Plymouth Town (part 45 of 54)

In 1833 Captain Howard married Miss Mary A. Dunbar, who was born in West Bridgewater, daughter of Samuel Dunbar. Her father, now deceased, was an influential citizen of this town, which he served as a Representative in the Massachusetts legislature. Of the nine children born to Captain and Mrs. Howard, si.\ are living; namely, Margaret, Mary N., George F. , Lucy B., Frank L., and Antoinette. Margaret is the wife of Osman Dalton, of New York; Mary N. is the widow of Charles B. Edgerley, late of Boston, Mass. ; Lucy B. is the wife of Marcus Reynolds, of Brockton, this county; and Antoinette married Walter Edson, of Brockton. The deceased were Samuel D., Caroline J., and Stephen D.

Captain Howard has been a Republican since 1852. He has served as Selectman of West Bridgewater. Prior to the Civil War he was a member of an independent company of State militia, by whom, before he was twenty years old, he was chosen Cajjtain. Thereafter he held that rank until the company disbaniled, a period of si.x years; and his many friends have since addressed him as Captain Howard. He is a member of the Unitarian church.

LBI>:RT0 W. LUMBERT, the efficient superintendent of D. W. Field's Shoe P'actory of Brockton, was born in Hyannis, Barnstable County, Mass., September 5, 1871, son of Henry C. and Sophia (Howes) Lumbert. The family has resided in that vicinity for a century past. Zimri Lumbert, grandfather of Alberto W., was a native of that town, and became a farmer in Hyannisport. He married Mary Ames, of Cotuit, Mass. ; and they had eight children, four sons and four daughters, all but one of whom are living, nearly all being residents of Cape Cod. Zimri Lumbert died at the age of seventy-five years. His son, Henry C. Lumbert, who was educated in the common schools, subsequently became a carpenter and boat-builder, carrying on those trades for several years. His wife, Sophia G., is a daughter of Philip Howes, of Barnstable, Mass. Four children are the result of their union. Both parents are living, the father being fiftyeight years old. He is a member of Hyannis Lodge, A. F. & A. M.

Alberto W. Lumbert was the third child of his parents. After spending two years in the Hyannis High School, he took a course in the Bryant & Stratton Commercial College in Boston. In May, 1886, he entered D. W. Field's Shoe Factory as book-keeper. Six years thereafter, in 1893, he was appointed superintendent, which position he now holds. In October, 1894, Mr. Lumbert was united in marriage with Elizabeth Kelley, daughter of Alexander Kelley, of San Francisco, Cal. They have one daughter, Lorna. In politics Mr. Lumbert is independent, but favors the Republican party. Fraternally, he is a member of Paul Revere Lodge, A. F. & A. M.

'OHN M. ALLEIN, an esteemed resident of Marion, was born June 24, 1842, in the village of Sippican, son of Captain Henry M. Allen. He comes of old pioneer stock. The first of the name in this town was John Allen, who came to Marion from Connecticut in i737- Previous to that time the said John Allen, assisted by sixteen other brave men, had seized an Indian fort in Connecticut, where he lived for a time, having received a grant of land near Woodstock from the government. After coming to this town, he made a trip to Rochester to have his will drawn up; and, as he was returning, his boat was capsized in Sippican Harbor, and he was drowned. Of his five children, two sons were in the Revolutionary War. One of these, John, Jr., was a Sergeant. His son Weston became the father of Joseph, who was a sea captain, and the grandfather of John M. Allen.

Captain Henry M. Allen was born in Marion in 1809. Nine years later he began to go to sea with his father, who was a shipowner. After sailing with his father for several years, he became master of a vessel, in which calling he met with great success. His last years were passed at his home in Marion, where his death occurred in 1887, his body being laid to rest in Evergreen Cemetery. He was a public-spirited man, and did much to advance the interests of the town and of his church. He married Matilda E. Clark, who was born in New Rochelle, N.Y., in 1807. She died in J882 at the house of her son in New Bedford, where she was then visiting. They had three children, as follows: Mary E., who has been librarian at the Marion Library since 1874; John M., the subject of this sketch; and Nathan H., an organist and teacher, residing in Hartford, Conn.

After having been a pupil of the public and private schools of his native village, John M. Allen, at the age of fifteen years, entered Phillips Academy at Andover, Mass., where he pursued his studies three years. He then took a course at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., and in 1864 was graduated in civil engineering. He subsequently spent three years in the office of Ware & Van Brunt, architects in ]5oston, and then went to New I^edford, where he was engaged as an architect for ten years. After the death of his father, Mr. Allen returned to Marion, and has lived there since. He is the owner of considerable shore property in this vicinity, and carries on a substantial business in conveyancing, surveying, and other work connected with real estate. He has been a Justice of the Peace for three years, was Superintendent of Schools in 1877, and he has served in the capacities of Town Auditor and Chairman of the School Committee.

On April 15, 1878, Mr. Allen married Lizzie W. Allen, a native of Pittsburg, Pa., and a daughter of Charles W. Rickctson. Their only child is Matilda, now a student at Tabor Academy. Both Mr. and Mrs. Allen are members of the Episcopal church. Mr. Allen is President of the Marion Library Association and of the Natural History Society of this place. Through his efforts the fire department of Marion was organized in 1 89 1, and he has been among the foremost in aiding all other projects beneficial to the town.

Kjry Lyman Eletcher

KJRY LYMAN ELETCHER, ormerly a prosperous business man, is now living in retirement in Hingham. He was born October 11, 1825, in Boston, Mass., son of Lyman and Clarissa (Caldwell) Eletcher. His great-grandfather,

Joshua Fletcher, who was born November 20, 1731, married Elizabeth Raymond, and settled in Westford, Mass., about two miles from the place of his birth. They had nine children, of whom Lyman, the grandfather, was the second child. Lyman was born in Ashburnham, Mass., June 12, 1758, and died in 1834. His wife, Louisa (Gates) Fletcher, who was a native of Ashburnham, and lived to the advanced age of eighty-seven years, bore him nine children. Lyman, their eldest child, born in Ashburnham, May 30, 1796, was the head tanner in Westford, having served seven years as apprentice. He afterward went to Ro.xbury, Mass., where he followed the same business until his death on February 26, 1835, at the age of thirty-eight years. His wife, Clarissa, lived to be eighty-five years old. In their religious belief both were liberal. They were the parents of six children.

After acquiring his education in the Ro.xbury schools, Henry Lyman Fletcher went to Westford, where he was employed on a farm for four years. He subsequently returned to Roxbury, and learned the nailer's trade with the Boston Iron Company, with whom he remained until 1846. In the spring of the same year he located in East Weymouth, Mass., and was there engaged in his business until June 2, 1851, when he came to Hingham, where he has since remained. He retired from business in 18S5. In politics he affiliates with the Republican party, while in his religious belief he is a Universalist.

On March 26, 1848, he was united in marriage with Isabella Our, a lady of Scotch ancestry. Tliey have had four children, one of whom is living. This is William Our Fletcher, born October 19, 1863, who, on September 27, 1887, married Hattie L. Dunbar, daughter of Martin Dunbar, of Hingham, and has one child, Carlton Dunbar Fletcher, born

March 14, 1893. Charles H. Fletcher, another son of Henry Lyman, born October 13, 1848, married Hannah L. Bicknell, and died June I, 1876. By this union there were three children, namely: Grace Carlton, born November 27, 1870; Olive Barnes, born March 13, 1872; and Arthur Lincoln, born April 21, 1875. Thomas L. Fletcher, son of Henry L. Fletcher, born August 11, 1853, died December 13, 1857. Thomas L. Fletcher (second), born November 25, 1861, died August 7, 1864. Mrs. H. L. Fletcher's death occurred on November 11, 1892, sharing the belief in universal salvation with her husband. Mr. Fletcher has the sincere esteem of the community. The ease and rest he now enjoys were well earned by his previous life of industry.

E WATSON SHAW, of Carver, was born September i, 1838, on the farm which he now occupies. His father, Nathaniel Shaw, married Betsey S. Shurtliff, and by her became the father of eleven children, named respectively as follows: Lucy, Gilbert, Betsey, Nathaniel, E. Watson, Elbridge, Malinda, Wilson, Mary, Sabie, and Joseph. Nathaniel, Elbridge, and E. Watson served in the Civil War. Elbridge, who was a private in Company C, of the Eighteenth Massachusetts Infantry, died in service near Gaines Mills, June 14, 1862.

E. Watson Shaw learned the carpenteris trade in his youth, and was engaged in that employment when the war broke out. In 1862 he enlisted as a private in Company B, Third Massachusetts Regiment. The company mustered at Camp Joe Hooker, and saw its first hard service at Kingston. After nine months' service he received an honorable discharge, and returned to Carver. At that time he set- tied down upon the old homestead, where he has continued to reside since. A large part of his farm, which contains two hundred and fifty acres, is devoted to the culture of cranberries and strawberries.

He has been twice married. His first marriage was contracted in 1861 with Miss Mary Crowell, daughter of Jeremiah Crowell, of North Dennis. Born of the union were four children - Elbridge, Sarah M., William M., and Delphenia. Elbridge was named after his uncle, who died during the Civil War. Left a widower by the death of his first wife, Mr. Shaw entered a second marriage with Miss Mary Whidden, daughter of Simeon and Sarah Mcintosh, who became the mother of five children - Helen, Lucy, Carrie, Elbridge, and Edward. Edward is now deceased. Mr. Shaw is an esteemed member of the Baptist church of Carver. He is a comrade of Post No. 8, Grand Army of the Republic, of Middleboro fff^OB P. OTIS, a native resident of Scituate, is a scion of one of the old Colonial families which have flourished for two centuries or more on this soil. He was born on May 30, 1831, a son of Captain Job P. and Lydia (Clapp) Otis.

P'rom Deane's History of Scituate we learn that the first of the family to dwell in this town was John Otis, who was born in England in 1620, came to Hingham, Mass., with his father, John, Sr., in 1635, settled in Scituate in 1661, and died here in 1683, meantime having spent a few years in Barnstable. He left several children, one a son Job, born in 1667. The house in which the subject of this sketch formerly lived, the one adjoining his present residence, is said to be two hundred years old or more. It has been repaired and modernized, and has always been occupied by an Otis. The Christian name Job is a favorite in the family, and was borne by the great -great-grandfather and the great-grandfather of the subject of the present sketch, as well as by his father and himself. The first Job was a native of Scituate, like all those who succeeded him. Abijah Otis, our subject's grandfather, was both a competent farmer and a skilled and enterprising mechanic, being a cabinet-maker, carriagemaker, and an expert in other trades. He was a very prominent citizen of Scituate.

