New England Academy," to be succeeded by a university; his object being to elevate the standard of education. tions received the approbation of some of the most distinguished men and educators in this country, among whom were John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster, Edward Everett, Horace Mann, and George Combe, of Edinburgh. "If executed according to the plan," Mr. Combe said, "it would be the most in the establishment of the Board of Education and the system of normal schools, which have given to that State the position of pioneer in the noble cause.

1 In a letter of George Combe to a gentleman in the United States, dated Edinburgh, Noy. 26, 1833, he says of Mr. Capen, "He is securing for himself an honorable place in the annals of his country's philosophy by his own exertions. I am convineed that he is at this moment doing more substantial and | > ig _ | lead an anti-slavery party at the South, that the c c a 4 J )

In 1831, Mr. Capen was consulted by a committee of Congress in respect to a revision of the copyright law, and in 1837, in letters to Daniel Webster and Henry Clay, he urged the passage of an international copyright law. He acted up to his convictions consistently, being the first publisher in the United States who proposed to pay a premium to foreign living authors, and his firm was the first to perform that The memorial he addressed to Congress on the subject, in 1844, was eloquent and exhaustive. Horace Mann said of it, that it contained all that was worth knowing on the subject. It was approved by Dickens, who, in a letter to Mr. Capen, predicted that both would be in their graves before government acted upon the subject.

In 1846 he projected a United States statistical journal, to be published every two months. This project was earnestly favored by President Polk, the members of his cabinet, most of the United States senators, and other distinguished men of the nation ; but it was laid aside to enable him to devote himself exclusively to the great work of his life, '' The History of Democracy."

He edited the Massachusetts State Record from 1847 to 1852, inclusive, a work which was highly appreciated, and was then published under the sanction of the State Legislature. In 1850, Mr. Capen. made up the " Record' of Inventive Genius" of the country, from the statistics of the Patent Office from 1790 to 1849. This was printed by the government and extensively circulated. It was a remark of Rev. Dr. EK. M. P. Wells, that Mr. Capen "had the capacity to make statistics speak."

In 1848 he wrote and published the " Republic of the United States," which he dedicated to the Hon. James Buchanan, of Pennsylvania. In 1850 he prepared the papers of Judge Levi Woodbury for publication in three volumes. Mr. Woodbury refused to have his papers placed in the hands of any other person, and gave him full authority to alter or omit any inaccurate expression or doubtful opinion.

Mr. Capen has been through his whole life a most consistent follower, both in word and deed, of the principles of Democracy. In regard to slavery, he agreed with the expressed views of Washington, Jef- whenever it could be accomplished without violating the Constitution or endangering the Union. At an early period (1842) he advised Mr. Calhoun and

This was published in pamphlet form, and was extensively circulated. It was highly complimented by leading men and journals of all parties as one of the ablest produced on the subject. The learned Bishop Stevens, of Pennsylvania, said concerning it, " Rarely, tional Committee, he wrote a pamphlet entitled " One Hundred Reasons" in favor of electing Gen. Lewis Cass to the Presidency, - a remarkably spirited document which was circulated by hundreds of thousands. In 1849, as the result of a letter which led to the establishment of the Census Board, he was tendered

During his whole mature life Mr. Capen has been a frequent contributor to the public press of the country on all subjects, scientific, literary, and political. Among the many and varied subjects to which which he is an acknowledged authority, may be mentioned the subject of the importance of the usury laws. As early as 1849 he wrote a series of articles on the subject of the currency and the usury laws, demonstrating the necessity of such laws, and setting forth clearly and conclusively the evils that are sure to befall the community which neglects to protect itself by their rigid enforcement.

and Governor Wise declared that for this Virginia owed Mr. Capen a greater debt than to any other living man. In 1855 the leading members of the Legisture of Massachusetts addressed him a letter of thanks for the information he had communicated on the subject.

has enabled him to comprehend clearly the great principles of the Democratic faith, which he has adhered to with constant fidelity, and defended by speech and pen on all proper occasions.

His improvements in the postal service were varied and extensive. There is scarcely a household in the large towns and cities in the land who are not daily gladdened by the arrival of the postman free of charge at their door, or does not find a daily convenience in the letter-boxes at the corners of the streets, and yet few of them know that it is to Mr. Capen that they owe these blessings. It was through his exertions that the system was first introduced into America. It was necessary both for the convenience of the public and the health of the officials to change the location of the office. or willing at that time to erect a new post-office in Boston, the Postmaster-General proposed that if Mr. Capen or his friends would erect a building the Department would rent it. With this understanding a new building was erected with accommodations ample for twenty years. When it was completed, Mr. Capen advised the government to pay the cost of the building and take it; and if his advice had been followed, a large sum would have been saved to the public treasury. The removal was violently opposed by the real-estate owners and money institutions near the old site. Memorials for and against the change were posted for signatures, from which it appeared that four hundred and eighty-seven firms and names of firms favored the old location, and nearly eight thousand, headed by Governor Everett and Rufus Choate, the new. At the expiration of Mr. Capen's term of office it was carried back to State Street, but Mr. Capen's foresight and judgment were speedily vindicated, by the fact that within eighteen months they endeavored to get back the building which he had erected. Of his management of the post-oflice there was but one opinion. Rufus Choate pronounced it "beautiful." The Department at Washington attached great weight to his opinions. The oldest official declared that he made more improvements in four years than had been made in the present century.'

