on the Missouri Compromise. In 1823 he was
a member of the executive council. He was
chosen lieutenant governor in 1824 with
Eustice at the head of the ticket, and after
Governor Eustice's death, Feb. 6, 1825, to the
end of the term for which he was elected he
was the acting governor. He was brought in
intimate relations during this time with
LaFayette, who was then visiting this country.
He was again chosen lieutenant governor, and
in that same year was appointed to the Supreme
bench of the State and took his seat July 5,
1825. He was chosen governor of Massachu-



552



SOUTHEASTEEN MASSACHUSETTS



setts in 1839 by the people and again in 1843
by the Legislature. On May 1, 1845, he was
made collector of the port of Boston, a re-
lation to the service he sustained some four
years. He was in sympathy with the Free-soil
movement in 1848, in 1853 he was delegate to
the Constitutional Convention, and in 1858 was
again in the Legislature. His period of service
on the bench covered fifteen years, and his
Congressional service four years. For several
years he was one of the overseers of Harvard
University.

Governor Morton had a tall, commanding
figure, was fine-looking, quiet and self-possessed
in manner ; and his wife was an elegant woman,
a person of beauty and grace.

On Dec. 23, 1807, Governor Morton was
married to Charlotte, born Dec. 33, 1787,
daughter of James Hodges, of Taunton, and a
direct descendant of William Hodges, of Taun-
ton as early as 1643. The children born to
Governor Morton and his wife Charlotte
(Hodges) were: (1) Joanna Maria married
William T. Hawes, of New Bedford, a graduate
of Brown University. (2) Lydia Mason mar-
ried Henry W. Lee, D.D., of Springfield, Mass.,
and Rochester, N. Y., afterward bishop in the
Protestant Episcopal Church, in Iowa. (3)
Charlotte married Samuel Watson, of Nash-
ville, Tenn. (4) Sarah Carey married Hon.
Willard Lovering, a manufacturer of Taunton.
(5) Marcus married Abby, daughter of Henry
Hopping, Esq., of Providence. (6) Nathaniel
married Harriet, only child of Hon. Francis
Baylies. (7) James married Elizabeth, daugh-
ter of Hon. George Ashmun, of Springfield.
(8) Susan Tillinghast married M. Day Kim-
ball, of the firm of Faulkner, Page & Kimball,
Boston. (9) Frances Wood married George
Henry French, of Andover. (10) Emily
Matilda married Daniel C, son of Dr. Dawes,
of Taunton, a resident of Brooklyn, N. Y. Of
these, the three sons were graduated from
Brown University, Marcus in 1838, Nathaniel
in 1840, and James in 1843; all were dis-
tinguished in college and became eminent
lawyers, the eldest becoming chief justice of the
Supreme court of Massachusetts.

Governor Morton died at his home on Wash-
ington street, near Broadway, Taunton, Mass.,
Feb. 6, 1864. His wife Charlotte (Hodges)
Morton died Dec. 25, 1873 ; both are buried in
Mount Pleasant cemetery, Taunton.

NATHANIEL CHURCH (deceased) was
during his life a well-known business man and
prominent citizen of Fairhaven, where he was
born Nov. 16, 1798. The Church family of



which he was a representative is among the
oldest and most prominent in New England,
the name being identified with the an-
nals of southern Rhode Island and southeast-
ern Massachusetts from almost the very dawn
of civilization there.

Richard Church, the immigrant settler and
progenitor of the Churches of the region named,
was born in 1608. He came to New England
in 1630 in the fleet with Governor Winthrop.
He removed from Weymouth to Plymouth,
where he was made a freeman in 1632, and
where he married, in 1636, Elizabeth, daughter
of Richard Warren, of the "Mayflower," 1620.
He lived at a number of different points, died
in 1668 in Dedham, and was buried at Hing-
ham. He was a carpenter by trade, and
helped to build the first meetinghouse and the
first gun carriage in Plymouth. He served in
the Pequot war. Locating at Eastham in 1653,
he was then at Charlestown and in 1657 was
at Hingham. He was the father of thirteen
children, among them Col. Benjamin Church,
who settled in Little Compton, R. L, from
whom Nathaniel Church descended.