Captain Job P. Otis followed the sea for a number of years, in command of different vessels. He died in a foreign port. His wife, too, was a member of an old Scituate family. Two of their children are living: Job P., his father's namesake; and Lydia C, wife of Stephen D. Webb, of Weymoutli, Mass.

Job P. Otis, the subject of this sketch, was born in the old Otis house, and acquired his education in the common schools of Scituate. He went to work at the age of fourteen in a ship-yard at Scituate Harbor, and, after serving an apprenticeship of three years, started out as a journeyman ship-carpenter. He was employed for a number of years in Medford, Mass., and in East and South Boston, retaining his residence in Scituate. When shipbuilding as an industry began to decline in Massachusetts, early in the sixties, he engaged in butchering, which he followed until about 1882, when he sold his business, and retired; and since that time he has been engaged to some extent in general farming on the homestead. Mr. Otis has been very successful in business, and has carved his fortune with his own hands.

Job P. Otis

Annie M. Anderson, of Cape Breton, N.S. Mr. and Mrs. Otis have one son, Job A., also an adopted daughter, Gracie L. Mr. Otis votes the Republican ticket. He is a member of the Unitarian society, while his wife belongs to the Presbyterian church. He is well known in this section of Plymouth County, and as an intelligent, upright, and useful citizen is highly esteemed.

"ON. HORACE REED, the able manager of the Whitman Savings 1'^ * Bank, of which he has been Treasurer since its incorporation, is a member of one of the old and influential families of this part of Plymouth County. He was born in Whitman, November 26, 1820, a son of Isaac and Nancy (Lincoln) Reed.

Nearly all the Reeds of this vicinity and of Bristol County are descended from William Reade, who was born in England in 1605, sailed from Gravesend in 1635, and settled in Weymouth, Mass., then a new plantation, where he was made a freeman in the same year. William Reade represented Weymouth in the General Court in 1636 and 1638. His wife's name was Ivis. Their children were: William, born October 15, 1639; Esther, born May 8, 1641 ; Thomas; John, born in 1649; Mary; and Margaret. John was the direct ancestor of Chester I. Reed, of Taunton, who was Attorney-general of the Commonwealth in 1866.

Most of the Reeds of Whitman and Abington are descended from Thomas, above named, who was a prominent man, and held a number of civil and military offices. He died November 14, 1719. By his first wife, Sarah, he had the following children: Thomas, second, born September 12, 1671 ; Sarah S. ; John, born December 30, 1679; Samuel, born April 12,

168 1 ; Mary L. ; Ruth White, born February 20, 1684; William, born February 4, 1687; and Hannah Hart, born September 25, 1689. His second wife, Mary, died August 21, 17 19. Thomas, second, the eldest child of Thomas and Sarah, resided in Abington. He died October 2, 17 19. He was married January 14, 1701, to Hannah Randall, who bore him the following children: Thomas, born October 18, 1701 ; Daniel, born September 10, 1704; Hannah, born March 14, 1706; and Sarah, born August i, 171 5.

Daniel, the second child of Thomas and Hannah (Randall) Reed, lived on the place subsequently occupied by Ezekiel Reed near the Centre Depot in Abington. He was married February 22, 1728, to Ruth Torrey, and was the father of the following children : Daniel, born November 10, 1729; Thomas, April 17, 1732; and Ruth, April 3, 1735.

Thomas, the second son and the grandfather of our subject, was a man of large frame, more than six feet in height, of great physical endurance and energy of character. He was possessed of large landed estates. He married first on July 10, 1755, Widow Mary Hobart White; and, second. Widow Sarah Thaxter Pulling, sister of Dr. Gridley Thaxter, and widow of John Pulling, of Boston. The children of this Thomas Reed were: Mary, born June 7, 1758, who married Simeon Gannett, of East Bridgewater, in 1775; Hannah, born October 24, 1759, who married Daniel Bicknell, October 25, 1780, ajui removed to tlie State of Maine; Thomas, born December 12, 1761; Samuel, born March 11, 1766; Huldah, born April 27, 1768, who married Dr. Richard Briggs, August 12, 1784, and removed to Worthington, this State; and Isaac, commonly called Deacon Isaac Reed, father of the Hon. Horace Reed.

and Mary, was a prominent man, known as Captain Reed. He married on January 24, 1783, Joanna Shaw, and their children - Elizabeth, Thomas, Goddard, Joanna, Ebenezer, Simeon Gannett, Albert, Amos S., Adaline, Martha, Clarissa, and Theodore - -all lived to be married. The following is a brief record of the family: Elizabeth Reed, born March 12, 1784, married John Lane. Thomas married Lydia Jenkins, and reared Thomas, Lydia J., and Henry Watson. Goddard Reed, who died August 29, 1865, was married November 13, 18 14, to Marcia Reed, and had the following children: Hannah, born February 18, 1816, who died young; Diana, born February 27, 18 17, who married Isaac Keen, June 14, 1835, and died January 21, 1838; Washington, born July 6, 1820, who married Harriet Corthell, June 2, 1839, '^-'"^^ had four children (Henry Harrison, born August 12, 1840; Joanna, May 7, 1846; Charles Goddard, April 28, 1852; and Marcia, November 26, 1853); Charles Goddard, born January 18, 1823, who died September 22, the same year; and Marcia, born July 22, 1S28, who died September 4, 1848. Joanna, born December 3, 179s, married Samuel Wales. Ebenezer, born July 4, 1790, who died in July, 1864, married Lucy Jenkins, November 30, 18 15, and reared Cleora, Lorenzo, Egbert, and Lucy. Simeon Gannett, born September 29, 1793, who died in 1830, married Rachael Burgess, October 11, 1829, and reared one child, Simeon Gannett, Jr., who went to Oregon to live. Albert, born in 1802, married Mary Colburn, and reared one child, Samuel C, who became a resident of New York. Amos S. , born May 22, 1804, married November g, 1826, Huldah B. Loud, who bore him Sarah Ann and Amos Newton; and married for his second wife Rachel B. Reed, Simeon G. Reed's widow, who bore him Edward Payson, Elizabeth Waldo, and Miranda. Adaline Reed, born April 22, 1806, married Brackley Shaw. Martha married Michael Sylvester, of Hanover, Mass. Clarissa married David Hunt. Theodore, the youngest child of Captain Thomas and Joanna (Shaw) Reed, was three times married: first, December 26, 1830, to Clarissa Jenkins, by whom he had Martha and Theodore W. ; second, December 31, 1840, to Abigail Wilder, of Hingham, by whom he had Abigail and Frances; and, third, to Lydia, widow of Melvin Gurney, by whom he had Lydia, Maria, Thomas, and Henry. Amos Newton Reed, son of Ainos S., married Sarah Boynton, and had one child, Harry D., born May 22, 1854.

Lieutenant Samuel Reed, brother of Captain Thomas, was also a man of great energy and physical power, and was a large landowner. He died in 1805, aged thirty-nine years. On August 28, 1787, he married Mary Pool, who died in September, 1839, having been the mother of the following children: Mary, born March 3, 1789, who married Peter Ford, lived in Windsor, Mass., and died September 21, 1864; Samuel, born December 18, 1790, mentioned at length below; Abiah, who was born May 19, 1793; Hannah, born March 24, 1795, who was blind, and died young; Marcia, born January 19, 179S, who married Goddard Reed; Joseph, born October 28, 1799; Ruth, who was born July 16, 1801, and died young; Charles, born November 2, 1802, who went to Ohio to live; and Elias, born in 1804, who died young. Samuel, the eldest son of Lieutenant Reed, was a well-known and influential citizen. The care of the home farm devolved upon him on the death of his father.

January 17, 1833, Eliza Wilkes, who died July 8, 1862; and on December 13, 1863, he was united to Betsey B. Gardner. Mary, eldest daughter of Samuel and Polly Reed, born January i6, 181 3, was a successful teacher. She was married April 20, 1837, to John Burrill, and had two children, a son and a daughter. Levi Reed, born December 31, 1 8 14, was educated at Phillips Academy, Andover, and taught school for three years in Dedham, Mass., and for thirteen years in the Washington School in Roxbury, Mass. Returning to Abington, he was elected to the State Senate,, and the following year was made Auditor of the Commonwealth. He was married April 20, 1837, to Louisa C. Drake, and had the following children: Louisa Maria, born January 10, 1838; Samuel Bryant, born September 10, 1841 ; May Emily, -born July 27, 1850; and Alfred Levi, born October 9, 1855. The other children of Samuel and Polly (Corthell) Reed were: Dexter, born November 10, 1 8 16; Mehitable, born September 14, 18 18; and Mehitable, born March 31, 1S22. Samuel Reed's second wife, whom he married September 5, 1833, was Serissa (Litchfield) Bailey, widow of Rowland Bailey, of Scituate. The children by this union were: Serissa, born June 27, 1834; Rowland, October 13, 1836; Martha, November 13, 1838; Sophia, October 3, 1840; and Anna, November 13, 1844.

Isaac Reed, the youngest child of Thomas and Mary (Hobart -White) Reed, was born August 4, 1770, was a well-to-do farmer, and lived to be seventy-seven years old. He was first married on May 5, 1793, to Sarah Pulling, daughter of his father's second wife, and by that union had the following children: John Pulling, born September 15, 1795; Sarah Pulling, born September 19, 1797, who married Charles Lane; Lucy Johnson, born

May 29, 1800, who married Jesse Reed; Martha Pulling, born March 16, 1802, who married Seth Pratt; Mary Hobart, born April 1, 1804, who married Greenwood Gushing; Isaac, born January 21, 1806; Betsey Gannett, born August 25, 1807, who married Merritt Jenkins; Ruth Torrey, born July 31, 1809, who married John Woodbridge Jenkins; and Annis Jenks, born December 13, 181 1, who died in December, 1817.

