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EDWARD M. COBB,
whose handsome property lies in the town of
Chesterfield, is a man of good business capacity, much
intelligence, and enterprise, and is deservedly
prominent in the agricultural community. A native of
Hampshire County, he was born May 20, 1833, in the town
of Northampton, being a son of John and Electa (Bolyne)
Cobb. His
father was a native of Bridgewater, Mass., where he was
engaged for a while in the manufacture of shoes, and
also gave instruction in vocal music. After re-siding in
this county for many years, attending professional
engagements in Hatfield and the surrounding towns, he
died at Northampton in 1860. He was twice married. His
first wife, formerly a Miss French, bore him nine
children, two of whom are living. His second wife was
Miss Bolyne, who survived him, making her home with her
children until her decease, which occurred at the home
of Mr. Cobb in 1880. Three children were born to them,
as follows: Edward M., the subject of this sketch; Lewis
B., who married Miss L. Field, and now resides at South
Deerfield; and Anna, who lived but eighteen months.
Edward M. Cobb was educated in the
common schools of his native town. At the age of
eighteen years he entered a broom-making establishment
at Northampton, and worked there and in Holyoke for ten
years. On October 21, 1861, inspired by patriotic ardor,
he enlisted in Company G, under Captain R. R.
Swift, of Chicopee, and was assigned to the
Twenty-seventh Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry,
commanded by Colonel H. C. Lee, of Springfield. The
regiment was sent to the front, and participated in the
battles of Roanoke Island and Newbern. In the summer of
1864 it was detached from the division at Norfolk, and
Company G went back to North Carolina. On March 8, 1865,
the entire company was captured, and taken to Libby
Prison. After spending three
days here, it was sent to Annapolis, where Mr. Cobb was
discharged June 26. On his return to civil life he
engaged in his former occupation for two years, and then
took charge of his present farm for one year. Then,
after staying a short time in Northampton, he came to
this town, and conducted the farm of his father-in-law
for five years. After that he purchased his present
estate, consisting of one hundred and twenty-five acres
of rich and fertile land, in the care and cultivation of
which since he has evinced much practical judgment and
ability. He has brought the land to its present fine
condition, and has made a most pleasant home for himself
and wife, as well as an attractive resort for their many
friends.
On the first day of May, 1868, Mr.
Cobb was united in marriage with Mary A. Dady, a native
of Northampton, born August 23, 1844, being the daughter
of Liberty and Maria Dady. Mr. and Mrs. Dady lived in
Northampton until 1862, when Mr. Dady bought a farm in
Chesterfield, where they spent the remainder of their
years. He died in 1884, and she followed him to the
grave in 1895. In politics Mr. Cobb is independent,
voting for the candidates who are, in his opinion, the
best qualified for the positions to which they
respectively aspire. He is a member of Northampton Post,
No. 86, Grand Army of the Republic. Having been disabled
by the exposure and hardships incident to his army life
during the late war, he receives a pension from the
government.
HON. HENRY C. COMINS, a widely
known and successful farmer of North Hadley, and a
veteran of the Civil War, was born in Leverett, Franklin
County, April 11, 1837, son of Simon F. and Nancy T.
(Sweet) Comins. Mr.
Comins's father was a native of Worcester County, and
followed farming and lumbering throughout his
life.
He was engaged in the latter
occupation for some time in the State of Maine, moving
later to Franklin County, Massachusetts, where he
resided until 1841, when he purchased a farm in
Russellville, Hampshire County, upon which he passed the
remainder of his life, and died in December, 1875. Simon F.
Comins was prominent in the public affairs of the
county, was an Assessor of the town of Hadley, and held
other positions of trust. His wife,
whom he married while residing in the
State of Maine, was a native of Attleboro, Mass. ; and
she became the mother of four children, as follows:
James, who is a prosperous farmer of South Hadley;
Nancy, who married R.
M. Montague, of North
Hadley, and is now dead; Henry C, the subject of this
sketch; and Martha A., who married E. P. Hibbard, and
resides in Holyoke. She died in December, 1879.
