River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1924-07-10
COOLIDGE AND DAWES
ONCE RAN A GROCERY
Ancestors of Candidates
Were Partners.

ChicagO.-The Coolidge and Dawes
families are not so unacquainted as
the distance between Massachusetts
and Illinois might make 1t appear.
Their ancestors knew each other and
worked together, writes Oscar Hewitt
in the Chicago Tribune.
Now 1t is Coolidge and Dawes"
candidates for the two highest offices
In the land.
Many years ago-abOut 147-it was
Dawes & Coolidge" grocers, of Wor-
cester. Mass.
The Dawes of the firm was the
great-great (perhaps another one
or two) grandfather of Gen. Charles
Gates Dawes, Republican nominee for
vice president. The Coolidge Of the
firm was an ancestor of the President
of the United States. In the brief day
of newspaper reporter the recon-
structiOn Of the Coolidge family tree
is too tedious task to say with GER
tainty that the grocer Coolidge was
the grandfather of several generations
back of the present head Of the ma
ton But one genealogy so indicates,
While another places Grocer Coolidge
on different branch of the tree from
that on which the President originated.
Companion Of Revere.
The grocer Dawes was William, re-
ferred to usually as "the patriot" who
was the companion of Paul Revere,
made famous by LongfelIow.
Concerning his poem it has been
printed that "NIr. LongfellOw wrote to
an acquaintance who sent him little
antiquarian volume, correcting some
of the imaginative statements in Paul
Revere's Ride:
"'Please accept my thanks for your
beautiful book, William Dawes and his
ride with Paul Revere. have read it
with great interest and pleasure. |
am afraid that you have convicted me
of grave historic crimes and misde-
meanors, but | shall not appeal"
This little volume referred to Is an
essay by Henry w. Holland, read be-
fore the New England Historic Genoa
logical society on June 7, 1876, in
which is attached a genealogy of the
Dawes family.
1t was in that genealOgy that the
fact was disclosed that Dawes and
Coolidge were in the grocery business.
The particular Dawes of interest to-
day was named William, and was born
October 2, 1719. The Daweses for five
generations up to that time were
builders and masons but this William
had a clubfoOt and could not follow
the trade. He became q goldsmith.
In 1912 he married Lydia, daughter of
Nicholas Boone, a bookseller of Bos-
ton, who, one authority asserts, pub
lished the first newspaper in America
Nine children were born of this mar
riage, of whom William "the patriot"
was the second, born September 6,
1745. The third child was a girl, who
was named Lydia, born February 10,
1747. She married John Coolidge, JAN
uary 5, 1772.
Two Families Associated.
1t was with his brother-in-law, John
Coolidge, that William Dawes, "the
patriot" went into the grocery bust
ness. John Coolidge seemed to go
right along with the Daweses at that
time. After William Dawes, father of
''the patriot" married second time,
a number of pieces of real estate in
Boston were sold by the heirs of the
first wife. Regarding one of them the
Holland essay says:
son January following (1779) 9th
er heirs sold piece of garden land on
Green lane, on the northwest corner
of the road to Bartons point, for 300
pounds to Daniel Jackson, Mrs. Dawes
brother. and finally they sold the Jack
son mansion, on Sudbury street, to
John Coolidge for 1900 pounds II
was next to the Benjamin Eustis es-
tate, and Samuel Pitts, and thus very
near the Dawes mansion.
The elder William Dawes sympa-
thiZed strongly with the colonies and
one writer says that 'his apprentices
were among the party who threw the
tea overheard in the Boston harbor.
The elder William Dawes was a
strictly religious man, according to
the light of his day, and is said not to
have allowed his children to laugh or
look out Of the window on the Sab
bath. Also, one history says Not
only was the food for Sunday prepared
on Saturday, that the day might be
one Of rest for all members Of the
household but the shoes and garments
were brushed and prepared before
hand"