Willa Jlunbreb anb Jfiftittb ~nnifltr.Satl! of tbt cS£ttl£tttrnt of N tiubu~

BRIEF BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES

BY ROBERT NOXON TOPPAN

NEvVBURYPORT PUBLISHED BY THE SOCIETY 1885 ani&ttsiQi l3t'tSS :

JOHN \'\"tLSON AND SON, CAMBRIDGE. BRIEF

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETC-HES

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

INTRODUCTION.

THE follo,ving pages have been arranged in accordance ,vith the resolution of the Historical Society of Old N e,vbury, adopted at the annual n1ceting in January, 1885, "that brief biographi­ cal sketches of the natives and residents of Old Ne,vbury, ,vho have become prominent in the va­ rious ,valks of life, should be prepared for the celebration of the t,vo hundred and fiftieth anni­ versary of the settlen1ent of the town, which takes place this year." As the resolution enjoins brevity, only the principal events in the different lives ·will be n1en tione

Essex County, being noted as a surgeon as well as a physician. Dr. Jonathan G. Johnson, graduating at Harvard in 1810, was lvell kno,vn, not only as an excellent practitioner, but as a man of great benev·olence, and unwearied in his gratuitous at­ tendance on the poor. Dr. San1uel \V. \Vyman, a classmate of the historian Prescott at Harvard in 1814, obtained celebrity as an oculist. Dr. Richard S. Spofford ,vas for 1nany years a lead­ ing physician in the tovvn, dying in 1872, at the advanced age of eighty-four, after attaining a very high rank in his profession; ,v hile his pupil, Dr. Henry C. Perkins, was a devoted student in all branches of scientific knowledge. The line is still continued in the person of Dr. Frederick Irving Knight, a graduate of Yale of the class of 1862, ·who is one of the authorities, if not the highest, in his special department, and ,vho on account of his attainments has been elected to the assist­ ant professorship of laryngology in the Harvard ~1edical School. In the army and navy the Newbury names have not been so conspicuous, although ~fajor ~foses Titcon1b displayed the qualities of an ex­ cellent soldier at the siege of Louisburg in 1745. Ten years later he lost his life at the battle of Lake George, having risen to the rank of colonel. General Jacob Bailey was a prominent officer in the French and Revolutionary ,vars. He was at the capture of Ticonderoga and Crown Point in 1759, and at the surrender of Burgoyne at Sara- 10 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. toga in 1777. Colonel l\Ioses Little was also a soldier of merit of the Revolution, and behaved ,vith courage at the battle of Bunker Hill, and in the retreat on Long Island. He ·was offered the command of the unfortunate expedition to Penob­ scot in 1779, but ,vas obliged to decline on ac­ count of ill-health. Captain ::\loses Brown of the navy distinguished himself in several engagen1ents during the Revolutionary '\Y ar; and t,vo of Paul J ones's lieutenants on board the "Bon Homme Richard" were Cutting Lunt and Henry Lunt, both natiYes of N e,vburv. In the '\Y ar of 1812 " with England General John Parker Boyd behaved with great gallantry at the battle of '\Villiamsburg and at the capture of Fort George, haYing pre­ viously distinguished himself at the battle of Tippecanoe. In the Civil '\Var X e,vbury, N e,v­ buryport, and '\Yest N e·wbury took an active part, contributing to the land and sea forces n1any offi­ cers and men, - even more than the legal require­ men ts, - ,vho ,vere in no ,vay inferior in courage and in military discipline to the best volunteers from other parts of the republic. In the l~gal profession, however, the names are of greater pron1inence. Samuel Se,,all, Theophi­ lus Bradbury, John Lo,vell, Theophilus Parsons, Charles Jackson, Simon Greenleaf, Theophilus Parsons, Jr., and Caleb Cushing form an illustri­ ous line, extending oYer a period of more than two centuries, - a succession of profound jurists difficult to equal in any country. REV. THOlIAS PARKER.

1595-1677.

THE Rev. Thomas Parker, born in ,Yiltshire, England, in 1595, w-as the son of Rev. Robert Parker, a very pron1inent di\-ine and scholar, ,vho, not being able conscientiously to confor1n to the Established Church, ,vas obliged to take refuge in Holland after much tribulation and hot pursuit, ,vhere he died in 1614. Thomas, _who had been a student at ~Iagdalen College, Oxford, joined his father in exile and entered the University of Ley­ den, displaying unusual scholarship. Some of his theological essays were published, and were very favorably received. After his return to England he taught at the free school in N e,vbury for a time. In 1634 he sailed for New England ,vith his relatives and in­ timate friends, James and Xicholas X oves and C, others from "\Viltshire, ·who founded the next year a town, to ,v hich ,vas appropriately given the na1ne of N e\vbury. Cotton l\Iather, speaking of Rev. l\fr. Parker in his "l\fagnalia," says: "Re­ moving with several devout Christians out of "\Viltshire into New England, he was ordained 12 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

their pastor at a to,vn on his and their account called N e,vberry, where he lived many years, by the holiness, the humbleness, the charity of his life giving his people a perp~tual and most lively commentary on his doctrine." The river upon whose banks they first landed, not far from the n1outh of the Merrimac, 1vas named in 1697 the River Parker, in honor of the distinguished leader and first clergyman of the settlement. To l\fr. Parker belongs the principal merit of having established a high intellectual standard in the infant colonv, and a broadness of vie,vs rare " in those days of persecution. Cotton l\father says of him: "He ,vas a person of most extensive char­ ity ; which g!ain of his temper might contribute unto that largeness in his principles about church govern1nent ,vhich exposed him unto many temp­ tations amongst his neighbors, ,vho were not so principled." He was a very accomplished linguist, not only a classical scholar, but understanding Hebre-w and .Arabic; and so retentive was his memory that he ,vas able to teach those languages ,vhen he became blind in his advancing years. His blindness ·was caused by his incessant application; "but under this heavy calamity he was patient and cheerful." In conjunction with his cousin, the Rev. James Noyes, he opened a school which prepared stu.. REV. J A)f ES NOYES. 13 dents for the new college at Cambridge. Among his pupils were several ,vho became clergymen. The best known are the Rev. James Noyes, ,vho graduated at Harvard in 1659, the Rev. Joseph Gerrish, and the Rev. James Bayley, both of ,vhom graduated in 1669. The most famous of his pu­ pils, ho,vever; ,vas the Hon. Samuel Se,vall. l\fr. Parker, who ,vas unmarried, survived his cousin, Rev. James Noyes, t,venty-one years, dying in 1677. On his ton1bstone in the Oldto·wn cen1etery is the si1nple inscription : " He was a great and good man."

REV. JAMES NOYES.

1608-1656.

As already mentioned, the ReY. James Noyes, ,vhose n1other ,vas the sister of the accon1plished scholar, Rev. Robert Parker, and "~ho ,vas born in \Viltshire in 1608, and ,vas for a tin1e a student at Brazennose College, Oxford, can1e to N e,v Eng­ land in 1634; and being on terms of intin1ate friendship with his cousin, Rev. Thomas Parker, he preferred to remain ·with him in Ne,vbury, than accept the pastorate of a church else,vhere. In scholarship he ·was second only to l\fr. Par­ ker, and ably aided him in the preparation of many students for Harvard College. Mr. Parker 14 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

speaks of him in very high terms as being a man of rare talents, "yet gentle and mild in all his expressions. . . . He was courageous in dangers, and still ,vas apt to believe the best, and made fair ,veather in a storm. He ,vas much honored and esteemed in the country, and his death v,;as much bewailed. I think he may be reckoned an1ong the greatest worthies of . the age." President Allen says of him: "He ·was en1inently skilled in q-reek, and he had read the Fathers and the Schoolmen. His memory ,vas tenacious, his in­ vention rich, and his judgn1ent profound. He was considered one of the most eminent men of his day."

REV. JOHN WOODBRIDGE.

1613-1695.

REV. JOHN ,,1 00DBRIDGE, the son of Rev. John Woodbridge, ,vas born in Wiltshire. "\Vhen t,venty­ one years of age he can1e to N e,v England, ac­ companying his uncle, Rev. Thomas Parker. The next year, still in company ·with his uncle, he helped to lay the foundations of N e,vbury. In 1641 he married a daughter of Governor Dudley, and three years after ,vas chosen the first minis­ ter of Andover, being, according to Joshua Coffin, "the first teacher ever ordained in this country." REV. JOHN ,voODBRIDGE. 15

In 1647 he went back to England, ,v here he re­ mained sixteen years, returning to N e,vbury in 1663. From that time until his death, after being the temporary assistant of lfr. Parker in the ministry, he held various town offices, ,vhich he ,vas eminently qualified to fill. His men1ory is preserved in the name of ,v oodbridge Island, near the mouth of the l\ferrimac River; and on his tombstone in the Oldto,vn cen1etery are en­ graved the words: "Greatly lamented as a n1an, a Christian, and a magistrate." His brother Benja1nin, ,vho ,vas his junior by nine years, being born in Wiltshire in 1622, ,vas for a tin1e a student at ~fagdalen College, Oxford, and then entered Harvard from Ne~vbury, grad­ uating in 1642. This ,vas the first class that graduated at Harvard College; and Benjamin \Voodbridge's name stands first in the catalogue, as his social rank entitled him to that position, the names being arranged according to social prece­ dence up to 1773. Dr. Calamy calls him, therefore, "the first-fruits of the College of N e,v England." He returned to England, and upon the restoration of Charles II. became one of the royal chaplains. He preached for some years in Newbury, Eng­ land, until silenced by the Act of Conformity, and finally died in England in 1684, leaving behind him the reputation of being a "universally accom­ plished person, of a clear and strong reason, and of an exact and profound judgment." 16 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

SA~IUEL SE\V ....\.LL.

1652-1730.

AMONG those ,vho gave character and stability to the ne,v settlement of Ne,vbury ,vas Henry Se,vall, who belonged to a wealthy and educated family of Coventry, in England. He can1e to New England in 1634, and the next year joined l\1r. Parker, l\fr. Noyes, l\Ir. Woodbridge, and others in helping to establish the infant colony. He went back to England in 1646, after his mar­ riage, and ,vas settled there, according to Joshua Coffin, as a clergyman for thirteen years, ,v hen he returned to N e,v burv, ,v here he continued to re- " side until his death in 1700. His tombstone in the cemetery of the Oldtown church bears the f ollo,ving inscription : " l\1r. Henry Se,vall, sent by bis father, l\Ir. Henry Sewall, in the Ship Elizabeth and Dorcas, Capt. ,v alls Comn1ander, arrived at Boston 1634, wintered at I psw·ich, helped begin this plantation 1635, furnishing English servants, neat cattle, and provisions. l\1arried l\1rs. Jane Dumn1er, ~:larch 25, 1646, and died May 16, 1700, aetat. 86. His fruitful vine being thus disjoined, fell to the ground January following. Ps. 27. 10." He was the progenitor of the well-known family, which has given learned SA)fCEL SEW.ALL. 17

men to the Bar and the Bench for several genera­ tions. The most conspicuous member of the fa111ily, however, ·was his son Samuel, ,vho ,vas born in 1G52, and entered Harvard College in 1668, graduating in the class of 1671. Three years after graduation he con1n1enced a diarv, into ,vhich he entered all the details of his " life, - even his ,vonderful and curious drea1ns, his great dislike to the gro-\ving custon1 of ,vear­ ing peri,vigs, his abhorrence of the Quakers, the nu1nber of n1ourning scarfs and rings w-I1ich he had reeei,·ed as a pall-bearer at funerals, his courtships, and other n1atters. The diary is inter­ esting, not only on account of the personal inci­ dents of a long and busy life, but also as giving a very good vie,v of the prevailing customs and 1nanners of the period. As a young n1an, )Ir. Sewall had a strong de­ sire to becon1e a clergyn1an, and preached several times. Gncler date of 167;3, he ,vrites in his diary : "..c-\. p. 4. Sab. day : I holp preach for my master (:\fr. Parker) in the afternoon. Being afraid to look on the glass, ignorantly and unwill­ ingly, I stood t\vo hours and a half." He ho,vever turned his attention to law, and becoming prom­ inent in his profession was in time elevated to the Bench. He married, in 1676, l\fiss Hull, the rich mint­ master's daughter, ,vho, it seems, fell in love ,vith him at first sight ,vhen he appeared at Com- 2 18 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. mencement to take his degree of l\Iaster of Arts, and who received as her marriage-portion thirty thousand pounds, - a very large fortune for those days. His religious convictions "'-ere so strong that in 1686 he resigned his commission as captain, on account of the order to replace the cross in the English flag, ,vhich had in 1634 been cut out by Endicott, at the instigation of Roger "\Yillia1ns. l\{r. Se,vall ,,~ites: "I ,vas in great exercise about the cross to be put into the colours, and afraid, if I should have a hand ir_;_ it, ,vhether it may not hinder n1y entrance into the Holy Land." In 1692 he ,vas elevated to the Bench. In 1718 he became Chief-Justice of the Colony, which high position he ,vorthily occupied until his resignation in 1728. He was one of the judges "'-ho held the court at Salen1 before ,vhich ,vere brought to trial those accused of ,vitchcraft. At a tin1e ,vhen a belief in ·witchcraft was aln1ost universal, Judge Se"\v-all was convinced that he had done ,vrong in acquiescing in the conden1na­ tion of the accused; and in 1697 he made a pub­ lic profession of his error. He gave to his pastor a petition, which was read from the pulpit, the Judge .standing during the reading of it, and bo,v­ ing at the conclusion: "Samuel Sewall, sensible of the reiterated strokes of God upon hi1nself and family, and being sensible that as to the guilt contracted upon the opening of the late commis- SAMUEL SKW ALL. 19

sion of Oyer and Tenniner at Salen1 he is upon many accounts n1ore concerned than any he kno,vs of, desires to take the blan1e and shan1e of it, asking pardon of men, and especially de­ sfring prayers that God, ,vho has an unlin1ited authority, ,vould pardon that sin and all other his SlnS.. " He ,vas one of the first to protest publicly against slavery and the slave-trade, publishing in 1700 a tract against the traffic of hu111an beings, called the " Selling of Joseph," ,vhich begins : "Foras1nuch as liberty is in real value next unto life, none ought to part ,vith it then1selves, or deprive others of it, but upon n1ost mature de­ liberation. . . . It is most certain that all n1en, as they are the sons of Adan1, are coheirs, and have equal right unto liberty and all other out,vard con1forts of life." He then goes on to point out that trouble n1ay arise in introducing into the body politic the natives of Africa, ,vho can never, he thinks, an1algan1ate ,vith the ,vhite race. In 1716 he made an effort to hav~ the Indian and negro slaves considered legally as hun1an beings. He writes : " I essayed June 22 to pre­ vent Indians and N egros being rated "\Vith Horses and Hogs; but could not prevail." He ·was always fearless in expressing his opin­ ions. During the trou1]es of Governor Dudley's acln1inistration, Judge Sewall did not hesitate to use forcible language against the evil ,vays of the 20 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. government in his "Deplorable State of N e,v England." In his disposition he w·as very benevolent, and ·was, as l\Ir. Lodge says, "clearly a gen­ erous-minded 1nan, not only perpetually doing little kindnesses, but always ready to help the afflicted." The obituary notice published at the time of his death speaks of "his grave and Yen era ble aspect and carriage," "his abundant liberality," "his ca tholick and public spirit," and of "his tender concern for the a'i)original natives." His prophecy concerning Newbury is quaint and interesting, and \Yell deserves to be q=noted: "As long as Plum island shall faithfully keep the commanded Post, notwithstanding the hectoring words and hard blo,Ys of the proud and boisterous Ocean ; as long as any Salmon or Sturgeon shall swim in the streams of l\Ierri111ac, or any Perch or Pickeril in Crane Pond ; as long as the sea­ fo-wl shall know the tiine of their coming and not neglect seasonably to visit the Places of their acquaintance ; as long as any Cattel shall be fed· with the grass growing in the meadows, which do humbly bow the1nselves before Turkie Hill; as long as any Sheep shall walk upon Oldtown hills and shall from thence pleasantly look down upon the River Parker and the fruitful marishes lying beneath; as long as any free and harmless Doves shall find a white Oak or other Tree within the REV. CHRISTOPHER TOPP .A~. 21

Township to perch, or feed, or build a careless nest upon, and shall voluntarily present themselves to perforn1 the office of gleaners after Barley Haryest ; as long as nature shall not gro,v old or dote, but shall constantly remember to give the ro,vs of Indian corn their education by Pairs, - so long shall Christians be born there, and being first made 111eet shall from thence be translated to be 1nade partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light. X o,v, seeing the Inhabitants of :N" e,vbury and of X e,v England, upon the due obserYance of their Tenure, may expect that their rich and gra­ cious Lord ,vill continue and confirn1 the111 in the possession of those valuable Priveleges; let us ha ,~e Grace ,vhereby ,ve 111ay serve God accepta­ bly ·with reverence a11:

RE,. CHRISTOPHER TOPP6.\.N. lG,1-1747 .

