MOSES H. BEALS, Postmaster of Williamsburg, born in Goshen, Mass., June 5, 1829, is the son of Moses W. and Rebecca (Joslyn) Beals. Mr.  Beals's ancestors came from Hingham, England, and were among the first settlers of Hingham, Mass. Daniel Beals, Mr. Beals's grandfather, was born in Hingham, and settled on a farm in Cummington at an early date. He cleared and improved his property, and cultivated it successfully for many years.  He raised, a family of sixteen children, all of whom attained maturity; and his declining years were passed with them. He died in Medina, N.Y., aged seventy-six.

Moses W. Beals, father of Mr. Beals, was born in Cummington, Mass., November 20, 1803. He was reared to farming; and in early manhood he purchased a farm in the town of Goshen, and conducted it for a number of years. Then he moved to Williamsburg, where he spent a long time in the employment of G. Williams.   After this he took up the stonemason's trade, but soon abandoned it, and bought the farm of twenty-seven acres known as the Rev. Lord homestead, where he resided thereafter until his death, in 1885. He was a member of the Congregational church, was a Whig in politics, but later joined the Republican party. His wife, Rebecca (Joslyn) Beals, a daughter of William Joslyn, a prosperous farmer, was married to him February 1, 1828. They had four children, as follows: Moses H., the subject of this sketch; Addison W., now living in West Brookfield, Mass.; a child who died in infancy; and Clarissa, who died at the age of sixteen years. The mother died in 1890, aged eighty-seven years.

Moses H. Beals was educated in the town schools, and learned the trades of a harness-maker and carriage trimmer in the shops of Stearns Brothers, of Williamsburg. During the Civil War he was employed by Wilkinson & Cummings at Springfield, Mass., in making harnesses, saddles, and other army accoutrements. In 1872 he established himself in the harness business in Williamsburg, where he conducted a successful trade until 1893, when he retired. Mr. Beals is a Democrat in politics, and has ably filled various town offices, such as Town Clerk, Treasurer, and School Committeeman.   In 1885 he was appointed Postmaster, and held that position until 1889. He was commissioned Justice of the Peace in 1892. In 1893 he was reappointed Postmaster, and conducts the office to general satisfaction. He was a member of Nonatuck Lodge, No. 61, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Northampton, of which he is Past Grand; and he is also Past Chief Patriarch of the Encampment.

Mr. Beals has been twice married. On September 30, 1851, he wedded Mary Sherwood, daughter of Eli Sherwood.   She died at the age of twenty-three years, leaving one son, Charles S., who is now a mechanic in Leeds, Mass., and who married Isadore Walbridge, and has three children: Grace, Abbie, and Lena. On July 5, 1855, Mr. Beals married his second wife, Mary Flynn, daughter of Patrick Flynn; and by this union he has one daughter, named Lucella D., who is now the wife of Homer Bradford, a mechanic of Williamsburg. Mr. Beals is liberal in his religious views, a courteous official, and held in high esteem by his fellow townsmen.

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ALBERT M. BELDEN, M.D., a resident of  Chesterfield and   a leading physician of Hampshire County, was born in Whately, June 22, 1867, and in the same house where his father and grandfather had likewise been born. The Doctor's great-grandfather Belden, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. On the cessation of hostilities he located in Whately, being one of its earliest settlers. He bought the original Belden homestead, and there reared his children.  Elihu Belden succeeded to the ownership of the homestead property, and was one of the foremost agriculturists of this part of the county for many years. In addition to general farming he raised and sold large quantities of tobacco. He continued a resident of the town until his decease, November 13, 1882. He married Roxanna Leonard, who died September 3, 1870. They became the parents of eight children, namely: Henrietta, deceased; Franklin, residing in Whately; Elihu Leonard; Channing Snow, of Hartford; William Clifford,   a resident   of   Springfield.   Mass. : Rufus Howland, deceased; Albert Matson, the subject of this sketch; and a child that died in infancy.

Albert M. Belden attended the public schools in his early years. Before he had completed his schooling his father's death occurred. He pursued his medical studies with private tutors and at home, afterward entering the College of Physicians and Surgeons, from which he was graduated with the class of March 15, 1888. He first opened an office in Cummington, where he practiced eight months, and then came to Chesterfield, where he has since resided. He has built up an extensive practice, and in the discharge of his duties has won the approbation and confidence of the entire community.

On December 25, 1888, Dr. Belden was united in marriage with Mabel Marian Bicknell, a daughter of the late Luke E. and Lucretia T. (Pierce) Bicknell, then residents of West Cummington. Her father was a soldier in the late war, having been mustered in as Lieutenant in the company of sharpshooters, and afterward promoted to the rank of Captain.  Captain Bicknell was wounded in battle, and subsequently died from the effects of the wound.  Mrs. Bicknell survived him, and is now living in West Cummington. One child has been born to the Doctor and his wife, Roxanna Leonard, whose birth occurred February 21, 1892.

Dr. Belden occupies a place of prominence in local affairs, and has served in many offices within the gift of his fellow townsmen. He was for three years a member of the School Board, and is now filling the position of Health Officer. His wife succeeded him in the School Board, where she ably assists in advancing the educational interests of the town. Politically, he is a firm believer in the principles of the Republican party. He is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, Chesterfield Lodge, No. 175, of West Chesterfield, of which he is also the medical examiner. Religiously, he is a consistent member of the Congregational church.

