Sketches of Successful New Hampshire Men
Company at Manchester, taking charge of the books and pay-rolls of the
land and water-power department, then under the direction of Robert
Read, Esq. The city had no existence except in the plans of the
projectors. There was not a mill on the east side of the river, not a
building except the scattered farm-houses; the canal had been laid out,
a site for a cotton mill set off, but nothing was finished. It was
during this constructive period of the city's history that he was
occupied with the oversight of workmen, the execution of land sales, and
the varied duties of the Amoskeag counting-room, thus gathering the
knowledge and experience which qualified him for the important agencies
that have since engrossed his time.
In 1854, desiring a more independent position, he resigned his place in
the Amoskeag company, and united with O. W. Bailey, Aretas Blood, and
Joseph M. Stone in organizing a company for building railway engines. By
the act of incorporation, they took the name of "Manchester
Locomotive-Works." Without adequate capital, and with adverse times, the
projectors of the enterprise had a weary struggle before them. Having no
reputation as builders, and with limited capacity for production, it was
not easy to obtain patronage; but with the pluck and persistence which
deserved success, the proprietors determined to make only first-class
engines. At the end of ten years they had gained a position which
commanded wide confidence, and they then began to divide profits. Since
that time, with occasional interruptions, the business has steadily
increased, so that, in the number, size, and weight of the engines now
constructed, the product of a month often exceeds in value the entire
product of some previous years.
In 1858, Mr. Means was elected treasurer of the Salmon Falls
Manufacturing Company. The mills of this company were in the eastern
portion of the state, and for convenience of access he removed his
family to Andover, Mass., still retaining his place as treasurer of the
locomotive-works, and having an office for the business of both
companies in Boston. Under his management the condition of the Salmon
Falls company was much improved. The capital stock of the company was,
by cash payment to its stockholders, reduced from $1,000,000 to
$600,000. New mills were erected, and the productive capacity of the
concern enlarged by one-fourth, without any assessments or sacrifices on
the part of the stockholders,--a result which illustrates beyond dispute
the good judgment and skill of the management. Mr. Means resigned the
treasurership September 1, 1877.
On the 26th day of February, 1840, Mr. Means was married to Martha
Allen, daughter of Bethuel and Martha (Bent) Allen, of Newton, Mass.
They have had eight children, of whom six are now living,--four sons and
two daughters. The sons, as they have reached manhood, have found
employment in the corporations with which the father is connected.
In politics, Mr. Means has been Whig and Republican. Conversant with the
affairs of government, and a careful observer of public men, he has
manifested a generous appreciation of the good qualities of those with
whom he did not agree. Loving justice, and abhorring the wrongs by which
any class of his fellow-men suffered injury, he strongly adhered to the
principles and steadfastly upheld the policy of the party with which he
voted. In 1854 he was elected representative from ward three in
Manchester, and served one term in the house at Concord. Having removed
from ward three, he was not returned a second time.
In religion, Mr. Means has firmly held to the evangelical system of
doctrine. In early manhood he made profession of his faith by uniting
with the Congregational church in his native town; transferring his
membership to the Hanover-street church in Manchester, and thence to the
South church in Andover, with successive chances of residence. In all
of these places he has proved a stanch friend of the ministry and a
liberal supporter of Christian institutions. A man of clear convictions
and of marked independence of character, he has not stood aloof from the
community, but, cherishing a hearty respect for human nature, he has
taken an active part in the popular movements in behalf of education and
local improvements. To the appeals for charitable aid, whether coming
from individuals or churches or institutions of learning, the response
has been cordial. The establishment of the Means prizes at Phillips
Academy illustrates his discriminating beneficence. In times of
difficulty and depression he has been helpful in bearing burdens, making
good deficiencies, and quietly upholding the cause he had espoused. For
a few years past the family have spent the winter season in Boston; but,
whether in city or country, the man is unchanged. He is still interested
in the welfare of the church and the state, thoughtful of his friends
and former associates, considerate of neighbors, and bestowing sympathy
and assistance where they are needed, seeks to keep alive the ancient
virtues of New England life, and maintain the best standards of service
and citizenship.
EX-GOVERNOR FREDERICK SMYTH.
FREDERICK SMYTH was born March 19, 1819, in Candia, Rockingham county,
N. H. His ancestors were farmers, men and women of thrift and
intelligence. He was trained in the hardest kind of farm labor,
receiving, in addition, such education as the good common schools of
that town could give, supplemented by a brief course at Phillips Academy
at Andover, Mass. With a view to further education, he taught school
several winters, and in 1839 found employment at the store of George
Porter, Esq., in Manchester. Elm street was then a sandy and uninviting
thoroughfare, with only one other store. At the end of the year Mr.