.A.lIOXG the clergyn1en ·who were noted for great energy of character and excellent scholarship, the Rev. ::\Ir. Toppan ,vas conspicuous. He ,vas the son of Dr. Peter Toppan, and graduated at Har­ vard in 1691. Five years after graduation he ,vas made pastor of the J'irst Parish Church in Xe,vbury (one of the successors of :\fr. Parker), 22 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

a position he retained for more than fifty years. Joshua Coffin, the historian, speaks of him as a "man of talents, energy, and decision of char­ acter," and "a n1an that ,vould speak his mind." Fron1 his father he inherited a love for the science of medicine, ·which he pursued ,vith assiduity. He ,vas on terms of intimacy ,vith Ju

WILLIA)! DU1I~IER.

1677-1761.

AMOXG the "~ealthy proprietors of N e,vbury was the Dummer fan1ilY,.., ,vho o,vned oYer a thou- sand acres of land, and ,vhose intelligence and character gave stability to the young colony. In 1640 1fr. Richard Dumn1er assisted GoY­ ernor "\Vinthrop ,vith unexpected liberality, l\Ir. "\Vinthrop being much straitened pecuniarily by the unfaithfulness of his bailiff. The different to,vns contributed £500 for the r~lief of the Gov­ ernor, and l\fr. Dummer gave fro1n his fortune £100. l\fr. Savage says: "The generosity of Dun1mer is above all praise. His contribution is fifty per cent above the ,vhole tax of his to,vn, and equal to half the benevolence of the ,vhole metropolis ; yet he had been a sufferer under the mistaken views of "\Vinthrop and other triurn­ phant sound religionists." l\fr. "\Villiam Du1nmer, ,vho was born in 1677, was appointed Lieutenant-Governor in 1716, and ,vas Acting Chief l\fagistrate fro1n 1723 to 1729. He ,vas upright and courteous, and " enjoyed in a great degree the confidence of the people." He bequeathed his valuable estate and fine mansion BEXJAMIN GREESLEAF. 25

near ~ e,vburyport for the endowment of Dum- 1ner Academy, ,vhich ,vas the · first incorporated in the Colony. Ev.er since its foundation in 1763, it has 111aintained and still n1aintains a very high rank, and has upon its rolls, as graduates, many of the prominent mtn of the country.

BEKJA)IIX GREE~LEAF.

,-39 1,-99 1' .... - ' .

SEYERAL members of the Greenleaf fan1ily have achieYed pron1inence. The t,vo best kno,vn, ho,v­ eYer, are Benja1nin, born in 1732, and Sirnon, the eminent la,v professor, ,vhose birth ,vas fifty years later. Graduating at Harvard College in 1751, J\1r. Benja1nin Greenleaf's talents and integrity placed him early an1ong the foremost citizens of his native to-,vn. He w-as for several years a repre­ sentative to the General Court before the Revolu­ tionary ,var broke out. Being a decided pa1tisan of the rights of the Colonies, he was chosen one of the Executive Council of l\lassachusetts and then one of the Comn1ittee of Safety for the Province. .After the adoption of the Constitution he was elected to the State Senate. He ,vas then ap­ pointed Chief-Justice of the Court of Common 26 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

Pleas, and ,vas subsequently for a long period of time Judge of Probate for the County of Essex. His various official positions he filled ,vith signal ability; and he died 1nuch respected for his sterling qualities.

TRISTRA)I DALTON.

1738-1817.

l\IR. DALTOX ,vas a good example of a gentle­ man of the old school, polished, refined, and ,vell educated. He graduated at Harvard in 1755. Being elected representative from Newburyport, and having served with distinction, he ,vas 1nade Speaker of the House of Representatives of the State, ,vhich position he filled ,vith dignity. He then became a member of the State Senate, and upon the adoption of the National Constitution, ,vas elected the first Senator of the United States from l\Iassachusetts. l\1r. Dalton ,vas on terms of intimate friend­ ship ,vith the first four Presidents of the l~ nited States. ""\Yashington honored him with his con­ fidence and regard, as did also his illustrious classmate, John Adams. Yet, like all genuine gentlemen, he could take an affectionate interest in his-dependants and the poor, black and ,vhite. Ile ,vas kind and considerate to his servants, of THEOPHILUS BRADBURY. 27

·whom he had a large retinue at one time. In figure he ,vas tall and finely fonned, and added to great personal beauty the 1nost graceful and accon1- plished 1nanners.... He ,vas diligent, exe1nplary, and accon1plished as a scholar.... His piety ,vas arc1 en t an d sincere.. " To,vards the close of his life he ,vas reduced fron1 affluence to poverty, from unfortunate spec­ ulations and the unfaithfulness of an agent ; but ",vith n1anners so gentle and attractive as his, a 1nind so cultivated, integrity so spotless, he had the satisfaction of fintl.ing that no di1ninution of respect accon1panied his loss of property."

THEO PHIL US BRADBl"'."RY.

1739-1803.

AFTER graduating at Harvard College in 1757, and going through the usual course of legal study, Jfr. Theophilus Bradbury began, in 1761, the practice of his profession in }.. ahnouth, no,v the city of PortlanJ. .An1ong his la ,v pupils in that to,vn ,vas Theophilus Parsons, after,vards Chief­ .r nstice of l\Iassachusetts. Falmouth being burnt by the British in 1775, :\Ir. Bradbury returned to N e,vburyport, w·here he soon rose to distinction. After serving as representative and State senator, he ,vas elected 28 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. a 1nember of Congress during ,v ashington's ad­ ministration, and in 1797 ,vas made a Justice of the Supreme Court of l\Iassachusetts, a position he "filled ,vith great intelligence and fidelity. . . He resigned the en1olu111ents arising fro1n his practice for the appoint1nent of a judge, in ,vhich station he '\\"as faithful and intelligent in executing the la,vs.'' Although he "devoted himself to the profession of the la ,v, he dill not neglect science and literature, and ,vas 1nade a n1ember of the American Acade1ny of Arts and Sciences."

JONATHAX JACKSOX.

1743-1810.

A)IOXG the public-spirited and enterprising merchants of Ne-wburyport, ,vas Jonathan Jack­ son, ,vho graduated at Harvard College in 1761. Alt4ough born in Boston he became early a res­ ident of N elvburyport, and was fully identified with the interests and prosperity of his adopted home. He served for a time as a member of the Provincial Congress. In 1777 he was elected representative from Ne,\rburyport to the State Legisla~ure. In 1782 he became a n1em her of the Congress of the Old ConfederaLion, and in 1789 was appointed by Washington to be l\1arshal 29 for l\fassachusetts. Among his other public trusts he ,vas for a tirue the Treasurer of the Comn1on­ w-ealth and Treasurer of Harvard College. He is noted as being an1ong the early oppo­ nents of slaYery in the State. Tw·o weeks before the Declaration of Independence he gaye freedom to a slave o-wned by hi1n. In the certificate declar­ ing the freeclo1n of the slave, he ,vrites: "I, Jona­ than .Jackson of X e,vburyport, in consideration of the in1propriety I feel, and long have felt, in hold­ ing any person in constant bondage, n1ore espe­ cially at the ti111e ,vhen 111y country is so ,vannly contending for the liberty everybody ought to en­ joy, and also in consideration of pron1ises to my negro man Pon1 p, I hereby give hinr his freedom." l\Ir. Bradford, in his " Biographical Notices," speaks of l\Ir. J_ackson as being " one of the most polished 1nen of his ti111e, very gentlemanly and courteous in his deportn1ent, hut w-ithout parade or ostentation." .. A.nd J u

JOHX LO\VELL. 1743-1802.

THE Lowell family w-as a1nong the earliest of the settlers of N e,vbury, the name of John Lo"\\-le, afterwards changed to Lo,vell, being found among 30 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. the original grantees. The family ,vas as prolific in erninent la·wyers and judges as ,vere the Sew­ all and Cushing families, in ,vhich legal talent see1ned to be hereditary. Some of the Lo,vells, . , huwever, have achieved success in other pursuits; ·while James Russell Lcnvell, ,vho is a descendant of the family, has ,von for hin1self a ·well-de­ served reputation in literature and diplomacy on both sides of the Atlantic. The Christian name, John, appears to have been handed do,Yn from father to son for n1any gen­ erations. John Lo,vell, the en1inent judge, ,vas the son of the Rev. John Lo,vell, a man of con­ siderable attainments and unblen1ished character, upon \vhose tombstone ,vas inscribed that "he ,vas a gentlen1an ,vell skilled in the learned languages, of great reading and extensive kno,vledge, of con­ spicuous piety and virtue, and of talents pecul­ iarly adapted to the ministerial office. "'\Vhile he lived he ,vas highly respected and beloved by his people, for whose ,velfare he had a tender and affectionate concern, and ,vas honored and greatly lamented by them when he died." John Lowell, the son, ,vas born in New bury in 1743, graduated at Harvard in 1760, and after studying law ,vas admitted to the Bar in 1762. He soon won the este~m and confidence of his fellow-townsmen, and was elected by them, in 1776, ·to represent Newburyport at the General Court. The next year he moved to Boston, ,vhich JOHX LO"\VELL. 31 presented a larger field for his talents. His abilities being i1nn1ediately recognized, he ,vas elected, in 1778, to the State Legislature, to repre­ sent his adopted hon1e. In 1780, as n1ember of the Convention to decide upon a constitution for the State, he ,vas the author of the clause in the Bill of Rights declaring that "all men are born free and equal," for the express purpose of abolish­ ing slavery in the Con111101nvealth. In 1782 he beca1ne a 111e1n ber of the Congress of the old Confederation. The follo,ving year he ,vas appointed Judge of the Ad111iralty Court of Appeals, ,vhich position he held until 1789, ,vhen, upon the establishn1ent of the national governn1en t, he ,vas n1ade District Judge of the lJnited States for l\Iassachusetts, and in 1801 becan1e Chief-Justice of the ne,v Circuit Court, ,vhich included :l[assachusetts, l\faine, Rhode Isl­ and, and N e,v Han1pshire. His various official positions he filled ,vith n1arked ability. He ,vas not merely a jurist, but ,vas also in­ terested in science, being a men1 ber and counsellor of the A1nerican Academy of Arts and Sciences, before ,vhich body he delivered an able and inter­ esting eulogy in 1791, upon the late distinguished President James Bo-,vdoin. 1fr. Caleb Cushing, in his "History of New­ buryport," speaks of him in high terms, saying: "He was en1inent for his judgment, integrity, and eloquence as an advocate and legislator, for his 32 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. impartiality, acuteness, and decision as a judge, and for his zeal in the cause of scientific antl other useful institutions."

WILLIA)! BARTLET.

1748-1841.

A DESCE~DANT of one of the old settlers of X e,v­ bury, l\fr. "\Villiam Bartlet ,vas the type of an old-fashioned N e,v England merchant. His in­ tegrity ,vas unquestioned, and his energy and business talent great. "He conciliated, therefore, a general confidence both at home and abroad." His commercial enterprises, ,vhich ,vere large for those days, ,vere crowned ,vith success, but he did not confine hin1self to commerce. "It ,vas he ,vho started the first ,voollen and the first cot­ ton mill in Byfield; it ·was he ,vho encouraged the small · manufacturers ,vhen machinery ,vas scarce anrl steam po-wer unused." Having ac­ quired a large fortune, " his ambition urged him to the performance of good deeds, to help the needy and especially to advance the cause of religion and moral.3. The Ten1perance reforma­ tion, the Foreign Missionary enterprise, and the gratuitous education of young men for the min­ istry were objects of his especial regard and THEO PHIL US PARSONS. 33

1nunificence." Principally through his efforts and generosity, in conjunction ,vith )Ir. )Ioses Bro,vn, of N e,v buryport, and l\Ir. John Norris, of Sale1n, the Theological School was established at ...... \nJover in 1808. It is said that the gifts fro111 1Ir. Bart­ let to the School a1nounted to ,vhat ·was then the large su1n of a quarter of a 111illion of <.lollars. " Full of years, and cro-,vueJ ,vith the beneuic­ tion appertaining to a faithful ste,varcl of God's bounty, he died in his native place in 1841, aged 9 0.') "

THEO PHIL US PARSONS.

1750-1813.

A)IOXG the 1nost profound jurists that .....\n1erica has eYer proJuced, n1ust be placed the nan1e of Theophilus Parsons, son of the Rev. ~loses Par­ sons, who ,vas Lorn in Byfield, a parish of N e,v­ bury, in 17.JO. He ,vas prepared for college at Dununer ..AcaJen1y, under the tuition of l\Ir. San1uel l\IoO(ly, au accon1plished scholar, under ,vhose auspices the .Acade111y 1naintai11ed a high rank. HaYi11g graduated at Harvard in 1769, ,vith very high honors, be took charge of a school at Falinon th, no,v Portland. "\Yhile teaching school he studied la,v in the office of l\1r. Theophilus Bradbury, a fello,v-tfnvnsn1an, ,vho afterwards be­ ca1ne a distinguished judge in l\Iassachusetts. 3 34 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

Upon applying for admission to the Bar in 1774, a question arose as to his eligipility, his three years of legal study having been interrupted by his teaching. His exarnination ·was, ho-\vever, so brilliant that he ·was adn1itted by the unani­ mous consent of the Board of Exan1iners. Falmouth having been destroyed by the British -in 1775, l\fr. Parsons returne

"Result" are given the reasons for rejecting the proposed constitution; and the influence of that able paper ,vas sufficient to defeat the adoption of it. In the "Result " l\:fr. Parsons lays do,vn ,vhat he considers the funda1nental principles of civil govern1nent. He believed fully in the representa­ tion of property, insisting that the Governor of the State ought to have a property qualification, as ,,ell as the senators, aud even the electors of the senators. He says : "The legislative body should be so constructed that every la,v affecting property should have the consent of those ·who held the n1ajority of the property." As the lo,ver House ,vould represent people and not property, the 1nembers of that branch of the Legislature need not have a property qualification; but "in electing n1embers for the Senate, let the representation of property be attended to.... Each freeman of ·the State ,vho is possessed of a certain quantity of property n1ay be an elector of the senators." He d,vells also strongly upon the necessity of estab­ lishing and maintaining the complete indepen­ dence of the judiciary, and then speaks of the dangers of bribery, saying: ""'\Vould one venture to prophesy that in a century fron1 this period, ,ve shall be a cot.rupt, luxurious people, perhaps the close of this century ,vould stamp the proph­ ecy ,vith the title of history." In 1780 he married the daughter of Judge Benjamin Greenleaf. 36 BIOG~APHICAL SKETCHES.

His untiring application raised hi1n to the high­ est rank in his profession; and so great beca1ne his reputation that he -,vas called the " (}iant of the La,v," and students can1e to N e,vhuryport to take advantage of his instruction. ..A.n1ong the n1ost eminent of his pupils ,vere John Quincy Ada1ns, Rufus King, anc: Robert Treat Paine, the poet, ,vho beca1ne ,videly kno,vn on account of the eu1ogy he delivered in Newburyport upon the occasion of the funeral services for ({eneral "\\r ashington. In the convention held for voting upon the acceptance or rejection of the National Constitu­ tion, ~Ir. Parsons thre,v the ,,·eight of his influence and intellect in favor of adoption, considering the proposed constitution the best that couhl be es­ tablished under the circun1stances. He ,vas not, hrHvever, entirely satisfied ,vith all of its provisions; and he proposed ,vhat ,vas afterwards adopted as one of the amend1nents, "that all })O\vers not expressly delegated by the aforesaid Constitution are reserved to the several States." In 1800 :\Ir. Parsons moved to Boston. Be­ fore leaving his native place, the gentlernen of N e,vburyport gave him a dinner, in appreciation of his talents and V{orth. ..A.. t the dinner :\1r. Parsons proposed as his toast: "The to,vn of Newburyport, n1ay the blessing of Heaven rest upon it, as long as its shores are ,vashed by the 1\1:errirnac." THEOPHILl"'S PARSONS. 37

In 1801 he ,vas offered the position of .,Attorney General of the United States, l>ut he declined the honor. In 1806 he ,vas rnade Chief-Justice of the State, a position he filled ,vith signal ability. So untiring ,vas his industry that he ·was able to clear ihe docket, -an example ,vhich ought to Le follo,ved Ly n1any of his successors on the Bench. Not onl Y ,vas :\Ir. Parsons one of the 1nost " profound jurists that ..A .. 1nerica has ever produced, Lut he ,vas also a classical, Hebre,v, and French scholar of great attaiu1nents, a 1nathen1atician so excellent that he could in that science have taken the foren1ost rank, and an enthusiastic student of natural science. His personal appearance "~as con11nanding, and his eyes were very penetrating. His religious vie,vs ·were broad and liberal. In deciding a case in ,vhich a clause of the State c:onstitution relating to religious liberty was in­ troduced, he said: "Its object ,vas to prevent any hierarchy or ecclesiastical jurisdic6on of one sect of Christians over any other sect; and the sect of Ro1nan Catholics are as fully entitled to the I/ l >encfit of this clause, as any society of Protestant Christians. It ,vas also intended to prevent any religious test as a qualification for office. There­ fore, those Catholics ,vho renounce all obedience and subjection to the Pope as a foreign prince or prelate, 1nay, not,vithstanding their religious tenets, hold any civil office, although the constitution 38 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

has not provided for the support of any public teacher of the popish religion." Some years after his decease, in 1836, his principal decisions ,vere puLlished under the title of "Comrnentaries on A.merican La·w." Judge Isaac Parker says of him: "Never ,vas fame rnore early or n1ore just than that of Parsons as a la ,vyer. At an age ,vhen most of the pro­ fession are but beginning to exhibit their talents, to take a fixeJ rank at the Bar, he ,vas confessedly, in point of legal kno,v ledge, among the first of its professors." .L-\.mong his many friends and admirers n1ay be mentioned the name of Alexander Han1ilton, ,vith ,vho1n he appears to have been in the habit of corresponding.

