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THE   BOIT   FAMILY 

AND    THEIR 

DESCENDANTS 


MRS.   ARTHUR    HUNNEWELL 


NEE    JANE     HUBBARD     BOIT 


BOIT  FAMILY 


AND    THBIR 


DESCENDANTS 


AND    OF    OTHER 


ALLIED   FAMILIES 


ROBERT  APTHORP  BOIT 


BOSTON.  MASSACHUSETTS 


A.  D.  191S 


Typography  and    Presawork  by 

S.  J.  Parkhill   &  Company 

Boston,  U.S.A. 


19  Colchester  St. 
Brookline,  Mass. 

This  book  is  lovingly  dedicated  to  the 

oldest   and   dearest   friend  of   my  long 

^  life  —  Mrs.    Arthur    (Boit)    Hunnewell. 


5 


KOHICRT    ApTHORP    BoIT 

April  29,  191 5. 


Preface 

This  book  is  written  primarily  for  the  sake  of  my 
children  who  know  little  or  nothing  of  their  ancestry, 
and  to  them  it  is  addressed.  But  it  is  also  intended  for 
my  grandchildren  and  those  who  may  follow  them  — 
especially  those  of  the  name  of  Boit  if  such  there  be. 

If  they  read  these  pages  they  will  learn  that  very  few 
of  their  ancestral  relations,  on  my  side  of  the  house, 
have  distinguished  themselves  in  public  life,  but  that 
they  have  been  respectable  and  well-educated  ladies  and 
gentlemen  with  good  positions  in  the  communities  in 
which  they  have  lived. 

Many  of  them  have  shown  literary  and  artistic  tastes, 
and  some  few  have  been  well-known  writers  and  painters. 

So  far  as  I  have  studied  them  I  have  found  little  to 
condemn  and  much  to  praise  in  their  refined  and  simple 
lives.  Some  have  been  rich  and  some  poor,  but  I  have 
failed  to  discover  records  of  any  who  were  not  respect- 
able and  respected. 

Of  all  among  them  there  is  little  doubt  but  that  John 
Boit,  of  Boston,  master-mariner,  led  the  most  adventur- 
ous and  exciting  life.  He  proved  himself  to  be  a  brave 
and  intelligent  man  —  able  to  cope  with  man  and  cir- 
cumstance—  and  full  of  that  literary  taste  so  often 
found  among  his  descendants.  I  hope  when  my  chil- 
dren and  their  children  have  read  what  I  have  written 

vii 


Vlll 


Preface 


of  him,  they,  too,  may  feel  a  little  of  my  own  pride  in 
him  and  his  career. 

Mere  sequences  of  genealogy  make  dull  reading. 
Therefore  I  have  tried  as  much  as  possible,  by  anecdote 
and  incident  and  personal  reflections  to  lighten  up  my 
story. 

Judging  from  my  own  feelings  about  my  own  ances- 
tors, I  suppose  some  day,  here  and  there,  a  descendant 
of  mine  may  wish  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  what  my  own  life 
was.  Indeed,  I  have  loved  my  life,  and  taken  a  keen 
interest  and  enjoyment  in  many  things.  I  have  included 
herein  a  brief  synopsis  of  it.  If  in  so  doing  I  may  seem 
to  have  over-exalted  or  been  too  praiseful  of  myself,  I 
have  failed  in  my  purpose,  for  I  fully  appreciate  the  fact 
that  my  interests  have  been  too  diversified  for  me  to 
have  achieved  real  success  in  anything.  However,  I 
have  entire  confidence  that  however  I  may  have  written, 
I  shall  be  criticized  by  my  readers  as  they  see  fit. 

My  facts  and  fancies  have  been  taken  from  family 
legends  and  manuscripts,  from  old  Boston  records  and 
from  incidents  within  my  own  personal  knowledge. 

At  the  end  of  the  book  I  have  given  a  list  of  refer- 
ences and  many  genealogical  tables.  For  the  tables  of 
the  Sturgis  and  White  familes  I  am  much  indebted  to 
Mr.  Francis  S.  Sturgis  of  Boston,  and  Mr.  Howard 
Sturgis  of  Windsor,  England ;  for  those  of  the  Mercer 
and  Griffin  families  of  Virginia,  to  my  sister-in-law  Mary 
Stuart  (Mercer)  Walker  of  Morristown,  New  Jersey. 


CONTENTS 


I.     John  Boit  (i)  in  America 
II.     John  Boit  (2)     .     .     .     . 

III.  Family  of  John  Boit  (2) 

IV.  Edward  Darley  Boit  (3) 
V.     Julia  Overing  Boit   . 

VI.     The  Hubbard  Family     . 
VII.     John  Hubbard  (7)  .     .     . 
VIII.     Edward  Darley  Boit  (4) 
IX.     Elizabeth  Greene  Boit  (4) 
X.     Robert  Apthorp  Boit  (4) 
XI.     Jane  Hubbard   Boit  (4) 
XII.     John  Boit  (4)     .     .     .     . 

XIII.  Boit  Genealogical  Tables 

XIV.  Hubbard  Genealogical  Tables 
XV.     Lilian  Willis  Boit  and  the 

Grinnell  Family  .... 
XVI.     General    Hugh  Mercer    and 
Mercer  Family      .... 
XVII.     Georgia    Mercer    Boit    and  Cyrus 

Griffin 

XVIII.     References.      Boit    Family    in 
England  and  America   . 


I 

15 
56 
68 
89 

99 
104 
119 
131 
135 
172 
176 
181 
199 

222 

228 

243 
251 


IX 


CHRONICLES 

OF 

THE   BOIT   FAMILY 

AND    OTHER 

ALLIED   FAMILIES 


THE     '     B    O    I    T      ■     FAMILY 


JOHN   BOIT   (1) 

IN  AMERICA 

Chapter    I 

YOUR  great-great-grandfather,  John  Boit  (i),  was 
of  French  and  English  extraction.     He  was  the 
son  of  Jacque  Boit  of  Gruchet  in    Normandy, 
France,  and  Susan  Shawd  of  Rigate  in  Surrey,  England. 
References  to  the  records  of  these  Boits  will  be  found 
in  my  list  of  references  at  the  end  of  the  book. 

The  first  record  which  I  have  succeeded  in  finding  of 
the  family  of  Boit  in  l^ngland,  is  in  the  register  of  the 
French  Church,  Threadneedle  Street,  London,  in  1675,  1675 
of  Jeane  Boite,  "  a  witness  to  the  baptism  of  Jeane  Cat- 
erine  fille  de  Pierre  Castille  and  Caterine  Bellier  sa 
femme." 

In  the  "  Domizations  and  Naturalizations  of  Aliens  in 
England  and  Ireland,"  Joseph  Boitte  is  entered  March  5, 
1690,  and  also  in  "  1698  Joseph  Boit  born  at  Luc  (Le     '  ^° 
Luc)  in  Provence,  in  F"rance,  son  of  Matthew  Boit  and 
Clara  his  wife." 

Therefore,  some  of  the  Boit  family  in  England  came 
from  the  very  loveliest  part  of  France,  bordering  the 
Mediterranean,  just  back  of  the  Rwiem,  and  not  far  east 
of  Toulon. 


2  Chronicles  of 

In  the  Northeast  of  London  is  Spitalfields,  which  de- 
rives its  name  from  the  Hospital  of  St.  Mary  founded 
1 197     in  1 197.     Thither  came  many  French  emigres  after  the 
1685     revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes  in   1685,  and  here 
they   established  those  silk  manufactories   which  have 
been   famous   even  unto  this   day.     Here   Jacque   Boit 
and  his  wife  Susanne  Shawd  gave  birth  to  their  numer- 
^''3      ous  family,  and  between  the  years  1738  and   1750  had 
them  baptized  in  the  Church  of  La  Patente,  as  its  regis- 
ters show. 

Whether  John  Boit  (i)  came  direct  from  London  to 
Boston,  or  first  to  the  West  Indies  and  thence  to  Boston 
is  not  clearly  estabhshed.  As  he  was  always  a  West 
India  merchant  from  the  time  he  first  came  to  Boston, 
as  a  young  man,  it  is  by  no  means  unlikely  he  prepared 
himself  for  this  business  by  a  sojourn  in  the  West 
Indies. 

My  father,  who  took  very  little  interest  in  genealogy, 
was  under  the  impression  that  the  Boits  were  of  Scotch 
origin,  and  of  the  same  name  and  descent  as  the  Boyds. 
But  although  it  is  said  that  the  Boyds  were  descended 
from  Robert  Boyt  or  Boit  or  Boyd  or  Boydell  —  mean- 
ing Robert  the  Fair  —  my  own  study  of  the  family 
leads  me  to  beheve  they  are  of  the  above  said  French 
origin,  from  Huguenots  who  settled  in  England.  Both 
my  father's  father  and  mother  died  in  his  early  youth, 
which  accounts  in  a  measure  for  his  lack  of  correct 
information  regarding  the  history  of  his  family. 


The  Boit  Family  3 

There  have  been  marked  characteristics  in  the  Boit 
family,  which  have  seemed  to  me  strikingly  French  —  and 
notably  among  them,  their  hot  tempers,  and  gaiety,  and 
humor,  and  ready  wit  —  traits  conspicuous  in  very  many 
of  them. 

Charles  Boit,  the  miniature  painter,  one  of  the 
greatest  of  his  day,  was,  I  do  not  doubt,  of  this  same 
origin.  He  was  born  of  French  parentage  in  Stockholm, 
whither  his  parents  went  at  about  the  same  period  that 
the  first  Boits  migrated  to  England.  When  he  was 
twenty  years  old,  in  1683,  he,  too,  went  to  England  1683 
to  become  a  painter.  He  began  by  giving  drawing-les- 
sons to  children  and  young  people.  He  fell  in  love  with 
one  of  his  pupils,  who  was  the  daughter  of  some  promi- 
nent English  gentleman,  and  they  were  about  to  elope, 
when  the  plot  was  discovered  by  her  family,  and  young 
Boit  was  seized  and  cast  into  prison.  He  remained  in 
prison  for  two  years,  and  while  there  devoted  himself  to 
the  study  of  enamelling,  in  which  he  afterwards  became 
famous. 

It  was  not  many  years  before  his  talent  was  recog- 
nized in  England  and  he  was  patronized  by  the  Court. 
He  was  greatly  admired  by  Sir  Horace  Walpole,  who 
bought  several  examples  of  his  work.  Walpole  said  that 
up  to  that  time  his  enamels  had  never  been  surpassed. 
For  some  of  his  enamelled  portraits  he  received  as  much 
as  ;!^500  apiece,  which  was  a  very  high  price  for  such 
work.     On  a  large  picture  he  was  painting  for  Royalty 


4  Chronicles  of 

he  was  advanced,  at  first,  ;^i,ooo,  and  then,  again,  jQyoOy 
but  he  never  finished  it.  There  were  portraits  by  him  at 
Kensington  and  at  Bedford  House.  Walpole  said  that 
Miss  Reade,  the  paintress,  had  a  very  fine  head  of  Bolt's 
own  daughter  enamelled  by  him  from  a  picture  by  Dahl. 
This  daughter  married  a  Mr.  Graham  of  London. 

Bolt's  principal  enamel  is  one  of  the  Imperial  family 
of  Austria,  and  is  in  Vienna.  It  is  on  gold  and  Is  twelve 
inches  wide  by  eighteen  inches  high.  At  what  was 
known  as  the  Strawberry  Hill  sale,  a  miniature  by  Boit, 
of  Cromwell  after  Cooper,  was  sold  for  twenty-six  guineas. 
This  is  no  doubt  the  miniature  (enamel)  by  Charles  Boit 
which  was  owned  by  my  Aunt  Julia  (Boit)  Sturgis,  wife 
of  Russell  Sturgis  of  London.  Before  her  death  she 
gave  it  to  your  Uncle  Edward  Boit,  who  in  turn  pre- 
sented it  to  the  Boston  Museum  of  Fine  Arts,  where  it  is 
to  be  seen.     It  is  very  beautiful, 

Charles  Boit  got  into  debt  in  England  and  fled  to 
France,  where  he  was  received  and  countenanced  by  the 
Regent,  and  given  an  apartment  and  a  pension  of  ;!^25o 
per  annum.  He  was  greatly  patronized  by  the  French 
17 1 7  Court  and  became  a  member  of  the  Academy  in  17 17. 
1726  He  died  in  Paris  in  1726,  when  he  was  sixty-three 
years  old. 

Your  great-great-grandfather,  John  Boit  (i),  was  born 

1733    in  1733  and  came  to  Boston  between  1755  and   1760, 
1760 

at  the   age  of   twenty-five  or   thirty.     In    the    records 

of  the  day  he  is  spoken  of  as  a  trader,  a  grocer,  and  a 


The  Boit  Family  5 

merchant.  Although  he  became  a  prominent  merchant 
in  Boston,  he  certainly  was  not  recorded  as  a  citizen 
until  during  the  Revolution,  if  at  all.  This  is  shown  by 
the  following  interesting  petition  of  certain  citizens  of 
Boston  to  the  assessors  of  the  town  : 

"Gentlemen  it  is  our  opinion  that  the  following  persons,  inhabi- 
tants of  other  towns  in  this  or  neighboring  states,  ought  to  be  taxed 
here,  for  the  real  estate  they  occupy  and  the  business  they  do 
here,  it  being  agreeable  to  law,  viz:  Archibald  Mercer,  William 
Eskine,  Henry  Michel,  .  .  .  Blair,  Henry  Livingston,  John  Boit. 

Signed : 

John  Scollay,   Sam  Austin,  Harbottle  Dorr, 
Thomas  Grenough,  Jonathan  Williams  " 

August  18,  1777.  1777 

After  this  he  was  regularly  taxed,  and  taxed,  and  it 
was  apparent  from  the  amount  of  his  taxes  that  he  was 
among  those  of  the  largest  means  in  Boston  at  that 
time.  However,  we  must  not  forget  that  then  the  civil 
population  of  Boston  probably  did  not  exceed  eight  or 
ten  thousand  inhabitants.  General  Gage  had  a  census 
of  the  civilian  population  of  Boston  taken  in  1775  and  1775 
found  it  to  be  —  or  reported  to  be  —  sixty-five  hundred 
and  seventy-three.  Earlier  than  that,  however,  the  pop- 
ulation of  Boston  had  been  from  eighteen  thousand  to 
twenty  thousand,  and  in  1783  it  was  said  to  have  been  j.g^ 
again  eighteen  thousand ;  while  twenty  years  later  it  had 


6  Chronicles  of 

risen  to  thirty-five  thousand.  It  is  very  hard  to  realize 
in  these  days  what  a  little  place  Boston  was  at  the  time 
of  the  Revolution. 

Paul  Revere  speaks  of  John  Boit  as  one  of  Boston's 
leading  citizens. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolution  John  Boit  (i)  was 
nearly  fifty  years  of  age,  and  his  sons  thirteen  and  two 
years  old,  which  no  doubt  accounts  for  the  fact  that  they 
took  no  active  part  in  the  military  affairs  of  the  time. 

This  great-great-grandfather  of  yours  was,  as  I  have 
said,  a  merchant  and  importer,  dealing  chiefly  in  "East 
and  West  India  "  goods.  Early  in  life  his  store  was  near 
the  market  (Faneuil  Hall),  but  later  he  bought  a  store  on 
Doane's  Wharf  to  be  near  his  vessels  and  their  cargoes, 
and  it  happened  that  in  one  of  the  lofts  of  this  store  he 
died.  He  was  a  successful  man,  and  owned,  and  dealt  in 
real  estate  in  addition  to  his  regular  business.  He 
lived  in  a  good-sized  house  on  Green  Lane  —  now 
Green  Street  —  with  land  running  down  to  the  Mill 
1782  Pond  as  it  was  called.  Later,  in  1782,  he  purchased  this 
house  and  land  from  the  owner,  one  Perez  Morton,  and 
1797  when  he  put  a  mortgage  on  it,  in  1797,  he  stated  that  he 
was  still  living  there. 

This  Mill  Pond  was  a  large  sheet  of  water  stretching 
from  land  on  Green  Lane  to  the  foot  of  Copp's  Hill, 
covering  all  the  low-lying  lands  of  the  present  Haymarket 
Square  and  adjacent  streets.  It  was  cut  off  from  the 
Charles  River  by  a  dike  nearly  half  a  mile  long  at  or  near 


The   Boit  Family  7 

Causeway  Street  where  the  present  North  Station  fronts. 
Several  tide-water  mills  were  built  where  the  sluice-ways 
of  this  pond  entered  the  river.  This  part  of  the  town 
with  Cambridge  Street,  Leverett  Street  and  others  was 
sometimes  called  West  Boston. 

Oddly  enough  in  the  Registry  of  Deeds  is  a  deed  en- 
tered on  July  26,  1784,  by  this  great-great-grandfather  of  1784 
yours,  John  Boit  (i),  and  another  great-great-grandfather 
of  two  of  you  children,  Nathaniel  Willis,  transferring 
property  of  theirs  on  Hanover  Street  and  the  Mill  Pond 
to  the  Masonic  Lodge. 

I  found  also  another  deed  of  this  John  Boit  witnessed 
by  Eliza  Apthorp,  a  woman  of  the  same  name  as  that  of 
the  wife  of  the  man  —  Robert  E.  Apthorp  —  after  whom, 
three  generations  later,  I  was  myself  named. 

March  15,  1782,  the  General  Court  determined  to  1782 
raise  eighty-five  men  for  the  army  for  three  years'  ser- 
vice, and  divided  Boston  into  eighty-five  classes  for  that 
purpose  —  each  class  to  pay  for  one  man.  In  Ward  7 
John  Boit  (i)  was  taxed  ^12  14s.  6d.  for  this  purpose 
—  one  of  the  heaviest  taxes  paid  in  his  class. 

I  find  that  in  1785  his  ta.xes  were  higher  than  those  1785 
of  Martin  Brimmer,  or  Daniel  Hubbard,  (another  great- 
grandfather of  mine)  or  than  those  of  many  other 
prominent  men.  Yet,  if  one  can  judge  from  the  tax  lists, 
the  property  of  Boston's  leading  citizens  was  exceed- 
ingly small  at  tliat  time.  Of  course  this,  in  a  measure, 
may  have  been  due  to  the  method  of  assessment ;  but 


8  Chronicles  of 

we  must  not  forget  that  this  was  shortly  after  the 
close  of  the  Revolution,  when  the  inhabitants  of  the 
whole  country  had  been  reduced  to  very  meagre  belong- 
ings. Ten  thousand  dollars  assessed  valuation  seemed 
to  indicate  a  relatively  large  estate  in  those  days. 

According  to  the  records,  at  about  this  time,  John 
Boit  had  ten  in  his  household,  and  a  man-servant  and 
carriage.  My  father,  who  was  not  born  for  a  long  time 
after  his  grandfather  died,  said  that  he  was  reputed  to 
have  been  a  handsome  and  dignified  man,  very  particular 
about  his  dress,  and  a  noticeable  figure  among  the  men 
of  his  day.  Certainly  the  dress  of  that  period  must  have 
set  off  at  his  best  a  man  with  a  good  carriage  and  figure. 
Stocks,  and  ruffled  shirts,  and  low-cut  buff  waistcoats,  and 
blue  swallow-tailed  coats  with  brass  buttons,  and  low-cut 
shoes  with  shiny  buckles,  and  knee-breeches,  and  silk 
stockings  would  not  now  strike  us  as  very  well  adapted 
to  the  hustling  and  bustling  of  our  every-day  down- 
town life.  Yet  thus  the  Boston  gentlemen  of  that  day 
dressed.  No  doubt  they  had  more  time  to  spare  and  de- 
voted more  of  it  to  their  elaborate  dress,  and  comported 
themselves  generally  with  more  dignity  than  we  do. 

In  those  days,  before  m.arriage,  it  was  the  custom  in 
Boston  to  publish  one's  "  marriage  intentions,"  and  on 
1762  the  17th  of  June,  1762,  John  Boit  (i)  published  his  inten- 
tion to  marry  Hannah  Atkins  of  Boston.  Her  father 
was  Henry  Atkins  and  her  mother  Deliverance  (Sears) 
Atkins. 


The  Boit  Family  9 

Although  I  have  not  the  date  of  the  wedding,  it  is 
evident  they  carried  out  their  intentions  in  good  faith, 
for  in  the  course  of  a  year  or  so  thereafter,  their  first 
child,  Henry,  was  baptized  in  the  Second  Church. 

This  church  was  afterwards  called  the  New  Brick 
Church,  on  Hanover  Street,  and  in  it  most  of  John  Boit's 
(i)  children  were  baptized.  This  was  the  church  of  the 
Mathers  and  Chandler  Robbins.  It  is  now  at  the  corner 
of  Marlborough  and  Berkeley  Streets.  It  had  a  distin- 
guished history  in  our  Colonial  times,  and  is  well  worth 
visiting  for  its  tablets  and  monuments  to  eminent  men. 

However,  in  later  life  he  changed  his  parish,  for  I  find 
when  he  died,  "  John  Boit,  merchant,  65  years,  Decem- 
ber 31,  1798"  was  buried  at  King's  Chapel,  according  1798 
to  the  records  of  that  church.  There  also,  thirty-one 
years  afterward,  was  buried  his  son  "  John  Boit,  Master 
Mariner,  56  years,  March  10,  1829."  1829 

The  first  son  of  John  Boit  (i)  and  Hannah  Atkins  was 
Henry,  born  in  1763.  For  a  while  he  followed  the  sea,  1763 
but  left  it  when  he  was  still  young,  and  married  a  Spanish 
woman.  They  settled  in  Barcelona,  Spain,  where  he  had 
children.  I  know  nothing  of  his  family,  though  my 
father,  who  was  his  nephew,  said  that  while  in  India, 
when  a  young  man,  he  met  an  old  gentleman  from 
Barcelona,  who  said  he  knew  his  Uncle  Henry  well,  and 
that  he  had  two  very  beautiful  daughters.  My  father 
never  but  once  saw  his  uncle.  He  was  then  passing 
through  Boston    on  his  way  to  Cuba,  or  other  of  the 


lo  Chronicles  of 

West  India  Islands,  to  look  after  some  of  his  wife's 
property.  This  was  when  my  father  was  a  boy.  I  have 
heard  it  said  he  died  on  his  journey  home. 

In  the  army  of  Don  Carlos,  the  Spanish  Pretender, 
there  was  a  General  Boit,  and  I  have  often  wondered  if 
it  could  be  a  son  or  grandson  of  this  great-uncle  of  mine. 
The  name  is  peculiar,  and  it  well  might  be.  Thus  there 
are  possible  Barcelona  relatives  whom  you  may  come 
across  some  day  in  your  wanderings. 

The  oldest  daughter  of  John  Boit  (i)  and  Hannah 
(Sears)  Atkins  was  Hannah,  who  was  baptized  on  the 

1765  24th  of  February,  1765.  She  was  brought  up  in  Boston, 
and  at  the  best  schools  of  the  day,  and  of  course  in  her 
youth  went  through  all  the  most  troublous  times  in  the 
history  of  the  city,  for  she  was  eleven  when  the  Revolu- 
tion began.  Imagine  the  excitement  of  a  young  girl 
of  her  age,  when  Paul  Revere's  ride  was  talked  over  at 
her  father's  fireside :  when  she  saw  the  defeated  British 
troops  trailing  back  into  Boston  after  the  Concord  fight : 
when  she  heard  the  guns  of  the  battle  of  Bunker 
Hill,  and  stood  in  the  garden  by  the  Mill  Pond  listening, 
and  wondering  how  the  tide  of  battle  would  turn. 
How  she  must  have  rejoiced,  when  she  saw  the  British 
in  their  ships  leaving  the  little  town,  and  Washington 
with  his  Revolutionary  Army  entering  it. 

