History of Belchertown, (Hampshire County) Massachusetts United States of America

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Biographies:

Addison Gardner Foster, senator, was born in Belchertown, Mass., Jan. 28, 1837; son of Samuel and Mary Worthington (Walker) Foster; grandson of Samuel and Rebecca (Hunt) Foster; and a descendant of Reginald Foster, who landed at Ipswich, Mass., in 1638. In 1850 he removed to Oswego, Ill., with his parents, and later to Minnesota. He taught school, and engaged in grain and real estate business, 1859-75, was county auditor and surveyor at Wabasha, Minn., and invested in timber lands, removing to St. Paul, where he resided 1875-87. While in St. Paul he was interested in the Lehigh coal and iron company and the firm of Griggs & Foster. In 1888 he went to Tacoma as vice-president of the St. Paul & Tacoma lumber company, making his home in Tacoma and engaging extensively in lumber business and development of coal mines and in building railroads. In 1899 he was elected U.S. senator, as successor to John L. Wilson, for the term expiring March 3, 1905.

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

Samuel Stillman Greene, educator, was born in Belchertown, Mass., May 3, 1810; son of Ebenezer and Sybil (Hitchcock) Greene. He was brought up on a farm, paid his college expenses by teaching school, and was graduated from Brown in 1837. He was assistant and principal of the Baptist academy, Worcester, Mass., 1837-40; superintendent of public schools, Springfield, Mass., 1840-42; assistant in the English high school, Boston, Mass., 1842-44; master of the Phillips grammar school, Boston, 1844-49; first agent of the Massachusetts board of education, 1849-51; superintendent of public schools, Providence, R.I., 1851-55; professor of didactics at Brown, 1851-55; of mathematics and civil engineering, 1855-64; of natural philosophy and astronomy, 1864-75; and of mathematics and astronomy, 1875-83. He was president of the Rhode Island institute, of the American institute of instruction, and of the National teachers' association. Brown conferred on him the degree of LL.D. in 1870. He was married: first, in 1839 to Edna Amelia Bartlett of Worcester, Mass., and secondly, in 1854, to Mary Adeline, daughter of Ebenezer Bailey, the author of Bailey's "Algebra" Professor Greene is the author of: Analysis of the English Language (1848); First Lessons in Grammar (1848); Elements of English Grammar (1852); English Grammar (1867); and Introduction to English Grammar (1868). He died in Providence, R.I, Jan. 24, 1883.

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

William Lewis Montague, educator, was born in Belchertown, Mass., April 6, 1831; son of Ephraim and Laura (Sabin) Montague; grandson of Jedediah and Dorcas (Grover) Montague, and of Thomas Sabin, and a descendant of Richard and Abigail (Downing) Montague. Richard Montague was a native of Boveney, parish of Burnham, Buckinghamshire, England, and a brother of Peter, who settled in Virginia in 1621. Richard came to Wells, Maine, about 1640, removed to Boston, in 1646, to Wethersfield, Conn., in 1651, and to Hadley, Mass, in 1659. William L. Montague graduated at Amherst, A.B., 1855, A.M., 1858; taught Latin and Greek in Williston seminary, 1855-57; tutored in Latin and mathematics at Amherst, 1857-58, and was an instructor in Latin and French there, 1858-62. He was married, Aug. 19, 1858, to Rebecca Waterman, daughter of Capt. Henry Pope of Halifax, Mass. He was licensed to preach, Feb. 14, 1860, and subsequently supplied various Congregational churches. He was assistant professor of Latin language and literature and instructor in French at Amherst, 1862-64, professor of French, 1864-68, professor of the French, Italian and Spanish languages, 1868-91; professor of Italian, 1891-95; librarian, 1864-78; registrar, 1860-80, and director of the Amherst summer school of languages, 1884-96. He spent the years 1865-66 and 1871-72 in study and travel in Europe, and engaged in literary work in Paris, 1896-1900. After his return to Amherst in 1900 he engaged in compiling and editing the second volume of the Alumni Record, in private teaching and in lecturing on Dante and the Divine Comedy. He was made a member of the Soci?t? de Linguistique de Paris, the American Philological association and the Modern Language Association of America, and received the degree Ph.D. from Illinois Wesleyan university in 1893. He edited The Quarter Centennial Record of the Class of '55, Amherst College (1880); Biographical Record of the Alumni and Non-Graduate Members of Amherst College 1821-96 (2 vols., 1883 and 1901); Modern Italian Readings (1893); and La Fille de Roland, par Henri de Bornier, with introduction and notes, (1895); and is the author of: Comparative Grammar of the Spanish Language (1873); Manual of Italian Grammar (1874); Introduction to Italian Literature (1875; 2d ed., 1879); and Genealogy of the Montague Family with George W. Montague (1885).

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

Charles Warren Greene, scientist, was born in Belchertown, Mass., Aug. 17, 1840; son of William and Harriet Baker (Gavit) Greene; grandson of Ebenezer and Sibyl (Hitchcock) Greene and a descendant of Thomas Greene, probably a native of Leicestershire, England, who is supposed to have settled in Ipswich, Mass., about 1635; removed to Malden about 1650 and died in 1667. Charles was graduated from Brown in 1863; enlisted in the U.S. volunteer army, July 19, 1862, and served till July 9, 1865, rising to tire rank of captain. At the close of the war he resumed his study and was graduated from the medical department of Dartmouth in 1868. He practised his profession from 1868 to 1872, after which he devoted his time to scientific study and literary work, directing his attention mainly to etymologic and ethographic studies after 1887. He edited Lippincott's Gazetteer (1879); Worcester's New School Dictionary (1883); and Lippincott's Biographical Dictionary (1886); and is the author of Animals; Their Homes and Habits (1886); Birds; Their Homes and Habits (1886); and numerous contributions to periodicals and encyclop?dias.

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