NATHA~IEL TRACY.

1751-1796.

ALTHOUGH the n1erchants of X e,vburyport ,vere at one time famous for their skill and enterprise, no one ,vas more successful than Patrick Tracy, ,vho acquired a large estate Ly his industry and prudence. His son Nathaniel, ,vho graduated at Harvard College in li6£1, 2ntere

lutionary "\Var soon breaking out, he devoted hin1self to the cause of independence. To hin1 b3longs the honor of equipping and sending out the first privateer ,vhich sailed fron1 the "C nited Colonies against England. During the Revolu­ tionary struggle he ,vas the principal o,vner of nearly fifty cruisers, ·which captured one hundred and t,venty vessels fron1 the ene1ny. These prizes, ,vith their cargoes, ,vere sold for 83,931,000, - a very large an1ount, ·which ,vould be equivalent at the present tin1e to nearly t,venty millions of dol­ lars. The nu1nber of prisoners taken by his ves­ sels was 2,223. As the Goven11nent ,vas often in urgent need of n1oney, ::\Ir. Tracy 111ade advances at different tin1es, until his gifts amounted to nearly t,vo hundred thousand doll.a.rs. l\Ir. Tracy ,vas a courteous and refined gentle- 111an, living in a sort of patriarchal style. To his house, ,vhich is no,v the Public Library of the city, ,vere naturally invited all distinguished Yis­ itors to N e,vburyport. "\Y ashington, Lafayette, Arnold, Aaron Burr, Talleyrand, Louis Philippe, and others partook of his generous hospitality. 40 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

REV. ELIPH.ALET PE.ARSON.

1752-1826.

HA YIXG been prepared for college by l\fr. }Ioodv at the Dumn1er Acaden1v, l\fr. Pearson II II graduated at Har\-ard, in the class of 1773, ,vith high honors. His Con1n1encen1ent part, on the "Legality of Enslaving the Africans," ,vas consid­ ered so remarkable that it ,vas published. After being the Principal of the .A.ndover Acade1ny for

some vears,II he ,vas elected, on acconnt of his great attainn1ents, to the Professorship of Hebre,v and Oriental Languages in Harvard University, a position he occupied ,vith marked success fron1 Ii86 to 1806. His lectures at Can1bridge, ,vhich have not been printed, are said to bear the n1arks of great ability. In 1808 he became the Professor of Sacred Literature at the .Andover Theological Sen1inary, ,vhich ,vas estahlished that year. :\Ir. Bradford says: "Dr. Pearson possessed a strong n1ind, ,vas a sonnd logician, and in philology excell(~d most of the scholars of his time." The Rev. l\fr. "\\r aldo, in speaking of him, s~ys : " lie had a nolJle, con1manding per­ son, ,vhich looked like a tower of strength.... His vast tn~asures of kno\vle

"\VILLIA:\I PL F:\IER.

1739-1S30.

A DESCEXDAXT of one of the original grantees of N e,vbury, "\Villia111 Pln1ner ·was born there nine years before his father 1110,·ed ,vith his fan1ilv,.; to X e,v Ha1nushire,L to n1ake that State his future ho1ne. During his 1oyhood he had sho,vn such intel­ lectual capacity as to attract the attention of Uev. :\Ir. Parsons, in~.__ con- sidereJ " the aLlest n1an in the Federal party of 42 BIOG RAP HICAL SKETCHES. the State.... He acteJohn Quincy Adams says: "It affords me constant pleasure to recollect that the history of our country has fallen into the hands of such a man." ·cnfortunately, this history ,vas never con1pleted. He also collected n1aterial for ,vriting biographical sketches of prominent .....i\.meri­ cans, but that work ,vas never finished. " From 1820 to 1829 he published in the ne,vspapers a series of essays upon various topics, extending to one hundred and eighty-six nu111Lers, ,vhich had a wide circulation and attracted consi

He was a rnen1ber of 1nany learned bodies, and ,vas the first President of the X e,v Ha1npshire Historical Society. " In person he ,vas tall and erect, his con1plexion dark, his hair black, and his eyes black and spark­ ling." " Possessing a Yigorous and inq uisiti \-e n1ind, as ,vell as great industry, he becan1e one of the best scholars of the Granite State ; " and his legal kno,vledge ,vas such that he ,vas con­ sidered a fit opponent at the Bar, of \Yebster~ Par3ons, and :\Iason.

1760-1810.

THE Rev. San1uel "\Vebber, a nati,-e of Bvfield,., a parish of X e,vbury, graduated in 178-!, ·with high honors, fro111 Har,·ard College. ...A.fter ha Ying had charge of Dununer ....\.caderny for a ti111e, he ,vas called to a tutorship in Harvard College, arlll then pron1oted to the Hollis Professorship of ~fathe1natics and X atural Philosophy, and finally 1nade President of the l~niversitv in 1sn6. His Cl career as President ,vas very short, lasting scarcely four years. Dr. Henry "'\\rare, in pronouncing the funeral discourse, spoke in high tcrn1s of the deceased President. He said: "His unJ.eviating rBctitude 44 BIOGR-\.PHICAL SKETCHES.

inspired confidence, his superior talents and at­ tainments gaYe hin1 a highly respectaLle standing among his fello-\v-students; he ga,~e an honorable exan1ple of diligent appL.cation to study and zeal in the pnrsuit of kno,Yle

man .,v learned societies.

JOHX PARKER BOYD.

1,6-!-18:30.

THE life of .John Parker Bovd ·was a singnlar ~ u one for an ~.\.n1erican, haYing been a general in the East Indies, co1n111anding at one tin1e, it is said, ten thousand caYalry. He returned to the l~nited States and obtained a conunission as colonel in the Regular Anny in

1808. He hehaved ,vith skill an

of 1812 ,vith England,<., he ,vas ,vith his comn1and at the hattle of \Villiamshurg, and at the capture of Fort George, having beer.. raised to the rank of brigadier-general. JACOB PERKIXS.

He published, in 181G, "Docu1nents and Facts R.elatiYe to )lilitary Events during the Late ,Yar," a sn1all pa1nphlet in defence of his conduct, "·hich had been assaileu.

J ..:\.COB PERKIXS. 1766-1S-!9.

THE career of ,Jacob Perkins as an inYen tor ,vas a ren1arkalJle one. ,Yithout special 1nechanical training or education, he achieveLl such success as to establish a high reputation on both sides of the ..A.tlantic. He ·was early e1nployecl in making dies and 1nachinery for the copper 1noney issned by )lassa­ ch nsetts before the adoption of the :Xational Con­ stitution. He then turned his attenti.on to the prevention of the counterfeiting of bank-notes. His efforts ,vere so successful that the State orL1ered that all the notes issued \Yithin its juris­ diction n1ust be 1nade accordin~ to :\Ir. Perkins's '- plan. His discovery of a process by \Yhich steel plates· could be hardened "·ithout injuring the engraved surface ,vas an in1portant step in the de,~elop1nent of hank-note engraving. ,~ ery n1a11y n1ore i1npressions could be taken fro1n the hnrcl­ ened than fron1 the ordinary steel or copper plate, di1ninishing greatly the cost of production, ,vhile the beauty of the engraving was uninjured. 46 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

In 1816 )fr. Perkins went to Philadelphia to enter the employment of ::\fessrs. Draper, )Iurray, & fairman, the ,vell-kno,vn bank-note enITTavina 0 0 house. In 1819 he accompanied nir. Fairman and ~Ir. Toppan to Enrope, ·with the expectation of inducing the Bank of England to accept his plan, as the notes of that Bank had been counter­ feitBd; but the Bank declined their proposals, deeming the price asked by )Ir. Perkins too high, and it ,vas not until after the expiration of the patent that the directors availed themselves of his process. Other banks and i,anking houses .took ad \~auta~e, however, of )Ir. Perkins's skill, and the '- firm then established continues to exi~t at the present time in London. ~Ir. Perkins's inventive faculties ·were employed in many fields: -he was the first to n1ake nails by machinery ; he ,vas also the first to den1onstra te the compressibility of Vlater; he experimented with the ne,v and ,vonderful po,ver of steam, in­ venting a steam cannon in ,vhich the Duke of "\Yellington and other military and scientific gen­ tlemen ,vere mueh interested. His system of ,varming houses by means of hot-water pipes is still used in England. His scientific attainments, courtesy of manner, and genial tern perament made hirn a ,velcome guest in English society. He did not return to the "C nited Stares, but remained in London, ,vhere he

JOHX LO'ifELL.

1760-1S!O.

EIGHT Years before his father, the Judge, moYed ~ L to noston ·with his fa111ilY,., to 1nake that citY., his future ho1ne, .John Lo,vell ·was born in Xe,,- bnryp0rt ...... \.fter graduating at HarYarcl College in 1786, '- \. ~ \.... he ~tudied l::nv and was a

all ecclesiastical jurisdiction. I think conscien­ tiously., that it is the n1ost n1onstrous and ·wicked of all usurpations. It is sinning against all light, to assu1ne the sn1allest control over the con­ sciences of n1e11 under color of scriptural author­ ity." In the sa111e essay he quotes a decision of Chief-,J ustice Parsons, ,vho says: " Our ancestors c::nne to this country s1narting fro1n the rod of the

·with bareat viuor,b decrvino-t1 .:::,·the ,var ,vith Eno-land• 0 and questioning the constitutionality of the en1- bargo. Edward Everett speaks of him as "possessing colloquial po,vers of the highest order, and ,vield­ ing an accurate, elegant, and logical pen." REV. CHARLES COFFIX. 49

FR.AXCIS CABOT LO"\"V"ELL.

1 ...... 1, o-- 1~1-u ,.

AxoTHER son of Judge Lo-\vell ,vas Francis Cabot, graduating at HarYard College in 1793. He beca1ne 111uch interested in introducing cotton 111anufactures into ::.\Iassachusetts, and aided by his brother-in-la,v, :\Ir. Jackson, establisheu so1ne of the first n1ills. :\Ir. Brau.ford says of hin1: "He had an unco1111non spirit of activity and enterprise, but united ,vith caution and good judgn1ent." The city of Lo,vell ,vas named for him, - a distinction he had fairly earned.·

REY. CHARLES COFFIN·.

TnE Rev. Charles Coffin ,vas the son of Dr. Charles Coffin, a physician of N e,vburyport. After graduating at HarYard College in 1793, ,vhere he ,vas noted as a very diligent student, he studied theology, and ,vas licensed to preach in his native to,vn in 180-!, the ordination sermon being delivered by the Rev. Dr. Samuel Spring. 4 50 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

In 1810 he was elected President of Green­ ville College in Tennessee, ·where he ren1ained until 1827, ,vhen he accepted the presidency of Knoxville College, a position he filled ·with dis­ tinguished ability for six years. Rev. Dr. 1IcCorkle say,3 : "He had ,vell-fonnecl " features, expressive countenance, and ,vas in his ,vhole bearing benignant, dignified, and venerable. He possessed excellent intellectual po,vers, ,vhich he retained in great vigor to the last."

CHARLES JACKSON. 1775-1855.

ALL the sons of !fr. Jonathan.Jackson, the pub­ lic-spirited merchant of X e"~buryport, inherited their father's energy and perseverance. After graduating at HarYard College in 1793, ,vith very high honors, l\fr. Charles Jackson studied la,v with his fello-\v-to,vnsman, Theophilus Parsons, who spoke in terms of great praise of his applica­ tion and talent, saying, "Of all n1y pupils no one has left my office better fitted for his profession." Mr. Caleb Cushing, in his "History of N e-wbury­ port," adds his testin1ony to l\Ir. Jackson's capac­ ity, saying, "He rose quickly to the front ranks of the Bar, and became only second to his master in forensic distinction." CHARLES JACKSO~. 51

In 1803 he n1oved to Boston, ,vhere his talent was in1n1ediately recognized. In 1813 he ,vas ap­ pointed a Justice of the Snpren1e Court of the State, a position he occupied until hjs resigna­ tion in 1823, on account of failing health. His qualifications for a position on the Bench ,vere universally conceded. l\Ir. George Lunt, a native of N e,vburyport, the hnvyer, author, and journal­ ist, speaks in a short 1nemoir of "the in1partial­ ity of ,Judge Jackson, ,vhich an1ountecl as nearly as possible to the exemplification of abstract justice." l\fr. Lunt adds, " He ,vas a gentleman by nature, sentiment, and cultivation. During his ,vhole life he ,vas beloved, esteemed, and respected. He dies ,vithout a blot upon his memory." In England his reputation was almost as great as in his o,vn country. Upon visiting Europe, he ·was cordially ,velcomed by his brethren of the Bar, and the celebrated Lord Stov.-ell became his ,varn1 personal friend. The only ,vork of importance published by .Judge Jackson ,vas a " Treatise on the Pleadings and Practice in Real .,A.ctions." 52 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

DR. JA:\IES JACKSO~.

1777-1867.

THE second son of l\fr. ,Jouathan Jackson was nan1ed James, ,vho graduated at Harvard College in the class of 1796. Having receiYed his n1edical degree and begun the practice of his profession, he rose rapidly to pro1ninence in Boston. He ,vas elected to a professorship in the medical departn1ent of HarYard l:niversity in 1810, ,vhich . he continued to fill until 1835, ,vhen he '¼~as n1ade emeritus professor. He ,vas much interested in the establishment of hospitals, and did 1nuch to contribute to their foundation. "\Vhen the l\fassach nsetts General Hospital ,vas established by his efforts, in con­ junction ,vith Dr. "'\Varren, he was the first physi­ cian appointed to take charge of it. He wrote many articles of 1nerit relating to his profession, and was also the author of the "Eulogy on the Character of Dr. John "'\Yarrcn," and of the " Petition to Her l\Iajesty, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, on behalf of Dr. l\f orton, the dis­ coverer of Etherization." PATRICK TRACY J ACKSOX. 53

PATRICK TRACY JACKSO~.

1780-1S-!7.

LIKE his brothers, :\Ir. Patrick Tracy Jackson hacl great energy and perseverance. He ,vas one of the pioneers, ,vith his brother-in-la,v, Francis C. Lo-\vell, in introducing the cotton n1anufacture into the United States. It is saiJ. that the n1ill built by thein, ,vith the assistance of Paul ::\Ioody, the 111cchanician and inventor, at ,v a1than1 in 1813, ,vas the first established in the ,vorld that co1n Lined all the operations for converting ra,v cotton into finished cloth. It is so1ne,vhat singular that the three principal pro1noters of the n1an nfacture of cotton ·were fron1 N e,vlJury, ::\Ir. ::\Ioody having been born in By­ field in 1779. He evinced so much 1nechanical talent that ~Ir. Jacob Perkins took hin1 into his en1ployment and placed hi1n in charge of his ,vorkshop. He aided l\Iessrs. Lo,vell and Jackson 111aterially in the construction of their 111achinery, and in his inventions, ,vhich ·were of o;reat value. L After the establislnnent of son1e 1nills at Lo,,ell, ::\Ir. Jackson conceived the idea of uniting Boston ,vith Lo,vell by stea111, the experiu1ents of Stephen­ son in England haYing been successful. .A.ftcr so111e years of la Lor, his ,vish ·was gratified in 54 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. seeing the Boston and Lo,vell Railroad opened for traffic in 1833. l\Ir. Jackson died in 184 7. " The ne,vs of his death ,vas received as a public calamity. The ex­ pressions that spontaneously Lurst forth fro1n every 1nouth ,vere a most touching testi111onial to his virtues, as much as to his aLility. He had endovrn1ents morally as ,vell as intellectually of a high or

SA::\IUEL LORE~ZO KN.A.PP.