She  lived  through  those  times  of  war  and  excitement 
and  distress,  and  when  she  was  twenty-four  years  old, 

1789     September  27,  1789,  she  married  Mr.  Crowell  Hatch  in 


The  Boit  Family  ii 

the  West  Church.  He  came  from  Cape  Cod  and  had 
started  to  make  his  living  by  the  seas.  He  finally  had 
become  one  of  the  largest  ship  owners  and  richest  men 
of  his  day.  He  was  much  older  than  Hannah  Boit  when 
he  married  her.  He  built  a  large  house  on  Fort  Hill, 
(which  hill  has  since  been  levelled),  with  terraces  running 
down  to  the  waters  of  Boston  Harbor.  It  was  said  to 
have  been  surrounded  by  piazzas  "like  a  Southern 
house."  I  think  this  house  was  afterwards  bought  by 
Thomas  Handyside  Perkins  and  is  described  in  the  letters 
or  reminiscences  of  one  of  Dr.  Hugh  Cabot's  ancestors, 
who  was  the  wife  or  daughter  of  this  Mr.  Perkins. 

These  Hatches  had  a  large  family,  but  it  ran  to  girls, 
and  so  far  as  I  know,  none  of  their  descendants  are  now 
to  be  found  in  or  about  Boston. 

At  one  time  I  corresponded  with  a  Mrs.  General 
Chamberlayne,  of  Cuba,  Allegheny  County,  New  York, 
who  was  a  granddaughter  of  Hannah  (Boit)  Hatch.  She 
was  an  interesting  and  intelligent  woman  and  had  much 
to  tell  me  of  her  branch  of  the  family.  Among  other 
things,  that  one  daughter  of  Crowell  Hatch  and  Hannah 
Boit,  Ellen  Mary  by  name,  had  married  Hamilton  Gibbs 
of  Boston,  whose  father  was  an  aide-de-camp  of  General 
Washington. 

She  also  told  me  that  Hannah  (Sears-Atkins)  Bolt's 
cousin,  named  Delia  Atkins,  had  married  Judge  Tudor, 
(at  one  time  Advocate-general,  but  never  entitled  to  his 
nickname    of    Judge),  and   that    their    daughter    Delia 


12  Chronicles  of 

married  Commodore  Charles  Stewart,  and  again  that  the 
daughter  of  Commodore  Stewart  and  Delia  Tudor  mar- 
ried a  Mr.  Parnell  and  was  the  mother  of  Charles  Stewart 
Parnell,  the  celebrated  Irishman.  The  son  of  the  so- 
called  Judge  Tudor  was,  I  understand,  the  father  of 
Mr.  Frederic  Tudor,  who  made  a  fortune  shipping  ice  to 
the  East  Indies,  and  was  the  father  of  my  friend,  William 
Tudor,  who  married  my  cousin,  Elizabeth  Whitwell. 

Crowell  Hatch  was  part  owner  of  the  ship  Columbia, 
of  which  more  anon. 
1814         Crowell  Hatch  died  in  Jamaica  Plain  in  18 14. 

Mrs.  General  Chamberlayne,  who  was,  as  I  have  said, 
his  granddaughter  through  Hannah  Boit,  wrote  me  : 

"  I  have  heard  my  mother  speak  of  the  ship  Columbia  and 
Captain  Gray's  discovery.  After  his  return  Grandfather  Hatch 
bought  out  the  other  owners  and  sent  Captain  Gray  back  with  a 
cargo  of  presents  and  bought  the  lands  for  millions  of  acres  from 
the  Indians.  I  have  seen  the  title  deeds  with  the  totems  of  the 
Indians  signing  it.  When  the  northwestern  boundary  was  settled 
by  America  and  England,  it  was  this  discovery  which  gave  the  coun- 
try to  the  United  States.  Congress  gave  Captain  Gray  a  pension, 
but  took  our  lands  and  never  paid  us  a  cent.  Congress  is  not  fond 
of  paying  just  debts." 

Hannah  (Sears- Atkins)  Boit,  the    first  wife  of  John 
Boit  (i)  died  at  the  birth  of  her  third  child,  who  was 
1767     named  John,  and  baptized  March  8,   1767.     What  be- 
came of  this  John  is  not  known.     A  John  Boit  grew  up 
in  Groton  whose  age  seemed  to  correspond  with  this, 


The  Boit  Family  13 

and  whose  descendants  claimed  he  was  the  son  of  our 
John  Boit  (i).  Of  course  this  maybe,  although  there 
are  no  records  of  him  in  our  family,  and  he  was  not 
mentioned  in  the  will  of  our  John  Boit  (i).  Of  this 
John  Boit  of  Groton  there  are  no  male  descendants  living 
of  the  name  of  Boit. 

On   the    3d   of    August,   1769,    in    the    New   North     1769 
Church,    your    great-great-grandfather    John    Boit    (i) 
married  for  his  second  wife,    Sarah  Brown  of    Boston. 
They  were    married    by  the  Reverend   Andrew  Elliot. 
It  is  from  this  wife  we  were  descended. 

The  first  child  of  this  second  marriage  was  Sarah, 
named  after  her  mother.  She  was  baptized  in  the  New 
Brick  Church  on  the  24th  of  June,  1770,  and  when  she  1770 
was  nearly  twenty,  in  May,  1790,  she  married  John 
Duballet,  who  is  represented  in  the  records  of  the  time 
as  a  "wealthy  French  gentleman."  He  lived  in  a  "large 
new  house"  on  Green  Lane  next  to  John  Boit  (i),  and 
had  many  dealings  in  real  estate  with  his  young  wife's 
father.  Let  us  trust  it  was  not  on  this  account,  that 
Mr.  Duballet,  not  long  after  his  marriage,  concluded  to 
return  with  his  wife  to  his  native  country.  They  settled 
in  Bordeaux,  France,  where  various  members  of  the 
family  went  to  stay  with  them  from  time  to  time.  They 
both  died  in  Bordeaux,  and  I  think  left  no  children. 

The  second  child  of  John  Boit  (i)  and  Sarah  Brown 
was  Rebecca,  who  was  baptized  on  the  26th  of  April, 
1772,  in  the  New  Brick  Church.     There  are  no  records     1772 


14  Chronicles  of 

of  this  young  girl's  life  who  lived  through  such  a  stormy 
period  in  Boston,  other  than  that  she  died  in   March, 

1793  I793>  when  she  was  twenty-one  years  old,  and  that  she 
was  buried  at  King's  Chapel. 

The  third  child  of  John  Bolt's  (r)  second  marriage  was 

1774  John  Boit  (2)  born  on  the  15th  of  October,  1774,  and 
baptized  on  the  17th  day  of  the  same  month  in  the  New 
Brick  Church.  This  was  about  two  years  before  the 
outbreak  of  the  Revolution.  This  young  gentleman  was 
to  have  the  honor  of  being  your  great-grandfather. 

The  fourth  child  of  John  Boit  (i)  and  Sarah  Brown 
was  Mary  —  or  Polly  as  she  was  baptized  on  the  1 2th  of 

1776     May,  1776.    Mary  Boit  was  never  married,  but  lived  until 

1833  1833.  She  passed  the  last  part  of  her  life  in  Weymouth, 
Massachusetts,  and  left  her  property  to  the  descendant's 
of  her  father's  children  by  his  first  wife,  Hannah  Atkins. 
I  think  I  have  now  given  the  story  of  all  the  children 
of  John  Boit  (i),  except  that  of  his  son  by  Sarah  Brown 
John  Boit  (2),  your  great-grandfather. 


JOHN   BOIT   (2) 

BORN  OCTOBER   15,  1774 

Chapter  II 

WHEN  John  Boit  (2)  was  born  there  were  four 
older  children  in  the  house.  His  half-brother 
Henry,  who  was  eleven,  his  half-sister  Hannah 
who  was  nine,  his  sister  Sarah,  four,  and  his  sister  Rebecca, 
two.  I  can  see  these  young  children  during  the  summer 
before  his  birth  playing  on  the  little  lawn  behind  the 
house  on  Green  Lane,  and  sailing  their  boats  on  the 
broad  waters  of  the  Mill  Pond.  I  can  see  their  pretty 
young  mother  on  the  piazza,  busy  with  her  spinning 
wheel,  watching  the  children  at  play  on  the  banks  of 
the  pond,  and  thinking  and  hoping  that  the  child  to 
come  might  prove  to  be  a  boy. 

Perhaps  in  the  cool  of  the  late  afternoon  she  would 
walk  with  her  older  children  up  over  Beacon  Hill  to  the 
Common  to  watch  the  manoeuvres  of  the  red-coats  and 
their  officers.  For  during  the  summer  of  1774  there  1774 
were  four  regiments  of  British  troops  encamped  on 
Boston  Common,  besides  three  companies  of  artillery 
with  twenty  cannon ;  and  this  large  body  of  hostile  for- 
eign soldiers  and  their  daily  doings  must  have  been  of 
unflagging  interest  to  the  youth  of  the  town. 

This  was  four  years  after  that  March  4,    1770,  when     1770 

15 


1 6  Chronicles  of 

the  Boston  Massacre  aroused  such  a  strong  feeling  of 
hostility  in  the  hearts  of  the  citizens.  And,  again,  it 
was  only  just  ten  months  before  John  Boit  (2)  was  born, 

1773  that  on  the  night  of  December  16,  1773,  the  Boston 
Tea-party  took  place,  when  some  forty  young  men  — 
representing  Mohawk  Indians  —  boarded  at  their  docks 
the  British  ships,  Dartmouth,  Eleanor,  and  Beaver,  and 
threw  overboard,  into  the  waters  of  Boston  Harbor,  their 
cargoes  of  tea.  I  recall  these  things  to  try  to  bring  be- 
fore you  more  vividly  the  conditions  of  this  little  town, 
when  John  Boit  (2)  was  born  on  the  15th  of  October, 

1774  1774,  and  less  than  one  year  before  his  eldest  sister, 
Hannah,  stood  by  the  Mill  Pond  listening  to  the  guns  at 

1775  Bunker  Hill,  on  the  17th  of  June,  1775. 

Of  how  he  was  taught  or  to  what  schools  of  Boston 
John  Boit  (2)  was  sent  we  have  no  definite  record.  But 
during  his  young  life,  the  Boston  Latin  School,  situated 
on  School  Street,  where  the  lower  end  of  the  Parker 
House  now  stands,  and  opposite  the  rear  end  of  King's 
Chapel,  was  the  leading  school  in  Boston. 

No  doubt  this  is  the  school  where  he  was  educated  in 
his  youth  and  at  his  death,  in  old  age,  he  was  buried  at 
King's  Chapel  directly  across  the  street.  It  seems 
strange  that  with  all  his  years  of  wandering  to  the  ends 
of  the  earth,  he  should  have  come  back  at  last  and  been 
buried  within  a  hundred  feet  of  the  spot  where  his  school 
days  had  been  passed. 

Of  the  fact  that  his  education  had  been  well  grounded, 


The  Boit  Family  17 

his  journals  and  log  books  bear  ample  testimony.  He 
was  fond  of  literature  and  did  a  great  deal  of  reading  on 
his  long  voyages.  He  also  had  a  taste  for  poetry,  and 
besides  copying  verses  of  others  in  his  log  books,  he 
wrote  many  lines  of  his  own,  some  of  which  I  shall  quote 
from  later  on  and  believe  you  will,  with  me,  think  there 
is  a  very  pleasant  flavor  of  the  sea  about  them. 

His  father  was  a  large  importer,  as  I  have  said ;  his 
older  brother  Henry  took  to  the  sea  in  his  youth ;  his 
brother-in-law  was  an  owner  of  ships,  so  it  was  not  un- 
natural that  he  too  should  have  been  filled  with  the  spirit 
of  adventure  at  an  early  age,  and  consumed  with  the 
desire  to  get  to  sea.  The  smell  of  the  sea  was  in  his 
nostrils  and  we  all  know  what  that  is  to  men  born  on 
our  New  England  coast.  The  opportunity  came  to  him 
when  he  was  sixteen,  in  1790,  when  his  brother-in-law,  1790 
Crowell  Hatch,  was  fitting  out  the  ship  Columbia  for  her 
second  voyage  of  circumnavigation.  He  begged  his 
father  and  brother-in-law  to  let  him  go  with  her,  even  if 
it  were  before  the  mast.  They  decided  not  to  permit 
him  to  do  that,  but  concluded  to  appoint  him  fifth  officer 
under  Captain  Gray,  the  commander. 

The  ship  Columbia  was  bound  round  the  Horn  to  the 
northwest  coast  of  America,  where  she  proposed  to  pur- 
chase a  cargo  of  furs  (preferably  sealskins)  from  the 
natives  for  blue  cloth,  ten-penny  nails,  trinkets  and 
other  trifles  prized  by  the  Indians.  Thence  they  would 
proceed  to  China,  and  there  trade  their  furs  for  spices, 


i8  Chronicles  of 

teas,  silks,  and  such  other  products  of  the  East  as  in 
those  days  found  a  ready  sale  in  our  home  markets. 

This  was  the  second  circumnavigating  voyage  of  the 
ship  Columbia.  On  her  first  expedition  she  was  the 
first  ship  to  carry  the  United  States  flag  round  the  world. 
On  that  same  first  voyage  she  had  brought  to  Boston  a 
prince  of  the  Sandwich  Islands,  the  son  of  King  Karna- 
hamaha,  at  the  request  of  his  father,  and  on  their  arrival 
the  officials  of  Boston  met  them  at  Long  Wharf  in  great 
pomp,  and  it  is  said  that  the  prince,  in  a  fine  Sandwich 
Island  dress  made  wholly  of  feathers,  marched  up  State 
Street  on  the  arm  of  the  Mayor. 

On  her  first  voyage,  Captain  John  Kendrick  had  started 
in  command  of  her  and  her  consort,  Lady  Washington, 
whose  Captain  was  Robert  Gray,  but  on  the  northwest 
coast  Captain  Kendrick  turned  the  Columbia  over  to 
Captain  Gray  and  took  possession  of  the  Lady  Wash- 
ington and  traded  with  her,  but  never  reported  again 
to  her  owners,  nor  returned  to  New  England.  He  was 
killed  aboard  of  her  in  the  Sandwich  Islands  by  a  salute 
fired  by  an  English  vessel,  lying  nearby,  one  gun  being 
loaded  by  mistake. 

The  ship  Columbia  was  built  on  the  North  River, 
near  Scituate  and  Plymouth,  Mass.  It  is  now  a  little 
stream  wholly  unnavigable,  but  in  those  days  many 
vessels  were  built  on  its  banks. 

On  referring  to  your  great-grandfather's  journal  of  the 
voyage  of  the  Columbia,   I   find  that  the    ship    sailed 


The  Boit  Family  19 

from  Boston,   September  28,   1790,  when  he  was  only     1790 
sixteen  years  old,  as  I  have  said  ;  yet  his  handwriting  is 
good  and  well-formed.      His  journal  heading  is  as  follows  : 

"REMARKS    ON    THE    SHIP    COLUMBIA'S     VOYAGE     FROM     BOSTON 

(ON  A  VOYAGE  ROUND  THE  GLOBE)"  —  By  John  Boit,  Jr. 

"  The  ship  Columbia  was  fitted  out  for  a  four  years'  cruise  on  a 
trading  voyage  to  the  Northwest  coast  of  America,  China,  etc.  — 
about  250  tons  burthen,  mounted  12  carriage  guns,  and  navigated 
with  50  men  (including  officers) — owned  chiefly  by  Sam'l  Brown, 
Joseph  Barrell  and  Crowell  Hatch,  Esq^e — and  commanded  by 
Robert  Gray  —  cargo  consisted  of  blue  cloth,  copper,  iron,  etc." 

This  great-grandfather  of  yours  was  himself  in  com- 
mand of  a  vessel  off  Cape  Horn  on  his  twenty-first 
birthday.     They  were  men  in  those  days ! 

This  day  he  reports  in  his  journal  as  follows  : 

"  April  23,  1791  "(Aboard  Columbia.)  i-^j 

"  Between  the  hours  of  three  and  four  p.  m.  departed  this  life 
our  dear  friend  Nancy  the  Goat,  having  been  the  Captain's  com- 
panion on  a  former  voyage  round  the  Globe  ;  but  her  spirited  dispo- 
sition for  adventure  led  her  to  undertake  a  second  voyage  of  circum- 
navigation. But  the  various  changes  of  climate,  and  sudden 
transition  from  the  Polar  colds  to  the  Tropical  heats  of  the  Torrid 
Zone,  proved  too  much  for  a  constitution  naturally  delicate.  At 
5  p.  M.  committed  her  body  to  the  deep.  She  was  lamented  by 
those  who  jrot  a  share  of  her  fnilk  !  " 


20  Chronicles  of 

He  had  a  pretty  humor  for  a  boy  of  sixteen.  No  doubt 
this  quotation  is  trivial,  but  it  has  a  personal  touch  that 
brings  him  near  to  us. 

Again  from  the  journal  Columbia's  Voyage: 

1792     "May  12,  1792  —  W.  Long.  46*^  7'  —  Lat.  122*^  47' 

"DISCOVERY    OF    COLUMBIA    RIVER  " 

"This  day  saw  an  appearance  of  a  spacious  harbour 
abrest  the  ship.  Haul'd  our  vi^ind  for  it  —  Observed  two 
sand  bars  making  off  with  a  passage  between  them  to  a 
fine  river.  Out  pinnace  and  sent  her  in  ahead  &  followed 
with  the  Ship  under  short  sail  —  Carried  in  from  ^  three 
to  7  fm.  and  when  over  the  bar  had  10  fm.  Water  quite 
fresh  —  The  River  extended  to  the  N.E^  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach  and  water  fit  to  drink  as  far  down  as  the 
Bars  at  the  entrance.  We  directed  our  course  up  this 
noble  river  in  search  of  a  village.  The  beach  was  lined 
with  natives  who  ran  along  shore  following  the  Ship. 
Soon  after  above  20  canoes  came  off,  and  brought  a  good 
lot  of  furs  and  Salmon — which  last  they  sold  two  for  a 
board  nail.  The  furs  we  likewise  bought  cheap  for 
copper  and  cloth.  They  appeared  to  view  the  ship  with 
the  greatest  astonishment,  and  no  doubt  we  was  the  first 
civilized  people  that  they  ever  saw.  ...  At  length  we 
arrived  opposite  to  a  large  village,  situate  on  the  North 
Side  of  the  River  about  5  leagues  from  the  entrance. 
Came  too  in  10  fm.  Sand.  .  .  .  The  river  at  this  place 
was  about  4  miles  over.     We  purchased  4  Otter  skins  for 


The  Bolt  Family  21 

a  sheet  of  copper  —  Beaver  skins  2  spikes  each  and  other 
land  furs  i  spike  each.  We  lay  in  this  place  till  the 
20th  May.  .  .  .  The  natives  talked  the  same  language  as 
those  further  south  but  we  could  not  learn  it.  Observed 
that  the  canoes  that  came  down  River  brought  no  Otter 
skins,  &  I  believe  the  Otter  constantly  keeps  in  salt 
water  —  They  however  always  came  well  stocked  with 
land  furs  &  capital  Salmon.  The  tide  set  down  the  whole 
time  and  was  rapid  —  whole  trees  sometimes  come  down 
with  the  stream.  .  .  .  On  the  15th  took  up  the  anchor 
&  stood  up  River.  ...  I  landed  abrest  the  ship  with 
Capt.  Gray  to  view  the  country  and  take  possession,  leav- 
ing charge  with  the  2d  Officer  —  Found  much  clear 
ground  fit  for  cultivation  &  the  woods  mostly  clear  from 
underbrush.     None  of  the  natives  came  near  us. 

"  May  1 8  —  Shifted  the  Ship's  berth  to  her  old  station 
abrest  the  village  CJiinoak  commanded  by  a  Chief  named 
Polacki.  .  .  .  Capt.  Gray  named  this  River  Columbia's 
&  the  North  Entrance  Cape  Hancock  and  the  South 
Point  Adams.  This  River  in  my  opinion  would  be  a  fine 
place  to  set  up  a  Factory.  .  .  .  The  River  abounds  with 
excellent  Salmon  and  the  woods  with  plenty  of  Moose 
and  Deer,  the  skins  of  which  was  brought  us  in  great 
plenty  ...  in  short  a  factory  set  up  here  and  another 
at  Hancock's  River  in  the  Queen  Charlotte  Isles  would 
engross  the  whole  trade  of  the  N.  W.  Coast,  with  the 
help  of  a  few  small  coasting  vessels. 

"  May  20  —  This  day  left  Columbia's  River  and  stood 


22  Chronicles  of 

clear  of  the  bars.  ...  The  men  at  Columbia's  River 
are  straight  lim'd,  fine  looking  fellows  &  the  women  are 
very  pretty.  They  are  all  in  the  state  of  nature,  except 
the  females,  who  wear  a  leaf  apron  —  perhaps  't  was  a 
fig  leaf." 

"COLUMBIA  AT  ST.  HELENA  NEARLY  THREE 
YEARS  AFTER  LEAVING  BOSTON  " 

1793  "May  25,  1793 

"  I  must  confess  that  I  was  agreeably  supprized  on 
landing  at  Jamestown  —  For  from  the  appearance  it  has 
from  the  ship  at  anchor,  you  feel  prepossessed  against 
it,  but  to  me  on  shore  it  was  quite  a  pleasant  place,  and 
the  sight  of  an  English  Lady  made  my  heart  feel  —  all 
in  an  uproar — &  alas!  the  poor  Sandwich  Isle  Girls 
were  utterly  forgot  —  So  it  is  —  and  we  cannot  help  it !  " 

The  young  man  was  not  nineteen. 

" COLUMBIA    ENTERING    BOSTON    HARBOR  " 

1793  "July  25,  1793  — At  8  A.  M.  a  pilot  came  aboard  and 
took  charge  to  take  the  Ship  to  Boston.  At  meridien 
passed  the  Lighthouse  with  a  light  air  from  Eastward. 
At  6  we  passed  Castle  WiUiam  &  gave  a  federal  salute 
which  was  returned.  ...  At  7  anchored  off  the  Long 
wharf  in  the  Stream  &  saluted  the  town  with  1 1  guns 
which  was  returned  from  the  wharves  with  three  welcome 
'Huzzas'  ...  Of  course  we  have  lost  one  complete  day. 


The   Boit   Family  23 

It  was  Friday  at  Boston  and  Thursday  with  us  It  is 
impossible  to  express  our  feelings  at  again  meeting  with 
our  friends.  But  the  loss  of  an  affectionate  and  much 
lov'd  sister  during  my  absence  was  a  great  obstacle  to 
the  happiness  I  should  otherwise  have  enjoyed. 
"So  ends  remarks  on  Columbia's  voyage." 

This  voyage  of  the  Columbia  was  adventurous  and 
successful,  but  I  have  not  the  space  to  describe  it  more 
fully. 