Deacon Isaac Reed married second on February 3, 1819, Nancy Lincoln, who lived to be eighty-five years old. Her children were: Horace, the subject of the present sketch; William Lincoln, born October 5, 1825, a notice of whom appears elsewhere in this work; and Annis, born September 3, 1828, now the wife of Charles H. Cooke.

Horace Reed was educated in the common schools of this vicinity and at Abington Academy. He had little time for play in his boyhood, being required to work on the farm when quite young. In early manhood he became interested in the shoe business, and with his brother, William L. Reed, engaged in the manufacture of shoes until 1883, winning the confidence of the business community by his probity and good judgment in financial matters. Elected Treasurer of the Whitman Savings Bank in 1888, at the time of its incorporation, he has had the management of the institution ever since; and it has prospered increasingly under his charge. He is also a Trustee of the bank.

Mr. Reed was married in 1840 to Lurana H. Bates, daughter of Christopher Bates. Mrs. Reed died December 3, 1896, at the age of seventy-seven years, six months, and ten days. Mr. Bates was a native of Plymouth County. He was a large contractor and builder; and his daughter was born in Richmond, Va., where he was engaged in the erection of factories.

Mr. Reed has two living children - Helen Augusta and Arthur Ellsworth. The former is the wife of J. P. Bates, of the firm of Cobb, Bates & Yerxa, Boston, and mother of two living children - Carrie Almera and Mabel Frances. The latter, who resides in Hyde Park, Mass., is married, and has three children - Helen, William, and Olive Augusta Reed. A stanch Republican, Mr. Reed was in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1862-63, during the administration of Governor Andrew. In 1884-85, during Governor Robinson's administration, he was in the Senate; and in 1886-87 he was on the Board of Census Knumeration, under Colonel Wright, travelling through the State, collecting statistics relative to the manufacturing interests of the country. In the old town of Abington he was a member of the School Board; and he is the present Secretary and Treasurer of the Whitman School Board, and has been on the School Committee for ten years. Mr. Reed is a member of the Masonic order. He is active in the Congregational church, and was superintendent of the Sunday-school for sixteen years.

'earing BURR is known to the pub- '[^ lie as a writer on horticultural subjects and on the history of Hingham, his native town, where he has made his home during the greater part of his life. He was born December 11, 1815, the eldest child of his parents, Fearing and Emma (Jacobs) Burr. The progenitor of this branch of the Burr family was Simon Burr, who came to Hingham in 1647, but whose birthplace and descent arc open questions. It is thought by some that he was an original settler; by others, that he was son of the Rev. Jonathan Burr, who was settled as colleague of the Rev. Cotton Mather in Dorchester in 1640, and died in August, 1 64 1. (See "History of the Burr Family," by Charles Burr Todd, published in i8gi.) Simon Burr, of Hingham, was a farmer, a man of some prominence, living on what is now School Street, Hingham Centre. He died February 7, 1692, in his seventy-fifth year, having lived through the height of the witchcraft excitement, in which Dr. Mather took such an active part. He was twice married, and had two children by his first wife, and four by his second.

John, born January 6, 1660, in Hingham, was the third child of the second marriage. He, too, was a farmer, living in Hingham Centre, and was a man of considerable influence in the town. It is recorded that he was Constable in 1698, and he seems to have had much to do with town affairs. He died December 7, 1 7 16. His estate was a large one, valued at that day at nine hundred and twenty-one pounds, sixteen shillings, and five pence. John Burr was married December 24, 1685, to Mary, daughter of John and Deborah (Wilson) Warren, of Boston. She died in Hingham, July 26, 1742. This couple were the parents of ten children. The sixth child, Jonathan, the next in the line now being traced, was born in Hingham, February 3, 169S. He was a cooper by trade and occupation, living at the junction of Turkey Hill Road and Leavitt Street. He died June 23, 1762. Jonathan Burr was married in Boston, April 19, 1720, to Mary, daughter of Thomas and Sarah (Lewis) Lincoln. She was born in Hingham, January 14, 1696, and died in the same town, October 26, 1784.

They, too, were the parents of ten children; and the seventh child was Thomas, who was born in Hingham, August 17, 1735. A cooper by trade like his father, he was also a farmer, and was a very industrious man. His home was on Main Street, Hingham Centre.

Thomas Burr served in the F'rench and Indian War, and was present at the capitulation of Fort William Henry in 1757, and at the taking of Fort Frontenac (which stood on the present site of Kingston, at the outlet of Lake Ontario) in 1758. During the Revolution he held a commission in the Continental army as Lieutenant in Captain Peter Cushing's Company. He died September 23, 1812, On August 22, 1759, he was married to Margaret, daughter of Hawkes and Margaret (Lincoln) Fearing. She was born in Hingham, September 25, 1742, and died April i, 1821. Her children were five in number, and Fearing, first, father of the subject of this sketch, was the youngest.

Fearing Burr, Sr., was born in Hingham, June 12, 1778. Besides keeping a general store, he was interested in the practical study of horticulture, to which he devoted much time; and he was noted for liis knowledge of plants, shrubs, and trees. He died January 13, 1866. He was married March 25, 1S12, to Emma, daughter of Peter and Kmma (Fearing) Jacobs. She was born in Hingham, October I, 1792, and died February 18, 1 831. She was the mother of si,\ children, the father's namesake being the eldest of the family.

Fearing Burr, Jr., was given good educational privileges in the common schools of his native town and Derby Academy. While pursuing his studies, and for some time afterward, he helped his father on the farm, and imbibed from him a love for horticulture, learning much from his father, and reading all the publications on the subject that came within his reach. He was for twelve years in the seed business in the house of M. & F. Burr, Boston, and during the rest of his active life has been occupied on the home farm, and in the store established by his father. After the death of their father. Fearing Burr and his brother succeeded him as managers of the business, which was conducted uninterruptedly for fifty years. The brothers then practically retired from trade. Fearing Burr has accomplished considerable literary labor. He is the author of a valuable work, entitled "The Field and Garden Vegetables of America," published in 1865, and co-author with George Lincoln of an octavo volume of four hundred and fifty pages, published in 1876, entitled "The Town of Hingham in the Civil War," which gives an exhaustive history of the part Hingham took in the national crisis. Mr. Burr later rendered valuable service in the preparation of "The History of the Town of Hingham," issued in 1893, in four large octavo volumes, to which he contributed the interesting chapter on "Publications," treating of authors and literary works connected with the town. He has also been engaged in various business enterprises, and has proved himself to be a man of unusual ability.

Mr. Burr cast his maiden vote in the ranks of the Whigs. He is interested in public affairs, but has avoided political preferment. A friend and helper of the cause of education, he has served on the .School Committee, and is now a Trustee of the Hingham Public I^ibrary. In religious matters he is liberal, though holding well-established views of his own. He is a member of the First Church, with which his ancestors worshipped for many generations, a Unitarian-church now, though originally Trinitarian. The edifice, the "Old Meeting-house," as it is called, was built in 168 1, and has been so well cared for that it is in a good state of preservation, having been twice enlarged.

three forming a harmonious and happy household. Another sister, Meriel, born in 1818, also unmarried, was with them up to the time of her death, a short time since, the four having lived under the same roof as members of one family for more than seventy years.

ILLIAM H. SANDP:RS0N, superintendent of the Bridgewater and Abington public schools, has distinguished himself as an educator in Vermont and Massachusetts. A native of Shrewsbury, Rutland County, Vt., he was born October 23, 1855, son of Thatcher and Mary (Harkness) Sanderson. His earlier ancestors on the paternal side resided in New York State. The first representative of the family to locate in Vermont was his grandfather, Amos Sanderson, who settled in Rutland County. Thatcher Sanderson, who was a native and lifelong resident of the Green Mountain State, followed the occupation of farmer up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1878. His wife, also deceased, was born in Scotland. William H. Sanderson obtained his early education in the public schools of his native town. Thrown practically on his own resources at the age of fourteen, he worked at whatever offered, in order to obtain funds to complete his education. In this effort he was successful. He graduated frc^m the Green Mountain Academy at South Woodstock, Vt. At the age of twenty-one he entered Vermont University at liurlington, where he studied for two years. Gifted with the character and the insight into human nature which make the successful teacher, he further qualified himself for the profession by making a close study of the principles and practice of pedagogy. For ten years he was principal of the high school at Woodstock, Vt., and for five years of that time he was superintendent of the Woodstock schools. Also for a number of years he served in the capacity of examiner of candidates for teachers' long-term certificates in Windsor County; and for three years, by the appointment of the governor, he was examiner for the Vermont State Normal Schools. He became a resident of Bridgewater in 1891, since which time his earnest and disinterested work as an educator has won recognition. By his thoroughness and administrative ability he has noticeably raised the standard of the schools now under his charge.

In 1876 Mr. Sanderson was united in marriage with Gertrude Maxham, of Montpelier, Vt. His children are: Ernest J., who is a student at Harvard College; Ruth G. ; and Mary B. While in Vermont, he was for some time President of the State Teachers' Association, and a member of its E.'cecutive Committee. In politics Mr. Sanderson is a Republican;

T^APTAIN CHARLES BRYANT, who I St^ is now living in retirement in Matta- ^i^ ^ poisett, Mass., has spent a number of years in the whale fishery, and has twice held important governmental positions in the Behring Sea district. He was born in Rochester, Plymouth County, May 9, 1820, a son of William and Mary (Johnson) Bryant. Reared in Rochester, he acquired his early knowledge of books in a district school, but is mainly self-educated. He began to learn the sail-maker's trade in New Bedford when si.xteen years of age, and worked at it for four years and a half, shipping then as sail-maker on the whaling brig "Montezuma," which cruised in the Atlantic Ocean, and was out eighteen months. His next engagement was as boat steerer on the ship "Julian," also a whaling vessel, which was two and a half years out from the home port, cruising in the North Pacific. He was subsequently engaged as third mate of the ship "Nimrod," which was out thirty-four months in the Pacific Ocean, returning as second mate; as second mate of the "Ohio," which was gone three years in the same waters; as mate of the ship "Euphrates," which was out from port nearly three years; and, lastly, as mate of the whaling ship "John Rowland," which cruised in the Okhotsk Sea and the Arctic Seas, being gone forty-four months. Deciding then to retire from the sea, Mr. Bryant purchased a farm at East Fairhaven, where he resided some twelve years; but fortune had not willed that he should retire to private life so soon, and he was called from his farm to undertake a mission to Alaska to report on the fur-seal interest in that vicinity. He was given charge of the islands in the Behring Sea, receiving his appointment from Hugh McCulloch, then Secretary of the United States Treasury, and spent the winter of 1868 at Sitka, returning to his home in September, 1869. In March, 1870, he was sent again to the islands in the seal region, and given authority to act as governor of the natives, receiving his appointment from George S. Boutwell, Secretary of the Treasury. There he remained until 1S77, when he returned to the old Bay State, and settled in Mattapoisett, his home up to the present time.

