Joseph Greely MANSFIELD
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- Birth: 19 JAN 1871, Yarmouth, Cumberland Co., Maine
- Death: 14 SEP 1932, North Adams, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts
- Burial: Riverside, Cem., Yarmouth, Cumberland Co., Maine
- Reference: 55
Mother: Mary Elizabeth BENNETT
Family 1: Addie M FITTS
- Marriage: ABT 1890, Yarmouth, Cumberland Co., Maine
- Marriage: 15 AUG 1902, Yarmouth, Cumberland, Maine, U.S.A.
- Divorce: Y
- Charles G MANSFIELD
- Nellie Jeanette MANSFIELD
- Viola MANSFIELD
- Printha Elizabeth MANSFIELD
- Gertrude MANSFIELD
- Marriage: 1922, Stuyvesant Falls, New York
_Jonathan MANSFIELD ___ _Henry MANSFIELD __|_Elizabeth BURCHSTEAD _ _Henry MANSFIELD _| | | _______________________ | |_Hannah TUTTLE ____|_______________________ _Henry MANSFIELD ___| | | _James BIBBER _________ | | _James BIBBER _____|_Abigail DREW _________ | |_Thankful BIBBER _| | | _Jacob BAILEY _________ | |_Joanna BAILEY ____|_Ruth JONES ___________ _Joseph H. MANSFIELD ____| | | _Jacob HILL ___________ | | _Hezekiah HILL ____|_Abigail BONNEY _______ | | _Ebenezer HILL ___| | | | | _Ebenezer COLLINS _____ | | | |_Eunice COLLINS ___|_Sarah ________________ | |_Rachel HILL _______| | | _John HAMILTON ________ | | _Ambrose HAMILTON _|_Betty CHANDLER _______ | |_Lucy HAMILTON ___| | | _Jedediah SOULE _______ | |_Deborah SOULE ____|_Tabitha BISHOP _______ | |--Joseph Greely MANSFIELD | | _Stephen B BENNETT ____ | _Job BENNET _______|_Mary HOOK ____________ | _Stephen BENNETT _| | | | _______________________ | | |_Mary HARRADEN ____|_______________________ | _William S BENNETT _| | | | _Jedediah SOULE _______ | | | _James SOULE ______|_Tabitha BISHOP _______ | | |_Rachel SOULE ____| | | | _Joshua CURTIS ________ | | |_Martha CURTIS ____|_Ruth PARKER __________ |_Mary Elizabeth BENNETT _| | _______________________ | _Alexander ROSS ___|_______________________ | _John ROSS _______| | | | _______________________ | | |___________________|_______________________ |_Serena H ROSS _____| | _Ambrose HAMILTON _____ | _Ambrose HAMILTON _|_Deborah SOULE ________ |_Dorcas HAMILTON _| | _Solomon SAWYER _______ |_Ruth SAWYER ______|_Lydia SMALL __________
INDEX
Notes
On 23 March 1964, in response to my inquiry to the town clerk of Yarmouth, Maine, regarding the ancestry of my great grandfather, Joseph G. Mansfield, I received a response from Katherine P. Tinker. She cited no sources. In that letter she wrote:..."The notice of the death of Joseph G. Mansfield stated that when he died on Sept. 14, 1932 in North Adams, Mass. he was 60 years old which would indicate that he was born in 1872 and not the 1869 you give. However, the age given might have been wrong. In any case, his parents were Joseph W. and Mary Elizabeth (Bennett) Mansfield of Chebeague Island which is part of the town of Cumberland - originally it was part of North Yarmouth".
According to his daughter, Printha, he always went by his middle name. Everyone normally referred to him as Greely Mansfield. I have been trying to determine where the middle name "Greely" came from. I have been so far unable to locate any reference to a relative or friend of the family who bore that name. Family speculation is that it refers to the charismatic celebrity, Horace Greely, who was prominent around the time of his birth.
Printha recalls that her father worked in the cotton mill in Yarmouth as a bobbin boy, at the wage of 25 cents per week, for three years from age 8 to age 11. He asked several times to be allowed to go to sea, but his father would not allow it. J. Greely did not want to follow in his father's footsteps as a fisherman, so, at age 11, he ran away from home and signed on to work onboard a tall ship and sailed all over the world. He did not return home until he was 17. The only academic schooling he ever received was from the daughter of the ship's captain, who was named Printha. This is who J. Greely's daughter was named after. His younger brother and sister were born while he was at sea.
. J.Greely went back to work at the cotton mill and worked his way up to the position of superintendent. He spent the rest of his life managing textile mills and had a reputation as being very good at taking an unprofitable mill and turning it around. As a consequence of this skill, he never stayed long at a mill. Once he got a struggling mill on its feet he would move on to another one. He was paid a very handsome salary for his services. In fact, Printha relates that one of his early life goals was to always have a $1000 bill in his money clip. He realized that goal early in his career. When he passed away, sure enough, there was a $1000 bill in his money clip!
. He married Addie Fitts of Yarmouth about 1890, soon after returning from sea. Two sons, William & Myron were born of this marriage.
