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Providence: Published by Henry R. Caufield
Biographies of Prominent Citizens.
p. 280:
CROWNINSHIELD, Walter Hamilton, was born in Pawtucket in 1849. His education was obtained in the public schools of his native town and at Bryant & Stratton's Business College, Providence. After graduating from the business college he entered the large dry goods house of Edward Mason, then located in the Arcade, Providence, as cashier. Later he kept books for several firms in Pawtucket, having desk room in the law office of the late Theodore Lord, and afterwards in that of Charles A. Warland. In the spring of 1870 he decided to enter into the real estate business and secured an office in Lee's block, then just finished. The business prospered, and he has changed his location twice, once to the Pardon Jenks building near the granite bridge, then to the present location, room 16, Dexter building. Mr. Crowninshield is one of the pioneers in the real estate business, the only firm in the business when he started being Warland & Adams. For the past few years Mr. Crowninshield has been building houses to sell on the installment plan. In connection with his real estate business Mr. Crowninshield has loaned over a million dollars for his patrons on first mortgages of real estate, and never had but one foreclosure. He also does a general fire insurance and stock business, representing the agency of Starkweather & Shepley of Providence.
p. 280:CUMMING, John Halden, was born in Paisley, Scotland, Sept. 24, 1844, and is the fourth child of John and Jeannette (Kerr) Cumming. He attended the public schools of his native town until he was twelve years old, when he was apprenticed to the weaver's trade and served his time making the celebrated Paisley shawls, after which he learned to be a dyer. Not seeing favorable opportunities for advancement in Scotland he came to the United States in 1869 and secured employment in the Hamilton Mills, Hamilton, R. I. In 1877 he established himself as a dyer in Pawtucket on Leather avenue, near Fairbrother's tannery, but two years later bought land and erected his present works on the bank of the Blackstone river, rear 321 North Main street. In 1883 he added a laundry. Both industries have assumed large proportions and the latter is the largest of its kind in this state. He is also president of the David Harley Co. Mr. Cumming is a Republican, and a firm believer in the protection of a high tariff. He is a member of the New England Order of Protection, of the Knights of Pythias, and of Clan Fraser, Order of Scottish Clans, of which latter body he is Past Grand Chief. He was married to Margaret Patterson of Bellfron, Stirlingshire, Scotland, and by this union there were five children: John S., William R., George A., Margaret and Isabelle. The latter died in childhood.
p. 281:CURRIER, Andrew J., the manager of the Albion Co.'s mills at Valley Falls and the Valley Falls Co.'s mills at Albion, was born in Fall River, Oct. 2, 1850. He attended the public schools of Fall River until he was sixteen years old, and then studied telegraphy for a year. The next two years he was in the insurance business, after which he came to Rhode Island and went into the office of the Albion Co. as a clerk. He held that position for twenty-five years, working in the various places where the company had mills or offices. For the past three years he has been manager for both the Albion Co. and the Valley Falls Co. This has added greatly to his responsibilities, but his long training in all the details of manufacturing through his extended experience has enabled him to administer the combined properties to rare advantage. About 475 hands are employed in the mills at Valley Falls, and 400 in the mills at Albion, and the goods manufactured are shirtings, sheetings and print cloths.
In politics Mr. Currier has been very active for many years, and has been and is the leader of the Republican party in the town of Cumberland. He was a member of the town council for eleven years, during nine of which he was president. In 1891-2 he was a representative from the town to the General Assembly, and was state senator in 1892-3 and 1894 to 1896. During his terms in the legislature he served on the committees on corporations and on judiciary. He and his family attend the Baptist church. In 1874 Mr. Currier was married to Lucy S. Clark, of Valley Falls, and has two children, Carrie C., and Andrew R.
p. 281 - 282:CUSHMAN, Robert, spool manufacturer, was born on the old family homestead in the western part of Attleboro, Mass., Sept. 17, 1821. He was a lineal descendant of Robert Cushman, one of the founders of the Plymouth colony. His parents were Captain Samuel and Sophia (George) Cushman, both of whom died in 1864, at an advanced age. His father served as captain of the militia, in the war of 1812, and for eleven consecutive years was one of the selectmen of Attleboro. Robert Cushman was educated in the country district schools and at the academies of Attleboro and Pawtucket. At the age of eighteen he commenced teaching a district school in his native town, and was thus employed for several years during the winter, the rest of his time being occupied in farming. Having a natural aptitude for mechanics, he entered a wood-turning shop in 1844, and after working for others in Central Falls, Woonsocket and Pawtucket, commenced in 1847, in a small way, the main business of his life, - the manufacture of spools for winding cotton, linen, and silk thread. At this time there were not more than three or four shops in the world where such spools were made by machinery. Not being able to purchase such machines as were then in use, he and his workmen invented and constructed machines which soon superseded all others, and were of such a superior character that, with later improvements, they are now in general use, although the business has increased several hundredfold in this country. In 1850 he removed to Central Falls, and in 1857 moved across the river to Pleasant View, Pawtucket, where, with his brother George, he erected the building now occupied by The Atwood-Crawford Co. He invented the adjustable features of the pivot-hanger for shafting, now in general use. For some time he was also engaged in knitting by machinery, and invented valuable improvements in knitting machines, one of which was patented. In 1875, his health being impaired, he sold out his interest in the spool business. In 1873 he entered, as a silent partner, the firm of Cushman, Wilcox & Co., coal dealers, who carried on an extensive business on the wharf now occupied by Olney & Payne Bros. Through the failure of this firm in 1880, the savings of his life were swept away. In his later years he served as administrator and assignee for various estates and was in the employ of Charles A. Luther & Co. as bookkeeper until 1890, when failing health compelled him to retire from active business. After a long and painful illness he died Aug. 17, 1891.
For two years he was a town councilman in Pawtucket before the consolidation of the two villages; for three years he was a member of the school committee and for twelve years was vice-president of the Rhode Island Temperance Union. In 1841 he united with the First Congregational church in Attleboro, and was elected deacon in 1848, retaining his connection with that church until 1858, when he joined the Congregational church in Central Falls, of which he was also elected deacon in 1866. From 1862 to 1872 he was superintendent of the Sunday school of that church. Mr. Cushman was married in 1847, to Louisa Draper, daughter of Ebenezer and Beulah (Bradford) Draper, of Attleboro, Mass., and a descendant of Governor William Bradford. They have had four children, two of whom are living: Ellen, who married R. Anthony Gage of this city and who died Dec. 17, 1893; Josephine, who died in childhood; Louisa, who is a teacher in the public schools of Pawtucket; and Robert, who is secretary and superintendent of The Atwood-Crawford Co.
illustration on page 281: photo, Robert Cushman, Founder of the Atwood-Crawford Co.
p. 282 - 283:The DARLING FAMILY is one of the oldest in New England. There are numerous branches, which are all supposed to have a common origin. The Massachusetts and Rhode Island branches are descended from Dennis and Hannah (Francis) Darling, who were married at Braintree, Mass., by Peter Brackett, Nov. 3, 1662. The removed from Braintree to Mendon, Mass., in 1680. Their son, known as Captain John, b. at Braintree 1664, settled at Bellingham, Mass, was the father of thirteen children and the ancestor of all the Rhode Island Darlings. He d. in 1754. His son Captain Samuel, was b. in 1695, and d. Feb. 17, 1774. Deacon Samuel Darling (2d) the son of Capt. Samuel, was b. in 1719, d. June 12, 1814; he was married to Esther, a sister of Col. Eliphalet Slack, and she d. Feb. 18, 1816, at the age of 80. Col. Slack bequeathed to her legal heirs the 'old Bank house', on Main street and other property in Pawtucket, Mass. Samuel Darling (3d) the son of Deacon Samuel, was b. in Bellingham, Mass., Aug. 8, 1759, d. Jan. 16, 1851, and his wife was Sarah Burr, who was b. at Bellingham, June 14, 1764, and d. Jan. 31, 1826; they had ten children.
