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RAY. RAY. account in Franklin. In 1839 ' le moved to Unionville, adding to his plant the manu- facture of vvicking. On May 31, 1843, at Franklin, he mar- ried Susan, daughter of Captain Alfred and Eleanor (Hawes) Knapp, of Franklin. Their children are : Edgar Knapp, James Francis, and Alfred Knapp Ray. Mr. Ray continued until 1844 in the manufacture of cotton batting, wicking, twine, etc., in Unionville, when he was brought into financial embarrassment by the partner of a Boston commission house which was handling his goods. He was enabled, however, to get an extension of time, and in 1847, having met the last of JAMES P RAY his obligations, he resumed his business career, which has since been most prosper- ous. He represented the town of Franklin in the state Legislature of 1861, and fur- nished all the recruits for the war, paying for them out of his own pocket, and waited until the town had a right to reimburse him. In 1865 Mr. Ray removed to Woon- socket, where he remained until 1877, when he returned to Franklin. He again represented that town in the Legislature of 1877, and was a member of the state Senate in 18S0 and 'Sr. Up to the time of removing to Franklin the firm had seen many changes ; two brothers had been associated, then a third was taken in as a partner. In i860 the firm of Ray Brothers was dissolved, Francis B. retiring, and the business being con- tinued by James P. and Joseph G., under the firm name of J. P. & I. G. Ray. In 1873 the firm of Ray, Rathbun & Co. was organized at Woonsocket. Previous to this time the Ray brothers had bought and enlarged a mill in North Bellingham for the manufacture of satinets, under the firm name of Ray's Woolen Company, James P. Ray, president. Ray, Rathbun & Mc- Kenzie built a factory in Franklin for the manufacture of felting, and in 1877, J. 1'. & J. G. Ray built a factory for the manu- facture of fancy cassimeres. In 1878 the Messrs. Ray purchased the property of the Putnam Manufacturing Company, Putnam, Conn., and made a stock company, of which James P. Ray is president. They also bought the interest of Mr. Eaton, in the firm of Eaton & Wil- son, Medway, and now manufacture batting there under the firm name of Ray & Wilson. James P., with Edgar K., his son, bought the George C. Ballon mill in Woonsocket, R. I., where they manufacture cotton goods under the firm name of J. P. &' E. K. Ray. The same firm own the Windsor Mills at Greenville, R. I. The progress of James P. Ray and his associates since 1847 has been steady and successful. Beginning in both branches of the textile industry in their simpler and coarser forms, they have reached the finest fabrics in both, without dropping any one branch or grade of work when taking on another. Mr. Ray is president of the following corporations : City Mills Company, City Mills ; First National Bank of Franklin ; the Milford, Franklin & Providence Rail- road Company, and the Rhode Island & Massachusetts Railroad Company (Massa- chusetts division). He is the treasurer of the Franklin Cotton Manufacturing Com- pany, and president of the Woonsocket Horse Railroad Company, owning a con- trolling interest in the latter. He is also the president of the recently organized Dean Co-operative Bank of Franklin. RAY, JOSEPH G., son of Joseph and Lyclia (Paine) Ray, was born in South Mendon (now East Blackstone), Worcester county, October 4, 183 1. Up to the age of twelve years he was educated at the public schools of his native town ; he then passed a year at school at Nashua, N. H., and in 1847, having saved sufficient money for the purpose, he went
