V * » . e ' *,^ O. 9^ " • • » \ ' --ft -^ 'o. .<• G^ "o^ V^ *^^ 4 o V » ' • »- c . . , 1 • .0- V> - , . n ^^•^ ,^^^ » , 1 • -:? ■1 • ( ■^ .V . '■ V V,' ■^^0^ "^ ■-. ,4 o «>. * • ■ o' .•i^ ■t f\ » _ c * « ^ < • • O ."^ A'^ rf \ * * ■<^. I • » ,0^ "-:^ » • • \ * -0^ .0 • I ■> ^, » V*-"' A^ ... V ^•-' .^° .... V ?• ^ H V ■4 I <■ '-^ ~i} •■ ^"^^ '^ ^0 " > , cohort _"//>, e VJ J /'-s- - ^y^7.?U0^ lEleaser Ibamlin anb Ibis Bescenbants Zbciv Ibomes By Myra Sawyer Hamlin BANGOR, MAINE PRIVATELY PRINTED 1909 t^'^l .^X^cv LIBRARY of CONGnESS Two CoDles Received FEB 5 1909 Copyritnl tntiy COPY a. Copyright igoq By Alyra Sawyer Hamlin, Bangor, Maine. dforewotb* This little book, with its many omissions, does not aim to be comprehensive as to genealogy, biography or his- tory. While indebted to H. F. Andrews' Hamlin Family, to Charles E. Hamlin's Life and Times of Hannibal Ham- lin, to Dr. Cyrus Hamlin's My Life and Times, for many facts, the compiler of this sketch has designed only to trace the relationship of the families of the tribes of Eleazer most closely allied, and to set in a local back- ground a few of the most prominent ancestors of the present generation. The inspiration of the work is due to Mr. and Mrs. Charles S. Hamlin of Boston, without whose cooperation it could not have been done by Myra Sawyer Hamlin. IFntrobuction* Honor thy father and thy mother that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. 'HE historian of the Hamlin family notes that the Hamlins were originally Teu- tonic tribes living along the banks of the river Elbe, the name Hamlin being derived from the old Saxon words Ham and Lyna, meaning home and pool. Since then the home is of intrinsic value to the Hamlins, as shown by having been carried in the name for many centuries, it has become the task of one of the tribe of Eleazer to gather and preserve some of the memorials of the homes in which many of their ancestors were born and reared and from which others went forth to perpet- uate the family traditions in wider fields. In this day of passing things it might seem a foolish task, but it is because this is a day of fleeting things that it has been judged wise to gather and hold the records of a few of the relics of some of the men of note for the benefit of the generation now growing up, out of knowl- edge of traditions, out of touch with the spirit of the past. It is only because our ancestors cherished their belong- ings that from generation to generation some prized arti- cles have been handed down from father to son, that in HAMLIN HOMES our modern homes it is the oldest chair, desk, chest, plate, cup or piece of silver that has the most value. The will of James\ 1683, bequeaths to his daughter Sarah " Two of my pewter plates which she shall chuse" and one to his son Isaac, "as each of my sons and daugh- ters as are now married have each had one." How precious would be these pewter plates to any one of the present generation! That each and every article of household furnishing had its sentimental as well as material value is shown by the notes in many another of these old wills. James^ bequeaths to his wife in addition to real estate and wearing apparel, his "cain," which "cain" she is to keep even though she marry again. Eleazer^, 1678, bequeaths to his heirs besides real estate, a definite list of household belongings which would look paltry to us today as a whole, but any one of which would be a priceless treasure as an heirloom. These pewter plates, silver spoons, linen sheets were probably long since buried in the sands of Cape Cod where the footprints of the Hamlins are still marked by town roads and farm sites bearing names carried by the ancestors of men whose homes are far distant from that early homestead. The American Hamlins are descended from the English branch of their race, whose origin is clearly proved by the old Norman and English Chronicles. The first au- thentic records of individual Hamlins were made by William the Conqueror in his Battle Abbey Roll. On this roll is inscribed the name Hamlin de Balon. The Doomesday Book records Hamlin or de Balon, sometimes 8] HAMLIN HOMES spoken of as Hamelinus. He was lord of the town of Balon, son of a Norman chieftain. Hamlin probably came to Cornwall at the time of the Earl of Montasne and there founded the family from which the American Hamlins are descended. Most of the descendants migrated to Devonshire and the main branch of the English family is chiefly identified with its history. They are today one of the representative families of Devonshire and it is due to their energy that the woolen business, the staple industry of the old country, still flourishes in the valley of the Dart. Visitors to the beautiful village of Clovelly always hear of the Lady Hamlin and her lovely Manor House which is one of the sights of the town. In 1260 Sir William Hamelyn was member of Parlia- ment from Totnes. Under Edward the Fourth William Hamelin was sheriff" of Leicester and Lincoln. James Hamlyn of Clovelly was created baronet in 1795. The pioneer Pilgrims who came to the continent in 1620 were followed by a second group of English men and women who shared their convictions. They were mostly Cambridge graduates and held about the same social status as Cromwell, Hampden and Prynne. James Hamlin of Devonshire was one of this number. He was a son of Giles Hamlin of Devonshire, whose brother Thomas of London had the privilege of signing himself "Gentleman." James is the ancestor of a larger part of the Hamlin race in America, of which the number recently estimated by Andrews is about 20,000. A numerous progeny also [9 II A MUX HOMES sprung from Captain Giles, who settled in Middletown, who is supposed to have been a brother or close connec- tion of James. Cape Cod was a bleak and desolate place when James and his companions took up their life there. The country was flat and sandy and the soil hardly capable of cultivation, but after much toil they founded the town of Barnstable, of which James Hamlin was one of the incorporators. The land which he received was called Hamlin's Plains and his home remained standing for many years after his death. In 1690 James died full of years, leaving a good name and a large family, most of whom were born in Barnstable. Five sons are supposed to have survived their father, and it is said that each agreed to spell his name differently which is well borne out by the diversity of spelling the name in different branches of the race. They however continued to live an unbroken family a long