Henry C. Comins commenced his
education in the public schools, and completed his
studies at the Hopkins Academy in Hadley and Kimball
Union Academy of Meriden, N.H.
He adopted agriculture as an occupation, which he
followed until 1862. On August 25 of that year he
enlisted as a private in Company H, Fifty-second
Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteers, under Colonel H. S.
Greenleaf and Captain William Perkins, for nine months'
service in the Civil War. He participated in the battle
of Franklin and the siege of Port Hudson, and received
his discharge in Greenfield, Mass., on August 14, 1863.
After following agricultural work in Hampshire County
for one year he moved to his present farm in North
Hadley, consisting of twenty-six acres, twenty acres of
which were under cultivation at the time of purchase.
Among other improvements effected by him since were
additions to the present residence. He has also brought
the land to a high state of fertility.
In 1858 Mr. Comins was united in
marriage to Harriet Ellen Smith. She was born in North
Hadley, September. 12, 1837, daughter of Horace and Mary
(Belden) Smith, both of whom passed their lives in that
town. Mr. and Mrs. Comins had
three children. William H., the eldest and only
survivor, was born in 1859, and is a graduate of the
State Agricultural College at Amherst. He is now engaged
in agriculture in North Hadley. He married Cornelia K.
Lombard, and has three children: Henry Earl, John Orin,
and Leroy Duncan. The other children were Carrie H.
and Lowell Smith, both of whom died in infancy.
Mrs. Comins died March 21, 1893.
She was a member of the Congregational
church.
Mr. Comins is a stanch
Republican, and cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln.
He has been active in forwarding the interests of his
party, and has filled many positions of public trust
with credit, both to himself and his constituents. He
has been a member of the School Board for fifteen years,
and is now its chairman. For three years he was a member
of the State Board of Agriculture, and in 1894
represented his district in the legislature. He held the
office of President of the Hampshire Agricultural
Society for three years, and is Vice-President of the
Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden Agricultural Society,
which is one of the largest organizations of its kind in
the State. He is also a member of the Franklin Harvest
Club, a select organization composed of the leading men
of the Connecticut valley. He is a comrade of the Grand
Army of the Republic, and was the first Commander of
Edward M. Stanton Post, No. 147, of Amherst, Mass. Hon.
Henry C. Comins has attained his present position
through his own unaided efforts.
HUBERT M. CONEY, a successful
attorney at law possessing the esteem and confidence of
his neighbors, was born on his father's farm in Ware,
March 18, 1844, and is a son of John and Sophronia
(Allen) Coney, and a grandson of William
Coney.
His great-grandfather was a
descendant of Nathaniel Coney, who came from Coney
Green, England, in
the latter part of the seventeenth century and
settled in Stoughtonham, now the town of Stoughton,
Mass., where he spent the remainder of his life. His
descendants were among the best known residents of that
place for many years. However, as time went by, they
gradually scattered throughout New England and Western
New York. William Coney, son of Nathaniel, who was born
in 1764, removed when ten years of age to Coy's Hill in
Ware, where he afterward became a practical farmer. He
reared a family of six children, namely: Nathan; John;
Calvin; Mrs. Caroline Goff; Theodosia; and Galacy, who
married Darius Eaton. Nathan, the eldest, lived over
eighty years; and, with the exception of Calvin, the
youngest son, the rest enjoyed long lives.
Their father's death occurred in 1847, at the age
of eighty-three.
John Coney, who was born in 1809,
grew to manhood on his father's farm. As his parents
were in humble circumstances, his start in life was made
without any capital. Beginning
in a humble way, but with a resolute spirit, he advanced
step by step until he was able to buy his father's farm.
Thereafter he gave his attention to the cultivation of
the land, at which he was very successful. In 1871 he
retired from his farm to the village of Ware, purchasing
a home at 63 North Church Street, where his last days
were spent. He died in 1884, seventy-five years of age.
