28, 1804, Nathan Gould, of Leverett, Massachusetts. 10. Curtis, born April 1, 1785, married, December 8, 1813, Luna Hildreth, who died January 8, 1828, aged thirty-nine years; child, Eliza F., chose as guardian, April 6, 1829, Joseph G. Parmenter, indicating that her father was dead; Curtis Gleason was executor and residual legatee of his father. II. Amanda, mentioned in father's will. 12. Clarissa, married, June 13, 1809, Cephas Willard, mentioned in will.

(VI) Joseph Gleason, son of Joseph Gleason (5), was born in Petersham, Massachusetts, April 7, 1781, and died there February 28, 1808, aged twenty-six years. He was buried in Petersham and his burial place is marked by a headstone. He was a farmer. He married at Petersham, Sukey (sometimes given as Susan), Whitney, born 1780, died April 21, 1828, and buried by the side of her first husband at Petersham. (See gravestone in Petersham graveyard). She married (second), December 22, 1813, James Thompson, of New Salem, Massachusetts. Children of Joseph and Sukey (Whitney) Gleason, born at Petersham: 1. Harriet, born about 1803, married, June 1, 1823, Oren Tower. Louisa, born 1805, married, August 23, 1830, Samson Wetherell. 3. Benjamin Whitney, born October 12, 1806.

2.

Sukey Whitney was the daughter of Captain Benjamin Whitney, second lieutenant in the Revolution under General Lee and later captain; resided in Simpson, Province of Quebec, and at Petersham, Massachusetts; died 1830. Solomon Whitney (5), father of Captain Benjamin (6), was born December 20, 1721; married, October 5, 1749, Elizabeth Smith; married (second), Ithamar Goodnow; resided at Marlborough and Petersham, Massachusetts; he had four children.

Benjamin Whitney (4), father of Solomon (5), was born October 7, 1687. Married, February 7, 1710, Sarah Barrett, born November 28, 1692, died February 15, 1730. He settled in Boston, Massachusetts, and became wealthy; he owned Narragansett rights which he willed to his son Solomon. He died October, 1737.

Thomas Whitney (3), father of Benjamin (4), was born at Watertown, Massachusetts, August 24, 1656. He was a resident of Watertown, Stow and Bolton, Massachusetts; he owned a sixty-acre farm at Pompascitticut (now Stow), Massachusetts. Married, January 29, 1679, Elizabeth Lawrence, born February 3, 1659. He died at Bolton, Massachusetts, February 8, 1741.

John Whitney (1), father of Thomas (2), was born in England in 1629; was admitted freeman April 18, 1690. He married, in Watertown, Massachusetts, January 11, 1654, Mary Kettell. (See Whitney family).

(VII) Benjamin Whitney Gleason, son of Joseph Gleason, Jr., (6), was born October 12, 1806, in Petersham, Massachusetts, and died in Gleasondale (Stow), January 19, 1884. He was educated in the public schools, leaving at the age of fourteen to begin his apprenticeship to learn the trade of cabinet maker. After he came of age he followed his trade at Grafton, Massachusetts, in the wood-working department of a cotton mill there. In 1833 he went to Worcester, and during the following four years was a journeyman in a machine shop. He left Worcester and entered the employ of Gilbert & Richardson, of North Andover, Massachusetts, manufacturers of cotton and woolen machinery. The firm was dissolved in 1842 and George H. Gilbert removed to Ware and engaged in the manufacture of woolen goods. July 13, 1842, Mr. Gleason formed a copartnership with George L. Davis, who had been a fellow workman with him in the employ of Gilbert & Richardson, under the name of Gleason & Davis, and began manufacturing machinery at North Andover. In 1848 Charles Furber, an old employee, was admitted to partnership and the name was changed to Gleason, Davis & Furber. Mr. Gleason retired from the firm in 1849. In 1849, the creditors of the Rock Bottom Company, which had failed, prevailed upon Mr. Gleason to reorganize that company and take charge of the business. He moved to Rock Bottom and took into partnership Mr. Samuel J. Dale. In 1875 Mr. Gleason suffered a slight stroke of paralysis, but he recovered and continued in active business until 1880, when he practically retired. He was a leader in his line of business, successful, upright and enterprising. He was a Republican in politics. In 1859 and 1872 he represented his district in the general court, and in 1860 and 1861 was state senator.