Captain Bryant was married in 1S51 to Miss Hannah Eldridge, daughter of Peleg and Hannah (Briggs) Eldridge, of Taunton, Mass. He has no children. He has long been interested in public affairs, and has held a number of offices of trust. In 1867 and 1868, while a resident of Fairhaven, he occupied a seat in the State legislature; and in Mattapoisett he has served as a member of the Board of Health, and as a member of the School Board

C. HARDING, the esteemed r^4 Treasurer of the Plingham Institution -m}P V ^ for Savings, was born here April 27, 1832, son of David and Betsy T. (Tilden) Harding. Thomas Harding, the grandfather, who was born at Chatham, Mass., in 1774, settled in Hingham in 1802. He was a sea captain, and lived near the harbor on North Street in this town. In 1795 he married Patience, daughter of Joshua Mayo, of Eastham, Barnstable County, and they had eight children - David, Eliza Willis, Josiah Mayo, Sarah Doane, Mary, Thomas, Rebecca, and Seaman Harding. David was born at Eastham, June 4, 1796. Eliza Willis, born at Eastham, November 20, 1797, married Benjamin Chamberlain, of Boston, December 4, 1817, and died August 10, 181S, at the age of twenty-one years. Josiah Mayo, born in Chatham, June 11, 1800, married Nancy Jennings, and resided in Boston. Sarah Doane, born in Hingham, May 28, 1803, married Cornelius Nye on June 13, 1826, and died September 11, 1828. Mary, born November 13, 1804, died July 21, 1827. Thomas, also deceased, was born February iS, 1S07. Rebecca, born February 16, iSii, married Captain Samuel Easterbrook. .Seaman, who was born March 17, 18 12, removed to Boston, and was married October 7r J S3 3, to EmeHne Ruggles. He died in Melrose, Mass., January 29, 1872. The father died July 24, 1S21, at the age of forty-seven years; and the mother, in Hingham, November 4, 1823, at the age of forty-eight.

of the Hingham Institution for Savings, and one of the founders of both institutions. He was twice married, the first time on March 7, 1824, to Lydia Lane, daughter of Rufus and Hannah (Marsh) Lane. She was born in Hingham, March 12, 1796, and died October 10, 1S24. His second marriage was contracted June I, 1829, with Betsy T. Tilden, daughter of Jotham and Betsy (Turner) Tilden, of Marshfield, Mass. She was born there October 2, 1799, and died in Hingham, March 14, 1873. David died on February 14, 1874. They resided on Main Street, opposite Derby Academy, and had two children - Sarah Mayo and Henry Clay. Sarah Mayo, who was born September [4, 1830, on October 5, 1852, married Robert W. Oliphant, M.D., of St. Louis, Mo. She died there July 10, 1875, while her husband lived until October 9, 1883. They had one son, Robert Henry, born September 9, 1854, who died in Hingham, February 8, 1873, being then a Freshman of Harvard College.

Henry C. Harding, the second child of his parents, after attending the public schools and Derby Academy, entered the employment of the bank in which he has grown up with the business. The Hingham Institution for Savings was incorporated April 2, 1834. David Harding was elected its first Treasurer on November 8, 1834. The first deposit was received December 24, 1834, and the amount of deposits at the end of the fir.st year, January i, 1836, was thirty thousand, one hundred and thirteen dollars and fifty-four cents. The growth of this institution has been healthy, owing in a great measure to the faithful services rendered by David Harding in the capacity of Treasurer, and his son, Henry C, who succeeded his father in 1863. According to a tabular statement of the Treasurer made January I, 1896, the amount now on deposit at this bank is over two million dollars. Mr. Harding is a Director of the Hingham Mutual Fire Insurance Company, a Trustee and the Treasurer of Derby Academy, and President of the Proprietors of Hingham Cemetery. In politics he was formerly a Whig, and now affiliates with the Republican party.

Mr. Harding has been twice married. The first time was October 11, 1859, when he was united to Elizabeth A. Lincoln, daughter of Calvin and Elizabeth (Andrews) Lincoln, of Hingham. She died in St. Louis on December 31, 1S64. His second marriage, performed June 2, 1874, wedded him to Helen M. Stowell, daughter of Hersey and Crissey (Hersey) Stowell. In religion Mr. Harding is a Unitarian, and he is Treasurer of the First Parish Church, the old meeting-house. Mr. Harding commands the entire respect and confidence of his fellow-townsmen, who regard him as a most worthy son of a most worthy father.

RTHUR B. MARSTON, merchant, a member of the firm of Howard & Caldwell, Brockton, was born March 13, 1857, in Chatham, Mass., of which place his mother's family have long been residents. His parents were Zenas L. ant! Rhoda C. (Young) Marston.

Zenas L. Marston was born at Marston's Mills, which received its name from the family, woollen goods being manufactured there. He came to Brockton, then North Bridgewater, in i860, and for many years was engaged in business in that part of the town known as Campello, where he is still living, at the age of seventy-four years. He was formerly an engineer in the Brockton fire department, in which he has always taken much interest. While at Chatham, he owned and conducted a store several years. He was sexton of the South Congregational Church of Brockton. He married Rhoda C, a daughter of Joseph and Bethiah Young, of Chatham, where her father was a large landowner. Mr. and Mrs. Zenas L. Marston are the parents of six children, four sons and two daughters, all of whom are living in Brockton, Harry being chief of the fire department. Russell Marston, proprietor of the famous restaurant which bears his name on Brattle and Hanover Streets, Boston, is a cousin of Zenas L. Marston.

Arthur B. Marston received his education in the Brockton schools. As a boy, ambitious and energetic, with a natural bent for trade, he peddled apples in Brockton, becoming well known on the street. At sixteen he entered the clothing store of Howard & Caldwell, with whom he has since remained, having applied himself sedulously and faithfully to business. He was admitted to partnership in 1886, the firm name, however, continuing unchanged.

Mr. Marston was united in marriage with Miss Abbie H. Eldredge, daughter of Charles H. and Abigail Eldredge, of Brockton, on June II, 1879, and they now have two children, a boy of ten and a girl of twelve years.

Mr. Marston votes the Republican ticket, but further than that does not participate in political matters. Fraternally, he is a member of St. George Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Campello; Satucket Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; and the Bay State Commandery, Knights Templars, of Brockton;- Electric Lodge, No. 204, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; the Ancient Order of United Workmen, Campello Lodge, No. 30; and Garfield Commandery, No. 158, United Order of Golden Cross. He is a member of the Congregational church, and Chairman of Music Committee of that society.

Y^Vp^INOT S. CURTIS, the Chief of W= I =/ the East Bridgewater fire departfl ejjs ^ ^ ment, and a contracting painter and decorator, was born in this town. May g, 1843. He is a son of Elbridge and Matilda W. (Horton) Curtis, both natives of Massachusetts. Elbridge Curtis, who was a cutter by trade, and was employed for a great many years in the manufacture of hand-made custom shoes, died some years ago. His widow is now in her eighty-third year. Of their children Elbridge R., Edward B., Lucius J., and Minot S. are living.

Minot S. Curtis was educated in the common schools and at East Bridgewater Academy. At the age of seventeen he began to learn the painter's trade. After finishing a three years' apprenticeship with Braman Brothers, of Bridgewater, he became one of their regular employees, and remained with them for several years. When the men of Plymouth County were mustering for the defence of the Union he was one of them. He enlisted May 9, 1861, in Company C, Twentyninth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, which afterward served with the Second Brigade in the Army of the Potomac, under McClellan and other leaders, finishing his term under the command of General Grant. In action most of the time, he took part in twenty-four battles, including the second Bull Run, Antietam, the siege of Vicksburg, the Wilderness, and Spottsylvania Court-house. During the Peninsular Campaign, at t+ie battle of White Oak Swamp, he was wounded in the left arm. Receiving his discharge in September, 1864, he returned to his native State, and resumed his trade. For the past twenty years he has been in business for himself as contracting painter and decorator. His admirable taste, and his promptness and accuracy in filling contracts have made him a favorite in his line, and brought him a large and lucrative business. He keeps ten men employed almost constantly, while in the busy season he is obliged to double the number.

Married in November, 1864, to Miss Adaline Thompson, Mr. Curtis has one child, Henry M. In politics he favors the Republican side. For the past si.\ years he has been the Chief of the Fire Department, in which capacity he has given eminent satisfaction. He is a member of Satucket Masonic Lodge, of East Bridgewater, and was thirteen years Quartermaster of Justin Dimick Grand Army Post. Mr. Curtis is well known in the Bridgewaters, and enjoys the esteem of all with whom he has dealings.

-f^ENJAMIN S. ATWOOD, a wellknown business man of Whitman, Plymouth County, Mass., owner and manager of one of the best-equipped box factories in America, was born in the town of Carver, Mass., June 25, 1840. His parents were Reuel and Abigail S. (Tilson) Atwood.

The first progenitor of the family in America was John, a native of England, who came to our shores and settled in Plj'mouth more than two hundred and fifty years ago, less than a quarter of a century after the landing of the Pilgrims. He married, and had several children, including three or four sons, one of whom died in Plymouth; while tradition says that another dropped the first two letters of his surname, his posterity being thereafter known under the name of Wood. Stephen Atwood settled on Cape Cod. Mr. Benjamin S. A.twood traces his descent from Nathaniel Atwood, who settled in that part of Plymouth which in 1709 was set off as Plympton, and in 1790 was incorporated as Carver, and whose son Nathaniel was a Deacon in the Plymouth

The ne.xt representative of the ancestral line was Ichabod Atwood, the great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch. He was a farmer, who also dealt in wood, lumber, and charcoal. His wife, Hannah Shaw, was a daughter of Captain Nathaniel Shaw, who commanded a company during the Revolutionary War. Nathaniel Atwood, son of Ichabod and Hannah, inherited the paternal acres, and, following in the footsteps of his father, became a farmer and a dealer in wood, lumber, and charcoal. His entire life was spent in Middleboro, Mass. The maiden name of his wife was Zilpha Shurtleff.