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ORVIS F. BIGELOW, M.D., a prominent physician of Amherst, was born in Perkinsville, town of Weathersfield, Windsor County, Vt., September 1, 1835, son of Barnay and Joanna (Nichols) Bigelow. Dr. Bigelow is a descendant of John Bigelow, who was born in England in 1616, and settled in Watertown, Mass., in 1632.

Dr. Bigelow's great-grandparents were Solomon and Sarah (Newton) Bigelow, who were residents of Shrewsbury, Mass. His grandfather, Silas Bigelow, was born in Shrewsbury, December 24, 1766. He became an early settler in Perkinsville, Vt., where he followed agriculture the greater part of his life, and was classed among the most successful farmers of his day. He was a sturdy and industrious man and a useful citizen. He died in Perkinsville, aged sixty-six years.  He was a member of the Baptist church. His family of six children all grew to maturity; and of these Barnay Bigelow, Dr. Bigelow's father, was the eldest.

Deacon Barnay Bigelow was born in Perkinsville in 1794. He adopted agriculture as an occupation, which he followed successfully through life, and, after succeeding to the pos-session of his father's farm, resided there until his death. He was a Whig in politics, and was active in town affairs. In his religious belief he was a Baptist, and was a Deacon of that church. Barnay Bigelow died in Perkinsville in 1858. His wife, Joanna Nichols before marriage, who was born in Perkinsville in 1796, became the mother of five children, as follows: Pharcellus K., who now resides in Antioch, Cal.; Carlton B., of Springfield, Mass.; Orvis F., the subject of this sketch; Adoniram, who died aged seventy years; and Elizabeth, who died aged twenty years.   The mother died in 1876.

Orvis F. Bigelow passed his boyhood in assisting his father upon the farm. He commenced his education in the schools of his native town; and at the age of eighteen he attended the New Hampton Institute in Fairfax, Vt., where he prepared for his collegiate course. He then entered the University of Vermont in Burlington, where he studied a thorough course of medicine, and graduated with the class of 1862. He began the practice of his profession the same year in Brandon, Vt.; and, after residing there for three years, he came to Amherst, where he has since conducted a large and lucrative practice. Dr. Bigelow is at the present time the oldest medical practitioner in Amherst. He is skilful and reliable, and possesses the esteem and confidence of the general public. He is a Republican in politics.

On July 8, 1863, Dr. Bigelow was united in marriage to Mary Pingry, daughter of William M. Pingry, of Wethersfield, Vt.  Dr. and Mrs. Bigelow had six children, as follows: Jessie E., born August 20, 1864; William P., born March 29, 1867; Frank B., born February 7, 1869; Lucy M., born July 14, 1872; Fred C, born June 30, 1875; and Edward Rutherford, born February 18, 1877, who died January 14, 1894. Dr. Bigelow is a member of the State and Hampshire District Medical Societies, and both he and his wife are members of the Baptist church.

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DAVID P. BILLINGS, a retired merchant of Ware, was born in Hardwick, Mass., June 1, 1810, son of David and Elizabeth (Pearce) Billings, the former of whom was a native of the same place.

His paternal great-grandfather, who was a patriot soldier of the Revolutionary War, was the father of a large family of sons and daughters. His grandfather, Asahel Billings, who was born in Sunderland, Mass., in 1737, left there when a young man to settle in Hardwick, where he became a successful farmer.  Yet he fought for his country in the War of 1812. He married Miss Hannah Robinson, of Barre, Mass., and by the union became the father of several children. She lived over ninety years, and he lived nearly a century.  Their son, David Billings, chose medicine for his profession, and for many years was successfully engaged in active practice in the town of Hardwick. He also owned the farm upon which his father settled, and which has been in the family for over a century. He died there at sixty-two years of age; and his wife, Elizabeth Pearce, lived to be seventy-five years old. They reared three of the four sons and four daughters that were born of their union.

David P. Billings, who is now the only living child of his parents, spent his early years on a farm, where he became familiar with the duties of a farm life.   At the same time he acquired a good common-school education,  which was supplemented   by a two years course at a seminary.   At nineteen years of  age he  taught his   first  term of school, and continued to follow that employment for two winters.   When he was twenty-three years of age, he secured a position as salesman in a general store in Palmer, Mass.  This position he left in 1837, to open a general .store in Ware, Mass., in company with his   brother-in-law,   Dwight   Foster. They carried the business on together until Mr. Foster's death.   Thereafter Mr. Billings conducted the store alone for twenty-eight years with   continued   success.    In  1850 he purchased   the   lot   opposite his residence, on which he now has four tenements under rent.  He also has about fifteen acres on Muddy Brook, just outside the village.   He retired from active business in  1863,  and during much   of  the time since then has been a sufferer from rheumatism.

