Trails-to-the-Past-Massachusetts-Hampshire-County-Biographies-pg11

 

Trails to the Past 

Hampshire County, Massachusetts Biographies

The Leading Citizens of Hampshire County

Boston Biographical Review Publishing Co. 1896

COL. ELISHA A. EDWARDS

REV. HENRY LUTHER EDWARDS

THEOPHILUS EDWARDS

JOHN B. EWING

WILLIAM EWING

WILLIAM A. FALES

NATHANIEL W. FARRAR

CHARLES W. FELTON

LEMUEL BATES FIELD

REV. GEORGE E. FISHER

REV. GEORGE M. FITZGERALD

JOSIAH W. FLINT

THOMAS FORD

JAMES FORSYTH

ADOLPH FRANZ, M.D

JOHN FULLER

 
 

 

COLONEL ELISHA A. EDWARDS, a well-known, public-spirited, and influential citizen of Hampshire County, was born in Southampton, Mass., March 25, 1824. He is of Welsh origin, the emigrant ancestor having been Alexander Edwards, who left Wales in 1640, and after his arrival in this State settled in Springfield.  On April 28, 1642, he married Sarah Searl, and in 1655 moved to Northampton, where he died September 4, 1690. Of his eight children, Samuel, born March 7, 1643, was the next in the line now being considered. He married Sarah Boykin, daughter of James Boykin, of New Haven, Conn. ; and they reared six children, their eldest son being Samuel Edwards, Jr., who was born March 26, 1676, and died March 8, 1749. His first wife, Mercy Pomeroy, whom he married in 1708, died in 1712 ; and he subsequently married Sarah Pomeroy, of Colchester, Conn. He reared nine children, including Samuel, the third, born September 12, 1716, and Noah, born June 6, 1722.

Noah Edwards was married June 28, 1749, to Jerusha Alvord, who died in 1798.    In his old age,   September   11,   1799,   he married widow Elizabeth Wright, with whom he lived until his death, September 3, 1805. Justin, the second of his eight children, was born in 1752.    He married Elizabeth Clark in 1778, and afterward removed to Westhampton, where she died December 6, 1792.    On January 1, 1795, he married Mary Bartlett, a niece of Phoebe Bartlett, whose early history is given in President Edwards's work on "Revivals." Justin Edwards died October 6, 1816. By his first wife he had four children: Dotia, Jesse, Justin (the Rev. Dr. Edwards), and Elizabeth. His second wife bore him three children: Sarah, who died in infancy; Mary; and William.

Samuel   Edwards, born in  1716, was the grandfather of the late Professor Bela B. Edwards and also of Elisha Edwards, father of Colonel Elisha A.    He served in the Revolutionary War.    The elder Elisha Edwards was married in 1792.    His son Elisha, who was born April 22, 1793, and died April 26, 1868, married Julia King, who was born in October, 1798, and died in 1838.    They were the parents of eight children; namely, Horace, Elisha A., Julia A., Charles L., Elizabeth, Caroline, Eunice M., and George K.    The father, Elisha, Jr., was a soldier in the War of 1812.  Horace, born November 22, 1822, died December 23, 1846.    Julia, born September 29, 1826, became the wife of the Rev. Cornelius H.   Taylor,   D.D., a  Presbyterian minister; and he died in Cincinnati, Ohio, February 25, 1875,   leaving four  children:  Edwards C, Frank L., Julia K., and Kirke H.   Charles L., born October 19, 1828, now a coal dealer and insurance agent at Lawrence, Kan., married Susan Powers, of North Hadley; and of the three children born to them one is now living, Virginia S.    Elizabeth, born December 10, 1830,  married Martin  L. Gaylord (graduate of Amherst College), a farmer in Easthampton, and they have three children: Lucy P., Edith E.,  and Winfred  M.    Caroline,  born February 23, 1833, is a resident of Southampton.  Eunice M., born May 6, 1835, and now living in Colorado, is the widow of the late George L. Gaylord, and has two children, Lewis and Edwards K. George K., the youngest son, born April 28, 1838, grew to manhood in Southampton, and there lived until his enlistment in Company B, Thirty-first Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry,   in   October,   1861.     Going South with his regiment, he was engaged in the battles of the forts before New Orleans, which the Union army took possession of in April 1862.   On July 7,  1862, he was discharged for disability.    On January 1, 1863, he re-enlisted,  was  commissioned  First Lieutenant, and mustered into service March 2, in Company A, Second District of Columbia Volunteer   Infantry,   being  at   first   stationed at Washington Heights,  and going  thence to Alexandria, and from there to different places in the South.    He  displayed  great bravery in several engagements.    On September 12, 1865, he was discharged, and came home in poor health and suffering from injuries he had received by falling from the upper deck of a steamboat, a distance of twenty feet, and striking on a barrel.

On December 15, 1864, George K. Edwards was   united   in   marriage   with   Martha L. Lyman, who was born December 8,  1838, in Chester, Mass., daughter of Stephen and Julia (Searl) Lyman.    The only child horn of their union   died   in   infancy.    They   have since adopted a little girl, Ethel May, born May 1, 1887.     Mr.  Lyman was born December 24, 1811, married Julia Searl, April 28, 1830, and died April 11, 1889.    Mrs. Julia S. Lyman is still living in Southampton, quite advanced in years,  her  birth  having  occurred June 21, 1815.    She bore her husband five children, of whom but two now survive.    One daughter, Harriet Eliza  (deceased), married the Rev.  William   R.    Stocking,   of Williamstown, Mass., and went to Persia as a missionary. Stephen Lyman was the eldest son of Samuel Lyman,  who was born at Chester,  May 2, 1789, and who served in the War of 1812, in Colonel Enos Foot's regiment.    He was a Deacon   of   the   Congregational   church of Chester for over twenty years. On October 26, 1809, he married Marian S. Tinker; and they reared ten children.

Elisha A. Edwards, the second child born to Elisha and Julia (King) Edwards,  was reared to man's estate in his native town.  Early in life he chose farming as his principal vocation, and engaged in tilling the soil during the summer months and in teaching school in the winters for several years. At the age of sixteen he joined the militia, and, being promoted from time to time, became Colonel of the regiment, resigning his position after eight years' service. On October 1, 1861, inspired by patriotic ardor, Colonel Edwards enlisted in defense of his country, raising a company of over one hundred men, they going into camp as Company B, Thirty-first Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, in Pittsfield, removing thence to Lowell, Mass., and afterward to Boston. From there the regiment went South, marching into New Orleans May I, 1862. The Colonel was taken sick while in that city, and after lying there for weeks received his discharge, September 5, 1862.  After his return to Southampton Colonel Edwards was for a long time unable to engage in business; but since recovering his health he has taken an active part in the management of local public affairs, being an earnest supporter of the Republican party. He has served as Moderator at the annual town meetings for more than a score of years, as Town Clerk thirteen years, as Selectman and Assessor three years, as Justice of the Peace for forty-four years, and is now serving his twenty-eighth year as a member of the Board of County Commissioners, twenty-four years of which he has been its chairman. He has also served as Postmaster of Southampton.  Colonel Edwards has always been deeply interested in Masonry, and belongs to Jerusalem Lodge of Northampton. He is likewise a member of the William L. Baker Post, No.  86, Grand Army of the Republic. He and his family are members of the Congregational church and useful workers in that denomination. In financial circles the Colonel is favorably known throughout this part of Massachusetts, having been one of the incorporators of the Hampshire Savings Bank of Northampton, of which he has been one of the Trustees ever since the bank was started. He is a Trustee of the Sheldon Academy Corporation, and has also been Secretary and Treasurer for nearly thirty years. He is likewise President and Trustee of the Southampton Library Association. In 1857 Colonel Edwards visited Kansas with a view of locating there, and for a few months was book-keeper for the National Kansas Aid Society of Lawrence.