time in and around Barn- stable, and in the history and chronicles of Cape Cod are spoken of as good citizens, church going and patriotic people. James, the second, son of the ancestor, was the father of ten children. His third son Eleazer, through whom the descent of interest to this book is preserved was in turn the father of seven children. It is probably his son Benjamin who maintained this line. His wife bore him eight children, the seventh of whom, Eleazer, was the grandfather of Hannibal Ilunilin, Vice President of the U. S. under Abraham Lincoln; of Cyrus Hamlin, Missionary to Turkey and founder of Robert College, 10] HAMLIN HOMES Constantinople; of Nathan Sumner Hamlin who was the grandfather of Charles S. Hamlin of Boston and his brothers Edward and George, grandfather also of Elijah Hamlin, in whose great granddaughter, Elinor Cutting Hamlin, daughter of Edward of Boston and Helen Ham- lin of Bangor are united two important branches of the main family tree of Eleazer, that of Asia and Cyrus. [11 Xine of 3£lea3er I. Eleazer Hamlin, b. 1732, d. 1807; m. Lydia Bonney of Pembroke. ^ Children: 1 Asia, b. 1753, d. 1780 \\->f 2 Elizabeth, b. 1754 3 Alice, b. 1756 4 Africa, b. 1758 5 Europe, b. 1759 6 America, b. 1761 7 Lydia, b. 1763 8 Eleazer, b. 1765 9 Mary, b. 1767 10 Cyrus, | 11 Hannibal, ) Married Sarah Bryant, born Lobdell. Children : 12 Asia, b. 1774, d. 1778 13 Sally, b. 1775 14 Isaac, b. 1778 15 Asia, b. 1780, m. Susan Read of Westford 16 Green, b. 1782 17 George, b. 1784 Married Hannah Fletcher, of Westford ; no children. 12] lEleasev Ibamlin 1bi6 IbomestcaDs at Pembroke, IbarvarD aiiD TKIlesttorD, /iRassacbusetts T is probable that Eleazer Hamlin was born at Eastham, but at an early age he struck out for himself and settled at Pembroke which was then a part of the Parish of East Bridgewater, in the rec- ords of which we find many deeds of property made to him. Though a dominating and sing- ularly individual race, the Hamlins have been more or less influenced by the maternal strain in all branches, and Lydia Bonney who bore Eleazer eleven children was no mediocre personage, nor was the widow Bryant who was his second wife and presented him with seven more. Both of these women came of good New England families in which could be traced many of the sterling qualities which have helped to distinguish the families of the sons and .^ughters which they bore. As Eleazer was a man of affkirs it is probable that much care fell upon his help- mates. • He is described as a large, powerful, energetic man, of kindly disposition, independent and original. This originality is nowhere more noteworthy than in the selec- [13 N IIAMLLW HOMES tion of nHmes for liis family. The family records had been full of Biblical names, but he was a reader of his- tory and a great admirer of Scipio Africanus, and insisted upon naming one of his eldest sons for that Roman General. But as everybody called the boy Africa, Eleazer pursued a new line on the nomenclature so that the next three boys were America, Europe and Asia. Of Asia he was peculiarly fond, as the name was repeated twice again upon the death in childhood of the boys of that name. Returning to his love of generals, Cyrus and Hannibal followed. These sons were born in the town of Pembroke in the small one story and a half house which still stands and the records of the baptism of thirteen of the children in the chronicles of the second church in Pembroke show that but four of the children were born in Harvard, Mass. The house and church, of which we have photo- graphs, still remain, although both have been more or less remodelled in the century and a quarter since Major Eleazer removed to Harvard. The house is of a type fast passing away, as few remain and none are now built, yet in the days of its construction it best met the require- ments of the colonists in New England. The large cen- tral chimney with brick oven and open fire place from which hung the crane and spit is a distinctive feature of these old houses which have brought to the generations following many a piece of wrought iron or hammered brass. One pair of andirons from perhaps this very house found its way to Paris Hill with Dr. Cyrus the father of Hannibal, and a crane was at Watcrford in the 14] o X HAMLIN HOMES home of Cyrus the missionary, of remote ancestry which may or may not have hung in the fire place at Pembroke or Harvard. The journey from Pembroke to Harvard in the days of the revolution must have been a considerable task, and with his large family a great expense to Major Hamlin and the household goods must have suffered some scatter- ing in the transition. In 1777, having already served with distinction with General Durant around Cambridge and Lexington and receiving the title of Major, he re- moved to Harvard where he bought a farm of 128 acres including potash works in the town of Harvard on the road to Groton. This place had been one of the historic places of the town, having been owned by the family of Burrs. Rebecca Burr having married John Davis, the Burr homestead came to their son Aaron who sold it to Eleazer Hamlin. This was a much larger house and Major Hamlin made some additions to it, besides build- ing a large barn, both house and barn being still in exist- ence and owned by Lowell Sprague heirs of Harvard. These houses were not a full expression of those strong ambitious men of the time and it must not be judged that they expressed their ideals of what was beautiful and artistic or even comfortable. We of today must remem- ber that the New England colonists battled with a rigid climate, had limited facilities for building, stern require- ments of economy of fuel and service. Many of the fea- tures of the old houses, especially the long covered out- buildings so closely connected with the dwelling house, [15 HJMLIX HOMES were a concession to the severity of the climate, and an economy of labor for the men of the family who must do so much of the work of carrying fuel, caring for animals, drawing water, and the exigencies of farm life. If we can bring our minds to look back upon these homes in a spirit of loving admiration and respect, we cannot fail to wonder that from them came such men and women of refinement and cultivation and intellectual strength, able to rise above discomfort and material limitations and to accomplish so much which today, in our steam heated, electric lighted houses even, seems impossible to us. Eleazer Hamlin at Harvard took up the work of farm- ing and making potash, and was according to