Samuel (4th) the third son and fifth child of Samuel (3d), and Sarah (Burr) Darling, was also b. in Bellingham, Aug. 15, 1793, and d. in 1874. He was a man of sterling character and stood so well with the community in which he lived that when the neighbors had disputes which could not be settled amicably they were referred to 'Sam' Darling or 'Squire' Lewit, and their decisions were so wise and just that they were rarely ever appealed from. Squire Darling was the father of eight sons, a number of whom became distinguished citizens: George, b. Aug. 16, 1815, d. Jan. 7, 1877; Charles, b. Jan. 21, 1816, d. Jan. 31, 1835; Gilbert, b. Jan. 21, 1818; Samuel (5th), b. March 2, 1825; Lucius Bowles, b. Oct. 3, 1827, d. Jan. 3, 1896; Ruel Smith, b. May 2, 1830, d. June 14, 1883; Edwin, b. June 1, 1834; Lyman Morse, b. May 5, 1850. Collins Darling, an older brother of Samuel (4th), was b. in Bellingham, Mass., Oct. 14, 1795, and d. in Pawtucket, Dec. 27, 1843; he was a well known lawyer in the Bristol country courts.
All of the Darling brothers are men of substance, possessed of the qualities of mind which carry success in whatever they undertake to accomplish. The family, both past and present, are fine specimens of physical manhood and good types of the sons of the New England yeomanry. The name Samuel seems to have been a favorite one with this branch of the Darlings, the first Samuel having been a great-great-grandfather of the present generation, and the name has been borne by the heads of the family for four generations.
illustration on page 283: photo, Samuel Darling (4th), of Bellingham, Mass., father of the Darling Brothers.
p. 283 - 284:DARLING, Edwin, the seventh son of Samuel and Margaret (Smith) Darling, was born in Bellingham, Mass., June 1, 1834. During the winter he attended the village school and worked on his father's farm in the summer; but from his fifteenth to his eighteenth years he obtained a more advanced education at a private school. He began his active life as a dealer in cattle in the Brighton and Providence markets, in which business he continued three years. He came to Pawtucket in 1855, at the age of 21 years, and opened a butcher store and general market on North Main street, near Main, in connection with his brother Ruel S., which he continued until the latter part of 1860. In 1861 he opened the Eagle market on East avenue, then Pleasant street, near Main street, and conducted it until 1880.
Mr. Darling has been prominent in advocating all the great improvements that have contributed so much to the growth and development of Pawtucket. He served in the council of the old town of Pawtucket, R. I., and was one of the commission that erected the Exchange street bridge. He was also instrumental in abolishing the turnpikes in this state and paid the last toll at the toll house on the Providence and Pawtucket turnpike, now Pawtucket avenue. He served two years as a member of the school committee and was chairman of the building committee that erected the Church Hill and Grove street schoolhouses, which are among the finest in the city. It was largely through his efforts that the state appropriated $20,000 for the construction of the 'Red Bridge' with a draw of 80 feet, replacing an old structure that was an impediment to navigation and a source of continual litigation for many years. He was one of the commissioners appointed to erect the Providence County Court House in Providence. The commission discharged its duties so satisfactorily that the legislature passed a special resolution of thanks and commendation for the efficiency of the work, and especially for the fact that the original appropriation has not been exceeded. This result was very unusual and the credit was chiefly due to Mr. Darling. He was turnpike commissioner from 1871 to 1874 when the office was abolished; was commissioner on diseased cattle in 1871; and was a member of the commission appointed in 1887 to divide the city of Providence into ten wards. In addition to all this he served seven years in the state legislature, beginning in 1867.
The greatest work of his life, and that which has contributed the most towards the growth of Pawtucket in the last fifteen years, was all this time receiving his most earnest thought and close attention. That was the building of the water works. Mr. Darling was identified with this undertaking from the beginning. After a great deal of discussion, finally, at a town meeting, held March 30, 1877, the town voted, 520 to 505, to introduce water for fire and domestic purposes, from Abbott Run. This question having been settled, Mr. Darling moved that the town appropriate $400,000 for the construction of the water works, and this motion was carried without a dissenting voice. A board of water commissioners was elected, and the work commenced. Two years later, April 1, 1879, Mr. Darling was elected one of the water commissioners, and served for a year. The other two commissioners at the time were Samuel S. Collyer and Isaac Shove. The works were completed in accordance with the original plan during that year, and then a board of water commissioners to care for the works were appointed, consisting of Edwin A. Grout, Robert D. Mason and Lucius B. Darling.
April 2, 1880, Edwin Darling was appointed superintendent of the water works, a position he continued to fill up to April 1, 1894. In 1880 water was supplied to East Providence, in 1881 to the towns of Cumberland and Lincoln and in 1884 to Berkeley and Ashton. With the increased demand for water it was found necessary to build No. 2 pumping station at Valley Falls, the great storage reservoir at Diamond Hill, the dam at Happy Hollow, and then in 1888, No. 3 pumping station. All this work was done under the personal supervision of Mr. Darling and he drafted the original outline of construction. His success with the Pawtucket works was recognized by associations and scientific publications throughout the country. As a result, on invitation, he prepared and read many valuable papers on the construction and management of water works before the American and New England Water Works Associations, and was often consulted by engineers and commissioners from other states. On retiring from the position of superintendent in April, 1896, Mr. Darling was presented with a gold watch and chain by the citizens, and a Knight Templar's charm by the water commissioners, the presentation speeches being respectively made by ex-mayor James Brown and General Olney Arnold.
Mr. Darling has always been a Republican in politics. He was a member of the volunteer fire department for 20 years and was the last foreman of the 'Old Hay Cart' and the first foreman of the Steamer Rhode Island, No. 1. He was commissary sergeant of the Pawtucket Horse Guards for a number of years. Darlington station, on the east side, was so named by the New York, Boston and Providence Railroad in recognition of his service in building up that section of Pawtucket. At present Mr. Darling conducts a large and very successful real estate business.
For nearly thirty-eight years he has been a Freemason, and is connected with Union Lodge, Royal Arch Chapter, and Holy Sepulchre Commandery of Pawtucket. He has been an attendant of the Pawtucket Congregational church for more than 20 years. March 4, 1857, he was married to Anna, daughter of Caleb Adams of Bellingham, Mass., by which union there were two children, one of whom survives, Samuel S., b. June 25, 1858, who is now superintendent of the water works of Pawtucket. His first wife d. Jan. 30, 1860. Dec. 27, 1860, he was married to his second wife, Abbie A., daughter of Ruel Adams of Bellingham, Mass., by which union there were six children, all of whom are dead. His second wife d. Nov. 16, 1874. Jan. 17, 1876, he was married to his third wife, Mary E., daughter of Cheney P. Sheddon of Sturbridge, Mass., by which union there are four children, three girls and one boy: Mary Sheddon, b. Nov. 2, 1866 [sic]; Hannah Corbin, b. May 7, 1878; Lyman M., b. Sept. 30, 1879; Helen Alice, b. Sept. 30, 1885.
p. 285 - 286:DARLING, Lucius Bowles, capitalist, statesman, lieutenant-governor of Rhode Island and founder of large enterprises, was the fifth son of Samuel and Margaret (Smith) Darling. He was b. at Bellingham, Mass., Oct. 3, 1827, and d. at Pawtucket, R. I., Jan. 3, 1896. He was a man of large calibre, and was one of the ablest and most distinguished men that the Darling family has produced in this country. He was the sole creator of his own splendid career and his achievements were the fruits of his own genius. The greater part of his long and useful life was spent in this community, where by diligent application to business, prudence, integrity and enterprise, he attained a position of eminence amongst the representative men of the state.
Mr. Darling was a man of positive convictions and manly courage, of clear judgment, strong determination and wise forethought, of good executive ability, and he was safe and conservative in council. The success of the numerous financial and business corporations of which he was a member, and of several of which he was president, exemplified his large capacity for commercial and manufacturing pursuits. But he was not simply a business man; he was of statesman-like mould. He filled with credit and honor one of the highest and most exacting positions of state government. He was a representative American citizen of the broadest type and best qualifications. He was versed in the principles of good government and his direction of many affairs of state bore excellent testimony to his quickness and soundness of judgment upon vital questions concerning the welfare of the people. In social life as well, Mr. Darling's broad and generous impulses, uniform kindness of heart, high social character and large benevolence, made him one of the most beloved of citizens. Probably few men did more towards the promotion of charitable enterprises. Of pleasing address, agreeable manner, courteous in bearing and given to hospitality, his circle of acquaintance was extensive. Mr. Darling began his business life with no other capital than his own natural ability and determination to succeed, and when his distinguished career ended, he was possessed of the abundant fruits of his labors, and honored in every respect by his fellow citizens.
