|
PELEG ADAMS was born in
Northbridge, Worcester Co., Mass., on the 29th of
December, 1799. he is a son of Andrew and Betsey Chapin
Adams, and the youngest of a family of four children,
consisting of three sons and one daughter. His brothers
are both dead; his sister is living, and now resides in
Ohio. His father was a native of Northbridge, and was
there engaged in mercantile business, in which he lost
his entire property, but through no fault of his
own.
In 1803 he removed to Greenfield, Mass., where he
spent the remainder of his life. He engaged in
agriculture, accumulated quite a property, and died in
Greenfield at the age of sixty-two.
The subject of this notice
received a common-school and a thoroughly practical
education. His minority was mostly spent in working upon
his father's farm. When twenty-three years of age he
commenced working out by the month at farm labor, in
which employment he continued during the greater part of
six years. In 1831 he purchased in the town of
Greenfield the farm he now owns, and also built the
house in which he still resides. For twenty-five years
he was engaged quite successfully in the business of a
drover, and also in the cultivation of his farm. Mr.
Adams also purchased, a few years ago, the Mansion
House, in the village of Greenfield, which he has
thoroughly repaired, and indeed is still constantly
improving, thereby greatly adding to its value and
attractiveness.
He has served the public in the capacity of
selectman and assessor, has always maintained a
reputation for honor and strict integrity, and enjoys
the respect and confidence of all who know
him.
Though not a member of any
church, he has been closely connected with the
Universalist Society of Bernardston, to the support of
which he has largely contributed. Mr. Adams was
married on the 15th of February, 1831, to Lucinda
Hancock, of Longmeadow ; she died at the age of thirty
years. By this union there were four children. His
second wife died on the 17tb of May, 1808, aged
fifty-three years. His present wife, Jane W. Bascom, was
born on the 21st of July, 1813.
HON. JOSIAH ALLIS, who died
in his native town, May 23, 1866, was a direct
descendant of William Allis, who, emigrating from
England to America about 1640, settled in Braintree,
Mass., and, according to the family genealogy, "was made
a freeman" in that town May 13, 1640. With his wife,
Mary, he removed, in 1661, to Hatfield, of which he was
one of the earliest settlers, and received therein, as
an assignment, a home lot of eight acres on the west
side of the main street. He died in
Hatfield in 1678, and left a family of eight children,
of whom .John was born at Braintree, March 5, 1642, and,
marrying in Hatfield in 1669, died there in 1691. Twelve
children were born to him, and of these Ichabod -born
July 10, I675, married about 1698, and deceased in
Hatfield 1747 -had a family of eight children, one of
whom, Elisha, was the great-grandfather of the subject
of this notice. Elisha was born in Hatfield, Dec. 3.
1716, and, marrying in 1744, he purchased of Thomas
Crafts a farm on Spruce Hill (now-known as the Elliot C.
Allis farm), in Whately, and removed thither with his
family. He was the owner of twelve negro slaves, and was
distinguished as a man of considerable Possessions, and
of weighty Influence in the community. He died in
Whately in 1784, and left six children,-Josiah, born in
Hatfield in 1754, being one of them. He married in 1774,
and early in life became a prominent citizen of his
native town.
He was known as Col. Josiah Allis; was chosen to
represent Whately in the State Constitutional Convention
of 1788, and fulfilled during his life many important
local public trusts. His son, Elijah, born in Whately,
Oct. 21, 1775, was the father of Josiah
Allis..
