..©*•£*«* J 669' DATE DUE if. -!<> 8 ^'"j / UNIV. OF MASSACHUSETTS/AMHERST LIBRARY F 74 tt86 W24 „ \jj . •S e 5| SILAS M. SMITH Successful Merchant and Highly Respected Citizen SILAS M. SMITH headed one of the most noteworthy families of the Smith name which distinguished North- ampton citizenship of the last generation. His family- was not important in a political sense, although one of his sons was a deservedly popular public servant, and held office as county treasurer for many years. The family was a not- able one because it held a high position in the home life of the community, and its head contributed largely to the busi- ness and social prosperity of Northampton. Silas Moody Smith was a native of Chester, Massachu- setts, where he was born May 8, 1810. His father was Colonel Horace Smith, who was born February 16, 1781. Horace Smith married Rebecca Moody. He died at Am- herst in 1862, in his eighty-first year. The family was of English ancestry, but its history has not been traced beyond this country. Silas Smith's immigrant ancestor was Lieu- tenant Samuel Smith, who sailed from Ipswich, England, in 1634. He came first to Wethersfield, Connecticut, and set- tled in that place. Afterward he removed to Hadley, Massa- chusetts. There he was one of the leading men and was sent to the Great and General Court to represent the town for several years. The family is related to the Springfield Chapins. Asenath Chapin, Silas Smith's grandmother, was descended from Samuel Chapin, who settled in Springfield in 1642. 179 180 Representative Families of Northampton When one of those who knew Silas Smith well thinks of him he naturally recalls the palmy days of the "Old" First Church. If these pages could spare space for reminiscences of a personal nature much interesting matter could be writ- ten, but such material must find another outlet. It was in the "Old" Church that he showed the most useful charac- teristics of his life, for there he was almost omnipresent, officiating as deacon and chorister for practically all his active manhood and with such unfailing urbanity, considera- tion, and efficiency that to a marked degree the church and parish have never seemed the same without him. As a business man he was also a success, and he and his sons built up, by untiring industry and courtesy to the gen- eral public, a large furniture trade in the great block in the rear of the county court-house. Mr. Smith began life as a poor boy. He came to North- ampton in 1828, and learned the furniture trade in a shop on South Street which stood in front of the present gasometer. In 1831 he formed a partnership with Robert Crossett and commenced business in a three-story wooden structure on the site of the block long occupied by the C. N. Fitts Com- pany. Fifteen years later he assumed control of the busi- ness, and he retained this control for twenty-five years. Then the firm of S. M. Smith and Company was organized with his son Watson and J. H. Searle. In 1840 the wooden building was destroyed by fire. Mr. Smith lost all he had, and with only eight hundred dollars' insurance he began anew, and put up the brick building. In 1877, after he had been in business for fifty-six years in that one spot, he retired, and his youngest son, George, was admitted to the firm, which took the name of W. L. Smith and Company. Politically, Mr. Smith was a Republican, but he never engaged in strife for public office. He was a trustee of the Silas M. Smith 181 Silas M. Smith 183 State Hospital in Northampton for over twenty-five years, was a director of the First National Bank, and held many other offices in corporate institutions. Mr. Smith married Theodosia Hunt, daughter of Abner Hunt, January 6, 1832. They had four children — Watson L., George S., Mrs. William E. Wright of Springfield, and Mrs. Edward S. Hildreth of Boston. Mrs. Hildreth is the only one surviving. Mr. Smith died February 12, 1887, at the age of seventy-six. Watson, the oldest son, was born in 1834. Like his father he was a very popular citizen. For several years he served as county treasurer. He married Miss Eunice A. Brewster, a resident of Cummington who was of Mayflower lineage. She died in 1904, and her husband passed away in 1913. They had five children. Of these the only ones now living are Mrs. G. L. R. French of Rutland, Vermont, and Mrs. Edwin L. Harpham of Evanston, Illinois. Silas Smith's youngest son, George, married Miss Annie Pratt of Cambridge, Massachusetts. His second wife was Miss Nellie Richards, and they had four children. Three of the children were boys, Raymond, Harold, and Earl. They are all now living. One resides in St. Louis, one in Baltimore, and one in Northampton. George died in 1913, and Mrs. Smith now makes her home with her brother, George Sher- man Richards, at Forest Hills, Long Island. But to return to the main subject of this sketch — Silas M. Smith was a man of what might be termed the old Amer- ican school. He had a fine conscientious character, sound judgment, and was a person who always stood ready to help others. As treasurer of the church poor fund he will be long remembered for the unnumbered charitable deeds he per- formed, and he was liberal in private benefactions. Perhaps the following paragraph from a local newspaper best describes him: 184 Representative Families of Northampton "Mr. Smith had no political aspirations. If he had but hinted a desire for political promotion it would have been gratified by his townsmen, who had supreme confidence in his integrity and worth. He wisely chose the more quiet and congenial walks of a home life. His connection with the ' Old ' church has been long, useful, and beneficial to it. For more than forty-five years he was a member of the choir and for a great part of the time its leader, all his service in it being gratuitously given. He had charge of the distribution of the church poor fund. In summing up the traits in the character of Mr. Smith we are forcibly reminded of the aptness of the Scripture estimate in Proverbs: 'Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.' " Watson L. Smith 185 CHARLES G. STARKWEATHER Farmer and Pioneer CHARLES GRAVES STARKWEATHER was born in Northampton March 20, 1819, on Old South Street, in a house very near the Lyman estate on Fort Hill. He died at the age of eighty-seven years and three months, June 26, 1906. Mr. Starkweather's father, Haynes Kingsley Stark- weather, was born on South Street, at " Homestead Num- ber 52." He married Lucina Almina Merrick of Wilbraham, April 30, 1818. They had four sons and three daughters. Haynes' father was Charles Starkweather, who came from Mansfield, Connecticut, in 1787. He married Miriam Kingsley, and they also lived in the old homestead on South Street. They had five children, Haynes Kingsley Stark- weather, and four daughters. He was in the Revolutionary War, and was present at the surrender of Burgoyne. The subject of this sketch, Charles Graves Starkweather, son of Haynes K. Starkweather, was the oldest of the family. He received his education in the schools of Northampton, and at the time of his death he was the oldest member of the First Church, with which he had united in 1834. Politically 187 188 Representative Families of Northampton he was a Republican, and he had been allied with that party since its formation. Mr. Starkweather's first taste of adventure came in 1849, when, with a party of twenty-one others, he decided to try his fortune in the gold-fields of California. He was thence- forth known as one of the " forty-niners.' ' February 5, on the day the company left the town, some of the citizens met at the First Church, to give the adven- turers a farewell, with an address by the minister, Rev. E. Y. Swift. The party sailed from New York and landed at Panama, where they remained for a long time, unable to obtain transportation. As a last resort they joined with others and bought a vessel en route for California, and at last reached San Francisco, their destination, August 8, hav- ing been six months on the journey. After selling the vessel and its cargo, the company sepa- rated, and traveled the last seventy-five miles to the mining regions by ox teams. Mr. Starkweather worked in the mines one year, when he was joined by his brother Alfred, and they turned their attention to farming. Haynes Kingsley, an- other brother, was in the drug business in Sacramento. Charles and Alfred made a great success of the farm un- dertaking, but after several years the former sold his interest to his brother and returned to his old home on South Street in Northampton, where his parents were living. Here he carried on farming. Soon after his return he married Sophronia W. Merrick of Wilbraham. Of their four children who grew to maturity, the eldest is Charles Merrick Starkweather. On October 24, 1904, he married Lucy Williston, daughter of A. L. Williston of Northampton. They have three children, a son, L. Wil- liston Starkweather; and two daughters, Sarah S. and Esther S., who are living in Hartford, Connecticut; Frederick Mer- Charles G. Starkweather 189 Charles G. Starkweather 191 rick Starkweather, the second son of Charles G. Stark- weather, married Mary Semans of Delaware, Ohio, daughter of Professor W. 0. Semans, of Ohio Wesleyan University. They live in Northampton; the other two children of Charles G. Starkweather are Emily Bliss Starkweather, who married David B. Howland, and Roderick Merrick Starkweather. Both live in Northampton. In his day Mr. Starkweather made some changes in the old home of his birth, by the removal and remodeling of sev- eral buildings. He built a new residence in the year 1870, and in 1888 he sold the house and lot to E. H. R. Lyman. Then he moved to Maple Street a house which his brother, Haynes K., had occupied before leaving a second time for California, and that was his home for the remainder of his life. ARTHUR WATSON A Man of Many Public Trusts MR. WATSON'S parents were Henry and Sophia (Peck) Watson, and he was born at Greensboro, Alabama, July 28, 1851. He fitted for college at Round Hill School, Northampton, and graduated from Yale in 1873. Northampton has honored him in an official way to a notable degree, as is evidenced by the following list of the various capacities in which he has served the municipality. In 1884 and 1885 he was' Registrar of Voters; from 1885 to 1887 he was Assessor of Taxes; he was postmaster from 1886 to 1890; alderman in 1896; Referee in Bankruptcy from 1898 to 1900; mayor in 1901; member of the Public Library Committee from 1891 to 1916; and has been a trustee of the Forbes' Library since 1893. ^'«F 192 Arthur Watson 193 WILLIAM PHILLIPS STRICKLAND Judge of the District Court of Hampshire County WILLIAM PHILLIPS STRICKLAND was born at Tyringham (now Monterey), Massachusetts, Jan- uary 12, 1835, and died in Northampton, August 4, 1915. His father, Lemuel K. Strickland, who moved from Egremont, to Sandisfield in 1840, died at the latter place in 1860, aged fifty-six. Judge Strickland's mother was Emeline, daughter of William Phillips. Jonathan Strickland was his grandfather on the paternal side. The grandmothers were Elizabeth Crittenden (Strickland) and Lora Smith (Phillips). The father was noted as an upright lawyer, and a lover of justice. He was highly respected by his fellow citizens of Sandisfield, by whom he was sent two terms to represent them in the Legislature. The family homestead in that town was occupied by five successive generations of lawyers. The ancestry of the Strickland family can be traced back many generations, but work on the record of it is not yet completed. At this time it can be said that the Strick- lands were of English ancestry, while the Phillips and Crit- tenden families came from Wales. Judge Strickland's mother was a cousin of Rev. Edmund H. Sears, D.D., author of "The Fourth Gospel the Heart of Christ," and the Christmas hymns, "Calm on the Listening Ear of Night" and "It Came upon the Midnight Clear." As a boy William went to the public schools for a few terms, and then his father placed him in charge of Rev. Piatt Tyler Holley, pastor of the Sandisfield Congregational Church, and a graduate of Yale College, for further educa- tion. The result was most favorable. The pupil read Virgil 195 196 Representative Families of Northampton with his tutor at the age of twelve years, and showed marked ability and perseverance as a student. It is worthy of note that, in his later years, he often carried a Latin Testament in his pocket, when going about the county holding court. The boy attended the Great Barrington Academy and Williston Seminary, and afterward entered Williams College with the class of 1857. Although he was compelled by ill health to leave college for a season, he returned and de- livered the Latin oration in 1858, when he was awarded the degree of A.B. He was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon and Phi Beta Kappa fraternities. His own interest inclined to the study of medicine, but, following the desire of his father, he began the work of life by reading law in the office of Marshall Wilcox of Lee, Mas- sachusetts, and was admitted to the bar of Berkshire County in 1861. He practiced at Ware, Massachusetts, in the years 1861 to 1864. During this period of the Civil War he be- came subject to the draft of the national government for soldiers, but was rejected on account of physical disability, greatly to his disappointment; and he sent a substitute. It was his appointment as Clerk of Courts, in 1864, which brought him to Northampton. He held the office from 1864 to 1882, when he was appointed as the first justice of the district court, which was established that year. In this court he did the most important part of his life work, although it should be mentioned that while clerk of courts he was also trial justice, being one of the few men who held a similar office in the state. Judge Strickland also accomplished a work which was much appreciated by the Hampshire bar, in building up the law library in the court-house. It is now one of the best in Massachusetts. Judge Strickland did not allow the close duties of his profession to turn him from social intercourse with his fellow Judge William P. Strickland 197 William Phillips Strickland 199 citizens. He was a charter member of the Northampton Club, and he was a much interested member and participant in the meetings of the Northampton Literary Club for more than thirty years. In politics he was a Republican, but he did not hesitate to endorse the better man, though not of his party, as when he voted for President Cleveland. In re- ligious belief he was broad and liberal, though with a strong leaning toward the Episcopal Church, with which all the Strickland ancestors had been affiliated. But in his boyhood, at Sandisfield, there was only a Congregational Church. So, when he came to Northampton, he united with the First Church, in which he officiated as deacon thirty-seven years. Mr. Strickland married, September 4, 1861, Mary A. Pelton, daughter of Asa Carter Pelton and Ophelia (Austin). She was a descendant from John Howland, who came to this country in the famous Mayflower. Their children numbered seven. A boy and girl died in infancy. The second son, Lemuel Sears, a lawyer of much promise, died in 1901, at the age of thirty-five. The third son, George Hyde, who had marked business ability, died in 1909, aged forty-three. The children now living are three daughters, Mabel E. P., Blanche L., and Mrs. E. Christine Doane (Mrs. Will Nelson Doane). Judge and Mrs. Strickland were given an informal surprise party in 1911 at their Round Hill home, in commemoration of their golden wedding anniversary, and this occasion brought them the congratulations and good wishes of a host of their fellow citizens. In his accomplishments as an exponent of the law, Judge Strickland showed exceptional learning, and he has been widely praised. The lawyers of Hampshire are all agreed as to his fine ability, and they have spoken most highly of his admirable discretion in the disposal of cases. No man could be more conscientious in his decisions. He exercised the 200 Representative Families of Northampton utmost care in arriving at conclusions, and spent much time in consulting legal decisions of the past. The more puzzling the detail of the case he was investigating the more he studied it, and the most contradictory evidence did not daunt him. He sifted matters to the bottom, and he rarely failed to ar- rive at a just conclusion. This is shown by the fact that his decisions were seldom overruled by the higher courts. His decisions were often couched in terms that attracted much attention from the pith and point of their expression. He frequently gave advice to litigants and offenders that was well worth heeding, and in some instances it was heeded with excellent results. Many a prisoner brought before him had occasion to be thankful for the manner in which the judge treated him. He gave counsel that went straight home, and there were those among the offenders whom it put in the way of better living. He found severity necessary at times, but he was lenient and indulgent when he believed this to be of any use, and he was apt to give the benefit of the doubt in favor of a youthful offender. Judge Strickland had high ideals about the dignity of the court and evinced genuine art in the handling of his work. He loved wit and humor, and took occasion to say many bright things in connection with the cases that came before him. He had a wonderful memory, a command of the best English language, and his eulogies on the deaths of those in official positions are real gems. The Springfield Union, in commenting on him shortly after his death in August, 1915, said : Judge Strickland was of the old order of things, eminently patriotic, and a lover of American ideals and American institutions. Those who knew him intimately fully appreciated his fine qualities. He was a man of rare intellectual attainments, a genuine student, informed on all the leading questions of the day, and when he talked he had something to say. He commanded attention and when he Judge Strickland with his Grandson 201 William Phillips Strickland 203 expressed his views they were listened to with great interest. He was a man of wide vision and had a rare grasp of situations, he had a bright mind, and found keen delight in the society of men of large mental caliber. Judge Strickland's memory will be held sacred in Northampton. He will be looked upon as an intellectual leader — the type of a man who is fast disappearing. His shrewd observations, his sound advice, his words of wisdom and his keen wit will long be remembered. When the end finally came to the venerable jurist, he was in his eighty-first year. It was only on the morning of his last appearance for his daily task at the courthouse that friends commented on his remarkably favorable appearance as they greeted him, and agreed that there were few men who bore the burden of their years so well. Many supposed him to be ten years younger than he actually was. To all who saw or spoke to him that morning he appeared in his usual health and in one of his frequent humorous moods. But when he was walking back to his Round Hill home his strength forsook him, and he fell by the wayside. Rev. Irving Maurer, who officiated at the funeral service, spoke of the life and work of Judge Strickland as follows: Judge Strickland will be remembered as a friend of men. Not in an effusive, nor yet in an exclusive sense, was this true. Sitting on the judge's seat for thirty-three years, he saw a generation of human life trail its little sorrows and its deeper tragedies along the way. The truant boy, the drunkard, the outcast, the widow, the orphan, the shiftless, the sinful, the lonely, and the discouraged, all beat against his heart. The impression which he leaves is one of personal interest in the problems of human need. The old, old story of individual sin and shame did not dim the keenness of his regard for the single example of the case before him. And the numberless personalities who looked at his searching eyes from the standpoint of the guilty passed out of his courtroom knowing that he was right, but that he was also con- cerned in them as persons. This constant realization within his cultured soul, that law is a path running through human relationships, that crime and penalty have the spiritual significance of humanity, struggling and winning and losing, was what made Judge Strickland a magnifier of his office. 204 Representative Families of Northampton Take a personality gifted with the powers of penetration and analysis, with deep interest in the philosophy of human good and evil, with insight into the fact of sin, make that personality the mouth-piece of the public law, and the well-being of the community prospers and bears fruit. In these days of unrest, when law itself appears to many as hazy and unmajestic, when it is easy for gifted men in places of leadership, instead of voicing the prophet's message, to speak the half-formed thoughts of the ignorant and the misled, we have need of men like this man, one who knew when men and women sinned, who believed that social wrong, crime, must be punished, and yet who maintained in the hour of penalty the role of a friendly heart, seeking even in the depths of shame for better things. A few who knew Judge Strickland in a more intimate way will miss a rare soul, a splendid type of the men that the Berkshires have reared. His home, which was founded just a month less than fifty- four years ago, will cherish him for his great heart. His church will recall him as a layman gifted with the powers of priestly ministry. His city will honor him for his public spirit. But for the community at large his name will stand as the name of a man who was a just judge, a judge of the poor and the needy, a friend of men. No better estimate of Judge Strickland's general char- acter and his services to the public could be found than is expressed in the following resolutions passed by the church society he loved so well, and the two institutions which he served so faithfully as trustee: Memorial of the First Church of Christ, Congregational William Phillips Strickland at his death on August fourth was the senior deacon of this church and one of its most highly esteemed and influential members. He joined it by letter in 1865, was elected deacon in 1878, and during the fifty years of his connection with it, he never ceased to give it the benefit of his counsel and of his active cooperation in everything that would increase its power. As justice of the district court for thirty- three years he became familiar with the worst forms of human depravity, but this knowledge of evil did not lessen his faith in the saving power of Jesus Christ; — and in the administration of justice Judge Strickland never lost sight of the reformation of the criminal. Whether as public official or private citizen, he was respected and beloved for his fidelity in the discharge of every duty and for his unremitting efforts to promote whatsoever is just and pure and good. William Phillips Strickland 205 His associates on the Church Committee would therefore place upon their records this memorial of their grateful appreciation of his Christian character and of the long and invaluable service which he rendered to this Church and to this community. Resolutions of the Board of Corporators of the Clarke School for the Deaf: Resolved: That the Corporation of the Clarke School, in common with their fellow-members of the community, heard with sorrow of the unexpected and sudden death of their associate, Judge Strickland, who, for more than thirty years, had been a punctual and valued member of our Corporation, and held therein important and honorable offices. Judge Strickland had the qualities and the training that fitted him to be the faithful and efficient public servant that he had been for more than half a century, in this city and county. Of exact legal learning and a strong sense of justice tempered with mercy, he dealt for a whole generation with that section of the community which most frequently calls for justice and for charity; and he knew well the limit of those two virtues, as they appealed to him in his daily practice. Long intimacy with the delinquent, the defective, and the unfortunate sometimes may harden the heart, or lead to indifference towards human frailty, vice or misfortune; but with virtuous natures an opposite effect is perceived and was noticeable in our friend's instance. No repetition of the old and sad circumstances closed his eyes to the features of each case as it came before him as judge or in his other capacities. An English poet paid to his political and religious opponent the highest tribute a judge can receive: In Israel's court ne'er sat an Abethdin Of more discerning eyes, or hand more clean Unbribed, unsought, the wretched to redress, Prompt of dispatch and easy of access. In the management of the business of the Clarke School, Judge Strickland was serviceable from his great legal knowledge, his expe- rience of many years, and his close attention to financial details which gained and held for him the office of auditor. To his family we tender our warmest sympathies, and we join with all others in this tribute to his character. Resolutions of the Public Library Committee The resignation of Judge William P. Strickland from the office of chairman of the Northampton Public Library Committee, tendered at the meeting held on March 11 last, was accepted with great reluctance. 206 Representative Families of Northampton Hoping that he might be persuaded to continue his service in that capacity, it was only after being fully convinced that such hope was vain that we bowed to the inevitable. On the occasion of the retirement from the chairmanship of the committee of one who has so long and ably filled that position, his associates desire to record the following expression of their apprecia- tion and esteem: Resolved: That the term of service of Judge William P. Strick- land, as chairman of the Northampton Public Library Committee for thirty-one consecutive years, and for more than half the entire period since the library became a municipal institution, is in itself a significant tribute to his efficiency and an indication of the high regard in which he is held by the people of Northampton. With him at the helm they have felt that our library administration was in safe hands. Resolved: That Judge Strickland is by nature, education and habit of mind, exceptionally qualified for the position he has so long adorned. A lover of books, a wide and discriminating reader, a sound and clear thinker, of critical, yet catholic tastes, and with a full appre- ciation of the uses and needs to which a public library should be adapted, his work as chairman has been thorough, painstaking, un- ceasing and effective. Up to a time within the recollection of many the "Clarke Library " occupied an exclusive field as our only public library. Closely in touch with the intellectual life of the people of North- ampton, its influence has been salutary and its usefulness unques- tioned. The good it has done is immeasurable, for no limits can be set to the radiance of knowledge as reflected by its dispersion through books. Resolved: That Judge Strickland has brought to his work on the Committee during all these years, qualities which are the endow- ment of but few men. An understanding of the first rank, a penetrat- ing intelligence disciplined by the training and study of college days, and by long experience as a judge on the bench, great power of analysis and of precise and luminous statement, his reports to the City Council are models of concise and felicitous diction, and form the most generic annual summary of the "Clarke Library" that can anywhere be found. They abound in apt, suggestive and profound reflections upon matters and things pertaining to the inner history of the library and its ad- ministration. The description of the functions of a public library in his report for 1912 appeals to us as comprehensive in substance and admirable in form and phrase. Though not trained as a librarian, nor professing to be a specialist in that art to which many superior men are devoting their lives, Judge Strickland has, nevertheless, brought into our service a culture as broad and rich as it is rare and difficult of attainment. In intellectual breadth and acumen, in lucidity of thought and in clarity and elegance of statement, in the ability to present the nicest William Phillips Strickland 207 distinctions in terse and simple form and in easy command of choice and vigorous English, he impresses us as among the first in this com- munity within our memory. Judge Strickland is the possessor of literary gifts which, had he not sedulously kept them in the shade and subservient to the routine of daily utilities, might have proved a source of instruction and pleasure to us all. Resolved: That whatever may be the future of the "Clarke Library," its past is secure. Its aims have been high, its purpose broad and ennobling, and its work in this community deep and abiding. Shining in common for us all it has not been commonplace. The ancient library at Thebes is said to have borne on its portals the inscription: "Place of healing for the soul." Once our library was the Mecca for all the intellectually devOut who desired to worship at its shrine and be healed of the ills of narrowness and intolerance and of the sins of mental apathy and indifference. In all its history the " Clarke Library" has been a central influence for good in this community, and much of its usefulness and success is due to those who for more than forty years have guided its destinies and shaped its ends. The interests of all the inhabitants have always been its interests, and the promotion of knowledge, culture and civic righteousness its aim. Judge Strickland has maintained the prestige and high standard of the past and has proved himself a worthy successor to the men who in a former generation laid the broad foundations of the "Clarke Library" deep in the solid basis of truth. We trust it will not be unpleasing to him to call to mind faces and voices once so familiar, but no longer to be seen or heard, and to wander in imagination in "other groves, and other streams along." Surely he will find new inspiration and new delight in the high ideals and noble culture which he so finely represents and which he has done so much to maintain and preserve. Resolved : That we count ourselves fortunate that, though vacat- ing the office of chairman, Judge Strickland will not thereby cease to be a member of this committee, and that we still expect to receive the benefit of his wise and timely counsels and assistance. Again, the following year, the library trustees put on record this tribute to Judge Strickland's memory: To Judge Strickland the end came suddenly on the fourth of August last. Apparently in his usual good health and vigor, the sum- mons came on the instant and he was no longer of the living. Upon his resignation as chairman of the Clarke Library Com- mittee, we took occasion to express our sense of his merits and service 208 Representative Families of Northampton in resolutions, which were subsequently made public as a part of our report to the City Council for year 1914. To give any adequate comment on other phases of Judge Strick- land's career would not be expected perhaps in this report, yet we may be pardoned a brief reference to his professional career. Judge Strickland was appointed Clerk of the Superior and Su- preme Courts in 1864 and remained such until he took his seat as Judge of the District Court of Hampshire in 1882. During this interval he held the office of trial justice and acted also extensively as master and auditor in cases. Eminent lawyers tried many causes before him and his training as a judge was under fire. He met the test well. Pains- taking study of the law, close attention to the facts and careful analysis of evidence were with him in each case an undeviating habit. His mental powers and range were such that acute, ingenious, and forceful, often profound arguments and suggestions of counsel became aids to him in reaching a conclusion, but did not usurp the functions of his own judgment. His decisions were his own. Indeed long before he was judge in name he manifested the knowledge and qualities which fitted him for that office and many of the ablest lawyers of those days regarded him as well qualified to sit as a judge in any court of the commonwealth. It is certain that his work as Judge of the District Court gave it a high position among the local courts of the state and reflected honor upon him, his city and his county. For more than a generation his biography has been synonymous with the judicial history of the main part of the County of Hampshire. It is possible that Judge Strickland considered the termination of his chairmanship of the Library Committee as a prelude to the final severing of all relations with it, and even with the scene of life itself. Although his work in the court showed no diminution in acumen or zeal, yet his eighty years could not be disregarded by a man of his clear discernment and candid attitude towards facts. Therefore it may be perhaps assumed that his renouncement of further continu- ance in this office was anticipatory of what he thought likely in the nature of things to happen within a time not long distant. Judge Strickland had for the Clarke Library deep and personal affection and was as solicitous for its welfare as a father for that of his child. It is pleasant to think that he continued for more than a year after his resignation in the enjoyment of his affiliations with the library and its management and that his ceasing to be our chairman marked no other than a nominal change in his activities in its affairs, nor any severing of the ties which so strongly bound him to its service. CHARLES N. CLARK A People's Representative and Financier CHARLES N. CLARK is descended from the Clark family of England, where it is both numerous and of great antiquity. The name designated one who could read and write in the almost medieval early times. It was then often the surname Clarke, Clerke, and Clearke, of such persons, but particularly of those recording and preserving deeds. The family, in this country, is descended from four brothers, John, Joseph, Thomas, and Carew Clark, who came to America from Bedfordshire, England, in the early part of the seventeenth century. Thomas had many illustrious descendants, including Alvan Clark and his son Alvin Graham Clark, both of telescope manufacturing fame; George Bassett Clark, a famous mechanician; James Freeman Clarke, the well-known clergyman, author and anti-slavery advocate; and others quite prominent in professional and political life, too numerous to mention. William Clark (1609-1690) is the progenitor of nearly all the Clarks in Massachusetts and Connecticut. He was born in Dorsetshire, England, in 1609, and sailed from 209 210 Representative Families of Northampton Plymouth to this country in the ship Mary and John March 30, 1630. The ship arrived at Nantucket May 30. Three other members of the Clark family were in the company — Bray, Thomas and Joseph, who, with William, were among the first settlers of Dorchester. Their memory is preserved by the following lines on their tombstones: "Here lie three clerks. Their accounts are even, entered on earth, carried to heaven." William Clark continued for a long time a prominent citizen of Dorchester, but, in 1653, he was one of the peti- tioners to the Great and General Court for permission to settle in the "new country" of the Connecticut valley, and he removed his family on horseback to Northampton in 1659, through the forests which had then but one solitary trail east and west. The wife with three children rode on two panniers, and the husband, then fifty-three years of age, preceded her on foot, picking out the trail through the woods. William Clark had been named by Eleazar Mather, who was preacher at Northampton, and son of Richard Mather, the settled minister at Dorchester, as a proper person to receive a grant of land if he would come and live in the town. The story of his settlement on Elm Street together with many interesting incidents in his life at Northampton may be found in Sylvester Judd's writings and in James R. Trumbull's "History of Northampton." Charles Nathaniel Clark is the second son, and the third and youngest child of Charles and Mary (Strong) Clark. The union of these two old families (Clark and Strong) was considered at the time interesting from the fact that the appearance of both of them in Northampton was contem- poraneous with its settlement; and the identity of interests so established has been perpetuated even to this day in their descendants. Charles N. Clark 211 Charles N. Clark 213 The subject of this sketch was born on his father's farm on South Street April 4, 1853. He attended the common schools and graduated from the high school in 1869, from Amherst College in 1873 with the degree of A.B., and was given the degree of A.M. in 1876. After graduation he taught one year in the Free High School of Brimfield. Then he began the study of law with Delano and Hammond in Northampton. He was admitted to the bar in 1877, and to the practice of law in all the courts in 1880. He opened a law office in Northampton and soon gained an extensive practice in all the courts of the state and of the United States district and supreme courts. His general ability and business sagacity, however, re- sulted in calls outside the profession, and he was made treas- urer of Smith College in 1888, and has since been actively identified with the financial and general material progress of that institution. He was made a director of the Hampshire Mutual Fire Insurance Company, and was chosen one of the trustees of the Northampton Institution for Savings, and President of the Northampton Gas Lighting Company. In religious matters Mr. Clark naturally followed the professions of his forefathers and found his expression therein in the "Old" First Church of the town. In this church he has been a prominent member, and one of the board of as- sessors of the parish. While not actively interested in politics, he has obeyed the call of his party constituency (Republican) and his nomi- nation by it and confirmation by vote of the people followed. He was called to represent the First District of Hampshire County in the Legislature of 1883-4-5 and was a State Sen- ator in 1887 and 1888. He served on several committees, including those of the Hoosac Tunnel, Troy and Greenfield Railroad, claims, judiciary, public service, and mercantile 214 Representative Families of Northampton affairs; and his record as a legislator was approved by his constituents, as shown by comments in the public press of his native town, during his incumbency. Mr. Clark has never married. He now gives his time almost entirely to the interests of Smith College. MERRITT CLARK Veteran Merchant AN interesting review of Northampton history for nearly a century might appropriately accompany any story of the life of Merritt Clark. He is the city's oldest merchant and yet, withal, at the time of this writ- ing, one of the youngest in spirit and mental energy. Mr. Clark has spent his winters in Florida for many years, and he always goes and comes in cheerful spirits. When he arrived home from one of his trips a while ago, he said: "I am thankful that I am privileged to live in so good a community as Northampton. Some people do not seem to appreciate the place, but to me the city is ideal, and the greatest pleasure I have is to return each spring from the South and, with a handshake, to have friends tell me that they are glad to see me back again. This Connecticut valley, especially between Hartford and Brattleboro, with all the privileges and .opportunities which the inhabitants may avail themselves of, is certainly the height of civili- zation." Mr. Clark may properly be called the dean of North- ampton Main Street merchants, for he has been in business on what was once called "Shop Row," as clerk and proprie- 215 216 Representative Families of Northampton tor, for over seventy years. He is still interested in the busi- ness, and, when in Northampton, he is seen at the old stand almost every day in the morning hours. The rest of the day he is generally at his residence on Elm Street. His home there is one of the landmarks of the city. It was built long ago, and was once occupied for several years by Rev. Mr. Silsbee, the minister of the Unitarian church. When the writer called on Mr. Clark recently, he found him very much interested in the then current talk all over the country, about "preparedness." To him it recalled his early days when, being an earnest advocate of a local militia company, he was many times ridiculed for favoring such an institu- tion. But he lived to be commended by those who at first condemned him, and it was not long after the outbreak of the Civil War that one of the most prominent citizens, who had once laughed at his concern for the militia, took occasion to thank him for what he had done and declare that he had more foresight and wisdom than most men of his time. So, for the present generation, Mr. Clark shows just as much interest in this line as of old, and with a kindling eye he has lately again declared "preparedness" to be the thing necessary. Merritt Clark is a native of Milford, Connecticut, where he was born November 7, 1829. He can trace his ancestry back to the year 1610. "Deacon" George Clark, settler and planter, came from England and settled in Milford, Connecti- cut, in 1639. He had stopped for a short time with the pioneers at Wethersfield, before going to Milford. He was born in England in 1610, and died in Milford in 1690. This George Clark was the first settler to establish his home out- side of the stockade at Milford, and he received for his courage a grant of forty acres of land, which he and his sons began to cultivate. Merritt Clark at Home 217 The Merrill Clark Homestead Corner of Elm Street and Round Hill Road 219 Merritt Clark 221 David Clark, who was born in 1751, and died July 17, 1831, was grandfather of Merritt Clark, and Anna Clark, who was born in 1755, and died February 14, 1812, was his grand- mother. Mr. Clark's father was Enoch Clark, a farmer, whose marked characteristics were common sense and an even temperament. Enoch Clark married Mehitable Bald- win of Milford, Connecticut, and from these parents of New England thrift and energy Merritt Clark undoubtedly largely drew those qualities and characteristics which enabled him to make a success in life. The boy Merritt had only a common school education. He made things lively on his father's farm until, in 1846, at seventeen years of age, he came to Northampton. Here he began to learn tailoring with Charles Smith and Company, tailors, on the very spot where the present firm of Merritt Clark and Company have their large and well arranged es- tablishment. In 1852 Mr. Clark bought out the interest which Marvin M. French had in the firm, and the new firm consisted of Charles Smith and Merritt Clark. J. H. Prindle, a clerk in the Smith and Clark store, came into the firm in 1854, and the new firm was Smith, Clark, and Prindle, but this business name lasted only about two years, when Mr. Smith withdrew. A short time later Mr. Clark bought out Mr. Prindle's interest, and for ten years he conducted the business alone. His nephew, Orman S. Clark, who previ- ously had been employed as a clerk, was taken into the firm in 1866. After Orman's death in 1891, Orman's son, Howard, who had been trained in the business, took his place and shortly afterward came to full charge of the concern. This permitted the founder of the house to retire from active busi- ness about twelve years ago. Since then Mr. Clark has spent his winters at Tarpon Springs, Florida. Besides his clothing business, Mr. Clark holds considerable real estate in the city. 222 Representative Families of Northampton He is the oldest business man on Main Street and probably the oldest in the county. He has always taken a keen interest in Northampton affairs and enterprises, and in those of the state and nation-. For ten or twelve years he was in the state militia, Lieutenant of Company C of the 10th regiment, and prior to the Civil War he aided in drilling the company and often visiting West Point to obtain in- struction in military tactics. In politics he is of the Demo- cratic faith. He has never professed his belief in any par- ticular religious creed, but he attends the First Church. He held several offices with the fire department when the old "Torrent" was queen of the waters. This and the "Deluge" were then the only Northampton fire extinguishers, except wooden hand buckets, owned by the town. He was foreman of the "Torrent" in its palmiest days. At one time he was an overseer of the House of Correction with the late Daniel Kingsley. He was a director of the Hampshire Mutual Fire Insurance Company fifteen or sixteen years, trustee of the Northampton Institution for Savings about the same length of time and was for several years a director of the Hampshire County National Bank. He has been considered one of the safest and soundest of our business men. Withal he is a man of wide information, being a keen observer of men and things, and at one time he traveled extensively in Mexico and Europe. When asked if he could give any suggestion from his expe- rience that would be useful to young men, he replied: "Be honest, be truthful, be industrious and persevering." March 16, 1859, Mr. Clark married Sarah Josephine King, daughter of Elisha W. King and Margaret Vander- voort. Mr. King was an eminent member of the New York bar, and grandson of John King who emigrated from Eng- land to Salem in 1650, whence he moved to Southampton, Sideboard and Collections at Merrill Clark's Home The mirror above the sideboard came originally from the house of General Joseph Hooker. The castor in the center of the sideboard formerly belonged to Governor Caleb Strong. 223 A plate and teapot of old English ware A Chinese tea caddie and a cup and teapot of old English spode Valuable Tableware in the Merritt Clark Collection 225 Merritt Clark 227 Long Island, in 1654. Mr. and Mrs. Clark had no children. She died July 12, 1909. Since her death, Mr. Clark's niece, Miss Minnie D. Clark, has been his constant companion, both in his Northampton home and on his journeys South. She is the daughter of his sister-in-law, Mrs. Nancy M. Clark. HAYNES HANFORD CHILSON An Old-time Citizen, Honored by Many Public Trusts HAYNES HANFORD CHILSON, son of John and Clarissa (Butler) of Buckland, Massachusetts, was born in the neighboring town of Charlemont, April 11, 1816. He fitted for college in Conway, and in the high school at Halifax, Vermont, and in Fellenberg Academy at Greenfield, Massachusetts. In 1843 he graduated at Amherst College, and for a time was principal of Grove Seminary at Charlemont, and later held a similar position in the academy at Whitingham, Vermont. He became a law student in the office of Grinnell and Aiken, of Greenfield, in 1846, was admitted to the bar the following year, and began practice in Northampton. From 1850 to 1852 he was one of the Hampshire County Commissioners, and he was Commissioner of Insolvency from 1851 to 1856. For more than a score of years, beginning in 1850, he was a member of the Northampton School Committee. In 1851 Mr. Chilson was commissioned Major of the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia. He was the Democratic candidate for Congress here in 1857. From 1858 to 1862 he served Northampton as postmaster, and from the latter year to 1871 he was assistant assessor of internal revenue. In the 228 Haynes H. Chilson 229 Haynes Hartford Chilson 231 years from 1875 to 1882 he was a trial justice. He also served the public as a trustee under the will of Whiting Street. In 1851 Mr. Chilson married Catherine Staples Bates of Northampton. Two sons were born to Mr. and Mrs. Chilson — Henshaw Bates of New York, and Haynes Hanford, Jr., of Northampton. Mr. Chilson died July 10, 1886. HAYNES HANFORD CHILSON, JR. Clerk of the Courts HAYNES HANFORD CHILSON, Jr., was descended, on his mother's side, from Lieutenant Jonathan Hunt. The latter's son, John Hunt, was the father of Martha Hunt, who married Samuel Henshaw, and the Henshaws' daughter, Martha, became the wife of Isaac Chapman Bates. Mr. Bates' daughter, Catherine Staples Bates, who was born November 25, 1815, and who died November 24, 1892, married Haynes Hanford Chilson. The residence of the Hunts and the Henshaws was the gambrel-roofed house on Elm Street, now standing between Henshaw Avenue and Round Hill. It was built by Jonathan Hunt in 1700, and was bequeathed by will to his son John. Samuel Henshaw was a graduate of Harvard in the class of 1773. He became a judge in the Court of Common Pleas, and he served as a trustee of Williams College from 1802 to 1809. Isaac Chapman Bates was the son of Colonel Jacob Bates, an officer in the Revolutionary War. He was a mem- ber of the Twentieth Congress, and of the three succeeding congresses. In 1841 he became a United States senator, and he died in 1845, during his second term in the Senate. Haynes Hanford Chilson, Jr., graduated from the Ncrth- ampton High School in 1876. Two years later he entered Williams College and pursued his studies there until 1880. While in college he became a member of the Kappa-Alpha 232 Haynes H. Chilson, Jr. 233 Haynes Hanford Chilson, Jr. 235 Society. Soon after leaving Williams he went abroad and was a student in the Royal Academy of Music in London. Mr. Chilson married Kate Phillips Blake, of Boston, a descendant of William Blake, of Dorchester. From 1883 to 1904 Mr. Chilson was clerk of the District Court of Hampshire. After 1904 he succeeded to the office of clerk of the courts, which office he holds at the present time. He was a member of the Common Council in 1887 and 1888, and of the Board of Aldermen in 1889 and 1890. He has been a trustee of the Forbes Library since 1898. He is an honorary member of the Association of Police District and Municipal Courts. From the year 1903 he has been a trustee of the Northampton Institution for Savings. In politics Mr. Chilson is a Democrat. In religion he is a Congregationalist and a member of the First Church Parish. Allusion has already been made to his musical training in England. He is a member of the Apollo Club, the North- ampton Vocal Club, and he has sung in both the Edwards and the First Church choirs. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Chilson are a son, Gaylord Blake, who was born July 17, 1886, and died August 22, 1898, and a daughter, Ethel, who married Ralph Leonard Morse, of Springfield, Massachusetts, October 5, 1916. HIRAM DAY One of Northampton's Sterling Old Citizens HIRAM DAY was one of Northampton's well-remem- bered citizens whose life was one of integrity and usefulness to his fellow men. He came of an old family. Robert Day, the immigrant ancestor of his family, was born in England about 1605, and came to this country in the Hopewell in 1634. At that time he was only thirty years of age. He had three children, one of whom, Thomas, was born in Cambridge in 1636, settled in Springfield, and married Sarah Cooper there in 1659. He became a consid- erable land owner and man of prominence, and for a time held the office of selectman. He had five children, including Samuel, born in 1671, who probably built the old Day house, still standing, in West Springfield. Robert Day settled in Cambridge, but went with his brother-in-law, Edward Stebbins, in the company that, under the leadership of Rev. Mr. Hooker, journeyed through the wilderness to found Hartford in 1635. Hiram Day was born at Northampton June 12, 1824. His father, Nathaniel Day, was a member of the old family alluded to in the foregoing paragraphs. He was a farmer, and Hiram, during his youth, worked on the farm, where he undoubtedly did good service. But, like many other New England boys, he yearned for a change, and he found it for a few years in the lively twelve-hour-a-day work of that 236 Hiram Day 237 Hiram Day 239 time at the freight-house of the Connecticut River Railroad. At length he secured the appointment of keeper of the old toll bridge to Hadley. This probably made him happier, as it certainly brought him into closer contact with his fellow citizens, with whom he was always most companionable. Here he became a familiar figure to them and he always had a pleasant word to make the payment of tolls feel lighter. When the tolls were abolished he was called to the higher service of his fellow townsmen as treasurer and tax col- lector of the town, and he had his office for many years in the store of Lee and Hussey. He closed this work for the city about the time Northampton came under city government. At the time of his death, September 8, 1913, he was the oldest member of the Baptist Church in Northampton. In 1845 he married Harriet E. Cook of Northampton. Their children were Ella C. Day, who died in West Springfield about seven years ago, Henry C. Day of Northampton, Frank H. Day of Greenfield, and Mrs. John C. Brickett of West Springfield. Two grandchildren survived him — Harold W. Day of Northampton, and Esther D. Brickett of West Springfield. Hiram Day was a typical New Englander of his genera- tion. From the nature of his life occupations he came to know many residents of the central part of Hampshire county, and he made and kept many warm friends. He was tall and large framed physically, with a keen, intelligent, and strong face. While he had only the schooling of the farmer's boy, he had a native shrewdness or sharpness of intellect, which came from extensive reading, and much observation of men and things. He was sincerely interested in public affairs and public men. During his whole life he was a Republican, and when he left Northampton and went to West Springfield to live with his daughter, Mrs. Brickett, he still maintained 240 Representative Families of Northampton his interest in politics, and he always returned to his old home to vote. He had a very attractive, genial manner, was fond of conversing with his Northampton friends and neighbors who met him on such occasions, and he frequently enter- tained them at his daughter's home in West Springfield. The last two years of his life were clouded by an illness which he bore with patience and fortitude, but it was a great trial for one of so generally active a mind and body. To the end of his life he maintained that mental clearness which distin- guished him among his fellow men. GERALD STANLEY LEE A Philosopher-Author GERALD STANLEY LEE is a native of Brockton, Massachusetts, where he was born October 4, 1862. His father is Samuel H. Lee, born December 21, 1832. His mother, before marriage, was Emma C. Carter of Pleasant Valley, Connecticut. His grandfathers were Wil- liam Lee, born in 1785 and died in 1878, and Evits Carter, born in 1805 and died in 1881. His grandmothers, before marriage, were Emma Taylor of Barkhamsted, Connecticut, and Sally Storrs. Gerald Stanley Lee's father has been a clergyman of the Congregational Church and an educator of prominence. The American ancestry of the family can be traced back to the year 1641, when Thomas Lee, and Phoebe Brown, his wife, with three children, came from Cheshire, England, and settled in Lyme, Connecticut. Of Thomas Lee not much is found in the history of his times beyond the fact that he was a man of note in his community. Gerald Stanley Lee's great- grandfather was a man of perhaps more prominence. He served for sixty-four years, (1768-1832) as clergyman of a church which he organized in Hanover, Connecticut. He was a member of the Yale Corporation, and was so far a heretic that Harvard invited him to deliver the Concio ad Clerum and conferred on him the degree of D.D. He was a 241 242 Representative Families of Northampton chaplain in the Revolutionary army, and, according to tradi- tion, was with Washington at the famous "Crossing the Delaware." Captain Ezra Lee — third from the Thomas Lee above named — invented a submarine boat equipped to scuttle ships. When the British fleet lay in New York harbor it was sent out one dark night while General Washington stood with Captain Lee on the shore for observation. The craft became unman- ageable, however, and did no scuttling, but its fumbling around scared the British officers so that they made haste to retire from the harbor. Mr. Lee's grandfather, on the paternal side, rode in the American Cavalry against the British, in the war of 1812, and his grandfather on the maternal side was the first manufac- turer of silk in the United States, or, perhaps it might be said more correctly that the Storrs family of that era was. Through his Grandmother Carter — a Taylor — Mr. Lee is ninth in direct descent from Elder Brewster. William Taylor was a surgeon in the Revolutionary army. He served with Baron Steuben, of whom he was a great admirer, and he named a son after him. This son was appointed Professor of Science in Brown University, but died soon afterward. The records of that time declare there was great grief over his early de- mise among others besides his own family relatives. In this connection Rev. Samuel H. Lee, the venerable father of the subject of this sketch, who is now living in Springfield, contributes the following paragraphs, in response to a request for information concerning the early history of the family: "The Taylor family was an exceptional one. But Walter Carter found in his researches that in England the Carter family ranked higher than the Taylor, there being a bishop of the English church among them. Gerald Stanley Lee 243 Gerald Stanley Lee 245 "This matter of heredity is a considerable puzzle. Gerald had one father and one mother, but he had two grandfathers and two grandmothers, and so on. Where did he come from? Whose blood is in him that is 'thicker than water'? At the time of the Columbian Exposition at Chicago a descendant from old Christopher was here, and Editor Buckley of the Christian Advocate figured that out of twelve hundred drops of his several gallons of blood only one was from Columbus. "There seems to be wide opportunity for discursive thought on this subject of heredity. The blood we have from Adam has taken a long sweep around the universe to get to us and has become more attentuated than the undis- coverable germ of poliomyelitis. However, I think that Gerald gets his intellectual, artistic and spiritual qualities from the Taylors and the Storrses, and his modicum of common sense from the Lees. "The Lees came over in five groups — in 1633, 1635, two in 1641, and another much later to New Orleans. All came from Cheshire. In 1641 the Lyme contingent — our crowd — and the Virginia contingent both came. They were of the rank styled gentlemen. The Virginians were English Churchmen, the Connecticut men Puritans." Gerald Stanley Lee's education was determined by the movements of the family. He first went to school in Green- field until he was ten years old. Presently his father became pastor of the First Congregational Church of Cleveland, and he continued his education in the public schools of that city. When the family moved to Oberlin, and his father accepted the position of professor of Economics in Oberlin College, he became a student in Oberlin College. But at the end of his junior year the family moved to Brattleboro, and he took his senior college year at Middlebury, where he graduated in 1885. He studied theology at Yale Divinity School for three years, 246 Representative Families of Northampton and was ordained in 1888 as minister of the Congregational Church in Princeton, Minnesota. After a year of service there he came East and spent a year making his first experi- ments in literature and in having his first experience with editors. In 1893 he became the pastor of the church in Sharon, Connecticut, and his more or less unconventional address on the hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the Sharon Church was widely noticed, and was published under the title of "About an Old New England Church — by a Young New England Parson." This was his first book. In 1893 he be- came the pastor of the Congregational Church in West Spring- field. It was in West Springfield that Mr. Lee began to see that he would have to be an author. A little humorous article on "Literary Prizes" sent to The Critic led to his being asked by the editors of that journal to review such books as they might send him, and his reviews of Kipling and Barrie and Zangwill, the other leading authors of the time resulted in his being asked for books of his own. It was the reception of "The Shadow Christ" (a publication in a literary form of the leading ideas of his Sharon and West Springfield sermons) which made him conclude to immediately resign from his profession and devote himself to literature. Soon he bought his present place in Northampton, and became for some time a substitute in the department of rhet- oric in Smith College, and a lecturer on literature and art in modern times, and began to publish his books. "Mount Tom — An All Outdoors Magazine. Devoted to Rest and Worship and to a Little Look-off on the World" and issued every other month, was started in 1905. "The Lost Art of Reading," which was a study of education, and "The Child and the Book," a criticism of the study of Eng- lish, were published in 1903. "The Voice of the Machines" published in 1906, and "Inspired Millionaires" in 1908, were Mr. and Mrs. Lee at their Fireside 247 Gerald Stanley Lee 249 the books that first contained the more original ideas which have since become identified with Mr. Lee's name. They were published at the author's own expense, and attracted practi- cally no attention in this country. It was not until transla- tions had been made in German and French, and the English edition of "Inspired Millionaires" had appeared in England that the success of his work abroad brought it into attention at home. " Crowds, a Moving Picture of Democracy" pub- lished in 1913, became almost immediately the best selling non-fiction book of the year. "Crowds" was followed by "Crowds, Jr.," 1914; and by "We, a Confession of Faith for the American People During and After War," 1916. Mr. Lee's appearance in Northampton in a literary way was first noticed through his publication of the Mount Tom Magazine. It created a mild, but most interesting sensa- tion among the few who had a sympathetic comprehension of what he was talking about. The comments of Mr. Lee's fellow citizens who under- stood him, or fancied they understood him, were various, but more than one was heard to say, in effect, " Why, this is just what I have thought myself, but have not been able to give expression to." The Mount Tom Magazine, while it did not reach a phe- nomenal local circulation, attracted large attention, because it voiced the prophet without honor in his own country crying in the wilderness of material thought. Naturally there has been much inquiry among those who have not read Mr. Lee's books as to whether they were social- istic, or of opposite tendency in philosophic thought. The fact is that Mr. Lee, instead of inclining his millionaires to socialistic action, has incited them, rather, to a more intense and nobler type of individualism. Opinion has differed widely as to the character and value of Mr. Lee's work. Some pro- 250 Representative Families of Northampton fess to find it unintelligible and ridiculous, but the great ma- jority of critics have declared that his books are not only highly original in their treatment of social problems, but con- tribute much of value toward the successful solution of these problems. Their sale, in this and foreign countries, attests their popularity with thoughtful people. Mr. Lee is an independent Republican in politics. He married June 26, 1896, Jennette Barbour Perry, third daughter of Philemon and Mary Barbour Perry of Bristol, Connecticut. He had met Miss Perry two years before in the south of Ger- many. They have one daughter, Geraldine. Mrs. Lee is a graduate of Smith College; was teacher of English at Vassar from 1890 to 1893; head of the English Department of the College for Women at the Western Reserve University from 1893 to 1896; instructor in English from 1901 to 1904, and professor of English literature and language from 1904 to 1913 at Smith College. She is herself an author of note and the following books of hers have been published " Kate Wetherill, " 1900 ; " A Pillar of Salt, " 1901 ; " The Son of a Fiddler, " 1902 ; " Uncle William, " 1906 ; " The Ibsen Secret," 1907; "Simeon Tetlow's Shadow," 1909; "Happy Island," 1910; "Mr. Achilles," 1912; "Betty Harris," 1912; "The Taste of Apples," 1913; "The Woman in the Alcove," 1914; "Aunt Jane," 1915; "The Symphony Play" and "Unfinished Portraits, 1916.' ' Besides she has written numer- ous sketches and stories. Approaching the Residence of Mr. Lee 251 View from Mr. Lee's Piazza, looking over the Meadows toward Mount Tom 253 HENRY C. HALLETT Former Mayor of the City HENRY C. HALLETT had the honor of being Mayor of the city of Northampton during the year the municipality celebrated its Quarter-Millennial An- niversary. The three days of that celebration were the most remarkable gala days that Northampton ever saw, and Mayor Hallett presided over the preliminary work and the festivities with wisdom and dignity. This was not his only honor, for the people retained him in responsible office for three years, which is evidence that he was well and fittingly chosen. Mr. Hallett's election as Mayor followed as a natural sequence his service to the city as an alderman for three years from the third Ward. He was not a man to seek public office, and it was only after considerable persuasion that he was induced to enter the City's highest legislative body, but having filled an alderman's chair to the satisfaction of his constituents, his friends had less difficulty in drafting him for the mayoralty. In the second year of his aldermanic service he was honored by the endorsement of the Democratic party. Energy, good judgment, and conscientious application marked Mr. Hallett's several terms as alderman. He was faithful in committee work, devoted to the interests of the city as a whole, and showed the talent of a business man in 255 256 Representative Families of Northampton every connection he had personally with city affairs. He declared for economy in the expenditure of public money, and scrutinized carefully the items of appropriation and expenditure. He opposed hasty action in the granting of franchises by the city, and asked that more rigid conditions be imposed on corporations which asked for favors. His vote always went for worthy public improvements, but he wanted careful investigation first, and while especially favor- ing good highways he believed that the city should first bring its main roads into satisfactory condition before re- building the side streets. He favored careful supervision in all departments and only such expenditures as were therein necessary. He did not favor paring down appropriations, and would not favor the reduction of any appropriation unless it could be shown that certain work could be as well done for less money, or that some other department needed attention first. Probably no mayor of the city ever gave more time to committee work than did Mr. Hallett. He served on several important committees both as alderman and mayor, and when he came to retire altogether from municipal government there were probably few men in the city who were so familiar with the work and needs of the municipality as he was. As a member of the special committee in 1898, he was influen- tial with his fellow aldermen in securing a new armory for Com- pany I, and had the satisfaction of seeing the construction of the building within the appropriation — something unusual in large municipal enterprises. Mr. Hallett has a war and business record also of interest. At the age of seventeen he showed his youthful patriotism by enlisting in Company F, 34th Massachusetts Infantry for service in the Civil War. He had a long and honorable career in the army. His regiment participated in the battles Henry C. Hallett 257 Henry C. Hallett 259 of Petersburg and Winchester, and was in the march on Richmond and the final pursuit of General Lee's army to Appomattox Courthouse. On the morning of the surrender he was orderly at brigade headquarters and went into camp with the Rebel officers. Young Hallett had the pleasure of serving under General George B. McClellan in the early part of the war. His regiment took part in the first skirmishes under General Siegel in the Shenandoah Valley, and later participated in Hunter's famous raid. Then it became a part of Phil Sheridan's army and took part in the vigorous campaign waged by that general. At the battle of Win- chester he saw General Sheridan finish his celebrated ride and turn a rout into victory. Mr. Hallett cast his first vote in camp, before he was twenty-one, for Abraham Lincoln. At the close of the war he returned to his last place of residence before the war, Ashfield. Not long afterward, however, he was called to the position of foreman in one of the departments of the Nono- tuck Silk Company at Leeds. After five years of work there he was engaged by the Belding Brothers to oversee the erec- tion of their new mill in Northampton. When the building was completed Mr. Hallett was made superintendent of the entire works, and he continued in that responsible position for over twenty years. His long and faithful service there undoubtedly contributed largely to the growth and success of the plant. The Belding Brothers always reposed the utmost confi- dence in him, and more than once expressed their apprecia- tion of his services. He did not leave them until some time after he had been elected mayor. It was probably a rather unusually vigorous and energetic nature and physical consti- tution that enabled Mr. Hallett to attend to his municipal and business duties at the same time so long as he did. He 260 Representative Families of Northampton also found more or less time for social and fraternal society- gatherings. He was an active member of the W. L. Baker Post of the Grand Army of the Republic, and a member of the Jerusalem Lodge of Masons. Henry C. Hallett is a native of the Cape Cod district, where he was born at Yarmouthport, in 1844, but he has spent most of his life in the western part of the state. He came to Ashfield after the death of his mother, in 1846. In that good old Franklin county town he was brought up as a farmer's boy until stirring war's alarms roused him to his country's needs and he enlisted, as already recorded. RICHARD W. IRWIN Judge of the Superior Court RICHARD W. IRWIN was born in Northampton, Feb- ruary 18, 1857. His early education was obtained in the local public schools, and then he learned the trade of machinist, and worked in the Florence Sewing-Machine Shop, and in the Elgin Watch Factory at Elgin, Illinois. For a time also he was engaged in the house furnishing busi- ness in Natick with his brother, T. L. Irwin. During these years he was much devoted to the study and practice of music. He played the cornet with great efficiency and directed military bands here and in Elgin. A business life did not appeal to him, and he presently quit it to enter on what had been his long-cherished ambition — the study of the law. He began by studying for two years in Judge Bond's office in Northampton, but in 1882 entered the Boston University Law School. He graduated with the degree of LL.B., summa cum laude, in 1885, and was admitted to the bar the same year. From that time on he practiced his profession in his home city until 1911, when he was appointed a judge of the Superior Court. He was a member of the Common Council of the North- ampton city government during the years 1888 and 1889, and was president of the council in the latter year. From 1893 to 1898 he was City Solicitor. Beginning in 1887 he was First Lieutenant of Company I, of the Second Regiment 261 262 Representative Families of Northampton of Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, but about two years later became captain of the company, an office which he held until he resigned in August 1892. He is a member of the Masonic organization, and of the Odd Fellows, and Elks. He is vice-president of the Northampton Cooperative Bank, trustee of the Nonotuck Savings Bank; and he was an alternate delegate to the National Republican Convention in 1896, and a delegate to the convention in 1900. In 1904 and 1905 he was president of the Northampton Club, and in 1893 and 1894, chairman of the Board of Assessors of the First Church. He was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1894 and 1895, and while acting in this capacity was chairman of the Committee of Bills in the Third Reading, and was on the Committee on the Ju- diciary and Rules, and on the Special Committee to prepare a history of "Ye Ancient Codfish" in the hall of the Repre- sentatives. During 1896, 1897, and 1898, Mr. Irwin was in the State Senate, where he served on the committees on the Ju- diciary, Cities, Counties, Street Railways, Constitutional Amendments, and Bills in the Third Reading. In 1903 and 1904 he was in the Governor's Council, and served as a member of the committees on Charitable Institutions, Military and Naval Affairs, Railroads, State House, Pardons, Public Lands, and Warrants. He was District Attorney for the Northampton District from 1905 to 1911, when he resigned to accept his present judgeship, Mr. Irwin married, November 16, 1892, Miss Florence E. Bangs, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Adin W. Bangs of Springfield. Judge Irwin has always been a facile and interesting speaker, partly because of a strong personal magnetism, and Judge Richard W. Irwin 263 Richard W. Irwin 265 partly because he speaks with evident sincerity. He has often shown himself truly eloquent, as on the occasion of his address at the raising of a flag and liberty pole in the town of Amherst, July 4, 1899, and particularly on a memora- ble occasion in the Legislature. The latter refers to a time in 1895 when the House of Representatives was moving from the old to the new chamber in the Capitol at Boston. The emblem of a codfish had been suspended in the old chamber for more than a hundred years, and the State House Commission had decided to give the "ancient cod" to the Massachusetts Historical Society. This decision was op- posed by Mr. Irwin, and in a speech of more than passing worth he presented the case of the "cod" to the House. We quote here that portion of his address which is found in a volume by Henry A. Frink, Ph.D., who, at the time the book was published, was professor of logic and rhetoric at Amherst College. THE HISTORIC CODFISH Mr. Speaker: I rise to ask you to place in the new House of Representatives, as it was in the old, the emblem of the codfish. I pray that we who put it in its new position may be as fervent in our patriotism and love of liberty and right, as brave to act, and as willing to suffer as those who, over a century ago, hung it high in yonder hall. Is it plain and humble? It has always been so of emblems that tell of deeds and purposes really great. Whence came the word "Puritan" but from a word of derision, adopted afterwards in honor and pride? Whence the song of "Yankee Doodle," to whose tune Burgoyne laid down his arms at Saratoga, and Cornwallis at Yorktown? What song but that of "John Brown's Body," born on the march from soldiers' 266 Representative Families of Northampton thought, led our country on through the long and flaming way to the freedom of the slave and a nation's regeneration? The rugged bear has for years represented the strength of the Russians. The symbol of the bee told of the great Napoleon. England's chancellors for hundreds of years have sat upon the woolsack in front of the throne. The rose and the simple cross of St. George tell the story of England's morning drum- beat. It was under the lilies of France that men followed the plume of Navarre. In all ages of the Church the brazen serpent has been the emblem of Christianity, and the cross upon which our Savior suffered has been the symbol under and before which a whole world worships. The plain codfish, too, has its own story. This nation's proudest glory is a story of war by sea, and Massachusetts has no greater honor than that her seamen stood upon the ships and manned the frigates by which those memorable and renowned victories were won. For it was with the fish- ermen of the capes and banks that Paul Jones drove before him, like petrels before the storm, the captains who fought under Nelson at Trafalgar. It was these seamen who went with Decatur up the harbor of Tripoli. It was our own Isaac Hull before whose flaming guns the Guerriere went down. These men manned the guns of the Constitution and the President. They brought back the dead body of Lawrence up yonder harbor, wrapped in his country's flag; and, in a war which else had ended in disaster, they taught England that her daughter was an empress of the sea. Nor was their patriotism or valor confined to the seas which were their home. The little fishing town of Marble- head alone sent a whole regiment to the War of the Revolu- tion; and there stands upon Commonwealth Avenue in this great city, whose wealth came largely from the cod fisheries, a statue telling how General Glover of Marblehead and his Richard W. Irwin 267 men carried Washington and his army across the almost impassable Delaware, and thus saved the Continental Army, its immortal leader, and its glorious cause. They were men from our own coast and harbors. They were your sons, — Gloucester, gray Marblehead, and wind-scourged Essex. Nay, more, they were your sons, proud and beautiful, our mother state. This emblem speaks in vibrant tones of danger met and glorious victories won. We hear the yearly uttered cry of sorrow and of anguish from Marblehead and Gloucester, when the fleet comes back bringing its pitiful story of accident and death. It tells us of the remorseless sea that kills and buries not its dead; of the young and strong that are torn from life by crushing ice and ravenous waves; of the widow and her clinging orphans set face to face with poverty; of eyes that weep uncomforted; of hearts that break and never mend. For over a century that symbol has hung in the House of Representatives — for over a century in which Massa- chusetts has won her proud preeminence among the states. It saw there Lafayette, Kossuth, and the determined and silent Grant. It has seen most of our governors inaugurated with formal pomp and state. It heard Webster, Choate, and Shaw, as they discussed the constitution of the Common- wealth. It heard the matchless voice of Phillips as he pleaded for the freedom of the slave and demanded the impeachment of the unjust judge. It may have heard Andrew as he prayed in his room at midnight that his country might be spared, and again, after the sad years, in the council room which it faces, singing, when the news came that Vicksburg had fallen, and Gettysburg was won, the old doxology of thanksgiving. It has heard coming up to the windows, as they passed by the State House, the cheering shouts, the playing bands, and the 268 Representative Families of Northampton martial tread of marching men, as Massachusetts, through four long years, sent forth her chosen, her bravest, and her tenderest to freedom's war. It knew when Bartlett of Pitts- field went by at the head of his regiment — the man in whom Sidney lived, fought, and died again; it heard the solemn, determined step of the colored regiment which Robert Shaw led on, in hopeless charge, to death at Fort Wagner. It saw the Massachusetts dead brought tenderly back from Balti- more, the state's first sacrifice upon the bloody altar of war. And then, when the war was over and a nation builded anew, it saw that glad home-coming when the battle flags came back; when up the streets and past the cheering thous- ands and through the wide gates of the capital came the regiments, thin and shattered and wounded, bearing their crimsoned flags of war, and moving in a cloud of glory which time shall never dim. Let us take this emblem in reverence and honor and place it on high as one of the proudest decorations of this great hall; and let it remain there so long as this State House shall stand, a memorial of the Pilgrim, his privations, and simplicity; an emblem significant of the hardiness, courage, and faith of those who dare defy the seas, and daily telling of the great and surpassing glories of Massachusetts and her sons. THE O'DONNELL FAMILY Its Old-time Renown in the Homeland across the Sea and the Story of some of its Representatives in America THE O'Donnell family has a distinguished place in Irish history. John O'Hart's book on Irish "Pedi- gree" speaks of several branches of the family in dif- ferent counties of Ireland, and says the branch from which the Northampton family descended had a coat-of-arms with the motto, "In hoc signo vinces." The ancestry of the American branch has been traced back to Shane O'Donnell, son of Tirlock. Shane quarreled with his father and was banished from the North of Ireland, where the family dwelt, to the province of Munster in the south. The O'Donnells are descended from Cunaill Gulbhan, son of Niall Mor, the one hundred and twenty-sixth monarch of all Ireland. Later they were in- augurated and proclaimed Princes of Tirconnell, the ceremony taking place on the Rock of Kilmacrenan. Their chief castle was in the County of Donegal, where its ruins are yet to be seen. They were evidently a prolific as well as a powerful family in those days, for the chief of Tirconnell died in 1422 leaving eighteen sons. The Irish spelling of the name is O'Dombnaill which means, "All mighty in the World." One of the family was Hugh Roe O'Donnell. "Roe" means "red," and the English form of the name would have been Red Hugh O'Donnell. In all ages Clan O'Donnell was loyal to Ireland. Hugh Roe was a dashing and gallant officer, brawny and strong of arm, and a great favorite among the 269 270 Representative Families of Northampton people. He was second in command of the Irish army in the great uprising of the Irish in 1594 in defence against Queen Elizabeth's army which had landed to subjugate Ireland. Hugh O'Neil was commander-in-chief of the Irish army. After ten years of relentless warfare the Irish were overcome, and many noted families left Ireland forever rather than submit to English rule. Many of the O'Donnells went to Spain, and later became leaders in that country. One of them, Leopold O'Donnell became a Lieutenant General in the Spanish military service. Later he was Captain General of Cuba, and later still Prime Minister of Spain. His name appears conspicuously in large letters on the tower of the Spanish fort in Havana harbor, which was constructed during his administration in Cuba. Hugh Roe died in Spain, where his remains lie buried far from the land he loved so well. One of the standard patriotic songs of Ireland is in honor of Hugh O'Donnell, and when sung well it arouses great enthusiasm in an Irish audience. It runs as follows: O'DONNELL ABOO Princely the note of the trumpet is sounding; Loudly the war cries arise on the gale; Fleetly the steed by Lough Swilly is bounding, To join the thick squadrons in Saimears green vale; On! every mountaineer, strangers to fight and fear; Rush to the standard of dauntless red Hugh! Bannought and Gallowglass, strong from each mountain pass, On for old Erin with O'Donnell aboo! Princely O'Neil to our aid is advancing, With many a chieftain and warrior clan, A thousand proud steeds in his vanguard are prancing, 'Neath the borders brave from the banks of the Bann; Many a heart shall quail under its coat of Mail; Deeply the merciless foeman shall rue, When on his car shall ring, borne on the breezes wing, Tirconnell's dread war cry, O'Donnell aboo! Judge John B. O'Donnell 271 The O'Donnell Family 273 Wildly o'er Desmond the war wolf is howling, Fearless the eagle sweeps over the plain; The fox in the streets of the city is prowling, All, all who would scare them are banished or slain. Grasp ev'ry stalwart hand, hackbut and battle brand, Pay them all back the deep debt so long due; Norris and Clifford well, Clan of Tirconnell tell; Onward to glory with O'Donnell aboo! Sacred the cause that Clan Cunaill's defending; The altars we kneel and the home of our sires; Ruthless the ruin the foe is extending, Midnight is red with the plunderers fires; On with O'Donnell, then, fight the old fight again, Sons of Tirconnell, all valiant and true! Make the invader feel Erin's avenging steel, Strike for your country with O'Donnell aboo! JOHN B. O'DONNELL Former Mayor and Now Judge John B. O'Donnell was born in Inch, County of Kerry, Ireland, September 8, 1846. His father was James, son of Terence. They also were born in Inch. His mother was Bridget Herlihy, daughter of John, both of whom were born in Keelduff, in County Kerry. Terence, father of James, was one of the gentlemen farmers in a community of farmers. He had eight children, and he was reputed to be one of the richest men in town. After the death of his second wife, as age