Weston F Eastman hailed from an old and respected New England Yankee family. Roger Eastman arrived in Salisbury, MA in 1638 onboard the ship Confidence that departed from Southampton, England in April of that year.
Eastman family descendants include Ebenezer Eastman (founder of Concord, NH), Daniel Webster (United States Secretary of State and United States Senator), and Hannah Duston, whose amazing 1697 saga of Native American capture, escape and revenge, has been told by such literary giants as Nathaniel Hawthorne, John Greenleaf Whittier, and Henry David Thoreau.
The Eastman Family was part of the first wave of residents of Lawrence, MA shortly after New Hampshire-bred Daniel Eastman and his wife Eliza Jane (Nichols) were married in Lowell, MA in 1848.
Weston F Eastman was born in Lawrence, MA on August 6, 1883, the oldest son of Fred Eastman and Mary J. (Blyth) Eastman. Weston had a younger brother Fred Jr., born January 27, 1888.
11/5/2021: We are saddened to announce the passing of Virginia “Ginny” Eastman, the granddaughter of Fred Eastman, Jr.
Weston graduated from the Bruce Grammar School in Lawrence, MA and then attended and graduated from Phillips Andover Academy in 1901. Upon graduation, Weston was accepted for admission at both Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but he changed plans during the summer of 1901 and decided on entering the world of banking.
His banking career began as a clerk at the Lawrence National Bank in that year. On April 1, 1902, he became a bookkeeper at Merchants National Bank in Lawrence. When the Lawrence National and Merchants National Banks consolidated in 1911, forming the Merchants Trust Company, Weston was made Paying Teller and, when later the Pacific National Bank was absorbed by the Trust Company, he became Note Teller. On October 1, 1920, the Trust Company named him the Assistant Treasurer and manager of their Broadway office in Lawrence. He later transferred back to the main bank and was placed in charge of real estate loans.
In 1933, when the Merchants Trust Company closed, Weston was named Liquidation Agent by the Commissioner of Banks, and in that capacity served as President and Treasurer of the Merchants Building Corporation, Treasurer of the Merchants Mortgage and Loan Company, and Treasurer of the Merchants Realty and Holding Company.
In 1937 Eastman opened his own office, the Weston F Eastman Real Estate and Insurance Agency. Weston’s first two insurance customers were loyal and appreciative clients from his banking days, Angelo Macaione and Elias P. Caram.
In 1946 after returning home a decorated Marine War veteran, Eastman’s son Weston D. Eastman joined the Weston F Eastman Insurance and Real Estate Agency located in the Bay State Building in Lawrence, MA.
Weston F Eastman was a tireless and dedicated civic leader.
During the World War I era, he took his place with other bankers and had a large share in the success of the various Liberty Loan Drives and other wart time activities.
Weston F was truly a “man about town”, involved in myriad civic and voluntary associations. Even minor events in his life were reported in the newspapers. He served on the Board of Directors of the Lawrence Boys Club continuously for over 50 years (1905 – 1955). He was treasurer from 1910 to 1920 and served as Vice President from 1951 to 1953. In 1955 he was awarded the Boys Club of America Bronze Keystone with Gold Star in recognition for his fifty years of service.
Weston F was a proud member of the Lawrence Rotary Club, serving as President from 1932 to 1933. He also served as commissioner of the Lawrence, MA Licensing Board and also was appointed to serve on the Lawrence Housing Authority.
Eastman was a 32nd Degree Freemason, being affiliated with the Phoenician Lodge, Mt. Sinai Royal and Select Masters Bethany Commandery, Knights Templar, Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic Order and Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.
Weston F was truly a “Renaissance Man” with an amazing range of interests and talents. He was an enthusiastic golfer who won a number of local tournaments. He loved football and following schoolboy sports. He was an accomplished pianist and brilliant horticulturist. He enjoyed working on anything mechanical.
Weston F Eastman was a man who was among the best and brightest of his generation, always making time to answer the clarion call of civic duty.