Pittsfield Massachusetts

Grinnell Family of New Bedford, MA

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Since the early settlement of Newport and Portsmouth, R. I., shortly after 1638, the Grinnells have been identified with Rhode Island and Massachusetts history, the earlier generations living largely in the towns of Newport county, R. I., and for the past hundred and more years branches of this southern Rhode Island family have been representative of the best citizenship in the old Massachusetts town of New Bedford. At New Bedford lived Capt. Cornelius Grinnell, a patriot of the Revolution, and long engaged in the merchant service, who married into the old historic Howland family, and one of whose sons, Joseph Grinnell, for almost a decade represented the New Bedford district in the United States Congress, and was long prominent as a merchant and manufacturer and banker of the town; and there lived the late Lawrence Grinnell, father of the late Frederick Grinnell, who so long was at the head of the Providence Steam and Gas Pipe Company and the General Eire Extinguisher Company, a man of genius in mechanical lines, whose inventions gave him distinction, and one of whose sons, Russell Grinnell, is at this time vice president of the General Fire Extinguisher Company. It is with this New Bedford branch of the Grinnell family this article deals.

Biography of John William Kenney, D.D.S.

JOHN WILLIAM KENNEY, D. D. S. – The profession of dentistry has a thorough and capable exponent at Northampton in Dr. Kenney who with his present-day methods and valued experience is accounted one of the foremost men in his line in this part of the State, where he has been in successful practice since 1902. He has the highest regard of the public in their appreciation of his skill, as well as of dental offices and laboratory that are unrivaled in the excellence of their equipment. Four generations of this branch of the family have now resided in Massachusetts, his … Read more

Biography of Lawrence F. Lyons

LAWRENCE F. LYONS, a member of an old New England family, gifted in his chosen profession of the law, interested in various lines of fraternal and organized advance, and a veteran of the World War, is a thoroughly representative figure in the progress of the day. With interests centering in Pittsfield, he is gaining an enviable reputation in Western Massachusetts, and his friends consider his future one of great promise. Mr. Lyons is a son of Thomas and Mary (McCarthy) Lyons, and the Lyons family has for many generations been prominent in the Connecticut River Valley in the village of … Read more

Biography of Frank Davis Taylor

FRANK DAVIS TAYLOR – A distinguished figure in Berkshire County in the clothing trade is Frank Davis Taylor, who has for many years been at the head of the firm of H. S. Taylor & Sons, which was founded by his honored father. In various community and general interests Mr. Taylor also bears a worthy and constructive part, and he is numbered among the broadly useful citizens of Pittsfield, his name also bearing distinct significance to present-day progress throughout Berkshire County. Mr. Taylor is a son of Henry Seeley (see preceding biography) and Fannie M. (Davis) Taylor, esteemed residents of … Read more

Electa Todd Carley of Pittsfield MA

CARLEY, Electa Todd7, (Justus6, Asa5, Gershom4, Gershom3, Michael2, Christopher1) born Nov. 9, 1812, married about 1833, Samuel Carley. They lived many years in and near Pittsfield, Mass. Children: I. Samuel. II. Eugene.

Biography of Frank J. Conlin, D.D.S.

FRANK J. CONLIN, D. D. S. – A leading figure in the progress of dental science in Western Massachusetts is Frank J. Conlin, whose excellent preparation and practical experience have carried him to high rank in his chosen field of professional effort. Dr. Conlin gives constructive work to every phase of his advance, and his usefulness is well appraised in the fact of his success. He has done much to encourage dental hygiene among the people, and his present wide practice includes many of the foremost citizens of Pittsfield and vicinity. He is a son of Edward F. and Mary … Read more

Biography of Mann, Stillman

Mann, Stillman proprietor of the Russell House. Mr. Mann erected the stone part of his hotel in the summer of 1877; it is 25×48 feet, and three stories high. There is also a wooden addition, 26×68 feet. The hotel cost $7,000. Capacity is about seventy-five guests. He first came to Russell in April 1871, with the Northwestern Colony from Eastern Wisconsin; at that time there was only a section house in the place. He, in company with H. W. Tusten, built a small shanty, and both families lived in that until other arrangements could be made. Mrs. Mann first began … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Frank Ray Walker

Walker, Frank Ray; architect; born, Pittsfield, Mass., Sept. 29, 1877; son of Frank and Helen Theresa Rauous Walker; educated, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; post graduate work in design; pursued study of architecture in France and Italy, 1903-1904; Walker & Weeks, architects; member Cleveland Engineering Society, Chamber of Commerce, Cleveland Chapter, American Institute, M. I. T., Alumni Ass ‘n, Northern Ohio; member Hermit, Athletic, M. I. T. Clubs, New York City; East End Tennis Club, Cleveland Y. M. C. A.

Biography of Jacob Newton Butler, M.D.