Josiah, who was born upon the
Spruce Hill farm in Whately, July 17, 1803, passed his
youthful days there, and, like most boys of that period
and place, divided his time between the village school
and the pursuit of such labors as his father's
agricultural interests called him to perform. Early in life,
however, he was summoned to face alone the serious
responsibilities of existence, and at the age of fifteen
was apprenticed to a blacksmith in Whately.. He entered
at once with caper interest and industrious inclination
upon the undertaking, and, passing creditably through
the term of his apprenticeship, labored successively as
a journeyman blacksmith in Ashfield, and in Hatfield
carried on the business in connection with his brother,
Salmon White, and Eurotas Hastings. In the latter town
he married, April 13, 1826, Eliza, daughter of Ebenezer
White, of Hatfield. Upon his marriage he returned to
Whately Centre, where his father was keeping the village
hotel and store, and, assisting him in the management of
the business, remained until 1830, when he purchased the
property in Whately now known as the Allis farm, and
still occupied by his sons Justin W. G. and Silas W.
D.
Upon this farm he renewed his
agricultural labors, and there continued in the
uneventful tenor of his way until 1836, when, becoming
affected with the "Western fever,"
he turned his face toward the setting sun, with the
intention of exploring the far-off country which was at
that time freely inviting the attention of the dwellers
in the East.
Leaving his farm in charge of
his father, who had taken up his residence with him, he
set out for Detroit, Mich., and, temporarily abiding
there, he entered at once upon the business of locating
lands, and, following the natural bent of his impulses
as a trader, he was soon engaged largely in the purchase
and shipment of traders' supplies. His business
interests rapidly extended, and the energetic force of
his character occupied itself in pushing him forward as
a representative businessman.
In connection with his other
enterprises he engaged extensively in the lumber trade,
and was soon a prominent member of the St. Clair Lumber
Company, whose headquarters were at Detroit, and whose
operations were extensive. Remaining in
Detroit six years, or until 1842, Mr. Allis returned to
his home in Whately, and once more settled in the
routine of a farmer's life.
The spirit of trade would,
however, give him no rest, and shortly after his return
home he engaged in the manufacture of brooms, and upon
his farm erected a factory, where he employed a large
number of people. He made extensive purchases of
broom-corn, and created, in the country adjacent to him,
a spirited revival of agricultural industry in the
cultivation of the material required for his
factory.
This business Mr. Allis carried on successfully,
in connection with farming, until 1855, when he turned
his attention toward the tobacco trade, and not only
devoted his farm largely to the cultivation of the
plant, but was one of the largest purchasers thereof in
the Connecticut Valley.
This pursuit was the chief
business interest of the remainder of his life, and,
after an active, honorable, and useful career, he died
May 23, 1866, aged sixty-three. His wife
survived him but a few months, dying Aug. 9, 1866, at
the age of sixty-five.
Six children were born to
them, three of whom, Justin W. C, Silas W. D,
and Mary Eliza White, still reside upon the old Allis
farm in Whately. Lewis Edward Sikes died April 7, 1860,
aged twenty-eight; Edmund B. died at the age of six
months; and the last son, also Edmund B., born Dec. 11,
1835, died Oct. 12, 1861, just after he had graduated at
Yale.
In public life Mr. Allis
acquired considerable prominence, and represented his
native town frequently, in offices of trust, at home and
abroad. He represented "Whately in the State
Constitutional Convention of 1853, was a representative
at the General Court in 1854, and was run on the Douglas
ticket for representative to Congress, in the 10th
Congressional District, in 1860.
In politics he was ever a
Democrat and a warm friend of Stephen A. Douglas, and,
being chosen in 1852 a delegate to the National
Democratic Convention, which nominated Franklin Pierce
to the Presidency, he was subsequently, to the time of
his death, sent as a delegate to every National
Democratic convention, his attendance being last given
at the convention, in June, 1860, at Charleston, S. C,
where, perhaps more than on any other occasion in his
life, he distinguished himself by his strict fidelity to
principle and devotion to the Constitution and Union.
And when treason assailed the flag he loved and honored,
he was one of the very first of the party which adhered
to the fortunes of Mr. Douglas to announce his
unflinching loyalty to the government and the integrity
of the Union.
He served also quite often at
State conventions, and held the office of postmaster at
Whately from Franklin Pierce's time down to, and partly
through, Abraham Lincoln's first
term.
He served Whately several
years as town clerk and town assessor, and from 1858 to
1865 added to his other functions that of general and
locating agent for the Conway Fire Insurance Company.
Mr. Allis took a prominent part in the war of the
Rebellion by contributing liberally of his means and
energies toward supplying soldiers, and is gratefully
and warmly remembered for his heroic devotion to the
cause of the Union. The story of the
life of Josiah Allis is a lesson which may be profitably
laid to the heart of every young man of the present day,
since it teaches in eloquent language the value of a
well-directed ambition, urged forward by inflexible
purpose, persevering industry, and honorable
impulses.
Sterling integrity was the ruling purpose of his
life, winch was a valuable and useful one, and when he
laid it down he left to his children the noble heritage
of a spotless name, to which they may ever point with
pride.
CLARK W. BARDWELL was born in
Shelburne, Franklin Co., Mass., on the 7th of February,
1825.
His paternal grand parents were Chester Bardwell,
born Oct. 6, 1772 and Mary (Hannum) Bardwell, born March
10, 1764.
His father, Olin Bardwell,
was born in .Shelburne, on the 24th of August,
1796.
His business was that of a clothier, in which he
was engaged for many years. In 1840 he removed to
Ashfield, where he remained until his decease, which
occurred on the 2d of November, 1878. For some time
previous to his death he was occupied in farming. He
married for his first wife (on the 10th of February,
1824) Dolly Hawks, who was born in Deerfield, Mass., on
the 22d of January, 1795, and died in Shelburne, on the
7th of June, 1832. By this union he had four children,
the oldest of whom is the subject of this notice. He
married his second wife, Mary Hardy, on the 1st of May,
1834, by whom he had three children,-all
daughters.
Clark W. remained at home on
the farm, and attending the district schools of his
native town, until he reached his majority. He then
united with his father in managing the farm, and in 1840
removed with him to Ashfield, where he purchased landed
interests.
On the 26th of October, 1850,
he married P. Parmelia Blake, who is a native of
Ashfield, born on the 18th of August, 1830. To them have
been born four children,-Aggie L., born Aug. 29, 1859;
Chester O., born Nov 7, 1860; Harlan B., born Oct. 7,
1862 (deceased); and Fred. H_, born May 13,
1869.
Mr. Bardwell has always been
engaged in agricultural pursuits, and has been
universally successful. Commencing with very little, he
has acquired a competency. In 1869 he purchased and
removed to what was then known as the " Warren place,"
in Conway, where he has since resided. He is actively
interested in all branches of agriculture, and is a
member of the agricultural society of Franklin
County.
DANIEL R. BARDWELL was born
May 25, 1831, in the town of Shelburne, Franklin Co.,
Mass., on the place whore he now resides. His father,
Ebenezer Bardwell, was born on the same place, Jan. 16,
1799, and here also his grandfather, Zenas Bardwell, was
born, June 30, 1777. His great-grandfather, E. Bardwell,
was one of the early settlers of Shelburne. He was born
Sept. 2, 1746.
Clarinda D. Rice, mother of
Daniel R. Bardwell, was born in Conway, March 12, 1805.
His parents were married June 19, 1828, and had five
children, -Baxter E., Daniel R., Zenas D., John K., and
Mary N. His mother died Feb. 24, 1844. Ebenezer
Bardwell, his father, married, for his second wife, Mrs.
Mercy Hammond.
The subject of this biography
received his education in the common schools, and at the
age of eighteen began to teach school. He followed this
occupation during the winter, and the remainder of the
year worked upon his father's farm. This he
continued five years, and after his father's death, Jan.
16, 1873, he purchased the estate by paying off the
other heirs. He is engaged in farming and stock-raising;
and has been moderately
successful.
In politics he is a
Republican, but has never been an aspirant for office.
He has been assessor for two years, and is a member of
the Agricultural Societies of Franklin County and
Deerfield Valley.