He was born and grew to manhood on his father's farm. His education was obtained in the common schools of his native village during the winter months, while his summers were devoted wholly to work upon the farm. When he attained his twenty-second year he abandoned farming and came to Providence in search of employment more congenial to his tastes and ambitions. In 1850 he settled in Pawtucket, at that time a part of North Providence, and in 1852, in a small way, established at Mineral Springs an abattoir in which every part of the animals slaughtered was utilized. He forced the way to success. The business grew apace.
He carefully invested his profits in enlarging the plant and increasing its capacity. He studied out the problem of conducting the business upon a system which preserved and turned to practical use every portion of the crude material. He succeeded in utilizing material which had been previously wasted. New methods were created, details perfected, and improvements invented for the speedier handling of material. New products were also manufactured. He sold the meat, rendered the tallow, prepared tripe, and converted the refuse into fertilizers. The business was successful from the start and increased rapidly; but the preparation of fertilizers proved the most profitable, and he soon abandoned butchering and confined his efforts to the other branches. In 1865 he began to grind bones and a little later put the product on the market as a fertilizer. Ever since then high grade fertilizers have been the leading specialties manufactured; but tallow, tripe, pigs' feet, neatsfoot oil, and other resultants of animal carcasses are also produced.
His brother, Lyman M. Darling, who had come to work for him in 1869, was admitted to a partnership in 1874, when the firm became L. B. Darling & Co., and in 1881, his two sons, Ira C. and Lucius B., Jr., became members of the firm. In the latter year, on account of the rapid increase of the business, a branch house was established at Chicago under the name of Ira C. Darling & Co. This course was taken to facilitate the purchase of cattle and other supplies, which, as Chicago is the center of the cattle business, could be more readily transacted there than anywhere in the country. After the death of Ira C., July 21, 1891, the Chicago branch was incorporated under the name of Darling & Co.
The Pawtucket business was incorporated in March, 1884, under the name of the L. B. Darling Fertilizer Co. From the beginning it has been carried on at Mineral Springs, on the western border of Pawtucket. At present the plant consists of an extensive group of buildings, covering six and one half acres of ground. The annual product is 30,000 tons of fertilizers, besides large quantities of other products, and the raw material used amounts to about 10,000,000 pounds annually. The products are sold all over the United States and Europe. About eighty persons are constantly employed in the works.
Mr. Darling's business connections were very numerous. At the time of his death he was president of the L. B. Darling Fertilizer Co.; of the Pacific National bank, where he had served for twenty years; the Pawtucket Gas Co. from 1880; and the Swan Point Cemetery Co. since 1879; and he was a trustee in the Pawtucket Institution for Savings. He was also a director in the Pawtucket Mutual Fire Insurance Co., and was one of the originators, and for many years was a director of the Pawtucket street railway. He was also a member of the state board of education for many years. In 1880 he erected the Music Hall building, which when completed was the largest and finest structure in the centre of Pawtucket, and was the first notable public improvement in the city as it exists to-day.
In public matters Mr. Darling always displayed an active interest and served the people in nearly every capacity from town councilman to lieutenant governor of the state, which latter office he filled from 1885 to 1887. Politically he was always a Republican. In North Providence he was a member of the town council in 1861-3, and served for a number of years as one of the school committee. For about fifteen years he was water commissioner of the town of Pawtucket. In 1881 he was appointed harbor commissioner by Governor Littlefield and re-appointed by Governor Bourn in 1883. For a number of years he was a director of the State Home and School. The secrets of Mr. Darling's noted success were his uprightness of character, his unbounded energy and his sterling common sense.
With a private business so extensive one would suppose that all of Mr. Darling's time would have been consumed in discharging the duties incident to his business, and that he could not find time to devote to the service of the people; yet whenever his counsels were sought he responded to the public demands and gave his time as liberally as if he had no other object calling for his attention. The records bear witness that nearly every hour Mr. Darling gave to public affairs was at the sacrifice of his private interests. He consented to serve the city and state against his personal preferences, yielding only to the solicitations of others.
Governor Darling was always very much interested in the veterans of the civil war, and in the movement toward the soldiers' monument. He was especially friendly towards Tower Post, No. 17, G. A. R., assisting the organization cheerfully on many occasions. He presented the Post with a handsome and very costly memorial volume. He traveled extensively in his own country as well as in Europe, and in his delightful home on Walcott street are many works of art which were gathered from time to time in the various lands which he visited.
Nov. 7, 1847, he was married to Angeline H. Armington, and by that union there have been six children, four of whom are now living: Lucius B. Darling, Jr.; Mary Evelyn, wife of J. G. Jefferds, of Worcester, Mass.; Ada E., wife of George A. Carpenter; and Lovinia, wife of Charles A. Fales of Pawtucket.
p. 286 - 287:DARLING, Lucius Bowles, Jr., the fifth child of Lucius B. and Angeline H. (Armington) Darling, was born in North Providence, R. I., May 25, 1860. He attended the public schools of his native town until he attained his fifteenth year. Being too young to be admitted to the Pawtucket high school, he then went to a private school in Foxboro, Mass., where he studied for two years, and afterwards took a two years' course in Mowry & Goff's English and Classical School, Providence. After leaving school he at once went into his father's business, learned its details and was quick to master the business. In 1881 he became a partner in the firm of L. B. Darling & Co., which was incorporated in March, 1884, as the L. B. Darling Fertilizer Co., and on the death of his father became its president. During these years he and his uncle, Lyman M. Darling, were responsible managers of the business, as his father was then so greatly absorbed with other interests. Though very young he developed a capacity for business which was unusual for a man of his age. He assisted in the management of the office and superintended the practical operation of the works.
Mr. Darling has developed the capacity of a man of much business sagacity, energy and foresight. He is quick of conception, thorough in methods, of great integrity, and ranks high as a man of commercial ability. He exhibits the valuable traits of character which made his father a man of exceptional note. He is a Republican in politics, an attendant of the Park Place Congregational church, a member of the Pawtucket Business Men's Association, and is also a 32d degree Free Mason. Nov. 22, 1881, he was married to Emma Jean, daughter of ex-postmaster Isaac R. Wilkinson of Pawtucket, and by this union there is one child, Lucius B., (3d) b. in Pawtucket, Sept. 23, 1894.
Since the death of his brother Ira C., July 21, 1891, the responsibilities of the Chicago house fell upon Lucius B., Jr. He spent the greater part of his time for two years in Chicago, and he has ever since given a considerable portion of his time to the management of the Chicago house, being at present vice-president of the corporation. On the death of his father he became trustee of the Music Hall estate, and his mother and he are executors of the entire estate of his father. Under these circumstances the practical management of the estate devolves almost wholly upon him. Mr. Darling now resides in a fine mansion house, corner of Walcott and Grove streets, in which he first took up his residence, October, 1895.
p. 287 - 288:DARLING, Lyman Morse, was born in Bellingham, Mass., May 5, 1850, and was the eighth son of Samuel Darling (4th) by his second wife, Julia Morse, of which union Lyman M. was the only child. He attended the public schools of his native town until he attained his fifteenth year and completed his education at Dean Academy, Franklin, Mass., from which he was graduated when nineteen years old. In 1869 he came to Pawtucket, was employed by his brother Lucius B. in the fertilizer business at Mineral Springs, and was admitted as a partner in 1874, under the firm name of L. B. Darling & Co. The business increased so that a branch house was incorporated in 1884 under the title of L. B. Darling Fertilizer Co. Mr. Darling was elected treasurer, which position he has since held. Since the death of his brother, Lucius B., he has been the head of the corporation. In business affairs he is prominent in nearly all the great enterprises that have contributed to the wealth of Pawtucket. He is treasurer of the Woodlawn Dairy Co.; is a director of the Pacific National bank, and of the Pawtucket Institution for Savings; director and member of the executive board of the Pawtucket Gas Co., and was elected president of the company in January, 1896; director in the American Yarn Co.; president of the Darling Co. of Chicago; a director and a member of the executive board of the Pawtucket Electric Light Co.; president of the Metropolitan Hotel Supply Co., of New York; and is interested in many other prominent business enterprises. He is also a member of the Pawtucket Business Men's Association.
