Archive:Encyclopedia of Massachusetts, Volume 4
Cutter, William Richard, Encyclopedia of Massachusetts, biographical--genealogical (New York: American Historical Society, 1916), volume 4.
From Archive.org.
pp. 6-7
(XI) John Fisk, son of Nathaniel (3) and Mary (Warren-Child) Fisk, was born in Watertown, Massachusetts, March 17, 1682, died in Sherburne, May 8, 1730. He married, in Sherburne, July 31, 1706, Ly dia Adams, daughter of Moses and Lydia (Whitney) Adams. Children: John, Lydia, Isaac, Daniel, Lydia, Peter, Abi gail, Nathaniel.
(XII) Isaac Fisk, son of John and Lydia (Adams) Fisk, was born in Sher burne, Massachusetts, April 24, 1714, died December 22, 1799. He was a skilled weaver, residing in Worcester, and later in Framingham. He married Hannah Haven, daughter of Richard and Lydia (Whitney) Haven, of Framingham. She died February 21, 1800. Children: Isaac, Hannah, John, Richard, Daniel, Moses, Lydia, Moses.
(XIII) Hon. John (2) Fisk, son of Isaac and Hannah (Haven) Fisk, was born in Framingham, Massachusetts, in 1741, always made Framingham his home, and there died December 17, 1819. He lived near the Isaac Warren place on the Silk Farm, and built the house of Rufus Brewer. For years he was justice of the peace, for twelve years was a selectman, and for six years represented his town in the Massachusetts Legislature. He mar ried Abigail Howe, born in 1752, died in April, 1829. Children: Nat, Thomas, Sally, John Boyle, Susanna, Sally, Ed ward, Nancy, William, George.
pp. 14-15
BIRNIE, William Adams,
Retired Head of Important Business.
William Adams Birnie, of Middlefield and Springfield, Massachusetts, son of Alexander Birnie, is a representative of an old Scotch family.
Alexander Birnie, son of George and Ann (Inery) Birnie (q. v.), was born in Short Hills, near Aberdeenshire, Scot land, in 1803, and there resided until 1827, in the meantime acquiring a practical edu cation and serving an apprenticeship at the trade of stone cutter. In the latter named year he accompanied his parents to this country, locating with them in Morris county, New Jersey, where he completed a contract assumed by his father and him self. He then began an independent career as a contractor, his first work being the building of the Boston & Providence railroad, and this was followed by the building of a bridge across the Passaic river. In 1832 he took up his residence in Berkshire county, Massachusetts, where he continued his contracting operations, building a section of the Western railroad (now the Boston & Albany), his contract being the section between Chester and Washington. In 1842 he moved to New York State, purchased an estate at Hastings-on-the-Hudson, and erected a stone mansion in which he resided for two dec ades. After disposing of this property, he purchased the adjoining estate and thereon erected a brick mansion and began the beautifying of the grounds, his plans including an artificial fish pond. While holding a drill which was being used to make a hole for blasting the rock, a hammer, weighing thirteen pounds, which was being used by the man striking the drill, broke and flew, striking him a blow from which he died two days later, August 13, 1858, thus cutting off a prosperous and successful business career. During his residence in Scotland, he affiliated with the Masonic order.
He married, in 1836, Mary Spring Adams, who was born in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1807, and died in Lud low, Massachusetts, aged seventy-five years, daughter of Joel and Azubah (Whitney) Adams, of Providence, Rhode Island, her parents natives of Worcester county, Massachusetts. Seven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Birnie, as fol lows: 1. George, died in childhood. 2. Alexander, Jr., died in childhood. 3. Mary Ann, deceased, who was the wife of James Haviland, of Ludlow, Massachusetts. 4. George Alexander, born May 29, 1842, married (first) Julia W. Carroll, (second) Ellen Bowen. 5. Sarah Euphemia, deceased, who was the wife of Andrew Bryant. 6. William Adams, see following paragraph. 7. Catherine, deceased, who was the wife of Charles A. Dresser, of New York City, New York.