Mr. Bardwell has been connected with the
Congregational Church since 1858, and now holds the
office of deacon. He is an earnest laborer in the
Sunday-school, in which he has been a teacher for more
than twenty years. He is ever ready to promote the
interests of his town so far as lies in his power, be
they religious, charitable, or educational.
He was married, June 1, 1854,
to Sarah Ann Newhall, who was born in Shelburne, March
23, 1832.
They have three children,-Mary A., wife of
F. A.
Alvord, of Greenfield, born Oct. 18, 1856; Addie C, born
June 10, 1862; and Ormand N., born July 23, 1864.
ORSAMUS O. BARDWELL was born
in Shelburne, Franklin Co., Mass., on the 29th of March,
1812. His birthplace was on the farm which he now owns,
and which was originally the estate of Gideon Bardwell,
his grandfather, who settled in Shelburne at an early
date. His father, Joel Bardwell, was born in Shelburne
on the 8th of August, 1780. He married Lydia, daughter
of Lieut. Jabez Newhall, by whom he had seven children,
viz.: Betsey L., born April 2, 1810, and married Winslow
Clark on the 3d of June, 1830; Orsamus O., subject of
this sketch ; Millicent, born Dec. 12, 1814, and married
Alvah Hawks in November, 1838 (both are deceased); Lydia
L., born July 17, 1817, who married Ira W. Barnard, June
1, 1840; Joel L., born Oct. 27, 1819, and Joel L., born
July 14, 1822, both of whom died in infancy; and Keziah
F., born March 20, 1824, and married Elijah Page on the
5th of November, 1849.
Orsamus O. received his
education in the common schools of his native town,
which he attended during a part of each year until he
was seventeen years of age. When quite young he worked
upon his father's farm, and continued to do so until he
reached his majority. When twenty-four years of age he
commenced farming upon his own account, and in that year
(on the 2d of June, 1836) he married Tirzah Ann Jones.
She was born on the 11th of July, 1815, and died on the
8th of June, 1845. By this union he had one child, Ellen
Maria, born on the 23d of December, 1839, and died on
the 27th of September, 1851. After his father's decease,
which occurred in March, 1849, Mr. Bardwell purchased
the paternal estate by paying off the co-heirs. he has
devoted himself to the improvement and cultivation of
his farm, which he has considerably enlarged, and has
also entered largely into local improvements. The ferry
across the Deerfield River near his residence, and known
as " Bardwell's Ferry," was first in charge of his
grandfather, subsequently of his father, and in due time
descended to him. he was the first to project, and
afterward was mainly instrumental in procuring, the
bridge across the river near this point, and the
railroad station and post office, also known as
Bardwell's. The position of postmaster, which was
offered him, was declined on account of the multiplicity
of his other duties.
In politics Mr. Bardwell is a
Republican, but has never been a seeker of office. He
has held various local positions of trust, having been a
member of the board of selectmen five terms, and for a
number of years a justice of the peace and assessor. He
has been a member of the Baptist Church nearly twenty
years, and is known as a man of strict integrity of
character. He married for his second wife, on the 1st of
February, 1848, Helen L., daughter of Rev. Daniel
Packer. By
this union he had a family of six children,-Orsamus J.,
born Nov. 3, 1848, and died Sept. 22, 1851; Daniel P.,
born Feb. 20, 1851; Arthur J., born July 7, 1853 ; Lucy
S., born March 6, 1857; Havelock O., born Feb. 17, 1850;
and Evelyn H., born July 19, 1861.
Mrs. Helen P. Bardwell was
born on the l6th of August, 1823, and died March 10,
1875. She was universally beloved, and is deeply mourned
by her family arid a large circle of friends.
OSCAR BARDWELL is a native of
the State of New York, and is the fourth child of Wm. E.
and Melinda Waite Bardwell.
Wm. E. Bardwell was born in
Shelburne, Franklin Co., Mass., Sept. 16, 1791. He was a
farmer by occupation, and as a man was highly
esteemed.