While engaged as a salesman in Palmer, he met Miss Betsey Foster, to whom he was married on April 5, 1837. She is a daughter of Wilson and Prudence (Brown) Foster, and a grand-daughter of Bryant Foster and Solomon Brown. Her father was a successful agriculturist of Palmer, Mass.   He died there in  1864, nearly eighty-seven years of age. His wife bore him eight children, as follows: Rebecca, wife of Luke Hitchcock, of Palmer: Keyes Foster, a successful agriculturist, who died at the age of seventy-seven years, leaving a son and daughter; Sally, who married James Deans, of Eastford, Conn., and died when fifty years old, leaving two sons and a daughter; Dwight, who was at one time in partnership with Mr. Billings; Salina, who married Shepard Blair, of Warren, Mass., who died when thirty-eight years of age; John, a retired farmer, who died in Palmer in March, 1895; Betsey, wife of Mr. Billings; and Freeman S., a prosperous farmer residing in Palmer, who has one daughter living.   Mr. and Mrs.  Billings were the parents of a son and daughter, namely: Henry, who died in 1842, at the age of four years and six months: and Henrietta,  who died  March 20,   1845, aged two years and seven months.

In politics Mr. Billings is a Republican.  He has rendered faithful service in various town offices.    He has been Selectman, Overseer of the Poor, and for ten years Collector of Taxes.   He has for over thirty years been a Director in the National Bank, and has also taken an active part in church work. Both he and his wife, who is an estimable woman, are members of the Congregational church; and he was at one time superintendent of the Sunday-school.   They reside at   30 Church Street, a fine dwelling erected on the lot purchased by him in 1840.

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GEORGE A. BILLINGS, is a prosperous farmer and a representative of one of the oldest families in Hatfield. He was born in this town, May 26, 1846, son of Erastus and Artimisia (Ford) Billings. Mr. Billings is a lineal descendant of Richard and Marjorie Billings, who emigrated from England and located in Hartford, Conn., in 1640. In 1661 they settled in Hatfield, Mass., and were the original occupants of the farm where Mrs. J. D. Billings now resides. Richard Billings died March 13, 1679.

The descent continues through Samuel and Sarah (Fellows) Billings, who settled in Hatfield, and were the parents of Samuel, Ebenezer, Richard, and John, who was killed in the Indian wars, and Sarah. Samuel Billings, Jr., was born in Hatfield, and succeeded to the possession of the homestead. He married Hannah Wright, and his children were : Sarah, Joseph, Zachariah, and Benjamin. The next in line was Zachariah Billings, born in 1702, who married Ruth Meekins, and whose children were: David, Sybil, Lydia, and Silas.  Captain Silas Billings, George A. Billings's great-grandfather, bought the farm directly opposite the Billings homestead. He married Marian Dickinson, by whom he had four children: Joseph, Erastus, Roswell, and Ruth.  He died June 6, 1808, survived by his wife, who died in.1836, aged ninety years. Erastus Billings, the first of the name, who was a Colonel in the War of 1812, was born June 30, 1778.    He resided with his parents as long as they lived, and inherited the farm, which he conducted with success, becoming the owner of other real estate. He was a Whig in politics, and took a prominent part in public affairs, serving in various town offices.  Colonel Erastus Billings died October 27, 1838. His wife, whose maiden name was Abigail Allis, became the mother of four children, as follows: Fanny E., Silas, John, and Erastus. Mrs. Abigail A. Billings died in 1829, aged fifty years.

Erastus Billings, the younger, was born in Hatfield, May 11, 1809, and was reared to agricultural pursuits. On reaching manhood he bought the old parsonage, which was formerly the homestead of the Rev. Hope Atherton, the first minister to settle in Hatfield; and he also purchased twelve acres of land adjoining. He remodeled the house, built a new barn, and otherwise improved the property, which he cultivated with success. Prospering in worldly affairs he bought other real estate in Hatfield, and erected a tenement-house for investment purposes. The family owned a mill, which is now operated by J. E.  Porter, and conducted it successfully for a number of years.    Erastus Billings was largely interested in the cultivation of tobacco, which he carried on with profitable results, until failing eyesight compelled him to relinquish active business. He has been an energetic and industrious business man; and to these praiseworthy qualities, in addition to his natural ability, is due his success in life. His wife, Artimisia Ford, was a native of Somers, Conn. She died in 1877, having been the mother of four children, as follows: Henry P. ; Erastus F., who is Postmaster of Hatfield; Albert, who died in infancy; and George A., the subject of this sketch.

George A. Billings was educated in the public schools of Hatfield and at the Monson Academy. He has always resided at the homestead, and has devoted his attention to general farming and the cultivation of tobacco.  He is agent for Sutter Brothers, tobacco dealers of Chicago, for whom he buys leaf tobacco, of which he is a competent judge.  He has improved the farm and buildings, and his homestead is classed among the finest in Hatfield. He is a Republican in politics, and has served in several of the town offices.  On December 6, 1871, Mr. Billings was united in marriage to Abbie F. Graves, who was born in Hatfield, daughter of Jonathan S.  and Caroline (Smith) Graves, both now deceased.   Her father, who was a prominent farmer and a Deacon of the Congregational church, died at the age of sixty-three years. Mr. and Mrs. Billings are members of the Congregational church.    They have five children,  namely:  Mabel   L., born   August 7, 1872; Albert G., born August 4, 1879; Laura F., born July 17,  1882; George R., born December 36,   1883; and Minnie A., born April 13, 1888.

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WILLIAM D. BILLINGS, Town Clerk of Hatfield, was born in this town, August 5, 1832, son of John A. and Clarissa (Dickinson) Billings. The Billings family have resided in Hatfield for more than two hundred years, having been large land-owners and extensive farmers, and figuring prominently in the development of the town's prosperity. They are descendants of Richard and Margery Billings, who emigrated from England, were residents of Hartford, Conn., in 1640, and settled in Hatfield in 1661. The original farm which Richard Billings improved is now owned and occupied by Mrs. J. D. Billings, her husband being a direct descendant of Richard.

