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Ezekiel Straw 2nd
(1763-1819)
Elizabeth Brown
(1762-1849)
Deacon Ebenezer Fiske
(1762-1838)
Abigail Woodbury
(1765-1839)
James Brown Straw Sr.
(1794-1830)
Mehitable Fisk
(1800-1873)

Gov Ezekiel Albert Straw
(1819-1882)

 

Family Links

Spouses/Children:
1. Charlotte Smith Webster

Gov Ezekiel Albert Straw

  • Born: 30 Dec 1819, Salisbury, Merrimack County, New Hampshire
  • Marriage (1): Charlotte Smith Webster on 6 Apr 1842 in Amesbury, Essex County, Massachusetts
  • Died: 23 Oct 1882, Manchester, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire at age 62
  • Buried: Valley Cemetery Manchester, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, USA

bullet   Cause of his death was "softening of the brain."

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bullet  General Notes:

Served as Governor of New Hampshire1872-73.
Sources: Genealogy of Ellen Straw Thompson his daughter completed in 1897; IGI files and census records. Stearns Gen and Fam Hist of NH.

SOURCE: Manchester, A Brief Record of its Past and A Picture of Its Present
Manchester N.H.; John B. Clark; 1875
"Gov. Straw married April 6, 1842 at Amesbury, Mass., Miss Charlotte Smith Webster, who died in Manchester [NH] March 15, 1852. To them were born four children--Albert, who died in infancy; Charlotte Webster, the wife of William H. Howard of Somerville, Mass.; Hermand Foster, assistant superintendent of the Amoskeag Company's mills in Manchester; Ellen, the wife of Henry M. Thompson, formerly agent of the Manchester Print-Works and now agent of the Lowell Felting Company at Lowell Mass."

Per census 1850 of Manchester, NH the household consisted of:
E. A. Straw ae30
Charlotte S ae 27
Charlotte W. ae 2
H. A. ae 8/12
also living in the household was Julia Leonard ae 26 born Ireland (servant?); Richard Leonard ae 18 born NH; occ: laborer and Abigail G------ ae 59 b. NH
Near neighbors were Meany, Whitney and Brown

census 1860 Hillsborough NH
Ezekiel A. Straw c1821
Evaline E. 1845 (daughter)
Fanny A. 1850 (daughter)
Herman 1852 (son)

census 1870 Hillsborough, NH
Ezekiel A. Straw c1820
Charlotte W. c1848
Herman c1850
Clara c1851
Ellen c1852

Public Ledger (Memphis, Tennessee)03 Apr 1873, ThuPage 3
The Amoskeag Mills owned by Gov Straw of New Hampshire make twenty miles cotton cloth per day...

The Indianapolis News (Indianapolis, Indiana)25 Mar 1879, TuePage 2
Ex govenor E. A. Straw of New Hampshire who has been in feeble health for some time past is now said to have lost his voice and his mental powers as well. Gov straw was for more tahn twenty-five years clerk and agent of the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company, but resigned at Christmas time.

Boston Post (Boston, Massachusetts)30 Nov 1881, WedPage 1
Ex-gov E. A. Straw of New Hampshire has been judged insane by a commission appointed by the probate court in a response to a petition of his family and on petition of his daughters Mrs Ellen S. Thompson and Charlotte Howard, his brother and son. James B. and Herman F. were appointed his guardians.

The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Kentucky)23 Oct 1882, MonPage 1
Ex-Gov E. R.(sic) Straw of New Hampshire is at death's door at his home in Manchester, with brain disease and paralysis.