His wife, Sophronia Allen, to whom he was married in
1841, was a daughter of Chester and Anna (Rice) Allen.
She bore him three sons, as follows: Hubert M. ; George
H., a successful carpenter and builder in Ware; and
Charles E., who died unmarried in 1876, at twenty-six
years of age. She still resides on North Church
Street.
Hubert M. Coney acquired his early
education in the public schools. With the
purpose of entering Amherst College, he (although fitted
for college) attended the Ware High School, working for
one year of the period on the farm. The Civil War had,
however, then begun; and his plans were changed by his
enlistment, October 11, 186l, in Company D of the
Thirty-first Massachusetts Infantry.
He served as a private in the ranks until the
summer of 1864, when he was sent on detached service as
clerk at Cavalry Corps Headquarters, Department of the
Gulf. He was honorably discharged November 20, 1864, and
at once returned to his home. On March 1, 1865, he
entered the hardware store of George Robinson, by whom
he was employed until September, 1866, when he purchased
the business. After carrying it on for six years he sold
it to Robinson Brothers, and then engaged in the fire
and life insurance business for a time. While so
employed he studied law; and in March, 1876, he was
admitted to the bar of Hampden County. He followed
his profession
in
Springfield, Mass., until
1882, and afterward in Boston until 1889.
Equipped with the knowledge and experience he had
so acquired, he then opened an office in Ware. He was
soon in possession of a large clientage and is now doing
a prosperous business.
He was married on
April 17, 1867, to Miss Eleanor Brainerd, of Ware, a
daughter of Edwin L. and Eleanor (Lawton) Brainerd.
They lost their only son, Edwin B., when he was
fourteen years of age, his death occurring on the
anniversary of their marriage, April 17, 1889. Mr. Coney
has always taken a prominent part in political affairs,
and served most acceptably in various official
capacities. He was sent as a
Representative to the State legislature in 1881 from
Ward Two, Springfield, Mass. ; and in 1872 he was chosen
Town Clerk of Ware, serving in that position until
1876. He is a
member of Eden Lodge, A. F.
& A.
M., of Ware,
and Springfield Commandery Knights Templars, in
which he has passed all the chairs except that of
Eminent Commander. He
belongs to the J. W. Lawton
Post, Grand Army of the Republic, of which he was
a charter member and is now a Past Commander. He is
Judge Advocate of the Department of Massachusetts, and
has been an aide on the staff of Commander-in-chief
Lawler. Aside from
being a leading lawyer of the town of Ware, Mr. Coney is
a most genial and obliging gentleman, and has won many
warm friends. He and his
wife reside in their pleasant home at 16 Church
Street.
HON.
SAMUEL MILLS COOK, a
public-spirited, influential citizen of Granby, was born
in that town, November 1, 1822. He
represents one of the most respected pioneer families of
the district. His father, the
late
Deacon Perez Cook, who came in boyhood to Granby,
was born in Hadley, married Hannah Clarke, a native of
the town, bought a farm here, and was afterward
identified with the best interests of the place,
occupying a prominent position among the town and county
officials.
He and his wife lived to a venerable age, dying
on the old homestead, now occupied by the subject of
this sketch, successively, in 1876 and 1879.
Eight children were born to them, as follows:
Henry, Hervey, and Henry (second), all of whom died in
infancy; Sarah Louise, the first-born, now living in
Minnesota; Samuel Mills, of this sketch; Henry, who died
at the age
of twenty-one years; Angeline, formerly a teacher in
Tennessee, now residing with her brother, Mr. S. M. Cook; and Hervey S.,
who also resides with Mr. Cook.
Samuel Mills Cook, who
acquired a good education in his youthful days, began
the battle of life at the early age of fifteen years,
his culture, perseverance, and self-reliance being his
chief endowments. At the age of sixteen years he was
appointed a teacher in the district school at
Belchertown, where he had taught but one term when he
was promoted to the village school in the centre of the
town. He
spent a year here when, being desirous of advancing his
own education, he entered the Belchertown Academy as
a
pupil teacher, under Mr. Joshua Pearl, at the
same time availing of every opportunity to pursue his
own studies.