Following  his  voyage  in  the  ship  Columbia  he  made  a 
second  circumnavigating  voyage  in  command  of  the 
sloop  Union, 

He  describes  his  preparation  for  this  voyage  and  the 
vessel  itself  as  follows  : 

"SLOOP    UNION'S   CIRCUMNAVIGATING  VOYAGE" 

"  In  July  1794,  I  took  charge  of  the  Sloop  Union,  burthen  98  1794 
tons,  she  then  laying  at  Newport,  Rhode  Isle;  Bound  for  a  voyage 
to  the  N.W«^  Coast  of  America,  China,  Isle  of  France  &  back  to 
Boston.  Owned  by  Crowell  Hatch  and  Caleb  Gardner  Esqre 
Employed  during  the  months  of  July,  and  beginning  of  August, 
giving  the  Sloop  a  complete  overhaul  for  a  Circumnavigating 
Voyage,  and  in  taking  on  board  Stores  and  Provisions  for  three 
years,  likewise  a  Cargo  consisting  of  Sheet  Copper,  Bar  Iron, 
Blue  cloth,  Blankets,  Trinkets  of  various  kinds  &c.,  &c.  All  which 
articles  were  suitable  for  traffic  with  the  N.Wt  Indians,  for  furs 
proper  for  the  Canton  markett.  The  Sloop  was  completely  fitted 
for  the  Voyage,  with  a  crew  of  22  in  number.  Had  good  quarters 
and  mounted  ten  Carriage  Guns  and  Eight  Swivells  on  the  rails. 


24  Chronicles  of 

1794     On  the  28th  August  '94  Got  under  way  and  dropt  into  Coasters 

Harbour,  and  got  in  readiness  for  Sea. 

"John  Boit." 

"  Adieu  to  the  pretty  girls  of  Newport." 

I  judge  from  John  Bolt's  {2)  accounts  that  ships  in 
those  days  bound  for  the  Horn,  made  first  for  the  Cape 
de  Verde  Islands,  off  the  African  coast,  and  thence  took 
the  "Trades"  to  the  Faulkner  Islands  on  the  south- 
east coast  of  South  America.  It  was  on  this  cruise 
that  his  twenty-first  birthday  was  passed  off  Cape  Horn. 

I  shall    give   a   few    extracts  from    this    remarkable 

voyage : 

**  Barren's  Sound,  Charlotte  Islands. 

1794  "June  19,  1794  —  At  six  p.  m.  came  to  anchor  behind 
an  island.  .  .  .  Sound  9  fm.  water,  sand  &  shells,  in  an 
excellent  harbour.  .  .  .  Vast  many  natives  alongside,  but 
seem  to  have  few  skins.  Coyar  the  chief  did  not  come 
off.  .  .  .  Keep  a  strong  watch,  with  boarding  nettings 
up,  as  this  is  the  identical  spot  where  the  Indians  tried 
to  cut  off  Capt.  Kendrick  in  the  Brig  Lady  Washington. 
.  .  .  Many  natives  off  in  the  morning  and  brought  a  few 
skins  which  we  purchas'd  at  a  dear  rate,  — these  fellows 
brought  us  ship's  chain  bolts  and  other  iron  work  which 
made  me  mistrust  that  they  had  either  cut  off  some  vessel 
or  else  some  ship  had  been  lost  on  the  coast. 

"June  20 —  .  .  .  At  one  p.  m.  a  canoe  came  off  from 
the  village,  and  informed  the  natives  alongside,  that  two 
of  their  women  was  drowned,  by  a  canoe  oversetting.  — 


The   Boit  Family  25 

Purchased  this  day  but  few  skins. —  A  chief  by  name 
Hawk  Eye  appeared  to  be  head  man  of  the  sound,  and 
Coyar  the  2d.  At  midnight  two  large  canoes  passed 
under  our  stern.  The  Indians  was  crying  and  hooping  ; 
therefore  let  them  pass  in  peace,  as  I  supposed  they 
was  about  burying  the  drowned  women. 

"  At  daylight  many  canoes  came  off,  and  appeared  to 
be  armed,  better  than  common — they  brought  a  great 
many  otter  skins  alongside,  but  would  not  sell  them 
without  they  were  suffered  to  bring  them  on  deck.  This 
was  of  course  refused.  The  natives  seemed  anxious  for 
me  to  wood  and  water,  and  offered  to  assist.  Their 
whole  conduct  appeared  to  me  mysterious,  therefore  kept  a 
good  lookout  after  them  —  and  prepared  against  surprise. 

"June  21  — .  .  .  Calm  and  pleasant,  above  forty 
canoes  came  into  the  cove,  full  of  Indians,  (at  least  300 
men)  —  immediately  suspected  by  their  manouvres  that 
they  meant  to  attack  the  Union — Called  all  hands  to 
quarters.  Eight  Chiefs  were  on  board  at  this  time  who 
began  to  be  very  saucy  .  .  .  and  the  war  canoes  kept 
pressing  alongside,  and  the  Indians,  getting  upon  the 
nettings.  Hawk  Eye  the  head  Chief  began  the  attack 
by  seizing  Mr.  Hudson,  the  2d  officer,  at  the  same  time 
the  Indians  alongside  attempted  to  board,  with  most 
hideous  yells.  However  we  soon  paid  them  for  their 
timerity.  I  killed  their  ist  Chief  Hawk  Eye  in  the  2d 
mate's  arms,  while  they  was  struggling  together.  The 
rest   of    the    Chiefs    on  deck    was    knocked  down    and 


26  Chronicles  of 

wounded  and  we  killed  from  the  nettings,  and  in  the 
canoes  alongside  about  40  more,  when  they  retreated ; 
at  which  time  I  could  have  killed  100  more,  with  my 
grape  shot,  but  I  let  Humanity  prevail  —  and  ceased  fir- 
ing. At  six  p.  M.  a  small  canoe  came  off  with  two 
Indians  in  her,  holding  green  bows  (Emblems  of  Peace). 
I  allowed  the  chiefs  on  board,  who  was  strongly  ironed, 
to  hold  converse  with  them.  At  dark  they  left  us. 
Kept  a  strong  watch.  All  hands  to  quarters  through 
the  night. 

"June  22 — At  daylight  took  up  the  anchors,  and 
came  to  sail,  stretching  toward  the  village  on  the  West 
part  of  the  Sound.  At  9  a.  m.  severall  large  canoes  came 
off,  full  of  Indians  waving  green  bows.  They  came  along- 
side with  fear  and  trembling,  bringing  plenty  of  furs  to 
ransom  their  Chiefs  with.  Ordered  the  irons  off  them,  & 
brought  the  poor  devils  up.  Notwithstanding  the  treat- 
ment I  'd  received,  I  paid  full  price  for  the  skins.  I 
believe  I  got  every  piece  of  fur  they  had  in  the  village. 
Took  notice  that  the  village  was  deserted. —  Suppose 
they  thought  it  our  intention  to  destroy  it.  At  1 1  a,  m. 
the  canoes  left  us,  the  Indians  crying  and  praying  for  our 
success.  Indeed  the  treatment  they  received  from  me 
was  quite  different  from  what  they  expected  —  Suppose 
in  the  fracas  we  killed  and  wounded  about  50,  but  the 
Indians  said  we  killed  70.  None  of  us  was  hurt,  but 
their  attack  was  very  impolitic,  for  had  they  instead  of 
being  so  intent  to  board,  stood  off,  and  fired  their  arrows, 


The  Boit  Family  27 

no  doubt  they  would  have  killed  and  wounded  several 
of  us.  However  I  was  too  well  guarded  against  surprise 
for  them  to  have  been  victorious.  —  Noon.  Pleasant 
gales,  standing  clear  of  this  disastrous  Sound,  bound  for 
Juan  de  Fuca  Straits." 

It  is  hard  to  realize  this  young  man  was  only  twenty- 
one,  in  a  sloop  of  ninety-eight  tons,  and  with  only 
twenty-two  men  aboard. 

Two  or  three  days  before  reaching  Boston,  on  his 
home  voyage,  he  says  : 

"July  6,  1796  —  At  midnight  breezes  from  S.  W. —  . 
saw  a  sail  standing  towards  us  Shortly  after  she  fired 
ten  muskets  and  two  eighteen  pound  shot  at  us,  one  of 
which  went  through  the  foresail.  They  hailed  me,  and 
ordered  all  our  sails  to  be  taken  in.  Their  boat  boarded 
and  took  me  on  board  with  my  papers.  She  proved  to 
be  the  English  Frigate  Reason,  John  Beresford,  Cap- 
tain, from  Halifax  on  a  cruise.  Finding  they  could 
not  make  a  prize  of  the  Sloop  —  Suffered  me  to  pass  — 
after  treating  me  in  a  rough  ungentlemanlike  manner." 

I  can  well  understand  how  this  must  have  irritated  him 
after  his  long  voyage  and  so  close  to  home. 

Strangely  enough,  ninety-seven  years  afterwards,  one 
of  his  own  grandchildren — Julian  Sturgis  of  London  — 
married  into  the  Beresford  family. 

At  the  close  of  this  voyage  he  says : 


28  Chronicles  of 

1796  "July  8,  1796  —  Having  sailed  round  the  Globe  to 
the  Westward  have  lost  one  complete  day,  it  being 
Saturday  in  Boston  and  only  Friday  with  us.  Thank 
God,  I  found  all  my  relatives  in  health,  and  the  tender 
embrace  of  an  affectionate  and  much  honored  Father 
made  up  for  all  the  troubles  and  anxieties  incident  to 
Such  long  voyages. 

"During  this  voyage  which  was  performed  in  22>^ 
months,  (23)^)  the  crew  enjoyed  good  health.  No  doubt 
the  care  that  was  taken  to  keep  them  clean  and  to  fumi- 
gate their  berths  was  the  best  preventative  for  the  scurvy 
that  could  possibly  have  been  adopted. 

"  I  believe  the  "  Union  "  was  the  first  sloop  that  ever 
circumnavigated  the  Globe.  She  proved  to  be  an  excel- 
lent sea-boat  and  was  a  very  safe  vessel,  still  I  think 
it  too  great  a  risque  for  to  trust  to  one  mast  in  such  a 
long  voyage — when  a  small  brig  would  answer  on  the 
N.  W.  coast  equally  as  well.  The  cargo  came  out  in  fine 
order  and  I  received  great  satisfaction  in  the  Idea  that 
my  conduct  through  the  voyage  had  been  very  satisfac- 
tory to  the  owners." 

Immediately  after  his  return  in  the  sloop  Union  in 
1796  August,  1796 — he  was  then  about  twenty-three  —  a 
French  prize  was  brought  into  Boston,  and  without  dis- 
charging her  cargo,  he  was  given  command  to  take  her 
to  the  East.  After  a  most  perilous  voyage  he  reached 
the  Isle  of  France  —  or  Mauritius.     This  island  is  five 


The  Boit  Family  29 

or  six  hundred  miles  east  of  Madagascar  which  lies  off 
the  southeastern  coast  of  Africa.  The  scene  of  the 
story  of  Paul  and  Virginia  was  laid  in  this  Isle  of 
France.     It  was  owned  by  the  French  until  about  18 10.     iSio 

I  think  a  synopsis  of  this  voyage  taken  from  John 
Bolt's  journal  may  interest  you,  as  it  shows  well  his  fear- 
lessness and  philosophy  in  times  of  peril.  It  is  hard  to 
realize  that  he  was  only  twenty-three  when  he  wrote  this. 
I  have  also  his  log  of  the  voyage  as  well  as  the  journal. 

"REMARKS    ON    SNOW    GEORGE's     VOYAGE    FROM     BOSTON 
TO    THE    ISLE    OF    FRANCE  " 

"August  I,  1796  —  This  day  I  was  appointed  to  ,^05 
command  the  Snow  George,  owned  by  Messrs.  Crowell 
Hatch  &  David  Green,  merchants  at  Boston.  This  was 
an  English  store  ship  loaded  with  provisions,  a  prize  to  the 
French  Privatere,  La  Eagle,  and  was  sold  in  Boston  to  the 
gentlemen  above  mentioned  for  the  low  price  of  8000 
Spanish  dollars,  although  the  cargo  alone  in  London  was 
invoiced  at  25,000  dollars.  Was  employed  till  the  12th 
September  giving  the  vessel  as  good  an  overhaul  as  cir- 
cumstances would  admit  of,  but  not  being  allowed  to  land 
the  cargo,  and  she  being  very  deep,  was  obliged  to  let  her 
bottom  remain  untouched,  although  't  was  single  and  very 
foul  and  dirty.  On  the  1 3th  September,  having  shipped 
my  crew,  dropped  into  Nantasket  Roads,  for  to  wait  a 
favorable  dark  night  to  get  through  the  bay  —  as  there 
was  an  English  P'rigate  cruising  between  the  Cape  Cod 


30  Chronicles  of 

and  Lighthouse  for  to  intercept  us.  Mr.  Thomas 
Nickells,  who  was  my  3d  officer  in  the  Union,  and  had 
been  with  me  as  foremast  hand  in  the  Columbia,  was 
my  chief  officer  on  the  present  voyage." 

On  the  nth  of  December  he  says:  "Experienced 
hard  squalls  from  S.  W.  —  carried  away  the  main  top- 
sail yard  and  foretop  mast  —  split  the  sails  —  employed 
repairing  damage." 

"  December  20  —  wind  from  northward  —  Snow  leaks 
more  than  usual  and  sails  too  dull  for  comfort.  The 
grass  and  barnacles  completely  bedded  on  her  bottom. 
Five  miles  an  hour  is  the  most  we  can  get." 

From  this  time  on  they  were  leaking  badly. 

1797  "Feb.  20,  1797 — the  Snow  requires  1,000  smart 
strokes  per  hour  to  keep  her  free.  The  pumps  are 
excellent,  thank  God,  being  copper  chambered  and  large 
bore." 

"Feb.  22  —  Wind  still  in  our  teeth.  Leaks  still 
increase.  It  requires  all  hands  fore  and  aft  at  both 
pumps  to  keep  the  vessel  from  going  to  Davy  Jones' 
Locker,  she  averaging  at  the  rate  of  500  bbls.  per  hour. 
Two  of  our  seamen  taken  in  convulsion  fits  at  the 
pumps  through  fatigue.  Employed  preparing  topsail  to 
f other  with  as  a  last  resort." 

"March  8 — Wind  from  the  N.  E.  Snow  scarcely 
moves  on  the  surface  of  the  waters,  with  fothered  sails 
under  the  bottom,  although  the  breeze  is  fresh.     Keep 


The  Boit  Family  31 

every  man  I  can  well  spare  from  the  pumps  on  the 
rigging  and  painting  up.  For  if  Davy  Jones  will  not 
serve  me  a  slippery  trick,  I  am  determined  on  my  arrival 
at  the  Isle  de  France,  to  serve  some  honest  Frenchman 
a  Yankee  trick  by  selling  them  the  Good  Staunch  We/l- 
fou?id  Snow  George  and  appurtenances." 

"March  19  —  Hauled  the  sails  from  the  bottom  and 
tydied  ship.  At  6  p.  m.  after  a  distressing  and  tedious 
passage  of  186  days  we  make  the  long  wished  for  Islede 
France,  with  grateful  thanks  to  Almighty  God  for  our 
present  situation,  after  being  for  forty  days  past  in  the 
most  critical  state  of  suspense." 

"March  20  —  At  4  p.  m.  a  pilot  came  aboard  and 
took  charge  of  us." 

"  March  22  —  Both  pumps  steady  going  without  inter- 
mission, and  we  have  not  gained  one  inch  to  windward. 
Indeed  the  crew  are  too  much  enfeebled  to  work  the  vessel 
properly.  Poor  devils,  they  are  excessive  weak.  How- 
ever, their  hearts  are  light.  At  4  p.  m.  hoist  ensign  in  a 
wiff  as  a  signal  of  distress.  At  2  a.  m.  the  sloop  again 
came  alongside  and  brought  a  Lieutenant  and  20  sailors 
from  the  Admiral's  Ship  to  my  assistance.  The  Officer 
told  me  he  had  strict  orders  from  the  Governor  and 
Admiral  (DeLeroy)  to  render  me  every  help  in  his  power. 
I  immediately  sent  my  poor  sailors  below  to  their  ham- 
mocks. At  six  we  were  well  into  the  entrance  of  the 
harbor.     At  nine  came  to  anchor. 

"  I  went  to  town  accompanied  by  Mr.  Bonjour,  the 


32  Chronicles  of 

linguist  of  the  Port,  and  immediately  waited  on  the 
Governor  and  Admiral  to  thank  them  for  their  polite- 
ness in  sending  me  relief.  These  gentlemen  told  me 
it  was  their  duty  to  reheve  the  distressed.  I  could 
not  help  admiring  the  manner  in  which  they  received 
my  most  grateful  thanks.  Sent  off  fifteen  negroes  to 
pump  ship." 

"  March  23  —  I  kept  charge  of  the  Snow  George  till  the 
20th  of  May,  at  which  time  I  sold  her  for  a  good  price  to 
a  Mr.  Hicks  for  the  Madagascar  trade.  We  found  the 
Snow  leaked  just  as  bad  in  the  harbor  as  she  did  when 
at  sea.  When  the  carpenter  had  finished  her  bottom, 
we  hauld  to  our  old  berth.  Painted  the  old  Snow  up  as 
fine  as  a  fiddle  and  on  May  20th  delivered  her  to  Mon- 
sieur Hicks  —  a  hard  bargain  on  his  side  I  must  confess. 
The  cargo  I  sold  to  Government  at  an  enormous  advance 

on  the  original  invoices, So  ends  the  remarks  on 

the  Old  Snow  George  —  God  send  I  may  never  sail  in 
the  like  of  her  again. 

"  Took  a  house  on  shore,  attended  by  my  faithful 
servant  Chou  (a  Chinese)  —  kept  Bachelor's  hall  —  and 
in  the  gay  life  that  is  generally  pursued  by  young  men 
on  this  island  passed  a  few  months  away  in  quite  an 
agreeable  though  dissipated  manner." 

I  think  the  frankness  and  humor  of  the  young  man 
is  amusing.  The  "  faithful  servant  Chou  "  of  whom  he 
speaks  is  no  doubt  the    same  "  Chou    Mandarien "    to 


The  Boit  Family  33 

whom  he  raised  a  monument  in  the  burying  ground  on 
Boston  Common.  It  is  still  standing  and  the  inscrip- 
tion is  legible.     It  reads  : 

"  Here  lies  interred  the  body 

of  Chou  Mandarien 

A  native  of  China 

Aged  19  years 

whose  death 

was  occasioned  on  the  i  ith  Sept. 

1798  by  a  fall  from  the  masthead 

of  the  Ship  Mac  of  Boston. 

This  stone  is  erected  to  his  memory 

by  his  affectionate  master 

John  Boit,  Jr." 


For  a  number  of  years  this  great-grandfather  of  yours, 
John  Boit  (2)  commanded,  among  other  vessels,  the 
good  ship  Mount  Hope.  She  was  built  in  Narragansett 
Bay  and  named  after  the  hill  "Mount  Hope,"  which  lies 
between  Fall  River  and  Bristol.  She  was  considered  a 
very  big  ship  when  built,  and  was  finally  bought  by  the 
Dutch  government,  and  used  as  the  Flag  Ship  of  their 
navy.  Yet  she  was  only  six  hundred  tons.  About  as 
much  of  a  ship  as  her  namesake  was  of  a  mountain  I 


34  Chronicles  of 

His  voyages  were  full  of  strange  experiences  and 
"hair-breadth  'scapes,"  but,  alas!  I  have  not  time  to 
tell  them  and  must  leave  unrecounted  a  variety  of  ab- 
sorbing scenes  by  land  and  sea. 

For  many  years  he  went  down  to  the  sea  in  command 
of  many  ships,  but  when  he  was  about  forty  he  gave  it 
up  for  good  and  all  —  and  though  he  still  retained  his 
interest  in  certain  vessels,  he  became  a  merchant  in 
Boston,  and  Hved  there  for  the  rest  of  his  life. 
1829  He  died  March  8,  1829,  and  was  buried  at  King's 
Chapel. 

In  the  old  credit  books  of  Baring  Brothers  &  Co.,  in 
London,  stands  the  name  of  Captain  John  Boit,  with  the 
record,  "  His  word  is  as  good  as  his  bond." 

Before  turning  to  the  accounts  of  his  family  life,  I 
must  quote-  some  of  his  verses  from  his  log  books,  many  of 
which  have  the  true  spirit  of  the  age  and  of  the  sea : 


The  Boit  Family  35 

13^8174 

THE  RETURN  — A  Sonnet 

1 802  1802 

The  same  keen  sense,  that  barbs  the  pang  to  part, 

Points  the  wild  rapture  when  return  draws  nigh. 
When  bosoms  beat  to  bliss,  warm  heart  to  heart  — 

Hand  grasping  hand,  and  eye  encountering  eye. 
The  warm  tear  sliding  down  the  burning  cheek  — 

In  sweet  Elysium  wrapt  the  speechless  powers  — 
Or  eyes  suffused,  that  eloquently  speak, 

Shining  like  summer  suns  through  May's  soft  showers. 
Then  —  then  it  is  that  souls  of  purer  fire 

Snatch  the  rare  raptures  sacred  to  the  few ; 
The  clinging  kiss  —  the  chat  unknown  to  tire  — 

And  blessed  embrace,  that  dullards  never  knew. 
Oh  !  let  me  not  count  life  by  days  or  years, 
But  smiles  of  sweet  return,  through  separation's  tears! 

Perhaps  this  is  the  best  of  them,  and  indeed  it  is  quite 
good  enough  for  anybody. 


36  Chronicles  of 

TO  ELLEN 

1802  1802 

If  purest  angels  look  with  pitying  eyes 

On  man's  frail  nature,  and  can  feel  our  woe  ; 

If  worth  celestial  left  its  native  skies, 
To  bleed  and  suffer  for  our  sins  below — 

Then  dearest  fair  —  let  pity  warm  thy  breast  — 
The  bright  example  still  with  zeal  pursue  — 

Smile  on  the  youth  who  knows  not  to  be  blest  - 
Save  when  his  heart  is  full  of  love  and  you. 


TO  MISS  M.  J.  J. 

To  sing  the  charming  Mary's  praise. 
My  muse  in  humble  measure  tried, 

When  listening  to  my  feeble  lays 
Apollo  thus  indignant  cried. 

"  Audacious  Poet  —  cease  thy  song ! 
Nor  dare  attempt  on  mortal  lyre 
Immortal  charms !  Such  themes  belong 
To  Phoebus  and  the  Virgin  Choir !  " 


The  Boit  Family  37 


EPITAPH 

Life  is  an  Inn  —  where  all  men  bait, 
The  waiter  Time  —  the  Landlord  Fate 
Death  is  the  score  by  all  men  due  — 
I  've  paid  my  shot  —  and  so  must  you  ! 


HOISTING   THE   SAILS 

Friday,  Dec.  27,  1805  1805 

Lay  her  before  the  wind,  up  with  your  canvass, 

And  let  her  work!     The  wind  begins  to  whistle ! 

Clap  all  the  streamers  on,  and  let  her  dance, 

As  if  she  were  the  minion  of  the  ocean  ! 

Let  her  bestride  the  billows  till  they  roar, 

And  curl  their  wanton  heads! 

The  day  grows  fair,  and  clear,  and  the  wind  courts  us. 

O !  for  a  lusty  sail  now,  to  give  chase  to ! 

A  stubborn  bark,  that  would  but  bear  up  to  us, 

And  charge  a  broadside  bravely !  I 


SS  Chronicles  of 


EPIGRAM 
1801  July  3,  180 1 

A  gentleman  seeking  apartments  one  day, 
A  bill,  up  for  rooms  "  to  let,"  fell  in  his  way. 
A  comely  young  servant  maid,  answered  y'  door 
As  handsome  a  girl  as  he'd  e'er  seen  before. 

"Are  you  to  be  let  with  the  lodgings.?  "  he  cried; 

"  No,  Sir,  I  'm  to  be  let  alone,"  she  replied. 