The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, Louisiana)26 Oct 1882, ThuPage 1
Ex-Gov E. A. Straw of New Hampshire died at his home in Manchester on Tuesday October 23 age 63 years, Gov stgraw was a frequent visitor to New Orleans where he had many friends.
per History of NH:
Gov Straw received his early education in the public and highschools of Lowell, MA where his father had located while in the employ of the Appleton Mfg Co.. After graduating with honors from Lowell high School he fitted himself for a commercial career by taking a course in practical mathematics at Philips Academy in Andover, MA. After that he was employed for a time by the Lowell and Nashua RR as an assistant engineer. Mr Boyden, consulting engineer of the Amoskeag Mfg Co heard such glowing reports of the young engineer that he eventually offered him the position of engineer of his company, substituting for Thomas J. Carter, who was in poor health at the time. On July 4 1838 the Gov -to-be entered upon his duties and for forty yrs he remained with the Amoskeag concern, rising by rapid stages from the humble post he had first taken until he was the dominant factor of the company. In 1884 he was sent to England and Scotland to study the system of manufacturing employed in those countries and in 1856, when machine shops, mills and power company were united in one company, he was placed in control of all operations. He was treasurer and principal owner of the Namaske Mills during the eight yrs of their existence, from 1856 to 1864, and was chosen a director of the Langdon Mills in 1874. He was president and Director of the Blodgett Edge Tool Co from its organization in 1855 to its dissolution in 1862 when it was succeeded by the Amoskeag Axe Co.
During all this time he was able to find time to assist in the affairs of his city and state. He was elected a member of the committee to prepare palns for the rebuilding of the town house in 1844 and was also on a committee to devise methods for securing a pure water supply for the city. 1854 he was a member of the first board of trustees to safeguard the new library and in the construction of that building he took an active part. He was one of the founders of the Unitarian society of Manchester in 1842. 1853 - 1857 he was its clerk and treasurer and chairman of the committee to build the new Unitarian church. 1851 he was director of the Manchester Gas Light CO and president of it from 1856 til almost 1876. He was president of the New England Cotton MFG Assoc until his death and president of the NH Fire Insurrance Co in 1870 and held that office for 10 yrs.
Elected a representative to the State Legislature in 1859 and reelected for four successive terms he served his last three years as chairman on the finance committee. In 1864 and 1865 he was a member of the Senate and officiated as president of that body for his second term. He supervised the rebuilding of the State house and served on the staff of Gov Stearns. He was on the committee to celebrate the anniversay of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia in 1876 and his crowning honor was when he became governor of NH in 1872. He was re elected in 1873. Both terms were marked with constructive ability and splendid accomplishments in the line of duty and his excellent qualities were ever prominent in all the acts he performed. He was later honored by Dartmouth college with the degree of Master of Arts.
On January 1, 1879 he felt compelled to retire from active duty after two-score years of unbroken industry such as falls to few to accomplish. Shortly after this he was stricken with a lingering illness and passed away in Oct of 1882, sadly mourned by the entire state.
Burial place per April 2005 Newsletter of Friends of the Valley Cemetery with photo of the monument at his grave site

Name Index to Clarke's "History of Manchester"
STRAW, ABIGAIL 434
STRAW, ALBERT 437
STRAW, CHARLOTTE SMITH WEBSTER 437
STRAW, CHARLOTTE WEBSTER 437
STRAW, DANIEL F 258
STRAW, E A 308 309 320 397 400
STRAW, E A 90 91 160 240 274 303 305
STRAW, ELLEN 437
STRAW, EZEKIAL A 66 89 105 199 258 266 275
STRAW, EZEKIEL ALBERT 1819 434 SALISBURY,NH
STRAW, HERMAN F 276 437
STRAW, J J 186 188
STRAW, JAMES B 124 461 434
STRAW, JONATHAN J 151 187
STRAW, MEHITABLE FISK 434
STRAW, MIRANDA

NEW HAMPSHIRE PATRIOT - 12 Jan 1881
J B Straw and Herman F. Straw have been appointed guardians of Hon. E A Straw on petition of his two daughters.

