History of Easton, (Bristol County) Massachusetts United States of America

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Biographies:

Frederick Lothrop Ames, capitalist, was born in Easton, Mass., June 8, 1835, the only son of Oliver and Sarah (Lothrop) Ames, his mother being a sister of George Van Ness Lothrop, United States minister to Russia. Frederick prepared for college at Phillips Exeter academy, and was graduated from Harvard university in 1854. He became a member of the firm of Oliver Ames & Sons in 1863, and its treasurer in 1876, but he had already engaged in extensive enterprises on his own account, especially in railroads; and he became one of the ablest advisers and directors in such enterprises, finally holding directorships in about threescore railroad companies. His business energies extended to many other fields, making him president of two banks and director in leading telegraph, trust and other companies. He was courteous and dignified, a man conversant with, and interested in the great questions of the day, with decided literary and artistic tastes. He was devoted to the welfare of Harvard university, giving large sums of money to the Arnold arboretum and the botanical department, serving as fellow and trustee of the university, and as a loyal son was devising liberal things for her benefit, the fulfilment of which only his death prevented. He was interested in horticulture, owned extensive green-houses at North Easton, and his collection of orchids was unsurpassed in variety, value and condition. His interest in architecture exercised a marked influence on the public and private buildings in Boston. At North Easton he directed the erection of the Ames free library building, built at his own expense; the railroad station, and his gate lodge, of moss-covered, irregular-shaped stones, all three being Richardson's designs. He was a liberal patron of fine arts, and possessed superb collections of paintings, tapestries, jades and crystals. In politics Mr. Ames was a Republican. He was once elected to the state senate, but cherishing no political aspirations his tastes disinclined him to accept any further office. His charities were large, and he not only gave freely of his money, but of his time and influence. He was president of the home for incurables, a trustee of the children's hospital, of the Massachusetts general hospital, and of the McLean insane asylum, and was constant and faithful in performing his duties to those institutions. His death occurred Sept. 13, 1893.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Henry James Clark, naturalist, was born at Easton, Mass., June 22, 1826. He was graduated at the University of the city of New York in 1848 and began to study under Prof. Asa Gray at the Cambridge botanical gardens in 1850, at the same time teaching at the Westfield, Mass., academy. He was graduated from the Lawrence scientific school at Harvard in 1854, and from 1854 to 1863 was private assistant to Professor Agassiz, whom he aided in the preparation of the portions of his "Contributions to the Natural History of the United States," relating to anatomy and embryology. Professor Agassiz said of him in 1857: "Clark has become the most accurate observer in the country." He was assistant professor of zoology at the Lawrence scientific school, 1865-66. He delivered in 1864 a course of twelve. lectures entitled, "Mind in Nature," at the Lowell institute. He held the chair of natural sciences at the Agricultural college of Pennsylvania in 1866-69; was professor of natural history at the University of Kentucky, 1869-72; and professor of veterinary science at the Massachusetts agricultural college, 1872-73. He was a member of the National academy of sciences and of other learned societies. Besides valuable contributions to the various scientific periodicals, he published: A Claim for Scientific Property (1863); Mind in Nature, or the Origin of Life, etc. (1863), and The Fundamental Science (1865). For full list of his works and memoir, see Biographical Memoirs of American Academy of Sciences (Vol. I, 1877). He died at Amherst, Mass., July 1, 1873.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

George Van Ness Lothrop, diplomatist, was born in Easton, Mass., Aug. 8, 1817; son of Howard and Sally (Williams) Lothrop, and a descendant of Mark Lothrop, who came from England to Salem, Mass., then to Duxbury, and then to Bridgewater, previous to 1660. He passed his freshman year at Amherst, and was graduated from Brown, A.B., in 1828. He studied at the Harvard Law school for nearly a year, and in 1839, owing to ill health, joined his brother, the Hon. Edwin H. Lothrop, on his farm at Prairie Ronde, Kalamazoo, Mich. In 1843 he resumed the study of law, and was admitted to the Detroit bar in 1844. He practised in Detroit, Mich., 1844-56; was attorney-general of Michigan, 1848-51; recorder of Detroit, 1851; led the Michigan delegation at the Democratic national convention at Charleston, April 23, 1860, and was a member of the state constitutional convention in 1867. He was the unsuccessful Democratic candidate for U.S. senator three times, and for representative in congress twice. He was appointed U.S. minister to Russia by President Cleveland in 1885, and resigned on account of ill health in 1888. He was married May 13, 1847, to Almira, daughter of Gen. Oliver and Anna (Chapin) Strong, of Rochester, N.Y., and of their two daughters, Anne married Baron Bartholdi Hoyningen-Huene, of St. Petersburg. Russia, an officer of the Chevalier Guards, and Helen married the Rev. Dr. William Prall of Detroit, Mich. Mr. Lothrop received the degree of LL.D. from Brown in 1873. He died at Detroit, Mich., July 12, 1897.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Joseph Warren Hayward, physician, was born in Easton, Mass., July 11, 1841; son of George Washington and Sylvia Smith (Pratt) Hayward; grandson of Joseph and Lydia (Barrows) Hayward and a descendant of Thomas Hayward, who came from Aylesford, Kent, England, in 1635. He attended the public schools and the academy at North Middleboro, Mass., and was graduated at the state normal school at Bridgewater, Mass. He taught school for two years in North Bridgewater and Lunenburg, at the same time taking private instruction in the languages. He entered Harvard medical school in 1862, and in March, 1863, enlisted as a medical cadet in the U.S. regular army and served for one year in the Mississippi and Ohio valleys. He returned to Massachusetts in March, 1864, and entered the Medical school of Maine at Brunswick, Maine, where he took his M.D. degree. He returned to the army as assistant surgeon of U.S. volunteers and was ordered to Virginia, where he served with the artillery brigade of the 10th and 24th corps and on the staff of General Ord until the close of the war, being present at the fall of Petersburg and at the surrender of Lee at Appomattox. He was brevetted major after the surrender. He resigned his commission and returned to New York city in November, 1865, where he passed the following winter with Dr. Alexander B. Mott, professor of clinical surgery at Bellevue medical college. He then removed to Taunton, Mass., and was associated with Dr. George Barrows, 1866-72. He was lecturer on fractures and dislocations and gunshot wounds at Boston university school of medicine, 1878-94, when he was made associate professor of surgery at the same college. He was surgeon of the 3d regiment. Massachusetts volunteers, and medical director of the 1st brigade, Massachusetts volunteers, 1874-76. He was pension surgeon, 1877-92; a member of the school committee of Taunton, 1876-98; a trustee of Morton hospital association from its incorporation and one of the consulting and visiting staff of the hospital. In 1897 he became a member of the surgical staff of the St. Botolph hospital, Boston, of which he was a principal founder and owner. He was elected a member of the leading medical societies of his school and profession, serving as president of several. He was married, June 9. 1866, to Lemira Harris, daughter of John R. and Lemira (Daily) Drake.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor