Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1904-10-07


through all the years, every obligation
assumed by him.
His attention was given almost ex-
clusively to the manufacture of lumber,
in which he commenced when a boy in
his fathers mill. His workmen knew he
could tie bunch of shingles or file
saw as well as any of them, and this
made it easier for him to have a practi-
cal oversight of an immense business.
While he watched the details, even when
conducting the most weighty matters, he
never undertook to perform the duties
assigned to any of his men, and it
always aggravated him to see person
neglect the highest occupation of which
he might be capable to do the work of
some employee. His respect for al
forms of labor was unlimited, but he
admired system and propriety about it.
After he came to the management of
affairs he was even fastidious in his
requirements and appearance. For years
fresh flowers were always on his desk,
to be given to friends before they faded,
and he came to his office each day
smoothly shaven and in clean linen. All
this was apart of his business regularity
and his sense of propriety, and yet it
never rose as a barrier between him and
the most common individual.
MIR. Fitzgerald was born at Fairfield,
Me-, September 90, 1885, and was mar
ried at Canaan, Me, to Miss Esther
Furber, June II, 1855. Three children
were born to them Charles Thomas,
Henry Elmer, and Nary who lived only
about two years.
Mr.. Fitzgerald was employed in
various ways about lumber mills in
Bethel, Lewiston and other places in
Maine, and came to Island Pond Deem
Der 9th, 1871, to accept contract to
saw short lumber (clapboards, shingles
and laths) for the Norton Mills Co.,
then composed substantially of Charles
w. Pierce, George b. James and Alpheus
NJ. Stetson. During the following year
Pierce withdrew from the company and
purchased what was then called the
Kimpton Mill, and which was later
operated by j. NJ. Buffers. James also
commenced business at Norton an d let
contract to Mr.. Fitzgerald to saw
spruce and short lumber, which took him
to Norton for about year. Following
this came the failure of George B.
James and the disastrous conditions as
a consequence. The mill property at
Island Pond went to Horace Stewart,
and the greater part of the personal
property to Porter Human, each as
mortgage.
Mr.. Fitzgerald seemed left alone with
everything at the lowest ebb about him
and only small amount of money
saved from his lumber jobs. He pur-
chased for the low price of four thousand
dollars the mill privilege here, and
bought the personal property, NOR tgag-
ing everything for nearly all he gave
for it. He then bought of Porter Hin
man the stumpage on what were known
as the Kelley lands, near Mcconnell
Pond, and drew the logs out on to Spec
Pond and then ran them through to his
mill here. During the first year Of this
business, Joseph Grindell was interested
with him.
After Mr.. Fitzgerald became safely
established here, which was about 1878,
he began to purchase, by obtaining tax
titles and otherwise, timber lands in
this vicinity, and in 1888, having &C.
| quired large tracts in Averill, he moved
there mill which he had been operat.
ing with his father in Holland. Soon
after this E. e. Robinson, representing
Bartlett and Robinson, became associa
ted with him in the Averill Lumber Co.,
which was operated about ten years
most proftably. In 1891 Messrs. Fitz
gerald & Robinson became partners OF
s. d. Hobson in large purchase of
timber lands the latter had made in
Oxford County, Me-, and Coos County
N. H., and from this developed the
Wild River Lumber Company, from
which Mr.. Hobson retired in 1898 anf
was succeeded by u. M. Mansur and
others. Some five years thereafter
when this had grown to be a large ant
} lucrative business, it was sold at con
} siderable profit, to the Hastings Lum
Der Company, OF Portland, Me. Later
Mr.. Fitzgerald, in company with hi
, son H. E. Fitzgerald, E. M. Bartlett
Porter II. Dale, and some others, wa
, interested in general enterprises, includ
! ing the Haverhill Paper Company, AM