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 K- 7AN 4 1894 
 
 LYNN, MASS.! 
 
 Souvenir Publishing Company 
 mdcccxciii. 
 

 Enterfd, according to act of congress in THE YEAR 1893, BY 
 
 SOUVENIR PUBLISHING COMPANY, 
 
 IN THE OFFICE OF THE LIBRARIAN OF CONGRESS AT WASHINGTON, D.C. 
 

 

 
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OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES 
 
 An American author, the son of Rev. Dr. Abiel Holmes, was born at Cambridge, 
 Mass., August 29th, 1809. He was educated at the Phillips Academy, Exeter and at 
 Harvard College; he graduated from the latter in 1829 and began the study of law, but 
 soon turned to medicine. 
 
 In 1832 he went to Europe and pursued professional studies for nearly three years 
 in Paris and other cities. In 1836 he obtained the degree of M. D. and in 1838 he 
 
 was elected professor of anatomy and physiology in Dartmouth College. In 1840 he 
 
 established himself as a practi'.ioner in Boston and in 1847 he was made Parkman pro- 
 fessor of anatomy and physiology in the medical school of Harvard College. 
 
 Dr. Holmes is a sworn foe of humbug and has not hesitated to expose the quack- 
 eries of the learned profession and yet behind all his fun and humorous extravagance there 
 is a healthy sympathy with that which is true to nature and genuine in art. 
 
 In 1857 the Atlantic Monthly was founded and Dr. Holmes was engaged to furnish 
 some articles of general interest and at this time published that article, which is so noted 
 for its mingled shrewdness and good humor, "The Autocrat of the Breakfast Table," 
 which was followed by "77k? Professor at the Breakfast Table." and by others more or 
 less in the same vein. Dr. Holmes has also published volumes of professional papers 
 
 in which his wit, good humor and literary skill are seen as plainly as in his books for gen- 
 eral readers. His -Old Ironsides" will ever remain a lasting monument to his patriotism. 
 
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RALPH WALDO EMERSON 
 
 An American poet and philosopher, was born in Boston, May 25. 1803. Rev. 
 
 William Emerson, of Concord, was the grandfather of R. W. Emerson, and the first occu- 
 pant of the famous "Old Manse." in Concord, where Emerson wrote ■■Nature." 
 
 Although the death of his father left Ralph Waldo poor, his friends provided for 
 his careful instruction at the Boston Latin School. 
 
 At the age of eleven he translated the fifth Eclogue of Virgil, which is the earliest 
 known verse composed by the future poet. Leaving college in 1821 Emerson at first 
 
 joined his brother William in a school for girls in Boston. In 1823 he began the study 
 
 of theology with a view to following his father's profession and that of his ancestors. 
 
 In 1828 he took the place of his grandfather, old Dr. Ripley, in the parish church 
 at Concord for a few weeks, and in March, 1329 he became pastor of the Second Church 
 of Boston, which position he held until Dec, 1832; while pastor of this church he resided 
 in Chardon Street, near Bowdoin Sq. In Oct.. 1834 he went with his mother to live at 
 
 the ■•Old Manse," which continued to be his home until Oct., 1835 when he bought and 
 fitted up a house on the Lexington road in Concord where he afterwards lived until the 
 time of his death, which occured April 27th, 1882. His four children were born there 
 
 and all his books were written there, except the first one, ■■Nature," which was composed 
 in the -Old Manse." 
 
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HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW 
 
 The best known of American poets, was born on the 27th of February, 1807, at 
 Portland, Maine. His boyhood was spent mostly in his native town, which he never 
 ceased to love and whose beautiful surroundings and quiet life he described in his poem, 
 "My Lost Youth." 
 
 At the age of fourteen Longfellow entered Bowdoin College at Brunswick, Maine. 
 During the latter years of his college life he contributed to the United States Literary 
 Gazette some half-dozen or mora poems. He graduated at the age of eighteen with 
 
 honors, among others that of writing the "class poem." 
 
 Shortly after leaving college he spent three and a half years travelling in Europe 
 to perfect himself for an appointment he had received as professor of modern languages 
 in his alma mater. 
 
 In ! 829 he returned to assume his duties at Bowdoin College, where he remained 
 six years. In 1835 Longfellow was chosen to succeed Geo. Ticknor as professor of 
 
 modern languages in Harvard College; upon receiving this appointment he paid a second 
 visit of fifteen months to Europe and on his return took up his residence in Cambridge, and 
 began to lecture and write. 
 
 The greater number of his works were written from this time until 1870. In 
 
 October, 1881 he wrote a touching sonnet on the death of President Garfield and in Jan- 
 uary, 1882 he wrote his last poem, ■■Hermes Trismegistus," only a few months before his 
 death, which occured on March 24th. 1882. 
 
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THOMAS BAILEY ALDRICH 
 
 An American poet, was born at Portsmouth, N. H., in 1837. Upon the death 
 of his father he removed to New York and entered the office of his uncle, a banker. 
 
