EZRA THOMAS SAWYER, a prominent citizen of Easthampton, where he is engaged in the manufacture of rubber thread, is a scion of an old family, members of which figured prominently in some of the early Massachusetts settlements. The first ancestor of the family in this country was Thomas Sawyer, who was born in 1615, and in 1635 came from Lincolnshire, England, and settled  in Charlestown,  Mass.    In  1647 he married Mary Prescott, daughter of John Prescott,  and   in   1653   removed   to Lancaster, Mass., where his wife's father was one of the first settlers.    He became a prominent man in that place, and was appointed by the General Court in 1657 as one of the commissioners "to govern the people."   One of the five fortified houses in Lancaster belonged   to him, and though several times assaulted by the Indians it was never captured.    He died September 12, 1706, aged ninety-one years.    His family consisted of nine children, whose names and dates of birth were as follows: Thomas, July, 1649; Ephraim, January, 1651; Mary, January, 1653; Elizabeth, January, 1654; Joshua, March,   1655; James,  March,   1657; Caleb, April,  1659; John, April,   1661 ; Nathaniel, November, 1670.    Colonel William Prescott of Bunker Hill fame, was a lineal descendant of John Prescott, of Lancaster.   Thomas Sawyer was married again in 1672. 

Thomas Sawyer, second, was a man well versed in mechanics and of an inventive turn of mind.    He was taken captive by Indians in 1705, together with his son Elias and another companion,   and   carried   to   Canada. After reaching Montreal he made a bargain with the Indians, offering to build a mill on the Chambly River on condition that he and his fellow captives should be released; but the Indians proved treacherous and bound him to a stake with a view to immediate execution.    He was saved, however, by the intervention of a friar, who, claiming to hold the keys of purgatory, threatened to unlock the gates and thrust them in if they persisted in their plans.    It took Mr. Sawyer a year to complete the mill; and his son Elias was detained for a time longer, and employed to teach the Indians the art of sawing.    Since the time of Thomas the name of Sawyer has been associated with mills in every generation.

The family showed a martial spirit in the French and Indian War and during the Revolutionary struggle.    Ephraim Sawyer, great grandson of the first Thomas Sawyer mentioned above, and born in Lancaster, Mass., in 1719, was chosen one of the first "permanent commissioners of correspondence," September 5, 1774, and was one of a special commission of three to whom taxes were paid. He was also one of the "commissioners of correspondence of nine," called March 6, 1776, this being the last occasion when the Selectmen based their action upon the authority of the king.    He served under King George as Lieutenant in the French and Indian War, and years later, at the battle of Lexington, was a Major in Colonel   John Whitcomb's regiment of minutemen.    He also fought in the same regiment at the battle of Bunker Hill.    This regiment also took part  in the siege of Boston and the battles of Long Island, Trenton, Princeton, Brandy wine, Germantown. At Dobbs Ferry, Major Sawyer led his regiment as Lieutenant Colonel, and later was present at the battle of Saratoga, when Burgoyne surrendered.   His five sons, James (who was but fourteen years old at the battle of Bunker Hill),   Ephraim,  John,  Josiah, and Peter,  also  fought   through   the   war. The name of another member of the family, Ezra Sawyer, appears, with rank of private, on the Lexington  alarm   roll   of   Captain Samuel Sawyer's company, Colonel John Whitcomb's regiment, his military record being on file in the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Ezra Thomas Sawyer, the special subject of this sketch, is descended from Thomas Sawyer, second, and is the son of Ezra and Eliza (Houghton) Sawyer, and grandson of a later Thomas Sawyer, who was a prosperous farmer of Sterling, Mass.    He was born in Lancaster, Mass., January 4, 1829, and received his education in the public schools of his native town. At the age of sixteen years he began to learn the machinist's trade with Otis Tufts, then located on Bromfield Street, Boston, and remained with him four years. At the age of twenty he was employed to run a locomotive on the Worcester & Nashua Railroad, then just completed, and for a period of seven years served as locomotive engineer on that road and on the Erie and Hudson River Railroads.  After leaving the railroad service he was employed for one year in the engineer's department of the Brooklyn navy yard, and then received an appointment as engineer on board the Vanderbilt steamer "Ariel," running between New York and Bremerhafen. After two years in that ship he came to Easthampton, Mass., and as a machinist entered the employ of his brother, Edmund H. Sawyer, who was there located as treasurer and agent of the Nashawannuck Manufacturing Company.  In 1861, the Goodyear Elastic Fabric Company, now known as the Glendale Company, was organized in Easthampton; and Mr. Sawyer was appointed superintendent and general agent. He remained in that position until 1873, and was then made treasurer of the Easthampton Rubber Thread Company, acting in that capacity until 1891. In the latter year he was made president and general manager, and has so continued up to the present time.  During his administration of the affairs of the company, covering a period of twenty years, it has been in a flourishing condition. The present company was organized in 1864, and has now a capital of four hundred thousand dollars. Aside from the offices which he holds in this company, he is a Director in the First National Bank of Easthampton and in the Nashawannuck and Glendale Companies, and is President of the Easthampton Gas Company. 

Mr. Sawyer has been twice married - first in 1853, in Lancaster, to Caroline Woodbury, daughter of Moses Howe, of Bolton, Mass. ; and second in 1884, in Toledo, Ohio, to Mrs.  Mary E. (Montsarratt) Braisted, of Louisville, Ky. A son of Mr. Sawyer, Frank Ezra Sawyer, was graduated at the Annapolis Naval Academy, and is now a Lieutenant on board the United States man-of-war, " Philadelphia. "

The incidents in his life, briefly narrated in this sketch, sufficiently indicate his character.  With an early education limited to the common schools, nothing but a natural faculty inherited from a line of energetic and capable ancestors, the fullest improvement of every opportunity for advancement, a determination to perform thoroughly every duty within the present sphere of action, an avoidance of all those distracting allurements which in politics and speculation are the shoals and rocks wrecking so many of our business men, and withal an integrity above suspicion, could have borne him along from the machinist's bench in Boston through all the stages of his career to the responsible post he now occupies with profit and honor to himself and with remunerative returns to those whose trust he administers. With abundant means, a handsome estate, a house to which taste and refinement have contributed their share of grace, and a home to which the happiest domestic relations lend their charm, Mr. Sawyer is enjoying the later years of his life in well-deserved ease and content.

AMAND J. SCHILLARE, the leading photographer of Northampton, has advanced to his present position of business prosperity solely through his own personal ability and persistent determination to succeed. He is a French Canadian by birth, having first opened his eyes upon the world at St. Guillaume, Province of Quebec, Canada, July 30, 1856, and is the son of David Schillare, who was born at Maskinonge, in 1827. 

Mr.   Schillare's grandfather, Thellosphore Schillare, who wedded Mile Lamere, was a son of Dr. Frederick Schillare (or Schiller, which was the original manner of spelling the name), a German physician, who emigrated from Germany to Canada and is said to have been a relative of the famous poet of that name.    He was a man of wealth and influence in his day, prominent both in public affairs and as a skilful medical practitioner, and was widely  known   as  the   "Red  Doctor," on account of his exceedingly ruddy complexion although a man of strictly temperate habits.  Of the three sons and one daughter born to Mr. Schillare's grandparents, all have passed away with the exception of the latter.  His mother was before her marriage Mile. Angel Mondor, a native of St. Francois, Province of Quebec, where the nuptial ceremony occurred.  Of his immediate relatives an Aunt Lasine is the wife of Xavier Laurion, of Leeds. Mass. ; an uncle, Louis Schillare, resided at the family homestead until his death, which occurred at the age of fifty-five years; and his son, Dr.  Louis Schillare, is now a practicing physician of Lowell, Mass.    The others have all gone to their final rest, and are buried in their native province.

