EDWIN D. MARSH, a resident of Amherst and a dealer in carpets, furniture, and upholstery, was born in Chicopee, Mass., on Washington's Birthday in 1845, son of Merrick M. and Louisa (Bartlett) Marsh.

His grandfather, Rufus Marsh, who was a native of Rome, N.Y., resided in Franklin County, Massachusetts. During the greater part of his life he followed the trade of a carpenter, and also successfully operated a sawmill and a grist-mill. He was a man of industrious habits and a respected citizen of his town. He died in Whately, Mass., fifty-two years of age. His wife, whose maiden name was Camilla Church, bore him eleven children. The seven now living are: Norman C, Electa, Amoretta, Merrick M., Edwin D., Brigham, and Sabra. The mother was seventy-two years of age at the time of her death. Both parents were Episcopalians in their religious belief, and in politics he was a Democrat.

Merrick M. Marsh, who was born in Erving, Mass., January 14, 1822, came to Amherst when but sixteen years of age to learn the trade of a cabinet-maker with the firm of McKinney & Bangs. Several years later, about 1844, he went to Brattleboro, Vt., for a brief time, and thence to Enfield, Mass. After a short interval spent in other places he finally returned in 1846 to Amherst, and has since resided in that place. In 1838 he engaged in business for himself as a cabinet-maker; and, with the exception of about two years, he followed it continuously until he retired from active participation in a mercantile life. After 1860 the business was conducted under the firm name of Marsh & Young for a number of years. His son, who afterward entered into partnership with him, when the father retired took full control of the business. His wife, Louisa Bartlett before marriage, who was born in Leverett, Mass., on October 30, 1822, bore him two sons: Edwin D. and Charles D. The latter died in childhood. Mr. Marsh and his wife are members of the Episcopal church, and in politics he is a Democrat.

Edwin D. Marsh received a good practical education in the common schools of Amherst. When fifteen years of age, he entered the hardware store of William Kellogg as clerk; and, after remaining with him two years, he worked a year for George Cutler. He next went to Springfield, Mass., where he was employed for three years. The four years following were spent in different places in the West. In 1869 he returned to Amherst, and, as already stated, was taken into partnership by his father, succeeding to the business in 1883. He still conducts the store, carrying a large stock of furniture, carpets, upholstery, and draperies. He is also engaged in the undertaking business.

On February 22, 1871, his twenty-sixth birthday, he was united in marriage with Miss Cornelia G. Strickland, who was born in Lee, Mass. Their union has been blessed by the birth of a daughter, Nellie L. Marsh, who lives with her parents.

In politics Mr. Marsh is a Democrat. He has always taken a keen interest in his town, and has served most acceptably as Secretary of the Association for Village Improvement and Treasurer of the Amherst Cemetery Association. He is an attendant of the Congregational church, of which his wife is a member; and both are highly esteemed by all who know them.

JOHN L. MATHER, mason, contractor, and builder of Northampton, was born in Amherst, Mass., January 9, 1851, son of William E. and Henrietta (Lyman) Mather, He is a scion of an ancient and honored New England family, the founder of which was the Rev. Richard Mather, a gifted divine of Dorchester, Mass., who was born in Lowton, Lancashire, England, in 1596, studied at Oxford, was ordained, and engaged in the work of the ministry before coming to Boston in 1635. He died in Dorchester, April 22, 1669. He was a son of Thomas Mather and a grandson of John Mather, of Lancashire, England.

The Rev. Eleazer Mather, one of the sons of Richard, was the first settled pastor in Northampton. He was born in Dorchester, Mass., May 13, 1637, began to preach in Northampton in 1658, and was ordained in June, 1661. John L. Mather, the subject of this sketch, is a descendant of the Rev. Richard Mather's son Timothy, who was of the fourth generation from John, the next in line being successively the Rev. Samuel Mather, of the fifth; Dr. Samuel Mather, of the sixth; Dr. Samuel Mather, Jr., of the seventh; Elisha Mather, of the eighth, born in 1740; William Mather, of the ninth; and William E., of the tenth.