In 1850, Mr. Capen began what may be considered the most important work of his life, "The History of Democracy, or the Political Progress Historically

This work was undertaken at the request of some of the most distinguished Democrats of the day. The first volume was published in 1875, and he has nearly ready for the press the second, third, and fourth volumes, which will be ready for the electrotyper in

"A full and complete biography of a man like Mr. Capen would fill a book, and must be reserved for another pen, and on an occasion more appropriate than this."

Hon. Charles H. French

The family of French - those bearing that name in Canton - are descended from John French, who resided originally in Dorchester, and was admitted a freeman 1639. He subsequently removed to Braintree with his wife Grace, where he was a resiin dent in 1655, and where many of his children were born. From him are descended most of the Norfolk County families who bear the name of French. Thomas, one of his descendants, was born in Milton, Oct. 2, 1742, and died in Canton, April 22, 1819. and Abigail (Pitcher) Babcock. 26, 1749, and died March 3, 1802.

lutionary war. was one of the soldiers who guarded the captured army at Cambridge in 1778. He cultivated a farm at the extreme northerly part of the town, which now forms a part of the celebrated Blue Hill farm of Col. C. W. Walcott.

two daughters, some of whom, in spite of the meagre advantages which they were possessed of in childhood, in after-years were to bear honorable testimony to the diligence with which they had employed even the slight resources at their command.

Ansel, the youngest, graduated at Brown University in the class of 1814 with the highest honors. Thomas was during his long life not only influential in school, parish, church, and municipal affairs in his own town, but was prominent in the politics of the county and State. was a member of the Council during the administration of Governor George N. Briggs. Nathaniel, ington) Howe. She died July 25, 1816. Mr. French occupied the house on Green Lodge Street lately owned by Capt. William Shaller, and here, on the twenty-first of September, 1814, his son, Charles Howe French, was born.

The early life of Mr. French did not differ from the ordinary life of a farmer's boy in those days. He worked upon the farm in the summer, and in the winter attended the Blue Hill School. The loss of his mother and father at a tender age deprived him of that counsel, advice, and love which he so much The happiest hours of these days were passed in the homeneeded at this critical period of his life.

stead of General Nathan Crane, who had married his He was for a year or two placed with a gardener and farmer at Watertown, and daily drove a load of vegetables to Boston market.

Soon after he was placed with his uncle, Calvin Howe, at that time preceptor of the Milton Academy, where he hoped to remain and obtain a good education. But this hope was dissipated by the death of his uncle, who died after young French had been with him about a year.

At the age of sixteen years he was apprenticed, as was the custom in those days, to Mr. Jabez Comey, a millwright, at Dedham. With him he gained a thorough mastery of the science and practice of mechanics, a knowledge which afterwards was the chief After fulfilling his indentures, Mr. French was asked to assist Mr. William §. Otis in the building of one of the marvels of that day, a machine afterwards known as "The Otis Patent Steam Excavator." Mr. French accordingly came to Canton, and in a building which stood near what is now known as the Upper Silk

Factory, the massive machine was begun and com- As Mr. French thoroughly understood its mechanism, he was the man selected to superintend He accordingly went with it to Worcester, and entered the employ of Carmichael, Fairbanks & Otis, who had a affairs, that he was one of its most honored citizens and represented this town in the Legislature. Alexander, another brother, who died May 12, 1813, Hannah, daughter of Thomas and Hannah (With- the Boston and Albany. Mr. Otis, at the early age of twenty-six years, while engaged upon this work, died Nov. 13, 1839. Mr. French's knowledge and experience rendered him the only man competent to fill the place left vacant by the deceased inventor. He was at once invited to join the firm, and the style was changed to Carmichael, Fairbanks, French & Mr. Dillon in after-years became president of the Union Pacific Railroad. Mr. Fairbanks went to Russia with the celebrated engineer, Whistler, and assisted in building railroads for the emperor. Mr.

Oliver 8. Chapman, many years an honored resident of Canton, and well known to all railroad men, was also engaged on this work at this time.

This work having been completed, a copartnership was formed between Mr. Carmichael and Mr. French. The first-named gentleman had been the head of the former firm, and had large experience as a contractor. They received overtures from the Canadian government to undertake the widening of the Welland Canal. At the end of a year Mr. Carmichael took a contract at Brooklyn, N. Y., and the whole responsibility of the canal contract devolved upon Mr. French. In this arduous undertaking he was engaged five years, but so well had he performed his duty, and so same enterprise. At the end of this time his reputation as a skillful, accurate, and honest engineer, with | a practical business knowledge, was fully established, |

His townspeople would not, however, allow him to remain idle. They offered him the presidency of the Neponset Bank, which office he accepted, and the present time, with honor to himself, with the approval and hearty commendation of the stockholders and the townspeople. Throughout his management, and owing mainly to the confidence reposed in his judgment, the stock of the bank has continually increased in value, and no investment has been more eagerly sought for than the stock of this corporation.

In politics Mr. French was a Whig as long as that party had an existence. He was a member of the General Court in 1853, and appointed on the Committee on Railroads, the same year a member of the than the party. French appreciated this compliment, and it must have been a proud and happy moment for him when the result of these elections was announced, and he found that his friends had broken their allegiance to party to vote for one whom they loved and honored.

where he was placed upon the Committee on Banks _and Banking, also on Street Railroads. Mr. French has had some experience in the wilitia: | he was chosen. colonel of the Fourth Massachusetts Regiment, and continued as its commander about five | years. _ Atthe breaking out of the war Mr. French was active in every good work to assist in suppressing the Rebellion ; his heart and purse were always ready at the call of his country. He was one of the famous committee of 'One Hundred" who were summoned by Governor Andrew to take measures to insure supplies tothe Massachusetts troops who went to the front at the breaking out of the Rebellion.