Then he taught with Mr. Pearl in the Warren
Seminary for a time, subsequently going from there to
Chicopee, where he had charge of the grammar school for
seven years.
Mr.
Cook
was
next professionally employed at Limestone
Springs, S.C., where he taught mathematics and languages
for a year.
After this he abandoned teaching. He set out for
St. Cloud, Minn., but stopped at route at Minneapolis -
then a small village, containing but eight hundred
souls-and for two years carried on a successful
lumbering business. In 1858 he came
once more to Hampshire
County,
where,
in
addition to farming, he engaged in paper
manufacturing as a member of the well-known firm of
Taylor, Cook & Co., proprietors of a paper-mill in
South
Hadley.
He
subsequently received severe injuries in the
mill, after which he returned to his present farm, where
he is living practically retired from the activities of
life. His estate is finely improved and amply supplied
with substantial and well-arranged buildings and all the
necessary machinery and implements for general farming
conducted according to the most approved methods. He is
also interested in the lumbering business, owning ten
thousand acres of timbered and prairie land in
Minnesota.
On October 19, 1857, Mr. Cook
was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Smith, a
native of this county and daughter of Levi and Fanny
(Hayes) Smith, the latter being a sister, of
ex-President Rutherford B. Hayes. Mr. Cook was
elected in 1880 and re-elected in 1881 to represent the
county in the Senate. He has since
been prominent in official life, serving his
constituents with credit to himself and benefit to
them.
He has always taken an active interest in the
welfare of his native town and county.
He
has been Assessor, Selectman, was for thirty
years chairman of the School Committee, and has held his
present office of County Commissioner for fourteen
years.
Politically, he is an earnest supporter of the
principles of the Republican party and one of its most
influential members. He
is a Trustee of the Northampton Institution for
Savings, and was one of the first Directors of the
bank
at
South
Hadley Falls. Religiously, both Mr. and Mrs. Cook
are valued members
of
the
Congregational church of Granby.
SILAS R. COOLEY, a dealer in leaf
tobacco, one of the most esteemed young business men of
Northampton, Mass., was born in North Hadley, January
26, 1858, being the descendant of a well-known family of
that town.
The paternal grandfather of the
subject of this brief sketch was Charles Cooley, who was
a lifelong resident of Sunderland, owning and managing a
good farm in that part of the town called
Plum trees. His wife,
whose maiden name was Mary Stowell, was born in
Peters-ham, Worcester
County. Their
household circle was enlarged by the birth of eleven
children - six sons and five daughters-of whom five sons
and three daughters grew to adult life, and three are
now living, namely: Edwin A., a retired farmer of
Galesburg, ILL.; Clarissa C, wife of Benedict B.
Williams, of Dexter, Mich.; and George L., who owns and
occupies the old homestead at Plum trees, he having been
a soldier in the Civil War, belonging to Company F,
Thirty-seventh Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry.
One daughter, Eliza A., born June 14, 1815,
married Cornelius Hilliard, and lived with him more than
fifty years, the golden anniversary of their wedding day
being celebrated on June 28, 1888. She died in
Northfield in 1892. Simon F. Cooley, son
of Charles, was born in Sunderland, Franklin County,
October 28, 1817, and died April 12, 1879, *n North
Hadley. He was one of the prosperous merchants of
Western Massachusetts, for eight years carrying on a
large grocery trade in Springfield, and from 1852 until
1879 engaged in general merchandising in North
Hadley. He was a
typical representative of the bright and enterprising
self-made men of Massachusetts, he having started in
life with-out cash capital, and by diligent effort,
thrift, and good management acquired a competency,
leaving an estate valued at twenty-five thousand
dollars. He was influential in public life, a Republican
in politics, serving as Selectman several terms, and as
Postmaster for twenty years. He married Esther E. Rose,
who was born in Granville, Hampden County, but was
reared in Springfield, where their union was solemnized
October 27, 1847. Their three children
were: Ella Rose, Addison G., and Silas R. Ella Rose died
at the tender age of two and one-half years; and Addison
G. died May 23, 1862, in North Hadley, aged eight
years.