Their son, Reuel Atwood, was trained to agricultural pursuits; but, when he attained his majority, he was engaged in teaming, and for a number of years drove the stage, meeting his death by accident at the age of fifty-six. Abigail S. Tilson was the name of the fair maid whom he led to the marriage altar. She was a native of Carver, being a daughter of Ichabod Tilson, who was born in the same town. Mrs. Abigail S. Atwood lived to be sixty-five years of age, and was the mother of seven children.

Benjamin S. Atwood attended public schools in Carver and Middleboro, and at the age of sixteen commenced to earn his own living. Until the breaking out of the Civil War he was employed in a lumber-mill. In April, 1861, at the first call for troops, he enlisted for three months in Company H, Third Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, and went to Fortress Monroe. At the expiration of his term of service he was discharged, and returned home. Soon after, however, he was commissioned First Lieutenant by Governor Andrew, and later enlisted for nine months in Company B, Third Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. He then went to New Berne, N. C, and served in that State until Jiis period of service expired. Receiving honorable discharge, he returned home, and for a time thereafter was employed in a box factory. In October, 1866, he went into business for himself, becoming a box manufacturer in North Abington. Two years after he went to Abington, coming in 1873 to Whitman. His present plant was built in 1894. The main building is two hundred and fifty feet long, the storehouse being two hundred feet. This factory has every kind of the most improved machinery which can be utilized in the manufacture of boxes, being one of the best in the country.

In politics Mr. Atwood affiliates with the Republican party. Fraternally, he is a member of Puritan Lodge, A. F. & A. M. ; Old Commandery, Knights Templars, Aleppo Temple, of Boston; and Post 7^, Grand Army of the Republic. In religion he sympathizes with the L^nitarians. On September 24, 1862, he was united in marriage with Angle F. W. Weston, of Plympton, Mass.

|.\PTAIN GEORGE H. BROWN, a master mariner of proved courage and capability, with a worthy personal record, was born in Rochester, now the town of Marion, Plymouth County, October 12, 1 841. His father, for many years a resident of this place, married Miss Hannah Blankenship, who bore him five children; namely, George H., Addie, Jared, Mary E., and Maria L.

George H., the elder of the two sons, was reared and educated in Marion, attending both public and private schools. At the age of sixteen, fascinated by the thrilling tales of sea life so frequently spun in his hearing, he went on board the whaling vessel "Admiral Blake" as a common sailor, and for fifteen months cruised on the Atlantic Ocean. The following five months he spent on the coaster "Simpson Hart," being afterward on the brig "Samoset " ; and later he was in the merchant marine service, sailing on the Black Diamond Line to London. In 1871 he shipped as quartermaster on the steamer "Alhambra, " plying between Boston and the British provinces, being away two months, and continued in that service for five years as second mate and mate. In 1881 he was given charge of the steamer "Carroll," which he commanded until 1893, carrying passengers and freight from Boston to the British domains. For thirty-six years Captain Brown followed the sea, visiting many foreign ports and once doubling Cape Horn. He met with few accidents in his various ocean trips, his most serious disaster being in the fall of 18S8, when the good ship "Carroll" narrowly escaped wrecking, the pilot house being torn away. One mate was lost overboard, and the vessel came into Boston Harbor with its flag at half-mast. .Since his retirement from the sea Captain Brown has not been engaged in active business pursuits.

On March 29, 1871, he was united in marriage with Miss Mary L. Handy, daughter of Noah D. and Cynthia E. Handy, of Marion. Of the three children born to captain and Mrs. Brown, one, P'rankltii- C, died Mari^i 18, 1895; and two promising sons - William C. and George H. T. - are now living. Politically, the captain has the courage of his convictions, and votes independent of party strictures. Socially, he is a member of two prominent organizations of Marion, belonging to Pythagorean Lodge, A. F. & A. M., and to the Sons of Temperance.

ILLIAM H. FEARINE, a wellto-do and highly respected agriculturist of Wareham, Mass. , was born December 22, 1835, i" '^''"-' house that he now occupies. Here also his father, William S. l^'earine, and his grandfather, Benjamin B. Fearine, first opened their eyes to the light of this world, the former having been born December 6, 1804, and the latter October 31, 1755. This house has been built more than two hundred years, -and has been occupied by several generations of the Fearine family, the first having been Isaiah Fearine, the greatgreat-grandfather of William H., and the next, Benjamin Fearine, his great-grandfather.

William S. Fearine, son of Benjamin B., succeeded to the ownership of the paternal homestead, on which he resided during his entire life, being engaged in farming until his demise in 1861. His wife, whose maiden name was Hannah C. Barrows, bore him five children, namely: Elisha; William H. ; Charles W. ; Mary, the wife of William B. Goodall; and one who died in infancy. William H. and his sister Mary are the only survivors. The father was active in the management of town affairs, and served as Treasurer and Collector several years.

William H. Fearine, the second son, received his preliminary education in the district schools of Wareham, after which he attended a private school for a while, and then took a course of study at the academy in Meriden, N.H. He remained on the home farm, becoming practically acquainted with its labors until twenty-four years old, when he established himself here in the mercantile business Disposing of his goods a few years later, Mr. Fearine returned for a while to the home farm, but was subsequently employed as a clerk for nine years by the Parker Mill Company. He has since devoted his time to the

Mr. Fearine was married September, 1859, to Miss Delia A. Wing, daughter of Captain Benjamin Wing, and sister of George F. Wing, of Wareham. Of this union six children have been born, three of whom - Charles VV., Flora M., and George C - have passed to the life immortal. Those living are: Anjanette D., William H., Jr., and Mary. In politics Mr. Fearine is identified with the Democratic party. He has served his fellowtownsmen as Clerk, Treasurer, and Collector since 1884, besides holding other positions of minor importance. He is likewise Justice of the Peace and Notary Public, and is a member of the American Legion of Honor.

"ir^EMERICK MARBLE, a retired car- I 1 riage manufacturer of Hingham <- - 4««i^ Centre, Mass., was born October 7, 1819, son of Demerick and Olive Allen (Easterbrook) Marble. Gershom Marble, "the progenitor of all who have borne this surname by birth in Hingham and vicinity, was in early life a mariner, and a temporary resident of Charlestown, Mass., where his first wife, Mary, died December 30, 1694." He subsequently removed to Hingham, where he resided on Beechwood Street; and in 1697 at Scituate he married Waitstill Ingle. He died August 6, 1725, aged sixty, survived by his second wife, who died in Hingham, November 14, 1728. David, their fourth child, was born in 1706, and married December 27, 1732, Abigail Joy, who was born here March 22, 1713, daughter of Prince and Abigail (Tower) Joy. By this union there were four children, the second, Luther, born in 1735. He married Priscilla James, the date of whose baptism

James, the eldest of his four children, was born in Hingham, November 3, 1760, and married June 7, 1785, to I-'annie .Stodder, daughter of Reuben and Elizabeth (Glover) Stodder. She was born here June 10, 1766, and survived him, subsequently marrying, April 24, 1802, Reuben Thurston, who also died. June 12, 180S, she married John Braslin for her third husband. She died August 3, 1833- James Marble died April 26, 1801, at the age of forty. He was also a mariner, and resided on South Street. From his union with Elizabeth G. Stodder there were seven children.

Demerick, first, the fifth child, was born here, July 18, 1794; and on December 7, 1818, he formed a matrimonial alliance with Olive Allen Easterbrook, daughter of Gorham and Susanna (Gorham) Easterbrook. She was born at Barnstable, Mass., October 28, 1798, and died December 24, 1868, aged seventy years. Demerick Marble, first, was lost at sea in the schooner "Globe," of which he was Master, March 30, 1823. He left one child, his namesake, Demerick, the subject of this biography.

Demerick Marble availed himself of the educational facilities afforded by the common schools, although he was not permitted to attend many seasons. At the age of fourteen and a half years he went to Boston to learn the painter's trade, remaining one year. He then returned home, and in 1835 went to work at the carriage maker's trade. He was industrious, and had a successful business career in this enterprise for fifty-si-\ years, during forty-two of which he was in partnership with Bela H. Whiten. In 1891 he retired from the arena of business, but he is by no means idle.

On July 31, 1842, Mr. Marble was united in marriage with Deborah H. Gross, a daughter of Jacob and Olive F. (Burr) Gross. Mrs. Marble was born in this town, June 25, 1823. She has had four children - William D., Thomas Burr, Artiiur I)., and Charles Hawkes. William D. Marble was born in Weymouth, Mass., March 15, 1845, and died in Hingham, May 8, 1850. Thomas Burr Marble, born here November 2, 1S48, died October 30, 185 1. Arthur Demerick Marble, born here April 10, 1853, is a civil engineer, and resides in Lawrence, Mass. He married Mary A. Richardson, and they have a bright young daughter, Marion Wright Marble. He is a natural artist, as his works bear evidence. He is likewise much interested in biographical work, and has compiled a number of interesting family sketches. Charles Hawkes, born in Hingham, July 11, 1858, married on July 17, 1884, Estella L., daughter of Reuben and Sarah J. (Dyer) Sprague.

In politics Mr. Marble formerly affiliated with the Free Soil party, but since the Republican party was organized he has voted continuously with that body. Officially, he has long been prominent, serving as Selectman and Assessor nine years, as Representative in 1859 and i860, and now as Auditor. He has been a Trustee of the Hingham Institution for Savings since 1877, and a Director of the Hingham Mutual F"ire Insurance Company for a quarter of a century; and he also served as Overseer of the Poor and on the School Board for a number of years. I'Vaternally, he is a member of Old Colony Lodge, A. F. & A. M., having taken the third degree in March, 1859. He joined the Old Colony Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, about fifty years ago, and was an active member thereof until the surrender of the charter to the Grand Lodge in 1853.