Mr. Darling is a Republican. He was alderman from the fourth ward in 1888. Nov. 17, 1871, he was married to Abbie M. Rockwood of Bellingham, Mass., by which union there are two children: Edna Rockwood, b. Oct. 10, 1874; Chester Coburn, b. Nov. 13, 1887.
In the prime of his manhood and in the midst of his business success, with all the surroundings of a happy home, he was forced to taste the cup of sorrow. May 11, 1888, at his residence in Pawtucket, his wife died, a few days after moving into the magnificent mansion he now occupies on Broadway.
p. 288:DARLING, Ruel S., the sixth son of Samuel Darling (4th) of Bellingham, Mass., was born in Bellingham, May 2, 1830. He came to Pawtucket when about 21 years of age and was a resident of the village until about 1865, when he removed to Central Falls, where he resided at the time of his death, June 14, 1883, although his business connections continued to be chiefly in Pawtucket.
When a young man he learned the boot maker's trade, but subsequently became a retail dealer in meat, which he sold by driving through the country in the neighborhood of his home. From the time of his coming to Pawtucket he was prominently identified with the marketing business in which he engaged first with his brother Edwin, but subsequently conducted the business alone in the old brick hotel building on North Main street, where he remained till the time of his death, having some years prior taken into partnership his two sons, Ruel S., Jr. and Herbert C., under the firm name of R. S. Darling & Sons. The business was continued by the sons for some years after their father's death, at this last location on Main street, and also for a time at a branch market under the Aumann house on Broad street; but as the retail business became less remunerative and the wholesale business, which had been growing for some years, demanded more attention, the retail market was finally closed in 1892 and the wholesale business transferred to New York city, constituting the nucleus of the business now incorporated as the Metropolitan Hotel Supply Co. and still conducted by the two sons.
Though often solicited to accept public office, Mr. Darling uniformly declined till 1882, when he was chosen town councilman of Lincoln, an office to which he was re-elected without opposition but two weeks before his death. He was a trustee of the Pawtucket Institution for Savings and director of the Slater National Bank, having held the latter position for twenty-three consecutive years. He was married twice. His first wife was Alma E. Cook of Bellingham, who died in 1872, leaving five children: Ruel S. and Herbert C. of New York; Ellen M., wife of George W. Thurston of Providence; Sarah B., wife of Peter H. Fowler of East Orange, N. J.; and A. Louise, wife of William L. Quimby of Boston. His second wife, now residing in Worcester, Mass., was Mrs. Eliza L. Walker, daughter of the late Rev. James O. Barney of Seekonk.
Mr. Darling was man of sterling character. He was gifted with first-class business ability. In his views he was very conservative. Of a kindly disposition he was always ready to succor the needy or unfortunate. Although not a member of any religious body and professing no particular creed he was always willing to contribute of his means to any good cause, and gave liberally to churches and societies of all denominations. He lived respected and died regretted by all who knew him.
p. 288 - 289:DARLING, Samuel, the fifth son of Samuel and Margaret (Smith) Darling, was born in Bellingham, Mass., March 2, 1825. He attended the schools of his native village during the winter months and in the summer worked on his father's farm. Alternating thus between the farm and the school until his nineteenth year, he acquiring thereby an education not only in books but in the practical affairs of life. He then went to Medway village and established a butchering business, which he carried on for three years. In 1847 he started the same business at Woonsocket, R. I., where he remained until 1854, in which year he went to New York and until 1875 was there engaged in the general provision business. He then returned to Bellingham and conducted his father's farm until 1880, when he started out as a traveling salesman and followed that occupation for five years. In 1885 he was appointed superintendent of the Diamond Hill Reservoir, which position he still holds.
In politics Mr. Darling is a Republican, but he is not a partisan. All his life he has been an attendant of the Universalist church. May 26, 1846, he was married to Emily, daughter of Joseph and Asenath (Patridge) Adams of Bellingham, Mass. By this union there are three children: Edmund Adams, b. Jan. 18, 1849; Walter Emerson, b. Nov. 23, 1854; Ida Elizabeth, b. Sept. 26, 1857.
illustration on page 288: photo, Samuel Darling, in charge Diamond Hill Reservoir.
p. 289:DARLING, William W., the son of Jefferson B. and Johanna (Smith) Darling, was born in Bellingham, Mass., in 1828. His father who was the youngest son and tenth child of Samuel Darling (3d), was born May 21, 1803, and died July 10, 1882; he was a farmer and a dealer in cattle and meats. For a number of generations the family were prominent in Bellingham, Mass. William W. attended school in Bellingham and also at the same time helped his father on the farm and elsewhere. He remained on the farm until he was 21, when he came to Pawtucket in 1849 and started in the general meat business with Lucius B. Darling, continuing the partnership about five years. They also opened a meat store at Mineral Springs and a year later sold out to Ruel S. Darling, and then he and Lucius B. Darling founded the tripe and fertilizer works, which are still continued to-day. He was in the firm about five years and then sold out his interest to Lucius B. He then went into the wholesale pork packing business on Broadway and Central avenue, which he carried on for ten years. During this time he prospered greatly. For a short time he retired from business. He then started an establishment for the curing of hams on a large scale, and also rendered lard, and sold his product all over the eastern states. At the end of two years he finally retired from business, and has since spent his time looking after his real estate interests. He lives a quiet life at his home, corner of Broadway and Clay street, and in summer occupies the old homestead in Bellingham. In politics he is a Republican. In 1854 he was married to Mary E. Bassett of Central Falls, and they have one child, Annie, b. in North Providence, now Pawtucket.
illustration on page 289: photo, William W. Darling, retired meat dealer.
p. 289:DAVIS, Herbert B., the fourth child of Orrin E. and Hannah W. (Bailey) Davis, was born in Shrewsbury, Mass., March 3, 1861. He attended the public schools of his native town until he attained his sixteenth year, and then went to work in a wood-turning shop in Worcester, when he remained for three years. He then went to Cambridge and worked for the Russ Moulding Co. until 1883. In October of that year he came to Providence and was connected with Weaver & Co., bankers, until Oct. 1889, when he came to Pawtucket and established a real estate and brokers office at 330 Main street. Mr. Davis is a Democrat. He attends the Congregational church, and is a member of the I. O. R. M.
p. 289 - 290:DAVIS, Charles H., the second child of Joseph G. and Mary J. (Poole) Davis, was born in Pawtuxet, Jan. 15, 1871. He received his education in the schools of Pawtucket, and in Prof. Cole's English and Classical school. He then began the study of dentistry with George E. Woodbury at No. 5 North Main street. Dr. Woodbury sold out to Dr. Tillinghast, with whom Mr. Davis remained for five years, at the end of which period he went to the Boston College of Dental Surgery, from which he was graduated June 20, 1894, with the degree of D. D. S. He was the president of his class and received a prize for best workmanship. On his return from college he established himself, in company with George C. Gammons, at 24 High street, where the firm does first-class dentistry.
p. 290:DAVIS, John E., the second child of Reuben and Elizabeth (Larned) Davis, was born May 1, 1836, in Dudley, Worcester county, Mass. He attended the Dudley schools and completed his education at Nichols Academy. During the intervals in his schooling he assisted his father on the farm in summer. After completing his course at the academy he taught in the district schools until the outbreak of the war of the rebellion, when in 1862 he enlisted in Company E, 1st Massachusetts Heavy Artillery, and served during the entire conflict. He was captured by the rebels in front of Petersburg, Va., and was confined in Libby prison, Belle Isle and Andersonville, for a period all told of about a year, and did not obtain his release until April 28, 1865, after the cessation of hostilities. On his return home he resumed the occupation of farming. Until 1870 he continued in this vocation, with the exception that during 1867 he was a member of the Massachusetts state constabulary. In 1870 he came to Pawtucket and obtained a situation as shipping clerk in the Conant Thread Mills, now J. & P. Coats, (Limited), and in the course of time was promoted to be the head of the shipping department, which position he still holds.