Silas R. Cooley received excellent
educational advantages in the days of his youth,
at-tending Hopkins Academy two years, after-ward
pursuing his studies a year at the New Salem Academy,
going from there to the Agricultural College at Amherst,
which, how-ever, he was obliged to leave after a year of
diligent study on account of trouble with his eyes. He
was then engaged for a year as a clerk in his father's
store, being subsequently employed for a similar period
in the locomotive works at Providence, R.I. In 1881,
having then concluded the settlement of his father's
estate, Mr. Cooley moved to Northampton, bought his
present property, consisting of one acre of land, at 36
High Street, where, besides his modest but pleasant
residence, he has an office and storehouse, and
established his present profitable business. He packs
and deals in leaf tobacco, having a very extensive
trade, and conducting it most successfully.
On October 5, 1881, Mr. Cooley was
united in marriage with Sarah L. Wright, a daughter of
George L. and Elizabeth A. (Cobb) Wright, her father
being a thriving farmer of this town and among its most
respected citizens. Both parents are faithful members of
the First Congregational Church, of which Mr. Wright has
been a Deacon for many years. Mrs. Cooley, after her
graduation from the Northampton High School and prior to
her marriage, was one of the popular and successful
teachers of this city. Three children have come to bless
the home of Mr. and Mrs. Cooley, namely: Clara Louise,
born June 11, 1883; Arthur Rose, born May 4, 1888; and
Alice Wright, born September 2, 1890. Exemplary in all
the walks of life, a devoted husband and father, in
society courteous and genial, in business upright and
honorable, Mr. Cooley is deservedly held in high esteem.
Politically, he is an earnest Republican, and has served
with credit to himself and to the satisfaction of his
constituents as Councilman and Alderman.
MICHAEL E. COONEY,
proprietor and
manager of the Florence
Hotel, at Florence, Mass., was born in Haydenville, July
1, 1849, son of Michael and Rosanna (Martin) Cooney,
both of Irish birth.
Mr. Cooney's father was a
stone mason by trade. He came to
this country in 1844, locating at first in Holyoke,
Mass., where in 1848 he married Rosanna Martin. They
settled in
Haydenville, where he carried on a teaming
business for several years, and where his death occurred
in October,
1882. His wife survived him ten years, dying at
the age of sixty-six. They
were the parents of nine children, of
whom
four are deceased. Of these latter, two died in
infancy; Kate died when fourteen
years;
and Rosina, wife of
William Larkin, of Williamsburg, died at the age of
twenty-seven years, leaving one daughter,
Rosanna.
Michael E. Cooney was the
eldest child of the family.
Having obtained a good education few years to
farming and raising tobacco. He has a pleasant
dwelling-house on South Main Street, which he took
possession of last year. Mr. Cooney was
married in February, 1879, to Margaret Mahoney, a native of
Ireland, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Mahoney, who
emigrated
to
the
United
States
in
1870.
Neither of her parents is now living. Mrs. Mahoney
died in
July, 1889, aged seventy-three years, and Mr. Mahoney in
November, 1893, at the venerable age of fourscore years.
They were the parents of five children, namely : James,
who is in the electric business in Boston;
William,
a brass finisher in Lorain,
Ohio; Bridget, the wife of Robert Tranor, of Fall River,
Mass. ; John, a mechanic of Haydenville; and
Margaret, the wife of Mr.
Cooney. The
family circle of Mr. and Mrs. Cooney has been enlarged
and enlivened by the advent of three bright and healthy
children, namely: William, an active lad of sixteen
years,
in school at Northampton; Michael, a strong lad of
thirteen years; and Theresa Maria, an interesting little
girl of nine years. On political
questions Mr. Cooney follows the lead of the Republican
party, but has never sought or held office, devoting his
time and attention to his private affairs.