Personally, Mr. Marble is a man of strong convictions, and is very outspoken ; but be has respect for the opinions of others, and is highly esteemed in this community. I-'inancially, he has acquired sufficient means to live comfortably, owning a fine residence besides other property. He was reared by a Baptist mother, but he is a man of liberal views, in religion being a Universalist who is inspired by the faith, which he is able and willing to discuss at all times. He now attends the First Unitarian Church, where his father and ancestors formerly worshipped, and affiliates cordially with the society.

AVID H. CANNON, M.D., a popular physician of Mattapoisett, was born in this town, October ig, 1843. His parents were James and Elizabeth (Cobb) Cannon. The father was a native of Mattapoisett, the mother of Marion ; and David was their only child.

He acquired his early education in the public schools of his native town and in Peirce Academy at Middleboro. Before settling down to the serious preparation necessary for his professional career, he travelled considerably, and engaged in different lines of industry, his experience giving him a broad acquaintance with human life and character. When he was nineteen years of age, he shipped as a seaman on a whaling vessel, which was out thirteen months cruising in the Atlantic Ocean. In 1866 he taught school in Jackson County, Ohio; and, returning to Mattapoisett in the spring of 1867, in the fall of the same year he shipped as a sailor on a merchant vessel bound for Holland and England. This trip consumed almost a year, and after his return he was in the mercantile business for a year. He then took up the study of medicine with Dr. William W. Sweat, of Mattapoisett, with whom he was associated some three years; and he was graduated at Harvard in 1873. Opening an office at Acushnet, or Long Plain, he practised there until the autumn of 1882; and for three years following he was in practice at Harwich. In the autumn of 1885 he settled in Mattapoisett, where he has a large and successful practice.

Dr. Cannon was married in 1875 to Miss Elizabeth I*". Gibbs Hoyt, and has three children - Ethel F., Susan B., and Celia G. A Republican in politics, he is popular with both parties, and has been elected to a number of public offices. He is at present Inspector of Horses and Cattle for the town of Mattapoisett. He has been a member of the Board of Health for seven years, and a member of the School Board for eight years. He is affiliated with the Masonic order, belonging to Pythagorean Lodge of Marion, and with the Harvard Club of New Bedford. Dr. Cannon is a member of the Methodist church.

,EV. DAVID B. FORD, a retired clergyman of Hanover, Plymouth -!P V^^ County, Mass., was born in Scituate, Mass., sen of Michael and Sarah (Jacobs) Ford. He was reared on a farm in his native town, and, after attending the district school, fitted for college at Hanover Academy, subsequently, in 1841, going to Brown University, Providence, R.I. Four years later he was graduated from that institution, and entered Newton Theological School, being graduated therefrom three years afterward. In 1848 and 1849 he was assistant instructor of Hebrew in Newton. Being ordained pastor of the Canton Baptist church, he was settled there for three years, returning in 1854 to the old homestead, where he lived until 1885. Dur- ing the mean time he had preached at Marshfield, Mass. ; and he has resided in Hanover since that time. Mr. Ford is a man of literary ability, having been the author of several books and pamphlets, among which are: "Studies on the Baptismal Question," published in 1S79; "Centennial History of the First Baptist Church of Marshfield," in 1888; and in conjunction with A. N. Arnold he issued in i88g a "Commentary on Romans." "The Life-work of Isaac Backus" and "New England's Struggles for Religious Liberty," the former published in 1893 and the latter in 1896, are also among his works. He has given up preaching, and now devotes his time mostly to denominational publications. In 1859 Mr. Ford was united in marriage with Lavina Sherman, of Marshfield, by whom he has had five children: Thomas A., who died in infancy; Angela B. ; Chauncy D. ; Edith G. ; and Howard I.

"ON. JEREMIAH TINKHAM RICHMOND, who was in the Massachusetts legislature in 1892-93, is one of the foremost citizens of Abington, actively interested in business, political, and social affairs. He was born in Taunton, Mass., March 24, 1829, a son of Ruel and Reliance (Tinkham) Richmond. The father was a well-to-do farmer on the banks of the Taunton River. He died September 8, 1879, in his seventy-sixth year. The mother died April 3, 1844, in her thirty-fifth year. They had eight children. The four now living are as follows: Jeremiah Tinkham, of Abington; Charles Everett, born June 17, 1833; Zeruah Frances, born September 6, 1835; Mary Ann, born June 28, 1842, all natives of Taunton.

Jeremiah Tinkham Richmond, the eldest of the four, and the special subject of this biographical sketch, was educated in public and private schools in Taunton. At about the age of twenty-two he entered into the retail shoe business in Taunton. In 1864 he removed to Abington, where he entered the employ of Nash & Jones, shoe manufacturers, having charge of the machinery. He set up and operated the first New Era pegging machine in this county. The firm soon after changed to Nash & Beal, Mr. Richmond remaining in their employ for a period of si.xteen years. He invariably transacted all business intrusted to his care in such a way as to win the confidence of those by whom he was employed. He is now Trustee and Auditor of the Abington Savings Bank, and a Director of the Electric Light and Power Company of Abington and Rockland.

Mr. Richmond was married May 26, 185 1, to Miss Almira H. Dean, of Raynham, Mass., daughter of O. S. and Lodicea (Hall) Dean. Her grandfather, Seth Dean, was an officer in the Revolutionary army. To Mr. and Mrs. Richmond six children were born, five of whom are living: Frank R. ; Alice D., wife of H. A. Beal; Clara M., wife of W. C. Lean; Charles O. ; and George T. The youngest, Jesse H., was born November 6, 1865, and died January, 1884. Mr. Richmond has eight grandchildren, as follows: Walter Tinkham Richmond, born November 9, 1888, son of P^rank R. ; Helen Reed Beal, born March 13, 1885: and Mira Dean Beal, born June 25, 1887 - children of H. At- Beal; Jessie br Richmond, born March 26, 1883; and Grace Evelyn Richmond, born May 30, 1891 - children of Charles O. Richmond; Alice R. Lean, born October 10, 18S4; Edith Moulton Lean, born September 3, 1889- - children of William C. Lean; Louis Hall Richmond, born August 30, 1885, son of George T. Richmond - all living in Abington except-

In politics Mr. Richmond is a Republican. He has efficiently served the public in a number of important offices. While in the legislature, he was on the Committee on Prisons, in 1892 and 1893 he was a member of the Town Board of Registrars, and he has been for some time on the School Committee of Abington. As a Mason, he is a member of John Cutler Lodge and Pilgrim Royal Arch Chapter; and he is Past Commander of Old Colony Commandery, Knights Templars. An active member of the Congregational church, he was for ten years superintendent of the Sunday-school.

'AMUEL C. STETSON, of Marshfield, is one of the most highly respected citizens of the place, a selfmade man, who has accumulated a competency, and is spending his declining years in quiet retirement. He was born March 30, 1823, in Hanover, Mass., which was aLso the birthplace of his parents, Samuel and Lydia (Thayer) Stetson.

The founder of the family in Plymouth County was Cornet Robert Stetson, an Englishman from Kent, who received a grant of land on the North River in the town of Scituate in 1634. He became a noted Indian fighter, and it was in military service in the colonies that he earned the title of cornet. Samuel C. Stetson's grandfather, Nathaniel Stetson, was a native of Hanover, Mass., and lived for a number of years in that town. Two of his sons, uncles of Samuel C, served in the War of 1812.

County, Maine, and moved from there to Pembroke, Mass., and thence to Marshfield, where he died in 1876. In politics he was an oldline Democrat. Of his children, two are dead - Lydia T. and Catherine A. ; and three are living, namely: Julia A., widow of Alfred Belcher, of Randolph, Mass. ; Samuel C, tlie only son; and Eliza T., widow of Henry T. Crossley, an English gentleman.

Samuel C. Stetson was about six years old when his parents removed to the State of Maine. As they remained there and subsequently in Hanover but a short time, he acquired his education mainly in Pembroke, Mass., where he grew to maturity. He attended the common schools in the winter season until about fourteen years of age, and the knowledge gained in boyhood has been supplemented by extensive reading and practical business experience. He remained on the farm until about eighteen years of age, and then learned boot and shoe making. This trade he followed for over thirty-five years, at the same time managing a farm; but he eventually gave his whole time and attention lo the pursuit of agriculture. In the fall of 1S92, retiring from active work, he left the farm, and moved to the village of Marshfield, where he has since lived, enjoying the leisure earned through long years of industry and prudent management.

Mr. Stetson was married November 3, 1850, to Susan W. Sprague, a native of Marshfield, daughter of Luther and Lydia (Lewis) Sprague, both of this town. Mr. Sprague, who was a carjienter, died in 1842. Mrs. Stetson has a sister and brother living, namely: Mary E., widow of Jeremiah Estey, of Sharon, Mass. ; and L. Edward Sprague, in Marshfield. She is the mother of two children: Susan A., wife of E. Melvin Sampson, of Brockton, Mass. ; and Lydia E., deceased.

Mr. Stetson, like his father, is a member of the Democratic party. He is a Mason, belonging to Corner Stone Lodge of Duxbury, Mass. His circle of acquaintance is a wide one, and among the residents of Marshfield none are more highly esteemed than he and his wife.

ARREN B. SMITH, Cashier of the Home National Bank of Brockton, Mass., was born in Provincetown, Barnstable County, February 10, 1859, a son of William W. and Mary C. (Johnson) Smith. His father was a native of Barnstable, Mass., his mother, of Provincetown. His family is well known on the Cape, his maternal grandfather, Timothy B. Johnson, having settled in Provincetown at an early date. This worthy citizen, who was a sail -maker, followed his trade there for many years, also dealing in ship stores, and was prominent among the business men of the place. He died at the age of sixty years. His wife, formerly a Miss Betsey Hager, of Waltham, Mass., bore him eleven children, six of whom are now living.

William W. Smith, son of Timothy, and father of Warren B., was a boat-builder, and followed his trade in Provincetown for fortyfive years. He was a first-class workman, and, besides building many whale boats and seine boats, he built a number of life-boats for the government. He died in 1895, at the age of sixty-six. He and his wife reared but two children: Warren B., the subject of this sketch; and Willie M., who lives in Salem, Mass.

Warren B. Smith obtained his education in Provincetown, leaving the high school at the age of seventeen, to accept the position of clerk in the Seaman's Savings Bank in his native place. After five years of competent service there he resigned in 1881, to take the place of book-keeper in the Home National Bank of Brockton, with which he has now been connected some fifteen years, winning the confidence of all with whom he has had dealings. He was promoted from the office of bookkeeper to that of receiving and paying teller of the bank, and in 1894 he assumed the duties of cashier, to which he has since given his attention. He is a man of ability and integrity, eminently fitted for the responsible position which he holds.