. Addie died on 12 May 1901. Fifteen months later, 15 Aug 1902, Joseph was married to Victoria Harriet (Hattie) Murray of Yarmouth, an immigrant from Prince Edward Island, Canada. The first three of their five children, Charles, Nellie, and Viola, were born in Yarmouth between 1904 and 1910.
. In 1915 J. Greely moved to Groveville, New Jersey (in Mercer Co., just southeast of Trenton), to take a mill there. Printha was born there. It was while the family was living here that they took in a domestic servant, Rebecca Inman, who was known by the family as "Beck". Apparently the family was there a very short time, as in 1916 they were living in Niles, Michigan (just north of South Bend, Indiana), where the last child, Gertrude, was born. J. Greely was superintendent of the Taylor Cotton Mill in Niles. Beck moved from New Jersey to Niles with the Mansfield family.
. In 1922 J. Greely moved to Stuyvesant Falls to take a mill in Stockport, New York, (about 20 miles south of Albany on the Hudson River). Beck moved with him, leaving Hattie behind. J. Greely repented of the situation and told Hattie that he would like to set things right and reunite with her. Hattie (as she later told her children) would really have liked to have accepted, but let her pride stand in the way and refused. A divorce was agreed upon. J. Greely and Beck married a week after the divorce. By this time, Charles was on his own and the girls went to live with their father in Stuyvesant Falls, N.Y. During this time, Hattie secured work as a saleslady and got herself financially established. In 1924 The girls moved back in with Hattie and they resided in the River Park neighborhood of South Bend, Indiana.
. After that, for J. Greely & Beck, it was on to a mill in Colrain, a small town on the North River in Franklin County, northwestern Massachusetts. Printha recalls that this mill was at one time powered by the river. it had a square smokestack.
. The next mill was in Brattleboro, Windham Co., Vermont. In 1930, J. Greelys' nephew, Laurence, was drowned in the river near the mill when he fell from a railroad bridge while fishing.
. About 1930, J. Greely moved to his last mill in Greylock, Berkshire County, northwestern Massachusetts. Greylock is now part of the town of North Adams. When Hattie Died in 1931, Printha and Gertrude went to live again with their father in North Adams. The family lived in a big white house, on the corner across from the mill, at 443 State Road.
From the Charlottetown, Prince Edward I. "Morning Guardian" newspaper of 27 Aug 1902 : "On Friday evening August 15th 1902, at the residence of J.J. Meyer Esq., Yarmouth Maine [this would be the father of Minnie Meyer, wife of Hattie's brother / uncle, Wesley], Mr. J. Greely Mansfield, foreman of the Yarmouth Cotton Factory, was married to Miss Victoria H. Murray adopted daughter of Charles Murray of Frederickton P.E.I. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. C.A. Brooks, pastor of the Methodist Church. . . . "
. This marriage was about 15 months after the death of Joseph's first wife. Joseph had two children under ten years of age at that time.
Joseph's funeral notice from the 15 September 1932 edition of the "North Adams Transcript" newspaper:
. "Funeral Services for Joseph G. Mansfield, superintendent of GreyMill A. in Greylock, of the Berkshire Fine Spinning Associates, Inc., for the past two years, who died early yesterday morning, will be held tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock at his late home, 433 State Road. Rev. David W. Reid, pastor of the Methodist Episcopal church, will officiate. In the afternoon, the body will be taken to Yarmouth, Me., his native town, leaving here on the "Minute Man" of the B. & M. railroad. Foremen at the Greylock mill will escort the body from the home to the train.
. The Greylock mill which is to be closed tomorrow morning at 9:30 o'clock for the funeral of Gilbert T. Thompson of Adams, chairman of the board of directors of the corporation, who died on Tuesday night, will remain closed until after the funeral services for Mr. Mansfield."
The grave markers for J. Greely and for his wives, Addie & Hattie, are located, together in a row of identical stones, in the Riverside Cemetery in Yarmouth, just a few feet from the maintenance shed.
. The US census for 1900 (Yarmouth Town, sup dist 109, enumeration dist 85) (Ancesty.com image 9 of 91) has Joseph listed as head of household, born Jan 1871, married for 10 years. He, father, & mother all born in Maine. Occupation listed, but I can't make it out. Renting a house.
Others in household:
. Addie M. - wife, born Oct 1865, mother of 2 children, born in Maine, father born in Maine, mother born in "Canada Eng".
. William H. - son, born Dec 1895, born in Maine, at school.
. Myron L. - son, born Dec 1897.
. Fitts, Annie S, boarder, female, born Dec 1876, single, she & parents born in Maine, occupation - sin????? Shoes. [This would be Addie's sister.]
. Note that only 7 dwellings separate Joseph G. from his father, Joseph H. Listed in the same dwelling, but as a separate household:
. Merrill, Fred ? (sloppy writing), head, born Mar 1865, married for 12 years, laborer RR, renting a house. Everyone born in Maine.
