Plymouth Town (part 53 of 54)

On November 28, 1828, when twenty-three years of age, Mr. Sylvester married Miss Sarah Burgess, of Boston, who was a daughter of Josiah and Sarah (Whitney) Burgess, of Harvard. By this union he had the following children: Loammi B., died September 6, 1862; Susanna F"., died October 16, 1893; Belcher, who died when very young; Elizabeth B. ; Sarah E. ; Julietta; and Robert. Susanna Sylvester married William T. Lapham, of Scituate. Elizabeth B. married Israel H. Macomber, a farmer, living at Marshfield Hills. Sarah E. is the wife of George H. Allen, who lives in Boston, where he is now employed in a bank, and was formerly for many years Superintendent of Lamps. Juliet married Frank A. Glapp, and their home is in Wakefield. Robert Sylvester, Jr., married Mary B. Turner, and lives in Hanover, where he has taken his father's place, and carries on the farm. I^oammi B. Sylvester married Emmeline A. Bartlett, and was engaged in the shoe business until he went to the war as a member of Gompany G, Eighteenth Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteers. His death in September 6, 1862, was the result of wounds received in battle. Mrs. Sarah Burgess Sylvester died November 9, 1855; and Mr. Sylvester's second wife, formerly Miss Sarah W. Packard, of Marshfield, whom he married in 1859, died August 12, 1885.

Mr. Sylvester has been a supporter of the Republican party ever since its formation. To show one's loyalty at the polls a half century ago and more was not the easy task of to- day. When William Henry Harrison was up for President, Mr. Sylvester journeyed forty miles to cast his vote. He is of the orthodox faith in religion, and is a member of the Congfreijational church.

^-fT^ELEG R. HADLEY, who has been 1^^^ identified with the mercantile and J->-^ industrial interests of the town of Marion, Plymouth County, for many years, was born August 8, 1848, at Rochester, now Marion. His father, Andrew J. Hadley, was formerly a well-known merchant of this town. He was twice married, his first wife (mother of our subject) being Sarah E. Cobb, daughter of the Rev. Oliver Cobb, a Congregationalist minister, who preached for years in Marion, in which place he died. By her he had two children. His second wife, Louisa Brett, who was a daughter of the Rev. Pliny Brett, a Methodist minister, bore him five children. He and his second wife are still living.

Peleg B. Hadley acquired the rudiments of his education in the Marion schools, after which ho attended Dartmouth Academy and Phillips Academy of Andover, Mass. When seventeen years old he entered his father's store as clerk, and while in that position proved himself so well adapted for a mercantile career that he was admitted into partnership with his father. A few years later Mr. Hadley formed a copartnership with Mr. T. A. Handy, with whom he was in business ten years. In 1890 Mr. Handy died, and the business was carried on by Mr. Hadley, who had an extensive trade in general merchandise, carrying a good assortment of dry goods, groceries, hay, feed, flour, etc. At the end of two years he sold out to his brother, Stephen D. Hadley. In politics Mr. Hadley is a stanch adherent of the Republican party, and gives his aid and encouragement to the various enterprises inaugurated for the general welfare of the people of his town and county. For three years he served as Selectman, in 1892 was Town Auditor, and is now Assessor, Overseer of the Poor, and a member of the Board of Health.

Mr. Hadley has been twice married. In July, 1872, he was united in matrimony with Abbie W. Dean, who bore him two children, one of whom died in infancy. The other, Susie D., was graduated from Tabor Academy, and is now a student at the Boston Conservatory of Music. After the death of his first wife, which occurred September 25, 1875, Mr. Hadley married Miss Priscilla H. Handy, daughter of Augustus H. and Susan N. Handy. By her he has two children - Augustus A. and Elizabeth B. Mr. Hadley is a Knight of Honor, belonging to Wareham Lodge, No. 1,003, of Marion.

JOSEPH OLIVER BURDETT, an able Boston attorney, residing in Hingham, Plymouth County, was born in South Reading (now Wakefield), Mass., October 30, 1848. His parents were Joseph and Sally J. (Mansfield) Burdett. His paternal greatgrandfather, Joseph Burdett, was a native of Maiden, Mass., where he carried on farming, and lived to a good old age. His son Michael, a farmer and shoemaker by occupation, was a native and lifelong resident of Wakefield. He was prominent in local affairs, and was a W'hig in politics. He married Dolly Di.x, of Wakefield, and they had seven children. Both parents were members of the orthodox Congregational church. Mrs. Michael Burdett died in early womanhood, while her husband lived to be seventy-six years old. Their children were: Michael, Mary, Oliver,

Joseph and Sarah D. (twins), George, and Samuel D. Michael died at the age of ninety-five. Mary married Samuel Nichols, an orthodox minister, and they had five children - Samuel, James, Daniel, Martha, and John H. Samuel and Daniel both served in the Civil War, enlisting as privates; and Daniel was promoted to the rank of Major for bravery. Martha (now deceased), was an army nurse during the war. John H. Nichols is now a member of the firm of Russ Cobb & Co., and resides in Dorchester, Mass. Oliver Burdett died at the age of forty-five. Joseph and Sarah D. Burdett died at the age of eighty, Sarah dying a few months previous to her brother. George was twice married, and by his first wife had four children - George A., Mervin, Melville W. , and Francelia. Samuel D. Burdett was a medical practitioner in Philadelphia for many years. He died at the age of fifty.

Joseph Burdett, son of Michael and Dolly Di.\ Burdett, was born May 15, 181 1. He first worked at shoemaking, and later went to Providence, R.I., where he was employed as clerk in a furniture store. He subsequently engaged in the manufacture of shoes, but finally gave up that business, and turned his attention to farming. In politics he was first a Jacksonian Democrat, then a Free Soiler; but in his later days he affiliated with the Republican party. He was a member of the School Committee, and held other ofifices. He was actively interested in church work, and belonged to the orthodox Congregational church of Wakefield. He married Sally J. Mansfield, and they had seven children, four of whom are now living: Michael B. ; Dolly M. ; Josephine; and Joseph Oliver, the subject of this sketch. Michael B., born in 1837, married Alljina Long, of Portland, Me. They have four children living - Frederick,

Cyril H., Alice, and Owen. Dolly M., born in 1842, is the widow of Charles Avery, of Wakefield, and has no children. Josephine has been twice married. Her first husband was Delano Robinson, by whom she had two children - Alvernus and Charles. She resides with her present husband, a Mr. Gushing, in San Francisco. The father, Joseph Burdett, died in 1891, at the age of eighty years.

Joseph O. Burdett attended the Wakefield schools, and was subsequently graduated from Tufts College in the .class of 1871, having alternated study with teaching in order to defray his expenses. In 1868-69 he taught in Hingham, and for a few months he taught private school in Harvard, Mass. After his graduation from Tufts College he entered the Harvard Law School; and, while a student there, studied law simultaneously in the ofifice of Judge Hammond. On April 19, 1873, he was admitted to the Middlesex bar, and took up his residence in Hingham. He subsequently opened an ofifice in Boston, at 53 State Street, in which he still practises his profession. In politics he afifiliates with the Republican party, and has been a member jof the State Republican Committee for six years, during three of which he has officiated as Chairman. Mr. Burdett has served on the School Committee continuously since 1876, having been its Chairman for the past seventeen years. Since his admission to the bar he has been a Justice of the Peace, and for twenty-one years he has been Master in Chancery. Since 1876 he has been Town Counsel, and in 1884 and 1885 he was Representative to the legislature. He was the only Hingham resident who took an active interest in the establishment of an electric light plant, and he served as Director of the company until the plant was purchased by the town. He belongs to Old Colony

Nathaniel Church

On June 30, 1S74, Mr. Burdett was united in marriage with Miss Ella J. Carthell, daughter of John and Joan J. (Ripley) Carthell, of Hingham. Mr. and Mrs. Burdett have three children: Harold C, born May 5, 1877; Edith M, born December 26, 1880; and Helen R., born October 27, 1882. In religious belief they are Unitarians.

lAPTAIN NATHANIEL CHURCH. Among the hale and vigorous old citizens of Marshfield - a town boasting many remarkable examples of longevity - no one is better known or more esteemed than Captain Nathaniel Church. He was born in Marshfield, Mass., March 19, 181 2, a son of Captain David and Betty (Keen) Church, and comes of English stock long planted in the soil of the Old Colony.

Richard Church, the immigrant ancestor of the family, was in Boston, Mass., as early as 1630, and in Plymouth in 1633. He married Elizabeth Warren, who came over with her mother and sisters in the "Ann " nearly three years after her father. Richard came in the "Mayflower." So far as we are aware a complete genealogy of the Church family in America, or even of the first five or si.x generations, has not been published. Historical writers mention among other children of the first Richard, Nathaniel of Scituate, Mass., and Benjamin, born in 1639, the noted leader in the Indian wars, who married Alice Southworth, daughter of Constant Southworth, and lived for a time in Duxbury, Mass., but settled lateral Little Compton, R.I. Colonel Benjamin Church had a son Thomas born in 1674; Constant, born in 1676; Edward; Charles; Benjamin, who never married; a son that died in infancy; and a daughter Elizabeth. Nathaniel Church, first, of Scituate, was the father of Richard second, Nathaniel second, Joseph, Charles, and three daughters.

The paternal grandfather of Captain Nathaniel Church of this sketch was Constant Church, a native of that part of the old town of Scituate that is now Norwell, who is thought to have been of the line of Colonel Benjamin Church, several of whose posterity in the early generations bore that name in honor of his wife's father.

Captain David Church, son of Constant Church, of Scituate, followed the sea for a number of years, commanding vessels in the coasting and packet marine service, and was widely known and very popular. He died in Marshfield in 1839. His wife, who was born in Duxbury, Mass., died in Marshfield in February, 1840.

