IflillMllllllIiriOllllilW'l'Crln'W ™i il ^'''i"'""!"' I'l' ■'i''T iplilll LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 0DDD5t.aSE3D <$^°^ '^ A^ J' t-. "^«.- .*'\ '^^■ • # i '^ /ft?' \ 7» A-' ^ *1^ DISCOURSE UKLIVEIiKl) Ui;].()l;ii xnii ]Vew-England IIisToiiic, Genealogical Society, BOSTON, MARCH 18, 1870, ox TIIIC OCCASION OF TIIK TWEi\TY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF ITS INCORPORATION. .^' .*->-'- BY THE REV. EDMUND F* SLAFTER, A.M., CORKKSPONDIXG SECRETARY OF THE SOCIETY. WITH PROCEEDINGS AND APPENDIX. BOSTON : NEW-ENGLAND HISTORIC, GEXEALOGICAL SOCIETY. M. DCCC. LXX. rM^ J HANGIS ^^^ -^ Gniil- 3oc. IT IS NOT THE LEAST DEBT WHICH WE OWE UKTO HISTORY, THAT IT HATII MADE US ACQUAINTED WITH OUK DEAD ANCESTORS, AKO DELIVERED US THEIR MEMORY AND Fame.—- Sir Walter Ralegh. David Clafp & Son, Pkisteks, Boston. PROCEEDINGS Society's Rooms, 17 Bromfield Street, Boston, 31st August, 1869. The Kcv. Edmund F. Slafter, A.M. Reverend and dear Sir, — At a late meeting of the New-England Historic, Gene- alogical Society, the subject of observing its twenty-fifth anni- versary was referred to the Board of Directors. Subsequently, at a meeting of the board, the following resolutions were adopted : — Resolved, — That it is expedient to observe the twenty-fifth anni- versary of the incorporation of this Society. Resolved, — That an address be delivered on that occasion on the history and future work of the Society. In furtherance of the purpose expressed in the foregoing resolu- tions, the undersigned, having been appointed a committee to make the necessary arrangements, tender to you most cordially our unani- mous request that you will deliver an address before the Society on the approaching twenty-fifth anniversary of its incorporation, which will occur on the 18th day of jNIarch, 1870. With sentiments of esteem and regard, We remain, dear sir, most respectfully, Your obedient servants, Marshai.i, p. Wilder. Hiland Hall. WixsLow Lkavis. John R. Bartlktt. Geo. li. Upton. Charles IL Bell. William B. Towne. E. Vj. Botikne. C. AV. TUTTLE. Charles J. IIoadly. 4 X. E. inSTOFJC, GEXEALOGICAL SOCIETY, 11 Beacon Street, Boston, 25th October, 1869. Gentlemen : — I have had the honor to receive your communication, requesting rac to deliver an historical discoui'se on the occasion of the twenty- fifth anniversary of the New-England Historic, Genealogical Society. After much hesitation and with great diffidence as to my ability to deal with the subject as its importance deserves, I have decided to accept your invitation. I have the honor to be, gentlemen, jSIost respectfully, Your obechent servant, Edmund F. Sl^uj^ter. The Hon. Maksuall P. Wilder, Boston, Mass. The Hon. Hiland Hall, Bennington, Vt. WiNSLOW Lewis, M.D., Boston, Mass. The Hon. Jonx K. Baktlktt. Providence. R. T. The Hon. George B. Upton, Boston, Mass. The Hon. Charles H. Bell, Exeter, N. H. Wm. B. Towne, Esq., Milford, N. H. The Hon. Edward E. Bourne, Kennebunk, Me. Charles W. Tuttle, Esq., Boston, Mass. Charles J. Hoadly, Esq., Hartford, Conn. The Discourse was delivered in Horticultural Hall, Tremont street, Boston, on the afternoon of the 18th of March, 1870, in the presence of over four hundred persons, members of the Society and invited guests. The Hon. ]Marshael P. Wilder, the president, in calling the meeting to order, spoke briefly as follows : — Ladies and Gentlemen : — In the observance of the twenty-fifth anniversary of this vSociety, we desu-e to recognize the Divine Goodness which has preserved, prospered and raised it from its smaU beginning to its present flour- isliiiig state ; and while we gather here to recall and cherish the memories of the jjast, and contem})latc the duties and responsibilities of the future, we desire also to make a record of our progress, in the TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSAKY DISCOURSE. 5 procecdiugs of" this day, which t^hall survive when the faces that now ghidden this presence, and those of us, who are now active members, shall have passed from the scenes of earth. Prayer was then offered by the Rev. James II. Means, A.M., of the Second Churcli in Dorchester. After the address, the Doxology was sung by the assembly, led by the Rev. Ja3Ies Aiken, and a benediction was pronounced by the Rev. Mr. Means. At the montiily meeting of the Society held at their rooms on Wednesday, April (5, INTO, the following resolution, offered by Albert H. Hoyt, Esq., was adopted. Resolved^ — That the thanks of this Society be presented to the Rev. Edmund F. Slafter for his appropriate, learned and eloquent discourse, delivered on the occasion of the celebration of the twentv- fiftii anniversary of its incorporation, and that a copy thereof be requested for publication. DISCOURSE. By the Rev. Edmlnd F. Slafteh, A.M. DISCOURSE. In the autumn of 1844, there were several gentlemen reskling in the city of Boston, who added to a long cherished taste for antiqua- rian subjects in general, a deep interest in historical and genealogical studies, and had already made wide explorations in this hitherto un- recognized, but important field of investigation. After casual con- sultations with each other, reacliing through some months anterior to this, they met' at the residence of one of their number, where they entered into a full and free discussion of the expediency of associated effort in behalf of theii' favorite study. At a second * meeting held on the 1st of November of the same year, they advanced so far as to appoint a chairman and secretary, to determine upon the establish- ment of a Society, to discuss the name that should be given to it, and to provide for its proper organization. Successive meetings continued to be held at frequent intervals, dm'ing the next three months, at which we find that the Society had been organized, a full corps of officers elected, a compact but com- 1 This meeting was in October, 1844, at the house of William H. Montague, Esq., No. 4, Orange-street. There were present, besides Mr. Montague, Charles Ewer, Esq., Lemuel Shattuck, Esq. and John Wingatc Tliornton, Esq. No formal action was taken at this meeting. 2 This meeting was at the residence of Lemuel Shattuck, Esq., No. 79 Harrison -avenue. There were present Mr. Charles Ewer, Mr. Samuel G. Drake, J. Wingate Thornton, Esq., Mr. William II. Montague, and Mr. Shattuck. Mr. Ewer was chosen chairman, and Mr. Thornton secretary. Until March, 1845, the meetings of the Society were held severally at the law-oflicc of Mr. Thornton, No. 20 Court street, at the residence of Mr. S. G. Drake, No. 5G Cornhill, and at the house of Mr. Shattuck, as above. On the 7th of March, 1845, the Society met at the rooms of the American Education Society, No. 15 Cornhill, and continued to hold its regu- lar meetings at the same place for the space of a year. This was a commodious room on the second flat of the four-story i)uilding. now in the joint occupancy of the American Edu- cation and Massachusetts Bible Societies. All the subsequent meetings of fhe Society have been held at their own rooms, with the exception of a few commemorative and other occa- sions, where larger space has been needed. For a full account of the different apartments leased by the Society sec note further on, under the subject of a new building. 