William Mather, son of Elisha, was an able farmer, possessing a farm on Pleasant Street, where is now the crossing of the Consolidated Railroad, and extending back to Hawley Street. He died August 5, 1835, aged fifty-nine years; but his wife, whose maiden name was Annie Clark, lived to be seventy-eight, dying March 22, 1854. They reared four sons and two daughters. The youngest, Sarah Ann Mather, was a teacher in Virginia some fifteen years, and died in St. Augustine, Fla., at the age of seventy-six.

William E., son of William and Annie (Clark) Mather, was a farmer in Amherst, owning a farm in that town some fifteen years. His term on earth comprised fifty-eight years, ending January 20, 1862. On June 15, 1848, he was united in marriage with Henrietta H. Lyman, of Hockanum, Hadley, Mass., daughter of Enos and Lydia (Wadsworth) Lyman, of Ellington, Conn. Enos Lyman was a farmer in moderate circumstances, and was a Captain in the militia. He died some years before his wife, whose death occurred in 1875, at the age of seventy-four. Mrs. Mather was born March 31, 1818, and was the eldest of ten children, and the only daughter. She lived through many years of widowhood, passing away May 19, 1890. She was a model wife and mother, a practical Christian, and was a member of the Edwards Congregational Church. Two of her four children are living, namely: John L. ; and Charles Dwight, a carpenter and builder residing on Pleasant Street, Northampton. George Howe died in early childhood; and Frank C, who was a mason by trade, died in August, 1892, at the age of forty-three, leaving a widow.

John L. Mather attended school at Amherst, Hadley, and Northampton. At the age of seventeen he was apprenticed to Daniel R. Clark to learn the mason's trade, remaining until twenty-one. He received five hundred dollars of the Oliver Smith Fund, and on attaining his majority bought his employer's business. From that time to the present the business has prospered under his management; and he has established a reputation for good workmanship and honest dealings that adds new prestige to the honorable name of Mather. One of his first contracts was the building of Cosmian Hall; and in the spring of 1874 he built the main building and the president's house of Smith College. He also erected the Hillyer Art Gallery of the college and many fine residences and school-houses in the vicinity, his business amounting to as much as one hundred thousand dollars in a year.

On February 25, 1891, Mr. Mather married Mrs. Ella K. (Child) Warnock, daughter of Henry Child, of Northampton, and widow of William Warnock. Mrs. Mather has two sons by her former marriage, Henry C. and William Harold Warnock, aged respectively seventeen and fourteen. One daughter, Esther Henrietta, born October 25, 1893, is the fruit of her union with Mr. Mather. John L. Mather is a Republican in political views. He has served as Councilman, and is now one of the Board of Aldermen of Northampton. In Masonic circles he is prominent, being a Master Mason. His home is a handsome brick dwelling-house at 275 Main Street, which he erected in 1882 and moved into in 1883, installing as mistress his mother, whose gracious presence came to be missed a few years later in the spacious rooms now brightened by the smiles and voices of wife and children.

OWEN McARDLE, of the firm of Owen McArdle & Son, wholesale and retail liquor dealers of Ware, where they are doing a prosperous business, was born in Ireland, August 15, 1816, son of Patrick and Mary (McGeon) McArdle. Patrick McArdle successfully followed the trade of a blacksmith throughout the active period of his life. In 1845 he and his wife with three of their children came to America. He was between seventy and eighty years of age at the time of his death; and his widow, who died in 1878, attained the advanced age of ninety-six years.

Owen McArdle grew to manhood in his native land. In 1841, in company with his brother Felix, and with only sufficient money to pay his passage, he took shipping for this country, and after a long and stormy voyage landed at Quebec. Soon after, he came to Ware, secured work as a currier, and continued at that occupation for several years. In 1876, at the introduction of the local option principle, he engaged in his present business of wholesale and retail liquor dealer; and in 1892 he erected his store at 2 Pine Street. About the same time that Mr. McArdle and his brother came to America, Miss Bridget Dolan, a native of County Leitrim, Ireland, sailed for the same general destination on the ship "Industry" under the command of Captain Barrett. On her arrival, after a tempestuous voyage of seven weeks, she went to Worcester, Mass., and later to Ware, where she secured a situation in a hotel. While here employed she made the acquaintance of Mr. McArdle, and was subsequently married to him at Worcester, in the year 1850. Five children were the fruit of their union. Of these three reached maturity, namely: Owen H., who follows the trade of a mason in Ware; Francis P., living in Ware; and Michael John, who has charge of his father's store, and in 189s became a member of the firm. Michael John received a good practical education in the public schools of Ware, graduating in June, 1880. Since that time he has been employed in his father's store. Though crippled and a great sufferer from his affliction, he possesses much physical courage, combined with considerable firmness of character. He is a man of literary tastes and inclinations; and, had he been favored with better educational advantages, no doubt he would have chosen an occupation more suited to his disposition. The family are influential members of All Saints' Catholic Church. They reside on East Street, where Mr. McArdle purchased his present home in 1855.

