X'fP. '■omvany M Photograph copyrighted H. Schervee FORTY IMMORTALS Of WORCESTER ITS COUNTY A brief Account of those Natives or Residents who have Accomplished Something for their Community or for the Nation Issued by the Worcester Bank & Trust Company WoT...t.r.T 1920 Copyright, 1920 BY THE WORCESTER BANK & TRUST COMPANY jUN ^ 192? Compiled, arranged and printed by direction of Walton Advertising y Printing Company Boston, Mass. FOREWORD HE very favorable reception given to "Historic Houses of Worcester," the first brochure published by the Worcester Bank &: Trust Company, has encouraged the publication of the second of the series, and it is a pleasure to present to its friends and patrons another historic book relating to Worcester and its County. And here the officials of the Bank acknowledge their debt to the French Acad- emy for the idea which is embodied in this book. This Academy, as is well known, is composed of "Forty Immortals." Realizing what an important part Worcester County has taken in the history, not alone of Massachusetts, but of America, the Bank has prepared biographical sketches, illustrated wherever it has been possible, of forty men and women of the City of Worcester and its County, who have done something worth while for either the community or the world, and it has entitled this book the "Forty Immortals of Worcester and its County." It has been thought best for many reasons to limit the scope of this book to those only who are deceased. A paramount reason has been that the accomplishment of those living, for Worcester as well as for the nation, is not yet finished. It is not claimed this list is complete, — far from it; but it is based upon a careful consensus of opinion from those who are well qualified to make such a selection. If the list selected arouses discussion because of some omitted name, the omission may stimulate an interesting discussion which will direct attention to other men and women who have helped Worcester. As the Worcester Bank & Trust Company aims to serve Worcester County, it has seemed proper to include in the list men and women who were either born in the County or whose work gained for them success and fame while living within its boundaries. Some of them have been enrolled in the history of the nation, others have made an imperishable record for themselves on the pages of the world's history, and surely all are worthy of a niche in a Worcester hall of fame. The Bank sincerely hopes this brochure will arouse even greater interest in Worcester and its past, and that it will be found worthy of preservation, and through its influence others will be stimulated into doing something for their city and county which is worth while. OFFICERS OF THE WORCESTER BANK & TRUST COMPANY WILLIAM D. LUEY, Chairman of the Board JOHN E. WHITE, Preside^it Vice-Presidents: ALVIN J. DANIELS, Treasurer HENRY P. MURRAY FREDERICK M. HEDDEN, Secretary SAMUEL D. SPURR HARRY H. SIBLEY, Assistant Treasurer CHARLES A. BARTON CHARLES F. HUNT, Assistant Treasurer BERTICE F. SAWYER BURT W. GREENWOOD, Assistant Treasurer WARREN S. SHEPARD FREDERICK A. MINOR, Auditor TRUST DEPARTMENT SAMUEL H. CLARY, Vice-President and Trust Officer DIRECTORS HERBERT P. BAGLEY White & Bagley Co. EDWIN N. BARTLETT Edwin Bartlett Co. ERNEST P. BENNETT Supt. Royal Worcester Corset Co. GEORGE F. BLAKE George F. Blake, Jr., & Co. CURTIS R. BLANCHARD Capitol Lunch System GEORGE F. BROOKS Harrington & Richardson Arms Co. ALEXANDER H. BULLOCK Bullock & Thayer DeWITT CLINTON Treas. Worcester Gas Light Co. JOHN H. COES Pres. Worcester Mechanics Savings Bank A. OTIS DAVIS Davis & Brown Woolen Co. ALEXANDER DeWITT Kinnicutt & DeWitt T. H. GAGE Smith, Gage & Dresser GEORGE A. GASKILL Pres. People's Savings Bank HENRY JEWETT GREENE Insurance JAMES N. HEALD Treas. Heald Machine Co. CHARLES H. HUTCHINS Retired ALBERT H. INMAN Pratt & Inman WILLIAM D. LUEY Chairman of the Board CHARLES F. MARBLE Treas. Curtis & Marble Machine Co. CLINTON S. MARSHALL Mgr. American Steel & Wire Co. PAUL B. MORGAN Pres. Morgan Construction Co. ARTHUR E. NYE J. Russel Marble & Co. EDGAR REED Pres. Reed & Prince Mfg. Co. GEORGE I. ROCKWOOD Rockwood Sprinkler Co. WM. H. SAWYER, Jr Treas. W. H. Sawyer Lumber Co. JOHN C. STEWART Stewart Boiler Works HARRY G. STODDARD Vice-Pres. Wyman-Gordon Co. E. KENT SWIFT Whitin Machine Works FORREST W. TAYLOR Real Estate CHARLES M. THAYER Thayer, Smith & Gaskill GEORGE M. THOMPSON Wickwire, Spencer Steel Corp. REGINALD WASHBURN Pres. Wire Goods Co. CHANNING M. WELLS American Optical Co. JOHN E. WHITE President MATTHEW J. WHITTALL Carpet Manufacturer SAMUEL B. WOODWARD . . Pres. Worcester County Institute for Savings ARTHUR O. YOUNG Pres. Claflin-Sumner Coal Co. 6 The Bank desires to express its appreciation for the many courtesies that have been extended in the preparation of this brochure. — To Mr. Lincoln N. Kinnicutt; to the American Antiquarian Society, and especially to Mr. Clarence S. Brigham and Mrs. Mary Robinson Reynolds for their interest and assistance; to Miss Frances Clary Morse for permission to use the portrait of Alice Morse Earle; to Miss Saidee F. Riccius for assistance in the matter concerning Clara Barton; to the Rev. James A. Mullen, S. J., Vice-President of the College of the Holy Cross, and to Mr. Timothy A. Shea, Registrar of the College, for their courtesy and for the use of the portrait of Father Fitton; to Dr. George O. Ward of Worcester Academy for assistance and for permission to use the portrait of Eli Thayer; to Dr. Alonzo A. Bemis for the use of the portrait of Elias Howe; to Ex-Mayor James Logan for permission to reproduce the portrait of Russell L. Hawes; to the Society of Antiq- uity for the use of the portrait of Mrs. Abby Kelly Foster; to the Trustees of the Rufus Putnam house in Rutland for permission to reproduce the portrait of General Putnam; to the Schervee Studios for the use of the portrait of George Frisbie Hoar; to Doubleday, Page & Company for the use of the portrait of Andrew Haswell Green; and to Mr. Henry P. Murray. Thanks are especially due Mr. Benjamin Thomas Hill for aid in the preparation of the list of the "Forty Immortals" and for the use of several pictures in his fine collection. I. Artemas Ward 2. Rufus Putnam j. Levi Lincoln FORTY IMMORTALS Of WORCESTER (^ ITS COUNTY DANIEL GOOKIN (No picture extant) Founder of Worcester * 1612-87 TO ascribe to Major-General Daniel Gookin the title of Father of Worcester would be conferring a compliment well deserved and at the same time impart an honor to Worcester which she need not feel ashamed of or reluctant to accept," says Ellery B. Crane in his account of the early settlement of the town. The father of Major-General Gookin, a well-to-do yeoman of England, left Ireland, where his son, Daniel, Jr., was born in 1612, and came to Virginia in 1621. He planted a Colony at Newport News, where some authorities say that he employed as many as fifty servants. After the great Indian Massacre, when three hundred and forty-seven whites were slain, and Gookin, Sr., was left with thirty-five men to protect his prop- erty, the planter returned to Ireland. His son, Daniel, Jr., remained in Virginia. Here in 1634 the son received a grant of twenty-five hundred acres of land, and served as a Commissioner of the Upper Norfolk Court, and as Captain of the Militia. In 1642 he received an additional grant of fourteen hundred acres — the same year, in fact, that missionaries from the Massachusetts Bay Colony came to Virginia and converted Gookin, who shortly afterward with other converts was ordered from the Colony. The 1st of May, 1644, leaving his plantations in charge of servants, Captain Gookin with his wife and little daughter sailed for Boston. On his arrival he was admitted to the first church and given the freedom of the city. Later he moved to Cambridge and he served in many important offices. He was the first to bring to Boston the news of the great Indian Massacre of April 18, 1644, during which so many of the Virginia colonists lost their lives. In 1654, when Captain Gookin made a voyage to England, he was well received by Cromwell, who interested him in a Jamaica colonization scheme. After abandoning his work in this connection, Captain Gookin, as a reward for his public services, was granted five hundred acres of land by the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and shortly afterward he and the Rev. Jonathan Mitchell were given the first licenses for a printing-press at Cambridge. As the years passed, Captain Gookin's friendship for the Rev. John Eliot increased, and their common interest in the welfare of the Indians drew them more closely together. In 1665 the attention of the General Court was brought to the rich lands in the vicinity of Lake Quinsigamond, which Eliot had already visited. A committee on which Daniel Gookin served was appointed to view the land and to report "whether it be capable of making a village, and what number of families may be there accommodated, and if they find it fit for a plantation." In the report of this committee made October 20, 1668, the "good chestnut tree" and meadow land was recommended. FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY The General Court accepted this report and appointed Captain Gookin of Cambridge, Daniel Henchman of Boston, Thomas Prentice of Woburn, and Lieutenant Richard Beers of Watertown to plan for a settlement. After purchasing the land of the Indians for "twelve pounds lawful money," lots were assigned, and the actual settlement began in 1673 — more than six years after the first survey. Lots were given to Captains Daniel Gookin, Daniel Henchman, Thomas Prentice, and Lieutenant Richard Beers. Houses were built and then the work suddenly ceased owing to the outbreak of King Philip's War. All of the buildings erected by the settlers were burned, and Lieutenant Beers was killed in the fight. The settlement was deserted. A second attempt was made in 1685, and Captain John Wing was appointed to fill the place made vacant by the death of Lieutenant Beers. On the petition of Captains Gookin, Henchman, Prentice, and Wing the settlement was named Worcester. This second settlement was destined to be even as disastrous as the first, for, though the accounts of the death of Captain Henchman in 1686 and of Captain Gookin in 1687 (both having attained the rank of General) are meagre, Indian outbreaks marked the years between 1686 and 1713 — the date of the third and successful settlement of Worcester. The most tragic occurrence during this time was the death of Digory Sergeant, who insisted on remaining in the settlement long after his fellow-settlers had abandoned it. He was found dead in his house, his wife having been killed after her capture by the Indians, and his children carried away by them. Major-General Gookin died March 19, 1687, at the age of seventy-five years, having faithfully served the Massachusetts Bay Colony for more than forty years. His list of writings is notable. In 1674 he wrote "Historical Collections of the Indians in New England, of the several Nations, Customs, Manners, Religions and Government, before the Eng- lish planted there;" in 1677 he wrote an account of the sufferings of the Christian Indians during the years 1675-76-77; he also wrote an eight- volume history of New England which he left in MSS. and which was lost. ARTEMAS WARD Soldier and Legislator ij2j-iSoo General Artemas Ward had an eventful life. Schoolteacher, store- keeper, army officer, and legislator — every chapter carried with it many exciting events which in his peaceful old age General Ward related to his admiring grandchildren. He was born in Shrewsbury, Worcester County, Massachusetts, November 27, 1727. After his graduation from Harvard University, in 1748, he taught school in Groton, and finally opened a law office, and conducted a country store. He served as a member of the Massachusetts General Assembly, as a member of the Executive Council of Worcester County, was appointed a justice of the peace, and in 1755 was made a Major. He took part, three years later, in the expedition under General James Abercrombie against the French and Indians in Canada, achieved the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, and later of Colonel in the Third Massachusetts Regiment. Artemas Ward early expressed his sympathy with the cause of the American colonists, and finally, on 10 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY a day when his townsmen had assembled to tear down the old Shrewsbury meeting-house, a messenger arrived post-haste and asked for Colonel Ward. The horseman paused and watched Colonel Ward come forth from the group of workmen, and then lingered to see the effect of the message which he bore in a sealed packet. The haste of the ride and the scarlet coat excited the other men, who gathered about Ward as he read aloud: — "Boston, June 30, 1766. To Artemas Ward, Esqr. Sir, — I am ordered by the Governor to signify to you that he had thought fit to supersede your Commission of Col. in the Regiment of militia Iving in part in the County of Worcester and partly in the County of Middlesex — And your said Commission is superseded accordingly. ^ I am Sir, your most ob't and humble serv t Jno. Cotton, Deputy Secretary^ "Give my compliments to the Governor," said Arternas Ward to the horseman, "and say to him that I consider myself twice honored, but more in being superseded than in being commissioned and that I thank him for this, since the motive that dictated it is evidence that I am what he is not, a friend to my country!" Amid the jeers of the men, the horseman rode away. And when the turbulent spirit of America burst forth they joined Artemas Ward in the patriotic ranks. Thereafter their leader was identified with the cause of his country. Shortly after Lexington and Concord, Ward was at Cambridge directing Arnerican troops. On the 19th of May, 1775, the Provincial Congress "Resolved unanimously, that the president be de- sired to deliver to Gen. Ward the commission prepared for him by this Congress as General and Commander in Chief of the Massachusetts forces." He was the first American to receive the commission of General under American authority. He remained in command of Boston until the arrival of General Washington. _ In 1776 General Ward's resignation was accepted by Congress, and m that year he became Chief Justice of the Worcester County Court. For sixteen years he served in the Massachusetts Legislature. In 1786, while he was on the bench, occurred Shays' Rebellion. Trouble had been brew- ing for two vears and the first open opposition occurred late in September at the Court House in Worcester. A body of armed men had entered the town, and made an attempt to stop the session of the Court presided over by Chief Justice Ward. On being challenged by a soldier. Justice Ward ordered him to lower his musket. The man, who had formerly served under General Ward, awed at the command in his voice, did as he was ordered. On the steps of the Court House were several men with fixed bavonets, and in front of them their commander with a drawn sword. Justice Ward ordered that the doors be opened. Bayonets were pressed against his breast. He is said to have turned to the armed company, and to have spoken in part: — - "I do not value vour bavonets! You may plunge them into my heart! But while that heart beats, I will do my duty. When op- posed to it, mv life is of little consequence. If you will take away your bayonets^ and give me some position where I can be heard by 11 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY my fellow-citizens, and not by your leaders alone who have deceived and deluded them, I will speak — but not otherwise!" A place was made for the soldier-legislator, and from that hour may be dated the breaking of the backbone of Shays' Rebellion. Indeed, men who threatened General Ward with personal violence, and who had at- tempted the destruction of his home in Shrewsbury, afterwards acknowl- edged to him that they were in the wrong. Not long after these events General Ward retired to his home in Shrewsbury, and there formed a picturesque figure in his old-time costume, with ruffles and shoe-buckles. In the fine old homestead that had shel- tered him for many years occurred his death on October 27, 1800. RUFUS PUTNAM Foundc'r and Father of Ohio If Ohio is the cradle of the West, as one has said, then the cradle of Ohio is certainly the heart of Worcester County. At what has been designated as the precise geographical centre of Massachusetts, less than a mile west of Rutland in Worcester County, is the house occupied from 1781 until 1788 by General Rufus Putnam, to whom can be justly attrib- uted the founding of Ohio. More than that, he was born in Sutton, Massachusetts, not far away. On a tablet placed on the old house by the Massachusetts Society of the Sons of the Revolution are enumerated the leading events in Putnam's career. His skill as an engineer compelled the evacuation of Boston and later protected West Point during the Revolution, and his far-sightedness and persistence led to the founding of Ohio. To him also is due the credit of the adoption of the Ordinance of 1787, which saved the United States from becoming a great slaveholding empire. The boyhood of Rufus Putnam did not give promise of the brilliant future that awaited him. He was born April 9, 1738. When he was seven years old his father died, and two years later his mother married Captain Sadler, a tavern-keeper of Upton. Uneducated himself, the stepfather denied the ambitious boy all opportunities for an education. After he was nine years of age, Rufus attended school but three days. Once he saved a few pennies earned by blacking the boots of the tavern guests, and with this money bought shot which he used in an old gun. He shot partridges and sold them for enough money to purchase an arith- metic and a spelling-book. Captain Sadler refused him candles by which to study, and so his knowledge of the arithmetic extended scarcely to the rule of three — and the speller remained untouched. At fifteen he was apprenticed to Daniel Mathews of Brookfield. Mathews, more lenient than Sadler, allowed the boy to study nights, andeven encouraged his efforts. "It was," says Senator Hoar, "to those winter evenings in North Brookfield and the studies by the light of the tallow candle that his country owed the ablest engineer officer of the Revolution, and the wise, foresighted intellect that decided the fate of America." At the age of nineteen, young Putnam enlisted as a common soldier for service against the French and Indians, where his experiences smack 13 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY of Cooper and Dumas. At the close of his service in 1760 he devoted much time to the study of surveying, and in 1773 he went with Colonel Israel Putnam, Captain Roger Enos, and Mr. Thaddeus Lyman to look over Florida lands where grants had been promised colonial officers and soldiers who had served in the French War. As deputy-surveyor of that province, Air. Putnam and his party brought back a favorable report, and several hundred New England families emigrated to Florida. Un- doubtedly the Putnams would have been among this number had not rumors been circulated in 1774 that the king had refused to issue a patent for the lands. On the outbreak of the Revolution, Rufus Putnam was made a Lieu- tenant-Colonel of the Worcester County Regiment which reached Cam- bridge just after the Battle of Lexington. General Washington, un- willing to risk another Bunker Hill, determined to fortify Dorchester Heights and thus compel the British to evacuate Boston. Putnam, as engineer of the undertaking, planned and superintended the construction of the line of defence which was raised in a single night. General Wash- ington was so impressed by this feat that he made Putnam chief engineer of the Continental army. Later Colonel Putnam built the fortifications and citadel of West Point. Washington speaks of him as the ablest engineer of the Revolution, whether French or American. In 1783 Rufus Putnam was made a Brigadier-General, and the same year Governor Bowdoin appointed him a justice of the peace. He represented Rutland in the Legislature, tilled his farm, aided in putting down Shays' Re- bellion, and was one of the founders of Leicester Academy. Early in 1783 General Putnam became interested in the plan proposed by Colonel Timothy Pickering for settling and creating a new State west of the Ohio River. General Washington strongly approved of the plan, and a petition signed by upwards of three hundred officers and soldiers was forwarded to Congress, requesting that bounty lands might be located in that section. No action was taken by Congress for several years, as Virginia claimed all of the territory northwest