2 10 N. E. mSTORIC, GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY. prchensive constitution * elaborated and adopted, and an application made to the general court of Massachusetts for an act of incorpo- ration. On numerous important subjects falling within the scope of their aims, committees had already been raised, and several judicious and practical schemes had been submitted and approved, for laying broad foundations for the future, and for entering at once upon the Society's appropriate work. This formative period did not pass without grave and important discussions, the repeated sm'vey of their chosen field in all its aspects, profound penetrations into the wealth of its chaotic treasures, and prophetic forecasts and brilliant visions of the rich harvest of liistorical truth, that they knew would come of patient and jiersevcring toil. They were indeed entering upon an experiment which had no antecedent. Anterior to this no historical Society, directing its energies to the same line of investigation, existed any- where on the face of the globe. The first thought comprehending our aim and purpose, certainly in its practical bearings, sprung into being among the founders of this Society. Why it should have had its birth here in the heart of New-England, and at this particular juncture, oflfers a theme of interesting and curious speculation. It may have been the sjTithetic method, the inductive principle, slumbering in its application to the study of history since the days of Bacon, awaiting, as the seed cast into the earth often does, the slow, mysterious processes of time to quicken it into active, positive life. Or it may have been, that the best field for this particular applica- tion of historical study was to be found here, on this corner of the western continent, among a people of unusual political and social equality, coming of the Anglo-Saxon stock, with an inheritance of many elements of character of which they always feel a just but not ostentatious pride. But whatever unseen and quickening influences were brooding over them in the progress of thought or the ripeness of time, our gratitude is due to the five gentlemen who entered into the primary organiza- tion, and to them must the honor forever be accorded of giving form to the idea and method of historical study, inaugurated by tliis So- ' The Constitution was adopted Dcceniher, 1844. The first full hoard of officers was elected January 7, 1845. After the incorporation of the Society, the Constitution was again formally adopted by vote on the 1st of April, 1845. T"\VENTY-FirTn ANNIVERSART DISCOURSE. 11 cicty, and on which its whole fabric has been firmly and persistingly reared. On the eighteenth day of March, 1845, since which time has to-day just filled lip the circuit of twenty-five years, an act of incoi-pora- tion was made complete by the signature of the governor of this Commonwealth, and we received on that day our charter under the title of the Kew-England Historic, Genealogical Society. The name' itself fully indicates the aim and purpose of the institution. Historical and genealogical are abbreviated into historic, genealogical, and in tliis more compact form, clearly express the two elements or constituents of our work. We are not a genealogical society merely, neither are we a liistorical society without limit or qualification. If w^e were the former our purpose would be consummated in the con- struction of tables of descent, family trees, and of little more than simple catalogues of names. However engrossing the investigation confined to such a narrow field as this might be to the persons imme- diately concerned, to all others it would be barren of interest and uncdifying to the last degree. In the completeness of our work the two elements are of necessity combined, the one always supplementing the other ; the historical is the more prominent and engrossing, requiring broader and more diversified investigations ; while the genealogical, however essential, is limited and narrow, relating to little more than the successive links by which the continuity of family history is maintained. Genealogy may be compared to the golden chain that holds a collection of jewels together, and keeps them in. their proper order and in theii- due rela- tions ; while history deals with each and the whole in the largest way, dilating with the greatest freedom, and saying all it may of their origin, their nature, their qualities, their size, their uses, and their value. Under tliis two-fold aim a unity of design pervades all our investi- gations ; all of them converging to the same point, terminating, as ' The full purpose and dcsij^n of the Society appears to have been arrived at through the discussion by the founders of the name to be £?ivcn to it. One proposed " historic or histo- rical, genealogical," another "genealogical," a third "genealogical and heraldic," and a foiirtli opulation in their true and proper light, and especially that the value and importance of their chosen line of historical investigation should be clearly and distinctly understood. However marvellous and inex- plicable it may be to us, at the organization of this Society, and for sometime afterward, there was a strong, deep-seated prejudice,* lurk- ing everyW'here in the New-England mind against the cultivation in any degree of ancestral or family history. It was at that period re- garded as an infringement upon good taste, if not a crime in morals, to speak of our ancestors with any fervent interest, at least beyond the precincts of the family cu'cle. The cause of this unnatural sen- timent may possibly lie in a philosophy too deep for our penetration. But it seems, nevertheless, to have had its germ in the principle of the Hon. James Savage, and completed at the termination of fifteen years. While the value of this work can hardly be over estimated, especially as directing the investigator to the proper som'ces of information, it has, however, iu it so many errors that it cannot be fully relied upon, and is deficient in a happy and convenient arrangement. A work more exhaustive, better arranged, and correcting the eiTors in this, is a desideratum in the present stage of genealogical studies. ' A great number of subjects were discussed, and committees were appointed to obtain information for the use of the Sotnety. The following are some of them, viz. : measures to preserve the printed notices of marriages and deaths, the inscriptions upon tomb-stones in Boston and vicinity, to obtain abstracts from probate records, the record of marriages " iu the Old Colony Records," sets of directories and city registers, annual and triennial cata- logues of colleges and seminaries of learning, a complete list of all names changed by act of legislature in New-England, copies of all town records in Massachusetts previous to 1700, and deiKisit them in the state archives, to set ibrth forms of family registers, &c. &c. On the 6th of January, 1846, it was " voted that a special committee be appointed to petition the Legislature that a Record Commission be appointed to procure the printing of such early records as may be deemed expedient." This was the earliest movement in this direction, of which we have any knowledge, and was seven years before tiic State of Mas- sachusetts began to print the records of Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth Colonics, edit^-d by the Hon. Nathaniel B. Sljurtlcff, M.D., and David Pulsifer, Es(j., both members of this Society, the latter editing four volumes and transcriljing several of the others. The above indicate the energy, zeal and comprehensive intelligence with which oui* early mem- bers entered uiion their work during the first year of tlie Society's existence. * See New-England Historical and Ucuealogicul Register, vol. ix. p. 10. 14 N. E. HISTORIC, GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY. universal equality, which everywhere, except in social life, lies at the foundation of our institutions. To avoid the imputation of an offen- sive personal pride or self-importance, the tendency of public opinion was so strong in the opposite direction, that it was esteemed an honor to be ignorant of our origin, and a virtue to be reticent of our ancestry. Between this excessive and unnatural modesty on the one hand, and a boastful and repulsive pride on tlie other, there is a wholesome study of our family history, ennobling to the aspirations and stimulating to the virtues, wliich, from the beginning, it has been the unvarying aim of tliis Society to cultivate both by precept and example. At a very early period in the liistory of our proceedings, bulletins were sent forth by the Directors, announcing with clearness the objects of the association, and soliciting the aid and active co-opera- tion of its members. These were followed by a series of addresses by several of our associates, printed and Avidely disseminated, wliich discuss with great learning and elaborate argument the true aim and purpose of our method. These direct efforts on the part of the Society, together with