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GEORGE G. HITCHCOCK M.D., a leading
physician of the homeopathic school of medicine,
residing at South Hadley Falls, has an extensive
practice in this village and in the town of
Holyoke. He began
his professional career in this place in 1870, and
during his many years of successful experience has won
the confidence and respect of the community and the
patronage of the best class of people. He was born
February 22, 1845, in the town of Farmington, Conn.,
being a son of Rufus Augustus and Mary Ann (Goodwin)
Hitchcock.
Rufus A. Hitchcock was a native of
Cheshire, Conn., born November 2, 1812, and in his early
days was a clock-maker by trade, following that vocation
until thirty-five years of age, his place of business
and his residence being located at Terryville. He
subsequently purchased land in Unionville, and there
tilled the soil during his remaining years, dying on
April 16, 1886. His first wife, Mary A.
Goodwin, was born December 15, 1822, in
Harwinton, Conn., and there reared. She bore her husband
four children: William Augustus, Dexter, George G., and
Mary. William A. served in the late Rebellion for three
consecutive years, belonging to the Sixteenth
Connecticut Volunteer Infantry; and, being captured at
the battle of the Wilderness, he was taken to
Andersonville Prison, where he soon after died. Dexter,
who married Miss Adele Brockway, of Norwalk, Conn., is
there successfully engaged in the practice of medicine;
he is likewise interested in a brick business at
Calhoun, N.Y. Mary, the youngest child, received a
severe injury from which she has never recovered, and is
now under treatment at an asylum. After the death of his
first wife, on August 29, 1875, the father was married
in West Springfield to Mrs. Eliza (Doolittle) Baley, a
native of Cheshire, Conn., and now a resident of
Meriden, Conn.
George G. Hitchcock as a lad was
very fond of his books, and after leaving the public
schools was sent to a business college in New Haven,
whence he went to Suffield, where he pursued his studies
at the Connecticut Literary Institute for three years.
Returning to the place of his nativity he began the
study of medicine with Dr. William Sage, now of New
Haven, being under his instruction for three years, and
then going to New York City took a complete course of
study at the Homoeopathic College, where he was
graduated in the class of 1870. Coming at once to
Hampshire County, Dr. Hitchcock settled at South Hadley
Falls, and has since devoted himself untiringly to the
duties of his profession. He is said to have the largest
practice of any physician at the Falls.
On September 2, 1870, soon after coming to
South Hadley Falls, Dr. Hitchcock was united in marriage
with Miss Elizabeth M. Weller, daughter of
Royal M. and Malvina (Penney) Weller, of Watertown,
Conn. Their home has been brightened by the birth of two
children, namely: Florence Weller Hitchcock, born
October 10, 1875; and Bessie Adele Hitchcock, born
October 10, 1878. Mr.
Weller moved to East Granby, Conn., after the
death of his first wife, Mrs. Hitchcock's mother; and
there he married again. The Doctor is a
stanch Republican in politics, and both he and Mrs.
Hitchcock are esteemed members of the Congregational
church. They have a pleasant
and attractive home, and entertain their many friends
with genuine hospitality.
EDMUND HOBART, is one of the
leading citizens of North Amherst, where for years he
has been engaged in farming and lumbering. He was born
in Leverett, Mass., May 7, 1822. His parents were Joshua
and Sybil (Woodbury) Hobart, the former a native of
Taunton, the latter of Leverett. The family is of
English origin, the first of the name in this country
being Edmund Hobart, who came to America in 1633,
landing at Charles-town, and who settled in Hingham,
which was then called Bare Cove, in 1635. That town was
the home of many succeeding generations of Hobarts, and
the family is still represented there. Notable among the
early Hobarts of Hingham, Mass., were two sons of the
first Edmund, namely: the Rev. Peter Hobart, who was
educated in Cambridge, England, came to Massachusetts
with wife and four children in 1635, and was pastor of
the church in Hingham nearly forty years; and Captain
Joshua Hobart, an officer in King Philip's War, a member
of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company, and a
very prominent man in public affairs, being a Deputy to
the General Court for twenty-four years. Joshua Hobart
of a later day, the grandfather of Mr.
Hobart of North Amherst, above named, was born in
Hingham, Mass. He was a cooper by trade, being an
industrious and thrifty man, who worked at farming in
the growing season and at cooperage in the winter. He
was one of the pioneers of Leverett, establishing a
home, where he spent the remainder of his life.