David Schillare moved with his family from Canada to the United States in 1863, first settling at Florence, Mass., and in 1867 removing  to   Leeds,  where  he resided until his decease, which occurred July 12, 1891. Although never having the advantages of even aprimary education, he was a man of more than ordinary  intelligence,  and   for  a   period of twenty-five years was a useful   and trusted employee of the Nonotuck Silk Company. He was  strictly conscientious,  honest,  and up-right, and was often taken advantage of by others in business.    He, however, succeeded in securing a comfortable home for his family, which reverted to his widow at his decease.  She now resides with her son Louis, having been the mother of eight children,  two of whom, twins, died in infancy.    The others are as follows: David  Schillare,  a carpenter of Northampton; Mary, wife of Oliver Duchanne, a resident of Leeds; Amand J.; Ellen, wife of Frank Marcatte, also of Leeds; Mrs. Joseph Uarsall; and Louis Schillare, a plumber residing at Leeds.

Amand J. Schillare was by force of circumstances obliged to contribute toward his own support at a very early age, and was therefore denied the advantages of an education which other children were acquiring while he was hard at work in the cotton-mills at Florence.  He entered the mills when he was nine years of age, and was employed there most of the time for three years.    At the age of twelve years he removed with his parents to Leeds, and for the succeeding  five   years   he was employed more or less in the Nonotuck Silk Company's mills.    When not directly engaged in mill work he labored at different occupations, among which was the taking of contracts to clear land, and besides working diligently himself he hired others to work with him, for whose labor he received a profit of ten cents per cord.    Discontent and dissatisfaction with his lot in life were so plainly manifested by him that he was considered by his superiors as a wayward boy.

During these years of excessive labor and privation he was constantly dreaming of and aspiring to a higher calling, and was often censured for having a book or a paper in his hand while at work.    Happening to visit the studio of the Knowlton   Brothers one day, while admiring specimens of their photographs, it suddenly occurred to him that such a business would be most congenial to him ; and acting upon this suggestion he made inquiries of the proprietor, who offered to give him three months instruction in the art for the sum of twenty-five dollars.   This proposition he accepted after consulting his parents,, and paid fifteen dollars down, that sum being the extent of his worldly possessions.    He remained at the studio for a period of four months, during which he applied himself to the acquisition of all knowledge possibly obtainable in the art; and at the termination of that length of time he returned to Leeds, where he resumed work in the yards of the silk-mill, later finding employment in the spool shop of that concern at one dollar per day.

In 1874, when the memorable flood swept over the Mill River district and caused the industries to cease operations for an indefinite period, the Knowlton Brothers did an extensive business in taking views of the devastated landscape,  necessitating the  employment of extra hands; and Mr. Schillare again sought and obtained a position in their gallery, where he made himself so useful and agreeable that, when the rush of business slackened and the extra help was dispensed with one by one, he was retained.    His employers took an interest in his desire to progress, and finally placed him in charge of their branch gallery, where he is at the present time conducting an extensive business on his own account.    He was thus enabled to tenderly and bountifully provide for the comforts of his father during his declining years, and also to afford even a luxurious home for his aged mother.  Since the tide of success turned so effectually in his direction Mr. Schillare has made rapid advancement in his art, and is now the leading   artist   photographer   in Hampden County, enjoying the patronage of the very best class of residents together with the majority of the college students.    He has been in business on his own account for the past ten years, and his patronage has increased to such an extent that five assistants are constantly kept busy at his studio.    He makes a specialty of views and crayon portraits; and, although he has laid aside his palette in order to attend to the more lucrative part of the business, he still retains his love and admiration for the higher branches of art.    For years his leisure hours have been spent in repairing the neglect which his youth suffered in the way of education, and he has succeeded in enriching his mind with knowledge  gathered   from   useful   books, of which he has accumulated a large and exceedingly interesting collection.

