Lucius Reed, of Abington, Mass., was a descendant of (I) William Reade, who came to this country in the vessel “Assurance de Lo” in 1635, fifteen years after the arrival of the “Mayflower,” and settled in Weymouth, Mass. The line is through his son
(II) William Reed, who married Esther Thompson, of Middleboro, whose mother was Mary Cooke, daughter of Francis Cooke, who landed in 1620, from the “Mayflower.”
Lucius Reed, of Abington, Mass., was the son of Joel and Ruth (Gurney) Reed, tracing his line from
- William (2) and Alice (Nash) Reed
- Obadiah and Mary (Nash) Reed
- Lieut. Obadiah and Elizabeth (Shaw) Reed
- Joel and Ruth (Gurney) Reed
Lieut. Obadiah Reed “with unfailing loyalty, rendered material aid to the cause of American Independence as Lieutenant during the Revolutionary war.” He married (first) Content Lincoln, and (second) Elizabeth Shaw.
Joel Reed, father of Lucius, although fitted for college under the tuition of the Rev. J. Ward, spent most of his life as a farmer in Abington, his native town, where he reared his family. At his funeral his pastor paid a high tribute to him as a “man of fine education and of rare mental ability.” He married Ruth Gurney, who was also a native of Abington, one of a highly esteemed New England family.
Lucius Reed, son of Joel and Ruth, was born Sept. 25, 1808. He was a man of sterling integrity and, as once written of him,
He loved the right – the faced the wrong
Whenever in the way.
In early life he was a carpenter, having learned the trade in the days when all the finer parts of a house were finished by hand, and learned to build strong and well. He was for a while a shoemaker, but spent much of his time farming and was the owner of a large farm in Abington. He was extremely fond of good books and good reading and very watchful that none but the best should be allowed in his home for the use of his family. He died March 16, 1887, at his home on Washington street, Abington, at the age of seventy-eight years, at which time he had been for more than fifty years a member of the First Congregational Church of Abington, which he joined in April, 1836.
On Nov. 24, 1831, Mr. Reed married Lydia Shaw, and they had a family of five children, born as follows:
- Helen Maria, Feb. 3, 1833
- Lydia Frances, Nov. 20, 1836
- Lucretia Adelaide, May 24, 1843
- Lucius Alston, Feb. 6, 1847
- Florence Lauretta, Dec. 21, 1849
Mrs. Lydia (Shaw) Reed, wife of Lucius Reed, was born Nov. 12, 1813, and was the only daughter (among seven children) of Jared and Lydia (Whiting) Shaw, of East Abington. Her grandfather, Lieut. Elijah Shaw, served in the French war, was lieutenant through the Revolution, and was with Washington at Cambridge, Saratoga and Crown Point. “She was a woman of tireless activity and energy of temperament, possessing a determined though quiet will, and a disposition of constant cheerfulness and hope.” She died Dec. 1, 1899, at the age of eighty-six years. It was written of her: “Her religion was in and of her life, evangelical and Christian; it could easily be observed in the life she lived, the lessons she taught, the principles she loved, and the enduring faith she possessed.”
Helen Maria, daughter of Lucius and Lydia Reed, was educated in the public schools of Abington, Mass., and Union Academy, Abington. She was married Dec. 9, 1852, to George Augustus Beal, and they had one son, Herbert Augustus, born Oct. 31, 1853. She died Jan. 30, 1861. Mrs. Beal was a member of the First Congregational Church of Abington.
Lydia Frances, daughter of Lucius and Lydia Reed, was educated in the public schools of Abington, Mass., and was for many years a most faithful and efficient teacher in the schools of her native town. She was a member of the First Congregational Church, Abington, Mass. She died Sept. 29, 1872.
Lucretia Adelaide, daughter of Lucius and Lydia Reed, was educated in the public schools of Abington, Mass. She was married Dec. 27, 1863, to George Augustus Beal, and they had two sons:
- George Clifton, born Oct. 10, 1866
- Charles Alston, born May 16, 1871
She died Feb. 2, 1885. She was a devoted wife and mother, a leader in all the good work which came to her hand, and was deeply mourned by’ the community in which she lived.