other incidental and perhaps more effective influences still, wrought, in the progress of a few years, an entire change, or rather created a new sentiment throughout the whole of New England, on the value, importance and dignity of our line of historical investigation. The citizen's cheek that once flushed with shame now mantles with pride in the ample knowledge of ancestors, from whom he has received a veritable inheritance, by whom his physical, intellectual and moral character have been largely moulded and shaped, and to whom liis distinguisliing qualities may be proxi- mately or remotely traced. The creation, therefore, of a public sen- timent, favorable to our work, is one of the purposes, which has been fully accomplished. The cloud of prejudice and ignorance which overshadowed us in the beginning has gradually faded from the sight, and for several years we have had only an open and clear sky before us. And any elaborate statements or discussions of this topic in our proceedings have been for some time past, and must ever in the future be regarded as the re-arguing a case before a jury, which had already returned a verdict in our flivor. Among the primary movements of our members was the formation of a library of New-England history. This was justly regarded as TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY DISCOURSE. 15 the first step to be taken, and as lying at the foundation of all future success. To make any progress in historical study, it was obviously necessary that the proper material, digested and undigested, should be brought Avithin their reach. The Directors, acting for a Society, which, in their own emphatic words, was "endowed with notliing but the impoi'tance of its objects and the energy of its members," were fruitful in plans and instant in their execution. Schedules of what was wanted, under five distinct heads, embracing printed vol- umes, manuscript documents, original records, newspapers and mag- azines, were sent to all our members, and they were requested to procure the donation to the Society of tliis sort of material, classified and described by them more definitely than is necessaiy for my present purpose. These schedules Avere issued annually for the first three years of the Society's existence. The thuxl, in June, 1847, reached our members, more than three hundred in number, including resident, corresponding and honorary, and scattered, not only over the six New-England states, but also to be found in New-York, New-Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Kentucky, Oliio, Indiana, IlHnois, Michi- gan, Wisconsin, at the scat of government at Washington, and in the city of London in England. These bulletins went forth like a bugle call, and the response came back, warm, earnest, prompt and generous. It is to be observed that the contributions wliich came to us, as was intended, were, at tliis early period, almost exclusively from members of the Society. The collections of our associates yielded large material, gathered under the influence of their prevailing tastes, which they were ready and rejoiced to make the foundation of a library, which had a great historical purpose. The impulse thus given, kept alive by the growing fame of our generous design, and the broadly dilFused personal influence of our members, has main- tained a constant flow of historical material to the archives of this Society. The current has varied but little, either in strength or ful- ness, from the beginning down to the present moment. The sources, however, have not been limited to the narrow boundary of member- sliip, but authors, and publishers, and private gentlemen have had a commendable pride in placing here not only the product of their own pens, but whatever may du'ectly or indirectly illustrate the character of any descendant of New-England stock, whether found here u[)on her soil, or building up his fortunes on any other part of the globe. 16 N. E. IIISTOiaC, GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY. Our library has thus been made up, with liardly any exception, by the vohuitary contributions of those who have a personal interest in our great work ; and it is a noble monument to this historical taste, now numbering, as it does, over eight thousand bound volumes, and more than twenty-six thousand pamphlets, nearly all historical in their character, and indispensably necessary to our purpose in the illustration and development of New-England history. So much have we done in tliis direction in the twenty-five years of our corporate existence. To say that it is the largest, the fullest, or even the best library within the limits of our chosen field, is not say- ing for it all that will be said of it at a future day. It is yet in its infancy, and matches by no means our ideal conception of what it should be. It must be made exhaustive in the department which it aims to represent. But as I propose to speak of it more fully in the sequel, I pass on to another branch of our work. Immediately on the organization of the Society it became apparent, both from the instalments placed in our arcliives, and from other indi- cations, that there Avas a large amount of historical material relating to local and family history, in the form of letters, pajiers, private and official records, scattered all through New-England, hid away in attics and unused apartments, in folios falling from their binding, worn and defaced, imappreciated, wasting and gradually becoming extinct. To bring this witliin the archives of the Society was an important step in their rescue from impending destruction, and their permanent preservation. And this we were effectually doing by the means to which I have already referred. But to render tliis crude material accessible to the historical student, to bring it within practi- cal reach of the numerous investigators in our line of study, it was necessary to subject it to a careful inspection and analysis, to bring together the scattered fragments of history, to classify, arrange and unite them in their proper order ; and, beyond all this, to secure their broadest usefulness, it was found also important to incorporate them into printed volumes, thus laying open their treasures, and placing them at the ready command of the historical investigator down to the latest period of time. To accomplish this l)y an institution still in its infancy, and Avith no endowment beyond that of a noble purpose, was a problem diffi- cult to solve. At an early period, almost coincident with the organ- TWENTY-FIFTn ANNIVERSARY DISCOURSE. 17 ization of tlic Society, the attention of our associates was directed to the estabhshincnt of a journal which should appear quarterly, in whose pages should be enibahned these perishing records of New- England history. I need not recount the obstacles that presented themselves, the repeated discussions, the propositions made and with- drawn, the negotiations attempted, the plans entered upon and aban- doned, before it was possible to set forward on an enterprise like this, appealing to an undeveloped literary taste, and involving a lai'ge pecuniary responsibility. In January, 1847, somewhat more than a year after the primary steps were taken, appeared the first number of the Society's journal, under the title of the New-England Historical and Genealogical Register. From that beginning down to the present time a quarterly number has been issued without an omission, making twenty-three complete yearly volumes, and we are still advancing upon the twenty-fourth. The editorial conduct" and literary management of this publication has been under the auspices and direction of the Society, while by an order early adopted and firmly adhered to, all pecuniary burdens have been borne outside of our corporate responsibility.' The position to be occupied by this ' The editors liavc been as follows: — Vol. I., the Rev. William Cogswell, D.D. ; Vol. 11., Samuel G. Drake, A.M.; Vol. III., Jan. No., Samuel Q. Drake, A.M., April, July ami Oct. Nos., William T. Harris, A.M. ; Vol. IV., Jan. No., Samuel G. Drake, A.M., April, July anclOct.Nos., Nathaniel B.Shurtleff, M.D.; Vol. V., Samuel G. Drake, A.M.; Vol. VI., Jan. and April