Nathaniel Church grew to manhood on a farm in Marshfield, acquiring a knowledge of reading, writing, and arithmetic in a little oldfashioned school-house very different from the finely-equipped halls of learning of to-day. His attendance was limited to the winter sessions, and when he was sixteen years old his education was supposed to be finished; but, as a matter of fact, he has kejit his eyes open, his mind active, and through reading and observation has been a learner from his youth up. During the years of his active manhood he was engaged in farming and teaming, the latter in the winter season. When ship-building was flourishing in this localityy-he was kept very busy in winter hauling lumber to the docks. He is now practically retired from business pursuits. He has witnessed many changes in industrial conditions in Marshfield, and is well acquainted with the history of the place for the past three-quarters of a century. Joining the militia when he was eighteen years old, he

He has been three times married. His first wife, Eveline Sherman, bore him three children: lietsey K., wife of William J. Walsh, of Marshfield ; David, who was killed in the battle of the Wilderness; and Edwin, deceased. His second wife, Lucy Carver, of Marshfield, was the mother of one child - Sarah C. (deceased). Captain Church married for his third wife Mrs. Janet Logan Sproul Reed, daughter of Matthew and Janet (Logan) Sproul, and widow of Marcus Reed, Jr., of Whitman, Mass. By her first marriage she had four children : Janet A., wife of W. D. Taylor, of Cleveland, Ohio; Susan M. , deceased; Marcus W. , of Cincinnati, Ohio; and Amelia F. , deceased. Mrs. Church was born in Paisley, Scotland, where the famous Paisley shawls are manufactured and the Coats thread. This city is the home of all her people. Mr. and Mrs. Church are members of the First Baptist Society of Marshfield. They are well known and esteemed, and the Captain is always ready to favor any reasonable project for the improvement of the town.

§OSEPH WHTFE, a leading business man of Hanson, Mass., was born in this town, June 14, 1832, son of Joseph and Eliza D. (Bonney) White. He is descended from a long line of New England ancestry. His progenitor, si.\ generations removed, was one Gowin White, of whom it is recorded that he was one of the Connihasset partners in 1646. In 1650 Gowin White purchased a large farm of William Richards, which remained in the family until about 1850. His son Timothy, born 1679, married Rebecca Simons in 1707. Their son, Timothy White, second, born in 1708, married Sarah Clapp in 1732. Their son Timothy, third, who was born in Scituate, was twice married, his second wife being Temperance Bryant, to whom he was united in 1794. He died in 1825.

Joseph White, son of Timothy, third, and father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Scituate, May 15, 1808. He was educated in the common schools, and engaged in the manufacture of boxes, also dealing to some extent in horses. He married Eliza Delano Bonney, daughter of Nathaniel Bonney, of Hanson, and they had si.\ children, four of whom attained maturity: Joseph; Eliza Bartlett; Clayton, now deceased; and Sarah J., wife of Bradley S. Bryant. The parents attended and helped support the Congregational church, and the mother, who was musically gifted, sang in the choir for five years, during which time she did not miss a service.

Joseph White, second, direct subject of this sketch, was educated in the common schools, though perhaps the most valuable part of his education has been acquired in the great and practical school of life. He began to be self-supporting at a comparatively early age, working in the tannery and box factory of his father, with whom he remained until he was twenty-one. He then began to deal in horses and carriages on his own account, in which pursuit he showed good judgment, and laid the foundations of his present prosperity. In the early seventies Mr. White built his present factories, and began the manufacture of heavy wagons, an enterprise the success of which has been marked, and which is still growing. The factory furnishes employment most of the time to eight or ten men, and the business is one of the most firmly established in the town of Hanson.

to Sarah E. Perry, daughter of Josiah F. Perry, of Hanover, Mass. They have five children, namely: Josephine, who married Edward Churchill, of East Bridgewater; Joseph Bartlett, who married Mrs. Anna Bates, of South Hanover; Catherine A., wife of Walter Calder, of South Hanson; Howard H., who married Annie A. Howland, of Duxbury; and Bern ice E.

Josiah F. Perry, father of Mrs. White, was born in Dorchester, Mass., September 17, 1809. His grandfather was Adam Perry, a native of Hanover, who fought in the Revolutionary War, and a farmer by occupation. Josiah Perry obtained such education as was then afforded by the district schools. He learned the trade of an iron moulder, which he followed until he removed to Hanover in the early fifties. There he located on a farm which had belonged to his grandfather, and which he carried on as long as he lived. He took an intelligent interest in public affairs, and was a firm Democrat politically. On February 9, 1836, he married Sarah C. Hildreth, daughter of James Varnum Hildreth, of Dracut, Mass. By her he became the father of eight children, five of whom grew to maturity, namely: Sarah E. (Mrs. Joseph White); Josiah Field, now a resident of Haverhill, Mass. ; James Henry, who served in the war in the Eighteenth Massachusetts Volunteers, and died in 1890, unmarried ; Anna A. Merrill; and Clara F., now residing in Providence, R. I., where she is employed as a teacher.

Mrs. Perry can trace her ancestry back on her mother's side for many generations, the first ancestor of whom there is record being Sergeant Richard Hildreth, who was born in England in 1605. He was a magistrate and a man of some importance in his native country. Later in life he came to America, settling in

Chelmsford, Mass., where he died in 1688. His son. Lieutenant James Hildreth, was born in England in 1631. He married Margaret Ward. The next ancestor was Major Ephraim Hildreth. His second son, Josiah, born in 1 7 10, in 1740 married Rebecca Wright, and they had five children. Their fourth child. Captain Josiah Hildreth, Jr., was born in 1746. He fought for American independence in the Revolutionary War, being one of Captain Peter Coburn's company in 1775; and in 1777 he fought under General Gates, in Captain Joseph Varnum's company. After the surrender of General Burgoyne, he was one of those appointed to escort the British prisoners and captured military stores to Boston. He married Hannah Varnum. Their son, James Varnum Hildreth, was the maternal grandfather of Mrs. White. He was born December 12, 1774, in IDracut, Mass., and was a farmer by occupation. He married Susannah Richardson, daughter of Obadiah Richardson, and they had eight children, of whom Sarah C, mother of Mrs. White, was the youngest.

From Susannah Richardson Hildreth, her maternal grandmother, Mrs. White traces her ancestry back, as follows: Lieutenant Obadiah Richardson was a son of Moses Richardson, who was son of Captain Josiah, third, who was son of Lieutenant Josiah, second, who was son of Captain Josiah, first, who was the second son of Ezekiel Richardson, who came from England in 1630, and was one of the founders of Woburn, Mass.

Mr. White is distinctively an American by birth, ancestry, and personal characteristics. His high standing as a business man and citizen has been wholly self-achieved. His wife is a woman of rare sagacity and exceptional business ability, and her wise counsels and ready assistance have been of great value to her husband. Besides his regular business

Mr. White has large real estate interests in the vicinity of Brant Rock. lie and his wife attend and help support the Congregational church.

DTrEDERICK HOWARD, who, during Plj his long and active career was one of the most esteemed residents of Brockton, was born in this town (then known as the North Parish of Bridgewater), February 14, 181 5. He is a descendant of John Howard, who came from England, and settled first in Duxbury, and later, about 165 1, in West Bridgewater. John Howard is said to have lived, when a lad, in the family of Miles Standish. He was a man of great influence, and was one of the first military officers in Bridgewater. From him Mr. Howard's line of descent is traced through John, second, Robert (who held the title of Captain, and was one of the first settlers of the North Parish), Daniel, and Darius, our subject's father.

Darius Howard married first Sophia, daughter of Jonas Howard, June 3, 1804, and by her had three children. His wife dying August 15, 1807, on June 5, 1808, he married for his second wife, Huklah, daughter of Jonathan Carey. Their family consisted of seven children, of whom Frederick was the fourth. The father, who died in 1836, was a jirominent man in the town, serving at different times as Selectman and Deputy Sheriff.

Frederick Howard, our direct subject, was educated in the common schools of North Bridgewater. At the early age of thirteen he entered the employ of Lysander Howard, dressing and cutting shoes, for which he received only one shilling per day for the first si.x months. He remained thus engaged until he was twenty-one, and earned in that time eleven hundred dollars, half of which he retained, the other half going to his father. He then worked one year for Rufus E. Howard, in the same business, having charge of the cutting department. In 1S37 he began for himself in a small way, in the manufacture of boots and shoes, which he carried on si.\ years, when failing health compelled him to relinquish it. P'rom that time until his death he dealt in real estate, and also was engaged to some extent in the settlement of estates. He was a Director of the North Bridgewater Bank during its existence, from 1854 to 1865. A Republican in politics, he became prominent in town affairs, and held various positions of responsibility and trust. He was Selectman, Assessor, and Overseer of the Poor (one year, in 1849), and was Special County Commissioner nine years. Of a generous and charitable nature, he expended thousands of dollars in acts of private benevolence. Though an octogenarian, and an invalid for some time prior to his death, his mental powers remained bright, and he preserved a cheerful disposition to the end. His memory will long be honored by the community in which he spent his life.

BED LINCOLN RIPLEY, the efficient Treasurer of the Rhodes & Ripley Clothing Company of Boston, and an esteemed resident of Hingham, Plymouth County, was born in this town. May 23, 1831, son of Ebed and Leah (Jones) Ripley. The family are of P]nglish extraction, the earliestknown ancestor being William, a weaver by trade, who came from England in 1638, and settled in New Hingham. The same year he had a grant of four acres of land, the greater part of which is still held by his descendants. By his first wife, whom he married in England, he had four children, who came with him to America. John, the eldest, married Elizabeth, daughter of the Rev. Peter Hobart, and they had seven children. He died at the age of fifty-two, and his wife at the age of sixty. Peter, their fifth child, and next in line, was born in Hingham in 1668. He was a cooper by trade, and became quite prominent in town affairs, serving as Constable in 1708, and as Selectman in 1725. He married Sarah Lassell, daughter of John and Elizabeth Lassell, of Hingham, and they had si.\ children. The father died at the age of seventyfour, and the mother at seventy. Peter, their second child, born in Hingham, married for his first wife Silence Lincoln, daughter of Caleb and Rachel Lincoln, of this town, and they became the parents of eight children. He was prominent in town affairs, being Constable in 1735, and Selectman in 1738 and 1741. He died at the age of sixty-nine years. Nehemiah, their fifth child, married Lydia Hobart, daughter of the Rev. Nehemiah and Lydia Hobart, and they had seven children. He was a farmer by occupation, served as Constable, and died in his forty-third year.

