Hawes Family of Wrentham, MA

For generations, since the early Colonial period, the Hawes family has been resident in Wrentham, Mass. The line is traced back to:

Edward Hawes, of Dedham, Mass., born probably about 1620, who died in 1686. He married April 15, 1648, Eliony Lombard, and their children were:

1. Lydia, born Jan. 26, 1649
2. Mary, Nov. 4, 1650
3. Daniel, Feb. 10, 1653
4. Hannah, Feb. 1, 1655
5. John, Dec. 17, 1656
6. Nathaniel, Aug. 14, 1660
7. Abigail, Oct. 2, 1662
8. Joseph, Aug. 9, 1664
9. Deborah, Sept. 1, 1666

Daniel Hawes, son of Edward, born Feb. 10, 1653, married (first) Jan. 23, 1678, Abiel Gay, born April 23, 1649, daughter of John and Joanna Gay. She died June 17, 1718, and he married (second) Bridget. Mr. Hawes lived in Wrentham, Mass., and followed the occupation of husbandman. He died March 16, 1738. His widow, Bridget, married April 24, 1739, William Man. She died Jan. 1, 1747. Daniel Hawes’s children born to the first marriage were:

1. Mary, born Sept. 17, 1679
2. Abigail, Nov. 15, 1681
3. Daniel, March 30, 1684
4. Josiah, April 6, 1686
5. Hezekiah, Nov. 22, 1688
6. Ruth, July 9, 1691
7. Benjamin, March 14, 1696

Daniel Hawes (2), son of Daniel, born March 30, 1684, married (first) Dec. 20, 1710, Beriah Man, born March 30, 1687, daughter of Samuel and Esther (Ware) Man. She died Feb. 28, 1734, and he married (second) Dec. 2, 1734, Jane Ware, widow of Michael, and daughter of Jonathan and Elizabeth (Hawes) Wight. She was born Sept. 6, 1688, and died April 26, 1754. Mr. Hawes married (third) Dec. 11, 1754, Hannah Fisher. He lived in Wrentham, Mass. His death occurred Jan. 15, 1763. The children of Daniel and Beriah were:

1. Daniel, born Oct. 24, 1711
2. Samuel, Jan. 7, 1713
3. Peletiah, Oct. 8, 1714
4. Moses, Aug. 28, 1716
5. Aaron, April 13, 1718
6. Ichabod, Sept. 12, 1720
7. Timothy, June 21, 1722
8. Beriah (son), March 20, 1724
9. Josiah, March 20, 1724
10. Mary, Feb. 11, 1726
11. Joseph, March 21, 1728

Aaron Hawes, son of Daniel (2), born April 13, 1718, married Dec. 19, 1759, Mary Snow, and among their children was James, born Jan. 21, 1761.

Lieut. James Hawes, son of Aaron, born Jan. 21, 1761, married Feb. 12, 1788, Jemima Farrington, and their children of Wrentham town record were:

1. Cordelia, born Feb. 12, 1789
2. Oliver Snow, born June 2, 1791
3. James Madison, born Aug. 22, 1793

Oliver Snow Hawes, son of Lieut. James, was born in Wrentham, Mass., June 2, 1791, and died in Fall River, Mass., Sept. 19, 1857. His parents were very religious and he was baptized in childhood. The greater part of his schooling was received before he was ten years old, at which age he was sent to work on a farm, continuing thus until his sixteenth year. He then became apprenticed to the trade of wheelwright, in Boston, but after one year there went to Medway, where he spent four years, learning the machinist’s trade. When he was twenty-one he removed to Thomaston, Maine, and finding work at his trade there was so industrious and thrifty that in the course of some two years he accumulated a substantial little sum. Returning to the then developing manufacturing locality of Waltham, Mass., he remained there some six or seven years, gaining the experience and forming the acquaintances which proved to be the basis of his successful career. In 1821, during his residence in Waltham, the old original Troy mill on the dam (near the site occupied by the present Troy mill) in Fall River was burned, and by a rather singular coincidence Mr. Hawes and three of his fellow workmen from Waltham, Mr. Harris, Mr. Brownell and Mr. Fillebrown, started together on an expedition from Waltham to Fall River to secure the job of constructing the machinery that was to equip the mill to be erected in the place of the one destroyed. On the same day Oliver Chace and Nathaniel Wheeler, owner and agent of the mill, set out for Waltham to look after the construction of the machinery, and these parties met and spent the night together at Taunton. When it became known that all were bent on the same errand an arrangement was speedily entered into, and the machine shop enterprise of Fall River conducted under the name of Harris, Hawes & Co. thus originated. The machinery of the old Troy factory was constructed by them. They were the first to practice the custom of paying cash to their employees, instead of barter, a custom which caused considerable annoyance to those who had been accustomed to paying off their help from their stores – then the general practice, but soon afterward entirely abolished.