Grandfather Hobart was a member of the patriotic
militia. He lived to be about eighty years of age. His
wife, whose maiden name was Sarah Goddard, attained the
age of ninety. They reared eight children - four sons
and four daughters-the second child and eldest son
bearing the name Joshua.
The early part of the life of
Joshua Hobart, Jr., was spent in Leverett, he being
nearly forty years of age when he moved to North Amherst
and purchased land, some of which is still owned by the
family. He was an industrious and successful farmer. He
died at the homestead in North Amherst in his eightieth
year. Mrs. Sybil W. Hobart also was nearly eighty at the
time of her death. In politics Joshua Hobart, the
younger, was a Whig, and later a Free Soiler. In religious
belief he and his wife were Congregationalists.
They reared ten children, who were all present at
the fiftieth anniversary of their marriage. Of these
children four are now dead: George W., J. Woodbury, Stillman, and
Mary. Fanny,
who is the widow of Sylvester Roberts, lives in North
Amherst. Sarah A., who
is unmarried, resides at Clarendon Hills, III. Eliza H. is the
wife of the Rev. William E. Dickinson, of Amherst. Isabella
is the wife of Dr. Homer Ducep, of Philadelphia. Ellen is
the wife of Daniel Dickinson, of Clarendon Hills,
ILL. Edmund,
of North Amherst, is the only son living.
Edmund Hobart was seven years of
age when his parents removed to this place. He attended
the district school in the neighborhood, acquiring a
fair education, at the same time, under the paternal
direction, gradually becoming familiar with practical
farming, and, when he attained his majority, left home
in pursuit of a livelihood. Purchasing a
farm of fifty acres, he made a small payment only, and
at once set to work to clear the debt, his toilsome
and
well-directed labor bringing
most profitable results. He has
now for many years been engaged in farming and
lumbering, and is one of the well-to-do men in North
Amherst. He lived
for some time on the old Hobart homestead; but thirty
years ago he disposed of that property, and moved to his
present place, where he has a very handsome
residence.
Mr. Hobart's first wife, to whom he
was united on February 21, 1844, was Esther P.
Montague, a native of Sunderland, born February
7, 1824. Her parents were Moses and Polly (Pomeroy)
Montague, the former a native of Sunderland, the latter
of Williamsburg. Mrs. Esther P. Hobart died October
21, 1851, leaving one
son, Moses M., who was born March 26, 1846, and is now a
well-known lawyer of Cleveland, Ohio. Mr. Hobart's
second marriage took place October 28, 1852, his bride
being Harriet Adams, a native of Shutesbury, born
November 28, 1822. Two sons were the fruit of this
union, namely: Henry W., born July 31, 1855, who died
December 23, 1858; and Frank Adams, born November 22,
1866, who resides with his parents.
In politics Mr. Hobart is
independent, favoring Republican principles; and he is a
strong Prohibitionist. He
takes an active interest in the public weal, and has
served as Selectman for several terms and as Assessor
for some years. He and his wife
are members of the Congregational church in North
Amherst, in which he has officiated as Deacon for the
past thirty years. Deacon Hobart
is one of the oldest and most respected residents of
North Amherst today; and his life career exemplifies
the power of accomplishment in the union of industry,
perseverance, and integrity.
HORACE HOLBROOK, the well known
dealer in meats and provisions at Northampton, residing
at 228 State Street, was
born in Buckland, Franklin County, Mass., on April 5,
1844, son of Amasa C. and Lucretia (Clemens)
Holbrook.
His paternal grandfather, Isaac
Holbrook, was born in Vermont, and was a farmer in
humble circumstances. He married a
Miss Saunders, who was also a native of the Green
Mountain State; and she bore him four sons and two
daughters. With the
exception of one daughter who went to Ohio during the
early settlement of that State, where she died, leaving
some property, all were married, and reared families of
their own. Grandfather Holbrook also went to Ohio; but, being
taken ill with consumption, he returned East, and died
about 1816. His widow died
in Michigan in 1850 at a ripe old age.