Nehemiah, second child of Nehemiah and Lydia Hobart Ripley, and the grandfather of the'subject of this sketch, was born in Hingham in 1755. He lived on the homestead all his life, following agricultural pursuits. He married Priscilla Lincoln, whose mother's maiden name was Mary Burr, and they had nine children. They were members of the First Orthodo.x Church. He lived to the age of seventy-four years.

Ebed, seventh child of Nehemiah and Priscilla Lincoln Ripley, was born in Hingham, November 15, 1793. He learned the trade of a box cooper, and was also land surveyor, which profession he followed through life. In politics he was at first a Whig and later a Republican. He was a hard-working man, and left a good property at his death, which occurred at the age of eighty-two years. His wife, whose maiden name was Leah Jones, was a daughter of Benjamin Jones, of Hingham. She had three children - Mary Burr, Joan, and Ebed. Mary Burr Ripley married John K. Carthell, and died leaving three children - -John G., Henry R., and Mary R. Joan Ripley became Mr. Carthell's wife after the death of her sister, and is now his widow. She has one child living, Ella. The father and mother were Unitarians in religious belief; and the mother died at the age of fifty-eight.

Ebed L. Ripley was educated in the public schools and at Derby Academy in Hingham. He then went to New London, Conn., where he was employed for one year, after which he returned to Hingham. He subsequently went to Boston, entering the employ of Fearing & Whitney, wholesale clothing dealers, with whom he remained seven years, finally succeeding them as part proprietor, the firm name being changed to Rhodes & Ripley in July, 1855. Later the firm was known under the style of Rhodes, Ripley & Co., until 1896, when it was incorporated as the Rhodes & Ripley Clothing Company, Mr. Ripley becoming its Treasurer. Mr. Ripley is a Republican politically, and has twice served as delegate to national conventions, helping to nominate Blaine and Harrison. He is I'resident of the Hingham Water Company, being one of the prime movers in getting the power established; President of the Hingham Agricultural and Horticultural "Society, having held that position for the past sixteen years; President of the Hingham Cemetery Corporation; and has been President of the Hingham Co-operative Bank since its organization, having been actively interested in its establishment. He officiates also as Trustee of the Hingham Public Library.

Mr. Ripley has been twice married. His first wife, Henrietta Hersey by maiden name, was a daughter of Seth S. and Betsy R. Hersey, of Hingham. She died in i86S, at the age of thirty-two, leaving no children. On January 3, 1871, Mr. Ripley married for. his second wife Miss Elizabeth Henry Melville Hersey, daughter of Henry and Betsy Hersey, and a niece of his first wife. They have seven children, namely: Henry Francis, born March 2, 1872; Ebed R. , born November 6, 1873; William Ripley, born March i, 1876; Nettie M., born April 12, 1878; Alice, born August 3, 1880; Bessie W., born March 26, 1883; and Reginald L., who was born July 6, 1 891. Mr. Ripley is a member of the Masonic order. He and his wife are believers in the Unitarian faith.

prosperous agriculturist and highly respected citizen of Hanover, Mass., is a native of this town. He was born at Hanover Four Corners, September 15, 1830, and was the eldest of the seven children of Samuel S. and Sarah (Sylvester) Church, the names of the other si.x being: Timothy, Julietta S., Sarah E. , Mary A., Robert, and Benjamin. Their paternal grandfather was Timothy Church.

After attending the district school and Hanover Academy, at the age of seventeen Samuel H. Church began working at the trade of an anchorsmith, at which he served a three years' apprenticeship with John Sylvester, of Hanover; and, after remaining with him another year as journeyman, went to East Weymouth. Returning to Hanover at the end of twelve months, he worked at his trade here for a few years, subsequently going to Somerset, and thence to Raynham ; from which place.

four years later, he again returned to Hanover, and worked until 1868 at Curtis's anchor works. When the Hanover Railroad was started he held the position of assistant station agent here about ten months, after which he engaged in the coal and grain business for eight months. Mr. Church then sold out, and in 1870 he removed to the farm where he now lives, and is engaged in the saw and grist mill business in addition to his farm work. Mis homestead contains si.xty acres, and he also owns other tracts of land, making in all one hundred and fifty acres.

In 1 861 he was married to Miss Ellen C. Gardner. Their only child, a son, Edward G., who was born July 20, 1868, died March II, 1876. Mr. Church is a stanch Republican. He has served acceptably in various minor town offices, also as Assessor, Overseer of the Poor, and Selectman from 1877 to 1889 - twelve successive years.

^APTAIN JOSHUA L. MACOMBER, an old and respected citizen residing in Mattapoisett, Plymouth County, is one of the large number of men in this locality who, after many years of seafaring life, have engaged successfully in industrial pursuits. He was born in Mattapoisett, January 16, 1829, and was reared in this town, acquiring a limited education. He went to work at the early age of fourteen, and for two years was employed as a clerk in a store in New Bedford. Then, when a lad of si.xteen, he started on his nautical career, engaging as cabin boy on the ship "Roman," a New Bedford whaler.

The vessel sailed for the whaling grounds of the Pacific Ocean, and was out from port thirty-two months and twenty-seven days. On his return to New Bedford the lad shipped again, this time engaging as boat steerer on the ship "Abraham Barker," which was out twenty-three months, cruising in the Arctic and Pacific Oceans. His next voyage, which covered thirty-two months, was as third mate of the same vessel, cruising in the Arctic Ocean; and he was subsequently first mate of the "Abraham Barker" during a forty-five months' cruise in the Arctic Ocean, the Okhotsk Sea, and the North Pacific. His fifth voyage was as first mate of the bark "Martha 0.," of New Bedford, which was out forty-eight months to a day, sailing the Arctic and Pacific Oceans. On his ne.xt voyage he left port as mate of the same ship, and, the captain dying when she was out some thirteen months, he was given charge of the vessel.

From beginning to end the voyage was a disastrous one. On June 29, 1865, the ship was burned in Behring Straits by the "Shenandoah," one of the Confederate privateers which were fitted out in Great Britain, through the connivance of the British government, to prey on American commerce; and the crew, with the sailors from seven other vessels, making two hundred and forty men all told, were crowded on one vessel. This arrangement, however, was unsafe for the captors, and part of the men were afterward placed on another vessel. Captain Macombcr landed at the .Sandwich Islands, went thence to San P'rancisco, and from there home. On this voyage he was injured by a whale, and his hurt was so serious that he decided to retire from the sea. Accordingly; he located in his present home, and engaged in the manufacture of lumber and shingles, establishing a saw-mill in Mattapoisett, which is still under his direction.

- -Susan M. and Elizabeth, who are both with her in the world beyond. In 1876 the Captain was united in matrimony with Miss Mary G. Hiller, who still presides over his household. By this union he has three children: Joshua; Chloe, a student at Providence Academy ; and Seth. A popular member of the Republican party, Captain Macomber has served on the School Board for twenty years, and officiated as Justice of the Peace for si.\- teen years. In religion he is a member of the Society of Friends.

/3)eORGE E. DAVIS, a well-known \ piT resident of Hingham, Mass., engaged in business as an ice dealer and expressman, was born in Bombay, Franklin County, N.Y. , July 11, 1S51, son of George W. and Caroline (Jackson) Davis. His grandfather, George E. Davis, first, was a native of Wales, and lived there until he was three years of age, when his father, the greatgrandfather of the subject of this sketch, emigrated to Connecticut, where he engaged in agricultural pursuits. Grandfather Davis married Pamice Butler, of Vermont, and they had ten children. He died at the age of sixtyfive, while his wife lived to the advanced age of ninety-six years. His political principles were those of the Republican party, and he was liberal in religion. Serving as a private in the War of 18 12, he was wounded, and he drew a pension for many years thereafter.

George W., his second ehtld, and the fatht-r of George E., of Hingham, was born in Grand Isle, Vt. At the age of nine years he removed with his parents to Bombay, N.Y. , where he grew to mahood, being largely selfeducated. He studied law, and, besides doing a large business drawing deeds and settling estates, became prominent in town affairs, serving as Custom-house Collector for fifteen years, being appointed in 1870. He also officiated as Justice of the Peace for many years. In politics he affiliates with the Republican party, and in religion he is liberal. Still a resident of Bombay, and somewhat advanced in life, he is yet hale and hearty. He has met with excellent financial success.

He married Caroline Jackson, and five children were born to them; namely, Daniel C, James B. (deceased), Martha A., George E., and Laura A. Martha A. is the wife of Dr. H. S. Rockwood, of Bombay, N.Y., and has two living children - -George and Henry. Laura A. married H. M. Bero, of Bombay. They have no children. The maternal grandfather, Eliphalet Jackson, was born in Hinesburgh, Vt. At the age of twenty-one he removed to Grand River, Canada, and was married to Martha Willsie. In 1882 they settled at Bombay, N.Y., where they reared a family of seven girls and two boys. Mr. Jackson attained the age of eighty-three years. His wife died at about fourscore.

George E. Davis received his early education in Bombay, N.Y., and from the time he was twelve until he was twenty worked on a farm. For a year and a half after that he was employed in a hotel in his native town. He then came East, and, settling in Cohasset, Mass., remained three years. In 1878 he came to Hingham, where he has continued to the present time, being engaged as an ice dealer and jobber, dealing in hay and grain. In 1 88 1 he established an express route from Nantasket to Boston, which he also still runs. He began his mercantile career in a small way, but he has been so successful that he is now one of the most prominent business men in town. In politics he is identified with the Republican party, but he is not an officeholder. Fraternally, he belongs to the Old

Colony Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; the Old Colony Lodge, A. F. & A. M. ; the Royal Arcanum, Warren Council, Boston; the Hingham Lodge, Knights of Honor; and the Golden Cross organization of Hingham.