1783-1838.

AFTER graduating at Dartmouth College in 1804, 1\:Ir. Samuel Lorenzo Knapp studied la,v, and ob­ tained an excellent rank among his professional brethren. He ,vas for a tin1e a men1 ber of the State Legislature. During the ·war ,vith England in 1812, he commanded a regi1nent of rnilitia. His literary ,vorks, no,v ahnost unkno,vn, gave him considerable celebrity in his day. His " Lives of Eminent La·wyers, Statesmen, and l\Ien of Let­ ters," published in 1821, are considered "a n1odel of that species of composition;" ·while his bio­ graphical memoir of Archbishop Cheverus has been called "an elegant performance." l\f. Che- SIMON GREEXLEAF. 55 verus, ,vho had been driven fro1n France bv., the excesses of the Revolution, can1e to .A1uerica for refuge, and ,vas, in 1810, n1ade the first Catholic Bishop of Boston, ,vhere he ,von the esteem of the Protestants as ,vell as the Catholics. Recalled to his native land by Louis XVIII., he became .A1~ch­ bishop of Bordeaux, and a peer of France under Charles X. l\Ir. Cushing, in the introduction to his account of the :E·rench Revolution of 1830, speaks of the "pure and venerable Cheverus." Other ,vorks by l\Ir. Knapp are " Lectures on American Literature," and '' Fe111ale Biography."

In the latter ,vurk he clairus that in N e·wburv-., port·" ,vere probably established the first primary and infant schools that can be found in the annals of instruction. The Hon. Jonathan Jackson and the Rev. John l\furray ,vere instru1nental in getting the to,vn to establish these schools."

Sil\IOX GREEXLE... .\.F. 1783-1853. As already mentioned, :hfr. Simon Greenleaf belonged to a ,vell-kno-\Yn ·fan1ily of N e,vbury, ,-vhich had already produced several men of talent. He chose la,v as his profession; and being ad­ n1itted to the Bar in 1806, rose rapidly in the ranks. "By un,vearied industry he laid the foun­ dations of his great legal learning." 56 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

Upon the separation of lfaine from 1fassachu­ setts, l\fr. Greenleaf ,vas n1ade Reporter of the Supreme Court of the ne,v State, and his reports in nine Yolun1es, from 18:20 to 18~2, "exhiLit full proof of his industry and accuracy." In 1834 he ,vas appointed io the Royall Professorship in the Harvard La·w School, at the suggestion of Judge Story; and at the death of that e1uinent jurist, ,vas elected to fill his place, in 1846, in the Dane Professorship. In 1848 he ,vas obliged to resign his chair on account of ill health, caused by too great application to his duties. A fe,v quotations from his inaugural address in 1834 "~ill show the spirit ,vhich he breathed into. his teachings : "In the science of la ,v, as in the con1parative anatomy of a sister profession, ,ve best un

REV. GARDIXER SPRIXG.

1785-1S73.

THE Rev. San1uel Spring, a graduate of the Col­ lege of N e,v '-Terscy in 1771, ,vho acco1npanied ... A.rnokl's expedition to Canada as chaplain, and ,vho upon retiring fro1n the anny in 1777, beca1ue pastor of a church in Nc·wlnuyport, ,vhen~ he re­ n1ained until his death,- a 111a11 of great intlueuce 58 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. and ,,eight of character, and of considerable lit­ erary ability, - ,vas the father of the Rev. Dr. Gardiner Spring, born in 1 785 . ....\.fter graduating at Yale College in 1803, ::\Ir. Gardiner Spring conuuenced the study of the la,v, and ·was ad111itted to the Bar in 1808. He soon, ho,veYer, turned his attention to theologv,v" and after pursuing his studies at ..:\..ndoYer, recei\·ed a call to ,vhat is kno,vn an1ong the Presbyterians as the "Brick Church," in X e,v York, ",vhere he rernained u1nn0Yed by invitations to preside at Han1ilton and Dartiuouth Colleges, rnaintaining for oYer half a century a position as one of the 1nost popular and estee111ed divines of the city." His published ,vorks are nun1erous. An1ong those best kno\Yll are " OLligations of the "\Y orld to the Bible," "The Po,ver of the Pulpit/' "Short Sennons for the People," and his " Personal Re1ni- n1scences.. " In 1820 he ,vas invited to deliver a sern1on before the X e,v England Society of the State and City of X e,v York, on Decen1ber 22, the second centennial of the landing of the Pilgri1ns, in ,vhich he says: ""\Yith honest exultation be it said, there is no spot on the globe ,vhere the rights of conscience are 1nore sacredl v revered than in X e,v " England. There ev-ery man thinks for hi1nself on subjects of the greatest 1nomeut.'' Tu,var

.JOSHLA COFFIX.

1702-186-! .

.. A.. s an antiquary and genealogist :\Ir. Joshua Coflln becan1e extensively., known, and his "His- tory of X ewbury/ published in 18-!3, gaYe hi1n consideraLle reputation. It is to be regretted that )Ir. Coffin did not carry out his intention of puLlishing the liYes of the Newbury people vd10 have becon1e distin­ guished in the various vocations of life; such a ,vork \\·ould lun·e been particularly interesting, as he had access to fa111ily papers, and kne,v 111uch by tradition. :\Ir. Coffin ,vas ardent in the cause of e1nancipa­ tion, and ,vns one of the ori~inal founders of the '- :X e,v England .Anti-slaYery Society in 183~, bL~ing the first Recording Secretary, ,v hile )Ir. )Iichael H. Si111pson ,vas the first Treasurer. In the pre­ a1n ble of the constitution of that Society the founders say: ""\Yc declare that ,ve ,vill not oper­ ate on the existing relations of society by other 60 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. than peaceful and la,vful means, and that ·we will give no countenance to violence or insurrection." After graduating at Dartn1outh College in 1817, :\Ir. Coffin taught school for a ti1ne, and had an1ong his pupils the poet "\Vhittier, ,vho ·wrote his poern entitled "To nly· Old Schoohnaster," as a token of respect to his teacher : -

'' Looking back to that far day Aud the primal lessons, feel Grateful smiles my lips unseal, As remembering thee, I blend Olden teacher, present friend, "~ise with antiquarian search In the scrolls of State and Church."

CHARLES TOPPA~.

1796-1874.

J\fR. CHARLES TOPP AX ,vas a descendant of Abra­ ham Toppan, one of the original proprietors of X e,vbury, and the progenitor of the nn1nerous farnily, so1ne branches of ,vhich have changed the narne to Tappan. The life of )Ir. Toppan ,vas most intin1ately connected ,vith the rise a:.id development of bank­ note engraving in the United States, ,vhich from srnall beginnings has becon1e an in1portant in­ dustry of the country, making tributary to the CHARLES TOPP ..L,. 61 artistic excellence of the A1nerican bank-note engravers the Russian Empire, Greece, Italy, Spain, and so1ne of the S·wiss cantons, Canada, and l\Iex­ ico, the "\Vest India Islands, the States of South America, Australia, and the Empire of Japan. Having early developed great aptitude a1id love for art, and his youthful productions having been highly con1men

£eite

In his vie,vs he ·was broad and liberal; consci­ entious in the discharge of duty; courteous in n1anner; social and cheerful in disposition, and ,vas very generous, especially to young artists, 111any of ,vho1n he befriended. Being an excel­ lent judge of art, he gathered around hin1 a choice collection of paintings. His love for the beauti­ ful in art and nature did not di1ninish "-ith ad­ vancing vears, as onlv a fe,v davs before his '-' t, " cl decease he "-as busy ,vith his pencil sketching the picturesque scenes in the neighborhood of Florence, Italy, ,vhere he died in 1874.

REV. BEXJA~II~ HALE.

1797 -1863 .

.A~IOXG the earlv., settlers of Xe,,-burv., ·was Thon1as Hale, frorn "·ho1n ,vas descended the Rev. Benjamin Hale. In 1814 he entered Dart­ mouth College, ,vhere he ren1ained, ho,vever, cnly a short tin1e, then ·went to Bo"-doin College, re­ ceiving his degree of Bachelor of .Arts there in 1818.. The next year he con1rnenced his theo­ logical studies at Andover, ,vhich ,vere, however, interrupted by the offer of a tutorship of Xatural Philosophy at Bo"-doin. After occupying the tutorship for t\vo years, he ,vas chosen the head master of a lyceun1 at Gardiner, liaine, where 64 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. he remained until his election in 1827 to the Professorship of Chemistry at Dartn1outh College, a position he held until 1835. During his residence at Hanover he becan1e a member of the Episcopal Church, leaving the ranks of the Church in 1vhieh he had been edu­ cated, and ·which ·was the governing po,ver at the College. The feeling an1ong the Trustees ,vas so hostile to him on account of the change of his theological vie,vs that the Professorship of Chen1- istry "·as merged into another professorship for the purpose of forcing hi1n to resign. This lJigoted proceeding lws unfortunate1y had its parallel in other colleges of other denon1ina­ tions, as the lesson of relfrrious.___, toleration and equality ha~ as ye:t been only in1perfcctly learne(l. Colun1lJia College, ·wl1ich has fa11en under the contrrJl of the Episc

1 blessed. an v institution of learninQ". ' ~ '--' In 1RG9 T>r. Hale returned to Xe,vhuryport, where he rcn1ained until his tleeease, in 18G~i. 66 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

JACOB LITTLE.

1797-1S65.

THE father of l\Ir. Jacob Little, ,v ho bore the same Christian name as the son, ,vas a prosperous merchant of Xe"~buryport, and a descendant of one of the old settlers of the to-wn. The son entered, at a Yery early age, the counting­ house of Jacob Barker, a ,vell-kno,vn n1erchant of New York, ,vhose respect and confidence he ,von by his zeal and fidelity. Beco1ning a stock-broker, he displayed in his ne,v sphere un,vearied applica­ tion, con1bin/Jd ·with the strictest integrity; and by the year 1834 he ,vas the ackno,vledged head of the fi~ancial ·world of X e,v York, being called the "Napoleon of the Board," on account of his large transactions. During his long business career he met with disasters, and ,vas obliged to suspend three times; but after each reverse he paid his creditors in full, ,vith interest. It ,vas ahvays said in "\Vall Street that the " suspended paper of l\Ir. Little ,vas better than the checks of most merchants." So high ·was his reputation that his portrait has been placed in the New York Stock Exchange, - a gift of the Board of Brokers. THEO PHIL US PARSONS, JR. 67

THEOPHILl;S PARSONS, JR.

1797-1882.

THREE years before l\Ir. Theophilus Parsons trans­ ferred his hon1e fron1 X e,vburyport to Boston, the fa1nily ,vas increased by the birth of a son, also nan1ed Theophilus, -who received his degree of

Bachelor of .A.rts at Harvard College,_ in 1815, being noted as one of the rnost diligent students of the l~ niversitv. " Soon after his graduation he wrote an article on the ":\Ianners and Customs of India," ,vhich he offered to the "Xorth An1erican Revie,v." The article ,vas so clever that Professor Ed,vard T. Channing, then editor of the n1agazine, could scarcely believe it ,vas ,vritten by so young a rnan. Subsequently l\Ir. Parsons contributed sev­ eral articles to the pages of the "Revie"-," the most important being "Domestic lfanners of the R01nans," "Tendencies of l\f odern Science," and "Kent's Commentaries." To his legal studies he applied himself with the same diligence that he had displayed in his college course. He found in time that his overtaxed brain needed rest, and be was induced to take a voyage to Europe for recreation. r-pon visiting Russia he ,vas receiv-ed ,vith great kindness by 68 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

the Czar, ,vho offered hin1 a government employ­ n1ent. He, ho\\-ever, declined the flattering offer, and returned to the Lnited States to resu1ne the practice of his prof~ssion. His legal attainments ,vere such that in 184 i he ,vas appointed to the Dane Professorship in the Harvard Lav~- School, a position ·which he filled ,vith great credit until his resignation in 1870. His declining years were passed in Cambridge, ,vhere his ~ecease t-0ok place in 1882. His legal works are "-ell kno,vn, particularly his book on " Contracts," ,vhich is a standard work in the legal profession, the "La,v of Part­ nership," and "::\Iarine Insurance and General ...t\. verage." He also ,vrote upon the religious doc­ trines of S·w·edeuborg, to ,vhich faith he belonged.

WILLIA.)! WHEELWRIGHT.

1798-1873.

A~IOXG the many examples of great energy, perseverance, and integrity of character that X e,v­ buryport has sent into the world, is conspicuous the name of ,villiam "\Yheel wright. By force of ,vill he overca1ne 1nany obstacles, and accon1- plished tasks that ·were considered impracticable. Being ,,-recked on the coast of South ...4.merica when a young man, he made that continent his home for many years. To him belongs the prin- ,YILLIAM ,YHEEL ,YRIGHT. 69 cipal merit of bringing the South Americans into the current of the modern ,vorld. He ,vas the first to introduce steam, ,vhich brought South ...--\.1nerica into closer connection ,vith Europe and the l~nited States. He induced the capitalists of England to foster South ..A .. merican co111merce by estal,lishing rail ways, itnproving the harbors, and building ,vater and gas ,vorks. In the accon1plish1nent of these beneficial ends he shunned no fatigue or hardship. So highlv ,vas he esteemed for his integrity, L . II L: I/ his courtesy of n1anner, and his strict in1partiality in the domestic conflicts of South A1nerica, that his portrait ,vas placed in the Exchange at ·val­ paraiso by his friends and admirers, and subse­ quently a bronze statue of him ,vas erected in the Square of the san1e city, - a gift of the citizens. l\fr. Alberdi, fornJerh- the minister fron1 the

C.A.LEB CUSHIXG.

1800-1879.

THE Cushing family, n1any members of which have become conspicuous in public life, ·was among the firs·t settlers of Hingham, one branch of it coming in early times to Salisbury, ,vhere llr. Caleb Cushing ,vas_ born at the beginning of the century, about two years before his father, :\Ir. John N. Cushing, a descendant of the Rev. Caleb Cushing and of the celebrated Rev. John Cotton, moved to Newburyport, on the opposite side of the River l\lerrimac, ,vhere he became a prosper­ ous merchant. After graduating at Harvard College in 1817, ,nth very high honors, not,vithstanding his youth, l\Ir. Cushing began the study of la·w in Cambridge as a resident graduate, remaining, ho,vever, only one year, and then entering the office of :\Ir. Eben­ ezer l\Ioseley of N e,v buryport. Even in his college course he had given marks of the ,vide grasp of his n1inRufus Choate ,vas a student in the Uan1 bridge La ,v School. In 182-! he rnarried the beautiful and acco1n­ plished daughter of Judge "\Vilde, ,vhose interest­ ing "Letters Descriptive of Public ::l\Ionu1nents, Scenery, and 1Ianners in France and Spain," ,vere published in 1832. In this account of her travels she speaks of the kindness ,vith ,vhich she and 1Ir. Cushing ,vere received (in 182£1) by General Lafayette, vd10 escorted thern in his carriage fron1 72 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

Paris to his country place of La Grange. "Never did I imagine a scene of rnore unaffected harmony and domestic love, n1ore ur:.bounded kindness and hospitality, than this noble 1nansion presents." lfr. Cushing entered public life early, being only t\venty-five ,vhen he became a member of the General Court. From that time until his death, - a period of more than fifty years, - he ,vas one of the conspicuous figures of the country, and became "one of the rnost remarkable men of the nineteenth century." In 1826 he published a" Summary of the Prac­ tical Principles of Political Economy," showing that he ,vas conversant with the best writers on that science. The Rame year his eulogy on Adan1s and Jefferson ,vas delivered, and his " History of Ne,vburyport" appeared, which preceded ~fr. Cof­ fin's nearly twenty years. In addition to his legal pursuits, he wrote many articles for the "North American Review," e1n­ braciug a great variety of topics. His article on "Botany of the United States" evinces a mastery of the subject, ,vhich had been one of his favorite studies; ,vhile his historical papers, "Ancient and Modern History," "Columbus," "Vespucci," "The :Free Cities of Flanders," "The Ancient History of the Netherlands," and the "Legal Condition of ,v omen," in ancient and modern times, sho,v that his acquaintance with history was equal to his knowledge of law. CALEB C"C"SIIING. 73