. Effie J., wife, born Apr 1866, married for 12 years, no children
. Elmer Verrill, boarder, born Nov 1871, pulp mill laborer
From "The Town register of Yarmouth - 1904", compiled by Mitchell & Russell: Under the entry for Merrill, Roy W. -carpenter:
. Carrie L. (Gooding) - shoe shop work
. Mansfield, Joseph G. - supt cotton mill
. William H. - pupil
. Myron L. - pupil
. Hattie (Murray) - housework
. Charles G.
From "The Town Register - Freeport & Yarmouth- 1909":
Mansfield, J.G. - supt cotton mill
. Hattie (Murray)
. Wm - stu
. Myron - pl
. Charlie G. - pl
. Nellie J.
From the 1909 "East Suburban Directory" (thanks to Alan Hall of Orr's Island, whom I met at the Yarmouth Historical Society):
. Greely J. Mansfield, overseer, Royal River Mfg Co, h 17 Bridge It is interesting that there is also an entry for:
. John S. Mansfield, overseer, Royal River Mfg Co, h East Main [J Greely had a brother, John Soule Mansfield. This is the only John S. Mansfield that I am aware of.]
And the business entry:
. Royal River Mfg Co, J. Greely Mansfield mgr, cotton yarn, twine and seamless bags, Bridge [Street]
The 1910 census for ED 118, Yarmouth, Cumberland Co., Maine (Ancestry.com image 13 of 22), on Main Street (exact address not given):
. Joseph G. Mansfield, age 39, married 8 years (2nd marriage), he & parents born in Maine, superintendent, cotton mill, owns house with no mortgage.
. Hattie V., wife, age 25, married 8 years (1st marriage), she & parents born in Canada, immigrated in 1900.
. Charles G., son, age 6, born in Maine.
. Nellie J., daughter, age 4, born in Maine.
. William H., son, age 16, born in Maine.
. Myron L., son, age 12, born in Maine.
The 1920 census for dist. 98, Niles City, Berrien Co., Michigan (Ancestry.com image 14 of 31), erroneously enumerates Joseph Greely Mansfield as GEORGE G. MANSFIELD, at 202 South Lincoln Avenue, homeowner with no mortgage, age 46 [an error - should be 49], he & parents born in Maine, superintendent, cotton mill.
. Hattie, wife, age 34, she & parents born in English Canada
. Charles, son, age 16, born in Maine
. Nellie, dau., age 13, born in Maine
. Viola, dau., age 9, born in Maine
. Printha, dau., age 4, born in Maine
. Gertrude, dau., age 3 1/2, born in New Jersey
. Elizabeth, dau. in law, age 22, married, she & parents born in New Jersey
. Kenneth, grandson, age 2 6/12, he & father born in Michigan, mother in New Jersey
. James Irvine, unrelated, age 16, single, he & parents born in New Jersey, laborer, locks factory
. Susie Sherwood, servant, age 40, single, born in Illinois, parents born in Indiana, household servant
The 1930 census for district 4, Brattleboro, Windham Co., Vermont (Ancestry.com image page 49 of 57):
. Mansfield, Joseph G., renting for $27 per month at 60 Oak Grove Ave., not owning a radio, age 59, first married at age 20, he & parents born in Maine, superintendent, cotton mill, not a veteran.
. Rebecca E., wife, age 43, first married at age 22, she & parents born in New Jersey.
. Lawton, Lillian , stepdaughter, age 21, married, first married at age 16, she & parents born in New Jersey, inspector, cotton mill.
. Barbara, granddaughter [Rebecca's], age 4 7/12, she & father born in Massachusetts, mother born in New Jersey.
. While on vacation in Yarmouth in 2001, I attempted to discover where exactly J. Greely and his family resided while living there. J. Greely's daughter, Printha recalled that her sister Nellie (my grandmother, born 1906) was born in what they called the "big house", which was memorable in that It had a large barn, made of mahogany, just a few feet away from it. The barn was exceptionally clean and never had animals in it. Viola was born (1910) in the "little house", which is now a part of the Yarmouth Academy. Printha remembers that the big house was still standing in 1931, but that the little house had burned down.
. Associating this information with the 1904 town register entry mentioned above, I went to the Yarmouth Historical Society and found a map, drawn in 1910, showing the owner's names of all the houses in the town. On the edge of town on West Main Street there was a house owned by "R. Merrill est.". It seems likely that J. Greely and his family may have been boarding at the house.
. I drove to the area and found a large house with a very large barn a few feet from it with the date "1890" written on it. I later showed a photo of it to Printha and she said it looked just as she had remembered it. I spoke to the present owner of the house. He was familiar with the history of the house and did not think that it had any connection with the Merrill Family. He did mention, however, that a couple houses down the street was the "Captain Merrill House". He also said that in years past many of the houses had large barns next to them, but most have been torn down over the years.
. I went back to the Yarmouth Historical Society and discovered that the Captain Ruben Merrill house is at the present address of 233 West Main Street and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is one of the few homes with a black wrought iron fence around it. Many homes had this feature in years gone by, but almost all of the fences were melted down for the iron over the years.
. I think it likely that this was the "big house" that Nellie Mansfield was born in.
Created by Sparrowhawk 1.0 (4/17/1996) on Wed Aug 27 01:29:54 2003