In  1882  Mr.   Schillare was most happily married at Florence to Miss Edwardina L. Mondor, of Salem, daughter of Amand and Ellen (Theiren) Mondor, both of whom were natives of Canada.    Her father died at Salem in 1882, aged fifty-eight years; and her mother is now residing in Northampton.    Of their twelve children, but two sons and two daughters now survive.    Mrs.   Schillare's brother Edward enlisted in the United States Navy on board the ship "Baltimore," and is supposed to have been lost at sea; Albert J. Mondor is a grocer at Lawrence, Mass. ; and her sister is now  Mrs.   Oscar   Lacroix,  of Northampton.  Mr. and Mrs. Schillare have an interesting family of two sons and two daughters, namely: Laura E., born June 21, 1883; Conrad, born August 16, 1887; Leon J., born February 8, 1889; and Eugenie M., born June 4, 1893.  The family reside at their pleasant home at 39 Union Street, which Mr. Schillare purchased in 1892, at a cost of about five thousand dollars. He has also invested in other real estate, situated on Graves Avenue, upon which he erected a block of three tenements as a speculation.

HOLSEY J. SEARLE, an experienced and efficient agriculturist occupying the fine estate known as the Park Hill Farm, in the Fourth Ward of Northampton, Mass., was born in Huntington, Hampshire County, on April 29, 1849, son of Emerson   and   Miriam   (Sanford)   Searle. His grandfather, Joel Searle, who was born on November 18, 1774, was a prosperous farmer of Huntington. He was married on January 24, 1799, to Miss Sophia Sheldon, who was born on January 29, 1777. Nine children were born of their union, four sons and five daughters, all now deceased. Joel Searle died on January 4, 1860, at eighty-six years of age, and his wife one year later at the age of eighty-four years and seven months.

Emerson Searle, who was reared to the vocation of a farmer, settled in the town of Huntington   on  a farm   containing one hundred acres,   which he   increased to four hundred acres.   Later he disposed of a part of his property, and moved to Northampton to where his son now lives.    At his death, which occurred on May   1,   1894,   he  left   quite an estate.    He  married  on January   18, 1844, Miss Miriam Sanford, who was born in Huntington on  September  18,   1812,   and was a daughter  of   Holsey   Sanford,   of Saybrook, Conn.    Her father was born on October 10, 1765; and at fifteen years of age he became a soldier in the Revolutionary War, as a substitute for a brother who was taken ill while in service.   There were four sons and three daughters born of this union, of whom a brief record follows: Jerusha Gertrude, whose birth occurred May 21, 1846, lived to be but nineteen years of age, dying of diphtheria, January 24, 1866, in the week in which her wedding day was appointed; her sister, Julia Esther, who had died of diphtheria a few days before, on January 20,   was eighteen years of age; Holsey J. Searle is the subject of the brief biography below; Miriam Adelia, born October 22, 1850, is the wife of Wallace A. Mann, of 3 Smith Street, Northampton; George E.  Searle, born June 9,  1852, resides in Easthampton;   Abner   Sanford   Searle,   born on Washington's Birthday in 1854, lives in Hadley, Mass. ; and Charlie P. Searle, born September 10, 1856, lives on the old homestead. Their mother died on July 13, 1894, at almost eighty-two years of age. Both parents were members of the Congregational church.

Holsey J. Searle acquired his early education in the district school, which was supplemented by a course at Wilbraham Academy.  He then turned his attention to agriculture, and for four years carried on a farm in Huntington, Mass.    Following that, he conducted a hotel for four years, after which he went to Nebraska, where he spent the following two years.    He then came back to the Northampton farm, for which his father paid the sum of sixteen thousand dollars, and in 1875 built thereon a fine large barn, eighty by fifty feet, with an L thirty-eight by forty feet, and three stories in height, with a basement underneath.  The homestead is still a part of his father's estate, of which he is the administrator. He is successfully engaged in mixed husbandry, and grows each year from six to fifteen acres of tobacco. The farm yields annually about one hundred tons of hay; and he keeps thirty cows, the milk from which is marketed in Northampton by a brother who has a milk route.