Having the po,ver to adapt his style te his sub­ ject, some of his ,vritings are almost poetical, while others are precise, clear, and even severe. His "Reminiscences of Spain" are full of irnagi­ nation, being almost entirely a series of ro1nantic stories, ,vhile his history of the French Revolution of 1830, giving its causes and in1mediate results, is picturesque. In that ,vork, published in 1833, he predicted the national unity of Italy and Ger­ many, saying: " The Germans, like the Italians, have now gained a definite ai111, and they are moving to,vard it slo,vly but surely; and that aim is the reconstruction of Germany,., - a Ger- many of popular rights and constitutional po,vers, - a Germany of one great nation, capable of playing its part in the affairs of Europe and in the ,vork of European ciYilization .... It needs only national institutions to revive the national glory of Italy." The " Social Condition of "\Vomen," w-ritten in 1836, gives a good idea of the style of many of his magazine articles, ,vhich ·were not confined to the "North American Revie,v.'' Contrasting ,vornen in pagan with those in Christian countries, he writes : "Throughout the N e,v Testament she is contemplated as a. spiritual and immortal being, the equal partaker with man of all the offices of religion here and all its divine aspirations here­ after. ,v e listen to prayer and exhortation ,vithin the same holy ,valls of God's temple; ,ve kneel in 74 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. supplication to the same consecrated altar; chil­ dren are admitted into the visible church of Christ at the same baptismal fount; ,ve mutually plight our faith under the sole1nn sanction and obser­ vances of a common religion; and ,vhen the dear­ est bonds of blood or affection are sundered by death, there is left us the one admirable solace of sorro,v, that the sainted spirit of the "rife, sister, daughter ,ve 1nay have lost, has ,vinged its flight upward to rest forever in tbe boso1n of the Chris­ tian's God." His oration before the literary societies of Am­ herst College in 1836 ,vas a scholarly perform­ ance, urging young 1nen to take their part in public life : ",ve have 111any virtuous men a1nong us, and ,vise, too, ,vho sit with folded anus, de­ ploring the evils of the tin1e. I say to all such in public, as I say in private, Yours is but a ti1nid virtue, a barren ·wisdon1. Instead of idly co1nplaini11g that affairs go ,vrong, bestir your­ selves to make then1 straight. ]Teel that you have public as ,vell as private duties." One of the similes he employed in the same address is very striking : " "\Vhen Alexander of Macedon had subdued the great Persian and 11acedonian en1- pire, and borne his victcrious arms to the utter­ most shores of Asia, -,vhen, lamenting that no second ,vorld remained for him to conquer, he re­ turned to Baby Ion, drunk with pride and po,ver, and master of all the riches of the East, - the CALEB Cl""SHI~G.

wildest projects of insane adulation were continu­ ally poured into his ears. None ,vas more stu­ pendous than that of the architect Stasicrates. There stretches out into the ....£gean Sea the vast pro1nontory of l\fount Athas, ,vhich beetles over the 1nariner as he sails past, and at sundo,vn pro­ jects its huge shado,v leagues off upon the hills of Lemnos, darkening oYer land and sea like a plane­ tary eclipse. Stasicrates proposed to carve :\Iount Athos into a colossal statue of Alexander, that should hold a city of ten thousand inha bi tan ts in its left hand, and in its right a horn of plenty sending forth a deep river into the .£gean Sea. \Yhat the bold Greek conceived, - a project ap­ parently beyond the reach of hu1nan agency, ex­ travagant, gigantic, Titanian, - eYen this n1uch, in its effects upon the physical exteri0r and the 1noral constitution of the ,vorld, has been accom­ plished Ly the intellect of rnan. Out of the Yery face of the pri1neYal ,vilderness he has raised up a form, lofty and majestic in its proportions; cul­ tured fields, populous to,vns, in1perial States are in the palm of its hand; it pours out a perennial strea111 of prosperity and abundance, to fertilize and enrich the earth; it is the sublin1e personifi­ cation of that ruoral and social order, that organi­ zation of physical strength, animated by a great moral and intellectual purpose, ,v hich constitutes the civilization of Christendom." In 1834, the same year in ,vhich he delivered 76 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

an able and interesting eulogy on Lafayette, he ,vas elected to Congress, ,vhere he soon became a conspicuous n1eruber. "l\fr. "\Vebster said, so re­ ports Rev. Dr. Lothrop, in speaking of his ability and ,vonderful po,vers of seizing know ledge, that l\fr. Cushing had not been six ,veeks in Congress before he ,vas ackno,vledged to be the highest authority on what had been the legislation upon any given subject.': His speeches ·were forcible and son1etimes impassioned, and al ·ways sho,ved a complete kno,vledge of the subject he ,vas treat­ ing. In political views he follo,ved ,~T ebster, for whom he had a high admiration, believing, ,vith him and Clay and Channing, that slavery ,vas a moral and a political ,vrong, but that the States alone, by the Constitutional Compact, ,vhich ,vas a meas­ ure of com promise, had po,ver over their domestic relations. He opposed strongly the disunion senti1nent in the North and the South, and his efforts ,vere constantly directed to a reconciliation of the conflicting factions. Towards the close of his life he ,vrote: "Every act of my political life, in ,vhatever relation of parties, ,vas governed by the single do1ninant purpose of ain1ing to preserve the threatened integrity of the Union." In Congress he said, "Our settled convictions of right and wrong t~ad us to conde1nn slavery as a great moral and political evil, and to desire its cessation, though our fealty to the Constitution withholds us from attempting any direct interfer- CALEB CCSHING. 77 ence with it. . . . I find n1yself in the singular predicament of addressing to the ultra friends of liberty at home and the ultra friends of slavery here the same arguments_ of moderation.'' He \Yas as finnly opposed to the doctrine of secession, - ,v hich he fores a ,v ,vould lead to ci Yil ,var if car­ ried out, - as he ,vas to the fiery zeal of the abolitionists, ,vho proposed no remedy except im- 1nediate ernancipation ,vithout co1npensation, and ,vho preached disunion. He considered the govern- 1nent national and perpetual, possessing supre1ne authority for executing the po,vers intrusted to it; and for the purpose of carrying out those po,vers he ,vas in favor of the maintenance of an adequate n1ilitary and naval force. His vie,vs under,vent no change during his long political career, and he hoped constantly that the L nion ,voukl be preserved peacefully, dreading the calan1ities of an ar1ned contest. ..A.. s president of the Charleston Convention in 18GO, at the opening of the dreadful drama of the Civil \Yar, he urged in emphatic language the necessity of preserYing the "C nion and the Constitution. He ,vas independent and fearless in speech, and never hesitated to defend New- England against the assaults and taunts of the extren1ists of the South. In his speech on the " Right of Petition " in 1836, ,vhile presenting petitions for the aboli­ tion of slavery in the District of Cohunbia, he says : " The right of petition is not a privilege 78 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. conferred by the Constitution. It is recognized as a pre-existing right already possessed by the people, ,vhich they still reserve to themselves, and ,vhich Congress shall not so rnuch as touch with the weight of a finger. . . . To understand its nature and extent. ,ve must therefore look beyond., and behind the Constitution into the anterior political history of the country. . .. If there be any plausible reason for supposing that ,ve have the right to legislate on the slave inter­ ests of the District of Columbia, you cannot put down the investigation of the subject out-of-doors by refusing to receive petitions.... The aboli­ tionists have a right to their opinions, and a right to express their opinions in all constitutional modes." His

X orth. But let not gentlemen mistake us, nor 1magine that because ,ve choose to reason ,ve cannot feel. I beg leave to assure them that we of the North could pour forth declamation as little to the purpose as others do, if it comported ,vith our notions of good taste or of good sense. If ,ve are less irritable than some of those ,vith whom ,ve are associated here, it is not that in a just quarrel we are less profoundly moYed. Bred in the perpetual inculcation of habits of order and self-control, ,ve are accustomed to think that in questions like the present, invoh·ing the first principles of civil liberty and the dearest rights of 1nankind, passionate invective, rash 1nenace, and random excla1nation are poor substitutes for rea­ son and argu1nent. ... I have been deeply sen­ sible to the ,vrongs heaped on the North in the course of this debate. I have marked the cries of violence ,vith ,vhich this hall has continually rung. I mean to vindicate unflinchingly the rights of my constituents and the fa1ne of my fore­ fathers •... I cannot sit tamely by, in hun1ble, acquiescent silence, ,vhen reflections \Yhich I kno,v to be · unjust are cast on the faith and honor of l\Iassachusetts.... I ,vill not be silent ,vhen I hear her patriotism or her truth ques­ tioned ·with so much as a ,vhisper of detraction. Living I ,vill defend her, dying I ,vould pause in my last expiring breath to utter a prayer of fond remembrance for my native Ne,v England." 80 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

After giving, in 1838, in his speech upon the French clain1s, a clear historical exposition of the ,vhole subject, he terminates ·with these words: " The 'G nited States ::ias discharged or stands ready to discharge her ,vhole ackno,vledged pub­ lic debt. X o,v is the auspicious mon1ent, there­ for€, to show that as she is resolute to exact justice of others, so she is ready to render it her­ self, in satisfying this, ,vhich, being in fact the equivalent of the aid ,ve received from France, is among the last outstanding of the great pecuniary obligations of the Revolution.'' He demanded also, in his remarks on the Ind­ ian Department, that the Government should ex­ ercise justice to,vards the original possessors of the soil : "Dictates of dutv in this n1atter are not " less imperative than argu1nents of policy. They have sunk to ,vhat they are, if not by us, yet through us. '\Ye have assu1ned the guardianship of them, and have pledged ourselves by stipulation after stipulation to ,vatch over their ,velfare. I invoke the faith of treaties, I appeal to the honor of the nation, I demand of it truth and justice, if there be any sense of right in civilized communi­ ties, that we act decidedly and pron1ptly in the execution of some ,vell-

to the President of the lT nited States, as the actual chief of the party and the constitutional head of the government, the right of conscien­ tious judgment? ... The people have placed us in po,ver for the purification and refonn of the government, and the pro:motion of the manifold interests of the lT nion. It is for us to decide ,vhether ,ve ,vill prove recreant to the trust," and "w·hether, in entering upon a parricidal ,varfare against our o,vn chief and the head of our O-\vn administration, ,ve ,vill place an impassable gulf bet,veen him and us." The breach could not be healed, and l\fr. Cush­ ing thought it his duty to stand by the President, as did also l\fr. "\Vebster, ,vho continued in his post as Secretary of State. Fro111 this time l\fr. Cushing gradually fell into the ranks of the Dem­ ocratic party, although ahvays independent in his views, as he had been ,vhen associated ,vith the \Vhigs. "I choose to keep the direction of my conduct in my o,vn hands, as the unshackled arbiter of my o,vn destiny. I feel this to be my bounden duty; for I foresee that the time is likely enough to come, and in my day, if the ordi­ nary term of human life should be spared n1e, when there will be no ,vant of occupation for any man who would command hi1nself amid the sur­ rounding strife.'' His debates on financial measures having been able, he was nornina ted in 1843 as Secretary of CALEB CUSHING. 83 the Treasury, but ,vas rejected by the Senate. The san1e year he ·was appointed Conu11issioner to China, being eminently qualified for the position, as his know-ledge of China, its literature, and its language, ·was something remarkable. He ,vas able, it is said, to converse in that difficult lan­ guage. ~1r. Sumner ,vrites : "Cushing has n1ade a gran1n1ar of the ~Ianchu language, ,vhich he pro­ poses to publish, -·whether in English or Latin he has not detern1ined. You kno,y he studied diligently the old Tartar dialect, that he n1ight salute the Emperor in his court language.'' Be­ ing the first envoy from the 1J nitecl States to the Celestial En1pire, a naval squadron ,vas or­ dered to escort hi1n to his clestina tion. The · treaty concluded by hi111 the next year, ,vhen Calhoun had taken the place of \Yebster as Sec­ retarv., of State, has been considered the best ever n1ade with an Oriental and pagan nation. In it he not only upheld the dignity of the goyern­ ment he represented, treating the Chinese officials on terms of equality, but also securing the prin­ ciple of exterritoriality of ..A.merican citizens to the fullest extent. He acco1nplished by peaceful means more than England had obtained by hostile measures. "\Vhen the war ,vith ifexico broke out in 1846, }.fr. Cushing, although he had been opposed to the annexation of Texas, expressed the view in the State Legislature that, "as ,var ,vas constitu- 84 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. tionally established through the act of both houses of Congress, and the Governor having complied ,vith the Constitutional request of the President and having taken the necessary steps to raise a regin1ent, the State ,vas already con1- 1nittey his mili­ tary duties

of every known duty, and his amiability as an officer and companion, have endeared hi111 to all those ,vith who1n the fortune of ,var has placed hirn." He ,vas pro1noted, in 1847, to the rank of brigadier-general, and ,vhile still absent from ho1ne ,vas nominated hv.. the Democrats as can- didate for the governorship of the State, but ,vas defeated. "\Vhen Ne,vburyport ,vas incorporated as a city, l\Ir. Cushing beca1ne its first mayor, in 1851. The next year he ,vas appointed a Justice of the Supre1ne Court of the State, taking his seat at the Septen1ber tern1; but scarcely had he beco1ne ac­ custo1ned to his ne,v duties ,vhen he ,Yas selected in 1853 by President Pierce - a con1panion-in­ arms in the l\fexican ,var - to the cabinet position of Attorney-General, ,vhich he retained four years. In the cabinet, associated ·with hi1n, ,vere J efter­ son Davis as Secretary of \Var - a f ello,v-soldier in l\Iexico ~ and the able statesman (}oYernor l\farcy. The duties of that high and responsible position, ,vhich ,vere increased by "transferring to that Depart1nent pardons, legal appoint1nents, and such legal correspondence of any of the Departments as its head might see fit, ... ,vere never n1ore thoroughly and ably perfonued than Ly l\fr. Cushing." l\fr. ,villia1n Beach L.nvrence, no inferior authority, ,vho quotes in his excellent edition of \Vheaton l\fr. Cushing's opinions con­ sta,ntly, says: "The opinions of Attorney-General 86 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

Cushing, contained in three volumes, constitute in themselves a valuable body of international law." In these opinions ~Ir. Cushing shows his familiar­ ity ,vith n1unicipal, adn1iralty, constitutional, and international la,v, ,vith continental la\v and deci­ sions, and great historical research. His opinions, ,vhich are in their nature judicial, being answers to que3tions in regard to the existing la,vs, are exhaustive, and expressed in precise language and in a judicial spirit. The most i1nportant are upon the "Jurisdiction of Federal and State Courts," in ,vhich he says: "The courts of the United States are the rightful judges of their own jurisdiction ; " upon the " Right of Expatriation," in ,vhich he says: "The idea that citizenship or the loss of it cannot be defined by Congress is one of the lingering prejudices of the common law ; " upon the "Relation of the President to the Exec­ utive Departments;" upon the " Office and Duty of the Attorney-General," in which he gives a clear exposition of that office as a branch of the executive administration of the government; upon the "Civil Responsibility of the Army ; " upon the" Nature of Martial Law," in which he says that" under the Constitution of the United States the power to suspend the Habeas Corpus Act belongs exclusively to Congress;" upon "Belligerent Asylum;" upon the "Functions of Consuls;" and upon "Foreign Enlistments," in which he says: "A foreign minister who engages CALEB CUSHING. 87 in the enlistment of troops here for his govern- 1nent is subject to be summarily expelled from the country, or, after demand of recall, dismissed bv'., the President." His final conununication to the President upon the enlistn1ent of troops in America by the English authorities during the Crin1ean ,var is a Yery forcible document, in ,vhich he maintains the dignity and honor of the na­ tional governn1ent in no uncertain language : "As to l\fr. Cra1npton [British :Minister], he also could have offered his testin1ony if he had pleased. If he suggest that considerations of diplomatic dignity ,vould prevent this, the reply is, that con­ siderations of diplomatic dignity should have pre­ vented his engaging, in association with persons no-w said by him to be of equivocal character, in the systematic violation, for a period of nearly six 1nonths, of the municipal la·w of the United States." In another opinion he speaks of the defects of the English law, saying: "The English are prone to criticise the barbarism of the exist­ ing la,v of some of the continental states of Europe. Their own system is not less barbarous, unphilosophical, and fit for reparation." At the Charleston Democratic Convention in 1860, for nominating a President and Vice-Presi­ dent, l\1r. Cushing, being a delegate from l\fassa­ chusetts, ,vas chosen the presiding officer. An eye-°\"\'-itness ,vrites: "The Convention is most for­ tunate in having so excellent a presiding officer. 88 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

