Providence County Biographies
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ADAMS, John Francis, manufacturer, was born in the village of Central Falls, December 17th, 1838. He began business for himself after graduating from the high school in 1856, by entering the Slater National Bank of Pawtucket as clerk. In 1859 he became bookkeeper for the Allendale Manufacturing Company of Providence. On December 8th,1862, he married Kate J., daughter of Rufus J. Stafford, the well known manufacturer. In 1862 he became a member of the firm of Adams & Randall, manufacturers of cotton yarns. This company was afterward merged into the Hope Thread Company, of which Mr. Adams was treasurer for a period of ten years. In 1864 Mr. Adams purchased the Lanesville Manufacturing property, at Lanesville, Mass. Since 1882 he has confined his business attentions wholly to that place. He is a public spirited gentleman, and did much toward improving the village, and, by a vote of the people, the name of the place was changed in honor of him to Adamsdale. He manufactures a fine grade of cotton yarns, and does a business of about $75,000 a year.
In 1874, under the act of consolidation of the town of North Providence and Pawtucket, Mr. Adams became a member of the town council, and was reelected in 1875. Previous to 1874 he served the old town of Pawtucket as town councilman, and also as auditor. He was subsequently a member of the school board for six years. In the Masonic fraternity he is a member in high standing, and has held a number of prominent positions. He was one of the charter members of the Barney Merry Lodge, No. 29, and was its second master. He has held various offices in the Royal Arch Chapter, in the Council of Royal and Select Masters, and also in the Commandery of Knights Templar. He was for three years successively grand master of the Grand Council of the State of Rhode Island. When about 18 years of age he became a member of the Congregational church, and has been one of the trustees of the Pawtucket Congregational church since 1871. Mr. Adams is passionately fond of music, and is proficient on the organ and piano. In early life he began the study of music under excellent teachers, but has learned more since by his own study and observation.
En-rapport with the subject, he has written some music and has arranged some, but considers it more profitable to confine his attentions to the study of the old masters. For the past twenty years he has been organist and musical director for the Pawtucket Congregational church, and before that time held similar positions in various churches in Central Falls, Pawtucket and Providence. Mr. Adams resides on Broadway, in an elegant mansion erected by him in 1868. He is a highly cultured gentleman, very social in his habits, and enjoys the luxuries and home comforts of a Christian life. Source: History of Providence County Rhode Island, Edited by Richard M. Bayles, 1891. Transcribed by C. Anthony
ALDRICH, Nelson Wilmarth (1841—1915)
Senate Years of Service: 1881-1911
Party: RepublicanALDRICH, Nelson Wilmarth, (father of Richard Steere Aldrich, cousin of William Aldrich, grandfather of Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller, and great-grandfather of John Davison Rockefeller), a Representative and a Senator from Rhode Island; born in Foster, R.I., November 6, 1841; attended the public schools of East Killingly, Conn., and the Academy of East Greenwich, R.I.; entered the wholesale grocery business in Providence; during the Civil War enlisted as a private in Company D, First Regiment, Rhode Island National Guard, in 1862; member of the city council 1869-1874, serving as president in 1872 and 1873; member of the State house of representatives in 1875 and 1876, elected speaker in 1876; elected as a Republican to the Forty-sixth and Forty-seventh Congresses and served from March 4, 1879, to October 4, 1881, when he resigned to become Senator; elected as a Republican to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Ambrose E. Burnside; reelected in 1886, 1892, 1898, and 1904, and served from October 5, 1881, to March 3, 1911; was not a candidate for reelection in 1911; chairman, Committee on Transportation Routes to the Seaboard (Forty-eighth and Forty-ninth Congresses), Committee on Rules (Fiftieth through Fifty-second, Fifty-fourth and Fifty-fifth Congresses), Select Committee on Corporations Organized in the District of Columbia (Fifty-third Congress), Committee on Finance (Fifty-fifth through Sixty-first Congresses); chairman, National Monetary Commission (1908-1912); retired to Providence, R.I.; died in New York City, April 16, 1915; interment in Swan Point Cemetery, Providence, R.I.
[Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771 to present. Contributed by A. Newell ]
ALDRICH, Richard Steere (1884—1941)ALDRICH, Richard Steere, (son of Nelson Wilmarth Aldrich), a Representative from Rhode Island; born in Washington, D.C., February 29, 1884; attended the public schools in Providence, R.I.; was graduated from Hope Street High School at Providence in 1902, from Yale University in 1906, and from the law department of Harvard University in 1909; was admitted to the bar in 1911 and commenced the practice of law in New York City; returned to Providence, R.I., in 1913 and continued the practice of his profession; member of the Rhode Island house of representatives 1914-1916; served in the State senate 1916-1918; elected as a Republican to the Sixty-eighth and to the four succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1923-March 3, 1933); was not a candidate for renomination in 1932; resumed legal pursuits in Providence, R.I., until his death there on December 25, 1941; interment in Swan Point Cemetery.
[Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771 to present. Contributed by A. Newell]
ALLEN, Philip (1785—1865)
Senate Years of Service:
1853-1859
Party: DemocratALLEN, Philip, a Senator from Rhode Island; born in Providence, R.I., September 1, 1785; received his early education from private tutors; attended Taunton Academy and Robert Rogers School at Newport; graduated from Rhode Island College (now Brown University) in 1803; engaged in mercantile pursuits and foreign commerce; when shipping was suspended during the War of 1812 he engaged in the manufacture of cotton goods in Smithfield, R.I.; member of the State house of representatives 1819-1821; appointed pension agent and president of the Rhode Island branch of the United States Bank in 1827; continued the manufacture of cotton goods and began the printing of calicos at Providence, R.I., in 1831; elected Governor of Rhode Island in 1851; reelected in 1852 and 1853, and served until July 20, 1853, when he resigned to become Senator; elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate on May 4, 1853, for the term beginning March 4, 1853, and served from July 20, 1853, to March 3, 1859; was not a candidate for reelection; chairman, Committee on Agriculture (Thirty-third and Thirty-fourth Congresses); retired from active political and business pursuits; died in Providence, R.I., December 16, 1865; interment in the North Burial Ground.
[Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771 to present. Contributed by A. Newell]
ALMY, Herbert, attorney-at-law, was born in Providence, February 25, 1851, the son of Humphrey and Amey Ann (Chase) Almy. He came of well-known and respected Rhode Island ancestry. He received his early education in the public schools of Providence, and was fitted for college at Merrick-Lyon’s University Grammar School. He graduated from Brown University in the class of 1873. He adopted the law as a profession, and was a student in the office of the late Wingate Hayes and the present Chief Justice Matteson He was Assistant Clerk of the Supreme Court from December 1876 to April 1885, since which time he has successfully practiced his profession in Providence. He is not a member of any societies or clubs, and has taken no part in public life. He married, February 21, 1884, Miss Lydia F. Kelton; they have four children : Bertha K, Carrie W., Ada F. and Marion Almy. Source: Rhode Island Men in Progress - Submitted by Marie Miller
AMES, George Henry, D. M. D., of Providence, was born in Foxboro, Mass, April 24, 1848, son of Benjamin Keath and Sarah Durbey (Carpenter) Ames. The family has been long prominent in the history of New England; it came originally from Somersetshire, England, in the person of William Ames, born at Burton, October 6, 1605, who settled at Braintree, Mass., very early in the planting of New England, and from a large and excellent posterity descended. The first English settler died in Braintree, January 11, 1654. Dr. Ames’s parents came to dwell in Providence in 1855, and young Ames was entered as a pupil in the Providence schools, where the foundation of his education was laid; subsequently the young student was entered at the Lapham Institute, which institution had succeeded the Smithfield Academy, then among the most distinguished of the secondary schools in New England. After graduation from this institution young Ames was sent to Biddeford, Me., where he entered the office of Thomas Haley, D. M. D., for the purpose of acquiring some practical knowledge of the science of dental surgery. One year was spent in this pursuit, until the autumn of 1870, at which time young Ames entered the Dental School at Harvard University, where he pursued the full course two years, and was graduated February 14, 1872. Doctor Ames then opened an office in the town where he was born, Foxboro, Mass., for the practice of his profession. At the end of a year, in May 1873, ne opened a second office, the latter in Butler’s Exchange in Providence, R. I.; but he still accepted appointments at Foxboro, making weekly visits to that town for that purpose. In the meantime the requirements of practice which developed at the Providence office so fully occupied his time that the visits to Foxboro were forced to be abandoned. In 1874 he entered into partnership with T. D. Thompson, D. D. S., the two surgeons joined offices, and for three years, until September 1877, this business arrangement was continued. In September of that year, he succeeded to the business of William B. Dennis, D. D. S., whose office was then at No. 17 Mathewson street, Providence. Here Dr. Ames developed one of the finest practices of dental surgery which had been known in that city. In 1879 he visited Europe, partly for rest and pleasure, and partly in pursuit of the further development of his profession. In 1888 he removed to his elegant and admirably fitted quarters on Snow Street, which were especially fitted with every appliance that modern science had developed for the skilful practice of dentistry, and where a liberal share of the best patronage has fallen to his lot. Dr. Ames married first, June 26, 1872, Miss Myra Hatton, of Port Clyde, Me.; one son, Reginald Mountford Ames, was born of this marriage; Mrs. Ames died January 1, 1879. His second wife was Miss Isabel Brownell, daughter of Stephen and Henrietta (Hunt) Brownell. The Doctor and Mrs. Ames are active in all the best society movements in Providence. He has long been connected by membership with several of the leading clubs and societies of Providence, in which pleasing relations he finds that rest and recuperation which the severe practice of his profession necessitates. Source: Rhode Island Men in Progress - Submitted by Marie Miller