Nos., the Rev. Joseph B. Felt, LL.D., July No., the Hon. T. Farrar, LL.D., Oct. No., Mr. William B. Trask ; Vols. VII., VIII., IX., X., XL, XII., Samuel G. Drake, A.M.; Vols XIII., XIV., Mr. William B. Trask, William H. Whitmore, A.M., and John Wiird Dean, A.M. ; Vol. XV., Samuel G. Drake, A.M. ; Vol. XVI., Jan. No., Mr. William B. Trask, April No., the Rev. Elias Nason, A.M., July No., the Hon. Charles Hudson, A.M., Oct. No., John AVard Dean, A.M. ; Vol. XVII , John Ward Dean, A.M. ; Vol. XVIII., Jan. and April Nos., Mr. William B. Trask, July and Oct. Nas., John Ward Dean, A.M. ; Vol. XIX., Mr. William B. Trask; Vols. XX. and XXL, the Rev. Elias Nason, A.M.; Vols. XXII., XXIIL, XXIV., Albert Harrison Hoyt, A.M. 2 The publishers have been as follows : — Samuel G. Drake, Vols. I., II., III., IV., V., VII., VIII., IX., X., XII., XIIL, XIV., XV. ; Thomas Prince, Vol. VL ; Charles B. Rich- ardson, Vol. XL; Joel Munsell, Vols. XVI., XVIL, XVIII. These gentlemen arc all members of the society, and as no adeijuatc emolument can have come to them, the honor must be accorded to them of assuming these responsibilities as an act of generosity in the interest of New-England history. The remaining volumes, viz. : XIX., XX., XXL, XXII. , XXIIL, XXIV. have been published under the imprint of the Society, but without iiecuni- ary responsibility. A club, composed exclusively of members of the Society, has annually entered into a written guarantee to pay any deficiencies, but in case of any surjjlus of in- come from subscriptions, to pass it into the treasury of the Society. It would be highly creditable to each member of the Society to be a subscriber to the Register, and thus en- courage this method of preserving the wasting records of New-England history, and diminish tlie responsibility which now rests upon a few of his associates. 3 18 N. E. HISTORIC, GENEALOGICiVL SOCIETY. quarterly journal was altogether a new one ; like the Society itself, it was entering upon an untried experunent. No publication had occupied the same field, or undertaken the same work. The founders did not propose to spread upon its pages the small personal contro- versies and historical squibbing, wliich may give life and freshness to a daily or weekly sheet, but wliich are utterly worthless in the elucida- tion of the truth, and must soon fade, like an aroma given to the air, forever from human recollection. It was on the other hand to be a repertory of hitherto unpublished historical material, important in it- self, and essential to a good understanding of New-England liistory in its broadest and most comprehensive sense. If we cast our eye over the pages of these twenty-three volumes, we shall see with what unyielding fidelity the editors have carried out tliis original design. And when we consider the value and extent of these collections, and the gratuitous labor expended iqion them, we cannot repress a feeling both of gratitude and admiration. In these volumes we find the historical outline of two hundred and eighty-one New-England fami- lies, beginning with the emigrant ancestor, or with earlier genera- tions still, delineated with greater or less fulness, and in some cases brought down in numerous branches to the present generation. Here, too, are sketches of the lives of deceased members of this Society by our several historiogra})hers' and others, memoirs of the early fathers of New-England, the charters of cities and towns, abstracts of early wills, private joui-nals and notes touching important events, notices of historical discourses, of graduates of colleges, and of Indian wars, records of towns, churches and families, monumental inscriptions, private and official letters, colonial documents, memoirs of naval and mihtary expeditions, and a multitude of other papers germane to our great purpose, and entering into the very staple of our family and ' The office of historiographer was created at the October meeting in 1855, and at the January meeting in 1856, Joseph Palmer, M.D., of Boston, was cliosen to the office, which he licld six years. Mr. William Blake Traslc, of Dorchester, was chosen in January, 1862, and lielil the office six years. The Rev. Dorus Clarke, 13. D., was chosen in January, 1868, and still holds Uie office, Charles W. Tuttle, A.M. having been appointed assistant in Jan., 1870. It is tlie duty of the liistoriographer to prepare memoirs of deceased meml)ers of the Society, embodying the most important facts and characteristics, and tliey are deposited in the archives of the Society or published in the Register. It is intended at a future day to collect them into a volume, so that the Society shall have a complete Ijiographieal history of all its members. About one hundred and lifty of these memoirs have appeared in the Reg- ister since 1862. TWENTY-FIPrn ANNIVEESAEY DISCOURSE. 19 local history. So rich and varied is tliis collection, and I may add unique in its character, that no scholar can safely undertake to write a history Avhose subject lies -svitlun the boundaries of New-England, whether it be of a state, or of a town, or of a family, who has not made a thorough and exhaustive study of these volumes, and who does not draw largely from them both for the warp and woof of his work. The whole fabric of life in New-England for a hundred and fifty years of its history, is here exhibited, in a fragmentary way indeed, but nevertheless more trutlifully and completely, because seen from more points of view and through less distorted mediums, than in any other work or series of historical collections. Letters, papers, pri- vate and official records are presented as it were fresh from the in- diting hand of the fathers, edited and annotated only so far as to give them theu' true position and relation to the scenes and events of which they are a part. In the study of these early documents, shorn neither of their homely simplicity or sturdy truthfidness, w^e may with a little enthusiasm, and a moderate gift of fancy, transport ourselves into the very heart of colonial times, clasp the hand of the patriarchs, walk in their quiet streets, sit at their frugal board, ponder their deep metaphysics and their profounder theologies, and marvel at their love of liberty and exclusive zeal, gradually working out in their mysteri- ous combination and conflict, the great problem of human freedom and complete, religious toleration. By the publication of the New-England Historical and Genealogical Register, our Society has thus preserved these pictures of the past, neither discolored l)y the stupidity, nor distorted by the ingenuity of any modern art. They are ciFectually preserved for all coming time. Deposited in the largest private and public libraries of the land, some of them may be fretted by the moth at one point, and others con- sumed by fire at another, yet in the calculation of chances, it is obvious that they will continue to exist, and offer their treasures at all successive periods of time to the student of New-England history. Early in 18G4 a Standing Committee was appointed by the So- ciety to c(jllect and preserve information in regard to heraldry in New-England. The appointment of this committee elicited a large amount of information on this subject, interesting in itself, and di- rectly tending to devclope and elucidate our family liistory. Before 20 N. E. HISTORIC, GENEiyLOGiaVL SOCIETY, the termination of the year, it became apparent to the committee, that the l^est results would follow the printing of their material as fast as collected, and they undertook the publication of a serial, under the title of the Ilerakhc Journal, which they subsequently completed in four octavo volumes. In them the whole subject of coat-armor in New-England, especially in its relation to fiimdy history, is fidly and clearly developed. The nature of the evidence which determines the right to use arms is luminously set forth, and the volumes are richly illustrated with the engraved arms of over two hundred New-England families, Avhile the whole work is replete with historical and genealo- gical information. These volumes stand alone, and without a rival in the field to which they relate, and must be a