all the records of the town an influential citizen and of abundant means. He retired from the army before the close of the war to relieve his wife of the care of the increasing family and the farm, but four of his elder sons continued in service till the end. In the records of the town of Westford which later and permanently became his home, there is this statement: "This remarkable man had five sons who were educated at Harvard College and of his descendants not less than fifteen have had college educations." It has not been possible to verify this fully but it is well known that several of the sons had more than a common education. But it is borne out by tradition that Cyrus attended Harvard Medical Lectures, Asia was popularly called Judge Hamlin because of his uncommon knowledge and good education, not because of any Highboy, From Kleazer Hamlin's House in Westford. HAMLIN HOMES judicial dignity. Hannibal taught school in Maine and George went to Russia and entered the Army of the Czar and was an officer in the later Napoleon's Campaign. To these may have been given the Harvard education, but not to the sons who served in the revolution, Africa, America, Eleazer^ as these shortly after "went down to Maine" and made for themselves homes in the wilder- ness, on the tract of land which the Court of Massachu- setts had given Major Eleazer as reward for his services in the war. It was after the flight of the elder sons to Maine and possibly while the younger ones were at college that Major Hamlin married a third time Hannah Fletcher, a fine looking woman said to be the aunt of Grace Fletcher who married Daniel Webster. Mistress Fletcher owned a tavern on a farm in the town of Westford not a dozen miles from Harvard. Her farm and his own in Harvard made him one of the largest land owners in the State and he took up his residence in Westford. Asia who was born at Harvard, May 15, 1780 went with his father and lived in Westford in the homestead until his death. He was a fine judge of stock, fine sportsman and had a good education. He married Susan Read and there were seven children of whom Nathan Sumner was the head of the Massachusetts branch of Eleazer Hamlin's family. Eleazer Hamlin became as prominent in the aflkirs of Westford in the time of peace as he was in the affairs of Pembroke and Harvard in times of war and he was one of the founders and stockholders of the present public [17 HAMLIN HOMES library in Westford. The homestead which he occupied during his life is one of the pleasant places of Westford and is still occupied by one of the direct heirs of his line. His son Asia succeeded to its possession and later Cyrus, his grandson, resided there. At the present day it is occu- pied by the widow of his great grandson, Mrs. Charles A. Hamlin, born Elizabeth Kimball. With the passing of time and changes few of the old furnishings of the house remain but the handsome " Highboy" now in the posses- sion of Charles S. Hamlin of Boston, once had place in this home. It is probably of a period of about 1750, the overlapping drawers making it likely to be of the early date. It is a piece of very rare beauty and great value as an heirloom, marking a degree of distinction of living which probably surrounded the early ancestor in his Westford home. Eleazer Hamlin is buried by the side of his son Green in the east burying ground at Westford. His tombstone, a large, fine, slate slab of the fashion of a century ago, showing that it must have been erected at about tlie time of his death, bears the inscription, " Dec. 1, 1807, age. 75 years, & 5 mos." His forceful personality lives in many of his descendants who today know not where he lived or died. 18] %inc of Bsia Asia Hamlin, b. 1780, married Susan Read of Westford. Children ; 1 Nathan Sumner, b. 1806 2 Susan, b. 1808, m. Pelatiah Fletcher— d. 1850 3 Hannibal, b. 1814, d. 1814 4 Cyrus, b. 1815 5 Sarah D., b. 1820, m. Ira Richardson— d. 1844 n. Cyrus Hamlin m. Dinah Cortelyou — d. 1889 1 Sarah, b. 1844 2 Catherine, b. 1847 3 Henry, b. 1852 4 Charles A., b. 1857, d. San Rafael, California, 1896 HI. Charles A. Hamlin m. (1) Edith E. Walker of Burlington, Mass. (2) Elizabeth Kimball of Littleton, Mass. 1 Gertrude, b. 1893 2 Evelyn, b. 1895 [19 C^ru8 IfDamlinarbeffir^t) Paris Ibill YRUS the first was the twin brother of Hannibal the first, and the name has already been repeated in succeeding gen- erations of the tribe of Eleazer thirteen times, while Hannibal is found in the genealogy by Andrews fifteen times. This Cyrus was the son of Eleazer and probably resem- bled his father more closely than any other of Eleazer's sons. He was of commanding size, standing six feet in height, and in his prime weighing over two hundred pounds. His cheeks were ruddy and his eyes a gray-blue, but his thick, heavy, jet black hair and bushy eyebrows gave to his massive head the general appearance of a dark toned man. This type has been repeated in several members of later generations, notably Elijah Hamlin and his son Augustus, as well as Edward Hamlin of Boston, followed the type of the early ancestor, Eleazer, rather than Hannibal and the members of his family, whose dark eyes were inherited from the Livermores. There is a tradition that the name of Cyrus must be accompanied by the degree of Doctor. This first Cyrus came as a phy- sician "down to Maine," not however to break his way throuo-h the wilderness like his brother Hannibal, but to 20] HAMLIN HOMES the township of Livermore, where Deacon Elijah Liver- more, from Waltham, Mass., had already founded a town. The young physician won the affection of the Deacon's daughter, with whom it is probable went some worldly goods to the home which was later the birthplace of Elijah and Hannibal, in Paris Hill. Deacon Livermore had a fine house in Waltham, Mass., where his daughter Anna married Dr. Cyrus, and in 1806 the latter purchased in Paris Hill a tract of land " south of the County Common, twelve rods and twenty links in width between the common and the farm of Lemuel Jack- son, and extending from the county road on the east to the lot line on the west, thirty-one rods, also all the land west of the County Common and meeting house to within five rods of the northwest corner, containing seven acres." The Hamlin homestead at Paris Hill remains to this day, though one hundred years old, a dwelling house of the best New England model. High studded even for today, the rooms are large and square, and furnished with fine windows commanding the best views North and West and South and