p. 47
(VI) Rev. Stephen Bemis, eldest son of William and Abigail (Annis) Bemis, was born in Westminster, Massachusetts, September lo, 1774. He completed his com mon school education by a course in Dartmouth College, from which he was graduated in 1798, and he was ordained to the ministry at Harvard, Massachusetts, June 3, 1802. For the following twelve years, he was pastor of the church at Harvard, exerting a wholesome influence over his parishioners, and at the expiration of that time, owing to failing health, was obliged to relinquish his labors in that line. Thereafter, until his death, he was prominently identified with public aflfairs. He married (first), at Chicopee, Massachusetts, February 13, 1802, Sophronia Chapin, daughter of Captain Phineas and Sabina (Wright) Chapin. She died September 10, 1804. He married (sec ond), April 20, 1808, Susanna Chapin, who died October 5, 1810. He married (third), December 8, 1811, Mrs. Rejoice (Wetherbee) Olds, widow of Dr. Warren Olds. She died January 29, 1856. Children of first wife, born at Harvard: 1. Stephen Chapin, of whom further. 2. Sophronia, born July 23, 1804, died March 27, 1842; married Deacon John Pendle ton. Children of second wife: 3. Daniel Chapin, born May i, 1809, died September 16, 1828. 4. William Lawrence, born September 21, 1810, died April 17, 1877; married (first), December 27, 1836, Eunice G. Chapin; (second), November 8, 1849, Mary Campbell Ames, widow of Nathan P. Ames, and daughter of Robert Bayley. Children of third wife: 5. Lathrop, born October 13, 1812, died October 2, 1813. 6. Abigail, born December 18, 1813, died July 14, 1894; married, October 10, 1836, George Whitney. 7. Catherine, born October 16, 1817, died January 24, 1892; married Caleb Warner. Rev. Stephen Bemis died at Harvard, Massachusetts, November 11, 1828.
pp. 212-216
WHITNEY, Charles Brown,
Man of Great Enterprise.
Charles Brown Whitney, treasurer of the Wright & Ditson Victor Company, of Springfield, comes of an old English family, the surname Whitney being originally a place name derived from the name of the family seat in County Hereford, upon the extreme west border of England, adjoining Wales. The name of the place doubtless came from the appearance of the river, which means in Saxon "white water." The arms of the Whitney family are thus described:
Arms - Azure, a cross chequy and gules. Crest - A bull's head couped, sable, armed ar gent, the points gules.
The English ancestry of Charles Brown Whitney, of Springfield, Massachusetts, has been traced as far back as Turstin "the Fleming," otherwise Turstin de Wigmore, who was a follower of William the Conqueror, and was granted exten sive tracts of land in Herefordshire and in the Marches of Wales. Eustace, son of Turstin, or one of his descendants, took the surname De Whitney from Whitney, where his principal castle was located. The estate comprised over 2,000 acres and remained in the family until 1893, when it was sold, there being no member of the family to hold it. The castle has entirely disappeared, but its ruins are believed to be under the river Wye, which has, during centuries, changed its course. In the thirteenth recorded generation Sir Robert Whitney, who was a member of Parliament from Herefordshire, married, October, 1555, Sibyl Baskerville, daugh ter of Sir James Baskerville, a descendant in the eighteenth generation from Wil liam the Conqueror and his wife Matilda, daughter of Baldwin of Flanders, grand son of Sir Robert, King of France. John Whitney, a great-great-grandson of Rob ert and Sibyl (Baskerville) Whitney, was a grandson of Robert (2) Whitney, son of Sir Robert (i) Whitney, and was a son of Thomas Whitney, a gentleman of Westminster, and his wife Mary, daughter of John Bray, of Westminster.
