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ASAHEL GATES, a well-to-do farmer of
Pelham, was born in that town,
August 24, 1827, son of Levi and Anna (Houston)
Gates. Mr. Gates's
grandfather, Reuben Gates, was a prosperous farmer
of Stowe, Mass. He moved to
Wendell, where he died.
Levi Gates, father of Mr.Gates, was
born in Stowe, February 19, 1797. He was reared to
agriculture; and in 1827 he moved to Pelham, where he
settled upon a farm situated in the vicinity of his
son's present residence. He was an
industrious farmer, and became a prominent man in the
town. He was a Whig in
politics, and served as a Selectman and in other town
offices. He was highly
esteemed by the community, and attended
the Congregational church. Levi
Gates died in Pelham, September 12, 1851.
His wife, who was born in Pelham, March 1, 1799,
became the mother of five children, as follows:
Margaret, who died at the age of eighteen; Wealthy, a
resident of Easthampton; Asahel, the subject of this
sketch; Lansford, who has been janitor of Amherst
College for twenty-five years; and Sarah A.
The mother died March 21, 1847.
Asahel Gates was educated in the
public schools of his native town, and resided with his
parents until he reached the age of twenty-one. He then
engaged in farming upon shares, being thus employed for
five years in Amherst and two years in Chicopee. In 1859
he bought the farm where he now resides, and which
originally consisted of one hundred acres. He has since
enlarged it by adding a valuable wood lot. He carries on
general farming, and deals in stock to some extent.
Being a hard worker, he has earned the success
which has rewarded him.
Mr. Gates has been twice married.
On February 24, 1852, he wedded for his first wife Laura
A. Barrows. She was born in the house where Mr. Gates
now resides, April 8, 1827, daughter of Joseph and
Patience Barrows, the former of whom was a prosperous
farmer of Pelham, and died in 1863. His wife, who died
in 1859, was the mother of five children, all of whom
are deceased. By this union Mr. Gates has one son,
George L., who was born in Pelham, January 8, 1856, and
is a box manufacturer of Leverett. Mr. Gates's first
wife died November 3, 1888; and on December 13, 1893, he
married for his second wife Mrs. Roselend B. Ober,
formerly Miss Cook, widow of Asa Ober and daughter of
Nathaniel and Bethiah (Ward) Cook. Mrs.
Gates's ancestors came from Rhode Island; and her
grandfather, Eseck Cook, was an early settler and a
prosperous farmer of Pelham.
He was a strict Quaker and an upright man in all
of his dealings. He died at the age of eighty-two; and
his wife, Thankful Cook, died aged seventy-two years.
Nathaniel Cook, Mrs. Gates's father, was born in Pelham,
and followed agriculture during his entire life. He was
deeply interested in the welfare of the town, was a
prominent man in his day, and was a Democrat in
politics. Nathaniel Cook died
in Pelham, aged seventy-six. His wife, who was a native
of Belchertown, died in Pelham, aged sixty years. She
was the mother of twelve children, namely: Sarah,
deceased, who married George Gardner; Horace W.; Henry
N., a farmer of Pelham; Roselend B.; Theodore F., of
Pelham; Smith M., of Pelham; Fenner D., a mechanic of
Florence; Delphia, who married Abner Peck, and resides
at the Cook homestead in Pelham; Elisha W., a dentist of
Cambridge, Mass.; Hattie E., widow of S. C. Neal,
residing in Amherst; Mary, who married Fred Staples, and
resides in North Attleboro, Mass.; and Elmira, who lives
in Belchertown, and is the widow of Theodore Gould.
Mr. Gates is a Republican in politics, and has
served with ability in positions of responsibility and
trust. He has been a member of the Board of Selectmen
for several years, has filled the offices of Assessor,
Overseer of the Poor, and member of School Committee,
and in 1874 represented his district in the
legislature. He attends the
Congregational church.
FRANK H. N. GATES, overseer in the
knitting department of the Otis Mill at Ware, Mass., was
born where he now resides on July 26, 1858, son of
Daniel and Sarah (Bullen) Gates, the former of whom was
born in Barnard, Vt., in 1828.
Foster S. Gates, a descendant of an old New
England family, and the grandfather of the subject of
this biography, was also a native of Barnard, Vt., where
his birth occurred in 1800.
He followed the calling of an agriculturist, in
which he met with a fair degree of success.
He married Miss Betsey McCormack, who was of
Scottish ancestry; and they reared a family of two sons
and three daughters, but all have since passed away. He
died in 1884, twelve years after his wife's death, which
occurred when she was seventy-six years of age.
Daniel Gates, whose early years
were spent on his father's farm in Barnard, Vt., removed
in early manhood to Ware, Mass., where he secured
employment in the Otis Mills. He rose rapidly to the
position of overseer of the finishing department of the
cloth mill; and, shortly after the hosiery department
was started, he was made overseer in the knitting-room,
and was employed there for twenty-three years, making in
all forty-six years with the Otis Company. He was a
member of the Masonic Council, and a communicant of the
Methodist Episcopal church.
His connection with the latter lasted many years,
and during a portion of that time he held the offices of
Steward and Trustee. He died in 1889, sixty-one years of
age. His wife, who was born in Waldo, Me., is a daughter
of Samuel and Margaret (West) Bullen, both of whom were
natives of Maine, his birth occurring in Farmington and
hers in Belfast. They reared two sons and
three daughters. Two are now living; namely, Mrs. Gates
and her sister, Mrs. Margaret G. Marsh, residing in
Maiden, Mass. Mrs. Gates bore her
husband five children, as follows: a daughter Bessie,
who died in infancy; Ida Belle, who lived to be
seventeen years of age; Foster S. Gates, an engineer on
the Connecticut River Railroad, who is married and has
one son; Edith L., the wife of A. D.
Talbert, of Boston; and Frank H. N. Gates.
Frank H. N. Gates received a good
common-school education. When sixteen years of age he
left the high school and went into the mill. with his
father. He afterward succeeded his father as overseer in
the knitting department, a position that has been held
by father and son for nearly the entire time since the
hosiery business started.
He was married when twenty-two
years of age, on May 22, 1880, to Miss Grace Esther
Lamson, a daughter of Irving T. and Augusta (Kinney)
Lamson, both of whom were born in Randolph, Vt. Her
mother died in 1874, leaving four sons and four
daughters, all of whom are still living, except a son
that died in infancy. Her father, who is a
successful agriculturist, is living with his second wife
in West Randolph, Vt.
Mr. Gates and his wife are
attendants at the Episcopal church. He is a member of
Eden Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Ware; King Solomon
Chapter of Royal Arch Masons; Warren and Northampton
Commandery, Northampton, Mass. ; Ware Lodge of
Independent Order of Odd Fellows; and Ware Rod and Gun
Club. They reside at 34
Park Street, which has been his home since his
birth.
FLAVEL GAYLORD, a well-to-do
farmer of Amherst, Mass., a man of ability and
integrity, prominent in public affairs, was born at
Windsor Locks, Conn., April 27, 1827, son of Eleazer and
Hannah (Haskell) Gaylord.