He was married to Melinda Waite, of Gilmington,
N. H., in 1813. She was born in August, 1791. They were
blessed with a family of eight children.
Oscar Bardwell was born in
Ontario County, N. Y., June 3, 1821. Although not a
native of Shelburne he has been a resident of that town
during the greater part of his life, and was educated in
the common schools and the Academy of Shelburne Falls.
He resides upon the farm formerly owned by his father,
and is one of the most successful, thorough, and
enterprising farmers of that section.
He is a member of the
Congregational Church of Shelburne, and an earnest
supporter of the cause of religion, and particularly
interested in the Sunday-school connected with the
church, of which he has been superintendent three years.
In politics Mr. Bardwell is a Republican, and takes an
intelligent interest in all the questions of the day,
but has never been an office-seeker.
He married his first wife,
Hannah Peck, daughter of Peter Peck, of Shelburne, June
10, 1852. He married his present wife, Amanda Whiting
Kellogg, relict of Captain Henry Kellogg, of Illinois,
on the 10th of November, 1874. By this union he has one
child, Ethel Hannah, born April 15, 1877.
JOSEPH FREELAND BARTLETT was
born in Ware, Mass., July 25,1843, the sixth child of
Marshall J.
and Abigail J. Bartlett. Saul Bartlett, his
great-grandfather, moved from Rhode Island and settled
in Enfield, Mass., where Gideon P. Bartlett, his
grand-father, was born. His father was also born there.
His father,
after marriage, settled in Ware, where he followed the
trade of a harness-maker. he died, while on a visit at
Amherst, Oct. 10, 1870. His mother was a
daughter of Isaiah Warren, a descendant of Gen. Joseph
Warren. She died at the residence of her daughter, Mrs.
Charles Aldrich, in Greenfield, Sept. 10, 1876. For
eight years previous to their death his parents made
their home with their son, J. F. Bartlett, at Turner's
Falls. Mr.
Bartlett received his education in the common schools of
Belchertown and Wilbrahams.
At the age of seventeen he
enlisted as private in the 10th Massachusetts Infantry,
and served for three years as private and
non-commissioned officer in that regiment. He then
received the commission of second lieutenant, and was
transferred to the 37th Massachusetts, with which he
remained until June, 1865, when he was transferred to
the 20th Massachusetts, a regiment made up of what was
left of the old 20th and remnants of other regiments,
with the purpose of engaging in service on the plains.
At this time he received the commission of first
lieutenant. He was in McClellan's Peninsular campaign,
in the battles of Antietam, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg,
tlie Wilderness, and in many engagements in Gen. Grant's
march upon Richmond. He was also with Gen. Sheridan in
his campaign of the Shenandoah Valley. He received a
number of slight wounds, and was wounded severely at the
battle of the Wilderness, having his thigh-bone
shattered. He was mustered out at Washington, Aug. 28,
1865.
For four years after leaving
the army he was superintendent of the plating department
of Hayden, Geer & Co's Brass-Factory, at
Haydenville, Mass.
In 1878 he moved to Turner's Falls, and opened a
trade in glass, paints, and wall paper, in which
business he is still engaged.
Mr. Bartlett has taken an
active interest in all matters looking to the prosperity
and growth of Turner's Falls. For four years past he has
served as selectman, overseer of the poor, and assessor
of the town of Montague. He was elected a member of the
General Court in 1878, and served on the committee of
military affairs. He is vice-president, and member of
the finance committee, of the Crocker Institution for
Savings.
Mr. Bartlett is emphatically
a self-made man, and in the conduct of his own and the
public business has shown rare tact and good
judgment.
He was married, June 8, 1868, to Orinda Aldrich,
daughter of Nathaniel and Nancy Aldrich, of Belchertown,
Mass. Mrs. Bartlett was born there, Oct. 1, 1843. They have
one child,-Ida.