Mr. Searle was married on May 8,  1878, to Miss   Elizabeth  Bassett,  of Easthampton, a daughter of Joel L. and Phebe (Thompson) Bassett.    Her father did an extensive business as a farmer, contractor, and manufacturer, and was very successful.    He was thrice married, and by his first wife, whose maiden name was Phebe Thompson, had three children, namely: Louise, who died when five years old; Justin H.   Bassett,  who died at the   early age of twenty-nine years, leaving a wife and daughter; and Elizabeth, Mrs.   Searle.    Mr. and Mrs.  Searle have lost an infant daughter, and now have two living children; namely, Gertrude Phebe, who is twelve years of age; and Joel Bassett Searle, a lad of five years.  In political principles Mr. Searle is a Republican. For two years he served as a member of the Common Council, and is now an Alderman. He is a member of Ionic Lodge, A. F. & A. M., at Easthampton.

LORIN   A.    SHAW,   an enterprising farmer of Amherst, was born in Belchertown,  February 17, 1848, son of William and Elvira (Thayer) Shaw. Mr. Shaw's father was a native of Belchertown, where he had a farm that he successfully cultivated.    He was a stone mason   by trade, which calling he also followed  with much profit to himself.    He was a good workman and at different times was employed in the construction of railroads and the erection of public buildings.    In politics he was a Republican.    He served in the Civil War as a private in Company H, Forty-sixth Regiment, Massachusetts   Volunteers.     William Shaw died in Belchertown over sixty years old. His wife, who was born in Belchertown, bore him five children, as follows: Mary and Horatio W., both deceased; Lyman A., a carpenter, who resides in Georgia; Lorin A., the subject of this sketch ; and Sarah J., who married Dwight Gibbs, and resides in Georgia. The mother, who still survives, resides with her son in Amherst.

Lorin A. Shaw grew to manhood in Belchertown, and received his education in the public schools. At the age of twenty-one he went to Michigan, where he acquired a knowledge of the lumber business, and became familiar with the duties of a lumber inspector. He returned East, and was for a time employed in a lumber yard in Northampton. He then went again to Michigan, and was engaged in lumbering for some years. He finally returned to Massachusetts, and followed different occupations until 1888, when he purchased his present farm of one hundred acres in Amherst. Here he has since resided, conducting general farming.  He also keeps a dairy with sixteen finely bred Jersey cows, besides other stock. His undertakings are nearly always successful. He is a Republican in politics and a member of the Grange.

On October 22, 1883, Mr. Shaw was united in marriage to Anna L. Dickinson, who was born upon the farm where she resides, and is a daughter of Bela and Pamelia Dickinson, who were both natives of Amherst. Mr. and Mrs. Shaw have two children, namely: Ethel D., born July 13, 1885; and Ezra I., born December 28, 1890. Both parents are members of the Congregational church.

HENRY S. SHIPMAN, a general merchant of Hadley, was born in that town, November 18, 1851, son of William S. and Catherine (Gaylord) Shipman. Mr. Shipman's grandparents were William and Betsey (Smith) Shipman, both of whom were natives of Hadley, where they passed their entire lives.

William S. Shipman, Mr. Shipman's father, was born in Hadley, November 28, 1812. In early manhood he engaged in the manufacture of brooms, later giving his attention to farming and the cultivation of tobacco.  He finally established himself in mercantile business in Hadley, and followed that successfully for the remainder of his life. He became prominent in public affairs, and was elected Town Treasurer in 1853, Town Clerk in 1854, and Postmaster in July, 1867, and satisfactorily attended to the duties of these offices until his death, which occurred November 26,  1881.   William S. Shipman's wife, who was born in Hadley, December 5, 1814, was a daughter of Israel G. and Susan (Smith) Gaylord. Her parents were natives of Hadley,, where they resided until their death.  Mrs. William S. Shipman became the mother of four children, as follows: James A., who died January 23, 1841; William N., who died February 13, 1872; Charles E., a merchant of Northampton; and Henry S., the subject of this sketch.