On March 12, 1884, Mr. Smith married Stella Fish, daughter of Silas D. Fish, of Provincetown. Mrs. Smith was born in Hyannis, Mass. She is the mother of two children - Minnie Warren and Rosamond Grey. Mr. Smith takes no active interest in politics, preferring to devote his best energies to business. He is a member of the Commercial Club of Brockton, and belongs also to Paul Revere Lodge, A. F. & A. M., and Satucket Chapter, Royal Arch Masons. He attends Unity Church (Unitarian) of Brockton.

NUREW M. WOOD, Treasurer of the Middleboro Savings Bank, was born in Middleboro, Plymouth County, Mass., May 22, 1853, son of Andrew Cobb and Lucy Ann (Miller) Wood, and comes of old Colonial stock, numbering among his remote ancestors Captain Miles Standish, the famous military leader of the Pilgrims; also John and Priscilla Alden, whose daughter .Sarah was the wife of Alexander Standish, son of Miles. The line was thus continued: p;benezer, son of Alexander and Sarah Standish, was the father of Moses Standish, whose daughter Sarah married Ephraim Tinkham ; and Sarah Tinkham, their daughter, married Peter Wood, and was the mother of David Wood, who married Olive Cobb. The last-

Andrew Cobb Wood, who was a man of much practical ability and force of character, was in trade for a number of years, dealing in wood and lumber, and was quite successful financially. A very popular citizen, he was elected to several offices of trust on the Republican ticket. For many years he was Chairman of the Board of Overseers of the Poor; and he represented the town in the State legislature in 1865 and 1866. He died in February, 1896, nine days before his eighty-second birthday. His wife, who is now seventy-nine years of age, is living with her son Andrew M. Her parents were Alden and Millison (Lovell) Miller, of Middleboro.

Andrew M. Wood acquired his education in the schools of his native town, including the high school and Peirce Academy. He earned his first wages in a store, was next employed for thirteen years in the Bay State Straw Works, and then assumed the duties of his present position. Treasurer of Middleboro Savings Bank, to which he was appointed in 1885. Mr. Wood is an able accountant, and his character and social qualities are such that his relations with all are pleasant, wherefore it is deemed desirable to keep him in the position he now occupies.

Mr. Wood was married November 30, 1875, to Miss L. Ardelle Perkins, daughter of Lsaac and Betsy (Pratt) Perkins, both of whom belonged to old representative families of North Middleboro. Mr. and Mrs. Wood have one child - Theodore N., born March 9, 1881.

In political preference Mr. Wood is a Republican. He is a member of the Board of Overseers of the Poor, and is at present acting as clerk of that body, having been elected to fill a vacancy. He has also been clerk of the Middleboro Fire District for seven years. In all his official duties he displays keenness of perception, soundness of judgment, and strict integrity of purpose.

fHEODORE LILLEY, a skilled shoe worker of Brockton, was born in 18 19, son of Joseph and Arathusia (Lovejoy) Lilley. He is a descendant of a family whose members were distinguished for bravery during the Revolutionary War. His grandfather lost a leg at Bunker Hill, afterward fought under command of the renowned Paul Jones, and continued to serve until the close of the war. His wife lived to be eighty-si.x years of age. They had five children, all of whom lived to be old but Joseph, the father of the subject of this sketch. He was a ship-carpenter by trade, and had some military experience, being taken prisoner by the Indians during the War of 1812. He married Miss Lovejoy, an Englishwoman, by whom he had two children: Thomas, who is now eighty years old, and a resident of Somerville, Mass. ; and Theodore. Joseph Lilley died in 1822, and his wife about eight years later. He had a brother, John Lilley, who was in the cane and umbrella business in Boston for half a century, his sign being one of the oldest in the business section. His sons now continue the enterprise. Theodore Lilley, direct subject of this sketch, was educated in the public schools of Brockton and Boston. Left an orphan at the age of eleven by his mother's death, he began to seek means of self-support, and applied himself to learn shoemaking, which he mastered in all its details. He has followed his trade for over si.\ty years, and has been a resident of this city since 1831. During all this period he has never had occasion to strike for higher wages. In politics he was at first affiliated

Mr. Lilley has been twice married, his first wife having been Annie R., daughter of Charles Keith, of Campello. She died January 2 1, 1882. She had three children, two of whom are now living in the West - Clara Anna, at Blue Mound, 111.; and Mary Alice, who lives in Decatur, 111. Clara Anna married F"rederick H. Henshie, February i, 1S70, and has two adopted children. Mr. Henshie has served as Postmaster, Alderman, Town Treasurer, and has held other positions of trust and responsibility. Mary Alice married John G. Harvey, of Kentucky, October 29, 1866. Mrs. Harvey has three living children - Ellis T., born January 19, 1S70; William Keith, born December 26, 1871 ; and Albert G., born September 5, 1874. Mr. Lilley's second matrimonial alliance was formed December 10, 1884, with Mrs. Frances A. Prescott, of Wakefield, who was born in Washington, Me., daughter of Andrew and Mary Sukeworth, of Washington, Me. Her first husband died December 21, 1881. Mr. Lilley is now practically retired from business, but still continues to look after his real estate.

a retired ship-master of Marshfield, ^^y* ^ has visited nearly every known quarter of the globe; and his mind is richly stored with general information and interesting anecdote. He was born in Du.xljury, Mass., November 20, 1822, a son of Captain Jonathan and Ruth (Phillips) Sprague. Captain Jonathan Sprague, who was a son of Jonathan Sprague, of Marshfield, was born and reared in this town. He followed the sea for a number of years, and had a varied experience in the coasting, the West India, and the foreign trade. He died in 1832. Two of his children are living: Elisha P., the subject of this sketch; and Angeline M., whose home is at Marshfield Hills, Mass.

Elisha P. Sprague was ten years of age when his father died. He was educated in the common schools of Du.xbury, remaining at home until he was sixteen years old. Then, adopting the vocation followed by his father, he took to the sea, and in ten years passed through the various grades of promotion to the rank of captain. Among the vessels which he commanded were the brig "Trenton," of Diixbury, on which he sailed for five years, making a number of foreign voyages; the bark "Tallyho, " trading between Archangel, Russia, and Boston, Mass.; the ship "Ocean Eagle," trading between Calcutta, India, and Boston; the ship "Meteor," on which he made one voyage, between Boston and Mediterranean ports; the "Josiah Ouincy," of which he was master some five years, making a number of foreign voyages; and the ship "Marshall," which was in his charge about a year and a half. This vessel was captured at the time of the war at New Orleans by the Confederates, and was burned by them. His last vessel, the "Merchant," which was engaged in foreign trade, was in his charge some eight years. Captain Sprague retired from the sea in 1870, and has since spent most of his time in his pleasant home in Marshfield. P'rom his quiet retreat here he can look back to stirring scenes in his younger days; and his knowledge of the world and of all classes of humanity is an unending source of pleasure to himself and others.

Captain Sprague has been twice married. His first wife, Sarah T. Stevens, who was born here, March 15, 1828, died April 26, 1849; and on October i, 1853, he was united with Lucy A. Cushman, of Duxbury, who was born August 7, 1835, daughter of Briggs and Lucy (Keen) Cushman, who were both natives of that town. Mr. Cushman, who was a carpenter, died in 1883. By his second union the captain has two sons: Francis B., born October 25, 1S54, at South Framingham, Mass.; and Marshall P., born September 2, i860, in South Weymouth, Mass.; and one daughter, Nellie R., who was born September 8, 1865, and died June 6, 1868.

Captain Sprague votes the Republican ticket. He is a Mason, belonging to Corner Stone Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Duxbury. Mrs. Sprague is a member of the Congregational church and of the Ladies' Benevolent Society connected with it. The captain and his wife take an active interest in all social events of importance in the town, and are very popular members of the community.

Illiam E. Sparrow, M.D.

ILLIAM E. SPARROW, M.D., has been actively engaged in the practice of medicine in Mattapoisett for nearly half a century, and has also long been identified with the business and political life of the place. He was born in the adjoining town of Rochester, April 21, 1S24, a son of Josiah and Minerva (Millen) Sparrow. His early boyhood was passed on a farm; and, when he was sixteen years old, he entered a drug store in Mattapoisett, where he was employed as clerk until his professional stLidies were completed.

When he was eighteen years of age, he began to study medicine with Dr. Newton Southworth, of this town; and in 1847 he entered Yale College, where he was graduated in 1848. He immediately started in on professional work, and had established a good practice in Mattapoisett when the war broke out.

Answering the call for surgeons, he was located at Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis, Mo., in 1863, and in 1864 was in Virginia, and was acting assistant surgeon, following Grant in the hospitals. This military hospital jjractice made him an expert in the most difficult cases of surgery, and also broadened his experience in treating fevers and other diseases incident to army life, so that, when he returned to his quiet Mattapoisett home, few physicians in the locality could compete with him in professional knowledge and skill. Dr. Sparrow has be'en for many years proprietor of a drug store in this town. In 1867 he undertook the management of some lumber-mills in the town of Marion, which are yet under his control ; and for fifteen years he has been interested in cranberry culture, owning extensive meadows in Marion.

Dr. Sparrow was first married in 1852 to Sophronia S. Holmes. She died in 1865, leaving four children - William E. , Jr., Elizabeth H., Solomon E., and I'rank Miller. The eldest son, William E. Sparrow, Jr., qualified as a civil engineer, but is now engaged in manufacturing in New Bedford; Elizabeth Sparrow is the wife of Ward P. Delano, of Worcester; and Solomon E. Sparrow is a graduate of West Point, and holds the rank of Lieutenant in the United States Army. The youngest son, I'rank M. Sparrow, is a graduate of Harvard, and is now a practising attorney in New Bedford. Dr. Sparrow contracted a second marriage in 1868 with Mrs. Eliza Har<ling, daughter of George Dunham, of Martha's Vineyard, but has no children by this union.