On the 12th of May, 1846, Colonel Elisha A.  Edwards  was  united in marriage with Henrietta  L.   Sheldon,  who was born July 3, 1825, in Southampton.    Mrs. Edwards is adaughter of the late Captain Silas and Anna (King) Sheldon, the latter of whom died in 1892.    Captain Sheldon and his wife were the parents of seven children;   namely, Emily, Silas B., Henrietta L., Lovisa S., Flavel K., Anna K., and Julia E., three of whom are yet living.    Four children have been born of the union of Colonel and Mrs. Edwards, the following being a brief record: Alice Julia, born in September, 1848, was first married to George Boyd, and after his death became the wife of W. H. Lyman, by whom she has one child, George W., born March 1, 1889; Mr.  Lyman is a traveling salesman, and resides in Springfield.     Emma H., born December 10, 1854, died July 11, 1890;  she was the wife of the late Deacon L. R. Bartlett, of Westfield, Mass.    Isabella G., born May 25, 1856, is a resident of Springfield, Mass., and the widow of the late D. H. Bronson, who passed to the higher life July 6, 1891 ; Mr.  and Mrs. Bronson became the parents of two children: Eugene, deceased, and Frederick E., born in January, 1881. Anna K., the youngest child, born March 18, 1861, is the wife of William C. Sheldon, of Southampton. 


REV. HENRY LUTHER EDWARDS, of Northampton, Mass., is a native of Hampshire County.  He was born January 24, 1822, in Southampton, where his progenitors had dwelt for several generations.  The name of Edwards has long been one of the most widely known and honored in Western Massachusetts. The family, including the Jonathan Edwards branch, originated in Wales, Alexander Edwards, the emigrant ancestor of the branch under consideration, coming thence in 1640 to Springfield, Mass., where he remained till 1655, a cultivator of the soil, like most others.

He then removed to Northampton, being attracted by the fertility of the bottom lands of  the   Connecticut  River known  as "The Meadows," and here, too, engaged in farming until his decease,  September 4,  1690. He married the widow of John Searle, Mrs. Sarah Baldwin Searle.    She had a son, John Searle, Jr., who came with his step-father, Alexander Edwards, to Northampton, and became a well-to-do farmer.     A   half-century   later John Searle, third, was killed by Indians with nineteen others at the foot of Mount Tom; and twenty years after that, in  1724, Nathaniel Edwards met his death in like manner. Nathaniel Searle, grandson of John, second, was one of the more prosperous and influential of the   pioneer  settlers  of   Southampton. He seems to have been the principal man in ecclesiastical affairs, securing and entertaining the ministers on every occasion, Jonathan Edwards among others.

Samuel Edwards, a son of Alexander and Sarah B. S. Edwards, was born March 7, 1643, in  Springfield, and died April 13,  1712, in Northampton.    His son Samuel, the next in line of descent, was born March 26, 1676, and died March 8, 1749.    He was twice married, his wives, whose names were Pomeroy, having been sisters; and among his descendants that became noted were the Rev. Dr. Justin Edwards and Professor Bela B. Edwards, men of exalted character and ability, and among the more  renowned   divines   in   New England.  Samuel Edwards, the third of that name, was born in Northampton, September 12,  1716, removed to Southampton in  1753, and died there in 1790.    His wife, Catherine Clark, was a woman of superior character and intelligence.    She was a daughter of Deacon John Clark, of Northampton, and lineally descended from Lieutenant William Clark, who emigrated from England soon after the departure of the Pilgrims, and was known in Northampton as "the Most Worshipful William Clark."

In Southampton, Samuel Edwards, third, became very prominent in local affairs, having been long Town Clerk and Town Treasurer and a Deacon in the church. For upward of forty years he was engaged in teaching in Northampton and Southampton during the winter seasons; and the old arm chair used by him in the school-room is now finely cushioned and highly prized, being owned by Caroline Edwards, of Southampton, a descendant, and a cousin of the gentleman to whom this sketch is due. This Samuel Edwards had four daughters and three sons-Samuel, Luther, and Elisha. The first settled in Westhampton, the others in Southampton, all being leading citizens.

Luther was born in 1756 and died in 1834. He was known as Ensign, and served briefly in the war of the Revolution, as did also his brother Elisha. He inherited some three hundred acres of his father's one thousand. He was a thoughtful man, thrifty in his business and highly esteemed," representing his town in a Constitutional Convention, and being a member repeatedly of the General Court. He was twice married. His first wife, Sarah Sheldon, died in middle life, leaving five children: Asenath, Ralph, Sarah, Luther, and Atossa.  His second wife was Clarissa Judd, the mother of Clarissa and Electa Edwards, and the daughter of the Rev. Jonathan Judd, who was the first minister settled in Southampton, a pastor of the Congregational church there for forty years. 

Luther Edwards, second, was born in Southampton, December 16, 1792, and died there September 12, 1863. He was loyal to his town, giving hundreds of dollars to the academy and the canal, and bequeathing a town clock in his will. He was one of the substantial agriculturists of his native place, inheriting a farm of some two hundred acres, one hundred or more of woodland, also a distillery which was very profitable, but was early abandoned for example's sake. He was active and of quick discernment, well-read and intelligent, and served acceptably in town and county offices, in the legislature, as Selectman, County Commissioner, etc. He was a student of the Bible, especially fond of. history, had a fine memory, and began a classical course, which was interrupted by ill health. He was united in marriage with Rachel Searle, of Chester, Mass., daughter of Zenas and Rachel (Bates) Searle. Luther and Rachel (Searle) Edwards lost two daughters in infancy, and two in young and very promising maidenhood -Catherine Louisa dying in 1845, aged twenty-three years; and Sarah Marietta in 1843, aged seventeen   years.   Another  daughter, Susan Sophia, has just deceased, April 10, 1895, aged sixty-two. She was active, but modest and unassuming, known for her kind and sympathetic nature and her deeds of love and beneficence. More than a tenth of her means she left to various charities, four hundred dollars to the Congregational church in Southampton. She occupied the old home during her life, and made a happy meeting place for the relatives. Rachel Corinthia, one of the six daughters, survives. She is the widow of Isaac Parsons, who was the son of Theodore and the grandson of the first Isaac, who married her grandmother. Mrs. Rachel S. Edwards survived her husband twenty - seven years, dying January 28, 1890, at the venerable age of ninety-six years, having retained to a remarkable degree her mental and physical vigor, and receiving to the last the tireless care of her daughter Susan.