Col. Benjamin Church is credited with hav-
ing been the first white settler in the town of
Little Compton (1674), which was then in
Massachusetts, but is now in Rhode Island, and
with building the first house there. The name,
fame and usefulness of Col. Benjamin Church
were as broad as New England, and in the
general histories of the New World his deeds
are always recognized. It was he who beat
back the red man and opened the way for the
habitation of the white settler that followed —
hunting Philip to his death, Aug. 13, 1676.
He thoroughly understood the character of the
Indians and their modes of warfare, which
latter he adopted with great success. Colonel
Church was to southern New England what
Miles Standish had been to the first genera-
tion of the Plymouth Colonists — a buckler and
shield in the hour of danger; but he had far
more experience in military affairs than fell
to the lot of the Pilgrim captain. It was
destined for him to strike the first and last
decisive blows in Philip's war, by which he is
now best known to fame. So great was the
reputation he gained that he was afterward con-
stantly called to the field to repel the French
and Indians at the North and East. Colonel
Church married Alice Southworth. A brother
of Colonel Church, J^iweph Church, also was
one of the first settlers of Little Compton. He
married Mary Tucker and became a promi-
nent public man of the town.

The descendants of Richard Church became



SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS



553



numerous and, as stated, distinguished in that
part of Rhode Island and Massachusetts al-
luded to. Among these the late Nathaniel
Church was prominent.

Joseph Church, father of Nathaniel, made
his home in Fairhaven, where he was engaged
in business and where he lived all his life. He
died in Fairhaven in 1839. He married Deb-
orah Perry, and they became the parents of
six children.

Nathaniel Church, son of Joseph and Deb-
orah (Perry) Church, was born in Fairhaven
Nov. 16, 1798. He attended the local schools
and grew to manhood in his native home, where
he received a thorough business training. He
formed a partnership with his brother, Eben-
ezer P. Church, and they entered into the
general mercantile business at Adamsville, in
the town of Little Compton, under tlie firm
name of E. P. Church & Co. This business
continued until 1831, when he withdrew from
the partnership and again located at Fairhaven,
becoming engaged in the mercantile business
for himself, which he followed for a number of
years. He next became interested in the brass
foundry business, also the whaling industry,
and being a man of progressive ideas and en-
terprise made a success of whatever he under-
took. He took a deep interest in his native
town and its people, and was known for his
strict honesty and high moral character. He
served as town clerk of Fairhaven for many
years, and also filled the office of selectman and
overseer of the poor of his native town; served
as a member of the State Legislature; and was
often called upon to settle estates, etc. He
was a public-spirited man, generous, and al-
ways ready to lend a helping hand. Politically
he was an old-line Whig, later a Republican
and a stanch supporter of Abraham Lincoln,
strongly opposed to slavery. His death oc-
curred March 17, 1865, in his sixty-seventh
year, and he was buried in Riverside cemetery,
Fairhaven.

Mr. Church married May 23, 1829, Lydia
Hicks, bom Dec. 15, 1800, in Westport, Mass.,
daughter of Barney Hicks, a sketch of whom
will be found elsewhere in this publication.
Mrs. Church was a devout Christian woman
and took much pleasure in her home and fam-
ily. Her death occurred at her home in Fair-
haven April 12, 1885, and she was buried be-
side her husband. She was an attendant of the
Congregational Church. Mr. and Mrs. Church
were the parents of the following children:
Sarah C, who resides in Fairhaven ; Nancy F.,
deceased ; Mary L., who married Ansel G. Jen-
ney, now a widow residing in Cincinnati (Mr.



Jenney was a native of Fairhaven and was a
well known banker of Cincinnati, where he
died July, 1895, leaving four children, Lyman,
Bessie, who married William B. Mundie, of
Chicago, William and Elise, wife of Aden
Finch, of Cincinnati) ; and Lydia M., who
died at her home in Fairhaven Aug. 15, 1910.