His first ancestor in this country,
whose name was William Gaylord, came from England to
America in 1630. He had a grant of land in Dorchester,
Mass., in 1633, and there held the office of Selectman;
but in 1638 he removed to Windsor, Conn., where he died
in 1673, aged eighty-eight. He is said to have served as
a member of the General Court during forty-one
semi-annual sessions. He was a landed proprietor, and
was a Deacon of the church at Windsor. He had four sons
and one daughter, his eldest son also bearing the name
of William. In the second volume of Stiles's History and
Genealogies of Ancient Windsor," it is stated that
Nathaniel Gaylord, son of the second William, took his
portion of his father's estate at Pine Meadow, now Windsor
Locks, of which he was the second settler. Nathaniel's
son Nathaniel was the father of Eliakim, who was born in
1717, and married Elizabeth Hayden.
Flavel Gaylord's grandfather, Eleazer Gaylord,
born in 1753, son of Eliakim, was a life-long resident
of Windsor Locks, where he was engaged in farming; but
his son and namesake, who was born there October 11,
1785, moved to Amherst in 1827.
He settled on the farm where his
son Flavel now lives, and was an industrious and
successful farmer and a prominent man in the town.
In politics a stanch Whig, he was also an
abolitionist. Eleazer Gaylord, the younger, served as
Selectman of Amherst for some time.
In the Congregational church he was Deacon nearly
thirty-five years, and a zealous worker for the good of
the parish. His death occurred in August, 1865, while he
was on a visit in New Haven. His wife, Hannah Haskell,
was born in Connecticut, November 4, 1787, and became
Mrs. Gaylord in February, 1819. She died October 7,
1830, leaving five children, Flavel, the youngest, being
then only in his fourth year. The eldest, Martha, born
March 14, 1821, is the wife of the Rev. Nelson Scott,
residing in Amherst. Frances Gaylord, born March 18,
1822, married George Cutler; and they also reside
in Amherst. Eleazer
Gaylord, born November 22, 1823, is a farmer in Melrose,
Wis. Ebenezer, born September 18, 1825, is a retired
grocer in New Haven, Conn.
Flavel Gaylord was educated in the
schools of Amherst, finishing his studies at the
academy. He owns and occupies the old Gaylord place and
gives his attention to general farming and dairying. His
farm, which comprised one hundred and ten acres when his
father took possession of it, he has enlarged and
improved, making it one of the finest in the
vicinity. The fine old house is
one of the landmarks of Amherst. It is solidly built and
of generous proportions, the clapboards being all
hand-made, the nails forged by hand; and there is a
fireplace in almost every room. Mr. Gaylord is quite an
extensive real estate owner, being the landlord of
several residences in the village.
On June 7, 1855, he was united in
marriage with Fidelia
S., daughter
of Dennis and
Amelia (Turner)
Howe. Mrs.
Gaylord was born in North Brookfield, Mass., August 17,
1828. Dennis Howe was
a miller. He was
born in Spencer, and died in that town at the age of
sixty-nine. His
widow, Mrs. Amelia T. Howe, who is now ninety-five years
of age and is living with her daughter, Mrs. Gaylord, is
a native of Pelham. Mr. and
Mrs. Gaylord have one son, Walter F., who works in the
paper-mills in Holyoke. Flavel
Gaylord votes the Republican ticket, and is prominent in
town affairs. He has
been County Commissioner twelve years continuously, has
served as Selectman three years, as Assessor for some
time, and has held other offices. He and
his wife are members of the Congregational church.
Mr. Gaylord is the oldest resident in the part of
the town where he lives.
WILLIAM H. GAYLORD, a retired
manufacturer and much esteemed citizen of South Hadley,
was born in that town, April 9, 1821, son of Moses and
Jerusha (Smith) Gaylord. Mr. Gaylord's father was also a
native of South Hadley, and followed agriculture
throughout his life. He became prominent in public
affairs, held various town offices, and was highly
respected. He died December 24,
1824. His wife bore him seven children, as follows:
Lorenzo, John, Philotas, and Moses, Jr., all deceased;
Roxana, who resides in South Hadley Falls; Simeon, who
is also deceased; and William H., the subject of this
sketch. The mother died May 14, 1858.
William H. Gaylord received his
education in the district schools. At the age of twenty
years he became an employee of the sash and door
factory, now conducted by Howard, Gaylord & Burnett.
He continued steadily in that employment until his
circumstances enabled him to purchase an interest in the
business. His connection with the firm, both as employee
and partner, had lasted forty years, when he retired
from active participation in its affairs. He, however,
retained a fifth interest in the concern. He is also
financially interested in several other business
ventures, and is at present successfully conducting a
farm. Mr. Gaylord takes a deep interest in the welfare
of his town, and has been closely connected with many of
the most important improvements therein. He has lately
ordered a costly and handsome monument in stone to the
memory of soldiers who fought in the late war, to be
erected in the park, on a site opposite the church.
Mr. Gaylord was formerly
a Whig in politics, but joined the Republican party,
which he now supports; and. though frequently called
upon to accept office, he has always declined.
On September 8, 1858, Mr. Gaylord
was united in marriage to Miss Betsey Stone, of Madison
County, New York, where she was born, December 25, 1832,
daughter of Samuel and Lucy (Howard) Stone. The father
was a native of Connecticut, and the mother of
Massachusetts. Both are now deceased.
Mr. and Mrs. Gaylord had one son, Burton Wright,
who died March 26, 1880. They are members of the
Congregational church, and take an active interest in
church work. Mr. Gaylord has presented
the society with a fine organ, in memory of his
son.
AUSTIN GEER, who is
successfully engaged in general farming and dairying ,
in the town of Worthington, was within the borders of
that town on October 18, 1821, being a son of
Luther and Joanna Geer, the former of whom was a
native of Peru, Mass., and the latter of Chesterfield,
Mass.
Luther Geer followed the different
occupations of carpenter, farmer, and shoemaker, the
last named only to a limited extent. In 1810
he settled in Worthington, purchasing about one hundred
acres of land, but little of which had been cleared and
brought into a state of cultivation. Later on
he added to it by the purchase of forty acres. The last years
of his life were spent on his farm, where he died in
April, 1854. His
wife's death occurred over twenty years previously,
in January, 1832, leaving nine children: Roxana,
Sherman, Warren L., Rosilla J., Lucy, Austin, Dolly Ann,
Clarinda, and Maria D. Of these
but two, Austin
and Rosilla,
are now living. Their
father subsequently married Miss Lydia Bisbee, of
Chesterfield, Mass., the ceremony being performed on May
30, 1832. Marietta Geer, the only child born of the
latter union, died when but twenty years of age. In
politics Mr. Geer was a Whig.