Henry Luther Edwards was reared on the old farm until eighteen.    He fitted for college at Sheldon Academy and Williston Seminary, and was graduated  at  Amherst College in 1847, standing second in his class. Previous to entering college Mr. Edwards had taught town schools in Southampton two winters, and while a student he taught for two winters in the Sheldon Academy.    After his graduation he was an instructor for a term in the new Williston Seminary.    He was urged to continue there, but he had the study of theology in view and repaired to Andover Theological Seminary.    He  left  Andover,   however, in 1849, to accept a tutorship in Amherst College, where he taught the classics three years.  While a student at Amherst he was leader of the college choir.    Afterward at Easthampton and Andover he had classes in vocal music. In  1853 and   1854 he was an instructor in Northampton Classical Institute.    While here he was offered the principal ship of the New Conway Academy, then contemplated, a position having before been tendered him in Pittsfield Ladies' Institute.

But having been licensed in 1850, and having while teaching supplied pulpits in many churches, he accepted instead a call from Abington, Mass., now Whitman, where he ministered to a large and growing church for twelve years. His health becoming much impaired, he spent nearly a year in rest and travel, including a winter in Washington He had had cordial overtures from Leicester, Middleboro, Pair Haven, Conn., and Manchester, N. H., but in 1868 accepted a much smaller parish in North Middleboro, where he had an interesting pastorate for some six years.  Still suffering from too much sedentary work, and having a call to the superintendence of schools in Northampton, his old home and that of his kindred, he closed his engagement with that people, June 30, 1873, and began here the next day. His services continued until 1876, three years having been the ordinary term in those days of unsettled opinions as to this office. His faithful administration and helpful labors are remembered and often mentioned by the many teachers who taught in that period.

Not caring to resume a pastorate, and his family preferring to remain in town, he was led to establish in 1877 the first Western Loan and Trust Company agency in this locality, it being incorporated as The New England Loan and Trust Company of Des Moines, la.  He has since carried on a fairly profitable business, his systematic, honest, and upright methods of transaction winning the confidence and meeting the approval of all concerned.  Some eight or ten rival agencies have sprung up and passed away, the New England Agency, as at first, so now, the only one here extant.  Mr. Edwards has written much for the local press, and among his published works are a "History of the Searle Family" and an address on "The Death of Abraham Lincoln."

On October  16,   1867,  Mr.   Edwards was united in marriage with Mrs.  Mary Blankinship Dyer, widow of Elisha Dyer, of Abington, and a daughter of William N. Thomas, of Rochester, Mass.    This estimable  lady died January 6, 1884, aged fifty-one.   Two children were the fruit of this union : Harry Dearborn, born July 25,  1868, died October 16, 1868;   the other,   Halley Winslow, born in Middleboro, August 13,  1870, was graduated from Amherst College in 1891, and though hindered by imperfect vision has done much advanced work in the Latin and Greek courses.  Mrs. Edwards had two daughters by her first marriage; namely, Adelaide Frances and Elizabeth   Cummings.    The  former,  a   lady of much taste and culture in art study, having been at Smith College in its first year, married F. N. Kneeland, Cashier of the First National Bank of Northampton. They have two children living. Elizabeth C, unmarried, who makes herself welcome and widely useful, is a graduate of the Northampton High School.  It may be added of Mr. Edwards that, though having never been abroad, he has traveled very extensively in this country and Canada, from Maine to Florida, to California, and Victoria in British America, having traversed all the routes to the Pacific and seen all our grand divisions but Arkansas, Indian Territory, and Oklahoma.


THEOPHILUS EDWARDS, a prominent and well known agriculturist of Westhampton, was born November 9, 1826, in the house where he now lives, and which was also the dwelling of his father, Samuel Edwards, during his entire life.

The annals of Hampshire County show that the Edwards family were among its earliest settlers. Samuel Edwards, Sr., the paternal grandfather of Theophilus Edwards, was born and reared in Southampton. After his marriage he located in Westhampton, buying the homestead   property on which   his children were born, and on which he and his wife, formerly Silence Judd, spent their remaining days. She passed away in 1840, and his death occurred two years later.

Samuel Edwards, father of Theophilus, succeeded to the ownership of the home farm, which he managed successfully, placing much of the land under cultivation.    He was a man of good mental attainments, and had much practical sagacity, duly appreciated   by his neighbors.    He represented the district in the State legislature during   the year 1854-55.  He married Betsey  Ludden, a native of Williamsburg, Mass., and brought her to the home of his boyhood; there they reared their family and spent their declining years. His wife died in 1857, and he died in 1869. The record of the ten children born to them is as follows: Mrs. Maria Thayer died in Amherst in July, 1895 ; Asa C. resides in Springfield; Samuel F. died at the age of twenty-one years; Betsey lives in East Amherst; Eli Ludden died at the age of seventy-four years; F. Worster died in 1860; Almeron is a resident of West Springfield; Theophilus is the subject of this article; Sarah, wife of Joel Burch, resides in Sunderland; and Henry B. is a well-known merchant of Amherst.

Theophilus Edwards acquired a good education in his youthful days.    Having completed his studies he began working with his father in tilling the soil.    Finding the occupation congenial to his tastes Mr. Edwards has continued in it to the present day, and, with the exception of eighteen months in his early manhood, has constantly lived on the family homestead.    He has added one hundred and sixteen acres to the original farm, so that now it contains two hundred and sixty acres, making one of the most valuable estates in the vicinity.    He is a skilful and practical farmer, being thorough and systematic in his methods.  Firm in his convictions of justice and honest in all of his dealings, he is held in high respect. He is a stanch adherent of the Republican party, and served his fellow-townsmen as Selectman in 1869 and 1870, holding at the same time the office of Assessor.

On   March   16,   1853,   Mr.   Edwards was united in marriage with Sarah A.  Dole, a native of Shelburne, Mass., and a daughter of Levi and Emily (Rudd) Dole, neither of whom is now living.    Mr. Dole was a prosperous farmer; while Mrs. Dole, who survived him, passed the twilight years of her life with her daughter, Mrs.   Edwards.    Of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Edwards six children were born, namely: Sarah Alice, born in 1854, who died January  12,   1878; Emily Amelia,  wife of Clark F. Thayer, who is engaged in the dry-goods business  in  Chicago;   Ella  A., deceased, who married H. J. Chapman; Clara E., also deceased, who was the second wife of H. J. Chapman; Levi W., now a resident of Galesburg, ILL., who married Frances Pierce, of  Monmouth,   ILL.,   October 4,   1892; and Arthur T., who lives at home.   

Mr. Edwards and his wife are active workers in the cause of religion, and  belong to the Congregational Church of Westhampton.    He is now one of the standing committee of that society, and has been superintendent of its Sunday school.


JOHN B. EWING, who is living retired from the active pursuits of life on his snug little farm in Southampton, is a self-made man, having risen by his own efforts from a condition of comparative poverty to one of affluence. He was born in County Donegal, Ireland, September 24, 1828, son of Samuel and Sarah (O'Donnell) Ewing, both also natives of Ireland. The father was a blacksmith by trade, and with his wife and two of his children emigrated to America in 1852.  Landing in New York he stayed there but one night before he started for Easthampton, where he lived several years, and where his wife died in 1857. She bore him four children, as follows: Mary, born in Ireland, December 18, 1824, who there married William Ewing, came with him to this country, located in Easthampton, where they carried on general farming, and reared a family of eleven children; John B., the subject of this review; William A., born January 21, 1831,.married to Margaret Thompson, father of seven children, who subsequently emigrated with his .family to Massachusetts, and is at present living on a farm in Indiana; and Samuel, the youngest child, born in 1834, who is now living in Chicago, ILL. The wife of the latter, formerly Mary J. Crawford, died leaving him with six children.