 Here he remained three years and during this time contributed his first verses to 
 the New York journals. In 1855 a volume of his poems entitled ■■The Bells" was pub- 
 lished; this was followed by "Baby Bell," a poem that secured wide popularity. 
 
 He then left his uncle's business to enter upon a literary career in New York, con- 
 tributing to Putnam's Magazine, the Knickerbocker, and the weekly papers. In 1856 he 
 joined the staff of the Home Journal, and remained in this connection three years. 
 
 In 1866 he became editor of Every Saturday and continued in that position as 
 long as the paper was published. In 1881 he succeeded Mr. W. D. Howells as editor 
 of the Atlantic Monthly. Since 1855 Mr. Aldrich has received much well deserved 
 praise for the poetical works he has published. ■• The Story of a Bad Boy," which is 
 considered somewhat autobiographical, was published in 1869. 
 
 
WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT 
 
 An American poet and journalist and one of the foremost figures in the literary 
 history of the country, was born Nov. 3rd. 1794. at Cummington. Mass. 
 
 In his thirteenth year he wrote a lampoon upon President Jefferson which was pub- 
 lished in Boston in 1807 under the title •■The Embargo; a Satire by a Youth of Thirteen." 
 
 In 1808 and 1809 he was put to school, first in North Brookfield and then at 
 Plainfield. Mass. He entered the Sophomore class at Williams College in 1810. 
 
 He began his law studies in 1812 at Worthington with Mr. Howe and completed 
 them in Bridgewater in 1815, where he was admitted to the bar as an attorney of common 
 pleas. He took up his professional residence in Plainfield. where he wrote his "Lines 
 
 to a Waterfowl," he remained here eight months and then removed to Great Barrington 
 where he continued to practise for the next nine years. In September. 1817 his -An 
 
 Inscription for the Entrance to a Wood" and the " Thanatopsis" were published in the North 
 American Review. 
 
 In 1825 he abandoned the legal profession, and moving to New York gave his time 
 entirely to literary work. As an editor. Mr. Bryant's influence was greatly felt. 
 
 Mr. Bryant died on the 12th of June. 1878 from the effect of a fall. 
 
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JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER 
 
 One of the most popular and representative of American poets, was born at Haver- 
 hill, Mass.. Dec. 17, 1807. He was fond of reading and commenced rhyming at the 
 age of fourteen. His first verses appeared in a local paper in 1826. 
 
 By making shoes in the winter he earned enough to cover his expenses for six 
 months at the Haverhill Academy, which he entered in April, 1827. The following 
 
 winter he taught school in what is now Merrimac. He began to v/rite verses for the 
 
 Haverhill Gazette in 1 828 also for the American Manufacturer and the Yankee. 
 
 He edited the New England Weekly Review in 1830. He was a delagate to the 
 National Anti-slavery Convention at Philadelphia in 1833 and as one of the secretaries 
 signed its "Declaration of Sentiments." His poems, chiefly relating to Slavery, were 
 
 published by Isaac Knapp in 1838. 
 
 In May, 1840 he moved to Amesbury, Mass. where he lived by his pen and con- 
 tinued his anti-slavery labors, travelling much in the interest of the cause. In 1844 he 
 spent six months at Lowell, writing for the Middlesex Standard. 
 
 Mr. Whittier was corresponding editor of the National Era, published at Washing- 
 ton, from 1847 to 1859 during which time he contributed quantities of poetry and prose. 
 
LOUISA MAY ALCOTT 
 
 Daughter of Amos Bronson Alcott, was born Nov. 29. 1832. at Germantown (now 
 in Philadelphia). She went with her family to Boston in 1834. where her education 
 was began by her father in his celebrated "Temple School." 
 
 In 1843, Miss Alcott went with her parents to ••Fruitlands" in Harvard. Mass., 
 where they met with the adventures described by her in •■ Transcendental Wild Oats." 
 
 Returning to Concord in 1844. she lived for some years in the hillside cottage 
 which Nathaniel Hawthorne afterwards bought and to which he gave the name of "The 
 Wayside." 
 
 Her first book ■■Flower Fables" was mostly written at the age of sixteen, at which 
 time she returned to Boston and soon began to write stories for the weekly papers, her 
 first story appearing in the Boston Evening Gazette. From 1848 to 1862 she occupied 
 
 most of her time as Teacher or Governess. In 1862 she spent some months in the 
 
 Army Hospitals at Washington until prostrated by fever. 
 
 After recovering from a long illness she composed, from letters written home from 
 Washington, a lively and pathetic series of ■■Hospital Sketches," which first appeared in 
 the Boston Commonwealth in 1863, and were afterwards published in the volume that first 
 made her widely known as a writer. From this time until 1882 the greater part of her 
 
 works were published. Miss Alcott died on March 6th, 1888, two days after her father. 
 
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NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE 
 
 An American Author, was born at Salem, Mass., July 4th, 1804. He entered 
 
 Bowdoin College in the autumn of 1821; he was an excellent classical scholar, his Latin 
 compositions, even in his freshman year, being remarkable for their elegance. 
 
