ALONZO H. WARREN, proprietor of the Williams House, Williamsburg, and a veteran of the Civil War, was born in Conway, Franklin County, Mass., January 1, 1841, son of William and Jane (Bigolow) Warren. Mr. Warren's grandparents were Samuel and Abigail Warren, the former of whom was an old resident of Conway. He owned a good farm, which he cultivated with good results, and devoted a great deal of time and attention to the raising and fattening of cattle for the market, in which he was quite successful.     He was a Whig in politics and a Congregationalist in his religion. Samuel Warren died in Conway at the age of seventy-five years, and his wife also lived to an advanced age. They were the parents of six children: William, Samuel, Ephraim, Esther, Martha, and Rebecca.

William  Warren, father of  Mr. Warren, was born in Conway.    He received a district school education, and in early manhood purchased a farm which was located in the northern  part  of  the   town   of   Conway. After following agriculture there for a time he bought in the vicinity of Bardwell's Ferry a saw and grist mill, which he operated successfully for a number of years.   These mills were destroyed by a flood, and their site is now occupied by the Eldridge Mills.    Mr. William Warren was originally a Whig, later a Republican, and was esteemed as a man of much public spirit. He died at the age of fifty-five years. His wife was the mother of six children : William, Francis, Philena, Elizabeth, Alonzo H., and Mary. She died aged fifty-nine years.

Alonzo H. Warren attended the district schools of his native town. In 1861 he enlisted as a private in Company H, Tenth Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment, under the command of Colonel Briggs. He was detailed to serve at brigade headquarters as a teamster, in which capacity he continued for three years, and was discharged July 6, 1864. He returned to his native town, where he rented a farm; and after engaging in agriculture for a time entered the employ of the New Haven & Massachusetts Central Railroad Company, as overseer of men and teams, a position which he satisfactorily filled for some time. He later purchased the Sears farm, located in the town of Ashfield, Franklin County, consisting of ninety acres of fertile land. He has remodeled and enlarged the house, erected a new barn, placed the other buildings in good repair, improved the land, and set out fruit trees, also introducing the cultivation of  berries. He also conducts a choice dairy, to which he devotes a great deal of attention. In 1894 Mr.  Warren leased the Williams House, in Williamsburg, which he conducts in a most satisfactory manner. The table is in a measure supplied by the products of his farm, which are greatly appreciated by his many guests.  He has also purchased the Belcher livery stable, and runs it in connection with the hotel. At the present time he has a most liberal patronage. Since establishing his residence in Williamsburg he has gained the esteem and confidence of his fellow townsmen.

On November 15,  1866, Mr. Warren was united in marriage to Ella J. Ranney, daughter of Luther B. Ranney, a prosperous farmer of Ashfield, and has six children, namely: Earl, an employee of the Adams Express Company in Holyoke, married to Grace Tuttle, and father of one child, Irma; Ida, a leading dressmaker of Williamsburg; Edward, engaged in business with his father, and married to Mary Graves; Luther, a conductor and mail and express agent on the Conway Electric Railway: Roy, a successful horse dealer of Holyoke; and Mary, yet attending school.  Mr. Warren is a Republican in politics, and liberal in his religious views. He is a Comrade of Post William L. Baker, No. 86, Grand Army of the Republic, of Northampton.

CHARLES L. WARREN, of Florence, Mass., who for upward of forty years has dealt in livestock, surviving all who were his contemporaries in that business at the time he started, is actively engaged in it still. He was born in Williamsburg, July 6, 1826, son of Mather and Ann M. (Fairfield) Warren, both natives of the same town.