Since residing in Canton Mr. French has been connected with the ancient parish; he has been its main support, its chief pillar. For many years he has been its treasurer, and whether the coffers were full or _empty the parson always received his pay promptly. Without him the organization would long since have been abandoned; by his words of encouragement, by his counsel, and by his generosity the house of God _has been kept open and the gospel preached. He was the largest contributor towards the erection of the _ parsonage and '' The Parish Hall."

In 1858, Mr. French purchased one of the ancient mill privileges in Stoughton, and took into partnership Mr. Henry Ward, who had a practical knowledge of knitting machinery and the manufacture of fancy knit goods. Beginning in a small way, the business has

On Oct. 10, 1880, a fire was discovered in the base- _ ment of the main building, which, extending to those adjoining, soon destroyed the entire property, including a new mill, eighty by thirty feet, three stories in height;. all the machinery was destroyed. The total loss was one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars, on which there was insurance amounting to fifty-five thousand dollars.

Thus in a night was swept away the accumulation of years. Mr. French was now sixty-six years of age, and it was a gigantic undertaking to again begin from the foundations, but with that courage and pluck which never fails him he made up his mind to go on, and immediately commenced to rebuild. To-day "the end crowns the work," a new building, better adapted to the purposes of the business, has taken the place of the conglomeration of former days, the busy hum of wheels and the whir of machinery is again heard, and hundreds of busy men and women look to Mr. French for their daily bread, and thank God that he had the courage and public spirit to place the business on its old | born in Walpole, Mass., Jan. 9, 1790, and died March 9, 1838. Their eldest son, Oliver S., was

Soon after Mr. French returned to Canton he purchased about forty-five acres of land, being a portion of the original grant to the Indians from Dorchester. In a delightful situation, a short distance from the old road which formerly ran between Massachusetts tial stone house, where he now resides. He married, July 27, 1837, Almira, daughter of Deacon Leonard and Almira (Kimball) Everett, a Canton lady, whose father was a prominent and highly-respectable citizen of this town.

Mr. French has not hoarded his honestly-acquired gains, his hand has been ever open to the calls of charity, and many are the families that have been either entirely or in part supported by his bounty. A cause that is just, a case of suffering, always receives

He has been active as a citizen, taken any part that was assigned him. In school matters, on the board of selectmen, as moderator of the town-meetings, he has done all he could for the interest and advancement of the town.

Oliver Smith Chapman

Oliver Smith Chapman was without doubt descended from Ralph Chapman, born in England in 1615, and who, at the age of twenty years, being then a resident of the parish of St. Saviors, Southwark, County Surrey, emigrated to America, as will appear upon consulting the list of passengers who through a solid rock, the sides of which, when comwell remembered seeing. 'This ancestor, at the age of ninety-one, rode on horseback from Reedsborough, Vt., to Belchertown, in this State, to visit his relatives. Throop Chapman had a number of children, among others William, who, in turn, had, among others, Daniel, the father of Oliver, who was born Dec. 23, 1782, and died at Canton, April 12, 1867.

His early life was passed in his native town, where he learned from his father the trade of a wheelwright, and soon became a skillful mechanic, obtaining that practical information which enabled him in afteryears to become so successful a man. Before he arrived at his majority he had erected with his own earnings a saw-mill.

visit to Canton, where he was engaged upon a piece of work near the viaduct, and occupied with his employés the very house of which he died possessed. It was about this time that his friend and cousin, William Smith Otis, married (June 22, 1835) Elizabeth, the daughter of Deacon Leonard Everett, of this town. Mr. Chapman was present at' the ceremony. The happiness of their wedded life was of short duration, for on the 13th of November, 1839, at the early age of twenty-six years, Mr. Otis died at short years one of the marvelous mechanical inyentions of the age, - " The Otis Steam Excavator." Mr. Otis and Mr. Daniel Carmichael both had contracted to do work on the Providence road. The latter gentleman induced Mr. Chapman to go with him to Worcester, and near that city he was for a time engaged in constructing what is now a portion of the Boston and Albany Railroad. Again a short time in Canton, and then Mr. Chapman went to a place near Greenwich, in Rhode Island, where he took a contract to construct portions of the Providence and Stonington Railroad. In 1836 he went to Philadelphia, where a he labored. Subsequently he was at New Worcester for a short time. During the year 1837 he took contracts on the Kastern Railroad at Chelsea, Lynn, and Salem. It was on the 18th of September this year that he was married to Miss Olivia, the daughter of Reuben and Chloe Cook. His next employment was upon the Boston and Albany Railroad, in 1839. Here, in the other. This work, now known as the Summit Cut, was completed in 1841. But his health at this time failed him, and he returned with his wife to his native town, and there remained for two or three It was during these years (Jan. 3, 1844) commonwealth on the " Back Bay," in the city of Boston, and possessed large tracts of land in the States of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Iowa. In 1863- - 64 he was sent as representative to the State Legislature from the Eleventh Norfolk District. Mr. Chapman was chosen one of the directors of the Neponset National Bank of Canton.