Mr. Hawes continued to reside at Fall River from that time, a period of over, thirty-five years, during which he made a record of enterprise and successful endeavor in spite of many vicissitudes and changes. He was identified with the development of nearly every movement which characterized and distinguished the place, which is saying a great deal, for Fall River passed through a notable period of her advancement at that time. After the death of one of his early partners, and the removal of another, Mr. Hawes carried on the business on his own account for a year or two until the organization of the firm of O. S. Hawes & Co., consisting of himself, William Marvel and Joseph Rice. In the year 1839 this name was changed to Hawes, Marvel & Davol, the new member being William C. Davol, a skillful designer and inventor, who had previously been superintendent of the Troy Mill. This association lasted until Mr. Hawes’s death. After that event the firm became Marvel, Davol & Co., which was the style when it was absorbed in 1879 by the Fall River Iron Works.

In his day Mr. Hawes was one of the leading business men of Fall River, where he had the reputation of being a most able financier as well as a practical machinist and a man of unusual executive powers. He was a man of very large physique and had a commanding presence, all of which contributed to the impression he made wherever he was known. He became connected with other important enterprises in the city besides the one mentioned, and was one of the promoters of the American Linen Manufacturing Company.

“He was one of the very few bold, self-reliant, clear-minded, strong-willed, iron-nerved and unyielding men who laid the foundations and reared the super-structure of this thriving city, and his memory should and ever will be held sacred among its citizens. He was a man of genial temper, with a large and kind heart, wishing everybody well and treating them well. He was generous and constant in his attachments, a kind husband, and an indulgent father and good citizen.”

Mr. Hawes was married (first) at Waltham to Polly Dean, who died there. She was the mother of two children, both of whom died young. On July 21, 1828, he married (second) Patience Borden Cook, a native of Tiverton, R. I., who survived him, dying Jan. 11, 1867. To this union were born ten children, four of whom died in infancy, those who reached maturity being

1. James M.
2. William M.
3. Jane E. (who died unmarried)
4. George H.
5. Elizabeth S. (who died unmarried)
6. Oliver P.

Of these, James M. Hawes resided the greater part of his life at Delaware, Ohio, where he was engaged in the jute manufacturing business, but his later years were spent at Fall River, where he died. He married Matilda H. Haven, and they had two daughters, Mary K. (who married Edward L. Anthony) and Elizabeth S. (who is librarian of the children’s department of the Fall River public library). Another of the sons, Oliver F. Hawes, died in Brooklyn, N. Y., which city had been his home for a number of years; he married Fannie Earl, but they left no children.

William M. Hawes, son of Oliver Snow, was born in Fall River March 1, 1833, and spent his entire life in his native place. After attending the public schools he entered, early in his teens, the machine shop of Hawes, Marvel & Davol, where he learned the trade of machinist, remaining in that establishment until 1857. At that time he began the manufacture of machinery on his own account, as a member of the firm of William M. Hawes & Co., which a few years later became the Hawes Machine Company. In time he became engaged in the machinery brokerage business, buying and selling all kinds of machinery, and so continued to the end of his active life, disposing of his interests in this line in August, 1892, when he retired.

Not content with being merely a successful business man, Mr. Hawes took an interest in various other matters, serving his city as member of the common council in 1861-63 and in 1880-81, and being president of that body in 1880; he was also at one time a member of the board of water commissioners. In political sentiment he was originally a Whig, later becoming a Republican. From the time of his boyhood he was a member of the First Congregational Church and took an active interest in its affairs. He served as superintendent of the Sunday school for many years. He was one of the founders and first officers of the local Y. M. C. A. and of the Children’s Friend Society, which latter was eventually consolidated with the Orphan’s Home, the entire interests of both organizations being new included in the Children’s Home. His support of all these institutions and similar enterprises was constant and liberal. Nothing could better illustrate his sense of responsibility toward his fellows than his generosity to all worthy benevolent projects and his interest in their promotion. He died Feb. 16, 1898, and was buried in Oak Grove cemetery.

On May 5, 1858, Mr. Hawes married in Forth Berwick, Maine, Louisa Buffum, who was born there Feb. 6, 1838, daughter of Cyrus and Lydia (Estes) Buffum, the father born in North Berwick, Maine, the mother in Sandwich, N. H. They were members of the Society of Friends. This branch of the Buffum family has been resident in North Berwick for six generations, and the house in which Mrs. Hawes was born is yet standing, though built in 1764, by her great-grandfather. Six children were born to William M. and Louisa (Buffum) Hawes:

1. Oliver Snow, born May 17, 1860, is mentioned below
2. William Buffum, born Nov. 20, 1862, is a member of the firm of Oliver S. Hawes & Bro. (he is unmarried)
3. Jennie, born March 5, 1868, died Nov. 23, 1879
4. Edward, born Aug. 27, 1869, died Aug. 29, 1869
5. Louise Buffum, born May 21, 1871, is the wife of Willard H. Poole, of Fall River, and has two children
   1. Phebe (born March 23, 1899)
   2. Hulda (born July 13, 1904)
6. Edith Kingsley, born Sept. 5, 1882, is the wife of Harold R. Barker, of Fall River

Oliver Snow Hawes, son of William M., was born May 17, 1860, in Fall River, and there received his education in the public schools. After leaving school he entered the employ of the Clyde Steamship Company as a clerk, remaining with that concern for three years. He then became connected with the Edison Company as a local contractor in electrical work, at which he continued to engage until September, 1885, when he established his present business, that of cotton broker. He was alone in this line until 1888, since when his brother, William B. Hawes, has been in partnership with him, and since when the name has been O. S. Hawes & Bro. Mr. O. S. Hawes is president of the American Linen Company, a director of the King Philip Mills, Troy Cotton & Woolen Manufactory, Fall River National Bank, a member of the board of investment of the Five Cents Savings Bank, and a director of the Fall River Electric Light Company.