Cotton Mather Warren, his grandfather, was one of the first settlers of Williamsburg.  He located on a spot between Hatfield and Albany, where the foundations of the old house are still to be seen. His wife, who before marriage was Miss Lois White, of Belchertown, Mass., bore him five children, as follows: Julia, the wife of Charles Bridgman, now residing in Ohio;  Mrs. Sophia Seeley; Mather; George, a carpenter of Northampton, who died at the age of sixty; and Mrs. Lucinda Bryant, of Pelham, Mass. Mather Warren, besides farming two hundred acres of farm land, moved buildings and performed carpenter work. He had a blacksmith shop on his farm, and owned two saw-mills, which he successfully conducted. His wife, to whom he was married in 1821, was a daughter of Ira W. Fairfield, who is said to have been the first white male child born in the town of Williamsburg. Five children were born to them: namely, Almira Caroline, Charles L., Hannah M., Henry W., and William F.  Almira Caroline became the wife of Seth Church. After his death she married a Mr.  Knight, but is now a widow again, and resides in Tennessee. The larger part of her life has been spent as a teacher. Prior to her marriage she was an instructress in Wilbraham Academy; and later she and Mr. Church taught in Athens, Tenn.   After Mr. Knight's death she again took up teaching as a vocation. Hannah M. married Dr. Hill, of Chicago, ILL., where she died at their home on Michigan Avenue, leaving one daughter.  Henry W., who is a Bishop in the Methodist Episcopal church, with headquarters in Denver, Col., has been twice married. His second wife was the Widow Hiff, better known as the Cattle Queen of the West; each has three children by the first marriage. William F. Warren, who, as well as his brother Henry W was a graduate of Middletown Academy, is President of the Boston University.

Charles L. Warren acquired his education by attendance at the district school for the usual length of time and at a select school and Wilbraham Academy for two and one terms respectively. He remained at home with his parents, and succeeded to the ownership of the old homestead at his father's death.  In 1867 he removed to his present home, which he erected on the outskirts of Florence.  With the lot on which it stands he purchased another adjoining it. In 1870 he sold the homestead farm. He deals principally in native stock, making a portion of his purchases in Vermont; and he has farms from two to four miles from his home, on the pastures of which he feeds his stock, while he cultivates the tillage land. These farms have fine orchards, yielding from two to six hundred barrels of apples per year. During the war and up to 1883 he conducted a meat market, for which he ran five or six meat carts.

On November 25, 1846, he was united in marriage with Miss Minerva G. Gardner, of Hartford, a daughter of B. D. Gardner.  They became the parents of five children; namely, Lizzie M., Fred C, Sarah M., Mary L., and Minnie G.   Lizzie M., the youngest daughter, has made kindergarten work a specialty. After establishing her school in Florence she spent a year in Berlin, studying kindergarten methods. She is now engaged in her school, and is meeting with merited success. Fred C, who is married, is a graduate of Wilbraham Academy and a successful business man. He is a commission merchant in Chicago, ILL., with an office on Wabash Avenue. Sarah M. is a book keeper at the brush factory. Mary L., a music teacher, has just returned from Berlin after a year's absence spent in study. Minnie G., like the other children, received a good practical education in the schools of Florence and Wilbraham Academy. Mr. Warren votes the Republican ticket, but has never been a desirous of office. He is much attached to his home and family, of whom he may well be proud. He is a communicant of the Congregational church.

OSMYN WATTS, a progressive farmer of Worthington, was born in that town, May 30, 1828, son of John and Philura (Anable) Watts. Mr. Watts's grandfather was John Watts, a native of Ireland, who emigrated to the United States and settled in Worthington, where he engaged in farming.  John Watts, Jr., Mr. Watts's father, followed the same occupation through life. He also erected a sawmill, which he operated successfully for several years. He was a well-known and highly esteemed citizen, a Whig in politics, and was a member of the Board of Selectmen. He and his family attended the Congregational church. He died May 3, 1853. His wife was the mother of fifteen children, eleven of whom survived, and were named: Eliza, Martha, John, Jane, Mary, Lucy, Samuel, William, Alonzo, Henry, and Osmyn. The others died in infancy. The mother's death occurred in August, 1869.

Osmyn Watts resided with his parents and assisted his father upon the farm. At his father's death he purchased the homestead.  He sold it later, and after residing for a time first upon the farm which he now cultivates and then with an aunt, he moved to Chester, Mass. In 1853 he bought a farm in Middlefield, Mass., where he resided for fourteen years. At the expiration of that period he sold the property there, and in 1868 moved to his present farm in Worthington. He now carries on general farming, stock-raising, and dairying, and personally attends to a major part of the farm duties. He is a Republican in politics.

