|
IT is too often the case that those individuals whom a community delight
to laud and magnify, are those who, through some fortuitous circumstance,
unsupported by anything beyond a common share of talent or virtue, have
become conspicuous. And if a cotemporary historian, perceiving the
deficiency, and in the honest desire to deal justly, does not place them
in the popular light, he is liable to be charged with prejudice or lack of
discernment. But he must not be troubled at this; remembering that
his duty, in a great degree, pertains to the future, to the time when the
meretricious mantle of an unsound popularity has fallen. His duty is
to celebrate deeds of virtue and usefulness, however humble in their
generation may be the instruments who performed them. But if the
historian be not cotemporary, he must depend on recorded and traditionary
accounts; in which case, though safer from criticism, he may not be so
successful in developing the truth or deducing the proper lesson, for he
must be governed by what may be the mistakes, prejudices, or whims of
others.
The few Biographical
Sketches which follow, relate only to natives of Lynn. In the pages
of Annals numerous notices of prominent individuals from other places, who
took up their abode here, may be found; but it was thought proper to make
a distinction between them and those who were born on our soil. I
have endeavored to present such characters as on the whole seemed best
calculated to make useful and agreeable impressions; but that many others
who have passed away were deserving of honorable mention is most certainly
true; and nothing but the imperative requirements of limited space
prevented a large extension of the list. And then there is the great
body of those of, whom no record remains. Beneath the sods of the
Old Burying Ground repose an innumerable company of those whose names will
stand high in a better book than this, but who lived in retirement and
departed in silence.
Men who are
themselves destitute of principle usually find it hard to believe that
others act from principle. And most people live on, almost
exclusively with a view to the present, the passing time; thinking only of
their position in the community by which they are surrounded, of their
possessions, of the many eyes that are turned upon them in admiration or
envy. But there are, happily for our race, some with more
comprehensive minds; some who realize their dignity as men; with
conceptions not circumscribed by time and place, but recognizing their
duty to mankind in general, and their responsibility to their Maker.
And it is refreshing to contemplate the lives of such though their
companionship may have been with the most lowly.
When men seriously reflect on their ways,
they seldom fail to come to the conclusion that they are capable of better
things than they have ever accomplished; and conceited as it may seem, of
most people it is true. These reflections make them restless and
discontented; and they should see to it that their better energies be put
forth. And how many of us pass our whole lives in an atmosphere of pure
selfishness, never realizing that our obligations extend beyond ourselves
and those immediately dependent on us. It were better, perhaps, that
the sordid and vicious should pass recluse lives; but the virtuous and
wise should bestir themselves among men, that others may be benefited by
their good examples and superior wisdom. I am persuaded that in
former times the public position of a man was a much surer index of his
real merits, than it is at present; and think that in the following pages
something will appear to sustain the view.
Who does not love to contemplate the
character of a true man. And the nearer his position in life may
have been to ours, the more direct the lesson taught by his history; for
we may be animated by similar hopes, struggling with similar difficulties,
beset by similar temptations, quickened by similar affections. But
there can be little benefit in contemplating the characters of others,
however good or great, unless we strive to follow the
exemplar.
It is thought that the reader will
at once recognize the propriety of excluding from this Chapter of
Biographies all who are not natives. There certainly should be some
distinction preserved. Mr. Lewis often, and at times with asperity,
complained that Lynn was not true to her own children; that, for instance,
those from other places were generally called to fill her positions of
honor and emolument. And there was more truth and sagacity in many
of his tart observations on the subject than some were willing to admit.
She has not, in this particular, done the best for herself; for it
cannot be expected, in the ordinary course of events, that those from
abroad should feel the same interest in her honor and prosperity that her
own sons would. The adopted child is not apt to take that lively
interest in the welfare of a household which the native born does.
Many of her children, driven away, as it were, have become eminent abroad,
and employed for the benefit of others those talents which should have
enriched her.
Our task is undertaken for more
than one purpose. It is desirable to perpetuate the names of some of
the worthy ones who have adorned our history; and if we can present a
little something that will profit or entertain, there will a pleasure in
the labor. There will be a constant endeavor to pursue a course free
fiom prejudice or unmerited adulation. Truth is a thing exterior to
man; and whatever he may do cannot change its nature; and we hope to keep
the fact in view, though it is so difficult, in religion, in politics, in
any thing, to avoid acting as if mere belief were truth
itself.
|
THOMAS NEWHALL.
1630-1687. |
Perhaps the most notable circumstance regarding this individual is
that he was the first white child born in Lynn. His father,
who also bore the christian name of Thomas was one of the earliest
settlers, and lived on the east side of Federal street, a few rods south
of the mill brook, owning all the lands, on that side, between the
Turnpike and Marion street. The elder Thomas had another son, John,
who was born in England. He likewise had two daughters, Susanna and
Mary. The former married Richard Haven, and became maternal ancestor
of one of the most respectable of American families. See page 186.
Mary married Thomas Brown, and had several children.
Thomas Newhall, the subject of this sketch,
was born in 1630, and was baptized by Rev. Mr. Bachiler, the first
minister of Lynn, on the first Sunday after his arrival, being June 8,
1632. A rather comical scene occurred at the baptism.
Christopher Hussey, who was a son-in-law of Mr. Bachiler, and who
probably induced the reverend gentleman to come here, had a child, named
Stephen, to be baptized at the same time; and Mr. Bachiler, as Thomas was
first presented for the holy rite, unceremoniously put him aside,
declaring that he should baptize Stephen, who appears to have been named
for his reverend, grandfather, first. Mr. Lewis seems to have
thought a sort of family pride induced this movement, which struck him as
an indignity toward Thomas; but it should, perhaps, be viewed in the light
of a compliment. It may have been that Stephen was noisy and turbulent,
insomuch that the old gentleman was ashamed of him and anxious to hurry
him out of sight, while Thomas was quiet and well-behaved. But it is
not important to pursue the inquiry.
At
the age of twenty-two Mr. Newhall married Elizabeth Potter, who I think
was a daughter of Nicholas Potter, a man concerned in the Iron Works, but
who afterward resided at Salem and was called a bricklayer. It is,
however, I believe, somewhere stated by Mr. Lewis, that she was a daughter
of Robert Potter, who was here for a short time among the very first
settlers; but I am confident this is a mistake. For some facts
concerning this Robert Potter, see page 126.
No striking events appear in the life of Mr
Newhall. Indeed, seated here, in a little forest opening, amid a
population that could almost be numbered in an hour, with no stirring
incidents to mark the years as they rolled by, there was little
opportunity for one to make himself conspicuous, whatever his talents or
ambition. But from the frequency with which his name appears on the
records, connected with trustworthy transactions, it must be inferred that
he was a man of integrity, and one in whose judgment much reliance was
placed. And he seems to have had a very fair education. On
page 126, is a fac-simile of his signature. And it is there stated
that the two last letters were supplied. Since the engraving was
made I have seen one or two other signatures of his, which correspond in a
remarkable degree; and it is hardly possible to discover any difference
between the supplied letters and those made by his own hand. It
seems appropriate and convenient to have the fac-simile likewise
introduced in this connection.
Mr. Newhall
died in March, 1687, his wife having died a few weeks before. He was
the father of ten children; and for many years, if, indeed, not to the
present time, the Newhall family has certainly been deserving of
commendation for its fecundity if for nothing else.
I now propose to give a genealogical view of
the principal branches of the great Newhall family descending from this
our common ancestor. It would, however, be impossible here to follow
the blood in all its windings. A large volume would scarcely afford
sufficient space for that. But enough will be given, it is thought,
to enable any one of the family to trace his connection. Great pains
have been taken to have the record correct; but still the most patient
investigation and diligent inquiry amid so many entanglements and positive
contradictions may not meet with the reward of entire success.
Numerous records and documents, besides those in the meagre archives of
Lynn, have been examined. Indeed, if Lynn alone had been depended
on, the information would have been most imperfect and unreliable.
If all our public records were as defective as the few that survive, their
loss is not much to be deplored, for they must, at some periods at least,
have abounded with obscurities and ridiculous errors. Some years ago
several of the old books were copied, at some cost. And an
opportunity was thus afforded to multiply the errors; an opportunity
which, I am sorry to say, did not pass unimproved.
Though the great progenitor of the Newhall
family, was Thomas, father of the subject of this sketch, yet there was an
Anthony Newhall here, in 1636, who, in the division of lands, in 1638, had
a grant of thirty acres. He was, however, for a time a resident of
Salem. He died 31 January, 1657; had a son John, who married
Elizabeth Normanton, 31 December 1656, and probably other children, as in
his will are found the names of Richard and Elizabeth Hood, grandchildren.
But it does not appear that any of the present Newhall families of
Lynn can trace their origin to him. I thought that John might have
been his only male child, and that he, perhaps, had no male issue; but
Farmer seems to make him progenitor of Dr. Horace and Rev. Ebenezer
Newhall, who graduated at Harvard in 1817 and 1818
In what follows, the numerals placed before
the names indicate the generation to which the individuals belonged.
I. THOMAS. As just observed, this
individual, the great progenitor of the Newhalls of Lynn, came over in
1630, and located on the east side of Federal street.
II. THOMAS. This is the personage whose
name stands at the head of this sketch - a son of the preceding, and the
first white person born in Lynn. He married, 29 December, 1652,
Elizabeth Potter, and became the father of ten children, viz: Thomas, born
18 November, 1653; John, b. 14 February, 1656; Joseph, b. 22 September,
1658; Nathaniel, b. 17 March, 1660; Elizabeth, b. 21 March, 1662, and
living but three years; Elisha, b. 3 November, 1665; Elizabeth again, b.
22 October, 1667; Mary, b. 18 February, 1669; Samuel, b. 19 January, 1672;
Rebecca, b. 17 July, 1675.
III. JOSEPH.
This, the third son of II. Thomas, was born 22 September, 1658. He
married Susanna, a daughter of Thomas Farrar, in 1678, and settled in
Lynnfield. He had eleven children, viz: Jemima, born 31 December,
1678; Thomas, b. 6 January, 1681; Joseph, b. 6 February, 1684; Elisha, b.
20 November, 1686; Ephraim, b. 20 February, 1689; Daniel, b. 5 February,
1691; Ebenezer, b. 3 June, 1693; Susanna, b. 19 December, 1695; Benjamin,
b. 5 April, 1698; Samuel, b. 9 March, 1700; Sarah, b. 11 July, 1704.
This is the Joseph, without doubt, who perished in a great snow storm.
IV. BENJAMIN, son of III. Joseph, born 5
April, 1698, married Elizabeth Fowle, 1 January, 1722, and had fourteen
children, viz: Bridget, born 30 November, 1722; Mary, b. 11 November,
1724; Benjamin, b. 6 September, 1726; Ruth, b. 13 January, 1729; James, b.
11 July, 1731; Isaiah, b. 24 March, 1734; -
(though this last
name is plainly Josiah on the ancient town record, I am confident that
Isaiah is right) - Joel, b. 22 December, 1735, who died at the age of
nine; Aaron, b. 23 Octdber, 1737, who died in infancy; Aaron again, b. 26
March, 1740; Susanna and Elizabeth, twins, b. 22 December, 1741; Martha,
b. 23 February, 1743; Catharine, b. 27 April, 1744; Joel, again, b. 17
February, 1746.
IV. SAMUEL, born 9 March,
1700, son of III. Joseph, was adopted by his uncle, Thomas Farrar, jr.,
who was a farmer, living on Nahant street, and who by will gave him all
the lands lying between Broad, Nahant, Sagamore, and Beach streets.
This Samuel married Keziah, daughter of Ebenezer Breed, who lived in
Breed's End, so called, 8 December, 1724, and had ten children, viz: Anne,
born 27 October, 1725, who married Matthew Estes; Elizabeth, b. 7 March,
1728, Sarah, b. 20 August, 1730, who, at the age of seventy married Abner
Jones, of Amesbury; Lydia, b. 14 January, 1733, who married Nehemiah
Johnson; Farrar, b. 15 February 1735; - (who, singularly enough, has
always been known as Pharaoh; and indeed he himself, in writing his name
as I perceive by some old bills, adopted the Egyptian orthography) -
Abijah, b. 15 February, 1737, who married Abigail Bassett; Abigail, b. 4
March, 1739, who married Samuel Purinton; Daniel, b. 4 February, 1741;
Rebecca, b. 28 October, 1743, who married Abner Chase of Salem; Ruth, b.