Florence Lauretta, daughter of Lucius and Lydia Reed, graduated from the Centre Abington high school, in November, 1866. She was the first one to graduate from that school after the present system of awarding diplomas in public was adopted. She was enrolled as a member of – “The Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle” Dec. 20, 1878, class of 1882. Miss Reed was engaged in teaching for twelve years, most of the time in the schools of Abington, her native town, and was for some time librarian of the Abington public library. She was married Sept. 4, 1886, to George Augustus Beal, treasurer of the Abington Savings Bank. Mrs. Beal was for many years assistant in the Abington Savings Bank, and at the time of her husband’s death, which occurred March 17, 1909, was assistant treasurer of that institution.
Mrs. Beal is a member of the First Congregational Church, Abington, and is an active worker in the temperance cause, a member of the local “Woman’s Christian Temperance Union,” and of the Woman’s Belief Corps, auxiliary to the G. A. E. She served for some time as chairman, of the programme committee of Deborah Sampson Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, of Brockton, of which chapter she was chaplain for several years; she became a member of that body in 1902. She is at present one of the Education committee of the Abington Woman’s Club.
L. Alston Reed, son of Lucius and Lydia (Shaw) Reed, was born in Abington, Mass., Feb. 6, 1847. His school training was obtained in the public schools of Abington. In early life he gave his attention to architecture and was in the office of William G. Preston, Boston. He was afterward bookkeeper in the wholesale and retail establishment of Horace Partridge & Co., Boston, and for several years was bookkeeper for the late Maj. E. P. Reed, who carried on an extensive lumber business in Abington. At the time of his death, which occurred Aug. 12, 1903, he was bookkeeper for the E. P. Reed Lumber Company. In that capacity he came in contact with a large number of people. It was written of him:
“He was one of the best bookkeepers in this part of the State. He was also well known to those who attended town meetings, having ideas of his own and not being afraid to express them.
“Mr. Reed has been identified with the public affairs of the town since a young man. Intensely interested in town affairs, he studied all questions to be acted upon by the voters and at each town meeting he was there to advocate the side he had decided was the right one. * * * He was a great reader, a thorough student and a deep thinker; one who was not only ready to stand for what he believed to be right, but, also, if need be, to rebuke the wrong.”
Mr. Reed was a member of the First Congregational Church of Abington, and the funeral was held at his home on Washington street, Abington. Rev. E. W. Haskins, of Reading, Mass., a friend and former pastor, paid a high tribute to the life and character of the deceased. Mrs. L. D. Keene, of Whitman, assisted in the services with solos beautifully rendered. The floral tributes were many and beautiful. The interment was in the family lot at Mount Vernon cemetery.
On June 7, 1877, Mr. Reed married Emma Lincoln Reynolds, and they had two children:
- Carl Burton, born Aug. 12, 1878
- Mabel Lincoln, born Oct. 20, 1880
Carl Burton Reed, son of L. Alston and Emma L. (Reynolds) Reed, was born in Abington, Mass., Aug. 12, 1878. He graduated from the Abington high school in June, 1895. The subject which the principal of the school had given him to present at the graduation exercises, which were held in Franklin hall, was “The Relation of the High School Graduate to his Town.” The address was highly commended and eagerly sought for publication, to which, however, he would not consent. The Press said of him: “If he shall hold up and out as he has begun, our free institutions will in future years have in him a champion worthy of the fathers who founded them.” He was examined for admission to Harvard College and passed unconditionally with honors in Greek. Although he had gained admission to Harvard he concluded to enter Boston University instead, entering the latter the following September. He had been there but a short time when he was awarded a scholarship. He pursued his studies with much interest for nearly a year, when he was taken quite suddenly with an illness from which he never quite recovered, although he rallied and was much better for a time. He died July 24, 1897. He was a member of the First Congregational Church, Abington, of which church he became a member when only twelve years of age.
Mabel Lincoln Reed, daughter of L. Alston and Emma L. (Reynolds) Reed, was born in Abington, Mass., Oct. 20, 1880. She graduated from the Abington high school in June, 1897, and is also a graduate of the State normal school, at Bridgewater. She is a member of the First Congregational Church of Abington.