}fr. Cnshing's head is ,vonderfully clear, and his knowledge of parliamentary la,v and the rules of the House of Representatives perfect. ... His voice is clear, musical, and po,verful; every syl­ lable of his speech ,vas heard in every part of the house." The passions of this Convention, as is ,vell kno,vn, ,vere too much excited to be controlled by even the strong hand of ::\Ir. Cushing. He pleaded for moderation, saying that "not n1erely the future of the great Constitutional party ,vhich you represent, but the fortunes of the Constitution also, are at stake on the acts of this Convention .... The mission of the Den1ocra.tic party is to rec­ oncile popular freedom ,vith constitutional order; to maintain the sacred reserved rights of the sovereign States; to stand, in a ,vord, the per­ petual sentinels on the outposts of the Constitu­ tion." The same eye-,vitness, ~Ir. Halstead, ,,-rites: "This speech ,vas applauded by all but the extre1ne pro-slavery wing of the Convention." L pon ad­ journing to meet in Balti1nore, l\fr. Cushing said, " I pray you, gentlemen, in your return to your constituents anJ to the bosoms of your families, to take ·with you as your guiding thought the sen­ timent of the Constitution and the Union. . . . I ·will not believe that the noLle ·work of our fathers is to be shattered into fragments, ... this great Republic to be but a nanie, - a history of a mighty people once existing, but existing no 89 longer save as a shado·wy memory, or as a monu- 1nental ruin by the side of the path-way of time." l:pon reassembling at Balti1nore, and the ma­ jority of States having ·witlulra,vn fron1 the Con­ vention, l\f r. Cushing felt it his duty to resign the chainnanship. "I ca1ne here prepared, regardless of all personal preferences, cordially to support the nominations of this Convention, ,vhosoeYer thev.., n1ight be. . . . I ,vas deeply sensible of the diffi- culties, general and personal, looming up in the future to environ 1ny path." . The majority of the ~fassachusetts delegation having decided to join the riYal ConYention, the majority of States being there represented, 1lr. Cushing "-as 1nade the Chairn1an of that Con­ vention, ·which nominared Breckenridge for the Presidency. Events 1noved on rapid1y, but hef ore the ordi­ nance of secession ,vas passed by South Carolina, President Buchanan, hoping to stop or retard the 1nove1nent until Congress, then in session, could '-' act, and the G nion sentirnent, "-hich ,vas still strong in n1any parts of the South, could be evoked and organized, sent in Dcce1nber, 1860, l\fr. Cushing on a 1nission to Governor Pickens, but ,vithout success. In the lett€r of credence,

Buchanan ,vrites, '· I need scarcelv.., add that I entertain full confidence in his integrit.v,u .. abilitY,.. and prudence." As soon as the South l)egan the ,,-ar against 90 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. the North, ,v hich l\fr. Cushing had fore told ,vould be suicidal to the1n, he offered immediately (.A.pril, 1861) his services in support of the cnion, "in any capacity in ,vhich it 1nay be possible for me to contribute to the public ,veal in the present critical e1nergency." As n1en1ber of the State Legislature in 1862, he said, "The country stands upon a ya,vning gulf, and this Com1no1nvealth is called upon and ,vill voluntarily do her full share in the great ,vork. . . . I repeat, I could assent to it [a pending bill] ,vith my eyes closed, if it did but tBnd in any degree to encourage and strengthen the soldiers in the service of the l~ nited States.:' At another ti1ne he said: "Our country, with all its sectional diversity of vie,vs and feelings, is one. It is one in the rich, manly, vigorous, ex­ pressive language ,ve speak, which is become the vernacular tongue, as it ,vere, of parliamentary eloquence, the very dialect of Constitutional freedom. It is one in the fame of our fathers and in the historical reminiscences which belong to us as a nation. . . . It is one in the substantial basis of our manners, in the ,varp at least of ,vhich the web is ,voven." "\Vhen ~fason and Slidell, the Southern envoys, were seized on the high seas by Captain "\Yilkes, l\fr. Cushing gave it as his opinion that they ,vere liable to- seizure according to English precedents. "Mr. Cushing ,vas confidential adviser to different CALEB CGSHI.NG. 91 administrations, and in the n1ost critical times through ,vhich the government ,vas passing. Dur­ ing that period his services ,vere invaluable. Their history is yet to be ,vritten." In 1866 he ,vas appointed a conunissioner to codify the L.nvs of the l ... nited States, and in 1868 "·as sent to Bogot~L on a

public la,v it is pern1issible to a government, in its J.ealings ,vith a territorial rebellion and in ,var de facto, to exercise belligerent rights without i1npair­ ing in any degree the rights of sovereignty." Before the Tribunal of Arbitration at Geneva, 1Ir. Cushing and his colleagues, l\Ir. "'\Yaite and ~Ir. Evaits, ,vere eminently successful. l\1r. Cnshing's excellent kno,vledge of French assisted hi1n materially, as that ,vas the language of the Tribunal. ::\Ir. Han1ilton Fish, Secretary of State, says : " To hi1n, as the leading counsel before the Tribunal at Geneva, the country is indebted. for the comprehensible presentation of its case, result­ ing in the verdict there o btaineJ. His studies extended beyond the municipal la,vs of his o,vn country ; his knowledge of the la,v of nations and his familiarity ,vith the languages and the in­ stitutions of other countries enabled. hin1 to hold intercourse ·with, and to i1npress hi1nself and the points and the logic of the ..A ..rnerican case upon, those to ,vhon1 the English language ,vas not familiar. His argument before the Tribunal it was, which, delivered in a language understood by and familiar to each of the arbitrators, especially the three not nan1ed by either of the parties liti­ gant, brought the la,v and the facts on ,vhich rested the American c2.se, to the intelligence of the entire Court." Chief-Justice vVaite said: "It ,vas niy fortune to be associated ,vith lfr. Cushing before the Tribunal of Arbitration at Geneva, and CALEB CUSHING. 93

I should be false to my o,vn feelings, if I failed to record an expression of gratitude for the kind­ ness and encouragement I received at his han

Resigning his position after the conclusion of the treaty, he returned to N e,vburyport, ·where, in the autumn, he delivered a speech at the organi­ zation of the Historical Societv, ,vhich ,vas the ~ last he ever made. It seeined fitting that his speech on that occasion should be the principal one, as he had delivered n1ore than forty years before, in 1833, the oration at the t,vo hundredth anniversary of the settlen1ent of the to,vn. He continued to reside in his large, old-fashioned 1nan­ sion until his death, in January, 1879. In all the troubles anfl triu1nphs of his long and busy life, the people of N e,vburyport stood by him steadfastly, and it see1ns that l\fr. Cushing ahvays felt that he could rely upon their syn1pathy and kindness. The funeral services, under the auspices of the City Governn1ent, nir. J. J. Currier being n1ayor, were impressive. An able eulogy ,vas pronounced by Hon. George B. Loring, ,vho spoke of ~fr. Cushing as being "an authority ,vith every ad­ ministration fron1 Pierce's to Grant's on interna­ tional la,v; he ,vas recognized as an adn1irable classical and bellcs-lcttres scholar; his speeches in legislative debate ,vere learned and exhausti,·e; his occasional addresses ,vere eloquent and con1- prehensive; and his po,ver as a ,vriter led the literary ,vorld to regret deeply that he left behind hin1 so fe,v books and such circumscribed author­ ship." l\1r. Tuttle said: "Such ,vas the great 96 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. versatility of his talents, that he could master with equal facility any subject. I kno,v of no subject of intellectual contemplation that lay outside of the range of his meditations and studies. The late President Pierce told me that :\Ir. Cushing could have filled any place in his Cabinet ,vith as much ability and reputation as he did that of Attorney-General, and that his eye ranged over all the affairs of the governn1ent." l\fr. Sumner used to say that "he had never met, at home or abroad, ,vith any one so full of kno,vledge as Caleb Cushing." ...A .. ttorney-General Devens remarked : "In pri­ vate character and in social intercourse l\Ir. Cush­ ing ,vas 1nost attractive. His rare po,vers of conversation and his large and ,vell-digested stores of learning made hin1 a fascinating co1n­ panion to all ,vho listened to him, ,vhile his readiness and cordial desire to serve others bv., the multitude of resources at his command ,vere ahvays conspicuous." His scholarly tastes ,vere sho·wn in his library, ,vhich contained not only the best collection, prob­ ably, of ,vorks on international la,v in the country, as ·well as the largest one of Chinese ,vorks, but the classics of ancient and modern times. "Externally, :X ature h~

AlthouQ:h.__ courteous in manner he ,voul

REV. STEPHEX I-IIGGINSOX TYNG.

1800.

THE Re,-. Dr.. Tyng is the son of :\fr. Dudley Atkins, an able la,Yyer of X e,vburyport, ,vho changed his na1ne to Tyng to inherit property from a distant relative. After graduating at Har,-ard College in the class of 1817, having as classn1ates Caleb Cushing, the jurist and diplon1a tist, and George Bancroft, 7 98 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

the historian, he entered the counting-house of an uncle in Boston, preparatory to a mercantile career. At nineteen, l\Ir. Tyng resolved to become a clergyman, his mind having been turned towards religious subjects in childhood. He had been baptized in X e·wburyport by Bishop Bass, the first Bishop of :\fassachusetts, and ,vhile a schoolboy in Andover had associated with the students of divinity, ,vho used to discuss 1natters of theology. He began his theological studies under Bishop Gris·wold, in Bristol, Rhode Island, one of ·whose daughters he subsequently 1narried. Young as he ·was, he acquired a habit of extem­ poraneous speaking ,vhich ,vas of great advantage to him in after life, as ,vere also the business habits he had acquired: ,vhich prepared him to manage understandingly the charitable and re­ ligious funds committed to his care at various times. After being rector of a church in Georgeto,vn, and then in :::\1aryland for a time, he ,vas invited to Philadelphia to take charg3 ·of St. Paul's Church and suhser1uently of the Epiphany. In 1845, ,vhen the Convention met in Philadcl­ ,phia to select a bishop for Pennsy1 ,~ania, Dr. Tyng ·was a prominent candidate; and it is said that he v{ould have hecorne the successful aspir­ ant if he had sho,vn a proper zeal on his own behalf. The same year he accepted an invitation REV. STEPHEN HIGGINSON TYNG. 99

from the important and flourishing Church of St. George in New York, ·where he passed many years in active duty. Dr. Tyng is an excellent scholar, and ,vell read. His style of WTiting and of delivery is Yigorous and forcible. His influence in his congregation and church ,vas great, as his actions ,vere prompted by a conscientious regard for ,vhat he considered his dutY. Manv works of his have "' "' been published, almost entirely of a theological nature. The principal are, " The La,v and the Gospel," "Christ is All," "Commentary on the Four Gospels," "Forty Years' Experience in Sun­ day-Schools." His sermon, " Christian Loyalty," preached on the day of fasting in 1863, during the crisis of the Civil "\Var, ,vas vigorous and pat­ riotic. "I desire not to live to see a disunion of the States for any reasons and upon ~ny terms.~' In speaking of the day (September 17, 1787) when the Constitution ,vas signed by "\Yashington and other delegates, he said, " It ,vas the great constructing day of this nation, of ,vhich it may be said, the nation ,vas horn on it. I have ,von­ dered that it has not been kept an1ong the holi­ days of the An1erican people." 100 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

\YILLI.A.~f LLOYD GARRISON.

1805-1879.

AL)IOST under the shadow of the church ·where "\\... hitefield's remains are buried, ,vas born, in hum­ ble circu1nstances, "\Villia1n Lloyd (;arrison, w·ho, after being for a short time in a shoe1naker's and then in a ca l,inet-n1aker' s shop, becan1e a printer at an early age in the office of the :N ff\V­ buryport "HeralJ." Being industrious and ambitious he lost no opportunity for self-cu1tiYation, and soon com­ menced to write articles for the ne,vspa per. His attBntion was called to the subject of the abolition of slaverv·,.. ·which had excited much discussion in N e·wburyport from early times. Judge Se-wall had attacked the slave trade as earlv as 1700, " ,vriting and publishing a tract called the " Selling of Joseph." Later, Benjamin Colman of X ew·­ bury had displayed great earnestness in the cause of emancipation. .Jonathan .Jackson had been among the earliest to liberate a slave belonging to him ; and Rufus King, then a resident of N e,v­ buryport, had brought forward, as a delegate in the Congress of the old Confederation, his bill making the territory of the X orth,vest free; ""·hich ,vas after,vards adopted by l\fr. Dane. ,vILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON. 101

In 1829 l\fr. Garrison, after editing for a time in Boston a paper called the "Xational Philan­ thropist," ,vhich ,vas probably the first paper ever published urging the total abstinence from intoxi­ cating drinks, joined ~fr. Benjamin Lundy in Baltimore, to aid hi1n in publishing there the '' Genius of UniYersal Emancipation_:, This aboli­ tion pa per being considered seditious and a f o­ m enter of trouble, a pretext ·was gladly seized to i1nprison l\Ir. Garrison upon a suit for libel brought against hirn in Balti1nore by l\fr. Francis Todd, of N e,vburyport. He ,vas, ho,YeYer, liber­ ated after a short incarceration, upon l\fr...... -\.rthur Tappan's paying the fine incurred. In 1831 l\Ir. Garrison con1menced the publica­

tion of the "Liberator," in Boston, assisted bv., l\Ir . Isaac Knapp, of N e,vbnryport. In the spring of 1833 he ,vas sent to England for the purpose of

counteractin~,_ the efforts uf the American Coloni- zation Society and also of establishing friendly r relations ,vith European ab-Jlitionists...... \.s the ·representative of the Ne,v England ...... \.nti-Slavery Society he ·was ·well receiYed by "\Yilberforce, Clarkson, Brougham, and others. The sarne year a national society ,vas formed in Philadelphia, called the A1nerican .....~nti-Slavery Society, that city having been apparently chosen on account of the historical precedent. The ne,v society, in1itating the Continental Congress, issued a Declaration of Senti1nents, vd1ich ,vas ,vritten 102 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. by ~1r. Garrison. After stating the reasons for founding the Society, the object to be attained, and the means to be adopted, the Declaration ends as follow-s : "Pledging ourselves that, under the guidance and by the help of Almighty God, ,ve will do all that in us lies, consistently ,vith this declaration of our principles, to overthro,v the most execrable system of slavery that has eyer been ,vitnessed upon earth; to deliver our land from its deadliest curse; to ,vipe out the foulest stain ,vhich rests upon our national escutcheon ; and to secure to the colored population of the United States all the rights and privileges ,vhich belong to them as men and as .. A.mericans, come what may to our persons, our interests, or our reputation, -;vhether we live to witness the tri­ umph of liberty, justice, and humanity, or perish untimely as martyrs in this great, benevolent, and holy cause." The opposition to anti-slavery agitation in the country became so strong that a riot took place in New York in 1834, occasioned by a n1eeting of abolitionists there, and troubles also arose in Philadelphia, and the next year l\Ir. Garrison had to be conveyed to prison in Boston to escape the fury of his opponents. In the Southern States a price was placed upon his head, as well as upon that of l\fr. Arthur Tappan, who was President of the American Anti-Slavery Society. Mr. Garrison differed from n1any of his friends, WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON. 103 in de1nanding i1nmediate emancipation. He ,vas impatient of any delay, and ,vas consequently opposed to a gradual manumission, such as had taken place in Europe in the abolition of villenage and serfdom, and in the Northern States in giving freedo1n to the colored population; as, for in­ stance, in Ne,v York, where the act passed in 1799 ,vas not fully con1pleted until 1827, and in the English \Vest India Islands, where the emanci­ pation con1mencing in 1834 did not actually end until four years after, and a system of apprentice­ ship established for a certain number of years, as intermediary bet,veen servitude and freedom. He opposed also any idea of compensation. "\Ve maintain that no con1pensation should be given to the planters en1ancipating their slaves, because it would be a surrender of the great fun­ da1nental principle, that 1nan could hold property in man.'' In this he was in opposition to the Act of the English Parliament, ,vhich gave £20,000,000 to the "\Yest India planters, at the proportion of £25 for each slave. l\fr. Garrison, in speaking of this, says, "The West Indian body in Parliarnent succeeded in burdening the Act of En1ancipation with a gift of £20,000,000 sterling, as a con1pen­ sation for in1aginary losses, and ,vith an appren­ ticeship syste1n to last for seven years." l\fr. Elihu Burritt, considering the English view just and equitable, and that the losses of the Southern planters ,vould n·ot be imaginary but 104 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

real, ad vocat€d the same plan for the D-nited States. He proposed that the national govern­ ment should purchase all the slaves, paying for each one 8250, double the a1nount paid by Eng­ land, 1naking a total of S.S75,000,000. He claimed that n1any of the Southern States v;,-ould en1brace speedily, and all, in time; the offer, and that the South, finding that the North did not "-ish to decree against them an act of confiscation, ,vould become again friendly to,vards the Union. These vie,vs did not suit n:Ir. Garrison, "-hose utterances ,vere vehement, defiant, and uncompromising, and ·who had become, if possiLle, more violent, -son1e of his fonner friends having deserted hirn, and an attempt haYing been made to deprive him of his ascendency in the Society. As the Constitution had been a compromise bet·ween slave-holding and free States, ~Ir. Gar­ rison attacked it in violent terms. "I kno,v," he said, "that there is much declamation about the sacredness of the compact ,vhich ·was formed be­ t'ween the free and the slave States in the adop­ tion of the national Constitution. A sacred cornpact forsooth ! I pronounce it the most bloody and heaven-daring arrangement ever made by nian for the continuance and protection of the rnost atrocious villany ever exhibited on earth ; yes, I recognize the compact, lJut ,vith feelings of indignation and shame, and it will be held in everlasting infamy by the friends of humanity '\YILLIA:M LLOYD GARRISO~. 105 and justice throughout the ,vorld. .A. sacred com­ pact! A sacred co1npact ! "\Yhat then is ,vicked and ignon1inious ? " .. A.t another ti1ne he called, in biblical language, the Constitution " a coYenant ,vith death," " an agreen1ent ,vith hell." "No union ,vith slaYe­ holders '' became the n1otto of the Anti-Slavery "' Society in 1844, and the men1bers were ,villing to separate fro111 the slave-holding States of the South, thinking that a disruption of the l~nion ,vould be better than an alliance ,vith ,vhat they considered a cri1ne. l\fr. Su1nner ,,Tites in 1845: " I never heard Garrison before. He spoke ·with natural eloquence. Hillard spoke exquisitely. His ,vords descended in a golden shower ; but Garrison·s fell in fiery rain. It seen1ed doubtful, at one tirne, if the Abolitionists ,vould not succeed in carrying the Convention. Their proposals ,vere voted do,vn ; though a very respect.able n un1 ber of the Convention ,vere in fayor of a dissolution of the Union, in the event of the annexation of Texas."