East, views unmatched anywhere else in New England and paralleled only by those of the adja- cent villages. The foothills of the White Mountains are discernible on the West; Streaked Mountain on the East, and on every side the peaceful valley of the Androscoggin with its orchards and well-kept New England farms envel- oped in a mountain haze that is like the atmosphere of a Corot in autumn. Dr. Cyrus built his house to live in, and from the open [21 Spanish Cabinet, Hannibal Hamlin's House. HAMLIN HOMES hospitality of the hall running through the house, to the cosy cheer of the library, well filled with books, there radiated a cheer and charm of culture and comfort little known to the wilds of Maine at that early day. Paris Hill was however in those days the shire town and emi- nent lawyers and judges, Parris, Emery, Rawson, gathered about the county buildings and shared in the hospitality dispensed by Mrs. Hamlin from her Strawberry Lowestoft china and her Sheraton sideboard. The Doctor's own library was augmented by Gov. Enoch Lincoln, who for many years made his home in the Hamlin house. Eight children were born to Dr. Cyrus and his wife Anna, in this house, of whom Elijah was the first and Hannibal the statesman the seventh. Hannibal, after his brother Elijah went to Brown Uni- versity, had lessons in practical farming from his elder brother Cyrus, who of a rare fine type died in early man- hood. It was Hannibal who planted some of the trees which today add to the beauty of the old place at Paris Hill. His sister Eliza also did much to beautify and improve the homestead when, after the death of her parents and the marriage of sisters and brothers, she was left alone to keep up the house. It was Eliza who opened the north parlor to the view of the White Hills by putting in a wide expanse of glass windows, and having it papered with the soft grey satin paper of which the artistic panels and garlands are of a mode of the present day. It is even now in a state of perfect preservation, although it is sixty years since it was done. 22] o J2 HAMLIN HOMES By the breaking up of this homestead in 1860, upon the death of Eliza, the sister of Hannibal, Vesta and Elijah, there was a scattering of household goods. It was less easy in those days to send furniture by freight or express; a few articles were sent to Bangor where both Elijah and Hannibal had homes, a few to Calais where Vesta, the elder sister, who had early married Dr. Holmes, and the rest remained in Paris Hill, where the choicest pieces have been carefully preserved in the family of the youngest daughter of Elijah, Mrs. Julia Carter. At the present time the fine old Sheraton sideboard and the Windsor chairs which Elijah took to Brown University (and unlike the college boys of today brought home again), are the possession of Mrs. Mary B. Carter, the widow of James Livermore Carter, grandson of Elijah Hamlin. So highly prized is this piece of furniture by Mrs. Carter that she has had an extension of her dining room built expressly for it and there it stands in the old- est house on Paris Hill, "full of honors and years," fitly placed and as proudly conscious as mahogany can be of the fact that it has remained in one town ever since 1806. The " Strawberry " Lowestoft china tea set, familiarly known by the family of Dr. Cyrus' heirs as "Grandmother Hamlin's Strawberry set," was for a generation also in the possession of the Carter family but was generously given a few years ago to Helen Hamlin, daughter of Dr. Augustus and first wife of Edward of Boston. The Grandfather's Clock which with its moon face tell- ing the tides, marked the time for the household at Paris [23 II A MUX HOMES Hill, is now in the home of Gen. Charles Hamlin in Ban- gor. The clock works are of brass and the case of a fine piece of curly birch and it was made by a well reputed clock maker of the 18th century, Burnham by name. The round inlaid Heppelwhite table, now in the home- stead of Hannibal Hamlin in Bangor, was at one time in the South parlor at Paris Hill. The brass knocker, oval, with beveled and beaded mountings, which has been for many years upon the front door of the house in Calais which is the homestead of the family of Mrs. Vesta Holmes, the elder sister of Hannibal, ushered many a caller to the cheerful rooms of the house at Paris Hill. Since I860 this fine old house has been owned by Mr. Chase of Paris Hill; adjacent to it is the unique building transformed by Dr. Augustus from the county jail into a library, a perpetual memorial of his family and name, and the town of Paris celebrates each year on Founders' Day this gracious act and keeps alive the memory of the old family by a fitting programme. 24] Clock from Paris Hill Homestead. %inc ot C^rus Dr. Cyrus, born at Pembroke 1769, died at Paris Hill 1829, married Anna Livermore, daughter of Elijah Livermore of Livermore, Me., and Waltham, Mass. Children : 1 Elijah, b. 1800 2 Cyrus, b. 1802, d. 1837 3 Eliza, b. 1804 4 Anna, b. 1805 6 Vesta, b. 1808 7 Hannibal, b. 1809 8 Hannah, b. 1814 n. Anna m. Daniel Brown. n. Vesta m. Dr. Job Holmes of Paris Hill, later settled in Calais. 1 Agnes, b. 1837 2 Anna Livermore, b. 1838 3 Ellen Hamlin, b. 1840, m. Capt. Joseph Cony, lost at sea 1867 4 Cyrus, b. 1842, d. 1842 5 Frank, b. 1843, d. 1863 6 Walter, b. 1854, d. 1898 ; m. Medora Piatt HI. Agnes m. Edward Moore of St. Stephens, N. B. 1 Frank, b. 1868 2 Josephine, b. 1870 3 Vesta, b. 1877 [25 Ibannibal IfDamlin i^bcmm) "HUaterforC* HIS Hannibal, the twin brother of Dr. Cyrus, settled in Waterford, Maine, some years before the coming of his brother to Paris Hill. His brother Africa had been one of the incorporators of the town. Hannibal was a school teacher and tradi- tion tells us that the money for his house at Waterford was earned by keeping school, although the land was part of a grant awarded by the General Court of Massa- chusetts to his father. Major Eleazer. It was certainly not thickly populated, for "his wife and little daughter ' Nabby' were drawn on a moose sled from Long Pond to Bridgton or Harrison to their future home in the wilder- ness." A hide-bound chair was laid down and lashed to a sled upon which she was seated with her back to the chair, holding her child. When asked if she were home- sick she replied, "Not at all." It was a hardy, brave lot of men and women which settled the woods of Maine, and what a remarkable race descended from them! Han- nibal cut most of the logs from which the timber for his house was built, and the cosy, picturesque farm