Mr. Davis is a Republican, and since his young manhood has taken an active part in public affairs. He was a member of the Massachusetts legislature from Dudley in 1866 and served in the Pawtucket common council five years, 1888 to 1890, and in 1892 and 1893. He belongs to the society of Ex-Union Prisoners of Massachusetts, joined Tower Post, No. 17, G. A. R. in 1881, was elected quartermaster in 1886, and still continues in that office. He was married to Mary Hancock of Dudley, Mass., in 1867.
The Davis family, according to tradition, originated in Wales. The American branch is descended from William Davis, who came to Roxbury, Mass., in 1642; his son John, b. Oct. 16, 1643, d. Feb.15, 1683, at Roxbury; his son Samuel, b. June 23, 1681, d. April 8, 1760. His son Edward, b. Jan. 23, 1714, d. 1805 at Roxbury; his son Edward, b. Sept. 5, 1739, d. Oct. 3, 1796, had six children, among whom was Edward, b. Jan. 5, 1768, d. July 1, 1834, who settled at Dudley, Mass., and had a family of 13 children, one of whom was Reuben Davis, the father of John E., who was born at Dudley, Mass., March 7, 1807, d. Oct. 17, 1860, and was married April 10, 1833, to Elizabeth, daughter of Morris and Elizabeth Larned. Their children are: Maria E., John Eaton, William Larned, Ellen Louisa, Sarah Ursula, Franklin, Frances, and Emma Frances.
p. 290 - 292:DAVIS, John William, governor of Rhode Island in 1887-8 and 1890-1, was born in Rehoboth, Mass., March 7, 1826. He was the son of John and Nancy Davis and was brought up on his father's farm in Rehoboth, meanwhile attending the public schools of Rehoboth and Swansea as opportunity offered. In 1844 he left the homestead which the family had occupied for several generations, and went to Providence, where he apprenticed himself to a mason and worked at that trade from March to December each year for three years, during the winters teaching district schools in North Providence, R. I., and Seekonk, Mass. While an apprentice in Providence he had the use of the Mechanics Library and in after years was a member of the Franklin Lyceum and Providence Athenaeum Association.
Upon completing his apprenticeship he commenced life as a journeyman, traveling and working at his trade, and while on this industrial itineracy he became a contractor in Charleston and in New Orleans in the winters of 1847 and 1850. He then returned to Providence and went into business as a dealer in grain and provisions, which he conducted successfully until 1890, since when he has been principally engaged in the care of fiduciary interests for himself and others. During his long and active business life he has often engaged in the settlement of estates in probate, and also in the courts of insolvency and bankruptcy, under both State and United States bankrupt laws, in the fullfilment of which duties he became known as an active public citizen. He retained his residence in Providence until 1877 when he removed his family to Pawtucket.
His political affiliations were always with the Democratic party. He was a member of the Democratic City Committee of Providence from 1854 to 1860, having for colleagues the late Abner J. Barnaby, W. B. Sayles, George W. Danielson and others, and was treasurer of the State Central Committee in 1883-4-5. He attended the Democratic National Convention as an alternate delegate at Chicago in 1884, and gave at his home a public reception to his fellow citizens in honor of Cleveland's election in the fall of that year. Mr. Davis was elected to his first public office, that of town councilman and president of the board in Pawtucket in 1882, and again in 1885. He was chosen a state senator in 1885, 1886 and 1893, and appointed by President Cleveland appraiser of foreign merchandise for the Providence U. S. Customs District in 1886. In 1887 and again in 1890 he was chosen governor of Rhode Island on the Democratic ticket. During his administration a number of important measures which had his countenance and support, were carried through, among which were: a reform in the discipline of the state prison, brought about as the result of a public investigation; an amendment to the state constitution extending the suffrage to foreign-born citizens on the same terms as to native citizens; a ballot reform law on the Australian system; and the establishment of a College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, at Kingston, the charter of which was granted upon his especial recommendation in 1892.
Mr. Davis was the only Democrat elected governor of Rhode Island from the time of William Sprague, who was elected on a fusion ticket in 1860 as a Democrat and Conservative. Governor Davis's elections represented a real growth in democratic sentiment, and was a tribute to his high character as a man and to his genuine democracy. He was the only governor of Rhode Island, with the exception of Joseph Jenks, who was a resident of Pawtucket.
Govenor Davis has been three times married: in 1855 to Miss Lydia W. Kenyon, who died in 1859; in 1862 to Miss Emily P. Goff, who died in 1885; and in 1895 to Miss Marietta P. Pearce, with whom and his two daughters, Annie E. and Mary E., children of the second wife, he now resides, at Riverside, 724 Pleasant street, Pawtucket. He is a member of the Mathewson Street M. E. Church of Providence; of the Patria Club, Pawtucket, the Southern Rhode Island Press Club, the Reform Club of New York, the Providence Marine Society, and other like organizations, but has never been a member of any of the secret orders so popular in this state in these later years.
On his father's side Governor Davis is a descendant in the seventh generation from James Davis, who came with his family from Marlboro, Wiltshire, England, to Massachusetts Bay Colony about 1630, was admitted a free man at Newbury in 1634, and went as a pioneer settler to Haverhill in 1640. Through his mother he is a descendant in the fifth generation from John Davis, who came from London, England, to Newport, R. I., about 1680. From these ancestors and their collateral kindred through intermarriages, his descent by consanguinity can be traced to some of those who came to Plymouth in the Mayflower, and to many others of the earlier Puritan, Pilgrim, and Cavalier colonists of New England, among whom may be mentioned, the Eatons, Shaws, Barneys, DeWitts, Martins, Masons, Pecks, Mays, Bullocks, Hortons, with others, some of whom were prominently engaged as soldiers and officers in the old colonial and revolutionary wars.
Governor Davis is at present a member of the Rhode Island State House Commission. It is a somewhat interesting reminiscence in this connection that the house of his maternal colonial ancestor, John Davis of Newport, was used by the Governor and General Assembly of the colony as the seat of their sessions, and made practically the Province House from 1682 to 1691, when the first public Colony House was built in that town.
One feature of Governor Davis's long, active business life in which he takes especial satisfaction, is in the number of successful young business men who have gone out from under his training. At present he is manager and treasurer of the Riverside Burial Society of Pawtucket, a director and president of the Rhode Island Department of the Co-operative Savings Society of Connecticut, a director of the Central Real Estate Company of Providence, the Interstate Petroleum Co., the Samana Bay Fruit Co., and other enterprises which keep his mind and time occupied with current business affairs.
illustration on page 291: photo, John W. Davis, Governor of Rhode Island, 1887-8, 1890-1.
p. 292.DAWSON, William Henry, the first child of Samuel D. and Anna (Brown) Dawson was born in Walsden, Lancashire, England, March 1, 1868. He came to the United States when 10 years of age and was educated in the public and night schools of Pawtucket. His first employment was at cotton spinning with the E. Jenckes Manufacturing Co. in 1878, and he next went to work for Atwood, Crawford & Co., and then with George H. Fuller & Son, jewelers, where his intelligence and close application to business attracted the notice of his employers and he was promoted to the position of foreman. In 1890, in partnership with James E. Dawson, he opened a bicycle store at 122 Broad street, Pawtucket, but the business increased so rapidly that they were compelled to secure larger premises, and moved to their present location at 158 Broad street. They also established one of the largest sporting goods establishment in New England, at 22 North Main street, Providence. Mr. Dawson's success is no doubt due to his enthusiastic admiration of all athletic sports, but especially bicycling. He is a member of all and has taken an active interest in the formation of many of the bicycle clubs in Providence and Pawtucket. In fraternal affairs Mr. Dawson is associated with the Masons and Odd Fellows, and is an attendant of St. Paul's Episcopal church. Sept. 29, 1891, he was married to Ellen I. Ingham of Accrington, Lancashire, England, by which union there are two children.