12 October, 1746, who married John Bassett.
V. JAMES. This, the second son of IV. Benjamin, being a magistrate,
was long known as 'Squire Jim - (see under date 1781) - he married Lois
Burrill, daughter of Ebenezer, called Esquire, and granddaughter of Hon.
Ebenezer Burrill, 17 September, 1756, and had ten children, viz: Lois,
born 9 July, 1757; Lydia, b. 21 August, 1759; Elizabeth, b. 23 June, 1761;
James, b. 2 June, 1763; Martha, b. 25 February, 1765; Benjamin, b. 27
February, 1767; Joel, b. 14 May, 1769; Mary, b. 7 September, 1771; James
again and Benjamin again, twins, b. 19 January, 1774 - and these twins,
the former of whom was uncle and the latter father of the writer lived to
the respective ages of 80 and 83.
V. FARRAR,
(or PHARAOH), the first son of IV. Samuel, born 15 February, 1735, married
his cousin Theodate, daughter of Jabez Breed, of Nahant street, 24 April,
1764, and had six children, viz: Samuel, born 9 March, 1765; Abner, b. 24
September, 1767, and died in infancy; Winthrop, b. 6 June, 1769; Abner
again, b. 19 July, 1771, who died unmarried at the age of thirty-two;
Sylvanus, b. 18 July, 1773; Theodate, b. 6 February, 1776, who married
Manuel Austin; Francis, b. 23 September, 1778, who died at the age of
nine.
V. DANIEL, born 4 February, 1741, son
of IV. Samuel, and younger brother of Pharaoh, married Hannah Estes, and
had four children, viz: Estes, born 9 September, 1770, and who died in
1857, at the age of eighty seven; Deborah, b. 5 December, 1772, who died
young; Lydia, b. 16 March, 1775; Daniel, b. 21 November, 1778.
V. JOSIAH, whose father's name was John, and
which John was doubtless a grandson of II. Thomas, married Hannah Newhall,
24 December, 1740, and had thirteen children. viz: Daniel, b. 15 November,
1741; John, b. 29 October, 02; Josiah, b. 5 November, 1745; Hannah, b. 28
August, 1747; Lydia, b. 25 September, 1749; William, b. 22 May, 1751;
Joel, b. 19 February, 1753; Nathaniel, b. 25 November, 1754; Micajah, b.
18 October, 1756; Jacob, b. 16 September, 1758; James, b. 26 May, 1760;
Hannah, b. 30 July, 1762, Susan, b. 3 August, 1764, who married a Welman.
VI. SAMUEL, eldest son of V. Pharaoh, married
Sarah Phillips and had seven children, viz: Thomas F., Phillips, Abner,
Rebecca, Edward, Francis, and Theodate.
VI.
WINTHROP, second son of V. Pharaoh, married Betsey Farrington, and had six
children, viz: Francis S.; Henry, Eliza, Sophia, Lydia, Horace.
VI. SYLVANUS, youngest son of V. Pharaoh,
married Lydia, daughter of Stephen Gove, of Seabrook, N. H., and had five
children, viz: Huldah B., Anne M., Mary, Daniel Wendall, and Abigail C.
VI. ESTES, eldest son of V. Daniel, was for
some fifty years an elder of the Friends' meeting. He was twice
married, his first wife being Hepsabeth Wing, and his second Miriam
Philbrick. By his first wife he had children, Paul W. and Abba; by
his second, two daughters who died young, and Joseph P.
VI. DANIEL, youngest son of V. Daniel,
married Mary, daughter of John Bailey, of Hanover, Mass., and had seven
children, viz: John B., George, Hepsabeth, Joseph, Isaac, Mary, Lucy.
VI. WILLIAM, son of V. Josiah, married Martha
Mansfield, 2 September, 1773, and had ten children, viz: Mary, born 22
May, 1774; Martha, b. 28 January, 1778; Hannah, b. 6 September, 1780;
Elizabeth, b. 31 August, 1782; Nathaniel, b. 18 July, 1784; William, b. 3
August, 1786; Robert, b. 17 February, 1788; Josiah, b. 7 January, 1790;
Sully, b. 17 January, 1792; Frederic, b. 1 August, 1795.
VI. JOEL, born 19 February, 1753, also son of
V. Josiah, married Lucy Mansfield, 24 December, 1778, and had nine
children, viz: Joel, b. 12 October, 1779; Isaac, b. 24 August, 1782;
Samuel, b. 6 March, 1785; Cheever, b. 13 March, 1788; Lucy, b. 4 April,
1790; George, b. 10 August, 1792: Edward, b. 9 December, 1795; Horatio;
John M.
VI. MICAJAH, born 18 October, 1756,
likewise son of V. Josiah, married Joana Farrington, 10 June, 1779, and
had twelve children, viz: Josiah, b. 10 November, 1780; Nathaniel, b. 2
July, 1782; Micajah; b. 25 July, 1784; Paul, b. 17 February, 1786; Otis,
b. 6 January, 1788; Sarah, b. 17 August, 1789; Ellis, b. 17 August, 1791,
who died in infancy; Ellis again, b. 7 March, 1793; Joana, b. 8 February,
1795; Hannah, b. 8 April, 1797; Susanna, b. 25 October, 1799; William, b.
13 January, 1802, who died in infancy.
The way is now prepared to
give the lineage of certain individuals of the Newhall family at present
among us.
Aaron Newhall - dealer in
coal and wood, south end of Market street, was son of Aaron, who was born
9 November, 1777, and was son of Aaron, who was son of IV. Benjamin, who
was son of III. Joseph, who was son of II. Thomas.
Abner Newhall - who resides
on Newhall street, was son of VI. Samuel, who was son of V. Farrar,
(Pharaoh,) who was son of IV. Samuel, who was son of III. Joseph, who was
son of II. Thomas.
Daniel Wendall Newhall -
who lives on Broad street, opposite Exchange, was son of Sylvanus, who was
son of V. Pharaoh, who was son of IV. Samuel, who was son of III. Joseph,
who was son of II. Thomas.
Harrison Newhall -
shoe manufacturer, at the east end of the Common, was son of Josiah, who
was son of VI. William, who was son of V. Josiah, who was son of John, of
whom, in consequence of the difficulty of identifying him among several of
the name, I shall venture to assert nothing further than that he was a
grandson of II. Thomas.
Henry Newhall -
president of Laighton Bank, was son of VI. Winthrop, who was son of V.
Pharaoh, who was son of IV. Samuel, who was son of III. Joseph, who was
son of II. Thomas.
Isaac Newhall - shoe
manufacturer, residence near corner of Chatham and Marianna streets, was
son of VI. Daniel, who was son of V. Daniel, who was son of IV. Samuel,
who was son of III. Joseph, who was son of II. Thomas.
James R. Newhall - whose name
appears in the title page of this volume, was son of Benjamin, who was son
of V. James, who was son of IV. Benjamin, who was son of III. Joseph, who
was son of II. Thomas.
John M. Newhall - shoe manufacturer, on Union street, was son of VI. Joel,
who was son of V. Josiah, who was son of John, who was grandson of II.
Thomas. See remark under "Harrison Newhall."
Joseph P. Newhall - shoe
manufacturer, Exchange street, was son of VI. Estes, who was son of V.
Daniel, who was son of IV. Samuel, who was son of III. Joseph, who was son
of II. Thomas.
Josiah
Newhall, (Gen. of Lynnfield) - was son of Jacob, who was son of V. Josiah,
who was son of John, who was grandson of II. Thomas., See remark
under "Harrison Newhall."
Otis Newhall - superintendent of Pine Grove Cemetery, was son of Allen,
who was born 6 March, 1771, and was son of Hanson, who married Hepsabeth
Breed, 6 February, 1766, and was son of Joseph, born in 1715, who was son
of Joseph, who was son of III. Joseph, who was son of II. Thomas.
Paul Newhall - shoe
manufacturer, South Common street, was son of VI. Micajah, who was son of
V. Josiah, who was son of John, who was grandson of II. Thomas. See
remark under "Harrison Newhall."
Thomas B. Newhall - Justice
of Lynn Police Court, was a son of Asa T., of Lynnfield, who was born 28
June, 1779, and was son of Asa, who was born 5 August, 1732, and was son
of Thomas, who was son of III. Joseph, who was son of II. Thomas.
William M. Newhall - dealer
in hard ware, in Exchange Building, Market street, was son of Jacob, of
Saugus, who was born 1 November, 1780, and married Abigail Makepeace, 22
September, 1801, and was son of Jacob, known as Landlord Newhall, born 3
May, 1740, who was son of Locker, born 12 November, 1708, and was son of
Jacob, born 27 March, 1686. who was grandson of II. Thomas.
The
foregoing is perhaps sufficient to enable any one of the family to trace
his own pedigree, as it is hardly probable that any can be found who do
not claim near relationship to some one at least of those named. The
perplexities in preparing the list were great, and the navigation among
the many Jameses, Johns, Josephs, and Thomases, particularly
difficult. Double names began commonly to be used about the
beginning of the present century. My grandfather, who died in 1800,
had ten children, not one of whom had a middle name. And my father,
who was born in 1774, had nine children, not one of whom was destitute of
a middle name. And this leads to a remark concerning the bestowal of
nicknames, which has been considered an evil habit of our fathers.
But the custom arose rather from necessity. At one period
there were eight persons here of the name of James Newhall, not one of
whom had a middle name. They were therefore distinguished as 'Squire
Jim, Phthisicy Jim, Silver Jim, Bully Jim, Increase Jim, President Jim,
Nathan's Jim, and Doctor Jim. 'Squire Jim received his appellation from
the circumstance of his holding a magistrate's commission. Phthisicy
Jim was afflicted with the disease indicated by the name. And
probably the other nicknames arose from similarly adventitious
circumstances. While, however, we admit the necessity for distinguishing
appellations, it must be granted that the nicknames were often more
expressive than elegant.
It is not easy to attain
entire correctness in dates of births, marriages, and deaths, so loosely
were most of the records formerly kept. And there are constant
disagreements between public and private records. I have usually, in
cases of doubt, followed the public, for the private, though often found
in the Bible, experience has shown to be most frequently erroneous.
Many disagreements occur from an intermixture of the old and new styles,
some using one, some the other, and some both, indiscriminately.
Intermarriages between those of the same surname likewise occasionally
intervene, to enhance the perplexity.
But our remarks must be
drawn to a close. As before observed, no striking events appear in
the life of Mr. Newhall, the subject of this sketch; yet, inasmuch as he
was the first person of European parentage born within our borders, and
was, withal, the ancestor of such a goodly family, he was worthy of the
first place. Could he return, and sound the multitude who sprang
from his loins, of which of us would he have cause to be proud, and of
which ashamed? I can think of nothing that would be more likely to
astonish him than the diversity in religious profession. Even among
the small number of those now living, who have been named, he would find
the Unitarian, the Universalist, the Methodist, the Quaker, the
Episcopalian; and the Congregationalist of his own order, with doctrines
far more temperate than harsh Shepard or even placid Whiting taught.
The individual whose name is
placed above, was one of the most eminent men in the colony, for many
years. He was born at Lynn, on the 18th of November, 1658, and was
the eldest son of John Burrill, distinguished as Lieutenant John, who was
a son of George Burrill, who came to Lynn in 1630. See page 115.
Mr. Burrill lived on the
south side of Boston street, on the western slope of Tower Hill. On
the 28th of July, 1680, a few months before he arrived at the age of
twenty-two, he married Mary Stowers, of Chelsea. Mr. Lewis says, "He
gained a reputation which few men who have since filled his stations, have
surpassed. The purity of his character and the integrity of his
life, secured to him the warmest friendship of his acquaintance, and the
unlimited confidence of his native town. He was affable in his
manners, and uniformly prudent in his conduct. His disposition was
of the most charitable kind, and his spirit regulated by the most guarded
temperance. He willingly continued in the House many years, when he
might have been raised to a more elevated office; and his thorough
acquaintance with the forms of legislation, the dignity of his deportment,
and the order which he maintained in debate, gave to him a respect and an
influence, which probably no other Speaker of the House ever
obtained. Governor Hutchinson, in his History of Massachusetts,
compares him to the celebrated William Pitt, Speaker of the English House
of Commons."