Austin Geer continued to live with
his parents for a year after he attained his
majority. He then for two years
followed the business of a peddler with good success,
but was taken sick with a fever, which laid him up for
about a year. When
again able to work he accepted a position in a store in
Pittsfield, where he remained for eight months. He next
engaged in agriculture, and, being possessed of good
business ability and prudence, his enterprises have
prospered so that he is now the owner of over five
hundred acres of land. He
carries on general farming, raises a good quantity of
such standard New England products as corn, oats, and potatoes, and also
engages moderately in dairying.
On October 9, 1849, Mr Geer was
joined in marriage with Miss Lucy Ann Osgood, whose
birth occurred in New Lebanon,
N.Y., December
27, 1823. Her
parents, Safford and Olive (Abby) Osgood, were
respectively natives of New Hampshire and New York.
They came to
Massachusetts in 1830, first settling in Peru, and later
on removing to Worthington. Her
father was a mason by trade, and also followed
agriculture with success. He spent
the last years of his life in Worthington, where he died
February 1, 1890. His wife
died many years previously, on February 22,
1864. Both are
buried in Worthington. Mr. and
Mrs. Geer's union has been blessed by four children, as
follows: Ann Jane, born August 13, 1850, living at home
Millard Henry, born April 4, 1852, who died March 24,
1854; Charles Preston, born August 3,
1856; and Addie F., born November 5, 1861, who
died May 27, 1865.
Charles Preston Geer, who has made
his home with his parents, is, like his father, a
successful farmer; and in connection with that avocation
he devotes some time to that of peddler. On
September 15, 1892,
he was married to Miss Lemira
Edith Pelton, who was born in Springfield, Mass., July
10, 1864. She is a
daughter of
John Winfield
and Lemira Phebe
(Kingsley) Pelton. The
father was born June 23, 1821 ; and the mother's birth
occurred in Plainfield, Mass., May 29, 1829. Mr.
Pelton was a carpenter and builder throughout his
life. He died
April 3, 1866, and is buried in Springfield, Mass. He
was the father of
the following children: George F. ; Francis G. ; Louis D. ; Franklin
E. ; Charles S. ;
John W., Jr.; Lemira Edith;
and Martha I.
Lemira Edith
and John W.,
Jr., are the only
survivors. The
latter, who
is a traveling salesman for a Boston firm, was
married October 23, 1886, to Miss Lizzie Jones Bartlett,
of Hartford, Conn., and has two children : Alice Frances
and George Bartlett.
Mrs. Pelton lives with her daughter.
Mr. Geer is a
Republican in politics, and has always been an ardent
advocate of the principles of his party. During the past
twenty years he has rendered faithful and efficient
service as Highway Surveyor. He served acceptably as
Selectman in 1891, and has also acted as Overseer of the
Poor.
HENRY S. GERE, proprietor and
publisher of the Hampshire Gazette, a prominent citizen
of Northampton a man of wide spread influence, was born
Williamsburg, Mass., April 30, 1828, son of Edward and
Arabella (Williams) Gere. His paternal
grandfather, Isaac Gere, whose parents were Nathan and
Jerusha Gere, was born in Preston, Conn., December 6,
1771, and died in Northampton, Mass., September 24,
1812. He was a jeweler by trade, and in 1800 he erected
directly opposite the Old Church the first brick store
built in Northampton. He was first married on March 1,
1798, to Jemima, daughter of Enos and Abigail Kingsley,
of Northampton, and by this union had three children, as
follows: Edward, who was born at Northampton, Mass.,
December 19, 1798; Lucy, born September 11, 1800, died
in infancy; Isaac, Jr., who was born February 3, 1803,
and died in Oxford, Ohio, in 1851, whither he had gone
in 1838. Isaac Gere, Jr., was
a man well known in Williamsburg, Mass., where he was
engaged as a merchant and woolen manufacturer, and
served as Selectman and member of the legislature. He left
two sons and daughters. For his second wife Isaac Gere,
Sr., married Lucy Ware, by whom he had two sons,
Frederick and William, and one daughter, Lucy, who
married Dr. Brown, and died in Ohio at an advanced
age.
Edward Gere, father of Henry S.,
was a graduate of Yale College, but on account of
impaired health gave up his contemplated professional
career and settled on his farm in the northerly part of
Williamsburg. He took an active interest in public
affairs, and at the time of his death held the office of
Selectman. He was a prominent
member of the Methodist church and one of the most
respected citizens of the town. He was married on
October 14, 1824, to Arabella Williams, daughter of
Gross Williams, of Williamsburg, Mass. She was born
January 6, 1805, and died at Williamsburg, March 5,
1893. Their three children were: Edward W., born April
8, 1826, who died in Leamington, England, on the day of
his mother's death here; Henry S., of Northampton; and
Collins, born November 25, 1830, who died at
Southampton, April 22, 1882. Edward \V. and Collins were
manufacturers of brass goods, of the firm of Hayden,
Gere & Co., having their headquarters in New York
City and their factory at Haydenville in Hampshire
County, Massachusetts. Edward Gere, the
father, died September 24, 1832, in Williamsburg, where
both he and his wife are buried.
Henry S. Gere acquired a good
practical education in the public schools of
Williamsburg and at Wilbraham Academy and Williston
Seminary. His business career began at the age of
seventeen, when on March 5, 1845, he became the
printer's "devil " in the office of the Hampshire Herald
in Northampton. This was the first
abolition paper in Western Massachusetts, and had but
recently been started. In 1847
young Gere rose to the position of editor. About a year
later the Hampshire Herald was merged into the
Northampton Courier, previously a Whig organ; and it was
published by Mr. Gere, who had now become its owner, as
a Free Soil paper for nearly ten years. In November,
1858, the Courier and the Gazette were united under the
name of the Hampshire Gazette, which became the leading
Republican paper of the county. Since that time the
paper has been published on Gothic Street, in the
building purchased by the owners of the Gazette over
thirty years ago. The Gazette is now in its one hundred
and tenth year. In 1862 Mr. Gere
enlisted in the Fifty-second Massachusetts Infantry,
Company C, as a private, and was in the Banks expedition
to Louisiana. While in rendezvous at Baton Rouge,
previous to the attack of Port Hudson, he was appointed
Postmaster by General Grover, and held that office until
the expiration of his term of service. Soon after the
regiment returned, its members formed an association, of
which Mr. Gere was chosen secretary and treasurer, which
position he still holds.
He was married August 22, 1849, to
Martha, daughter of Simeon P. and Dorcas (Clapp) Clark,
of Easthampton. They buried one child, Frederick, at the
age of six years. Their living children are: George S.,
a printer; Collins H. and Edward C, both associate
editors and partners with their father; Mary E., a
graduate of Smith College, and at the present time a
teacher in the Western Female College in Oxford, Ohio;
William H., a reporter on the Hampshire Gazette; and
Martha F., a young lady residing at home.