HENRY M. McCLOUD, a prominent business man of Amherst, who acts as insurance agent, real estate broker, and notary public, was born in that town September 22, 1838, son of Lewis and Minerva (Slate) McCloud, both natives of Franklin County, Massachusetts. The McClouds are of Scotch origin. Mr. McCloud's grandfather, Charles McCloud, who was a native of New Hampshire, was an early settler in Rowe, Mass., where he was engaged in farming up to the time of his death. He was an industrious and successful man, and, though he worked early and late, lived to an advanced age. He was the father of a large family, one of whom, Mrs. Louie Brown, of Colerain, is yet living.

Lewis McCloud, father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Rowe, March 24, 1805. He also was a farmer, and in 1835 purchased a farm in North Amherst, on which he spent the remainder of his life. He died in 1884; and his wife, who was born in Bernardston, May 18, 1809, died in 1891. Politically, Lewis McCloud was a Republican. He and his wife were both members of the Congregational church. They reared four sons, namely: Milton L., a carpenter in Northampton; Brooks U., a carpenter in Charlemont; Leroy J., a wire-maker in Northampton; and Henry M., who is the youngest.

Henry M. McCloud grew to manhood in Amherst, receiving his education in the public schools of that town. When sixteen years of age he entered the office of the Springfield Republican, where he learned the printer's trade, becoming familiar with all the practical branches of the business. He was for twenty-five years engaged as a printer and publisher, producing first-class work and earning a fair competency. He published the Amherst Record, a bright and newsy paper, from 1867 to 1879, disposing of his printing business in the latter year, and taking up his present occupation in 1880. In addition to his other business he looks up pension claims, attends to the settling of estates, and for ten years has been a Justice of the Peace. Mr. McCloud is a veteran of the war, having enlisted December 12, 1861, as a member of Company H, Twelfth Connecticut Volunteers, under command of Captain Joseph Toy. He was a participant in some of the principal engagements, which included the siege of Port Hudson, the battles of Cain River, Mansfield, Georgia Landing, Atchafalaya River, Bisland, Centreville, and the capture of New Orleans. In September, 1863, he was promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant and transferred to Company B, Ninety-ninth United States Colored Infantry; and on October 1, 1864, he was honorably discharged.

On June 24, 1865, Mr. McCloud was married to Sarah A., daughter of Dr. Elijah W. Carpenter, of Bernardston. They have one son, Albert C, born in Amherst, May 24, 1870, who is associated in business with his father, and is married to Edna A. Carter. Henry M. McCloud votes the Republican ticket. In religious belief he is an Episcopalian. He is esteemed for his good judgment and business ability and for his strict integrity. In addition to his other offices of trust he holds the position of Trustee of the Smith Charities Institution of Northampton.

FRANK R. McLELLAN, a well-known farmer and blacksmith of Cummington, was born in Westbrook, Me., October 8, 1852, son of Samuel E. and Sarah E. (Babb) McLellan. Mr. McLellan's grandparents, William and Mehitable (Libby) McLellan, were natives of Gorham, Me., the former of whom was a large land-owner and stock-raiser. He also engaged in lumbering, and became a prominent man. William and Mehitable McLellan died at an advanced age. Their children were: Hugh, Ishmael, Martha, William, John, Eunice, Samuel E,, Alexander, and Arthur.

Samuel E. McLellan, father of Mr. McLellan, was born in Gorham, Me., and, when a young man, learned the trade of a blacksmith. He located in Westbrook, where he successfully followed his trade for a period of forty years. He owned a residence and other property in the town. He also had a farm ; and, as his sons grew up, they were trained to farming as well as to the blacksmith's trade. He became prominent in public affairs, serving as a member of the Board of Selectmen, and was an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Samuel E. McLellan's first wife, Sarah E. Babb before marriage, was a daughter of John Babb. She died at the age of thirty-three, leaving five children: Daniel, Henry, Frank R., William E., and Charles J. Samuel E. McLellan married for his second wife Rosabel Bacon; and she had one child, named Winfield.