John B. Ewing spent the first years after his arrival in this country in Easthampton. He came to Southampton in 1857 to enter the employment of Mr. O. N. Clark, carriage manufacturer, working for  him  five years.  Mr. Ewing, having by that time become a skilled workman, bought the shop, and thence forward carried on a successful business in the manufacture of wagons, sleighs, and buggies until June 1, 1895. At that time he leased the shop and practically retired from business, although he pays some attention to his farming interests. The many years he has spent in exhausting toil, as well as the easy circumstances he now enjoys, ample justify him in spending the remainder of his life in repose.  In politics Mr. Ewing is a zealous advocate of Republican principles. He has served his fellow townsmen as Constable and on the Grand Jury in Boston.

On January 20, 1852, Mr. Ewing was united in marriage with Miss Flora Butler, a native of Ireland, born in 1834. Her father, who was a farmer in Ireland, married Margaret Cary, and emigrated to the United States, settling in Easthampton, where he found employment in a factory.    Mr. and Mrs. Ewing had six children,  as follows:   Anna  Jane, born April 24, 1858, who is the wife of Charles O.  Lyon, of this town, and who has borne her husband three children, of whom Helena B.  and Marion C. are still living; Sarah M., born in June,  1859, married to Henry B. Norton, overseer  on  a  farm   in   Southampton, and mother of one child, Hiram; Flora B., born October 4, 1860, wife of Arthur H. Searle, a farmer, and mother of three children - Flora Helen,   Frank   Arthur,   and   Hazel; Frank Samuel, born January 1, 1863, married to Estalla Clapp, of Southampton, where he is employed as a clerk in the general store of A. G. Judd; Elizabeth R., born in 1864, married to Ralph M. Fowler (proprietor of a meat market at Northampton), and mother of two children Maynard and Helen; and Elizabeth R., who died in infancy.   Mrs. Ewing, the devoted wife and tender mother, passed away in 1888, leaving the home desolate. She was a woman of high Christian character, and, with her husband, was a conscientious member of the Congregational church. The remarkable success that has followed Mr. Ewing throughout his business career is entirely due to his own efforts. No doubt the stability of purpose, straight forwardness of disposition, and good business habits for which he is known have been influential agents in bringing about the result.


WILLIAM EWING, of Southampton, Mass., whose birth occurred April 18, 1820, in County Donegal, Ireland, is a splendid type of those foreign born citizens who have come to our country in a state of comparative poverty, and with laudable energy and ambition have toiled and saved until they have acquired a competency.  His father, a prominent man of County Donegal, where he followed his trade of weaving and also engaged in farming, lived and died on the green sod of his native isle, his death occurring in 1842. He married Flora Butler, and they reared three children: William; Alexander, a farmer, residing in Northampton; and John, now living in Springfield, retired from active business. The mother came to this country with her son William, and here spent her remaining years, dying in July, 1861.

William Ewing was reared and educated in the place of his nativity, and there learned the weaver's trade. Having friends in America, he determined to join them here, being attracted by the superior advantages afforded to the laborer in this country; and on March 10, 1850, accompanied by his mother and his bride, to whom he had been united four days before, and one cousin, he embarked for New York. His wife, formerly Mary Ewing, was a native of County Donegal, born December 18, 1826, a daughter of Samuel and Sarah (O'Donnell) Ewing. Her parents afterward emigrated to Massachusetts, locating in Easthampton, where they spent their remaining days. Mr. and Mrs. Ewing landed in New York, April 21, 1850, after a six weeks' voyage, and came directly to Easthampton, where his two brothers were then living. For seven years thereafter he worked at the weaver's trade; and, having by dint of close economy and wise management saved enough money to warrant him in the purchase of a farm, he then bought sixty acres of land, which are now included in his present homestead. Toiling with unwearied interest to clear and improve his land, he has since added to the original acreage, and while advancing his own welfare has been an important factor in developing the agricultural resources of this section of the county. He carries on general farming and dairying, raising milk cows, and selling his milk to the local creamery.

The home circle of Mr. and Mrs Ewing has been enlarged by the birth of fourteen children, namely: Sarah, wife of John Daley, of Waltham, Mass.; John, living in Northampton; Samuel, of Haydenville; Flora; Margaret Ann, wife of Franklin Howard, of Westhampton; William, who resides with his parents; Maria J., wife of George Brown, of Chicago; Robert, now living at home; Elizabeth, wife of Lyman Clapp, now Selectman at Northampton; Alexander, a resident of Florence, Mass.; Emma, wife of George Hames, of Chelsea, Mass. Margaret Ann and two infants are deceased. Besides these fourteen children Mr. and Mrs. Ewing have an adopted daughter, Margaret N., whom they are rearing with the same care that they bestowed on their own children. Mr. Ewing takes a lively interest in the political affairs of the town, county, and nation, and, having the courage of his convictions, votes for the men and measures he deems the best, being bound by no party ties, although his sympathies are strongly with the Prohibitionists.


WILLIAM A. FALES, a prosperous farmer and a successful stone-cutter of Pelham, was born in that town July 5, 1828, son of Abijah and Mary (Woods) Fales. Mr. Fales's grandparents were Sewell and Lois Fales, the former of whom was a native of Holden, Mass. He settled in Pelham in 1803, and owned a farm in the northwest part of the town, which contained a great deal of valuable timber. He followed agriculture with satisfactory results until his death, which occurred at a good old age. He raised a family of ten children, all of whom grew to maturity, but are now deceased. His wife, who was a member of the Methodist church, died at an advanced age. 

Abijah Fales, father of Mr. Fales, followed agriculture as his principal occupation. He settled upon the Wood farm, where his son now resides, and conducted it successfully.  He also engaged in quarrying stone, which, as it developed into a profitable business, he continued until his death. He married Mary Woods, daughter of William Woods, who was a native of Hardwick, Mass., and became an early settler in Pelham, where he cleared and improved a good farm. Both he and his wife died in Pelham at an advanced age. Abijah Fales died at the age of eighty-one years. He was a Whig in politics and a Congregationalist in his religious belief. His eight children were as follows: Henry J., who died while serving as a soldier in the Civil War; William A., the subject of this sketch; Lois, wife of Samuel Wesson, of Worcester, Mass. ; Lyman G., a resident of Easthampton; James M. ; Anthea H., who lives at the old homestead; Caroline A., who also resides there; and John T., who resides in Newport, R.l. The mother died at the homestead in Pelham. 

William A. Fales was educated in the public schools of his native town, and resided at home until his majority. He then went to Amherst, where he was engaged in farming and in the stone business. In 1864 he moved to his present farm, consisting of sixty-five acres of fertile land. His house is a land-mark of the town, over one hundred years old.  In addition to farming he has conducted an extensive and profitable business in quarrying stone.

On April 15, 1856, Mr. Fales was united in marriage to Emma A. Ballou, born in Rhode Island, daughter of Silas Ballou. Mr. and Mrs. Fales had eight children, as follows: Anna, who died at the age of sixteen; Mary L., wife of Frank Roberts, of Adams, Mass. ; Charles D., of Springfield, Mass. ; Clara W., who resides at home; Jane E., wife of Leonard Ball, of Northampton; Emma A., wife of Edward Still, of Pelham; Kate B. and Sarah, who reside at home. Mr. Fales is a Republican in politics.