On January 20, 1851, Mr. Watts was united in marriage to Eunice D. Barnes. She was born in Southampton, February 18,. 1833, daughter of Stephen C. and Delana (Gorham) Barnes. The father, a native of Connecticut, died January 16, 1873; and the mother, who was born in Montgomery, Mass., died March 27, 1889. Mr. and Mrs. Watts have one daughter, Eunice P., who was born October 29, 1851. She is the wife of B. G. Blake, of Williamstown, Mass., and has had four children: Osmyn B., Walter, Winnifred, and Margaret (deceased). Mr. and Mrs. Watts are members of the Congregational church.

DANIEL W. WELLS, President of the Smith Charities of Northampton, Mass., is widely known in this part of Hampshire County as an able financier, a man of stanch integrity, and an esteemed and valued citizen. He was born on his present homestead in Hatfield, April 17,  1842, being a son of Elisha Wells, whose birth occurred at the same place, April 29, 1797.

The founder of the Wells family of Hatfield was Thomas Wells, who was born in England about 1620, and after reaching manhood came to this country, locating first at Wethersfield, Conn. According to the History of Hadley, his mother, the widow Frances Wells, married Thomas Coleman, and removed from Wethersfield to Hadley with her family, which included Thomas and his brother John Wells, in 1660.   Thomas Wells died in 1676. He was the father of Thomas, Jr., whose son Ebenezer was born in Hadley, July 20, 1669.  Ebenezer's son Joshua was born in Hatfield, August 31,   1695,  and died   in Greenfield, April 1, 1768.   The next in line, Elisha, son of Joshua, was born July 23, 1731, and lived until October 5,   1792.     His son, Amasa Wells, who became the father of a second Elisha, was born September 23,   1762, and died in Hatfield, the place of his nativity, June 12, 1816.

Amasa Wells was one of the substantial farmers of Hatfield; and through his marriage with Eunice White, a daughter of Daniel White, of Hatfield, two families of prominence became connected. The White family were long conspicuous in military circles, some of its members having been officers in the State militia for three generations. A Daniel and a John Wells were among the soldiers of the Revolutionary army, and were killed at Crown Point.   The present homestead of Mr. Daniel W. Wells was the original land granted in 1660 to John White, the immigrant ancestor of  Eunice White. It descended in the White family down to Daniel White, Eunice's father, and at length fell into the possession of his grandson, Elisha Wells, second.    Amasa Wells and his wife reared five  children:   Horace;  Cephas; Barnabas; Hannah,   who married Joseph   Smith; and Elisha.    He lived a little past middle age; and his widow survived him, dying in Conway at the age of sixty-two years, although her home was in Hatfield until the year of her decease.

Elisha Wells, son of Amasa and Eunice (White) Wells, was one of the most prosperous agriculturists of the town, and was a citizen of influence.    He was a Democrat in politics, and represented his district in the legislature in 1848.   On January 14, 1823, he married Louisa Field, a daughter of Daniel and Tabitha (Clark) Field, of Conway, and of their six children that grew to maturity three are now living, namely: Hannah S.; Daniel W, with whom the sister makes her home; and Joseph S., his twin brother, who is now a steward at Mount Holyoke College at South Hadley.   The father lived a long, useful life of nearly fourscore years, dying in 1873; and the mother, who survived him, died August 1, 1878,   aged  seventy-five years.     Both were attendants of the Congregational church and liberal contributors toward its support, Mrs.  Wells being a member of the church.

Daniel W. Wells, being the youngest child of the household circle, cared for his parents in their last years, and has made the homestead on which he was born his permanent abiding place. During the late Civil War Mr. Wells enlisted in Company K, Fifty-second Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, going out as a nine months' man, under General Banks.    On his return he engaged in general farming, tobacco being his staple crop. He has been identified with the leading enterprises and industries of his native town, and holds a high position among its honest and law abiding citizens.    He is a man of excellent judgment and ability in business affairs, and has often been called upon to act as administrator of different estates.    For seventeen years he has been one of the Directors of the First National Bank of Northampton, for six years a Trustee of the Smith Charities, and for five years has ably filled the position of president of the board.    He is a firm adherent of the Democratic party, and has served in the State legislature two years, 1883 and 1884.

On October 19, 1875, Mr. Wells was united in marriage with Hannah A. Belden, a daughter of Deacon Reuben H. Belden, of Hatfield.  This union has been brightened by the birth of two children: Reuben F., born in 1881 ; and Louisa B., born in 1884.