In politics Mr. Gere is an
unswerving Republican and an ardent advocate of the
principles of his party. In November, 1858, he was
chosen Treasurer of the County of Hampshire, in which
capacity he served from January 1, 1859, to January 1,
1877, a period of eighteen years. He served as chairman
of the Republican County Committee twenty-five years,
for six years was on the general School Committee, is
one of the Trustees of the Northampton Institution for
Savings, and has held various other positions of trust
and responsibility. In 1890 the honorary degree of
Master of Arts was conferred upon him by Amherst
College. He and his family
reside at 75 High Street, where in 1888 he erected his
fine residence. The location is
picturesque and commands a splendid view of the fair
landscape stretching over the beautiful meadows to
Mounts Holyoke and Tom in the distance.
ARTHUR W GIBBS of
Huntington, Mass., was born in Blandford, Mass., March
2, 1862, son and only child of John H. and Jane M.
(Hubbard) Gibbs. He is a descendant of
William Gibbs, a native of England, from the town of
Lenharn, Yorkshire County.
About the year 1650 William Gibbs
received from the king of England for signal service a
grant of land, one mile square, in the centre of the
town. He had three sons, of whom the eldest remained at
home, and inherited his father's property. The two
younger sons learned the ship carpenter's trade; and,
when they became of age, their elder brother gave them
money, and they came to Boston. One of them settled on
the Cape, the other in Newport, R.I. The one who settled
on the Cape (first name not known) had three children:
Isaac, Israel, and Sarah. Israel married Mary Hamilton,
a lady of Irish descent; and because of this marriage he
was disowned by his brother and sister.
This induced Israel to join a Scotch-Irish
company who were on the eve of starting to settle this
region, then a wilderness. These hardy adventurers
reached the centre of Glasgow (now Blandford) in the
latter part of April, 1735. On the day of their arrival
a heavy snow storm set in, and continued three days,
leaving snow on the ground to the depth of three or four
feet. However,
the snow soon began to thaw; and they were enabled to
prosecute their pilgrimage. The first cart that entered
the town was owned by Israel Gibbs, whose son Israel,
Jr., was the first male child born in Blandford. Israel
was the father of nine children, of whom Elijah was the
oldest. They both served in the Revolutionary War, and
were with General Gates at the surrender of General
Burgoyne. Elijah had eleven children, of whom Bradner,
Mr. Gibbs's grandfather,
was the youngest. His mother in her maidenhood was
Fannie Morton, born November 15, 1769, daughter of John
Morton, who was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. Mr. Morton
was pastor of the Presbyterian church (now
Congregational) in Blandford from 1749 to 1772.
Elijah Gibbs, born May 14, 1761, died November 7,
1840; and Fannie Morton Gibbs died March 31, 1838. They
accumulated a very large property for those days.
Although their education was imperfect,
their sound judgment and natural
good sense won for them a prominent position in
society. A short time before the death of the husband
and father he called upon a magistrate, and wished to
add the following codicil to his will, having heard that
some of his children were determined to break it after
his decease:
"Whereas many estates have been
spent in law by children while endeavoring to obtain
more of their father's property than he designed to give
them, and whereas my children may be as likely as others
to do the same, therefore, if any of my children shall
attempt to break this, my last will and testament, after
it shall have been read to them, it is my will and
design that that child or those children who shall
attempt to break this, my last will and testament, shall
have no part of my property, and that the same shall be
equally divided among my other children who shall be
satisfied with their father's bounty." It is ;
needless to say that it had the desired effect.
Bradner, the youngest son of Elijah, was born
December I, 1814, and died August 19, 1888. He was
married in Sandisfield, Mass., November 30, 1837, to
Sarah C. Deming, who was born November 26, 1815, and
died December 10, 1890. They had seven children, of whom
John H. Gibbs, the eldest, is the father of Arthur W.,
the subject of this sketch.
He (John) was born in Blandford, December 14,
1839. He is successfully engaged in agriculture and in
general farming and stock-raising. His wife was a native
of Sandisfield, Mass.; and her people were farmers in
that town. The old homestead has been owned by the Gibbs
family for more than a century, passing successively
from father to son, has never had any encumbrance, and
always had a clear title.
Arthur W. Gibbs attended the
Wilbraham Academy during the years 1881 and 1882, and
then engaged as clerk in the general store of Timothy
Keefe, of Chester, Mass., for sixteen months. On
January 1, 1886, he came
to Huntington for the purpose of taking a similar
position with E. Pease, of whose business he later
purchased an interest. The firm is an
enterprising one, and has a large and profitable
trade. Mr. Gibbs was
appointed Postmaster of Huntington in 1893, and conducts
the affairs of the office to general satisfaction. He is a
member of Huntington Lodge, A. F. & A. M., and is
highly esteemed by his fellow-townsmen.
On January I, 1888, Mr. Gibbs was
united in marriage to Carrie E. Eames. She was born in
Troy, N.Y., October 4, 1861, daughter of Andrew and
Janet (Lyman) Eames, the former of whom was a prosperous
farmer. Mrs. Gibbs's parents
raised a family of three children: Carrie E., Nellie,
and Lizzie. Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs had
three children, namely: Howard Arthur, born October 5,
1889, who died July 29, 1890; Isabelle Frances, born
March 16, 1892; and Elizabeth May, born January 10,
1894. Both parents are members of the Congregational
church, Mr. Gibbs being the treasurer of the society and
a member of the choir.
THOMAS GILFILLAN,
M.D., a successful and well-known physician of
Northampton, Mass., was born in Milton, N.Y., near
Ballston Spa, on January 4, 1829
father, Moses Gilfillan, who was born in Scotland
about the year 1798, was growing from youth to manhood
during the hard times that were felt in manufacturing
districts in England and Scotland
shortly after the close of the Napoleonic wars, and
which gave rise to secret combinations and assemblies
for the voicing of grievances and rights. He, with
others who had caught some of the spirit of the French
Revolution, became involved in a conspiracy to overthrow
the existing government of Great Britain. The plot was
discovered before it was mature; and young Gilfillan,
who was one of the leaders, was obliged to conceal
himself to escape arrest and punishment. In 1820,
after being in hiding for two years, he succeeded in
embarking as a common sailor and coming to America.
By trade he was a weaver of Scotch linens; and he
followed his vocation in this country, having at one
time a factory with hand-looms in Schenectady, N.Y.,
where he was engaged in weaving counterpanes and
carpets, but during the panic of 1837
he was financially ruined. He saved
only a dollar and a half, which he divided with his
family; and, leaving his wife and five children, the
eldest but seven years of age, to face alone the
sufferings of want, with the remaining seventy-five
cents he made the trip from Schenectady to Agawam,
Mass., a distance of about one hundred and fifty miles,
on foot in midwinter. He afterward
removed his family to
Agawam, thence to Palmer, and in 1838 to
Northampton. Here they
remained until 1848, when they went to Rockville, Conn.,
where he died in 1859. His wife and
her three daughters then returned to Northampton. Mrs. Moses
Gilfillan, who was a woman of great energy of character
and much physical endurance, died in this city in
1884. She and her
husband were Orthodox Christians and members of the
First Congregational Church in Northampton.
Their remains rest in the Northampton
cemetery.