NATHANIEL W. FARRAR, druggist in the employ of C. J. Smith at Easthampton, Mass., was born in Steubenville, Jefferson County, Ohio, on July 26, 1839, son of Oscar Chandler and Elsie Ann (Patterson) Farrar.

John Farrar, his great-grandfather, was a patriot soldier of the Revolutionary War.  His son Nathaniel removed in 1828 from the East to Ohio, where the last years of his life were passed. He died in Madison, eighty-three years of age, leaving one son and three daughters.   His son, Oscar Chandler Farrar, father of Mr. Farrar, was born in Shelburne, Mass., December 25, 1817, and now resides at Erie, Pa. Oscar's wife was born in Gainesville, Wyoming County, N.Y., and had by him five children, as follows: Nathaniel William; Chester Hinsdale, deceased; Orrell D., a machinist, residing in Columbus, Ohio; Myra, the wife of John Scott, of Harbor Creek, Erie County, Pa.; and Alma, married to John Stephenson, and now living in Toledo, Ohio.

Mr. Farrar received his education in Ohio and at the schools of Beloit, Rock County, Wis. In 1858 he engaged in teaching, but forsook it after a short time. On August 24, 1861, he enlisted in the ranks of Company G of the Thirteenth Wisconsin Regiment, and served in the Civil War for four years and five months, after which he was honorably discharged. For the larger part of that time he was detailed to the hospital service.

On the 12th of May, 1869, he was united in marriage with Miss Lucinda S. Midlam,  of Albany, N.Y. They have a daughter, Olive Louise, who is a teacher, and lives at home. He came to Easthampton in May, 1873, and since that time has been engaged in his present position, giving satisfaction not alone to his employer, but to their numerous patrons.  The Republican party counts Mr. Farrar as one of its most faithful adherents. He is a member of Lake Erie Lodge, No. 347, of Girard, Pa., A. F. & A. M., and is also a member of Post No. 166, Grand Army of the Republic, in nearly all of the offices of which he has served.


CHARLES  W.  FELTON,  a stirring and   enterprising farmer of Enfield, was born in the town of Ware, September 9, 1859, son of Daniel B. and Arvilla (Grover) Felton.

The first representative of the Felton family in this country came from England in the person of Nathaniel Felton.    He was born about the year 1615, and settled in Salem, Mass., when only sixteen or seventeen years of age. In the course of time he became a prominent citizen of that place, winning the esteem of his fellowmen as a man of good judgment and integrity.    He married Miss Mary Skelton, a daughter of the Rev. Samuel Skelton, who was the first minister of Salem.    Mr. Felton died on July 30,   1705,  at the advanced age of ninety years; and his wife died on May 8, 1701, aged seventy-five years.    Ebenezer Felton, son of Nathaniel Felton, born in Salem in 1685, was a carpenter by trade.   He was one of the first settlers of New Salem, Mass., to which place he went with his five sons in I740 when fifty-five years of age. In November, 1742, he and his wife were transferred from Salem church to the church in New Salem. He was the first Deacon of the church, and was the first Town Clerk in New Salem. He was one of the Selectmen in 1753,   the year the town was incorporated.  He died in 1776, aged ninety years. His wife, it is believed, lived several years after her husband's death.

Amos Felton, grandson of Ebenezer, and grandfather of Charles W. Felton, was born in Shutesbury, Mass., December 5, 1779. He followed the calling of a farmer throughout his life, residing in the town of New Salem, which was formerly a part of Shutesbury. He died in New Salem on April 24, 1850. For his first wife he married Miss Lydia King, who was born January 27, 1779, and was a daughter of Samuel King, of New Salem. Nine children of this union were reared, but all have since died. Their mother's death occurred July 31, 1839. Mr. Felton's second union was with Mrs. Eunice Thomas. She died in 1874, leaving no children.

Daniel B. Felton, who was a native of what is now called New Salem, Mass., was born August 31, 1814. Soon after leaving his parental home to start in life for himself, he settled in Abington, Mass., and remained there until about the year 1857, when he removed to Ware.    Here, in company with others, he engaged in a large lumber business, and operated a sawmill.    He died in Ware, August 24, 1861.    He was an attendant of the Universalist church, and was a Republican in politics. He was twice married.    His first union was with Miss Lydia Felton.    She died on February 18,  1847,  leaving five children. After her death he married Miss Arvilla Grover, who was born in Denmark, Me., in 1835, daughter of Lemuel and Hannah (Long) Grover, of Denmark, Me.    Six children were born of the latter union.    Of all Daniel B. Felton's children seven are now living, as follows: Mary L., who married William Wheeler,  residing in Worcester, Mass. ; Hattie A., the wife of Arthur Hunt, of Brockton, Mass. ; Daniel T., residing in Worcester; Lydia A. R., who married Lyman Hathaway, of Ware; John W., residing in Hinsdale; Webster, who lives in Greenwich; and Charles W., the subject of this article. The deceased were: Henry C, Joanna B., Ida E., and Frank B. After her husband's death Mrs. Arvilla Felton was joined in marriage with Sidney Richards, of Enfield, where he resided, on the farm now owned by her son, Charles W. Felton. This farm had been in the Richards family since about 1800, having been first occupied by James Richards and his wife, formerly Sarah Rich. They were succeeded at their death by their son Sidney, who was born on September 7, 1797. He died January 9, 1881. His union with Mrs. Felton was blessed by the birth of a daughter, Susan A., now the wife of Edgar O. Cogswell, and residing in Allston, near Boston, Mass. Mrs. Richards died February 23, 1895.

Charles W. Felton was five years old at the time his mother settled in Enfield. He acquired a good practical education in the common schools of Enfield and at New Salem Academy, after which he turned his attention to farming, and has continued in that occupation since. He now has a choice farm of two hundred acres, where he successfully carries on mixed farming and dairying. He keeps fifty head of cattle. The farm buildings have been remodeled and improved since he purchased the place. Everywhere can be seen evidences of the proprietor's enterprise and good judgment.

In January, 1880, he was united in marriage with Miss Angenette I. Cogswell, who was born in New Salem, June 22, 1861, a daughter of Henry and Lura (Underwood) Cogswell. Her father is successfully engaged in farming and lumbering in New Salem.  Her mother died on July 23, 1873. Mr.  Cogswell   entered   into  a  second marriage with Miss Faustina A.  Stone,  on June 2, 1874.    Mr. and Mrs. Felton have no children.  Mr. Felton casts his vote with the Republican party, and for several years he has been chairman of the Republican Town Committee. He takes much interest in the welfare of his town, and for several years has served faithfully as Assessor.   He  has also filled the office of Road Commissioner since it was created. He is a member of Bethel Lodge, A. F. & A. M.  Mrs. Felton is a communicant of the Congregational church at Enfield.


LEMUEL BATES FIELD, who has been superintendent of lumber and construction for the Nonotuck Silk Company of Leeds for the past thirty years, is recognized as a man of unusual business acumen and a most worthy and valued citizen.  He is a native of Franklin County, having been born July 28, 1832, in the town of Whately, in the same house, on the old Field homestead, where his father, John Field, was born, October 10, 1792.

