Twenty-Seventh Annual Report Hoard of Trustees Soldiers' Home in Massachusetts at Chelsea for the year ending June 30 . 1909 TWENTY-SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT BOARD OF TRUSTEES I Soldiers' Home in Massachusetts AT CHELSEA FOR THE YEAR ENDING JUNE 30 1909 l BOSTON: GRIFFITH-STILLINGS PRESS, 368 CONGRESS STREET 1909 OFFICERS 1909-10 President PETER D. SmTH Vice-President ELI W . HALL Secretary . JOSEPH B. l\'[AccABE Assistant Secretary CHARLES 'vV. WILCOX Treasurer . .. .. vVILLr.n1 M. OLIN Assistant Treasurer CHARLES K. DARLING TRUSTEES W. SnnNGTON BROWN, Stoneham. EowARD H. HASKELL, Newton. ANDREW J. BAILEY, Boston. SILAS A. BARTON, Waltham. CHARLES W. WILCOX, J'lilford. JOHN E. GIL1IAN, Roxbury. JOHN W. HERSEY, Springfield. HARRY E. CONVERSE, Malden. PETER D. SmTH, Andover. GEORGE W. MosEs, Brookline. HENRY CABO'I' LODGE, Nahant. EPHRAHI B. S'I'ILLINGS, Boston. JosEPH B. MAccABE, East Boston. ALLISON M. STICKNEY, Medford. WILLI.Ur M. OLIN, Roxbury. DANIELE. DENNY, Worcester. ELI 'vV. HALL, Lynn. Lucrus FIELD, Clinton. CRAN1IORE N. WALLACE, Boston. CHARLES K. DARLING, Concord. JOHN L. PARKER, Ex-officio as Department Commander G.A.R. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE PETER D. SMITH. vVILLr.nr M. OLIN. ELI ,v. HALL JOSEPH B. MACCABE. CHARLES W. WILCOX. COMMITTEE ON ADMISSIONS ELI W. HALL. SILAS A. BARTON. JOSEPH B. MACCABE FINANCE COMMITTEE PETER D. SM!'l'H. SILAS A. BARTON. CHARLES "\V. WILCOX HARRY E. CONVERSE. ELI w. HALL. EDWARD H. HASKELL. AUDITING COMMITTEE CRAN~WRE N. WALLACE. JOHN E. GILMAN. EPHRAIM B. STILLINGS BUILDING COMMITTEE PETER D. SMITH. ALLISON M. STICKNEY. SILAS A. BARTON JOHN E . GILMAN. ANDREW J. BAILEY. * Superintendent COL. CHARLES E . HAPGOOD Adjutant . .. RICHARD R. FOSTER Chaplain REV. JOSEPH F . LOVERING Surgeon . ROBERT A. BLOOD, M.D. Assistant Surgeons PHILIP C. MEANS, M.D. , LAWRENCE R HILL, M.D. CONSULTING SURGEONS DR. J. COLLINS WARREN, Boston. DR. WILLIAM R. CHIPMAN, Chelsea DR. HENRY o. MARCY, Boston. DR.ARTHUR J.SHAW (Oculist),Boston DR. RoscoE E. BROWN, Everett. DR. GEORGE H. GRAY, Lynn DR. SAMUEL CROWELL, Dorchester. DR. EDWARD P. STARBIRD, Roxbury * The Superintendent, Col. Charles E. Hapgood, died Sept. 24, 1909. Adjt. Richard R. Foster was elected to fill the vacancy, and the bookkeeper Fred P, Bradford was elected Adjutant. 4 :»3equeata ant, JDonattona The following are gratefully rernernbered by the inmates of the Horne: Capt. Joseph B. Thomas, Boston, donation in 1881 of $10,000 00 Miss Elizabeth P. Sever, Salem, Mass., legacy, amount- ing with interest to . 4,164 82 l\Irs. Caroline M. Barnard, Everett, Mass., furnishing Cudworth Ward, in hospital . 3,200 00 Hon. J. Warren Mel'I'ill, Cambridge, donation . 1,000 00 Geo. Draper, Esq., Hopedale, Mass., per annum, since the opening of the Home up to the time of death, 100 00 William Montgomery, Esq., United States Hotel, Bos­ ton, annual donation up to time of death . 100 00 Mrs. Lyman Tucker, Boston, l\Iass., a Soldiers' i\Ionu­ ment in Soldiers' Home Lot, Forest Dale Ceme­ tery, Malden, and legacy of . 2,000 00 Otis E. Weld, Boston, annual donation up to time of death ........ 100 00 Mrs. Ann J. Baker, legacy 300 00 Mrs. Joanna L. Merriam, legacy . 50 00 Capt. Gideon Skull Holmes, legacy 2,620 25 Mrs. Susan M. Wes ton, legacy 250 00 Mass. Division Sons of Veterans, furnishing Dormitory in Sargent H all . 750 00 Moses Wilde, 2d, Cambridge, legacy . 8,300 00 44th Reg't, Mass. Infantry Association, annual donation 50 00 Charles H. Kezar, Salem, l\Iass., legacy . 100 00 Ladies' Aid Association, for perpetual care of lot iu Forest Dale Cemetery. 3,000 00 Ladies' Aid Association, for elevator . 1,053 00 Robt. C. Billings, Boston, bequest, April, 1903 5,000 00 Col. Josiah H. Benton, Jr., donation 100 00 Capt. John G. B. Adams, bequest 1,000 00 5 ll)reaibent' a 1Report To THE TRUSTEES oF 'l' HE SOLDIERS' Hmrn IN MASSACHUSETTS. Gentlemen: I herewith submit my report and the Annual Reports of the officers of the Home. There have been four regular and four special meetings of the Board of Trustees during the past year. The Capt. John G. B. Adams Hospital that we have been building in connection with the Home was opened on May 28 and occupied, and the men of the Home who need hospital accommodation are taken care of and now have a suitable place to rest in. The anxiety for the safety of the hospital patients in case of fire has been re­ lieved to a great extent by the building of the new hospital, and I believe it will be a monument to the State of Massachusetts, which gave li berally