"From 1844 to 1861 the Garrisonian agit~tion'-- proceeded upon the ground of the inherent defile- n1ent of the Constitution.'' Upon the breaking out of the Civil "\Yar in 1861, Mr. Garrison, thinking that probably slavery ,vould perish in the conflict, beca111e an up­ holder of the Union, instead of an opponent, and although a firm belieYer in the principles of non- 106 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. resistance, approved of the _war and of all warlike measures ; it does not appear, howev-er, that he ever offered his services to the government. " During the first two years of the ·war l\1r. Garrison, in common \Yith all other friends of freedom, ,vas exceedingly impatient ,vith ·what seemed to be the uncertain, shilly-shally policy of President Lincoln .... But ,vhen at last he issued his Proclamation of Emancipation and committed himself fully to the ,vork of extern1inating slavery 1fr. Garrison distrusted him no longer, and took the most charitable view of such of his acts as he could not ,vholly approve." He lived to see the end of the struggle, which resulted in the total destruction of servitude in the country. "Still I cannot forget," ,vrites one of the leading abolitionists, " that it ·was the madness of the slave po,ver alone that opened the way to this glorious consummation." He was among the guests invited by the Na­ tional Government in April, 1865, to witness the replacing of the American flag upon the ,valls of Fort Surnter, ,vhere the first blow of secession had been struck four years before, and he was enthusiastically received by the freedmen at Charleston. T·wo years after he again visited Europe, when a public breakfast was given to hirn in London, at ,vhich ,vere present Earl Russell, John Bright, ,John Stuart Mill, llerbert Spencer, and other CORNELIUS CONWAY FELTON. 107 distinguished men. At Edinburgh the freedom of the city ·was conferred upon him. He ex­ tended his journey to France, S,vitzerland, and a part of Gern1any, "but ,vas sorely tried ,vhile on the Continent uy his inability to speak the language and converse ,vith the people, and con­ stantly expatiated on the need of a universal language for all the nations of the earth." In 1877 he visited England once more, refusing, ho,vever, proffered hospitalities on account of ill health. .A.t his funeral, in Roxburv,., in 1879, ,vere gathered his chief friends, l\Ir. ,,... en dell Phillips delivering the principal address. 1\1:r. ,vhittier has ,vritten of him : " The private lives of many "~ho fought ,ve11 the battles of hu- 1nanity have not been ,vithout spot or blen1ish. But his private character, like his public, kne,v no dishonor."

CORNELIUS co~,v Ay FELTO~.

1807-1862.

AFTER preparing hi1nself ,vith great earnestness for college, l\Ir. Felton, \vho """as the son of a West N e,vbury farn1er, entered Harvard in 1823. " While in college he ,vas distinguished for his literary tastes and the ,vide range of his studies." Greek ,vas, ho,ve,~cr, his favorite study, ,vhich he 108 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. pursued outside of the regular college course, Dr. Popkin, the Professor of Greek, assisting him. After graduating, in 1827, he ·was for t,vo years the principal .of a school in the interior of the State of New York, and ,vas then sun1moned to Cambridge to take the position of tutor of Latin in the University. The next year he ,vas ap­ pointed tutor of Greek, and in the short space of t,vo years ,vas elected to the college professorship of that language. In 1834 he ,vas pron1oted to the Eliot Professorship of Greek Literature, vacated by the learned Dr. Popkin, and this position he retained until he ,vas 1uade President of the 1I ni­ versity in 1860. In his inaugural address he said : :, I have accepted the office of president of this ancient university, not ignorant of its labors, nor inex­ perienced in its anxieties. . . . Our Puritan an­ cestors brought with them from Oxford and Cambridge the scholarship of England. They were among the best educated men of their times. They ,vere among the noblest men of all times . . . . A solid character is not the gro"~th of a day ; the intellectual faculties are not matured without long and rigorous culture. To refine the taste is a laborious process; to store the mind with sound and solid learning is the work of calm and studious years. It is the business of the higher- education to check this fretful impatience which possesses us, this crude and eager haste to CORXELIUS CONWAY FELTON. 109 drink the cup of life which drives us onward to exhaust the intoxicating draught of ambition .... Without discipline there is no spontaneous action "~orth having, no inspiration that deserves to be listened to." In speaking of 1fr. Felton's accomplishments as a Greek scholar, President ~\Voolsey, of Yale College, ,vrites: " ....-\.s a Greek scholar he ,vas not surpassed for breadth and accuracy by any other in the land." His Greek Reader passed through n1any editions ; his edition of Homer, 'ClouJs" of Aristophanes, "Agamemnon" of .lEs­ chylus, and "Birds" of Aristophanes received merited praise. lIpon his return from his first visit to Greece he published, in 1856, a selection of modern Greek \\Titers. His "Lectures on An­ cient and l\f odern Greece," published in t,vo vol­ u1nes, are very comprehensive, and exhibit great study. In this ,vork he ·writes : " ,Ye should study Homer, but l\f ilton also ; we should n1ake Shakespeare the companion of .iEschylus, Soph­ ocles, and Euripides; and Aristophanes should be illustrated by Goldsn1ith and Sheridan.'' In speaking of the Greek language he ,vrites: " The history of the Greek language is one of the most interesting subjects of literary investigation. Men of the clearest judgment unite ,vith enthu­ siastic scholars in declaring it to be unrivalled for richness, copiousness, and strength. . . . ,vhence came this curiously contrived instrument of hun1an thought?" 110 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

In addition to his works on Greece and G:recian literature, )fr. Felton wrote many n1agazine arti­ cles, principally for the " X orth American Re­ licw," and translated seYeral "·arks from German and French. His articles in the "Xorth .Ameri­ can Re\-iew " cover a great Yariety of topics, ~ho,,ing patient work an

Dickens," ")Iodern ....\rt in Germany,''., "Everett's Orations," and " On Translating Homer."

In one of his essavs., he ·writes : " The lo\Te of the old is connected \\-ith the best and highest feelings of our nature. The past is sacred. It is set beyond the rei,~olutions of nature and the shift­ ing institutions of 1nan. So rnuch of beauty, of expr;rience, rJf \\·isdcJrn, js secure from the touch of change. He \YhrJ would destroy this treasury of thr; hr~art and rnind by rudely assailing our rev­ err~nr.:r; frJr thr~ rJld ·wrJuld rrJb hurnan life of half

,Jf its rJianr1., and nearlvv all its n~finement." Aftr;r rJcr~upyin~ thr.! prr.!sidency (Jf the 'Gniver- :-3ity fr1r tlir; shr1rt spaee rJf two years, ::\1r. Felton r]j,;d, in 18Fj~, larnr.:ntr;,l hy his fri<;uds, n0t only in .Arur;rir;a hut in EurrJp<;. JJr. IIill ,vrote from .A thr;n;;: "Thr; king and rpH;<;n have <;XJ1n;ss(:d th,~fr :-:inr~r;rr; :-:rJIT'i\V. • • . l',;ltrJn's dr.!ath is deeply fa.rr1r;nt,,;d }1,;r<; by his n11rn,;ro11s frfonds." The king h:.1d ~hrJwn rnur;h att<.mti

,vhen in Greece, and had offered him the use of the royal yacht \Vith ,vhich to 1nake excursions to points of historical interest. At the request of the Smithsonian Institution, l\Ir. Felton haYing been- one of the regents, a eulogy ,vas prepared by President "\Y oolsey, in ·which he says: "~Ir.

Felton's nature ,-vas manv-sicled.v His mind ·was ,vell-rounde

RE~ LEOXARD WOODS, J&

1S07-187S.

TnE contrast bet,vcen the Yie,vs of a clergTn1an '- .. of the olws :1ppoi11tl'll tc) a pn)fr"S~l)f~hip in tlw Tlwolugieal ~l'l1ool at .:\ndoYer \\"hL)ll that in:::titn­ tion ,vas ti r::-t e~ta bli~hl'll. 112 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

After preparing for college at Phillips .A.eademy, Andover, l\fr. Leonard "\Voods, Jr., entered Dart­ mouth College, ,vhere he ren1ained, ho,vever, only one year. He then became a student at lT nion College in New York, graduating in 1827 with the highest honors of his class. "As a scholar he excelled in all branches. . . . As a poet, he sho,ved such pron1ise that many of his friends believed that poetry ,vas his true vocation .... His form ,vas light and spare, his features of almost feminine softness," but "allied ,vith manly firn1ness and resolution." After passing his examinations at the Andover Theological School in 1830, and performing the duties of assistant instructor of Hebrew for a time, he translated and published, ,vith · notes, Knapp's "Theology." "This achievement secured him at once a prominent position an1ong the scholars and theologians of the country." After having charge of a church in New York, where he preached ,vith great force and eloquence, and being editor of the :New York " Literary and. Theological Revie,v," he was appointed, in 1836, Professor of Biblical Literature in the theological school at Bangor. His reputation became such that in 1839, ,vhen scarcely thirty-t,vo years of age, he ,vas selected for the responsible position of President of Bo-wdoin College. upon visiting Europe a short time after his inauguration, he was well received at Oxford by REV. LEOXARD WOODS, JR. 113

Pusey, Newman, and Stanley. In Paris he had the honor of dining with the citizen-king, Louis Philippe, and in Rome had an intervie,v ,vith Gregory x·v-r., with whom he conversed in Latin, making a most favorable impression upon his Holiness. He examined carefully the ,vorking of the different educational establishments in Eu­ rope, lay as well as clerical. Upon his return he devoted himself ,vith rene,ved energy to the duties of his position. He believed more in moral suasion than in strict dis­ cipline, and tried to win the affections of the students by his urbanity and kindness. His tem­ perament being poetical, and his studies causing him to d,vell much on the past, for ,vhich lie had great reverence, his theological vie,vs ,vere broad. "He revered antiquity. He held to the substance of his father's creed, not only because he deen1ed it accurate, but also because he deemed it ancient;" but "sectarian bitterness \Vas his abhorrence." ,vhen the Civil ,var threatened to burst on the country, he opposed strongly the use of force. " Our President," writes one who had been a stu­ dent in the college, "having little faith in the power of even college discipline, shrank from the bloody discipline inflicted by the nation. He did not believe that hearts ,vould be won and patriot­ ism created by the bayonet and the cannon." His views estranged hin1 from 111any of his old friends, and his influence was consequently much 8 114 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. diminished. He therefore thought it his duty to resign the presidency in 1866. The next year he was commissioned by the Governor to collect docu1nents for the history of the State of l\iaine. After gathering in Europe much material, some of ,vhich was published, and almost completing his work, his library, with its valuable manuscripts, notes, and books, was in 187 4 almost totally destroyed by fire. His health, delicate before, broke do,vn at this catastrophe. His notes for the introduction to the second volume of the "Documentary History of l\faine " were, happily, saved. By the care and skill of Mr. Charles Deane, of Cambridge, they were arranged and published. After Dr. \Voods's death, in 1878, the faculty of Bowdoin College passed resolutions, saying: "\Ve have heard ,vith deep sorro,v of the death of Dr. Woods, ,vho, through a long and brilliant ser­ vice in the presidency of this college, filled the best years of his life with un,vearied efforts to pro­ mote its efficiency, to elevate its intellectual and moral character, to increase its resources, and to give it an honorable and influential position among the educational institutions of the country." The principal works left by Dr. vVoods are a eulogy on \Vebster and a lecture on the "Liberties of the Ancient Republics." As a preacher he was eloquent and in1pressive, and as a conversational­ ist had few equals. REV. THOMAS MARCH CLARK. 115

REV. THOlIAS lIA.RCH CLARK.

1812.

AFTER graduating at Yale Coll_ege in 1831, and subsequently studying divinity at the Theological Seminary in Princeton, and being licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Ne,vburyport, the Rev. Thomas l\L Clark entered the Episcopal Church, and ,vas ordained in 1836. As rector of ({race Church in Boston, of St. An­ dre,v's, Philadelphia, assistant minister of Trinity in Boston, and rector of Christ Church, Hartford, his kindly and genial nature won for him many ,varm friends and ,vell-wishers. In 1854 he ,vas elevated to the bishopric of Rhode Island, a position he still worthily occupies. Several of his sermons, lectures, and orations have been published, the principal of ,vhich are an historical discourse in commemoration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of St. John's Church in Providence ; "Primary Truths of Re­ ligion ; " " Lack of Religious Culture Fatal to our Public and Social Systen1 ; " " Influence of Thought," an oration delivered before the Phi Beta I{appa Society of Union College; and "Lec­ tures on the Formation of Character," in which he says: "Religion is exhibited as something 116 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

peculiar to the sanctuary and the closet and the sick-bed and the Sabbath; but as having nothing to do in making a bargain, in the state­ ment of accounts, in contracts and bonds; noth­ ing to do in the ·workshop, the office, and the counting-house. ..A.n unnatural divorce bet·ween religion and the ordinary business of life has been declared, -,vhat God has joined together, man has taken the liberty to put asunder.... The passive tolerance extended to successful fraud operates as a premium upon dishonesty.... There are certain forms of crime which can be punished only at the tribunal of public opinion .... Society for its o·wn protection, should withdraw its fello,v­ ship from the offender." In his di.scourse on the "Relations of the Past to the Present," delivered before the Ancient and Honorable .....\.rtillery Company, Dr. Clark says, contrasting the epochs: " The ,vakeful sentinel kept watch in the lonely tower ,vhile the house­ hold slept; the raised dra,vbri

•.. What will be the prominent characteristic of the intellectual era towards ,vhich we are tending? There ",-ill be a fairer adjustment of the relations existing between form and substance, language and thought, dogma and spirit." In 1883 Bishop Clark delivered, by invitation, before the General Convention at Philadelphia, the sermon in commemoration of the hundredth anniversary of the organization of the American Episcopal Church.

BENJAMIN PERLEY POORE. 1820.

THE Poore family has for eight generations occupied what is known as the " Indian Hill Farm," in ,vest N e,vbury, w·here guests are ·wel­ comed by l\fajor Ben: Perley Poore w"ith gen­ uine hospitality. The house, surrounded with fine trees and well-kept la"1-ns, resembles an old English mansion. The interior is picturesque, and is filled with objects of historic interest. Jtfr. Poore has gained a wide-spread reputation as a journalist and author. He \Yas the historical agent of ~1assachusetts in France from 1844 to 1848, con1piling several volumes of important his­ torical documents, extending from 1492 to 1780, which have not yet been printed. His principal published works are, " A Short Account of the Early Life of Napoleon Bonaparte," "The Rise 118 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

and Fall of Louis Philippe,'' an interesting book in which the vicissitudes of the prince are graphi­ cally told, Mr. Poore having as a boy seen the King of the French not long after his elevation to the throne and again just before his do,vnfall. A quotation describing the arrival in Paris of the band of ruffians from lfarseilles, in the first Revo- 1u tion, gives an idea of the style in which the book is ·written : " Their bronzed faces, with eyes of fire, their uniforms covered with the dust of their journey, their red woollen caps, _shaded with green boughs, the absence of discipline with which they either carried their muskets or dragged them after them, their harsh provincial accent mingled with oaths, their ferocious gestures, - all struck the imagination of the multitude with great force. The revolutionary idea seemed impersonated and to be marching to the last assault of Royalty, chanting an air ·whose notes seemed to come from the breast with sullen mutterings of national anger, and then with the joy of victory." The lives of several eminent Americans have also been written by Mr. Poore, and a compila­ tion arranged of the Federal and State Constitu­ tions, Colonial Charters, and other organic laws of the United States, by order of the Senate. · He is also the compiler of the valuable Congressional directorr, and is still an able newspaper corre­ spondent from \Vashington, where his social expe­ riences have been most interesting. ADOLPHUS ,v ASHINGTON GREELY. 119

ADOLPHUS WASHINGTON GREELY.