Richard Billings died in 1679, leaving one son, Samuel, who was born in Connecticut and died in Hatfield. He married Sarah Fellows, and his children were: Samuel; Ebenezer; Richard; John, who was liked by the Indians; and Sarah. Samuel Billings, second, was born in Hatfield, and succeeded to the possession of the homestead. He married Hannah Wright, and was the father of Sarah, Joseph, Zechariah, and Benjamin. Zechariah Billings followed agricultural pursuits in Hatfield, and died in 1771. He married Ruth Meekins; and they were the parents of David, Sybil, Lydia, and Silas.

Captain Silas Billings, great-grandfather of William D., was born in Hatfield, November 3, 1741. He bought a farm lying directly opposite to the old homestead and became a prosperous farmer. He died in Hatfield, June 6, 1808. He was a member of the Congregational church. He married Miriam Dickinson, who lived to reach the age of ninety years, and died in 1836. Their children were: Joseph, Erastus, Roswell, and Ruth. Colonel Erastus Billings, Mr. Billings's grandfather, was born June 30, 1778, and died October 27, 1838. A thrifty man, the owner of a large estate, he was influential in public affairs, serving with ability in important town offices, and was Colonel of a regiment of cavalry. He was a Whig in politics and a Congregationalist in religion. He married Abigail Allis, who was born in 1779; and she became the mother of four children: Fanny, Silas, John A., and Erastus.    Mrs. Abigail Billings died in 1829.  John A. Billings was born in Hatfield. February 22, 1806.    In early manhood he went to Avon, N. Y., where he purchased a farm, but after residing there for four years he sold the property and returned to his native town. He bought the farm which is now owned by S. F.  Billings, and in 1856 built the present farm residence.    He was a Republican in politics, and became prominently identified with public affairs, serving as a Selectman and Assessor.  John A.   Billings died May 27,  1886. His wife, Clarissa Dickinson,  was born April 1, 1805.    They had four children, two of whom grew to maturity, namely: Frances, born July 12, 1830, who died December 12, 1882; and William   D.,   the   subject  of   this sketch.  Louisa, born September 4, 1840, died August 22, 1843; and Willard W., born August 22, 1845, died September 28, 1845.   The mother died February 28, 1872.

William D. Billings commenced his education at Williston Seminary, and completed his studies at the Monson Academy.    He engaged in agricultural pursuits until i860, when he formed a partnership with H. P. Billings, with whom he conducted a general mercantile business in Hatfield for five years, at the expiration of which period he retired from trade.  Resuming farming at the old homestead, which fell to his possession, Mr. Billings resided there until 1886, when he sold the property. Mr. Billings is a Republican in politics, and has always actively supported that party. He has served as an Assessor twenty-three years, since 1863; and in 1858 he was elected Town Clerk, a position which he has since filled with marked ability and efficiency. He has recopied with utmost care the town records, which date from the original settlement in 1660, and has placed them in perfect order for reference, a work whose importance and value it would be difficult to over estimate. 

On October 14,   1863,  Mr.   Billings was united in marriage with Mary L. Warner, a native of Hatfield. She was born on November 26, 1838, daughter of James W. and Louisa B. (Longley) Warner, the former of whom was a prosperous farmer of Hatfield.  Mr. and Mrs. Billings have been called to part with one of their two children, namely: Louisa D., who was born March 4, 1868, and died January 14, 1874. Her sister, Clarissa D., born September 10, 1873, is now the wife of Frederick U. Wells, of Springfield, Mass.

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HORATIO BISBEE, an extensive real estate owner in Chesterfield, where he is actively engaged in farming, lumbering, and manufacturing, was born in this town, November 20, 1833, son of Orin and Wealthy (Damon) Bisbee, both natives of Chesterfield. Mr. Bisbee is of English descent. Some of his ancestors settled in Plymouth Colony less than twenty years after the landing of the Pilgrims. The names of John Bisbee and his son Gideon appear on the old records of Marshfield, Mass. Gideon Bisbee came to Chesterfield in 1755 and spent one summer, returning in the fall for his family and coming here the following spring just in time to engage in the French and Indian War.  He died soon after with the small-pox. His widow, two sons, and two daughters then came to Chesterfield. Jotham Bisbee, son of Gideon, married Lydia, the daughter of Luther Curtis; and their son Elisha, who was one of a family of ten children, was the grandfather of Horatio Bisbee.

Orin Bisbee, son of Elisha, settled on a farm in the neighborhood of his son Horatio's present residence, and during his lifetime cultivated the soil for family needs, at the same time pursuing other occupations, working as a carpenter and joiner, later at wagon-making, and finally engaging in lumbering. He died July 24,   1887, at the age of  eighty. His wife, who is now eighty-five years old, is living at the homestead. They were the parents of the following children: Wealthy, wife of Chandler Macomber, of Chesterfield; Horatio; Mary, who died at the age of twenty-three; Lydia, wife of Joseph Macomber, one of the Selectmen of Chesterfield; Jane Z., widow of Cornelius Van Slike, who resides in Florence, Mass.; a child who died in infancy; and Almarin O., who married Martha Tilden and lives near his brother Horatio. 