of the Ohio River. In 1786, however, the Ohio Company was formed, and led by Rufus Putnam, then fifty years old, secured the famous Ordinance of 1787 whereby slavery was forever excluded from the State. The anti- slavery clause in this famous Ordinance has been ranked by some his- torians with the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. It saved the great Northwest from slavery. Putnam and his forty-eight immortals pushed forward in a little galley named the Alayflozuer, passed down the Ohio River, and on April 7, 1788, landed at Marietta. Ten years later General Putnam was the prime mover to establish at Marietta the first academy of learning; there also he organized the first Bible Society and Sunday-school west of the Alleghany Mountains. In 1802 he was chosen one of the delegates to the convention that formed the first constitution of Ohio. The last years of General Putnam's life belong to the city he founded, and there — in Marietta — he died May i, 1824, at the age of eighty-six years. Senator Hoar in commenting on the life of Putnam says: "[It is] a good, honest, old-fashioned American story. It is a Massachusetts story. It is a Worcester County story, although we by no means pretend to a monopoly of such things in Massachusetts or in Worcester County. We have got over wondering at them." 14 FORTY lAIAIORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY TIMOTHY BIGELOW (No picture extant) Patriot 1739-90 Colonel Timothy Bigelow is one of the most romantic and tragic fig- ures in the whole history of Worcester County. He died more than a century ago — alone — in debt — imprisoned. To-day he is cited as one of the most daring patriots of the American Revolution. He was born in Worcester, August 12, 1739, and from his youth distinguished himself for his ability to lead his fellows. Like several other famous Worcester men he learned the trade of blacksmith, and though lacking the advan- tages of an education, he devoted his spare hours away from the forge to books, and by the time he became actively engaged in patriotic demon- strations, he had gathered a small library. On Worcester Common he trained his company of "Minute Men" who responded to the call of Lexington, marching from Worcester to Cambridge where their leader was promoted to the rank of Major and given command of a division of Arnold's army in the expedition against Quebec. Bigelow was captured at Quebec, exchanged, and returned to Alassachusetts. After he was promoted to the rank of Colonel and placed in command of a regiment of Worcester County men, he joined General Gates' army, was present at the surrender of Burgoyne, and united with the American forces at Sara- toga, Verplanck's Point, Peekskill, Valley Forge, West Point, and in Rhode Island and New Jersey. Physically disabled. Colonel Bigelow, after the American army was disbanded, remained at West Point, and afterwards was given the com- mand of the National Arsenal at Springfield. He soon succumbed to ill health, and returned home without money and with no prospects for the future. His property, already diminished, was sold, and Colonel Bige- low, burdened with debt, was imprisoned, February 15, 1790. He died a little more than a month later — on March 3 1 — at the age of fifty-one. His friend Isaiah Thomas announced his death in the Massachusetts Spy by printing a solitary line. Three memorials remain of this distinguished patriot: Montpelier, Ver- mont, which he founded and named; a mountain in Maine near the head of the Kennebec named for him because he had climbed it for purposes of exploration when he was with the army of Benedict Arnold; and the Bigelow monument on Worcester Common, presented by his grandson, Colonel Timothy Bigelow Lawrence of Boston, and dedicated April 19, 1861 — more than three-quarters of a century after Timothy Bigelow had marched at the head of his little company of "Minute Men" to join the American army at Cambridge. LEVI LINCOLN Attorney-General of the United States 1749-1820 Levi Lincoln began life humbly — at the anvil. On the day of his death, a century ago, he was the acknowledged head of the Worcester County Bar, a man who had served his State and Country in innumer- 15 I. Aaron Bancroft 2. Dwight Foster 3. Levi Lincoln, Jr. FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY able capacities, head of a distinguished family, and the father of sons destined to play an important part in the history of the Nation. The subject of this sketch was born in 1749 in Hingham, Massachusetts. He was the son of a prosperous farmer, but, as all boys worked in his day, young Lincoln was apprenticed to an ironsmith. His love of books was early exhibited, and every minute that could be spared from the anvil was devoted to study. After having mastered the rudiments of Latin and Greek, Levi Lincoln through his own exertions entered Har- vard University, from which he was graduated with high honors in the class of 1772. He had every intention of entering the ministry, but it chanced that on a visit to the courts he heard John Adams speak, and, inspired by the eloquence of the famous patriot, he abandoned his plans for the pulpit and decided to study for the bar. While he was preparing for his chosen profession in the office of the celebrated Joseph Hawley of Northampton, the Revolutionary War broke out, and Lincoln volun- teered and served with the army in Boston that eventually caused the evacuation of the British troops. After choosing Worcester as his place of residence he began the prac- tice of law there in 1775, and at once achieved eminence in his pro- fession. It is an interesting fact that he conducted the defence of Mrs. Bethsheba Spooner — the first capital trial in the Commonwealth, and one of the most famous in the annals of American crime. It was a fore- gone conclusion when Air. Lincoln took the case that Mrs. Spooner would be convicted, nevertheless his genius for argument was exhibited, and his MSS. notes were for many years brought forth from time to time for reference. Shortly after conducting the defence in this case Mr. Lincoln was made a Judge of Probate, and was chosen a delegate to the convention that framed the Constitution of Massachusetts. He served in the Legislature, and was elected to Congress in 1800. On the election of Thomas Jefferson as President, Mr. Lincoln was appointed Attorney-General of the United States, an office which he held until 1805, when he resigned. He was chosen State Councillor of Massa- chusetts the following year, and Lieutenant-Governor in 1807 and 1808, becoming Governor in the latter year on the death of Governor Sullivan. President Madison made him an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, but owing to failing health Governor Lincoln did not take the office. The latter years of his life Governor Lincoln passed on his farm on Lincoln Street, Worcester, in the house that has been removed to Grove and Lexington Streets. Agriculture was his hobby, and the classics his delight. In 1781 he had married Miss Waldo of Boston, and their sons became distinguished citizens. Levi, Jr., succeeded his father in many public offices and for nine successive years served the Commonwealth as Governor; William was noted as a historian; and Enoch became Governor of Maine. ISAIAH THOMAS Patriot, Printer, atid Founder of the American Antiquarian Society 174.Q-1831 Not long after Isaiah Thomas had removed the Massachusetts Spy to Worcester, a horseman riding post-haste from Philadelphia to Boston, bearing a copy of the Declaration of Independence, paused for a brief 17 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY rest in Worcester. Mr. Thomas interviewed the rider, with the result that a copy of the Philadelphia Gazette containing the Declaration was procured, and before the people who had gathered in front of the Old South Church, Isaiah Thomas on that memorable day in July, 1776, read the document. Later he printed it in the July 17th issue of the Massachusetts Spy, then owned and printed by him. This was the first appearance of the Declaration in any New England newspaper. When Isaiah Thomas was six years of age he was placed as an ap- prentice with Zechariah Fowle, a printer of ballads and pamphlets in Boston. In all, Isaiah Thomas may have had six weeks at school, but he was an apt pupil and loved printing, and one of his greatest desires was to go to England, where he might perfect himself in his work. Ten years before the outbreak of the Revolution, therefore, he started for Halifax whence he hoped to find his way to London. He secured employ- ment in the town with one Anthony Henry, publisher of the Halifax Gazette, and Thomas, being a far more proficient printer and editor than his employer, soon ran the paper by himself. This was at about the time of the much-discussed Stamp Act. Thomas removed all the stamps from his paper and inserted a notice to the effect that "all the issue paper had been used, and, as no more could be had, the paper would in the future be published without stamps." This copy of the Gazette reached England. The young printer in the meantime desired greatly to go into mourning as did the Pennsylvania Gazette, but, not daring to do this, he reproduced a picture of the devil in the act of driving his fork into the stamp. The consequence was that both Thomas and his employer had to answer to the Government authorities for the attitude of the paper, and Isaiah Thomas departed for New Hampshire. He returned to Boston and entered into partnership with Fowle. In July, 1770, he issued the first copy of the Massachusetts Spy. At first the paper was published as a semi-weekly. It was of great influence among the colonists, and its publisher was placed on the suspected list by the Loyalists, and frequently threatened with violence. In spite of this, however, he continued one of the active Sons of Liberty, and after meet- ings which were held in his office, he frequently printed hand-bills and other patriotic matter until far into the night. Affairs reached their climax just before the Battle of Lexington, when friends of the Patriot-printer, including John Hancock, persuaded him to remove his press to Worcester. He was aided in this undertaking by General Joseph Warren and Colonel Timothy Bigelow. In Worcester he continued his w^ork along patriotic lines. He also did considerable print- ing for the Provincial Congress. After peace was declared in 1783, his business grew rapidly, and in 1793 the publisher established at Quin- sigamond the second paper-mill in the County. He controlled sixteen presses, seven of which were in Worcester, and he established five book- stores in Massachusetts and one in New Hampshire. He printed the first folio Bible published in America, and became the largest publisher in the country. In 1802, his son, Isaiah Thomas, Jr., assumed the direction of the business, and Thomas, Sr., devoted his time to writing J History of Print- ing in America, and to the founding of the American Antiquarian Society. After collecting a large number of books with which to endow the Society, Mr. Thomas called together some of his friends, among them Aaron Ban- croft, Levi Lincoln, and Nathaniel Paine, and suggested that the Ameri- can Antiquarian Society be established. On November 19, 1812, it was 18 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY organized, and Mr. Thomas elected first president— an office that he held until his death, April 4, 1 831, in the eighty-second year of his age. Many honors came to him before his death— honors m recognition of his liberal gifts to Worcester and of his accomplishment in the world of letters. He gave the land on which the old Court House was built, and aided in its erection (in 1801) and in improving the grounds about it. He laid out Thomas Street, gave the land for a schoolhouse, and helped in enlarging Lincoln Square. Many societies honored him: Dartmouth College conferred on him the degree of M.A., and Alleghany College that of LL.D. Mr. Thomas served as Grand Master of the Massachusetts Grand Lodge of Masons. He was at one time one of the justices of the Court of Sessions. In spite of the fact that he was born on Long Island (January 19, 1749), Massachusetts has always claimed Isaiah Thomas as one of her noblest sons, and he properly belongs to Worcester County. AAROX BANCROFT Clergyman and Historian The Bancroft historians— father and son— belong to Worcester. Aaron Bancroft's great-grandfather, Thomas Bancroft of Reading, Massachu- setts, left a will, and in that will is a clause that might have given both of the historians cause for pursuing the interests that they did. "My histor}' books," says the document, "to be divided among my three sons equally, my divinity books among all my children, not includ- ing my bible, Clark's annotations, which I give to my son Thomas. Aaron Bancroft was born on a farm in Reading, Massachusetts, No- vember 10, 1755. "Sturdy" and "pious" are words that characterize the stock from which he sprang. His father. Deacon Samuel Bancroft, was one of the ecclesiastical council that dismissed the Rev. Jonathan Edwards, though Deacon Bancroft protested against the dismissal. From his father Aaron Bancroft may have inherited some of_ the dissent- ing vigor that characterized his own ecclesiastical life during his htty years' ministry at Worcester. In 1774, Aaron Bancroft entered Harvard, and during his first vacation the Revolutionary War broke out and he fought at the battles of Lexington and Bunker Hill. He was graduated from Harvard in 1778, taught school, studied theology, and, after secur- ing a license to preach, went to Nova Scotia for three years as a mission- ary. He returned to the United States in 1785, and the following year assumed his duties as clergyman. . , ^, , tt7 He was ordained minister of the Congregational Church at Worcester, where he remained for more than half a century— until his death. Some years after his settlement in Worcester, Dr. Bancroft became a student of the Arminian principles, forerunners of the broader Unitarian doctrine that was preached in Boston early in the last century. His_ sermons in defence of religious liberty were more or less criticised, and his pubhshed pamphlets— thirtv-six in all— were widely read and discussed. He has been called no bigot, but a lover of liberty, rational as well as ardent His children were brought up to view both sides of a question. One ot his children while away at school wrote her father asking what were his views on eternal punishment. By way of answer. Dr. Bancroft sent her 19 CR- 5= FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY the three best treatises on the three most important theories. At another time, one of his daughters read "Dr. Channing's Letters to Dr. Worces- ter." When the matter came under discussion she was asked by her father if she had not read "Dr. Worcester's Letters to Dr. Channing." The girl made some slighting remark concerning the work mentioned by Dr. Bancroft. "What!" said he, indignantly. "Are you a daughter of mine and do you read only one side of the question?" In 1807, Dr. Bancroft published his best-known historical work, "The Life of Washington." For thirty years he served on the board of trustees of Leicester Academy and was for a long time its president; he was presi- dent of the Worcester County Bible Society, and of the American Uni- tarian Society from its origin in 1825 until 1836; he was a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1810 Harvard conferred on him the degree of Doctor of Divinity. When under fire of the criti- cism that assailed his religious beliefs, Dr. Bancroft exhibited great cour- age. Indeed, this attribute characterized his whole life. While a stu- dent he did not hesitate to face battle — nor in his riper years did any of his old-time fire desert him. During Shays' Rebellion troops flocked into Worcester and billeted themselves on the residents there. One even- ing Dr. Bancroft was told that a company of soldiers was marching up the street towards his house. He seized his musket, and stationed him- self outside of the door after barring it within. The soldiers demanded shelter for the night. Dr. Bancroft refused them admission. "You are rebels," he said, "and you shall not enter this house except by violence." So sharply did he speak that the company turned and sought shelter elsewhere. Dr. Aaron Bancroft's death occurred August 19, 1839. DWIGHT FOSTER Jurist Dwight Foster, destined to become one of the most eminent jurists of the Commonwealth, completed his course at Brown University at the age of sixteen, being graduated in the class of 1774. When he was twenty- one he represented Brookfield — his native town — in the convention which framed the Constitution of Massachusetts. This office had been given Judge Jedediah Foster, his father, whose death occurred in October, 1779 — the same month that the convention assembled. The elder Foster — a distinguished jurist — was a delegate to the first state consti- tutional convention, a judge of probate and a justice of the court of common pleas. Dwight Foster was born in Brookfield, Massachusetts, September 7, 1757. After his graduation from Brown University he began the study of law at his brother's office in Providence. He was admitted to the bar in 1778, became a justice of the peace in Providence, and on his father's death removed to Brookfield. His appointment to his father's place in the constitutional convention of Massachusetts followed. In 1781, having succeeded his father in many other offices, Mr. Foster was made a justice of the peace for Worcester County, and in 1784 Harvard 21 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY College conferred on him the degree of Master of Arts. In 1792 he was a Presidential Elector; he received an appointment as special justice of the Court of Common Pleas, and as high sheriff of Worcester County. He served as a member of each branch of the Massachusetts Legislature and was a Federalist member of Congress from 1793 until 1799. He was a member of the United States Senate from 1800 until 1803. For a decade Judge Foster was Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas for Worcester County. He served also as a member of the Massachusetts Executive Council. The Rev. Eliakim Phelps, pastor of the First Church in Brookfield, in a sermon occasioned by the death of Judge Foster, which occurred April 29, 1823, speaks of Judge Foster thus: "He soon acquired an em- inence in his profession, and a share of professional employment, which very few, if any, have acquired within the County of Worcester. As a counsellor-at-law his opinions were sought and valued perhaps above those of any of his competitors. His opinions were made up with care and thought, and when once formed, he had seldom occasion to alter them. They generally indicated a sound mind, a discriminating intellect, a good store of professional and general information, and a happy talent in applying general principles to particular cases, and in perceiving the precise bearing of acknowledged maxims upon points to be established." ELI WHITNEY Inventor of the Cotton-gin 1763-1825 The story of Eli Whitney, the inventor of the cotton-gin, has been told and retold; in some instances to exploit his marvellous invention, and in others to impress on the American youth the matchless courage of the inventor in the midst of adversity. He was born December 8, 1765, in Westboro, Worcester County, Massachusetts — the son of a frugal and industrious farmer, who appears to have been disappointed in the me- chanical genius which his son early exhibited, and whose disappointment was later furthered when young Eli entered Yale University. The lad while attending the district school of his native town made various things, • — a fiddle, a set of kitchen knives, chairs and other conveniences for the household. And in order to add to his store of mechanical knowledge he toured the county and visited various workshops. In spite of the fact that friends attempted to dissuade the elder Whitney from sending his son to college, the thirst for a liberal education on the part of Eli finally won — and he entered Yale, where he received his degree in 1792. Though his mechanical tendencies were constantly exhibited, Eli Whitney de- termined to make some use of the education he had received at Yale, and therefore accepted a position as tutor in a Georgia family. One of his travelling companions on the journey South was the widow of General Greene, who with her family was returning to Savannah. On the arrival of the young tutor in that city it was found that while he was on the way South another man had been chosen to fill his place. Georgia ever proved an unfortunate spot on the map to young Whitney. The invention of the cotton-gin was brought about in an