Zenas Field, the father of John Field, was born August 10, 1753, and on March 12, 1778, married Sarah Burroughs. She died September 10, 1810; and the following year he was again married, but of this union there were no children. The children borne to Zenas Field by his first wife were as follows: Lydia; Orange; John; Lydia, second; Orange, second; John, second; Sarah; Zenas; and Esther B., the wife of John Bridgman, who was an uncle of Sydney Bridgman.  John Field was a lifelong farmer, working hard on his hilly land, and improving a good property.     He married Abigail Warner, a daughter of Paul Warner, of Williamsburg; and they became the parents of eight children.  The following grew to mature years: Ciymenia, who was the wife of Cornelius Pomeroy, of Southampton; Paul W., who is still living on the old homestead; Lemuel Bates; and John Wright Field, who was a volunteer soldier in the Union army, belonging to Company F, Thirty-seventh Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, and lost his life at the battle of the Wilderness, May 6, 1864, being Sergeant of his company, and dying with the regiment's colors in his hands. He left a wife and one daughter, the latter being now the wife of Clifford Haynes, of Springfield.  Mrs. Pomeroy, the eldest daughter, departed this life in 1854, aged thirty-six years, and leaving two children.

Lemuel B. Field attended school regularly until nine years of age, his schooling the next eight years being limited to three months during the winter season.   Not being satisfied to earn his living by delving in the rocky soil, he decided upon a mechanical trade, and accordingly entered the employment of a Mr. Graves in Whately, serving as an apprentice until attaining his majority, and then remaining with him six months more.   By the terms of the apprenticeship he was to receive forty dollars per year, and after that the agreement was for one dollar per day; but this sum was withheld, the dishonest employer leaving the town without paying his debts.    Mr. Field next   worked   for  four  years   with Harvey Moore,   a   millwright   in   Whately, going thence to Allegan, Mich., where he was engaged in carpentering when the panic of 1857 occurred, putting an end to all building operations.   From that-time until 1863 he was engaged, in company with the Densmores, as a carpenter and millwright in Hatfield, Mass.

In 1864 Mr. Field came to Leeds, locating herein the month of March; and since that time he has been the faithful and trusted employee of the Nonotuck Silk Company. He has been very industrious and thrifty, investing his surplus money judiciously, and has accumulated a goodly estate, being the owner of four tenement-houses here besides his residence property, containing three acres of land, which he purchased in 1879, and on which he has since erected his present fine dwelling.  Mr. Field was first married on June 14, 1855 to Harriet Lilly, a daughter of Chipman Lilly, of Ashfield.   She died in Leeds, September 20, 1868, leaving one child, Mrs.  Lilly Isabelle Clark, who has one son, Daniel L. Clark, a student in the high school. On September 2, 1869, Mr. Field was united in wedlock with Augusta Jane Robbins, a daughter of the late T. M. Robbins, of Guilford, Me.   Mrs. Field is one of four children born to her parents, her only sister being a resident of Guilford, and Leroy T. Robbins, her surviving brother, being a resident of Leeds. A brother George was killed at the close of the war.   Mrs. Augusta J. Field was engaged in teaching school before her marriage, and since then has done efficient service in this place as a member of the Board of Education.

In politics Mr. Field is a stanch adherent of the Republican party, and in the administration of local affairs he is a conspicuous figure. Though never an office-seeker, he is now serving his third term as Alderman, having been elected in 1892 by eight votes, and the following term by sixteen, and at the last election by a majority of seventy-two votes, being now President of the Board, and, in the absence of the Mayor, chairman of the Committee on Highways and of the fire department.    Mr.  Field belongs to the Knights Templars, being Past Eminent Commander, and having passed all the chairs of the Northampton Royal Arch Chapter and Jerusalem Lodge, A. F. 8c A. M.   He is a leader in the social life of Northampton, and, whenever he absents   himself  from the  club,  is greatly missed.   Business associates and friends who know his worth hold him in high esteem, and strangers are attracted  toward him by his pleasing  personality  and   cordial manners.


REV. GEORGE E. FISHER,  of North Amherst, pastor of the Congregational church in Leverett, Mass., was born in  Harvard, Worcester County, Mass., January 22, 1823, son of the Rev. George and Mary  (Fisk)   Fisher.     Mr.   Fisher's grandfather, Luther Fisher, was a prosperous farmer of Wrentham,  Mass.    His son  George was born in Wrentham, November 7,  1796, and graduated   from   Brown   University, Providence,   R.I.,  being a classmate   of Horace Mann.    He was a ripe scholar and became a prominent Congregational minister, preaching in Harvard.    The Rev. George Fisher died in September, 1853, at the age of fifty-six years and ten months.    His wife, Mary Fisk, who was a daughter of  the   Rev.   Flisha Fisk, was born in Wrentham,  November 9, 1801.  They were married December 12,  1821, and she became the mother of six children, as follows: Elizabeth S.,  deceased;   Harriet F., who married William A.  Parker, of Harvard, and is now dead; Charles Luther, who died in infancy; Mary R., widow of Andrew. Farwell, of Harvard; Henry M., a resident of Milford, Mass. ; and George E., the subject of this sketch. Mrs. Mary F. Fisher died April 29, 1852.

George E. Fisher commenced his education in his native town, and fitted for college at the Lawrence Academy in Groton, Mass. He entered Amherst College in 1842, was graduated with the class of 1846, and immediately began his theological course at Andover Seminary.    He was graduated from that institution in 1849, and was ordained a minister on February 27,   1850.    Since his ordination Mr. Fisher   has   been   pastor  of   the following churches: the Congregational church in Rutland, Mass., which was his first charge, and where he remained for three years; at North Amherst  six  years; Greenville,  N.H., for three years; Ashburnham, Mass., five years; South Hadley Falls from 1867 to 1879; East Amherst from 1879 to 1885, at which time he moved to North Amherst, where he now resides.   Since 1886 Mr. Fisher has been pastor of the Congregational  church   in Leverett.  He is a Republican in politics, and takes a deep interest in all important issues of the day.    In 1867 he ably served as a Representative to the legislature from the district which includes Ashburnham and Winchendon. 

The Rev. Mr. Fisher's first wife, whom he married May I, 1850, and who died August 8, 1858, was Harriet B. Holt, of Amherst. On September 7, 1859, Mr. Fisher wedded for his second wife Ellen E. Kellogg. She was born in North Amherst, September 25, 1833, daughter of Lyman and Mary A. (Porter) Kellogg. Lyman Kellogg was a native of Amherst, and was a successful farmer. He died in North Amherst, October 19, 1885, just thirty-one days after the death of his wife.  Mrs. Kellogg was born in Bolton, Conn., on the 18th of September. She and her husband were members of the Congregational church.  Mr. and Mrs. Fisher have had four children, namely: Hattie H., who was born in Greenville, N.H., May 22, 1861, and died July 29 of the same year; Alice Belle, born in Ashburnham, Mass., February 25, 1864, and died  September 14,   1865; George Lyman, born in South Hadley Falls, June 18, 1869, and died July 27, 1870; and Nellie Kellogg, born in South Hadley Falls, January J4, 1874, and died December 25, 1886.