BORDEN (Westport family). The Borden
family of the town of Westport here briefly
treated is a branch of the early Rhode Island
family of the name, a family that dates back
to the early history of Rhode Island and Massa-
chusetts, and one that has played a most impor-
tant part in the great industrial life of Fall
River. The particular branch of the Borden
family here alluded to is that of which the head
was the late Christopher Borden of Westport,
who was long closely identified with the history
of his town, and some of whose sons now repre-
sent the name in Westport, where they are
substantial men and useful citizens.

The history of the Westport Borden family
in question follows in chronological order from
the immigrant settler.

(I) Richard Borden, born in 1601, died May
25, 1671. The Christian name of his wife was
Joan. She was born in 1604 and died July
15, 1688. Mr. Borden was admitted an inhabi-
tant of the island of Aquidneck in 1638, being
then of Portsmouth, R. I. On May 20th of that
same year he was allotted five acres of land.
He took an important and active part in the
early affairs of Portsmouth. He was assistant
in 1653-54; general treasurer in 1654-55; com-
missioner in 1654-56-57; and deputy in 1667-
70. The children of Richard and Joan Borden
were : Thomas, Francis, Mary, Matthew, John,
Joseph, Sarah, Samuel, Benjamin and Amey.

(II) John Borden, born in September, 1640,
married Dec. 25, 1670, Mary, born in 1655,
daughter of William and Mary (Walker) Earle,
and was of Portsmouth, R. I., and, like his
father, was prominent in the public affairs of
the town. He was deputy in 1673, 1680, 1700,
1704, 1705 and 1708. He died June 4, 1716,
and his wife in June, 1734. Their children
were : Richard, John, Amey, Joseph, Thomas,
Hope, Mary, William and Benjamin.

(III) Richard Borden, born Oct. 25, 1671,
married about 1692 Innocent Wardell. He
lived on the main road about a mile from the
east shore of Mount Hope bay and two and a
half miles south of the city hall in Fall River,
his homestead comprising about 200 acres of
land. He became one of the wealthiest men
in the town, and at the time of his death he
was one of the largest landholders in the town.



554



SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS



He lived until about the age of sixty years.
His children were : Sarah, John, Thomas, Mary,
Joseph, Samuel and Eebecca.

(IV) Thomas Borden, bom Dec. 8, 1697,
married Aug. 14, 1721, Mary, born Oct. 6,
1695, daughter of Christopher and Meribah
Gifiord. Mr. Borden died in April, 1740, in
Tiverton, R. I. Their children were : Richard,
born in 1722; Christopher, born Oct. 10, 1726;
Deborah; Mary, and Eebecca.

(V) Christopher Borden, son of Thomas,
born Oct. 10, 1726, married Dec. 24, 1748,
Hannah Borden, daughter of Stephen. Chris-
topher Borden inherited from his father what
was known as the Cranberry Neck property with
other lands, and became a farmer there, and
probably built the first sawmill on the site,
where stood some years ago the mill of younger
generations of the family. He was one of the
substantial men of his commimity. He died
in 1800.

(VI) Jonathan Borden, son of Christopher,
born May 5, 1761, married Elizabeth Bowen.
Mr. Borden was a farmer and mill owner, a
very active business man, was successful in his
undertakings, and was honest and straight-
forward. He was a man of a social and genial
nature. His death occurred May 19, 1848.
His children were : Abraham, Phebe, Thomas,
Rhoda, Isaac and Elizabeth.

(VII) Abraham Borden, son of Jonathan
and Elizabeth (Bowen), was bom July 20,
1793, on the farm occupied after him by his
son Christopher, in the town of Westport, Mass.,
and in the house in which he went to housekeep-
ing and continued to live through life. He inher-
ited a farm from his father which, with some
land he himself purchased, made him an estate
of some 270 acres. In addition to farming he
was occupied in lumbering. He was a man of
quiet disposition and rather reserved in man-
ner, going through life in the even tenor of his
way, caring nothing for political preferment
or the excitement that goes with politics,
although he had opinions of his own, and was
fixed in them. He married Phebe, daughter
of Lemuel and Maria (Tripp) Barker, of Dart-
mouth. Three children blessed the marriage,
namely: Christopher; Rhoda, who married
Abiel Davis; and Maria R., who married Capt.
Weston Jenney. The mother was a member
of the Society of Friends, and her husband,
while not a member, attended the Friends'
meetings. He died Oct. 28, 1864.