He married, August 31, 1831, Louisa Fessenden, of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, who was born in Rutland, Massachusetts, April 10, 1809, and died May 8, 1858. Children: I. Ellen A., born June 18, 1834, married Humphrey Brigham, of Hudson, Massachusetts. 2. Benjamin F., born August 26, 1838, died August 25, 1848. 3. Charles W., born April 9, 1841, mentioned below. 1841, mentioned below. 4. Stillman A., born August 2, 1843. died August 7, 1888. 5. Alfred D., born February 7, 1846.

(VIII) Charles Whitney Gleason, son of Benjamin Whitney Gleason (7), was born in North Andover, Massachusetts, April 9, 1841, and lived there until April, 1849, when with the family he moved to Rock Bottom, now Gleasondale (Stow), Massachusetts.

He attended public and private schools in his own town until fifteen years of age. Then he attended school at Riverside Institute, Auburndale; Eaton's Commercial College at Worcester, and Lancaster Institute at Lancaster. During vacations he was in the office and finishing department of his father's woolen mill. Mills in those days ran from half past five in the morning until half past seven at night, with one-half hour for breakfast and three-quarters for dinner. There being no school law, children as young as ten years were employed in manufactories in Massachusetts. At the age of nineteen years he became bookkeeper and shipping clerk in the mill remaining two years. At the age of twentyone he spent the summer of 1862 travelling in Europe, returning in September, and again entered upon his duties at the mill, part of the time acting as overseer of spinning and weaving rooms, beside doing the office work. In April, 1863, at the age of twenty-two, he was given the position of superintendent, on trial, and in November was engaged permanently, and for twenty-four years following, held the position, even after becoming a member of the firm. His systematic habits and knowledge of the details of the business acquired during the few years of training with his father, were of great advantage in his new career as manager. He was ambitious and caretaking, and anxious to increase the output of the mills, which had suffered from frequent changes of overseers and operatives, occasioned by enlistments for the war. He entered upon his duties with energy, taking personal charge of many details. of the manufacture of goods, testing the wools, mixing for the various grades, deciding what wools were needed, and watching closely that everything should be well done and economically.

He won the goodwill and respect of his employees, and was always mindful of their wants and comfort. He established the plan of promoting his young men to second hand positions and then to overseers, as they became competent. Some of these men filled responsible positions in the Gleason mills and in other mills throughout New England. He instilled in the minds of his employees to keep machines in good working condition and have them run to their fullest capacity. He gave

his personal attention to the repairs, and many were done at night, to save stopping the work in the daytime, and Mr. Gleason was often seen in his shirt sleeves assisting and directing the work. He seemed at home, whether putting in new boilers, new water wheels, rebuilding bridges, or building a stone dam. He was often complimented by insurance inspectors and manufacturers on the cleanliness and good order which prevailed throughout the works. and at one time was urged to take charge of a mill in another part of the State, by a manufacturer who had heard of his good manage

ment.

His plans for increasing the product of the mills succeeded so well that in time he had raised the limit of former superintendents of 800,000 yards to 1,200,000 yards of flannels in a year. In doing this, the quality of the Gleason flannels was kept up to the high standard established years before and so well known to the trade of the United States. For fifteen years he bought all the wool used, one year going West and buying direct from the farmers.

In 1872 Mr. Gleason was admitted to partnership in the mills, under the firm name of B. W. Gleason & Sons, the members being Benjamin W. Gleason, Charles Whitney Gleason, Stillman Augustus Gleason and Alfred Dwight Gleason. At his father's death, January 19, 1884, Charles Whitney Gleason became the head of the firm, which continued under the old name until the retirement of Stillman Augustus Gleason (who had charge of the finishing department), in November, 1887, when the firm name was changed to C. W. & A. D. Gleason. The Gleason Brothers followed their father's methods, taking no notice of business depressions, and were highly successful in their operations. They had the confidence and esteem of their employees, some of whom had worked for the company more than three decades. They were prominent and active factors in every movement that tended to the advancement and progress of the town.

Mr. Gleason is a Republican in politics, and was the first citizen in the town to cast the Australian ballot. He has served as delegate to state and county conventions, but never held town office, although often urged to do so. He was one of the original trustees of the Hale high school, and was president of the Rock Bottom Library Association, which during its existence accumulated nearly one thousand volumes, which are now in the care of and being used by the Methodist Sunday