Frank R. McLellan was educated in the schools of Westbrook, and at the age of fifteen commenced to learn the blacksmith's trade with his father. When twenty-three years of age he came to Cummington; and, after working five years for C. D. Bartlett, he engaged in business for himself, occupying quarters in the Stevens Building, where he remained until burned out. After this he purchased the Cowen barn on Main Street, fitted it up as a shop, and has since carried on the principal blacksmith's business of the town. Subsequently he bought the Congregational parsonage, where he now resides, and has since remodeled and otherwise improved it. He also owns the Lovell lot, a valuable piece of meadow land in Cummington, and a small farm in Chesterfield, which he uses mostly for pasturage and its hay crop. Mr. McLellan is a Republican in politics, and is highly respected by his townsmen.

On June 30, 1873, he was united in marriage to Ida S. Stevens. She is a daughter of Nathan S. and Sybil (Cowen) Stevens. Mr. and Mrs. McLellan have two children, namely: Arlin S., who was born May 20, 1875, and is now a sailor in the merchant marine service; and Leroy F., born February 23, 1877, who has charge of his father's farming interests.

MRS. LUCINDA MEEKINS, widow of the late Christopher H. Meekins, is a well-known and highly respected resident of Williamsburg. Christopher H. Meekins, her late husband, was born in Williamsburg, February 15, 1810, son of Stephen and Sarah (Hecox) Meekins.

Mr. Meekins's great-grandfather, Thomas Meekins, emigrated from England, and settled in Hatfield, Mass., where he became a large land-owner and a prominent citizen. His son, Thomas (second), Mr. Meekins's grand-father, was born in Hatfield, and from there moved to Williamsburg when it was mostly a wilderness. He bought one hundred acres of land at a nominal price, the terms including an agreement that he should settle in the town and clear the land. He succeeded in complying with the terms, although the life of a pioneer was an arduous one in those early days. He cleared and improved a valuable farm, upon which he later erected a substantial frame house. He became a well-to-do farmer, and died at the age of eighty-five years. His wife, whose maiden name was Hannah Carey, died at the age of sixty.

Stephen Meekins, Mr. Meekins's father, was born in Williamsburg, and was reared to agriculture. He assisted his father in improving the property and in otherwise attending to the farm. He afterward purchased a portion of the farm, built the house which now stands upon the Gilbert farm, and also erected the residence in which Mrs. Meekins now lives. He kept two hundred sheep and about thirty head of stock, and was in very prosperous circumstances when he died, at the age of seventy years. His wife, Sarah Hecox, became the mother of the following children: Hannah; Louis; Theodosia; Thomas; Christopher; Stephen; John; and two others, who died in infancy. She died at an advanced age.

Christopher H. Meekins was born at the old homestead in Williamsburg, and at an early age became proficient in agriculture. He cared for his parents during their declining years, and succeeded to the possession of the homestead by purchasing the interests of the other heirs. He was an energetic and progressive farmer, and made various improvements in his property, planting many fruit trees, which at the present time attest his labor and industry. He also dealt largely in sheep and cattle.

On February 18, 1850, Christopher H. Meekins was united in marriage to Lucinda Wolcott, the subject of this sketch. Mrs. Meekins is a daughter of Luther and Rizpah (Curtis) Wolcott. The father was a native of Williamsburg, was a successful farmer, and kept a hotel. He later moved to Ulster County, New York, where he held the office of Sheriff for a number of years, and died there at the age of thirty-eight. He was a Democrat in politics and a Congregationalist in his religious belief. His wife became the mother of five children: Lucinda, Cyrus, Mehitable, Elizabeth, and Luther. She was a member of the Baptist church, and died at the age of seventy-four years.