interesting way. Whitney had been befriended by Mrs. Greene, and on one occa- 22 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY sion, after she had seen some exhibition of his mechanical skill, she enter- tained a distinguished group of gentlemen, who deplored the lack of a machine that would separate the cotton fibre from the seed. It then took one person a whole day to clean a pound of cotton, and the South was languishing for want of a means to get its cotton crops on the market. "Gentlemen," said Mrs. Greene, " apply to my young friend Mr. Whitney, — he can make anything." So Eli Whitney set to work on the problem — and as it was not the season for cotton when he began work, he scoured the warehouses of Savannah for enough cotton with which to experiment. In a room assigned to him in the Greene house, he began work, making even the tools with which he was to construct his model. The inven- tion proved a success. In order to perfect his invention he returned to Connecticut, obtained a patent, and began manufacturing machines to send to Georgia. Disaster upon disaster followed. The State of Georgia disputed his right as the inventor, and no less than sixty suits were in- stituted in that State before a single decision was given as to the merits of his case. The inventor's health was greatly undermined by travelling in an open carriage from New York to Georgia to protect his rights as the inventor of the cotton-gin. His coolness on these occasions was often commented on by those who were following his case. Eventually Eli Whitney manufactured arms for the United States Government, and from 1798 to 1822 he filled large contracts, and im- proved the machinery used in the manufacture of these commodities. His litigations concerning the cotton-gin continued until his death on January 8, 1825, at New Haven, Connecticut. SAMUEL SLATER Father of .1 merican Cotton Manufactures Worcester County's claim to Samuel Slater springs from the fact that he established both wool and cotton mills in Webster, lived a part of his life in Webster, and died there. Samuel Slater's stock in trade when he came from England to America was a complete knowledge of the Arkwright machines, which he carried in his head. This son of a yeoman of Belper, Derbyshire, England, was born June 9, 1768. At the age of fourteen he was apprenticed to Jedediah Strutt, who was associated with Sir Richard Arkwright in the manufacture of cotton-making machinery. After serving eight years, during the latter part of which young Slater was superintendent of the Strutt mill, the young man turned his attention to America, where fruitless eiforts had been made to manufacture cotton machinery. In a Philadelphia paper he read of a bounty of £100 paid by the Legislature of Pennsylvania for an imperfect carding machine. Without the knowledge of his family he sailed for America, September 13, 1789, and on landing in New York secured employment with the New York Manufacturing Company. It was while there that Slater learned of Moses Brown's interest in spinning-machinery, and he wrote the rich Quaker, saying, "I flatter myself that I can give the greatest satisfaction in making machinery." At once Moses Brown invited the young man to go to Providence. 23 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY If Samuel Slater's enthusiasm was high when he left New York, it sank to zero point when Moses Brown showed him the machines that had been built in Pawtucket, where his mill was located. "These will not do," said Slater. "They are good for nothing in their present con- dition, nor can they be made to answer." "Thee said," replied Moses Brown, "that thee could make machinery. Why not do it?" Slater set to work and thus it came about that he built the first suc- cessful cotton machinery in America, and that Pawtucket, Rhode Island, became the cradle of cotton manufacture. So successful was Samuel Slater's undertaking that the thrifty Moses Brown, on perceiving the great amount of yarn that had been spun the first year, said, "Thee must shut down thy wheels, Samuel, or thee will spin all my farms into cotton yarn." When Slater sent some of his yarn to Strutt_ and Ark- wright in England the product was pronounced as good as their own. It was in Pawtucket that Samuel Slater started in 1799 the first Sun- day-school in America, carrying its work on in connection with his mill. This idea occurred to Mr. Slater one Sunday morning when he heard several boys planning to rob a farmer's orchard. "Boys, "what are you talking about.?" Mr. Slater asked. "Bill wants to go to Smithfield and rob Mr. Arnold's orchard, and Nat says he don't think it is right to rob orchards on Sunday." "I don't either," said Mr. Slater. "I'll propose something better than that. You go into my house. I'll give you as many apples as you want and I'll keep Sunday-school." Mr. Slater's first cotton machine was put into operation December 21, 1790. The second cotton mill in Rhode Island was established about 1800, and in 1806, when Mr. Slater's brother, John, came from England, they built a cotton mill on the site of the present town of Saylesville, Rhode Island. In 1812 Mr. Slater built mills at what was then Oxford and is now the town of Webster, Massachusetts, adding a few years later machinery for manufacturing woollen goods. He had varied interests and amassed a fortune. Mr. Slater's death occurred in Webster, April 21, 1835. LEVI LINCOLN, JR. Governor of Massachusetts, 1825-34; First Mayor of Worcester, 1S48 1 78 2-1 868 The heritage that came to him from his vigorous forebears was nobly set forth in the person of Levi Lincoln, Jr., who was born in Worcester, October 25, 1782, graduated from Harvard University at the age of twenty-one, and admitted to the bar in 1805. In 181 2, at thirty years of age, lie was elected a member of the Massachusetts Senate — the same year, in fact, that he built the famous mansion in Worcester, destined to receive many distinguished guests. In 1814 he was chosen a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, gaining a wide reputation at the time by opposing the Hartford Convention. In 1822 he was chosen Speaker of the House; in 1823, elected Lieutenant-Governor of the State; in 1824, an Associate Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court; and in 1825 he was elected Governor of the Commonwealth, serving nine consecutive years in that office. His retirement was voluntary. Later 25 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY Governor Lincoln represented the Worcester district in Congress, and in 1 841 was appointed Collector of the Port of Boston. After more than thirty-six years of public life he retired, his last public service being for his native city, which he served as first Alayor, in 1848. But once did he break the tenor of his private life after his retirement. That occasion was in 1864, when Governor Lincoln, then over eighty years of age, was chosen a Massachusetts Elector, and cast his vote for Abraham Lincoln, whom he greatly admired, and who had been his guest nearly twenty years before, in Worcester. The retirement of Governor Lincoln from public life did not mean the abandoning of labor. He was for many years Vice-President of the American Antiquarian Society, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the Trustees and President of the Board of Leicester Academy, President of the Worcester Agricultural Society, a member of the Massachusetts Historical Society, and of the Board of Overseers of Harvard University, where the degree of LL.D. was con- ferred on him. Williams College also conferred on him the same degree. Governor Lincoln constantly worked for the good of the community; many charities, and movements affecting the public welfare, were furthered by him. He kept his interest in public affairs until the end of his busy life. It is an interesting fact that the year of his birth was the same as that of Calhoun, Cass, Van Buren, Benton, and Webster. Webster was frequently a guest at the Lincoln Mansion, as were also Henry Clay, John Quincy Adams, and Edward Everett. Lafayette was received by Governor Lincoln in 1824. Four years after Governor Lincoln had cast his memorable vote for Abraham Lincoln, his death occurred on May 29, 1868, at the mansion on Elm Street, Worcester, now occupied by his grandson, the Hon. Waldo Lincoln. It was the eighty-fifth year of his age, and he had faithfully served three generations. JOHN GREEN, 3d Physician: Founder of the Worcester Public Library 17S4-1865 For many years Dr. John Green was at the head of his profession in Worcester County. His name was a household word. He was more than six feet tall, his figure slight and stooping, his face striking, and his eye keen and observing. "Not to have seen him as under that brown, broad-brimmed, soft hat," says Benjamin Franklin Thomas in his Reminiscences of the Worcester Fire Society (1872), "he rolled from side to side in that old, time-honored gig, through the streets of the village, town, and city, was to have missed one of the most striking institutions of Worcester. To have seen him in the sick-room, where, seemingly failing to observe, nothing escaped his observation, when his calm, quiet manner begat instant confidence and trust, when his instinctive sagacity seemed to probe the disease as with the keen edge of a lance, was a benediction." Dr. Green came of a family of prominent physicians. His father. Dr. John Green, practised, and his grandfather. Dr. John Green, was also a Worcester physician. His great-grandfather was Dr. Thomas Green of Leicester. Dr. Green the 3d was born in Worcester, April 19, 1784. 26 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY He was graduated from Brown University in 1804 and after studying medicine with his father began his practice in Worcester in 1807. Twenty years later he received medical degrees from Harvard and Brown Universities. During the latter years of his life Dr. Green made book- collecting a hobby, and it was his collection of seven thousand volumes, afterwards supplemented by nearly five thousand volumes, with which he endowed the Free Public Library of Worcester when it was established December 23, 1859. On Dr. Green's death in 1865, he left ^30,000 to the city as an endowment for the department created by him in the insti- tution. In 1867, Dr. Green's nephew, Samuel Sweet Green, became a director of the Free Public Library, and in 1871 he was chosen librarian. There are many stories told of the eccentricities of this great physician. Many of them are amusing; others, inspiring. Still others portray the strength and nobility of the man. "In the next generation," continues his biographer, "he will be known only by [his] munificence." It may well be added that a great physician is for all time. And that Worcester County may well honor him who during his long and consecrated life ennobled his profession. JOHN DAVIS Governor of Massachusetts 17S7-1S54 For a quarter of a century Governor John Davis served the Common- wealth of Massachusetts. For nine successive years he was a Represen- tative from his district to Congress, for fourteen years he was a member of the United States Senate, and for more than three years Governor of the State. Three towns in Worcester County may claim him: North- boro, where he was born, January 13, 1787; Spencer, where he lived for a time; and Worcester, where he studied law and resided during the greater part of his life. His former home in the city is still known as the "Governor John Davis Mansion." In it Charles Dickens was enter- tained. Of sturdy New England stock, reared on a farm, his body hardened by toil on the land, John Davis had a rich endowment for the public life he was destined to lead. He attended the village schools and at sixteen became a teacher in one of them. Having earned enough money to at- tend Leicester Academy, he prepared for college, and at nineteen entered Yale University from which he was graduated in the class of 181 2. Study- ing law in the office of Francis Blake at W^orcester, he was admitted to the bar in 181 5, and for many years thereafter he was one of the leaders of the Worcester County Bar. Without solicitation on his part he was chosen on the Whig ticket in 1824 to represent his district in Congress. During this period he strenuously opposed the Clay compromise tariff bill. He was a splendid debater and an able legislator. In January, 1834, he was elected Governor of Massachusetts, eventually resigning that office to again take his seat in the Senate. He achieved some fame as an orator, and many of his speeches were published, a million copies alone being printed of his speech delivered in 1840 in opposition to the subtreasury. He was familiarly called "Honest John Davis." After being in the public service for a quarter of a century, he retired to spend 27 I. John Green, 31-d. 2. John Davis 3. John Boynton FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY the closing years of his life in his Lincoln Street home at Worcester, read- ing the classics, especially Tacitus and Livy. Governor Davis was a contemporary of Clay, Calhoun, and Webster, whose deaths occurred within a short time of his own. He has been compared with these three orators: "If one reads for mere pleasure, he will be more gratified with the glowing fervor and sparkling wit of Clay, the subtle metaphysics of Calhoun, or the concise and demonstrative logic of Webster. But if he reads to gain a detailed knowledge of the question under debate, he will find Mr. Davis more instructive perhaps than either, certainly more logical than Clay, more practical than Calhoun and more minutely instructive than Webster." After spending a brief time with his loved classics, in gracious conver- sation with his friends, in the execution of the many public trusts con- cerning which his advice was sought, in watching over the interests of the American Antiquarian Society of which he was then president, and in caring for his garden and orchards. Governor Davis succumbed to the disease that for some time had threatened his life. His death occurred in April, 1854, at his \\orcester home, from which Dickens twelve years before had watched the Sabbath break, and the Worcester church-goers traversing "the distant thread of road" on their way to worship. JOHN BOYNTON Founder of Worcester Polytechnic Institute IJOI-1867 In 1865, John Boynton of Templeton set aside $100,000 for the endow- ment and perpetual support of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, chartered May 10, 1865. Among other generous contributors to this institution were Ichabod Washburn and Stephen Salisbury. "I have long been satisfied," said the founder, "that a course of in- struction might be adopted in the education of apprentices to mechanical employments, whereby moral and intellectual training might be united with the processes by which the arts of mechanism, as well as skill in the use and adaptation of tools and machinery are taught, so as to elevate our mechanics as a class in the scale of intelligence and influence, and add to their personal independence and happiness, while it renders them better and more useful citizens, and so more like our Divine Master, whose youth combined the conversations of the learned with the duties of a mechanic's son, and whose ideas and teachings now underlie the civilization of the world." This school was opened in 1868, — the year following Air. Boynton's death, — and was one of the first of its class in the country. Mr. Boynton was born in New Hampshire, May 31, 1791. Until his thirtieth year he worked as a farmer, afterwards beginning the manu- facture of tinware. He eventually removed to Templeton and in 1846 retired from active business. He served for a time as a representative of his town in the State Legislature, and after closing his business in Templeton, removed to Athol, where he became first president of the Millers River Bank. His death occurred March 25, 1867, after a long ride in a storm from which he suffered great exposure. The great Institute which he founded has been a worthy representa- 29 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY tive of industrial Worcester, its board of trustees a notable one, and from it have gone forth men who have been of influence here and abroad. It is a fact worthy of note that the founder himself had little school instruc- tion — possibly a reason for his wishing to benefit others. "He was modest and reserved in his disposition," says one notice of John Boynton, "and quiet and orderly in his habits, and he had a reputation for careful- ness and moderate thrift rather than for large acquisitions or a philan- thropic spirit. He was regarded as an honest, unambitious man, whose thoughts and care did not reach beyond his private affairs and his personal comforts. His love of concealment was injurious to his acts of individ- ual kindness and his general popularity. This disposition was gratified in hiding in his own breast the benevolent enterprise to which he intended to devote the largest part of his property during his life." CHARLES ALLEN Chici Justice of the Superior Court of Massachusetts Chief Justice Charles Allen has been called the ablest man of his day — not excepting Daniel Webster. And he was as well known as his illus- trious kinsman, Sam Adams, whom he in no small degree resembled. The beginning of his stormy life was very much like that of any other young man of old family and ample means. His father was a clerk of the courts, a member of Congress (in 1810 and 181 1), and a public-spirited citizen of Worcester. Judge Allen's great-grandfather was Samuel Adams, the father of Samuel, the patriot Adams. Charles Allen was born in Worcester, August 9, 1797. He entered Yale College in 181 1 — an insti- tution from which he was never graduated. Later he studied law under Samuel L. Burnside. His literary training is worthy of especial note, for prior to his admission to the bar in 1 821 and the beginning of his practice of law in New Braintree, the young student familiarized himself with English classic poetry, reading the entire fifty volumes of the British Poets, and committing to memory many passages from them. He thoroughly acquainted himself with New England history, and saturated himself with all of its phases, all of which, together with his knowledge of the classics, formed a background for his future career. He became a leader of the bar at the time when the movement was made to annex Texas. And during his entire life he belonged essentially to the Com- monwealth, outside of the borders of which he was little known. He represented Worcester in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1829, 1833, 1834, and 1840. He was a member of the State Senate in 1835, 1836, and 1837. Judge Allen was appointed judge of the old Court of Common Pleas in 1842, at a time when nowhere was the Supreme Court of Massachusetts surpassed in ability. During Judge Allen's term of office the celebrated Wyman trial occurred when the memorable conflict took place between Judge Allen and Daniel Webster, one of the counsel for the defence. "The story," says Senator Hoar, "is variously related, even by persons who were present on the occasion. The commonly accepted version, and one which is doubtless in substance correct, is that Mr. Webster was quite uneasy under the powerful and luminous charge of the Judge, 30 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY and rose once or twice to call the Judge's attention to what he supposed to be a mistake of fact or law. After one or two interruptions of this sort, Mr. Webster rising again, the Judge said, 'Mr. Webster, I cannot suffer myself to be interrupted now.' To which Mr. Webster replied, 'I cannot suffer my client's case to be misrepresented.' To which the Judge replied, 'Sit down, sir.' The charge proceeded without further interruption, and the jury were sent to their room. Judge Allen then turned to Mr. Webster and said, 'Mr. Webster' — Whereupon Mr. Webster rose with all the grace and courtesy of manner of which, when he chose, he was master, and said, 'Will your Honor pardon me a mo- ment?' and proceeded to make a handsome apology and express regret for the occurrence." In 1858 Air. Allen was appointed Chief Justice of the Superior Court of the County of Suffolk, and the following year he was appointed Chief Justice of the Superior Court of the Commonwealth. He declined a place on the bench of the Supreme Court. And in i860, on account of failing health, he was obliged to decline the position of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts. His life contains many episodes of a revolutionary nature — and his relation to the time in which he lived is much like that of his kinsman Samuel Adams. He had first of all the gift of leadership, and a marvellous power as an orator. An ardent abolitionist, he was instrumental in saving from slavery the great terri- tory between the Mississippi and the Pacific, and eventually in the aboli- tion of slavery. At the same time, justice governed his actions. When he was a Chief Justice of the Superior Court, a fugitive slave who had escaped on a New Orleans vessel was seized by his master and forced back to slavery. In response to the indignation expressed by the people, the captain of the vessel was arrested and brought before Judge Allen. The question arose as to whether the act had been committed within the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth, and it was with great satisfaction that the people heard that the case was to be tried before a great abolitionist. Justice then spoke through the decision delivered by the judge: "He taught the whole people of the country that even a slave-catcher could not fail in his reliance on the justice of Massachusetts; and that her indignation against what she deemed the worst of outrages, the kidnap- ping of a human being, could not swerve her from her obedience to law." The man was acquitted on the ground that the offence was not committed within the county. A memorable event of Judge Allen's life occurred on his return to Massachusetts after having served as a delegate from the Worcester District to the Whig National Convention which met in Philadelphia in June, 1848, after his memorable speech ending with "Sir, Massachusetts spurns the bribe!" Judge Allen gave his report in the City Hall at Worcester to the multitude that thronged there. As the assembly was about to disperse after hearing Judge Allen's passionate attack on the Whig party, his brother, the Rev. George Allen, came to the platform and moved the memorable resolution which was passed and adopted by the Free Soil party as a slogan in its campaign: ''Resolved, that Massa- chusetts wears no chains, and spurns all bribes. That she goes now and will ever go for Free Soil and Free Men, for Free Lips and a Free Press, for a Free Land and a Free World." So was inaugurated_ the political party which made the abolition of slavery its cardinal principle. Nor did Charles Allen flinch when he faced the most powerful antagonist that not alone Massachusetts but America ever produced — Daniel Webster. 