p. 292 - 293:DEAHY, Michael F., son of Mathew and Catherine (Buckley) Deahy, was born in Cashel, Ireland, November, 1854, and came to America with his parents when a young child. He attended the Providence public schools until he was fifteen years old when he became a clerk in a dry goods store and followed that occupation until 1882, when in company with his brothers Thomas H. and David P., he started a dry goods store in the Benedict House block, Main street, Pawtucket. The business prospered steadily. Thomas died in 1892, and Michael passed away Aug. 20, 1893, leaving David entirely alone in the business, at 273 and 277 Main street. Michael was unmarried.
illustrations on facing page: photos of Michael F. Deahy, dry goods dealer; Thomas H. Deahy, dry goods dealer; John E. Davis, manager shipping department J.& P. Coats, Limited; Daniel D. Dwyer, wholesale produce commission merchant; John Devlin, retired grocer and contractor; Otis E. Drown, civ. engineer, with W. F. & F. C. Sales.
p. 293:DEAHY, Thomas H., a son of Mathew and Catherine (Buckley) Deahy, was born in Providence, R. I., September, 1857, and he and his older brothers and sisters received their education in the Providence public schools. He left school about the age of fifteen and went to work in the dry goods house of Thomas Cosgrove & Co., in whose employ he remained till that firm retired from business, when he associated himself with the H. W. Ladd Co., Providence, and gradually worked his way up to a responsible position with that house. In 1882, in company with his older brothers, David P. and Michael F., he opened a dry goods store in the Benedict House block, Main street, Pawtucket. From the start the undertaking was a success, much of which was due to the enterprise and experience of Thomas. He died unmarried in 1892, in his 34th year, greatly lamented by his friends and relatives.
David P. Deahy, the present head of the business, was born in Cashel, Ireland, March 17, 1853, went to school until he was seventeen, and worked as a cooper for twelve years. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus and of the Young Men's Catholic Association, and like his two deceased brothers is an independent in politics and a Catholic in religion.
The father of the Deahy brothers was born in Ireland and like many of his countrymen found the pursuit of agriculture under the condition existing in that land unprofitable and discouraging. Under these circumstances his attention was turned towards the United States, and he removed with his family to this country six years before the war of the rebellion.
p. 294:DELANY, Lyons, was born in Moystown, Kings county, Ireland, Dec. 3, 1850, and attended a private school in Tessauran until he attained his sixteenth year. He early developed commercial tastes and in his boyhood days his chief amusement was the mimic store where he disposed of large cargoes of imaginary stock to his juvenile playmates. His father recognizing the tastes of the boy, placed him with a reliable house in the town of Cavan, where he learned the tea and general grocery trade, and remained there four years. He emigrated to America in 1870, came to Providence, and obtained a situation as manager of the Yokohoma Tea Company, which he held for seven years. He came to Pawtucket in 1877, and established himself in a small store in the Spencer building, corner of Main and North Main streets. His stock was valued at $600, and from the first he met with success. In July, 1894, he took into partnership five of his oldest employees and formed the Lyons Delany Co., with an authorized capital of $100,000, for carrying on a general tea, coffee and spice business at 7 and 9 North Main street. Mr. Delany is president of the company. The present store is one of the largest, best stocked and best equipped in New England. The company also operates coffee and spice mills and has a large and constantly growing trade.
Mr. Delany is a Republican, and has served his fellow citizens as councilman from the fourth ward in 1892-3-4, and as alderman in 1896. He is a member of Barney Merry Lodge, A. F. and A. M., is an attendant of the Pawtucket Congregational church, and a member of the Business Men's Association. He was married to Clara, daughter of John D. Fraser of New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, May 27, 1875, and by this union there are two children: Lyons Fraser Hill, b. Feb. 2, 1880; and Charlotte Christabel, b. July 18, 1886.
p. 294 - 296:DEMPSEY, James, was one of the best known and capable dyers and bleachers in the United States. He was born in the county of Wicklow, Ireland, July 30, 1819, and came to this country when 22 years old. He first went to work in a printwork in Fall River, where he remained three years. From there he moved to Providence, but only stayed a short time, when he went to Lonsdale as overseer of the dyehouse and gas works of the Lonsdale Company, which position he held for about 22 years. He also spent some time at Millville, N. J., where he was agent for the then R. D. Wood & Co.'s dyehouses and mills. He then went to Peabody, Mass., where he was agent for the Danvers Bleachery for three years. He then removed to Lewiston, Me., and was agent and treasurer for the Lewiston Dye Works until 1892, a period of about 21 years.
In 1880 he purchased property in North Providence and established a bleachery and dye work, in which he installed his sons as managers. These works were burned in 1882; but he at once projected, with the assistance of his sons, an extensive plant in Pawtucket. The works were constructed on his plans, and were designed for bleaching, dyeing and finishing all kinds of cotton piece goods. The construction of the buildings was begun in 1882, and the plant was started March, 1884. The establishment is on the west bank of the Blackstone river, fronting on North Main street, and is between Smith and Jackson streets. Excellent water, of which great quantities are used, is obtained from both artesian and open reservoir wells, and being clear and soft is well adapted to the bleaching business. The buildings are of brick, substantially built and equipped with the best and most improved machinery, and all departments are protected by automatic sprinklers. The capacity of the works is now fifteen tons per day.
After the establishment of these works, Mr. Dempsey still continued in his position as agent and treasurer of the Lewiston Dye Works and left the active management of the Pawtucket plant to his two sons, John J. and William P. In 1883 the concern was incorporated as the Dempsey Bleachery and Dye Works, and the officers were: James Dempsey, president; John J. Dempsey, treasurer; and William P. Dempsey, agent.
In 1892 Mr. Dempsey retired from business, came to Pawtucket and with his two sons, John J. and William P., erected the mansion house on Park place, which was his home until his death, and is still the family residence. Although, when he came to Pawtucket, Mr. Dempsey was advanced in years and had an ample fortune acquired by means of the many responsible positions he had held, yet he was not content to remain idle. He was a director in the Pacific National Bank, a member of the Pawtucket Business Men's Association, and vice-president of the Lewiston Machine Co. and of the Hills Mills of Lewiston, Me.
While on his way home from the White Mountains, where with his daughter Mary he had been in attendance at a meeting of the New England Manufacturers' Association, of which he was a member, Mr. Dempsey was taken sick on the train. Thinking that he would be better cared for in some house, he with his daughter left the train at Somersworth, N. H., where he died in a few hours, Oct. 1, 1894, of heart disease. He left three children: two sons and a daughter, his wife having died in 1877. After the death of Mr. Dempsey, his son John J. was elected president and treasurer of the corporation.
illustration, page 295: photo, James Dempsey, Founder of the Demmpsey Bleachery and Dye-works.
p. 296:DENNIS, John Robertson, son of Isaac and Jane (Fair) Dennis, was born in Portsmouth, R. I., Oct. 13, 1836. He received his education in the public schools of Central Falls and in 1852 went to work in the spool factory of Robert Cushman, which has developed through numerous changes in partners and organization into the Atwood-Crawford Co. Mr. Dennis has remained with the enterprise through all these vicissitudes. For many years he has taken an active part in local politics, and is now the recognized leader of the Republican party in Central Falls. As an astute political manager with the ability to marshal his forces successfully, he has few equals in Rhode Island. At the same time he accomplishes these results in an unostentatious manner. His exertions as a political manager are mainly due to the fact that he is an enthusiastic Republican, and believes thoroughly in his party. He has never been personally benefited by his political labors but is said to be poorer to-day than when he began his political career. He has never held any public office, although he has been the means of enabling many other men to do so. Within the past few years he has been frequently assailed and maligned, has been accused of running the whole community and controlling the patronage of the new city of Central Falls; but he has gone on undismayed, managing effectually the campaigns, and usually winning the political battles. He is a member of the Lincoln Republican Association. He was married in 1856 to Elizabeth Paine of Central Falls.
p 297:DEVLIN, John, was born in county Tyrone, Ireland, September 1807, and was the third child of Patrick and Rose Anna (O'Neil) Devlin. His father was a farmer and linen weaver, and belonged to a noted Irish family. His mother is a descendant of Lord O'Neil, but the male line of the chief branch of that family is now extinct, and the present representative is Lord O'Neil-Chichester. John received his education in the parish school until he was 16 years old, when he went to work assisting his father on the farm and in herding the cattle, and then learned to be a carpenter at which he worked for some years. He left his father's house in Tyrone, April 15, 1831, and sailed from Belfast three days later in the ship Belafor, which arrived June 5, 1831, at Quebec, Canada. Here he remained for five weeks, when he went to Montreal, and later to North River, where he worked on the Granville canal. For a short time he was in Chamberlee, Canada, and in November, 1831, went to Burlington, Vt. From there he went to Lowell, Mass., but in January, 1832, came to Providence. There he worked as a carpenter for some months, and at the end of that time went to Fall River.