The late Christopher Meekins was a Republican in politics; and, although most eligible for public office, he always declined to serve. He died at the age of seventy years. Mrs. Meekins has had three children, namely: Thomas W., who was born July 13, 1855 and now has charge of the home farm; Sarah L., who was born October 22, 1859, married Edward Cleary, and resides in Searsville; and Charles C, the eldest, who died in 1887, aged thirty-eight years. Mrs. Meekins is a lady who possesses many sterling traits of character. She is endowed with intellectual faculties of a high order, and has been an untiring reader of standard and instructive literature.

MRS. MARIA S. MEEKINS, of Williamsburg, widow of the late Dr. Thomas Meekins and a woman of superior intelligence, was born in Chesterfield, Mass., in the year 1846, a daughter of Spencer and Polly (Abels) Goodman. Spencer Goodman's birth occurred in Hadley. A ferry owned by his father was then the only means of crossing the Connecticut River at that point. This was tended by him for several years. Though the work had its pleasant features, it was a trying position, as he was often kept employed all night. Tiring of this occupation, he removed to Chesterfield, where he purchased a farm, on which he lived for several years. He then sold out, and bought another farm in Hadley. He sold this also, and purchased land in Williamsburg. Here he died, eighty-seven years of age. In politics he was a Democrat and in religious belief a Baptist. His wife reared two sons and two daughters; namely, Maria S., Stephen K., D. Alonzo, and Wealthy C. She lived to the age of eighty years.

Maria S. Goodman, the eldest born, lived at home until her marriage with Dr. Thomas Meekins. He was born in the town of Williamsburg, and was a son of Stephen and Sarah (Hicox) Meekins and a grandson of Thomas and Hannah (Carey) Meekins. His great-grandfather, Thomas Meekins, came to this country from England, and settled in Hatfield, where he became a large land owner and a prominent citizen, and was subsequently killed by Indians. Thomas Meekins (second) was born in Hatfield, from which place he came to Williamsburg, then but thinly settled, and where land was extremely cheap. He first purchased one hundred acres, for which he paid eight cents per acre; and, when he had this cleared, he purchased more. This land is now in the possession of his descendants. He made sundry improvements, among which was the erection of frame buildings. He met with much prosperity, and died at the age of eighty-five years. His wife's decease occurred when she was sixty years old. His son Stephen, who was born in Williamsburg, assisted his father in clearing the land; and after the latter's death he followed his father's policy of buying more as fast as the clearing progressed. He also reared large numbers of sheep and cattle, and was the largest stock-raiser in that vicinity. He died at the age of threescore years and ten. His wife, who before marriage was Sarah Hicox, bore him ten children, of whom six grew to maturity. Two died in infancy, and the others were: Hannah, Louis, Theodosia, Thomas, Christopher, Stephen, Irene, and John. The mother was over seventy years of age at the time of her death. Thomas Meekins chose for his profession the practice of medicine, and became a skilled physician and surgeon. He was one of the first doctors to locate in the town of Williams-burg, where he acquired a large and remunerative practice. He was a man of broad liberality, and was very highly esteemed by all who knew him. He took a keen interest in his town, and was ever ready to lend the weight of his influence to any worthy enterprise looking to its improvement. His death, August 5, 1880, was a loss to the community as well as to his large circle of friends and acquaintances.

EDWIN CYRUS MILLER, teller of the First National Bank and a highly respected citizen of Northampton, was born May 10, 1868, at Haydenville, on the old farm which has been in the family over one hundred and sixty years. He is a direct descendant of one of the oldest families of this county.

