express my sense of obligation for her devotion.
She was a true Christian. Never was one
more earnestly prayed for during childhood
and manhood, during peace and war, than
myself. It was her loftiest ambition to guide
her children, by good example, jjure thoughts,
upright and praiseworthy life, to honorable
and noble purpose. To her unselfish devotion, her gentle and loving admonitions, am I greatly indebted for whatever there
may be in me that is conmiendable. My
mother was a direct tlescendant of William
Curtis, who arrived in Boston on the ship
'Lyon,' September 16, 1632."
Mrs. Lydia (Jilbert Curtis, the mother of Mary Curtis, married for her second husband Mr. Hastings, of Princeton, Mass., the great- grantlfather of the late ex-Governor Russell. When seventy years old, she became the bride of Deacon Timothy Downes, of Fitchburg. She lived to the age of ninety.
Daniel Curtis Miles, the eldest child of Daniel, Sr., and Mary Curtis Miles, was born in West- minster, June, 1828. He married Lucy Ann PufTer. Their children are: Mary Josephine, George Melville, Herbert Judson, Arthur Wellington, and Martha Gertrude. Daniel C. Miles was for many years a popular teacher. He afterward engaged in the lumber trade and in manufacturing. He founfled the West- minster National Bank, and was its president twenty years. He is the present l)ank ex- aminer of Massachusetts, and his son, Herbert Jud.son, is his assistant.
The second child of Daniel and Mary (Curtis) Miles is Mary Jane, who was born in West- minster in June, 1832. She was a successful teacher, interested in educational matters and in church work. She has been a liberal con- tributor to the Baptist society, and has accom- plished much good in her quiet way. After her marriage to Gardner Merriam, of Princeton, she .settled in Leominster, Mass. Mr. and Mrs. Merriam have four children — Nelson Curtis, Nellie Gracie, Mary Anna, and Sadie Jane.
Ann Maria Miles, the direct subject of this .sketch, was born April 15, 1837, in Westminster, Mass. She received a good education, and as a teacher had a large experience in school work. Interested in the welfare of her pupils, she not only guided them in the paths of learn- ing, but also trained them in those principles of integrity and sound morality without which no man or woman can achieve a perfect success. An instance of the manner in which she impressed upon her pupils the importance of punctuality is found in the fact that her youngest chikl attended school for fifteen years without receiving an absent or tardy mark.
Mrs. Sprague is a woman of excellent busi- ness capacity, successfully managing large affairs requiring tact, sound judgment, ex- ecutive ability, and thorough knowledge of business methods. For .seven years she held a government post-office position. She is actively interested in philanthropic work, being a liberal contriliutor to various charities and a helpful and freijuent visitor to the homes of the poor and unfortunate. She has been closely identi'ied with the work of the Little Wanderers' Home and in placing children in country homes, where they could be taught u.seful occupations and learn to be self-sup- porting.
Married in 1856 to Samuel Hazen Sprague, she has since resided in Westminster, Mass. She is the mother of five children — Lovvie Maria, Samuel Nelson, Hattie Sophia, Theodocia Miles, and Lydia Gertrude.
Mrs. Sprague possesses in a high degree the art of -freeable conversation. She has travelled ex. iisively in s and foreign coun- tries, has been an inteuigent and accurate ob.server, and is well versed in the leading topics of the day. A patriotic American, she is prou(i of her country, and closely follows every event that concerns our nation's welfare.
Mrs. Sprague takes an especial pride in the career of her distinguished brother, General Nelson Appleton Miles, who was born in Westminster, and name<l by his mother in honor of Appleton Monse, a devoted Baptist clergyman. As Lieutenant of a company of volunteers, which he organized at the beginning of the Civil War, as Colonel of a regiment and commander of a brigade in that conflict, and later as a victorious leader against hostile