(I) John Whitney was born in Eng land, 1659, and died in Watertown, Mas sachusetts, June 1, 1673. He attended Westminster school until fourteen years of age, then was apprenticed to William Pring, of the Marches Tailor Company, one of the famous trade guilds of that day. He served seven years, until twenty-one years of age, then married, and after this made his home at Isleworth on the Thames and in London until September, 1635, when with his wife, Elinor, and his sons, John, Richard, Nathaniel, Thomas, and Jonathan, he sailed in the ship "Elizabeth and Ann," landing a few weeks later in New England. He settled in Watertown, in June, 1635, bought land, was made a freeman March 3, 1636, appointed constable 1641, selectman, continuously, 1638 55, and was for many years one of the foremost men of the town. His wife Elinor died in Watertown, May 11, 1659, and he married (second) Judith Clements, whom he also survived. His nine children were all by his first wife. His five eldest sons and a daughter Mary, who died young, were all born in England. His other sons, Joshua, Caleb, and Benja min, were born in Watertown. In the line of Charles Brown Whitney descent is traced through Richard, the second son.
(II) Richard Whitney, son of John and Elinor Whitney, was baptized at Isle worth, January 6, 1623-24, and was brought to Watertown, Massachusetts, by his parents in 1635, was admitted a freeman, May 7, 1651, and he was a proprietor of the town of Stow, June 3, 1680, probably having moved there when Stow was a part of Concord. On April 7, 1697, he was released from military training, being over seventy years of age. He married, March 19, 1650, Martha Cold man, and they were the parents of eight children, descent in the branch being traced through their eldest son, Moses.
(III) Moses Whitney, son of Richard and Martha (Coldman) Whitney, was born in Watertown, Massachusetts, August 1, 1655, and resided in Stow and Sud bury. He was a soldier in King Philip's War in 1676, and the following year was "released" from duty. He had land granted him at Stow, which he sold in 1681, and he owned land in Sudbury, which he sold in 1692. He married, September 30, 1696, Sarah Knight, of Stow. They were the parents of eight children, descent in this line being through Jonas, the third son.
(IV) Jonas Whitney, son of Moses and Sarah (Knight) Whitney, was born in Stow, Massachusetts, February 1, 1699, and died September 18, 1770, a resident of Stow and of Harvard, Massachusetts. He married (first), January 19, 1723, Dorcas Wood, who died January 22, 1725. He married (second), March 12, 1726, Margaret Stratton. The two children of his first wife died young. By the second wife there were seven children, this branch being traced through Timothy, the third son.
(V) Squire Timothy Whitney, son of Jonas and Margaret (Stratton) Whitney, was born in Harvard, Massachusetts, February 1, 1729, died June 3, 1803, a resident of Harvard and of Petersham, Massachusetts. He married, in Harvard, May 20, 1752, Alice Whitney, born April 13, 1733, died June, 1803. They were the parents of fourteen children, the next in line in this branch being Simon, the third son.
(VI) Simon Whitney, son of Squire Timothy and Alice (Whitney) Whitney, was born in Harvard, Massachusetts, June 28, 1756, and died in Petersham, Massachusetts, March 12, 1826. He married, in Petersham, December 25, 1783, Lucy Hammond, of Newton, Massachusetts, born in Petersham, December 24, 1766, died in J846, daughter of Enoch Ham mand. Descent is traced through their son Simon (2), the sixth child and third son.
(VII) Simon (2) Whitney, son of Simon (i) and Lucy (Hammond) Whitney, was born in Petersham, Massachu setts, November 25, 1795, died January 24, 1846, a resident of Scituate, Massachusetts. He was a sign painter, and of some local reputation as an artist. He married Sarah Holmes, and they were the parents of four children, George Reddington, the eldest, being head of the eighth genera tion in this branch.
(VIII) George Reddington Whitney, son of Simon (2) and Sarah (Holmes) Whitney, was born in Duxbury, Massachusetts, May 27, 1829, and died at Chico pee Falls, Massachusetts, in 1907. He was a man of more than ordinary education, and was a graduate of Boston Den tal College. He was later a member of the college faculty, and is said to have made the first set of artificial teeth on rubber made in this country. He practiced dentistry in Brockton, Massachusetts, for many years. He was also a well known musician, organist of the Metho dist Episcopal church in Brockton, and for years leader of the Brockton Brass Band. He was an official member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and a charter member of Brockton Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he was at the time of his death the oldest member. His last years were spent with his son, Charles B. George R. Whitney married, in Provincetown, Massachusetts, June 27, 1852, Pauline Brown Hilliard, born February 28, 1833, died in 1890, daughter of Thomas Hilliard. Children: 1. George Hilliard, born July 4, 1854, now residing in Chicago, assistant manager of the Wright & Ditson Victor Company; married Addie May Ellis, and they are the parents of seven children. 2. Frank Thomas, born February 18, 1856; married Marianne McCauley. 3. Arthur Wilson, born January 18, 1858; married Rowena Locke, and moved to Lowell, Massachusetts. 4. Charles Brown, of further mention. 5. Fred Holmes, born October 12, 1862, died 1912. 6. Lena Leonard, mar ried (first) William A. Welcome, (sec ond) George A. Winn. 7. Adeline May, died 1914, wife of John Fielding.