WILLIAM E. COONEY, a prominent
citizen of Northampton, was born in Haydenville,
Hampshire County, Mass., November 13, 1855, son of
Michael and Rosanna (Martin) Cooney and grandson of
William Cooney, a farmer in County Tipperary,
Ireland.
William Cooney died in his prime,
of typhoid fever, leaving a widow, five daughters, and
one son, who emigrated to America in 1840. Four of
the daughters are yet living in Chicago, 111., and in
Massachusetts. The family made the voyage
in a sailing-vessel, consuming nine tedious
weeks. Shortly
after his arrival on American soil Michael Cooney, the
father of William E., found work as a laborer in
Brooklyn.
Subsequently he re-moved to Leeds, Mass., where
he was employed in the woolen-mill, and later entered
the button factory
in Haydenville,
where japanned buttons were manufactured. Finding that
outdoor work suited him best, he engaged in trucking,
doing the teaming for the cotton company and the brass
company. He was an enterprising and successful man, and
at his death owned a good home in Haydenville, besides
considerable other
property. In politics he was a
Democrat, a leading man in the party. He died in
1883, at the age of sixty-three years. Mrs. Cooney was
a native of King's County, Ireland, and was married in
Chicopee in 1845. She died December 31, 1891 > in her
sixty-fourth year. She and her husband were the parents
of five daughters and two sons, namely: Katie, who died
in childhood; Rose, wife of William D. Larkin, of
Haydenville, who has passed away, leaving one daughter;
Michael E., proprietor of the Hotel Florence; Ella, in
the millinery business at Northampton, successor to
Cooney & Larkin; William E., the subject of this
sketch; Lizzie, wife of Thomas H. Gilfoil, proprietor of
the City Hotel; Anna, wife of John T. Keating, an
attorney in Northampton.
William E. Cooney received his
early education in the common schools of the town, and
at fifteen entered the office of the Northampton Free
Press as "printer's devil." He served an apprenticeship
of three years, and afterward worked at the case nine
years. In 1877, in company with John T. Dewey, he opened
the Nonatuck House, now the City Hotel. In this hotel he
was interested four years, Mr. Dewey in the meantime
selling his share to William D. Larkin. In 1881 Mr.
Cooney, in company with Mr. Parnell, opened a
wholesale liquor store, under the firm name of Parnell
& Cooney; and the enterprise proved to be a very
profitable one. In 1895 Mr. Parnell bought the entire
business, and Mr. Cooney retired.
On November 18, 1874, Mr. Cooney was married
to Kate, daughter of John and Mary (Powers) Roach, of
Waterford, N.Y. Mrs. Roach died when quite
young, leaving four children, the youngest, Mrs. Cooney,
being but two years old. Mr. and Mrs. Cooney have lost
one son, Martin James, who died when two years old.
Their other children are as follows: Michael M., a young
man of nineteen, who is engaged in the manufacture of
bricks; William S. and Austin E., aged respectively
eleven and eight years; and Bernard Joseph, two years
old. Mr. and Mrs. Cooney are members of
the Roman Catholic church. Their pleasant home, which is
situated at the corner of Park and State Streets, was
erected by Mr. Cooney in 1883.
Mr. Cooney is a man of diversified knowledge,
having traveled extensively in the West and South,
especially in Texas, New Mexico, and
Minnesota.
EDWARD PAYSON COPELAND, dealer in
fancy goods and notions at 104 Main Street, Northampton,
was born August 1, 1831, in Hartford, Conn., son of
Melvin Copeland, who was born in Sturbridge, Mass.,
March 12, 1797.
