Arlon Sabin Atherton (April 4, 1842 - December 6, 1922) was an American politician from Warwick, Massachusetts, who served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives after being elected to the 94th Massachusetts General Court in 1872. He was re-elected to the 104th Massachusetts General Court in 1882. He was a soldier in the American Civil War from New Hampshire, prior to being a state legislator for Massachusetts during the late 19th century.

Early life and education

He was the son of Alvan Atherton and Mary Ann Stearns. His father was a farmer. He was born in Richmond, New Hampshire.

Civil War

Atherton served in the

3rd New Hampshire Infantry Regiment 3rd New Hampshire Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was organized at Camp Berry in Concord and mustered in on August 23, 1861, for three years service, 1,047 officers and men. The regime ...

, having mustered in as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

on August 21, 1861. He was involved in a total of fifteen engagements from November 1861 to early July 1864. Over this period he was promoted to the rank of corporal on June 21, 1862, followed by

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

on September 15, 1863. Atherton re-enlisted and mustered in on February 11, 1864. He was appointed first sergeant on June 21, 1864, and

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

on July 7, 1864. During 1864, his regiment suffered great loss in numbers. Atherton was sent to the front lines, and his regiment made significant advances, but he was severely wounded in the lung and captured by Confederate forces as his regiment retreated on August 16, 1864, during the Second Battle of Deep Bottom, in Virginia. As the wounded Federal soldiers were attended to by the Confederate forces, Atherton made a Masonic sign, and a nearby surgeon came to his aid and took him into his immediate care. The surgeon's quick thinking actions saved Atherton's life. Shortly after, he was strong enough to be relocated with other wounded Federal soldiers to Libby Prison in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

, a prison that was notorious for disease. However, Atherton was selected as part of a prisoner exchange the following month. Atherton was paroled during September 1864 and sent to

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

. He was appointed first lieutenant on November 9, 1864, followed by

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

on May 15, 1865. He mustered out on July 20, 1865, and shortly after relocated to Warwick, Massachusetts, just over the state line from his birthplace of Richmond, New Hampshire.

Personal

Atherton married Susan "Susie" Maria Caldwell on December 25, 1865, in Warwick. They had three children. He established a grocery business in his newly adopted home town. He was a

Mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cut ...

and member of the Golden Rule Lodge, serving as master in 1892 and 1893. In 1901, Atherton whilst residing in Wakefield, Massachusetts contributed to the Ellen M. Stone Ransom Fund, known now as the

Miss Stone Affair The Miss Stone Affair ( bg, Афера „Мис Стоун“, mk, „Афера Мис Стон“) was the kidnapping of American Protestant missionary Ellen Maria Stone and her pregnant Bulgarian fellow missionary and friend Katerina Cilk ...

. He died on December 6, 1922, and is buried in Warwick Cemetery. His son Arlon E. Atherton, a former representative of the Boston Nail Company died a decade later. His papers are preserved by the New Hampshire Historical Society.

Ancestry

Atherton was a New England descendant of Puritan heritage, whose ancestors had settled in

Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the ...

. He is a direct descendant of Major General Humphrey Atherton, via Watching Atherton and Elizabeth Rigbee. His relatives include Hope Atherton, Samuel Atherton,

Ray Atherton Ray may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin Science and mathematics * Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point * Ray (gra ...

Adelbert S. Atherton Adelbert S. Atherton (October 13, 1850 – December 14, 1920) was an American politician from Chicopee, Massachusetts, who served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives after being elected to the 125th Massachusetts General Court in 1903 ...

Percy Lee Atherton Percy Lee Atherton (September 25, 1871 – March 8, 1944) was a Harvard educated American composer and a music teacher. His musical compositions include songs, chamber music, and several comic operas. Early life Atherton was born into a promi ...

and Walter Atherton.

References

External links