His great-great-grandfather, John Miller, was the first settler of Williamsburg, Mass. In his early manhood he spent considerable time in hunting and trapping. On his excursions for these purposes he became acquainted with the locality, where about the year 1735 he purchased nine hundred acres of heavily timbered land, paying one dollar per acre. He erected the log house which was his first home in the wilderness, on the hill near where a grandson and namesake afterward lived. A year or two later he built a frame house, the first erected in that town, and which stood until about 1879. Mr. Miller was a man of powerful physique, capable of great endurance and toil, and one who found keen enjoyment in the primitive frontier life which he had chosen. Of game, both large and small, there was an abundance; and the rivers and streams were alive with fish of various kinds. Danger, however, sometimes menaced his isolated home, for there were roving bands of somewhat hostile Indians; and some of his experiences were most romantic and thrilling. The Connecticut Valley History of 1879 has a full and interesting account of the Millers and of Mr. Fairfield. Mr. Fairfield, who was the second to settle in the district, was a kinsman of the Millers. Coming seventeen years later, he established his home near theirs. Mr. Miller died September 7, 1792, aged eighty years. His wife, Martha Miller, died November 24, 1805, at the age of eighty-seven years. They reared four children: Stephen; John; Cyrus; and a daughter who married Asa Wright, of Northampton. Their son Cyrus succeeded them on the old farm, where he spent a useful life engaged in farming, and died June 17, 1825, sixty-eight years of age. He married Miss Sarah Phinney, a daughter of Isaac Phinney, who came originally from Cape Cod, removing first to Hardwick and thence to Williamsburg in 1772, where he traded a side saddle for sixty acres of land east of the Haydenville church. Mrs. Miller was thirteen years of age at the time of the Boston Tea Party, December 16, 1773. She joined the church at Williamsburg under the pastorate of the Rev. Joseph Strong; and in 1851, on the formation of the Haydenville church, she transferred her membership to the latter, although then ninety-one years of age. She and her husband were the parents of twelve children, six sons and six daughters. In 1879 there were four of the twelve whose respective ages summed up three hundred and forty-seven years, namely: Cyrus, aged eighty-two years; John, aged seventy-nine years; Mrs. Betsey Fairfield, aged ninety-four years; and Mrs. Sarah Graves, of Sunderland, aged ninety-two years. Their mother died on March 4, 1859, aged ninety-eight years and four months.

Cyrus Miller, second, the grandfather of Edwin Cyrus Miller, who was born in 1797, acquired his education in the district school of Williamsburg, two miles away. He, too, spent his life on the old farm. At the time of the Mill River flood, May 16, 1874, he and his family barely escaped a watery grave. He married for his first wife Miss Harriet Kingman Hannum, and for his second, Mrs. Philena Ford, a widow with one son. The latter union was blessed by the birth of three sons: Edward F. Miller, Arthur F. Miller, and Lewis C. Miller. Lewis C. resides at South Hadley Falls and has four sons. In politics Cyrus Miller voted the Whig ticket up to the time of the formation of the Republican party, which he afterward supported; but he was not a man to share in the excitement of political life. He was widely and favorably known as Major Miller, and led a most consistent and useful life. He was for years a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and on the formation of the Haydenville church he joined that society. He belonged to a family of great longevity. His sister, Betsey Fairfield, died one hundred and three years old; another sister, Patty Holley, at ninety-seven years of age; and a brother died in his eighty-ninth year. His own death occurred in his eighty-seventh year, and his wife also lived to an advanced age.

Edward F. Miller, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born May 3, 1838. He also chose the independent life of a farmer and resided on three hundred of the nine hundred acres owned by his grandfather, John Miller. He took an active part in public affairs; and among the offices he was called upon to fill was that of Selectman, in which he rendered acceptable service during several terms. He also acted as Trustee of the Hayden-Sanders School Fund. In 1863 he was united in marriage with Miss Ellen N. Woodburn, of Grafton, Vt., a daughter of Samuel D. and Laura (Fay) Woodburn, both of whom were natives of Vermont. Her father was a talented and successful music teacher.

Edwin Cyrus Miller, the subject of this biographical sketch, received his education in Wesleyan Academy at Wilbraham, from which he graduated in 1882, at the age of fourteen years. He then secured a position in the Mill River button factory, which is the largest and one of the oldest ivory button factories in the United States. He remained there a year, and then, on September 20, 1884, he entered the Conway National Bank. He resigned this position in October, 1886, to take that of book keeper in the First National Bank of Northampton. In a short time, at the age of twenty-one, he became the teller, succeeding Lucius S. Graves (now deceased), who left on account of poor health. Mr. Miller has rendered most efficient service in this position. On June 17, 1891, he was married to Miss Edith Dunbar Childs, a daughter of Henry Childs, of Northampton.

In politics Mr. Miller is a Republican, and is at the present time chairman of the Republican County Committee, Clerk of the Common Council, and a member of the School Committee from Ward Four. He and his wife are active and consistent members of the Congregational church. They reside at No. 74 High Street, a pleasant and modest dwelling surrounded with shrubbery and flowers, where they settled soon after their marriage.