This is an
honest tribute to a really valuable character. But it is not
easy to see what induced Mr. Lewis to give Pitt as the Speaker to whom
Hutchinson compared Mr. Burrill. The Governor does not give a name,
but simply refers to the individual as "the right honorable person who so
many years filled the chair of the House of Commons with such applause."
Did Pitt ever fill the chair with applause? He was eminent as
a statesman, but not as a presiding officer. The "right honorable"
alluded to was undoubtedly Sir Arthur Onslow, who had the reputation of
being the most accomplished Speaker the House ever had. The
following extract from a letter of Hon. Timothy Pickering, dated
Washington City, 28 February, 1809, and addressed to Ebenezer Burrill, at
New York, is sufficient on this point. And it will be perceived that
the distinguished writer of the letter himself alludes to his relationship
to the Lynn Burrills.... I received, last evening, your favor of the
25th. If you are from Lynn, in Massachusetts, no doubt we are, on
one side descended from the same stock. My paternal grandmother was
Sarah Burrill, whose brothers were: 1st. John, of whom Governor
Hutchinson, in his History of Massachusetts, takes distinguished notice;
he was Speaker of the House of Representatives, and is compared with the
celebrated Sir Arthur Onslow, the most eminent Speaker of the House of
Commons. 2d. Theophilus, who, I believe, had no children. 3d.
Ebenezer, from whom you may be lineally descended." Besides the
three brothers named by Mr. Pickering, there were Thomas and Samuel.
Mr. Burrill was a
Representative in the General Court, for twenty-two years, was Speaker of
the House ten years, and Counsellor in 1720, remaining in the office till
his death. He was also Town Clerk thirty-one years. These
facts are quite sufficient to show that the public had an abiding
confidence in his ability and integrity. He was likewise a man whose
advice and assistance was much sought for among his neighbors. He
was ever ready to counsel, and, if need be, assist in a more substantial
way, as he was blessed with considerable means.
He died of the small-pox, on
the 10th of December, 1721, leaving no children. His grave stone may
still be seen in the Old Burying Ground near the west end of the Common;
and it bears these lines:
Alas! our patron's dead! The country - court -
The church - in tears, all echo the report;
Grieved that no piety, no mastering sense,
No counsel, gravity, no eloquence,
No generous temper, gravitating to
Those honors, which they did upon him throw,
Could stay his fate, or their dear Burrill save
From a contagious sickness, and the grave.
The adjacent towns this loss reluctant bear,
But widowed Lynn sustains the greatest share;
Yet joys in being guardian of his dust
Until the resurrection of the just.
The Boston News Letter of
Monday, December 18, 1721, contained the following notice, under date
Lynn, December 11: "The last night the Honorable John Burrill, Esq., one
of His Majesty's Council and one of the Judges of the Inferior Court of
Common Pleas for the County of Essex, died of the small-pox, in the
sixty-second year of his age. He had been for many years Speaker of
the House of Representatives, and behaved himself in that chair with great
integrity, modesty, and skill; having a just and equal regard to the honor
of the government and the liberty of the people; so that he was highly
esteemed and beloved by both. He was a man of true and exemplary
piety and virtue, endowed with a very clear understanding, solid judgment,
and sound discretion. And God made him a great blessing not only to
his town and county, but to the whole province. Isaiah iii. 1: 'For
behold, the Lord God of hosts doth take away from Judah the stay and the
staff - the judge - and the prudent - the honorable - and the
counsellor.'"
Hutchinson
graphically observes that the House were as fond of Mr. Burrill "as
of their eyes." And he adds, in a note, "I have often heard his
cotemporaries applaud him for his great integrity, his acquaintance with
parliamentary forms, the dignity and authority with which he filled the
chair, the order and decorum he maintained in the debates of the House,
his self-denial in remaining in the House, from year to year, when he
might have been chosen into the Council, and saw others, who called him
their father, sent there before him." And then follows the
comparison with "the right honorable person," before alluded to.
Mr. Burrill was an active
member of the old church of Lynn. His early years were passed under
the teachings of the godly Whiting, and through the long pastorate of Mr.
Shepard, his serene presence adorned the sanctuary. He was liberal
in his contributions; and in his will, made four days before his death,
occurs this item: "I give and bequeath to the Church of Christ in Lynn,
forty pounds towards ye furnishing of ye table of the Lord." And
upon several articles of the consecrated plate may be seen engraved the
Burrill coat-of-arms; rather an ostentatious display, to be sure, but one
for which the deceased donor is not to be held responsible.
|
EBENEZER BURRILL. 1679-1761.
|
This Mr. Burrill was a
younger brother of "the beloved Speaker," was quite eminent in his day,
and distinguished as Honorable Ebenezer. He was born at Lynn, on the
13th of July, 1679, was a son of John Burrill, known as Lieutenant John,
who was a son of George Burrill, the first of the name who settled here,
and who came in 1630.
Mr. Burrill married Martha Farrington, and settled at Swampscot, on an
estate given him by his father. The house in which he lived is still
standing, on the beautiful grounds of E. R. Mudge, Esq., a few rods from
his stone villa. And the writer may be pardoned for remarking that
his inquiries regarding the Burrill family have been somewhat minute,
partly from an individual pleasure in tracing family connections, as both
his grandmothers were granddaughters of the subject of this sketchone a
daughter of his son Ebenezer, and the other a daughter of his son Samuel.
Mr. Burrill had ten
children, viz: Ebenezer, (called Esquire,) born 6 February, 1702, who
married Mary, daughter of General Mansfield, and had eleven children;
John, b. 24 February, 1705; Martha, b. 21 April, 1707; Theophilus, born 21
May, 1709; Mary, b. 31 July, 1711; Eunice, b. 27 October, 1713; Lois, b. 7
August, 1715; Samuel, b. 1 April, 1717; Sarah, b. 15 April, 1719; Lydia,
b. 25 February, 1721.
It
would be interesting to follow somewhat at large the family connections of
Mr. Burrill, did space permit. It was his sister Sarah, who married
John Pickering of Salem, and became grandmother of Hon. Timothy Pickering.
His son Ebenezer, distinguished as Ebenezer, Esquire, was Town Clerk
seventeen years, and a Representative twelve; he, the son, lived in the
house still standing at the northeast corner of Boston and Federal
streets, and there, it is related, on one occasion, had the honor of the
Governor's presence at dinner, while a couple of iron cannon, on Water
Hill, continued to belch forth their respects. His son Samuel was a
Representative during the Revolution, and a member of the Convention for
forming the State Constitution. His grandson James, son of Ebenezer,
Esquire, while a young man set up business as a tin-plate worker at
Providence, R. I., became a prominent citizen, and was one of the original
members of the Providence Association of Mechanics and Manufacturers, an
association which still continues to flourish, and was chosen its
president, in 1797, holding the office till 1809. He likewise
represented Providence in the General Assembly, in 1797. And this
James was father of the Hon. James Burrill, who was appointed Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island, in 1816, and who was soon
afterward distinguished as a United States Senator for that state, dying
at Washington, on Christmas-day, 1820. Joseph, another son of
Ebenezer, Esquire, and grandson of the subject of this sketch, settled at
Newport, R. I. He was a tin-plate worker, and it was of him that his
brother James learned his trade preparatory to commencing business for
himself at Providence. And the family of this Joseph was one of
great respectability. The wife of Hon. Henry Wheaton, LL. D., was a
granddaughter of his. One or two of the leading Salem families were
connected with the Burrills, who were facetiously styled the royal family
of Lynn. Micajah Burrill, who resided on Essex street, and died near
the close of 1863, having been buried on the 10th of December, the very
day on which he would have entered his hundredth year, was a grandson of
Theophilus, the third son of the patriarch whom this sketch commemorates.
Mr. Burrill died on the
6th of September, 1761. The inscription on his modest grave-stone is
unassuming, compared with many on the tablets of that day, which are too
often airy and high-sounding. But the dead should not be held
responsible for the falsehoods and absurdities that are written above
them.
He was a man
remarkable for sound judgment, benevolence, and activity in all useful
enterprises, was six times chosen, Representative, and was a Counsellor in
1731 and 1746. In 1732 he was entrusted with the settlement of
important business with the Indians at Casco Bay. He possessed a
large estate in lands, and was able to provide well for his numerous
family. The inventory of his estate indicates that he lived in very
respectable style, and among his personal property may be found enumerated
one Negro Slave, named Cesar.
In looking up the facts
regarding the Burrills, I found that many of the family themselves had but
a confused idea of their ancestry - a kind of confusion, however, by no
means peculiar to this family - arising, perhaps, in a great measure, from
the intermingling of names. A recapitulatory line or two may, hence,
be given. Lieutenant John, or John, senior, was the first Burrill
born in Lynn, and was a son of George, the early settler. Honorable
John, or John, junior, and Honorable Ebenezer, (the subject of this
sketch,) were brothers, and sons of Lieut. John. Ebenezer, Esquire, was a
son of Hon. Ebenezer.... George, Lieut. John, and Hon. John lived at Tower
Hill; Hon. Ebenezer lived at Swampscot; Ebenezer, Esq. lived on Boston
street, corner of Federal... James, who settled in Rhode Island, and was
father of the United States Senator, was a son of Ebenezer, Esq. John,
another son of Ebenezer, Esq., was father of Ebenezer who settled in New
York, and died there in 1839, and whose body, in accordance with his dying
request, was brought to Lynn and buried in our Old Burying Ground; he, the
last named John, was also father of Thompson, who died here in 1842.
The grave-stones of these worthies together with those of several
other old members of the family, may be found in the southeastern part of
the burial place just named.
Considering what has been
said in this brief sketch regarding family connections, a single remark,
of a general nature, in closing, may not be inappropriate. How few
realize the important effect of marriage upon the destinies of a family,
much less its effect upon the destinies of mankind. The greatest
results, social, political, and religious, flow from the quiet operation
of the matrimonial connection. In the history of the world may be
found instance on instance wherein the union of a young man and young
woman has accomplished momentous results, results which years and years of
war and bloodshed could not effect. The genius of marriage is
democratic; it favors no conventional distinctions; but through the most
thorough mingling of classes works out the happiest results. It was
long since remarked in the French Academy that when a nation is on the
decline, its strength and energy are to be found in the lower classes; and
a true remark it was. The jaded mental faculties of the higher and
educated class, need the physical stamina and latent mental power of the
unpampered hewer of wood and drawer of water. And the doom of a
nation is sealed if God's great laws for the government of his human
family are disregarded.
|
JACOB NEWHALL. 1740-1816. |
This worthy member of
one of our oldest families was for many years extensively and favorably
known as Landlord Newhall. He was born in that part of Lynn now
constituting Saugus, on the third of May, 1740, and was the son of Locker,
a lineal descendant of Thomas Newhall, the first white person born in
Lynn.
A part of the
early manhood of Mr. Newhall was spent in Cambridge, where he pursued the,
occupation of a husbandman, to which he was bred. But in or about
the year 1774, he became proprietor of the celebrated tavern which stood
on the old Boston road, a short distance west of Saugus river. This
tavern was commenced at a very early period, and at one time flourished
under the sign of an anchor, painted in blue, with the inscription "Blew
Anchor." Many interesting facts concerning its history may be found
in this volume. He succeeded Josiah Martin, a very eccentric
individual, of whom something is said under date 1782, and who by his
irregularities had somewhat damaged the reputation of the house; but who,
though alleged to be an Englishman, being providentially seized by a
burning desire to serve the country, enlisted and went off to the war,
from which he never returned.
Mr. Newhall kept the tavern
during the Revolution; and it was conducted on that liberal scale which
rendered it a real public benefit. He was an excellent provider,
social in his habits, neat in his arrangements, and unwearied in his
efforts to make his house an attractive traveler's home. The poor of
his neighborhood and the indigent wayfarer he freely relieved; and to the
sick and wounded soldier, his door was always open. In connection
with the tavern, he carried on a farm; and his business, on the whole, was
quite extensive. It was not uncommon for an entire company of hungry
soldiers, and not unknown for even a regiment to suddenly make their
appearance and halt for a meal. To provide for such emergencies he
kept on hand fatted oxen from which a sufficient number might be promptly
slaughtered, the beef being at once disposed of in great boilers prepared
expressly for the cooking, his large garden, which is represented to have
comprised some six acres, furnishing the vegetable accompaniments.
The whole establishment was kept under his immediate supervision; and for
some years he is said hardly ever to have retired to a bed to rest, but to
have slept in an arm chair.