(VIII) Christopher Borden, son of Abraham
and Phebe (Barker) Borden, was bom Oct. 20,
1815, in that part of Tiverton, R. I., that later
became the town of Westport, Mass., and on



land that had been for generations before him
occupied by his ancestors. He was reared amid
agricultural pursuits and attended the schools
of his neighborhood, furthering his studies ia
the Friends' School in Providence, R. I. After
his school days were over he returned to the
farm, becoming associated . with his father in
the conduct of the farm and in the lumbering
business. In these operations he in time suc-
ceeded his father. Mr. Borden, though occupy-
ing the same farm, by the changing of
boundary lines lived in two States and three
towns, Tiverton, R. I., and Fall River and
Westport, Mass. He was much in the public
service of his tovra; was a member of the town
council of Tiverton, frequently served as select-
man of Westport ; was a member of the auditing
committee for years, and held other minor
ofiices. A man possessing the confidence of his
fellow citizens, and one having managed his
own affairs successfully, he was frequently
called upon to settle estates. He was a man of
a sunny, cheerful and genial disposition, and
won and held friends. His political aiEliations
were first with the Whig party, then with the
Republican. He was a stockholder in the
Metacomet, Pocasset and Union Banks of Fall
River, and of the Commercial Bank at New
Bedford. He also held stock in the Flint, Bar-
nard and Weetamoe Mills in Fall River, and
was interested in and a director of the Fall
River Manufacturing Company.

On Feb. 11, 1839, Mr. Borden married Lucy
H., daughter of Peter and Sarah S. (Howland)
Davis, who was born Feb. 11, 1818, in West-
port, Mass. She died March 10, 1897. Six
children blessed the marriage, namely: Jona-
than ; Alice A., who married George H. Hicks,
of Fall River, and had children, Christopher
B., Lester, Edgar A., Alice and George H. ;
Mary E., who married Isaac W. Howland, of
Little Compton, R. I., and died leaving a son
William W. ; Othniel T., who was accidentally
killed while hunting, at the age of nineteen;
Edwin; and Phebe S., v;ho married Arthur D.
Cornell, and died leaving two daughters, Lucy
Sarah and Mary Elizabeth. Mr. Borden died
at his home in Westport, Mass., Dec. 12, 1894.

(IX) Jonathan Bokden, son of Christopher
and Lucy H. (Davis) Borden, was born May
15, 1841, in that part of Tiverton, R. I., that
became Westport, Mass., the eldest of a family
of six children. He attended the public schools
of his native town, remaining at home until
fourteen years of age. He then went to work
for his grandfather Borden, later marrying and
locating in the town and upon lands held by
successive generations of his ancestors, and con-





<^^s#^




SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS



555



tinuing to be occupied in agricultural pursuits.
He has followed in the footsteps of his father,
and has long been one of Westport's leading
farmers and substantial men. For three years
he served as selectman of the town. He is of
a quiet, unassuming nature, and has so lived
as to have the respect and esteem of his com-
munity.

