440 NILES. NILES. Until he was thirteen he attended the public schools of his native town, and there- after a private academy in Orleans, till he was eighteen, when he began teaching. Soon realizing the necessity of further knowledge himself, he attended the Teach- ers' Seminary at Andover. He then taught school for nine winters, at the same time carrying on the salt business in connection with his father, and purchasing large quantities of Epsom salts and preparing them for the market. He has always been intimately identified with the educational interests of the town. He was chosen upon the school committee shortly after reaching his majority, and was retained in the office of superintendent as long as he was willing to serve. He has held the office of selectman and assessor, and has been a trustee of the public library since its formation. In 1853 he was elected to represent the town in the House of Representatives, and in 1866 was sent to the Senate. Requir- ing a change of life, at the end of the session he went South, and purchased a large cotton plantation, which he carried on for six years before returning to his home. He was one of the directors of the Cape Cod Central Railway till it was sold to the Old Colony Railroad. At present he devotes his attention chiefly to his farm. On the 5th of October, 1837, Mr. Nick- erson was married in Eastham, to Eliza- beth, daughter of Beriah and Elizabeth (Cole) Doane. Mrs. Nickerson is a direct descendant of John Doane, one of the first settlers of Eastham, who came from Eng- land in the " Mayflower." Their only living child is Isabella Nickerson. His wife died in 1849, and in 185 1 he married her sister, Sarah Doane. Their only living child is Herbert Doane Nickerson. NILES, WILLIAM HENRY, was born De- cember 22, 1840, in Orford, Grafton county, N. H. His father, Samuel W. Niles, and mother, whose maiden name was Eunice C. Newell, were both natives of that State. When the son was four years old, the father died, and a year later the mother, with her family, removed to South Read- ing, now Wakefield, Mass., and from that time, with the exception of five years spent in the South, Mr. Niles has been a resident of Massachusetts. His early mental training was in the public schools, after which, for three years, he was a private pupil with the Rev. R. W. Smith, of East Briugewater, and subse- quently, for three years, a student in the Providence Conference Seminary of East Greenwich, R. I. He studied law and fitted himself for the bar under the direction of Caleb Blodgett, now judge of the superior court, and was admitted to the Middlesex bar, in Lowell, at the March term, 1870. He at once be- gan practice in Lynn, where, without inter- ruption, he has since continued in his pro- fession. He is a member of the firm of Niles & Carr. Mr. Niles was married September 19, 1865, in Bristol, N. H., to Harriet A. Day, of that town. Of this union are three y^ WILLIAM H. NILES. children : Florence, who was recently mar- ried to George W. Moulton, of Lynn ; Grace, and Mary Ethel Niles. Mr. Niles has refused all political pre- ferment, and with the exception of three years' service on the school board of Lynn, has never held public office. All his ener- gies have been devoted to the organization and establishment of his law practice, which in extent will compare not unfavor- ably with any in the State. In addition to his professional duties, he owns and manages a cotton planta- tion in southern Georgia, where, with his family, he spends a portion of every winter. He has, also, bv utilizing his vacations,