HON. BARNEY T. WETHERELL widely and favorably known as a wealthy and influential resident of Southampton, is numbered among the leading agriculturists of Hampshire County, wherein a large part of his years of useful activity have been spent. He was born in Plymouth County, October 14, 1822, son of Tisdel and Elizabeth (Reed) Wetherell.

The father of Mr. Wetherell was a native of this county, and here grew to maturity.  When a young man, he went to Plymouth County with a drove of cattle, and, being pleased with the locality, remained there some time, engaging in the work of laying stone walls. He also cultivated the acquaintance of a Miss Reed, whom he married, and a few years later returned with her to Worthington, where he lived a year, going thence to Holyoke, which was their place of residence until they finally went back to Plymouth County.  Both he and his wife spent their remaining years in Middleboro, his death occurring in 1830, and hers in the same town in 1834.  They were the parents of four children: Barney T.; Samuel, now a resident of Holyoke; Amanda, deceased, who was the wife of Mr. Henry Caswell; and Elizabeth, widow of H. Leonard, residing in Easthampton. 

Barney T. Wetherell acquired a practical education in the district schools in Plymouth and Hampshire Counties. At the age of twenty-one years he began working for himself; and in addition to general farming, which he carried on in Southampton, he was employed in getting out barrel staves, a most profitable industry. Ambitious, sagacious, and enterprising, not afraid to venture in new fields, he subsequently engaged in the manufacture of matches, still continuing his agricultural labors. In 1860 Mr. Wetherell bought twenty-eight acres of land, the nucleus of his present extensive farm, which now contains two hundred and twenty-five acres, he being one of the largest landholders of this vicinity and the heaviest tax-payer in the town.  Fortune has smiled on his undertakings; and in the management of his farming interests he has met with excellent success, raising each year large crops of corn, hay, and tobacco.  In his early days Mr. Wetherell was identified with the Whigs; but on the formation of the Republican party he joined its ranks, voting that ticket until 1882, since which time he has cast his vote independently. He has never taken an intelligent interest in politics, and has borne a conspicuous part in town and county affairs, serving efficiently in various local offices; and in the years 1890 and 1891 he represented his district in the State legislature, performing the duties of his position with credit to himself and to the satisfaction of his worthy constituents. Socially, he is a member of the Golden Cross Society of Southampton.

On August 10, 1842, Mr. Wetherell was united in marriage with Adelia Maria Stedman, a native of Manchester, Conn., where her father, Reuben Stedman, a lifelong resident of that State, was then employed as a book keeper.   The golden anniversary of their wedding day, marking a half-century of happy companionship, was celebrated in August, 1892; but a year later, on September 11, 1893, Mrs. Wetherell passed to "fuller life beyond." Five children were born to Mr.  and Mrs. Wetherell, namely: Georgia Annie, the wife of Mr. C. McLean, a prominent business man of Hartford, Conn.; Helen Adelia; Arthur B., a well-known physician of Holyoke and a valued member of the Masonic fraternity; Lois Stedman, wife of William Smith, of Holyoke; and one child who died in infancy. These children were all the recipients of excellent educational advantages, some being fitted for teachers, and one being a graduate of Harvard Medical College.

WALDO HUNT WHITCOMB, of Northampton, the collector and possessor of one of the finest antiquarian collections in the United States, was born on the estate where he resides, at the corner of State and Park Streets, January 26, 1840.  He is the son of David B. and Nancy (Clapp) Whitcomb, and comes of good old New England stock.