crept on him he divided his property among his children. The boy John had scarcely reached the age of two when the most severe famine that ever visited Ireland broke out. For about four years the crops rotted and spoiled before ripen- ing, but the rent had to be paid to foreign landlords, all the same. In 1848, to avoid the complete ruin that threatened to overwhelm him, James O'Donnell left home and family, and set sail alone to seek his fortune in America. The next year he sent money home to pay the passage of his wife, 274 Representative Families of Northampton and in 1850 he sent for his three children, Catherine, John, and Terence. Terence is now an able and prominent lawyer in Holyoke. Four children were born to James and Bridget in America, and John B. has often facetiously remarked, "Half of our family are Paddies and the other half are Yankees." James worked in the construction of railroads — much of the time in the wilderness — in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, until 1854. Then he came to Northampton, and helped in the making of the "Canal" railroad — between Northampton and Easthampton. After that was completed he assisted in building the foundation for the Northampton Insane Hospital. He then concluded to cast anchor perma- nently in Northampton. The youthful career of the boy John is full of interest, and it warrants a space here because it shows what will- power, determination, and perseverance can do for a poor lad in America in getting an education, in fitting himself for life's work and becoming useful in the world for himself and others. He arrived in this country before he was five years old, chubby, healthy, and full of good nature, and he en- joyed life in his new home. On account of frequent moving, and living far from schools, young O'Donnell had no oppor- tunity to attend school until he reached Northampton when he was eight years old. He began his education in one of the twin schoolhouses that was where the Copeland house now stands on South Street. But John was not long there when he "graduated," and entered the "big school" adjoin- ing, where he became a classmate of Frederick N. Kneeland, now cashier of the First National Bank of this city. He entered the third class, but before the year ended he had jumped two classes and finished in the first class. He says that the teacher of this "high" school was tall and straight, graceful and dignified, and he admired her very much. He The O'Donnell Family 275 learned easily, studied hard, and was one of her favorites. She was Miss Martha B. Kingsley, who, no doubt, is kindly and gratefully remembered by many others yet living. During the very hard times in 1857 some of the schools were closed, except to pupils who could pay $1.75 each. The O'Donnell trio were barred. The late Henry S. Gere, who passed the O'Donnell home several times daily, saw that the children were not at school, and on learning the cause told their father that if he would saw wood at his home he would pay for the children's schooling. The father gladly accepted this offer, and the "trio" had the distinction of being pupils in a "private school." When John was eleven he was sent to Hadley to do chores for Benjamin Lombard for his board and schooling. It was during this year that he attended Hopkins Academy, and it is needless to say he made good use of his time and improved his opportunity. The following year he was or- dered home from Hadley as arrangements had been made for the O'Donnell family to move to Florence. At the age of twelve years and six months John began work in the Florence Cotton Mill. He labored from half- past six in the morning to half -past seven in the evening, with only one-half hour intermission for dinner — and all for twen- ty-five cents per day. His brother, younger than he, was working then for a daily wage of twenty-one cents. We may with propriety pause here in our sketch and quote an inter- esting account from Mr. O'Donnell's own pen, which he wrote twenty-five years ago for Mr. Charles A. Sheffeld's admira- ble "History of Florence," as follows: " In complying with your request to write relative to my early recollections of the beautiful village so long my home, scenes of pleasure and joy crowd upon me. These are min- gled with sorrow and sadness when I think of the many dear 276 Representative Families of Northampton friends and kind neighbors who then were adding to and aiding in the general happiness, but, alas! who are now in their long and silent homes. "About the middle of March, 1859, when twelve years of age, stout and muscular, robed in a farmer's frock, near the "Cross house," in Florence, with unerring aim I stood at noon pouring snowballs at the boys and young men on their way to the cotton mill and button shop. The snow- balls were so hard and my boldness so exasperating that several times a rush was made to thrash me, to avoid which I sought refuge within the walls of the house. Thus it was that I introduced myself to the companions and friends of my youth and manhood. "Florence at this time was a place of humble but happy homes. The classes and self-styled aristocrats, so numerous in other places, were here unknown. Protestant, Catholic, Gentile, and Jew, white and black, all were invited, re- ceived, and welcomed as members of one common broth- erhood. There were few houses, comparatively. There was no church, but meetings were often held in the little dis- trict schoolhouse that stood where the high school build- ing now stands. The Catholics went to Northampton to mass in the King Street church. To this church and back, the people of Florence, and very many from Easthamp- ton, Hatfield, Williamsburg, and Amherst walked, yet con- sumption and heart disease were almost unknown among them. There was no public mode of conveyance on Sun- days, and only Abercrombie's bus on week days, at fifty cents for the round trip. "The games and sports of the youth were mostly in- dulged in on the Sabbath Day. "Paradise," then owned by the Greenville Manufacturing Company, was fairly alive The O'Donnell Family 277 with girls, boys, and men on Sundays during the summer. In the winter the scene of action changed to the crust-covered snow on the hillsides, and the ice on the ponds and river, and always their merry laughter and joyous shouts rang and echoed over the neighboring hills. "The strict Sabbatarian who may peruse these lines, will not, I trust, too severely criticise and censure the youth, the parents, or the community of those days. There was no law fixing the school age of the children, and all the poor were obliged to begin to work at an early age. It was no uncommon thing to see children regularly employed at the age of nine years, and these — almost infants — and all others were obliged to labor from half past six in the morning till half past seven at night, with only one-half hour inter- mission for dinner. Where was the time during the week for reading, recreation, and sleep? "But as time went on and the factories prospered, many strict church people immigrated to the village. They natu- rally objected to this godless manner of observing the holy Sabbath, and an effort was made to break it up. They had Mr. Julius Phelps, afterwards a deacon of the "White" Church, appointed a constable to arrest and imprison (!) all Sabbath breakers. While Mr. Phelps was a conscientious, Christian gentleman, he had a big, liberal, and sympathetic heart. The boys respected him very much, and they were ever ready to show their obedience and good intentions — when he was in sight! They continued clandestinely, how- ever, to play as of old, but when the games were in progress the sentinels and pickets were always on duty, ever on the alert to give the alarm, when all would at once put on their coats, sit down lawfully, and await the approach of the "common enemy." They always got a lecture and good advice from the kindhearted constable. But Mr. Phelps 278 Representative Families of Northampton "caught on" to the picket protection, and formulated plans to break through it. "The evening school of Florence was a most timely and beneficial institution. Samuel L. Hill was the prime mover and principal supporter for five years, when the town as- sumed the management. A. T. Lilly, Samuel A. Bottum, and others were contributors. For a few years the teaching was done by volunteers. Among these were Daniel W. Bond, now an honored judge of the superior court, Thomas S. Mann, and A. R. Morse. During the vacations of this school, writing was taught by Michael Walsh, Edson S. Ross, and Mr. Hillman. "Among the persons employed to teach the evening school were Mary W. Bond, a very successful teacher, and Caroline W. James, who was the longest connected with the school. She was a lady of rare executive ability, kind and gentle, yet the most unruly boy was completely under her control. She seemed readily to extricate from difficulty the dullest mind, and never appeared impatient or discouraged. The school was well and regularly attended, having about fifty scholars, and among her 'graduates' are successful journalists, lawyers, mechanics, and business men and women. "To this school many of us owe much, and to the origi- nators, supporters, and teachers we can never be too grate- ful. I gladly take this opportunity to acknowledge my ap- preciation of their philanthropy and valuable services, and to extend my grateful thanks to those of them who are living. I shall ever revere and cherish the memory of those who have since joined the silent majority, who, I trust, are now enjoying their heavenly reward." So eager was young O'Donnell for an education that he improved every opportunity to acquire one. He went to The O'Donnell Family 279 evening school for ten years and, during the first three of these years, ate no supper until after he returned from school, about nine-thirty in the evening. All the mills in the village — except the cotton mill — closed at half -past six. The cot- ton mill closed an hour later, which was just the time that the night school, a quarter of a mile away, opened. The rules of the mill required that the working hands should not wash nor brush their clothing, until after the mill closed. They could have done it between "feeds" without loss of time. The cotton waste stuck to the boys' clothing almost like sticking plaster. The night school boys and girls asked the management for leave to brush up and wash up before the mill closed so they could run to school and be only a little late. But this simple privilege, though it would have entailed no loss to the mill, was denied them, on the ground that it would be a bad example to the other help. John was popular, and so good a general athlete that in the games every boy wanted him on his side. At the age of seventeen he became a member and one of the leaders of the noted Eagle Base Ball Club of Florence, and he continued one of its most active and interested players until it dis- banded three years later. They nearly won the champion- ship of New England, and as Champions of Western Massa- chusetts they held the famous silver ball for a time. The Club celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of winning the silver ball at Judge O'Donnell's house. Seven of the ten members present came especially for the occasion from their homes in Kansas, New York, Rhode Island, and Con- necticut. One was ill, and the other two had passed on to the world beyond. After young O'Donnell left the cotton mill at the age of fifteen he worked making guns and bayonets for the soldiers fighting on Southern battlefields. Later he was employed by 280 Representative Families of Northampton the Florence Sewing Machine Company, and when he was nineteen became a sub-contractor in this business. During the fall, winter, and spring, he gave all his spare time to his studies under private tutors, with a longing for the profession of law. He established and conducted a grocery and boot and shoe store for two years. Then he saw his way clear to spend a year specially preparing for the study of law. The following year he read law in the office of his brother T. B. O'Donnell in Holyoke, and a year later entered the Boston University Law School. He graduated from this school in the class of 1877 and received the degree of Bachelor of Laws. But with the purpose of mastering his profession as fully as possible he took a post-graduate course and remained an- other year at the University. He was admitted to the Hampshire County bar in June, 1878. On the first day of July he opened a law office in Northampton, where he soon had a lucrative law practice. He became one of the ac- knowledged leaders of the bar. He brought to the practice of his profession not only a good foundation in study, but a large store of common sense, and a varied business expe- rience, which he used to advantage in assisting his clients. Mr. O'Donnell is a Democrat and a close student of politics. But he has not always been a Democrat. When he attained his majority he identified himself with the Re- publican party, principally for two reasons — because it was in favor of prohibition, and because it advocated a tariff for protection — both of which Mr. O'Donnell then believed in. He did what he could to elect as Governor of Massachusetts Thomas Talbot against William Gaston. But Gaston won on the issue of license. The following year, the Republican party was in favor of license, and has been ever since. Mr. O'Donnell, in giving his reasons for his change of parties, said, "I have no sympathy with a party whose principle was The O'Donnell Family 281 knocked out of it by a licking.. The Republicans appeared to be sham prohibitionists. I believe in honesty and I joined the Democrats because they voted as they drank." About this time, he says, the sewing machine companies sold their machines in this country for forty-five dollars, and they sold the same machines in England for thirty dollars. He believed the tariff enabled the companies to make such a difference, and he became a believer in Tariff Reform. About that time, too, the Credit Mobilier scandal was uncov- ered. Mr. O'Donnell has since generally acted with the Democratic party, though he bolted the nomination of Grover Cleveland the first time Mr. Cleveland ran for president. Before Northampton became a city, Mr. O'Donnell took an active part in town affairs. He was then considered one of the rising young men. He was made a member of an important com- mittee to draft and report on a sewer system for the town. A majority of the committee agreed on the combined system. Mr. O'Donnell believed with Colonel John L. Otis and Benjamin E. Cook that the separate or double system — one for sewage proper, and one for storm water — which was by far the less expensive, was much the better for the town to adopt. Mr. O'Donnell wrote the minority report clearly and comprehen- sively, and it is printed in the town reports of 1883. He has the satisfaction of knowing that the city is now adopting the separate system as much as the old system will allow. Mr. O'Donnell was placed on another important com- mittee, to draft a city charter for the town. As in everything he undertook, he studied the subject well. About ten years ago a committee was appointed by the city council to draft a new city charter. They were three years at the work. It was published, and the editor of the Daily Gazette requested Mr. O'Donnell to write an article showing the difference between the old and new charters. He did this fully and so 282 Representative Families of Northampton clearly that no question was raised as to the correctness of the analysis. The new charter was rejected. Mr. O'Donnell has been honored by his party, but those who know him best know that he never sought political office. Practically all the offices he has held were thrust on him. He was bent on attending to his business, and taking part in politics only for recreation, but it was argued that he owed a duty to his party. He was long secretary and treasurer of the Democratic Town Committee; later, chair- man of the Democratic City Committee; chairman of the Hampshire County Democratic Committee; a member of the first City Council as councilman; chairman of the Board of Assessors for two years, from which Board he resigned in 1889 to take a trip to Europe. He there visited Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, Germany, France, Switzerland, and Holland. That year his party wanted to nominate him for mayor, but he refused. The following year he reluc- tantly consented at the "eleventh hour," and he was badly defeated, even one of the two Democratic wards going against him. There was one consolation — his own Florence ward, though strongly Republican, gave him a handsome majority. One of the characteristics of the man now manifested itself — perseverance, never-give-up. While he had been virtually drafted into the running, he now resolved that he would be mayor of Northampton. He ran the following year and won by three votes only, carrying only the same two wards, though with increased majorities and reducing the majorities in the other wards. He was happy, not be- cause he was the mayor-elect, but because he won. He gave a banquet to about seventy-five of his supporters and friends, and they had a jolly good time. But his happiness was not of long duration. He soon found himself at odds with some of his warmest friends and supporters. Hardly had the echoes The O'Donnell Family 283 of his inaugural died away before he had trouble with a fac- tion of his own party. The members of this faction re- quested him not to reappoint a certain prominent Republican official, but to place a Democrat in the office. The official was considered by some to be able and indispensable, and a large majority of the people wished him retained. In spite of the protest of a faction of his party friends, the mayor re- appointed the Republican for the good of the service. This act so angered a large section of his party that they declared they would defeat him for reelection. He said the respon- sibility for appointments was on him and not on his friends. He then wrote to the author of this sketch that/ 'If I had supposed I was expected to abdicate in favor of any party or faction during my term I would not have accepted the nomi- nation, and I myself propose to be mayor for one year any- way." But this was not all. There was more trouble in store for him. His party was in the majority in the Board of Aldermen. The city voted for license. Among the licenses which the Board of Aldermen advocated granting were two against which a strong public protest had been made. An intimate friend of the mayor was the leader of the aldermen. The mayor's sympathy was with the objectors. He refused to sign the two licenses, and his reasons, given in writing, were that both of them were to be exercised in new places and in residential localities, and in a ward which had voted against license. The aldermen then, for the purpose of co- ercing the mayor, refused to grant any license; and the city actually "went dry" for several days. This created a great commotion. The mayor, who was a teetotaler and had never used intoxicating liquors or tobacco in any form, said to the aldermen privately, "Gentlemen, I can get along without my whiskey as long as you can!" 284 Representative Families of Northampton They soon learned that they did not know the mayor. One of them asked him to call a special meeting of the Board as he thought they would grant the other licenses. "No, sir," the mayor said, "not until I am assured by themselves that they will vote to grant the licenses." The assurance was given, the meeting was called, and the licenses granted, except the two. It was simply a matter of judgment between the mayor and aldermen. But the mayor carried his sovereignty under his own hat, so the aldermen learned. The sewer problem that had been before the City Coun- cil for two years was awaiting solution. The three western wards — Bay State, Florence, and Leeds — were asking for sewers. The city had neither money nor power to borrow, and the four aldermen from the center wards refused to burden the city further with debt. The mayor sided with the western wards, claiming that sewers were an indispensa- ble necessity in thickly settled communities, that they were a good asset, and were always worth what they cost. He prepared the votes submitted to the aldermen, asking the Legislature for leave to borrow one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. There was an acrimonious debate — in which the mayor, of course, did not take part — and in which the alder- men of the four Center wards were reminded that more than a half million of dollars had been expended by the city in providing sewers for the four Center wards and not a dollar for the outside wards. But the measure was defeated four to three. A motion for one hundred thousand dollars met a like fate. However, a motion for fifty thousand dollars, as a beginning, was carried unanimously, the four Center aldermen yielding. The mayor appeared before the Legis- lative Committee at Boston and made full explanation. The committee asked him for his opinion as a taxpayer. He The O'Donnell Family 285 gave it, and the committee recommended and the Legislature voted that Northampton might borrow one hundred thousand dollars to construct sewers. The people of the western wards were happy. But the job for which Mr. O'Donnell deserves the most credit as mayor and with which his name will always be as- sociated, is the separation of grades of the highways and rail- roads. Grade crossings at best are dangerous, but that on Main Street, the track approaches to which were hidden by buildings, was characterized as a "death trap." The City Council petitioned the Court for the appointment of a com- mission for the separation of grades. The petition was granted. Trial was held for many weeks before this com- mission. Mr. O'Donnell had no part in it. The city gov- ernment had voted to ask that the railways be elevated, while the railroad companies insisted that the highways should be elevated. The report of the commission was filed a few months before Mr. O'Donnell took his seat as mayor, finding against the city in every particular and ordering the highways in the center elevated over the rail- roads. All that was necessary now was to have a Judge of the Superior Court ratify and approve to make it binding forever. The mayor took his seat on the fourth of January, and by the middle of the following month a judge would be asked to approve the report of the commission. The approval had heretofore never been known to fail. In his inaugural address the mayor said on this subject: "The decision of the special commission on the grade crossing matter came upon some of our people like a thun- derbolt from a clear summer sky. It is a fearful reflection upon humanity when we say, as thousands of us have recently said, that the people cannot obtain justice when they come 286 Representative Families of Northampton in conflict with these powerful corporations. And no wonder. When men living in luxury, flying from one part of the Com- monwealth to the other, will admit before a committee of the Legislature, in effect, that they have no business but " fixing caucuses," working elections, and lobbying with legislatures, in the interest of railroads, it is enough to cause us to think that their wicked hands are in everything. Add to this the fact that a railroad president living in another county must admit that he is doing all he can to defeat, with the aid of railroad hirelings, a nominee for office in this county, and all in the interest of railroad corporations, and it increases suspicion. When the legislators will pass a law giving the railroad directors the right to 'veto' any decree .of the com- mission, and at the same time compel the people to abide by the decree, it is unfair, one-sided, and an outrage. "Against the individuals composing the special commis- sion we have nothing to say. Their reputation for honesty and honor is above reproach. While this is all true, some of us cannot help but feel that the city did not obtain its rights during the conduct of the hearing. Decisions were made upon the strict rules of law, yet the act creating the com- mission does not provide for any appeal or exception to certain rulings of the Board. If I am right, the commission should have given the widest latitude in the matter of evidence. The commission was asked to permit the city to introduce an additional plan, and give them a chance to explain it, but this was refused. In a question involving from a quarter to half a million of dollars, plenty of time ought to have been given in its investigation and hearing, and the widest range in testimony. "The law under which the commission was created was passed in 1890, and as yet has had no judicial interpretation. One thing is clear, however, that the judge of the Superior The O'Donnell Family 287 Court need not affirm the decree. Until he does affirm it it does not become a law. In my opinion this statute pro- vides a proceeding in the nature of an appeal from the de- cree of the commission to a single justice of the superior court. He can rehear the case himself or recommit it to the same commission, or he can appoint one or more persons to hear the case, and afterwards affirm or disaffirm the decree. Of course it would be of no use to recommit it to the same commission. Engineer Strong and the two attorneys for the city are as strongly as ever of the opinion that the plan of the city was the most fair and equitable one to adopt. "Think of King Street and lower Pleasant Street dug up under the ground twelve and one-half feet each, for people to go down and up so as to give the railroads the right of way; and Edwards, Main, and upper Pleasant streets sus- pended in the air twenty feet above the earth, to 'go up into Goshen and down into Cummington/ as long as the earth revolves on its axis, and thereby to shorten the lives of men, women, and beasts, that the iron horse may have a level road. This is sad and almost unbearable. Petitions are frequently presented to open new streets for the accommodation of the public, but here the commission hesitate not to shut up Holyoke Street forever. So insignificant has the commis- sion considered the people that it has provided but one side- walk on any of the crossings or bridges except Main Street. " Three of the best railroad engineers in the state were appointed by the Legislature to investigate the grade cross- ings of the Commonwealth. They did so, and in 1889 they reported to the Legislature relative to Northampton as follows: 'Owing to the very uncertain element of damages to estates, and the difficulty of building a satisfactory over- head crossing for Main Street, we are inclined to favor the plan which required the railroad to be raised.' 