ON    LIFE 
1801  Sept.  ID,  1 80 1 

Our  life  is  like  a  winter's  day, 
Some  only  breakfast  and  away, 
Others  to  dinner  stay  and  are  full  fed, 
The  Oldest  only  sups  and  goes  to  bed. 
Large  is  his  debt  who  lingers  out  the  day, 
Who  goes  the  soonest,  has  the  least  to  pay. 

This  is  an  adaptation  of  a  verse  written  by  Joseph 
1678     Henshaw  in  1678,  but  much  improved  upon. 


The  Boit  Family  39 

TO  A  LITTLE  CHARMER 

Dec.  5,  1801  1801 

Come  and  kiss  me,  little  charmer, 
Nor  suppose  a  kiss  can  harm  you. 
Kisses  given,  kisses  taken 
Cannot  now  your  fears  awaken. 
Give  me  then  a  hundred  kisses, 
Number  well  —  those  sweetest  blisses, 
And  on  my  life  —  I  tell  you  true, 
Ten-fold  I  '11  repay  what's  due, 
When  to  snatch  a  kiss  is  bolder, 
And  my  fair  one 's  ten  years  older. 


A  CURIOUS    PROBLEM  AND  ITS   SOLUTION 

Said  Damon  as  he  gently  press'd 

Fair  Indiana  to  his  breast, 
"  Can  you  to  me,  the  reason  give, 

That  when  your  sex  a  kiss  receive 

They  sometimes  wipe  the  same  away  ?" 

She  quick  replied  without  delay, 
"  That  may  be  solved  without  much  bother, 

It's  purposely  to  have  Another." 


40  Chronicles  of 


SONG 

When  clouds  that  angel  face  deform, 
Anxious  I  view  the  growing  storm  — 
When  angry  lightnings  arm  thine  eye, 
And  tell  the  gathering  tempest  nigh  — 
I  curse  the  sex  —  and  bid  adieu 
To  female  friendship,  love  and  you. 

But  when  soft  passion  rules  thy  breast 
Thy  beating  heart  to  mine  is  prest. 
And  cloudless  smiles  around  you  play, 
Giving  the  world  a  holiday  — 
I  bless  the  hour  when  first  I  knew, 
Dear  female  friendship,  love  and  you  ! 


EPIGRAM 
1801  Dec.  9,  1 80 1 

"  I  heard  you  much  slander'd  "  cries  Richard  to  Ned, 
"T'other  day,  by  an  impudent  Coxcomb,  who  said. 

That  you  scarcely  were  fit  to  take  Gutts  to  a  Bear  " 
"  Well  what  did  you  say  .?  "    "  Why  I  said  that  you  were 


The  Boit  Family  41 


EPITAPH,  ON  A  SAILOR 

Dec.  9,  1801  1801 

Free  from  the  Storms,  and  Gusts  of  human  life, 
Free  from  the  squalls  of  passion  and  of  strife. 
Here  Jack  lies  anchored  —  who  has  stood  the  sea 
Of  ebbing  life,  and  swelling  misery: 
Tho'  poorly  rig'd,  his  prudent  eye  foresaw, 
And  took  a  reef  at  fortune's  quickest  flaw ; 
He  luffed  and  bore  away  to  please  mankind, 
But  duty  urg'd  him  still  to  head  the  wind. 
A  fever's  tempest,  soon  his  Masts  destroy'd, 
But  Jury  Health,  awhile,  he  still  enjoyed. 
Laden  with  grief,  and  age,  and  shatter'd  Head 
At  length  he  struck,  and  grounded  on  his  bed; 
While  in  distress,  careening  thus  he  lay. 
His  final  Bilge  exputing  every  day. 
Heaven  took  his  ballast  from  its  dreary  hole, 
And  left  his  body  destitute  of  Soul. 


42  Chronicles  of 


HYMEN 
j8oi  Dec.  lo,  1801 

He  led  her  to  the  Nuptial  bower, 
And  nestled  closely  to  her  side  ; 

The  fondest  Bridegroom  of  that  Hour, 
And  she  —  the  most  delighted  Bride ! ! 


EPIGRAM 
1801  Dec.  16,  1 80 1 

Ha!  some  one  strikes  me!  rascle  who  art  thou, 
That  cowardly  insults  an  old  man's  brow, 
Which  oft,  while  young,  hath  borne  the  Laurel  wreath  ! 
Good  ancient  Sir,  be  calm,  my  name  is  Death. 


The  Boit  Family  43 

HYMEN 

Hail !  Wedded  Love  !  The  bard  thy  beauty  hails  ! 

Though    mixed    at    times    with    Cock   and    Hen-like 
sparrings. 
But  calms  are  very  pleasant  after  gales, 

And  Dove-like  peace  much  sweeter  after  Warrings ! 


HYMEN 
Dec.  16,  1801  1801 

Hail !  ev'ry  pair  whom  love  unites 

In  Hymen's  pleasing  ties; 
That  endless  source  of  pure  delights 

That  blessins:  of  the  Wise. 


PRAYER  OF  A  DISCONSOLATE  NEPHEW 

If  Liberty  can  soften  all  our  woes, 
If  't  is  the  sweetest  blessing  Heaven  bestows, 
Then  Oh  !  Ye  Gods  !  pray  keep  me  from  the  haunts 
Of  Bach'lor  Uncles,  and  Old  Maiden  Aunts  ! 


44  Chronicles  of 

ODE  — TO   ANTIQUATED   VIRGINITY 
1801  Dec.  18,  1 801 

Hail!  spotless  virgins,  free  from  sin, 

Sweet  modest  maidens  hail ! 
To  gain  whose  bosoms,  lank  and  thin, 

None  e'er  could  yet  prevail. 

In  flowing  numbers,  fain  would  I 
Your  won'drous  praises  sing, 

And  let  Imagination  fly. 
On  Fancy's  soaring  wing. 

Your  mopstick  arms,  ixomjiesh  quite  free, 
We  view  with  sweet  delight. 

Your  waists,  as  thin,  as  thin  can  be 
Enchant  our  wondering  sight. 

Sneaking  alone,  oft  times  ye  sit, 
At  once  both  cold  and  tough, 

With  dog  in  lap,  or  fav'rite  tit. 
And  noses  grim'd  with  Snuff, 

With  crabbed  looks  and  sour  grimace. 

Ye  mope  like  Owls  or  Batts 
And  with  a  most  enchanting  grace, 

Pur,  like  your  tabby  cats. 


The  Boit  Family  45 

But  here,  I  stop,  for  my  poor  brain. 

Allows  the  task  too  hard, 
To  celebrate  your  Vestal  train. 

Requires  an  abler  Bard!!! 

Perhaps  it  is  my  high  regard  for  women  and  sympathy 
for  them,  whether  married  or  single,  that  leads  me  to 
believe  that  no  ancestor  of  mine  ever  indited  these 
verses  ! 


FRIENDSHIP 

When  Fortune  smiles  and  looks  serene, 

Tis  "Sir,  how  do  you  do? 
Your  family  are  well,  I  hope, 

Could  I  serve  them,  or  you  ?  " 

But  turn  the  scale,  let  Fortune  frown, 

And  dire  disaster  greet  you; 
'Tis  then  "I  'm  sorry  for  your  loss, 

But  times  are  hard  —  good  bye  t '  ye  !  " 

Those  then  who  oft  your  table  graced, 

And  on  your  viands  fed. 
Will  be  the  first  to  give  a  kick, 
"He  brouLdit  it  on  his  head." 


46  Chronicles  of 

"TO  A  LADY" 
WHO  SENT  HER  LOVER  A  KISS 
IN  A  LETTER 
1801  Dec.  20,  1 80 1 

Thanks  to  my  gentle,  absent  friend ! 
A  Kiss  you  in  your  Letter  send  : 
But  ah !  the  thrilHng  charm  is  lost, 
In  Kisses  that  arrive  by  post. 
That  fruit  can  only  tasteful  be, 
When  gathered  melting  from  the  Tree  ! ! 


ON  SEEING  A  LADY  KISS  A  CAT 

Chloe,  sweet  girl !  in  pity  hear 

This  small  request,  that  I  may  live, 

Let  me  with  your  grimalkin  share 
The  balmy  kisses  which  you  give. 

And  when  in  search  of  mouse  or  rat. 

Puss  range  abroad,  with  zeal  most  fervent. 

Rather  than  wait  to  kiss  your  cat  — 
Kiss  in  her  stead  your  humble  servant ! 


The  Boit  Family  47 

EPITAPH 
(on  an  infant) 
Dec.  23,  1801  1801 

Oh  !   "  why  so  soon,"  when  the  first  flower  appears, 
Strays  the  brief  Blossom  from  the  vale  of  tears  ? 
Death  viewed  the  treasure,  to  the  desert  given, 
Claim'd  the  fair  flower,  and  planted  it  in  heaven. 


CONSOLATION 
(written  near  the  sea  shore  in  a  storm) 

Weep  not,  Ellen,  gentle  maid  ! 

Though  the  wild  wind  swells  the  main, 
The  adverse  storm  may  soon  be  laid, 

And  your  Lover  come  again. 


For  not  the  bird  of  smallest  worth, 
That  winnows  with  light  wing  the  air, 

If  He  permits  not,  falls  to  earth. 
Who  numbers  ev'ry  hair. 

Then  blow  the  wild  wind,  how  it  will, 

From  North  or  South,  from  East  or  West, 

Weep  not !  but  humbly  trust  it  still 
Blows  for  the  best. 


48  Chronicles  of 

COMPLAINT  AGAINST  TIME 
1802  Jan.  2,  1802 

Why,  envious  Time,  will  you  now  fly  so  fast  ? 
When  I  'm  from  Elleti,  you  never  make  such  haste, 
When  I  'm  with  her,  the  hours  but  minutes  are ; 
But  when  from  her,  then  ev'ry  hour  's  a  year. 
You  have  no  rule  —  you  have  no  equal  go, 
But  always  are  too  fast,  or  yet  too  slow. 

ON    ELLEN 

When  Cupid  saw  his  power  betray'd 
On  Earth,  and  in  the  Realms  above, 
''Let  Ellen  be  !''  he  smiling  said, 

Ellen  appeared  —  and  all  was  love  I 


ON  DUELLING 

Am  I  to  set  my  life  upon  a  throw. 
Because  a  Brute  is  rude  and  surly }  No  - 
A  moral,  sensible,  and  well-bred  man 
Will  not  insult  me  —  and  no  other  can! 


The  Boit  Family  49 

A  SARCASM,    AGAINST   THE    LADIES 

Jan.  3,  1802  1802 

Women  are  books,  in  which  we  do  espy, 
Some  blotted  lines,  and  sometimes  lines  awry, 
And  tho'  perhaps,  some  strait  ones  intervene, 
In  all  of  them  Errata  may  be  seen  ; 
If  it  be  so,  I  wish  that  my  wife  were, 
An  Almanac,  to  change  her  ev'ry  year  ! 


AN    IMPROMPTU   ANSWER    BY  A    LADY 

"  Women  are  books,"  in  this  I  do  agree  ; 
But  men  there  are,  that  can't  read  A,  B,  C, 
And  some  who  have  not  genius  to  discern, 
The  Beauties  of  the  books  they  attempt  to  learn. 
For  those  an  Almanac  may  always  hold 
As  much  of  science,  as  they  can  unfold.  — 
But  thank  our  stars,  our  Critics  are  not  these  ; 
The  men  of  sense  and  taste  we  always  please. 
Who  know  to  chusc,  and  then  to  prize  their  Books, 
Nor  leave  the  strait  lines,  for  to  search  for  crooks ; 
And  from  those  Books  their  noblest  pleasures  flow, 
Altho'  perfection  's  never  found  below ; 
They  know  we  're  in  a  World  of  error  thrown, 
And  our  Erratas  place  against  their  Own. 


50  Chronicles  of 

YESTERDAY 
1802  Feb.  23,  1802 

Say  ye  studious,  grave,  and  old, 
Tell  me  all  ye  fair  and  Gay 

Tell  me  whence  I  may  behold 
The  fleeting  form  of  Yesterday  ? 

Where 's  autumnal  plenty  fled  ? 

Winter,  where  's  his  boisterous  sway  ? 
Where 's  the  vernal  flower  sped  ? 

Summer  !  where  's  thy  Yesterday  ? 

Jocund  sprites  of  social  joy, 

Round  our  smiling  Goblet  play. 

Flee  ye  —  power  of  rude  annoy. 
Like  the  ghost  of  Yesterday  — 

Odorous  sweet,  and  generous  wine 
Hither  boy  !  with  speed  convey  ; 

Jes'mine  wreaths  with  Roses  twine 
Ere  they  fade  like  Yesterday  — 

Brim  the  bowl,  and  pass  it  round 
Lightly  tune  the  Sportive  lay, 

Let  the  festal  hour  be  crowned 
Ere  't  is  lost  —  like  Yesterday. 


The  Boit  Family  51 

THE    DYING   QUAKER 

Feb.  2^,  1802  ,802 

As  good  Ezekiel,  on  his  bed 

Lay  sick  and  full  of  fears, 
Attended  only  by  his  maid, 

Who  oft  in  need  had  lent  him  aid, 
His  eyes  gush'd  out  with  tears. 

The  simple  girl  to  soothe  his  pain 

And  mitigate  his  grief, 
Thus  tried  in  consolating  strain 

(Nor  was  she  wont  to  try  in  vain) 
To  give  his  woes  relief. 

Ah  !  wherefore,  Master,  should  you  dread 

Death's  all  subduing  dart; 
You  who  so  good  a  life  have  led 

And  to  so  clear,  and  wise  a  head 
Join'd  purity  of  heart  } 

Your  garb  was  always  neat  and  plain, 

Your  hair  full  straight  and  sleek ; 
And  let  it  hail,  or  snow,  or  rain 

No  weather  could  your  zeal  restrain. 
From  meetins:  thrice  a  week  — 


52  Chronicles  of 

You  never  swear,  as  others  use, 

Nor  speak,  but  to  some  end. 
You  ever  paid  the  parson's  dues. 

You  never  trusted  Turks,  nor  Jews, 
Nor  e'er  deceived  a  friend. 

You  ne'er  encouraged  legal  strife, 
Nor  sold  your  wares  too  high. 

You  ne'er  were  drunk,  in  all  your  life, 

You  ne'er  debauch'd  your  neighbour  s  wife 
Nor  ever  told  a  lie. 

At  this  Ezekiel  shook  his  head 
And  heaved  a  piteous  sigh  ! 

Then  thus  in  grief  of  heart  he  said. 
And  sunk  dejected  on  his  bed  — 
"Ah  !  Betty,  I  've  been  sly!  " 


PERPETUAL  MOTION 

War  begets  poverty  —  poverty  peace  — 
Peace  begets  riches  —  riches  increase 
Till  wealth  begets  pride  —  pride  is  war's  ground 
War  begets  poverty  —  The  world  goes  round  ! 


The   Boit  Family  53 


TO  A  YOUNG  LADY  UPON  HER 

SAYING  SHE  INTENDED  TO 

BUILD    HER   A   HOUSE 

1802 

To  build  !  T  is  mighty  well  designed, 
For  that 's  the  business  of  mankind ; 
That  Nature  looks  for,  at  your  hand, 
And  may  your  house  forever  stand ! 
May  't  flourish  for  all  time  to  come, 
With  growing  youth  and  constant  bloom  ! 
To  raise  dull  fabrics,  sure  was  ne'er 
The  purpose  of  the  young  and  fair  — 
No !  that  and  you  would  ill  agree  — 
'T  is   yours  to  raise  a  family  ! 
A  nobler  House !  So  —  build  you  may. 
But  think  to  build  the  proper  way ! 
Then  shall  I  wish  it  —  good  effect  — 
And  gladly  be  —  your  Architect!! 


1803 


54  Chronicles  of 

MY    LOVE'S    A   VESSEL,   TRIM    AND    GAY 
1802  Mar.  I,  1802 

My  Love  's  a  vessel  trim  and  gay, 

Rigged  out  with  truth  and  stored  with  honor. 

As  thro'  life's  sea,  she  cuts  her  way. 
All  eyes  with  rapture  gaze  upon  her  — 

Built  ev'ry  wondering  heart  to  please ; 

The  lucky  shipwrights'  love  and  fancy, 
From  stem  to  stern  she  moves  with  ease  ; 

And  at  her  launch,  they  call'd  her  Nancy. 

When  heading  up  against  Life's  gales. 
So  well  she  stems  the  dang'rous  trouble, 

I  call  her  Anna  as  she  sails. 

Her  form's  so  grand  —  her  air's  so  noble  ! 

When  o'er  the  trembling  wave  she  flies, 
What  plays  and  sports  as  she  advances  ! 
"  Well  said,  my  Nan  "  I  fondly  cries. 
As  my  full  heart  in  concert  dances. 

In  studding-sails,  before  Life's  breeze, 
So  sweetly  gentle  in  her  motion, 

She's  Anne,  for  as  she  moves  with  ease, 
She  seems  the  Queen  of  all  the  Ocean. 


The  Boit  Family  55 

When  laying  on  a  tack,  so  neat, 

The  breeze  her  milk  white  bosom  filling 

She  skims  the  yielding  ways  so  fleet  — 
I  call  her  Nance,  my  bosom  thrilling ! 

Thus  is  she  precious  to  my  heart, 

By  whate'er  name  comes  o'er  my  fancy 

Graceful  or  gay,  grand,  neat,  or  smart, 
Or  Anna,  Anne,  Naji,  Nance,  or  Nancy ! 


I  have  referred  these  verses  to  several  students  of 
English  literature.  Neither  they  nor  I  know  them  nor 
have  been  able  to  find  them  elsewhere,  and  it  is  our 
impression  they  are  original.  Yet  still  as  John  Boit  (2) 
not  infrequently  quoted  from  others  in  his  logs  and 
journals,  it  may  be  found  that  certain  of  these  were  not 
written  by  him.  It  is  not  likely,  however,  as  his  quota- 
tions were  usually  in  quotation-marks,  which  is  not  the 
case  with  these.  Many  are  signed  by  him.  Many  are 
to  his  wife,  Ellen. 

I  think  all  of  them  are  interesting  and  there  is  a  fine 
ring  to  those  that  have  to  do  with  the  sea,  such  as  "The 
Return,"  "  Hoisting  the  Sails,"  "  Epitaph,  on  a  Sailor," 
"My  Love's  a  Vessel  Trim  and  Gay,"  while  none  are 
without  a  point. 


THE  FAMILY  OF  JOHN   BOIT  (2) 

Chapter  III 

I   SHALL  now  speak   of  John  Boit's  (2)  marriage, 
wife  and  children. 

Several  of  his  voyages,  beginning  with  that  of  the 
sloop  Union,  when  he  was  but  twenty,  started  from 
Newport,  Rhode  Island,  and  there  he  made  many 
friends. 

In  his  log  at  the  end  of  the  sloop  Hiram's  voyage,  he 

1797  writes  on  the  26th  of  November,  1797,  "In  pursuit  of 

Miss  E J.     In  her  smiles  to  be  happy.     Fortune 

de  Ger." 

You  must  not  forget  that  this  is  the  master-mariner, 
the  son  of  the  man  of  English  and  French  descent,  who 
first  came  to  this  country.  He  was  your  great-grand- 
father, as  I  have  repeatedly  said.     He  was  born  as  you 

1774     may  remember  on  the  15  th  of  October,  1774. 

1799  On  the  20th  of  August,  1799,  when  he  was  nearly 
twenty-five,  and  about  seven  months  after  his  father's 
death,  he  was  married  at  Trinity  Church  in  Newport, 
Rhode  Island,  to  Eleanor  Jones  of  that  town.  The 
reference  to  the  pretty  girls  of  Newport,  which  I  quoted, 
was  by  no  means  the  only  one  to  be  found  in  his 
journals.     His  father,  John  Boit  (i),  the  merchant,  had 

1798  died  in  Boston  on  the  28th  of  December,  1798,  and  his 

56 


The  Boit  Family  57 

mother  a  couple  of  years  or  more  before  that,  so  that  on 
shore  he  no  longer  had  a  home  of  his  own. 

Both  his  father  and  mother  had  been  buried  at  King's 
Chapel  in  Boston,  and  according  to  the  record  of  that 
church  his  father  was  sixty-five  years  old  when  he  died. 

Although  John  Boit  (2)  was  less  than  twenty-five 
when  he  was  married,  he  had  already  been  a  commander 
of  ships  for  nearly  five  years,  and  an  officer  for  three 
years  before  that,  so  that  he  must  have  been  old  for  his 
age,  and  certainly  was  no  "  chicken  "  in  experience. 

John  Boit's  (2)  wife,  Eleanor  Jones,  was  the  daughter 
of  Edward  Jones,  a  British  Officer  of  Customs  in  Cork, 
Ireland,  who  came  to  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  to  live. 
Her  mother's  maiden  name  was  Henrietta  Auchmuty. 
The  date  of  her  father's  death  is  unknown. 

Eleanor  Jones  had  a  sister  Mar)-,  and  brothers  William 
and  John  and  Henry.  Her  brother  Henry  Jones  (2) 
married  and  lived  in  Charleston,  South  Carolina.  The 
two  sisters,  Eleanor  and  Mary,  lived  with  their  mother, 
Mrs.  Edward  Jones,  in  Newport,  Rhode  Island. 

It  is  through  this  family  that  ours  became  related  to 
the  families  of  Auchmuty,  Howard,  and  Overing,  which 
names  have  been  retained  by  many  of  their  descendants. 
Mrs.  Jones  was,  as  I  have  said,  an  Auchmuty.  Edward 
Jones,  the  father  of  Eleanor  Jones  Boit,  died  December 
5,  1786,  and  was  buried  at  Trinity  Church,  Newport,  17S6 
Rhode  Island,  December  12,  1786. 

The  sisters  were  said  to  have  been  very  handsome. 


58  Chronicles  of 

They  were  painted  several  times  by  Malbone,  the  minia- 
ture painter.  In  fact,  Eleanor  was  the  central  figure  of 
Malbone's  "  Present,  Past  and  Future  "  or  the  •'  Three 
Graces  "  or  "  The  Hours"  —  all  three  of  which  names 
the  painting  has  been  called.  This  picture  is  owned  by 
the  Providence  Historical  Society. 

My  father  and  aunts  always  vouched  for  this  statement, 
that  this  was  the  portrait  of  their  mother,  and  they  must 
have  known.  When  I  was  a  young  man,  the  picture  was 
owned  by  some  family  in  Newport,  whose  name  I  have 
forgotten.  Ned,  my  brother,  went  to  see  them  in 
the  hope  of  buying  the  portrait  for  my  aunt,  Mrs, 
Russell  (Boit)  Sturgis.  Although  this  family  recognized 
the  fact  that  the  portrait  of  the  central  figure  was  that 
of  my  grandmother,  Eleanor  (Jones)  Boit,  they  would  not 
sell  it. 

The  likeness  of  the  central  figure  in  this  painting  to 
my  brother  Edward's  daughter,  Mary  Louisa,  was  ex- 
traordinary. 

The  Malbones  were  close  friends  of  these  two  good- 
looking  Jones  girls,  and  the  painter's  brother,  apparently 
a  very  delicate  man,  took  several  voyages  with  my  grand- 
father as  supercargo.  They  were  much  attached  to  each 
other  and  my  grandfather  felt  his  loss  very  deeply  when 
at  last  he  died,  as  I  take  it,  of  consumption. 

During  the  first  years  of  your  great-grandfather's 
married  life,  his  wife  Eleanor,  or  Ellen,  as  she  was  called, 
lived  in  Newport  with  his  children  while  he  was  at  sea, 


The  Boit  Family  59 

and  afterwards  moved  to  Jamaica  Plain  and  thence  to 
Boston. 