standard of reference in all future time.' At different periods the Society has printed a large number of papers and addresses, making, in connection with the two works to which I have abeady referred, an aggregate of publications since our organization of not less than thirty octavo volumes. Such, Gentlemen, is the direct result of our labors in tliis single department in these twenty-five years of our corporate existence. But the office of an historical society is not so much the direct production of historical works in its organized capacity, as the fur- nishing of material and the stimulation of their production by its mem- bers, and by others who may come within the Ihnits of its influence. In our monthly meetings, numberless questions of local and fixmily history have been discussed, learned and elaborate papers have been presented and read, and in our quarterly publications, the du^ection which this Society desires to give to historical study in New-England has been unfolded in a clear, distinct and practical manner. From these sources an influence has gone forth far and wide, creating a taste and quickenmg a practical interest in our purposes and in our work. I This committee consisted of William H. Whitmore, A.M., of Boston; Abncr C. Goocl- ell, Jr., A.M., of Salem; The Rev. William S. Bartlet, A.M., of Chelsea; Augustas T. Perkins, A.M., of Boston, and William S. Appleton, A.M., of Boston. Mr. Bartlet served on the committee only for the year 1864. The other gentlemen have continued to serve till the present time, Edward S. Rand, Jr., A.M., was added to the committee for 1870. The i. ii, and Iv. vols, of the Heraldic Journal were edited l)y William II. Whitmore, and the iii, vol, by William S. Appleton. For the annual reports of the committee, see Register, vol. xviii, p, 215; xix. 184; xx. 184; xxi. 200; xxii. 211 ; xxiii. 223. TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY DISCOURSE. 21 Among these secondary fruits of" tlie Society's efforts, is the pro- duction of gcnealogicid or family histories. During tlie two hundred and twenty-five years from the landing of the pilgrims in the harbor of Plymouth to the year of our incorpora- tion, Kscarccly anything had been done in this department. A few rudimentary attempts had been made, but they were hardly worthy tlie appellation of family histories. Most of them were very brief, covering from one to thirty pages, and were little more than a col- location of names, thrown confusedly together without order or sys- tem of arrangement. In all twenty-five of these rude attempts have come to our knowledge, published during the two hundred and twenty-five years anterior to the date of our incorporation, but the whole together do not equal in extent a single volume of our larger and more recent works in this department. But the stimulating influence of the Society during these twenty- five years, and the facilities for investigation offered by its library, have been followed by marvellous and almost incredible results. During this brief period there have been published in this country three hun- dred and sixty-five distinct family histories, most of them elaborated with great care, beginning far back in the early colonial times, reach- ing down through eight or ten generations, and each of them contain- ing the names and more or less personal history of from three thou- sand to eight thousand persons, all descended from the same emigrant ancestor. To spread such an array of names over a volume of several hundred pages, all woven together, each occupying its proper place with its appropriate history, presented at first what seemed to be natural and insuperable difficulties. In the progress of these years these difficulties have been gradually overcome, and we have approxi- mated step by step to a mode and system of arrangement, at once scientifically complete, and obvious to the comprehension .of a child . So many family histories have now been written, and the experi- ment has so often been tested, that we may regard it as a postulate, that any one of our families may trace its line of descent back to the emigrant ancestor, and gather up a trustworthy and valuable personal history of all who stand at the head of the several generations. There is pr()bal)ly no other people on the face of the globe, whose family history for two hundred and fifty years is so fully woven into the public and private local records, and in such a manner, that they 22 N. E. HISTORIC, GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY. may be easily brought forth, and, by a synthetic process, wrought into complete, harmonious and truthful narratives. We are told that the old Homans were accustomed to place the images of their ancestors in the halls of their private dwellings, that they might catch, even from the cold outline of brass and marble, the spirit that animated them in then- noble deeds. But we have a far richer inheritance than this. Even if the physical outline be lost, the life and character may be imaged to the mind with marvellous accuracy and clearness. They live in the traditions of a virtuous people, in the notes of a periodical press reacliing back through a hundred and sixty years, in the records and proceedings of our towns and of our schools, in the titles of land- ed property, in the wills and settlements of estates, in the corpora- tions of church and of state, and in the journals and prohfic corres- pondence of a social and intelligent ancestry. To gather up the memorials of those who have gone before us, to reconstruct their living portraits from historical fragments so widely scattered, is a work of time, of patience and of unremitting toil ; but once completed, the ancestral line, reacliing fiir down the vista of the past, will stand out clearly before us, the images of our fathers will tenderly live in our minds, and we shall reverently cherish their memories, as will likewise the generations to come. Et nati natorura, et qui nascentur ab illis. Whoever enters into these investigations, or peruses these family histories, beginning with himself, if he will, and tracing the golden current through all its myi-iad Avindings, will rise from the engrossing study, his sympathies touched at a thousand new points, liis whole natm-e lifted up to a higher and broader purpose, and himself a better, truer, nobler unit of the race to which he belongs. • "As the small pebble stirs the peaceful lake ; The centre mov'd, a circle strait succeeds ; Another still, and still another spreads ; Child, parent, brother, first it will embrace, His neighbor next, and next all human race.'" It has been the aim of this Society from the beginning to encourage and promote the production of local histories, since they lie entirely within the line and scope of our general purpose. The tone and 1 These lines of Pope have been slightly accommodated to then* present use. TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY DISCOURSE. 23 character of New-England society has never been unfavorable to this department. A taste in this kind of literature prevails in oui- abound- ing anniversary addresses, memorial discourses, historical sermons and fourth of July orations; but of the latter it must be said, that, for the most part, they have been conceived in a strain of patriotic emo- tion and tumid rhetoric, quite too lofty for the companionsliip of simple and modest statements of historical truth. Earlier than the date of our incorporation the attention began to be directed to the preparation of town histories, and several able and scholarly works in this department had ah'cady been published. But a large majority of those that exist at the present time have come from the press during the last twenty-five years. The whole number of towns in New-England, of which histories have been written, is one hundred and thirty-seven.' Besides these there are a few meagre sketches, comprised in thin pamphlets, suitable for gazetteers, but in no sense rising to the dignity of town histories. Foi-ty-one only of the whole number had been published anterior to 1845, while ninety- six have appeared since the beginning of that year. Eight elaborate works in addition