Deeply imbued with the spirit of his sacred calling, for which he has an inherent love and capacity, the Rev. George E. Fisher has preached and faithfully devoted himself to his other pastoral duties continuously since 1850, exerting a moral and spiritual influence which has been widely felt. Mr. Fisher and his wife occupy a very pleasant home in North Amherst, and are highly esteemed members of the community, Mrs. Fisher also being actively interested in the work of the church.


REV. GEORGE  M. FITZGERALD, Pastor of St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church  of Haydenville, was born in Westminster, Mass., October 28, 1857, son of Michael and Ann S. (Cohen) Fitzgerald.  Michael Fitzgerald was born in County Cork, Ireland, in November, 1829, and acquired the trade of a blacksmith in his native land. At the age of seventeen he emigrated to the United States, first coming to Boston, where he remained but a short time, and from which city he went to Westminster, Mass., where he found steady employment at his trade. He became well known as a competent and reliable workman; and, being a man of intelligence and good character, possessing naturally a high-minded disposition, he not only realized success in a business way, but enjoyed the respect and hearty good will of his large circle of acquaintances. After a long and prosperous business career he retired from active labor, and now resides in Worcester, Mass. Michael Fitzgerald has reached a degree of affluence through his energy and ability; and, being determined that his children should be properly prepared for their life work, he has given them a liberal education. His wife, Ann S. Cohen before marriage, was born in Youghal, County Cork, Ireland, June 24, 1835. When young, she came to America, and resided in Montreal, where she was employed as a seamstress.  She later moved to Fitchburg, Mass., where she met and married Michael Fitzgerald, the ceremony having been performed by the Rev.  Father Gibson. She has been the mother of seven children, as follows: Maria, who died at the age of three years; George M., the subject of this sketch; Mary, who is now a teacher; Ella, who resides at home; Sarah, who died aged two years; Edward, who is now assistant rector of Holy Name Church in Chicopee, Mass.; and Charles, who is a student at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New York City.

George M. Fitzgerald commenced his education in the public schools of Worcester.  He pursued his classical studies at St. Michael's College in Toronto, Canada, from which he graduated in 1879, and was ordained a priest in Montreal in 1882. His first appointment was as assistant pastor of St.  Patrick's Church in Hinsdale, Mass., where he remained for two years. He then officiated in a similar capacity at St. Jerome's Church in Holyoke for four years, and on August 15, 1889, was appointed by Bishop O'Riley, of Springfield, to succeed the Rev. William L.  Long as pastor of St. Mary's Church in Haydenville. This church was erected in 1868, and the Rev. Father Callahan was the first to celebrate mass in Haydenville. The church was founded by Messrs. P. Larkin, W.  Hickey, M. Ryan, P. Hamilton, T. Ryan, and E. Grace. The first pastor was the Rev.  Father P. V. Moyce, of Northampton. Since taking charge of St. Mary's Parish, Father Fitzgerald has built an addition to the vestry of the church, enlarged the gallery, put in a large pipe organ and steam-heating apparatus. He has also purchased   land adjoining the church, upon which he has built a handsome, three-story   parochial   residence;   and the grounds have been graded   into   lawns and otherwise beautified.   The cemetery has been fitted up under his direction, and these improvements   have   necessarily   made Father Fitzgerald a very busy man since his arrival in Haydenville.    St. Mary's Parish numbers about twelve hundred souls, and the Sunday-school has a membership of two hundred and fifty.     Connected with the church are the Catholic   Benevolent  Legion,   the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Sacred Heart Sodality, and the St. Mary's Rosary Society.  Father Fitzgerald is a public-spirited man and actively interested in all progressive movements which may be beneficial to the general community. He is very popular in Haydenville, as he formerly was in Holyoke; and he is looked upon by all classes with the highest respect and esteem.


JOSIAH W. FLINT, a prominent lumber manufacturer of Enfield, Mass., was born in Athol, Worcester County, November 4, 1839, son of Josiah and Elizabeth (Hill) Flint. Mr. Flint's paternal grand-father, Willard Flint, was a prosperous farmer of Royalston, another town in the county of Worcester, where he resided for a greater part of his life, and died at an advanced age.

Josiah Flint, son of Willard, was born in Sterling, Mass. He was an industrious farmer and a useful citizen. His wife, Elizabeth Hill, who was a native of Athol, became the mother of eight children, all of whom lived to reach maturity, and five are now living, namely: Eliza A., who is now Mrs.  Lord, and resides in Athol; Abbie H., now Mrs. Harvey, of Athol; Rebecca S., Mrs.  Ellenwood, of Newton, Mass.; Jane A., who is now Mrs. Rickey, and resides in Athol; and Josiah W., who lives in Enfield, as above mentioned. A sister, Mrs. Mary G. Barlow, died in Athol; one brother, Cyrus F., died in Brooklyn, N.Y.; and another, George I., died in Athol.

Josiah W. Flint is the youngest of the family.    He received his education in the schools of Athol and Hardwick; and at the age of sixteen he left home, and went to reside with his sister in Hardwick, where he was engaged in farming and butchering for fourteen years.   In April, 1874, he came to Enfield, and bought his first real estate, a farm of sixty acres, which he cultivated successfully for ten years.   He also engaged in the lumber business in company with D. B.  Gillett, with whom he is still associated; and they owned at one time a wooded tract of five hundred acres.   They are extensive manufacturers of all kinds of native lumber, and have conducted for some years a very profitable business.   Mr. Flint now owns, individually, about one hundred and fifty acres of land; and he occupies a handsome modern residence, which he erected in 1894.   He is prominent in public affairs, and has been a member of the Board of Selectmen for the past six years.  He has also served as Road Commissioner and Constable, and is at the present time Deputy Sheriff.   He is a member of Bethel Lodge, A. F. & A. M.

Mr. Flint has been twice married, but has no children.   His first wife, Emma E. Taft, whom he wedded in 1864, died in 1891; and his second wife, Kitty Shoals, a native of Easthampton, who became Mrs. Flint in 1893, died in 1894.    Mr. Flint is one of the most enterprising business men in Enfield, and his undertakings have been productive of the most gratifying results.


THOMAS FORD, a well known farmer and market gardener of Hadley, was born in Chewmagna, England, December  25,  1840, son of Thomas and Charlotte (Godfrey) Ford.    The father of Mr. Ford was a native of Chewmagna, where he followed the trade of a blacksmith and practiced as veterinary surgeon.    He died in his native town in 1847.   His wife, who was born in Long Ashton, England, became the mother of four sons, as follows: Thomas, the subject of this sketch; William, who resides in Chewmagna; Charles, also in  England;   and James,  who died in 1851.    She died June 1, 1887.

Thomas Ford resided with his mother, and after the death of his father assisted in her support. He worked as a farm laborer until 1870, when, on April 14 of that year, he, in company with his wife and child, emigrated to America, and settled in Hadley. After working here for twenty months as a farm laborer he moved to North Hadley, where he continued in the same occupation until 1884, and then purchased his present farm. The property contains fifty acres and is receiving constant improvement.    Mr. Ford makes a specialty of raising vegetables for the markets of Hadley and Northampton. He is very prosperous and highly respected, and entitled to the credit of having earned for himself both the property and reputation he at present enjoys.