Their son James, who was a graduate
of Williams College, was an editor of the Rockville
Republican when the father died. Later he became a law
student in the office of Congressman and Judge Loomis;
and in 1860 he entered the United States Treasury
Department at Washington, with which he was connected
for twenty-one years. While employed
as Assistant Treasurer, he was an important witness
against the Whiskey Ring of St.
Louis, and was rewarded for his courage and
honesty by
promotion to the position of
Treasurer under Ulysses S. Grant. The three
daughters, who were graduates of Mount Holyoke Seminary,
were able teachers here and in the South: and two of
them were teaching at Fort Gibson, Miss., when the war
broke out, and they were obliged to leave the State.
Thomas Gilfillan is a graduate of
Williams College and also of the Pittsfield Medical
School, where he completed the course in 1855. He has
since been continuously engaged in the duties of his
profession. In October, 1862, he enlisted in the
Forty-sixth Massachusetts Regiment, being appointed
Assistant Surgeon to Dr. Waterman, of Westfield, and
served nine months. After that he re-enlisted in the
Fifty-ninth Massachusetts Regiment, in which he served a
year, receiving his honorable discharge in September,
1864. In addition to his regular practice, in which he
has been very successful, a few years ago he established
at his home a gold cure for the treatment of
inebriates.
On January 1, 1865, Dr. Gilfillan
was united in marriage with Miss Julia M. Bradley, a
daughter of Zenas H. Bradley, of Cummington, Mass. Their
union has been blessed by the birth of four children, of
whom one died in infancy. The living are:
James, a book-keeper for the Belding Silk Mills, who is
married, and has one son; Rose M who is attending the
high school, and is a young lady of musical talent and a
promising student; and Donald R., a youth of fifteen,
who is also a pupil of the high school. Dr. Gilfillan is
a member of the Massachusetts Medical Society; and he is
also a comrade of William L.
Baker Post, No. 86, Grand Army of the Republic,
of which he is Surgeon.
HON. DANIEL BATES GILLETT, is a
retired business man of Enfield Mass., and ex-member of
the State Senate. He was born in South
Hadley, July 21, 1819, son of Daniel and Edith (Bates)
Gillett. Mr. Gillett is a
descendant of Cornelius Gillett, who emigrated from
England to Dorchester, Mass., in 1635, and in 1636
settled in Windsor, Conn., where he passed the remainder
of his life. He married Priscilla Kelsey, and raised a
family of nine children. Daniel Gillett, Mr. Gillett's
grandfather, a prosperous farmer of Windsor, was a
soldier of the Revolutionary War; and at the close of
that struggle he resumed farming in Windsor, where he
died at the age of eighty-nine years. On November 2,
1769, he married Amy Palmer, and became the father of
five children, his namesake, Daniel, Mr. Gillett's
father, being the eldest son. His second wife, whom he
married February 15, 1789, was Alithina Gratia
Rowland.
Daniel Gillett, son of Daniel and
Amy (Palmer) Gillett, was born in Windsor, Conn.,
September 25, 1781. He was engaged in mercantile
pursuits during the greater part of his active life, and
was conducting trade in Granville, Mass., in 1812. He
subsequently moved to South Hadley Falls, where he
entered into partnership with Ariel Cooley; and the firm
of Gillett & Cooley was the leading mercantile
concern in that town for many
years. They ran a line of boats to Hartford, which
proved a profitable investment; and they also owned and
conducted a flax-seed oil-mill. The firm continued until
the death of Mr. Cooley, after which the enterprise was
carried on alone by Mr. Daniel Gillett until his death,
which occurred January 15, 1824.
He was a stanch patriot, an able business man,
and a useful citizen. His wife, Edith Bates, whom he
married November 20, 1806, was born in Granville, Mass.,
May 1, 1781, daughter of Colonel Jacob Bates, and sister
of the Hon. Isaac C. Bates, of Northampton. Colonel
Bates served seven years in the Revolutionary War, and
was with Washington at the memorable crossing of the
Delaware in the winter of 1776. Mrs. Edith Bates Gillett
became the mother of seven children, two of whom are now
living, namely: Edward, who resides in Westfield, Mass.
; and Daniel Bates, the subject of this sketch, who is
the youngest. The deceased
were: Catherine; Elizabeth;
Mary Ann; Daniel, first; and Edith. The mother died
August 5, 1853.
Daniel Bates Gillett grew to
manhood in South Hadley, and received his education in
the Woodbridge School and at the Hopkins Academy in
Hadley. After completing his studies he went to
Hartford, Conn., and secured a position in the store of
Daniel Buck & Co., with whom he remained for two
years. He then went to
Amherst, Mass., where he was engaged as a clerk in the
store of Sweetzer & Cytler for two years, at the
expiration of which time he formed a partnership with a
Mr. Ingraham and engaged
in business in South Hadley Falls. This firm carried on
trade successfully for three years, a greater part of
which time Mr. Gillett served as Postmaster.
In 1846 he moved to Enfield, where, in company
with Woods Brothers, he engaged in the woolen
manufacture, conducting a large and profitable business
for more than forty years, making a specialty of
producing cotton warp goods, which were extensively sold
throughout the country. The business averaged one
hundred thousand dollars per year, and employed a force
of fifty skilful workmen. In 1890 Mr. Gillett
practically retired from active pursuits, but is still
financially interested with J. W. Flint in conducting a
large lumber business, and is still owner personally of
the village grist-mill.
On May 6, 1845, Daniel
B. Gillett was
united in marriage to Charlotte Woods, daughter of
Leonard Woods, of Enfield. Mrs.
Charlotte W. Gillett died August 20, 1856,
leaving two children, as follows: Daniel
Bates, Jr., who was born May 5, 1846, and is now an
expert mining engineer on the Pacific Coast; and Rufus
W., born August 18, 1849, who is now a physician
in Danville, ILL.
Daniel B. Gillett, Jr., married Anna S. Carr, and
has two
children, namely:
Charlotte E. W., born December 5, 1868; and
Burroughs E. C, born in April, 1870. Rufus W. Gillett
married Alice Wilkinson and has two children: Daniel W.,
born October 28, 1882; and Rufus W., Jr., born July 11,
1892. On September 25,
1858, Mr. Daniel B. Gillett married for his second wife
Persis L. Winslow, sister of
Dr. J. W. Winslow, of Easthampton. She died
March 20, 1880. Mr. Gillett is one of
the oldest residents of Enfield. He has been an active
and energetic business man, and is now enjoying a
well-earned retirement. His homestead, which consists of
twenty-five acres, is delightfully situated upon an
elevation of one hundred feet above Swift River at the
foot of Mount Quabbin, and is surrounded by the
beautiful mountain scenery of Western Massachusetts. The
valley is supposed to have been a favorite
hunting-ground of the Indians, and many relics are found
there. Mr.