Mr. Davis and Ada M. Bero, daughter of Henry Bero, of Bombay, N.Y. , were married on Washington's Birthday, 1881. They have five children - William Harry, George W., Veda May, Hazel A., and Warren P.

Lean Lincoln Shirley, M.D.

LEAN LINCOLN SHIRLEY, M.D., of East Bridgewater, is a graduate of Bowdoin College, and a thoroughly qualified physician and surgeon. He was born in Fryeburg, Me., February 15, 1865, son of Franklin and Emily (Page) Shirley, and comes of notable English and New England stock.

His great-great-grandfather, Edward Shirley, who was born in Burton, Devonshire, England, about 1743, was impressed into military service, and came to this country just before the breaking out of the Revolution. Disliking his impressment, and sympathizing with the colonists, he left the British forces, and fled to General Stark. Fearing discovery and punishment as a deserter, he was kept in hiding when not assisting the General in building his house. Edward Shirley subsequently settled in Fryeburg, Me., and there Jonathan, Edward (third), and P'ranklin, respectively the great-grandfather, grandfather, and father of Dr. Shirley, were born.

In England the Shirleys were connected by marriage with the Washingtons. It is recorded that Lawrence Washington, of Gray's Inn, ancestor of George Washington, who served as Mayor of Northampton, and in 1538 received from Henry VIII. the manor of Sulgrave, married a daughter of Shirley, Earl Ferrars. If this is correct, Shirley blood flowed in George Washington's veins. Elizabeth Washington, grand-daughter of Sir Lawrence Washington, of Garsdon, Wiltshire, second son of the first Lawrence, married Robert Shirley, Baron Ferrars, of Chartley, afterward Earl Ferrars.

Franklin Shirley, Dr. Shirley's father, is a well educated man. For some time he managed a farm of six hundred acres in Fryeburg, his own property; and he was also in trade there, retailing general merchandise, and was engaged in the manufacture and sale of lumber. His wife, Emily (Page) Shirley, was a descendant of Cornelius Page, probably a native of Dedham, England, who settled in Haverhill, Mass., about 1660. His greatgrandson. Colonel David Page, the greatgreat-grandfather of Dr. Shirley, was one of the original seven who went from Pennacook (now Concord, N.H.,) in 1763, into the Maine wilderness, and settled "Seven Lots," now the town of Fryeburg. He and others of the seven had been in the French War with Rogers, participating in the daring exploits of "Rogers' Rangers"; and in one of the lake fights he was wounded in the leg by a musket ball. Colonel David Page was for many years an acting magistrate of Fryeburg; and he was one of the first Trustees of Fryeburg Academy, appointed in 1792. Dr. Shirley's greatgrandfather and grandfather, Robert and Albion Page, lived and died in Fryeburg; and there his mother, too, passed her life, and closed her eyes in death.

It is, perhaps, from the maternal side of his family that Dr. Shirley inherited his bent for medicine. Dr. Horatio N. Page, formerly of Brewer, Me., and later of Chelsea, Mass., was his great-uncle; Dr. Alpheus F. Page, of Bucksport, Me., and Samuel Bradley, of Oldtown, Me., whose mother was a Page, were his mother's cousins; Dr. William Page, of

Brunswick, Me., was his grandfather's cousin; and the Hon. Jonathan Page, M.D., who practised in Brunswick, Me., before the medical college was established there, and who also taught medicine, often having a large number of students under his instruction, was a son of Colonel David Page. He was an original member of the Maine Medical Society, and was Overseer of Bowdoin College for upward of twenty years. He was a statesman as well as a physician, a member of the Maine Senate in 18 1 2, 1820, and 1 82 1, and a member of the Constitutional Convention in 1819-20. His house in Brunswick was spacious, and his disposition hospitable; and many distinguished guests rested under his roof. The celebrated Scotch anatomist, Dr. Alexander Ramsey, who gave courses of anatomical lectures in this country, illustrated by his own specimens, was entertained at Dr. Page's house when he lectured in Brunswick.

Allan Lincoln Shirley in his boyhood attended the public schools of P'ryeburg, and later Fryeburg Academy, where he was graduated in 1886. Immediately after he took up the study of medicine with Dr. D. Lowell Lanison, of Fryeburg, a man of rare scholarship, a graduate of the University Medical College of New York City. A year and a half with Dr. Lamson gave the young man a broad insight into the theory and practice of medicine. His studies were continued at Bowdoin College, from which he graduated in the spring of 1890, and in the Maine General Hospital in Portland ; foLsoon after enteung college he moved from Fryeburg to that city. In September, 1890, he engaged in regular practice in East Bridgewater, succeeding Dr. Asa Millet (now deceased), who then retired; and, though in professional work here but a short time, he has a large and lucrative practice, and enjoys the confidence of his patrons.

Dr. Shirley is an enthusiastic student, and embraces every opportunity to visit the Boston hospitals, and study the different forms of disease, and the latest methods of surgery. He has been Chairman of the East Bridgewater Board of Health two years, and has been a member of that body for a much longer period; and he belongs to the Village Improvement Club. In politics he is a Republican.

ILLIAM L. CHIPMAN, clerk of the Fourth District Court of Plymouth, and an esteemed resident of the town of Wareham, was born November 2, 1836, in Randolph, Norfolk County, Mass., a son of Lloyd and Hannah R. Chipman.

Lloyd Chipman in his early life was a stage driver between Providence and Boston. After the completion of the railway between those cities he removed to Wareham, where he was proprietor and manager of a hotel until his death, in 1865. The maiden name of his wife was Hannah R. White. She bore him three children, as follows: William L., subject of this brief biographical sketch; Sarah E. ; and George W. , who died in 1884. The mother, Mrs. Hannah R. Chipman, died April 26, 1879.

William L. Chipman was reared to manhood in the town of Wareham, receiving his education in the public schools and at Peirce Academy in Middleboro. He was subsequently employed as a clerk for his father in the hotel until i860, when he was appointed Deputy Sheriff and Constable, an office in which he served one term. He then accepted the position of clerk in the office of Trial Justice William Bates, afterward continuing some years in the same office with Seth Miller, Esq., who succeeded Mr. Bates as Trial Justice. In addition to his office duties, Mr.

Chipman was also Collector, as such having charge of a good deal of business. In 1874 he became clerk of the Fourth District Court of Plymouth, an office which he has acceptably filled for more than a score of years. Since 1872 he has been Notary Public and Justice of the Peace. In politics Mr. Chipman is an adherent of the Republican party, and is an advocate of the temperance cause, practising as he preaches in this regard, as he has never used liquor in any form. He has never been an aspirant for political honors, but served for many years as Town Auditor.

Mr. Chipman and Miss Hannah J. Hinckley, a daughter of Alpheus and Abbie (Bumpus) Hinckley, of Wareham, were united in marriage on January 14, 1874. They have a pleasant home, and are the parents of three children; namely, George W., Abbie F., and Paul L. Chipman.

/STeORGE C. HOWARD, the popular \J5 1 and efficient Superintendent of Schools in the towns of East Bridgewater, West Bridgewater, and Raynham, who resides with his widowed mother in their pleasant rural home in West Bridgewater, is a native of this town. He was born October 2, 1S60, a son of Elam and Keziah (Wilbur) Howard, the former of whom was born in West Bridgewater, and the latter in Bridgewater, Mass.

Elam Howard was a son of Thomas Howard, and was a lineal descendant of John Howard, one of the early settlers of West Bridgewater. A lifelong farmer, he died here in November, 1876, survived by his widow and several children, namely: Hepsie, wife of Elijah Smith; Ida, wife of Heman Stranger; Helen, wife of Josiah W. Foye; Edith, wife of W. H. Washburn; Grace, wife of M. A. Kingman;

After acquiring a knowledge of the common English branches in the public schools of West Bridgewater, George C. Howard, having decided to devote himself to educational work, took a complete course at the State Normal School at Bridgewater, Mass., where he was graduated in 1882, having earned the money to defray his expenses during the last two years. For a number of years he was employed as a teacher, being successively principal of the Sprague Grammar School at Brockton, and of the Mattapoisett High School, and all this time making a special study of the theory and practice of teaching. In April, 1895, he was elected Superintendent of the schools of East Bridgewater, West Bridgewater, and Raynham, and in 1896 he was re-elected to the same position.

In political affiliation Mr. Howard is a Republican, and in 1892 represented the three Bridgewaters in the Massachusetts legislature, and during his term was clerk of the Committee on Education. Fraternally, he is a member of Howard Lodge, Knights of Pythias, at West Bridgewater. He is a member of the Baptist church. Both as a citizen and as an educator he enjoys the confidence and good will of the public.

BNER WOOD, a successful, practical agriculturist of Middleboro, Mass., was born in this town, January 9, 1840, son of William T. and Amanda (Sawyer) Wood. His grandfather, Abner Wood, was a son of Abner, Sr., who was the first of this branch of the family to settle in Middleboro. He was of English descent.

William T. and Amanda Wood were the parents of three children, as follows: Catherine C, living in Middleboro: William H., who lost his life in the battle of Petersburg; and Abner, of this sketch. William H. Wood left four children, two boys and two girls. One of the boys at eight years of age was taken under the care of his uncle Abner, for whom he was named. He grew to manhood, and died at the age of twenty-nine.

Having acquired his education in the district schools of Middleboro, Abner Wood when sixteen years of age went to Taunton, Mass., to learn the trade of Reed & Benton, and remained four years.

Returning to the old homestead, he lived there until 1858, then removed to a farm near Middleboro village; and two years later, in i860, he purchased the farm of one hundred acres, on which he has since lived. He owns other tracts of land, aggregating about one hundred and forty-five acres, including the home place. For fourteen years Mr. Wood has served as Highway Surveyor, and for five years as Fire Warden, being an eminently useful and much esteemed citizen.

iAL\TN PRATT, M.D., is one of the prominent physicians of Eastern Massachusetts, fitted by natural ability and the best of training for the serious work which he is called upon to do. He was born in the town of Bridgewater, his present home, March 24, 1842, a son of Dr. Calvin B. and Mary T. (Perkins) Pratt.