EZEKIEL
L. BASCOM,
This gentleman traces his ancestry hack eight
generations, as follows:
1st.
Thomas Bascom, who emigrated to this country about the
year 1634, and finally settled in Northampton, Mass.,
where he died May 9, 1682.
2d.
Thomas Bascom, Jr., his only son, who died at
Northampton, Sept. 11, 1689.
3d.
Thomas Bascom, his eldest son; died at Northampton, Feb.
3, 1714.
4th.
Ezekiel Bascom, fourth son of the preceding; died at
Greenfield or Deerfield, in 1746.
5th,
Moses Bascom, eldest son of Ezekiel, for many years a
deacon in the church at Greenfield ; died Sept 19, 1805,
6th.
Moses Bascom, his eldest son, the first of the family
who settled in the town of Gill, and who died there,
March 8, 1814.
7th.
Doras Bascom, born in Greenfield, Sept. 15, 1784; died
June 27, 1870.
8th.
Ezekiel L. Bascom.
Dorus
Bascom was a life-long farmer, and one of the most
prominent and influential citizens of Gill. His children
were Asher Newton, Born April 12, 1808, died Aug.
12,1810; Cyrus Spellman, born Oct. 15, 1810, a
farmer, living in Gill; Jane Wells, born July 21, 1813,
wife of Peleg Adams, of Greenfield, Moses Dwight, born
May, 1817, died Oct, 9, 1827.
Ezekiel
L. Bascom was born in the town of Gill, Franklin Co.,
April 16, 1820, and followed the business of
stone-cutting and farming, He owned and occupied a farm
near Gill Centre for about eleven years, and in 1864,
disposing of it, settled upon what is known as the
homestead farm. He served as one of the selectmen of the
town of Gill for a number of years, and held the
position at the time of his death. In politics he was a
Democrat.
In his religious belief he was a
Universalist.
Mr.
Bascom was married in Boston, April 23, 1850, to Theresa
L. Ballard, daughter of Amaziah and Martha Ballard, who
were residents of Gill. Mrs. Bascom was
the eighth child in a family of eleven daughters. Mr.
and Mrs. Bascom had children as follows: Lizzie M., born
May 1, 1851, wife of Almond D. Hale, a farmer of
Bernardston; two children, viz., Irwin Bascom and
Theresa M.
Frank Newton, born Oct. 21, 1856, who has carried
on the homestead farm since the death of his
father. Mr.
Bascom came to his death, Oct. 22, 1876, by being thrown
from his carriage. His loss was deeply felt by the
entire community in which he lived.
CARLOS BATCHELDER Kimball
Batchelder, father of the subject of this notice, was
born in Francestown, N. H., on the 8th of August, 1796.
He removed to Conway, Mass., in March, 1825, and settled
on the Farnum place. His occupation was that of a
farmer, and he held various local offices. He was
married, Nov. 9, 1825, to Armenia, daughter of George
Stearns, of Conway, who was born May 4, 1803. They had a
family of four daughters and one son, as follows: Mary,
wife of Geo. A. Waite, of Amherst; Carlos and Caroline,
twins; Fanny A. (deceased); and Roxie, wife of Caleb E.
Forbes, of Buckland.
Carlos Batchelder was born in
Conway, Jan.
16, 1829. He received a good education, which he
finished technically speaking, at the age of
nineteen.
When twenty-two years old he united with his
father in managing the farm, in which partner-ship he
remained until his father's decease.
In politics he is a
Republican, and takes an active interest not only in
local, but also in the general political movements of
the State and nation. In 1860 he was
elected to the Legislature, and by his ability won
credit for himself and for those whom he represented. He
was selectman from 1861 to 1870. and for thirty-five
years has been a member and trustee of the Agricultural
Society. He was also one of the commissioners appointed
by the Legislature to superintend the building of
Turner's Falls bridge. In 1874 he was elected to the
office of county commissioner, and still serves in that
capacity. He has, besides, held the office of notary one
year, and has been a director of the Conway National
Bank for two years.