Horatio Bisbee received a good common-school education. When he was twenty-five years of age he purchased for q home the estate where he now lives, and has since been extensively engaged in general farming and stock-raising. He is sole proprietor of a grist-mill and a sawmill, known throughout the county as Bisbee's Mills, which have been in pos-session of the family seventy-five years, and has the grain trade of the town, with customers also in Williamsburg and a large lumber business. He also has near his farm a whip-butt factory, which has a large output, many of the goods finding market in Westfield.  Mr. Bisbee's real estate in all comprises about seven hundred and fifty acres. He is a man of rare business ability, and is acknowledged as such throughout the county. He has been Vice-President of the Hillside Agricultural Society ever since it was started, except two years, and is a Director in the Williamsburg Creamery Association.

On October 14, 1858, Mr. Bisbee was united in marriage with Louisa L., daughter of Lyman Rice, of Chesterfield, who was born July 6, 1837; and the following children were the fruit of their union : Mary L., who is with her parents; Willard Lyman, who died in early childhood; Charles Allen, who has charge of the grain business in Williamsburg, established by his father; and Homer Rice, who is with his parents. Mr. Bisbee has given to all his children the advantages of a good education.

In politics Mr. Bisbee is a Republican. He is a prominent man in the town, where he has served as Selectman two years; and he is a Trustee of the Haydenville Savings Bank. He and his household attend the Congregational church in Chesterfield and take an active interest in church work. Mr. Bisbee is a member of an old and respected New England family, whose prestige he maintains in a creditable manner, having attained his present state of prosperity through his own enterprising industry.

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MRS.  EUNICE MARIA BLAIR, a highly esteemed resident of Ware, is the widow of the late Francis Blair, who passed away at his home on West Street, on August 3, 1883, when but forty-seven years of age.    He was born in the west part of the town of Ware, and was a son of Ambrose and Sarah (Dunbar) Blair, the former of whom was a native of Warren, Mass. His father was a successful farmer, spent his life in cultivating the land, and died in 1886, eighty-four years of age.    His wife, who was a daughter of Seth Dunbar, of Ware, reared him a son and daughter, respectively named Francis and Almira.    The latter died at the home of her brother's widow in 1893, when fifty-four years of age.    She was a lady of the most amiable  disposition.    For many years she gave the most tender care to her invalid mother, who died in 1879, when about sixty-five years of age.

Mrs. Blair is a daughter of Deacon Milton and Maria (Snell) Lewis, respectively natives of Dedham and Ware, Mass.    Her father was a well-informed man, and taught school both before and after his marriage.    The latter part of his life, however, was chiefly spent in agriculture, on his farm  in the West Parish of Ware.   He was a zealous member of the Congregational  church,   in which he served for many years as Deacon.    On April 6,   1831, he was united in marriage with Miss Maria Snell, who bore him eight children.    Of these a son died in  infancy,  and Nelson C. who lived but seventeen years.   Thomas A., whose death occurred when he was thirty years old, was a graduate of Amherst College in the class of 1859, and had prepared for the ministry.  He served as chaplain in the Civil War; and at the time of his death, in 1865, was engaged to be married.   William E. died in 1891, at Lake Geneva, Wis., leaving a widow and seven children.     He  enlisted  for service in the Civil War as a private in Company E of the Thirty-seventh Massachusetts Regiment, with which he shared in many hard-fought battles, and was wounded in the last.    When mustered out of service he had been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant.    He was a man of fine intellectual ability, an earnest Christian worker, and was associated at one time with D. L.  Moody.    For fourteen years he was connected with the Young Men's Christian Association, and was beloved and highly esteemed in the West.    He served as State Secretary, and was at one time a member of the legislature. The next in order is Eunice Maria, the subject of this   sketch.    Martha  M.,  the wife of Dr.  C. B. King, of Belchertown, died in March, 1891, aged forty-nine years, leaving one son.  Henry M. died when two and a half years old; and another child died  in  infancy. Their father's death occurred on September 26, 1885, at the age of seventy-seven years; and their mother died three years later, in the eighty-first year of her age. They rest in the West Parish burial ground in Ware. 

Eunice Maria Lewis received a good common-school education, and prior to her marriage was successfully engaged  in teaching. On September 13,   1866, she was united in marriage with Francis Blair.    He was a man of superior business ability, and in addition to managing his farm, he devoted much time and attention to other business and to town affairs.    He dealt quite largely in real estate and mortgages, and at his death left besides his farm the present large farm house and barn erected by him in 1862.    He was interested in the Otis Company, to whom he proved a valuable assistant.    Though not a member of any church, his influence was always on the side of uprightness, integrity, and truth.    In politics he was a loyal Republican, and for several years he was Selectman and  Road Commissioner.    After their marriage he and Mrs.  Blair took up their residence in the house now occupied by her alone. She lost two infant daughters.    A son and two daughters are living namely: Lewis Monroe Blair, residing on the farm and conducting it, who has a wife and two sons; Mary Estella, who recently graduated from the Ware High School; and Alice Gertrude, fourteen years of age, who is now attending the high school. Mrs. Blair and her children are the last representatives of the family, with the exception of an uncle, Royal E. Blair, who resides in Springfield, Mass.