Amasa C. Holbrook, who was born in
Colerain, Mass., in 1812, married Miss Lucretia Clemens,
of Charlemont, Mass., a daughter of Joseph Clemens. The
latter was a machinist, and followed his trade for a
considerable part of his life. He worked in iron and
steel, and had a shop of his own on his farm, where he
made dental tools and other implements; but he was also
employed for a time in Greenfield, Mass. His widow is
now the wife of Harvey Churchill. She was born on
Washington's Birthday in i S13, and, though now in her
eighty-third year, has retained a clear mind, and enjoys
a fair degree of health, not-withstanding injuries from
a fall, which necessitate the use of crutches. She bore
her husband two sons and three daughters, as follows:
Elizabeth Thompson, a widow residing at Shelburne Falls,
Mass.; Horace; George R., residing in Ontario, San
Bernardino County, Cal.; Emily, who married William
Hanks, of Ashfield, Mass., and died, leaving two
children; and Mrs. Elvira A.
Phillips, who died in Colerain, leaving two sons
and a daughter.
Horace Holbrook attended Arms
Academy two terms after completing his studies at the
district school, and at home was reared to farm work. At
eighteen years of age, in September, 1862, he enlisted
in Company E of the Fifty-second Massachusetts Regiment,
with which he served about a year, being a nine months'
man. For two or three years after his father's death he
was in Illinois, but since 1868 has engaged in his
present business in Western Massachusetts. He first
established himself in Montague, remaining there for
several years, and about 1879 came to Northampton, where
he is carrying on a thriving trade.
He was married on October 4, 1868,
to Miss Maria R. Gloyd, of Plainfield, Mass., a daughter
of Benjamin Gloyd, a Plainfield farmer. Mr. Gloyd died
in 1876, at sixty-three years of age, leaving a widow
and four children. Mrs. Gloyd died in 1884, also aged
sixty-three years. Mr. and Mrs. Holbrook have four
children, namely: Charles H., who is married, and lives
in Northampton; Louis George, who married Miss Rose B.
Abell, and is employed by his father; Nelson D., who is
married, and lives at Everett, Mass., and Fred Amasa, a
youth of fifteen years, who is attending
school.
Mr. Holbrook is an adherent of the
Republican party, and has been a member of the W. T.
Baker Post, No. 81, Grand Army of the Republic, ever
since its organization. He is also a Chapter
Mason. His present residence, which he purchased about
eleven years ago, is on a large corner lot and a very
desirable property.
JACOB HOLLEY, the oldest liveryman
in Northampton and the proprietor of a flourishing
livery stable at 270 MainStreet, is of German nativity,
having been born in Wiirtemberg in the year 1826. His
father, Martin Holley, was a farmer, and also engaged in
the baking business, in his native country, which he
never left. He married Agnes Wilbur, who bore him five
sons and three daughters, all of whom grew to maturity
and married. But three of them came to America, those
being Jacob, the subject of this article, a sister that
died in Boston in 1893, and his youngest brother, John
Holley, a miller and a manufacturer of lumber in
Amherst.
Jacob Holley was but six years of
age when his father died. He then went to live with an
uncle, who sent him to school until he was twelve years
of age. He was apprenticed to the cabinet-maker's trade
for a term of three years, afterward continuing to work
at it until May 5, 1847, accompanied by his brother,
John L., Mr. Holley bade adieu to his friends and the
Fatherland, and started for America. The journey from
London to Quebec was made in a sailing-vessel, and
lasted forty-two days. Of the forty-two emigrants aboard
the ship only he and his brother had any money on their
arrival in Canada, and that amounted to three dollars.
The brothers proceeded to Montreal, and soon found work
in the haying and harvest fields, where they worked for
four months at six dollars per month. Then, drawing all
their wages, they journeyed to New York City, thence to
Hartford, Conn., and subsequently to the neighboring
town of Broad Brook, where, at length, they secured work
in the woolen factory, receiving six dollars per month
and board. Six months later they went to Leeds, then
called Shafer's Hollow, in Hampshire County, and again
found employment in a woolen factory.
They labored twelve hours each day through the
winter for small pay, and were glad to do so. In the
spring Mr. Holley found a situation in the grist-mill at
Northampton, a position which he retained nearly eleven
years. Beginning with the
modest salary of twelve dollars and fifty cents a month,
his pay was increased from time to time until he
received ten dollars and fifty cents per week. In 1857, having accumulated
some money, he purchased the livery property of
Ashael Wood, including residence and stable, and has since
carried on the business. The strict and honorable methods
he has adopted were guarantees of the success he has
had. They have won for him in an especial manner the confidence
and patronage of the best people in the city. From
eighteen to thirty horses are used, and he employs from
three to five men. By thrift, shrewdness, and foresight
in the business, he has acquired a considerable
property in real estate, being the owner of a
ten acre lot on King Street and of a valuable farm in
Chesterfield. He is an industrious and respected citizen
and an independent voter, being bound to neither man nor
party.