 He made graceful translations from the Roman poets and wrote several English 
 poems which were creditable to him. After his graduation, three years later, he re- 
 
 turned to Salem and to a life of isolation. He devoted his mornings to study, his after- 
 
 noons to writing and his evenings to long walks along the rocky coast. In the spring of 
 
 1841 he wrote a collection of children's stories entitled ■• Grandfather's Chair." 
 
 In the summer of 1842 he married Miss Sophia Peabody of Salem and made him- 
 self a new home in the "Old Manse" at Concord, Mass. and devcted himself to literature. 
 
 In 1846 he published in two volumes a collection of his later writings, under title 
 of --Mosses from an Old Manse." His next work, ■■ The Scarlet Letter," was published 
 in 1850; shortly after he moved from Salem to Lenox where he wrote "The House of 
 Seven Gables." From Lenox he moved to West Newton and from there back to 
 Concord in 1852, where he purchased an old house which he called "The Wayside." 
 
 He went to Liverpool in 1853 as consul and returning to the United States in 1860 
 took up his abode at "The Wayside"; he did but little writing after this time and died at 
 Plymouth. N. H., on May 19, 1864. 
 
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HARRIET BEECHER STOWE 
 
 The daughter of Lyman Beecher, was bom at Litchfield, Conn., June 14, 1812. 
 She taught in the school of her sister at Hartford, Conn, for several years and was married 
 in 1836 to Prof. Calvin E. Stowe of the Lane Theological Seminary. 
 
 The first publication of her writings was ••The Mayflower; or Sketches of the 
 Descendants of the Pilgrims," a book of tales and sketches of New England life. 
 
 In 1851 she undertook the task of furnishing a story to run in a few numbers of the 
 National Era, an anti-slavery journal printed at Washington; the story grew as she wrote 
 and extended in the weekly issues of the paper from Jan. 5th 1851 to April 1st, 1852. 
 
 It excited considerable interest at the time and created an immense sensation 
 when published in book form, in two volumes, under the title of ■■Uncle Tom's Cabin." 
 
 In eight weeks 100.000 copies had been sold in the United States and in four years 
 the sales reached 313,000 copies. Inside of one year the work had been translated 
 
 into French, Italian, Spanish, Danish. Swedish, Dutch, Flemish, German, Polish and 
 Magyar. Mrs. Stowe published many books after her •■Uncle Tom's Cabin" but none 
 
 of them became so universally popular. 
 
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JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL 
 
 An American poet, was born at Cambridge, Mass., Feb. 22, 1819. He was 
 
 the son of Rev. Charles Lowell who was for 55 years pastor of the West Congregational 
 Church of Boston. 
 
 He was educated at Cambridge and graduated at Harvard College in 1838, when 
 his "class poem," his first production in print, attracted some attention. He studied 
 
 law at Harvard and was admitted to the bar in 1841, but this he abandoned for literature 
 after a few years. His first book of poems, "A Year's Life." was published in 1841. 
 
 In 1843, in connection with a friend, he published an illustrated magazine called 
 The Pioneer. The "Legend of Brittany" and other poems, showing his mastery of the 
 poet's art were published in 1844. 
 
 In 1848 he published a series of poems which gave expression to the genuine feel- 
 ing of New England at the aggressions of the Southern slave-holders. In 1855 he was 
 appointed successor to Mr. Longfellow as professor of modern languages and belles lettres 
 in Harvard. 
 
 Lowell's greatness as a poet had long been felt by the intellectual classes before 
 his works were sought for by the multitude. 
 
GEORGE BANCROFT 
 
 An American historian and statesman, was born at Worcester. Mass., Oct. 3. 1800. 
 His father was the Rev. Aaron Bancroft. Congregational (Unitarian) minister of that place 
 for more than fifty years and author of a "Life of Washington." 
 
 Mr. Bancroft was educated at Exeter. N. H., under Dr. Abbott. In 1813 he 
 
 entered Harvard College and graduating with high honor in 1817, went to Germany the 
 following year to pursue his studies. 
 
 Receiving his degree as doctor of philosophy at Gottingen in 1820. Mr. Bancroft 
 visited Berlin and made an extended tour in Germany. Switzerland. Italy and England. 
 After returning to America in 1822. he was. for a year, tutor of Greek at Harvard College. 
 
 In 1823 he published a volume of poems and contributed to the North American 
 Review and to the American Quarterly Review. 
 
 Mr. Bancroft's most enduring fame rests upon his ■•History of the United States 
 from the Discovery of the American Continent." of which the first volume was published in 
 1834. The first three volumes, embracing ■■The History of the Colonisation of the 
 
 United States," were published respectively in 1834, 1837 and in 1840. 
 
 During the next ten years of his life he filled many responsible Government offices. 
 From 1852 to 1860 he published at intervals, volumes four to eight of the History, thus 
 bringing the recital down to the "Declaration of Independence." The tenth volume was 
 
 published fourteen years later. 
 
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