to these, relating to to\\ms of wliich histories already existed, have also been published, making in all, that have come to our knowledge, a hundi-ed and fom^ in the last twenty-five years. ' The towns in Massachusetts, of which histories have been published, will be found in the Bibliography of Massachusetts, by Jeremiah Colburn, A.M. See Register, Vols. xxi.,. xxii., xxiii., xxiv. The towns in the other New-England states of which histories have been published, and which have come to our notice, are as follows : — Maine. — Augusta, Camden, Gardiner and Pittston, Gorham, Kennebunkport, Norridge- wock, Norway, Portland, Rockland and S. Thomaston, Saco and Biddeford, Scarborough, Union, Warren, AVinthrop. New-IIami'shire. — Acworth, Antrim, Bedford, Boscawen, Candia, Chester, Concord, Dublin, Dunbarton, Dunstable. Gilmanton, Hillsborough, Kcenc, Londonderry, Manchester, Mason, New-Boston, New-Ipswicb, Portsmouth, Temple, Troy, WaiTcn. Of the following brief histories have been published of about 50 pages, or less : Alstcad, Amherst, Andovcr, Charlcstown, Croydon, Epsom, Warner. Connecticut. — Colchester, East-Haven, Franklin, Glastcnbury, Greenwich, Hartford, Harwinton, Litchfield, Meriden, Middletown, Ncw-Havcn, New-London, Norfolk, Norwalk, Norwich, Simsbury and Granby and Canton, Tolland, Watcrbury, Windsor, Woodbury, and a few historical discourses relating to other towns, Veiimont. — Bennington, Cornwall, Danhy, Middkbury, Middletown, Montpclicr, Paw- let, Salisbury, Shoreham, Wells. There arc also brief sketches of Coventry, Lyndon and Salem. Rhode-Island. — Providence, Burrillville. 24 N. E. IllSTOmC, GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY. l)ut the influence of our Society may not only be seen in the enlarged production of town histories, but in the improved quality and char- acter of the works themselves. The soui'ces of information, which we have laid open, have led to greater thoroughness of research, and the criticisms offered have induced a wiser selection of material and a more convenient and scientific arrangement. A large part of these works are now supplemented by full genealogical tables of the early settlers, and personal incidents of the more prominent actors,' and thus furnish already one of the richest sources of information to those who are investigating the history of New-England families. But it has been the purpose of this Society to encourage the publi- cation of local history of the most general and various character. The number of works published, within the last twenty-five years, re- lating to centennial and other celebrations, the liistory of churches and of ecclesiastical bodies, of military service, expeditions and cam- paigns, and to other subjects in their local character, is far greater than those relating to corporate towns. Of such as properly belong to this class there are on our shelves, we presume, from five hundred to a thousand volumes ; and wdiile they are fragmentary, and often incomplete in themselves, they are in the aggregate invaluable con- tributions to the great subject to which they belong. In 1857 the publication of a serial was commenced in Boston under the title of the Historical Magazine, originating among mem- bers of this Society, and intended to encourage and fiicilitate historical studies, and to occupy a co-ordinate field, but to wdiich the pages of cm- New-Enii'land Historical and Genealoo-ical Register could not be spared. The first volume, inferior to none in the series, was edited by a member of this Society.' The magazine was afterward re- moved to the city of New-York, where it has been ably conducted, receiving large and frequent contributions from members of this Society. In 1858 an association was formed in Boston under the title of " the Prince Society," in honor of the Rev. Thomas Prince, who was " primus inter pares " as an antiquary in New-England a hundred anJ fifty years ago. The object of this Society Avas the publication of rare works, in print or manuscript, relating to America. Its officers ' John VVai-a Dean, A.M. TWENTY-FIFTH ANNlTERSAllY DISCOURSE. 25 and its council' have from the first all been members of this Society. It has issued from the press six quarto volumes, in part reprints and in part from 'original manuiscripts, in the accessories of paper and tyjiography of exceeding beauty, most of them annotated with great fulness and fidelity, and, as a contribution to New-England history, far the richest series of its kind that has appeared in the last fifteen years. The Collections of the Essex Institute, the publication of which was undertaken fourteen years after our organization, now in the tenth volume, and lying in the direct line of our investigations, con- tain large and valuable contributions from members of this Society. ** I make this allusion with greater freedom, since, in its historical de- partment, occupying the same field with ourselves, except in its greater limitation, there has always been between the members of this Insti- tute and our associates the most helpful and cordial sym})athy, together with a generous and undistinguishing pride in the achieve- ments of the one or the other in our common aims. There are many other works to which we might appropriately allude, here in New-England, among those who are descended of New-England stock scattered tlu-ough all the States of the Union, and on the other side of the Atlantic, wliich have been inspired, moulded and perfected, under the stimulating and energizing influ- ence of this Society. But I have doubtless said enough to indicate how broad and permeating is the influence of an institution which has a great liistorical purpose, important and of personal interest to all classes, alike to the citizen of the metropolis, and to the intelligent cottager among the hills and valleys of the interior. ' The officers of the Prince Society at tlie present time, who together form the Council in which is vested the management of its affairs, are as follows, viz. : President, Samuel Gardner Drake, A.M.; Vice Presidents, John Ward Dean, A.M., J. Wingate Tliornton, A.M., and tlie Rev. Edmund F. Slafter, A.M. ; Correspondi)iff Secretary, William II. Whit- more, A.M.; Recording Secretary, W\\\\ixirv S Appleton, A.M.; 7V-. William II. Whitmore. 2 Of the contributors wc note the following among our members : Messi's. C. M. Endi- cott, S. P. Fowler, M. A. Stickney, A. C. Goodell, Jr., Joseph B. Felt, Jacob W. Reed, Henry Wheatland, T. B. Wyman, Jr., E. S. Waters, Charles W. Upham, Joseph Moulton, Alfred Poor. 4 26 N. E. HISTORIC, GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY. During the last year an association lias been formed in the city of New York, under the title of the New York Genealogical and Bio- grapliical Society. The President and First Vice President have long been honored members of this Society. We hail with great satisfaction the bu*th of this institution, whose aims and purposes are similar to our own. The cordial sympathy and ready co-operation of our associates will, I am sure, be extended at all times to its mem- bers, who are entering a new field, in its geograpliical relations contiguous to our own, whose ripened harvest stands ready to be gathered, but into which the reaper's sickle has not been thrust.