When  in  Jamaica  Plain,  the  family  lived  on  Centre 
Street,  at  the  corner  of  Boylston  Street,  in  a  quaint  and 
interesting  house  with  many  gables.  It  was  still  stand- 
ing when  I  last  drove  by,  and  is  well  worth  visiting, 
though  it  has  been  altered  and  does  not  retain  its  old- 
fashioned  simplicity.  In  Boston  they  lived  on  Atkinson 
Street,  which  no  longer  exists,  but  was,  I  think,  the 
present  Congress  Street,  or  near  it. 

After  Eleanor's  marriage  to  John  Boit  (2),  old  Mrs. 
Jones  and  her  daughter  Mary  went  to  Charleston,  South 
Carolina,  to  live  with,  or  near  her  sons,  and  they  both  died 
there.  One  of  John  Boit's  (2)  children  —  Ellen  —  also 
went  to  Charleston  and  died  there,  and  your  great -grand- 
mother, Ellen  Boit,  went  to  Charleston  for  the  last  winter 
of  her  life  and  then  returned  to  Boston  to  die.  Thus  the 
family  kept  in  close  touch  with  their  Southern  relations 
for  many  years.  Eleanor  Jones  Boit,  or  Ellen,  as  she 
was  called,  died  in  Boston,  in  July,  183 1. 

John  Boit  (2)  and  Eleanor  (Jones)  Boit  had  a  number 
of  children. 

1.  Ellen,  who  died  single  in  Charleston,  South 
Carolina. 

2.  Caroline,  who  married  Henry  F.  Baker,  merchant, 
of  Boston. 

3.  Henry,  who  went  South  and  died  there. 

4.  Mary,  who  died  single  in  or  near  Boston. 


6o  Chronicles  of 

5.  Harriet  Auchmuty  Howard,  who  married  Charles 
Inches  of  Boston. 

6.  Edward  Darley,  who  married  Jane  Hubbard  of 
Boston. 

7.  Julia  Overing,  who  married  Russell  Sturgis  of 
Boston  and  London. 

The  families  of  John  Boit  (i)  and  John  Boit  (2)  held 
a  good  social  position  in  Boston  where  many  of  them,  in 
fact  most  of  them,  were  born  and  buried. 

CHILDREN    OF    JOHN    BOIT  (2) 

Next  in  order  come  the  children  of  John  Boit  (2),  and 
I  shall  try  to  give  you  a  more  or  less  correct  impression 
of  these  rather  unique  people.  They  were  my  aunts  and 
my  father.  I  knew  all  this  generation  personally,  except 
Ellen  and  Mary,  who  died  early  in  life,  and  an  older 
brother  of  my  father,  named  Henry,  who  disappeared 
when  he  was  young  and  died  in  some  unknown  part  of 
the  South.  It  was  said  that  he  married  there  but  left 
no  male  children. 

I  never  knew  any  of  my  grandparents,  three  of  whom 
died  many  years  before  I  was  born,  and  the  fourth,  my 
Grandmother  Hubbard,  when  I  was  less  than  a  year  old. 

In  speaking  of  this  generation  of  Boits  which  immedi- 
ately precedes  my  own,  I  might  state  that  they  were  all 
emphatically  proud  of  the  "  Boit  blood."  Exactly  why 
they  prided  themselves  upon  it  to  the  extent  they  did, 
was  never  fully  explained  to  me.     It  was  not  a  question 


The   Boit  Family  6i 

open  to  argument  or  discussion.  It  was  either  a  fact  or 
a  state  of  mind  fundamentally  imbedded  within  them. 
They  were  an  imperious,  handsome  race,  confident  of 
themselves,  and  with  unquestioned  faith  in  a  well- 
selected  ancestry.  If  I  had  been  interested  in  such 
matters  in  my  youth,  I  might  perhaps  have  discovered 
the  cause  for  their  pride  and  self-satisfaction.  But  such, 
alas !  was  not  the  case.  However,  their  distinguished 
looks,  their  wit,  their  brilliant,  well-educated  minds,  their 
manners  and  their  breeding  did,  indeed,  sufficiently  mark 
them  as  people  of  birth.  No  doubt  this  pride,  perhaps 
in  a  more  modified  form,  has  been  inherited  by  many  of 
their  descendants,  for  I  find  that  even  I,  myself,  in  all 
modesty,  am  entirely  satisfied  with  my  family  and  for- 
bears, and  am  ready  to  praise  God,  that  with  all  our  fail- 
ings, we  are  not  altogether  like  other  men ! 

1.  My  oldest  Boit  aunt  was  Ellen,  named  after  her 
mother.  She  never  married,  and  went  to  Charleston, 
South  Carolina,  where  she  died  while  staying  with  her 
uncle,  Henry  Jones. 

CAROLINE    BOIT 

2.  Caroline  Boit  was  born  in  Newport,  Rhode  Island, 
May  5,  1S04.     She  was  brought  up  in  Boston  and  mar-     1804 
ried  Henry  F.  Baker,  in  November,  1822.     I  have  been     ^^^2 
told  that  none  stood  higher,  as  a  man  and  a  merchant  in 
Boston  than  Mr.  Baker,  whom  I  never  saw.    He  graduated 
from  Harvard  in  the  Class  of  181 5,  and  was  twice  made     1S15 


i826 
1831 


62  Chronicles  of 

Colonel  of  the  First  Independent  Corps  of  Cadets,  and 
served  in  that  position  for  nearly  six  years,  from  April  24, 
1 826  to  December  6,  1 8 3 1 ,  Their  daughter,  Ellen  Baker, 
left  the  Cadets  some  valuable  records,  inherited  from  her 
father,  of  its  doings  in  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth 
century.  He  passed  the  last  part  of  his  life,  with  his 
family  in  the  West,  where  he  was  unsuccessful  in  busi- 
1857  ness.  He  died  in  1857  and  left  my  aunt  a  small  prop- 
erty upon  which,  for  the  rest  of  her  life,  she  was  enabled 
to  live  only  by  exercising  the  strictest  economy.  She 
was  an  exceedingly  proud  woman,  and  I  think  her 
"angustas  res"  embittered  her  as  she  grew  old. 

After  her  husband's  death  she  came  to  live  in  a  small 
house  in  Jamaica  Plain,  bringing  her  daughter  Ellen  with 
her.  It  was  only  at  this  time,  for  a  few  years  before  her 
death,  which  took  place  within  a  year  or  two  before  I  went 
to  college,  that  I  knew  her.  We  were  then  living  in  Glen 
Road,  Jamaica  Plain,  and  she  and  her  daughter  were 
often  at  our  house.  I  was  from  twelve  to  eighteen  years 
old  at  this  time  and,  being  constantly  at  home,  I  was  fre- 
quently called  upon  to  escort  her  between  our  houses. 

I  remember  well  these  walks  with  this  slight,  erect, 
imperious  old  lady  clinging  to  my  arm.  In  fact  she  first 
taught  me  how,  in  proper  fashion,  to  give  my  arm  to  a 
lady,  explaining  just  how  tight  she  thought  I  should 
clasp  it.  If  I  remember  right  her  rule  was  "  tight  with- 
out squeezing."     I  have  endeavored  to  follow  it. 

This  aunt  of  mine  made  a  strong  impression  upon  me. 


The  Boit  Family  63 

She  was  above  the  medium  height,  and  with  a  temper 
fully  equal  to  her  stature.  As  a  young  chap  I  stood  in 
very  considerable  awe  of  her,  for  she  had  a  way  of  piercing 
me  with  her  eagle  eye,  that  was  extremely  embarrassing. 
I  think  she  suspected  me  of  suspecting  her  of  wearing  a 
wig.  I  am  quite  sure  she  did  wear  one,  for  I  examined 
it  at  odd  moments  with  the  most  intimate  scrutiny. 

It  was  said  in  the  family  that  when  her  daughter  Ellen 
grew  up,  she  was  jealous  of  her  youth  and  especially  of 
her  splendid  hair,  and  that  she  treated  her  with  the 
greatest  severity.  However  this  may  have  been  her 
daughter  never  harbored  it  against  her,  but,  on  the 
contrary,  always  spoke  of  her  mother  in  terms  of  honest 
admiration  and  affection.  I  think  she  died  in  1861  or  1861 
1862,  or  at  the  beginning  of  our  Ci\il  War,  but  I  do  not  1862 
happen  to  have  the  record  of  her  death. 

Her  daughter  Ellen  lived  to  a  good  old  age,  and  was 
devoted  to  her  church,  and  to  every  member  and  de- 
scendant of  the  Boit  family.  Though  we  were  all  fond 
of  her,  it  always  seemed  to  me  her  cousin,  Dr.  Charles 
E.  Inches,  was  her  most  constant,  thoughtful  and  atten- 
tive friend.  He  certainly  did  everything  in  his  power  to 
make  the  life  of  this  rather  lonely  old  lady  happy  and 
comfortable. 

Aunt  Caroline  (Boit)  Baker  also  had  a  son  Darley.  I 
never  saw  him  but  once,  and  that  when  I  was  young,  for 
his  life  was  passed  chiefly  in  the  West  and  South.  I 
remember  him  as  a  tall,  handsome  young  man  of  fine 


64  Chronicles  of 

proportions.  He  came  to  see  us  when  we  were  living  in 
Eliot  Street,  Jamaica  Plain.  Only  my  little  sister  Jeanie 
and  I  were  at  home,  and  we  giggled  at  his  rather  senti- 
mental regrets,  that  although  we  were  his  first  cousins, 
we  did  not  even  know  him  by  sight.  I  may  have  been 
twelve  and  she  eight  at  the  time.  He  married  in  the 
West,  and  died,  if  I  remember  correctly,  in  New  Orleans, 
leaving  no  descendants.  He  graduated  from  Harvard  in 
1848    the  class  of  1848. 

3.  Henry  Boit,  left  home  in  his  early  youth  and  never 
came  back  again,  nor  kept  in  touch  with  his  family  in 
Boston.  He  was  older  than  my  father  and  even  he  did 
not  remember  him  well.  He  settled  somewhere  in  the 
South,  probably  Florida,  and  married  there,  but  left  no 
male  descendants. 

4.  Then  came  a  daughter  Mary  Boit,  who  died  young 
and  unmarried,  though  she  lived  till  after  her  father's 

1829     death  in  1829.     I  never  saw  her. 

HARRIET    AUCHMUTY    HOWARD    BOIT 

5.  Harriet  Auchmuty  Howard  Boit  was  born  in  Boston, 
1812     on  the  31st  of  August,  1812,  at  the  time  of  our  second 

war  with  England.  She  married  Charles  Inches,  a 
member  of  a  prominent  Boston  family.  His  brother, 
Henderson  Inches,  was  Colonel  of  the  First  Independent 
1837  Corps  of  Cadets  for  a  short  seven  months  in  1837. 
Aunt  Harriet  was  a  notably  handsome  woman, 
rather  above  the  medium  height,  and  of    commanding 


The  Boit  Family  65 

presence.  I  remember  her  well,  her  exquisite,  clean- 
cut  features,  her  beautiful  nose,  her  white  teeth,  and  her 
quick  temper.  She  certainly  had  what  was  called  the 
high  temper  of  the  Boits,  and  in  moments  of  anger  a 
severe  tongue.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  her  tempers 
were  soon  over,  and  no  woman  could  make  herself  more 
perfectly  charming  and  delightful  than  she.  Though  a 
high-strung  woman,  she  was  no  more  so  than  many  of 
her  family,  and  with  it  went  a  great  heart  and  a  most 
generous  and  hospitable  nature. 

I  was  always  much  attached  to  her  for  her  many  kind- 
nesses to  me  when  I  was  a  boy.  I  remember  once,  as  a 
boy,  while  staying  with  her  at  Nahant,  I  put  a  long  suc- 
cession of  lumps  of  sugar  into  my  tea,  and  was  reminded 
by  her  of  the  high  price  of  sugar.  For  a  moment  I  was 
quite  overcome  by  her  very  proper  rebuke.  But  my 
greed  did  not  prevent  her  asking  me  to  stay  many,  many 
times  afterward.     It  was  a  good  lesson. 

Her  wit  was  keen,  and  nobody  ever  enjoyed  a  good  joke 
more  than  she,  whether  it  happened  to  be  her  own  or  some- 
one else's.    I  can  hear  her  ringing  laugh  at  this  moment ! 

Like  all  the  Boits  of  her  generation  she  was  a  high- 
bred, aristocratic-looking  woman. 

During  my  childhood  and  early  youth  our  family 
always  dined  with  Aunt  Harriet  and  Uncle  Charles  Inches 
on  Thanksgiving  Day  or  they  with  us.  And  as  I 
remember  these  occasions  they  were  very  festive,  and 
brilliant    affairs,    and    never   a   disappointment    to    my 


66  Chronicles  of 

youthful  appetite.  As  I  recall  the  menu,  it  did  not  vary 
much  year  after  year  from  this  :  First,  oyster  soup ; 
second,  boiled  turkey  with  oyster  sauce ;  third,  roast 
turkey  with  sausages  (the  peculiarity  of  these  dinners 
was  especially  this  succession  of  turkeys) ;  fourth,  ducks 
or  geese ;  fifth,  puddings  and  pies  and  ices  and  nuts 
and  raisins  and  such-like.  Of  course  I  do  not  remember 
the  vegetables,  but  as  I  grew  older  the  steady  flow  of 
champagne  made  its  proper  impression  upon  me.  These 
were  usually  dinners  of  from  twelve  to  sixteen. 

On  one  memorable  occasion  the  cook  deserted  on  the 
morning  of  Thanksgiving  Day,  and  Aunt  Harriet  cooked 
the  entire  dinner  herself,  sitting  at  table  in  her  low-necked 
evening  dress,  as  the  courses  were  served,  and  working  in 
the  kitchen  between  times.  The  dinner  was  proclaimed 
to  be  a  marvellously  good  one,  and  I  can  see  Aunt 
Harriet's  eyes  sparkle  with  the  recognition  of  her  feat  and 
its  success.  It  seems  to  me  no  less  wonderful  today,  as 
I  look  back  upon  it,  than  it  did  then. 

At  this  time  both  our  families  were  living  in  Jamaica 
Plain,  we  in  Eliot  Street  and  Aunt  Harriet  and  Uncle 
Charles  Inches  in  Centre  Street,  near  Boylston  Street. 
Why  I  should  recall  the  fact  I  do  not  know,  for  it  is 
unimportant,  but  I  do  remember  that  although  their's 
was  otherwise  a  long  frame  house,  the  entire  northerly 
side  of  it  was  brick  —  no  doubt  for  warmth  in  winter. 
I  'm  under  the  impression  this  was  not  unusual  in 
the  building  of   old  Colonial   houses  in  New  England. 


The  Boit  Family  67 

Aunt  Harriet  Boit  married,  as  I  have  said,  Charles 
Inches,  brother  of  Herman,  Henderson,  and  Martin 
Inches,  and  a  cousin  of  Martin  Brimmer,  among  the 
most  prominent  people,  socially,  of  their  day  in  Boston. 

Their  children  were  : 

(a)  Susan,  who  married  Robert  S.  Sturgis,  brother  of 
Russell  Sturgis  of  Baring  Brothers,  and  from  whom  are 
descended,  Robert  Sturgis,  who  married  Marion  Sharpless 
of  New  York;  Charles  Sturgis,  who  lives  in  Chicago; 
Roger  Sturgis  of  Boston;  and  Mrs.  Ingersoll,  Mrs.  Scott 
and  Mrs.  Stewart,  all  brought  up  in  Philadelphia.  Mrs. 
Robert  Sturgis  was  my  first  cousin  and  all  these,  their 
children,  are  your  second   cousins. 

Robert  S.  Sturgis  and  his  wife  were  both  handsome. 
He  was  one  of  the  best  friends  I  had  in  my  youth  and 
his  house  at  Newport  always  open  to  me.  He  used  to 
say,  "Bob,  come  to  stay  whenever  you  like,  don't  bother 
to  write.  If  we  have  no  room,  we  can  always  put  a 
mattress  on  the  billiard  table."  Their  house  was 
always  a  most  hospitable  one  and  full  of  guests.  It 
was  on  Bellevue  Avenue,  and  afterwards  bought  by 
Levi  P.  Morton.  What  jolly  times  and  good  dances  I 
have  had  there ! 

(b)  Charles  Inches,  married  Miss  Pomeroy  and  is  the 
father  of  Charles  and  Henderson  and  Louise,  who  are 
your  second  cousins. 

(c)  Harriet,  who  died  man)-  years  ago,  single.  She 
was  a  wonderfully  handsome  woman. 


VI 
EDWARD  DARLEY  BOIT  (3) 

Sixth  Child  of  John  Boit  (2) 

Chapter  IV 

18,3  T-^DWARD  DARLEY  BOIT  (3),  born  in  1813, 
1890  I  *  >  died  in  1890,  who  married  Jane  Parkinson 
Hubbard,  daughter  of  John  Hubbard  of  Boston, 
was  my  father  and  your  grandfather. 
1813  He  was  born  in  Boston,  August  31,  18 13,  and  spent 
some  of  the  early  years  of  his  life,  as  I  have  said,  in 
Jamaica  Plain.  He  has  told  me  that  as  a  little  boy 
he  learned  to  navigate  Jamaica  Pond  on  a  big  log,  with 
a  soap  box  atop  of  it,  and  with  a  long  pole  to  drive  it. 
It  was  his  canoe  and  he  an  Indian  in  search  of  adventures 
that  never  failed  him.  Woods  were  all  about  the  pond  in 
those  days,  with  only  one  open  place  on  each  side  of  it  in 
Brookline  and  Jamaica  Plain,  where  the  road  for  a  rod  or 
two  ran  down  into  the  water,  giving  horses  a  chance  to 
drink.  He  was  always  as  careful  as  possible  to  avoid 
these  openings  for  fear  of  being  seen,  but  one  day  as 
he  was  poling  by  the  spot  where  the  road  touched 
the  pond  in  Jamaica  Plain,  the  family  doctor  drove  down 
to  water  his  horse  and  recognized  him  on  his  log.  When 
he  reached  home  that  night  he  got  a  sound  drubbing 

68 


The  Boit  Family  69 

from  his  father,  who  put  a  stop  forever  to  this  absorbing 
though  somewhat  dangerous  sport. 

green's  school 

When  he  grew  older,  he  was  sent  to  "  Green's  Board- 
ing School,"  at  the  corner  of  Main  Street  and  Pond 
Street,  Jamaica  Plain.  This  was  one  of  the  favorite 
schools  for  gentlemen's  sons  in  the  vicinity  of  Boston  at 
that  period.  The  house  was  a  very  handsome,  old 
Colonial,  square  structure,  large  and  spacious  and  painted 
white.  I  remember  it  well.  In  fact  it  was  torn  down 
less  than  twenty  years  ago.  It  had  a  grove  of  fine  old 
trees  about  it,  which  added  to  its  dignity. 

I  do  not  know  to  what  family  it  originally  belonged 
before  it  became  a  school,  but  the  fine  old  hall,  the  stair- 
cases and  mantel-pieces  proved  that  it  must  have  been 
an  important  mansion  in  its  day. 

My  father  used  to  tell  amusing  stories  of  old  Green 
and  his  school.  One  day  the  boys  were  standing  in 
line,  with  one  of  their  number  a  short  distance  off  plug- 
ging a  ball  at  them.  If  the  thrower  hit  a  boy,  that  boy 
had  his  next  turn  with  the  ball.  My  father  had  the 
ball,  and  just  then  old  Green  came  out  and  said  he  'd  join 
them  and  take  his  chances  with  the  rest.  So  he  took 
his  place  in  the  line  and  my  father  plugged  him  in  the 
stomach.  "Koit,"  he  shouted,  white  with  rage,  "go  to 
bed  at  once!"  and  off  my  father  went  and  was  given 
nothing  but  bread  and  water  till  the  next  morning. 


70  Chronicles  of 

Sometimes  Schoolmaster  Green  would  come  into  the 
dining-room  just  before  dinner,  rubbing  his  hands  and 
saying,  "  Now  boys,  the  fellows  that  eat  the  most  pudding 
shall  have  the  most  meat."  They  always  began  with 
pudding  —  a  clever  ruse  for  purposes  of  economy,  but  a 
short-lived  one,  for  the  boys  soon  got  on  to  it.  At  a  later 
date  my  father  went  to  the  Boston  Latin  School,  where 
his  own  father  had  gone  before  him. 

HARVARD 

1830  He  entered  Harvard  College  in  1830  when  he  was 
eighteen  years  old.  He  was  rather  a  gay  young  man 
and  a  great  favorite,  and  was  elected  Colonel  of  the 
College  Regiment  by  the  students.  This  was  always 
considered  a  mark  of  special  favor  and  popularity.  But 
the  President  or  Faculty  called  him  up  at  once,  and  told 
him  that  he  must  not  accept  the  position,  as  he  did  not 
stand  high  enough  in  his  studies,  and  was  a  little  too  gay. 
He  belonged  to  most  of  the  college  societies,  such 
as  the  Institute,  of  which  he  was  president,  the  Pudding, 
the  Porcellian,  and  the  Medfax.  I  see  by  the  Pudding 
catalogue  he  is  not  mentioned  as  belonging  to  that  club, 
but  I  think  it  is  a  mistake,  as  he  often  told  me  of  their 
doings.  It  is  my  impression  he  was  one  of  its  poets. 
The  last  year  he  was  in  college  there  was  a  rebellion, 

1834  and  the  majority  of  the  class  of  1834,  at  a  class  meeting 
voted  not  to  take  their  degrees  on  graduation.  Of  course, 
most  of  the  parents  made   their  sons  forget  this  silly 


The  Boit  Family  71 

promise,  but  he,  having  no  parents  kept  his  word  at  the 
time,  and  did  not  take  his  degree  until  six  years  after- 
wards, when  in  1 840,  he  graduated  from  the  Law  School     1840 
and  took  all  three  of  his  degrees  together :  A.  B.,  A.  M., 
and  LL.  D.     He  "roomed"  in  Massachusetts. 

My  father  had  the  reputation  of  being  a  handsome  man 
and  he  was  certainly  a  wit  and  the  quickest  man  in 
repartee  that  I  ever  happened  to  fall  in  with.  As  I  knew 
him,  the  great  beauty  of  his  wit  was  that  it  was  never 
biting  —  it  never  hurt  —  the  man  that  was  laughed  at 
was  always  ready  to  join  in  the  laugh  himself.  Yet  I 
have  heard  him  say  he  was  afraid  it  had  not  always  been 
so  in  his  youth. 

I  remember  Augustus  Lowell,  father  of  the  present 
president  of  Harvard,  told  me,  that  when  a  young  man 
he  always  thought  my  father  and  mother  the  hand- 
somest couple  in  Boston.  I  have  heard  many  others 
speak  in  the  same  way.  My  mother  was  said  to  have  been 
a  lovely  girl,  and  my  father  told  me  that  when  they  first 
moved  out  of  town  someone,  whose  name  I  've  forgotten, 
said,  "You  have  no  business  to  take  your  wife  out  of 
town.  No  ball  in  Boston  can  be  complete  without  Jane's 
neck  and  arms."  They  certainly  were  very  perfect  as 
I  remember  them. 

He  grew  up  with  the  pleasantest  set  of  Boston  men  of 
his  day  and  in  early  life  was  a  favorite  among  them  — 
the  Inches,  Robesons,  Joys,  Sturgises,  Welds,  Minots, 
Amorys,  Lowells,  Jacksons,  Putnams,  Lawrences,  Motleys, 


72  Chronicles  of 

Hubbards,  Frothinghams,  Tuckers,  Perkinses,  Lees, 
Apthorps,  Greenoughs,  Curtises,  Lorings,  Grants,  etc. 
His  best  man,  when  he  was  married,  was  Mr.  John 
Joy,  the  grandfather  of  my  AHce's  friend,  Ben  Joy,  who 
was  an  usher  at  her  own  wedding. 