Gillett has in his possession a large number of these,
and he also has several letters written by his
grandfather during the Revolutionary War. He is an
exceedingly pleasant gentleman to meet and a general
favorite with his fellow-townsmen. He has
been a member of the Congregational church since early
manhood. He was
formerly a Whig in politics, but later joined the
Republican party, and served as a Selectman and in other
town offices for several years, one of which he was
Postmaster. He
was County Commissioner
for two years, and in 1865 and 1866 he was a member of
the State Senate from the district which included
Hampshire and Franklin Counties. He is a
member of Bethel Lodge, A. F.
& A. M., of Enfield, and also High Priest in
King Solomon Royal Arch Chapter, now removed to Warren,
Mass.
EBENEZER GOLDTHWAIT, one of the
worthy and industrious agriculturists of Hampshire
County, was born January 20, 1821, in South Hadley
Falls. His father, also named Ebenezer Goldthwait, was
born in the town of Granby, and there reared to
manhood. Having gone to
South Hadley Falls, he became an employee of the late
Chester W. Chapin, driving the stage on the old route
from South Hadley to Springfield.
He subsequently went South, and for a few years
was engaged as a stage driver at Richmond, Va. After his
return to Springfield, he worked in the city stables for
a time. Then he went to New
Haven, Conn., where he spent his last years, dying in
1856. He was married three times. His first wife,
Minerva Day, died in South Hadley in 1822, leaving two
children: Ebenezer, the subject of this sketch; and
George S., deceased. His second wife, whose maiden name
was Esther Tibbie, died shortly after their marriage,
leaving no issue. Almira Pardee, who became his third
wife, was born at Branford, Conn., and died in New
Britain. She bore him six children: Esther M., E.
Augusta, Helen M., Charles E., Phebe H., and I.
Henry.
Ebenezer, Jr., was the architect of
his own fortune. By his untiring energy and sagacity and
the diligent use of his opportunities he has steadily
made his way toward the top rung of the ladder. After
reaching his majority, he worked by the month
for neighboring farmers for seven years. Then he
went to Connecticut, and spent the next eight years at
burnishing plated ware in a silversmith's shop in
Glastonbury. Returning after that period to Granby, he
purchased twenty-six acres of land; and later, having
prospered with his first purchase, he invested in more
land, making the total forty acres. Mr. Goldthwait
devotes his entire attention to his property, and the
result is visible in several marked improvements. In
politics he affiliates with the Republican party, but
has never sought official favors.
Mr. Goldthwait has been twice
married. His first wife, Orpha
C. Dickinson, a daughter of Abner Mosley and Ruth
(Warner) Dickinson and a sister of Mrs. Francis S.
Stebbins, died May 6, 1882. She left one
daughter, Clara, wife of Willard A. Taylor, a sketch of
whose life will be found on another page.
On October 10, 1883, Mr. Goldthwait married his
second wife, Miss Dorothy A. Avery, a native of
Northampton, born February 6,
1832. Her father,
Lyman Avery, was born in Wallingford, Conn., but
afterward located in Easthampton, where he engaged in
farming, living there until his decease, December 4,
1837. He married
Rachel Clark, a life-long resident of Easthampton, and
they became the parents of six children, namely: Julia
Ann; Lysander Clark;
Rachel Jane, deceased; Noyes Lyman, deceased; Dorothy
A., Mrs. Goldthwait;
and Lewis
Lyman. Mr. and Mrs.
Goldthwait are members of the Congregational church, and
are active workers in religious circles.
LAFAYETTE WASHINGTON GOODELL,
of Belchertown, Mass., a widely known horticulturist
residing at Pansy Park, near Dwight, was born in this
town, October 31, 1851. His immediate
ancestors were also natives of Belchertown, the birth of
his father, Asahel Goodell, having occurred here on
November 22, 1810. His remote ancestors
on the paternal side are said to have belonged to a
tribe of Celts living in the north of France, the tribal
name being Goidel or Godele.
About 1560 a family of Godeles, who
were Huguenots, emigrated to England, where the name
became Anglicized to Goodell. From this family sprung
Robert Goodell (born in 1604, died in 1692), who
emigrated to America in 1634, settling in Salem,
Mass. One of his
great-grandsons, John, born in 1703, went to Pomfret,
Conn., where he raised a family of nine children. Nathaniel,
son of John and great-grandfather of Lafayette
W., settled in Woodstock, Conn., but in 1777 purchased
from his brother Lemuel a tract of one hundred acres of
wild land situated in the northern part of
Belchertown, now
known as Dwight, to which he moved with his
family in August of that year. He
cleared and improved a farm, upon which he resided until
his death in 1814. He raised
a family of six children: Serrill, Esther, Nathaniel,
Lucy, Alpheus, and Moses.
Mr. Goodell's grandfather, Moses
Goodell, succeeded to the possession of the homestead,
which was his residence until his decease, in 1854, at
the age of seventy-seven years. His wife, whom he
married on September 5, 1799, was Susannah Pettingill,
of Methuen, Mass., and ten of her twelve children grew
to maturity; namely, Ira Chaffee, Noble Thomas Ware,
Marcus Lyon, Elizabeth Pettingill, Asahel, Esther Bliss,
Dudley Nathaniel, Lovicy, Lusanna, and Newton Franklin
Washington.
Asahel Goodell was educated in the
common schools, and succeeded to the possession of the
farm at the decease of his father. In early
manhood he engaged in introducing a process for
renovating clothing, of which he made a successful
business for nearly thirty years, traveling throughout
the Eastern States, be-coming well known as the "New
England clothes dresser." In
1833 he purchased a tract
of land near the homestead, upon which he erected a
dwelling-house. October 1,
1834, he was married to Cynthia
Tilson Newell, daughter of Benjamin and Charlotte
(Williams) Newell, of Pelham, Mass., her mother being a
descendant of the famous Roger Williams. Five of
their eight children lived to reach maturity, namely:
Ellen Hemans, Jerome Homer; Celeste Martineau;
Wesley Melancthon ; and Lafayette Washington. Asahel
Goodell was one of the three original antislavery men in
his native town, and was prominently identified with
political and other public affairs. He served
as a Justice of the Peace and also acted as
correspondent for various newspapers.
Lafayette W. Goodell received a
good common-school education, and several years before
attaining his majority was entrusted with the management
of the farm, which for twenty years prior to that time
had been leased to tenants and was badly run down. In 1876
he rented some land on the place, and on a capital of
twenty-five dollars engaged
in the retail seed business, of which he has made
a marked success. From less than two
hundred customers the first year, the number has
increased to over sixty thousand. He
erected new buildings and made
many other improvements, transforming what was
one of the most unsightly places in town into one of the
most attractive. In 1885
he purchased two adjoining estates, on which he built in
1891 two large greenhouses, and added a plant department
to the business. The seeds
and plants, which are sold through the agency of annual
catalogues, are distributed by mail and express to all
parts of the country ; in fact, his books contain the
names of customers in almost every country on the
globe.
In 1891 he purchased the old farm
and the homestead, and now owns some three hundred
acres, much of which is woodland. The
improved portion, known as Pansy Park, is delightfully
situated and beautifully laid out.