GORDON B. MILLER, of South Hadley, born June 25, 1819, in the house now the home of himself and his sister, is descended from one of the oldest and most respected families of Hampshire County. The house, which was erected by one of his ancestors in the year 1700, has many quaint and curious relics of pioneer times. Mr. Miller is a son of the late Aaron John and Theodosia (Parsons) Miller, who were born, reared, and married in the town of Ludlow, this county.

Mr. Miller's parents after their marriage commenced housekeeping on this homestead, which was then owned by the groom's grandmother, widow of his paternal grandfather, an early settler of the town. Aaron John Miller was one of the leading farmers of the town and a prominent citizen. In addition to his agricultural ventures he had quite a practice as a country doctor, in which capacity, being familiar with the medicinal properties of herbs and roots, he prescribed and cared for his neighbors whenever they fell sick. His wife, who was his faithful assistant in. all of his good works, died November 10, 1854. He survived her, living until January 12, 1866. They reared seven children, as follows: Aaron John, named after his father, who died at the age of fifty-four years; Gordon B., the subject of this sketch; William A., a resident of Holyoke; Jane A., residing in Hadley, the widow of the late Edward R. Gaylord; Reuben P., who died in 1892; Mary E., residing on the old home farm with her brother; and Asa L., who died in October, 1869.

Gordon B. Miller obtained his early education in the pioneer schools of his time. The old log school-house attended by him still stands on land adjoining his farm. On attaining his majority, Mr. Miller began learning the trade of a harness-maker. He worked at it three years in Ludlow, and subsequently four years in Northampton. The indoor confinement proved injurious to his health, and he was obliged to seek more healthful work. Returning to the parental homestead, he assisted in the labors of the farm until the death of his father, since which time he has had full control of the estate. He has about thirty-five acres of land, mostly under cultivation. In raising hay, corn, and stock he has met with invariable success. Mr. Miller has made many improvements on the property, and has now one of the best appointed and most valuable estates, for its size, of any in the county. He and his sister are held in high regard throughout the entire community. In politics Mr. Miller is a steadfast Republican, and in religious matters Miss Miller is a valued member of the Congregational church.

WILLIAM SMITH MILLER, wholesale dealer in meats and provisions in Northampton, was born in South Hadley in 1860, son of Edward Curtis and Elizabeth White (Smith) Miller and grandson of Joseph Miller, one of the pioneer farmers of Ludlow.

Grandfather Miller died at the age of eighty-five, some years after his wife had passed away. They reared two sons and three daughters, but only one son is now living. This is Edward Curtis Miller, who came to South Hadley in 1838. Then a strong young man of nineteen, he hired with Ezra Allen as a farm hand, and worked for him six years. At the expiration of that time he bought fifty acres of land in South Hadley, upon which he established a homestead, and there resides today, engaged in general farming. In November, 1845, he was united in marriage to Elizabeth W., daughter of Medad Smith, of Granby, who claims a long and honorable lineage. Mr. and Mrs. Miller had a large family of children. It comprised: Joseph Edward, who died in 1888, at the age of forty-two, leaving a widow and three children; Charles Herbert, in the meat business in Williamsburg; Martha Pamelia, wife of C. A. Gridley, a merchant in South Hadley; Frank, who died in infancy; Harriet E., who also passed away in childhood; Addie Elizabeth, at home with her parents; William Smith, the subject of this notice; and Carrie Irene, wife of F. H. Cook, draughtsman in the office of the Holyoke Water Company.

William Smith Miller received a good education. After attending the common schools, he studied for one year at the Agricultural College of Massachusetts and for one year more at a business college in Springfield. At the age of twenty-one he entered the business world. His first venture was a market in Amherst, which he conducted for two years. He then bought a farm in Hadley, and cultivated it with profit. At the same time he took charge of an extensive butchering establishment, succeeding Mr. Jackson in that line. In the fall of 1893 he sold his farm, and removed to Northampton, there engaging in the wholesale meat business as one of the firm of F. C. Steele & Co. In the following year the firm name was changed to Miller & Steele; and in March, 1895, Mr. Miller took charge of the entire business. He handles the best of goods, averaging fifty head of cattle per week. The two-story brick building that he occupies was built by Armour & Co. in 1893. It has the latest improvements in cold storage, and is admirably fitted in every way for handling and preserving meats.