Phineas and Joshua Pratt, Englishmen, one or both of whom sailed in the ship '"Ann," which arrived at Plymouth in August, 1623, were the first representatives of the Pratt family in America. Savage, however, says that Phineas Pratt was in Massachusetts in June,

The line of descent is thus continued: Matthew Pratt, of Weymouth, Mass., who died in 1672; his son Joseph, born in 1637, died in 1720; Joseph, Jr., born 1665, died 1765; Benjamin, his son, born 1693, died 1762; Benjamin, Jr., born 1719, died 1776; William, son of Benjamin, Jr , born 1746, died 1808; Calvin, son of William, born 1774, died 1824. Dr. Pratt's great-greatgrandfather, Benjamin Pratt, held a commission in the British regular army, under George III.; and Benjamin's son Calvin was a Captain in the Massachusetts State militia after the Revolutionary War.

Dr. Calvin B. Pratt, son of Calvin, first, was born in Middleboro, Mass. An able and popular physician, he practised in Bridgewater over twenty years, dying in 1862. His wife was a daughter of Jacob Perkins, the founder of the Lazel & Perkins Iron Works at Bridgewater, now known as the Bridgewater Iron Works. She died June 5, 1875. Of their children, four are living: Henry T. and Sarah K. , in Bridgewater; John W. , resident physician and superintendent of the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston; and Calvin, the special subject of this biographical sketch.

Calvin Pratt attended tlie jniblic and private schools in Bridgewater, the academy in this town, and the Bridgewater State Normal School, where he was graduated. He took a six months' coiu'se in chemistry in Harvard University, a special course in comparative anatomy and physiology with Professor Jeffries Wyman at Cambridge, and during the Civil War was acting medical cadet at the Judiciary Square Hospital at Washington for si.x months. He then took the regular course at the Harvard Medical School, receiving his degree in 1866, and was one year house surgeon at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. He practised first at St. Peter, Minn., remaining there some thirteen months; and the five years following he was engaged in professional work in Du.xbury, Mass. In 1874 he returned to the home of his childhood, and for nearly a quarter of a century he has worked faithfully among his townspeople, fighting disease and death, and winning gratitude, love, and respect. Dr. Pratt is a member of the Massachusetts Medical Society. He has been for twenty years a consulting physician for the State farm.

He was married in 1866 to Adelaide Edstrom, of Boston, and has four children - Calvin B., Emily L., Elise A., and Mary B. Dr. Pratt votes the Republican ticket. Interested in the cause of education, he is Vice- President of the Board of Trustees of Bridgewater Academy. He is a 'prominent Mason, Past Master of Corner Stone Lodge of Du.xbury, Mass.

TTIWELL W. I^ANKS, machinist, is one of the busy men of Brockton, that great hive of manufacturing industry. He was born at Bear River, Digby County, Nova Scotia, February 7, 1866, and is a son of Abram and Sarah (Rice) Banks, both natives of Nova Scotia. Abram Banks, who is a farmer, and is now seventy years of age, is still living in his native province. He and his wife were blessed with a family of ten children, six of whom are living, the subject of this biography being next to the youngest.

Ottiwell W. Banks in his youth acquired a good education, finishing his studies at the Digby High School. For six or seven years after leaving school he followed the pursuit of agriculture in the Provinces, at first on his father's farm, afterward for wages on other farms. In 18S5 he came to the States, and stopped for a while in Boston, hiring from there as a farm hand ; and one of his engagements took him to Brockton. lie subsequently obtained employment in the machine shop of E. A. Stiggins in this city, remaining six months, and then went to work in Mr. Gray"s pattern shop. In 1892 he became a partner of W. L. & H. A. Dunbar, and was a member of the firm of W. L. Dunbar & Co., until the fall of 1895, when he sold his interest to F. D. Kelly. He now has charge of their shop, and owns a half interest in the patent known as the "second row marker," a machine for marking shoes. Mr. Banks is an industrious and enterprising man, and relies on his own exertions for success.

He was married in March, 1889, to Miss Elsie Libby, and has two children - Daisy May and Beulah Mildred. In politics Mr. Banks favors the Republican side. He is a member of the Second Advent Christian church, and has been an Elder for six or seven years.

)EWIS SHERRETT, for a number of years a well-known resident of Carver, Plymouth County, Mass., was born in England on the 15th of July, 1835. At the age of fourteen he began to learn the trade of a stone mason, at which he worked in his native country until he came to America. The voyage, which lasted forty-two days, was made on a sailing vessel. He landed at New York City, but immediately went to Lonsdale, R.I. ; and there he worked at his trade for eleven months. After that he went to New Bedford, Mass., where he remained for two years, then to Chicago, St. Louis, and other Western cities. These wanderings consumed a period of four years. He then came to. Carver, his present home, but left almost immediately and went to Boston, in which and other Eastern cities he sjient twelve years from 185910 1871. During this whole period he plied his old trade, that of a stone mason, some times getting jobs on government works. In 1871 he returned to Carver, where he passed the remainder of his days, dying October i, 1896.

He was married in June, 1856, to Mary T. Savery; and they became the parents of three children. One of these, a daughter, Susan B., born August 7, 1864, died on the 4th of October, 1869. The mother, Mrs. Mary T. S. Sherrett, died July 31, 1892.

He attended the public schools of New Bedford and of other Eastern cities during his youth; and at the end of his school career, anxious to earn his living and educate himself still further at the same time, he took afour years' course at a Massachusetts State Normal School. After his graduation on the 2 1 St of July, 1882, he taught for three years in the public schools of Hull and other towns in Massachusetts, and then went to Washington, D.C., where he entered the Pension Bureau of the Department of the Interior as a clerk. He was there employed for five years, and during this time prepared himself to enter the profession of the law, taking a course of study at Georgetown Un-iversity. He T/as admitted to the Washington bar in 1889. While he was in Washington, besides attending to his business and the study of law, he also studied the science of medicine and surgery at Howard University, and was graduated from there as an M.D. in the year 1890.

Grand Master of the Indepentlent Order of Odd Fellows, and also high up in Masonry, as was also his father. He died of consumption in Florida in 1890; and his remains were sent back to Carver, and interred here by the Masons.

ALTER C. HAMMOND, Secretary of the School Board of Kingston, Mass., has been for a number of years in business in this town as a contractor and builder, and is a widely known and highly respected citizen. A son of Asa C. and Amanda (Clark) Hammond, he was born in Kingston, May 17, 1S53.

Asa C. Hammond, who was born in Pembroke, Mass., and is now in his seventy-second year, has resided in Kingston the greater part of his life. He learned the carpenter's trade when a young man, and worked at it for a number of years, but has now for some time been retired. An intelligent and influential citizen, he served for an extended period on the School Board of Kingston. His wife, Mrs. Amanda C. Hammond, was born in Plymouth, Mass. They are the parents of the following children: Eugene H., who studied architecture at Cornell University, and is now in business as an architect in New York City; Walter C, the subject of this sketch; Isabella A. and Chester E., in Kingston.

Walter C. Hammond was educated in the public schools of Kingston. He was employed for two years as clerk in the cordage works at Plymouth, and then engaged in the building trade, starting in business as a contractor when he was about twenty-two years old. He was very successful, and has followed the same line of business for twenty years, erecting a great number of private residences. Mr. Hammond is essentially a selfmade man, having carved his own fortune.

On June 15, 1878, he was united in marriage with Eliza Chandler, daughter of James and Mary (Peterson) Chandler, all natives of Duxbury, Mass. The Petersons, Mrs. Hammond's ancestors on the maternal side, were old settlers in Duxbury. Her parents reared five children: Abbot C, now in Janestown, R.I. ; Arthur J., in Plymouth, Mass.; Louisa C. , wife of John Stegmaier, of Kingston; Eliza (Mrs. Hammond); and Elmer C, residing in Plymouth. Mrs. Hammond, though born in Duxbury, has lived in Kingston since she was five years old, and has many friends in this town. She is the mother of the following children : Lester C, James C, Helen A., Elizabeth P., Walter C, Jr., Asa C, Josephine P., and Lawrence C.

Mr. Hammond is a member of the Republican party. He has been for several years on the School Board of Kingston, and has been Secretary two years. An active Mason, he has presided for the past two years as Master of Corner Stone Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Duxbury.

/^TeoRGE H. SHAW, 2d, of Middle- \ I^T boro, Mass., is well known in Plymouth County as a retailer of shoes. He is in the habit of writing "2d" after his name, to distinguish him from another George H. Shaw in the same place, who is two or three years his senior. Mr. Shaw is a Grand Army man, and is proud to claim among his kindred other gallant soldiers, patriots of the Revolution and of the second war with England. He was born in Carver, Mass., August 24, 1834, a son of Linus and Dicey (Allen) Shaw.

Many succeeding generations of the Shaw family have lived and died in Plymouth County, and the name frequently appears in the industrial and military records. Mr.

George H. Shaw's great-grandfather was a Captain in the Revolutionary army; and his grandfather, Captain Joseph Shaw, was an officer in the War of 18 12. His father, Linus Shaw, who was born in Carver, Mass., and was a moulder by trade, died in his fiftyfirst year, four years before the opening of the Rebellion, flis wife was the grand-daughter of Captain Jacob Allen, a Revolutionary patriot, who was killed in the battle of Stillwater (1777). Captain Allen was at that time in the flush of vigorous manhood, being thirty-eight years of age. Mrs. Dicey Allen Shaw lived to the age of fourscore and three. She was the mother of six children, five of whom are living: George H., the subject of this sketch; Linus Allen Shaw, chief of police of Watertown, Mass., who, as a soldier in the Eighteenth Massachusetts Regiment, served in the Civil War from 1861 to 1865; Jeannette H., residing in Whitman; Arlotha M., in East Bridgewater; and Calvin, now in Oakland, Cal.