Henry S.  Shipman was educated in the schools of Hadley, and resided with his parents until he reached the age of twenty-one, when he commenced life for himself. He engaged in agriculture, which he continued to follow until his father's death. Since 1881 he has conducted the business formerly carried on by his father-that of a general country merchant-and has been very successful.  He is a Republican in politics, is a Justice of the Peace, was Postmaster from 1881 until 1893, and was elected Town Clerk and Treasurer in the same year, which last two offices he still holds. Mr. Shipman was initiated in the Masonic Order at Northampton in 1884. Mrs. Shipman is a member of the Congregational church.

On November 18, 1872, Mr. Shipman was united in marriage to Jennie W. Morton, who was born in Hadley, August 5, 1855, daughter of the Hon. John A. and Sophronia (Thayer) Morton. John A. Morton was a native of Ware, came to Hadley at an early day, and resided in that town until his death. He became one of the largest farmers in Hampshire County, and represented his district in the legislature during the years 1845 and 1846, and died December 27, 1878. His wife, who was a native of Enfield, Mass., died in Hadley, November 20, 1888. Mr. and Mrs. Shipman had three children, namely: William A., born March 27, 1874, who died September 2 of the same year; Mabel L., born January 6, 1876, now a school-teacher in Hadley; and Grace N., born January 7, 1883.

THOMAS T. SHUMWAY, a prosperous farmer of South Hadley and a veteran of the Civil War, was born in Belchertown, Mass., December 11, 1822, son of Vina and Lavinia (Squires) Shumway. Mr.  Shumway's parents were natives and lifelong residents of Belchertown.    His  father, who was reared to agricultural life, followed farming until his death, which occurred in 1833. His mother was again married, her second husband being Leonard Cole.    She died in 1843.   Vina Shumway was the father of six children, as follows : Lyman, who was drowned in a pond near Belchertown in 1850; Henry Harrison, who is a wagon-maker, and resides in New Hampshire;   Marcus, who died in infancy;   Elijah  Dwight,  a  blacksmith and wagon-maker of South Amherst, Mass. ; Lavinia, a widow, now residing in this State; and Thomas T., the subject of this sketch.

Thomas T. Shumway at an early age commenced work in a factory. He afterward entered the employ of Asa Clark, of Belchertown, with whom he remained as a farm hand for ten years. He next went to Chicopee Falls, where he was employed by his brother some time, after which he returned to Belchertown and resumed farming.    In 1843 Mr. Shumway moved to South Hadley, where he purchased a farm, and successfully followed agriculture for about nineteen years.    In July, 1862, he enlisted in Company I, Thirty-fourth Massachusetts Volunteers.    He served through the most important period of the Civil War, during which his regiment was continually upon the move, and participated in many decisive battles.    At the battle of New Market on May 15, 1864, he received  a wound from which he was confined to the hospital for seven months.    In 1865 he was honorably discharged from the service, and returning to South Hadley he has since been engaged in agriculture.

In   September,   1844,   Mr.   Shumway was united in marriage to his first wife, who was formerly Joanna  Bishop.    She was born in Belchertown, daughter of Arnold and Sarah (Packard) Bishop, both old residents of Belchertown.    Mrs.  Shumway bore her husband six children, as follows: Everett Myron, who died   in 1861 ; Charles H., who resides in Northampton; Everett Myron  (second), who resides in   New York State;   Lavinia, now abroad ; Clara Anna, who resides at home ; and another   child   who   died   in   infancy. Mr.  Sbumway's first wife died November 10, 1865.  He wedded for his second wife Jemima Weeks, who had   no children.    Mr.   Shumway is a Republican in politics, a comrade of Post No.  86, Grand Army of the Republic, of Northampton, and a member of the Christian Association of old soldiers.

CAPTAIN TIMOTHY W. SLOAN, a prominent citizen and one of the leading boot and shoe dealers of Amherst, Mass., was born in the town of Prescott, January 23, 1827, son of John P.  and Rachel (Upton) Sloan, who were both natives of that place.