On October 13,
1853, Mr. Holley was married to Anna Jones Graves, a
native of Ireland ; and they had three sons and two
daughters. Two of the sons have
passed away, William L. dying in Northampton
at the age of twenty years, and Robert Jacob in St.
Joseph, Mo., aged twenty-three years. The latter was a
very smart and active young man. His body was brought
back to the home of his nativity and placed in the
cemetery beside that of his brother. The record of the
children living is as follows: Anna J., who married H.
P. Dewey, has a son ten
years of age; Agnes M. lives with her
sister; Henry Graves Holley is a farmer and deals
largely in meat. The mother died in 1887; and Mr. Holley
subsequently married her sister, Maria E. Graves.
Mr. Holley is a fine representative of the sturdy
and thrifty German element that has so materially
advanced the industrial interests of the
country.
DWIGHT A.
HORTON is an extensive dealer in wood, coal, and
fertilizers at Northampton, and was born in Berkshire
County, Massachusetts, June 5, 1830. His
father, Ansel Horton, who now
resides at Savoy, Mass., hale and hearty at the age of
eighty-nine years, was born on May 28, 1806, and is a
son of Asahel Horton, whose birth occurred at Rehoboth,
Mass., in 1771.
Asahel Horton settled in Windsor,
Berkshire County, Mass., when a young man, and followed
agriculture there during the remainder of his life. He was a very
eccentric character, and was known as Uncle
Horton. He married Jemimah Aldrich; and she was
the mother of three sons and one daughter, of whom two
sons are still living, namely: Aaron, who now resides at
Leverett, aged seventy-nine years; and Ansel, Mr.
Horton's father. Asahel Horton's wife died at the age of
ninety-three years.
Mr. Horton's mother was before her
marriage Hannah Thompson, of Windsor. She was a daughter
of Samuel and Mary Thompson, residents of Cummington.
Ansel Horton was a carpenter by trade, and reared his
eight sons to the same occupation. He was a prominent
builder in this section, and during his six years of
apprenticeship worked for one year upon the first United
States Hotel at Saratoga Springs. The Baptist and
Methodist Episcopal churches in Savoy were erected by
him, as were also the first glass works building and the
blast furnace at Cheshire, Mass. He possessed three
large farms at Savoy and Windsor, the last of which he
sold in 1893. He was a
Methodist in religious belief; and his wife, who died in
1867, at the age of sixty-two years, was a
Baptist.
Dwight A. Horton attended the
district schools in his boyhood, and at the age of
fourteen years commenced to learn the carpenter's
trade. He followed that occupation until 1860, when he
went to St. Charles, Mich., and assumed charge of a
lumber business. In 1862, with ninety-eight others, he
went to Lansing, Mich., for the purpose of enlisting for
service in the Civil War, but was rejected on account of
disability. Returning East he again sought to enroll
himself among the Union's defenders, but met with the
same difficulty. He has been an extensive contractor and
builder, and among his enterprises in this direction are
the Schimmerhorn House at Lenox and the Northrop Block
at Lee. Mr Horton is a Master Mason, having been
Secretary of the Lodge, and is a Republican in politics.
He was for nine years an Assessor in the town of Hadley,
was a member of the Common Council at Northampton two
years, during one of which he was chairman of that body,
and has been a member of the State Board of Agriculture
for the past seven years. He was a charter member of the
State Grange, and has held the office of Deputy Grand
Master of two local Granges, having also been a member
of the State Dairy Bureau since its
organization.
On August 24, 1854, Mr. Horton was
united in marriage to Miss Amanda M. Mason, a school
mate, daughter of Edward and Maria Mason, of Savoy. Of
their six children one died in infancy; the others are
as follows: Frederick, who for the past eighteen years
has been a prominent railroad official at Vera Cruz,
Mexico, having a wife and one son, Frederick D. ; Helen
L., wife of H. L. Phelps, of West Springfield, Mass.,
having three daughters and one son; Ralph M., a salt
dealer of Northampton, who resides at old Hadley, having
a wife, two sons, and three daughters; Susan P., wife of
Eugene Dickinson, turnkey at the Hampshire County Jail,
having two daughters; and Dora, a graduate of the Saxon
River Academy, who was married September 25, 1895, to
Dr. J. H. Roberts, a veterinary surgeon of Northampton,
and with her husband lives at her father's home. Mrs.