On Thursday morning, Feb. 8, 1877, Mr. Chapman, apparently in his usual health, took the morning train for Boston. Soon after reaching the city he went to the store of J. V. Kettell, for the purpose of

The lesson of such a life as his should be deeply written on our hearts. in the consciousness that there is goodness and honesty in the world, - goodness without ostentation, and honesty without cant. These were the distinguish- ing characteristics of Mr. Chapman's life. Possessed of ample means, he made no display. He never sought official position, but when public honors were bestowed upon him, he bore them meekly, ever remembering that it was a trust he received from his _ constituents, and not an occasion to display himself. During the thirty years of his residence in Canton he was ever active in all measures pertaining to the improvement and embellishment of the town.

He was ' more than a good citizen; he was an active and energetic public man, always ready to give more than his share of time and money to benefit his townspeople.

superintend its erection as Mr. Chapman. Day by day he was at his post, directing, guiding, and taking a part himself if the work flagged. During the dark days of the war he sustained the government, and by his influence induced others to do so who were dis- He was to be seen at all public meetings, and though it was seldom that he _ spoke, he was ever ready to contribute his time and his money to encourage those who were less sanguine than himself. No one watched the course of events during those gloomy years with more interest than he, and no one was more pleased and gratified at the final result.

'"' His life was private ; safely led, aloof From the loud world, which yet he understood, Largely and wisely, as no worldling could For he by privilege of his nature proof Against false glitter, from beneath the roof Of privacy, as from a cave, surveyed | With steadfast eye its flickering light and shade, And gently judged for evil and for good. But while he mixed not for his own behoof In public strife, his spirit glowed with zeal,

William Mansfield

William Mansfield, son of John and Sarah ( Pritchard) Mansfield, was born in Boston, Mass., Feb. / 20,1803. His father, John Mansfield, was born in Hingham, Oct. 24,1765. When a young man he _ went to Boston, where he resided until May, 1803, when he came to Canton. He was a builder and carpenter by trade. He married Sarah, daughter of Lieut. Samuel and Martha (Blowers) Pritchard. Lieut. Pritchard was an officer in the navy during ried Judah Hawes, of Stoughton; Mary (deceased), married Abner Tilden, of Canton; Nancy (deceased) ; John (deceased) ; Sampson (deceased); William ; Louisa (deceased), married Capt. Thomas W. Baker, of Dennis; George (deceased); Emeline, married attendance at a private school. most of the boys of his age at that period of our his- At the age of sixteen he commenced his apprenticeship at the cartory, was passed on his father's farm.

B. (deceased), Horace H., George H., Sarah J., Preston R., M. Adelaide (married Wisner Park), Frederic W., and Herbert T. (deceased). In 1826, above. The '" Ruggles Press" found its way into every section of the country. This copartnership existed until 1849, when Mr. Mansfield purchased the property known as the Presbrey thread-mill, and engaged in the manufacture of thread and twine until 1858, when he relinquished it, and was succeeded by his sons, George H. and Preston R. Since then Mr. Mansfield has devoted himself to his insurance business, which has grown largely on his hands. This he began in 1831, as agent for the Norfolk and Dedham About 1850 he was elected director in both companies, and has served as such to

Companies of Dedham. the present time. He was trustee and one of the committee of investment in Canton Savings Institution for twenty years, resigning that trust in 1881. He was United States assistant assessor of internal revenue for Second District about six years. He took the United States census of Canton in 1870. Since the formation of the Republican party Mr. Mansfield has been unfaltering in his allegiance to the principles it advocates. He has served his town as assessor and selectman for seven years, and has held a commission as justice of the peace for nearly thirty printing-presses, building for the Perkins Institution for the Blind, of Boston, many articles requiring fine workmanship. and friendship of S. P. Ruggles, the inventor, who Mr. Mansfield's fond- He use in that institution, also the first embossing-press used in this country, and did other work for the institution for several years. In connection therewith he manufactured cotton and woolen machinery. His machine-shop stood where the lower silk-mill of Seavey, Folsom & Bowman is now located. In May, 1845, he removed to Hingham and engaged in the baking business, returned to Canton, November, 1846, where he formed a copartnership with Jedediah Morse, and built a shop on Walnut Street, surveying

In private life Mr. Mansfield is especially characterized by modest, unassuming manners, strong social feeling, and warm friendship. Methodical and accurate in business matters, he can always be depended upon ; upright and conscientious, his word is as good as his bond. Faithful in all relations, 'above fear and beyond reproach," Mr. Mansfield has gained and holds a firm place among the best citizens of Canton.