288 Representative Families of Northampton "Everything seems to be in our favor but the decree of the commission. I consider the execution of that decree as an everlasting injury to the city. Individually I would oppose it with all the honorable weapons at my command. I would not permit it to become a law without contesting every inch of ground in the hope that before the last mo- ment I would get the decree reversed and prove to the court what an eye-sore, injury, and everlasting damage it would be to the living and to the hundreds of generations yet unborn. Aye, more, before the city should be thus divided, and the beauty and usefulness of the streets forever ruined, I would take the risk, as hazardous as it appears, to have the decree annulled, the petition dismissed, and everything continue in its original condition. And if the result should be in the near or distant future to compel us to adopt the same plan, and we to pay even one-half the costs, I would console myself in this way: 'Under similar circumstances and the light that I had I would do the same thing over again.' " The mayor also recommended the calling of a mass meeting to give the people an opportunity to voice their feel- ings and wishes. The meeting was held, and the city hall was packed to the doors. Resolutions were unanimously passed requesting the city government to defend against the report to the last. The City Council had full confidence in the legal and business ability of the mayor, and it passed the following vote: "Ordered, If the Common Council concurs, that the mayor be and is hereby authorized to use every honorable means within his power, as chief magistrate of the city, to prevent the execution and confirmation of the decree of the special commission on a change of grade in the railroad crossings of the center of Northampton. While the city is in favor of a change of grade at said crossings we are not in The O'Donnell Family 289 favor of such a change as will ruin a large portion of our city for all time. And we hereby authorize him to pledge the city's credit, in his sound discretion, to carry out this power and authority." The rules were suspended, the proposal passed through sev- eral readings and was adopted in concurrence by unanimous vote. The mayor entered on a vigorous defence of the city. He prepared a paper asking the Legislature for an act to, in effect, prohibit the Court from approving the report of the commission. The mayor headed a large delegation that went to Boston to appear before the Legislative Committee on the subject. The big railroad committee afterward vis- ited Northampton. The committee recommended, and the Legislature passed, the act prohibiting ratification or ap- proval. The railroads claimed that this act was unconstitu- tional and void, and Judge Aldrich of the Superior Court so decided. The city appealed to the highest court in the state, which ruled by a majority of one that the act was constitu- tional and valid, thus favoring the city, to the great joy of its people. The result was the elevation of the railroad tracks over the highways as we have them to-day. When Mr. O'Donnell's year expired he declined to be a candidate for a second term. But his party would not have it so. At the convention they nominated him unanimously, and sent a committee of his friends to his home to notify him. So strong was he with his party that the threatened opposition did not appear at the convention. Mr. O'Donnell accepted and he was reelected by a large majority. Of the seven wards, he carried five, three of which were Republican wards. When his second term expired the Democratic City Committee voted unanimously that he was their choice for mayor for a third term. There were thirty-five members on the committee; but he insisted on being excused. 290 Representative Families of Northampton Mr. O'Donnell is a Roman Catholic, and is the first who ever ran for mayor. His nationality and creed were used against him when he first ran and was defeated, and when he next ran and was elected; but this wholly disappeared in the campaign for his second election. The most popular Repub- lican in the city was specially selected to be pitted against him, and accepted the nomination. After Mr. O'Donnell's first election by only three votes he had a Catholic priest officiate at his inauguration. But after his triumphant second election he had a Protestant minister officiate at the inauguration. In explaining this he said, "Never before last year has a Catholic priest been invited to officiate at a Northampton town meeting or at any inauguration of mayor. To set an example in religious tolerance I had a Protestant minister this year officiate for me. I may have set a good example for some of my Protestant successors to follow/ ' That was twenty-five years ago, and no Protestant mayor since has imitated the religious liberality in that respect that was shown by the Catholic mayor whom so many had tried to defeat on account of his religion. In 1896 Mr. O'Donnell was nominated by his party for Attorney-General, and in 1900 he was nominated for Lieu- tenant-Governor of the Commonwealth. He was defeated with his party in both cases. Mr. O'Donnell has been a member of the Order of United Workmen, and The Ancient Order of Hibernians; also of the Father Mathew Total Abstinence and Benevolent Society of Northampton, which he was largely instrumental in organ- izing more than forty-four years ago, and for which he has done much. About ten years ago the society needed funds to remodel their hall, and Mr. O'Donnell made them a dona- tion of one thousand dollars. This society has done in the years that have passed a great work in this city for sobriety , °1» "The Lookout," Residence of Judge John B. O'Donnell View from the north "The Lookout," Residence of Judge John B. O'Donnell View from the front 291 The O'Donnell Family 293 and thrifty habits among its members, who in numbers have sometimes reached nearly two hundred. Very many men now old and gray, and young men, too, owe to it the foundation of their temperate lives. It was as a lawyer that Mr. O'Donnell was best known. His practice was large and varied. Blessed with a splendid constitution he was able to give to his work, which included five murder cases, more time than most men would have found possible. He was never asked to put into writing a gentleman's agreement among his professional associates. His word was as good as his bond. He is genial, pleasant, and always courteous, and is a favorite with his professional brethren. But he is aggres- sively resentful if he considers himself unfairly dealt with. He was the only Irishman at the Hampshire County bar when admitted to it, and Irishmen were seldom drawn then for juries. Some of the lawyers, who had not lived in the county as long as he, endeavored on a few occasions to help their cases against him by reminding the jury that he was Irish. At such tactics he was not dull, and he never failed to return sharper words than he received. There were times when he hit back with a vigor that was surpris- ingly effective. Once, in particular, his opponent, who had begun the trouble, asked the court for protection or he would retire from the case. The court asked Mr. O'Donnell to reply. He arose and said: "If your Honor please, I have tried cases with the leading lawyers of this and neighboring coun- ties without a particle of personal friction, but my learned brother has often seemed to think he could gain some ad- vantage by reminding the jury that I am Irish. A man may call me Irish or Paddy in jest and I will pleasantly joke 294 Representative Families of Northampton with him; but when he does it to prejudice the jury against my client and his case I will resent it here and anywhere." In violation of the rules there was applause in the court room. The judge saw that Mr. O'Donnell had been wronged, and he simply said: "Gentlemen, don't forget that you are gentlemen. Please proceed with the case." Mr. O'Donnell as a ball player was very popular, es- pecially with the young men of the county, thousands of whom knew him well, though he did not know them. They grew to manhood with him and were on his juries, so that such attacks on him always reacted. He won every case in which he was thus assailed. But the finest physique may be overworked, and in 1903 Mr. O'Donnell broke down. His nerves succumbed to the great strain to which they had been put. For a year he was unable to do any work, and he made the restoration of his health his only business. The winter of 1903-4 was spent in the West Indies, whence he returned much improved, and he soon began to attend to his law business again. His connection with the first jury case after his return to practice was thus commented on by one of the local papers: "The last jury case on the criminal list, that of Oscar Higgins for inhuman treatment of a horse, went to the jury in the superior court at eleven o'clock this forenoon after vociferous arguments by John B. O'Donnell and District Attorney Malone, who had an oratorical battle royal. Mr. O'Donnell celebrated his re-appearance in the superior court, after a long absence due to ill health, by delivering an able and rousing plea on behalf of the prisoner. He spoke at considerable length, and so well and so like himself of former days that the loungers present listened with intense interest. The popularity of Mr. O'Donnell with his fellow lawyers and with the public was well evidenced by the general expres- The O'Donnell Family 295 sions of pleasure at seeing him again before a superior court and hearing him deliver so excellent a plea." The jury acquitted the prisoner. Mr. O'Donnell married, November 25, 1869, Bridget T. Coughlin, daughter of Daniel and Honora Coughlin of Hay- denville. She died December 14, 1887, leaving five children — James C, George P., John B., Jr., Charles H., and Edward J. O'Donnell. Nine years later Mr. O'Donnell married Mary E. Fitzgerald of Worcester. To be nearer his business Mr. O'Donnell, in 1894, re- luctantly moved from Florence to the Center, and he is now living on the northerly brow of Round Hill overlooking the valley. His home, without question, occupies the most sightly and delightful spot in the city. He has called his dwelling "The Lookout." He can, any fair day, enjoy a panoramic view of the whole basin and expanse of country within the surrounding mountains, with the majestic Connecticut River in plain sight flowing on its way to Long Island Sound. The house on Sugar Loaf Mountain in Franklin County is also in plain sight. Two views of his house are herewith published. The view from each of the three lower back piazzas is fine, but the view from the fourth, where the flag hangs, is magnificent. It cannot be equaled except from the mountain houses. Often the tops of the surrounding moun- tains can plainly be seen from his dwelling while the city is buried in fog. The famous Round Hill hotel of the "fifties" stood on the same ridge only a short distance from "The Lookout." The back piazza of the hotel was about on a level with the lowest back piazza of "The Lookout." Jenny Lind sat on the back piazza of the hotel viewing the gran- deur of the scene when she declared Northampton to be "The Paradise of America." In the summer of 1915 Judge William P. Strickland of the 296 Representative Families of Northampton District Court died. In looking around for his successor, Governor David I. Walsh learned that Mr. O'Donnell would accept the position, and he nominated him for the office. The Governor's Council, all the members of which but one were Republican, unanimously confirmed the nomination; and the appointment was generally approved by the people irre- spective of party. Mr. O'Donnell has now acted as the Chief Justice of the District Court of Hampshire for nearly a year, and so far as can be learned he has won universal approval. Mr. O'Donnell, as has been said, has never sought politi- cal office; yet with the earnestness and sincerity of his nature, combined with natural executive ability of a high order, he has filled every office that he has taken to the satisfaction of the public and the pleasure of his friends. When he was asked, once upon a time, if he could give from his experience any suggestions to young men which might be of value in the work of life, he replied : " The boy should bend every energy to get an education, and in doing so take plenty of exercise to keep healthy. His parents should encourage him, of course. The young man on reaching maturity should weigh well and decide what business or profession he is best fitted for, build his goal in imagination as high as he thinks it possible for him to reach, then march and keep his mind and eyes on it, and bend every energy to reach that goal, eschew rum and tobacco as he would a rattlesnake, be honest, truthful, and courteous, and, ten chances to one, he will reach his goal." It seems worth while, in closing this sketch, to refer briefly to the temperament of Judge O'Donnell, in his treat- ment of those who come before him in the District Court charged with various offences, particularly erring youth and those accused of drunkenness. In this connection, the Northampton Herald, of July 18, 1916, says: The O'Dmnell Family 297 "Judge John B. O'Donnell of the District Court estab- lished a precedent when he contributed ten dollars to the Police Relief Association. This is the first time in the history of the association, which was established about fifteen years ago, that any outside person has contributed money to its treasury. "The money was contributed by Judge O'Donnell in recognition of good work done by the members of the police department. During the week of July 4, the O'Donnell building on Market Street was the scene of damages inflicted by a party of boys. The judge, on hearing of the actions of the boys, notified Chief Gilbert and asked that something be done. "He did not desire to prosecute the boys, but wanted work of that sort stopped. Captain M. J. Lyons was assigned to the case, and after a short investigation brought ten boys, ranging from seven to twelve years old, to the police depart- ment. The boys admitted that they were guilty, and Judge O'Donnell was notified. He stated that the damage would be covered by ten dollars, and the boys agreed to pay. "Each contributed one dollar. This morning Captain Lyons went to the District Court to give the judge the money. Judge O'Donnell thanked the Captain for the fine work that he had done, and told him to keep the money as a contribu- tion to the Relief Association. "The Captain expressed the thanks of the association to Judge O'Donnell and stated that the 'boys' would appreciate this gift very much. This morning the money was given to Cornelius Mahoney, treasurer of the association, and Judge O'Donnell now looms up big in the estimation of the police- men. His name will go down in the police annals as one who appreciates the good services of the police department. "The versatile temperament of Judge O'Donnell is be- coming more and more apparent following each session of the 298 Representative Families of Northampton District Court. It was only a short time ago that a young man was arraigned in court and the judge after hearing his case decided to let him go. "The young man stated that he wanted to go to his home in New Jersey, but did not have the money to pay his fare. The judge was impressed by the boy's sincerity and ordered Chief W. G. Gilbert to buy a ticket for the boy and said that he would pay for it. "The judge has proved to be a friend in need to many of the wayward in this city, and his lenient policy has brought excellent results. During his term as judge of the District Court he has acted in the capacity of advisor and friend, and his judgment has been very fair. "His action in recognizing the policemen for the first time in the history of the city adds one more meritorious action to his already long record." THEOBALD M. CONNOR Attorney and Many Times Successfully-chosen Representative of the Democratic Party THE well-known Irish historian, O'Hart, in his "His- tory of Irish Pedigrees," tells a most interesting story about the rise of the Connor and O'Connor families in Ireland; how they took their name from Con, one of their chiefs, and from Ciar, their great ancestor, thus making the name Conciar, or Conchobhar, and, in its Anglicized form, Connor. This family furnished many kings to Ireland, whose last king was Roderick O'Connor. The name Connor is the oldest known spelling of the family name since Conchobhar. The O'Connors, like the O'Neils and O'Meglachlins and a few other old families of Ireland, trace their histories back to many hundreds of years before the Christian era. In this connection it should be mentioned that all Irish names originally had an 0' before them, and while many keep it to this day, together with the Mc, the majority have dropped the prefix and remain simply Murphy, Kelly, or Sweeney, as the case may be. The name O'Connor, in its earliest days, was one to be proud of, too, for it signified a kind heart and a generous nature. The Connors and Conertys were really called "helpers," and did not belie their names, if history is correct. From a portion of the ancient inheritance of this great family the present barony, Iraghticonnor, takes its name. The 299 300 Representative Families of Northampton last king of Ireland, Roderick O'Connor, was of this family, who were kings of Connaught, and who also occupied a very large portion of the province of Leinster, called Offaly. Another branch of the O'Connor family were lords of Kerry. From this latter branch of the family Theobald M. Connor is descended. Brian Connor, the eldest son of Nial Mor, was the first king of Connaught. He had as his coat of arms an oak tree, and while the American branch of the family have never boasted of any coat of arms, it is generally conceded, by good authorities in heraldry, that they could rightfully claim the crest of Brian Connor. Theobald Mathew Connor is a son of Michael Hannifin Connor, who was born near Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland, in 1835, and of Margaret Foley Connor, who was born near Rathcormack, County Cork, Ireland, in 1838. His grand- mothers, before marriage, were Margaret Hannifin and Han- norah Connor. His father was of pure Irish Celtic stock, and his mother was of Norman, Welsh, and Irish Celtic stock. His father was by trade a machinist and tool maker, and came to this country with a relative in the early forties. He lived in Holyoke, Chicopee, and Springfield until his marriage, when he settled in Florence. Mr. Connor's mother's family came to Florence about 1846. His mother, Margaret Foley, and her father, Bernard Foley, were the first to come. Later his grandmother and the remaining children of the family came and settled in Florence. Very few people dwelt in that section of Northampton then. It was just about the time that the "Old Community" settlement was breaking up. When the Foleys arrived there, the only other Irish family in the village was one by the name of Hennessey. Direct descendants of this family are still living in Florence. An Irish family named Hickey lived Theobald M. Connor 301 Theobald M. Connor 303 about a mile from the village on the road to Easthampton, and direct descendants of this family are also living in Florence today. While these were by no means the earliest Irish families to come to Northampton — for at least a score of Irish came to the Center in the twenty years immediately following the settlement of the town — these three families, Hennessey, Hickey and Foley and another family by the name of Foley then living in "Shepard's Hollow" (Leeds), were the first Irish who settled in the western end of the town. Mr. Connor's grandfather, Bernard Foley, went to Port- land, Connecticut, in search of work, shortly after arriving in Florence. He had been a school-teacher in Ireland. Teach- ers were then proscribed there among the Catholics, and he was driven from his own country by persecution. As he was unfitted for the heavy work which he was obliged to take up in Portland, he died in that village not long after going there. The experiences of the Foley family in Florence are typical of those of all who lived in that village in the early days. It was one long hard struggle for the widow Foley and her little family to get on. They had a good friend in Mr. Samuel L. Hill, who helped them to build a home in what was then expected to be the center of the growing vil- lage, for the railroad projected from Northampton to Wil- liamsburg was to follow Mill River and have its village depot either at the foot or at the head of old South Street. According to Mr. A. G. Hill, the best living authority on Florence history, there was no house on the south side of Mill River when the Foley homestead was built; but it is Mr. Connor's belief that the Dorsey house, so called, near the present Brush Shop bridge, was built before the Foley house on South Street. There were two houses out on the 304 Representative Families of Northampton Easthampton road, the Child house and the Hickey house, about a mile away from the village. The great influx of Irish people into Florence, which had such a marked and benefi- cent effect on the life of the village, came in the two suc- ceeding decades from 1850 to 1870, and these people settled under Mr. Samuel L. Hill's kindly guidance and with his help mostly on the south side of Mill River, or on the Old Community Street, which is the present Nonotuck Street. Many interesting things come down to us from this early period, most of them already chronicled. One of them, however, has not been mentioned, viz., the interest which Wendell Phillips, who lived several summers on the Lilly place, took in the people and especially in the children of the village. Many times he walked over Sandy Hill with Mr. Connor's mother, Margaret Foley, then a very young girl working in the mill. He talked to her, as he did to the other children, about history, inciting in them a desire to study and to learn. Largely because of this, Mrs. Connor became a keen student of history, and, for that matter, so did all her sisters and her brother. They, like others in the village, read and studied at night in the family circle. Perhaps next to the "Old Community" spirit, which had its source in Mr. Samuel L. Hill and the good men and women who were associated with him in the "Old Community" experi- ment, the influence of Wendell Phillips has had more to do with the strong leaning toward self education always shown by the people of Florence than any other cause. Several of the most successful business men of the valley came into Florence practically penniless to imbibe the Florence spirit and become prosperous, high-minded, clear-thinking, noble men. In those early days there was no Catholic Church in this vicinity, and the few Catholic people living here had to depend for spiritual help on missionary priests, who came A Mrs. Theobald M. Connor 305 Theobald M. Connor 307 through from Chicopee on their way to Brattleboro every two or three months. The most notable of these priests was Father O'Callaghan, who frequently said Mass before the church was established in Northampton in the widow Foley's house. He had been a tutor to the sons of a great English statesman and was something of a literary man as well as a good theologian. He clung to the old Biblical notion that money loaned should not earn interest, on the ground that interest is really usury. When he had finally an established church he refused to accept pew rent, and depended on the voluntary contributions of the worshipers. He wrote three books, one on " Schisms," one on " Usury," and a third on " Free Lovers, " which was then a subject much under discussion in this section of the country. He was a kindly man and left a very pronounced impression on the old Irish families of the western end of the city. The kindly quality of this village spirit, and its real neighborliness, allowed for no religious or social intolerance. All worked and strove forward together. There never was, and there is not today, among those who are steeped in the old Florence spirit, any room for narrowness or bigotry. In that village, if anywhere in this broad land, were developed people of simple living and high thinking, people of marked modesty and marked success in life's struggles. Michael and Margaret Connor, Mr. Connor's parents, had six children, Thomas, who died in childhood; John, who was a machinist and tool maker, and who died when about twenty-five years of age; Mary, who taught many years in the public schools of Northampton, and who died when about thirty-five years of age, and two young children who died in infancy, besides Mr. Connor, who is the only surviving member of his immediate family. Theobald Mathew Connor was born in Florence, August 308 Representative Families of Northampton 6, 1874. He attended the public schools, and graduated from the Northampton High School in 1893. He then entered Yale College, and graduated there with honors in 1897, with the degree of B.A. While in college he specialized in econom- ics and history. He is a member of the high scholarship society, Phi Beta Kappa. He graduated from Yale Law School in 1889, being one of the five honor men of his class with the degree of LL.B. He was one of the commencement Townsend Prize Speakers of his year. While in the law school he became a member of Phi Delta Phi and Corbey Court. Immediately after completing his studies he returned to Northampton and opened a law office. He soon obtained a good practice, but his manifest fitness for public service caused him to accept early calls in that direction. He was easily chosen city solicitor for his native city, and held the office for the three years, 1902, 1903, and 1904. He was elected mayor of the city in 1905 and 1906, and was the youngest incumbent ever honored with that office. His second election was by a phenomenal majority unapproached before or since. While mayor he was an active leader in several important public improvements — the establishment of the Public Gardens on Main Street, in the place of old resi- dence and unpleasant -looking business property, and the opening of a long -needed new approach to Maple Street, under the railroad tracks from Main Street. In religious belief Mr. Connor is a Catholic and is an attendant at St. Mary's Catholic Church. He is a prominent member of the Democratic party, and as such has been much honored in the last few years. He was chosen a delegate to the Democratic National Con- vention in 1916, and attended. He was temporary chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic State Convention in 1916. The same year, as candidate of his party for Congress Youthful Descendants of (Connor) Irish kings 309 Another Portrait of one of the Connor Children 311 Theobald M. Connor 313 in his district, he made a magnificent but unavailing fight against the nominee of the opposite party and the predatory corporation class interests attached to that organization. Mr. Connor married, August 21, 1906, Ellen Hedican Duggan, of Hartford, Connecticut. They have three chil- dren: Neil Anthony Connor (whose first name was derived from that of Nial Mor), born August 27, 1907; Margaret Foley Connor, born September 1, 1909; and Virginia Mary Connor, born July 15, 1914. Mr. Connor is a member of the Massachusetts and Connecticut bars, and also of those of the United States courts in the first and second districts. Mr. Connor was for fifteen years president of the St. Vincent de Paul Society of St. Mary's Parish. He has been for many years a director and treasurer of the People's Insti- tute of Northampton. For several years he was president of the Northampton High School Alumni Association, and he is a director of the Dickinson Hospital. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus, the Elks, and of the Northampton Country Club. ^SF CHAUNCEY H. PIERCE Business Man and Financier CHAUNCEY H. PIERCE, one of the best known of the prominent business men in Northampton, is a native of the town of Amherst, where he was born May 16, 1848. He was the son of Chauncey and Florilla Cooley Pierce. Both of these parents were of distinguished English and Puritan descent. The father, Chauncey Pierce, was a descendant of John Pers, whose ancestor was prominent in the fifteenth century in England, and served his country in that time at the battle of Bosworth Field. Abraham, a lineal descendant (the first who came to this country, and who spelled the name in its present form) came to Massa- chusetts in 1633, lived in Plymouth, and paid taxes there in 1624. He had several grants of land from the government, and was a soldier under Miles Standish. John Pers, a descendant of the same family, came from England in 1634 and settled in Watertown, Massachusetts, and his homestead still remains in the Pierce family. Chauncey H. Pierce's mother, Florilla Cooley, was born in Sunderland, Massachusetts. She was a descendant of Benjamin Cooley, who settled in Springfield, Massachusetts, 314 Chauncey H. Pierce 315 Chauncey H. Pierce 317 and who served thirteen years, at different periods, on the board of Selectmen of that town, a part of the time with Miles Morgan and John Pynchon. Chauncey Pierce, the father of the subject of this sketch, was a carriage-maker in Amherst. The son, Chauncey H., came to Northampton from Amherst when twelve years of age, and started his business career in the bookstore of the late Joseph Marsh. He re- mained there about five years, and later entered the clothing store of Merritt Clark. He was afterward in the insurance office of Allen and Pratt for a time, and then started busi- ness on his own account. In 1870 he became a partner of A. Perry Peck, then the leading insurance agent of the town. For ten years the partnership continued with unvarying success, but in 1880 Mr. Peck retired and Mr. Pierce was left to conduct the business alone. His work, however, has not been confined to insurance, but has comprehended the management of real estate and mortgages, while he has been interested also in many financial and manufacturing enterprises. With Alexander McCallum, Mr. Pierce organized the Northampton Electric Light Company, and was for many years its manager and treasurer. He has likewise figured in the development of many other large business enterprises. He is now a director of the Northampton National Bank, president of the Cooley Dickinson Hospital, trustee of the People's Institute, member of the board of Park Commis- sioners, and a commissioner of trust funds of the city. He is also a trustee of the Academy of Music. Mr. Pierce was never actively interested in politics, but has been an influential member of the Republican party since its organization. He was called on to serve the old town government toward its close, as a member of the last 318 Representative Families of Northampton board of selectmen, and when the new city government was introduced he served as president of the Common Council for three years. In the Quarter-Millennial Celebration of the city, in 1904, he was prominent as a member of the finance committee, which had a difficult problem to handle with a somewhat restricted city appropriation. He is a member of the First Church parish. On Octo- ber 13, 1870, he married Isabella D. Lewis of Northampton, a daughter of Lucius and Arabella (Warner) Lewis, both natives of Suffield, Connecticut. They have had two chil- dren, a son and daughter. The latter lives with her parents. Mr. Pierce lost his father in childhood. His mother lived, with mental faculties unimpaired, to the great age of ninety-two years, and made her home with the subject of this sketch. The Draper Family Braver. The Draper Coat of Arms 319 THE DRAPER FAMILY One of the Oldest and Most Respectable Families in America Descended from English Ancestry THOMAS DRAPER, of Heptonstall, England, was the ancestor of this family. He was born in the village of Fairfax, Yorkshire, and his kindred came of an ancient and numerous race. Thomas was a clothier by trade, and is said to have drawn his name from that occupation, just as most of the old English families took their names from the name of their occupation or trade. The children of this English ancestor were Thomas, John, William, James, Mary, and Martha, and all were born in England. James crossed the Atlantic to settle in New England about the time he came of age, and, therefore, was the immigrant ancestor of the American Drapers. From 1640 to 1650 he was a pioneer and "proprietor" of the town of Roxbury. Such was his exceeding strict piety that he was known as "James, the Puritan. ,, He was the owner of several looms and followed his trade, which had been that of a clothier in the old country. Here is an ancient rhyme, of interest, in connection with this family: " 'What craftsman art thou/ asked the king, ' I pray thee tell me trowe? ' ' I am a draper, Sir, by trade, Now tell me what art thou?' " The rightful connection between the Drapers of Hepton- stall, England, and of James Draper and his descendants of 321 322 Representative Families of Northampton Roxbury, Massachusetts, is thoroughly established, not alone by the English records, but by several affidavits made and proven by descendants of the family. Only one of these affidavits — the most interesting one — can be quoted here: "John Draper, of Dedham, aged eighty-two years or thereabouts, under oath declares that he hath often heard his father and mother say that the deponent's grandfather was Thomas Draper, who lived in Heptonstall Brige or Bridge, in Yorkshire, and was a clothier by trade, and had sons Thomas, John, William, and James, the deponent's father. The three former died in England, never came into this country, and two sisters, Mary and Martha, also died there. The deponent's mother's surname was Stans- field, daughter of Gideon Stansfield, alias Steadfast, of the place in Yorkshire, near the said Bridge, blacksmith by same trade, who had only one son, that had not the use of speech, and the deponent's said mother, Miriam, and Abigail, who came together into this country, and who left their said father Gideon, in Yorkshire, and who had estate there, but the deponent knows not what became thereof." New England, Province of Massachusetts Bay, Suffolk, ss Roxbury, Mass., 25th April, 1742. "Then John Draper made solemn oath to the truth of the above declaration by him subscribed, before Wm. Dudley, Justice of the Peace for said Province." The Draper men were mostly pious, and they were physically vigorous to a marked degree. This anecdote is related of one of them in the old country by that person's granddaughter Mrs. Jemima (Draper) Turner. In her old age she often used to tell the story of how her grandfather met his death. She said that he lost his life from an injury John L. Draper 323 The Draper Family 325 sustained in wrestling on a May Day. This day was kept as a festival, after the English custom; a may-pole was set up, about which wrestling, quoits, and other games were played. On such a day there appeared a person claiming to be champion of the village and he challenged any one to enter the ring with him. A number accepted the challenge, but he threw them all down so easily that at last no other person was willing to compete with him. Then inquiries were made for James Draper, and it was remarked that he would be a good match for the champion. He arrived soon afterward, with his wife, Abigail, on horseback behind him. The crowd urged him to dismount and try a bout with the stranger. At first he declined, but the crowd almost pulled him from his saddle, in spite of Mistress Abigail, who held on to his coat as long as she could. However, when he met his antagonist in the ring, he made short work of laying the fellow on his back. The cry of "unfair" was set up, and he made ready to try again. At the word to begin the stranger was once again laid on his back by the stalwart Draper. But in doing this, the second time, he tore a sinew in his leg, and the injury proved to be permanent. He was carried to his house, and was never able to go out again. James and Abigail are buried in the First Parish ceme- tery at Dedham, Massachusetts, and the following is in- scribed on the stone that marks their grave: 2 Sam. I, 23. They were lovely and pleasant in their lives & in their death they were not divided. "The stroke of death hath laid my head Down in this dark & silent bed. The trump shall sound, I hope to rise To meet my Saviour in the skies." 326 Representative Families of Northampton JOHN L. DRAPER Merchant and Retired Gentleman John Luther Draper was born in Amherst, Massachu- setts, April 17, 1838, and died in Northampton, May 19, 1911. He was the son of Lewis Laprelate Draper and Margaret Henry Draper. John's father was born March 25, 1801, and died in Northampton September 15, 1890. The grandfather was Lewis Draper, who was born May 3, 1767, and died November 2, 1843. This grandfather's wife, before marriage, was Lucy Orme. John L. Draper's father attended the Academy at New Salem, Massachusetts. In his manhood he was a merchant at South Deerfield, and later at Faribault, Minnesota. By means of economy, frugality, and industry he accumulated quite a respectable share of this world's goods. He was a prominent member of the Methodist Church in Northampton, and was respected for his strict integrity, honesty, and stability of character. John L. Draper's family can trace their ancestry back to the year 1400, on the lines set forth in foregoing pages. One of Mr. Draper's American ancestors, John Draper, fought at Bunker Hill, and this patriot's descendants now treasure his old musket. Mr. Draper came to Northampton from Amherst with his father, a brother, and two sisters in 1860. He completed his education in the common schools and then began to look about for an opening in business. After some uncer- tainty he made a decision, and opened a hat and gentlemen's furnishing store at the corner of Main and Pleasant streets, where the Blanc-Levin drug store now is. Later he was in the clothing business in company with Benjamin Ockington where Cohn's store stands. Thus far he proved true to the instincts of his English and American ancestral business Residence of Mrs. John L. Draper on Bridge Street 327 The Draper Family 329 training, as inclining to the haberdashery line of trade. But at length he engaged in the livery stable business, the stable being in the rear of what is now known as the Draper Hotel. On the death of his father, Mr. Draper came into pos- session of a considerable amount of property, as did his brother Emerson Draper, who lived in Springfield, and his sister, Mrs. William D. Gray, of Northampton. Mr. Draper married, January 11, 1872, Susan Hall, of Northampton, the daughter of Levi B. and Maria Hall. His sister Emeline married a Mr. Ingraham, of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, but died some time ago, and his nearest surviv- ing relative, besides his wife, is Mrs. Gray. Mr. Draper lived a retired life for twenty years before he died. The care of his property occupied a large part of his time, but he and his wife spent part of their winters in Florida, California, and Europe. When he bought the old Fitch Block (which contained the principal hotel at the center of Northampton) he spent much time and a large amount of money fitting it up in what he believed to be suitable style for a city of the reputation which Northampton claimed. This hotel, which at the time was called the Man- sion House, had become considerably run down. It stood on the site of the old-time and famous Warner coffee-house, and Mr. Draper therefore prided himself on restoring, in good measure, the reputation which the place formerly had as a public tavern. He not only succeeded in making over the old hotel into a modern one, but he placed it in the hands of good landlords, the Messrs. Bowker, who gave it the name it bears today and managed it for several years to general public acceptation. In politics Mr. Draper was a life-long Republican. He was an attendant at the First Church. Those who knew him best say that he was a man of great strength of char- 330 Representative Families of Northampton acter, kindly and helpful without ostentation, and that more than once, in a quiet way, he gave such good advice to young men, as to business and moral conduct, that they were greatly benefited by it, and were aided to careers of usefulness to themselves and others, where otherwise they were in danger of going wrong. A few years ago Mr. Draper built for himself and his wife the beautiful and commodious residence which stands at the corner of Bridge Street and Pomeroy Terrace. The good taste of Mr. and Mrs. Draper is shown here in the furnishings of the residence, which comprise collections of many rare and unique curios and works of art gathered by them in their travels. Edwin W. Higbee Coat of Arms in Higbee Family (Stearns family branch) 331 EDWIN W. HIGBEE A Well-Known Northampton Physician EDWIN W. HIGBEE was a physician in Northampton for nearly a half century, and his passing from the scene of his earthly labors calls for more than the usual perfunctory newspaper notice. The Family in Vermont Edwin Wilbur Higbee was born in Charlotte, Vermont, February 13, 1849, and died in Northampton, May 21, 1916. His father was Peter VanVliet Higbee, born at Ferrisburg, Vermont, April 11, 1811, and died June 11, 1888, at Cas- sopolis, Michigan. His mother, before marriage, was Miranda Harding. She was born in Sherburne, Vermont, August 29, 1814. His grandfathers were Caleb Harding, who was born March 27, 1778, and who died in 1856, and Peter Higbee, born in 1756. His grandmothers, before marriage, were Judith Stearns (from whose family comes the coat of arms), born October 6, 1791, and Olive VanVliet. Dr. Higbee's ancestry was in part of English Quaker origin, and in part was derived from Holland. The closeness of the latter origin to his own generation can be judged from the fact that his grandmother, whose maiden name was VanVliet, never learned English. The reproduction, which 333 334 Representative Families of Northampton accompanies this chapter, of a page of the Bible, in her own language, will be of interest to many. (The marginal conno- tations, in fine text, can be easily read with a good micro- scope.) Dr. Higbee had the leaf from which this reproduc- tion was made framed, and it hung in his office for many years. The numerous office patients from the surrounding towns who came to Dr. Higbee along the years became his warm friends, for he took a personal interest in all whom he could in any way aid. Dr. Higbee's father, Honorable Peter VanVliet Higbee, was a man of more than ordinary note in the town of Char- lotte, Vermont, where he passed most of his life. By habits of industry and economy he accumulated a competence. Some idea of the esteem in which he was held may be gath- ered from the fact that he held every office in his township, and was for many years appointed administrator to settle the estates of his deceased neighbors and friends. He was elected a member of the Vermont Legislature for 1861, and served in the House at the same time with Judge Edmunds who was later the well-known United States Senator from Vermont. The Honorable Peter VanVliet Higbee had two sons, William Wallace, and Edwin W. The latter, after his com- mon school education, began the study of medicine, and Wallace stepped into his father's place and did for the people of Charlotte and vicinity what his father had done before him. That the son did correspondingly well is evidenced by the records of that time, and by the fact that he was as well beloved as his father. He was sent to the State Legislature as town representative in 1886, and as senator in 1888. He filled the office of town clerk for thirty-eight years. Wallace Higbee was also noted for his appreciation of the historic and scenic advantages of his native region, and he often wrote Dr. Edwin W. Higbee 335 Edwin W. Higbee 337 of these interestingly for the newspapers, and of various other matters that otherwise would probably have passed beyond printed preservation. Any consideration of this family should include some mention of two uncles of the late Dr. E. W. Higbee. These were Dr. Edwin B. Harding, of Northampton, and Dr. Wilbur F. Harding. It is an interesting circumstance that these three physicians, educated in the allopathic school of medi- cine, decided, finally, all of them, to adopt the homoeopathic method of medical practice. Dr. Edwin B. Harding was a prominent physician in Northampton, in his chosen work, for many years — from 1863 to 1877 — and obtained high rank as a skillful and suc- cessful practitioner. He was a close student, and he was an inventor of several instruments valuable in surgical practice. He was an extensive reader, and was so thoroughly devoted to his profession that he did not take the rest that he needed. His early death was much mourned by his patients and friends in the town of Northampton. Dr. Wilbur F. Harding, his brother, was another very successful physician, who began practice in a New York State village, continued his labors for ten years in Green- field, Massachusetts, and the rest of his life in Westfield. The Doctor Himself With such ancestry as Edwin Wilbur Higbee had, it is not surprising that he proved a valuable citizen. The day of great dosing and drugging by physicians was rapidly pass- ing when the Doctors Harding came into practice. Even the allopathic school had begun to use less medicine, and to advise dieting and exercise to their patients as measures of most curative value. The homoeopathist then favored trying the smallest of doses on the principle of "Like cures like." 338 Representative Families of Northampton Thus Similia similibus curantur became the popular medical theme in many a household. Dr. Higbee was one who accepted the new school theo- ries enthusiastically. After graduating at the University of Vermont, in the class of 1871, he began the practice of medi- cine in Westfield, and continued it in Springfield. The death of his beloved uncle, Dr. Edwin B. Harding, April 10, 1877, brought him to Northampton, where he proved in a short time a most worthy successor to that uncle. As a specialist in his profession he acquired a large practice. He was aided in this specialization by study abroad, especially in France, where he acquired much valuable knowledge from medical authorities there who were glad to impart to him the details of such medical formulas and practice as they had tested and proved useful. While on his tour abroad in 1881, he wrote a series of very interesting letters to the Hampshire County Journal, a paper printed in Northampton, and when he returned he found a rapidly increasing practice. In assimilating and utilizing the results of French and German research, at a time when new discoveries were revo- lutionizing medical and surgical practice, Dr. Higbee was one of the first to recognize their value. He was a natural lin- guist, and was not only at home with the French and German language, but had what he liked to call a "bowing acquaint- ance" with several other modern languages; so he was inde- pendent of translations and able to keep up with foreign publications. He accepted the germ theory while it was derided by others. He installed electric and galvanic instru- ments in his office long before these means were used com- monly even in the large cities. His was a versatile nature, in the line of study, in several directions — particularly in the line of mechanics. 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"Cfj-j .«. »0| "HKtlfiiir'f-i-*. . ..••!?- ..jjB A Page /row ^e Bible of Dr. Higbee's Grandmother Van Vliet 339 Edwin W. Higbee 341 struments, but he "took a hand" at practical household matters, such as house heating. In the line of surgical work should be mentioned two instances of his earlier inventions, the "Modified Hodge Pessary" and the "Higbee Speculum." The writer remembers well the interest inspired in him by the doctor's successful experiments in the economical heating of houses and offices by his indirect system. While engrossed in the duties of his profession and at- tending also to the impulses of an inventive mind, he found some time to give to social affairs. He was a Republican, but had no taste for politics, though he was always ready to help with his pen and means toward any betterment of society. He was a member of Jerusalem Lodge of Free Masons and was made a life member of that order in May, 1914. In 1875 he became a member of the First Congrega- tional Church. On May 11, 1886, Dr. Higbee married Miss Netta E. Wetherbee, daughter of Andrew Wetherbee, of Waltham, Massachusetts, and they had one child, a son, Earl VanVliet Higbee. The son, after graduating from the Northampton High School, completed his indoor education at the Yale Sheffield Scientific School, where he graduated in 1915, and he is now holding a responsible position as metallurgist in a large manufacturing concern at Bridgeport, Connecticut. What remains to be said is best expressed by a woman who was a personal friend of Dr. Higbee, and who was also one of those who had come under his care, and had been lifted from disease to health by his treatment. He was always known as the perfect gentleman and "good physi- cian" to all who had his care, but this patient recalls a cir- cumstance which is more than usually interesting in this connection. She says: 342 Representative Families of Northampton "Some are left who recall the young physician speeding over the roads in his gig. But not many ever knew that his change from a general practitioner to an office specialist was made imperative by a serious strain received in lifting a bed-ridden patient into a baggage car. From that time the jar of riding about became intolerable. Several weeks at the baths in Vichy, France, brought some measure of relief, but general practice could never be resumed. . . . To those who watched the end, remembering his eager spirit and his ideal of service, no legacy nor example could perhaps be greater." Others of his patients have testified most feelingly to Dr. Higbee's qualities as a physician-friend — uniformly to the effect that he was always the perfect gentleman and one who was interested in his patients not from mere professional curiosity, but with that kindly, more brotherly interest which gave him a real fellow-feeling for their daily struggles and perplexities. The city of Northampton has known many fine physi- cians and surgeons in its history, but none more deservedly valued and appreciated generally, and to be honored in memory, than Dr. Edwin Wilbur Higbee. CLARENCE D. CHASE City Clerk of Northampton, Massachusetts CLARENCE D. CHASE was elected to the office of City Clerk, at the annual municipal election held in 1906, and took office January 7, 1907. He is, therefore, completing his tenth year of service as a public official in the city hall, at the present time of writing. Mr. Chase is a native of Burtonville, New York, where he was born, September 21, 1872. Burtonville was named after his mother's ancestors, the Burtons. Her mother was one of that distinguished family. The subject of this sketch was the only son of DeWitt Clinton Chase and Jane L. Dakin. After graduating from the public schools, and receiving some business training, he came to Northampton in the year 1890. He was employed in the office of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad, where he achieved much success, and was promoted to be chief clerk and cashier, and later freight agent and man- ager of the company's business in Northampton. At length he was called to the service of the city, as before noted, after previously serving as councilman from the Third Ward in 1899 and 1900, and alderman from the same ward in 1901 343 344 Representative Families of Northampton and 1902. He received the endorsement of both the leading parties for several years for the office of city clerk, and when his candidacy was contested, he led his opponents by a very large majority. On August 12, 1905, Mr. Chase married Miss Eugenia A. Orrell, daughter of William Orrell, of Holyoke. They have one son, Robert Gaston Chase, born October 26, 1916. Mr. Chase is affiliated with several societies and frater- nities — the different branches of the Masonic order, including the Knights Templars and Mystic Shrine, the Knights of Pythias, the Elks, the Northampton Country Club, the Board of Trade, and the Edwards Church Men's Club. Clarence D. Chase 345 HARRY E. BICKNELL A Weil-Known Local Representative of The Democratic Party THE BICKNELL FAMILY has an ancient and credit- able record in the archives of American and English genealogy, but lack of space prevents extended reference to the matter in these pages. It seems sufficient to say that the subject of this sketch, Harry Emerson Bicknell, can trace his English ancestry back about five hundred years, and in this country to John Bicknell of Hingham, Massachu- setts, about 1740. He was born in Windsor, Berkshire County, December 28, 1870, the son of Luke Emerson Bick- nell and Lucretia Tower Pierce Bicknell. When he was a few months old the family removed to West Cummington, where his father engaged in business as a merchant. Young Bicknell made his home with the family until the fall of 1897, when he went to Winsted, Connecticut, to engage in business. He was for three years in the book, news, and stationery business in Winsted, and, March 1, 1890, moved to Northampton, where he became proprietor of the furnishing goods department of the Greene shoe store in the Columbian building on Main Street. About 1903 he became proprietor of the whole establishment, which had, under the manage- ment of several previous owners in the same line of business, not proved over prosperous. Mr. Bicknell, however, when he took charge of the business, devoted himself to it with such care and ability that he created one of the most successful stores on Main Street. 347 348 Representative Families of Northampton Mr. Bicknell developed qualities of business conservatism in buying and selling at a rather early age, and made his success in trade by exercising careful judgment on the times and places to move goods. It is a fact that he rather sur- prised those who looked for continued failure in situations where others had failed. He distinguished himself as a boy in his father's store in Cummington, where for many years the father attended to the wants of the general public in the country variety store traffic of that time. The father was noted for his honesty and independence. He made a most honorable record in the Civil War, as second Lieutenant with the Andrews Sharpshooters, Massachusetts Infantry. For six years the son was the village postmaster at West Cummington, and for a number of years he was justice of the peace and notary public and a member of the school board. He was appointed by Governor Greenhalge a special justice to take complaints, issue warrants, and fix bail in criminal cases. With this official and business training he was assisted in making his mark in Northampton social and business life. Mr. Bicknell is a member of several fraternal orders and has reached the thirty-second degree in Masonry. He is a Past Commander of Northampton Commandery of Knights Templar, and is frequently called on to act as installing officer in the highest work of the order. He is a member of the Mystic Shrine, Odd Fellows, of the Elks, Knights of Pythias, Sons of Veterans, Sons of the Revolution (and is the highest officer in most of the orders). He has been vice-president of the Board of Trade, and president of the Northampton Club. He takes an interest in all movements for public welfare, and presided at the organization of the Public Forum at the Academy of Music in 1916. He has been noted for his faithfulness and close ad- herence to the principles and traditions of the Democratic Harry E. Bicknell 349 Harry E. Bicknell 351 party. He was the party's candidate in 1909 and 1910 for Mayor of Northampton, and again in 1915, and for County Commissioner in 1912. On all these occasions he came sur- prisingly near defeating his successful opponents. Twice he ran for Alderman in the strong Republican Second Ward and was defeated only by a narrow margin. Mr. Bicknell's political action, as a Democrat dates back to the days of Grover Cleveland and William E. Russell, when many young men like himself rallied to the support of the Democratic party. To be a Democrat in Cummington, in those days, meant something — almost social ostracism — but young Bick- nell displayed those qualities, as a citizen of his native town, which compelled respect, helped him develop himself and build character which aided him when he came to more try- ing places. To the training he had in the little Hampshire hill town he owes, largely, the success he found later. Young Mr. Bicknell had intended to study law and de- vote himself to the legal profession, but delicate health and trouble with his eyes prevented this, although as has been noted, it has not prevented his making himself useful in the world. He married, October, 1896, Cora, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lucius Buck of Cummington, and they have three daughters — Grace, now Mrs. Robert Spencer, Jr., Gladys, and Alice. DR. J. B. LEARNED A Reformer and Friend of Humanity HE who can make two grains of wheat grow where but one grew before has been declared a public bene- factor with good reason, and so any one who has improved any human food product or directed and shown a more healthful course of living is equally entitled to be enrolled among the world's valuable citizens. Such an one was Dr. J. B. Learned of the village of Florence, Massachusetts. There are comparatively few men who have made them- selves so useful to their fellow men in so brief a space of time as did he. For a trained medical man, he seems to have had a remarkable antipathy to the use of drugs, but he was only ahead of his time in discouraging the taking of them, and his love for the best and purest of food products was only another evidence of his desire to obtain for human beings the very best of circumstances and environment for the development of their life. Genealogically, of course, such a family as his is of in- terest, and its story should be carefully recorded. John Barr Learned was born in Dana, Massachusetts, February 19, 1839, and his death occurred January 24, 1910. His father, John Learned, was born at Templeton, Massa- chusetts, August 18, 1791, and died at Florence September 352 Dr. J. B. Learned 353 Dr. J. B. Learned 355 2, 1883. Dr. LearnecTs mother was, before her marriage, Mary Barr. She was born at New Braintree, Massachu- setts, July 4, 1803, and died in Florence September 15, 1886. Dr. Learned's grandfathers were: Thomas Learned, who was born at Templeton, Massachusetts, January 10, 1766, and died at Templeton July 8, 1839; John Barr, who was born at New Braintree, Massachusetts, May 10, 1762, and died at New Braintree November 30, 1832. His grandmothers, before marriage, were: Lydia Tread- well, who married Thomas Learned; and Molly Bridges, who married John Barr. Dr. Learned's father was a farmer by occupation in southern Vermont, and his marked characteristics were those of a hard-working pioneer. The family ancestry is traced back to 1590, and to the following immigrant ancestors who came from England to settle in America: William Learned, who came from England in 1632, and settled in Charlestown, Massachusetts; Thomas Treadwell, who came over in the Hopewell in 1635 and settled in Dorchester; Edmund Bridges, who came over in the James from London in 1635 and settled at Lynn. When John Learned was two years of age, the family moved to Whitingham, Windham County, Vermont. A few years later they moved again, and went to Readsboro, in Bennington County, Vermont. Here, on a small farm, the future physician's boyhood was passed. Two brothers, Thomas and Samuel, and one sister, Mary, made up the family. The older brother, Samuel, went to California, along with an overland party, in '49, and never returned. After being heard from for two or three years, he with two other miners headed for a remote field, and that was the last known of him. No explanation of his disappearance was ever received. 