Under the administration of
Mr. Martin, and down to the commencement of the Revolution, a pictured
lion and unicorn decorated the sign-board that swung from the ponderous
oaken arm in front of the house. But Mr. Newhall, being an ardent
patriot, substituted the more genial and hopeful emblem of a rising
sun. And there, beneath that hospitable roof, countenanced by the
benevolent spirit that presided, were enacted many and many a pleasant
scene. The sleghing party on the winter night found blazing fires
and smoking viands, and a clean upper room for the sly dance; and on all
occasions of great parade the most ample provision was found. And
the good cheer and cordial hospitality induced many a guest to linger on
his way. It has been said, however, that there was one occasion on
which the landlord's usual courtesy was not exemplified, an occasion when
he manifested unwonted impatience for the departure of a considerable body
of callers, mostly young men, armed with fowling pieces, and bound up the
westward road. He freely supplied their wants, but refrained from
any motion that might cause a moment's delay. It was on the morning
of the battle of Bunker Hill.
Mr. Newhall married
Elizabeth Hodgkins, of Ipswich, on the 21st of August, 1766, and had four
sons and four daughters, viz: William, born 21 June, 1767, and dying in
infancy; Elizabeth, b. 21 May, 1768; William again, b. 10 December, 1769;
Sarah, b. 7 August, 1777; Lydia, b. 24 December, 1778; Jacob, b. 1
November, 1780; Lucy, b. 26 July, 1782; Joseph, b. 28 November, 1783.
Landlord Newhall
kept the tavern till 1807; and notwithstanding the business was remarkably
successful, his benevolence prevented any great accumulation of property,
and he continued to labor industriously, as a farmer, till old age.
He died on the 18th of June, 1816, at the age of seventy-six.
The late Benjamin F. Newhall, for many years one of the most active
and prominent citizens of Saugus, and well known for his numerous
contributions to the public journals was a grandson of his.
Perhaps, taking all things
into view, the most widely known, highly accomplished, and successful
merchant that New England ever produced, was William Gray, almost
univerally known under the familiar though rather inelegant contraction of
"Billy" Gray. He was born at Lynn, on that part of Water Hill now
called Marion street, on the 27th of June, 1750. The house in which
he was born is still standing, and known by our older people as the Dr.
Flagg house, being the one at the eastern end of the street, directly
opposite where it bends into Boston street.
The family of Mr. Gray
settled here at an early period, though his ancestors were not among the
first comers. At the time William was born, his grandfather, whose
name was likewise William, was one of the only three individuals in Lynn
who carried on the shoe business so extensively as to employ
journeymen. (See under date 1750.) His father, whose name was
Abraham, was a shoemaker, and frequently visited Salem, where he had
numerous customers to whom he took the products of his handicraft, in
saddle-bags. The family of Mr. Derby, into whose counting-room
William subsequently entered, were among the customers.
Abraham Gray afterward
removed to Salem, where he was for many years deacon of the First
Church. He took William, who was then quite young, with him; and
that was the termination of his residence in Lynn, though he ever retained
an interest in his native place, and maintained business connections with
her people. For forty years he supplied the manufacturers and
dealers here with large quantities of Russia sheeting, which was at the
time much used in the manufacture of shoes.
His constitution was
naturally feeble, and he inherited the melancholy trait of
consumption. Salem, at that time, had the reputation of being a very
unfavorable locality for those having a tendency to the insidious disease
just named; but the temperate life and active habits of young Gray
protected him from the
destroyer. Although perhaps every feature of his face, taken
separately, would be pronounced homely, yet his whole countenance glowed
with such an invariable and attractive smile, and his bright gray eyes
expressed such integrity of soul and goodness of heart, that he was
usually considered handsome. No one who has contemplated the perfect
portrait of him by Stuart, can fail to recognize the likeness of one of
dignity and fine presence; it is indeed a picture that might well
immortalize both artist and subject. In stature, he was rather below
than above the medium size, but symmetrical.
The precocity of young Gray,
soon after his removal to Salem attracted the notice of Samuel Gardner,
then a prominent merchant of the place, who offered to receive him as an
apprentice. His father asked what compensation would be allowed, and
to his surprise was answered that six guineas could be taken with the best
apprentice in the country, but that William would be taken without a
bonus. He very soon found himself in the best graces of Mr. Gardner;
a trivial incident, happening soon after the apprenticeship began, doing
much to effect this. He had broken the store window by his ball, and
very ingenuously confessed the fact, proving, at the same time, that his
apparent neglect to repair was attributable to the broken promise of a
glazier. His truthfulness was warmly applauded, and a new suit of
clothes given as a reward. And the good merchant continued to clothe
him as long as he remained. A rigid adherence to Truth was one of
the most prominent characteristics of Mr. Gray. He worshiped
her. After leaving Mr. Gardner he entered the employ of Richard
Derby, another eminent merchant of Salem; and there he perfected himself
in all that was necessary for the commencement of his own illustrious
mercantile career. So far as school education was concerned,
however, he never received any thing beyond what the district school
afforded.
Mr. Gray
married Elizabeth, daughter of John Chipman, of Marblehead, though not, as
I was many years ago informed by an old lady who was intimate in the
family, without some opposition from her friends, his prospects, at the
time, not appearing sufficient to satisfy their expectations.
The enterprise and good
fortune of Mr. Gray did much to promote the general prosperity of Salem,
though Lynn was not barren of benefits. The following epigram, which
I believe was the production of John Prince, the lawyer, very pleasantly
touches the matter of a good-natured rivalry.
Salem and Lynn for Gray's birth now contest;
Lynn gains the palm, but Salem fares the best.
Though sometimes
interesting, it is in a degree profitless, while considering the life of
an individual, high or low, to speculate as to what he might have been,
under other circumstances; yet it seem worthy of remark that had Mr.
Gray's constitution been a healthy one, it is not unlikely that he would
have spent his days as a shoemaker, at Lynn, for I am assured by one who
knew him well, that his father attempted to learn him the trade, but gave
it over on perceiving that it wore upon his health.
In or about the year 1808,
Mr. Gray removed to Boston, and there greatly enlarged his business; and
in a few years he was reckoned the wealthiest man in the Commonwealth, if
not in all New England. He possessed the manners of a gentleman, and
was highly respected for his many virtues. Toward all those in his
employ, who served him faithfully, he. was accustomed to act with the
utmost generosity. The masters of some of his vessels were retained
from twenty to thirty years. And during the continuance of the
embargo, many had reason to be grateful for his efficient aid in procuring
employment when their legitimate calling could not be pursued. And a
few of his cotemporaries yet remaining in Lynn, cherish a grateful
remembrance of his friendly acts. He was liberal to the poor, and
made large donations for charitable purposes.
But it must not be supposed
that the life of Mr. Gray was one of uniform success. He met with
reverses; but bore them with a fortitude commensurate with his dignity as
a man, and furnishing a most excellent example for others in similar
circumstances. Under the Decrees of Bonaparte he lost many vessels;
but it is to be presumed that his heirs received some remuneration from
the French government, under the energetic administration of General
Jackson.
Mr. Gray
was elected Lieutenant Governor, in 1810 and continued in office two
years. He also held divers other offices, wherein his promptness and
sound judgment rendered his services of great value. He was a
Federalist in political sentiment, and at times showed some activity as a
politician.
He died at
Boston, on the third of November, 1825. His sons were, William R.,
Henry, John C., Francis C., and Horace. And the family continues to
maintain the highest respectability. His only daughter, Lucia,
married Col. Samuel Swett, who is still living, though she died some years
since. Rev. William Gray Swett, the much beloved pastor of the
Unitarian Society in Lynn, from January 1, 1840 to the time of his
decease, February 15, 1843, was born of this marriage.
|
MICAJAH COLLINS. 1764-1827.
|
Mr. Collins was born on the
19th of April, 1764, and was a son of Enoch Collins. He received a
fair education, and for more than a quarter of a century was teacher of
the Friends' school here, ever retaining the respect of the parents and
affection of the pupils. His ministerial labors were approved by the
Society for nearly forty years, and he was well known and highly respected
in the many parts of the United States, into which he journeyed. He
married Hannah Chase, of Salem, but had no children. The last moments of
his life are represented to have displayed, in a marked degree, the true
characteristics of the dying Christian. Many friends and neighbors
assembled around his bed, and in kind words he dealt to them admonitions
and encouragements, and expressed his own assurance of a blessed
immortality. Then he took each individual by the hand and bade all
an affectionate farewell. Like the setting of a summer sun, he
gently passed away, without a murmur or a sigh. His death took place
on the 30th of January, 1827.
One or two extracts from a
poetic tribute to the memory of Mr. Collins, are here introduced, a
tribute which originally appeared in the Newport (R. I.) Mercury, and was
penned by Rev. Enoch Mudge, another of the devoted sons of Lynn - the
insertion here answering the double purpose of celebrating the virtues of
one worthy native and affording a specimen of the poetic ability of
another - besides presenting the grateful spectacle of a warm remembrance
of an early friendship. Though no very striking conception is,
perhaps, apparent in the lines, they yet exhibit, with such clearness, the
growth of grace in the renewed heart, and its effect on the inward and
outward life, and are withal imbued with such a reverence for virtue, that
they possess a substantial value. Didactic poetry, however, in these
days, finds but little favor, whatever may be its degree of
excellence.
I knew him
when in giddy rounds of mirth
He sought for happiness in
things of earth;
When
the light mind with buoyant feelings soared,
And for delight forbidden
things explored.
Quenched were the sacred sparks of holy truth,
Impressed upon him in his
early youth,
When the
young airy mind with heightened glee
Was from restraint hard
struggling to be free.
Bewitching pleasure then
allured his mind;
In
them content he vainly sought to find,
But found it not! - till he
who came to call
The
wanderer back from sin, and guilt, and thrall,
Spake to his soul; the
quickening power he felt,
Which caused his hard,
obdurate heart to melt.
Pungent and deep was keen
conviction's dart!
Then godly sorrow pained the broken heart!
But the good Shepherd, by
his tender care,
Soothed
all his fears, and saved him from despair;
And gently led him by
alluring grace
In the
sweet paths of righteousness and peace.
A sacred calm ensued within
his breast,
And now the
wanderer found a place of rest;
New objects of pursuit
inspired his mind,
And
purifying love his soul refined.
The friends of youth he now
delights to meet,
And
sit like Mary at his Master's feet;
And tender sympathy, by
grace inspired,
And love
of truth his placid bosom fired.
In temper open, amiable, and
mild,
In manners simple,
trusting as a child;
He
to the youth a pleasing pattern gave.
Of access easy, pious,
cheerful, grave;
All
classes felt an interest in the man,
For innocence through all
his actions ran.
Long as an able minister he stood,
And spent his lengthened
life in doing good;
At
home, abroad, the humble Christian shone,
While all the Draise he gave
to God alone.
|
SOLOMON MOULTON. 1808-1827.
|
This young man, for he was
but nineteen years of age at the time of his decease, gave promise of
doing much honor to his native place. His poetical ability was by no
means inconsiderable. He was born on the 7th of January, 1808, and
was the son of Joseph Moulton, who lived on Boston street. His
uncle, John Lillie Moulton, who resided on Market street, in a house which
stood on the west side, a few rods south of Summer, and who, in
partnership with John Alley, 3d, kept a store, on the same street, at the
corner of Munroe, having no children of his own, adopted him, and he kept
in the store a part of the time.
The constitution of young
Moulton was not naturally firm, and for many months immediately preceding
his death, which was by consumption, his health was such that he was
unable to continuously pursue any laborious occupation. When Mr.
Lummus, the first printer in Lynn, opened his office, Mr. Moulton formed
an acquaintance with him, which continued as long as he lived. He
was much in the office and assisted in various ways. And it was in
Mr. Lummus's paper, The Weekly Mirror, that most of his published pieces
appeared.
He was highly
esteemed for his openness and generosity of disposition; and won the
respect and affection of those about him by his fidelity to the higher
instincts and better sympathies of our nature. He wrote many pieces in
verse, which appeared under the signature of "LILLIE," some of which were
well worthy of being preserved in substantial form. Many of his
writings were of that plaintive cast which somehow seems to foreshadow an
early departure. A passage or two from a poem of about a hundred
lines, entitled "THE BURIAL," are here given, as a fair specimen of his
style and execution; and it will probably be agreed that some of the lines
would add grace to many a pretentious and popular poem. In one
situated as Mr. Moulton was - dependent in circumstances, with few
advantages of education, and in imperfect health - an early development of
the choicest powers could hardly be looked for. And we are inclined
to utter a lament in the words of one of his own lines:
"Alas! too soon cut down by cruel Death."