James Stratton Shepard

James Stratton Shepard, son of Joseph and Mary (Stratton) Shepard, was born in Foxborough, March 31, 1815. His father being in humble circumstances, he was obliged to commence labor early in life, and at ten years of age went into a cotton-mill, where he worked until he was fifteen. farm in Foxborough for two years, then going to Sharon, he commenced to learn the machinist's trade in 1832, but in about six to eight months he was put in charge of the carding-room in the mill of George H. Mann. There his diligence, energy, and general intelligence won for him the confidence of his employer, and he was promoted rapidly, until he had In February of 1839 he went into partnership with his brother Joseph in the manufacture of straw goods in Foxborough. Not liking the business, and Mr. Mann being desirous of again securing his services, and receiving a sufficiently remunerative offer, he again assumed the saperintendence of the mill. Sept. 12,1839, he married Mary, daughter of Clifford and Mary (McKendry) Belcher, of Canton. She was born Feb. 1, 1819. Their children are four, - Sarah E. [married Ivers W. Adams, of Boston ; they have five children]; Ellen A. ; Georgie [married Freeland D. Leslie, of Canton]; and Willie S., now in the office of the American Net and Twine Company at Boston as salesman. Mr. and Mrs. Shepard commenced housekeeping in Sharon. In the full of 1839, Mr. Mann's mill was burned, and hats. After one year of this business, he took charge of a cotton-mill in Ashburnham for George Blackburn & Co., of Boston, making satinet warps, and in January, 1841, he removed thither as superintendent Here he remained until the fall of 1844. Then coming to Canton, he purchased the cotton-mill thread-mill of Southworth & White, and fitted this up, making seine-twine. The first year ten thousand pounds were made, and in 1883, five hundred and the manufacturing of knitting-cotton and harnesstwine for three years, when he sold his interest to Martin Wales. The American Net and Twine Company were the largest buyers of the seine-twine for some fifteen to eighteen years. he became a partner of that company, leasing his real estate to them, and engaged in the manufacture of fishnets and seines. In this particular branch of industry and manufacture they were the first to engage in New England, and the business has increased largely, their products being in use from Labrador to Alaska, and in Kurope as well. formed a corporation, having previously built a large will at Cambridge. W. Fairbanks, Cambridge, and James S. Shepard, of Canton, were among the principal stockholders. Mr.

Canton. Salesrooms: Boston, No. 43 Commercial Street; New York, No. 199 Fulton Street. Mr. Shepard is a practical and thorough-going man. He | element of his success. He is essentially a self-made man, and his life has been one of steady and active devotion to his varied and numerous business interests. He is a stockholder in various corporations and director in Neponset National Bank. Politically he has been a Republican from the organization of that party, and in 1871-72 represented Canton in the State Legislature. In private life he is especially characterized by strong social feeling and warm friendship for a large circle of friends. Of pleasing address, he is a genial companion, enlivening his conversation with shrewd practical remarks and quaint humor. He takes an interest in everything tending towards the building up of his town. Among the representative citizens of Canton who enjoy the confidence and notably so of " Genealogy of Morse Family'), was born May 25, 1841. He traces his ancestry back through an ancient and honorable New England family, the first of whom having connection with American history being Samuel Morse, who settled at Dedham in 1634. The descendants of this sturdy pioneer have in every generation filled important positions, being distinguished in literature, art, science, and business, and marked for their independence, originality, and energy. Mr. Morse acquired his education at common and private schools, among others the Boylston school of Boston, then under the charge of that celebrated instructor, Hon. Charles Kimball, of Lowell. His father, although able and learned, like many professional men, bad little of this world's goods. lijah's business life began in his school-days. When about fifteen years old, during his vacation, he began to make and sell from house to house a stove polish, prepared from a formula given him by the eminent chemist, Dr. Charles Jackson, of Boston, who was a strong and intimate friend of his father.

Elijah had no thought then of pursuing the manufacture as a permanent employment, although from the merits of the polish, and the excellent qualities he developed as a salesman and his success, he might well have done so. But after his school-days were over, in 1860, while a resident of Sharon, he did adopt of Port Hudson. His term of service ended, in 1864 he made his home in Canton, and hired "a small upper room," and engaged in the business which has now assumed such colossal proportions. This was company with him, but since then Mr. Morse has been sole proprietor, retaining, however, the firm-name " Morse Brothers." From 1868 to the present there has been a rapid and enormous increase in the production and sale of his polish. Energy, perseverance, and an unusual amount of originality on the part of Mr. Morse has wrought the change. To properly place his goods on sale he traveled personally through twenty-two of the United States, acting as his own commercial traveler. To secure his proper legal rights he adopted the trade-mark " Rising Sun Stove Polish," and now every quarter of the globe knows and uses his polish, and it is as standard an article of household use as flour. The following from the Canton Journal gives the sales of a single day in

"Owing to the prospect of an immediate advance in Western freights, Morse Brothers have just received orders for an unusually large amount of their celebrated 'Rising Sun Stove Polish.' The sale of this day loaded four cars, and weighed 57,900 pounds, nearly 29 tons. was contained in 2270 cases. ages, and, as they are four inches long, would reach (being placed in a line touching one another) nearly ten and one-half miles." dred and twenty-five feet long and four stories high. This is the largest building for the purpose in the world. ' His place, in almost every part, shows the character of his business, - the making of stove polish, and ' Rising Sun Stove Polish' is seen freely painted on numbers of his front of his residence are two gilded statues and of life size, emblematic of Spring and Autumn, - Spring with flowers, and Autumn with a sickle and sheaf of wheat. Upon the point of the roof of his main building is a life-size figure of Justice holding the scales evenly poised. Every part of the place shows the spirit of the man who rules it. We have been told that at one time, when the depression made everything in though they had nothing to do in the shops, and this for several weeks." This speaks well for his benevo- "He was one of the number who learned the location of the grave of Col. Gridley (the patriot who engineered the fortifications at Bunker Hill, and afterwards took part in the memorable erected over them." As characteristic of the man, and speaking more than pages of description, we give the following from the Canton Journal: " All the manufacturers in Canton received a circular a few days since from a New York tobacco-house offering to donate to the men in their employ a sample of their goods. Mr. Morse's reply was as follows: ' Your circular received. We don't use tobacco. Consider it a Ti will kill lice, fleas, and every creature on God's footstool but a tobacco-worm, and will poison, injure, and shorten the life of any man who uses it. It is the twin-sister and handmaid of strong drink, as it creates an unnatural In connection with rum, it is the cause of the awful disease known as Can you wonder that we don't We has been an active prohibitionist, and is now an enically, Mr. Morse has taken advanced grounds. thusiastic temperance Republican. He represented his town in the State Legislature of 1876. During the' last five years Mr. Morse has lectured very extensively in the New England States on temperance, in