The earliest ancestor of this family came from Ireland. Captain Sloan's great-grandfather was one of the first settlers of Prescott, Mass.; and his grandfather, James Wilson Sloan, was born there.   The latter, when he had grown to manhood, purchased a farm in the locality, and spent the rest of his life occupied in its cultivation. He held a high place in the esteem of his neighbors, and died when but a little past middle life. He married a Miss Pierce; and they became the parents of thirteen children, five sons and eight daughters, all of whom grew to adult life and married. Of all the only survivor now is Jonathan W. Sloan, who resides in Athol, Mass.

John P. Sloan grew to manhood and spent all his days in Prescott. He chose farming as his avocation, and followed it during the greater part of his life upon a small place owned by him. Besides attending to his agricultural duties, he also worked at the trade of stone mason. His religious views were liberal, and his political principles were Republican. His death occurred in Greenwich, Mass., when he was fifty-one years of age.  He and his wife reared a family of seven children, all of whom have since died, with the exception of Timothy W. Sloan, who was the eldest. The deceased were: Lorraine, Lucy, Laura, Abbie, Sardis, and George. Their mother died in Westfield, Mass., sixty-eight years of age.

Timothy W. Sloan received a good practical education in the district schools of Prescott. He learned the trade of a shoemaker; and, when twenty-one years of age, he went to Shutesbury, Mass., and obtained a position in the boot and shoe factory of J. H.  Winter. In 1856 he went to Amherst, where he was employed by Oliver Watson in the same line of business. Soon after the beginning of the Civil War, on September 20, 1861, he enlisted in Company D of the Twenty - seventh Massachusetts Regiment; and, having been one of those most active in organizing the company, he was given the captaincy. Among the battles in which he took part were those of Roanoke Island, Newbern, N.C., Beaufort, N.C., and Little Washington. After serving two years, he was honorably discharged on account of sickness and disability. He at once returned to Amherst; and, when he had regained his health sufficiently, he engaged in the boot and shoe business on his own account, and has continued in it since. His stock in trade, always one of the largest in the town, includes a variety of makes, and qualities to suit all tastes and purses. By his enterprise and fair dealing he has secured an excellent patronage.

In 1850, on November 26, he was joined in marriage with Miss Sarah T. Williams, who was born in Shutesbury, Mass., November 12, 1828, a daughter of Elijah and Lovisa (Pierce) Williams. Her father, who was born in Brooklyn, Conn., and was both a farmer and a wheelwright, died at the age of seventy-eight years; and her mother, who was a native of Shutesbury, Mass., lived to be seventy-one years of age. Both were members of the Baptist church, and he was an adherent of the Republican party. Twelve children were born to them, six sons and six daughters, of whom four are now living. These are: Harriet, wife of William Thurber; Emily, widow of James Thompson; Clara, who married Apollos Howard; and Sarah T., who is Mrs.  Sloan. Of those deceased Mary married Asa Spear, and died in Palatine, ILL.; and Angeline married Samuel White, of Prescott, and died in Chicago, 111. The others were: Shepard, Orrin, Charles, and George; with Asa and Joseph, who both died in infancy.  Mr. and Mrs. Sloan have three children living, as follows: Jennie, wife of F. A. Hobbs, residing in South Lee, Mass.; Fred W., who is married, and assists his father in the store, residing in Amherst; and Lizzie A., living at home. They lost two children by death, namely: Charles L., who died when three years old; and Emma M., at the age of eighteen years.

Captain Sloan is a Republican. For about eighteen years he has rendered most acceptable service to his town as Constable. He is a member of Pacific Lodge of A. F. & A. M.  of Amherst; also of the Edwin M. Stanton Post, No. 147, Grand Army of the Republic, of Amherst, of which he was the first Commander, a position held by him for over ten years. He is a member of the Universalist church, and his wife of the First Congregational Church.