house, of the type of the house at Pembroke, still stands in the town of Waterford and it was the birthplace of Dr. Cyrus, now so well known the world over as the founder of Rob- 26] > HAMLIN HOMES ert College, Constantinople. His farm was situated on the county road leading from Bridgton through Water- ford to Paris, the shire town of Oxford and the home of the brother of Dr. Cyrus first. In after years Dr. Cyrus (the missionary) took a jour- ney to Brousa, Asia Minor, which is situated at the base of Mt. Olympus, and wrote from there: " How vividly did my native home rush upon my mind with all its familiar objects and scenes, when on gaining one of the preliminary summits in our ascent we found ourselves on a level plateau with cragged summits around us. Here were mullein stalks, granite rocks, pine bushes, hemlocks, burdocks, birch trees, fine red thistles, genuine yellow- weed and green grass and running streams and a cold New England wind. I said to myself, 'A New England spring and my native home! ' New England wind! every- thing indeed breathes of home, sweet, half-forgotten home, just as it was in 1827. The matchless beauty of the Bosphorus becomes tame, almost nauseous, compared with the taste of home and its free, bracing air. We were actually in the climate of Maine, on the same geological formation which we have been accustomed to from infancy and there also are the very weeds and grasses of our old home." Many years later, on a visit to this old New England home Dr. Cyrus said, "My visit to Waterford affected me more than anything else." "I have a bracket made from the heart of a favorite apple tree, but nothing else from childhood's home but memories." Later, however, he [27 HAMLIN HOMES writes: "Since writing the above I have obtained the crane from the old chimney and I can sit down before it, placed on the wall of my study, and bring mother, Susan, Rebecca, Hannibal in front of it." Xine of Ibannibal of Materforb I. Hannibal of Waterford, b. 1769, d. 1811 ; m. Susannah Faulkner. Children : 1 Susan, b. 1801, m. William M. Stone. 2 Rebecca, b. 1805 3 Hannibal, b. 1809 4 Cyrus, b. 1811, missionary to Turkey n. Rebecca m. Charles Farley. 1 Albert, b. 1834 2 John Henry, b. 1837 3 Cyrus Hamlin, b. 1839 4 Susan, b. 1841 5 Mary Louisa, b. 1844 n. Hannibal, m. Abigail Abbot 1 Abby Frances, b. 1837 2 Cyrus, b. 1843 HI. Abby Frances m. Rev. Lyman Abbott. 1 Lawrence Frazer, b. 1859 2 Harriet Frances, b. 1860 3 Herbert Vaughan, b. 1865 4 Ernest Hamlin, b. 1872 5 Beatrice Vail, b. 1875 HL Cyrus m. Lydia Sigourney. 1 Winthrop Abbott «8] s o X Ibannibal Ibamlin statesman JSangor F Massachusetts ancestry, born at Paris Hill, Oxford County, Maine, the name of this illustrious Hamlin is perpetually associated with the banks of the Penob- scot, both Hampden and Bangor having equal claims^^upon his citizenship, his residence in the little village eight miles below Bangor having been of about the same duration as that in Ban- gor. The larger city perhaps has the stronger claim and the quiet joy and happiness of his declining years there, after the half century of public service, gives to the Ban- gor house the right to be called "the dearest spot on earth" for the children of this branch of the Hamlin family. It was in 1860 that Hannibal Hamlin gave up his house and farm in Hampden and bought the Hilliard property in Bangor. A singular and interesting feature of this purchase by Mr. Hamlin was the fact that most of the grounds that lay between the house and Hammond street could only be held in perpetual lease from the Ban- gor Theological Seminary, owing to the fact that that association is unable to dispose of any of its holdings. The house is surrounded by several acres of ground, a [^9 HAMLIN HOMES large orchard and vegetable garden, while on the strip at the southeast is a well cultivated flower garden. At the time of the purchase of the Hilliard house it was covered with a flat roof, which, however, Mr. Hamlin changed to a mansard, thus adding several fine, airy chambers over- looking the city, and beyond to the Brewer hills. A portico and front veranda, supported by doric col- umns, gives to the house an external aspect of the colonial period, which is not wholly carried out by the internal arrangements. The front door on the north side of the house opens into a small vestibule which leads into a spa- cious hall from which a well curved flight of stairs ascends to the square chambers above. It is here necessary to note certain well-marked features of the finish of the house. Mr. Hilliard had designed it with some view to carrying out an effect of Italian architecture. The high, even lofty studding of the rooms, the arabesque stucco finish of the walls and the broad slanting jambs are almost classic and this finish, we believe, was introduced after the French Revolution from the Egyptian architec- ture into many buildings of France, England and Amer- ica. This broad wood finish, painted though it is in the drawing rooms and library a delicate, almost neutral tint and in the chambers a florentine white, give a certain dignity to the house which it might have lacked had the wood work been scantier or even more ornamented. In both drawing rooms there are black marble chimney pieces and open fireplaces with ball-headed brass fire irons. The windows reach from ceiling to floor and are 30] o u HAMLIN HOMES furnished with panelled shutters, replacing Venetian blinds of an earlier period. The doors, panelled and finished with grouving, have the special feature of solid glass knobs, so moulded that they often have the effect of prisms. The white turned banisters have a handsome mahogany rail, with a sunken newel post. The hall is furnished with a handsome mahogany table, above which is a good portrait of Mr. Hamlin, two an- tique Windsor chairs which were for many years in the office of his father, the doctor, at Paris Hill. A tall old- fashioned clock, also brought from Paris Hill, the works being of wood and not, as in the case of the other, of brass, fills one corner of this hall and at the right of this a fine old card table of mahogany stands, its open leaf spread with souvenirs of foreign travel and an interesting sitting statuette of Abraham Lincoln. The drawing rooms open at the left of the hall, the smaller, hardly more than a reception room, has yet almost the atmosphere of a sanctum sanctorum. A fine bust of the Vice President faces the door from the east corner, and opposite is the large chair which he occupied while Vice President. A good copy of the