(IX) Charles Brown Whitney, fourth son of George Reddington and Pauline Brown (Hilliard) Whitney, was born in Brockton, Massachusetts, October 4, 1860. He was educated in the public schools, finishing with high school in 1878. He became identified with the Winslow Roller Skate, and becoming an expert skater, travelled, giving exhibitions of fancy skating. Later he was connected with A. G. Spalding & Brothers, of Chicago, and there was in charge of their skating rink and gymnasium, designed and operated to encourage athletic sports. He remained with the Spalding Company fourteen years, becoming manager of their retail department in Chicago. Sickness in his family demanded a climatic change, and for about three and a half years Denver, Colorado, was the family home, he there establishing the sporting goods firm of C. B. Whitney & Company.
In 1893, during the World Fair, Mr. Whitney returned to Chicago and during that summer was again in the employ of A. G. Spalding & Brothers. After his return to Denver, he closed out his inter est in C. B. Whitney & Company by merger with A. G. Spalding & Brothers. For several years thereafter he remained with that company, but finally formed a connection with the Overman Wheel Company and for a time was in charge of their Denver athletic interests. Later he came to the company's plant at Chico pee Falls, Massachusetts, and was in charge of the manufacture of athletic goods, holding this position until 1898. Mr. Whitney then bought the athletic goods department and formed the Victor Sporting Goods Company, continuing business in that line and using the old Overman plant at Chicopee Falls as head quarters until 1900, when he removed the business to Springfield. He again organ ized a company, this time in Denver, for the sale of athletic goods, trading under the name of the Whitney Sporting Goods Company, of which he is vice-president and director. He later returned to Springfield, and on January i, 1918, the Victor Sporting Goods Company consolidated with the Wright & Ditson Company, the business continuing as the Wright & Ditson Victor Company. During the life of the Victor Company, Mr. Whitney was its treasurer, and at the present time he is still treasurer of the company and man ager of the Springfield factory.
The company are very large manufac turers of athletic and sporting goods, and make and sell a majority of the tennis balls used in the United States. The head quarters of the Wright & Ditson Victor Company are in New York, but branches are maintained all over the United States. Mr. Whitney is one of the most capable athletic goods manufacturers in the coun try, his entire life having been devoted to that line of business. He stands high in the business world, and in his own sphere has no superiors. He is a member of the corporation of the Springfield Institution for Savings, and a director of the Morris Plan Bank.
Mr. Whitney was one of the organizers of the Eastern States Agricultural and In dustrial Exposition of Springfield, of which he is a member of the executive committee, director, and assistant treas urer, and he had charge of the laying out of the grounds and of the erection of the buildings. This exposition has, since its organization in 1916, made most mar velous progress. He is also assistant treasurer of the Eastern States Agricul tural and Industrial League, affiliated with the Eastern States Exposition. In all of its affairs Mr. Whitney has taken a very active part.
He is interested in all outdoor sports, golf now being his favorite game and recreation. He is a member of the grounds committee of the Springfield Country Club. He is chairman of the physical training department of the Young Men's Christian Association; a member of the Chamber of Commerce, of which he was a director for three years; a mem ber of the Oxford Golf Club, of Chicopee Falls; of the Denver Athletic Club and Denver Country Club, both of Denver, Colorado; of the Nayasset Club; the Rotary Club, of Springfield, and the Hampden County League. He has also been interested in light harness horses.