George H. Shaw was reared in the town of Carver, and his early education was limited to the common schools of his native place. He went to work when fifteen years of age, being hired by the month ; and, after his father's death, as he was the eldest of the family, the care of the household devolved upon him. The nuitterings of the storm of war stirred the patriotic blood in his veins; and he joined Company K, Third Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, enlisting for three months. He remained most of the time at Fortress Monroe; and, after receiving his discharge, he enlisted again, being enrolled in Company B of the same regiment. During his second term of service he participated in several important engagements, and became familiar with the terrible realities of war. In June, 1863, he was honorably discharged; and, returning home, he obtained employment in a box-mill, with which he was connected some thirteen years. He then engaged in the shoe business, and, purchasing a wagon, travelled from place to place, working up a large trade. In this way he made many acquaintances, and, while accumulating money, acquired a wide knowledge of human nature. Mr. Shaw is now gradually retiring from business.

In 1865 he was married to Miss Carrie 15. Griffith, of Carver. This union has been blessed with two children, one of whom, Nellie M., is living. Mr. Shaw votes the Republican ticket. He joined the E. W. Pierce Encampment, of the Grand Army of the Republic, in 1867, and has jaresided as Officer of the Day, Senior Commander, in fact, has held most of the offices within the gift of Post No. 8 of Middleboro.

NDREW D. DIMMICK, senior member of the firm of Dimmick & Perkins, dealers in gentlemen's furnishing goods, Brockton, Mass., is a native of Barnstable County. He was born February 24, 1857, in the town of Falmouth, son of Charles William and Esther (Robinson) Dimmick.

In the old country, long, long ago, this surname was spelled Dymoke; and a certain knight who bore it was famous as the champion of England. The first of the family in Massachusetts, so far as known, was Colonel Dimmick, an American officer in the Revolution, who by stratagem captured-a-n English fri^te off the coast of Weymouth. Among the interesting papers treasured by his descendants are several containing the signature of Washington.

captain of a vessel. Me passed his declining years on a farm in Falmouth, where he died at seventy-nine years of age. He was not active in public affairs, never caring for office. He belonged to the First Congregational Church of Falmouth. His children, all now deceased, were: a daughter, Mercy, wife of Captain H. I^awrence; Charles William ; and another son, who died in California.

Charles William Dimmick was educated in the district schools of his native town, Falmouth. Preferring to be a landsman rather than a sailor, and having a natural bent for mechanics, he learned the carpenter's trade, becoming a skilful workman and a master builder, and tiiereafter successfully engaged in business as a contractor. He died in 1S90, aged si.xty-eight years. He was a member of the First Congregational Church of Braintree. His wife, Esther, was a daughter of Fessenden Robinson, of East Falmouth. They had four children, namely: a daughter, Mercy; and three sons - Thomas, William, and Andrew D. Thomas and William died in infancy. Mercy Dimmick married F"rank G. Hunt, of Weymouth, and died in 1892, at the age of twenty-seven years.

Andrew D. Dimmick was the youngestborn, and is now the only surviving child of his parents. He was educated at Lawrence Academy, Falmouth, and at G. A. Sawyer's Commercial College, where he took a business course. He then became an entry clerk in a wholesale pottery house in Boston; and later on he entered the employ of Edward Young, wholesale dealer in shoe findings in that city, first making himself generally useful about the establishment, and then spending two years on the road as a travelling salesman, going through New England. After that, for about a year, he travelled for S. A. White, of Boston, manufacturer of shoe dressing, the next twelvemonth finding him engaged in the office of Russell's Mercantile Agency in Boston as correspondent for the Southern and Western States. After working at book-keeping in the clothing house of Howard Caldwell, of Brockton, during the ensuing five years, he formed a copartnership with Fred Tucker, and under the name of Tucker & Dimmick opened a gentlemen's furnishing store at Holyoke, Mass. Returning to Brockton one year later, Mr. Dimmick again went into the store of Howard & Caldwell, this time as clerk in their furnishing department. In October, 1894, after eleven years of valuable ex]5erience, Mr. Dimmick resigned his position in the employ of Messrs. Howard & Caldwell, and, in company with Jesse F. Perkins, opened a furnishing goods store at his present place. It is now two years since; and their business in this period has so increased that they carry four times as much stock as when they started, their establishment being the largest in its line of trade in the county. They employ eight clerks in the evening.

Mr. Dimmick is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Brockton Lodge, No. 16, of which he has been Secretary; and is also connected with the Royal Arcanum. He married in 18S0 Carrie L., daughter of Freeman Shiverick. They have three children, namely: Esther Nye, fifteen years of age; Clifford Shiverick, ten; and Herbert Russell, two years.

~CJlIIIU THAYER, a retired gentleman ^1 of Hingham, Plymouth County, Mass., was born in Ouincy, Mass., October 25, 181 1, son of Elihu and Elizabeth (Savil) Thayer. His father was a resident of Quincy, and a carpenter by trade. He married Elizabeth Savil, and they had four children:

Elihu, the subject of this biography; Albert, of Ouincy; Hiram, of Worcester, Mass.; and Lucy, who resides at Quincy. The father died at the age of seventy-two years.

Elihu Thayer had limited educational advantages, attending school but three months in the winter and four in the summer, according to the custom of that time. Going to Dorchester at the age of fourteen, he found employment in a general store and public house at Neponset. Early in life he came to Hingham to work in a mercantile establishment; and here he led a life of constant activity until about three years ago, when he retired. He has accumulated a goodly share of this world's goods, being the owner of several business houses in this town. Like other men who have been financially successful, he has worked his way from small beginnings. In politics at first a Whig, in these later years he has affiliated with the Republican party.

On January 17, 1836, Mr. Thayer was united in marriage with Susan Hersey, a daughter of Isaac and Lydia (Stowell) Hersey. She was born in Hingham on August 27, iSii. Mr. and Mrs. Thayer have three children, namely: Albert Elihu; Susan Anne Frances, wife of Charles Burr; and Charles Marion. Albert E. Thayer, born here January 28, 1839, became a grocer, and resided on Lincoln Street. On December 7, 1865, he married Harriet Davis Weston, who was born November 27, 1S37, daughter of Coomer and Sally S. (Eddy) Weston, of Plymouth. Three children were the result of their union: Edward Weston, Harriet Blanche, and Anna Everett. Albert E. Thayer died on March 7, 1885. Charles Marion Thayer was born in Hingham, September 2, 1852; and on January 28, 1880, he married Ida D., daughter of John D. Remington. By this marriage there is one daughter, Susie Burton Thayer. In religious faith Mr. and Mrs. Elihu Thayer are Universal ists. They reside on South Street, their life's evening cheered and blessed by the frequent presence of children and grandchildren.

iHARLES S. SMITH, agent of the Goodyear Shoe Machinery Company at Brockton, and a machinist by trade, was born at North Andover, Mass., December 20, 1S60, and is a son of Francis Smith. His father, who was a sea captain for a number of years, still lives, having now nearly reached the age of threescore and ten. He has four children, three sons and a daughter.

Charles S., the special subject of this sketch, in his boyhood attended the public schools of Andover. At the age of sixteen he entered the employ of the McKay Sewing Machine Company at Providence, R. I.; and after some time there he left to take a course in mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston. Entering the service of George Corliss, of the Corliss Engine Works, as machinist, he was subsequently made their representative on the road. Three years later he accepted a position as engineer with the Edison Electric Light Company at Lawrence, Mass., and worked in that capacity for about a year. P'ollowing that, he again entered the emjiloy of the McKay Sewing Maeh+ne ComiDany, but after a time resigned his position to associate himself in 1889 with the Goodyear Shoe Machinery Company as their agent; and he has been in that position ever since. Mr. Smith and his wife, who is a native of Eastport, Me., have one child. Mr. Smith is a member of Massasoit Lodge, No. 69, Independent

LBERT M. THAYER, senior member if the mercantile firm of A. M. Thayer & Son, of West Duxbury, is a veteran of the Civil War, and an ex-Representative to the Massachusetts legislature. He was born in Mansfield, Bristol County, Mass., September 13, 1836, son of Simeon and Martha (Fuller) Thayer. Members of the Thayer family were early settlers in Bristol County; and Simeon Thayer resided in Mansfield until his death, which took place when his son Albert M. was thirteen years old. His wife was a daughter of Isaac Fuller, of Mansfield, who was a descendant of Captain Isaac Fuller.

Albert M. Thayer, being thrown upon his own resources at an early age, was brought up by his brother-in-law, John Mason, of Pembroke. He acquired a common-school education ; and at the age of eighteen he went to Hanson, where he served an apprenticeship of two years at the tack-maker's trade with Nathaniel Pratt, another brother-in-law, who carried on a tack manufactory. After working as a journeyman in Hanson for a number of years, he went to Whitman, Mass., where he followed his trade until October, 1862, when he enlisted in the Fourth Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, and was assigned to duty in the Regimental Band. He was present at the siege and capture of Port Hudson, and accompanied General Banks upon the Red River expedition; and at the first-mentioned engagement he sustained a severe sunstroke, which threatened serious consequences. With good medical treatment he ultimately recovered, and was discharged from the service in September, 1863.

Returning to Whitman, he resumed his trade, and later became travelling representative of the firm of Brightman, Litchfield & Vinand, for whom he had previously worked as a journeyman. Four years later he engaged in the dry-goods business in Whitman, which he conducted for four years; and from the end of that time until 1881 he sold drygoods and notions upon the road. In that year he located in West Duxbury, and estab.- lished the present firm of A. M. Thayer & Son. This concern does a large and profitable business, dealing in dry goods, clothing, small wares, boots, shoes, furniture, carpets, paper hangings, etc. ; and, as their patronage extends over a wide circuit, they have developed an extensive trade, which their honorable business methods enable them to steadily maintain.