31 I. Charles Allen 2. Ichabod Washburn 3. Emory Washburn FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY And his denunciation of the great orator is second only to the poem written bv Whittier. He was the personification of the indomitable strength of New England even during a great illness that occurred when he had served two terms in the Congress of the United States. Washing- ton climate did not agree with him, and he contracted there a prolonged lung fever. The attending phvsician, a friend of Judge Allen, said that it was but a matter of a few hours before the patient would succumb to the disease, but the judge in scarcely an audible whisper said, We mil see about that," and, to the chagrin of the physician, recovered. His death occurred in 1869, in the seventy-second year of his age. ICHABOD WASHBURN Founder of the Washburn and Moen Manufacturing Co., now consolidated with the American Steel and Wire Company which is now a constituent company of the United States Steel corporation— the largest concern of its kind in the world. Christopher C. Baldwin in h'i's'biaiy has an interesting entry con- cerning the subject of this sketch, dated May 28, 1829: "Ichabod Wash- burn raises his house without anv ardent spirits. ' Believed to be the first instance of the kind in New England." But Mr. Baldwin neglected to add with what diflaculty this house of Ichabod Washburn s was raised. Those were the days when men went to "raisings" expressly for the rum that they received, nor is it a great credit to good workmanship that so potent was the draught quaffed from the rum-barrels that frequently they were unable to perform their tasks, or else so imperfectly did they do their work that it was not unusual for the framework of the building to fall on its noble supporters. Ichabod Washburn had to canvass Worcester to procure workmen who were willing to do without rum, but he finallv succeeded on the promise of substantial remuneration. He served lemonade, crackers, and cheese to his recruits, who if they grumbled did their work well. Their worthy employer thereby estab- lished a precedent in New England. He was destined to do other things, —to found a great wire concern, and to go down in history as a philan- thropist, r 1 -Jir UU A century ago young Washburn laid the foundations of the Washburn and Moen Companv— not long ago amalgamated with the American Steel and Wire Companv. He had set forth to seek his fortune at the age of sixteen, walking' from his birthplace in Kingston to Worcester, where he secured work at a forge. His apprenticeship and his early lite in Worcester are vivid portrayals of the sterling New England grit that Ichabod Washburn ever exhibited. He had little money, but even from his scanty funds he contributed what he could to various worthy objects that engaged his attention. He began the manufacture of lead pipe- then scarcely thought of in America. He made the first woollen con- denser and long-roll spinning-jack ever made in Worcester_ County, and one of the first in this countrv. After manufacturing wire and wood screws for some time, Mr. Washburn began the manufacture of iron wire, constantly improving his machinery. In 1850 he took into partnership his son-in-law, P. L. Moen. The firm of Washburn and Moen in 1869 was organized with a capital of $1,000,000 and authority to increase the 33 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY capital to $1,500,000. The output of the establishment was greatly increased as the demand was made for telegraph wire and piano wire, and the product made here was superior in quality to the English wire that had previously been used in America. Between i860 and 1870 hoop- skirt wire was made. Higher grades of steel were made. And insulated wires and cabled conductors were manufactured in large quantities. As the larger demands for iron and steel wire came, the Company increased their output in quantity and variety. To-day the concern is the largest of its kind in the world. The fortune which Ichabod Washburn amassed was liberally given by his will to the city of Worcester. When Worcester Polytechnic Institute was founded in 1868, Mr. Washburn gave a large machine-shop to the Institute. He was a generous contributor to various charitable institu- tions. Memorial Hospital stands as a fitting memorial to him. Mr. Washburn's death occurred December 30, 1868. GEORGE BANCROFT Historimi, Statesman, and Founder of the Naval School at Annapolis iSoo-gi Worcester County men and women are noted for their longevity, and George Bancroft, the historian of the United States, is no exception to the rule. He lived to be more than ninety years of age, and during his last days it was no unusual sight to see the noted man mounted on a fine horse and enjoying his out-of-door canters as well as members of a younger generation. It has been said that the secret of all genius is found in a child's early surroundings, and if this is true, George Bancroft came well by his talents. Of a long line of New England clergy and writers, his father the noted Aaron Bancroft who served his parish in Worcester for more than half a century and who gave to the world an admirable Life of Washington, Bancroft the younger from his cradle absorbed a literary and cultured atmosphere. When very young he listened with eagerness to this and that historical tale told him by his father, and while other children romped at their games, Bancroft stayed with his elders and frequently took part in discussions of importance. George Bancroft was born in Worcester, October 3, 1800. At the age of seventeen he was graduated from Harvard University, and an oppor- tunity was given him to pursue his studies in Europe. For the next five years of his life he studied and travelled abroad, and was honored at various European universities. His father had hopes that young Ban- croft might enter the ministry; Harvard University had paid his expenses abroad in the hope that he might return to the University as a professor. As a matter of fact, the young man's plans when he returned in 1822 to America were not formulated. He was only twenty-two years of age. He preached once from his father's pulpit, but his sermon was a failure, and it has been said that his manner was most affected. The subject of this sermon was "Love." For a time he was tutor of Greek at Harvard. Later with Joseph G. Coggswell he founded the famous Round Hill School for boys at Northampton. He became interested in political affairs, but declined the nomination to the Senate. "I have formed a design," he announced in 1834, "of writing a History of the United States from the discovery of the American Continent to 34 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY the present time." Thus began one of the most important works of his life — and George Bancroft now ranks as the leading American historian. Followed a period of varied activities: He was defeated for Congress in 1835; from 1838 until 1841 he was Collector of the Port of Boston; in 1844 he was the Democratic candidate for Governor of Massachusetts, but was not elected; in 1845 he was made Secretary of the Navy under James K. Polk, and while holding this position Bancroft founded the Naval School at Annapolis. It was while he was Secretary of the Navy that Bancroft issued the order to take possession of California should war arise between the United States and Mexico, and during the absence of the Secretary of War he issued an order to General Taylor to march into Texas. Frequently the question has been discussed as to whether the memory of Bancroft will be longest preserved as the founder of the Naval School, as the man who made possible the acquisition of California, or as a historian. History seems to give him the most laurels as a historian. The later years of his life were enviable. He was courted at home and abroad. His position at the Court of St. James gave him a prestige abroad. He first went to the Court of St. James in 1846; in 1849 he returned to America, where he pursued for some years his work, as a historian; in 1867 he was appointed Minister to Prussia; and in 1874, at his own request, he was recalled. For more than half a century he numbered among his friends men in both hemispheres, and honorary degrees were conferred on him by many European and American uni- versities. In Washington and Newport, where he made his home in later life, he was sought by literary men from all over the world. A great lover of roses, his home was filled with them, and on his death, his body was literally buried in them. His death occurred at his Washington home, January 17, 1891, and his remains were brought to Worcester that he might rest with his father and mother, Aaron and Lucretia Bancroft. The later birthdays of the great historian were made times of great celebration by his friends, and flowers, messages, and congratulations were showered upon him. On the occasion of his eighty-seventh birth- day. Browning sent him by cable this verse: — "Bancroft, the message-bearing wire Which flashes my all-hail to-day Moves slower than the heart's desire That what hand pens tongue's self might say." EMORY WASHBURN Governor of Massachusetts, iSx^~54 iSoo-jS Emorv Washburn was elected Governor of Massachusetts by the votes of the Whig party in the fall of 1853. Mr. Washburn was then in Europe and had no knowledge of his election until his steamer touched Halifax on the return passage. Though his service in this office was brief. Gover- nor Washburn gave to his duties the same care and forethought that characterized every act of his life. He was born of an old New England family — of yeoman stock. His grandfather, Seth Washburn, the grandson of that John Washburn who was the first Secretary of the Massachusetts Bay Company, married the 35 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY grand-daughter of Mary Chilton, said to have been the first member of the Pilgrim company to step on Plymouth Rock. Both John and Seth Washburn and Seth's son Joseph (father of Emory) served their country in innumerable ways. Emory Washburn, the sixth son of Joseph, was born in Leicester, February 14, 1800. His father died when he was seven years old. It was to the careful direction of his mother, who survived her husband for twenty years, that much of the later success of her son was due. He was fitted for college at Leicester Academy, and at the age of thirteen entered Dartmouth College. In 181 5, when a valued pro- fessor at Dartmouth became president of Williams College, he took young Washburn with him. Emory Washburn was graduated from Williams in 1817 in a class of seven, and immediately began the study of law with Judge Dewey and later under Asahel Stearns, then the sole resident pro- fessor of law at Harvard University. He was admitted to the bar in 1821, and began the practice of law in his native town, where for several years he served as town clerk. In 1826 and 1827 he represented Leicester in the Legislature, and he made there the first report that suggested the building of a railroad between Boston and Albany — several years before Massachusetts had a single mile of railroads. After the death of his mother, Washburn in 1828 removed to Worces- ter. He served from 1830 to 1834 as one of Governor Lincoln's aides, as a member of the House of Representatives in 1838, and member of the Senate and chairman of the Judiciary Committee in 1841 and 1842. From 1844 to 1848 he was one of the justices of the Court of Common Pleas. After serving as Governor of the Commonwealth in 1853-54, Governor Washburn (in 1856) was appointed Bussey Professor of Law at Harvard University. He was created Doctor of Laws by both Har- vard and Williams colleges. In 1876 he resigned his professorship and devoted his time to study at his Cambridge home. He served many institutions, and was especially interested in the normal schools of the Commonwealth. He aided in the establishment of the Worcester County Free Institute of Industrial Science, was a Trustee of Leicester Academy and Williams College, a member of the International Code Committee, a director of the American Science Association, a member of the Massa- chusetts Historical Society, where he served on the Standing Committee for many years and as vice-president from 1874 until his death; he was for half a century a member of the American Antiquarian Society, and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Washburn's death occurred March 18, 1878. More than fifty books and pamphlets were written by him from 1826 until his resignation as Bussey Professor of Law at Harvard University. DOROTHEA LYNDE DIX Protector of the JVorld's Insane 1S02-S7 A noted American once said to Miss Dix, "/ have learned from you never to despair.'" Herein lies the secret of Dorothea Lynde Dix's life-work — ■ the saving of the world's insane. Unfortunately, even in her younger days Dorothea Dix had a frail constitution, but dominating physical infirmities was the splendid will and steadfast purpose so often exhibited in her grandfather, Elijah Dix of Worcester. A story will illustrate this 37 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY point. Dr. Dix had incurred the hostility of some of his fellow-citizens, and word reached him that a plot had been laid to drive him out of town, and that undoubtedly personal violence would be met in the encounter. A message came, purporting to have been sent from a sick-bed. It was night and a party had placed itself in ambush to await the doctor. On being told of the supposed patient. Dr. Dix announced his willingness to go, and then in the presence of the messenger he threw open a window, and shouted to his servant, "Bring round my horse at once; see that the pistols in my holsters are double-shotted; then give the bull-dog a piece of raw meat and turn him loose to go along!" Dr. Dix was not attacked that night. His grand-daughter — the subject of this sketch — in her youth was reared by this indomitable physician and his grim wife. And if all that was poetic and tender in the child was suppressed, the germ of this tender- ness remained later to be shown to the unfortunate. Dorothea, though born in Maine and practically reared in Boston, began her career in Worcester by opening in 1816, when she was but fifteen, a school. Afterwards she returned to Madam Dix's home in Boston and there carried on her school work at the little house in Orange Court, near the larger Dix Mansion on Washington Street. Between- whiles she wrote various books, largely of a poetic nature. In 1823 — a memorable year in the life of the young girl — she met the Emersons, and came under the influence of Dr. Channing. It was in that year also that Dorothea Dix heard of the unspeakable conditions in the jail at East Cambridge. She immediately visited the jail and there witnessed the neglect of the insane patients, one poor demented woman being chained to a stake and left to the care of a deformed black man. Miss Dix wrote articles concerning this for the newspapers; she approached the Massachusetts Legislature and was influential in procuring an appropria- tion for asylums; she next, with the aid of John Quincy Adams, secured a bill for providing for the Washington insane. Thus began her career. Her influence was felt in the coming years throughout the world. Miss Dix states in one of her letters that from June, 1844, until August, 1847, she travelled 32,470 miles. This trip included Long Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and all of the Southern cities. "Go to your cells," she wrote in a memorial to the General Assembly of Mississippi, "and dungeons of your poorhouses and your jails. In imagination, for a short time, place yourselves in the condition of the imprisoned, neglected maniac; enter the horrid, noisome cell; invest your shrinking limbs with the foul, tattered garments which refuse a decent protection; cast yourselves upon the loathsome heaps of filthy straw; find companionship, if your drear solitude is ever broken, with the gibbering idiot, or the base criminal, the abandoned felon; listen to your own hideous shrieks and groans or to the cries and wailings of wretches as miserable as yourself; call for help and succor and release, for blessed words of soothing and kind offices of care, till the dull wails weary in sending back the echo of your moans: then, in recalling self- recollection, if the mind is not quite overcome under the imagined misery of what, alas! is real, long-suffered distress to others, return to the con- sciousness of your sound, intellectual health, and say if any exertions, and sacrifices, any labor, any cost, are too much or too great for arresting the strong, steady increase of insanity within your borders!" Nor did Miss Dix confine her labors to the North American Continent. 