On Nov. 18, 1886, Mr. Hawes was married in Fall River to Mary E. Tripp, who was born Sept. 27, 1861, daughter of the late Azariah S. Tripp, of Fall River, and they have had four children, born as follows:

1. Richard Kingsley, July 21, 1888
2. Lincoln Tripp, March 18, 1895
3. Oliver Snow, Jr.,
4. Philip Tripp, twins, July 4, 1897

The eldest son graduated from Yale in 1910, and is now attending Harvard Law School.

George H. Hawes, son of Oliver S. and Patience Borden (Cook) Hawes, was born Sept. 16, 1840, in Fall River, and received his schooling in his native city. During his young manhood he was for a time in the employ of the Adams Express Company as clerk and was for a while located at Providence, R. I. Later he became an express messenger and still later agent for the company, was stationed at Chattanooga and Nashville, in Tennessee, and was serving in the latter capacity at Washington, D. C, during the Civil war. After the war he returned to Fall River, where he established a nut and bolt business, which he continued, however, only a few years. In 1869 he entered the line of business in which he gained such marked success, that of a cotton cloth broker, and carried it on during the remainder of his active life. He was in poor health for a number of years, however, before his death, this fact necessitating his retirement from the more trying part of the business before his inclinations would have led him to relinquish it. After his death the present firm of George H. Hawes & Co. was formed, succeeding to his business. Mr. Hawes was a man who did business on a scientific basis and proved the value of his methods by their success. He had few equals as a student of trade conditions and market tendencies, and with the knowledge of such matters combined rare qualities as a judge of human nature which seldom failed him in estimating people or situations. His words carried authority, and his opinion had great weight among those acquainted with him and with the business. He was a director of the Narragansett and the Stevens Mills, and was one of the organizers and ,for many years a director of the Barnaby Mills. In May, 1898, he was elected vice president of the Metacomet National Bank, succeeding Col. Thomas J. Borden, and continued to hold that office until his death, which occurred Dec. 6, 1902.

Mr. Hawes was a strong Republican in political faith, and though he would never accept public honors and took no part in public affairs as an office holder, he exerted a great influence in both the party and in the local government. In municipal matters he was not a partisan worker, but was ever on the side of good government, regardless of the party which supported the best ideas. He was always a liberal and sympathetic supporter of charitable objects, giving freely of his large means for the aid of those less fortunate than himself in material affairs. He was a member and generous supporter of the first Baptist Church, was a Knight Templar Mason and a member of the Quequechan Club, being a charter member of the latter organization. With all these interests he had a wide acquaintance, and was universally esteemed.

Mr. Hawes was married (first) in 1865 to Harriet M., daughter of Josiah and Harriot W. (Morse) Brown, of Fall River. She died July 2, 1874, in her thirty-second year, the mother of four children, as follows:

1. Harriet B., now the wife of Foster S. Mathewson, of Fall River
2. Oliver K.
3. George M., of Kansas City, Mo., connected with the Weber Gas and Gasoline Engine Company
4. Mary C, of Fall River

On Sept. 19, 1877, Mr. Hawes was married (second) in Fall River to Ella M. Tuell, a native of West Sumner, Maine, daughter of Charles Y. Tuell. To this union was born one son, Charles T., a graduate of Harvard and now engaged in the manufacturing business in Everett, Mass.; he married Juliette Weleh, of Kansas City, Mo., and has one daughter, Barbara.

Oliver K. Hawes, son of George H., was born July 14, 1869, in Fall River. After graduating from the high school of his native city he attended Exeter Academy one year, entered Harvard, and graduated from that university in 1892. On Sept. 1st of the same year he became connected with his father’s business, and during the several years that preceded his father’s death he was closely associated with C. C. Buffington, his father’s partner, in the conduct of the business. As previously stated, the firm of George H. Hawes & Co. was organized after the father’s death. Mr. Oliver K. Hawes has maintained in every respect the high reputation for honor and irreproachable methods that his father established and is proving a worthy successor to the responsibility imposed by his father’s high-minded and intelligent course as well as to the business cares. He is prominent socially, a member of the Quequechan Club and other social organizations in Fall River, and holds membership in the Protestant Episcopal Church of the Ascension. He is a Republican in political opinion.

Mr. Hawes was married in Fall River to Elizabeth H., daughter of Henry C. Hawkins, of Fall River, a well known merchant, and they have had two sons

1. Kingsley
2. Cornelius H.