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EDWARD P. BLODGETT, the subject of the following sketch, was born in East  Windsor, Conn., August 23, 1815.   When he had reached the early age of nine months, his parents, Cephas and Huldah (Gaylord) Blodgett, removed to Amherst, Mass. His father was a well-to-do farmer, and purchased and was in unencumbered possession of the farm in Mill Valley, now and for many years known as the Gaylord estate. By an unfortunate combination of circumstances he became involved in business complications by which he lost his beautiful farm, and became hence onward a poor man, dependent on his daily toil in the service of others for the support of his family. At what age our subject was at the time of this great misfortune he has no recollection, or what took place during those early years of boyhood he has no power to recall; but all the advantages which the district school of seventy years ago afforded were his. Amherst Academy, which in due time became Amherst College, opened its doors to him, as well. At the age of eleven years he was called to the trial of leaving home and going away to work on a farm at the rate of four dollars per month for six months of the year. This continued for six years successively, between the ages of eleven and seventeen. And it may fittingly be said that those six years were no unimportant factor in laying the foundation of that physical development and health which to a remarkable degree have been his inheritance through a long life.

At the age of seventeen the farm was abandoned with the purpose of entering upon a course of study in preparation for the Christian ministry. After reading the biographies of such men as David Brainard and Henry Martyn, it was impressed upon him that his life work must be to preach the gospel - a missionary, if the way should be opened; if not, an humble messenger of the truth in the home land. But how should those years of study and toil and discipline, so needful for a fitness for the work, be passed through? He was poor, scarcely a dollar with which to launch upon the untried ocean. But the attempt was made, with the hope and in the faith that the desired haven would be reached. His parents, though poor and unable to render financial aid, did all that kindness and sympathy could do, cheerfully relinquishing all claim to his services until of age. He entered upon the classical course in Amherst Academy in the autumn of 1832, boarding at home in Mill Valley, where his parents still resided, and a part of the time at another home under the very shadow of the college, in the family of Lucius Boltwood, Esq., whom he will ever have occasion to remember with gratitude.  He entered Amherst College in the autumn of 1834, when that institution was only thirteen years old, and in 1838 graduated from it.  During those years of college life his experience was a marvel of personal history, as it pertains to the opening of God's providence in the removal of obstacles in the way of the accomplishment of his purpose. During the first year after leaving college Edward Blodgett was engaged in teaching, greatly to his advantage. The Mount Holyoke Seminary at South Hadley had just opened its doors, with that marvelous woman, Mary Lyon, at its head. It was Mr. Blodgett's privilege to be in charge of a school from which young women entered that institution; and he was thereby brought into touch with that seminary, now college, which for the past nearly sixty years has had such a power in human welfare.  In the autumn of 1839 Mr. Blodgett was led to leave the home of his childhood and go to Andover; and the journey thither, instead of being made in a few hours in a luxurious car, occasioned many a wearisome hour in riding in a lumbering stage coach, which left at early dawn Elijah Boltwood's tavern in Amherst   for   Worcester.     But   Andover was reached-a stranger in a strange land, Professor Park being the only man there he had ever seen.   He received him into his home as kindly as if he had been a son.   Those were the days of Moses Stuart and Bela B. Edwards, names  that  have been  a  tower of strength in the history of that seminary. A room was soon assigned him in Phillips Hall, which afterward became so sacred in the study of the   Hebrew  Bible.   And after fifty-six years it was his privilege in June last to go back and re-enter that room and those halls, and for forty and eight hours live over the experiences of the three years spent in preparation for the ministry.   The second year of his course he was invited by the principal of the Abbott Female Seminary to teach classes in Butler's Analogy and moral science, so connected with the very best preparation for his work.   Not licensed until the Senior year, his first sermon was preached in the seminary chapel in the order of his turn.    During the spring vacation of five weeks he was invited to Cornwall, Conn., to supply its pulpit.  This invitation was accepted. After returning to graduate, he continued to supply the pulpit there during the autumn. From Cornwall he went to Amherst, spending the winter of 1842 and 1843, preaching as opportunity opened.

The first Sabbath in March following, Mr. Blodgett preached his first sermon in Greenwich, Mass., where he was ordained and installed July 8, 1843, and where he preached his farewell sermon July 29, 1894, after a ministry of fifty-one years. Here has been his life work. The materials of this half century of service have accumulated so amply that much could readily be added, but the published anniversary sermons contain the substantial facts touching this history.

On the 12th of July following his ordination he was married to his wife, Mary Sutton Webb, who for thirty-one years was a faithful and efficient helper in the work, sharing its joys and its sorrows, its defeats and its victories, until called higher.   And, if in any way he has been successful in toil for Christ and the saving of men, he owes more to her wise counsels, her gentle and winning words, and her life unselfishly devoted to the good of others than tongue can utter.   This long ministry has   been an exceedingly happy one. The bond   of   union through all   the years was strong, and nothing occurred during the half-century to mar the fellowship.   They dwelt together in unity with a mutual confidence that has been a source of perpetual joy. During this period there have been preached four thousand sermons, many of which were repeated in other churches with which the minister  had close and tender relations. Mr.  Blodgett has lived to see the pastors of these churches removed by death or otherwise, and the men now occupying these pulpits either unborn or in their early boyhood at the time of his entering the ministry.