On Nov. 7, 1861, Mr. Borden married Mary
M., born April 24, 1846, daughter of Thomas
and Mary (Snell) Estes, he a direct descendant
of Richard Estes, who came from Dover, Eng-
land, to this country in 1684 (stopping a few
days in Boston, thence proceeding to what is
now Portsmouth, R. I., there joining his brother
Matthew who had preceded him), from whom
his descent is through Robert Estes, Thomas
Estes and Peter Estes. Seven children have
blessed the marriage of Jonathan Borden to
Mary M. Estes, namely : Mercy D. married
Walter F. Grinnell, of Tiverton, R. I., and has
three children, Annie May, Wilfred and Doro-
thy; Thomas E., born Aug. 9, 1866, married
Macie Grinnell, lives in Westport, and has six
children, Myra T., Clarence, Louise, Raymond,
Philip and Katherine; Othniel T., born Dec.
18, 1868, married Sarah P. Upham, resides at
Westport, and has children, Othniel, Esther
and Osmund; Christopher, born Nov. 27, 1871,
married Alice F. Greene, lives at Westport,
and has children, Mildred, Gertrude, Chris-
topher, Vivian and Jonathan; Mary R., born
June 20, 1874, married James H. Kay, of Fall
River, and has children, Harold, Henry, Bere-
nice and Dorothy; Jennie M., born Jan. 1,
1878, married Arthur M. Read; Jonathan L. is
deceased. The mother of these died Sept. 10,
1896.

(IX) Edwin Boeden, son of Christopher
and Lucy H. (Davis) Borden, was born June
26, 1850, in that part of Tiverton, R. I., now
Westport, Mass. He attended the public schools
of his native town and the Friends' School in
Providence, R. I. Mr. Borden continued at
home assisting his father in his farming and
business operations until his marriage, and has
since been engaged in farming and business for
himself.

Unlike his father before him Mr. Borden has
given little or no time to politics in the way of
office seeking or holding, having no taste in that
direction. He has, however, ever taken that
interest in public affairs that becomes any good
citizen, and is a Republican in principle. He
has many acquaintances and friends who hold
him in the highest esteem for his many good
qualities. He is a member of Mount Vernon
Lodge, No. 157, K. of P., Fall River.



On March 2, 1871, Mr. Borden married Mary
E., daughter of William and Nancy (Pierce)
Young, and their children are: Minnie E.,
born Sept. 16, 1872, married George S. Law-
ton, and has two children, Ina A. and Alice E. ;
Ida H., born Sept. 19, 1874, married Henry J.
Sampson; William C, born Aug. 17, 1878,
married Cora Macomber, lives at Westport, and
has three children. Hazel L., Elton M. and
Eleanor M. ; Beriah E., born May 16, 1880,
resides at Westport, where he is prominent in
Masonry, being a Knight Templar and a Shrin-
er; and Minerva A., born Dec. 26, 1882, mar-
ried Walter F. Sanford, of Dorchester, Mass.
(no issue).

DR. FREDERICK HUBBARD HOOPER.
In the death of Dr. Frederick Hubbard Hooper
the city of New Bedford lost one of its eminent
medical practitioners and a citizen who in fifty
years of residence there had proved himself
worthy of the confidence and respect of his
fellow men. He was a native of the State of
New Hampshire, born at Walpole June 12,
1829.

John Hooper was the first of the name in
Bridgewater. He married Sarah, perhaps the
daughter of .John Harden, and they had chil-
dren born in the very beginning of the eigh-
teenth century, and before their location in
Bridgewater.

Levi Hooper was bom in Bridgewater in
1742, and in 1767 married Susanna Leach.
When a young man he went on a whaling voy-
age to Hudson bay, and on his return enlisted
as a soldier in the French and Indian war,
which closed in 1763. On the expiration of
his term of enlistment — nine months — he was
unable to get his pay unless he would remain
in the service three months longer; this he
did, but at the close of the time he was no
better off, and so with three other soldiers he
took "French leave" and made for home. On
reaching Walpole, N. H., the soil and heavy
growth of timber pleased Mr. Hooper so much
that he was induced to return, after visiting
his home and friends, and locate there. He
returned to Walpole in 1771, and soon after
buried his wife Susanna. He married (sec-
ond) in 1771 Sarah, daughter of Jonathan Hall,
by whom he had six children. He bought in
1775 the Samuel Chase farm and located on
the southern part of it. In 1781 he built and
moved into the so-called mansion, later the
residence of George D. Hooper, of Walpole;
there he lived and died. In the Revolution he
served as second lieutenant of a company in
General Bellows's regiment, and later as cap-



556



SOUTHEASTEEN MASSACHUSETTS



tain. Captain Hooper was a man of resolute
character, held many town offices and accumu-
lated a competence.