In conclusion, Mr. Morse is a self-made man of the highest order. arly in life he learned that the way to suecess was by no royal road, but open and clear to stout hearts and willing hands. He has gained nothing

James Draper

Among those who were foremost in introducing and establishing the woolen industry in Canton, the name of James Draper stands prominent. He was a man of great energy, untiring industry, and superior business capacity.

years. He waz born in Melbourne, Derbyshire, England, Sept. 17, 1813. Being early thrown upon his own resources, his mechanical turn of mind led him to adopt the knitting

He came to Canton with his family in April, 1851. The sailing-vessel in which he arrived dropped anchor in Boston harbor on the morning following the memorable storm which destroyed the ill-fated Minot's Ledge light-house. An elder brother, named Thomas, had preceded him to the States, who had purchased in Canton the old Dr. Stone estate, at the corner of Washington and Pleasant Streets, and at ting up a shop to receive knitting machinery. Here for several years he assisted Thomas in organizing and developing the woolen business. introduction of the knitting industry into Canton. In the spring of 1856, after the death of his brother Thomas, we find James in business for him-

In April, 1869, the firm had bought the property of the Canton Woolen-Mills, and at the time of the fire were running three factories, - the Everett Mill and the Canton Woolen-Mills at the Centre, and the Morse Mill at South Canton.

It was deemed inexpedient to rebuild at South Canton, and the foundations were immediately started for a spinning-mill at the Centre, making a valuable addition to the Canton Woolen- Mills.

The new mill was completed before winter, and was equipped with seven sets of woolen-cards, with a basement occupied by shuttle-looms and knitting-machinery. At the time of Mr. Draper's death, three years later, the firm was doing a large and prosperous business.

Mr. Draper died May 23, 1873. His death was a public loss, and the sorrow manifested by the employés at his decease was the truest evidence of the warm place he held in their hearts.

Any sketch of James Draper would be imperfect that gave no hint of the sturdy individuality of his nature, and the generous impulses, which knew no limit but his means. His heart was pure gold. It was alive with tenderness to the wants of the young, the aged, the poor, and the unfortunate. To lift another's burden seemed to lighten his own. His cardinal doctrine was, '" Flee pleasure, and it will pursue you. Strive for the happiness of others, and your own will abound." The light of his life was to serve, cheer, encourage, and minister to the comfort of those who came within his sphere. The only value he put on money was its blessing power. His happiest moments were when he was giving. He property to the requirements of their business ; built a dye-house, put in three sets of woolen-cards, with their complement of spinning machinery, and a full

Whatever he achieved in life was due to his own efforts ; he was self-made in the full meaning of the word. In the England of his boyhood, educatiun was not the fostered child it is to-day. But in almost every town could be found a morning and evening school, where, for a small sum, a determined spirit The only education he had was obtained at these schools, by a brief hour snatched from the forelock of the day's labor, or added at its close, to satisfy the craving for

Mr. Draper was plain in manners, determined in opinions, and inflexible in principle. He was a genuine hater of shams and pretense, and would rebuke with almost merciless severity a would-be trious descent, and can trace their ancestry twentyone generations in England, to the time of the Nor- The pedigree commences with Reginald Wentworth, or, as written in " Domesday Book," Rynold De Winterwade. He was the possessor of the lordship of Wentworth, in the Wapentake of Strafford, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, in 1066. Lord of Wentworth sufficiently proves him to have been a prominent man, even at this early date. The Wentworths held high offices in church and state, and were knighted for their bravery. From Reginald the others, to a ' combination" for a government at Hxeter, N. H., on the 4th day of October, 1639. This combination continued for three years; we then find him, in 1642, as juror from Wells, Me., and in 1648 he was constable. He must have removed from Maine about 1649, as in 1650 he was taxed at Dover, N. H., and was also one of the selectmen in 1651, 1657, 1664, 1665, and 1670. "On the fifth day of Oct. 1652, William Wentworth and others in behalf of themselves and the town of Dover, contract with tichard Waldern to build a meeting house," ete.