But
yet it may be unwise to speculate as to what might have been. He
died on the 26th of May, 1827.
It was a
mild and lovely day in autumn;
Earth bore the marks of
withering frost;
The
winds had sung their desolating dirge
O'er lovely Flora's wintry
grave,
And formed her
death-robe of the yellow leaves.
But still a melancholy
loveliness,
A pleasing
sweetness, hung around the scene.
The sun was fast descending
from his proud
Meridian
throne in heaven's blue concave high.
I had been called a solemn
office to perform -
'T is
the last rite that man can do for man,
When life is o'er, with kind
and gentle hand
To lay
his brother's body in the grave -
And here it was a fair and
lovely child,
Whose
angel form was now by youthful hands
Unto the silent grave soon
to be borne;
Alas! too
soon cut down by cruel Death.
The heart
of woman injury can brook;
Ay, heap disgrace upon her
precious name;
Brand her
a wretched outcast from the world;
Let the'envenom'd darts of
slander pierce
And rend
her lovely breast - take fiom her all,
Yes, all that renders life
most dear to man;
But
leave her tender offspring to her care;
Give this, her last and most
endearing boon,
And
still she'll bless you for that dearest gift.
Soon and
the funeral train were at the grave;
Gently we laid the bier upon
the earth,
And then with
trembling hands the coffin lowered
Into its dark and silent
home. But when
The cold,
dank clods of earth with deadening sound
Resounded from the grave,
deep were the sighs
That
rent a mother's agonizing breast;
For now the scene with all
its withering force
Had
burst afresh upon her grief-worn mind.
I saw her standing by the
lowly grave,
When the
smooth, grass-grown clod o'er it was placed.
The work was finished, and
she gave a last
And
tender look toward the hallowed spot,
Then joined the silent train
and moved away.
'T is
past - but still the scene on memory's page
Is lettered deep; and oft in
pensive mood,
Whene'er
my feet in yonder grave-yard stray,
I stop to muse upon that
well known grave.
Though our young friend
wrote chiefly in verse, he occasionally gave expression to his thoughts in
what is called poetic prose. And perhaps the following is as fair a
specimen of his composition in the latter form as can be found.
MORNING.
There is a soul-exalting hour,
And sweetly soothing is its power;
'T is when, wide o'er the spreading lawn,
Is ushered in the early dawn.
If there is one time in the day more beautiful than another, more
suite to the mind that can dwell with delight on the works of nature, and
discover the impress of the Creator in every leaf and every flower - that
time is morning. To the contemplative mind the morning walk affords
an ample field fo the observance and investigation of the numerous works
of the divine Crator which at every step, in pleasing and almost endless
variety, are presentd to our view. It is in the morning that the
mind, freed from the vexatiouscares that are attendant on the more busy
concerns of the day,
Views Nature's works, throughout sublime,
Unchanging still, through endless time,
And renders homage to the God
Who formed them by his potent rod.
There is a deep moral
sublimity in the scene which the morning affords. And how congenial
it is to be seated on the summit of some commanding eminence, whence to
view the pale moon, just lingering in the west, as if pausing to bid "Good
morning," to the more resplendent luminary a whom she is dependent for her
light; to view the last faint gleam of a few lingering stars, as they
gradually grow dim, and disappear; to hear, in the holy calmness of the
hour when the busy hum of men is only remembered as a thing of yesterday,
the rich melody of Nature's songsters, as on never tiring wing they soar
aloft in heaven's blue concave. In such an hour as this, the mind is
insensibly led to deep devotional contemplation. While we view the
works of the Creator, we are naturally led to meditate on the Creator
himself. And from the volume of Nature, wide spread before us, we
may draw lessons of instruction far superior to the narrow tenets of the
studied theologian.
|
MARIA AUGUSTA FULLER.
1806-1831. |
Mr. Lewis has said of Miss
Fuller, that she "was, perhaps, the most talented and imaginative female
which Lynn has produced." She was undoubtedly a young lady of rare
endowment. Accustoming herself, at an early age, to the use of the
pen, she was enabled to produce, while still young, many charming pieces,
in prose and poetry, which found their way into the newspapers. She
displayed a fine fancy, mingled with dignity of thought, and a lively
appreciation of natural beauty.
She was born at Lynn on the
9th of December, 1806, and was a daughter of Hon. Joseph Fuller, who was
born on Water Hill, March 29, 1772, and died at the age of 42. He
was the first Senator from Lynn, having been elected in 1812, and was
likewise a Representative, for six terms. His business was
extensive. When Mechanics Bank went into operation, in 1814, he was
chosen its president; but he died the next year. He built the
southmost dwelling at the point formed by the junction of'Union and Broad
streets, and there resided.
Her grandfather Fuller was
also named Joseph. He was born in 1748, and died at the age of 82.
He was a farmer, and owned the farm at the western extremity of
Water Hill, where he resided. He was somewhat eccentric, but a man
of integrity and influence; was a delegate to the Constitutional
Convention, in 1820; and could write with considerable ability, though
inclined to be more pungent than courteous. He loved controversy,
and was at one time engaged in a newspaper warfare with Rev. Mr. Thachier.
Miss Fuller died on the
19th of January, 1831, at the early age of twenty-four. She was
never married, but at the time of her decease was affianced to a gentleman
who is now a minister in the Calvinistic Baptist connection, though at
that time he was an active member of the Unitarian Society here. Her
manners were gentle and fascinating in the extreme; her education was
good; and she was fitted to elicit admiration in the most refined
society. Her harp was usually attuned to plaintive themes, and it
seemed as if she ever entertained a latent premonition of an early
death. Yet there were occasions on which a playful and even
frolicksome nature would assert itself. Her chosen signature was
"FINELLA." And one or two specimens of her writing follow. The
prose article was published when she was twenty-one years of age, and
certainly exhibits a richness and breadth of fancy, a versatility and
discipline of thought, which can only characterize one possessing far more
than ordinary gifts. The lines entitled "The Frosted Trees," are the
concluding portion of a piece, dated January 1, 1830, and as will be
perceived, very pleasantly allude to Mr. Lewis's well-known poem under the
same title - which may be found in this volume, under date 1829 - which
had just then appeared in the Token. We have in them clear evidence
that she possessed a lively wit; but it was refined, and never turned to
the degenerate purposes of satire. The piece entitled "To the Loved
Departed," appeared about ten days before her death. And the lines
"To a Sea Bird," were found among the papers, she left. They are all
worthy of an attentive perusal; indeed they are too full of thought and
unobtrusive beauties to be appreciated by the mere surface reader.
Such a mind as hers cannot fail to have a refining and elevating
influence in any society; and when one like her departs tears may fall as
for a public bereavement, though there may be none to spare when the mere
daughter of fashion departs.
THOUGHTS.
There are moments when
the mind is free from all uneasiness, the spirits from all excitement;
when the stream of thought ceases to flow on, and remains calm and
unruffled, waiting for a new impulse to turn its waters into other
channels - or sometimes stagnates into indolence. The early part of
a winter evening is the very time for such an undefinable state of
mind. I was myself sinking into it one evening, after having
attended to sundry little particulars, such as arranging two or three
chairs, which chanced to be a little awry, placing the andirons in exactly
parallel lines, and blowing from the
hearth a
quantity of white ashes which the movements had precipitated to it.
Now, the fantastic motions of the blaze amused me, shooting up into
steeples, like the picture of an old abbey, or wreathing in red folds
around a fresh piece of fuel. The coals, too, lying in red glowing
masses, seemed to smile upon me, as I sat watching their changes, and
forming H's and P's of the interstices in the back-log. I was awakened
from my pleasing employment, by the sudden falling of a brand, whose
curling wreaths of smoke ascended, in most unwelcome incense, to my face.
Hastily adjusting it, I fled to the window, and there contemplated a
scene by no means new or extraordinary, but whose quiet loveliness opened
a new and corresponding train of ideas and fancies. The moon shone
upon the snowy hill-top, and threw a broad sheet of light upon the water,
crowning each little billow with a sparkling coronet. She is, I
believe, a sonnet-inspiring planet, and somehow associated in the mind
with the "lunatic, the lover, and the poet." Though belonging to
neither of these classes, I must still acknowledge her influence in
inspiring thoughts and "thick coming fancies."
As my eye ranged over the
prospect before me, I was insensibly led to contrast its present
appearance with what it might have been two centuries ago. I seemed
to behold the dark forests covering the hills and plains - the coast
curving naturally round, or broken into points and headlands, where now
the stiff squares, wharves, or artificial banks, proclaim that a civilized
people reside here. In this very spot, thought I, the Indian bent
his bow against the wild beast of the forest; or here, perhaps, the Indian
girl might have stood, listening for the sound of the returning oars of an
absent brother or lover. A speck appeared among the waves - it
seemed the light canoe of the savage, bounding to land.
What dreams of light and
beauty might have filled the soul of that Indian girl; in what clear tones
might the harmonies of nature have sounded their sublime truths to her
ear. She heard the voice of the Spirit she worshiped, in the sea, in
the thunder, and in the wind. She poured forth her rejoicing songs
with the birds, and the anthem of her deeply felt gratitude might have
gone up to the throne with as much acceptance as if accompanied by
swelling organ tones, and echoed back by marble temple walls instead of
rocks and hills. She might have read His purity and goodness in the
wild flowers of the wood, in the wide and grand scenes around her, in her
own happy and free existence, and the existence of all the joyous creation
she beheld. Untutored, unacquainted with the thoughts of others, or
the wisdom stored in the pages of antiquity, she might have possessed
intuitive powers, of which we know nothing; pure rills of thought, gushing
in beauty, amid solitude and silence; realms of fancy, brighter than we
can imagine.
Or here,
perhaps, the tree of peace may have thrown out its strong branches, and
nations may have assembled around it; warriors may bave smoked the calumet
in its shade. The same moon and stars looked upon them, which are
now shining on me; the sound of the mighty rush of the ocean fell on their
ears as it now falls on mine. Years have glided silently by, and
where are they? The dust reveals not the spot where a nation of
proud hearts have mingled with it. The maiden, the hunter, have
long since gone to their rest. The wave of existence in which they
were particles has rolled away, and its sound died upon the air.
Surely our country is full of poetical associations. Have we no
Ossian to behold the spirit of the warrior on our misty hills? - to sing
the forgotten glories of a departed race? The bustle of a strange
people is going on in the land of their fathers.
There is a tinge of
melancholy in such reflections; and when the mind glances forward to
succeeding ages, and a sense of our own brief course amid these changes of
being comes in its reality over the soul, we wonder at the eagerness with
which we pursue its trifles, and resolve to chase them no more. The
whole human family then appear to us as brethren, and the wider our survey
extends through the past and future, the more are we impressed with the
folly of those jarring interests which take away the warm and holy
dispositions of our hearts, and embitter those watersaof life which were
intended to flow on in fragrance and sweetness through their short course.
We arise from such reflections with renewed desires to dispense our
own small measure of happiness around - that though we and the generation
to which we belong pass away and are forgotten, our life may be a summer
of joy, and our death but the welcome entrance into a new and more
glorious existence.
THE FROSTED TREES.
Spring,
Summer, and Autumn! what witching charms,
Ye wear to the poet's eye!
Ye pour forth
your wealth to his raptured gaze
As ye pass so swiftly by.
But Winter comes
with his scowling skies,
And rudely piping wind;
What beauty or
music to waken song,
Can the wandering poet find?
Lo! the earth is
sown with precious pearls,
And the flashing diamond shines,
And gems that
glistened far down in the sea,
Or gleamed in the dismal mines.
And the graceful
boughs like rainbows bend,
And spirits are resting there,
Having veiled
the light of their radiant forms,
In the blue of the mantling air.
O! rare, beyond
the alchymist's skill,
The spell the poet doth hold,
For by it the
snow and icicle,
Are changed to gems and gold;
And the ice-girt
boughs, to dazzling thrones,
And the folds of the vapor dim
Are white-robed
angels, whose starry wings
Are revealed to none but him.
TO THE LOVED DEPARTED.