Horton died on May 20, 1893, at the age of fifty-nine
years. Mr. Horton is a Baptist in his religious belief,
and the family attend that church.
CHARLES L. HOSFORD, proprietor of
Terrace Grove, Williamsburg, and a veteran of the Civil
War, was born in Williamstown, Berkshire County, Mass.,
November 12, 1839, son of Arad and Sophia (Bardwell)
Hosford. Mr. Hosford's grandfather, Stephen Hosford, was
a soldier in the Revolutionary War. He followed
agriculture in Plainfield, Mass., for some time, and
later moved to Goshen, where he became a prosperous
farmer.
Arad Hosford, Mr. Hosford's father,
was born in Plainfield in 1795. At the age of twenty-one
he entered mercantile life in Williamstown as a clerk;
and after continuing in that capacity for several years
he purchased a farm, upon which he settled. He became an
extensive real estate dealer and was a progressive
citizen. He was a Captain in the State militia and a
Whig in politics. He died
in 1857. His wife, Sophia Bardwell, was a daughter of
Obediah Bardwell, a veteran and a pensioner of the
Revolutionary War, who died at the advanced age of
ninety-six years. She became the mother of eleven
children, four of whom died young. Those who reached
maturity were: Harriet, Calvin C, Chester B., B.
Frank, William A., Charles L., and Mary.
The mother died in 1872, aged sixty-four
years.
Charles L. Hosford was educated in the
district schools of Williamstown: and at the age of
eighteen he went to Winsted, Conn., where he was engaged
as a clerk for four years. In 1861 he enlisted as a
private in Company E, Second Regiment, Connecticut
Volunteers, for three months' service; and at the
expiration of that time he re-enlisted and was
commissioned a Lieutenant. He was subsequently promoted
to the rank of Captain, and participated in several
important battles. He resigned his commission in 1863,
and returning to Winsted engaged in the retail
boot and shoe business. In 1871
he sold his business and came to Haydenville, where he
secured a position at the brass works, in which he
later became overseer of his
department. He
remained there until 1885, when failing health caused
him to retire. In 1887 he bought the William Skinner
farm of sixty-three acres, which was
comparatively unimproved, with the exception of twelve
acres of meadow land; and he proceeded to clear the
neglected portion into a state of cultivation. He
erected a handsome house and spacious barns, with all
modern conveniences; and upon the completion of the
electric road from Northampton he beautified and fitted
up a fine grove of stately pines and oaks for amusement
purposes.
Mr. Hosford has spared neither
pains nor expense in making Terrace Grove an attractive
picnic ground. It contains a
platform seventy by thirty feet, covered by a canvas
awning and capable of seating two hundred people, with
kitchen conveniences connected equal to the preparation
of an elaborate dinner. There is an oven for clam bakes,
with ample space for lawn tennis, baseball, company
drill, and all other out-of-door exercises. Special
pains have been taken to make the grove popular as a
resort for chowder and clam bake parties, basket
picnics, and evening
parties; and a pleasant dressing room is provided for
ladies. The grove is reached
by the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, and
the electric cars from Northampton run to a point within
two minute's walk of the entrance. Although Terrace
Grove has been opened but a short time, it is already
appreciated by many, and is a popular resort for summer
outing parties. Mr. Hosford's enterprise merits all the
success to be anticipated.
On September 22, 1864, Mr. Hosford
was united in marriage to Harriet I. Pierce, daughter of
Amos Pierce, a prosperous farmer and dairyman of
Winsted, Conn. Mr. and
Mrs. Hosford had seven
children, namely: Nellie, who died in infancy; Alice,
who resides at home; Howard, who married Lillian Van
Slyke, and is a traveling
salesman for the brass works in Haydenville; Mary, a
talented singer, who resides at home; Frank B.,
a machinist of Williamsburg; Robert, who died
young; and
Charles, who resides at
home. Mr. Hosford is a
member of St. Andrew's Lodge of A. F. & A. M. of
Winsted. He is a
Democrat in politics and liberal
in his religious
views.
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