It was over this church, known now as the First Church in Dover, that William Wentworth became an elder. In 1689 he was instrumental in saving Heard's garrison. He officiated several years as a preacher at Exeter and other places, and died at a very advanced age at Dover in 1697. From him the several Governors Wentworth have descended. John?, son of Elder William Wentworth, was born prior to

16149, and hence was one of the oldest of Elder Wentworth's children. He resided in Dover, N. H., until about 1672; afterwards he was in York, Me., until that town was destroyed by the Indians in 1692. He then probably came to Massachusetts, as in 1704 his name is mentioned in a lease dated in November of that year at Punkapaug (now Canton), Mass. He married Martha Their children were John, Edward, Charles*, Shubael, Elizabeth, and Abigail. Charles*, son of John*® and Martha Wentworth, was born about 1684. He lived in Canton, Mass., then a part of Stoughton. The house in which he lived He was one of the selectmen of Stoughton in 1730 and for several years afterwards. When sixty years of age he was appointed by Governor Shirley, June 18, 1744, lieutenant of the Third Company of the Fourth Regiment of militia, and afterwards became captain. He married, Dec. 15, 1713, Bethiah, daughter of John Fenno, of Stoughton. Their children were Amariah, Rachel, William, Samuel', Bethiah, Seth, Jerusha, Sarah. Charles Wentworth died at Canton, Mass., July 8, 1780, aged ninety-six. Samuel', son of Charles* and Bethiah (Fenno) Wentworth, was born April 24, 1728, and lived in Stoughton on land given him by his father May 22, 1753. He was called "' Capt. Samuel." He married, first, Oct. 19, 1748, Hannah Endicott ; second, Feb. 1, 1754, Sarah, daughter of John and Abigail (Vose) Puffer. _He died Dec. 23,1783. His children were Mary, Mehitable, Samuel, Abel, Nathaniel®, Abel, Rachel, Sarah, Abigail, John, Bethiah. Nathaniel®, son of Samuel* and Sarah (Puffer) Wentworth, was born Nov. 11, 1761, married, April 3, 1792, Olive, daughter of Samuel Capen. She died May 12, 1859.

Nathaniel was a hard-working boy, and used to draw wood six miles to sell to Governor Hutchinson, who resided on Milton Hill. He left his home early on the morning of the 19th of April, 1775, with a load of wood, and hearing the news of the fighting at Lexington and Concord, he alarmed his friends by his prolonged absence. He served six months in the Revolutionary army as guard on the British prisoners captured in Burgoyne's surrender, who were kept in barracks on Bunker Hill from 1777 to the spring of 1778. He drew a pension up to the time of his death, which occurred July 9, 1849, on the spot where his grandfather, Charles, lived and died, and his widow continued to draw it until her death, Some twelve years thereafter. Mr. Edwin Wentworth states that when he went to draw the pension for her he was much impressed by the cordiality and friendliness existing among the pensioners assembled from various parts of the State. having been of so patriotic blood as to merit this reward. His children were Nathaniel*®, Sophia, Larra Edwin, and Francis. +

NATHANIEL WENTWORTH, sixth in descent from Elder William Wentworth, the first American of the name, and oldest son of Nathaniel and Olive (Capen) Wentworth, was born June 2, 1795, and was a lifelong resident of Canton. mostly at the common schools, supplemented, however, by a short time at a private school, but being by nature energetic and a hard worker, he engaged in the business for which he was naturally fitted, - that of cattle dealer, - and did an immense butchering business, which is now carried on by his son. He was especially noted for his knowledge of live-stock. His business was a success, and he became wealthy for the times in which he lived. He married, first, May 12, 1827, Rebecca G. Presbrey. She died Dec. 25, 1847. Second, Sarah J. Bachelder, March 4, 1850. She

June 14th. He is a charter member of Revere Post, Grand Army of the Republic, which was organized in 1869, and takes great interest and pride in this organization, and illustrates in his private life that a brave soldier is always a good citizen.

Epwin WENtTWorTH, son of Nathaniel® and Olive (Capen) Wentworth, was born on the old Wentworth homestead, in Canton, Mass., April 1, 1805. He received his education both at common and at a private school under the charge of that eminent mathematician, Colburn. He served as clerk at various times for his brother-in-law, Nathaniel French, who was a merchant, and there acquired such a taste for business that he preferred engaging in trade to a college life at Harvard University, and June 3, 1822, gaged in business for himself, and paying one dollar when but little over seventeen, he enand fifty cents per week for his board, he cleared nine hundred dollars the first year, thus proving his aptitude for his chosen calling, that of merchant, in which he continued for about twenty-one years, four years of that time in Stoughton. He also carried on a bakery and confectionery business, speculated largely in real estate, his ventures being usually Mr. Wentworth's sagacity and judgment were of eminent advantage to him in auction, knowing when and how to purchase. operations. Well known as a man whose word is as good as his bond, naturally he has been called to fill many places of trust and financial responsibility, and in the discharge of his duties has deemed it imperative to know personally how affairs stood, and never acter and consistent in his principles. In _ politics he was a Republican. He was selectman for one year, and only lacked one vote of election for representative, although he remained at home and kept his men at work. He was a man of quaint originality, social, and his company was much enjoyed by his associates brey) Wentworth, enlisted as private in Company A, Fourth Massachusetts Regiment, Sept. 17, 1862, and served faithfully in the department of the Gulf under Gen. Banks, participating in the warm engagement at Bisland, La., and in the memorable siege of Vort Hudson, where he was wounded in the assault of trusted to another for information which he should himself possess. Mr. Wentworth was director of Neponset Bank for ten years, trustee of Canton Savings- Bank several years. As an instance of his popularity we would mention that once, while a candidate for the Legislature from Canton, he received the largest vote ever cast for a candidate in his town, - four huudred and fourteen out of about six hundred votes polled. Mr. Wentworth has ever been a Democrat, believing that the Jeffersonian principles, as expressed in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, were the true guides to liberty and freedom for the republic. Fearless, outspoken, and bold, Mr. Wentworth has never been double-faced, and in all points at issue no one has ever had any difficulty in finding where he stood, either in politics, business, or town affairs. He built the fine residence where he now resides in 1853, and has done much to build up the interests of Canton by erecting convenient tenements.