356 Representative Families of Northampton Thomas enlisted early in the Civil War. He returned disabled, and died in 1863. Mary married Solomon Rice and died in 1866. The family was supported by the small income from the farm, and the combined work of the mother and the children braiding palm-leaf hats. As soon as able, at twelve years or thereabouts, each of the boys was hired out to a neighboring farmer for six months. School for three months in the winter was the usual allowance at this time for boys. They had the same three months in summer until they could work on the farm. The braiding of hats was kept up in school months, morning and night. One or two hats a day was the usual stint. Carrying hats to market or "the store," and bringing back more palm-leaf and store things, was part of the work of boys. Horses were not so plenty then, and oxen were often used for traveling on the road. Boys were useful, however, if the freight was no more than a jug of molasses, a "bunch of leaf," some tea, and a bottle of "Cherry Pec- toral/' John was never fond of picking up stones, turning grindstones, or mowing hay before breakfast, and he urged his father to "sell him his time." He wanted to go to school more, and at fourteen he was in the high school, then kept by some college student who needed funds. He taught the winter following, and successively for several years. In the fall and spring he was in the high school or academy. At Powers Institute he closed his academical course, and after a year, during which he rented a farm and lived with his parents, began the study of medicine. He completed two courses at the Berkshire Medical College, and graduated in 1865 from the medical department of Columbia College, in New York City. His office study was with Dr. R. W. Ben- nett, of Bennington, Vermont. Dr. J. B. Learned 357 Soon after graduation he married Lucy Louisa Davis, of Halifax, Vermont, daughter of Amial K. Davis and Betsey (Sanders) Davis, and began his labors as a physician at South Vernon, Vermont. His wife died March 13, 1866, and he returned with an infant son, just born to him, to Readsboro, where his parents still resided. After three years practice there he removed to Florence, Massachusetts, and he continued to be a dweller in that vil- lage for the rest of his days. He was active in his profession until 1880, when, because of an accident which nearly cost him his life, he abandoned all night practice, and much of his accustomed day work. On December 20, 1870, he married Maria L. Bond, of Northampton, daughter of Daniel H. Bond, and a son was born to them. After her death, in January, 1882, this son was cared for by the mother's sister, Miss Mary Bond, until the doctor married Mrs. Emily K. Sheffeld, of Florence, February 13, 1884. She was the daughter of Samuel L. Hill, and is still living in Florence. Dr. Learned's oldest son, Myron Leslie Learned, born at South Vernon, Vermont, February 19, 1866, is an attorney in Omaha, Nebraska. His second son, Henry Bond Learned, born July 30, 1873, was killed by a railroad train at a grade crossing in Hadley, January 3, 1891. His children by his third wife were: Wilfred Hill Learned, born May 22, 1896, who is now a farmer at Florence; and Raymond Hill Learned, born July 17, 1887, who is in the implement business at Indianapolis, Indiana. Dr. Learned was never prominent in politics, but was generally a voter with the Republican party. Had he sought office he might easily have had it, for his opinions were held in the highest respect. He accepted the unpaid office of member of the school committee for several years, and his 358 Representative Families of Northampton peculiar fitness for the duties of that position were clearly recognized by his fellow citizens. He was a member of the Hampshire County Medical Society, The Massachusetts State Medical Society, the American Medical Association, the British Medical Association, and the Franklin Harvest Club. In religious matters he was very liberal, and was for many years a prominent member of the Free Congregational Society which holds its meetings at Cosmian Hall, Florence. When the active life of Dr. Learned, in behalf of his convictions and services to his fellow men is considered, there is much more than can be related in the necessarily restricted pages of such a work as this. But what he said and did was of such vital interest and value that some resume* of it should be given for the benefit of a growing world. It would be well if the great mass of writings, letters, and ad- dresses which came from him were deposited in the Forbes Library or some other suitable place. He was as great a health preacher in his day as was Sylvester Graham of North- ampton in his, but there are few existing records of Graham's sayings or works. They would be greatly valued now had they been preserved. Public opinion of Dr. Learned's work, in the future, will undoubtedly consider of most importance his writings and addresses on personal health matters, for on this topic he talked so well and wisely that he appealed to the common sense of all. Naturally cautious and conservative, when convinced another way was better than the one generally pursued, he did not hesitate to take it. He early advocated less medi- cine and better care of health. Before the medical associa- tions of which he was always a prominent member, he made known his methods and fearlessly defended any departures Residence of Dr. Learned and Family on "Strawberry Hill," Florence 359 Dr. J. B. Learned 361 he had taken. He gave whole milk in place of milk and water to infants and met opposition, just as he did in the case of many other positions he took in medical practice. His reply to his critics was characteristic and convincing. He said: " Doctors of the old school declared that whole milk would be too strong to begin with. A few of the ' old granny ' nurses, speaking in an undertone from the rear, say, 'Well, if they don't give that baby some real milk, he'll never amount to anything.' I've never known one to grow up on milk and water and lime and sugar and paregoric and charcoal and bismuth, fed every fifteen minutes to keep wind off the stomach." The doctor had the satisfaction of living to see his views regarding the feeding of infants generally approved by the medical fraternity at large, for it is now commonly conceded by them that breast milk fed babes are the healthiest. But Dr. Learned had ever in his thoughts for human health the whole span of life from infancy to old age, and much could be transcribed here of value that he has said con- cerning the growing child. It was this interest which at- tracted him to school board service, and while a member of this board he said and did much that had a bearing on the health of the school children. His greatest fight, however, was against the use of drugs, and here he had the finding of true medical science back of him, with the statement that out of over ten thousand drugs in use, only two — mercury and quinine — had any curative value, and that there was little doubt that these had done more harm than good. It may be asked how Dr. Learned's fellow practitioners in the medical field viewed his position. How could they conscientiously do aught but approve? And approve they did, but reserved to themselves, as a class, an often expressed 362 Representative Families of Northampton opinion that it was folly for a doctor to think he could make any money by such affirmations. This qualified position of the medical men was forcibly shown when Dr. Learned brought out his cure for insomnia. The remedy consisted of a muscular and mental treatment at the retiring hour. It had been suggested by his own ex- perience of acute wakefulness following the nearly fatal acci- dent to himself, referred to elsewhere. The doctor spent fifteen years experimenting with his method for inducing sleep before he ventured to give it to the public. He then spent much time demonstrating before medical associations and clinics, with the result that he gained great approval from the highest medical and health authorities all over the country. Yet this is what the doctor confesses in a note to a local newspaper: "I have heard but one comment, private or public, deserving of any attention, viz: 'Dr. Learned's method is scientific. It is at the front, but there is no money in telling people how to take care of themselves, and the doctor is a fool for spending time and money in that way.' " The testimonials of satisfaction with the theory and practice of Dr. Learned's remedy for insomnia came from the heads of the most important sanitariums and insane hospitals all over the country, from presidents of colleges and specialists in nervous diseases, and there can be no question of the usefulness of his remedy as a substitute for the dan- gerous and generally used cures for insomnia. Dr. Learned has well said, "Drugless sleep, in full doses, adds a score of years to American commercial, professional, and political life, and enlarges the yearly product thereof. Drugged sleep, or the absence of normal sleep in full doses, subtracts a score of years from American life and diminishes the yearly product thereof." Dr. J. B. Learned 363 If the doctor had done nothing else than to lighten and cure the horrors of insomnia, as he did in placing his remedy at the service of the people, he is entitled to the everlasting gratitude of all present and coming generations of men. The remedy is within reach of all, and no one afflicted has any one but himself to blame if he does not choose to benefit by it. Nothing is required except patience and perseverance in the lightest application of muscular and mental energy, and those sufferers from insomnia who are too lazy to exer- cise the simple formula recommended by Dr. Learned deserve to suffer. There was another interesting phase in Dr. Learned's life. As one concerned in the health of humanity, the neces- sary purity of food products appealed strongly to him. For several years he talked and preached most interestingly and convincingly on the importance of raising pure pork. He used the columns of one of the local newspapers for a long time in enforcing his ideas on this matter. Claiming, as he did, that pork was a cheap and nutritious food, he contended that it was most important that it should be produced in clean, hygienic surroundings instead of in the filthy styes generally used by New England farmers. He studied the matter and found that hog cholera and other diseases, both of the hog and those who used its flesh indiscriminately were caused by the filthy surroundings of the animal. The doctor com- menced the keeping of hogs to improve his fields. Cholera in the neighborhood called at his ranch. He had two droves not far apart. One was in limited quarters, being fed for fattening, and the hogs in this drove were attacked and suc- cumbed. The other hogs, with a much more extended range and variety of food escaped untouched. This experience led the doctor to consider the welfare of his pigs, and after that he applied the principles to pig raising that he had been ac- 364 Representative Families of Northampton customed to apply in caring for the health of human beings. He concluded that pure air and water with wholesome sur- roundings are as needful to the lower animals as the higher. By means of his campaign of newspaper preachment he showed that much of the pork which came into the American market was diseased and unfit for consumption, and the only wonder was that any of it was fit to eat. The doctor built up quite a trade in his product "Straw- berry Hill Pork," so named from the farm where it was pro- duced, but while the people are eager to learn, they as easily forget what they learn, and the cheaper thing usually wins popular approval. Dr. Learned's pork cost a little more than the common article, and people soon forgot about the risks they had been taking in the past and went back to the use of the cheaper market pork. However there is this to be said, and again to the doc- tor's credit — he had told such wholesome truths that they attracted attention all over the country. People began to examine into the matter and since that time sanitary legisla- tion has helped the country at large, and farmers in this region, at least, no longer believe it economical or safe to raise pork in filthy styes. It is quite a common country sight now to see swine roaming in the fields and fertilizing them, and at the same time this method of feeding the swine con- tributes to their own growth and health. Before raising pork, Dr. Learned had become noted for the strawberries he raised on the hill at Florence, and it was thus that the hill got its name. It included, at that time, about 1886, all Holyoke and Chestnut streets, since built up, and one hundred or more berry pickers were employed by the doctor in the few days allotted to the harvest. The raspberry was another of his products and there was a ready market for all he could raise. Dr. J. B. Learned 365 Some of Dr. Learned's more striking and sententious sayings, in relation to health were: "When the products of the cook-book and the United States Dispensatory are served at the same table in alternate courses there is something wrong in Denmark. "I believe that longer years and better years for the human family are not only possible but probable, when the same common sense is employed in rearing and caring for the young of the human family that has been and is being used in caring for the horses and cattle, the sheep and fowls, for which we receive in the market a price corre- sponding to their size and shape, their working and food-giving qualities. "Let our ethical societies have a department for the study and proper care of the young animal known in the family as the baby. When this is done, I predict that pure air, plain food, and much letting alone will be the alphabet. I predict further that you will be early convinced that sick- ness and disability come largely by invitation. Later on it will not be complimentary to be on the invalid corps. "When the calf, from a scrub native cow, that has eaten only poor hay and corn stalks in the winter time in the old barn, can be made by milk, ensilage, grain and good hay to weigh half of thirty-five hundred at six years of age, ready for Brighton — and no one can doubt it — why cannot the boy, equally well cared for, become larger and stronger than the father or mother. Why can he not approach the Scotch or Irish grandfather? "Does the modern school-trained boy do this? No, he grows in the other direction rather than physically. He has been fed on brain food and there is no doubt about its having taken effect. Was it Scotch oatmeal for breakfast? No, more likely coffee and toast or doughnuts. He has had the 366 Representative Families of Northampton good things that abound on the New England table, and when the nerve power wanes with natural, undisturbed sleep, then the doctor gives phosphatic emulsions, tonics and hypnotics, brain stimulants, stomach stimulants, sleep producing agents. "What else could the doctor do? He was asked to give the boy something to keep the boy up till graduating time in the high school. This is good orthodox treatment, medi- cally speaking. It would not be orthodox, regular, or scien- tific to shut off all drugs and coffee and pastry, cigarettes, and evening socials. "No, this class of boys are not in training to perfect bones and muscle, brain and nerves, heart and lungs, liver and kidneys, stomach and pancreas — to enlarge the sum total of physical size and endurance that they may reach perhaps seventy years before showing signs of decay. This is no part of the school program of today. They are in pursuit of an education. They are to have cards from week to week, indicating their capacity to remember the text-book from the study hour to the recitation hour. They are to have finally a larger card, the diploma, to frame and hang on the office wall, if they stay in college and get through. This card is written in a dead language. The father and mother can't read it. The owner can't read it correctly, probably, after a few short months." Naturally, a man with such striking ideas as Dr. Learned, was called on far and wide for his views, and he appeared at the sessions of many distinguished societies in this state and elsewhere. Nor was he, like so many, "a prophet without honor in his own country." He was formally requested by a score or so of his prominent fellow citizens, to give a series of health talks in the City Hall, which he did, to popular acceptation. Dr. J. B. Learned 367 What more can be said of a man so true to his name and such a credit to the community which honored him? It should be remembered that he was terribly in earnest in whatever he said and undertook, and he never failed to make an impression on those who saw and heard him. He was a man of varied knowledge and attainments, a portion of which he never had the time to make use of, for withal he was some- what of an inventor and patented at one time a calf feeder and a fire escape. In his practice in the sick room he was more than the cheerful physician, for he came with the heal- ing conviction which he imparted to his patients, that the curative power of nature must be appealed to and should be aroused in order to bring about any permanent betterment. Dr. John Barr Learned was a most useful man to his generation, and undoubtedly he can be as useful to other generations that may read and heed his teachings, if these are again published, as some day they should be, in greater detail. JAMES D. ATKINS One of the Florence Pioneers in Community Days WHEN James D. Atkins died in the summer of 1896 in Florence, that village saw the last survivor of the old Community days pass on to the higher life. James Dunn Atkins was born in Boston, February 17, 1817. His father, John Atkins, was a native of Nova Scotia. His mother was Jane Dunn, of Maine, the daughter of a commissary-general in the Revolutionary War. James was one of a family of nine children. He received a limited edu- cation in the schools of his native city, and at the age of seventeen was bound out to learn the trade of stereotypog- raphy at the University Press in Cambridge. There he worked eight years, but in 1842, when the company was printing the constitution of the famous Florence Community, Mr. Atkins became interested in the principles which it set forth. He thereupon went to Florence and was so favorably impressed with the energy and enterprise of the people of the village that he decided to cast in his lot with them. He was engaged by the educational branch of the asso- ciation to learn the trade of dyer from an Englishman then in charge of the silk industry and he became a master dyer, holding the position for forty-five years, and commanding a salary of twenty-five hundred dollars, equal in purchasing power to double that amount to the present generation. The first hundred dollars he saved was invested in the stock of 368 James D. Atkins 369 James D. Atkins 371 the silk company. Afterward he bought more, and for many- years he was a director of the company. In 1887 he retired from business, and with his wife took frequent trips about the country. Mr. Atkins was married in Chesterfield, September 14, 1844, to Octavia M. Damon, one of the many young girls employed in the silk mill, and the first to whom he had been introduced after his arrival. They celebrated their golden wedding, with a large number of relatives and over five hundred friends, in Cosmian Hall September 13, 1894. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Atkins: George D. of Brookline, Effie D. Willey of Atascadero, California, and Fred T. of Florence. The latter is well known all about the western part of the state for the numerous hours of pleasure he has furnished the devotees of Terpsichore, by his man- agement and direction of orchestral and piano music, during many years. Mr. Atkins was a Republican in politics, naturally, for he came into a community strongly imbued with a love of human liberty, and the homes of more than one of its mem- bers were stations on the "underground railroad" for the distressed slaves of the South, but he never had the time nor inclination to seek public office. He was a charter member of the Free Congregational Society of Cosmian Hall, was one of its most liberal supporters, and always took an active interest in the movement. He was also a member of Jerusa- lem Lodge of Free Masons for thirty-five years. While Mr. Atkins might properly be called a gentleman of the old school, he was yet a man who progressed with the times and kept himself well informed of the development of events. He had a sunny, cordial nature which won him many friends, and there were few in the Florence community who did not know him. The older residents were all on familiar 372 Representative Families of Northampton terms from personal contact with his jolly, sincere, and sym- pathetic personality, and he was widely beloved and honored. He was a man of originality and independence, both in thought and action, but of such a kindly nature that he easily adjusted himself to his associates and environment, with the result that he made many friends and few enemies. He was a man of good works, but his beneficence was quietly given, often without the knowledge of his family. In the evening of his life it was a pleasure to see him and his good wife on their frequent carriage rides, frequently stopping the horse, as they did, to chat a few minutes with friends and neighbors. To him may well be applied these words from the poets: "The best portion of a good man's life — His little unremembered acts Of kindness and of love." "When the good man yields his breath, (For the good man never dies) " The Parsons Family of Florence SPariHiiuv The Parsons Coat of Arms 373 THE PARSONS FAMILY OF FLORENCE A Worthy Branch of one of the Pioneer Families of New England THE Parsons family of Florence has an origin, in common with the other Parsons families of New England, from Cornet Joseph Parsons, who was English born, although history has not yet brought to light his birthplace, nor when he came to America. There is only circumstantial evidence pointing to the probability that he came from Devon or Essex County, and that he sailed in the Transport, from Gravesend, England, July 4, 1635. Other details relating to the origin of this family will be found in the chapter in this volume relating to the Sydenham C. Parsons family. Horace K. Parsons, who came to Florence from Con- necticut, was the head of an important branch of this family. His biography has been published in other books. The son, to whom he left his inheritance, and who made a mark for himself on the present generation, was CHARLES 0. PARSONS He succeeded to his father's business interests and public- spirit in everything relating to the village, and, in the per- 375 376 Representative Families of Northampton formance of the work that fell to him, it was as if he stood in his father's shoes. Charles Otis Parsons was born in Thompsonville, Con- necticut, but came to Florence in January, 1866, at the age of one year. He received a good common school education, and graduated from the town high school. Within a few months afterward he entered the Eastman Business College at Poughkeepsie, New York, and graduated at the head of his class, though he was the youngest of the graduates that year. He made a European trip at the age of twenty-one, and while in England saw the popular demonstrations at the time of the Queen's Jubilee. On this trip he spent two months in Germany. He was thus fitted by education, and, better still, by nature, to succeed to the work of his father, and, after the latter's death, he took the reins as one to the "manor born." It is not too much to say that he was the young "squire" of the village. He was not only the manager of a good store business, but he was called on to settle real estate, draft wills, and do the work of a notary public and "mutual friend" for some of his fellow citizens in civil disputes. He was also much interested in the work of village improvement, and he had a marked love for children and for music, which added to the attraction of his character. Charles 0. Parsons showed more than ordinary mental power in applying the knowledge he had acquired in his business training. He had a personal magnetism which drew men to him, and he never betrayed a confidence. He was a wise counsellor and a true friend. Besides, he was a natural lawyer and settled many cases for his fellow-villagers without recourse to the costly proceedings of law. In the art of pen- manship he was a past master and took much pride in the appearance of his legal documents and account books. Charles 0. Parsons 377 The Parsons Family of Florence 379 Mr. Parsons for several years carried on and developed the business conducted by his father. This included the sell- ing of hay, grain, and coal, and a clothing and gentlemen's furnishing goods business. He sold the latter branch to Raymond Stowell, who still continues at the old stand. He never took any very active interest in politics, though many times asked to run for office. However, he aided, in a quiet way, the work of the city committee of the Republican Party, of which he was always a member. Probably his accomplishment and service in a public capacity will be best remembered as the head of the Florence fire department. He was chief engineer and always "on deck." He did much to infuse in his men that spirit of com- pany pride, without which no fire-fighting organization is worth much. But his public-spirit was not confined to the fire department. He was so active in the work of village improvement that there is hardly a street in Florence which does not bear the impress of his interest in its present ap- pearance. He spent much time in aiding the construction of the street fountain (a most valuable public work because it is for the use of man and beast) established by Julius Maine in front of Cosmian Hall, and the curbing of the sidewalks in that vicinity was of his own planning and supervisory execu- tion. He was a director in the Cooperative Bank for many years, and took a deep interest in its growth. Many a Florence workingman should thank him for the fact that he owns his own home, and has money saved in the bank. For many years the treasurer of the Cooperative Bank has come from the center of the city each month to collect the dues of the shareholders in the village, and Mr. Parsons gave the use of his desk for the purpose. This custom his widow still con- tinues. 