Lawrence Copeland, the progenitor
of the family in America, a native of England, born, it
is said, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, crossed the
Atlantic with Governor Winthrop or shortly after he
came, and was identified with the Massachusetts Bay
Colony until his death, at a very advanced age, December
30, 1699. A record of his family and of several of their
descendants is given in Mitchell's History of
Bridgewater. Lawrence Copeland was married October 12,
1651, by the Rev. Mr. Hibbens, of Boston, to Lydia
Townsend. They lived in Braintree, and had nine
children. William Copeland, the third son of Lawrence
and Lydia, married April 13, 1694, Mary, the widow of
Christopher Webb and daughter of John and Ruth Alden
Bass, a grand-daughter, it is interesting to know, of
John Alden. Their son, Jonathan Copeland, married Betty
Snell, and settled in West Bridgewater. He spent ninety
years on earth; and one of his sons, Jonathan, Jr..
lived to the age of ninety-two years. Daniel, the
fourth son of Jonathan and Betty Copeland and
great-grandfather of the gentleman of whom we write,
married Susanna Ames; and both passed their remaining
years in Bridgewater, he dying in 1827, aged eighty-six
years, and she in 1834, at the age of ninety-one years.
They were the parents of eleven children, the difference
between the ages of the eldest and the youngest being
thirty years.
Daniel Copeland, Jr., son of Daniel
and Susanna, was married April 28, 1791, to Abigail
Shaw, a daughter of Gideon Shaw, of Raynham. His first
wife dying March 26, 1810, leaving six children, in 1813
he again married, and by his second wife had two sons.
He departed this life in Huntington, whither he had
removed from Sturbridge, Mass., March 15, 1850, aged
eighty-three years.
Melvin Copeland was the third child
and second son born to his parents. He turned his
attention to mechanical pursuits, becoming a
plane-maker, following that trade in Hartford for
twenty-five years. He then removed with his family to
Hampshire County, locating in what is now Huntington,
then known as Chester Village, in October, 1842.
His wife, Lucinda Blake, whom he wedded October
13, 1824, was a daughter of Nathaniel Blake, and was
born in Hartford, Conn. Ten children were born to them,
the sons and daughters being equally divided. The parents
journeyed together as man and wife for forty-six years,
and in death were not long separated, the father closing
his eyes to earthly scenes March 5, 1866, aged
sixty-nine years, and the widowed mother following him a
month later, dying April 6, 1866, aged sixty-eight
years. He was a man of unusual intelligence and
progressiveness, alive to the pressing questions of his
day, an ardent supporter of the antislavery cause and
of temperance. In politics a Whig and afterward a
Republican, he took an active part in the important
campaigns, being a ready and forcible speaker. His son
well remembers seeing him, with his coat off, astride a
log, helping to build a log cabin during the
Presidential campaign of 1840, and being, probably, one
of the loudest shouters of the stirring
refrain.
" Tippecanoe, and Tyler
too,
And with them we'll beat little
Van."
He was very much interested in the
family history, and shortly before his death visited
Boston, Ouincy, Braintree, and Bridgewater, consulting
Savage's Genealogical Dictionary, Winthrop's Journal,
Thayer's Genealogy, and Mitchell's History of
Bridgewater, and, better still, interviewing a surviving
aunt and uncle, Chloe and Daniel Copeland, a son and
daughter of Daniel Copeland, Sr., she in her
seventy-eighth year and her brother four years younger,
both living on the old homestead established by their
father one hundred years before that time.
In the manuscript left by Mr.
Melvin Copeland the family traits are thus given:
"Physically, medium height, well proportioned, compact,
and muscular; capable of much hard service and
endurance. Complexion, light and ruddy, with a sandy
tendency, and blue eyes; not corpulent, and somewhat
distinguished for longevity and for rearing large
families. Intellectual
and studious; demonstrative and investigating; cautious
and critical, with inventive genius. Morally,
strictly honest, with stern integrity, proving faithful
to trusts, and law abiding.
Religiously, free from fanaticism and formality,
but scriptural in belief, and uniformly cheerful and
unobtrusive.