Ye Spirits of the Dead!
Ah! whither are ye fled?
Mid the dim fields of space where do ye roam?
O, that through the deep gloom,
That gathers o'er the tomb,
Some ray of light might
shine from your far distant home.
Where is the beaming smile,
That lighted, for a while,
Our weary feet along life's
cloudy way?
The voice, whose lightest words
Thrilled the soul's silent chords,
Till the deep hidden strings
grew tuneful from its sway.
We watched your parting breath,
We saw the chill of death
Blanch the fresh cheek, and
fix the glazing eye;
Shade upon shade fell deep,
Of that mysterious sleep,
Mantling all that remained -
fearful mortality!
We know those forms must change;
Perchance amid the range
Of varied forms of beauty, ye may live
In fragrant springing flowers,
Fairest in forest bowers;
Such loveliness to dust
renewing power can give.
Where shall we go to find?
Hath the dull earth enshrined
That smile? - or doth it
beam in the sunlight,
Dwell with the rainbow's hues,
Or mid morn's sparkling dews,
The moonlight pale, or stars
that cheer the silent night?
That tone have we not heard,
When sang spring's earliest bird?
Or when the winds awaked the
warbling lyre?
In murmurs of the waves,
O'er their deep ocean caves?
The whispering wood? - each
voice of nature's varied choir?
Hath the light ceased to burn?
Shall not that tone return
To cheer us as we tread our
pathway lone?
The spark that lit the whole,
That thought, that loved - the soul!
There is a mourning void -
where has the spirit gone?
Trust, doubting spirit, trust,
When this enclosing dust
Thou shalt, upspringing, from thee cast away;
When, with new eye and ear,
Thou shalt both see and hear,
That smile - that gentle
tone- shall greet thee on that day !
There, mingling with the rays
Of the eternal blaze,
The welcome beam again shall bless thine eye;
And where hosannas ring,
When blessed spirits sing,
The well-remembered tone
shall sound, no more to die!
Thou Sun of Righteousness!
Thy rays can warm and bless
E'en the chill cloud that
gathers o'er the grave,
Till its dark folds giow bright,
Changed to a robe of light!
O! shine on us, bright
Power! to heal us, and to save.
TO A SEA BIRD.
Why hast thou
left thy ocean home?
What seek'st thou here with wandering wing?
Thou loved'st
the bounding wave, the foam;
Thou would'st not love the bowers of spring.
The land birds,
in their gilded plumes,
Tune forth their songs from every stem,
With wild, sad
notes, and dull hued wings,
Thou may'st not come to dwell with them.
In our green
woods the scented flowers
Look pure as shells in thine own sea,
And blue lakes
slumber, fountains gush,
But these can have no charms for thee.
Back to thy
native home! behold!
Yon pink and purple clouds have thrown
Upon its calm,
unrippled breast,
Colors scarce fainter than their own.
And see thy
mates - how swiftly o'er
The mirrored waters now they glide;
Their white
wings take the roseate dyes.
And shine reflected in the tide.
Still onward,
onward! would'st thou seek
Those billowy clouds far in the west?
Mid their bright
waves perchance thou dream'st
Thy weary, toilsome wing may rest.
For thou hast
seen the strong wind sweep
All beauty from the changing sea,
And leave for
all yon loveliness,
A terrible deformity.
Methinks e'en
now thy sad voice calls
In vain upon thy hapless mate -
Ah! wreck'd and
lost - for thee and her
The welcome calm has come too late.
And thou
hast left in weariness,
The lone sea for the lonelier air
Seek not earth's
bowers, or clouds, for peace;
Alas! thou wilt not find it there.
Know thou, the
green, sun-lighted earth
Thou passest o'er with wing so free,
Holds many a
prisoner, who would joy,
Could they but fly away with thee.
For darker than
the ocean storm,
O'er joy's soft morn doth sorrow close,
And woe-worn
mortals seek like thee,
A calmer haven of repose.
But not like
thee in vain. For them,
More glorious than the clouds of even,
A realm of joy
and bliss appears
An isle of rest - a promised heaven.
|
CHARLES FREDERIC LUMMUS.
1801-1838. |
Mr. Lummus was born on the
17th of August, 1801, and was one of the ten children of Dr. Aaron Lummus,
who was a popular physician among us for nearly fifty years. His
education was as good as could be procured at the common schools of the
day; and when at the proper age, he entered the printing office of Lincoln
and Edmands, in Boston, to learn his trade.
He grew up to be a
remarkably intelligent and companionable young man, though his natural
eccentricities would not unfrequently assert themselves in a manner not
the most agreeable. He was for many years an intimate friend of Mr.
Lewis, who, on his decease, paid the following comprehensive though brief
tribute to his memory. "He was an excellent musician, and a choice
spirit. Few young men in Lynn were ever more extensively beloved or
more deserved to be. But thou art dead! 'Alas! poor Yorick!'
Thine is a loss to be thought about, and thou shalt long live in our
love."
Mr. Lummus was
never married; which was a little remarkable, considering his fondness for
refined female society, and considering that it was his own conviction,
that a suitable matrimonial connection would add much to his
happiness. But the slender income afforded by his business, no doubt
operated to the discouragement of an attempt in that direction. It
has been said, however, that an early disappointment led to a
determination never to wed.
After concluding his
apprenticeship, he worked in Boston, as a journeyman, a year or two, and
then returned to Lynn, bringing a second-hand Ramage press, and a small
quantity of secondhand type. His next step was to issue his paper,
the prospectus of which had been before the public, for some time.
And on Saturday, the third of September, 1825, the LYNN WEEKLY
MIRROR made its debut - the first newspaper ever printed in the
town. Its appearance was certainly not brilliant, either in an
intellectual or a mechanical way, measured, at least, by the publications
of the present time. There were but nineteen lines of editorial matter in
the whole paper. And there was no greeting to the public, nor
allusion, in any shape, to the prospects, plans, or expectations of the
publisher. An original tale occupied five of the little columns, and
an orginal poem, filled another. Mr. Lewis, I think, wrote both of
these. Three or four advertisements appeared on the third page; and
the rest of the paper was made up of news items and short extracts.
The four pages of the sheet - that is the printed part - were each a
fraction less than nine inches by eleven in size; the type was much worn,
the ink poor, the paper coarse and dingy. The size of the type was
long primer - a type one size smaller than that from which this page is
printed - excepting about one column of brevier and two of pica.
And, on the whole, the expectant public can hardly be charged with undue
fastidiousness for failing to bestow very high encomiums on this new-born
child of the press. Mr. Lummus told me, among other things, while
recounting the experiences of that eventful period, that he sent a copy to
the New England Galaxy, then under the charge of Mr. Buckingham,
requesting an exchange, but rereceived his own back, with the second E in
the word WEEKLY, changed to an A. The fifth number appeared in a
somewhat enlarged form. The same width of column was preserved, but
some five inches were added to the length, making a paper of much better
shape. But this was done without boasting or any flourish of
trumpets. There was not a line of editorial on the subject; nor was
there, indeed, a line on any subject, in that number. Two of the
columns were in pica - a type one size larger than that from which this
page is printed - and the use of that large type was continued, to some
extent, for a long time, he the publisher, taking all suitable
opportunities to gravely assure his readers that it was for the benefit of
the aged people whose eyes were dim; and many thanks did he receive for
his kindness. The Mirror was first printed in a small wooden
building that stood on the west side of Market street, just where Tremont
street now opens. But in four or five years the office was removed
to another small building, at the west end of the Common, the most active
business of the town at that time being centered there.
For a considerable time the Mirror could
boast of but little in quantity, in an editorial way, though what there
was, was very good in quality; and it soon became a very readable paper;
for as the proprietor gathered confidence and became more experienced, he
displayed most excellent taste and judgment in his selections. He
had an open eye for the substantial and useful as well as the exciting and
entertaining, and was diligent in looking up matters of local
interest. And his brief remarks were often strikingly
comprehensive. He seldom attempted an article more than a square or
two in length, and was never guilty of spreading over half a column what
might just as well be expressed in twenty lines. His first anxiety
was to get at the "nub," as he expressed it. And he took full
liberty with the productions of correspondents, sometimes mercilessly
pruning out what to them seemed the grandest passages; and when they
complained, the ready answer was, "There's no nub to it."
Mr. Lummus was very social
in his disposition; was acquainted with every body; was an accomplished
musician, and something of a military man. He likewise interested
himself in political affairs but was too honest to gain a reputation for
stability as a partisan. In all intellectual and recreative
enterprises, from the dignified lyceum to the jovial chowder party, he was
ready and active, and hence frequently found himself in a situation where
he was able to pick up matter for useful or amusing "squizzles," as he
termed his short articles. And he was able in a short time to gather
around him quite a number of very acceptable correspondents. Indeed
it was in the little columns of the Mirror that the beautiful effusions
and essays of Lillie, Finella, and Curtin first appeared - to say nothing
of the constant contributions of Lewis and others.
Mr. Lummus earned for
himself the popular nickname of "Philosopher," in a rather amusing
manner. Lawyer Gates - of whom something is said under date 1852 -
being in the office one day, abruptly inquired "Charles, what does the F.
in your name stand for?" "Philosopher," was the instantaneous
response. The ready wit set so well on the old gentleman that he at
once gave currency to the self-bestowed sobriquet.
He had a strange propensity
to frequently change the appearance of his paper. Every little while
his sheet would appear, perhaps with a new head, a different width of
column, or some fanciful display of ornamental type. His means were
limited, and his office but poorly supplied with materials. An
ancient Ramage press, which looked as if Franklin might have worked at it,
a small font of second-hand long primer, a little brevier, and a very few
little fonts of small ornamental letter, with a case of pica and a few
pounds of great primer, were almost every thing he had. His three
stands were so aged as to totter on their legs, and his galleys were
warped or cracked. The only large type in the office, for years,
were two or three alphabets of four line pica antique capitals, which
served for the heading of handbills, and at one time for the heading of
his paper. With such a fitting out, he could not, of course, be
expected to turn out any very elegant specimens of the art. But at
that time such displays in job printing as are now made, were not thought
of. In March, 1832, the writer purchased of him his whole
establishment, for two hundred dollars, paying quite as much as it was
worth. He had, however, in the mean time, procured a small font of new
long primer, and sent off the old press, hiring a small iron one.
As to the success of the
Mirror, it may in brief be stated that small returns rewarded hard
labor. The number of subscribers was about four hundred - sometimes
running a little below, but seldom above. The amount of work in the
office-jobs, newspaper and all - could be done by the publisher and one
hand. But at first, in a corner of his office, and afterward in a
separate room, Mr. Lummus kept a shop with a small stock of stationary and
fancy articles, such as are usually sold in a country book store. A
few musical instruments likewise formed a part of his stock; and he would
frequently, in times of the greatest hurry, abruptly drop his composing
stick to perform a solo on one of them, much to the discomfiture of his
journeyman. Indeed he did not possess quite so strong an attachment
for manual labor as for some other pursuits. He was fond of
considering the matter in a philosophical way; and I have heard him remark
-"Well, I guess I wont work too hard to-day lest I should have nothing to
do tomorrow;" which remark was the sure precurser of a ride, a walk, or an
interval of repose over a book. There was a vein of humor, without
the sting of sarcasm, running through his conversation, and he much loved
a harmless practical joke.
He had an original way of
ridding himself of idlers and such disagreeable company as quartered in
his office; and his way might be beneficially adopted by others; it was,
to immediately set them at some disagreeable work. No matter who the
individual might be, old or young, high or low, he would be called to go
for a pail of water, sweep the floor, or perform some other equally
dignified service, a plausible excuse always accompanying the request; and
when one thing was done another was ready to be commenced on, until the
victim concluded to depart. I remember seeing a gentleman of the
first respectability, rolling at the press, with a hand roller, his
clothes, hands, and sweaty brow, all bedaubed with ink, while Mr. Lummus
was pulling on with all possible speed, to prevent any opportunity for
rest, his countenance wearing the gravity of a sphynx, excepting when his
eye happened to catch mine.
The surest source of
accumulation is economy. But of the possession of this virtue Mr.
Lummus had little cause to boast. His financial skill was not of a
high order; and he was, moreover, of quite a liberal turn. So it is
hardly probable that, had his income been ever so great, he would have
become rich, for we do not find that the scriptural promise that the
liberal soul shall be made fat, is always verified in a pecuniary way.