Mr. Whitney married (first), December 22, 1882, Clara Bird Clark, born August 29, 1861, died November 2, 1891, leaving a daughter, Edith Marian, born September 11, 1883, who married Junius B. Chase, now deceased. They were the parents of three children: Marjory, Catherine J., and June B. Mr. Whitney married (second), January 11, 1893, Kate Portis, of Pine Bluff, Arkansas. They are the parents of a daughter, Merle Portis, v/ife of Luther E. Coleman. Mr. and Mrs. Coleman are the parents of two children: Elizabeth Lee and Charles Whitney Cole man.
pp. 325-327
CHASE, Charles Prescott,
Leader in Lumber Industry.
Arms- Gules, four crosses patonce argent (two and two); on a canton azure a lion passant or.
By aggressive energy tempered by a conservative nature, by good business judgment and an unfailing observance of the sound principles upon which all busi ness success rests, by uprightness and integrity, Charles P. Chase rose to prominent position among his contemporaries, and in passing left behind him an honored name. He was one of the strong men of the retail lumber business, and in Spring field and Western Massachusetts was prominent in the management of large lumber corporations and business organizations. From Aquilla Chase sprang a numerous family, one which has prominently figured not only in the history of New England, but in the history of the nation.
The Chase family is of ancient English origin, the name derived undoubtedly from the French word, Chasser, to hunt. The estates of the branch of the family from which the New England line is descended were at Chesham, in Buckinghamshire, twenty-nine miles from Lon don, the river Chess flowing through the district giving it the name of Chesham.
Aquilla (2) Chase, the American ancestor, was a son of Aquilla (1) and Martha (Jellerman) Chase, grandson of Richard and Joan Bishop, great-grandson of Thomas Chase, son of Matthew Chase, son of John Chase, son of Thomas Chase, all of the seven generations of Chesham, England, where Aquilla (2) Chase was born in 1618. He followed the sea, and prior to coming to New England sailed with a Thomas Chase, who was a part owner of the Ship "John and Francis." He is first heard of in Hampton, Massachusetts, in 1640, and in Newbury, in 1646. There he and his wife and David Wheeler were "fined for gathering pease on the Sabbath." He was a ship master in New England, and there lived an honored life until his death, December 27, 1670. He married (first) Anna, daughter of John Wheeler, who survived him, married a second husband, and died in May, 1688. The line of descent to Charles Prescott Chase, of the eighth American generation, is through Moses Chase, the eleventh child and fifth son of Aquilla and Anna (Wheeler) Chase. Moses Chase was born in Newbury, Massachusetts, December 24, 1663, and there spent his life. He married (first), November ID, 1684, Ann Follansbee, (second) Sarah Jacobs. The line follows through Sam uel Chase, a son of his first wife. Samuel Chase was born in Newbury, Massachusetts, May 13, 1690, and there resided. With his son, Francis Chase, the scene shifted from Newbury, where Francis Chase was born, to Newton and Litch field, New Hampshire. Joseph Chase, son of Francis Chase, was born in Litch field, New Hampshire, in 1745, and there his son Joseph (2) Chase, of the sixth American generation, was also born in 1780, thirty-five years after the birth of his father, Joseph (i) Chase. There, too, Edwin Chase was born, and with him Massachusetts again became the home of this branch, he settling in Holyoke. Edwin Chase was of the seventh Chase generation in New England, and in his business life departed from the traditions of his ancestors, who had in the main been tillers of the soil. He was the father of Charles Prescott Chase, to whose memory this review is dedicated, and grand father of Junius B. Chase, a victim of the Spanish influenza epidemic of October and November, 1918.