38 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY She visited Europe several times and there brought light to the insane. In Italy she had several interviews with the Pope, Pio Nono, who helped her to establish a new hospital in Rome. A notable service was rendered by her prior to and during the Civil War, when she was made Superin- tendent of Women Nurses in General Hospitals. She refused money offered for her services, but accepted two large flags ordered made for her by the Secretary of War. These she bequeathed to Harvard Uni- versity, where they hang in Memorial Hall. The last of Miss Dix's life was passed in Trenton, New Jersey, at an asylum founded by her and in which she kept an active interest to the last. She first saw the light of day in Hampden, Maine, April 4, 1802; and she breathed her last in New Jersey, July 17, 1887. WILLIAM LINCOLN (No picture extant ) Historian of JForcester 1 So 1-4: Had William Lincoln, who is best known by his valuable history of Worcester, not died at the early age of forty-two, the literary endowment of his native city might have been enriched many-fold, for no more inde- fatigable literary worker can be found on the long list of writers that have given Worcester its prestige in the world of letters. Besides his history and many volumes edited by him, Mr. Lincoln left a novel in MSS., called "The Legends of Nicholas Tristram, Jr.: A Tale of the Wilderness." This story is said to have been written in a cave, bearing the writer's name, on the old Lincoln estate, whither Mr. Lincoln resorted when he had special work to prepare and was in need of quiet. He devoted much time also to beautifying the estate on which he is said to have constructed a pond, and to have increased the natural beauty of the grounds by adding rare shrubs and flowers. Throughout his life he maintained a keen interest in agriculture and horticulture and was a member of several societies that furthered these pursuits. Mr. Lincoln, the son of Attorney-General Lincoln, and the brother of Levi Lincoln, Jr., Governor of Massachusetts, and of Enoch Lincoln, Governor of Maine, was born in Worcester, September 26, 1 801. He was graduated from Harvard at the age of twenty and admitted to the bar three years later. Shortly afterwards he and Christopher C. Baldwin began the publication of the PVorcester Magazine, devoted to local his- tory, still consulted and valued. All phases of Worcester history claimed Mr. Lincoln's interest. When the National jEgis was first published, he edited it; he also edited the Journals of the Provincial Congress, Com- mittees of Safety and County Conventions (1774-75). In 1835 Mr. Lincoln represented Worcester at the General Court, and served as a member of the Judiciary Committee. In 1837 his history of Worcester was published. Mr. Lincoln's death occurred October 5, 1843. "He was profound and learned for his years," said Governor Emory Washburn, "the diligent student with his ever-ready fancy and playful wit, the genial companion, and the man of taste and letters." An interesting anecdote is told by a man who evidently knew Lincoln's woods although he might not have been aware of the owner's care of the 39 I. Dorothea Lynde Dix 2. James Fitton 3. John S. C. Abbott FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY feathered folk who inhabited it. "As a young man," he said, "I was one day out hunting in Paine's Woods on Lincoln Street, and on my way home went into the grounds of Mr. Lincoln with the idea of shooting robins that were very abundant about the cherry-trees there. Mr. Lincoln came out and in the blandest manner said, 'If you please, young man, couldn't you just as well do your shooting somewhere else.'"" The youthful huntsman departed, but afterwards asserted, "I had a shot at the robins, all the same." JAMES FITTON 1- irst Catholic Prirst of JVorcester, where he laid the foundations for the College of the Holy Cross Father James Fitton was for many years a New England missionary and priest. When the Right Reverend Benedict Joseph Fenwick, second Bishop of Boston, founded the College of the Holy Cross, he had a sub- stantial foundation on which to build, for Father Fitton during his early days in Worcester had purchased a tract of land on Baogachoag, or Hill of Pleasant Springs, and there in 1840 he erected a building destined to receive young-men students. He called the school the Seminary of St. James, in honor of his patron. Eventually the institution was placed under the care of the Fathers of the Society of Jesus, and the building, with sixty acres of land. Father Fitton in 1842 presented to Bishop Fen- wick, who erected the central building of the College, the corner-stone of which was laid June 21, 1843. Twenty-five students entered the col- lege the first year. To-day the College of the Holy Cross is the largest Catholic college in New England. It is not strange that Father Fitton was successful in the varied build- ing enterprises in which he was engaged for more than half a century, for he once jokingly said: "How can I help being a builder.'' Wasn't I born with a mallet.?" Father Fitton referred here to his boyhood in Boston, during which he watched his father work at the forge. The Fittons were of Welsh and English extraction, and after coming to America they formed a part of a hundred Catholics who worshipped in Boston early in the last century. Father Fitton was born in a house that stood at the corner of Milk and Devonshire Streets, Boston, where the Post-Office now stands. He attended the public school and did the usual number of chores that fell to the lot of Boston boys at that time. Every day before school he drove his father's cows to Boston Common — then a pasture — and after school he brought them home. Bishop Chev- erus was pleased with the lad's conduct and advised him to study Latin, later watching him while he v.^as a student at a New Hampshire academy, and of theology in Boston. In 1827, James Fitton was ordained to the priesthood. In that year there were less than seven thousand Catholics in Boston and in the six New England States but seven priests. To enumerate the missionary duties of Father Fitton during the early days of his ministry is to tell the story of New England a century ago. He endured the hardships of the pioneer, travelling hundreds of miles to hold services in remote settlements. His hardest experience came in Maine, where early in his career it was learned that the Passamaquoddy tribe of Indians needed spiritual help. Father Fitton found their mode 41 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY of living distasteful and the food served him scarcely edible, but his mis- sionary work bore rich fruit for later generations of the tribe. Other missionary labors performed by Father Fitton in New England are not- able, and especially do his memoirs tell of the kindness with which the people received him, of the eagerness of members of his own faith to hear Mass, and of the cordiality displayed by the New England folk not of his faith, especially those in the Green Mountain district, who frequently placed at his disposal their own meeting-house, the village schoolhouse or the town house. After spending several years in Vermont and Con- necticut, Father Fitton was sent in 1835 to Worcester, where he cele- brated the first Mass in the shop of a mechanic of the town, and where he preached his first sermon in the Old Elephant Tavern, then on the stage route between Boston and Springfield. When the church he eventually built had no roof, he celebrated Mass in it. A heavy shower came up during the Elevation of the Sacred Host, and three members of the congregation came forward and held umbrellas over Father Fitton, moving to and fro with him during the Holy Sacrifice. Though the congregation was drenched, no one moved to a place of shelter. The later events of Father Fitton's life brought to him much of accom- plishment and honor. For several years he served as pastor in Provi- dence, and the last quarter-century of his life was passed as pastor of the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer in East Boston, where he died Sep- tember 15, 1 881. "When I come to die," he said, "bury me where God's sunshine will fall on me." So they bore him to the Holy Cross Cemetery (Maiden), where the sunlight has since shone across his last resting-place. JOHN S. C. ABBOTT Historian John Stevens Cabot Abbott was a member of the famous class of 1825 at Bowdoin College, in which were graduated Cheever, Hawthorne, and Longfellow, and while a student he made his first and last attempt at verse-making, competing with Longfellow and winning laurels over the future American poet. Abbott was a native of Maine, having been born in Brunswick, September 18, 1805. After his graduation from Bowdoin, he became principal of the academy at Andover, Massachusetts. He was graduated from Andover Seminary, and in the latter part of 1829 became pastor of the Central Calvinistic Church at Worcester, where he began his literary career. It was while Dr. Abbott was delivering a series of lectures before a mothers' association at Worcester that the idea came to him to gather these lectures under one cover. They were published under the title of "The Mother at Home." There was a large demand for the little vol- umes, in six months alone sales having been made of some ten thousand copies. The book was published later in England, and was translated into many languages. During Dr. Abbott's forty years' service as cler- gyman he occupied eight different pulpits, his Worcester pastorate ex- tending from 1829 until 1834. During a serious illness that occurred during the end of his Worcester ministry he considered devoting his time to writing. His brother, the Rev. Jacob Abbott, had become celebrated 42 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY as the author of the " Rollo " books, and this gave zest to Dr. John Abbott's ambitions. Strange to say, he chose a then much-maligned character for the book that brought him an international reputation, the Life of Napoleon I. The great French general was judged by English standards — and was almost as deeply hated on this as on the other side of the Atlantic. But Dr. Abbott studied his subject deeply both in England and in France, and then wrote the biography as he actually believed it should be written. In the course of his research work he visited Louis Napoleon at Paris. "Hard writing makes easy reading," was the historian's motto, and it is said that he wrote and rewrote whole volumes before their publication. He thoroughly mastered his subject before putting his thoughts on paper, and no moment was ever too full for him to receive in his study his chil- dren or a friend. Though Worcester was not Dr. Abbott's home during his later years as minister and writer, nevertheless it has the distinction of having been his home when he began his literary career. Besides his life of Napoleon, his most famous works are "Napoleon at St. Helena," "Kings and Queens," "The French Revolution," "History of the Civil War in America," "The Romance of Spanish History," "Prussia and the Franco-Prussian War," "History of Frederick the Great," "History of Maine," and "The History of Civilization." Dr. Abbott's death occurred in 1877. ELIHU BURRITT The ^'Learned Blacksmith"; Reformer and Linguist iSio-yg By the time Elihu Burritt was thirty years of age he had mastered fifty languages, and this while toiling all day at a Worcester forge. He spent his nights alone in a study. He scarcely had a common-school education, for he had been set to work as soon as he was old enough, and had saved his earnings with the hope of getting an education. The little money that he had scraped together was swept away in the financial panic of 1837 — and all of the hopes of getting to Europe went with it. So Elihu Burritt walked from his birthplace in New Britain, Connecticut, where he had been born in 1810, to Boston. The ship on which he hoped to take passage had sailed, and young Burritt, hearing of the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, tied up his few earthly possessions in a handkerchief and trudged from Boston to Worcester — in order to see the wonderful librarj^ where books might be read for the asking. He secured work at a local forge where he was given ^12 a month wages. Slowly his fame as a linguist spread, until one day a manuscript apparently written in Danish was brought to him for translation. Har- vard had given it up — and after some difficulty Burritt succeeded in translating the strange account of a vessel that had been wrecked on the South Sea Islands. The paper proved to be written in the dialect of the natives, and Boston underwriters awaited the story which Mr. Burritt produced. This and other successes gave the young linguist the courage to write to William Lincoln of Worcester, offering his services as a trans- lator of German. The communication greatly impressed Mr. Lincoln, and he saw that it reached the hands of Governor Edward Everett, who read it before a Teachers' Institute, and there gave Burritt the name that 43 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY has come down in history — the "Learned blacksmith." boston papers printed the Everett speech; other papers copied it; and shortly after- wards an opportunity came for the young blacksmith to lecture in various places. He also was connected with the Christian Citizen, a weekly paper published in Worcester, devoted to temperance, self-culture, anti-slavery, and peace. This is said to be the first publication in America giving defi- nite space to the cause of peace. The idea of international peace took possession of Elihu Burritt's mind. So saturated was he with the idea that in 1846, feeling that he had a message for Europe, he sailed on the Htbernia. His "League of Peace" mission which had taken firm root in America was destined to bear rich fruit across the Atlantic. He was given a royal reception in England, and the League which he formed there was called The League of Universal Brotherhood. Peace congresses were held at Brussels, Paris, Frankfort-on-the-Main, London, Manchester, and famous names — among them those of Victor Hugo and Carlyle — were associated with the meetings. The great blow to Elihu Burritt's League came, not in Europe, but in America on the outbreak of the Civil War. It seemed to this apostle of peace that all of the splendid work done on both sides of the Atlantic went for naught. At the close of the Civil War he served the United States as Consular Agent at Birmingham, England, the scene of his early efforts on behalf of international peace, and while there he was instrumental in reducing the postal rates between England and America. In 1870 he retired to his birthplace. New Britain, Connecticut, and there passed the quietest portion of his life. His death occurred in 1879. To-day few know Elihu Burritt as the "Learned Blacksmith," fewer still know him as the apostle of international peace, but book-lovers know his "Walk from London to lohn o' Groat's" and "A Walk from London to Land's End and Back." Burritt stands alone in that he had mastered fifty languages. ABBY KELLY FOSTER Abolitionist and Reformer It is impossible to write or eveh'^t6"^hink of Abby Kelly Foster with- out associating her with her husband, Stephen S. Foster, and the Aboli- tionist movement. The three are inseparable. Husband and wife strug- gled long for the cause they believed in, and while their methods — like many modern militant reformers — were unique, still beneath the activ- ities of the Fosters beat warm, ardent hearts, and wills to suffer and die if need be, that the abolition of slavery might be accomplished. "My mother," said the daughter of the Fosters, "found it hard to like people with whom she differed, but my father loved everybody." A story follows illustrating the humor of the great Abolitionist. A slave- holder was permitted to speak on the same platform with representa- tives of the Anti-Slavery Society. Stephen S. Foster contradicted a statement made by the slaveholder. "Do you think, sir," indignantly shouted the speaker, "that I would lie?" "Well," said Mr. Foster, in his rich, kind voice, "I don't know as you would lie, but I do know that you would steal." Abby Kelly Foster, of Irish-Quaker parentage, was born in Pelham, Massachusetts, lanuary 15, 181 1. She was educated at the Friends' 45 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY School in Providence, and for several years was a teacher, a vocation that she abandoned in 1837, in order to lecture on abolition. After the Grimke sisters she was the first woman to enter the lecture field. The meetings at which she appeared were frequently stormy ones. A mob often stormed places where she lectured, but Mrs. Foster, like her cele- brated husband, continued to speak. Airs. Foster was the founder of the Anti-Slavery Bugle, was one of the organizers of the Webster Anti- Slavery Society, and was one of the first women admitted to membership in the American Anti-Slavery Society. In 1845 she married Stephen S. Foster, whose attacks on the churches which he claimed upheld slavery had been long and bitter. His pamphlet "The Brotherhood of Thieves, a True Picture of the American Church and Clergy" had caused consid- erable agitation. He was frequently carried by force from church- gatherings where he had talked, and his terms in jail and the fines imposed for public offences were most frequent. In spite of his methods of ac- complishing his end, Mr. Foster has been described "as nearly as it is possible for a man to be — free from unkind personal feelings." "His attitude toward his opponents," continues Lillie Buffum Chace Wyman, "was always such as once impelled him to say in public meeting, 'I love my friend Higginson, but I loathe his opinions.' In his home life, as I knew him, this doughty warrior upon evil was the most lovable of men, gently lenient to girlish impertinence, and sympathetically disposed to the spirit of youth. He was a sturdy farmer of his New England fields. 'I should hate farming in the West,' he once said. 'I should hate to put my spade into ground where it did not hit against rock.' His features were as rugged as the rocks he loved, and his hands were hard and gnarled with toil. His gestures were ungainly, but his voice was beautiful. His eyes were blue and kind, but sometimes there was a look in them as of a man bent indeed on going his appointed way in the world, but who did not always see a light upon that way." Mrs. Foster in many respects was his direct antithesis. About 1850 she began to take an interest in equal suffrage. She and her husband eventually settled on a farm in Worcester, where they refused to pay taxes because Mrs. Foster was not allowed to vote. Here Stephen Foster died on September 8, 1881. His wife survived him seven years, her death occurring January 14, 1887. James Russell Lowell has thus described Abby Kelly Foster: — "A Judith there, turned Quakeress, Sits Abby in her modern dress. No nobler gift of heart or brain, No life more white from spot or stain, Was e'er on freedom's altar laid, Than hers — the simple Quaker maid." GINERY TWICHELL Famous Post-rider, and Proprietor of the Largest Lines 0] Stage-coaches in Nezv England iSii-Ss Less than a century ago, when New England depended on stage-coaches for transportation, Ginery Twichell established a record as a post-rider, and later became the proprietor of the largest line of stage-coaches in 46 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY New England. Whatever honors came to him in his riper years, — and they were many, for Air. Twichell became president of several important railroads and served three successive years as Congressman, — probably he will be remembered longest for his connection with early transporta- tion in New England. Ginery Twichell was born August 26, 181 1, in Athol, where on leaving school he worked for a mill-owner and also for a live-stock dealer. At the age of nineteen he had charge of a stage-line between Barre and Worcester. In those days there was considerable competition between rival lines, but the young driver overcame the opposition even of his enemies by his inherent good-will and readiness to do a favor. In 1838, in recognition of their appreciation, his friends presented him with a stage-coach. In time he became the owner of more than two hundred horses and of several lines of stage-coaches. Air. Twichell was brought to the attention of the public by several remarkable feats in riding. A memorable one was a ride which he took in an easterly storm from Worcester to Greenfield, a distance of fifty-five miles, and thence back to Worcester and on to Boston, forty-five miles farther. During this ride he carried despatches destined for the Atlas. The ride that won for him the title of "The Unrivalled Express-Rider," wherein Air. Twichell is represented as hastening on his journey, in an engraving that was pub- lished to commemorate his feat, occurred in 1846, during the excite- ment over the Oregon question. Mr. Twichell's biographer tells the story: "The leading newspapers of New York were eager to secure despatches expected to arrive at Boston by the foreign steamers in January, 1846. The Herald made arrangements to carry its own de- spatches from Boston to Norwich by railroad, thence by boat to Long Island, and across the island by mail to New York City. The Tribune and other papers of New York and Philadelphia being excluded by the Herald from participating in its arrangements with the railroad and steamboat companies on this route, Nlr. Twichell was obliged to use horses instead of steam-power for most of the distance. He could obtain an engine to run from Boston to Worcester only on condition of its being fifteen minutes behind the Herald^s train. From Worcester to Hartford, a distance of sixty-six miles, he rode on horseback through deep snow in the remarkably short time of three hours and twenty minutes; thence from Hartford to New Haven, by railroad, thirty-six miles; from New Haven to New York, seventy-six miles, by horses; and reached New York City in season for the printing of the despatches before the arrival of those of the Her aid J^ When Commodore Vanderbilt during the winters of 1840-41 and '42 requested Air. Twichell to transport passengers from Norwich to Allen's Point, Air. Twichell established a stage-line there, never leaving a pas- senger behind, and taking care of the freight in a manner that brought forth commendation from A/Ir. Vanderbilt. In 1838 Air. Twichell estab- lished a stage-line in Worcester, and ten years later he was made assistant superintendent of the Boston and Worcester Railroad. The following year he was promoted to the office of superintendent. In 1857 he be- came president of the same road, a capacity in which he served for a dec- ade until his election to Congress in 1866. He also in later years served as president of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad Company; the Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad Company; and the Hoosac Tunnel and Western Railroad Company. Air. Twichell's death occurred in 1883. 