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 EDGERLV. EDWARDS. 197 health, he returned to farming, which he still carries on. Mr. Eaton has held the offices of select- man, overseer of the poor, and member of the school committee. He was a member of the House of Representatives in 1SS4. His church connections are with the First Congregational church of Auburn, of which he is an officer. He was married at Auburn, November 20, 1861, to Martha Maria, daughter of John and Lavinia (Stone) Blood, by whom lie has four children surviving : Arthur Adelbert, Luella Adelia, Ida Lavinia, and Carlotta Pierce Eaton. Herbert William died at the age of fourteen, and Alice Maria at eighteen. EDGERLY, MARTIN VAN BUREN, son of Samuel J. and Eliza (Bickford) Edgerly, was bom in Barnstead, Belknap county, N. H., September 26, 1833. His education was obtained in the pub- lic schools of Manchester, after which he was employed in the shop and mills of the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company. This he gave up in 1859 to engage in the insur- ance business at Pittsfield, giving his chief attention to fire insurance, and among other companies he represented the Massa- chusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, in which he was so prosperous that it proved the beginning of a most successful career as a life insurance and business man. In 1863 he returned to Manchester for a wider field, where he remained till 18S3, when he removed from the State. In 1868 Mr. Edgerly was made general superintend- ent of the agencies of the company, but gave up the position two years later on ac- count of the incident travel required. In 1882 he was chosen a director in the com- pany, and in 1884 was made second vice- president. In 1S85 he was made vice-presi- dent, and in 1886 was unanimously elected to succeed E. V. Bond as president of the company. It is safe to say that no one man has contributed more to the steady growth and success of the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company than Mr. Edgerly, and that for the position of presi- dent he is conspicuously qualified. While residing in Manchester, Mr. Ed- gerly served as director of the City National Bank, the New Hampshire Fire Insurance Company, the Suncook Valley Railroad Company, the Worcester & Nashua Railroad Company, and as trustee of the Merrimack River Savings Bank. In religious faith he is an Episcopalian, and has always taken an active interest in affairs relating to his church and denomi- nation. In politics he is a pronounced and sturdy Democrat. He was delegate to the national Democratic conventions of 1S72, '76, and '80 ; a member of the national Democratic committee, and centennial com- missioner from New Hampshire, and chief of staff to Governor Weston of that state. In 1882 he was nominated as Democratic candidate for governor of New Hampshire, and in that Republican state was defeated by a very small majority. Since his election as president of the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, he has resided in Springfield, a MARTIN V. B EDGERLY. man highly esteemed and admired by all who come in contact with him in business and social circles. For himself, he finds his chief relaxation and enjoyment in his home and in cultivating his literary in- stincts among the treasures of a large and select library of standard works. EDWARDS, Elisha Austin, son of Col. Elisha and Julia (King) Edwards, was born at Southampton, Hampshire county, March 25, 1824. He received his early education in the common schools of his native town and at Sheldon Academy. After reaching the age of twenty, for several years he taught school at South-