Edwin Chase, of the seventh American generation, was born in Litchfield, New Hampshire, March 17, 1813, and died at his home in Holyoke, Massachusetts, September 29, 1882. He was the son of a farmer and a schoolmaster, consequently he was possessed of better educational advantages than many, but he was also brought up to work, and until eighteen years of age he remained his father's farm assistant. He then began learning the carpenter's trade, the first building he worked upon being a church edifice in Goffstown, New Hampshire. About the year 1835 he moved to Nashua, New Hampshire, and there established a sash and blind factory and there remained until 1848, his plant being twice destroyed by fire in that time. On April 20, 1848, he moved to what is now Holyoke, Massachusetts, and entered the employ of the Hadley Falls Company, under John Chase, of Chicopee. He remained there three years, then moved to Mclndoes Falls, Vermont, returning to Holyoke five years later. He then established a lumber business and continued a successful lumber dealer un til his death. He was a man of strong character, honorable and upright in all his dealings, plain, straightforward, and of sterling integrity. He was a man of the people, self-made, and loudly outspoken in defense of the right, and equally open in his condemnation of the wrong. These traits brought him into public life, and in 1886 he was elected selectman of the town. He was reelected in 1867, and in 1870 was nominated for State Senator, his opponent being George M. Stevens. The contest was very close, Mr. Chase being finally officially notified of the election. But later an error was discovered in the returns from the town of Russell, which gave Mr. Stevens the election by a few votes. In 1871 and 1872 he was elected a member of the Governor's Council, and as proof of his popularity the fact is cited that he received two hundred and fourteen more votes in the councillor district than Governor Washburn, the head of the Republican ticket. In 1877 Mr. Chase was elected a commissioner of Hampden county, and for three years he held that office, being then succeeded by his son, Henry A. Chase.
In 1878 fortune frowned upon Mr. Chase and he emerged from financial wreck heavily in debt, only able to pay his creditors twenty-five per cent, of their just claims. He was then free, but he held that "an honest man's debts are never outlawed," and later he paid every debt in full, and to those who would accept it (and some would not) he paid interest to date. He was a member of the Baptist church for forty-seven years, gave freely of his means and of his time to its support, and was generous toward all charitable and benevolent causes. For more than twenty years he was treasurer of the Holyoke Baptist Church.
Mr. Chase married (first) .
Mr. Chase married (second) Maria Adams, who survived him twelve years. He was the father of three sons, namely, Joseph E., Henry A., and Charles Pres cott, of whom further; and of the follow ing daughters: Mary, married Arthur Shaw, of Boston; Sophia, married (first) S. S. Harris, of Holyoke; married (second) Colonel Piatt; married (third) Judge Decker, of Denver, now deceased; Jen nie, married (first) H. C. Smith, of Holyoke, now deceased; married (second) ----- Brooks; Hattie, married T. S. Kingsland, of Castleton, New York, now deceased; her son, Edwin, was killed in the aviation service in France in 1916.
Charles Prescott Chase was born in Holyoke, Massachusetts, August 1, 1849, and died in Springfield, Massachusetts, February 13, 1917. He was educated in the graded and high schools of Holyoke, and at the age of nineteen years he be came his father's associate in the lumber business, remaining with him until 1884. In that year he entered into partnership with Dudley Hall, and under the firm name of Hall & Chase they conducted successful lumbering operations at Lyndonville, Vermont, purchasing a six thousand acre tract of timber land, which they converted into lumber for the mar ket. For eleven years Hall & Chase operated in Lyndonville, Mr. Chase then retiring and purchasing a lumber yard on Lyman street, Springfield, Massachusetts, formerly owned by A. D. Cutler. He conducted that yard until 1901, then purchased the old Day and Jobson yard on Liberty street, there remaining until 1908. In that year he bought a large site on Birnie avenue, Springfield, adjoining the Atlas Motor Car Company, and there erected an entirely new plant where he continued successfully as a retail lumber merchant until his death. The business was incorporated as the C. P. Chase Lumber Company, Charles P. Chase president and general manager. He was a director of the Springfield Board of Trade from 1903 until 1915, and in 1910 was its president. For five years he was president of the Massachusetts Retail Lumber Dealers' Association, and a director of the association until his death. He was a Republican in politics, and in May, 1908, he was chosen by Mayor Sanderson as a member of the License Commission, he succeeding Charles A. Royce. He was also president of the Connecticut Valley Waterways Association; was a member of Roswell Lee Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; of Springfield Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; the Nayasset Club and the Rotary Club, of Springfield.