ANTHONY, Charles Wilfred, architect, was born in Providence, May 19, 1854, son of Henry E. and Lucy Dudley (McKnight) Anthony. He belongs to the Anthony line so long prominent and well known in Rhode Island. He received his early education in the public schools of Providence, and was a student in the classical department of Mowry & Goff’s Classical School in that city. He adopted the profession of architecture, and for a number of years has been a member of the firm of Anthony Brothers, architects, of Providence. Mr. Anthony is well known and his original and unique designs for buildings have met with high commendation and attracted favorable notice outside of local circles. He leads a quiet bachelor life and is a congenial, companionable man to meet, being possessed of an ample fund of information in general, as well as on professional subjects, that enables him to acceptably entertain his friends as well as his clients. In politics he is a Republican, and has always been a thorough advocate of sound financial measures. Source: Rhode Island Men in Progress - Submitted by Marie Miller
ARNOLD, Jonathan (1741—1793)Jonathan ARNOLD, (father of Lemuel Hastings Arnold and great-great-grandfather of Theodore Francis Green), a Delegate from Rhode Island; born in Providence, R.I., December 3, 1741; studied medicine and practiced; member of the general assembly of Rhode Island from Providence in 1776; served in the Revolutionary Army as surgeon; director of the Army hospital in Providence; Member of the Continental Congress 1782-1783; moved to St. Johnsbury, Vt., in 1787 and engaged in agricultural pursuits; appointed a member of the Governor’s council; was appointed judge of Orange County and served until his death in St. Johnsbury, Caledonia County, Vt., February 1, 1793; interment in Mount Pleasant Cemetery. [Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present - Contributed by A. Newell]
ARNOLD, Lemuel Hastings (1792—1852)ARNOLD, Lemuel Hastings, (son of Jonathan Arnold and great-great-uncle of Theodore Francis Green), a Representative from Rhode Island; born in St. Johnsbury, Vt., January 29, 1792; was graduated from Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., in 1811; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1814 and commenced practice in Providence, R.I.; engaged in manufacturing and mercantile pursuits in 1821; member of the State house of representatives, 1826-1831; Governor of Rhode Island in 1831 and 1832; member of the executive council during the Dorr Rebellion in 1842 and 1843; unsuccessful candidate for United States Senator in 1845; elected as a Whig to the Twenty-ninth Congress (March 4, 1845-March 3, 1847); was not a candidate for renomination in 1846; moved to South Kingstown, R.I. in 1847 and continued the practice of law until his death on June 27, 1852; interment in Swan Point Cemetery, Providence, R.I.
[Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771 to present. Contributed by A. Newell]
ARNOLD, Peleg (1751—1820)
ARNOLD, Peleg, a Delegate from Rhode Island; born in Smithfield, R.I., June 10, 1751; attended the common schools and Brown University, Providence, R.I.; studied law; was admitted to the bar and practiced; elected deputy to the general assembly of Rhode Island, serving from October 1777 to October 1778 and from May 1782 to May 1783; colonel of the Second Regiment of Providence County Militia in 1780; Member of the Continental Congress 1787-1788; keeper of the ‘Peleg Arnold Tavern,’ at Smithfield, R.I.; Assistant Governor of Rhode Island in 1790; incorporator of the Providence Society for the Abolition of Slavery in 1790; unsuccessful Anti-Federalist candidate for election to the Fourth Congress in 1794 and also an unsuccessful Republican candidate for election to the same Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Benjamin Bourne in 1796; chief justice of the supreme court of Rhode Island from June 1795 to June 1809 and again from May 1810 to May 1812; president of the Smithfield Union Bank in 1803; president of Smithfield Academy in 1810; again served as deputy to the general assembly of Rhode Island from October 1817 to May 1819; died in Smithfield, R.I., February 13, 1820; interment in Union Cemetery, opposite the Friends Meeting House, in Union Village, near Woonsocket, R.I.
[Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771 to present. Contributed by A. Newell]
ARNOLD, Samuel Greene (1821—1880)
Senate Years of Service:
1862-1863
Party: RepublicanARNOLD, Samuel Greene, (granduncle of Theodore Francis Green), a Senator from Rhode Island; born in Providence, R.I., April 12, 1821; received his early education under private tutors; graduated from Brown University, Providence, R.I., in 1841 and from the law department of Harvard University in 1845; admitted to the bar in 1845; lawyer and historian; trustee of Brown University 1848-1880; elected lieutenant governor of Rhode Island in 1852 and served as Acting Governor; member of the peace commission held at Washington, D.C. in 1861 in an effort to devise means to prevent the impending war; again elected lieutenant governor in 1861 and 1862; during the Civil War organized a company of light artillery which went to Washington, D.C., and was mustered into the Union Army; elected as a Republican to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of James F. Simmons and served from December 1, 1862, to March 3, 1863; returned to historical research; president of the Rhode Island Historical Society 1868-1880; died in Providence, R.I., February 14, 1880; interment in Swan Point Cemetery.
[Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771 to present. Contributed by A. Newell]
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