His relations to the town also were pleasant. He was called to bury its dead and to superintend the education of its children in its public schools. Some estimate of the changes that have taken place may be gathered from the fact that there have been followed through the gateway to the cemetery more dead than those living in the town today by a hundred people. During this period, while the town has decreased in population two hundred and fifty, the church has held its own numerically, notwithstanding the fact that within a small fraction it has sent away by letter two members where it has received one from others. With the exception of two or three individuals the entire present membership have come into the church during this ministry.   Such, in brief, are a few facts connected with the life and labors of Mr. Blodgett to  the  present  time.    " Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day.   I cannot be too grateful to God that he has permitted me to preach the gospel of his Son so many years; and, while looking back upon the long record, I feel humiliated under the consciousness of weakness and failure.  I hope to find acceptance with him through his  forgiving  love   and   abounding grace.  And, while I have retired from the cares and responsibilities of the pastoral office at the age of fourscore years, I desire not to be an idler in the great vineyard; but with what strength still remains it is my desire and purpose in some humble way to be true to the trust committed to me."

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CHARLES   E.   BLOOD,    a retired straw-goods manufacturer living in Ware, was born in Pepperell, Middlesex County, March 19, 1825. The Blood family trace their ancestry to the Thomas Blood portrayed by Sir Walter Scott. 

Leonard Blood, father of Charles E. Blood, was born in Pepperell, Mass., in 1787. He was a cooper by trade. In 1829 he sold out his business in Pepperell, and removed to Ware, where he continued to follow his trade.  He died there in 1870, eighty-three years of age. He married Miss Abigail Blood, a daughter of Amos Blood, who, though bearing the same name, was but slightly related. Mr.  and Mrs. Blood reared a family of six children, four sons and two daughters. Of these Horace L., a painter, died in Worcester, Mass., aged thirty-five years, leaving one daughter, Marcia Ann, deceased, who married Zenas Marsh, but left no children. Ivory M.  Blood was at one time a judge in California, was in the secret service of the government during the Civil War, more recently was a State detective of Massachusetts, and now resides   in Washington.    Henry Blood was engaged in the manufacture of straw goods with his brother Charles E., subsequently served in the Civil War as Assistant Surgeon in the Fifty-seventh Illinois Regiment, and died at Fort Donelson of disease caused by exposure, leaving one daughter. Mary E.  Blood died in her twenty-fifth year. Charles E. is the subject of this sketch. Their mother died in Ware in 1859, when about seventy-two years of age.

Charles E. Blood attended the district and high schools; and, when fifteen years of age, he entered the straw shop of Avery Clark, who was at that time the only manufacturer of straw goods in Ware.   Five years later he left that position, and went to Medway, Mass., where he taught school during two winters, and also worked in the straw shop there. The work was then all performed by hand. He remained there until 1848, at which time he went to Sag Harbor, Long Island, established a straw-goods manufactory as agent for a New York house, and conducted it for two years.  He next returned to Ware, and, in company with his brother Henry, erected a straw shop.  The firm was dissolved two years later, after which he carried on the business alone. In this business he employed for part of the time about three hundred women and twenty-five men.    He disposed of the business in 1875, and then purchased a drug store, which he and his son Fred conducted for about fifteen years.  Although he has now retired from regular business, he is connected with various enterprises.

On June 10, 1850, he was united in marriage with Miss Mary Perry, and their union was blessed by the birth of four children, namely: Frederick C, of Ware, who is married, and has four sons; George Franklin, a painter, who died when about thirty-two years of age,  leaving a widow, but no children; Gertrude C, the wife of Isaac Jeffries, of Ware, having four children; and Mary Eliza, who married Elliott Cleveland, of Athol, Mass., and has three children. Mrs. Blood died in 1891, sixty-five years of age. On May 27, 1892, he was married a second time to Mrs. Eucla Blodgett, previously Miss Spooner, of Ware.

Mr. Blood belongs to the Republican party, of which he is a faithful adherent.   He has served most acceptably as Selectman for two years, Overseer of the Poor for twelve years, and Assessor for two years.   He has also served on the School Board, and has been Special Commissioner of Hampshire County since 1878.    He acted as clerk of Fire District No. 1 for several years, was for a long time the Treasurer of the Mutual Protective Association, and was also Treasurer of the Oregon Engine   Company for a number of years.   Mr. Blood is a communicant of the Congregational church, and served for several terms on the Prudential Committee. The family reside at 72 South Street, in the house erected by his father about fifty-five years ago.

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FELIX  BOMBARD, a resident of Ware, engaged in the livery business and in the wholesale and retail liquor trade, was born in the Province of Quebec, February 2, 1856, son of Jacob and Clara (Carpenter) Bombard.

His father, Jacob Bombard, began life in humble circumstances, working at first as a laboring man in sawmills and at other kinds of work.   Later on he became a boatman on the Champlain Canal, in which occupation he first began to make progress financially. He afterward opened a hotel and store in Sandy Hill, N.Y., whither he had gone on leaving Quebec.   Being a man of good business ability, his ventures were generally successful; and at his death he left property valued at between twenty-five and thirty thousand dollars.    He died in 1893, sixty-nine years of age, leaving with his widow five children, the survivors of   thirteen born  of their union. His widow is a daughter of Lewis Carpenter, who was at one time a farmer in Canada. Toward the close of his life he removed to Washington  County,  New York,  where he died in 1876, eighty-two years of age. Mrs.  Bombard's children,  with the exception of Felix Bombard, the subject of this sketch, all reside in Sandy Hill, N.Y.   They are: Josephine Bombard, a maiden lady,  living at home; Nelson J., of the mercantile firm of Bombard Brothers; James, proprietor of the St. Clair House of Sandy Hill, N.Y., having succeeded his father: and Henry L., who is associated in business with his brother Nelson J.   Their mother, who is now seventy-one years of age, is still strong and active.  She is the eldest of a large family, of whom seven sons and three daughters are still living; and the youngest is forty-four years old.  Three of her brothers served in the Civil War.

Felix Bombard received only a limited education; and at the age of twelve years he began to assist his father on the canal, performing the work of a man.    In his twentieth year he started out in business for himself, and for two years kept the St. Clair Hotel. He next  removed   to   Southbridge, Mass., where he drove a tin ware cart for three years, being engaged on a salary.   He then started in the business for himself, and kept five carts on the road the larger part of the time. In 1880 he went to North Brookfield, Mass., and three years later came to Ware, continuing in the tin business in both places until 1886, when he closed out his store, and engaged in the importation of Canadian horses. When he started, he had only a barn with four stalls; but he has since done a very successful business.   In 1890 he sold horses to the value of about   forty-five   thousand  dollars, besides transacting a large business in carriages and harnesses.     He now has a barn suitable for thirty-two horses, and usually has from five to twenty on hand. In 1894 he erected his block at the corner of Parker Street, where he now carries on horse dealing, a livery, and the carriage, harness, and saddlers business. Also in the building are commission auction rooms, where he holds weekly sales of horses.  He opened his restaurant, with which he combines a wholesale and retail liquor business, in 1895.

When twenty years of age, he was united in marriage with Miss Apoline Vannier, of Sandy Hill, N.Y., who was a daughter of John Vannier. Three children were born of this union. She died at Southbridge, Mass., in 1879, leaving an infant daughter, Delia, who is now sixteen years of age. The other children are: Carrie; and Frederick, who is seventeen years of age. On April 25, 1881, Mr. Bombard was again married, his second wife being Miss Mary Goyette,  daughter of Charles and Elizabeth (Bolio) Goyette, of North Brookfield, Mass. Her parents had fifteen children, of whom nine are now living. Mr. Bombard has no children by his second marriage.         

In political affiliation Mr. Bombard is a Democrat. During his residence in North Brookfield he served as Constable, and since he has resided in Ware he has filled for two years each the offices of Constable and Road Commissioner. He and his family are consistent members of All Saints' Church, which is now under the charge of Father Boyle. They reside in the pleasant home which Mr. Bombard erected in 1888.

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JOHN   L.  BOSWORTH, a representative farmer of Southampton, was born March 31,  1826, in Montgomery, son of Nelson and Mary (Gorham) Bosworth.  Nelson Bosworth was by birth and occupation a farmer, which vocation he successfully pursued until his death in 1871. His wife was born in Poultney, Vt. The marriage ceremony was performed in Montgomery, and her death occurred in Southampton in 1881.  They were the parents of eight children, namely: Nelson A., of Westfield; John L., the subject of this sketch; Amelia A., deceased; Reuben E., of Southampton; Adeline C., now residing at Hoosick Falls, N.Y. ; Caroline D., deceased; Harriet A., of Bellows Falls, Vt. ; and Lycratus K., of Huntington. 

In common with his brothers and sisters John L. Bosworth got his education in the district schools of his native town, and, soon after entering his teens, began to be self-supporting. He was very industrious and economical, and before he had attained his majority he had paid his father six hundred dollars of his earnings, the greater part of which he had obtained by cutting wood at fifty cents a cord. When twenty years of age he applied himself to learn the carpenter's trade, at which he subsequently worked for six years.  He then invested a portion of his savings in a team, and began the business of teaming and freighting in Conway, at which he continued for three years.    Mr. Bosworth then disposed of that business and bought out a livery stable.  He conducted this place for eighteen months, when. he traded it for real estate in Conway.  Later he sold this property to his father-in-law, Eliphaz Morse, and removed to Springfield, where he was employed in the United States Armory, under the supervision of General Whitney.    From there he came to Southampton in 1859 and purchased the farm on which he has since resided.    This estate contains one hundred acres of land, sixty acres of which  are under cultivation.    Mr. Bosworth gives it his time and attention unstinted, and in the manner most conducive to success. 

Mr.  Bosworth  was first married February 16, 1854, to Sarah S. Morse, a native of Conway and a daughter of the late Eliphaz and Sarah Morse. She departed this life August 10, 1877, leaving no children. On February 16, 1878, Mr. Bosworth was again united in marriage with Susan A. Hawley, a native of Amherst, Mass., and a daughter of Horace and Sarah Hawley. Her father is deceased, and her mother is still a resident of Amherst, making her home with her children. Of this union two children have been born: Nelson H. and Edna S. He is a stanch Democrat in politics, and while in Conway served his fellow-townsmen as Constable, Collector of Taxes, and in other offices. Both he and his wife are sincere Christian workers in connection with the Methodist Episcopal Church of Easthampton, of which society they are valued members. Mr. Bosworth has been Trustee of the church for many years.