Gilbert Stuart portrait of Washington is a central picture on the walls of this room. Upon an oriental rug stands a Heppelwhite table which, like the Windsor chairs, was brought from the Paris Hill home- stead. The furnishings of the larger drawing room are of no particular period. Between the two large windows is a Spanish cabinet of chestnut, heavily covered with gold [31 HAMLIN HOMES leaf, bought in Spain by Mr. Hamlin when U. S. Minister at Madrid. This is made in the form of an escritoire, having small drawers and pigeon holes above a sliding leaf and a cabinet with doors below. It is handsomely columned, and exquisitely carved within, while the outer doors are scrolls of brass, mounted in red velvet. The heavy iron key of mediaeval pattern shows that its use in passed centuries had been an important one. Opposite this foreign possession is the senatorial chair Mr. Hamlin used when U. S. Senator for Maine. A grand piano fills a space against the east wall. Mrs. Hamlin is fond of music and flowers. Hannibal Hamlin's library was a large one, chiefly of history and biography and the books fill many large cases which are all over the house, — in the pleasant long parlors, in the sitting room where an old-fashioned cane seated chair sits always before the open fire, memorial of the simple, grand old man who occupied it so many years, and in the upper halls, from floor to ceiling are the bookcases with glass doors. The stairs have an artistic curve and old portraits meet the eye, of the father and mother of Mr. Hamlin, the father and mother of Mrs. Hamlin, Judge Emery and wife of Paris Hill. The high, sunny bedrooms are full of old furniture, most of it from Oxford County, from the home of the Emerys or Dr. Cyrus. The French sewing tables, the mahogany bureaus and bedsteads have a dig- nity which seems to declare them the right things in the right place. The beauty of the quiet street, with its arch- 82] Hannibal Hamlin's Vice President's Chair. Senator's Chair. HAMLIN HOMES ing elms making an avenue to the iron gateway where stands the sentinel oak tree planted by Mr. Hamlin him- self, the perfect order and system, united with beauty and charm of the garden, make this dignified old house a place to hallow a great name and to be honored by city, state and family. Xlne ot Ibannibal / 1. Hannibal, born 1809, Paris Hill, d. 189^, Bangor. Married Sarah Emery of Paris Hill. Children : 1 George, b. 1835, d. 1844 2 Charles, b. 1837 3 Cyrus, b. 1839 4 Sarah, b. 1842 Also married Ellen Vesta Emery of Paris Hill. 5 Hannibal Emery, b. 1858 ; unmarried 6 Frank, b. 1862 ; unmarried I. Charles, m. Sarah Purinton Thompson of Topsham, Me. 1 Charles Eugene, b. 1861 2 Addison, b. 1863 3 Cyrus, b. 1869 4 Edwin, b. 1872 II. Charles Eugene m. Myra Louise Sawyer. 1 Myra Louise, b. 1887 2 A son, b. 1899, d. 1899 II. Cyrus, M. D., m. Hattie Bennion 1 Sarah Emery, b. 1902 2 Hannibal, b. 1904 Q.I.. 3 H)r. Cierus Ibamlin ©f Conetanttnople. JFounDcr of TRobcrt College ^^MmW^M ^^W(^ ^^ S^55 1) 1 i=^^^ R. CYRUS, the second, was the son of Hannibal of Waterford, Maine, grand- son of Major Eleazer, and was born at Waterford, January the 5th, 1811, two years and a half later than his cousin Hannibal, the statesman, at Paris Hill. Graduated at Bowdoin College, went to Turkey for the American Board of Missions in 1837, founded Bebek Seminary, Constantinople, Turkey, and in 1863 Robert College. Probably no other Hamlin has ever been more versa- tile or had a more varied career than this second Cyrus, so well known to the world and especially to Turkey and Asia Minor, as Dr. Hamlin, the missionary. Left father- less very young, he worked on the farm at Waterford until it was proved that he was too slight and delicate for such work and was better fitted to other pursuits. They apprenticed him to his brother-in-law, Mr. Charles Farley of Portland, a watchmaker, to learn the trade of silversmith. After his conversion Mr. Farley let him off to complete his education and become a minister. At college, however, his tastes and talents were equally divi- 34] HAMLIN HOMES ded between the classics and the mechanical arts, his Bowdoin honors being equally divided between the model for a steam engine which he constructed, and a Latin ora- tion which he delivered. But after his college years Maine had little hold upon Dr. Cyrus, for the best part of his life was spent in Tur- key where he went in 1837, primarily in the office of missionary of the American Board. There, however, his- torical events and fortuitous circumstances combined to make his services to civilization and education of even greater value than those rendered to the Board of Mis- sions, and his skill in the mechanical arts gave him the title of "Wizard Hamlin" and the most "Satanic man in the Sultan's kingdom," those arts being judged by the Mohammedan as belonging especially to the Evil one. As the manager of bakery and laundry for the English army, Dr. Cyrus enlarged his field of action. Today his fame and influence lives in Robert College, which has become a university which unites the ideals of Christian- ity with the world broad education of the Western col- leges and is creating a new empire for the Sultan, with which he and the world will soon reckon. His Yankee ingenuity added much to the comfort of his Eastern home, for his spare hours were spent in recre- ating the various houses at Bebek in which he lived and where his ten children were born. From 1841-1843 his home was in the Demirgi Bashi's (which means Head of the Iron Works) house, where Dr. Hamlin's native ingenuity managed to make rooms for [35 HAMLIN HOMES several Armenian students and establish the nucleus of Bebek Seminary. But in 1843 the family removed to the great house of Cheleby Yorgaki overlooking the Bospho- rus which continued to be the home of the Hamlins and the Seminary until the founding of Robert College; for the Bebek Seminary was removed to Marsovan, Asia Minor, against Dr. Hamlin's judgment and without his approval. But he considered it a special providence that at this time came Mr. Robert's proposal that he should undertake the opening in Constantinople for young men of all nationalities. It was a great building affording space for forty-two boarders, with separate rooms for the family. A noble building, its frame work of massive oak with large and airy rooms, spacious halls, capable of ex- cellent uses by division of walls. But it was sadly out of repair from the standpoint of the New Englanders, and as money was short Dr. Hamlin labored a