Jacob Newton Butler, M.D., of Lempster, N.H., one of the best known physicians in this part of Sullivan County, was born in Lyndeboro, Hillsborough County, this State, February 6, 1821, son of Jacob and Sarah (Blanchard) Butler. His great-grandfather, William Butler, came, it is said, from England, and settled in Essex County, Massachusetts. He married, so we are informed, Sarah Perkins, and had seven children, three sons and four daughters. The three sons enlisted in the War for Independence, and one never came back. One was taken prisoner and carried to Halifax, N.S., where he died of small-pox. The other … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Dennis J. Killeen

DENNIS J. KILLEEN – Dentistry has now for a long time been recognized as a scientific profession which requires for its skillful and legitimate practice, prolonged and thorough theoretical studies, which to a very large extent coincide with the medical curriculum, followed by a period of practical training in dental clinics under the eyes of professors and teachers. Fortunately nearly all of the States of our Union have now enacted laws insisting on and protecting the rights and interests of a profession, which while of overwhelming importance to the public health and working efficiency of the individual citizen, is still … Read more

Biography of Robert W. Adam

ROBERT W. ADAM – No name in Western Massachusetts represents more faithful service to the people or more honorable activities in a position of large trust than does that of the late Robert W. Adam, of Pittsfield, who served as treasurer of the Berkshire County Savings Bank for a period of forty-six years. This man of brilliant mentality and devoted spirit was one of the most accessible men of his time, always meeting rich or poor alike with the cordiality of the true brother of mankind, while at the same time his courtly manner and distinguished presence marked him as … Read more

Biography of Frederic H. Rhodes

FREDERIC H. RHODES – From junior clerk to president of a large insurance concern, and owing his promotion to nothing else but inherent capacity and gifts of an exceptionally high kind coupled with energy, perseverance and tenacity in following a certain guiding line, such is in brief the career of Frederic H. Rhodes, president of the Berkshire Life Insurance Company of No. 7 North Street, Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Frederic H. Rhodes is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he was born July 14, 1878, a son of Robert M. and Mary S. (Witherspoon) Rhodes. He received his education in the public … Read more

Biography of Hugh Beverly Roney

HUGH BEVERLY RONEY, M. D., a progressive and successful physician of Pittsfield, whose preparations for his profession were made in leading educational institutions and whose success well appraises his ability, is interested in local and general progress, and in his profession he has attained an enviable position. He is a son of Gifford and Victoria (Lott) Roney, the father now deceased, the mother a resident of Pittsfield. Hugh Beverly Roney was born at Colborne, Canada, January 20, 1886. He received his early education in the public schools of his birthplace and spent two years in the high schools of Newburgh, … Read more

Biography of Henry Seeley Taylor

HENRY SEELEY TAYLOR – Thirty-three years have passed since the death of Henry Seeley Taylor caused universal sorrow in the city of Pittsfield, yet many residents of the present day recall his fine face and distinguished figure, both in the clothing store of which he was long the head, and in his activities as a leading member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. As a business man Mr. Taylor was above reproach, his kindly courtesy and considerate interest in his customers having been only the outgrowth and evidence of an integrity which governed every act of his life. Friend of all, … Read more

Biography of John Leo McLaughlin

JOHN LEO McLAUGHLIN – There is a man in Pittsfield who is the living exponent of the principle put into practical use in that city, to wit: That a cooperative coal yard can be run successfully over a course of years, secure good coal for its customers, pay dividends to its shareholders and a patronage refund to its consumers, and at the same time disabuse the general public’s mind of the idea that such a scheme of business cannot be made to pay. The man who has demonstrated the above salient facts is John Leo McLaughlin, manager of the Pittsfield … Read more

Biographical Sketch of P. H. Monahan

P. H. Monahan, the father of the broom corn interests of Arcola and a highly esteemed citizen of that place, was born in County Galway, Ireland, February 19, 1837. His parents were John and Mary (Shiel) Monahan, natives of the same County. At the age of thirteen years young Monahan emigrated from his native land to America and settled in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Later he came west and located in Arcola, which at that time was a mere hamlet. Here Mr. Monahan was married to Hannah Quirk, who was a native of Douglas County and a sister of the late John … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Dr. R. F. Burgess

Dr. R. F. Burgess of Santa Ana, was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, in 1834, and when he was quite young the family removed to New York State, and three years afterward to Michigan, locating in Washtenaw County, where they remained about twelve years. The father died in Montcalm County, that State, when the subject of this sketch was seventeen years of age, and the latter therefore had to look after the welfare of the family. He served three years in Company A, Twenty-first Michigan Infantry, during the last war, going out as a wagoner and having charge of an ordnance … Read more

Biography of Charles H. Bump

President and secretary of W. J. Foss & Company of Springfield; treasurer of Foss & Bump, Incorporated; and president of the Mortgage and Investment Company, was born in Hudson, Columbia County, New York, June 11, 1881. His father was Charles Henry Bump, Sr., his mother Mary Augusta (Shattuck) Bump. The name is derived from Boneloz of Normandy, a fief held from the Earl of Melleut, and the family Bompas, as the name came to be known in England. It has for centuries been conspicuously and widely in the legal annals of the country, and honorably mentioned in public affairs. It … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Dr. Edward Horatio Foster

Dr. Edward Horatio Foster, formerly a well-known medical practitioner of Concord, was born October 13, 1839, in Canterbury, N.H., son of David M. and Sarah (Bradley) Foster. He is a direct descendant of Reginald Foster, who settled in Ipswich, Mass., in 1635. His grandfather, Asa Foster, served in the French and Indian War, and under General Pepperell was at the capture of Louisburg. During the Revolutionary War Asa was one of General Arnold’s body-guard at the time of the General’s desertion. When he died in Canterbury in 1862, he was ninety-six years old. His son, David M. Foster, a native … Read more

Biography of Charles Wesley Noble

CHARLES WESLEY NOBLE was born at Pittsfield, Massachusetts, October 31, 1874, son of J. Wesley Noble who died May 31, 1917, and who was president of the firm of Noble, Milne Company, Incorporated. He attended the public schools of his native place and then became an apprentice in the craft of plumbing and heating, and is treasurer of the firm founded by his father, who was a Civil War veteran. Mr. Noble is fraternally associated with the Mystic Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; the Sons of Veterans; and the Park Club. Charles W. Noble married Ada Frances Moulton. They are … Read more