380 Representative Families of Northampton The Memorial Day parade of automobiles was an idea of Mr. Parsons', and he spent much time arranging for the suc- cess that came from it. The parade is now a fixed part of the Memorial Day exercises and gives great pleasure to many. In 1900 Mr. Parsons bought of his father the Maple Street land on which the present post-office stands, and later he acquired the remainder of the property. He then erected on it the block which now stands as a credit to his sagacity and his foresight for the needs of the village for at least one or two generations to come. This was the most important and com- modious business block in Florence, and it accordingly was at once appropriated by the leading local growing lines of trade. When the building was first opened for inspection the people of the community were greatly surprised at the advance which had been made in the equipment of such an efficient business block service. It might not be exactly sumptuous, but it was in every respect commodious and convenient, and much better than anything the village had seen locally before. The upper floor of the first block contained a hall finely decorated, and was equipped with all the conveniences required for the lodge rooms of the different fraternal orders which occupy it. As a matter of course, such a block as this in the business center of the village, adds attraction to the village dances which occur within its walls so frequently, and the pleasure-seeking and fraternal society gatherings of the village have had joint enjoyment in Mr. Parsons' business block achievement. It is interesting to note the occupations of those who occupy the block in the present generation. First, on the corner, is the post-office. Then comes John W. Bird, the long-established newsdealer and confectioner, with his conven- ient ice cream parlors. Next is Raymond Stowell, with his expansion of the old Parsons clothing and gentlemen's furnish- ing business. Potter and Sons, with their grain and flour Parsons Block at Florence 381 The Parsons Family of Florence 383 business, bought of Mrs. CO. Parsons, come next, and W. H. Rice, with his coal and wood business, is at the southerly end of the block. Besides, smaller and basement apartments are occupied by Bernache and O'Brien with a barber shop; by M. J. Doyle with a pool room and bowling alley; by McDon- nell Brothers with a drug store; and by M. C. Shannon with a millinery and fancy goods store. Over the stores are five up-to- date flats with all modern conveniences and equipments. Mr. Parsons' death occurred September 19, 1914, and undoubtedly must be ascribed to overwork, for he took no vacations and too little pleasure. He may therefore properly be said to have been a victim of the over-strenuous life of the times in which he lived. He was not a man who worked for the mere pleasure of accumulating a hoard of money, but nevertheless had in mind constantly, as so many others have, the future needs of a growing family, and he did not spare himself, as he could have done, under a different and better system of society and government than the present so called "competitive," but, practically, abortive system of human living. In his every-day character, as a man meeting daily with his fellowmen, Mr. Parsons was quiet, gentle, and unassuming. He was known by all, old and young, simply as "Charlie" Parsons, and the entire village mourned when his earthly form disappeared. In his home life he was just the same man known by the villagers, and those who worked with and for him realized, with his departure, that such quiet unasuming lives never can be forgotten and that they really continue more clearly in the spiritual impress they leave than in the earthly bodily existence. The high esteem in which Mr. Parsons was held was shown at the time of his funeral. All public places and places of business were closed, and the exercises were largely attended 384 Representative Families of Northampton by city officials and the villagers. His pastor, the Rev. Mr. Holway, gave an eloquent tribute, and referred feelingly to the deep interest which Mr. Parsons had taken in the improve- ment of the village and what he had done actively in that direction. In this connection the following resolutions will be of interest. The first were adopted by the board of Fire Engineers of the City of Northampton, and the second by Mill River Lodge of the New England Order of Protection. IN MEMORIAM Whereas, it has pleased The Divine Master to call from his earthly home to the home above, on September 19, 1914, our beloved brother, Whereas, his service in the Northampton Fire Depart- ment, his ability to govern and his natural leadership amongst men has endeared him to his associates, and be it Resolved : That we, as brothers, suffer with deep loss and sadness the departure of our beloved brother and officer and that we extend to his bereaved wife and family our heartfelt sympathy. Whereas, our Heavenly Father in His infinite wisdom, has called our beloved brother, Charles 0. Parsons, treasurer of this lodge, from this life to the life eternal; therefore be it, Resolved : That in the death of our brother we have lost an esteemed and faithful member, one who was ever zealous in promoting the welfare of our organization, an efficient and trustworthy treasurer, a true and loyal friend, whose daily life was one of usefulness exemplified by the motto "Equity, Benevolence, and Charity." Resolved: That our heartfelt sympathy be extended to his bereaved family. The Parsons Family of Florence 385 Resolved : That these resolutions be placed on our records and that a copy be sent to his family and our charter draped for thirty days. Respectfully submitted, William Noble Mrs. Emma Tinker Mrs. Hannah Doppman Committee on Resolutions. Florence, September 21, 1914. After Mr. Parsons' death, his widow, Mrs. Mary C. Parsons, carried on the business under extremely trying circum- stances, yet very successfully. She did her husband's work until August, 1915, when she sold out to A. D. Potter's Sons Company, who rent the post-office and storehouses, and con- tinue in the same line of trade. Not long after Mr. Parsons passed away a small bank book was found in his safe by his wife, and in it was written, in his well-known handwriting, " Originally earned and saved to buy a bicycle, but I thought better of it." That first money he earned is still in the bank and will be used by his wife to establish a fund to be known as the Charles 0. Parsons Fund, the object of which, however, has not been made public at the present time. Mr. Parsons' wife was Mary C. Dil worth of Belfast, Maine. She is the daughter of Martin C. and Margaret L. Dilworth. Her father was an experienced printer and news- paper man. He served as a soldier of the Civil War, and for many years was commander of the Thomas H. Marshall Post of Belfast, Maine. He was a recognized authority on military tactics. At the time he retired from active business he was the oldest printer in the state. Mrs. Parsons, in her ancestry, both in her father's line and her mother's, comes from a race of soldiers and writers. 386 Representative Families of Northampton On her mother's side, a great-great-aunt, Lady Margaret Clare, led a small band of men during an uprising in Dublin, more than two hundred years ago. This Lady Clare was widely famed for her wit and daring. The marriage of Miss Dilworth to Mr. Parsons took place June 14, 1892. Their three children, now living, are Dorothy, a student at Smith College, Charlotte Otis, a graduate of the Northampton High and the Commercial School, and Priscilla, a pupil at Miss Capen's school. Mr. Parsons' love for his wife and children was one of the beautiful things of his life, and his loss to them was a bitter sorrow. George A. Burr The Burr Coat of Arms 387 GEORGE A. BURR Manufacturer and Public-spirited Citizen NO history of the manufacturing interests of North- ampton would be complete without a reference to the business life of George A. Burr of the village of Florence. Yet he was much more than a busy manufac- turer. He was a public-spirited citizen in the fullest sense of the words, and those living who were associated with him recall that association with pleasure, and regret that such a life was not extended to a longer period of usefulness. The family name of Burr is said to have had its origin in the village of Beur in the Netherlands; and, as a matter of fact, there is hardly a village in the European coast region adjacent to England but has furnished the English people with a surname. In 1630 there came to this country with Winthrop's fleet John Burr, the first of the Burr family to emigrate across the Atlantic. He settled in Roxbury, Massachusetts, and he at once took a prominent part in the material affairs of the colony. He and his wife were made members of the church, and he was appointed overseer of roads and bridges, and one of a committee to construct a cart-bridge over Muddy River. 389 390 Representative Families of Northampton The settlers early heard of the rich lands in the Connecti- cut River Valley, and in the spring of 1636 William Pynchon and John Burr with other men and their families set out for the land of promise. They traveled in the usual fashion of those times, the women on horseback, and the men on foot by a blazed trail. The company came to a final halt beside the Connecticut River where they founded a village that they called Agawam. A deed of the land was given by the Indians to three of the pioneers, Pynchon, Burr, and Smith, June 15, 1636. Burr's name was affixed to the records and may be seen in the archives of old Hampshire County. In 1644 Mr. Burr removed to Fairfield, Connecticut, and the next year he was elected to represent that town in the General Court, and again in 1646. He served as a com- missioner to collect funds for poor scholars at Harvard Col- lege, and in 1660 he was chosen a grand juror. No record of his marriage or death has been found. George Ames Burr was a native of Worthington, Massa- chusetts, where he was born December 12, 1829. He was the son of Ames Burr, who was born in Worthington, January 18, 1793, and died there October 21, 1875. Ames married Relief Eager of Worthington. Like most of his fellow citi- zens, he was a farmer. He was noted for his upright and practical character, and was often consulted by his neighbors in matters of doubt because of his sound judgment. The grandfathers of the subject of this sketch were Israel Burr, who was born in 1756, and died January 12, 1827, and William Eager of Bridgewater, Massachusetts. The grandmothers were Hannah Ames and Brett. George Burr could trace his ancestry back to the year 1604, to Rev. Jonathan Burr, who was born in the parish of Redgrave, Suffolk, England, in that year. This English minister was a graduate of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, George A. Burr 391 George A. Burr 393 England, in 1627. He came to America and settled in Dor- chester, Massachusetts, as a colleague of Rev. Richard Mather. Among the American ancestors of George Burr was Israel Burr, a soldier of the Revolution. The boy George Burr left his father's home and the farm life behind when he was about fourteen years of age. He made good use of the educational facilities afforded him by his native town, and at the time he left Worthington for the duties of a wider field of life he was as well equipped as any country schoolboy could be. Endowed also with the sturdy common sense and fair judgment inherited from a good ancestry, he came to Northampton to see what fortune had in store for him here. His first venture was as a clerk in the dry goods store of the famous firm of Stoddard and Lathrop. It was the custom then for the older dry goods clerks to "bait" new boys in various ways, informing them that as they had come to "learn to sell rags" they must "take what was coming to them," etc. But young Burr accepted all this good naturedly and made friends easily by his good nature and willingness to receive the knocks as well as favors of fortune with equanimity. He only occupied the position of clerk until he had pretty thoroughly mastered the details of mercantile trade, and then abandoned dry goods selling as a vocation. Though still a boy in years, he engaged in business for himself, in partnership with Lewis J. Mclntyre. The firm dealt in flour, grain, and coal. His firm brought to Northampton the first ton of coal which came into the town. Mr. Burr made a fairly successful venture in this line of trade, but presently retired from his partnership with Mclntyre and removed to the town of Bleecker, New York. There he formed a partnership with a gentleman by the name of Oden- 394 Representative Families of Northampton kirk, for the manufacture of various kinds of wooden ware. The partnership continued for that purpose until about 1860, or in all, practically ten years. It enjoyed uniform financial success until a fire destroyed the establishment. Consider- able machinery and manufacturing stock shared the fate of the buildings. But Mr. Burr was then in the prime of a vigorous and healthy manhood and, undaunted by his reverses, he decided to return to Northampton and await the tide of fortune. He had not long to wait, for news of his enterprise and energy was soon made known. Business ability and attainments in young men are generally recognized, sooner or later, and so it was in Mr. Burr's case. The Florence Sewing Machine Company was at that time beginning to predicate its after- growth, magnitude, and celebrity, and it needed just such a man as Mr. Burr to steer the executive wheel of business. He was elected general agent and for a time acted as financier and treasurer of the company. Under the management of Mr. Burr the company imme- diately began to augment and extend its manufacturing fa- cilities, large and substantial buildings were erected for this purpose and rapidly supplied with the requisite machinery; there was a call for increased employees, and these and other evidences of material prosperity made the village of Florence flourish like a "green bay tree." Local agencies were es- tablished throughout the country for the sale of the sewing- machines, and the company stock rapidly advanced in value, finally selling for 200 per cent, and upward. It seems to have been properly claimed that had the same honesty, in- tegrity, and ability that characterized the administration of the central home office, governed the management of the prominent local offices, the financial condition of the company would have shown the same marvel of business prosperity Residence of Mrs. F. N. Look at Florence 395 George A. Burr 397 that has distinguished the management of some other great sewing-machine enterprises, and the village of Florence would still be as important a seat of that industry as it was for a decade or so. After Mr. Burr's work for the Florence Sewing Machine Company was finished he began the foundation of the present Florence Manufacturing Company, an enterprise in which he was the leading spirit, and which stands today as a monu- ment to his business sagacity. For some years previous to the establishment of this corporation a company known as Littlefield, Parsons and Company had been engaged in the manufacture of daguerreotype cases, buttons, and other goods for which the material used was appropriate. This company occupied rooms in the building that is now the central mill of the Nonotuck Company. The old company was merged in the new organization, which was incorporated as above named, and the present large substantial brick building was erected on the east side of Mill River nearly opposite the site of Dr. Munde's famous water cure establishment. When the officers of the new company were chosen it was quite a matter of course that Mr. Burr was made general agent and treasurer, positions which he held to within a few days of his death. The great industry which Mr. Burr built up is flourishing more than ever today, fully fifty years after its establishment by him, and it gives constant employment to several hundred hands. Mr. Burr showed his public spirit on many occasions, most notably when he backed financially the enterprise which brought Jenny Lind to the First Church in Northampton, for her famous concert. To this day there are a few who describe with great feeling their own emotions on this occa- sion when the great singer, with all the fervor of her own religious conviction and her angelic voice, sang "I know that 398 Representative Families of Northampton my Redeemer lives." It was a wonderful occasion, and those who brought it about deserved the gratitude that was ex- pressed by the community. Mr. Burr was a Republican, but he was not ambitious politically, though often importuned to allow the use of his name for office. However, he held the office of selectman for several years, representing his part of the town, and he could have had any office within the gift of his fellow citizens, but he was too devoted to his business to allow of any division of his energies. He was elected one of the directors of the Northampton National Bank, an office which he held several years, and when the Florence Savings Bank was established he was chosen vice-president of that institution. The personal character of Mr. Burr was beyond re- proach. In all his business transactions he was strictly honest and honorable. A gentleman withal, he was sedate and dignified in social intercourse, but genial and hearty in his home and neighborhood associations. His business ne- gotiations were of such directness, brevity, and positiveness that they were easily understood and contributed greatly, without a doubt, to the success he made of his business. He was a member of the Florence Congregational Church, having united by letter from one of the Northampton churches soon after the Rev. E. G. Cobb had been installed. From the time of his removal to Florence to the time of his death he was a prominent and liberal supporter of this church and the cause of Christianity in general. When the funeral services were held after his death there was widespread mourning, for Mr. Burr was popular not only in the village of Florence but over a large extent of the country, among business men, and business friends from cities east and west at a considerable distance attended. The funeral address of Mr. Burr's pastor especially memori- North View on Grounds of Mrs. F. N. Look's Estate at Florence 399 George A. Burr 401 alized his life of genuine business integrity and usefulness, and delineated the characteristics that made his life so nota- ble in the business and general world as well. Mr. Burr was fifty-one years of age when he passed on to the higher life. He married, June 28, 1854, Sarah M. Ely, daughter of Frederick Ely and Bathsheba (Kent). The latter was grand- daughter of Ruggles Kent and Achsah (Bliss), and of Cotton Ely and Sallie (Miller), and she was a descendant of Na- thaniel Ely, who came from Tenterden, Kent County, Eng- land, to Cambridge, Massachusetts, on the bark Elizabeth from Ipswich, England, and was one of the founders of Hart- ford, Connecticut. There were five children born to Mr. and Mrs. Burr, of whom two are living — George Howard Burr, banker, of New York, and Mrs. Frank N. Look of Florence. GENERAL JOHN L. OTIS Prominent Manufacturer and Distinguished Soldier GENERAL JOHN L. OTIS will be remembered for many years as a well-beloved citizen of Florence. His popularity and value as a citizen, however, did not come from participation and comradeship in the old " Community" days, but rather from his success as a manu- facturer and his sociable and unpretentious manners to all, rich and poor alike. John Lord Otis was born in Lyme, Connecticut, July 15, 1827, the son of Hay den E. and Mary (Lord) Otis. During the earlier years of his life he was employed in a cotton factory, which he entered before he was eight years old, and where he worked fourteen hours a day. He followed this employment, from "bobbin boy" to overseer, for eighteen years, and mean- while devoted his nights to hard study. His education in- cluded a knowledge of mechanical engineering, for which he had great aptitude. In 1851 he took charge of the Pacific Mills of Manchester, Connecticut, as superintendent, and later he established the Otis Manufacturing Company at South Manchester, where he was living when the war broke out. While in charge of that concern he put in operation for the Cheney Brothers of that place the first machine for the manufacture of silk and wool knit goods ever operated in this country. It was the opening of the Civil War which led General 402 General John L. Otis 403 General John L. Otis 405 Otis away from his chosen business, for after the first battle of Bull Run he enlisted as a private soldier in the Tenth Regiment of Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, and started for the front. By heroic service he won many promotions, pass- ing the different grades until, in February, 1863, he was ad- vanced to a Colonelcy. He was mustered out of the army after three years and four months service, carrying home the title of Brevet Brigadier General. He had a long and excit- ing war record. He took part in all of Burnside's and Foster's engagements in North Carolina, and in 1863 was with Foster in South Carolina. The following year he was ordered to service in Virginia, and joined the Army of the James. In all his army experience the General showed himself the true soldier, and the scars of three wounds, received at Newbern and Kingston, were evidence of this. Notwithstanding the wounds he received he was the next day in the battle of White Hall and two days later in that of Goldsboro Bridge. In January, 1863, while in South Caro- lina with Foster's army he did important service in com- manding advances, holding positions and skirmishing. He then proceeded to accompany Terry's command to James and Morris islands, where he added to his already brilliant record. His health having suffered by exposure he was de- tailed to go North and take charge of a conscript camp at New Haven, Connecticut. He remained there about three months, when he asked to be relieved and sent back to the front. He rejoined his regiment at St. Augustine, Florida, and soon afterward was placed in command of the post. He was ordered to Virginia in April, 1864, and joined the Army of the James at Gloucester Point, and it was for special gal- lantry at the crossing of the James River that he received his commission as Brigadier General. During his three years and a half of service he was in more than fifty battles. 406 Representative Families of Northampton When he returned from the war he became superintendent of the Florence Sewing Machine Company at Florence, where he remained three years. Then he established, with L. B. Williams, the Northampton Emery Wheel Company, of which he was treasurer, and a most successful manager and finan- cier. The business was conducted under the firm name of Otis and Williams, until a stock company was formed. On March 1, 1847, General Otis married Catherine Preston, a daughter of Cyrus Preston of South Hadley. They had two sons, Philip A., who died in May, 1914, and Harry P., who has inherited his father's taste for manufac- turing, and is president of the Norwood Engineering Company of Florence. Although in no sense of the word a politician, General Otis was called to various offices in the gift of his fellow citizens. He was selectman two years, a representative to the Legislature in 1877, and State Senator in 1879 and 1880. He would undoubtedly have been the first Mayor of the city but for an unfortunate and what many felt an underhanded opposition. General Otis always took an active interest in the welfare of Northampton and its local civic matters. His arduous and successful efforts to secure the city charter will be remembered by many. He was prominent in the highest fraternal society life, and became Commander of the Military Legion, and Eminent Commander of the Northampton Com- mandery of Knights Templar. He was a director of the Northampton National Bank. Liberal minded in religious matters, he early connected himself with the Free Congrega- tional Society of Florence, and was always a prominent and influential member of that organization. General Otis died at Tarpon Springs, Florida, March 14, 1894. For several years ill health had led him to spend his winters in the South, thus avoiding the extreme cold of the General John L. Otis 407 New England climate. In January, 1894, while preparing to leave Florence, he had an attack of heart disease, but rallied sufficiently to be able to make the journey. His strength, failed, however, soon after reaching Tarpon Springs, and the end came suddenly. The funeral at Cosmian Hall will long be remembered by those who attended it, as an imposing and popular tribute not only of the whole community, but of the military and civic organizations and their officials, from far and near, to the worth of the man. A worthy citizen he certainly was, be- cause he led a thoroughly upright life. He was kind, true, gentlemanly, fearless, and gave intelligent and conscientious attention to public affairs, contributing very much of himself in peace and war, to the general good in a fashion which showed true public spirit. JOSEPH C. MARTIN Well-Known Florence Inventor JOSEPH CHAPMAN MARTIN was born in Florence November 6, 1844, and died there March 15, 1899. His father was Joseph Chapman Martin, who was born August 20, 1808, and died July 21, 1865. His mother's name before marriage was Roxanna Ashley. At the time of Joseph C. Martin's birth his father was a gardener in the old Community on the Dr. Munde place, and lived in a house which stood on the site of the residence now occupied by Mrs. CO. Parsons. The boy had a com- mon school education, and learned the carpenter's trade with Amos Eldridge. With his brother Luther he later became interested in the manufacture of cash carriers, after their own patents. Joseph finally bought out his brother's inter- est and with new capital organized a company for manufac- turing, first in Florence, and then in Springfield. He finally secured the partnership of Arthur G. Hill of Florence, and together, under the name of the Martin-Hill Company, they carried on the business to considerable success, finally dis- posing of their interests to the Lamson Company of Lowell. Following the close of this transaction with the Lamson Company, Mr. Martin invented, patented, and successfully put on the market another carrier known as a pick-up car- rier, which was largely used in the offices of the Western Union Telegraph Company. The manufacture of this car- 408 Joseph C. Martin 409 Joseph C. Martin 411 rier was financed by Mr. Martin and prominent Boston capitalists, and its business career lasted a period of ten years, when Mr. Martin retired from active business and bought some land on Petticoat Hill in Williamsburg. There he built a fine residence, with the hope of spending his declin- ing days in it, but illness prevented. His was a most genial character, and his trials were met by him with unfailing good nature. He was honest and up- right in all his dealings, and was a deservedly popular citizen in the community of Florence. Being a good elocutionist, he was often called on in public entertainments, and he never failed to respond cheerfully. In politics he was a Republican, and in religious matters he was a free thinker/being for many years a member of the Free Congregational Society of Cos- mian Hall. He married, in November, 1873, Isavene Webb. He had two sisters, Mrs. Eliza A. Mann and Sarah E. Martin; and three brothers, Abel R. of Roberts Meadow, and Edwin H. and Luther A. of Florence. PUBLISHER'S NOTE FOR the satisfactory completion of this work the publishers are indebted, for advice and suggestions, to President Emeritus L. Clark Seelye and Professor H. Norman Gardiner of Smith College, and to Clifton Johnson for artistic oversight of the work and the literary finish of the text. As this is the first volume of a series which it is hoped will include two hundred or more families, it is urged that those interested in a thoroughly ade- quate showing of Northampton households shall communicate as early as possible with the under- signed. It is desirable that all the important or representative families be included in the complete work, even if no more than a page or two be used for some of them. Charles F. Warner, Manager Picturesque Publishing Company.