Self-reliant, industrious, and frugal, but
hospitable and generous, striving to be useful in public
and private life. Characteristics like these, when
strongly developed on the male side, will show
themselves for many generations, and will occasionally
stand out in individual cases almost as strong as in the
original; and
the man who
by temperate habits and a well regulated life
transmits to his posterity good health and a strong
constitution, with the above characteristics, leaves
them the best possible inheritance."
Edward Payson Copeland, having
attended the public schools until fourteen years of age,
studied at a select school for three months, and then
began working with his father in the manufacture of
planes, at length being admitted to partnership, and
continuing with him until 1861. He is now conducting a
well established, lucrative business in Northampton, and
owns and occupies a pleasant home at 85 New South
Street, where he has resided since 1893. Inheriting to a
large extent the personal characteristics above
mentioned, he has proved a valued citizen, and has the
respect of the entire community.
He is a Republican in politics, but has not been
an aspirant to public office.
Mr. Copeland was married
June 2, 1853, to Marietta Cowles, their nuptials being
celebrated in Amherst, at the home of the bride's
parents, Moses and Chloe Cowles. Two children have been
born of their union: Harriet and Lucien B. Harriet is
the wife of A. H. Stocker, of this
city. Lucien,
who was graduated from Amherst College in the class of
1886, is now an attorney-at-law in Omaha, Neb. He
married Annie Herrick, of Northampton; and they have one
daughter, Dorothy, now two years old.
GEORGE W. COTTRELL, a resident of
Middlefield since his early youth, was born in Hinsdale,
Mass., on March 15, 1856, son of George W. and Angie M.
(Dyer) Cottrell. His parents were George W. and Angie M.
(Dyer) Cottrell. George W. Cottrell was a native of
Worthington, Mass., where his birth occurred August 31,
1830. He spent his life in farming, which, while
involving an almost unceasing round of toil, still
allows to its followers a freedom and independence not
found in many other occupations. In 1861 he removed to
Middlefield, where he purchased a farm, on which he
resided during the remaining years of his life. He died
there on June 23, 1883. His wife, who was born in
Plainfield, Mass., October 4, 1831, is still living.
They had four children, as follows: George W.; Mary, the
wife of Herbert H. Prentice, a successful agriculturist
residing in Middlefield; Carrie, who
married King Phillips, and now lives in Peru, Mass.,
where her husband is profitably engaged in farming; and
John, who died at twenty-one years of age. All the
children enjoyed the advantages of a common-school
education. Mr. Cottrell was a Republican in politics. He
also took a keen interest in the affairs of his town,
which he served as Selectman; and he was at one time a
member of the School Board. He and his wife were both
members of the Congregational church at
Middlefield.
George W. Cottrell was but five
years of age when his parents settled in
Middlefield. He remained at home
until he was twenty-three years of age, when he
established himself as a farmer. His efforts
turned out prosperously. Beginning in moderate
circumstances, his business ability and prudence have
since acquired for him a comfortable competence. Besides
his general farming and dairying there is an excellent
sugar maple orchard on his farm, which yields him yearly
about four thousand pounds of choice maple sugar, for
which he finds a ready market in Hartford, Conn. He is
one of the largest maple sugar manufacturers of the
town.
On May 8, 1879, Mr. Cottrell was
married to Miss Elsie Wright, who was born August 19,
1855, and is a native of Middlefield, where her life has
been spent. She is a daughter of Charles and Sallie
(Smith) Wright. Four children have come to brighten
their home, as follows: Mary Addie, born on St.
Valentine's Day, February 14, 1881; Frank Arthur, born
August 8, 1882; Sarah Elsie, born March 7, 1884; and
John W., born November 20, 1888, who died July 1,
1892.
In politics Mr. Cottrell supports the
Republican party, to which he has ever been loyal.
Besides attending to his agricultural labors, he
finds time to give due attention to such interests of
the town as his fellow-citizens have entrusted to his
care. At the present time he is serving as Selectman,
and has been chairman of that board for two years. He
has also been a member of the School Board for several
years. Mr. Cottrell and his wife attend church at
Middlefield, where both are well known and
respected.
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