47 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY JONAS G. CLARK Founder of Clark University iSi-;-iono Jonas Gilman Clark has been called an American of Americans. Of sturdy old New England stock, he exhibited a simplicity and largeness of heart which makes the true philanthropist, while his modesty — even in the years when a large fortune had been amassed — never deserted him. It was his custom to mildly boast in his later years that he could make any part of a carriage better than any other man he knew. Mr. Clark was born in Hubbardston on the first of February, 1815, the son of a farmer of independent means. He received a good education, and finally selected the trade of carriage-making. After learning his trade he opened his shop. Later he entered the hardware business, eventually establishing manufactories or stores in the eastern part of the State. In the early "fifties" Mr. Clark engaged in the California trade and laid the foundation of his fortune in dealing in miners' supplies. This fortune he greatly increased during the reconstruction period that followed the Civil War, when he made large transactions in government securities, and invested in Boston and New York real estate. In 1875, having sold his Fifth Avenue home, he purchased another site on Seventy- second Street, near the present Lenox Library. On his removal from the city he sold this property for half a million. In 1881, having selected Worcester as his permanent place of residence, Mr. Clark built his home on Elm Street. There he collected a large and costly library, and, conscious of the responsibilities of a large fortune, he evolved, after extensive studies abroad, a plan for a great university where post-graduate courses in higher education and original research might be had without going abroad. Thus he founded Clark University, purchasing a site for the college buildings in 1887 in Worcester. Eight of the leading men of Worcester were invited by Mr. Clark to assume the duties of Trustees: Stephen Salisbury, President of the American Antiquarian Society; Charles Devens, Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States; George F. Hoar, United States Senator; William W. Rice, a member of Congress; Dr. Joseph Sargent, an eminent physician; John D. Washburn, former United States Minister to Switzerland; Frank P. Goulding, a member of the Worcester County Bar; and George Swan, also a member of the Worcester Bar. The University, to which Mr. Clark gave an endowment of two millions, was granted a charter in 1887 and on October 22 of that year the corner- stone was laid. In 1888 Dr. G. Stanley Hall was made president. The University was formally opened in October of 1889. Twelve years after the opening of the University, Mr. Clark died at his home in Worcester, May 23, 1900. Hubbardston, where he was born, was generously remembered by the philanthropist. But the crowning work of his life, the work that absorbed nearly a third of his eighty-five years, is the University — his greatest memorial. "Broad in its scope," said Mr. Clark, of his university, "liberal in its methods, and comprehensive in its teachings, it must of necessity prove a powerful instrument in promoting the higher education and fuller development of the intellectual faculties of our people. Being placed, 49 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY as we propose it shall be, in charge of the wisest and most accomplished scholars of the day, in several departments of science, literature, and art, those seeking to avail themselves of its advantages will be brought in close relations with the best thought and most profound wisdom of the world and age." ALEXANDER HAMILTON BULLOCK Governor of Massachusetts, i866-6g 1816-82 The father of Alexander Hamilton Bullock taught school in Royalston in his youth, kept a country store there, and finally engaged in the manu- facturing that brought him a splendid fortune. For five years the elder Bullock represented his native town in the Massachusetts House of Representatives; he was twice elected Senator for Worcester County, was a member of the conventions that revised the Constitution in 1820 and again in 1853. He was a Presidential Elector in 1852 on the Whig ticket, and a trustee of Amherst College. The son of this distinguished Worcester County man was born in Royalston, Worcester County, March 2, 18 16. He fitted for college at Leicester Academy, entered Amherst College in 1832 and was graduated in 1836. In later life he served this institution in several capacities — as a member of the Board of Trustees, chairman of the Financial Com- mittee, and president of the Alumni. Amherst in 1865 conferred on Alexander Bullock the degree of LL.D. and the following year Harvard University conferred on him the same degree. Following in his father's footsteps, Mr. Bullock after his graduation taught school in Royalston. He also taught at Kingston, Rhode Island. He studied law at Harvard, and he spent the year of 1840 in the ofiice of Emory Washburn of Worcester, and was admitted to the bar in 1841. Like his father, he was a staunch Whig. In 1842, while serving as an aide on the military staff of Governor John Davis, Mr. Bullock became the editor of the National ^gis, a Whig newspaper published in Worces- ter. Mr. Bullock represented Worcester in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1845 until 1848, and the county of Worcester in the Senate in 1849. It was at this time that his speeches began to attract attention, his eulogy on John Quincy Adams in 1848 being a masterpiece of its kind. In 1859 Mr. Bullock was elected Mayor of Worcester, his term being distinguished by the establishment of a Free Public Library, the publication of a history of Worcester, and many other memorable events. With the approach of the Civil War, Mr. Bullock favored the national Republican party, and the election of Abraham Lincoln, also the nomina- tion of John A. Andrew as Governor of the Commonwealth. He made many stirring speeches at this time, and on the raising of a volunteer militia in Worcester he aroused enthusiasm when he asserted: — "Under no circumstances will there be a yielding to submission and disgrace. Better that the earth should engulf us than to yield our capital to the rebels who would seize it." On the departure of the Twenty-fifth Regiment for the front, Mr. Bul- lock, on behalf of friends, presented to Colonel Sprague a horse, and later, willing to stake his wealth for the cause so dear to him, he said: "Bring 50 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY me your tax-bills and send out the regiment! Every man or woman who has anything to spare owes it to the country, this month and next, to place a portion of it, at least, in the public stocks. . . . Every dollar in- vested for the Government will transcend in appreciation the annals of usury; and even if it is lost, it will be riches to the losers, for it would be recoined in the wealth and treasure of the heart." In the fall of 1861 Mr. Bullock was re-elected to the House of Repre- sentatives, becoming Speaker of the House the following January. He was re-elected to this office in 1863 by every vote but three, and in 1864 and 1865 was unanimously chosen. His famous Cooper Institute speech was made in New York, November 26, 1861. In January, 1865, antici- pating a speedy end of the four years' conflict, Governor Andrew an- nounced his desire to withdraw from the Governorship of the Common- wealth, and on the expiration of his term of office, Mr. Bullock, after being unanimously nominated at the Republican State Convention, was elected Governor of Massachusetts, November 7, 1865. He served until January, 1869. He was a conspicuous figure in the public life of Worcester, where he served as president of the Worcester County Institu- tion for Savings, as a director of the Worcester National Bank, president of the State Mutual Life Assurance Company, and in various other capacities. Though in poor health for some time before his death, Governor Bullock's end came suddenly, as he was walking to his home, January 17, 1882. "He has left behind him," said the Worcester Spy the following morning, "the memory of great trusts worthily discharged, of opportunities for usefulness well improved, of a private life honorable, beautiful, and without a stain." ELIAS HOWE, JR. Inventor of the Sewing-machine iSro-67 The sewing-machine was not a chance invention, but the result of consistent vision and labor on the part of Elias Howe, Jr., its originator. The idea occurred to him while he was employed in Ari Davis's shop on Cornhill, Boston, where nautical instruments were manufactured and repaired. In 1839 an inventor and a capitalist were endeavoring to make a successful knitting-machine. The task proved too much for them, and they brought their model to Davis in order to see if he could make anything of it. That genius expressed some contempt for the knitting- machine, and asked the men why they didn't make a sewing-machine. Elias Howe, Jr., then twenty years old, heard the conversation, and his active mind seized on the problem and never rested until he had perfected the invention. Elias Howe, Jr., was born in Spencer, Worcester County, Massachusetts, in 1819. His father, a farmer and miller, had difficulty in supporting his large family. When six years old, Elias worked with his brothers sticking wire teeth into cards used in the manufacture of cotton. Later he helped on the farm and at his father's grist mill. During the winter months he attended the district school. When Elias was eleven years old he was bound to a farmer, but learning that lucrative employment might be obtained in Lowell at the cotton mills, he went there and remained until 51 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY the closing of the mills after the crash of 1837. He then went to Cam- bridge and there sought work in a machine-shop. His inventive genius was not realized until he overheard the conversation in Ari Davis's shop, where he had obtained work after leaving Cambridge. For a long time he did scarcely more than reflect on the possibilities of such a machine, particularly when looking over heaps of unsewn army and navy clothing, and in thinking what a pity it was that so much work could not be done by machinery. When scarcely twenty-one years old, he married, and the burden of a family did not tend to aid the con- summation of the invention he was destined to give the world. Worn with overwork and oppressed by constantly increasing poverty, Elias Howe, Jr., in 1843 began actively to make a model of the sewing- machine. Months were wasted in fruitless toil. By October, 1844, he had completed a rough model of wood. In the mean time, his father had removed to Cambridge, where he had introduced a machine invented by him for cutting palm-leaf into strips for hats. This gave young Howe employment. He was also aided by George Fisher — a devoted school- mate and friend, who for several years gave the inventor financial aid. During the entire winters of 1843-45, Howe worked at his invention. In April of the latter year he sewed an entire seam on his machine and by May he had completed his work. In July he sewed all of the seams of two woollen suits of clothes, — one suit for George Fisher, and one for himself,^ — the sewing in both outlasting the cloth. His difficulties had only begun, and the success that seemed imminent was very far away. A tailor whom he brought from Boston condemned the machine; a public exhibition given by the inventor failed to exploit the machine as he wished. Disheartened, after a long period Elias Howe, Jr., decided to go to Eng- land. He was assisted by his father and brother in the project. Dis- couraging as his American experiences had been, England held yet further disappointments for him. And finally, so poor that he had not enough money to pay for his passage home, he pawned his first model and re- turned to New York, where news awaited him that his wife was dying in Cambridge. On borrowed money — for he had but half a crown when the message came — he purchased a ticket for Massachusetts. Elias Howe, Jr., found that in America his patent had, during his two years' absence abroad, been infringed. He brought suit against the guilty persons, and after nine years of litigation the case was decided in his favor. At the expiration of his patent in 1867 — the year of his death — his invention had brought him a fortune of more than ^2,000,000. And it was said that the sewing-machine enabled the United States to keep a million men in the field during the Civil War. In 1919, at Spencer, Massachusetts, there was unveiled a tablet at the birthplace of the three members of the Howe family who have an important place in the history of American invention. Two of these inventors — William and Tyler Howe — were uncles of Elias, Jr., the first, the inventor of the truss bridge, patented in 1840, and the second, the inventor of the spring bed, patented in 1855. This tablet stands two miles south of the centre of Spencer Village. 53 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY WILLIAM T. G. MORTON Dentist, Physician, Discoverer of the use of Ether as an Ancesthetic 1819-68 In the Boston Public Gardens, near Marlborough Street, is a monu- ment commemorating the discovery of ether. The inscription states that it is "to commemorate the discovery that the inhaling of ether causes insensibility to pain," and that it was "first proved to the world at the Massachusetts General Hospital, October 16, 1846." Strange to say, the name of the discoverer. Dr. Morton, does not appear on the monument. No reason has been assigned for this, and though it will be remembered that long and furious was the dispute concerning the discovery, it cannot be for this reason that Dr. Morton's name was omitted. He was wont to say that he was "the only person in the world to whom this discovery had been a pecuniary loss." Though for years after his first demonstration of what Dr. S. Weir Mitchell has called "The Death of Pain," Dr. Morton had the satisfaction of knowing that daily relief was being brought to suffering humanity. William Thomas Green Morton was born in Worcester, August 19, 1819. He left the public school when very young and removed to Boston, where he procured work in a publishing-house. After being cheated by the men with whom he was associated, he decided to study dentistry in Baltimore. These were days when experiments were being made with brandy, opium, and laudanum to deaden pain, and even hypnotism had been tried. None had proved successes, and surgeons everywhere were obliged to hold their patients by main force while a difficult operation was performed. All of these things impressed young Morton when he began his study, and the more he thought of them the more time he gave to the study of medicine and gases at the Massachusetts General Hospital. He tried experiments on his dog. And at one time, while etherizing it, the bottle of ether was overturned and shattered, and, soaking some linen in the contents of the broken bottle. Dr. Morton applied it to the dog's nostrils with the result that unconsciousness followed immediately. After that, he began to comb the wharves for victims for experiments, often paying liberally a man who was willing to submit to etherization. He successfully extracted several teeth, and finally asked the senior surgeon at the Massachusetts General Hospital if he might not make a demonstration there. A patient — Gilbert Abbott — was suffering from a tumor of the jaw, and Dr. Alorton was allowed to etherize him. The operation, performed on that memorable day in October, 1846, was successful, and elicited from the senior surgeon the statement, "Gentlemen, this is no humbug." When the world was informed of the wonderful discovery. Dr. Charles T. Jackson, a chemist, demanded that he share in the profits. The controversy that ensued between these two men was long and bitter. Dr. Morton tried repeatedly to get his invention patented. He was a poor man and could ill afford the losses that came to him. The Hospital gave him ^1,000, and elsewhere about $600 came in. But he figured that he had expended ^187,561. Some wit of the day suggested that the two doctors fight out their fight with ether bottles and that the one who retained consciousness the longer be declared the victor. As the 54 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY years passed, several times a bill appropriating to Dr. Morton $100,000 was nearly passed by Congress. The last years of Dr. Morton's life were passed in Wellesley, Massa- chusetts, at'"Etherton," on the site of which to-day stands a part of the Wellesley Public Librar}-. His death from apoplexy occurred in Central Park, New York, in 1868. Each year, on the anniversary of his dis- covery, exercises are held at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Morton's name has recently been enrolled in the Hall of Fame, at New York University. ELI THAYER Educator, Legislator, Inventor, Originator of the ''Kansas Crusade" 1819-gg In his youth Eli Thayer worked in his father's store in Mendon, Massa- chusetts. Here he was born, June 11, 1819. Not proving a success as a store clerk, he worked as a farm hand until an opportunity came to prepare for college in Worcester, whither he went, walking the entire distance from his home town. After a year's study he presented himself at Brown University in Providence, acknowledging that he knew neither Latin nor Greek, but that if he were admitted he would "make up" these studies. He was as good as his word, and when he was examined at the end of a given period, he proved deficient only in mathematics. He earned his way through college, doing odd jobs, and during his course worked as carpenter, wood-sawyer, and landscape gardener. So frugally did he live that by the time he graduated he had saved several hundred dollars. In 1847, having served for two years as an assistant at what is now Worcester Academy, he was elected principal of this institution, where he remained until 1849. At this time he conceived the plan of establish- ing a girls' school. He built on Goat Hill a castle-like structure that in its day was called "Thayer's Folly," but which is now known as Oread Castle. At the time when his enterprise assumed every evidence of success, Mr. Thayer became interested in political life. He also gave much time to the development of Worcester real estate. He studied law, became a member of the School Committee, an Alderman, a member of the House of Representatives, a member of Congress, and a delegate from Oregon to the National Republican Convention in i860. _ His inven- tions at this time were numerous, and among them was a sectional safety steam boiler, an automatic boiler cleanser, and a hydraulic elevator. The latter proved so successful that Mr. Thayer was for some time en- gaged in the manufacture of elevators. It was Eli Thaver who, after securing private co-operation, proclaimed at City Hall in Worcester, March 11, 1854, that Kansas should be made an anti-slaverv State. He foresaw the danger of Kansas going over to the South, and hence he established in New England the Emigrant Aid Society, an organization which was given publicity by Edward Everett Hale and Horace Greeley. In 1861 Kansas was admitted as a free State. Contemporary with this movement, Mr. Thayer furthered the "friendly invasion" of West Virginia with free State settlers. He founded there the town of Ceredo, spending $118,000 in its development. In memory of his part in the Kansas crusade there was placed some years ago a marble bust of Mr. Thayer in the State House at Topeka. Mr. Thayer visited 55 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY Kansas in 1877, where he was invited to address a meeting of old settlers. He was given a royal welcome during this his first and only visit to the State he had so vigorously fostered. "I would rather," asserted Charles Sumner, "accomplish what Eli Thayer has done than have won the battle of New Orleans." Mr. Thayer's last days were spent in Worcester, where he died, April 15, 1899. The services for him were conducted in the great stone castle he had built more