In 1834 he came to Pawtucket. For several years he was employed as a contractor, and built beetling machines both for Dunnell's printworks and for Philip Allen's printworks, Providence. He then conducted a grocery store for fourteen years. His wife's health then broke down, and, as the doctor recommended a residence further inland, he bought a farm at Woonsocket, where they lived for eight years. Returning to Pawtucket he started a meat market, and developed a successful business which he conducted for many years, finally turning it over to his son John H., who still runs it at 78 River street. During the greater part of his life and while conducting his grocery business Mr. Devlin still continued to carry on operations as a carpenter. He built the wharf of the Pawtucket Coal Co., now occupied by the City Coal Co., constructed the first bathing house ever built in Pawtucket and was one of the contractors for the railroad at Ironstone, Mass., now a part of the New England railroad.
Mr. Devlin has been longer in Pawtucket than any other resident of his nationality, and he is besides the oldest native of Ireland in the community, being in his 90th year and is active and in good health. He is interested in natural history and in local history, and in following out these bents has made an excellent collection of rocks and minerals, and is possessed of a fund of local information which makes his reminiscences valuable and entertaining. He was one of the committee to build the first Catholic church erected in Providence. This was the old Cathedral and occupied the site now covered by the SS. Peter and Paul's Cathedral, Providence. Eleven times he has crossed the Atlantic, and has many relics of Irish antiquities and curiosities as mementos of these journeys. He belongs to the Franklin Society and the Veteran Citizens Historical Society of Providence. He presided over the first temperance society of Rhode Island. Mr. Devlin is a Democrat, and in religion a Roman Catholic.
Jan. 5, 1835, he was married to Mary Sarah Shay of Boston, who was born in Salem, and came of old Presbyterian stock, her ancestor having come over in the Mayflower. She was a relative of Gen. Shay. There were seven children born to them, of whom four are now living, Mary Elizabeth, John H., Lucy Anne, and Charlotte Baronica [Veronica?].
p. 297 - 298:DEXTER, Henry B., at the present time one of the largest tax payers in Pawtucket, when he first started in business and went to the bank to negotiate a loan, was not only asked by the president for security, but was given the gratuitous information that not one man in a thousand who engaged in business made a success. This remark made a great impression upon Mr. Dexter, and through all his wide and varied business experience his success has been such as to place him easily within the exception noted by the bank president.
He was born in Pawtucket in 1827, the son of Captain Waterman T. and Fanny (Orne) Dexter, and is descended in the seventh generation from the Rev. Gregory Dexter, who came with Roger Williams from England when the latter returned in 1644 with the first charter of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, and who was one of the first practical printers in the New World, became town clerk, and was the fourth pastor of the First Baptist church of Providence. The genealogical line to Henry B. is as follows: Rev. Gregory Dexter, b. 1610; John, b. 1652; James, b. 1691; John, b. 1718; Nathaniel B., b. 1758; Waterman T., the father of Henry B., b. 1790.
Henry B. obtained his education in the public schools and at the private schools then conducted in Pawtucket by Joseph Watts and John Willard. As his parents were poor he began to work very early in life. Before his school days were ended he saved money obtained by doing errands and small jobs of work. He was apprenticed to Brown & Clark to learn the trade of a machinist, and after serving his time, he took entire charge of the shop of John H. Potter for several years. He then engaged in business for himself as a member of the firm of Pimbley, Dexter & Co., and later as Dexter & Cole, employing at times twenty-five men, which in those days was considered a large number. On retiring from the machinist business, he purchased the cardboard and glazed paper industry of Ray Potter, his brother-in-law, whose liabilities, amounting to $22,000, he assumed, while he only had a capital of $1,000; but by renewals and extensions of notes, he was enabled by good management to pay all the indebtedness. He carried on the industry under the name of Thomas & Co., in a building in the rear of the present postoffice for fifteen years, at which time in connection with George H. Clark he erected a new brick building, 50 by 100 feet, four stories high, on Exchange street, and the manufacture of the same line of goods was carried on there under the name of the Rhode Island Card Board Company. During Mr. Dexter's connection with it this concern originated the famous paper collar industry; and the hair-lined cardboard, which had a large sale, was the invention of Mr. Dexter. The company placed its products in all parts of the United States and in Europe. In April, 1889, Mr. Dexter sold out his interest in the Rhode Island Card Board Company, and sailed for Europe, June 20, 1890, remaining several months and visiting seven different kingdoms. The following year he again visited Paris.
When Mr. Dexter was nineteen years of age he made his first venture in real estate. He purchased a house lot, induced his uncle Nathaniel G. B. Dexter to endorse his note, with which he obtained money to build a dwelling, which he mortgaged to the savings bank, obtaining sufficient rental to pay the interest, and thus finally became the owner of his first house. At the present time Mr. Dexter owns twenty-three houses - all of the best character. He considers this success largely due to three things - religious instruction, temperance and self reliance. He has attended religious worship all his life, is one of the oldest members of the High Street Universalist church, and was one of its building committee. Since he was of age he has contributed an average of $190 per year for the support of religious worship. He is a total abstainer, having never tasted a glass of liquor, not even in his European experience, although there nearly every one drinks wine. He is a strong believer in phrenology. In his early years he consulted Prof. O. S. Fowler, whose charts had an almost world-wide reputation, and was told that in the midst of the greatest difficulties and obstacles he himself would always be his best counselor. This gave him great reliance, and the idea of failure in any undertaking was entirely foreign to his nature. Perseverance and hard work have characterized him through life.
Mr. Dexter was chosen in 1885 from Pawtucket a member of the General Assembly. In the order of Free and Accepted Masons, he is a member of Union Lodge, Royal Arch Chapter, and Holy Sepulchre Commandery of Pawtucket, and of the Scottish Rite and Consistory of Providence. He joined Good Samaritan Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, at the age of nineteen years, and is a member also of Manchester Encampment. He was married to Emily, daughter of John Campbell of Pawtucket, May 20, 1857. She died April 19, 1883. He has never remarried. Of this union one child was born: Katie Bowers Dexter. She was married to Albert H. Stearns, Boston, Mass., and they have four children: Albert Maynard, b. Aug. 20, 1886; Henry Dexter, b. March 7, 1888; Albert Thomas, b. April 22, 1890; Catherine, b. July 16, 1892.
p. 298 - 299:DEXTER, James Cook, was born in Cumberland, R. I., in 1837, and is a descendant in the seventh generation from the Rev. Gregory Dexter, who was one of the early settlers of the town of Providence and the fourth pastor of the First Baptist church there. The line of descent is Gregory, John, James, James, Timothy W., and James M., the father of James C. James M. carried on a farm in Cumberland, near the coal mine until 1838, when he emigrated with the company that was made up in Providence and Pawtucket and which established a colony in Illinois, and he was the founder of Providence, Illinois. James C. attended the public schools in Illinois and completed his education at Jubilee College. In 1862 he returned to Cumberland and took charge of the farm of his uncle, Eseck Dexter, who died in 1868. James C. inherited his uncle's property and has ever since carried on the farm, which is located at the corner of Dexter and High streets, Lonsdale.