Mr. Thayer was for several years a member of the Republican Town Committee, and in 1885 represented the towns of Duxbury, Kingston, and Plympton in the Massachusetts legislature. His honorable record as a business man gives him a valuable prestige in mercantile centres, and his high standing in the community is the result of his natural ability and upright principles.

Mr. Thayer married Josephine B. Sampson, of Pembroke, Mass., and has two children, namely: La Forest, who is in business with his father; and Emily, who is residing at home. Mr. Thayer is a member of King.ston Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Whitman; and a comrade of Post Wadsvvorth, No. iii, Grand Army of the Republic, of Duxbury.

(Racy) Reynolds. His paternal grandfather, William H. Reynolds, was a native of Derry, N.H., where he lived on a farm. In politics he was a Republican. He and his wife, Ellen Adams, of that town, were highly respected members of the Methodist Episcopal church. They had four children.

Their son, Frank M., Sr., was born in Derry, and, after acquiring his education, went to Boston at the age of eighteen, to make his fortune. Until the breaking out of the Civil War he was engaged as a teamster. Enlisting in the Third Massachusetts Battery in i86t, he served till the close of the war, being in active service most of the time. Among the noted battles in which he took part were Bull Run, Gettysburg, and Lookout Mountain. On his return from the war he resumed his old business, teaming for the large market in Boston. He was a hard-working man, and acquired a competency for those days. He married Elizabeth A. Raey, a native of Portland, Me. In politics he was a Republican; and in religion he and his wife were of the Methodist faith, and were both members of the Methodist Episcopal church. He died at the age of forty-nine, survived by his wife, who is a resident of Brighton, Mass., and in good health, and by I<"rank M., tlieir only child.

After he was graduated from tlie Cambridge High School, Frank M. Reynolds learned the trade of house painter; and in 1878 he settled in Hull, where he has continued the business ever since. He has been prominently identified with town affairs, having officiated as Constable twelve years, and being now a member of the police force. F"or the past five years he has been Captain of the fire department; and in 1894 he was appointed Postmaster, which office he still holds. Fraternally, he belongs to the American Order of

Red Men of Boston and to the Pilgrim Fathers Lodge of Hingham. In November, 1884, he was married to Mary E. Fitts, of Charlestown, Mass. They have had three children - Frank M., Jr., Victor H., and Pearl G. In religion Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds affiliate with the Methodist Episcopal church, of which they are active members.

T^IIARLES SIMMONS at the present I jr time is successfully engaged in gen- ^i° ^ eral farming in a small way in Norwell, Plymouth County, Mass., but in years gone by was prominently identified with the fire department of the city of Boston. He was born December 8, 1S25, in Norwell, then South Scituate. His parents were Sylvanus and Elizabeth (Wheelwright) Simmons, who had seven other sons and two daughters.

The first fifteen years of his life Charles Simmons passed with his parents on the homestead farm, which he then left to try the life of a sailor for two years. He next went to Boston, and, after serving a five years' apprenticeship at the carpenter's trade, took up the ship-joinery business, at which he was profitably engaged for twenty-six years. P"or a like period, from 1848 to 1874, he was a member of the Boston Fire Department, belonging to Hook and Ladder Division No. 2, of which he was foreman twenty years. This was the second fire company organized in the city of Boston. While connected with it, Mr. Simmons went through the great fire of 1873, which destroyed a large part of the business centre of the city. In 1876 he came to Norwell, and purchased the forty-six-acre farm which he now owns and carries on. From 1884-85 he was a Selectman of Norwell. He has served five years as Highway Surveyor, and also acceptably filled the offices of

ARRKN PEIRCK, M.D., one of the leading medical practitioners of riyniouth, and a veteran of the Civil War, was born in Tyngsboro, Mass., September 21, 1840, son of Dr. Augustus and Alicia O. (Butterfield) Peirce.

Genealogists speak of this name as a common one in England, and spelled in many differents ways, as Piers, Peirce, Peers, Pearce, Piercy, and other forms. The Earls of Northumberland, a very ancient house, derive their name "Percy," it is said, from Percy Forest in Normandy, their original seat. Several of the representatives of the Peirce family in America have been more or less celebrated. President Franklin Pierce, it is said, was a kinsman of Dr. Warren Peirce's grandfather, whose wife was related to Artemas Ward. The Doctor is also descended from the Farrars.

Augustus Peirce, son of the Rev. Warren Peirce and father of the subject of this sketch, was born in New Salem, Mass., March 20, 1803. His elementary studies were acquired under a private tutor; and, when very young, he entered Harvard, where he was graduated previous to attaining his majority, being the youngest member of his class. During his collegiate course he displayed rare literary gifts, which attracted the notice of the professors and the outside world ; and he wrote while in his Senior year a humorous epic poem, entitled "The Rebellia, " which had the honor of being mentioned by the Harvard Register. The original manuscript is now preserved at the Harvard Library. He maintained through life a deep interest in literature, and was a frequent contributor to the Nezv England Gazette. After graduating from college, he studied medicine with Dr. George C. Shattuck, of Boston, some time later locating for practice in Nashua; and in 1839, at the request of Dr. Thomas, he removed from there to Tyngsboro, where he resided until his death, which took [dace May 20, 1849. He joined the Boylston Medical Society in 1822, and was also a member of the Massachusetts State Medical Society. Dr. Augustus Peirce was twice married; and by his union with his first wife, Mary Clark, a ward of the elder George C. Shattuck, of Boston, he had three children. His second wife, Alicia O. Butterfield, daughter of Joseph Butterfield, who was Deputy Sheriff in Lowell, Mass., for nearly fifty years, became the mother of five children, of whom Warren, the subject of this sketch, was the second-born.

Warren Peirce attended Winslow Academy, where he completed the usual course of study, later fitting for college under the tutorship of Nathaniel Cootheran ; and, after spending some time with his grandfather in Lowell, he studied medicine for a year with Dr. Edward A. Perkins, of Boston. On July 29, 1862, he enlisted as a private in Company K, Fourteenth Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteers, which later became known as the First Massachusetts Heavy Artillery; and three weeks after his enlistment he was detailed as Hospital Steward, in which capacity he served for nearly two years. He was then appointed Second Lieutenant in the Thirty-sixth Lhiited States Colored Infantry, stationed at Point Lookout, where fifty thousand prisoners, including the Confederate, General J. B. B. Stewart, were confined; and in July, 1864, his regiment was attached to the Twenty-fifth

Corps, and ordered to the front at Petersburg. Lieutenant Peirce remained at the principal seat of ojierations, which finally culminated in the surrender of General Lee at Appomattox Court-house; and, coming up in the rear of the Confederate Army, he was the third I<"ederal soldier to enter Richmond. His regiment was then stationed along the Weldon Railroad for a while, later going to Lincoln Camp at Light-house Point, from which place it was ordered to Texas, where it remained for a considerable length of time. Lieutenant Peirce received his discharge from the service October 28, 1866, having been in active clutv nearly every day since his enlistment; and the only injuries he received were a slight wound in his little finger, and another in his leg. Upon his return from the army he resumed the study of medicine with Dr. John G. Metcalf; and after graduating from the Harvard Medical School, March 10, 1869, he in 1S70 began the practice of his profession in Sterling, Mass. Removing to West l^oylston in 1S73, he remained there until 18S0, when he took up his residence in Plymouth, where he has practised with the most gratifying success for the past sixteen years.

On October 10, 1867, Dr. Peirce was united in marriage with Anna Warren Hastings, youngest child of C. P. Hastings, a prominent lawyer of Worcester County, and a niece of the Hon. William S. Hastings, formerly a member of Congress from this State. Dr. and Mrs. Peirce have two sons living, namely: Arthur W. K., who is now in South Africa, where he is electrical engineer at the Limmer and Jack Gold Mine, which is the largest of its kind in the world; and Thomas Hastings Gage Peirce, a graduate of the Plymouth High School, who is now with the Electric Light Company here.

while residing in Sterling he was a member of the Board of Health. He has been for several years a member of the Massachusetts Medical Society, of which he was at one time a Counsellor; was a comrade of James A. Pratt Post, Grand Army of the Republic, of SterliTig, which he named, later joining George A. Wells Post at Boylston; was connected with Centennial Lodge, LTdependent Order of Odd Fellows, of West Boylston, and has advanced in Masonry to the Knight Templar degree, having been a member of Worcester Commandery.

ARREN A. HOWARD, formerly a shoe manufacturer, now a retired farmer of Brockton, was born in North Bridgewater, now Brockton, in December, 1839. He is a son of Darius Howard, a prominent business man, who is still living here.

Warren A. Howard, after attending public schools in his native town, completed his education at a private school in Medford, where he was graduated. I-jTtering his father's factory in 1858, he remained three years; and in 1861 he began the manufacture of shoes, managing the plant alone for two years, then becoming associated with D. S. Howard, under the style of D. S. & W. A. Howard. Seven years later he built a factory on Crescent Street, where he remained twenty years, being one of the first men to introduce machine work in the city, using the first McKay Sewing Machine. In 1890 Mr. Howard retired to his farm, where he has resided ever since.

He was united in marriage with M. Agnes, daughter of Lorenzo Stetson, of Kingston, in 1862. They have three children, one of whom married Dr. Ripley. One son, a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is now employed by the Erie Railroad as civil engineer. In politics Mr. Howard is a Republican. Fraternally, he is a member of Paul Revere Lodge, A. F. & A. M., Satucket Royal Arch Chapter, and also Bay State Commandery, Knights Templars.

FRNARD GLANCY, one of the brave "boys in blue" who fought in the Civil War for the preservation of the Union and the freedom of the slave, and who is now a resident of Middleboro, Mass., is a native of this town, having been born here, August 25, 1842.

In his infancy Bernard Glancy was taken by his parents to Boston, where he grew to manhood and was educated. When si.xteen years of age, he began working at cabinet-making, which he followed in Boston for nine months, and then in Springfield, Mass., for a like period. Returning to Boston, he was engaged in carpentering until 1861, when he enlisted in Company E of the "Roxbury Rifles." They first went to Fort Independence, and afterward were made a part of the Thirteenth Massachusetts Regiment. Mr. Glancy subsequently joined Company D of the Eighteenth Massachusetts Volunteers.

