The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1919-04-24
SkOWHtGAh MERCHANT
RETIRES
ieng and Interesting Business Career
of NJ. Charles 4. Ro>s

AAa fsAf~ - nHah hEEin Ht d1aposInB
Of his staes - Dyer a Cross. was
born IN Elm street september 1s.
1850 Hs parents we're Thomas {.
aud Cariesa Steward Ross aud they
were then living in the Elder M.aer
homestead now occupied by e u Mil
ler When Nr Ross WAS three weeks
Old bis parents moved 10 Court
Street which has ever since been his
haae Nr Ross received his edu
cation m the s6oNhegan schools ID
Guiding Bloomfield Academy which
b. attended up 10 about 1865 Il us
ol interest ta note that while Mr. Ross
va q pupil the skowhesan High
school WIS instituted and the two
esn combined under the name Of
s6waeelu High school and Bloom
0eIa Academy Nr Ross recalls
among b, last Il hi teaehers John
T.. Moody for MANY years anerward
Principal af the Edward Little High
School H auburn
Nr Ros- father. already mention
cd. was carriage maker whiehc MAS
IN those DAYS a very important en-
terprse Ia this and other eommu-
nIae- he came here from Damar
tseofta m lss2 His shop was located
On Water street. on the lot now oc-
cupied by the Sed Lambert Confec-
uenery Store He did business here
continuously from 1892 10 1875, the
year of his death His products we're
chiefly marketed in SkoWhegan and
vien ty When Charles A left school
he Went TO work with his father in the
carriage business and followed this
occupation Tor about five years. For
two or three years following. he work
ed for Mitchell Willis, Edward Kelly
and for Edward Robbins all of these
establishments beng wood working
shops In 1872 Mr. Ross went to ST.
Stevens. New Brunswick and engaged
in the grocery business Tor two years
In the latter part Of 1874 he returned
TO SkoWhegan During the winter Of
1S14 or 1873 he Went to Boston and
was employed in Real Estate Office
This VAS the year of his fathers
death and al that time cfall Of 1879
he returned to Skowhegan In Janu-
ba Oh
winter aud spring. for Daniel Curtis
4 in straw shop in Med6eld, Mass
This Mr. Curtis was brother Of
Edward e Curtis Of this place In
the fall Of that year. he visited the
, Centennial Exposition at Philadelphia
and then returned TO Skowhegan
April IA. 1877. he bought half
j interest in the stove and tinware bust
ness with W H. better remembered
as Henry Wlggin This business was
/ established In the same building and
on the same lot, where the elder Ross
had made carriages for so many years
i the structure being remodeled for the
purpose 1t should be noted here that
tan Is in part the original building
The partnership with Mr. Wiggin con-
uuucd for four years. when Mr.. Wig
gin was succeeded by A p Sewall
The business during the next two
Years WAS under the name of Sewell
oua Ross At the end of this period,
Mr. Sewal sold out and went to Bos-
t5u and MIR Ross continued the bus
ness n this location until 1892. when
me moved to the east part OF the
uinsmore Block. 50 called. establish
ing the business just disposed of. 1t
Is very interesting to note here, that
after MIR. Ross had completed the
transfer OF his stock to the new firm,
Dyer q Cross, it occurred to him that
this had been done on April IA. 1919,
exactly the forty-second anniversary
OF his commencing his mercantile
career in Skowhegan.
December 2, 1878, Mr. Ross was
married to Miss Hattie F. Dockum of
Cambridge. Mass. The family had
previously been residents of Skowhe
gan and Miss Dockum and Mr.. Ross
became acquainted while attending
school here OF this union two chill
dren were born, Harold d. an cleo
trical engineer of the General Electric
Co. at Pittsfield, Mass. and a daugh-
ter Miss Mabel, who for many years
was a teachcer in the Skowhegan
schools, chiefly In the kindergarten
At present she is pursuing a business
course at Gray's Business College in
Portland.
The change from the nature of the
business done by Wiggin & Ross 1877
to 1881, to the present day is very
marked. At that tine the firm dealt
In stoves and manufactured all kinds
OF tinware, but in addition to this they
used to send out pedlar carts through
the country with stock of tinware
and furnishing goods and knick-
knacks which were sold from house