Mr. Dexter is a Republican. He was elected by that party a representative from the town to the General Assembly in 1874-5-6, and was a member of the town council in 1893-5. He belongs to the Pawtucket Business Men's Association. He is a member of Christ's church, Lonsdale, and belongs to Unite Lodge, No. 34, Lonsdale, A. F. & A. M. He was married Frances Sara Barrows, and they have three daughters: Fannie O., Minerva W., and Hattie B.
illustration on page 298: photo, James Cook Dexter, Farmer, Lonsdale.
p. 298:DILLON, John, the second son of Patrick and Mary (Owens) Dillon, was born in Ireland, Nov. 4, 1859. His father came to America in 1845, returned to Ireland in 1852, and again came to America in 1868 with his wife and a family of five children. In Ireland, John went to school several years, and after coming to America attended the public schools of Providence for some time. In 1892 he bought out of business of Michael Owens, on Titus street, Valley Falls, and has since conducted it successfully on his own account. In politics Mr. Dillon is a Democrat. He was president of the Valley Falls board of firewards in 1894-5, was a member of the town council during the same period, and represented the town of Cumberland in the Rhode Island House of Representatives in 1895-6. He is a member of St. Patrick's church, Valley Falls. In fraternal societies he has always taken an active interest, and belongs to Court Lily, Foresters of America, Valley Falls; Delany Council, No. 57, Knights of Columbus, Pawtucket; Pocasset Tribe, No. 13, Red Men, Central Falls; and is president of the Hibernian societies of Providence county. In November, 1884, he was married to Mary A. Dowling at Valley Falls, and they have two children: Patrick, b. Dec. 24, 1887, and Mary, b. Dec. 1, 1894.
p. 299:DOUGLASS, George Cowing, was born in Plainfield, Conn., Jan. 15, 1823, and was the first child of Nichols [Nicholas?] and Elizabeth (Cowing) Douglass. He received his education in the public schools of Lebanon, Conn., and North Providence, R. I. At the age of 14 he entered the employ of Heating & Cowing, where he remained until 1842, but desiring to learn a trade was sent to the firm's factory at Geneva, where he remained for 22 years. In 1864 Mr. Heaton died and Mr. Douglass continued the business in partnership with George M. Daniels, who retired in 1870. In 1876 he removed to Providence, from whence he came to Pawtucket in 1882 and established himself at 51 North Main street, where he has continued in the business as a manufacturer of shoe and corset laces. He is a Republican in politics and has strong views on financial legislation. He attended the Baptist church when young, but is interested in Theosophy at present. Mr. Douglass is descended from a family remarkable for longevity. His father was 89 and his grandfather 110 when they passed away.
p. 299 - 301:DRAPER, Frank Ormond, superintendent of schools, Central Falls, the only child of Joseph Ormond and Ellen A. (Bartlett) Draper, was born in Pawtucket, Sept. 5, 1862. He is descended in the seventh generation from James Draper, who was born about 1618 in Hopstonstall in the West Riding, Yorkshire, England, came to America about 1650, and died in Roxbury, Mass., in 1694. He also traces his descent to John Alden and to Governor William Bradford, of the Plymouth colony. Two of his ancestors, Stephen Draper, of South Attleboro, Mass., and Joel Bradford, of Attleboro, served in the war of the revolution. His grandfather, Joseph Draper, was born in South Attleboro, Mass., Oct. 25, 1808, married Lucilda Makepeace, also of South Attleboro, and died in Norton, Mass., Sept. 30, 1894. Their son, Joseph O. Draper, the father of Frank O., was born in South Attleboro, July 17, 1834, and was married May 19, 1861, to Ellen A. Bartlett, who was born Feb. 14, 1833, in Lincoln, R. I. He died in Pawtucket, July 4, 1864.
Frank O. was educated in the High street grammar school and the high school of Pawtucket, and at Brown University, class of 1886. He received the degree of A. M. in 1889. In September, 1886, he was appointed principal of the new Garden street grammar school, Pawtucket, and remained in that position until 1892, when he was appointed superintendent of schools in the town of Lincoln upon the adoption of the town system of school government. At the division of the town and the incorporation of the city of Central Falls, April, 1895, he was appointed superintendent of schools in both the town of Lincoln and the city of Central Falls, and still holds those positions. June 28, 1889, he was married to Ida A. Tiffany, in Central Falls, R. I. Mr. Draper is a member of Union Lodge, A. F. and A. M., Pawtucket Royal Arch Chapter, and Holy Sepulchre Commandery, K. T., and is also a member of Eureka Lodge, Knights of Pythias, and of the Grand Lodge, K. P., of Rhode Island.
illustrations on facing page: photos: Joseph Anderton, foreman of construction, Lorraine Mills; Henry Barker, overseer weaving department, Lorraine Mills; Henry J. Chalk, tailor; Henry S. Cole, of Cole Bros., engine builder; John Dillon, Representative from Cumberland to General Assembly; Joseph E. Fales, of Fales Bros., Grocers, Central Falls.
p. 301:DROWN, Otis E., the third child of Royal and Betsy (Medbury) Drown, was born in Rehoboth, Mass., Oct. 23, 1822. His parents moved to Pawtucket in 1830, and lived until 1883 in a cottage house which stood on the site now occupied by the police station on North Main street, when they returned to Rehoboth. Otis attended school in Rehoboth and Pawtucket, until he was sixteen years old, and then worked on a farm until he was nineteen. He then started to learn the carpenter and wheelwright trade with his father, but completed his apprenticeship with the well-known builders, Lewin & Fisk. He continued to work for this firm after he became a journeyman, but was soon promoted to be foreman and master mechanic, and while acting in this capacity he did much of the construction and repairs at Dunnell's printworks for a period of about ten years.
He then opened a shop for himself and executed various mechanical work for numerous mills. In 1854 the Sayles bleachery was burned, but was at once rebuilt, and Mr. Drown planned all the machinery and supervised the placing of the larger part of it. He worked for W. F. Sayles as master mechanic, engineer and draughtsman, from 1856 to 1863, when he engaged with William Jeffers, the builder of fire engines. Shortly after he became a mechanic for Darius Goff, for whom he worked three years. He then became a partner in the firm of Lewin, Kenyon & Co., contractors and builders, and during this period superintended the erection of many structures. In 1877 he dissolved his connection with that firm and reengaged with W. F. & F. C. Sayles as mechanical and civil engineer, and superintendent of buildings, and still continues to hold that position. He is a skilled draughtsman and has a thorough knowledge of construction. Mr. Drown was married Nov. 16, 1847, to Anna Maria, sister of Captain William Jeffers. They had eight children.
The name Drown is said to have originated in Wales. The founder of the American branch of the family was Joshua Drown who came to New England about 1670. He was married to Mary Toogood, and their son Capt. Drown lived in Bristol, R. I. He was a sea captain and was lost at sea in 1748. His son Nathaniel Drown was a soldier in the revolution, and was the father of Royal Payne Drown, who was born in Rehoboth in 1774, was a soldier in the war of 1812, and died in 1825. He married Lucy Bliss, and his son Royal Drown, born in 1896 [sic], was the father of Otis E.
Ebenezer Medway, the father of Mr. Drown's mother, was a sailor on a privateer in the war of the revolution, was captured and carried into Halifax, but escaped during a storm, and afterwards served in the Continental army. He died young, but his wife received a pension during her life.
p. 301 - 302:DWYER, Daniel DeWitt, one of Pawtucket's successful business men, was born in Webster, Mass., Nov. 28, 1855, and is the first child of John O. and Sarah A. (Ryan) Dwyer. He attended the public schools of his native town and then spent two years in the Dudley Academy, Dudley, Mass. His first employment was on his father's farm, but as he had no taste for agricultural pursuits, he soon abandoned this occupation and then engaged in the livery business in Webster. This did not prove successful, and in 1878 he established at Springfield, Mass., a commission house for the sale of hay, grain, fruit and general produce, which was successful from the start. He disposed of this business in 1881 for a considerable sum and then started the wholesale commission business, since successfully conducted by him, corner of Bayley and Commerce streets. Mr. Dwyer stands in front rank in his line and has met with success from the start. In political matters he is an independent. May 20, 1888, he was married to Margaret W. Smith of Springfield, Mass., by which union there are two children: Annie Elizabeth, b. April 20, 1890, and Raymond D., b. Dec. 18, 1894.
Mr. Dwyer's father, like so many of his countrymen, desiring to advance in the world, saw no opportunity for doing so in his native land, Ireland, so he turned his steps towards the United States, attracted by the broad field offered here for men of promise and energy. After a few years of industry and frugality he was enabled to purchase a farm in Webster, Mass., where he brought up a large family in comfort and respectability.
Continued
These documents are made available free to the public for non-commercial purposes by the Rhode Island USGenWeb Project. Transcribed 2001 by Beth Hurd
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