Mr. Batchelder is a deacon in
the Congregational Church of Conway, of which he has
been a member for thirty-three
years.
He is a man of great business
enterprise, and has been uniformly successful in his
undertakings.
He was married, May 28, 1851,
to Minerva A.
Forbes, who was born in Buckland, Franklin Co.,
Mass., Aug. 25, 1830. They have had four children, only
two of whom survive,-Wm. K., born Oct. 1, 1854, who is
married and lives on the old homestead, and Frederick C,
born Aug. 15,1861.
Those deceased are Minnie E., born Dec. 29, 1873,
and Carrie, born Jan. 11, 1875.
IMLA K. BROWN was born in
Guilford, Vt., May 4, 1815. Isaac Brown, his
grandfather, removed to Guilford from Dover, about the
year 1803, His father, whose name was also Isaac, was
born in Dover, Vt., March 1, 1793, and was ten years old
when he went to Guilford, where he spent the remainder
of his life. He was a farmer, and as a man was widely
known and respected. He was ever active in promoting the
public and social interests of the community in which he
lived, he was a member of the Episcopal Church, and in
the town held various public offices, serving as
selectman thirty successive terms. he also held, in
1813, a commission as captain in an independent company
of militia in Guilford, he married Delinda Keep, who was
born in Groton, Mass., in August, 1790. They had a
family of seven children, viz.: Imla K., Hannah D., Mary
M., Isaac E. (deceased), Abigail A. (deceased) George R.
(deceased), and Alfred S., who resides on the old
homestead in Vermont.
Imla K. like most farmers'
lads, and particularly elder sons, was required at an
early age to assist in the farm labor. He, however,
attended the district schools a portion of each year
until he was nineteen years of age. Subsequently he
attended the academies of Brattleboro and Townsend, and
during the winters of 1837 and 1838 he taught school in
Bernardston, Franklin Co., Mass. While there he was
married, March 27, 1838, to Emma Eunice, daughter of
Captain Jonathan and Aseneth Connable, who was born in
Bernardston, July 2, 1814. To them were born three
children,-two daughters and one son,-all of whom are
living.
They are Laura K., born Jan. 16, 1841 ; Emma W.,
born April 2, 1846; and Abbott E., born April 23, 1849.
Immediately after his marriage Mr. Brown removed to
Bernardston, and located on the place where he now
resides, and which at that time was owned by Mr. Connable, his
father-in-law. He afterward purchased the property,
which he has considerably improved. He has devoted his
attention to farming, and has been uniformly
successful.
In politics he is a
Republican, but not a partisan or office-seeker, his aim
being rather to promote the best interests of the
community without reference to party or creed, and the
offices he has held are such only as contribute to the
general welfare of the town in which he lives. He has
been a trustee of the Powers' Institute since its
establishment, and is a trustee of the Cushman Library,
of which he has also been president since the decease of
Mr. Cushman in 1860, and is, besides, agent for the town
of Bernardston in the Cushman estate. Mr. Brown is a
member of the New England and the Franklin County
Agricultural Societies, and for two years has been
president of the latter. He has also for
three years represented the county in the State Board of
Agriculture at Boston. He has
been a member of the board of selectmen a number of
terms, and in the various positions to which he has been
called he has won, by the fidelity with which he has
discharged the duties of each, the confidence and
respect of the people. His first wife
died June 4, 1872. He married for his second wife, Nov.
17, 1874, Hallie C, youngest daughter of Capt. Hart and
Clarissa Larrabee, who was born in Greenfield, March 26,
1838.
The information on Trails to the Past
copyright (s) 2011-Present Date may be used in personal
family history research, with source citation. The pages
in entirety may not be duplicated for publication in any
fashion without the permission of the owner. Commercial
use of any material on this site is not permitted.
Please respect the wishes of those who have contributed
their time and efforts to make this free site
possible.~Thank you!
|