Immediately  after  leaving  college,  he  did  a  lot  of  sur- 
veying of  the  flats  of  Boston  Harbor  with  gangs  under 
him.  Then  he  took  a  trip  to  India  as  supercargo.  When 
he  returned  from  the  East  he  studied  law  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Massachusetts  Bar  and  bacame  the  partner 
of  Benjamin  R.  (later  Judge)  Curtis  and  Charles  P. 
Curtis  (under  the  firm  name  of  Charles  P.  Curtis, 
Benjamin  R.  Curtis  and  Edward  D.  Boit),  and  later  young 
Charles  P.  Curtis  joined  the  firm,  who  was  the  father  of 
the  present  Charles  P.  Curtis,  who  married,  I  think,  a 
Miss  Anderson.  Edward  Darley  Boit  (3)  married  my 
mother,  Jane  Parkinson  Hubbard,  on  the  13th  of  June 

1839     1839,  ^^^  they  lived  chiefly  with  Mrs.  John  Hubbard's 

1846     family  until  I  was  born  in  1846. 

INGLESIDE 

jg\  From  1846  to  1853,  our  family  lived  at  "Ingleside" 
a  place  my  father  had  built  on  Forest  Hills  Street,  near 
Forest  Hills  Cemetery,  at  the  junction  of  Forest  Hills  and 
Scarborough  Street,  now  Morton  Street.  This  place  is 
embodied  in  Franklin  Park  and  through  it  is  the  entrance 
from  Forest  Hills  station.  The  beautiful  trees  on  these 
grounds  were  planted  by  your  grandfather. 


The  Boit  Family  73 

At  this  time  for  a  year  or  two  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Massachusetts  Legislature,  and  I  have  heard  it  said 
that  he  served  with  some  distinction.  He  was  an  admir- 
able speaker  and  had  a  resonant,  deep  bass  voice.  Still 
he  was  too  independent  and  outspoken  to  make  a  suc- 
cessful politician.  At  this  time  too,  he  became  superin- 
tendent of  the  Unitarian  Sunday  School  in  Jamaica  Plain, 
but  he  soon  gave  it  up,  because  he  said  he  could  hear 
the  sound  of  his  own  voice  growing  unctuous  and  that  was 
on  the  roatl  to  hypocrisy  ! 

In   1854  he  went  out  to  Chicago  and  wrote  up  the     1854 
first  conveyancing  books  of  that  city,  thinking  he  might 
settle  there,  but  he  could  not  stand  its  lack  of  civiliza- 
tion and  so  sold  the  result  of  his  work  for  $3,000  and 
returned  to  Boston. 

Our  family  were  living  then  in  West  Cedar  Street. 
I  was  eight  years  old.  I  remember  that  the  furni- 
ture had  been  boxed  and  made  ready  for  monng,  when 
my  father  returned  and  we  went  out  to  Eliot  Street, 
Jamaica  Plain,  to  live,  instead  of  to  Chicago  —  a  wise 
thing  for  all  of  us. 

After  this  he  gave  up  the  law.  I  think  now  it  was  his 
first  great  mistake,  for  he  had  many  admirable  qualifica- 
tions for  his  profession,  and  might  have  distinguished 
himself.  He  became  a  mill  treasurer  and  continued  to 
be  the  treasurer  of  various  cotton  mills  and  print  works 
until  after  the  Civil  War,  when  he  believed  there  was 
money  to  be  made  in  the  South,  and  went  to  Savannah, 


74  Chronicles  of 

Georgia,  and  there  entered  into  business  with  a  Southern 
man  by  the  name  of  McKenzie,  originally  from  Scotland, 

1868  This  was  in  the  autumn  of  186S,  just  after  my  gradua- 
tion, and  he  took  my  mother  and  me  with  him.     This 

1875  venture  proved  most  unfortunate  and  in  1875  the  firm 
failed. 

1874  On  January  15,  1874,  I  was  married  and  taken  into 
the  firm  as  a  junior  partner  on  a  salary,  and  I  remained 
in  Savannah  for  a  year  or  so  after  the  failure,  to  settle  up 
the  affairs  of  the  firm.  We  owed  no  important  debts  in 
the  South,  only  two  or  three  small  ones  for  rent  and  such- 
like.    These  I  afterwards  paid  out  of  my  own  pocket. 

Our  heaviest  debts  were  to  Baring  Brothers  &  Co.  in 
London,  whom  to  a  certain  extent  we  represented    in 

1874  Savannah.  In  1874,  just  after  a  panic,  and  when  cot- 
ton had  fallen  to  its  lowest  point  since  the  Civil  War, 
and  was  said  to  be  below  the  cost  of  production,  Baring 
Brothers  authorized  us  to  ship  them  all  the  cotton  we 
wished,  and  to  draw  upon  them  for  the  full  invoice  cost 
—  a  most  friendly  act  on  their  part. 

The  head  of  the  Barings,  Russell  Sturgis,  was  my 
father's  brother-in-law  and  he  thought  this  a  great  op- 
portunity to  make  a  fortune  for  my  father.  It  was  a 
temptation  few  men  could  have  withstood.  My  father 
felt  the  greatest  confidence  in  the  judgment  of  Baring 
Brothers  (who  would  not  have  in  those  days })  and 
shipped  many  thousand  of  bales  of  cotton  to  them.  But 
cotton  continued  to  go  down  and  down.     In  fact  it  was 


The   Boit  Family  75 

never  so  high  again  until  a  few  years  ago.  The  result 
was  my  father  was  ruined  and  the  Barings  lost  a  great 
deal  of  money.  Their  agents  in  New  York,  Duncan 
Sherman  &  Co.,  suffered  the  same  fate  in  the  same  way 
at  the  same  time.  My  father  and  mother  gave  up  every- 
thing they  possessed. 

Your  grandfather  and  grandmother  passed  the  last 
sixteen  years  of  their  lives  in  Newport,  Rhode  Island. 
They  died  in  1890.  During  this  time  they  were  sup-  iggo 
ported  comfortably  by  your  Uncle  Edward  Darley  Boit 
and  his  wife,  your  Aunt  Isa,  and  by  certain  legacies  left 
them  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Russell  Sturgis  of  London. 

Besides    being  a  wit,  your   grandfather  was  a  great 

reader  and  full  of  literary  tastes.     When  engaged   to 

your  grandmother,  he  hid  the  following  verses  in  some 

flowers  he  sent  her  when  she  was  going  to  a  ball  one 

night  in   Boston   in  the   winter  of    1836-1837.     Your     '^3^ 

1837 
grandmother  showed  them  to  me  and  let  me  copy  them 

a  few  years  before  her  death.     They  were  written  in  a 

diminutive  hand  on  a  visiting  card. 


76  Chronicles  of 

GIVE  ONE  THOUGHT  TO  HIM 

Not  when  the  young  and  happy  throng 
To  pleasure's  proud  and  princely  piles ; 

Not  when  glad  music  floats  along, 

And  every  lip  is  wreathed  with  smiles. 

Not  when  bright  eyes  —  their  loveliest  flame 
Shed  forth  —  like  stars  that  gild  the  sea  ; 

Not  mid  gay  voices ;  do  I  claim 
A  thought  from  thee ! 

Not  when  thy  brow  is  decked  with  flowers, 
And  with  earth's  revellers  thou  art ; 

Not  when  mirth  speeds  the  "rosy  hours," 
And  reigns  triumphant  in  thy  heart ! 

Not  when  amid  the  common  herd 
Thy  purer  self  obscured  may  be. 

Seek  I  to  gain  a  passing  word  — 
A  thought  from  thee ! 

But  I  do  ask  when  twilight 's  throwing 
Its  first  faint  shade  on  earth  and  sky ; 

When  (the  warm  sunset's  blush  still  glowing) 
The  young  mild  moon  peeps  forth  on  high, 

And  when  the  evening  breeze  comes  stealing 
Sweet  perfume  from  the  flowery  lea  — 

In  those  calm  hours  of  gentle  feeling 
A  thought  from  thee  ! 


The   Boit  Family  77 

And,  oh !  at  times  when  none  are  near, 
When  pensive  mem'ries  of  the  past  — 

Dim  dreams  of  future  joys  appear  — 
Around  thee  clustering  thick  and  fast, 

When  all  is  quiet  —  hushed  within  — 
Thy  soul  from  earth's  allurements  free ; 

In  those  dear  hours  I  fain  would  win 
A  thouerht  from  thee  ! 


Many  illustrious  poets  have  written  worse  lines  than 
these. 

Years  afterwards  Edward  Everett  published  a  poem 
written  in  a  somewhat  similar  strain  though  not  so  good. 

When  the  city  of  Chicago  was  burned,  I  am  told  that 
my  father's  conveyancing  books  were  saved,  and  that 
they  are  still  in  constant  use,  and  the  basis  of  much  of 
the  conveyancing  in  the  old  part  of  the  city.  Convey- 
ancing books  are  the  records  of  the  titles  to  real  estate. 

I  have  always  considered  it  the  great  misfortune  of 
your  grandfather's  life,  that  his  trend  of  mind  led  him 
into  opposition  at  the  time  of  our  Civil  War,  which, 
under  the  guidance  of  the  inspired  and  immortal  Lincoln, 
resulted,  as  you  know,  in  the  abolition  of  slavery  in 
America. 

In  the  first  place,  your  grandfather  was  a  pronounced 
conservative,  and  by  nature  and  habits  of  mind  opposed 
to  changes  of  all   kinds ;   then  again,  as  a  lawyer,  he 


78  Chronicles  of 

believed  that  under  the  Constitution,  the  States  had 
the  right  to  withdraw  from  the  Union.  In  this  he  was 
upheld  by  some  of  the  best  Constitutional  lawyers  in 
this  country.  In  the  third  place,  he  had  been  intimate 
with  many  Southern  young  men  at  Harvard,  and  had  a 
strong  attachment  for  them  and  their  ways.  They  were 
a  rich,  gay,  aristocratic  lot,  and  played  an  important  part 
in  the  social  life  of  Harvard  College  at  that  period. 

Fate,  or  these  influences,  put  him  out  of  sympathy 
with  the  war  and  the  enforced  abolition  of  slavery.  Not 
that  he  would  have  had  the  South  victorious,  but  he 
could  not  assist  or  sympathize  with  the  North.  It  was, 
as  I  have  said,  most  unfortunate.  It  cost  him  hosts  of 
friends  and  changed  the  whole  current  of  his  life. 

At  the  time  of  the  war,  and  before  it,  I  was  too  young 
to  have  formed  my  own  views  on  these  subjects,  and  my 
admiration  and  affection  for  my  father  led  me  to  believe 
that  whatever  he  said,  and  thought  must  be  right.  After 
the  war  he  rarely,  if  ever,  spoke  of  these  subjects,  much 
less  discussed  them,  but  he  must  have  recognized  the 
fact  that  his  war  views  had  seriously  affected  his  position 
among  a  large  class  of  his  old  friends  in  Boston. 

He  was  a  proud  man,  and  never  in  words  withdrew 
from  his  position,  nor  acknowledged  a  change  of  mind, 
but  I  think  his  silence,  thereafter,  regarding  the  war, 
what  had  led  to  it,  and  its  results,  indicated  how  keenly 
alive  his  sensitive  nature  was  to  the  change  that  had 
taken  place  in  his  personal  relations,  and  that  he  may 


The  Boit  Family  79 

have   realized   too   late,   that    he    had    made   a   serious 
mistake  in  judgment. 

Though,  no  doubt,  all  this  led  to  his  going  South  in 
1868,  I  do  not  think  his  sojourn  there  increased  his  1868 
affection  or  sympathy  for  that  section  of  the  country. 
In  fact,  I  am  sure,  that  over  and  beyond  his  misfortunes 
in  business,  the  gentlemen  of  the  South,  whom  he  met, 
did  not  prove  wholly  congenial  to  him.  In  imagination, 
he  had  pictured  them  as  companions  of  his  youth,  but  in 
reality,  they  were  much  changed  by  age  and  the  sorrows 
and  terrible  experiences  of  the  long  war  through  which 
they  had  so  lately  passed.  So  I  am  inclined  to  think 
this  Southern  episode  helped  to  change  the  tenor  of 
his  beliefs,  as  it  did  the  tenor  of  his  life.  Through  all 
these  most  trying  times,  my  dear  mother  was  his  con- 
stant and  devoted  companion. 

After  this,  he  never  sought  other  men  and  lived  much 
by  himself.  He  was  a  great  reader,  as  I  have  said,  and 
always  fond  of  taking  long  walks,  and  so  was  never 
without  occupation.  But  from  that  time  on  he  saw 
practically  only  those  who  came  to  him,  yet  was  he 
such  a  charming  man,  and  so  full  of  wit,  and  stories,  and 
information,  that  many,  especially  younger  men,  did  still 
seek  his  companionship. 

COTUIT,    MASSACHUSETTS 

In  the  late  fifties  of  the  last  century,  when  I  was  a 
boy  of  eleven  or  twelve,  Charles  R.  Codman  bought  a 


8o  Chronicles  of 

house  in  Cotuit,  Massachusetts,  and  he  and  his  family 
passed  their  summers  there.  His  wife  was  Lucy  Sturgis, 
my  first  cousin.  Her  own  mother  died  when  she  was  a 
young  girl,  and  my  mother  had  been  a  mother  to  her. 
In  fact,  I  think  her  "Aunt  Jeanie  "  was  with  Lucy  at 
the  birth  of  every  one  of  her  many  children. 

Cousin  Charles  and  Lucy  were  most  kind  and  useful 
cousins.  For  many  years  of  my  youth  they  asked  me  to 
stay  with  them  for  ten  days  or  a  fortnight  every  summer 
at  Cotuit,  and  I  loved  it  there.  Other  members  of  our 
family  often  stayed  with  Charles  and  Lucy  at  Cotuit, 
and  grew  very  fond  of  the  place  and  its  people.  My 
father  and  mother  liked  it  so  well  that  they  went  back 
to  it  for  many  of  the  last  summers  of  their  lives.  There 
they  were  surrounded  by  a  number  of  families  of  younger 
people  who  were  devoted  to  them.  When  they  lived  at 
Cotuit  they  rented  their  Newport  house. 

Your  grandfather  was  a  great  swimmer  and  used  to 
spend  an  hour  or  more  in  Cotuit  waters  every  pleasant 
day.  He  never  touched  the  bottom  from  the  time  he 
went  into  the  water  until  he  came  out,  and  this  was  a 
habit  of  his,  even  to  the  age  of  seventy-seven,  the  year 
before  he  died. 

The  house  which  they  hired  at  Cotuit,  belonged  to 
Mr.  Jefferson  Coolidge,  Minister  to  France.  On  one 
side  of  them  lived  John  Templeman  Coolidge  and  his 
wife,  (Miss  Parker,  a  sister  of  Mrs.  George  G.  Lowell). 
Across  the  road,  lived  Doctor  Algernon  Sydney  Coolidge, 


The  Boit  Family  8i 

brother  of  Jefferson  Coolidge,  and  his  family. 
Mrs.  Coolidge  was  the  sister  of  George  G.  Lowell  and 
Edward  Jackson  Lowell,  who  was  my  most  intimate 
friend  from  boyhood. 

Doctor  Coolidge  and  his  family  were  delightful  people, 
as  were  also  the  family  of  George  G.  Lowell,  who 
lived  nearby.  George  G.  Lowell  was  the  father  of 
Judge  Francis  C.  Lowell  and  of  Mrs.  A.  Lawrence  Lowell, 
wife  of  the  President  of  Harvard  University. 

Nearby  also  lived  my  intimate  friend,  Edward  J. 
Lowell,  and  not  far  off  were  the  families  of  Augustus 
Perkins  and  other  pleasant  people.  In  fact,  your  grand- 
father and  grandmother  were  thus  surrounded  by  con- 
genial families  of  a  younger  generation,  who,  as  I  said, 
were  devoted  to  them. 

It  was  certainly  a  very  delightful  and  friendly  com- 
munity. Not  a  day  passed  that  some  of  these  good 
people  did  not  drop  in  to  sit  awhile  on  my  father's  piazza, 
and  Doctor  Coolidge,  that  most  delightful  of  men,  could 
always  be  depended  upon  by  the  old  people  for  a  game 
of  bezique  at  night. 

Doctor  Coolidge,  in  his  younger  days,  was  a  great 
expert  with  broad-sword,  single-stick,  double-stick  and 
foils.  There  was  hardly  a  better  professional  in  this 
country,  especially  in  fencing.  He  had  been  taught 
abroad  by  the  most  distinguished  masters,  and  had 
secured  various  foreign  diplomas.  I  had  become 
acquainted      with     him     through     his     brother-in-law, 


82  Chronicles  of 

Edward  Lowell,  and  he  taught  me  fencing  for  two  years 
before  I  went  to  college.  Oh  !  the  ease  of  digressing 
when  I  have  so  much  to  say ! 

It  was  at  Cotuit  that  I  learned  as  a  boy,  to  sail  a  boat. 
I  loved  it  and  kept  at  it  all  my  life,  when  circumstances 
permitted,  as  you  know.  Your  grandfather  and  grand- 
mother used  to  drive  every  pleasant  afternoon  at  Cotuit 
through  the  sandy  wood  roads  of  the  Cape.  He  was 
very  easy  on  his  horse  and  used  to  say,  "  I  could  n't  enjoy 
myself  unless  I  was  sure  my  horse  and  I  were  having  an 
equally  good  time  together." 

My  father  was  a  man  of  great  personal  dignity.  He 
carried  himself  well,  and  was  exceedingly  particular  about 
his  dress.  In  the  latter  years  of  his  life  I  have  heard 
him  say,  "  No  gentleman  can  bathe  and  shave  and  dress 
properly  in  less  than  two  hours,"  and  I  think  he  did  him- 
self spend  that  time  in  his  dressing-room  of  a  morning. 
He  had  a  handsome  foot  and  late  in  life  always  wore  low- 
cut  patent  leather  shoes  and  white  stockings.  He  was  a 
man  of  the  ver)^  highest  ideals  of  personal  honor.  I  have 
known  him  to  save  his  friends  from  financial  loss  at 
great  personal  sacrifice. 

At  one  time,  Mr.  Robert  Sturgis  of  Philadelphia,  and 
Mr.  William  R.  Robeson  of  Boston,  his  intimate  friends, 
put  ^25,000  or  $30,000  each  into  some  cotton  mills  of 
which  my  father  was  treasurer,  and  in  which  he  himself 
had  a  $30,000  interest.  They  made  the  investment  with 
his  advice,  and  for  a  number  of  years  the  mills  were  very 


The  Boit  Family  St, 

successful.  At  last,  however,  a  man,  who  owned  the 
controlling  interest,  interfered  to  such  an  extent  that 
my  father  felt  the  investment  to  be  in  great  danger. 

He  persuaded  this  man,  however,  to  buy  out  Mr.  Sturgis 
and  Mr.  Robeson  for  the  amount  they  had  paid  for 
their  interest,  with  the  agreement  on  his  part  to  turn 
over  for  nothing  his  own  interest  in  the  mills,  some 
$30,000,  as  I  said.  Thus  he  saved  his  friends  from  a 
heavy  loss.  At  the  same  time  he  resigned  his  position 
as  treasurer.  Within  a  very  short  time  the  owner  of 
the  mills  went  crazy,  and  within  a  few  years  more,  the 
mills  had  failed. 

When  I  was  a  Freshman  in  college,  I  was  suspended 
for  throwing  snow-balls  at  a  professor's  window.  It  was 
a  case  of  skylarking  and  without  premeditated  evil  intent. 
I  was  hauled  up  before  the  august  Faculty  the  same  night 
and  the  next  morning  I  entered  my  father's  office,  No. 
13  Doane  Street,  Boston,  feeling  the  veriest  of  culprits, 
frightened  and  ashamed.  He  looked  up  from  his  desk 
and  said,  "Hullo,  Bob!  What  are  you  doing  in  town 
today?"  I  answered,  "Pater,  I  have  bad  news;  I've 
been  suspended  from  college."  "Good  enough,"  he 
said  ;  "  we've  missed  you  awfully,  and  shall  be  delighted 
to  have  you  at  home  again."  Not  one  question,  not 
one  word  of  rebuke  —  perfect  confidence  and  perfect  af- 
fection !  Of  course  the  tears  streamed  right  down  my 
cheeks,  and  from  that  moment,  for  life,  he  had  made  me 
his  devoted  slave. 


84  Chronicles  of 

He  was  a  man  of  unbounded  generosity  and  hospi- 
tality, of  elastic  and  bouyant  spirits.  He  never  wished 
to  talk  of  death.  When  my  mother  touched  on  unneces- 
sarily gloomy  subjects,  he  would  often  say  "Jean,  spare 
us  the  hearse  with  its  plumes  !  " 

How  well  I  remember  how  cheerfully  he  entered  the 
pleasant  breakfast  room  at  Newport  on  his  seventieth 
birthday,  saying,  "  Well,  Jean,  dear,  hereafter  I'm  a  tenant 
at  will !  " 

Your  Grandfather  and  Grandmother  Boit  both  died  in 
the  year  1890.  That  winter  your  grandfather  had  a 
slight  shock  after  playing  billiards  one  morning  in  the 
Newport  Reading  Room,  of  which  he  was  a  member. 
I  think  he  was  playing  with  old  Tom  Hunter,  who  was 
an  amusing  character.  In  fact,  Tom  Hunter  and  his 
wife  were  both  amusing.  She  was  the  Mrs.  Malaprop 
of  Newport.  She  said  to  me  one  day,  "When  Mollie 
(or  Bessie)  had  the  scarlet  fever,  every  one  in  Newport 
tatooed  me,"  meaning  "tabooed."  There  were  many 
stories  of  her  sayings.  Her  husband,  Tom,  on  their 
wedding  journey,  could  never  remember  to  put  her  down 
in  the  hotel  registers,  resulting  in  many  inquiries  into 
his  apparently  questionable  proceedings. 

Your  grandfather  gradually  recovered  from  his  first 
shock,  to  the  extent  of  walking  and  getting  about  with 
some  difBculty.  His  illness  was  a  great  anxiety  to 
your  grandmother,  and  in  the  spring,  in  Newport,  at 
their   pleasant    old    house    "  Longacre,"    opposite    the 


The  Boit  Family  85 

Episcopal  Church,  where  Dr.  Mercer  preached,  she  died. 

I  think  in  character  she  was  one  of  the  loveliest,  most 
self-sacrificing  women  I  have  ever  known.  All  her 
family  and  friends  were  devoted  to  her,  and  in  those 
days  when  a  woman  in  childbirth  wanted  the  near- 
est and  dearest  of  her  women-folk  at  hand,  your  dear 
grandmother  was  in  constant  demand,  called  upon 
by  her  nieces  and  children  alike.  There  never  was  a 
calmer,  more  efficient  woman  with  a  tenderer  face  in  a 
sick-room.  Old  Doctor  Samuel  Cabot  used  to  say  that 
she  was  a  born  nurse.     And  then  her  lovely  hands! 