Salmon Hooper, son of Levi, bora Aug. 7,
1774, married Nov. 8, 1795, Kebecca Foster.

Levi Hooper (2), son of Salmon and Re-
becca, was born April 7, 1801, and married
Jan. 19, 1826, Harriet, daughter of John
Graves. Nine children were bom to this union.

Dr. Frederick Hubbard Hooper, son of Levi
and Harriet (Graves) Hooper, was born June
12, 1829, in Walpole, N. H., where he was
schooled and prepared in part for the medical
profession, completing his studies in the Col-
lege of Physicians and Surgeons in New York
City, from which institution he was graduated
with honors, taking the degree of M. D. He
practiced his profession for a time in his na-
tive town, then for a short time in Fall River,
Mass., where an uncle. Dr. J. Foster Hooper,
was located, and in 1857 came to New Bed-
ford, Mass., where for nearly fifty years he con-
tinued in the active practice of medicine, be-
coming one of the leading physicians of the
city and one of its best known citizens.

In his early professional career in New Bed-
ford Dr. Hooper for a period was located in
the "Parker Hovise." Later he established him-
self upon his own property, his residence on
the comer of William and County streets,
where he continued during the remaining years
of his active practice — some thirty-seven years.

During the Civil war Dr. Hooper was the
examining surgeon for the government in what
was styled the Cape Cod district. Of a retir-
ing disposition, he never sought or held politi-
cal office other than that alluded to above. He
was a charter member of the Massachusetts
Medical Society, and at one time served as its
secretary. He was a trustee of the New Bed-
ford Five Cents Savings Bank, and also a mem-
ber of the Wamsutta and Country Clubs. He
was a member of the Unitarian Society, attend-
ing that church for many years.

Dr. Hooper never married. He left sur-
viving him a sister, Mrs. Mary E. Weymouth,
of Walpole, N. H., and a brother, George L.
Hooper, of Lowell, Massachusetts. Dr. Hooper
died Aug. 31, 1908, at his home, aged seventy-
nine years, two months, nineteen days, and was
buried at Walpole, New Hampshire.

The excellent likeness of Dr. Hooper, ap-
pearing in this publication is presented solely
by Miss E. Maud Hume, who for nearly, twenty
years was the faithful housekeeper for Dr.
Hooper. Miss Hume is a native of Dartmouth,
Nova Scotia, daughter of the late Rev. Isaac
Hume, a minister of the Baptist denomination



afid well known in Lunenburg county. Nova
Scotia.

NOMUS PAIGE, M. D., one of the best
known physicians as well as one of the oldest in
point of service in Taunton, and one of that
town's most active, progressive and public-
spirited citizens, is a member of an ancient
Massachusetts family, and was born in Went-
worth, N. H., March 26, 1840, son of Joseph
and Pamelia (Ellsworth) Paige.

(I) John Page was of Hingham and Haver-
hill, Mass., removing to the latter town about
1652. He died Nov. 23, 1687, and his widow,
Mary (Marsh), died in 1697. Their children
were: John, baptized July 11, 1641; Onesiph-
orus, baptized Nov. 20, 1642; Benjamin, bap-
tized July 14, 1644; Mary, baptized May 3,
1646; Joseph, baptized March 5, 1647-48; Cor-
nelius, baptized July 15, 1649; Sarah, baptized
July 18, 1651; Elizabeth, born June 15, 1653;
Mercy, born April 1, 1655; Ephraim, born Feb.
27, 1658-59.

(II) Onesiphorus Page, son of John and
Mary (Marsh) Page, was born about 1642, and
was a weaver at Salisbury, where he took the
oath of fidelity and allegiance, and where he
was a householder in 1677. He married (first)
Nov. 22, 1664, Mary Hauxworth, and (second)
July 31, 1695, Sarah (Morrill), widow of