Smyth's employer persuaded him to give up the idea of a college
education and adopt a mercantile life. He soon became a partner in the
business, which was successfully carried on until 1849, in which year he
was elected city clerk,--the beginning of a long official career, local
and national.
In 1852, Mr. Smyth was elected mayor, the city then containing a
population of fifteen thousand. Mayor Smyth's first message contained
many practical suggestions; for instance, that the police or school
committee be empowered to take vagrant children from the streets and put
them in school; that proper sidewalks be constructed and maintained; and
that a special committee be appointed to confer with the corporations in
regard to the introduction of pure water. In May of that year he set
trees on Elm street, the commons, and about land owned by the city. To
this matter the mayor gave his personal attention, and not only at that
time but every year since, with few exceptions, has inspected the trees
and given notice to the proper authorities of any lack. This thorough
attention to detail, and desire for doing the work belonging to his
office personally and not by proxy, was characteristic of Mayor Smyth.
In March, 1853, he was re-elected by an increased majority, and the year
was marked by the annexation of parts of Bedford and Goffstown to
Manchester, and by the rebuilding of the Amoskeag Falls bridge.
The subject of lighting the streets with gas was first introduced to the
attention of the city councils at that time, and a few lamps
experimentally established. The free public library was also urged,--a
recommendation then somewhat in advance of the popular sentiment. It
was, however, advocated by the late Hon. Samuel D. Bell and some others,
and was finally carried through both branches of the city government
without serious opposition. It has resulted in the establishment of a
library of which any city might be proud, and a building for its
accommodation costing, with the recent annex, nearly forty thousand
dollars. A special vote of the trustees at that time recorded their
appreciation of Mayor Smyth's effective exertions in the matter. Having
been a third time elected mayor and with still increased majority, the
annual message of 1854 set forth the working plan of the library,
proposed a change of city charter to allow the consolidation of
school-districts, and again urged the imperative need of a supply of
pure water. At the close of this term of office he declined a
re-election, but was soon appointed, by the governor, chairman of a
committee to locate and build a house of "reformation for juvenile
offenders." His associates in this work were the late Hon. Matthew
Harvey, ex-governor, and judge of the United States circuit court, and
Hon. Hosea Eaton.
The first report of the commissioners was a vindication of the humane
policy of the state, containing a sketch of what had been done in this
and other countries for the reform of young offenders, with a full
report of progress made. In May, 1858, the house was dedicated to its
purpose with appropriate ceremonies, and the commissioners were
complimented by Gov. Haile for the fidelity with which the task was
accomplished. While engaged in the supervision of this work, Mr. Smyth
represented ward three in Manchester in the legislature of 1857 and
1858. He was made treasurer of the reform school and of the N. H.
Agricultural Society, holding the latter office during ten years of its
greatest usefulness. It was in this time, Judge Nesmith being president,
that Daniel Webster spoke at one of the annual fairs in Manchester to
the farmers of his native state, and Edward Everett made one of those
matchless speeches which lives in perennial beauty like the landscape it
describes. Mr. Smyth was at the same time a director of the U. S.
Agricultural Society, manager of the fairs held by that association at
Louisville, Richmond, Chicago, and Cincinnati, and vice-president of the
American Pomological Society. Such varied activities having brought him
favorably to the attention of people throughout the state, he received
some votes in the convention which nominated the Hon. Ichabod Goodwin
for governor. The next year Mr. Smyth was made president of the
convention. In 1860 he was appointed, by Secretary Chase, an agent to
receive subscriptions to the national loan, and being cashier and
principal business manager of the Merrimack River Bank and of the
savings bank, he invested largely for them in government bonds. The bank
of discount soon after became known as the "First National Bank."
In 1861, Mr. Smyth was appointed by government a commissioner to the
International Exhibition at London, and was then made one of the jurors.
The favorable exhibit made by the textile fabrics of Manchester was in
no small degree owing to the care with which he looked after their
disposal. His appointment gave him unusual facilities for study and
observation in the highest circles of London and England, and he was
also accredited from the various associated bodies with which he was
connected at home to the Royal Agricultural Society. Upon these and
kindred topics he wrote some interesting letters, which were published
in the _N. H. Journal of Agriculture_. He also took a trip on the
Continent, accompanied by C. L. Flint, Esq., secretary of the
Massachusetts board of agriculture. The gathering proportions of the war
at home, however, led him to cut short his travels, and he arrived at
New York, via London, in September. He now gave his time to the care of
the banks, encouraging subscriptions to the national loans, and taking
active part in measures calculated to strengthen faith in the
administration.
In May, 1863, a fair was held in Smyth's Hall in aid of the sanitary
commission, at which nearly four thousand dollars were raised. Mr. Smyth
gave the use of the hall and his personal efforts as chairman of the