The first engagement in which he took part was at Fairfa.x Court-house; and from that time on he was present at every battle in which the Army of the Potomac took part, until at Chancellorsville, May, 1863, he was made prisoner. He was taken to Libby Prison. After fifty-si.\ days' confinement there, days of extreme privation and suffering, he and another soldier succeeded in getting out, and he rejoined his regiment the 5th of July. At the battle of Bull Run he received a bullet wound in the right leg above the ankle. A few hours later he was struck by a shell, and on regaining consciousness found himself a prisoner. He was first taken to Robinson's tavern, where he remained three days, then to Lynchburg for a few days, and from there to Orange Court-house. He was next confined in Downsville, N. C, and a few days later taken to Anderson\'ille Prison, where he was kept from May i to September 30, when he again began his enforced journeyings from one Rebel prison to another, going first to Florence. From there he succeeded in making an escape, but only to be recaptured and taken to Salisbury, N. C, and thence to Mobile, Ala. The same night of his arrival in Mobile, he again succeeded in eluding his captors, but was retaken. Undaunted by his former fruitless attempts, he made a third trial, which proved successful, and he wended his way on foot to the Northern Army, finally reaching it in safety.

After his honorable discharge. May 23, 1865, Mr. Glancy returned to Massachusetts, and went to Waltham, but was unable to perform any labor until the fall of the next year, when he went to work in the Waltham woollen factory. In 18S5 he came to Middleboro, and purchased the homestead on which he now resides, a farm of thirty-five acres. He is a respected member of Post No. 8, Grand Army of the Republic, of Middleboro; also of the Union Veteran's Union, in which he is "Colonel of the command."

LFRh:D HENRY HERSEY, a wellknown summer resident of Hingham, Mass., was born in Boston, April 18, 1 84 1, son of Alfred C. and Mary Ann (Barrett) Hcrsey. He is a lineal descendant of William Hersey, who settled in Hingham in 1635. Laban Hersey, father of Alfred C, was a native of Hingham and a tanner, his plant being located on the land now owned by

Alfred Henry, the subject of this biography. In politics he was a Whig, and he served as Captain of the militia. Me married Celia Barnes, daughter of Cornelius Barnes; and they had eight children. Laban Hersey died at the age of seventy-eight, while his wife lived to be eighty-nine years old. In religious belief they were Unitarians.

Alfred C. , their youngest son, was a native of this town. For the first few years of his commercial career he was engaged in the drygoods business, thereafter becoming a shipowner in Boston, and trading with the East Indies and Southern ports. He built two vessels in Hingham, at one time being owner in over forty vessels. In 1S66 he retired, continuing to spend his winters in Boston and the summers in Hingham, where he owned one hundred and fifty acres of land, and carried on farming. In politics he was a Republican, but he was not prominent in political affairs. In his younger days he served as Captain of the militia. He was a Director of the United States Insurance Company, also a Trustee of the Nautical School Ship; and he built the South Shore Railroad in 1S49, becoming its first president, and being for seveli years the largest stockholder. Mr. Hersey was also a Director of the Hingham Steamboat Company for several years. In Boston he was an extensive holder of real estate, being one of the largest owners on Commercial Wharf, where his office was located for twenty years; and he was also lessee of Mercantile Wharf during that time. Financially, he was very successful, leaving a large property at his demise. He married Mary Ann Barrett; and they had one child, Alfred Henry. They were Unitarians in religion. Mr. Alfred C. Hersey died at the age of eighty-four; and his wife, when she was seventy-four.

attended Chauncy Hall School, Boston, and later completed his education at Dummer Academy in Byfield, Mass. He then entered his father's employ, remaining four years, when ill-health compelled him to seek pastures new. He then began farming on the old homestead in Hingham, to which he gladly returns each summer from his home in Boston. He employs several men, who work the farm under his supervision. In politics Mr. Hersey affiliates with the Democratic party. Fraternally, he is identified with various organizations, among them the Agricultural and Horticultural Society of Hingham, the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, the New England Historical Society, and the Bostonian Society. He is a Trustee of the Pilgrim Society of Plymouth, Mass. Personally, he is a man of quick perception, and is a great lover of literature, owning a fine library, in which he spends considerable time.

On March i, 1862, he was united in marriage to Mary H. Gibson, of New Ipswich, N. H., a daughter of Dr. Henry Gibson. By this alliance there were two children, both of whom are dead. In religion Mr. and Mrs. Hersey are of the Unitarian faith.

Up RED L. SPRAGUE, D.D.S., a suc- \^\^ cessful and popular dentist of Rockland, Mass., is the only son of Franklin and Sarah E. (Farrar) Sprague, and was born in Boston. Franklin Sprague was a na^ tive of Hingham, and his wife also was born in Plymouth County. They became the parents of two children: Helen Francis who is the wife of Charles Emsen; and Fred L. Dr. Sprague's father is at present living in Hanover, Mass., where he is a special agent for a large life insurance company.

his youth in Boston, where he enjoyed the best of opportunities for obtaining a good education. He was graduated from the grammar schools, and subsequently from the English High School of that city. Having marked musical talent, he was sent by his father to the Boston Conservatory of Music, where he studied for a long time, acquiring great proficiency in the art. Unfortunately, he now has little time to devote to this accomplishment. In 1889, the same year that he left the Conservatory of Music with graduation honors, he began the study of dentistry at the Boston Dental College. On coming to Rockland, he entered the office of Dr. Saville, where he remained for a period of two years. He then opened an office of his own, and, establishing himself on an independent basis, has built up a successful practice within a very short time. He keeps abreast of all modern ideas and improvements, and his business has increased to such an e.xtent that he is usually obliged to employ two assistants.

Dr. Sprague is a stanch Republican in his political principles, although he will not consent to take any active part in politics. Fraternally, he belongs to the Ancient Order of United Workmen of Rockland.

T. C. SPOONER, plumber, I S[^ steam and gas fitter, with place of li^ V ^ business at 257 Main Street, Brockton, was born in New Bedford, Mass., March 29, 1863. His father, Benjamin Spooner, was born in Newport, R.I. In his early manhood he was a tallow chandler, and the latter part of his life was spent on a farm in Westport, Mass. He attended worship at the Baptist church. His wife, whose maiden name was Allen, is a native of Westport, Mass. She is the mother of two children, namely:

Robert T. C. Spooner was educated in the common schools of Westport. He went to work at the age of sixteen as a farm hand in Westport, and after si.x months of agricultural labor began to learn the plumber's trade. He served an apprenticeship with Wood Brightman, of Westport, remaining si.x months longer than the required time, and then entered the employ of R. G. Shepard, of Brockton, with whom he remained six years. Forming a partnership then with Mr. Fred Brown, under the name of Brown & Spooner, he was in business for six months on Centre Street. Then, purchasing his partner's interest, he removed to the building now occupied by the Brockton Times, and there for four or five years he managed a growing and prosperous business. On New Year's Day, 1895, he opened his present establishment to the public, who continue to give him a liberal patronage. When Mr. Spooner started in business he and his partner did all the work themselves. He now employs twelve men on an average, plumbing, gas fitting, and setting up heating apparatus. Some of the largest contracts in the city have been awarded him, including the plumbing in the W. L. Douglas factory, and that in C. C. Merritt's new residence, for which he received two thousand dollars. A careful and reliable workman, he takes pains to satisfy his patrons, and the success which he has achieved is honestly earned.

Mr. Spooner was married on Thanksgiving Day, 1886, to Myra, daughter of Seth Delano, of East Fairhaven, Mass. Politically, he favors the Republican party, but has independent views, and votes for the candidate best calculated to further the interests of the people. He is a member of Massasoit Lodge, engaged in farming and conducts a saw-mill, was born here, September 11, 1840. His parents were Martin and Susan (Post) Bosworth, the mother a native of Virginia. They had one other son, Daniel O., and the two brothers are in partnership. By a previous marriage with Miss Mary Churchill, their father had two children - Mary E. and Seba S.

Henry M. Bosworth acquired his education in the public schools of Halifax and at Plympton Academy. When eighteen years of age he went to work at the butcher's trade, which he followed for three years. He then settled on a farm near the Halifax post-ofifice, removing from there to a place near his mills, and a few years later coming to the homestead farm, which he has occupied for the past seventeen years. It contains about fifty acres, and he and his brother own together about six hundred acres, mostly woodland. Mr. Bosworth purchased his saw-mill in 1878, since which time, in company with his brother, he has carried on a large business in getting out box-boards.

Mr. Bosworth was married in December, 1873, to Miss Julia Washburn. They have no living children, the only child born to them having died in infancy.

VOTIIROP C. KING, a retired master mechanic residing in Plymouth, Mass., was born in this town, February 3, 1815, a son of Obadiah and Nancy (Clark) King.

His father followed the trade of carpentering at Manomet, Mass., for many years. He and his wife, Mrs. Nancy Clark King, had a family of six children, four sons and two daughters, of whom the subject of this biography is the only survivor.

Lothrop C. King passed his early years at the paternal home at Manomet, a part of the town of Plymouth, and obtained his education in the common schools. Commencing at the ase of fourteen to work for his father at carpentering, he continued with him for about two years. Energetic, capable, and ambitious, in his seventeenth year he embarked in a business career for himself; and at the age of twenty-one he migrated to the State of Louisiana, where he prosecuted his calling for five years. Returning then to Plymouth, he engaged in building and contracting for several years; and in 1854 he entered the employment of the Russell Mills Company, in which he acted as the general mechanic of the factory until 1889. Since that time he has been living a retired life.

Mr. King wedded Miss Nancy P. Morton, and to them were born four children, all of whom are still living. They are as follows: Nancy P., Helen A., Mary L., and Clara P. In religious faith and sympathy Mr. King is at one with the Congregational church of Plymouth, of which he is a jnember.