than thirty years before on Mount Oread. CHARLES DEVENS Soldier, Orator, Jurist 1820-91 In a memoir of General Devens, Senator George Frisbie Hoar has said: "To draw an adequate portraiture of Charles Devens would require the noble touch of the old masters of painting or the lofty stroke of the dra- matists of Queen Elizabeth's day." Senator Hoar probably had in mind when he uttered these words Devens's appeal to the citizens of Worcester on the outbreak of the Civil War, when he left the case he was trying in the court-room, offered himself as a volunteer, and then stirred others to do the same; also Senator Hoar may have thought of General Devens on the battlefield, or of his entry- into Richmond in 1865, leading the first Union troops to raise the Stars and Stripes in the Southern capital. Charles Devens was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, April 4, 1820. After attending the Boston Latin School, he entered Harvard College in the class of 1838, among the members of which were William W. Story, who later became a noted sculptor, and James Russell Lowell. After receiving the degree of LL.B. at the Harvard Law School in 1840, Devens studied law in the offices of Hubbard and Watts of Boston, and was admitted to the bar in 1844. The next decade he practised law in Northfield and Greenfield, served as State Senator from Franklin County, and as United States Marshal of the District of Massachusetts. He re- ceived the latter appointment in 1849, under President Taylor, and dur- ing his four years of service the Fugitive Slave Act was passed, and Gen- eral Devens was obliged to return to slavery Sims who had escaped from Georgia. It is an interesting fact, so distasteful to him was this action, that afterwards General Devens offered to furnish the whole sum of money necessary to purchase Sims's freedom. In 1854 General Devens removed to Worcester, where he formed a partnership with George Frisbie Hoar and J. Henry Hill. In 1856 he was chosen City Solicitor of Worcester, an office which he held for several years. On the outbreak of the War of the Rebellion, Charles Devens was nearly forty-two years old. For months before war was declared he had kept in close touch with events and was well informed concerning the conspiracy of the Southern factions, and his mind was filled with the conflict that he knew was to come. When the news was flashed to Worcester in April, 1861, he asked a lawyer to take charge of the case he was trying, and he immediately offered his services to President Lincoln. Thousands crowded Mechanics Hall in Worcester the night of April 16, when Charles Devens dramatically pleaded that they hear the call of their country. Devens was chosen Major of the Third Battalion 57 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY of Rifles and departed with his men to Fort McHenry, Maryland. Later Governor Andrew appointed him to command the Fifteenth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers, then in camp in Maryland, and destined to serve as a part of the Army of the Potomac. From the first. General Devens shared the lot of his men, often endur- ing exposure and privation to the detriment of his health. "Why, Walker," exclaimed one of his men, "what a beautiful man he is! There we lay together on the ground, the night so dark that we could not see each other, the mud so deep as almost to take a cast of our forms, the water at times fairly running over us, hungry, wet, and dirty, and yet he talked on in that courtly, quaint voice of his, saying the most delight- ful things, witty and graceful and fine, just as he might have done at a dinner-table or in a drawing-room. Certainly, he is the most perfect gentleman I ever met." The Fifteenth Massachusetts fought at Ball's Bluff, where disaster and defeat seemed imminent. When hope had all but gone General Devens threw his sword into the river, swam to the other side, and there collected the remnants of his regiment. For his bravery and coolness on this occasion the leader was commended and appointed a brigadier-general of volunteers. He engaged in the fight at Chickahominy Bridge, where though severely wounded he stayed on the field until the last gun was fired. He fought at Fredericksburg and at Chancellorsville. In the lat- ter fight he was again wounded. In 1864 he was disabled because of rheumatism, but remained on duty, being carried from one point to an- other on a stretcher. Later he took part in the campaign against Rich- mond, into which city, on April 3, 1865, he led the first Federal troops. He was in command of the Confederate capital until after the surrender. In 1866 General Devens was mustered out of service. After returning to Worcester, General Devens was appointed by Gov- ernor Alexander H. Bullock to the bench of the Superior Court of Massa- chusetts; he was promoted to the bench of the Supreme Judicial Court, served as Attorney-General in the Cabinet of President Hayes, received in 1877 the degree of LL.D. from Harvard, was appointed to the bench of the Supreme Court of the State, and became a distinguished orator. General Devens's death occurred January 7, 1 891. An event in which members of his regiment participated was the unveiling of the equestrian statue of General Devens and of the monument to the soldiers of Worces- ter County in the War for the Union, in front of the Court House at Worcester, July 4, 1906. The present Camp Devens, at Ayer, was named after him. ANDREW HASWELL GREEN Father of Greater Sezv York 1820-igoj The idea of a Greater New York originated in the mind of a Worcester young man who for many years adhered to his dream and worked out plans for which he was the only champion. There seems to have been given the prophetic vision of the seer to Andrew Haswell Green, for his dream of a Greater New York when it did come true was exactly as he had pictured it since Civil War days. The Father of Greater New York — for such is he known to-day — was the grandson of Dr. John Green 2d, and a well-known Worcester physician. 58 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY He was born at Green Hill, Worcester, October 6, 1820, attended Worces- ter Academy, fitted himself for West Point, and finally entered the service of a New York City mercantile house. After making a trip to the West Indies as a representative of the firm that employed him, Mr. Green began the study of law in the office of Samuel J. Tilden, whose partner he eventually became. Mr. Green was instrumental many years later in securing for the City of New York the famous Tilden library. His first active participation in public affairs in New York appears to have begun with his appointment as School Commissioner on May 13, 1848. There ensued nearly half a century of public service. In 1856 Mr. Green was elected a member of the Board of Education. His enthu- siasm for New York is voiced in a speech delivered at that time. "Though we shall not all again assemble here," he said as he bade farewell to some of his associates, "yet we are all citizens of a great city, whose glory is our pride, and as we meet hereafter in our busy streets the sympathies here implanted will kindle at the remembrance of common exertions for the diffusion of that intelligence and virtue which through all times will avail more for her extension, adornment, and security than all the walls of masonry or gates of brass." In 1858, when Mr. Green was appointed a Commissioner of Central Park, — an office created for him, involving the executive management of the Park, — he set forth his ideas concerning the laying out of the north end of Manhattan, and the surveying of the lower part of West Chester County. This was but the beginning of the vast undertakings that Mr. Green made to consolidate a Greater New York. Bridges built under his direction spanned the Harlem River and others; lands in the vicinity of Eighth Avenue and 155th Street were laid out; definite plans were presented by Mr. Green for drives and boulevards and parks. His energy was unceasing, his foresight remarkable. The northern end of the city was laid out. Washington Bridge that spanned the Harlem has been denominated a monument to his memory. In 1871, when Mr. Green was elected Comptroller of the City, he found the finances in great confusion. On his own responsibility he raised half a million by apply- ing to various banks, with the result that he re-established the credit of the city, and helped to quash the famous Tweed Ring. In 1880 he was made one of a commission to revise the tax laws. In 1890 he was appointed by a special act of the Legislature to plan for the North River Bridge. The latter years also mark his public espousal of a Greater New York and the beginning of the process of municipal con- solidation. For seven years Mr. Green aimed to disarm opposition to his plan. The struggle occurred on practically every side — between the Legislature and the people, between the press and the pulpit. Mr. Green was frequently bitterly attacked for his stand. When the consolidation had taken effect in January, 1898, a number of public-spirited citizens met at the Fifth Avenue Hotel and there made plans to celebrate the event on the following May 4th, — the anniversary of the founding of New Amsterdam. On this occasion General Stewart L. Woodford spoke of Mr. Green as the Father of Greater New York, and General James Grant presented to Mr. Green a gold medal commemorating his services on behalf of the city. The work of the Father of Greater New York, after thirty years of constant effort, was but begun. He was influential in planning for the Zoological Gardens, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Museum of Natural History. To his native city — Worcester — Mr. Green gave a 59 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY library and a hospital. Green Hill Park, containing five hundred acres, is a daily reminder of the generosity of this great son of Worcester. The life of Mr. Green was cut short suddenly on November 13, 1903, when an insane negro, mistaking him for one who had wronged him, shot him near his New York City home. His remains were brought to the rural cemetery in Worcester, where recently, on October 6, 1920, was observed the one hundredth anniver- sary of his birth. Mayor Peter F. Sullivan, on this occasion, after plac- ing a wreath on Andrew Green's grave, said in part: "He spread the name of his native city through his great work in fostering the plan for Greater New York. We are gathered here to-day to balance in a measure his efforts on behalf of Worcester, and to let the Nation, and Greater New York especially, know that the Heart of the Commonwealth produces and has produced some of the greatest characters in these United States." CLARA BARTON Founder of the American Red Cross i82i-igi2 America's foremost woman — the "Angel of the Battlefield" — was born in Oxford, Worcester County, Massachusetts, on Christmas Day, 1821. For half a century she was the world's leading figure in relieving the suffering of the thousands who fought on the fields of battle. She be- came the friend and counsellor of Abraham Lincoln, of Ulysses S. Grant, of James A. Garfield, of Hayes, Harrison, Cleveland, and McKinley. From the crowned heads of Europe she received homage that royalty might envy. When, according to the custom, she bent to kiss the hand of the Czar of Russia, he quickly raised his hand and said, "Nay, Miss Barton, not that from you!" Clara Barton was perhaps the most per- fect incarnation of mercy that the modern world has known, and the founder of the greatest humanitarian movement in the history of nations. Preceded by the scarlet cross, Clara Barton went to Washington during the Civil War and there — the first woman to render aid to the Union soldiers — visited the hospitals and brought relief to the wounded. Day after day she went down to the wharves, where, with the mud and gore of Chickahominy still clinging to them, were brought the boys in blue and in gray. Then came the eventful Sunday in September, 1862, when she loaded an army wagon with supplies and started out alone in the wake of General McClellan's army. She caught up with McClellan at Antietam and took her place in the swift train of artillery. At a large barn near a cornfield close to the battle-line she made her headquarters, where the Confederate shells fell thick and fast, and the cornfield was filled with wounded. The army surgeons ran out of dressings, and endeavored to make corn-husks do. It was then that Miss Barton opened her supply-case and brought out what was needed. "I have everything," was her quiet remark. She rounded up twenty-five men who had come to the rear with the wounded and set them to work administer- ing restoratives. When her bread and broth were spent, she used a liquor supply that she carried. Darkness fell over the bloody field of battle, and still men remained who had not been relieved. "Five hundred 61 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY men," cried the head surgeon, dropping his head on his arms, "will die before daybreak unless they have attention, and I have no lights!" "Get up, doctor," said Miss Barton. "I have brought plenty of lanterns this time. The men will be here in a few minutes to light the house. You will have abundance of light and all the help you want." And she led him to the door and showed him how she had arranged lanterns for the work that lay before them. So the candles of her love and pity lighted the blood-stained fields of Antietam and Fredericksburg. It has been said that she bore a charmed life, for though her clothing was often grazed she was never wounded. At the close of the Civil War she organized the bureau to locate missing men or find their burial places. On the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War, Miss Barton went abroad, where she aided in caring for the wounded, and where afterwards she received many decorations and recognitions of her services. The Grand Duke and Duchess of Baden, the Queens of Serbia, Italy, and England, the Empress of Germany, and the Prince of Jerusalem all joined in their thanks for her devotion to the wounded. During the summer of 1877 Miss Barton endeavored to get the Red Cross convention signed by the Government, but it was not until 1881 that she succeeded. In May of that year the American Association of the Red Cross was formed, and President Garfield made her president for life. She continued in this office until 1904, when President Roosevelt conceived the idea of making the Red Cross a military branch of the Government. It was then that Miss Barton resigned. In 1892 she sent representatives to Russia where, following her experiences in alleviating suffering during the Johnstown flood, she helped to relieve the famine. In 1896 she aided Armenia after Turkish ravages. After the battle of Santiago was fought in 1898 the entire American Navy made way for her relief ship. In command of this first ship to enter the harbor after the capture of Santiago, Miss Barton entered the town with food and other necessities. Her last work of national importance was in connection with the Galveston flood of 1900. She lived to be ninety years old. And from her home overlooking the fair Potomac she passed her last years — a shadowy figure that moved through the gardens of Glen Echo, a pitying sweetness in her eyes, and a frequent word of forgiveness to the Nation that had taken from her the staff that had borne aloft for more than a half-century the banner of the Red Cross. A slight stoop was evident in the shoulders that had bent above so many sick-beds, but the fine dark hair, save for silver lights above the ears, remained dark to the end. Miss Barton died at Glen Echo, April 12, 191 2. There was in that year considerable dissatisfac- tion that her remains were not interred in the National Cemetery at Arlington, but Oxford received the body and did it great homage — as did all the world. EDWARD EVERETT HALE Clergyman and Author Edward Everett Hale spent an important decade of his life in Worcester, where in 1846 he was ordained to the ministry, became pastor of the newly founded Church of the Unity, and remained there until 1856. He had previously spent a winter in Washington, where he preached. 62 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY After his resignation from the Worcester church he became pastor of the South Congregational Church of Boston, serving as minister and minister- emeritus until his death. Samuel Bowles once said that they had spoiled the best newspaper man of his day by making a minister of Edward Hale, and Dr. Hale himself was wont to claim that he was cradled in the Boston Advertiser, owned by his father, a newspaper on which he had served in every department from typesetting to the editorial chair. He was born in Boston, April 3, 1822, his father being a leading Boston citizen, and an authority on financial affairs, as well as a promoter of the first railroads in America. Edward Hale entered the Boston Latin School when he was nine years old, and at the age of thirteen entered Harvard. For a time after his graduation from college he taught at the Boston Latin School and worked on his father's paper, devoting his spare time to studying for the ministry. During the decade spent by Dr. Hale in Worcester he interested him- self in the great public movements of the day. He was a promoter of the Kansas Crusade; he advocated the Civil Service Reform for several years before it became a law; he was among the pioneer champions for the establishing of an international court to insure world peace. The immigrant, the negro, and the Indian, all found a friend in Edward Everett Hale. His Worcester connections were many, and friendships made there were cherished as long as he lived. Senator George Frisbie Hoar, then just settled in Worcester, was among this number. While in Worcester, Dr. Hale, until he established his own home, lived with Mr. and Mrs. Moses Phillips. When Dr. Hale was asked to serve on the School Committee of Worcester, he replied that he had far rather serve on the Board of Overseers of the Poor — and was given a place on that board. This demonstrates his interest in those less fortunate — an interest that was ever close to him. Dr. Hale was a member of the American Antiquarian Society for upwards of seventy years — until his death. He was one of the founders of the Natural History Society and the Worcester Public Library. In addition to his work as minister Dr. Hale edited the Christian Examiner and the Sunday School Gazette. A list of the special articles written by him for magazines would fill a small volume. In the world of authors he is best known by "The Man Without a Country," though Dr. Hale wished that "In His Name" might represent him, as he felt that it more fully expressed what he had to say to the world. By others, "Ten Times One" is considered a more characteristic work than either. The plan of this story was in his mind while he was a minister in Worces- ter, and was later developed, when, convinced that thousands of individ- uals could work together for the good of the world. Dr. Hale founded the "Lend a Hand" movement, which later became world-wide in its influence. The idea had been in his mind for many years. The move- ment was started in 1870, organized informally in 1886, and incorporated in 1 891. The motto adopted by this society became a well-known slogan: — "Look up and not down, Look forward and not back, Look out and not in, and Lend a hand!" Dr. Hale's long and fruitful career in public service was relieved by frequent trips abroad. In 1898 he resigned his pastorate of the South 63 I. Edward Everett Hale 2. Russell L. Hawes 3. George Crompton FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY Congregational Church of Boston, and as it was his habit to spend a part of each winter in Washington he accepted the office of Chaplain of the Senate, his friend Senator Hoar having long urged him to serve in this capacity. In 1909 he returned to his Highland Street home in Roxbury, Massachusetts, and there during the spring and early summer days he wrote and received his friends. His death occurred June 10, 1909, at the advanced age of eighty-seven years. RUSSELL L. HAWES Inventor 1823-67 Dr. Russell L. Hawes, who revolutionized the manufacture of envelopes in America, was born in Leominster, Massachusetts, March 22, 1823. In his youth, unlike Eli Whitney, he displayed no decided mechanical genius, so it was decided that he should take up some profession. Medi- cine was chosen, and Dr. Hawes was graduated from the Harvard Medical School in 1845. He began practice in Worcester, and became almost immediately interested in the envelope industry — then in its infancy. Dr. Hawes entered the employ of Goddard, Rice and Company, Worces- ter manufacturers of