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

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Biographies:

Lucien Ira Blake, educator, was born at Mansfield, Mass., Sept. 12, 1856. He was graduated at Amherst college in 1877, received the degree of Ph.D. at the University of Berlin in 1883, and during his second year at the university, the first award of the John Tyndall fellowship. Soon after his return to America, he was appointed assistant in mathematics in the Adelphi academy, Brooklyn, N.Y., and was afterwards made full professor of physics and electrical engineering at the Rose Polytechnic, Terre Haute, Ind. In 1887 he resigned to accept the professorship of physics and electrical engineering at the State university of Kansas. In 1892-'93 he delivered courses of lectures upon electricity and its modern applications before university extension classes in Kansas city, Mo.; Topeka, Kan.; and Wichita, Kan. In 1894 he was appointed constructing electrical engineer of the U.S. light-house board, and invented a system of telephonic communication without wires for light-ships, which was applied under his personal direction to the Scotland light-ship off Sandy Hook, N.Y., and operated by the lighthouse department. His publications include: "Uber die electrische Neutralit?t des von ruhigen electrisirten Flussigkeitsfl?chen aufsteigenden Dampres," "Wiedermann's Annalen der Physik und Chemie" (Band 19) 1883, and, in American scientific journals, articles on the "Production of Electricity by Evaporation," "The Evaporative Power of Kansas Coals," the "Method of Telegraphic Communication Between Ships," "The Theory of the Artificial Production of Rain" in 1891, and "The Effect of the Electrical Current Upon Friction Between Metallic Surfaces."

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

William Reed Deane, antiquarian, was born in Mansfield, Mass., Aug. 21, 1809; son of Jacob and Mehitable (Reed) Deane; and a descendant in the seventh generation from John and Alice Deane. John Deane, with his brother Walter, emigrated from near Taunton, England, located in Dorchester, Mass., in 1637, and settled at Cohasset (Taunton), Mass., about 1638. William attended Lexington academy for a short time and in 1823 entered the employ of his uncle, the Rev. David Reed, proprietor of the Christian Register of Boston. After a few years he entered mercantile life and in 1833 became a member of a large cloth firm. He was successful in business and devoted much of his time to writing for periodical literature and to historical and genealogical research. He became a member of the New England historic, genealogical society in 1845. He was married in 1884 to Abby, daughter of the Rev. Simon Doggett of Raynham, Mass. He published: Memoir of John and Walter Deane, and of the Early Generations of Their Descendants (1849); A Genealogical Memoir of the Leonard Family (1851); Biographical Sketch of Elkanah Watson, with a Brief Genealogy of the Watson Family (1864); and In Memoriam, Jared Sparks, LL.D. (1866). See Biographical Sketch of William Reed Deane by John Ward Dean (1888). He died at Mansfield, Mass., June 16, 1871.

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

Asa Clapp, merchant, was born in Mansfield, Mass., March 15, 1762; son of Abiel Clapp; grandson of Samuel and Bethiah (Dean) Clapp; great-grandson of Thomas and Mary (Fisher) Clapp; and great-great grandson of Thomas and Abigail Clap. When very young he volunteered to act as substitute for one who had been drafted for the expedition for the expulsion of the British army from Rhode Island, was appointed a non-commissioned officer and remained in the service until honorably discharged. He then proceeded to Boston, shipped on a vessel, and soon obtained command. He passed several years at sea, and in 1793 was captured and held in England for six months, when he was released and indemnified for his loss. He was married to Eliza Wendall, daughter of Dr. Jacob Quincy of Boston, and in 1798 became a merchant in Portland, where he accumulated a large fortune in foreign and domestic trade. In 1807 when congress laid an embargo on the shipping in the United States he firmly supported the government although it was greatly to his financial disadvantage. He was chosen a member of the Massachusetts council in 1811. In 1812 when an embargo was again laid, and a few months later war was declared, Mr. Clapp again gave the government his support, and voluntarily subscribed nearly one-half of the whole amount of his property to the loan to sustain the national credit. In 1816 he was appointed by President Madison one of the commissioners to obtain subscriptions to the capital stock of the Bank of the United States, to which corporation he was the largest subscriber in Maine. He was elected a delegate to the convention held in 1819 for the purpose of forming the Maine constitution. He was repeatedly chosen a representative in the state legislature. He died in Portland, Me., April 17, 1848.

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