Mr. Chase married, July 10, 1877, Jean E. Bush, who survives him, daughter of Frederick Bush, a former sheriff of Hampden county. Mr. and Mrs. Chase were the parents of three sons and a daughter: 1. Junius B., born in Holyoke, June 20, 1880, died at his home in Spring field, Massachusetts, October 16, 1918, of pneumonia, following an attack of Spanish influenza; he was actively identified with his father in the lumber business, and upon the incorporation of the C. P. Chase Lumber Company, was chosen its treasurer, an office he held until his death; he was a member of the Rotary Club, the Springfield Automobile Club and the Chamber of Commerce; he was deeply interested in war work, labored hard for the success of the four Liberty Loans, and was active in the last drive for clothing for the Belgians; he married, April 5, 1910, Edith Mann Whitney, who survives him with their two children, Marjorie and Jean. 2. Lyndon Hall, an official of the C. P. Chase Lumber Com pany. 3. Russell D., enlisted in the 101st Regiment of United States Engineers and was with the American Expeditionary Forces in France. 4. Rachel A., married Harold A. Bellows, of Boston. Charles P. Chase is buried in Forestdale Cemetery, Holyoke.
pp. 410-411
(III) Alonzo Wheeler Clark, son of Jonathan and Ann (Wheeler) Clark, was born in Otis, Massachusetts, in 1823, and died in 1884, aged sixty-two years. After completing a common school education, he turned his attention to farming, fol lowing that occupation throughout the active years of his life, conducting his operations in the towns of Otis and Sandisfield, Massachusetts. He was an active participant in all that concerned the public welfare, and was affiliated with the Congregational church. Mr. Clark married Mary Whitney, of Otis, Massachusetts, born in 1830, died in 1912, aged eighty-two years, daughter of Silas and Ann (Foy) Whitney. Children of Mr. and Mrs. Clark: Fred A., deceased; Frank H., married and has a son, Harry E., who served as an officer in the late World War; Edward Orlo (see following paragraph); Harriet, who became the wife of James Walker, of West Springfield, Massachusetts, and has two children, George B. and Jennie L. Walker; Maria, who became the wife of Cornelius Barnes, of Winsted, Conn., and had a daughter. Lulu M., deceased; Jennie; Eva, de ceased; Carrie E., deceased.
(IV) Edward Orlo Clark, third son of Alonzo Wheeler and Mary (Whitney) Clark, was born in Sandisfield, Massachusetts, July 21, 1873. He was reared on a farm, and his early education was obtained in the school of his native town, this being supplemented by a course in the West Springfield High School, graduating in the class of 1888. At the age of sixteen years he entered the employ of the Milton Bradley Company in Spring field as office boy, and has risen through all the various positions to his present positions (1921) those of director and general manager. After learning the business, Mr. Clark was sent to Atlanta, Georgia, to organize the branch of the company in that city, and he spent the following six years there. He then re turned to Massachusetts and organized the Boston 'branch, of which he was in charge for sixteen years. He then came to Springfield and for the past two and a half years he has been general manager of the company, with headquarters at the home office in Springfield. He is also president of the McLoughlin Brothers Company, Inc., a concern that issues juvenile publications, which has been esablished for many years, and which is a subsidiary of the Milton Bradley Company, with headquarters in the company's building. He is also a director of the Thomas Charles Company, of Chicago, which also deals in educational works. When the Atlas Trust Company was formed, Mr. Clark was elected one of its directors, and on July 23, 1920, he was elected president of this bank. He is a member of Barnes Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Atlanta, Georgia; King Solomon Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, of Somerville, Massachusetts; and in 1921, when Samuel Os good Lodge of Masons was formed he became, at the earnest solicitation of his friends, a charter member of that lodge. He is also a member of the Woodmen of the World, the Springfield Automobile Club, the Winthrop Club, and the Coun try Club. His religious affiliation is with the Unitarian church.
Mr. Clark married, October 14, 1896, Mabel Remington, of Woburn, Massachusetts, daughter of Samuel K. and Ella (Warren) Remington. Their children are: Edward Orlo, Jr., born October 17, 1898, graduate of Amherst College, class of 1920, participated in the World War, serving as lieutenant in the infantry; Remington Alonzo, born November 18, 1900, senior in Amherst College, class of 1921.
Mr. Clark stands for advancement in public as well as in private affairs, and the same qualities which make him a prominent figure in business circles make him a citizen whose loyalty and support are always to be counted upon. He has never allowed questionable methods to form part of his business career, and his life in large measure is an exemplification of his beliefs in the brotherhood of man kind.
pp. 508-509
(III) Ebenezer Farnsworth, son of Matthias (2) and Sarah (Nutting) Farnsworth, was born in Groton, Massachusetts, about 1684, and there lived. Fie married, April 17, 1707, Elizabeth Whitney, born about 1686, daughter of Joshua and Abigail Whitney, the American founder of the Whitney family. Eben ezer and Elizabeth (Whitney) Farns worth "owned the Covenant." September 19, 1708. She joined the church April 6, 1718, he not uniting until March 3, 1724. They were the parents of eight children: Elizabeth, married Ebenezer Tefts; Matthias, married (first) Abigail Shedd, (second) Mrs. Azubah (Burt) Farnsworth; Ebenezer, died aged twelve years; William, of further mention; Abigail, mar ried Deacon David Blood; Keziah, married (first) Joshua Bowers, (second) William Hale; Lydia, married (first) Jonathan Tarball, (second) Jonathan Lawrence.
(IV) William Farnsworth, son of Ebenezer and Elizabeth (Whitney) Farnsworth, was born in Groton, August 4, 1714. and lost his life in the expedition against Louisburg in the French War of 1745. He lived in Pepperell, Massachusetts. He married, March 21, 1737, Ruth Hobart, born November 8, 1714, died December 12, 1814, having lived to celebrate her one hundredth birthday. She was a daughter of Gershom (2) and Ly dia (Nutting) Hobart, and granddaughter of Rev. Gershom Hobart, a long time minister of the church in Groton. Lydia (Nutting) Hobart was a daughter of James and Lydia (Longley) Nutting, her mother, Lydia (Longley) Nutting, a daughter of William and Joanna (GofFe) Longley, the latter a sister of Thomas Goffe, a London merchant for some time, deputy governor of the Massachusetts Bay Company in London. William and Ruth (Hobart) Farnsworth were the parents of five children: 1. William, settled in Hawley, Massachusetts, going thence to Western New York, where he died in 1837; he served in the French and Indian wars and in the War for Independence. 2. Ruth, married Oliver Hartwell, who died in New York, she moving later to Canada, where she died, aged one hundred years. 3. Gershom, of further mention. 4. May, born June 2, 1745, married a Mr. Wells. 5. Lydia, married Joel Rice, of Conway.
(V) Gershom Farnsworth. son of William and Ruth (Hobart) Farnsworth, was born in Pepperell, Massachusetts, May 2, 1743, and lived in Conway, Massachusetts, where he died October 23, 1784. He married Esther Gilmore, born in 1746, who survived him and married a second husband, John Boyaen, and died August II, 1803. Children: Gershom (2), of further mention; Esther, who married Consider Stebbins; and Catherine, who married a Mr. Moore.
(VI) Gershom (2) Farnsworth. only son of Gershom (1) and Esther (Gilmore) Farnsworth, was born in Conway, Massachusetts, November 22, 1779, died there, January 20, 1863. He was a shoemaker by trade. He married. December 21, 1810, Dolly Hinckley, born May 9. 1784. died July 25, 1861. Children, born in Con way: 1. John P., born December 3. 1811, died December 3, 1871, married Martha E.Anthony. 2. Dolly Ann, born March 31, 1814, and in 1894 was living in Leominster, Massachusetts; she married, April 4, 1853, James Bennett, who died August 10, 1887. 3. Gershom, born August 17, 1816, died April 24, 1865, unmarried. 4. Esther, died in childhood. 5. Richard Riley, of further mention.
Copyright © 2013, Robert L. Ward and the Whitney Research Group.