* Within the last few years foundations have been laid for several important and permanent funds in aid of special departments of our work. Dr. Henry Bond, of Philadelphia, for many years one of our associates, who died in that city on the 4th of May, 1859, left a testamentary bequest to the Society of certain valuable manuscripts, and about a thousand copies of his great work on the history and genealogies of Watertown. The proceeds from the sale of this work are placed in a board of trust, and the income alone is to be expended in the purchase of books. AVhile tliis foundation, denominated the Bond Fund, is inconsiderable at present, when it shall be increased, as we trust it may be, not only by its own necessary accumulation but by the additional gifts of other members of the Society, it will be an instrument of unspeakable value and convenience in our future growth. John Barstow, Esq., of Providence, Rhode-Island, some years a Vice-President of the Society, established a foundation, known as the Barstow Fund, by the gift of a thousand dollars, the principal to be > The initiatory steps for the formation of this Society were taken on tlie 27th of February, 1869, and its complete organization was effected on the 24th of April, of that year. The present members, we observe, are largely of New-England stock. The investigation of the early New- York families, of both English and Dutch origcn, will be a subject of great historical interest. Their manners, habits, aiid customs, the constitution of society, civil, social and religious, were all so different from those of New-England, and have been so largely modified by time, that their study will present a multitude of entertaining and sug- gestive contrasts. Irving painted the real or imaginary foibles of the early settlers with such graphic power by his marvellous wit and fancy, and his work is so universally read, that the current idea of their character is, we think, somewhat falsely colored. His pictures are so skilfully drawn, that it is difflcult for most minds not to invest the fiction with the reality of history. The antidote to any false impression, arising from this source, will be found in a thorough and full development of their family and local history. TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY DISCOURSE. 27 kept invested, and the income to be exclusively devoted to the binding and preservation of books and manuscripts.' The moneys, thus de- ri\cd, have been annually expended agreeably to the restriction of the donor, and have been of great and essential service in the preser- vation of our library. The Hon. Ilcnry W. Cushman,' of Bernardston, a late Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, who died Nov. 21, 1863, devised to the Society his hbrary and manuscripts, consisting of about 600 vol- umes, together with about 200 copies of the " Cushman Genealogy," the latter to be sold and the proceeds permanently invested, and en- titled the Cushman Genealogical Fund, the income to be expended irf binding and keeping in repair the library by him devised, and in the purchase of genealogical works. On the first day of January, 1864, William B. Towne, Esq., of Brookline, made a donation of a thousand dollars,' to be placed in the hands of trustees, the principal and interest to be kept separate and apart fi*om other receipts of the Society, the income to be appro- priated to the publication of memoirs of deceased members. By order of the Society this foundation is denominated the Towne Memorial Fund : it now . amounts, with its accumulations, to over fifteen hundred dollars, and steps have already been taken for the publication of a volume agreeably to the design of the founder. The moneys derived from the creation of Life-memberships are funded, and the income only can be used for meeting the current ex- pcueUtures of the Society. This is denominated the Life-Fund, and now amounts to somewhat more than five thousand dollars, and is yearly accumulating. From these statements it will be seen that, in the brief years of ecame the owner of the three lots granted aeeordina; to the Book of Possessiona to Newgate, Ilunne and llowens. JSimou Lynde came to Boston as early aa 1050, and was then designated a Merchant of London. He carried on mercantile business in Boston and left a large estate lor that period. He died near the close of the year 1686. The valuation of his estate was a little less than ten thousand pounds, and he had before this diminished his estate by large gifts to his cliildren. His family plate was inventoried at £204, in weight 630 ounces. He left in " an iron chest," not less than $1000 in silver coin. He provided in his will that the expenses of his son Benjamin, then in Harvard Col- lege, should be paid " till he commenced Master of Arts," out of his estate before division, " his learning being an honour to the family." His prophecy tliat his son's education would be " an honour to the family " was eminently fulfilled in history. The young under-graduate of Harvard became a distinguished barrister and chief- justice of Massachusetts ; nor did the " honour to the family " cease with him. Uia eon, Benjamin Junior, Harvard College 1718, succeeded his father in the same high office. Mr. Lynde left an annuity, to continue during his wife's life, to Harvard College, of five pounds. He also provided, that, if any of his children were disatis-- fled with his will, and made any " Publique Contention and proceedure at Law," they were to be deprived of any portion whatever. He gave to his son-in-law, Mr. George Pordage and his wife, being his daughter, and to her natural heirs, his new and old house in Boston in which he then resided, and the house at the gate which he had purchased of the Howens, together with the " lands and grounds " belong- ing to both. This property was described by definite bounds, and was the south- easterly half of the homestead, and contained an area of between two and three acres. Mrs. Pordage continued to reside on this estate after the decease of her husband. Her daughter Hannah, her only child that lived to inherit property, married James Bowdoin, Esq., and the Hon. James Bowdoin, LL.D., Governor of Massachusetts in 1785 and 1786, was her son. Mrs. Bowdoin's daughter Elizabeth married the Hon. James Pitts, and they resided on the estate which Mrs. Pitts had in part inherited from her grand-father Simon Lynde. Mr. Pitts soon purchased the rights of the other heirs, and the title of the property became vested in him. The Hon. James Pitts was a successful merchant, a gentleman of high respecta- bility, and a prominent citizen. He died in 1776, and left a large landed estate in Boston and in the neighboring towns. In the division of his property the same year, the eldest son, John, received the mansion house and garden, and a strip of land called the pasture, adjoining to the western side of the garden, the whole bounded easterly by land of the Hon. James Bowdoin, Esq., southerly by the land late of James Pemberton, Esq., deceased, westerly by land of John Tyng, Esq., and northerly by Southack's lane or court. On the 4th of May, 1796, Mr. John Pitts, of Tyngsborough, county of Middlesex, sold this estate, comprising about two acres and twenty-six perches, to James Tis- dale, of Boston, merchant. It will be observed, that the property falling to John Newgate by allotment, pro- bably in 1634, and that purchased by him and his son-in-law from original possessors, had remained by inheritance in his family to this date, Mr. John Pitts being de- ecended from him in tlie sixth generation. Mr. Tisdale occupied the mansion house till his death, and his executor sold the es- tate to John Bowers, of Somerset, county of Bristol, Mass., on the Slstof May, 1800. 46 N. E. HISTORIC, GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY. Mr. Bowers was a man of enterprise, and apparently purchaBed the estate "on speculation." He laid out a street thirty-six feet wide, extending from Southack's Court, now Howard Street, through the middle of it, and divided the land into seven portions lying on both sides of the street. The seventh division was on the west side of Somerset Street, beginning at the corner of AlLston Street and extending south to the rear of the buildings on Ashburton Place. The street laid out by Mr. Bowers was named Somerset in obvious allusion to the town in which he resided ; a name derived either from a county in the south of England, or the Protector Somerset, after whom is named Somerset House in London, where are the rooms, at the present time, of the Royal Society, and of the Society of Antiquaries. On the 22dof July, 1801, Mr. Bowers sold the lot No. 7, as above described, to Dr. Abijah Cheever. On the first of May, 1804, Dr. Cheever conveyed by deed to Daniel Davis, Esq., the southern part of the lot, or that now occupied by the Society's building and the brick dwelling house adjoining on the south. Up to this time no buildings had been erected upon the land, it having served as a pasture for at least a hundred and fifty years. Mr. Davis was a distinguished lawyer, and held the office of Solicitor General of the Commonwealth of Massachu- setts from 1800 to 1832. His only surviving son is the distinguished Rear-.