great deal with his hands, using tools which he manufactured himself or could obtain from English hardware merchants. Not content with making comfortable quarters for him- self and family, later he fitted up an industrial annex for his students, a workshop where, by work in sheet iron, stoves, ash pans and other useful but easily made articles, the poor students could obtain the means to clothe them- selves. It would seem that in such an Eastern home of so institutional a character there would be no place nor time for nursery life or social life, but the children were numer- ous and ever welcome, and the hour from nine to ten, one 36] \ Model of Steam Engine Made by Ur. Cyrus Hamlin HAMLIN HOMES or two evenings during the week, was given to tea drink- ing with the families of English and American friends, when the talk was of home and books and politics and war perhaps. This great house at Bebek, Constantinople, became the homestead of a Hamlin family whose roots were in Maine but many of whose branches still overlook the beautiful Bosphorus. Henrietta, the oldest daughter married Professor George Washburn, who became President of Robert College. Abby Frances married Prof. Charles Anderson of Rob- ert College and their daughter Catherine is her father's secretary and Sarah teacher at American College for Girls at Scutari. Clara, who married Rev. Lucius O. Lee, missionary in Marash, Asia Minor, was Associate Principal of the American Home School which became American College for Girls. But Dr. Cyrus returned to his native heath late in life and his declining years were spent in New England in a pleasant home at Lexington, Mass., with many of his large family about him. Alfred Dwight Foster, Professor of Architecture at Columbia College, his eldest son, his daughters Alice, Mary and Emma, and Christopher Robert, his youngest, who is settled at Randolph, Mass., and has four children, all of whom have made their homes in the United States. [37 Xtne ot C^rus, tbe /IlMssionari? I. The Rev. Dr. Cyrus of Constantinople, born Waterford, 1811, d. Portland, 1900 ; married Henrietta Jackson, Children : 1 Henrietta, b. 1839 2 Susan, b. 1842, d. 1858 3 Caroline, b. 1845, d. 1887 4 Abby Frances, b. 1847 5 Mary Rebecca Foster Second wife, Martha Lovell. Children : 6 Clara Harriet, b. 1853, d. 1902 7 Alfred Dwight Foster, b. 1855 Third wife, Mary E. Tenney. Children : 8 Mary Ann Robert, b. 1862 9 Emma, b. 1864 10 William Maltby, b. 1866, d. 1871 11 Alice Julia, b. 1867 12 Henry Martyn, b. 1869, d. 1869 13 Christopher Robert, b. 1870 n. Henrietta m. Prof. George Washburn of Constantinople. 1 George Hamlin Washburn, b. 1860 2 William Maltby, b. 1862, d. same year 3 Henry Howes, b. 1863, d. 1865 II. Abby Frances m. Prof. Charles Anderson of Robert College. 1 Robert, b. 1877 2 Catharine, b. 1879 3 Sarah, b. 1883 4 Roger Hamlin, b. 1886 n. Caroline m. Wm. H. Vail, M. D. 1 Henrietta Loraine, b. 1873 2 Marion, b. 1875, d. 1886 3 Cyrus Hamlin, b. 1877 4 Charles Edward, b. 1880 5 Arthur Whitin, b. 1885, d. 1889 II. Alfred Dwight Foster m. Minnie Marston of Hartford, Conn. 1 Marston, b. 1887 2 Talbot, b. 1889 3 Clara Louise, b. 1895 4 Genevieve, b. 1898 38] p o X IRatban Sumner Ibamlin m McstforO ATHAN SUMNER was, like Hannibal the statesman and Cyrus the missionary, the grandson of Eleazer of Westford, his father, Asia, being uncle of these Maine men of note, so that while they were making careers in the new state which was but an offshoot of Massachusetts in 1820, Nathan remained, as it were, on the parent stem in Westford. Although there is no record of his having visited his Waterford uncles or his Bangor cousins, there is abun- dant evidence that communication was by no means cut off between the two branches of Eleazer's tribe, even at a time when communication by letter was difficult. It is a picturesque old town, this town of Westford in Middlesex county, a dozen miles from Lowell and about as far from the town of Harvard from which Eleazer had come, when he married the widow Fletcher. The Fletch- ers and Abbotts and Hamlins are still names to conjure with in the town of Westford where, from the beautiful common fringed with trees set out by Nathan Hamlin himself to the Fletcher library of which his grandfather was incorporator, and on through the quiet grass-bordered roads leading to the pleasant old-fashioned New England [39 HAMLIN HOMES homes where still live many of the name, the traditions of the Asia branch of Eleazer are kept and preserved with pride and affection. Nathan Sumner was a prominent Democrat, a member of the Massachusetts legislature and held town offices. Although a Democrat, he cast the deciding vote which sent Charles Sumner to the U. S. Senate. A Democrat was sure of election in his district, for which there were two Democratic candidates. The Free Soilers were wild to elect Sumner and promised to support Mr. Hamlin if he would vote for Sumner, to which he pledged himself; he was elected by the aid of the Free Soilers and redeemed his pledge. Nathan Hamlin married Harriet, daughter of Pelatiah and Sally Fletcher of Groton, and lived until his death in 1888 in the large two story house which is now occu- pied by the widow of his son Samuel A., so that another family home in Westford is still kept by one of the Ham- lin name. There was in this family a very decided bias towards political affairs and public interest as in the Maine fam- ily, and of Cyrus, the brother of Nathan, who resided in the old Eleazer homestead at Westford, it is recorded that he was an Abolitionist and Republican but voted for Greeley and Cleveland, showing an independence which has characterized many of the name. The daughter of this Cyrus of Westford has a record of usefulness; born in 1844, Sarah Dix Hamlin was one of the first women to enter Michigan University, class of 1873. She taught [40 c o B £ o U a. HAMLIN HOMES school in San Francisco and was sent to India by the Am. Ramabai Asso, in 1891 to assist the Pundita Ramabai to establish her famous school for child widows, devoting fif- teen months to the work and then returned to San Francisco. Her sister Kate has also done much research work and contributed much genealogical matter to the Andrews book. The widow of their brother Charles resides at the Hamlin homestead. While there are Hamlin homes still at Westford, and Hamlin records and traditions, the chief representatives of the Asia branch through Nathan are now residents of Boston. Charles Sumner Hamlin, graduate of Harvard 1883, Harvard Law School 