He has holdings of real estate in Kast Boston, Cambridge, Charlestown, Boston, South Braintree, and Stoughton, four houses at Nantasket, one of them the Wentworth House, and about twenty-five tenements which he rents in Canton, and is considered the largest To Mr. Wentworth and his brother Nathaniel the growth of the Universalist seventy-nine, is passing on to the twilight of life with a cheerful philosophy, and is still at his labors, prefer- For seven years he held commissions of ensign and lieutenant in

Friend and Rebecca (Upham) Crane, of Canton. They had two children, - Mary (born April 28, 1836 ; she died May 1, 1867 ; married Horace H. Mansfield, of Canton, had three children, - Mary Wentworth,

Corodon Spaulding

Spaulding, the first of the family we*have any knowledge of, who came to America in the earliest years of the Massachusetts Colony, - probably between 1630 and 1633.

He first appears in Braintree, Mass., and his descendants were as follows: Edward (2d), Ebenezer (3d), Stephen (4th), Eben (5th), Warren (6th), Corodon (7th), who was born Jan. 1, 1812, in East

He well recollects seeing his great-grandfather at his father's house in (what was then) Fishersfield, now Newbury, N. H. He was quite an old man, but came on horseback. .

His grandparents on his father's side lived on a farm in Kast Washington, N. H., now a small village. His grandmother lived to be one hundred years and three months old. Her one hundredth birthday was celebrated by appropriate services on the 30th of March, 1859. Rev. Willard Spaulding, her grandson, preached an eloquent sermon on the occasion.

It may not be out of place here to remark that he has always been of strictly temperate principles, and since leaving home a strong advocate of temperance ; and one incident that happened while at school so disgusted him that it can never be forgotten. When about sixteen years of age the snow was piled in drifts around the school-house, the boys got to snow-balling, and in the excitement carried the game into the schoolhouse and had it out there, and upon the arrival of the master, he (the master) proposed to and did send to the village and bought a gallon of rum and passed it around to the scholars to any and all who would drink. been informed of what was going on, and went himself to the school-house, when, upon his appearance to him, who refused it, however, and immediately took measures to have the master removed. This is given to show the youth the difference of influence between the present day and then.

When eighteen years of age, in the year 1830, he engaged as a stone-cutter, and worked on the sea-wall on Deer Island in Boston harbor. The following October he went to Newcastle, in the State of Delaware, and did some work on the Frenchtown and Neweastle Railroad, and in December of the same The road was then completed to Ellicott's Mills, and here, in 1831, he superintended a granite-quarry, and got out stone for the track in Pratt Street, in Baltimore. This was the year the first locomotive was built in the United States, by Peter Cooper. He sometimes came to Hllicott's Mills, bringing long trains of cars (as they were called then).

For the information of those younger than himself we will state a little incident that occurred. As the cars were passing the quarry about his dinneree hour, he would avail himself of the opportunity to ride part of the way to his boarding-place, and the last car being void of passengers, he jumped on the | rear end, and his weight caused the forward wheels | to rise from the rail, and when it came down again | did not strike the rail, but they were able to put the car on the track again without stopping the train. He regrets that he has never been able to see that good old man, Peter Cooper, again.

The following December he went to Pennsylvania | and engaged on the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad (now Pennsylvania Central), and the next De- | cember left for his father's home in Bradford, N. H.., and remained there until the next March, when he engaged work in Boston on Union wharf.

In August, 1835, engaged with the same company as road-master, where he remained nineteen and one- | half years, and in the course of this time invented the machine for curving and straightening railroadbars, so extensively used on all roads at the present time. Also, a derrick now used by all stone-masons.

In 1836, the 20th of April, was married to Abigail Tolman, daughter of Joseph Tolman, of Sharon, Mass., and moved to Canton in 1839; bought a Their children were as follows: Corodon, born Aug. 10, 1838, in Sharon, Mass., died Nov. 30, 1841, in Can- | ton, Mass.; Sarah Abigail, born Aug. 2, 1844, in Canton, where she died Feb. 16, 1845; Sarah Abigail, born June 16, 1846, in Canton, Mass., and was married to William K. Hawes, Jan. 1, 1871. They | reside in Canton. William K. Hawes is son of In- | crease Hawes, of Norwood, Mass.

Francis W. Deane

Francis W. Deane, son of William and Chloe Deane, | was born in Mansfield, Mass., Oct. 9, 1807. The | Deane family is an old and honored one in New Eng- (See biography of Theodore Dean, in our " History of Bristol County, Massachusetts."') | His parents were in bumble circumstances on a small | farm, and his father's death, when Frank was but | five years old, brought a great responsibility upon the | to bring up her three small boys. With courage and determination she set about the task, and well did she By her constant teaching and example, she instilled into their young minds those | in Canton. In 1822, when he was fifteen, she brought Frank to Canton to take a clerkship in the country store of Leonard Everett. From that time to the or envy dared to impugn his honesty or to impeach his motives. His life has been an open book, whose pages have ever told the one story of unassuming He remained with Mr. Everett nearly six worth. years. James Dunbar and Elisha Crane as clerk at the ''stone-factory," near the Boston and Providence Viaduct, with whom he remained about two years, until He then began trading on his own account ; but, after a short time, his services were sought as clerk in the Neponset Bank,