She  was  one  of  the  neatest  and  cleanest  and  most  par- 
ticular of  women,  and  was  always  careful  of  her  dress, 
especially  of  her  caps,  which  were  exquisite  and  worn  from 
the  time  she  was  forty-five  or  fifty.  Yet  she  was  never 
extravagant  and  was  heard  to  say,  "  What  difference 
does  it  make  how  I  dress  —  every  one  in  Boston  knows 
mc."  I  also  remember  her  once  remarking  with  equal  sim- 
plicity when  we  were  living  in  Savannah,  "  What  differ- 
ence does  it  make  what  I  wear  —  nobody  here  knows 
me."  As  I  say,  this  was  with  simplicity,  not  as  a  pose, 
for  she  was  verily  one  of  the  simplest  of  women. 

I  remember  one  day  a  friend  remarked  on  her  lack  of 
interest  in  someone,  and  she  answered,  "  I  know  it  may 
seem  queer,  but  really,  I^liza,  I  never  can  take  much  inter- 
est in  people  my  mother  did  not  know."  Such  a  true  note 
of  the  Bostonians  of  a  century  or  less  ago  ! 

I  was  with    your   grandmother    throughout    her    last 


86  Chronicles  of 

illness  and  at  the  time  of  her  death.  I  thought  your 
grandfather  would  die  under  the  stress  of  those  dreadful 
days  and  nights,  but  he  did  not,  and  lived  through  the 
following  summer  at  Cotuit,  with  most  of  his  children 
1890  about  him,  and  died  there  in  the  autumn  of  1890. 
1889  In  the  spring  of  1889,  in  Newport,  a  year  before  my 
mother  died,  they  had  celebrated  their  golden  wedding, 
and  many  of  their  old  friends  and  relations  came  down 
from  Boston  for  the  occasion. 

When  my  mother  died,  her  other  children  were  away ; 
Ned  in  Europe,  Jeanie  Hunnewell  in  Europe,  and  John 
rushing  home  from  the  West.  He  arrived  just  too  late 
to  see  her  again  alive  —  in  the  afternoon  of  the  day  on 
which  she  died. 

Later  Ned  and  Jeanie  came  home  from  Europe  leaving 
their  families  abroad,  so  that  we  all  of  us  were  with  your 
grandfather  during  the  summer  at  Cotuit.  I  took  a  house 
there  for  my  family,  and  Ned  passed  the  summer  with 
me.  John  and  Jeanie  were,  if  I  remember  right,  at 
your  grandfather's. 

It  was  during  that  summer  that  Ned  painted  a  picture 
of  the  corner  of  the  piazza  where  your  grandfather 
always  sat,  with  a  view  under  the  trees  of  Cotuit  Harbor. 
Your  mother  is  sitting  with  him.  It  hangs  in  my  room 
over  the  mantel-piece.  That  same  summer  he  painted 
the  beautiful  picture  of  Cotuit  Harbor  which  is  em- 
panelled in  your  Aunt  Jeanie  Hunnewell's  dining-room 
in  Wellesley. 


The   Boit  Family  87 

I  think  this  letter  from  your  grandfather  to  your 
grandmother  on  the  forty-sixth  anniversary  of  their  wed- 
ding-day must  be  of  interest.  It  was  their  custom  to 
destroy  all  their  letters,  but  this  was  found  after  your 
grandmother's  death,  among  the  few  that  she  had  kept. 

"  Longacre,  June  13,  1885.         1885 
"  Dearest  Jeanie : 

"Whether  it  is  the  influence  of  this  anniversary  of 
the  day  when  I  drew  the  great  prize  of  a  man's  life,  a 
lovely,  good  and  sensible  wife,  or  whether  this  beautiful 
day  adds  its  influence  to  the  happy  memory  of  our  wed- 
ding day,  I  cannot  say  —  but  I  feel  in  better  spirits  at 
this  moment  than  I  have  since  Ned  left  us. 

"  I  must  acknowledge  first,  however,  the  deep  obliga- 
tion I  am  under  to  you  —  for  your  love  and  devotion,  for 
your  charming  companionship,  and  good  and  disinterested 
counsel,  and  your  untiring  energy  and  self-sacrifice  in 
doing  your  duty  and  aiding  in  making  me  do  mine 
through  all  these  long  and  happy  days  of  married  life. 
Always  happy  days  as  far  as  you  were  concerned,  and  if 
any  have  been  less  so  than  the  rest,  the  difference  has 
been  caused,  once  in  a  great  while,  by  trials  common  to 
all,  in  the  loss  of  our  dear  children  (Lizzie,  Joe  and  our 
little  Julia).  But  oftener  too,  too  often,  I  fear,  by  my 
own  obstinacy,  hastiness  of  temper,  and  disregard  (though 
only  momentary)  of  the  rights  and  feelings  of  the  best 
wife  that  man  was  ever  blest  with  ! 


88  Chronicles  of 

"  My  love  for  you  is  as  great  today  as  it  was  forty-six 
years  ago,  and  if  I  am  to  live  on,  I  pray  that  you  may 
always  be  spared  to  be  the  friend  and  comforter  of  my 
old  age.  I  beg  your  pardon  for  ever  having  wounded 
your  feelings  and  will  sincerely  endeavor,  in  the  future, 
to  avoid  doing  so,  and,  if  carried  away  by  the  vivacity  of 
my  disposition,  I  shall  appear  to  be  forgetful  of  this 
promise,  I  know,  if  you  think  that  upon  the  whole,  I  am 
trying  to  keep  it,  you  will  forgive  me,  and  be  able  to 
believe  that  though  ray  tongue  may  sound  rebellious,  my 
heatt  is  loyal  and  forever  and  forever  only  yours  !  .  .  . 
and  every  other  blessing  to  my  heart's  best  beloved.  I 
am  as  ever  affectionately  yours. 

His  verses  to  her  at  the  beginning  of  life  and  this  letter 
near  the  end  of  it  are  the  messages  of  a  lifetime  to  all 
of  us,  and  have  their  meaning.  A  gallant  gentleman 
has  gone  to  his  rest ! 


VII 
JULIA  OVERING  BOIT 

Seventh  Child  of  John  Boit  (2) 

Chapter  V 

JULIA  OVERING  BOIT,  your  grandfather's  young- 
est sister,  married  Russell  Sturgis  of  Boston,  of 
Russell  &  Co.  of  Canton,  of  Russell  Sturgis  &  Co. 
of  Manilla,  and  finally  of  Baring  Brothers  &  Co.  of  Lon- 
don, where  he  rose  to  be  head  of  the  firm  when  their's 
was,  ne.xt  to  the  Rothschilds,  perhaps,  the  best  known 
firm  of  private  bankers  in  the  world. 

Like  so  many  of  that  generation  of  the  Boits,  your 
Great-aunt  Julia  was  a  very  handsome  and  distinguished 
looking  woman — I  think  the  handsomest  of  this  family 
of  handsome  women.  She  was  tall  and  dignified  with 
clear-cut  features  and  a  low  brow.  I  mean  her  hair  grew 
very  low  on  her  forehead,  as  did  your  Aunt  Lizzie's  — 
Billy  Patten's  mother. 

She  was  a  woman  of  commanding  presence  and  she 
and  her  husband  together,  for  Russell  Sturgis  was  a 
notably  handsome  man,  made  a  couple  of  unusual  beauty. 
It  is  not  strange  that  some  of  their  children,  too,  should 
have  been  handsome,  though  it  is  a  word  that  comes  in 
so  often  in  these  family  records,  I  am  getting  a  little  tired 
of  it.     I  fear  you  young  people  who  never  saw  these  men 

89 


90  Chronicles  of 

and  women  of  an  earlier  generation  may  think  I  exagger- 
ate or  draw  on  my  imagination.  I  believe  I  have  confined 
myself  quite  within  the  limits  of  truth. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sturgis  entertained  a  great  deal  in  their 
various  country-houses  in  England,  "  Coombwood,"  "Mt. 
Felix,"  and  "The  Farm"  at  Leatherhead,  as  well  as  in 
their  London  houses  in  Upper  Portman  Place  and 
Carlton  House  Terrace,  and  at  one  time  it  was  said  they 
had  the  best  chef  in  London.  I  think  I  remember  his 
salary,  but  hesitate  to  give  it,  for  fear  of  exciting  the 
envy  of  some  of  our  mill  treasurers. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sturgis  were  famous  for  their  hospitality, 
and  there  were  few  prominent  Americans  journeying 
abroad,  who  were  not  entertained  by  them.  Nor  were 
their  entertainments  confined  to  Americans,  for  many  of 
the  most  distinguished  people  in  London  were  to  be  met 
at  their  house. 

William  Story,  the  sculptor,  made  a  large  reclining 
statue  of  my  aunt  as  Cleopatra,  which  is  now  in  the 
Metropolitan  Museum  in  New  York. 

Your  aunt,  Elizabeth  Greene  Boit,  (William  S.  Patten's 
mother)  passed  the  winter  of  1861  with  her  aunt, 
Mrs.  Sturgis,  in  London, and  was  presented  at  Court,  which 
in  those  days  was  a  mark  of  distinction.  She  also  stopped 
for  some  time  in  the  London  season  with  the  Honorable 
Charles  Francis  Adams'  family,  when  he  was  United 
States  Minister  to  Great  Britain,  at  the  time  of  the  Civil 
War   in   America   and   went    into  society    under  their 


The  Boit  Family  91 

auspices.  She  met  many  noted  people,  and  as  she  was 
full  of  humor,  had  some  amusing  stories  to  tell  us  of  her 
experiences. 

In  those  days  no  Americans  held  a  better  or 
more  respected  social  position  in  London  than 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Russell  Sturgis,  and  it  might  well  be  said 
in  the  language  of  the  Victorian  era  that  no  couple  in 
dignity,  and  beauty,  and  intelligence,  and  charm,  were 
better  fitted  to  adorn  society. 

Aunt  Julia  Sturgis  was  the  youngest  of  your  Boit 
great-aunts,  and  like  all  the  Boits  of  that  generation,  had 
her  full  share  of  temper  and  imperiousness.  I  think  she 
held  herself  under  better  control  than  some  of  them, 
though  Heaven  help  the  unfortunate  upon  whom  her 
momentary  wrath  descended  !  But  none  of  the  Boits  had 
those  nasty,  brooding,  subcutaneous  tempers.  With 
them  all  it  was  a  flash  in  the  pan.  The  thunder  and 
lightning  might  knock  things  flat  in  a  jiffy,  but  afterwards 
the  sun  came  out  brighter  than  ever,  one  was  permitted 
to  get  to  one's  feet,  rub  one's  eyes,  and  to  discover  there 
was  nothing  better  to  do  than  to  smile  and  bask  again  in 
its  genial  warmth. 

I  saw  her  only  when  I  was  a  boy,  but  I  loved  her 
dearly  and  thought  of  her  often,  for  she  never  forgot  me 
at  important  epochs  of  my  life.  When  I  was  eighteen 
she  gave  me  my  first  gold  watch,  the  one  I  have 
turned  over  to  your  brother  John.  Not  long  after 
she  sent  me  a  set  of  carbuncle  studs  and  cuff  buttons 


92  Chronicles  of 

that  I  have  worn  all  my  life  in  remembrance  of  her. 
When  your  sister  Mary  was  born,  she  sent  me  from 
London  a  most  wonderful  box  of  baby  clothes,  which 
lasted  for  years.  A  short  time  after  that  when  I  was 
living  somewhere  on  the  Hudson,  and  Mary  dying  of 
malarial  fever,  I  received  a  check  from  her  that  enabled 
me  to  take  Mary  and  her  mother  at  once  to  Narragansett 
Pier,  where  the  dear  little  baby  gradually  recovered. 
Without  a  doubt  that  act  of  hers  saved  Mary's  life.  These 
are  but  a  few  of  her  many,  many  kindnesses  to  me,  so  it 
is  not  surprising  that  I  remember  her  with  the  deepest 
gratitude  and  affection. 

RUSSELL    STURGIS 

Uncle  Russell  Sturgis  married  three  times.  His  first 
wife  was  a  cousin  of  his,  a  Miss  Lucy  Paine.  I  have 
heard  it  said  that  she  was  ill,  perhaps  consumption,  and 
that  he  married  her  to  take  care  of  her.  She  died  with- 
out children.  His  second  wife  was  my  mother's  sister, 
Mary  Hubbard.  I  will  write  of  her  later.  His  third 
wife  was  my  father's  sister,  Julia  Overing  Boit,  of  whom 
I  am  now  speaking.  Oddly  enough,  Russell  Sturgis 
named  his  first  daughter  by  his  second  wife,  Lucy  Paine, 
after  his  first  wife ;  and  his  first  daughter  by  his  third 
wife,  Mary  Greene  Hubbard,  after  his  second  wife,  my 
Aunt  Mary. 

He  was  a  most  delightful  and  agreeable  man  and 
many  stories  were  told  of  him.    At  one  time,  while  living 


The  Boit  Family  93 

in  London,  he  had  a  very  beautiful  little  box  from  which, 
when  a  spring  was  pressed,  a  little  canary  bird  came  out 
and  sang.  He  was  very  fond  of  showing  this  to  his 
guests  and  one  night  after  he  had  been  exhibiting  it,  it 
disappeared.  He  had  no  suspicion  as  to  which  of  his 
guests,  if  any,  had  stolen  it.  Within  a  year  or  two,  as 
he  was  going  down  Bond  Street  one  day,  he  looked  into 
a  jeweler's  window  and  there,  sure  enough,  was  his  little 
box.  He  could  get  no  clew  from  them  as  to  whence  it 
had  come,  and  he  bought  it  again. 

One  day  at  dinner,  in  London,  he  was  telling  his  guests 
how  within  a  few  days,  and  for  the  first  time  of  his  life, 
he  had  been  robbed  of  his  watch,  and  had  advertised 
that  he  would  pay  liberally  for  its  return,  and  that  no 
questions  should  be  asked.  Just  then  his  butler  told  him 
there  was  a  man  at  the  front  door  who  insisted  upon  see- 
ing him  at  once  upon  important  business.  So  he  ex- 
cused himself  from  the  table  and  went  to  the  door. 
There  stood  a  man  who  said  he  had  his  watch.  Uncle 
Russell  paid  the  man  five  or  ten  pounds,  and  received 
his  watch  and  chain,  and  put  them  in  his  pocket.  Then 
he  said,  "  Of  course,  as  you  know,  I  promised  not  to  ask 
any  questions,  but  I  do  wish  you  would  show  me  how 
you  did  the  trick,  as  I  was  never  robbed  before."  The 
man  said,  "  I  '11  show  you.  I  did  it  this  way,"  etc.,  etc., 
making  certain  quick  passes  at  him.  Uncle  Russell 
thanked  him  and  returned  to  his  guests.  When  he 
entered    the    dining-room    he    said,     "  Well,    that    is    a 


94  Chronicles  of 

coincidence !  I  've  got  my  watch  again  !  "  Then  he  began 
to  explain  just  how  the  man  said  he  had  stolen  it  in  the 
first  place,  and  starting  to  pull  his  watch  from  his  pocket, 
exclaimed,  "  By  Jove,  the  man's  got  it  again  and  the 
money  too !  " 

He  was  very  fond  of  driving  a  coach  and  four,  especi- 
ally to  the  races.  He  was  rather  a  rapid  and  reckless 
driver,  and  I  've  heard  people  say  he  had  many  "  hair- 
breadth 'scapes."  I  think  it  was  Mr.  Henry  S,  Hunne- 
well  who  told  me  that  one  day  when  he  was  staying  at 
"The  Farm"  at  Leatherhead  with  a  party  of  guests, 
Mr.  Sturgis  proposed  to  take  them  to  drive  on  his  coach. 
The  top  was  covered  with  people.  As  they  started  from 
the  door  the  leaders  were  frightened  at  something,  became 
unmanageable,  and  in  a  moment  the  whole  team  was 
on  the  dead  run. 

Mr.  Sturgis  managed  to  keep  them  to  the  avenue, 
but  at  the  gate  the  turn  into  the  road  was  abrupt  and, 
of  course,  the  horses  dashed  straight  ahead,  across  the 
road,  and  over  a  fence,  where  the  whole  party  were 
thrown  into  a  plowed  field.  When  they  had  all  got  to 
their  feet  and  found  that  no  one  had  been  hurt, 
Mr.  Sturgis,  who  was  entirely  cool  and  cheerful,  said, 
"  Now,  I  think  it 's  the  right  time  for  a  kiss  all  round  !  " 
I  have  understood  this  was  the  last  time  he  ever  drove  a 
four-in-hand.     He  was  then  a  m.an  well  on  in  years. 

Another  anecdote  of  Uncle  Russell  occurs  to  me. 
He  was  a  most  generous  and  charitable  man,  but  one  day 


The  Boit  Family  95 

he  was  approached  for  a  subscription  by  a  committee  from 
some  charitable  organization  in  which  he  was  not  inter- 
ested, or  of  which  he  did  not  approve,  and  he  declined  to 
subscribe.  The  men  were  most  persistent  and  finally  one 
of  them  said,  "  Of  course,  Mr.  Sturgis,  you  realize  that 
the  Lord  has  appointed  you  merely  as  a  trustee  of  this 
great  wealth  which  you  control."  "Yes,"  answered 
Mr.  Sturgis,  "  I  quite  understand  my  responsibility.  No 
doubt,  if  the  Lord  had  thought  you  would  make  a  better 
trustee,  he  would  have  appointed  you  instead." 

When  I  was  a  child,  he  and  his  family  lived  at  •'  Rook- 
wood,"  on  Scarborough  Street,  a  place  he  built  just  near 
our  place  "  Ingleside  "  on  Forest  Hills  Street.  Forest 
Hills  Street  was  then  called  Jube's  Lane,  after  a  negro 
who  had  lived  in  a  cottage  at  the  foot  of  the  next  hill 
towards  Boston.  After  Uncle  Russell  had  lived  there 
a  short  time,  he  decided  that  he  had  not  made  enough 
money  in  ihe  East  to  live  comfortably  in  America.  He 
thereupon  arranged  to  go  again  to  the  Orient  with  his 
family.  The  steamer  he  was  to  take  from  Boston  should 
have  got  him  to  London  in  time  to  connect  with  the 
next  steamer  sailing  for  China. 

The  expressman  who  brought  their  belongings  to 
East  Boston  from  "  Rookwood "  was  so  late  that  the 
Cunarder  sailed  without  them.  When  he  (the  express- 
man) arrived  at  the  dock  he  found  all  Mr.  Sturgis'  family 
waiting  there  and  the  steamer  gone.  Mr.  Sturgis  was 
so  kind  to  him,  when  ho  learnt  that  the  delay  was  not 


96  Chronicles  of 

altogether  his  fault,  that  the  poor  man  burst  into  tears. 
This  delay  forced  Mr.  Sturgis  and  his  family  to  await 
the  next  steamer  from  Boston  and  to  remain  several 
weeks  in  London  for  the  following  steamer  bound  to 
the  East.  It  was  during  this  delay  in  London  that  a 
partnership  in  Baring  Brothers  &  Go's  firm  was  offered 
him,  thereby  changing  his  whole  life. 

So  it  might  be  said  that  Mr.  Sturgis'  position,  as  a 
member  of  this  great  banking  house,  was  directly  due  to 
the  tardiness  of  a  Jamaica  Plain  expressman.  Of  course, 
but  for  his  own  reputation  as  a  business  man  and  gen- 
tleman, he  would  not  have  been  offered  the  position,  but 
the  opportunity  arose  from  his  delay  in  London,  and  the 
expressman  gave  him  this  opportunity. 

Russell  Sturgis  and  Julia  Overing  (Boit)  Sturgis 
had  four  children:  Henry  P.  Sturgis,  Julian  Sturgis, 
Mary  Greene  Sturgis  and  Howard  Overing  Sturgis,  my 
first  cousins. 

I.  Henry  P.  Sturgis,  the  oldest  son,  married  Mary 
Gecilia  Brand,  the  daughter  of  Mr.  Brand,  who  was 
Speaker  of  the  House  for  many  years,  and  later  Lord 
Hampden.  They  had  a  number  of  children,  who  are  your 
second  cousins.  One  son,  Henry,  is  at  present  an  officer 
in  the  Rifle  Brigade.  One  daughter,  Olive,  married 
Mr.  George  Barnard  Hankey,  an  officer  in  the  army  and  at 
present  with  his  regiment.  After  the  death  of  his  first 
wife,  he  married  the  only  daughter  of  George  Meredith, 
the  novelist.     She  was,  and  no  doubt  is,  a  very  handsome 


The  Boit  Family  97 

woman.  They  also  have  had  two  children.  For  many 
years  he  has  been  a  Director  of  the  London  and 
Westminster  Bank.  He  inherited  "The  Farm"  at 
Leatherhead  from  his  father  and  lives  there  and  in 
London. 

2.  Julian  Sturgis,  the  second  son  of  Russell  and  Julia 
Sturgis,  married  Mary  Maud  Beresford,  related  to  the 
then  Bishop  of  Armagh.  Julian  died  some  years  ago 
and  left  his  widow  with  several  children.  He  was  a 
novelist  of  distinction,  an  Oxford  man,  and  a  handsome 
and  delightful  companion, 

3.  Mary  Greene  Sturgis,  the  daughter  of  Uncle  Russell 
and  Aunt  Julia,  married  Leopold  Richard  Seymour, 
Colonel  of  the  Guards,  and  descended  from  an  illustrious 
English  family.  Most  of  my  own  people  knew  him 
well  and  were  exceedingly  fond  of  him,  and  I,  myself, 
found  him  a  most  courteous,  friendly,  and  simple  gentle- 
man. He  had  a  great  admiration  for  Aunt  Julia  and 
told  my  brother  Ned  that  in  rooms  full  of  the  nobility  of 
England,  where  he  had  often  seen  her,  Mrs.  Sturgis  always 
stood  out,  as  the  most  distinguished  and  aristocratic- 
looking  woman  among  them  —  a  high  tribute  from  an 
Englishman  to  his  American  mother-in-law  ! 

Leopold  and  Mary  (Sturgis)  Seymour  had  five  sons 
and  two  daughters,  your  second  cousins. 

Several  of  the  sons  entered  the  army  and  navy  and 
the  Diplomatic  Service.  Beauchamp,  the  fourth  son,  is 
in  the  60th  Rifles.     Edward,  the  third  son,  has  a  staff 


98  Chronicles  of 

appointment  in  the  army.  Ethel  Seymour,  the  second 
daughter,  married  Eric  Bonham,  who  is  at  present  on 
Prince  Arthur's  staff. 

4.  Howard  Overing  Sturgis,  Uncle  Russell  and  Aunt 
Julia's  third  son,  and  youngest  child,  is,  as  you  know, 
unmarried.  He  was  an  Eton  and  Oxford  man.  He  has 
written  several  excellent  novels,  as  well  as  his  brother 
Julian,  and  is  a  man  of  unique  and  delightful  personality, 
with  an  unusually  large  circle  of  friends.  Every  mem- 
ber of  our  family  has  been  indebted  to  him  time  and 
time  again  for  great  hospitality.  He  has  lived  for  years 
in  that  charming  place  of  his  "  Queen's  Acre  "  Windsor. 

The  Sturgis  and  Boit  families  are  also  related  through 
Susan  (Boit)  Inches,  my  first  cousin,  who  married  Robert 
S.  Sturgis,  to  several  families  in  Philadelphia  where  they 
brought  up  their  handsome  family  of  boys  and  girls.  All 
their  children  are  your  second  cousins.  There  were  seven 
of  them. 

I  think  I  have  now  told  you  the  story  of  your  Grand- 
father Boit  and,  in  a  general  way,  of  your  relations 
through  him. 


HUBBARD 

Chapter  VI 

AS  I  have  said    my  mother  was  Jane  Parkinson 
Hubbard. 

The  Hubbard  genealogy  in  this  country  is  so 
long  and  well  known  that  I  will  write  chiefly  of  those 
Hubbards  from  whom  we  are  directly  descended. 