paper-making machinery. Desiring to perfect his plan for an envelope-making machine. Dr. Hawes visited New York and there saw what were said to be the first hand-made envelopes made in this country, an accomplishment credited to Karcheski, a Pole, said to be the first to make hand-made envelopes here. Dr. Hawes represented his company abroad, and while in Europe saw an envelope-folding machine in operation. On his return to Worcester he built the first practical commercial envelope-folding machine, a patent (the third of its kind issued in America) for which was issued January 21, 1853. The output of this machine was sold to Jonathan Grout, a Worcester paper and stationery dealer. The inventor established an envelope factory of his own on Grafton Street. He felt that he had reached the maximum speed when his machine turned out daily from 10,000 to 12,500 envelopes, but, as Colonel James Logan in his admirable "Story of the Envelope" has pointed out. Dr. Hawes could not foresee the time that the self-gumming plunger folding machines could turn out nearly the first number of envelopes per hour, nor could Dr. Hawes, feeling that his machine had reached this maximum product, foresee that a half-century later more envelopes would be manufactured in Worcester than in any other city in the world. In 1857 Dr. Hawes sold his business to Hartshorn and Trumbull, who in the early sixties was succeeded by Trumbull, Waters and Company, in 1866 by Hill,_ Devoe and Company, in 1892 by the W. H. Hill Envelope Company, and in 1898 by the W. H. Hill Envelope Company, Division United States Envelope Company. Many other inventions were made by Dr. Hawes, among them a print- ing-press, a wrygler used in woollen manufacture, a machine for making paper bags and one for the printing of wall-paper. His inventions and improvements had a marked influence on the industries of Worcester, and from them he amassed what was then considered a. large fortune. During the later years of his life Dr. Hawes took an active part in the 65 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY public affairs of Worcester where he engaged in woollen manufacture. His health failed in 1867 and he went abroad. His death occurred in Nice, France, February 20, 1867. "He had two qualities," says one tribute to his genius, "which are seldom given by God to the same man, the mechanical head and the financial instinct," — a genius that appears to be typical of Worcester County, for it is said more remunerative inventions have been made here than in any other county in the United States. GEORGE FRISBIE HOAR Senator of the United States, 1877-1904 iSj6~ioo4 For more than half a century George Frisbie Hoar lived in Worcester, where he began the practice of law and achieved fame in his profession. For many years he was at the head of the bar in Worcester County. Worcester was his chosen home, but Concord, Massachusetts, where he was born, August 29, 1826, was ever a dear spot to him. "My grandfather," he was wont to say, "and two great-grandfathers and three of my father's uncles were at Concord in the Lincoln company, of which my grandfather, Samuel Hoar, whom I well remember, was Lieutenant, on the 19th of April, 1775." His mother, then a child, sat on the knees of Washington, and her father, Roger Sherman, is said to be the only American whose name was signed to the four great state papers: the Association of 1774, the Articles of Confederation, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution of the United States. Said the philosopher of Concord, "We are quotations from our ancestors." Such was George Frisbie Hoar! His life is well set forth in the inscription on one side of the pedestal of his statue which stands to-day on the green in front of the City Hall at Worcester: — "I believe in God, the living God, in the American people, a free and brave people, who do not bow the neck or bend the knee to any other, and who desire no other to bow the neck or bend the knee to them. I believe that liberty, good government, free institutions, cannot be given by any one people to any other, but must be wrought out for each by itself, slowly, painfully, in the process of years or centuries, as the oak adds ring to ring. I believe that, whatever clouds may darken the horizon, the world is growing better, that to-day is better than yesterday, and to-morrow will be better than to-day." It has been said that the youth of George Frisbie Hoar gave promise of no great things. He was reared in an atmosphere of culture, and was neither spoiled by luxury nor embittered by poverty. He was gradu- ated from Harvard University, admitted to the bar, and in 1847 cast his first vote for the Whig candidate for Governor. Three years later, when the Free Soil party, afterwards the Republican Party, was in its infancy, Mr. Hoar made his first speech in the City Hall at Worcester in its sup- port, and later, during his service in the Massachusetts Legislature, acted as a leader of the cause. He was elected a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1852, a member of the Massachusetts Senate in 1857; City Solicitor of Worcester in i860; member of the United States House of Representatives in 1869, serving until 1877, when he 66 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY was elected Senator of the United States — a service which he gave from the year of his election until his death in 1904. Senator Hoar was a great lawyer, a great orator, and a great debater. His speeches are masterpieces of English. His humor is subtle; the spir- itual touch in everything that he said and did was always apparent. He was saturated with the classics. On being asked how to study oratory. Senator Hoar responded, "Read the Greek orations." His own speeches show how great an influence the classics had in the formation of his style of expression. "Sir," said a contemporary, "Massachusetts has never been more powerfully represented in the Senate, not even in the time of Daniel Webster, than by Mr. Hoar." GEORGE CROMPTON 1 nventor 1S2Q-S6 George Crompton was fortunate in inheriting from his father an in- ventive genius — a gift that he used to advantage in perfecting the loom invented by William Crompton, who, after pursuing his manufacturing interests for several years, succumbed to a fatal malady and left his son George, then nearly of age, to carry on the business. Mr. Crompton was born in England, March 23, 1829. He came to America at the age of ten years, attended private schools, and completed his education at Millbury Academy. A year after the elder Crompton came to America he invented his famous loom in response to the needs of his employers at Taunton, where he was asked to weave certain patterns in 1837, and while he never manufactured the loom himself, the right to do so was sold to a firm, and the looms were successfully introduced throughout the coun- try into cotton manufactories. This when improved by the younger Crompton was the first loom upon which fancy cashmeres were woven by power. The latest models are the fastest looms built, and on them light fabrics are woven at great speed. After having had some experience as a book-keeper, salesman, and maker of pistols, George Crompton went to Washington and secured an extension of his father's patent. Owing to his father's failure he was without capital, but he returned to Worcester and with Merrill E. Fur- bush began to manufacture looms. Just as the business began to pros- per, the fire of 1854 destroyed the buildings and swept away all of Mr. Crompton's property. He was advised at this time to go into bank- ruptcy, but this he refused to do, and going personally to every creditor he asked for an extension of time, which was given him. He began again, having previously dissolved his partnership. The Civil War broke out, and his business suffered. Temporarily he returned to the manu- facture of pistols. At this time his inventive genius asserted itself, and the crude invention made by his father was gone over, perfected, and suited to the highest needs of fancy cashmere weaving. Mr. Crompton took out during his lifetime two hundred and twelve patents in America and foreign countries. Reverses again came to the Crompton Company during the panic of 1877, but Mr. Crompton placed his entire fortune at the disposal of the firm during its embarrassment. He was devoted to the public interests 67 I. Stephen Salisbury, 3rd. 2. William Huntington 3. Alice Morse Earle FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY of Worcester, and served the city in several capacities. His death oc- curred in Worcester, December 29, 1886. At the time of his death he was the sole owner of the Crompton Loom Works, the largest employer of labor, and the possessor of one of the largest properties in the city. Mr. Crompton's exactitude in financial matters has been frequently the subject of comment. "During his earlier business years," says his biographer, "he once found pay-day approaching and no funds to meet it. He at once started on a collecting tour. The evening before pay-day found him with money in his pocket, but on the wrong side of the Con- necticut River, swollen with a spring freshet and filled with large cakes of ice, and no bridge in the neighborhood upon which to cross. He hunted until he found a boatman with a small boat, who was willing to risk his life for an adequate compensation, and the two started across the river. It was several hours before they landed on the opposite shore, at a long distance below the starting-point, and completely wet through, but Mr. Crompton's men were paid before night on their regular pay-day.'' The amalgamation of the Crompton Loom Works and the Knowles Loom Works did not take place until 1897, when the combined estab- lishments were given the name of the Crompton and Knowles Loom Works. Improvements since the granting of the first patents to Messrs. Crompton and Knowles had been constantly made, and their names have been synonymous with the developments of the art of weaving in America. The corporation to-day is the largest of its kind in the world. STEPHEN SALISBURY, 3d Philanthropist 1835-1905 Stephen Salisbury, 3d, left almost the whole of his large_ estate to Worcester. There was scarcely an educational or charitable institution that was not remembered by him. Out of his estate valued at ^5,000,000 he left $3,000,000 to the Art Museum; the old Salisbury estate was left to the American Antiquarian Society, with his library and a fund of $200,000; he remembered the Polytechnic Institute, Clark University, the Massachusetts Historical Society, Harvard University, and the Soci- ety of Antiquity. Salisbury Pond surrounded by Institute Park remains a beautiful memorial of the benefactor of Worcester. Mr. Salisbury was the third to bear that name. The first Stephen Salisburv, of the commercial house of Samuel and Stephen Salisbury, was a leading importer of Boston. He came to Worcester shortly before the Revolution, and in 1772 built on Lincoln Square the house to-day known as the old Salisburv Mansion. He took a prominent part in the affairs of the town. His son, Stephen Salisbury, 2d, built a mansion on High- land Street, and, like his distinguished father, was interested in every- thing that pertained to the welfare of Worcester. He served as president of the Old Worcester Bank until 1884, when his son, Stephen Salisbury, 3d, succeeded him, holding that office until his death. Stephen Salis- bury, 3d, was the last of his family. . o tj The subject of this sketch was born in Worcester, March 31, 1835. He was graduated from Harvard University in the class of 1856 and shortly afterwards went to Europe, where he studied at various universities tor two years. In 1858 he returned to Worcester and studied law, later 69 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY attending the Harvard Law School, where in 1861 he was given the de- gree of LL.B. He was admitted to the bar in October of that year. Mr. Salisbury's wealth made it possible for him to devote much time to special subjects that commanded his interest, and throughout his long and active life he made special research and travelled extensively in search of information that he desired. With his large and varied inter- ests he constantly had the welfare of Worcester in mind. In 1863 he became a director of the State Mutual Life Insurance Company; he served as a director of the Old Worcester Bank prior to his election to the presidency; he served as a member of the board of investment and later as president of the Worcester County Institution for Savings — an institution of which his father had been president. He was a director of the Worcester, Nashua and Rochester, and of the Boston, Barre and Gardner railroads until their absorption by the Boston and Maine and the Fitchburg Companies. He was a trustee of the Worcester City Hospital and of the W'ashburn Memorial Hospital. His connection with the Worcester Polytechnic Institute is well known, as is that of the elder Salisbury, who was interested in the founding of the institution and who served as its first president. Clark University also commanded the interest of father and son. Mr. Salisbury was a member of the American Antiquarian Society and its president from 1887 until his death. To the transactions of the Society he contributed many valuable papers re- lating to his researches in various parts of the world. He was a member of the American Geographic Society, president of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Cambridge, a member of the Massa- chusetts Historical Society, and of many foreign societies. He served his city and the Commonwealth in innumerable ways. In spite of his large fortune he lived simply, and was ever the modest courtly gentleman, who deferred to the opinions of others and treated his associates with the kindest attention. The difficult role assigned to him he played well, and the beneficence that he bestowed on Worcester was always given without ostentation. "Calm; reserved; equable in temperament; not over-confident in himself, yet not easily swerved from an opinion which he conceived to be well founded; courteous in bearing; dignified in deportment; never self-asserting and never acting with a view to secure popular approval; loyal in friendship, but not demonstrative; Stephen Salisbury passed through life making hosts of friends, among whom there were but few, however, who could claim that this friendship was intimate." This is but one tribute to Stephen Salisbury. Mr. Salisbury's death occurred in Worcester on November 16, 1905, in the seventieth year of his age. WILLIAM REED HUNTINGTON Episcopal Clergyman William Reed Huntington was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, Sep- tember 20, 1838. He was graduated from Harvard University in 1859, and after serving as assistant rector at Emmanuel Church in Boston, came to Worcester in 1862 where he was ordained. All Saints' of which he became rector was then a small parish, but under the guidance of the 70 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY enthusiastic young rector it increased in size and influence. He attracted attention abroad, but call after call was declined, and he still continued to set himself to the task that he had resolved to do, namely, to establish All Saints' Church on a firm basis, and to surround it by four other churches: St. Matthew's, St. Mark's, St. Luke's, and St. John's. "This," says his biographer, "was his dream, a hopeless one it then seemed, especially when the little wooden church of All Saints' was destroyed by fire. But nothing could weaken his energy and he at once set himself to the work of building the new All Saints' as it is to-day. In spite of the anxiety of building without sufficient funds his spirit and energy never seemed to fail." His love for Worcester has been frequently the subject of comment. Indeed, he once said that its attractions lay not alone in the literary or social life, but in the natural beauty of the surroundings — a miniature New England, as it were, where every kind of character might be found, and where conditions were such that every kind of problem might be worked out. St. Matthew's, St. Mark's, St. Luke's, and St. John's, as though in a realization of Dr. Huntington's dream, grew up around All Saints'. Dr. Huntington's work called him, after a year of travel, to Grace Church in New York City. Here he became rector in 1883, succeeding Bishop Potter, in one of the largest and most important parishes of New York. During his incumbency the charitable work done in the parish was greatly increased, a mission house and deaconesses' home were built, and the group of buildings called Grace Chapel Settlement was erected. Dr. Huntington also devoted many years to the movement for the liturgical revision that resulted in the Standard Prayer Book published in 1892. Many honors came to him. He received the degree of D.D. from Colum- bia, Princeton, Harvard, and Yale Universities; D.C.L. from the Univer- sity of the South; L.H.D. from Hobart College; and LL.D. from Union College. Dr. Huntington never forgot his Worcester associates, and one of his last messages concerned them. "Give a special message of good-bye," he said, "to my dear friends at Worcester, and let every attention be paid to them at my funeral service." His death occurred July 26, 1909, at Nahant, Massachusetts. ALICE MORSE EARLE Author The tithingman of the Puritan New England Sabbath plays an impor- tant part in the literary career of Alice Morse Earle, for he was the sub- ject of her first story. Much of the information that she gleaned con- cerning him was given by her father, who was wont in the family circle to recall the offices of this Puritan dignitary, who had presided over the congregation even in Mr. Morse's boyhood. Alice Morse was born April 27, 1 85 1. After having been graduated from the Worcester High School and Dr. Gannett's School in Boston, she returned to her home in Worcester, and at the age of twenty-two married Henry Earle of Brooklyn, New York. Of Mrs. Earle's four children, three survive her. Her sister, 71 FORTY IMMORTALS of WORCESTER & ITS COUNTY Miss Frances Clary Morse, well-known collector, and author of "Furni- ture of the Olden Time," resides at the Morse home in Worcester. After one of Mrs. Earle's frequent talks with her father concerning early New England customs, she wrote her first story, "The Sabbath in Puritan New England." Without the knowledge of her family she sent the story to the Youth's Companion, and almost immediately received a substantial check for it. After its publication she enlarged on the sub- ject, sent her new story to the Atlantic Monthly, and received a check for $ioo. Once more Mrs. Earle enlarged on her subject, and in 1891 sent her first book ("The Sabbath in Puritan New England") to Scribner's where it was accepted, published, and had the largest sale of any book published that year. All of these efforts Mrs. Earle made on her own behalf. She was a pioneer in the study of social and domestic life in Colonial New England. She was one who carefully blazed her trail and who did an enormous amount of research work in the preparation of each volume. A complete list of her works may be of interest from both a reader's and a collector's viewpoint, especially in so far as the writer knows of no such published list, those that have appeared being more or less incomplete: "The Sabbath in Puritan New England" (1891), "China-collecting in America" (1892), "Customs and Fashions in Old New England" (1893), "Diary of a Boston School Girl," written by Anna Green Winslow, edited by Mrs. Earle (1894), "Costume of Colonial Times" (1894), "Margaret Winthrop" (1895), "Colonial Dames and Good-Wives" (1895), "Curious Punishments of Bygone Days" (1896), "Colonial Days in Old New York" (1896), "In Old Narragansett" (1896), "Home Life in Colonial Days" (1898), "Child Life in Colonial Days" (1899), "Stage Coach and Tavern Days" (1900), "Old-time Gardens" (1902), "Sun Dials and Roses of Yesterday" (1902), "Two Centuries of Costume in America" (1903), "Essay on Modern Garden- ing," by Horace Walpole, edited with introductory note by Mrs. Earle (1904)- Mrs. Earle and her sister Miss Morse on their third trip to Egypt in 1909 were passengers on the Republic when it was cut in two in lanuary of that year. Owing to the shock sustained from the wreck, Mrs. Earle suffered a nervous breakdown. Her death occurred on Long Island, February 16, 191 1. It is generally conceded that her loveliest book is "Old-time Gardens," which contains such attractive chapter-heads as "Colonial Garden-making," "In Lilac Time," "Old Flower Favorites," "The Charm of Color," "Meetin' Seed and Sabbath Day Posies," "Sun- dials," "A Moonlight Garden," "Flowers of Alystery and Roses of Yes- terday." 72