John Shackford, our subject's grandfather, was born in Pembrooke, Aug. 27, 1793, and died March 18, 1866. They reared the following children: Edrick, born Jan. 16, 1814; Ann M., Jan. 4, 1817; Adeline, March 26, 1822; Joseph S.; March 26, 1824; John W., Feb. 16, 1826; and Catharine, March 4, 1828.
Edrick Shackford settled in Suncook, and in his early years was a boatman, from Boston to Concord before the railroad was built; he afterwards bought a farm in the town of Orange, this county, where he carried on farming some forty years. He was very successful in his work, and laid up a sufficient competence, so that he retired from active work the last years of his life, and bought a home on School Street, in Canaan, where he died Jan. 10, 1885. His wife, Caroline, daughter of James and Susan (Whitcher) Huntoon, was born April 20, 1814, and at her advanced age is extremely bright and spry, and does not look a day over sixty-five. The following children were born to our subject's parents: Alfred M., subject of his sketch: Warren O., born Sept. 1, 1842, died Oct. 23, 1865; Byron W., July 15, 1844; died Sept. 19, 1865; Ann A., April 10, 1846, died Sept. 12, 1865. The three younger children all died with typhoid fever.
Our subject, the only surviving child, assisted his father on the farm, and in 1856 entered the employ of the Boston & Main R. R. , known then as the Northern R. R., known then as the Northern R. R. , and for two years was engaged in sawing wood for that company. In March, 1858, his employment was changed to that of laying tracks, continuing for three years. He then took charge of the section through Grafton town as section boss, remaining there three years, and was then station agent at Grafton three more years, and from then until 1888 was station agent at Canaan, making twenty-eight years service altogether in the employment of the railroad. During the time he was station agent he was not provided with much asistance, which caused him to put in many extra days and nights, and so he tired of the confinement and resigned to engage in out-door work. He owned a large interest in the saw mill run by Stephen Peasely, at Canaan Center, and at his partner's death, in 1892, he assumed full control of the same and has put in modern and improved machinery for sawing boards, also bench saws, planes, leg and round lathes, shingle and lath machines, and a cider press. He owns several farms in Canaan and the adjoining towns; he has done a large amount of business in loaning money, and is one of the leading men of the town, both commercially and socially.
He married Martha J. Barber, daughter of March and Mehitabel Barber of Canaan, and has two children: Addie M. married A. P. Follansbee, of the firm of A. P. Follansbee & Co., leading grocers of Canaan; Susie A., the younger child, married W. H. Tucker, station agent of West Lebanon, N. H., and has four children: Howard M., Edrick S., Joseph, and Lawrence. Mr. Shackford has also extensive property in tenements, and a home in Canaan. He bought out the corner store of O. L. Rand, and has since been a silent partner of the firm of A. P. Follansbee & Co. He is a Republican, and when a resident of Grafton served on the school board, and as a tax collector, and has been town clerk in Canaan for nine years. He is a member of Social Lodge, F. & A. M., and is a Past Master of the same. Also belongs to St. Andrews Chapter, R. A. M.; and of Sullivan Commandery of Claremont. He has been secretary of the Indian River Grange of Canaan ever since its organization.
The portrait of Mr. Shackford, which appears in proximity to this sketch, is a signal addition to our large gallery of portraits and derives value from his character as a man and citizen, and from his position in the community of which he is a member.
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SOURCES
Book of Biographies. The Volume Contains Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens of Grafton County, New Hampshire (Buffalo, N. Y.: Biographical Publishing Company, 1897), page 423-424; digital images, Archive.com (us.archive.org : accessed 17 January 2014
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