During the summer season the grounds are covered
with thousands of varieties of flowers and plants, making a gorgeous
display. Many of
these are grown for their
seeds, among others large
quantities of pansies,
which thrive luxuriantly and afford an appropriate name
for the estate. A notable and
attractive feature is the aquatic garden, covering
several acres and containing one of the largest
collections of
water growing plants in the United
States, including several
varieties of the sacred Egyptian lotus and about forty
varieties of water lilies of various colors from all
parts of the world. In the
summer of 1890 Mr. Goodell
succeeded in flowering in the
open air, without artificial heat, the famous Victoria
raga from the river Amazon, the largest water lily
known, the leaves of which measure from four to six feet
in diameter - the first time this was ever accomplished
in the northern States. He has
made a special study of this branch of floriculture; and
the benefit of his knowledge will soon be given to the
public in an illustrated book, now in preparation,
entitled "Aquatic Plants and their Culture," which is
destined to be a standard work upon the
subject.
Mr. Goodell has been for
twenty years a frequent contributor to horticultural
papers, and is a recognized authority on matters
relating to this branch of industry, in which by his
energy and perseverance he has gained an enviable
reputation. The result of his studies and discoveries in
entomology, of which he is an enthusiastic student, have
been published in magazines, proceedings of scientific
societies, and United States government
publications. Mr. Goodell is an
exceedingly courteous gentleman to meet. He is a
Republican in politics.
DANIEL H. GOULD, a prominent
resident and a Selectman of Plainfield, was born in
Charlemont. Mass., November 23,
1837, son of Aaron and Lucinda (Albee) Gould. Mr.
Gould's father was a native of Heath, Mass., and in his
early manhood learned the trade of a blacksmith. He
settled in Charlemont, where for some years he followed
his trade in connection with farming. He later resided
in Hawley and Buckland, having been employed at farm
work in both places. He was originally a Whig in
politics and later a Republican.
He died at the age of eighty-one years. His wife
was born in Pelham, Mass., daughter of Laban Albee. She
became the mother of seven children, all of whom are now
living. They are: Lemuel,
Wilson, Daniel H., Gilbert A., Joanna R., Mary A., and
Luther E. She died aged seventy-three years. Mr.
Gould's parents were Adventists in religious
belief.
Daniel H. Gould resided at home,
and assisted his father in carrying on the farm until
his majority, when he purchased one hundred and twelve
acres of land in the town of Hawley. After conducting
that farm for eight years, he sold it, and bought
another, containing one hundred and seventy-five acres.
This also he sold, and it is now the property of D.
Ingraham. He then bought the Alford farm of one
hundred and twelve acres, which he still retains. In
1885 he moved to Plainfield, and bought the place of
Colonel Richards, containing seven acres of land. He
also purchased L. Campbell's blacksmith shop, which he
has since conducted successfully. Besides the blacksmith
business, he now manufactures and repairs wagons,
sleighs, and other conveyances. More recently he bought
the Hallock farm, which consists of seven acres of
meadow land. Mr. Gould is a Republican in politics, and
is active in public affairs. He is a Constable of
Plainfield, has been a member of the Board of Selectmen
for the past five years, and served on the School
Committee while living in Hawley.
On March 24, 1858, Mr. Gould was
united in marriage to Maria Sprague, daughter of Rufus
Sprague. Mr. and Mrs. Gould have two children, namely:
Carrie E., born in April, 1862, who was married to John
King, and died August 10, 1886, leaving one daughter,
named Anna; and Clark F., born in 1864, who resides at
home.
DR. FRANK M. GOULD, the leading
and pioneer physician of Greenwich, was born in
Norridgewock, Somerset County, Me., May 9, 1835, son of
Joshua and Sarah (Martin) Gould. Moriah Gould, his
grandfather, was one of the early settlers of Somerset
County. He obtained sustenance for himself and family
from the then unexhausted resources of nature, dividing
his time among farming, hunting, and trapping. He was an
industrious man and fairly well-to-do. He lived to the
advanced age of ninety years. His wife also outlived the
allotted span of human life.
Joshua Gould was the only son of
his parents. He was born in Norridgewock, and grew to
manhood in Somerset County, attaining a better education
than the limited resources of the time would seem to
warrant. When a boy of nine
years, he suffered from a fever, which caused a sore on
one of his limbs that contracted the cords, and maimed
him for life, making that limb considerably shorter than
the other. It may be that his infirmity caused Mr. Gould
to devote more time to his books than an active boy
would be likely to. However, he was a
well-informed man, prominent in public life and a leader
in the councils of the Democrats of his district. He was
Clerk of the District Court for over forty years, and
served for many years as Justice of the Peace. He died
at the age of eighty-seven. His wife, who was a native
of Pittsfield, Me., had attained her sixty-sixth year
when her death occurred. They had a family of thirteen
children, twelve of whom reached maturity. Of these
Moses M., Charles C, Emmaline, and Fanny are deceased.
The others are: Henry A., William D., Aaron M., Frank
M., Sarah, Ann, Caroline, and Felicia.
Frank M. Gould, M.D., received his
early education in the schools of Norridgcwock.
One of his schoolmates was the now famous
preacher, Minot J. Savage. When fifteen years of age, he
went to Worcester, Mass., to learn the machinist's
trade. There he met with financial disaster by the
failure of a firm for which he had worked two years and
nine months, leaving his wages unpaid. He was
subsequently employed for some years in the locomotive
works in Portland, Me., and later worked on stationary
engines in Bangor. He next engaged with
the Putney Tool Company at Fitchburg, Mass., going from
there to Barre, in the same State, and thence to the
Springfield Armory, where during the war he was foreman
of a department. At that time there was an enormous
amount of work done at the armory, the company turning
out eleven hundred guns daily for three years.
Dr. Gould worked last as a machinist for the
Parker Machine Company of Clinton, Mass., manufacturers
of the Axminster carpet looms.
During the years that he worked at his trade he
won a reputation for expert workmanship.
While at Worcester, he distinguished himself by
accomplishing the difficult task of making a screw some
twenty-five or thirty feet in length. Two lathes were
necessary for the work, and its perfect accomplishment
required a good mechanical eye and the exercise of fine
judgment. Though so successful as a machinist, Dr. Gould
had always had a desire to enter the medical profession,
and for some time had occupied his leisure in reading
and studying medicine. In 1877 he entered the Eclectic
Medical College of New York City, and graduated in 1880,
with high honors, as valedictorian of his class. In May
of the same year he opened an office in Greenwich, and
for fifteen years has been in active practice, with his
visiting list yearly increasing.
The doctor has computed the average distance
which he travels annually in visiting his patients to be
fourteen thousand miles.
Dr. Gould was married in 1863 to
Eliza A. Stone, a native of
Dana, Mass., daughter of James H. and Azuba Stone, and
sister of J. Madison Stone, the
noted portrait painter. Two children were
born of this union: James F., who is in the express
business in Plymouth, N.H.; and Fanny M., who graduated
from Belvidere Seminary, N.J., and is now a teacher in
Greenwich.