I have known him to hire a horse and wagon and occupy perhaps half a
day in going to Salem to procure two reams of paper. And I remember
of a gentleman telling me that he called at his place one forenoon, urging
him, in great haste, to ride with him to Boston, whither he was bound, in
a chaise, alone. It being a pleasant day, the invitation was
accepted. On reaching the city, he drove directly to an eating
house, and called for some favorite viand, which was speedily before
them. As soon as the meal was disposed of, Mr. Lummus arose, and
with an air of great satisfaction patting the natural receptacle of all
good dinners, informed his friend that he was ready to start for home.
In the matter of
dress, Mr. Lummus was far from being a successful imitator of Brummell,
though he was always decently clad. The exterior habiliments,
however, were not usually in exact keeping with the interior. I have
seen him in the street with cow-hide boots, muddy and of uncouth shape,
when I knew that his feet were encased in fine silk stockings. And
beneath that shaggy coat of dingy white and ancient fashion, there was
probably as fine linen as the wealthiest wore.
He occasionally conceived
strange antipathies and prejudices which would sometimes exhibit
themselves in a manner rather amusing than injurious. I once saw him
seize the list of the carrier for the eastern part of the town, and begin
with an eager and merciless hand to cross off names. I asked him if
so many wanted to stop their papers. "I don't care whether they do
or not," he replied, "but if they want it any longer they've got to move
out of Woodend to get it."
Like most editors, he was
fond of having his paper talked about, and loved much to now and then
create a sensation. To that end, he would occasionally concentrate in one
of his little paragraphs enough material to serve most editors for a
column - charging a perfect little bomb-shell - perhaps offensive from its
personal application, or roughly divulging some private matter. He
was once sued for a libel on one of our most respectable physicians, and
judgment to the amount of some two hundred dollars passed against him,
though I think he told me that the Doctor did not exact the penalty. The
offensive matter was, however, the work of a correspondent. Like
most editors, too, he was pleased to see his articles going the rounds of
the press; and he knew well how to accomplish this end by inserting that
which from its bare oddity would be snapped up. For instance, he
upon one calm summer morning startled the community with the bold
announcement "Huckleberries is ripe." And the press all over the
country echoed his announcement. It was customary in former days, as
well as now, for people to complain of the dilatoriness of the
Legislature. And Mr. Lummus once issued his paper with the usual
conspicuous heading - "Legislative Proceedings - in one of its columns,
followed by a long blank space. It was thought to be a good joke;
but he said the best of the joke was that it saved the setting of so many
types.
The Mirror was
discontinued in March, 1832, the proprietor having become involved, and
the income not meeting the expenses. In the summer of the same year
he published the first Directory of Lynn. It was a small 12mo. of
seventy pages, with paper covers, and contained such information as is
usually found in publications of the kind.
Mr. Lummus now passed some
four years without any regular, settled employment. He worked a
little at printing, kept a circulating library for a short time, had one
or two classes in French, and several in music. He told me that in
French, his plan was to learn a lesson one day and teach it the next, thus
keeping one step ahead of his pupils, and so near them as to see all the
difficulties of the way; and his success was so satisfactory that one
large class made him a valuable present.
In the spring or summer of
1836, he commenced a small paper, just about the size of the first number
of the Mirror, which he called THE STAR, and sold at one cent a
copy. They sold well. Sometimes he disposed of fifteen hundred, and
generally from that down to eight hundred. Yet it must have been far
from a profitable undertaking, for though he might edit and do all the
mechanical labor himself, but little could have been left after paying for
the paper and meeting the other small expenses; and the advertising
amounted to scarcely any thing. Subsequently he changed the name of
this paper from The Star to The Mirror, thus returning to his first love.
And finally he enlarged a little and raised the price to two
cents. This cut down the sales very much; and it continued in weakly
existence for a few months more, when declining health obliged him to
abandon it.
The sickness which now
seized upon him proved to be his last. I often visited him as his
life was closing - for being in sickness and adversity, he was neglected
by most of those who in his brighter days were benefited by his friendship
- and was usually accompanied by a dear companion, whose brilliancy he so
much delighted in, and whose tender sympathy was so soothing to him, and
who, in the ways of a mysterious providence was destined soon to follow
him into the dark valley. We found him cheerful, for his Christian
faith was strong; and he seemed to feel no regret at the near prospect of
death. But to the last, his natural eccentricities would
occasionally exhibit themselves. I remember that on an afternoon
just before his death, the bell happened to toll for a funeral. He
heard it, and remarked "There, there is that old bell again; well, it will
toll for me, in a few days, I suppose," without any apparent conception
that it would strike one as an unseemly remark. At another time, we
found him sitting up, eating a piece of toast, and were surprised to hear
him reply to the inquiry as to how he felt, "O, your grandsir will be well
enough in a few days, I guess." But after he had retired and we were
at his bed-side to bid him good night, he explained himself by saying that
his remark, as we came in, might have savored of levity, and seemed
unbecoming; that it had reference to his death, which would probably take
place in a few days; and he certainly trusted that all would be well with
him.
It was on the 20th
of April, 1838, at the age of thirty-seven, that Mr. Lummus closed his
life. He had marked singularities of character, but always proved so
fast a friend and agreeable companion that he was universally beloved.
And he had such an honesty of purpose, and strong desire to "do a
little good in the world," as he expressed it, that his memory is more
worthy of being cherished than many of higher pretensions and greater
renown.
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ELIJAH DOWNING.
1777-1838 |
Mr. Downing was for many
years a highly respected citizen, unassuming in manners, and of great
moral worth. He was one of the early Methodists, was ordained a
Deacon, and did much to propagate the faith in this vicinity. He
held responsible town offices, and as an acting magistrate his services
were much in requisition. A remarkably retentive memory added
greatly to his readiness and success. He was postmaster; in 1807.
Mr. Downing was born in
Lynn, in 1777, and was twice married. His first wife was Mary Breed,
whom he married 7 April, 1799, and his children were, Mary, Eliza, Eliza
again, Mary again, a third Mary, Elijah, Elijah H., and Joshua W.
Only the two last survived him; the latter, but a short time. His
wife Mary died 17 November, 1813, and he married Clarissa Jacob, his
second wife, 5 July, 1814. By her he had no children. He died
on the 14th of August, 1838. He was a cabinet-maker, and lived on
North Common street, corner of Park. His sons Elijah H. and Joshua
W. were liberally educated, and both became Methodist ministers; Elijah,
however, was afterward received into the ministry of the Protestant
Episcopal Church, and removed to the south.
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EBENEZER BREED. 1765-1839.
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Mr. Breed closed his
strangely eventful life in Lynn almshouse, on the 23d of December, 1839,
at the age of seventy-four years. He had been a pauper there for
many years, and his life, which opened with unusual promise, closed in
misery and degradation. Lynn is greatly indebted to him as one of
the most efficient laborers in the establishment of that business which
has so enriched her, and on which her prosperity continues to rest.
He was a native of the town, but while quite a young man removed to
Philadelphia, where, in a very short period, by his talents, diligence,
and correct deportment, he won the favorable notice of some of the most
eminent business men. One or two natives of Lynn were then in
Philadelphia, largely engaged in business, and occupying high social
positions. Among them was Stephen Collins, a Quaker, who readily
extended a helping hand to Mr. Breed, who was also a Quaker. And
Philadelphia was at that time, as is well known, a sort of Quaker
paradise. Every thing seemed to operate favorably, and in a short
time he found himself in a position prosperous and influential.
In 1792 he visited Europe,
for business purposes, and while there did not fail to attempt something
for the benefit of his native country, which having just achieved her
political independence, was struggling to place herself in a position to
supply her own needs in those departments of the great economy of life,
necessary for an independent nation. Among other things he set about
introducing the morocco manufacture into America. And for his
success, the National Committee of Commerce and Manufactures, after his
return, awarded him a vote of thanks. He appointed an agent at Lynn,
to sell to the shoe manufacturers the fashionable cloth stuffs, such as
were used in the best manufactures of France and England. Amos
Rhodes, who built the house on the east side of Federal street, next south
of the mill brook, was his agent, and is said to have become rich on the
commissions. He also sent over some accomplished workmen to instruct
the operatives here in the elegancies of the art. His first object seemed
to be to determine that as elegant and substantial shoes could be made
here as in Europe; after which another step was to be taken.
Soon after the Revolution, shoes
imported from France and England were sold at such a cheap rate that there
was but poor encouragement for the manufacturer at home. The trade
at Lynn was languishing, and the most energetic were disheartened.
At this juncture, Mr. Collins, Mr. Breed, and a few others joined forces
in the endeavor to induce Congress to impose such a duty on imported shoes
as would protect the home manufacturers. Congress was at that time
holding its sessions in Philadelphia, and a good opportunity was afforded
for "log rolling," - to use an expressive modern term - which even Quakers
may not always disdain. Among the means resorted to for the
furtherance of their end was a dinner party, for they were shrewd enough
to know that an appeal to the stomach is, often effectual when one to the
head is powerless. The party was held at the house of Friend
Collins. Sundry members of Congress were present and sundry
facinating ladies; for female charms are another thing that even Quakers
do not despise; particularly in a case like that before us, where a
valuable end is to be answered. The celebrated Dolly Payne, who
afterward became the wife of Madison was of the party, as well as Madison
himself, who was at the time an influential member of Congress.
Suffice it to say, a very satisfactory tariff act was passed, and
Lynn immediately commenced her upward career, much to the gratification of
Mr. Breed and her other dutiful sons then abroad.
In various other ways did
Mr. Breed, while in prosperity, exert himself for the benefit of his
native place. The post-office was established here, in 1793, through
his exertions; and being on a social footing with many prominent
individuals in various parts of the country, he was able, in a quiet way,
to do many things to promote her interests, of which few were ever
directly informed, for he does not appear to have been one of those given
to boasting of his meritorious acts.
But the smiles of fortune
were withdrawn, while he was yet in the vigor of manhood. There is
some doubt as to the precise cause of his downward course. In his
reduced condition he was often in a mood to converse with those in whom he
confided, on the occasion of his calamities and sorrows. And with
tears in his eyes he has reiterated to me that a severe disappointment in
a fondly expected matrimonial connection, induced him to resort to the
wine cup for relief - that he became wedded to the destroyer instead of
the fair object of his nobler and purer affections, and was thus
ruined. But some of his friends had another version, which was, that
while in Europe he was brought into association with the fashionable and
gay; a class, at that period, almost universally derelict in morals, and
proud of lavish expenditure; and that in their society he contracted
such habits as unfitted him for the rectified society of his native
land. In short it was asserted that he returned an intemperate,
immoral man; and that the refined and wealthy lady to whom he was
affianced, in sorrow rejected him, and afterward accepted the hand of one
more worthy of her confidence and affection. In his utter
degradation he clung to the fond belief that he still remained fresh in
her memory. I remember with what aroused sensibilities he one day, a
short time before his death, informed me that as she passed through Lynn,
during the preceding summer, she made inquiries respecting him, and being
informed of his forlorn condition sent a kind message and comforting
donation to him, at the alms-house.
In prosperity, he became
acquainted with many leading men of the nation, and received letters which
he treasured up with miserly care. And with some asperity he charged
the overseers of the poor with wantonly destroying them. It is not
to be presumed that those dignitaries had any unworthy motive in view when
they assembled around the work-house fire, examined the epistles, and
dropped them one by one into the blaze; yet, if representations regarding
them be true, some autographs were consumed that would at this time be
estimated at a high pecuniary value. They probably apprehended that
they were removing the cause of the unhappy hours, as they supposed them
to be, that the poor old man experienced in poring over them - not
realising that he might be far from unhappy at such hours, though tears
would drop from his purblind eyes. And to the honor of the friends
of his better days it should be said that they did not all forget or
neglect him in his bitter adversity. I had occasion to know that he
received from them many kind remembrances and pecuniary gratuities.
Mr. Breed is represented to
have been, in his early manhood, more than ordinarily correct in his
habits, especially as regarded the use of intoxicating liquors. It
is said that on his occasional visits here he was accustomed to labor hard
for the reformation of a connection who had fallen into intemperate
habits; on one occasion proceeding as far as the demonstrative argument of
knocking in the head of a cask containing the creature of offence.