1886, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury under President Cleveland, 1893, appointed by President McKinley member of the diplomatic body to make treaties with other nations for the protection of Alaskan seals, lecturer at Harvard Law School, promi- nent in Democratic party in Massachusetts, maintains the political reputation of a family strong in public affairs. Of his brothers, Edward, graduate of Harvard 1886, is President of Metropolitan Coal Co. and George, Treasurer of same. All have made their winter homes in Boston and their summer homes on Buzzard's Bay. Allied by marriage with Knickerbocker, Virginia and Boston families as well as linked again to Maine Hamlins, the Massachusetts branch has realized the ideals of the early ancestors in the individuality and beauty of their homes and the integ- rity and success of their business enterprises. [41 Xine of H^atban Nathan Sumner, son of Asia, born at Westford 1806, d. 1888. Married Harriet Fletcher. Children : 1 Edward Sumner, b. 1830, d. 1888 2 Samuel A., b. 1832, d. 1897 II. Edward Sumner married Anna Gertrude Conroy of New York. 1 Charles Sumner, b. 1861 2 Edward, b. 1863 3 Harriet, b. 1865 4 George, b. 1867 5 Fred, b. 1869 6 Jane, b. 1871 II. Samuel A., m. Abby Fletcher Tower. 1 Edward A., b. 1857 2 Gertrude Rebecca Fletcher, b. 1871, d. 1894 III. Charles Sumner, m. Huybertie Lansing Pruyn, daughter of J. V. L. Pruyn and Anna Parker Pruyn of Albany. 1 Anna, b. 1900 III. Edward, m. (1) Helen, daughter of Augustus Choate Hamlin of Bangor. Child : Elinor Cutting, b. 1892 Married (2) Katharine Brooke Conrad, daughter of Holmes Conrad and Georgia Bryan Forman Conrad of Winchester, Va. 1 Helen, b. 1905 2 Edward, b. 1906 3 Katharine, b. 1908 III. George Peabody, m. Mary F"arnsworth Tappan (daughter of Fred'k K. Tappan and Elizabeth Loring Meredith Tappan of Boston). 1 George Peabody, b. 1906 2 Robert Tappan, b. 1908 42] Elijab Ibamlin ©t JBangoc HIS sketch would seem incomplete with- out some mention of Mt. Mica and its discoverer and explorer, Elijah Hamlin, who was not only the grandson of Elea- zer and the brother of Hannibal the statesman but bore the same relation to Elinor Cutting Hamlin of Boston as did his cousin Nathan Hamlin of Westford, both being her great grandfathers. Elijah Hamlin was perhaps the most fortunate of his generation, having been early sent away to receive his education at Brown University, — to see his Massachusetts relatives, and to get a broader view of life than that offered by the farm life of Paris Hill. After receiving his degree at Brown, Elijah studied law with Gov. Lincoln at Paris Hill where he made his home at the Hamlin homestead. As a student he roamed over the hills which surround- ed Paris, and with his brothers and Dr. Ezekiel Holmes discovered the mineralogical deposit of tourmalines and mica known now as "Mt. Mica," which in recent years has yielded so richly of the beautiful gems to Dr. Augus- tus Choate Hamlin, the son of Elijah Hamlin. Loving the homestead at Paris Hill, it was a disap- pointment to him late in life that it had not been kept in .' .% [43 HAMLIN HOMES the family, but the practice of his profession called him away from Oxford county and after a few years spent in Columbia Falls, Me., he entered upon the practice of law in Bangor, where he was a prominent citizen for many years. A striking looking man, of giant frame, piercing black eyes and shaggy eyebrows, his face was redeemed from sternness by a twinkle of humor in his eye and genial smile. Although of opposite political convictions from his brother Hannibal, he was active in the Legislature and civic affairs, but entered no wide political arena. As a student and lawyer and a man of cultivation he left a rich inheritance of culture to his son and a passion for Mt. Mica and Paris Hill. His granddaughter Helen Hamlin became the wife of Edward Hamlin and the mother of Elinor, who united two important Hamlin lines, both running back to Elea- zer, the Massachusetts Hamlins and the Maine Hamlins having one common ancestor and in this eldest daughter of Edward Hamlin, one descendant. 44] Xlne of Elijab Elijah Livermore, b. 1800, Paris Hill, died 1872, Bangor ; married Eliza Choate of Salem. Children : 1 Adeline, b. 1826 2 Augustus Choate, b. 1829 3 Julia, b. 1832 II. Adeline m. George Stetson of Bangor. 1 George Hamlin, b. 1846 2 Edward, b. 1854 3 Isaiah Kidder, b. 1858 4 Mary Adeline, b. 1860 II. Augustus Choate m. Helen Cutting of Bangor. 1 Helen Agnes, b. 1861, d. 1902 2 Fred Cutting, b. 1873, d. 1891 II. Julia m. Samuel Rawson Carter of Paris Hill. 1 Jarves Livermore III. George Hamlin Stetson m. Nettie Boynton. 1 Nellie, b. 1873, d. 1908 2 George, b. 1874 3 Eugene, b. 1881 [45 f * Xfnc of jEUjab— Con. III. Edward Stetson m. Edith Lobdell. 1 Clarence Cutting, b. 1884 III. Isaiah Kidder Stetson m. Clara Cooper Sawyer. 1 Ruth Wolcott, b. 1884 2 Irving Gay, b. 1885 3 Roger Hamlin, b. 1889, d. 1892 III. Mary Adeline Stetson m. Thomas Fenton Taylor of New York. 1 Margaret Hamlin, b. 1884 2 George Stetson, b. 1885 3 Fenton, b. 1887 III. Helen Hamlin m. Edward Hamlin of Boston. 1 Elinor Cutting Hamlin IV. Jarves Livermore Carter m. Mary B. Carter. 1 Julia, b. 1884 2 Dorothea, b 1887 3 Jarves, b. 1889, d. 1893 V. Nellie Stetson m. Storer Thaxter. 1 Elizabeth, b. 1899 2 Edith, b. 1904 VI. George Stetson m. Edith Young. 1 George, b. 1898 , 46] ItD 5-7 ■^ IN COMMEMORATION I OF THE DAY WHEN ); THE PILGRIM FATHERS f IN THE MAY FLOWER % i FIRST SAW LAND * *' 'J .THIS STONE WA5 PLACED HERE T ^ * ■ ■ ■ ' ^ ^ BY :5 J THE REVCYRUS HAMLIN DO. t F^ '■ ^ 0CT^29"I856 ^f^; r MicAH c iv.v 4-.5. . '■^''r'p ,ARMA ECCLESI/ESUNT PRECES ET LACHRYMyt >-«: ^ ■"' Tablet in Cluiich of Separatists, Southwaik, England. In the Church of the Separatists in Southwark, Eng- land, is to be found this tablet erected in 1856 by Rev. Cyrus Hamlin in commemoration of the day when the Pilgrim Fathers first saw land. For the descendants of Eleazer Hamlin who have their homes in this land of freedom, this tablet is here repro- duced and preserved. FEB 190i ^; a\ ^ov^ ;^^ o o. V . »' ''.?> -A. A" . , - -U " ' aN ' - - '^ 0^ .•^'Z o o V •^'^^ s * * • ' 0^ .•^"« "b -\Si'. 0. '*bv 17 O. ♦ . , ' <0 ' * o. v" ,>^"^--^ -^^ §^/ .^' v^. e> ^^ ^ -y ^ -^^ 0^ :,/ '^ n^ ^ ■\ , o • o v>^- 4-* -.^J? ^^ .u V-^^ .<^'''', .^' .0' ^oV^ .V ^-'- . • 1 ■> s-^- '^4^ .•*/ "a'?..'? ^., * '^-. ■■\' .rv .0 -r "?:$:■. D0B8S BROS. -IBRARY DIMOINO MAR 81 o ST. AUGUSTINE "^ -^^ FLA C.' ^^ ^V c<"" ^O^- % _*-^* A^^v. %.„«' ■•.>^^:- \ V C" ^-> 'oViJaW tf'. u ^