Politically, Dr. Gould favors the
Democratic party. Though very busy in answering the
demands of his profession, he has found time to fill
various offices. He has served as Overseer of the Poor
and Constable, and is now Justice of the Peace. He is a
member of Mount Zion Lodge, A. F. & A. M., at Barre.
Dr. and Mrs. Gould hold liberal views regarding
religious differences. They have a pretty home in the
village of Greenwich Plains, from which they are rarely
absent, as the Doctor has not had a week's vacation in
fifteen years.
JOSEPH RAYMOND SMART GOULD a
veteran of the Civil War and a resident of Belchertown,
where he was for many years engaged in mercantile
business, was born in Bristol, England, January 3, 1833.
His father, Joseph Gould, and his grandfather, Isaac
Gould, were natives of Bristol, England.
His father and an uncle emigrated to America,
and, as far as is known, were the only members of the
family to cross the ocean, except Joseph R. His uncle is
supposed to have settled in Boston.
Mr. Gould's father, who
was a cabinet-maker by trade, married when quite young,
and soon after that event came to the United States.
After residing for a period of eight months in New York
he settled at Coventry, Conn., where he was employed as
a carriage-maker by Lyman Hyde for thirteen years. In
1862 he enlisted as a private in Company H, Twenty-fifth
Regiment Connecticut Volunteer Infantry. He served
for a little more than a year, his term of enlistment,
and participated in several memorable actions.
Subsequent to his discharge he returned to
Coventry, where he continued to reside until the death
of his wife. He then
came to Belchertown and passed the remainder of his days
with his son, his decease occurring at the advanced age
of eighty-four years. His wife's name
before marriage was Mary Ann Raymond. She was a
daughter of Olson and Mary Raymond, respectively natives
of England and Scotland. Olson Raymond died in
his native land. Mrs. Raymond subsequently came to the
United States and resided at Coventry until her
decease. Mrs.
Gould's mother, who died at the age of fifty-two
years, reared seven of
her twelve children; namely, Jane, Joseph, Mary, Martha,
Olive, Sarah, and Julia.
Joseph Raymond Smart Gould attended
the public schools of Coventry. At the age of nine years
he commenced to earn his own living. Until he was
fourteen he was employed much of the time in and about
the glass works. He then began an
apprenticeship of seven years at the house-painter's
trade, which he subsequently followed until 1862. On
August 8 of that year he enlisted in the same company
and regiment that his father had joined, and was present
at the battles of Irish Bend, Port Hudson, and Fort
Donelson, and participated in the eventful Red River
campaign. He was honorably discharged from the service
August 16, 1863. Returning immediately to Coventry he
purchased a water-power, established a carriage factory,
and conducted it for a period of five years. He then
moved to Belchertown, where he purchased a farm. After
managing this successfully for five years more he sold
it and purchased property in the village, whither he
removed for the purpose of entering mercantile life. He
first established a meat market, later adding a stock of
groceries. This venture proved most profitable. He
secured a very large patronage, which he steadily
maintained until 1893, when the building and stock were
destroyed by fire. Immediately following upon the
disaster he purchased the Leach corner, which adjoined
his property. Upon this he erected a handsome block,
seventy feet front, having a depth of fifty feet in one
part and of thirty-five feet in the remainder. The
ground floor is occupied by merchants, and the upper
floors are used for offices and as the headquarters of
the Grand Army of the Republic.
In 1858 Mr. Gould was united in
marriage to Miss Sarah E. Corbit, of Palmer, Mass.
He has three children: Mary, William, and Henry
R. Mary married G. B. Demorest, of Hackensack, N.J., and
has one daughter, Sarah B. William wedded Gertrude
Allen, and has one daughter, Florence G. Henry R.
married Blanche Bridgman, and has three children,
namely: Joseph R. S., Henry R., and Frances
Lilly.
Mr. Gould is a member of
Vernon Lodge, A. F. & A. M., a comrade of J. Griggs
Post, No. 97, Grand Army of the Republic, and is
connected with Richardson Grange. He has invariably
supported the Republican party since its formation. He
has served the town very acceptably as Road
Commissioner, and was for eleven years a Selectman. He
resides at his very pleasant home on Jabez Street, both
himself and wife being members of the Methodist
Episcopal Church.
MRS. LURENE S. GOULD, widow of
Solon H. Gould, of Smith's Ferry, who died in 1873, is
the daughter of Milo J. and Sally J. (Street) Smith. Her
grandfather, Lewis Smith, who was born in West
Springfield, was a son of David Smith, whose father also
was named David. Lewis Smith settled at Smith's Ferry
about one hundred and ten years ago. The great events of
his life happened in his early years. He entered the
Revolutionary army when a boy of sixteen, and was one of
the great contingent of untrained militia which
eventually conquered the best-trained army in the world.
When scarcely twenty-two he married, and, with his good
wife, shouldered the cares of house-keeping. They reared
eleven children, all of whom became heads of families;
and at one time five of his sons were living contiguous
to each other on one street. A daughter Eunice, who is
now the widow of Hiram W. Bagg, and resides in Erie,
Pa., is a remarkably bright and active lady, though
ninety-two years of age, and is engaged in various
charitable enterprises, pursuing the
work with all the zest of youth.
Milo J. Smith, the father of Mrs.
Gould, was a man of good judgment and considerable force
of character. He was a manufacturer of cider vinegar,
and had a large farm at West Liberty, la., where he
raised fine stock and horned cattle, in which he dealt
quite extensively. In his native town he was a man of
note, skilled in business matters; and he settled many
estates. In politics he was a Whig and a Republican, and
was a Representative in the legislature several terms,
serving also as Selectman and Justice of the Peace. He
died in 1884, at the age of seventy-six. His wife, Sally
J. Street, was born in what is now Holyoke. She lived to
be sixty-five, passing away in 1874, and is interred in
the family lot with her husband at Smith's Ferry. They
reared three children: Milo L., a farmer at Smith's
Ferry, who died in 1891, when about sixty years of age,
leaving a son and daughter; Lurene, Mrs. Gould; and
Josephine, who died in 1876, at the age of
thirty-five. In 1862 Lurene Smith
became the wife of Solon H. Gould, a native of
Charlestown, N. H., son of Joseph and Abigail (Hagar)
Gould. Joseph Gould was a farmer and reared his son to
the same vocation. He had but one other child, a
daughter, who passed to the world beyond when but twenty
years of age. Solon H. Gould's life
was a brief one, covering but thirty-five years. A
daughter, Stella L., born to him and his wife, entered
the valley of the shadow of death just at the dawn of
womanhood.
Mrs. Gould retains her home at
Smith's Ferry, but spends part of her time with her
nieces and nephews, and also travels a great deal, a few
years ago having made the tour of Europe. She is a
Congregationalist, belonging to the First Church, of
which her husband was also a
member.
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