His grandfather, James Whitcomb, was a farmer in humble circumstances, who, being of a roving disposition, moved often, and aptly illustrated the old adage that "a rolling stone gathers no moss." He was a very eccentric man, a genius in many respects, with a natural knack for mechanics. Moving from Braintree to Goshen shortly after his marriage, he made by hand all the nails used in building the Baptist church in the latter town. He lived some time in Brookfield, Mass. ; and while there his home was destroyed by fire. His son David, the father of Waldo Hunt Whitcomb, was  to relate how the neighbors, on this occasion, moved with pity for the family, brought in nine pair of knee breeches, then going out of style, while no one offered to replenish the empty larder. James Whitcomb was twice married, and reared six daughters and one son, David. All married and had families, the youngest to die being twenty-one years of age at the time of death.  David B. Whitcomb's birth was coincident with that of the last year of the eighteenth century, as he was born in the first hour of the year 1800. His parents moved from Goshen to Williamsburg, and in the latter place David worked on a farm for a time, until 1815, when he started to learn the painter's trade at Pittsfield. In 1822 he obtained work at his trade in Northampton, and was six years in the employ of the late Elijah Abbott. From 1828 to 1832 he was in business with John Moies, and in the latter year he began to take contracts alone. He was a very painstaking workman,  never slighting his work,   but taking great pride in doing it well; and it is safe to say that the town never had a more reliable or honest tradesman. His merit was fully recognized, and secured for him contracts from the best line of customers in the town. Beginning life in comparative poverty, he had a long struggle with adversity. He settled on one acre of ground in 1832, on what is now the corner of State and Park Streets, and within a few years a great part of his land was taken from him to make a way for the Northampton & New Haven Canal, no indemnity being paid for the right of way. He also had to struggle against boycotting and other annoyances inflicted upon him by prominent citizens of Northampton who differed from him in religious and political opinions, but his un-swerving integrity and steady perseverance carried him through. Though he did not amass wealth, he attained a fair amount of prosperity and won the respect of all. He was a Jeffersonian Democrat and an influential factor in local politics. He was several times nominated for the legislature, to lead the forlorn hope of the Democrats; but, as the Republican party was in the ascendant in that district, he was always defeated. He died on September 6, 1881, the memorable "yellow day," and was laid to rest in the Northampton cemetery.

On May 19, 1828, David B. Whitcomb married Nancy, daughter of Bohan and Anna (Lavake) Clapp, of Northampton. Mrs. Whitcomb was born January 10, 1800, and comes of a well-known Northampton family, from whom it is evident the subject of this sketch inherited his love for the antique and the beautiful.  She was a thrifty and industrious woman, and earned enough money at dressmaking to buy a lot of land on which her husband erected a home for the family. She died March 10, 1866, in her sixty-seventh year, and was interred in the Northampton cemetery. Mr.  and Mrs. Whitcomb were the parents of six children, two of whom died in infancy. Of the others the following may be stated: Julia A. is the wife of William Moody, of Northampton; David B. resides on the homestead where his father died; Waldo H. is the subject of this sketch; Parker Richardson, who was born January 26, 1842, went to New York City in 1866, made and lost a fortune of ten thousand dollars, made a larger one again, and is now a wealthy dealer in patent medicines, owning a handsome residence and other valuable property in New York.

Waldo Hunt Whitcomb received his education in the district schools, from his tenth to his nineteenth year attending school in the winter only, working in the summer season, when he received for his labor two shillings a day. He took his first lessons in painting when twelve years of age, and at eighteen was trusted by his father with the full management of contracts. As his father advanced in years, Waldo and his brother David shouldered the responsibilities of the business, which was carried on under the name of D. B. Whitcomb's Sons. Our subject remained at home while his parents were alive, and, when a man of twenty-eight, was still turning in his earnings to the family fund. The brothers are yet carrying on the business established by their father, and the name Whitcomb is still a synonym for first-class painting. Waldo Hunt Whitcomb is also the efficient agent for the Burnham School, looking after the laundry and the provisions for the boarding halls. He has been agent for Miss Capen for several years at a good salary. His residence at the corner of Park and State Streets, was originally a barn in the rear of the old Whitcomb estate. The dwelling house is the home of fifty of the girl students who attend the Capen School; and Mr. Whitcomb has made of the barn a most unique residence, equipped with electric bells and all modern conveniences.  He lives in the upper story, the ground floor is his paint shop, and the basement contains a wine cellar that would delight an epicure, the cobwebs of twenty-five years festooning bottles of Madeira and brown sherry. But Mr. Whitcomb's great treasure is his collection of antique curios, a collection which, if it should ever be sold, would bring more than compound interest on the money he has invested in it. He has rare engravings, books, china that would set a collector in a frenzy to possess it, photographs, medals commemorating events in the history of this country, and antique pictures so rare as to be almost priceless. On the easterly side of his dwelling is a room built of parts taken from an old house torn down in Hadley in 1889, the home of S. D. Smith, on Hadley's famous street, built in 1714. It is an exact reproduction of a room of nearly two centuries ago. The old strap hinges appear on the doors, the old locks and door latches are just as they were one hundred and eighty years ago, and so likewise are the mantel and fireplace. In one corner of the room is a corner closet that was in the home of Preserved Clapp, and set up as it was built by Roger Clapp one hundred and seventy-five years ago. The Clapps, it will be remembered, were Mr. Whitcomb's mother's family; and their home, which was built in 1719, was on South Street, Northampton. In this room Mr. Whitcomb gives famous birthday parties; and the mayor and other city officials who have been his guests, and have tasted of his good cheer, can testify to the rare quality of his hospitality. Politically, Mr. Whitcomb believes firmly in the principles of the Democratic party. He is a close observer of national affairs, and is well versed in political economy, reading extensively on that subject.  He has served as delegate to various conventions, representing city, county, and State.  His only fraternal affiliation is with the Improved Order of Red Men. Mr. Whitcomb still enjoys the freedom of celibacy.