1844.

AT the beginning of the Civil ,var Adolphus W. Greely entered as a private, at the youthful age of seventeen~ in the volunteer forces, and after attaining the rank of first sergeant in the Nine­ teenth l\1assachusetts regiment, was promoted, in 1863, to a second lieutenancy in a regiment of col­ ored troops. The next year he became a first lieu­ tenant, and in 1865 obtained a captaincy. He ,vas in many of the hard-fought battles in the East, being ,vounded at the battle of White Oak Swamp and again at Antietam, and he participated also in the siege of Port Hudson in the ,vest. Being honorably discharged, ,vith the rank of brevet­ major of volunteers, in 1867, he ,vas the same year appointed to a second lieutenancy in the present Seventh regiment of infantry of the regular army. He was subsequently transferred to the Fifth Cavalry, and was promoted to a first lieutenancy in 1868. Having served as chief signal officer in the de-­ partment of the Platte, and being a good scholar, familiar with French and German as well as the classics, he was assigned, in 1871, to the Chief Signal Office in Washington, to which he is still 120 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. attached. He showed great energy in construct­ ing military telegraph lines in Texas and in some of the Western Territories, and "while on duty in the Weather Bureau as the predicting officer, made the first official forecast for a longer period than twenty-four hours, foretelling in 1880 two days and a half in advance." Having been a student of Arctic explorations for some time, and having had experience for twelve years in the signal service, he ,vas well qualified to be the head of the scientific Lady Franklin Bay expedition, which sailed from St. Johns, Newfoundland, July 7, 1881. He, as well as his comrades, showed great courage and endur­ ance in this expedition; after the most northerly point, it is said, ever reached by man had been attained by part of his conunand, and the geo­ graphical kno,vledge of the polar regions having been considerably augmented, and the whole party having been brought back in safety to the appointed station, they were confronted by the appalling prospect of a slow death caused by the miscarriage of the expected provisions. Those still alive were finally rescued on June 22, 1884, by the relief squadron sent by the United States authorities, aided and stimulated, however, by the gift of a vessel named the " Alert," presented by the English Government. In appreciation of his high qualities, and grate­ ful for his preservation, the civic authorities of BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 121

Newburyport accorded to Lieutenant Greely and his companions a public reception, July 15, 1884, when the city put on its festive garb, and speeches were made, the principal being by }1r. Richard S. Spofford, Jr., and Colonel Eben F. Stone, the mem­ ber of Congress from the district.

RESIDENTS BORN ELSEWHERE.

BESIDES being the birthplace of many distin­ guished men, Newbury, Newburyport, and West Newbury have been the permanent or temporary residence of not a fe,v persons, born elsewhere, who have acquired a reputation in their various callings. The Rev. John Tufts, born in Medford in 1689, a graduate of Harvard in 1708, was the minister of the Second Church in New-bury from 1714 to 1738. In the first year of his ministry he pub­ lished, in Newburyport, an "Introduction to the Singing of Psalm-Tunes." Mr. Coffin, the historian, says: "It was at this time a great novelty, it being the first publication of the kind in New England, if not in America. As late as 1700 there were :p.ot more than four or five tunes known in many of the congregations in this country, and in some not more than two or three, and even those were sung altogether by rote. These tunes were 'York,' 122 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

'Hackney,' 'Saint ~.Iary's,' 'Windsor,' and 'Mar­ tyrs.' To publish at this time a book on music, containing the enormous number of twenty-eight psalm-tunes ( which were in three parts, and purely choral), although it was only a reprint of ' Ravenscroft,' which was first published in 1618, was a daring innovation on the old time-honored customs of the country; and the attempt to teach singing by note thus commenced by 1\Ir. Tufts was most strenuously resisted, and for many years, by that large class of persons, everywhere to be found, who believe that an old error is better than a new truth. Many at that time imagined that fa, sol, la, was, in reality, nothing but popery in disguise." Rev. Dr. Ed ward Bass, born in Dorchester in 1726, graduated at Harvard College in 17 44. The next year he became the rector of St. Paul's Church, Newburyport, a position he filled with marked success for fifty-one years. In 1796 he was elevated to the bishopric of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, being the first bishop of the diocese. After occupying the high position, which he had merited by his attainments, for the short space of seven years, he -died in 1803. It was said of him that he united "the character of a sound divine, an erudite scholar, a polished gentleman, and a devout Christian." Rev. Jonathan Parsons, born in· West Spring­ field in 1705, graduating at Yale College in 1729, BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 123

became pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Newburyport in 1746, a position he filled with eminent ability until his death, in 1776. "He could ,vrite in Latin with unusual elegance and purity. His critical skill in Greek was consid­ erable, and in I-Iebrew lea!ning I suppose he exceeded most of his brethren in the ministry in this remote corner of the earth.... His imagina­ tion was rich, his voice clear and commanding, varying with every varying passion,- no-w forcible, majestic, terrifying, and now soft and persuasive and melting." A selection of his sermons, sixty in number, was made and published in Newbury­ port in 1779, three years after his death. His son, Samuel Holden Parsons, born in 1737, passed his boyhood in Newburyport, graduating at Har­ vard College in 1756. After studying law with his uncle, Governor Griswold, of Connecticut, he established himself in New London in 1774. At the breaking out of the Rev·olutionary War he entered the military service and became colonel of the Sixth Connecticut regiment. He was at one time one of Washington's aide.s-de-ca1np, and in 1780 was promoted to the rank of major-gen­ eral In 1789 he was appointed by Washington a judge of the Northwest Territory. Shortly after reaching his post of duty he was accidentally drowned. During his brief residence in the West he had published a work, "Antiquities of the Western States." 124 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

Rev. George Whitefield, the hard-working and enthusiastic English preacher, a friend of John and Charles Wesley at Oxford, after passing more than half of his active life in America, died in Newburyport, at the house of his fello,v-worker, the Rev. ,Jonathan Parsons, who delivered the funeral sermon. Mr. Whitefield was a man of untiring energy and of stirring eloquence, and his influence was consequently widely felt. He was buried under the pulpit of the Federal Street Church. On the stone monument placed in the church by the liberality of 1\1:r. William Bartlet, is the follo,ving inscription: "This cenotaph is erected with affectionate veneration to the mem­ ory of the Rev. George Whitefield, born in Glou­ cestershire, December 16, 1714, educated at Oxford University, ordained in 1736. In a ministry of thirty-four years he crossed the Atlantic thirteen times, and preached more than eighteen hundred sermons. As a soldier of the cross, humble, de­ vout, ardent, he put on the whole armor of God, preferring the honor of Christ to his o,vn interest, repose, and reputation and life. As a Christian orator, his deep piety, disinterested zeal, and vivid imagination gave unexampled energy to his look, utterance, and action. Bold, ardent, pungent, and popular in his eloquence, no other uninspired man pr_eached to so large assemblies or enforced the simple truths of the gospel by motives so persuasive and awful, and with an influence so BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 125 powerful on the hearts of his hearers. He died of asthma, September 30, 1770, suddenly exchang­ ing his life of unparalleled labors for his eternal rest.'' Nicholas Pike, son of Rev. James Pike, grad­ uating at Harvard College in 1766, became a resident of Newburyport, ,vhere, after holding a local n1agistracy for many years, he died in 1819, at the age of seventy-six. His system of arithmetic, published in Ne-wburyport in 1188, was the first book of the kind printed in America. General ,Y ashington ,vrote a complimentary letter to Mr. Pike in regard to it, and Professor Theoph­ ilus Parsons speaks of it as being such an excel­ lent book as to have superseded all ,vorks of a sin1ilar kind in New England. Isaiah Thomas, the noted printer, whose "His­ tory of Printing," published in 1810, was a valu­ able contribution to the subject, and ,vho was in 1812 the founder and president of the .Antiquarian Society of ,v orcester, began his business career in Newburyport in 1767, when only eighteen years of age. Rufus King, born in the Province of l\faine in 1755, after completing his college course at Har­ vard in 1777, studied 1:aw in the office of Theophi­ lus Parsons at Newburyport, and was admitted to the Bar in 1780. He soon became so promi­ nent in his adopted home that he was chosen to represent Newburyport at the General Court only 12 6 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. two years after his admission to the Bar, and was then sent, in 1784, to represent the State in the Congress of the old Confederation. In that body he brought forward, in 1785, his famous Resolu­ tion, that "there be neither slavery nor involun­ tary servitude in any of the States described in the Resolution of April, 1784, other,vise than in punishment of crime, and that this ref,rulation shall be made an article of compact and remain a fundamental principle of the Constitution." This resolution was, by the votes of seven States against four, referred to a Committee of the ,vhole, and was almost word for word embodied by Nathan Dane in the ordinance of 1787. Having been a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1787 in Philadelphia, and a member from New­ buryport to the State Convention the next year, voting in favor of adopting the National Constitu­ tion, l\1r. King became, in 1788, a resident of New York, where, after filling with marked ability some of the most important positions, at home and abroad, in the gift of the government, he died in 1827. Among the law pupils of Theophilus Parsons was ,John Quincy Adams, who at an early age showed marks of ability. When ,v ashington visited N e,vburyport in 1789, l\1r. Adams, st_ill a student of law, ,vas selected to write the address of welcome. Nearly fifty years afterwards, in 1837, he delivered, by invitation of the town, the BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 127

Fourth of July oration, the manuscript of which is preserved in the Public Library: " The present season completes fifty years since I came, as a student at law, to reside for a term of three years at Ne,vburyport, ... endeared to me by the in­ delible impressions of an early youth." Another la,v-student in the office of Theophilus Parsons ,vas Robert Treat Paine, ,vho adopted his father's narne instead of Thomas, in order, as he said, "not to be confounded ,vith Thomas Paine the infidel." l\fr. Paine did not confine hi1nself to the pursuit of legal kno,vledge, but indulged in poetical effusions, having shown early consider­ able poetical talent. He was selected by the authorities of N e-wburyport to write and deliver the eulogy at the funeral celebration of ,vashing­ ton in 1800. Its success ,vas marked, and gave to Mr. Paine a wide-spread reputation at the ti1ne. Dr. Francis -V.. ergnies, a native of France, ·was driven from the island of San Domingo in 1793, by the fury of the French Revolution, being among the proscribed, and established hin1self in N e,v­ buryport, where he gained by his medical skill and urbanity of manners the confidence and esteem of the entire community. His scientific reputation gained for hin1 the admission into many learned societies ; and Harvard University conferred upon him the de6rree of Doctor of Laws. .After his death, in 1830, at the age of eighty-three, it was discovered, by means of his library, which came 128 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. into the possession of Dr. Francis V. Noyes, that his real name was Vergennes, - a family well known in the. history of France. Among the many able ministers, not natives of the town, who have filled the various pulpits, one of the most conspicuous, if not the most conspic­ uous, was Rev. Dr. John Snelling Popkin, a grad­ uate of Harvard, of the class of 1792, who for eleven years, from 1804 to 1815, was the pastor of the First Parish of Newburyport. He was a man of eminent ability, and much beloved by his con­ gregation. He was considered one of the ablest Greek scholars of the country, and on account of his proficien

LIST OF PROPRIETORS OF NEWBURY, 1642.

( Taken ftom the Proprietors' Book.)

~Ir. Richard Dummer. l\f r. Thomas Parker. )Ir. Henry Sewall. 1Ir. James Noyes. ~fr. Edward Rawson. :Mr. John Lowle. l\lr. Stephen Dummer. :Mr. PerciYal Lowle. :Mr. Edmund Greenleaf. l\Ir. John Spencer. ~Ir. John Clarke. 1fr. John "\Y oodbridge. l\Ir. John Cutting. l\fr. James Browne. Henry Short. Thomas Cromwell. Nicholas Holt. Richard Littlehale. Henry Rolfe. Giles Badger. J olm ~ferrill. Samuel Scullard. 'f ho mas Hale. John Osgood. Joseph Peasley. Abel Huse. William 1fors. Joseph Carter. John Goff. John Knight. John Stevens. Henr_y Lunt. Anthony Short. Thomas Browne. John Pemberton. John Hutchins. John Pike, Senior. Daniel Thurston. John :Musselwhite. John Poor. John Emery. J olm Pike, Junior. Anthony Somerby. Henry Palmer. Richard Bartlet. William Titcomb. William :Moody. Nicholas Batt. William Franklin. Thomas Smith. Abraham Toppan. William vVbite. Henry Somerby. Thomas Davis. Walter Allen. vV illiam Ilsley. 132 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

Thomas Silver. Samuel Gile. Henrv Travers. Thomas Dow. " Archelaus "\Voodman. John Swett. Richard Knight. Christopher Bartlet. !frs. (John) Oliver. Richard J3rowne. Stephen Kent. John Cheney. Richard Badger. Anthony :Morss. "\Villiam Thomas. :Nicholas N oycs. "\Vidow (1Villiam) Stevens. N athanicl "\Yeare. John Kelly. John Fry. Francis Plumer. John Bartlet. Robert Coker. Richard Fitts. "\,Villiam Palmer. Thomas Blumfield. Thomas Coleman. George Browne. Nathaniel Badger. John Bond. "\Villiam Berry. Jolm Russ. :11r. (Edward) 1Voodman. i,Ir. John :Miller. Richard Kent, J uuior. Ninety-one in all.

It is declared and ordered hereby, December seventh, 16-12, according to the former intentions of the towne, that the persons only above mentioned are acknmvledged to be free­ holders by the tm·~rne, and to have proportionable right jn all waste lands, commons, and rivers undisposed, and such as by, from, or under them, or any of them, or their heirs, have bought, granted, and purchase,i from them, or any of them, their right and title thereunto, and none else. INDEX.

Adams, John Quincy, 126. Little, Jacob, 66. Little. ~loses, 10. Bailey, Jacob, 9. LowelL Francis Cabot, 49. Bartlet, \\'illiam, 32. Lowell. ,John, 7. Bass, Euwanl, 7, 122. Lowd!, John, 10, 29. Bovu, John Parker. 10, 44-. Lowell, John, 4i. Br;ulbury, Theophilus, 10, 27. Lunt, Cutting. 10. Brown, )loses, 10. Lunt, Henry, 10. Brown, :\lose:;, :3:J. Lunt, George, 51.

Clark, John, 8. )Ioody, Paul, 5:3. Clark, Thomas )farch, 8, 115. ~Ioody, Samuel, 33, Coffin, Charles, 4-!J. Coffin. Joshua, 59. Cushing, Caleb, 10, iO. X oyes, James, 6, 13. Xoyes, Xathan, 8. Dalton, Tristram. 26. Dummer, l{ichard, 24-. Paine, Robert Treat, 127. Dummer, ,vmiam, 24. Parker, Thomas, 6, 1]. Parsons, Jonathan, i, 122. Felton, Cornelius Conway, 107. Parsons, Samuel Holden, 123. Fiske, Daniel T ., 128. Parsons, Theophilus, 10, 33. Parsons, Theophilus, Jr., 10, Gi. Garrison, William L1oyd, 100. Parton, James, 129. Goul

Spring, Gard.iner, 8, 57. Vergnies, Francfa, 127. Spring. Samuei, 7, 57. !'.;wett, John Bernard, 8. w· ehber, Samuel, 43. ,vbeelwright, William, 68. Thomas, Isaiah, 125. "~hitefield~ George, 7, 124. Titcomb, Moses, ~- ,vithington, Leonard, 128. Toppan, Charles, 60. ,v oodbridge, Benjamin, 15. Toppan. Christopher, 7, 21. "r oodbridge, ,John, 14. Tracy, :Xathaniel, 38. ,v oods, Leonard, 111. Tufts, John, 121. ,voods, Leonard, Jr., 111. Tyng, Stephen H., 8, 97. \Vyman, Samuel ,v ., 9.

University Press: John Wilson & Son, Cambridge.