In political matters he favors the Republican side. He was first appointed to public office in 1856, when he was made Deputy Postmaster of Mattapoisett. In this capacity he served until 1866, when, the Postmaster,

Edmund Hersey

Benjamin F. Barstovv, dying, Dr. Sparrow succeeded him, and was in office until 1S93. He has been a member of the Town Board of Health for forty-five years, and a member of the School Committee for more than twenty years. Dr. Sparrow attends the Congregational church.

ISAAC GILMAN STETSON, a retired merchant and the present Postmaster of South Hanover, was born in the town of Pembroke, Plymouth County, Mass., August 7, 1826, son of Isaac O. and Emily (Josselyn) Stetson, he being the only child.

He was educated in the district school and at Hanover Academy. He remained at home until i<S'59, then came to South Hanover, and entered the store of E. Y. Perry as clerk. After a few years he purchased an interest in the business, and the firm name was changed to E. Y. Perry & Co. Mr. Stetson subsequently bought out Mr. Perry's interest, and conducted the store alone. In 1870 he erected the store now occujued by E. W. Philli|)s, where he carried on a successful general mercantile business until 1890, a period of twenty years. Although he then retired from trade, he still continues to hold the office of Postmaster, in which capacity he has now served for thirty-five years. This and the management of his farm occupy his time quite fully. In 1846, fifty years ago, Mr. Stetson was joined in marriage with Miss Jane R. Oldham, daughter of A. \V. Oldham, of Pembroke. Three of their four children are living, namely: Emily, wife of S. W. Bailey; Fred; and Grace, the wife of E. W. Phillips. Their other child, Mary, died in infancy.

DMUND IIERSEY, of Hingham, instructor in farming at the Bussey Institution in Jamaica Plain, the School of Agriculture and Horticulture connected with Harvard University, and superintendent of the Bussey Farm, was born in Hingham, August 7, 1823, son of Samuel F. and Persis (Hobart) Hersey.

The original founder of the family in America was William Hersey, who emigrated from England in 1635, and in the fall of that year settled in Hingham. He became identified with the town government, and was prominent in its affairs until his death, which took place in 1657 or 1658. His wife, Elizabeth, died in 1671. Their son John was born in Hingham, and here followed the trade of a tailor for the greater part of his active life. He was serving as a Constable in 1701, and he died at the age of eighty-six years. His wife, Sarah, a native of Dedham, Mass., lived to be eighty-three years old. They were the parents of eleven children; and of these Daniel, the next in line, was the eighth.

Daniel Hersey was born in Hingjiam, as was each succeeding ancestor down to the subject of this sketch; and his wife, whose maiden name was Mary Mays, is thought to have been a native of this town. He was a cooper by trade, and he also carried on farming. The house he lived in is still standing on Hersey Street, in a good state of preservation. Daniel and Mary Hersey reared a family of five children, Isaiah, Mr. Edmund Hersey's great-grandfather, being the fourth-born. He was a cooper and a farmer, and he lived to be eighty-two years old. He wedded Margaret Sprague, of Hingham, a descendant of William

Sprague, an early settler; and they were the parents of eight children, of whom Reuben, the next in line, was the youngest. The mother lived to the age of eighty-eight years.

Reuben Hersey, grandfather of Edmund, followed the cooper's trade in connection with farming, and was eighty-eight years old when he died. He was a member of the Unitarian church, and in politics was a Jacksonian Democrat. He married Mary French, a native of Weymouth, Mass.; and they reared a family of six children, of whom Samuel F. , above named, was the second-born. Mrs. Mary F. Hersey died at the age of sixty-four years.

Samuel F. Hersey was a lifelong resident of Ilingham; and, like his ancestors, he learned the cooper's trade, which he followed to some extent. He was, however, particularly interested in agriculture as a science; and, as an experimental farmer, he derived considerable local notoriety. He attained the advanced age of ninety-three years. His wife, Persis Hobart, became the mother of four children, as follows: Persis, who was born in 1814, married Isaac Cothrell, of Hingham, and is the mother of six children - namely, Isaac, Elizabeth, Sarah, Albion, Edward, and Addie; Mary French, who was born in 1816, married Elijah C. Cothrell, of this town, and has three children living - namely, Elijah L., Reuben H., and Nellie; Samuel, who was born in 1820, whose wife, Ciseline Stoddard, of Hingham, died leaving no children; and Edmund, the subject of this sketch. Mrs. Persis Hobart Hersey lived to be seventy-six years old. Representatives of each generation of the Hersey family were members of the old First Church, whose earliest pastor was the Rev. Peter Hobart. It is a fact worthy of mention that representatives of five generations of the family have erected dwellings on Hersey Street, the origin of whose name is obvious; and all of these houses are still owned in the family. Daniel built in 1730; Isaiah, in 1753; Reuben, in 1776; Samuel F., in 1813; Cedar Hedge was erected by Edmund Hersey in 1851; and Reuben H. Cothrell has also built a residence on Hersey Street - and all are within a quarter of a mile of each other.

Edmund Hersey was educated in the public schools of Hingham; and, when a young man, he learned the trade of a cooper and box-maker with his father. He continued to work as a journeyman for some years; and in 1848 he invented a machine for the manufacture of boxes, which revolutionized the trade. This invention, which practically did away with hand work in the box manufacturing business, is now used in all factories throughout the country; and after introducing it, and assuring himself of its success, its inventor relinquished mechanical pursuits. Mr. Hersey next entered the field of journalism as agricultural editor of the Massachusetts Ploughman, and remained with that well-known paper for eight years.

At an early age he displayed a taste and capacity for agricultural pursuits; and, when nineteen years old, he began to make scientific experiments upon a small plot of ground given him by his uncle. As he grew older, he developed his genius in this direction, and acquired a vast amount of practical knowledge relating to the elementary principles and advanced methods of agriculture. His homestead property in Hingham consists of fifty acres, which has afforded him ample opportunity to forward and accomplish many important experiments; and probably there is not a more able, progressive, and successful agricultural scientist in the State to-day than is Mr. Hersey. In 1890 he became connected . with the Bussey Institution in Jamaica Plain, a department of Harvard University; and he is now instructor in the theory and practice of farming, and superintendent of Bussey Farm, which is used for experimental purposes.

IVIr. Hersey has been twice married. His first wife was Mary C. Hobart, daughter of Ebed Hobart, of Hingham. She died at the age of sixty-one years, leaving one daughter, Fanny, who was born in 1854, and is the wife of James E. Perry, of Pepperell, Mass., and mother of two daughters - Lizzie F. and Lillie. Mr. Hersey's present wife was before marriage Clara S. Sherman. She is a native of Scituate, Mass. By this union there are no children.

Mr. Hersey has been a member of the Massachusetts Board of Agriculture twentyone years, and is to-day the oldest elective member of the Board. For five years, by unanimous election, he was President of the Agricultural Society of Hingham; and for ten years he was also Trustee of the Hingham Savings Institution. In politics Mr. Hersey is a Republican. He has held several important offices, and was Overseer of the Poor for some years. He was for three years State statistician, and in that period he greatly improved the system of obtaining statistics. He is a man of original ideas, who possesses the skill to prove their utility ; and tor the past six years, as agricultural editor of the 0/t/ Fanner s Almanac, he has placed many of them within reach of the practical farmers of this Commonwealth.

I^UTHER WHITE, contractor and jJT builder, of Marshfield, Mass., was -^ - ^ born in Plymouth, Mass., April 13, 1829, a son of Thomas F. and Hannah (Clarke) White. Mr. White is a scion of one of the old Pilgrim families famous in the history of the Bay State, being the seventh in lineal descent from Peregrine White, the first child of English parentage born within New England limits, whose birthplace, it will be remembered, was the cabin of the "Mayflower," then at anchor in Provincetown Harbor. He was named Peregrine to commemorate the wanderings or peregrinations of the Pilgrim fathers and mothers. Peregrine White married Sarah Bassett ; and their son Daniel was the father of Benjamin and grandfather of Benjamin White, Jr., who was the father of Luther, first, and great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch. Thomas F. White, who was a son of the first Luther, was born and reared in Marshfield. He devoted his life to the pursuit of agriculture, and was also engaged in teaming to some extent. His death occurred in April, 1889. Mrs. White, who was born in Plymouth, died in Marshfield in 1876. They were the parents of the following children : Mary, wife of Thomas Thurber, of Attleboro, Mass. ; Luther, the subject of this sketch; Peregrine F. , now in Worcester, Mass. ; Sarah, wife of Henry Bosworth, of Pembroke, Mass. ; Edward, living in Ouincy, Mass. ; Betsey, widow of George J. Peterson, of Mar.shfield ; and Hannah T. and Mehitable M., deceased.

Luther White was educated in Marshfield, his parents removing from Plymouth to this town when he was five years old. His schooling was limited to the winter sessions of the district school, and ended when he was sixteen years old. At the age of seventeen he began to learn the carpenter's trade at Dorchester, Mass., with David Bartlett, a well-kno'wn builder of that place, and served four years; and he afterward worked for Mr. Bartlett as a journeyman some twelve years. He remained in the vicinity of Dorchester until 1876, returning then to Marshfield, where he has now made his home for twenty years in succession. As a contractor and builder, Mr. White has the confidence of the public. He has finished a number of important contracts, including residences at Brant Rock and Green Harbor and the Ventress Memorial Hall in Marshfield, now the town hall and high school. Mr. White has made his own way in life, winning the general respect always accorded success. He married Miss Mary A. Church, daughter of the late John Church, of Pembroke, Mass. Mr. White votes the Republican ticket. He is a public-spirited citizen, always in favor of progress and improvement.

, ATTAIN JAMES BURGES.S, a prominent citizen of Wareham, Mass., son of John and Hitty (Linnell) Burgess, formerly of Orleans, Mass., has followed the sea for forty-seven years, and is now living at ease on the farm where he was born, October s, 1815. On this farm the earlier days of his boyhood were spent ; and the educational advantages with which he began active life were very scanty, the fund of knowledge which he now possesses having been mostly acquired in the inductive school of experience. When only twelve years of age, he shipped as boy on a coasting vessel, and in course of time was advanced to the position of able seaman. He was in the coasting trade nine years, or until he was twenty-one, and became very familiar with the Atlantic shore. He then shipped as mate of a merchant vessel at Boston, and ten years later he was captain of a merchantman. In this capacity he sailed for twenty years, visiting many parts of the globe and doubling Cape Horn several times.