Mr. Ford was married June 10, 1867, to Sarah Tovey, of Manchester, England, who was born June 2, 1838, daughter of Moses and Mary (Keating) Tovey. Her father was of English and her mother of Irish ancestry, and both died in England. Mrs. Ford has been the mother of four children, namely: Edgar Joseph, who died September 24, 1883; Charles W., who resides in Springfield; Robert John; and Alexander Thomas. Mr. Ford is a Republican in politics.


JAMES FORSYTH, a highly respected citizen of Williamsburg and a veteran of the Civil War, was born in Chester County,  England, August 4,  1828, son Andrew and   Anna  (Hackett) Forsyth.  Mr. Forsyth's father was a native of Paisley, Scotland. He learned the trade of a silk weaver in Chester County, England, and followed that occupation through life. In 1857 he came to live with his son James in the United States, but in 1858 returned to England on a visit, and died there, aged seventy-five. Andrew Forsyth was the father of thirteen children, three of whom died young, and ten reached maturity; namely, John, James, William, Andrew, Thomas, Joseph, Mary, Hattie, Eliza, and Martha. Their mother died in this country in 1873.

At an early age James Forsyth entered the silk-mills in England, where he acquired the trade of a silk weaver, and became an expert workman. When he was twenty years old, he came to the United States, and obtained his first employment in this country at Lyman's wagon factory in Manchester, Conn., where he worked one winter. He then secured a position as overseer and inspector in Thompsonville, Conn., from which place he came to Williamsburg, Mass., and was employed in the button factory of Thayer Brothers for one year, going thence to Northampton for the purpose of learning the trade of a wood turner. The skill acquired in this useful craft he was not long, it may be believed, in turning to good account. After spending a year in manufacturing bedsteads in Chester, Mass., he returned to Williamsburg, where he was engaged for five years in Thayer's cabinet shops, and then went to Hadley to work for J. Adams in turning hubs.  In 1862 he enlisted as a private in Company H, Fifty-second Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers, for nine months' service in the Civil War, and faithfully discharged his duties in the ranks until overcome by illness at Baton Rouge, from which place he was sent to the Marine Hospital in New Orleans.   After having served eleven months, he received his discharge from the army, and, recovering his health, returned to the employ of W. E.  Thayer in Williamsburg, where he has since remained, being one of the most skilful workmen in his trade. He purchased a house in the village, but later sold that property, and moved to the vicinity of Skinnersville, and while residing there had the misfortune to lose his entire possessions in the flood of 1874, his family barely escaping with their lives. Being a man of energy and perseverance, he recovered from his losses, and now owns one of the most pleasant residences in the village.

On March 18, 1854, Mr. Forsyth was married to Margaret A. Stewart, who was born in Dublin, Ireland. Her father, Alexander Stewart, who was a prosperous farmer, of Scotch ancestry, is now dead. Mr. and Mrs. Forsyth have had four children, as follows: Anna, who married W. W. Nash, a farmer of Williamsburg, and has three children - Grace, Gertrude, and Ethel; Ellen I., who married W. E. Smith, a progressive farmer of North Chester, and has one daughter - Mabel; James A., who married Florence J.  Merriam, and died at the age of twenty-five, having one son - Richard J.; and William A., a twin brother to James A., who married Margaret Joice, and resides in Paterson, N.J., having four children. Mr. and Mrs. Forsyth are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Forsyth is a Republican in politics and a comrade of Post 86, Grand Army of the Republic.


ADOLPH FRANZ, M.D., a well known physician of South Hadley Falls, son of Adolph and Eliza (Birnie) Franz, was born in Washington, D.C., July 26, 1862. Dr. Franz's father was a native of Mecklenburg, Germany, and emigrated to the United States in 1849. He was for a short time after his arrival engaged as a grocer's clerk in New York City. In 1850 he enlisted in the regular army, joining Company B, Third United States Infantry, which was stationed in New Mexico, and was engaged in Indian warfare until the commencement of the Civil War. The regiment was then ordered to Washington, and from there to the front, arriving in time to participate in the second battle of Bull Run. In 1862 Adolph Franz, Sr., was assigned to duty in the War Department in Washington, where he remained until 1869, when he received the appointment of Orderly Sergeant, and was once more sent to New Mexico. After remaining there for a time, he was transferred to Fort Jackson, La., then to Fort Jackson, Ga., and finally to Fort Constitution, N.H. Here he continued to serve until December 12, 1890, at which time he was retired, with an honorable record of forty years of continuous service in the United States Army. He now resides in Brooklyn, N.Y. His wife, whom he wedded on June 21, 1861, is of Irish ancestry. She is the mother of two sons, namely: Adolph, Jr., the subject of this sketch; and Frederick H., who is now engaged in the jewelry business in Attleboro, Mass.

Adolph Franz pursued a collegiate course at Dartmouth College. At its completion he entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City, where he graduated in 1887. Then he supplemented his medical studies with a period of practical observation in the hospitals of the metropolis. In December, 1887, Dr. Franz located in South Hadley Falls, where he has since established a lucrative practice. By his skilful handling of cases he has acquired a high reputation both in Hadley and South Hadley Falls. He is also esteemed socially for his many and admirable character traits. On June 11, 1890, he was united in marriage to Louise M. Norton, of Portsmouth, N.H. They have three children: Dorothy, Louise, and Frederick. Both attend the Roman Catholic church. He is independent in politics.


JOHN FULLER, an enterprising fanner, stock-grower, and cattle dealer, residing in the town of Granby, Mass., is a native of Hampden County, born November 14, 1854, at Chicopee Falls. His father, John A. Fuller, was born and reared in Spencer, Worcester County. He married a Miss Carver, of Chicopee, and located in Ludlow, Hampden County, where he was engaged for some time in farming, also carrying on an extensive trade in cattle, going thence to Chicopee Falls, where he was similarly engaged.  He subsequently spent a short time in Ludlow, coming from there to Hampshire County, and settling at first near the village of Granby, but afterward purchasing the farm now owned and occupied by his son, above named. Here he continued as a tiller of the soil until his death, June 6, 1891. His wife having died in 1854, leaving but one child, John, he had lived a widower for two score years. 

John Fuller has spent the larger part of his life in Granby, where he acquired his education in the district schools. He began his life work by assisting on the farm, in addition to which labors he also made much money by buying and selling cattle. On the death of his father Mr. Fuller succeeded to the ownership of the estate, and he has since conducted general farming with excellent pecuniary results. He also continues dealing in stock, and makes a business of butchering cattle and selling dressed beef to the markets, a most lucrative industry. In politics Mr. Fuller is a firm supporter of the principles promulgated by the Republican party, and uniformly casts his vote for their nominees.

Mr. Fuller's first wife, formerly Emily Bartlett, to whom he was united June 11, 1877, died on the 27th of the following November. On December 25, 1879, he married Miss Ella Clark, of South Hadley Falls, who died on Christmas Day, 1883, leaving him one child, George Albert. On December 25, 1884, Mr. Fuller was again married, Mrs. Charlotte Keith, a native of Northampton, a daughter of Esquire Zebina Squires and the widow of the late Henry Keith, becoming his third wife. Of this union six children have been born, namely: Henry Russell, born August 29, 1886; John Robert, born in 1889; Percy Worthington, born in 1891 ; Roy Dowling, born in 1892; Charles Milton, born in December, 1893; and Raymond Lee, born in 1895.

 

 

 

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