\dmiral Charles H. Davis of the United States Navy, and a corresponding member of this Society. In 1805, having decided to make Boston his residence, Mr. Davis erected on the land which he had purchased the year previous, two brick dwelling houses, one of which he occupied as a homestead for many years. On the 19th of May, 1806, he sold the house contiguous to his own. No. 18 Somerset Street, to William Walter ; and on the I5th of November, 1833, Mr. Walter's heirs conveyed it to Robert Edes ; and on the 30th of June, 1834, Mr. Edes sold it to Messrs Charles Barnard and Abel Adams, of Boston, and on the 5th of May, 1835, they conveyed it to Solomon Davis Townsend, M.D. Dr. Townsend was a distinguished sui-geon, and successful physician in Boston for a full half century. The house on this estate was his hospitable and genial home for more than thirty-four years. He died on the 19th of September, 1869. His son and executor, Thomas D. Townsend, of Boston, merchant, conveyed the estate to the Society, on the day before mentioned. The dwelling house on the estate is of brick, strongly built, four stories in height, having a front of twenty-nine and a deptli of forty-two feet and a fraction over, with a brick one-story extension in the rear of about twenty-one by thirteen feet. The whole frontage of the lot is a little more than thirty-eight feet, with a depth of over sixty-three feet, the whole area being 2219 5-12 feet. A committee consisting of Dr. Winslow Lewis, the Rev. Edmund F. Slafter, Jere- miah Colburn, Esq., Dr. Wm. O. Johnson and James F. Hunnewell, Esq., ap- pointed to recommend such changes as will be necessary to adapt the building to the purposes of the Society, have made a full i-eport to the building committee : but we need not here refer to this report any farther than to state that it comprehends a plan which will be carried out by the committee, for a FIRE- PROOF APARTMENT, where our invaluable manuscripts and rare books will be perfectly safe, and free from exposure to fire. , As the corporation had no funds that could be appropriated in payment for tlie property and to make the requisite changes in the building, it became necessary to open a subscription to obtain the amount needed. Authorized by a vote of the Society, this onerous duty was undertaken by the Hon. Marshall P. Wilder and William B. Towne, Eecx., aided by the Hon. George B. Upton. They have been received with APPENDIX. 47 uniform cordiality, and their application has met a cheerful and liberal response. We need only add that our members are laid under lasting obligation to these gentle- men lor tlieir perseverance and energy in the discharge of tiiis duty. The names of the donors and the generous sums contributed by them, we give below as a record of permanent interest. The aggregate of these gifts constitutes an appropriate oll'ering to the Society with which to open the history of its Second Quarter of a Century. DONATIONS TO THE SOCIETY. Marshall P. Wilder,. . Residence,. .Boston, Amount, $1000 George B. Upton, Boston, 1000 George C. Richardson, Boston,. 1000 Nathaniel Thayer, Boston, 1000 William B. Towne Milford, N. H *1000 William Emerson Baker, Boston, 1000 Dexter H. Chamberlain, West Roxbury, 1000 Cyrus Wakefield, Wakefield, 1000 James W. Sever, Boston, 500 Henry Smith, Boston, 500 George B. Chase, Boston, 500 John Cummings, Woburn , 500 Edward Brooks, Boston, 500 Jonathan B. Bright, Waltham, 500 Albert Fearing, Hingham, 500 Samuel H. Gookin, Boston, , .500 Elbridge Wason, Brookline, 500 John Foster, Boston, 500 Alvin Adams, Watertown, 500 Oliver Ames, .- North Easton, . .500 Benjamin E. Bates, Boston, 500 Henry L. Pierce, Boston, 500 HoUis H. Hunnewell, Boston, 500 Benjamin P. Cheney, Boston,. 500 William S. Appleton, Boston, 500 Nathan Durfee, Fall River, 500 William Sutton, Peabody, 500 Oakes Ames, North Easton , 250 William T. Andrews, Boston, 250 Richard Baker, Jr Boston, 250 Josiah Bard well , Boston , 250 James M. Beebe, Boston, 250 Gardner Brewer, Boston, 250 John W. Brooks, Milton, 250 Alvah A. Burrage, Boston, 250 Addison Child, Boston, 250 Nathaniel Curtis, Boston, 250 Ebenezer T. Farrington, Jamaica Plain, 250 Warren Fisher, Jr Boston, 250 Charles II. Guild, . . .East Somerville, 250 Franklin Haven, Boston, 250 William Hilton, Boston, 250 James F. Hunnewell, Charlestown, 250 James L. Little, Boston, 250 Ariel Unv, Boston, 2.50 Nathan Matthews Boston, 2.50 E. R. Mud'rc, Boston, 250 Lyman Nic'hol.s Boston, 250 * To (he Towne Memorial Fund. 48 N. E. HISTORIC, GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY. Samuel R. Payson, Belmont, $250 James Read , Boston, 250 Royal E. Robbins, Boston, 250 David D. Stackpoie, Boston, 250 AVilliam Tliomas, Boston, 250 Newell A. Thompson, Boston, 250 Francis M. Weld, West Roxbury, 250 William F. Weld, Boston 250 Nathaniel Whiting Watertown, 250 William Whiting, Boston, 250 Charles O. Whitmoie, Boston, 250 Edward Wigglesworth , Boston, 250 Thomas Wigglesworth, Boston, 250 Ebenezer Alden, Randolph, 200 Samuel Atherton, Boston, 200 Alfred II. Batcheller, Boston, 200 Alexander Beal, Boston, , 200 Benj. F. Burgess and > n . nrv/x Natiian B oTbbs, I ^^^^o^' ^00 William A. Burke, Lowell, 200 George O. Carpenter, Boston, 200 Gerry W. Cochrane, Boston, 200 Elisha S. Converse, Maiden, 200 James W. Converse, Boston, 200 Abner Curtis, East Abington, 200 Ebenezer and Theron J. Dale, Boston, ; 200 Francis Dane, Boston, 200 Oliver Ditson, Boston, 200 Percual L. Everett, Boston, 200 Charles Faulkner, Boston, 200 Jonas Fitch Boston, 200 John S. Fogg, South Weymouth, 200 William T. Glidden, Boston, 200 George W. Harding, Boston , 200 William S. Houghton, Boston, 200 Frederick Jones, Boston, 200 Josiah M. Jones, Boston, 200 Francis M. Johnson, Newton, 200 M. Day Kimball, Boston, 200 Franklin King, ...Boston,.- 200 Thoma^* Lamb, Boston , 200 Amos A. Lawrence, ■ • • • Boston , 200 Harrison Loring, Boston , 200 Abraiiam T. Lowe, Boston, 200 John K. Lyon Boston, 200 A. C. Mayhew, Milfbrd, 200 Nathaniel C. Nash, Boston, 200 George H. Peters, Boston, 200 William C. Peters, West Roxbury, 200 Jonathan Preston, Boston, 200 Henry A . Rice, Boston , 200 Lewis Rice, Boston, 200 Nathan Robbins, Boston, 200 John P. Robinson, Boston, 200 Stei)hen P. Buggies, Boston, 200 Benjamin Sewall, Newton, 200 Benjamin Shreve, Salem, 200 David Sm iw, Boston , 200 Solomon R. Spaulding,. • Boston, 200 Daniel B. Stedman, .". Bo.ston, 200 Caleb Stetson, Btwton, 200 Benjamin F. Stevens, Boston, 200 APPENDIX. 49 Albert Thompson, West Roxbury, $-200 Albert Tin-ell, Soutli Weymouth, '200 Minot Tirrcll, South Weymouth, 200 Edward S. Tobey, Boston, 200 Thomas C. Wales, Boston, 200 Samuel 1). Warren, Boston, 200 Henry Austin Whitney, Boston, 200 Jarvis Williams, Boston,. 200 John Wooldredge, Lynn, 200 John S. Wriirht, Boston, 200 Eben Wri9 Col. Almon D. Hodges, of Roxbury, " 1859, to " 1801 The Hon. Cliarles Hudson, A.M., of Boston, " 1859, to " 1861 John Ward Dean, A.M., of Boston, " 1859. The Rev. Caleb Davis Bradlee, A.M., of Boston, " 18.59, to Jan. 180T *The Hon. George W. Messinger, of Boston, " I860, to " 1861 Wiuslow Lewis, M.D., of Bo.ston, " 1861. *The Rev. Martin Moore, A..M., of Boston, " 18()1. to Jan 1866 William B. Towne, Esq., of Brookline, " 1861. John 11. ShepiKird, A.M., of Boston, July 1861. Edward F. Everett, A.M., of Charlestown, Jan. 1862, to Jan. 1863 *TI)C Rev. Jose^^h B. Felt, LL.D., of iSalem, " 1862, to Sept. 1869 The Hon. William Whiting, A.M. , of Koxbury, " 18()2. Samuel G. Drake, A.M., of Boston, " 1^62. Col. Almon D. Hodges, of Roxbury, " 1862. William B. Trask, of Dorchester, " i8()2. Frederic Kidder, of Boston, " 1862. Jeremiah Colburn, A.M., of Boston, " 1862. William Reed Deane, of Brookline " 1862. Jo.seph Palmer, M.D., of Boston " 1862. *Thc Hon. George W. Messinger, of Boston,. " 1862, to Jan. 1868 *John Barstow, of Providence; R.I " 1862, to Mar. 1864 Edward Sprague Rand, Jr., A.M., of Dedham, " 1863. The Rev. Horatio Alger, Jr., A.B., of Cambridge, Aug. 1863, to Jan. 1865 The R