Mr. Miller was united in marriage on August 26, 1885, to Mary J. Howe, of Hadley, daughter of Charles Howe, of Boston. Mrs.. Miller is a graduate of the College for Girls at Bordentown, N.J., and is a lady of refinement, with an exceptional grace of manner. Mr. and Mrs. Miller have two daughters: Mary Elizabeth and Grace Adele, respectively eight and five years of age. Mr. Miller is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and in politics he is a Republican. He occasionally attends the Congregational church at Hadley, of which Mrs. Miller is a member. He is regarded as a capable and experienced business man, one with whom it is pleasant to deal.

FRANCIS C. MONTAGUE, an enterprising and progressive farmer of Westhampton, was born August 5, 1859, on land now included in the present estate of the family, son of Alfred D. and Sophia (Clapp) Montague.

Alfred D. Montague was born and reared in Westhampton, where he also received a substantial education. He began his career as a school teacher, at the same time carrying on general farming. The best years of his life were spent on the farm where he now lives. He always took an interest in whatever related to the moral or educational advancement of the town that came under his notice, and for many years was an efficient member of the School Committee. Besides Francis C. Montague he has four children, as follows: Edward H., who lives near the old homestead, married to Susan E. Parsons; Lovisa J., residing at home; Alfred D., Jr., now a member of the local School Board, married to Mrs. Emma F. B. Montague, and residing on the old Bridgman farm; and Harriet F., also living with her parents.

Francis C. Montague, the eldest child of the family, was educated in the best schools of the county. Having been bred to the occupation of a farmer, he has since made that his principal business. He is, however, a man of versatility, and can turn his hand to various kinds of labor. He began his agricultural career on his father's farm. In 1890 he purchased the Medad King farm, situated near the old home estate. In the management of this property he has been very successful. It has yielded him a good income, which has enabled him to make further purchases of adjacent land, so that now he is the owner of three hundred acres of as well-improved and highly cultivated land as can be found in this section of the State. Besides tilling the soil he is also engaged in stock-raising, and is an agent for the sale of sundry articles needed in agriculture. Among the latter are the fertilizer manufactured by the Chittenden Fertilizer Company, the McCormick harvesting machine, made in Chicago, and the newly invented McCormick corn binder, which has met with such a ready sale this year throughout the corn raising States of the Union. Mr. Montague is a far-seeing and broad-minded man, generously endowed with persistence and enterprise.

On the 6th of December, 1882, he was united in marriage with Miss Alice R. Woodard, born in Halifax, Vt., September 6, 1862, a daughter of the Hon. L. M. Woodard, who served his district for two terms as Representative to the State legislature. They had two children, one of whom died in infancy. The other is Grace W., who was born January 1, 1892. Mr. Montague supports the principles of the Republican party, and is one of the most active workers in the county. He has much public spirit, and spares neither time nor reasonable expense in advancing the welfare of his native town. Since attaining his majority he has been a member of the Republican Town Committee, and for several years has served as its Treasurer. In 1886 he was elected a member of the Board of Selectmen. He was again elected to the same office in 1892, and has continued in it since. He has not forgotten the religious teachings of his youth, and both he and his estimable wife are esteemed members of the Congregational church.

GEORGE C. MONTAGUE, a progressive, and industrious agriculturist of the town of Granby, owns and occupies a farm that, in regard to its appointments, compares favorably with the best in the locality. The neat and orderly appearance of the property makes manifest to the most casual observer the thrift and care of the proprietor, and most conclusively his thorough understanding of his business, as well as the good judgment he exercises in its management. He is a native of Massachusetts, born in Wilbraham, March 5, 1845.

Mr. Montague, having married Jane C., daughter of Amos and Ruth (Clark) Ferry, of Granby, on April 27, 1864, then began farming on his own account. He continued in that occupation until 1881, when he had the misfortune to be burned out, losing all of his buildings and stock. Instead of rebuilding he then bought the farm adjoining, with the buildings upon it. He now resides there, is very pleasantly located, and continues his business as a farmer. Mr. Montague takes an interest in politics, working for the prosperity of the Republican party. He has served the town in many ways, and is now filling the office of sexton. He is a great admirer of fine stock, and is especially interested in nice horses. He is a liberal contributor to the advancement of the religious and moral culture of the town.

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