LUKE BROWN WHITE, Postmaster and merchant at Bay State, was born at Whately, Mass., October 3, 1864. He is the son of Samuel B. White, who was son of Luke Brown White, who was son of Deacon John White, who was son of Deacon Salmon White, the first member of the family to settle in Whately.

The Whites are the lineal descendants of John White, who emigrated  from England to the Colony of Massachusetts, and settled in Cambridge, where he was made a freeman in 1633. In 1636 he removed to Hartford, Conn., where he became a ruling Elder in the South Church, and passed the remainder of his days.  His son, Daniel White, resided at Hartford, Mass., where he married Sarah Crow, was a Lieutenant of militia, and died July 27, 1713.  Their son Daniel, who was born on July 4, 1671, settled at Windsor, Conn. He was married three times, his first wife having been Sarah Bissell; his second, Anna Bissell; and the third, Elizabeth Bliss. His death occurred in 1726. His son, Captain Daniel White, resided at Windsor, Conn., from which place he moved to Hatfield, Mass., where he died in 1786. His first wife was Mary Dickinson, his second Elizabeth White; and his son Salmon, who was baptized October 31, 1731, became the original settler of the farm known as the Luke B. White place in Whately, which has been in the family's possession since 1762. He married Mary Waite, was a Deacon in the church, a leading spirit in the community, and died June 21, 1815.  His wife survived him until the same date in 1821, when she passed away, at the age of ninety-one years.   They had four sons and four daughters, of whom John White was the paternal great-grandfather of Luke B. White, of this article. He married Elizabeth Brown, of Worcester, who brought to Whately the first chaise; and she died in 1853, aged eighty-three years, having been the mother of ten children-three sons and seven daughters. Of these Luke B. was born on May 8, 1797, wedded Mary Wells, daughter of Captain Luke Wells, and raised a family of six children, of whom two are living, namely: Mary E., born in 1834, widow of O. D. Root, M.D.; and John Newton White, a farmer of East Whately, who was born in 1838. 

L. B. White attended the schools of his native town, and at the age of sixteen became a clerk in the store of P. D. Willis & Co. at Thompsonville, Conn. After spending one year there, he took a similar position with C. D. Waite at Haydenville, Mass., holding it for about the same length of time. Then he came to Northampton, where he entered the employ of E. E. Hart. Five years later he went to Springfield, and for some three years was clerk with B. Frank Steele & Co.  At the end of this time he returned to Bay State, and, in company with his brother, Charles W. White, purchased the stock and trade of his former employer, E. E. Hart, in September, 1890. Two years later he bought out his brother's interest, and has since continued to carry on the business, which is now well established and exceedingly profitable.

On September 10, 1886, he was united in marriage to Miss Jennie E. Wetherbee, of Landgrove, Vt., and the union has resulted in two children: Edna Emily, aged seven; and Charles Herbert, aged four years. Mr. White is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He is independent in politics, and is at present serving on the Common Council, having been elected upon the Republican ticket. He has been Postmaster for the past five years, and has resided at his present comfortable home since 1892. His father died in 1882; and his mother, who is still bright and active, resides with her sons.