1899 Directory for Middleboro and Lakeville Massachusetts

1899 Middleboro and Lakeville Massachusetts Directory Cover

Resident and business directory of Middleboro’ and Lakeville, Massachusetts, for 1899. Containing a complete resident, street and business directory, town officers, schools, societies, churches, post offices, notable events in American history, etc. Compiled and published by A. E. Foss & Co., Needham, Massachusetts. The following is an example of what you will find within the images of the directory: Sheedy John, laborer, bds. J. G. Norris’, 35 West Sheehan John B., grocery and variety store, 38 West, h. do. Sheehan Lizzie O., bds. T. B. Sheehan’s, 16 East Main Sheehan Lucy G. B., bds. T. B. Sheehan’s, 16 East Main … Read more

Ancestry of the Mortons of East Freetown, Bristol County, Massachusetts

James Madison Morton

The Mortons of East Freetown, Bristol Co., Mass., formerly quite numerous in that vicinity, but not now represented by many of the name, are the posterity of Maj. Nathaniel Morton and descendants of the eminent George Morton.

George Morton, born about 1585, at Austerfield, Yorkshire, England, came to New England in the ship “Ann” in 1623. He had married in Leyden, in 1612, Juliana Carpenter, daughter of Alexander Carpenter, of Wrentham, England. He is said to have served the Pilgrims in important relations before coming to this country, and published in England in 1621 the first history of the Colony, which was entitled “A Relation or Journal of the Beginning and Proceedings of the English Plantation settled at Plymouth in New England.” It is commonly known as “Mourt’s Relation.” He died in 1624.

The Wilson Family, Somerset and Barter Hill Branch

The Wilson family, Somerset and Barter Hill branch

In the preparation of “The Wilson family, Somerset and Barter Hill branch” I have discovered two lists of the names of the sons and daughters of Col. Ben and Ann Seay Wilson of “Somerset” in Cumberland County, Virginia, in addition to the list found in my father’s notes. None of these was arranged in the same chronological order. It was my good fortune in 1915 to find the Bible, claimed to be the Bible of Col. Ben and Ann Seay Wilson of “Somerset” in Cumberland County, Virginia. At that time this was in the hands of Miss Clementine Reid Wilson, Col. Ben’s great-granddaughter, and it was my privilege to copy, with the aid of a reading glass, for the ink was badly faded, the names of their children from that Bible in the same chronological order in which they were recorded. This chronological order, and military records found, support each other. I therefore believe that this sketch contains the most accurate chronological list of Col. Ben’s and Ann Seay Wilson’s children to be found outside of his Bible.

Biography of F. F. Finney

F. F. Finney, a native son of Oklahoma and a member of one of the pioneer families of the state, is a progressive, energetic and successful young business man and is now serving as superintendent of the gas department of the Indian Territory Illuminating Gas Company, his services being of great value to the corporation. He was born at the Kaw agency in June, 1884, and is a son of T. M. and Abbie (Florer) Finney, the former a native of Martinsburg, Ohio, while the latter was born in Ripley, that state. The father was born on the 13th of … Read more

Descendants of Charles Howard, North Bridgewater, MA

Charles Howard

CHARLES HOWARD, founder and president of the Howard & Poster Company, one of the largest and best known shoe manufacturing concerns in this Commonwealth, and an original promoter of the Brockton Agricultural Society, of which he is also president, is one of the foremost business men and citizens of Brockton, Plymouth Co., Mass., for over forty years continuously and prominently identified with the industrial and financial growth of that city. Mr. Howard was born Jan. 9, 1837, in North Bridgewater, now Brockton, eldest son of the late Charles and Lavina (Rounds) Howard, and a descendant of several of New England’s … Read more

Biography of Charles C. Finney M. D.

Charles C. Finney, M. D. A native of Atchison and a representative of a pioneer family in that city, Dr. Charles Finney had his introduction to the profession of medicine during an erperience of eight years while he was in the hospital department of the Missouri Pacific Railway under Dr. D. J. Holland. He realized the possibilities of a professional career, was encouraged by his friends to make use of his talents in that direction, and soon entered the Beaumont Medical College at St. Louis, Missouri, where he was gradusted M. D. on March 14, 1894. Since his graduation in … Read more

A History of Swan’s Island, Maine

History of Swan's Island

Upon the very threshold of this historical sketch we find ourselves quite destitute of early public records for Swan’s Island. For over half a century from the settlement of this island until its organization as a plantation no municipal records were kept. But we are fortunate that H. W. Small saw purpose in bringing to light many private family records, old deeds showing what lots were occupied by the pioneer settlers; and written mutual agreements, which seem to have been often the result of arbitration on any disputed point where different claims to land conflicted with one another.

Ancestors of Nelson Sherman of Carver and Brockton, Massachusetts

Nelson Sherman

Nelson Sherman, who was for many years extensively engaged in agricultural pursuits in the town of Carver, Mass., and is now making his home in the city of Brockton, is regarded as one of the substantial men of Plymouth county. He is a descendant of several of this Commonwealth’s earliest settled and most prominent families, and was born March 14, 1841, in North Carver, son of Henry and Christinai (Crocker) Sherman.

Orange County, Virginia, will book I, 1735-1743

Orange County, Virginia, will book I, 1735-1743

In the heart of Virginia, amidst the rolling hills and rich history, lies Orange County. Established in 1734, this vast expanse of land, originally stretching from the Rappahannock River to the Blue Ridge and further west to encompass what would become West Virginia and Kentucky, has been a witness to the early stories of America. “Orange County, Virginia, Will Book I, 1735-1743,” meticulously compiled by John Frederick Dorman and published in Washington, D.C., in 1958, serves as a crucial link to this foundational past.

A History of Newburgh Lodge No. 174, F. & A.M.

Old Masonic Lodge, Newburgh

A History of Newburgh Lodge No. 174, F. & A.M. provides a historical account of the lodge, detailing its founding in Newburgh, Indiana, in 1854. It traces the origins to an inaugural meeting under a dispensation with key figures like Draper Chipman and Azel Freeman leading the lodge. The narrative connects local events such as the burial of Mason John W. Palmer in 1851, hinting at an earlier Masonic presence in Newburgh. The chapter also paints a vivid picture of Newburgh in the 1850s as a bustling river port with significant economic activity and cultural vibrancy, suggesting these factors contributed to the establishment of the Masonic lodge. I have provided you an index to the genealogical information found in the section on “Our First One Hundred Years” 1855-1955.