for its construction. It truly shows that Massachusetts i~ nobly caring for its country's defenders, who at the call of the Government went forth in their young manhood to show to the world that "a government of the . people, by the people and for the people, shall not perish from the -earth." The hospital is working very satisfactorily, and the ventilation .is such an improvement on the old that I do not see how we got along as well as we did, and the inmates kept in as healthy condition as they were. It must have been through the vigilance and faithful -care given to them by the Surgeon, hi s two faithful assistants and the nurses of the Home. With the addition of this hospital, it will give more accommodation for needy veterans after we have t horoughly cleansed the old rooms. Of course it wi ll increase our expense for maintenance, but your Executive Committee feel they were justified in going on with the work. 6 Number in the Home, June 30, 1909 . 505 Average age of Civil War veterans .. 71.09 Average age of Spanish War veterans 39.07 Number cared for during the year 738 Oldest Civil War veteran . 93 yrs. Oldest Spanish War veteran 55 yrs. Number deaths in the year . 103 Number admitted since the Home was opened, 7,439 Number graves in Soldiers' Home lot, Forest Dale Cemetery . 464 :Memorial Day was observed as usual at Forest Dale Cemetery. Many of the men of the Home were able to be present, and join with Post 191 in the exercises, scatter flowers and place a flag at the grave of each departed comrade. Again we are indebted to Post 191 for the flags on Memorial Day and holding their exercises at the Soldiers' Home lot. Our heartfelt thanks are due to the Superintendent, Col. Charles E. Hapgood, for the efficient manner in which the Home has been conducted during the past year. He has been ably assisted in his work by those under him. Those faithful officers, Richard R. Foster, adjutant, Mrs. Anna C. Rowan, the matron, and Fred P. Bradford the bookkeeper, have at all times done what they could to make the Home what it should be, an honor to the State of Massachusetts. The Chaplain of the Home, Joseph F. Lovering, has been efficient in his duties, performing them with a Christian spirit, and doing all in his power to make his office a worthy one respected by all. To Dr. Robert A. Blood, the Surgeon of the Home, Drs. Philip C. Means and Lawrence R. Hill, Assistants, Howard A. Cutter, the Hospital Steward, and the faithful nurses our thanks are due for the careful and tender attention given to our comrades who have come to them for assistance, and for the success of the Hospital Department. Of course the time is fast approaching when it will all be a hospital, and we shall need more help and assistants. I sincerely hope that our comrades who come to the Hospital Department will always have as faithful ones to minister to them, until the last one has been mustered out and gone to join his com­ rades on the parade ground above. 7 We have been blessed in our work by assistance rendered by the Ladies' Aid Association, Woman's Relief Corps and Sons and Daughters of Veterans. May God reward them for the work they are doing for the needy veteran. It is a blessed work to be engaged in, caring for your country's defenders while they live and that their pathway "to the beyond" • may be as calm and peaceful as human hands can make it. On July 3, of the present year, Capt. George W. Creasey, a former Superintendent of the Home, passed away at his home in Lynn. He was elected a Trustee in 1881, and in 1882 was elected Treasurer of the Board, which position he held for ten years, and upon the death of General Cunningham, in 1892, was elected Superintendent and performed the duties as such, as a faithful and conscientious steward, until he was stricken down in a moment by disease on the 21st of April, 1904. At a special meeting of the Board of Trustees, held July 6, a committee was appointed to draw up suitable resolutions on his death. He was always doing what he could for his unfortunate comrades, and much of the success of the Home is due to the work of Capt. George W. Creasey. To all friends and organizations who have aided us in our work for the past year we would return thanks. To you, my associates of the Board, I would return my thanks for the able assistance you have given me in my position as President of the Board of Trustees of the Soldiers' Home in Massachusetts. PETER D. SMITH, President. 8 1Report of tbe -cr:reasurer BosTON, July 1, 1909. • To 'l'HE TRUS'l'EES OF THE SOLDIERS' HOME IN lVIASSACHUSETTS.