His education was quite as
good as the common schools of his day afforded. I have in my
possession a considerable number of letters which he wrote between 1789
and 1810, and they would compare favorably with the letters of almost any
business man now among us. His expressions are clear and direct, and
his penmanship unusually fair. And three or four of these letters I
propose to introduce, believing that they will add to the interest of this
sketch. All that will be given, with the exception of the last, were
addressed to Amos Rhodes, the gentleman before named as his agent at Lynn.
LONDON, 7 mo. 17, 1792.
MY DEAR FRIEND: I intended
writing thee immediately on my arrival, but nothing in particular
occurring to communicate, have delayed till now. We had a prosperous
passage of twenty-eight days. Since my arrival I have been into the
north of England, to Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Sheffield, Liverpool,
&c. I find I shall be able to establish a good connection in
business, and though I may not get the goods to answer to my particular
plan, yet I am sensible I shall reap advantages by coming here. I
find some goods had been shipped out to me in the spring, and by letters
from Philadelphia learn they arrived safe and were forwarded to
thee. Thou wilt do the best with them, and when the sales are made
we will divide the profits. I had goods to some amount shipped for
the fall, from Leeds, previous to my reaching that place, so that I don't
know what they are. Geo. Pennock is to receive them, and I expect to
be in Philadelphia in the 9th or first of 10th mo. in time to be in Lynn
before the winter. I have ordered a considerable quantity of
bindings; was at the factory and saw them making them. I shall not
bring out many other goods than shoe stuffs, at present. I have met
with a cordial reception from those to whom I was recommended and have met
with as much hospitality from others as ever I experienced - have been
introduced to many very respectable merchants and others.....
I am, with much love and
esteem, thy affectionate and sincere friend,
EBENEZER BREED.
Mr. Breed remained in
England but a few weeks after the date of the above. He then went
over to France, to perfect some business arrangements there. And his
flattering success is indicated, in the following letter:
DUNKIRK,
(France,) 8 mo. 12, 1792.
MY DEAR FRIEND: I have just
heard of a vessel bound to Newburyport and have only time to inform thee
of my intention to leave this place, this day, for London, from whence I
shall shortly depart for America. I received thy acceptable favor,
and am pleased to hear that we shall be able to vend so many goods.
I wrote thee last by the ship William Penn, and if nothing happens to
prevent, shall embark before I write thee again. I have been making
an excursion to Paris and through some Darts of France. Please give
my love to my parents and inform them I am well. I have sent
out some stuffs, but have not many other articles - thought best not to
till I returned; but I can have any quantity of goods fiom the people to
whom I was recommended. I can not enlarge now, and not knowing whether
this will reach thee before I do, shall conclude with best respects to thy
Elizabeth, and am, dear friend,
Thine
sincerely.
EBEN'R BREED.
In a letter dated about a
month after the foregoing, he says, "I wrote thee from Dunkirk, in France
- have been to Paris - was there on the day before the fatal 10th of
August." This was written on the river Thames, on board the ship on
which he had embarked to return to Philadelphia. He remarks: "I have
several hundred pounds' worth of goods in this ship, all insured and paid
for."
The following
letter gives information regarding a mode of operating in shoes, rather
common at that period:
PHILADELPHIA, 5 mo. 16, 1793.
MY DEAR FRIEND: I herewith enclose thee
a bill of lading for sundry goods. The invoice I shall send on by
post. I wrote thee a few days since by post. Capt. Needham
leaves us tomorrow, and by what I can learn he intends to be in the shoe
business - to lend the shoemakers money on the usual interest, with the
privilege of taking his pay in shoes, they allowing him five per cent.
commission for selling for what price he can. This mode of business
will no doubt do for him, but how will it prove to our business?
Why, it is my opinion, and always has been, that I can never do any thing
here while shoes are brought and sold in such a manner. But if it
must be so, I prefer Capt. Needham to many others. I think if
several of us would join and take such a quantity of shoes at Lynn as to
make them more difficult for so many hawkers to get, it would be an
advantage. But we might as well think of raising Egg Rock from its
bed, and bringing it to Philadelphia on our shoulders to exhibit for a
show, in the streets; and in fact by this I think we should make much more
money,
Farewell.
EBEN'R BREED.
In the following letter Mr.
Breed manifests impatience at the poor way in which some of the Lynn shoes
were manufactured; and from subsequent correspondence, not here
introduced, it is judged that his rebukes had a good effect. It will
be noticed that he remarks that he is "in a bad way as to business."
And we are impressed with the belief that it was about this time that he
was getting into a bad way in other respects:
PHILADELPHIA,
7 mo. 25, 1793.
MY DEAR
FRIEND: I wrote thee yesterday, since which I have seen Daniel Ruff and
Company, and they want six hundred pairs, or six barrels, of excellent
satinet rand shoes. [Shoes were then packed in barrels instead of
boxes.] I want thee to write me by return post whether thee can have
them made, and at what price we can afford them. Those shoes thee
last sent are mostly on hand, and I am perfectly sick of doing business in
the shoe line here, unless we can have such as will sell. I declare
it would be more agreeable to me to work journeywork than be plagued as I
am by those who buy shoes here, unless we can have better ones. If I
call for the money, they begin to show me the large number of small,
unsaleable ones they have left, that they never can sell, and say I must
not expect my pay, &c. &c. And what can I say to them?
It is so, and so it will be, while the shoemakers in Lynn are a set
or confounded fools. Ask Samuel Collins what his cousin Zaccheus has
written him, and he will tell thee it is a rascally business to be
concerned in, while the makers of shoes there have no principle nor
policy. I don't write this to blame thee, for I know thy mind too
well, and know thee would do well if thee had others to deal with. I
am in haste now, and in a bad way, as to business, and see nothing that
can be done in the line except we can establish a factory. I wish
thee to procure cash on our goods, if possible, and tell those who deal
with thee that unless they can make shoes on more honorable terms we can't
have any from them.
I am, my dear friend, thy affectionate
E. BREED.
The following appears to
have been written after the sad blight of the matrimonial anticipations
alluded to, and certainly seems to indicate a spirit capable of bearing up
under such an affliction, though there is a little something like unsavory
bravado in a passage or two:
CHARLESTON, [S. C.] 2 mo. 25, 1796.
DEAR AMOS: I was very happy
in receiving, a few days ago, thy agreeable favor of 21 December. I
had written thee on my arrival here, and suppose that long before this
thou hast received it. Since I wrote thee we have been traveling through a
part of this state, and intended to have gone to Savannah and Augusta, but
the late uncommon high freshets in the river prevented. We spent
three or four weeks agreeably among the planters, and returned here last
week, when I received thy letter. E. Olden has received great
benefit from the jaunt, and I think will recover. I am well and in
good spirits; feel very different from what I did when I last wrote thee.
I have seen several of my old acquaintances here and in the country,
whom I had seen in Philadelphia. They treated me with every
attention and respect I could wish. I now see what a fool I have
been, and though I am still a friend to my old, I think I am as well
without her as with her. I now only wish to be in some good
business; and I have no doubt that I shall spend many social and pleasant
hours with thee and my other frends, yet, I am not so much disspirited as
to be without friends. And I think there are some girls yet left,
who can make me happy. Please give my love to my parents. Tell
them I am very well. I shall wish to settle our accounts as thee
mentions as soon as possible, and I am endeavoring to inform myself what
kind of business can be done here in the shoe line. Several people
have inquired after shoes, and I think I can sell considerable numbers
here in future. I expect to return home by land; if so, I shall
leave this city in two weeks. If I come by water, I shall leave
sooner. I will write thee again soon. My love to thy wife,
Patty, and mother, and all friends.
I am, dear Amos, thy sincere
E. BREED.
The next and last letter
that can be here inserted bears unmistakable evidence of distempered
faculties. Mr. Breed had now, for several years, been back to Lynn,
his native place, and at a rapid pace gone downward. At this time he
lived in what is called Breed's End, and procured a scanty livelihood by
cutting shoes. And it is not inappropriate to remark that the
gentleman to whom this letter was sent, and who was himself at one time in
a large business at New York, and well knew Mr. Breed, in his prosperity,
with emphasis declared that Lynn never produced a more promising and
honorable business man:
LYNN, 2 mo. 11th, 1805.
MY GOOD FRIEND: Thy favor of
the 8th inst. is before me, also a few lines of this morning handed to me
by a boy, requesting me to cut some small shoes before two o'clock.
I answer thee in this way; read the enclosed; as a statesman - a neighbor
- a frend and brother - I esteem thee: but I am not able to do more than I
have done. Every stretch of thought, every faculty, in fact all the
powers of my poor mind have been exerted; still I am poor and unhappy.
Harris Chadwell will deliver thee those skins I lately received fiom
thee. I will thank thee to return the enclosed slip of paper; it is
a favorite study of mine; and though I am viewed by thee as a Drunkard, my
feelings are the same as ever they have been. Accept my thanks for
thy former friendship, and for the present attention thou wilt please to
receive the grateful acknowledgments
of
Thy friend,
E. BREED.
Mr. Breed fancied that he
had a turn for poetry, and wrote some verses; but the weakness may have
been superinduced by the prominent experience, of a tender nature, which
has been alluded to, and which is of a character, as is generally
supposed, to incline its subjects to give vent to their feelings in
numbers. He was, however, a much better business man than poet.
For several years he was an
opium eater; and his cravings for the pernicious drug were pitiable in the
extreme. He used, occasionally, in good weather, to gain leave of
absence from his pauper home, for a day or two at a time, and would then
sometimes travel as far as Nahant, though his blindness and other
infirmities, during his latter years, compelled him to move very
slowly. And on these occasions, if he could procure the means, he
was pretty sure to become intoxicated. His person was gross and
uncleanly; and those who met him on these excursions were compelled to
pronounce him as miserable and forlorn a looking object as could well be
presented to the eye of pity. When in the street.he was in constant
fear of passing carriages, which, in consequence of his blindness, he
could not see; and, as before said, his gait was extremely slow. I
think he told me, as I met him in Federal street, one summer evening, in
1837, on his way home to the alms-house, that he had been the whole day in
walking thus far from Nahant.
While on his excursions, he
would usually take the opportunity to call at the office of Mr. Lummus,
the printer, a biographical sketch of whom has already been given; and
from that halting place he was never spurned, as he was from some other
places where he desired to rest. He was generally so hungry by the
time he arrived as to beg for something to eat. "Well, Uncle Eben,"
replied Mr. Lummus, on one occasion, "I can't take you to my
boarding-house table, you are so dirty; but I'll get you something."
Presently the old man was provided with a liberal ration done up in a
piece of newpaper, and the colloquy resumed something after this sort:
"There, Uncle Eben, see how a little nice cold turkey will set on your
stomach."... "Why, Charles, I thank thee, kindly. It is a long time
since I have tasted so dainty a thing as turkey. But" - (after
munching a little while) "this don't taste exactly as turkey used to; and
the bones don't feel like turkey bones. But my eyes are so dim that
I can't tell what it looks like."... "Well, Uncle Eben, if you haven't
sight you must eat by faith; and mutton bones are just as good as turkey,
if you have faith to believe they are. So eat away, and be
thankful."
But
with all his faults, Mr. Breed retained many fine qualities, and rays of
smothered nobleness and rectitude would not unfrequently gleam
forth. And it is painful to reflect that one whom nature seems to
have designed for some high duty should have so fallen - that one who
really did so much for his native town, for his country, indeed,
should at last have gone down to a pauper's grave.
From a history like his,
eminently useful lessons may be drawn. Our sympathies are naturally
touched while contemplating the condition of one in degradation and
distress, who has seen better days, who has stood in a position to command
our respect. But to render such lessons most useful it is well to
consider whether the degradation and distress were produced by causes over
which the sufferer had no control or are to be attributed to his own
perverse inclination. While, however, the lesson is being deduced,
it should never be forgotten that it is an essential part of christian
duty to endeavor to comfort and relieve the miserable, before we ask what
made them so. I knew "Uncle Eben" well, and had repeated
conversations with him, though not before he had reached his low
estate. His sad memories and utter hopelessness pressed with almost
insufferable weight, and conspired with his physical infirmities to render
him a most forlorn and pitiable object. And I have heard his bitter
complaints at the taunts of those in brief authority over him. They
seemed to have no just conception of his still lingering virtues. By
the just, even the offender against justice is sure to have his merits
acknowledged. And into the most wretched soul a ray of sunshine
darts when it feels that its little remnant of virtue is recognized and
appreciated.
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