www.newhampshireblog.com
Albert "Zeke" Straw, son of James B. & Mehitable (Fisk) Straw, b. 19 December 1819 Salisbury NH (his daughter's death cert says Warner NH), on the "Jacob Chase formerly the Hardy homestead." He d. 23 Oct 1882, He is buried in Valley Cemetery, Manchester NH. A few years after his birth his family moved to Lowell MA. He entered the English department of Phillips Academy at Andover MA where he applied himself to the study of practical mathematics. In the spring of 1838 he was employed as assistant civil engineer on the Nashua & Lowell RR. In July of 1838 he began service with the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company as civil engineer, continuing until 1851 when he was appointed agent of the company. From 1859-1963 he was elected to the state legislature as a rep. from Manchester NH. In 1864 and 1865 he was elected to the state senate and was president of the senate in 1865. In 1872 he was elected governor of NH then re-elected in 1873. He m. 7 Apr 1842 in Amesbury, Essex Co MA to Charlotte Smith Webster, dau of Nathaniel and Mary (Bartlett) Webster. She b. 4 Sep 1823 in Amesbury MA. [Nathaniel Webster of Salisbury MA, a sea captain m. 3 June 1817 to Mary Bartlet(t). Their other ch, William Bartlett Webster b 18 Apr 1820, Maria Loezer Webster b 7 July 1826. Mary Bartlett was a prominent spiritualist of Amesbury MA who "made her house a refuge for destitute mediums and clairvoyants." Reportedly Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy of the Christian Science Church spent some months living in the Nathaniel Webster home when she first went to Amesbury MA.]
Children of Ezekiel "Zeke" & Charlotte S. (Webster) Shaw:
1. Albert Straw, b. 1846, died in infancy 1847
2. Charlotte Webster Straw, b. March 1848 in Manchester NH, d. 8 Nov 1903 in Lowell MA, age 55 of chronic nephritis; m. William H. Howard of Somerville MA who owned a hose manufactory. (He was the son of Hanson Howard, b. March 1843 Strafford NH [one source says Strafford VT] He died 5 Jan 1904 in Lowell MA of acute gastritis). She is buried in Valley Cemetery, Manchester NH on 10 March 1903. They had at least 3 children: Albert S. Howard b March 1876 in MA; William Hanson Howard b 30 Apr 1879 in Boston MA and Sarah Howard b Oct 1883 in MA.
3. Herman Foster Straw, b. 31 Dec 1849 in Manchester NH; d. 1929; was asst. supt. of Amoskeag Co. Mills; married 18 Sep 1873 to Mary Dreslow Parker. She was b. Sept 1853 in NH. They had several children including son William Parker Straw who was b June 1877/79 in Manchester NH and was also a superintendent of Amoskeag Mills; Harry Ellis a son b. Apr 1883 in NH and a son Herman F. b. 1894 in NH.
4. Ellen "Nellie" Straw, b. 16 Feb 1852 in Manchester NH and d. 31 Dec 1926 in Lowell MA; She married Henry Martin Thompson, former agent of Manchester Print-Works, and later agent of the Lowell Felting Company of Lowell MA. He b. 19 Feb 1847 Portsmouth NH and d. 4 Jan 1909, age 61 in Lowell MA, a suicide (pistol shot wound of brain). He was the son of William N. & Louisa M. (Butler) Thompson, and later lived with his parents in Biddeford ME (1860). He was buried 6 Jan 1909 in Salem MA. They had resided at 4 Park Street in Lowell MA. They had at least one ch, a son Albert W. Thompson b 16 Feb 1874 in E. Somerville MA, who m. 6 Oct 1898 in Lowell MA to Hildreth Nesmith, age 22 dau of Thomas & Florence (Hildreth) Nesmith. She was born 23 Sept 1876 in Lowell, MA and died after Sept 1918.

Find A Grave Memorial 26109802


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Ezekiel married Charlotte Smith Webster, daughter of Capt Nathaniel Webster and Mary Bartlett, on 6 Apr 1842 in Amesbury, Essex County, Massachusetts. (Charlotte Smith Webster was born on 4 Sep 1823 in Amesbury, Essex County, Massachusetts, died on 15 Mar 1852 in Manchester, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire and was buried in Valley Cemetery Manchester, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, USA.). The cause of her death was "canker."




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