The  first  Reverend  William  Hubbard  came  to  Boston 
in  America  in  1635.     He  was  born  in  England  in  1595.     '^35 
He  settled  in  Ipswich,  Massachusetts,  and  became  a  pastor 
there.     He  died  in  1670,     I  do  not  remember  his  wife's     1670 
name  beyond  that  it  was  Judith  and  that  he  married  her 
in  Cambridge,  England,  in  1620.  1620 

A  son  of  his    named    Richard,  who  graduated    from 
Harvard  in  1653,  married  Sarah  Bradstreet,  daughter  of     1653 
Governor  Bradstreet,  and  this  Richard's  daughter,  Sarah 
Hubbard,  married  the  Reverend  John  Cotton. 

Another  son  of  Reverend  William  Hubbard  (i)  was 
named  after  his  father,  William,  and  also  became  Reverend 
William  Hubbard  (2)  of  Ipswich.  It  is  from  him  that 
we  are  descended.  He  was  born  in  1621  and  graduated  162 1 
from  Harvard  in  1642.  This  was  the  first  class  that  ever  1642 
graduated  from  an  American  college.  There  were  nine 
in  the  class.  He  was  known  as  the  Historian  and  pub- 
lished a  book  on  the  "  Indian  Wars  "  and  the  "  History 

99 


loo  Chronicles  of 

of  New  England."  He  twice  officiated  as  the  president 
1688    of  Harvard  College,  the  last  time  being  June  2,   1688, 

when  President  Increase  Mather  was  abroad.  He  died 
1704     September  14,  1704  and  it  is  reported  of  him,  "He  goes 

to  ye  lecture,  after  to  Col.  Appleton's,  goes  home,  sups, 
1752    and  dyes  that  night."     A  hundred  years  later,  in  1752, 

Thomas  Hubbard  was  the  treasurer  of  the  college.    This 

Reverend  William  Hubbard  (2)  married  Margaret  Rogers. 
1648  Their  son  John  Hubbard  (3)  was  born  in  1648  and 
1710    died  in  Boston  in  17 10.     He  married  Anne  Leverett, 

daughter  of  Governor  Leverett. 

Their  son,  Reverend  John  Hubbard  (4)  was  born  in 
1677 
1695     1677,  graduated  from  Harvard  in  1695,  and  died  in  1706. 

He  married  Mabel  Russell. 

1706         Their  son,  Daniel  Hubbard  (5)  was  born  in  1706,  and 

1741     died  in  New  London  in  1741.     He  graduated  from  Yale 

1727     in  1727,  and  married  Martha  Coit. 

1736  Their  son,  Daniel  Hubbard  (6),  was  born  in  1736,  and 
married  Mary  Greene  of  Boston.  He  lived  and  died  in 
Boston.  He  was  a  Tory  when  our  Revolution  broke  out, 
but  whether  he  remained  so  throughout  our  war  for 
independence,  I  do  not  know. 

It  is  my  impression  he  was  the  first  Hubbard  to  own 
plantations  in  Demerara. 

It  is  the  portraits  of  this  Daniel  Hubbard  and  his  wife 
that  were  painted  by  John  Singleton  Copley,  and  they  are 
a  most  aristocratic  and  charming  looking  couple.  You 
are  no  doubt  familiar  with  the  excellent  copies  of  these 


The  Boit  Family  loi 

portraits  that  are  owned  by  your  Uncle  Edward  Darley 
Boit. 

The  original  paintings  are  now  owned  by  Mrs.  William 
Tudor,  who  was  Elizabeth  VVhitwell,  and  whose  mother 
was  Mary  Hubbard,  a  daughter  of  Henry  Hubbard,  a 
younger  brother  of  my  grandfather,  John  Hubbard — both 
John  and  Henry  being  the  sons  of  Daniel  Hubbard  (6) 
and  Mary  Greene.  It  was  said  by  my  mother  and  her 
brother,  the  Reverend  John  P.  Hubbard,  that  these  pic- 
tures by  Copley  were  left  by  their  grandfather,  Daniel,  to 
their  father,  John,  who  was  the  oldest  son,  but  that  they 
were  lent  by  him,  when  he  was  going  abroad,  to  his 
younger  brother  Henry ;  that  my  grandfather  died  soon 
after  without  reclaiming  the  pictures,  and  that  my  grand- 
mother was  never  willing  to  ask  for  their  return. 

If  this  is  true,  I  feel  sure  that  neither  Henry's  daughter, 
Mary  Whitwell,  nor  her  daughter,  Elizabeth  Tudor,  ever 
knew  of  it  ;  besides  which  the  silence  of  the  family  im- 
mediately interested  unquestionably  made  a  gift  of  them. 
If  they  had  been  inherited  from  my  grandfather,  John 
Hubbard,  by  his  eldest  son,  Gardiner  Greene  Hubbard, 
they  would  now  be  owned  by  his  son,  your  cousin,  Fran- 
cis Stanton  Hubbard,  the  oldest  of  the  male  race  in  this 
line  of  the  family.  There  are,  of  course,  many  other 
branches  of  this  Hubbard  family. 

To  go  back  to  Daniel  Hubbard  (6)  and  Mary  Greene, 
who  sat  for  these  portraits.  One  of  their  daughters, 
Martha,  born  in  1758,  married  Adam  Babcock.     Adam     ,738 


I02  Chronicles  of 

Babcock  and  his  family  were  prominent  in  this  vicinity  as 
late  as  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century.  Their 
children  married  into  the  Bowditch  and  Higginson  fam- 
ilies, to  whom  we  are  thus  related. 

When  I  was  a  boy,  I  used  to  be  taken  by  my  mother 
to  see  an  old  Aunt  Babcock  —  great-aunt  I  suppose  — 
who  lived,  as  I  remember,  in  a  house  on  Walnut  Street, 
Brookline.  It  is  a  very  old  house  and  stands  there  today, 
directly  opposite  and  facing  the  road  that  goes  down  the 
steep  hill  towards  Jamaica  Pond,  skirted  on  the  left  by 
the  Charles  Sargent  place.  This  old  Babcock  place  is 
entirely  surrounded  by  the  John  L.  Gardner  place  and 
Walnut  Street.  It  has  a  date  on  its  chimney.  When  I 
was  a  child,  this  was  called  the  old  Babcock  house,  al- 
though it  is  now  known  by  some  other  family  name. 

At  one  time  I  owned  the  Babcock  family  Bible  and  a 
number  of  their  family  letters  written  at  the  beginning  of 
the  last  or  nineteenth  century.  I  gave  them  to  Ernest 
Bowditch,  who  is  a  direct  descendant  of  Adam  Babcock. 
I  remember  in  one  of  this  old  gentleman's  letters,  writ- 
ten when  he  was  about  eighty,  and  his  wife  some  twenty 
years  younger,  to  a  son  who  had  lived  for  many  years  in 
Mauritius,  or  the  Isle  of  France,  he  said,  "  Your  lovely 
mother  wears  like  a  diamond  —  God  bless  her !  "  I 
could  not  forget  that.  It  means  so  much  at  the  end  of 
life. 

Another  daughter  of  Daniel  Hubbard  (6)  and  Mary 
1760     Greene,  named  Elizabeth,  born  in  1760,  married  Gardiner 


The  Boit  Family  103 

Greene  of  Boston,  who  thereby  became  the  brother- 
in-law  of  my  grandfather,  John  Hubbard.  Gardiner 
Greene  was  one  of  the  wealthiest  and  most  prominent 
men  of  his  day.  His  house  stood  on  Somerset  Street, 
with  gardens  running  down  to  Tremont  Street  and 
with  a  fine  view  of  Boston  Harbor.  I  have  under- 
stood my  mother  to  say  that  the  old  Hubbard  house 
stood  by  the  side  of  the  Gardiner  Greene  house,  between 
it  and  Beacon  Street,  with  similar  gardens  and  terraces 
to  Tremont  Street. 

There  were  several  alliances  between  the  Greene  and 
Hubbard  families,  still  further  enlarging  relationships 
with  Boston  families  —  among  them  the  Amorys. 

After  the  death  of  his  wife,  Elizabeth  Hubbard,  Gardi- 
ner Greene  married,  in  1800,  Elizabeth  Copley,  daughter  iSoo 
of  John  Singleton  Copley,  the  painter,  and  a  sister  of 
John  Singleton  Copley,  Jr.  —  afterwards  Lord  Lynd- 
hurst.  It  is  said  she  was  a  good  mother  to  the  children 
of  his  first  wife.  I  think  Elizabeth  Hubbard  left  three 
children. 

Daniel  Hubbard  (6)  and  Mary  Greene,  are  your  great- 
great-grandfather  and  -grandmother. 


J 


JOHN  HUBBARD  (7) 

Son  of  Demiel  Hubbard  (6)  and  Mary  Greene 

Chapter  VII 

■OHN  HUBBARD  (7),  my  grandfather,  was  born 

1765        ■    in  Boston,  in  1765,  and  died  October  i,  1836.     He 

1836  was,    of   course,    a   brother   of    Elizabeth  —  Mrs. 

Gardiner  Greene.     He  first  married  Elizabeth  Patterson, 

but  left  no  surviving  children  by  her.     His  second  wife 

was  Jane  Parkinson,  my  grandmother. 

John  Hubbard  (7)  was  one  of  the  richest  and  most 
prominent  citizens  of  his  day  in  Boston.  Not  only  was 
he  a  large  owner  of  real  estate  in  Boston,  but  he  was  also 
an  extensive  sugar  planter  in  Demerara,  South  America. 
His  largest  plantation  was  called  "  Mainstay  "  and  there 
the  family  often  passed  their  winters.  There  two  of  his 
children  were  born,  his  daughter  Anne,  afterwards  Mrs- 
James  White  of  London,  and  one  other. 

My  aunts  and  uncles  had  many  stories  of  life  in 
Demerara,  but  alas !  I  cannot  recollect  them,  though  I 
do  remember  their  telling  of  one  incident.  One  morn- 
ing while  all  the  family  were  on  their  knees  at  prayers, 
and  an  old  Mr.  Austin,  a  relation,  reading  to  them  from 
the  Bible,  the  reading  stopped.  After  a  few  moments 
while  they  still  waited  devoutly,  with  closed  eyes, 
they  heard  him  say,  "  It 's  the  ship  Eliza,"  and  looking  up 
they  found  him,  still  on  his  knees,  with  a  telescope  resting 

104 


The  Boit  Family  105 

on  the  window-sill  in  front  of  him,  watching  a  vessel  under 
full  sail  just  making  the  harbor ! 

John  Hubbard  (7)  owned  many  slaves  in  Demerara. 
They  were  finally  freed  and  paid  for  by  the  British  Gov- 
ernment. Thereafter  his  plantations  were  given  up. 
He  and  my  grandmother  often  went  abroad,  and  return- 
ing from  one  of  these  journeys  they  brought  with  them 
in  the  early  years  of  the  last  century  some  fine  old  fur- 
niture, several  pieces  of  which  I  still  own. 

They  were  bought  in  London  at  the  sale  of  furniture 
of  one  of  the  Embassies  —  the  Russian  —  I  have  always 
understood.  The  bookcase  and  writing-desk  or  secretary 
is  said  to  be  either  a  Buhl  or  Reisner.  I  am  rather 
inclined  to  think  the  latter,  though  Mrs.  Robert  Apthorp 
(the  mother  of  the  late  William  F.  Apthorp,  the  musical 
critic)  who  had  been  intimate  with  my  mother  from  girl- 
hood, said  she  had  always  heard  it  called  Buhl.  The 
card-tables  also  are  handsome. 

Your  Great-aunt  Charlotte  (Blake)  Hubbard  (Mrs. 
Gardiner  Greene  Hubbard)  also  inherited  two  similar 
card-tables.  My  pier-table  on  which  the  Lion  clock 
stands,  was  bought  at  the  same  time,  but  is,  I  think,  of 
another  period. 

On  one  occasion  returning  from  Europe,  they  brought 
home  with  them  an  English  nurse,  Mary  Thompson,  and 
and  an  English  cook,  Phoebe  Robinson.  Mary  Thomp- 
son, or  Mammie  Thompson,  as  she  was  called,  brought  up 
my  mother  and  several  of  my  Hubbard  uncles  and  aunts, 


io6  Chronicles  of 

and  her  daughter,  Katie  Thompson,  was  our  own  nurse 
and  brought  me  up  and  some  of  my  sisters. 

When  we  were  grown,  Katie  went  for  a  while  to  my 
cousin,  Mrs.  Robert  Sturgis  of  Philadelphia,  to  care  for 
her  children,  and  then  came  back  to  my  sister,  your 
Aunt  Jeanie  Hunnewell,  and  brought  up  all  her  girls, 
and  lived  with  her  until  she  died  at  the  age  of  seventy. 
Thus  she  and  her  mother  actually  brought  up  three  gen- 
erations of  our  family. 

When  my  grandmother  died,  she  left  old  Mammie 
Thompson  a  legacy  which  took  care  of  her  comfortably, 
and  gave  her  a  nice  little  house  in  Newton,  where  she 
and  old  Phoebe,  the  cook,  lived  together  till  Phoebe  died. 
Then  Mammie  Thompson  went  to  Somerville  and  lived 
with  a  married  daughter,  Jane  Hatch.  When  Jane 
Hatch's  son,  Arthur,  grew  up,  I  took  him  into  my  office. 
He  is  a  fine  fellow  and  is  now  in  a  prominent  position 
with  the  Sun  Fire  Office. 

Mammie  Thompson  and  Phoebe  died  when  I  was 
young,  but  I  remember  them  well.  When  I  was  a 
child,  Katie  often  took  me  to  her  mother's  in  Newton, 
and  sometimes  to  stay  for  several  days.  Mammie  was  a 
fine  old  woman,  as  was  her  daughter  Katie. 

Phoebe  was  said  to  have  been  one  of  the  best  cooks 
that  ever  lived.  I  chiefly  remember,  when  I  was  a  little 
child,  her  sitting  in  a  rocking-chair,  knitting,  in  Mammie 
Thompson's  kitchen,  and  waiting  to  kiss  me  good-morning 
and  good-night.    How  I  dreaded  it !    She  was  a  shrivelled 


The  Boit  Family  107 

up  old  woman  in  cap  and  spectacles,  apparently  without 
teeth,  and  with  coarse  bristling  hairs  in  unusual  places 
about  her  face.  This  kissing  was  one  of  the  ordeals  of 
my  childhood,  and  I  was  called  upon  to  do  it  with  amaz- 
ing regularity. 

Children  are  so  curiously  observant  and  their  feelings 
in  these  respects  receive  so  little  consideration.  Fortu- 
nately for  the  youngsters  of  today,  the  succulent  and 
caved-in  lips  of  the  old  people  of  my  youth  are  no  longer 
so  painfully  in  evidence.  Dentistry  supplies  this  deca- 
dence of  nature,  and  often  in  this  respect  age  appears  to 
be  in  better  condition  than  youth. 

I  recollect,  too,  that  Mammie  Thompson  had  a  cross 
little  white  dog  that  was  always  snapping  and  barking  at 
me,  and  tried  my  courage  to  the  utmost. 

Then,  too,  we  had  another  fine  old  family  servant  — 
Janet  Black,  a  Scotch  woman  —  a  seamstress,  who  lived 
with  us  for  many  years,  from  the  time  when  I  was  a  boy. 
She  afterwards  lived  with  your  Aunt  Jeanie  Hunnewell, 
and  died  at  her  house  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-one. 
She  too  was  of  the  best  and  devoted  to  the  family.  I 
could  sing  today  songs  she  sang  to  me  when  I  was  a 
child.  She  was  of  a  sentimental  nature,  and  one  of  her 
songs  went  like  this  : 


We  met  —  't  was  in  a  crowd, 
And  I  thought  he  would  shun  me, 


io8  Chronicles  of 

He  spake,  his  words  were  love, 
And  his  eye  was  upon  me. 


.  .  .  He 's  wed  to  another. 
Oh  !  thou,  hast  been  the  cause, 
Of  this  anguish  !  My  mother ! 

It  is  pleasant  to  recall  these  faithful  old  servants,  who 
seemed  like  true  members  of  our  family. 

But  to  go  back  to  my  grandfather,  John  Hubbard  (7) : 
As  I  have  said,  he  owned  a  great  deal  of  real  estate  in 
Boston.  He  seemed  to  have  the  same  views  as  some  of 
the  ancestors  of  the  rich  New  York  families.  He  bought 
land  and  built  upon  it  and  then  rented  his  houses  —  and 
these  are  some  of  the  houses  I  happen  to  remember  that 
he  built  and  owned  : 

A  portion  of  the  Liberty  Square  Warehouses,  where 
is  now  Liberty  Square ;  the  houses  on  the  south  side  of 
Howard  Street ;  a  number  of  houses  on  Somerset  Street ; 
either  three  or  four  houses  on  Beacon  Street,  beginning 
at  the  east  corner  of  Beacon  and  Joy  Streets;  three  or 
four  houses  on  Mt.  Vernon  Place,  beginning  with  house 
nearest  the  State  House  on  the  south  side  of  the  street. 
The  house  No.  8  Walnut  Street,  on  the  east  side,  with  a 
yard  towards  Beacon  Street,  and  with  one  row  of  its 
windows  looking  down  Chestnut  Street.  This  is  the 
house  in  which  I  was  born,  and  a  delightful  house  it  is, 


The  Boit  Family  109 

by  the  way !  —  many  houses  on  both  sides  of  Chestnut 
Street ;  all  the  houses  on  the  lower  side  of  West  Cedar 
Street  between  Chestnut  Street  and  Mt,  Vernon  Street. 

Some  of  these  houses  were  owned  by  his  children 
when  I  was  a  boy,  but  I  think  they  have  now  all  passed 
out  of  the  family.  A  Mr.  Curtis  told  me  he  bought,  a 
few  years  ago,  one  of  the  houses  originally  built  by  my 
grandfather,  on  Chestnut  Street,  simply  because  it  was 
so  well  built,  and  had  such  handsome  fireplaces,  stair- 
cases and  wood-work  in  it. 

When  the  Marquis  de  Lafayette  visited  this  country 
in  1824,  at  the  invitation  of  Congress,  he  was  enter-  1824 
tained  in  Boston.  My  mother  told  me  their  family  coach 
was  borrowed  by  the  city  to  take  him  about,  because  her 
father's  coach  was  at  that  time  the  only  coach,  or  one  of 
the  few  coaches  in  Boston,  with  liveried  servants.  I 
wonder  if  there  were  two  on  the  box,  and  two  hanging 
to  the  straps  behind  ! 

By  the  way,  for  this  occasion  an  arch  was  built  on  the 
Neck,  now  Washington  Street,  just  above  Dover  Street 
—  a  triumphal  arch  under  which  Lafayette  was  driven  — 
and  on  it  was  an  inscription  too  good  to  be  forgotten.  It 
was  written  by  Charles  Sprague,  and  was  as  follows : 


no  Chronicles  of 

WELCOME,  LAFAYETTE 

"  The  fathers  in  glory  shall  sleep, 

That  gathered  with  thee  to  the  fight ; 
But  the  sons  will  eternally  keep 
The  tablet  of  gratitude  bright. 
We  bow  not  the  neck ;  we  bend  not  the  knee  : 
But  our  hearts,  Lafayette,  we  surrender  to  thee !  " 

Towards  the  end  of  his  life,  John  Hubbard  (7)  lost  a 
very  considerable  part  of  his  property  in  a  most  unfor- 
tunate and  unforseen  way.  He  was  in  Europe  with  my 
grandmother  and  had  left  one  of  his  Hubbard  cousins  in 
charge  of  his  property  during  his  absence.  One  day  a 
man  who  owed  my  grandfather  a  note  for  $1,000,  came 
into  this  cousin's  office  and  said  he  could  not  pay  the 
note  which  was  about  to  fall  due,  but  would  secure  it,  by 
transferring  to  him,  my  grandfather,  ten  shares  in  a 
large  manufacturing  corporation.  I  think  it  was  a  cot- 
ton mill.  His  cousin  thereupon  accepted  the  security 
and  had  it  transferred  to  my  grandfather  —  no  doubt  a 
natural  thing  to  do,  but  without  my  grandfather's  knowl- 
edge or  consent. 

Within  a  very  short  time  and  while  Mr.  Hubbard  was 
still  abroad,  the  corporation  failed  and  it  was  found  that 
he  was  one  of  the  few  stockholders  of  large  means.  At 
that  time  every  stockholder  was  liable  for  the  debts  of  a 
corporation.  When  my  grandfather  got  the  news,  if  I 
am  not  mistaken,  he  appointed  his  son-in-law,  Russell 


The  Boit  Family  1 1 1 

Sturgis,  then  a  young  man,  to  make  the  best  settlement 
he  could  with  his  creditors. 

A  settlement  was  made  for  $350,000,  or  thereabouts, 
and  to  raise  this  sum  Mr.  Sturgis  was  obliged  to  sell  at 
a  great  sacrifice  large  parcels  of  Mr.  Hubbard's  real 
estate.  Such  a  loss  made  a  great  hole  in  his  fortune 
and  in  his  happiness,  and  I  am  under  the  impression  he 
did  not  live  for  many  years  after  this  calamity.  Still, 
when  he  and  my  grandmother  died,  there  was  left  some 
$400,000  or  $500,000  to  be  divided  among  his  heirs. 
Even  that  amount  was  a  large  fortune  in  those  days.  I 
have  understood  that  this  was  the  last  case  of  the  kind 
in  Massachusetts,  for  the  great  injustice  of  it  was  real- 
ized and  the  law  was  changed. 

This  John  Hubbard  (7),  your  great-grandfather,  was 
also  one  of  the  first  citizens  of  Boston  to  build  a  summer 
cottage  at  Nahant.  It  is  my  impression  that  his  and 
Mr.  Perkins'  houses  were  actually  the  first.  His  Nahant 
house  was  at  the  northwest  corner  of  the  street  which 
runs  south  from  the  church  used  in  summer  by  the 
cottagers,  next  to  the  property  now  owned  by  the  heirs 
of  the  late  Charles  T.  Lovering.  The  land  ran  to  the 
little  road  above  the  beach  and  looked  southwest  towards 
Deer  Island  and  the  channel.  There  his  large  family 
of  boys  and  girls  are  said  to  have  passed  many  happy 
summers. 

It  was  in  those  days  that  your  grandfather,  Edward 
Darley  Boit,  with  his  brothers-in-law,  Gardiner  Greene 


1 1 2  Chronicles  of 

Hubbard,  John  P.  Hubbard,  George  Hubbard,  and  their 
friend,  Mr.  William  Dehon,  hired  a  small  yacht  from 
Boston,  and  with  its  skipper  started  off  one  morning  to 
fish  and  shoot  on  some  of  the  islands  off  the  Beverly 
shore. 

Between  Nahant  and  Egg  Rock,  a  fierce  Northwester 
struck  them  and  they  capsized,  and  their  yacht,  with 
colors  flying,  went  to  the  bottom  like  lead.  Fortunately 
for  them  they  were  closely  followed  by  Captain  Benja- 
min C.  Clarke  in  his  schooner-yacht  Raven,  and  as  they 
capsized,  she  shot  so  close  to  them  that  the  skipper  and 
George  Hubbard  managed  to  jump  aboard.  The  rest  of 
them  were  twenty  minutes  or  more  in  the  water  before 
the  Raven  could  get  back  and  pick  them  up.  Mean- 
while John  Hubbard,  who  went  over  with  his  shot-gun 
in  his  hand,  his  shooting-jacket  pockets  weighed  down 
with  powder  and  shot,  and  wearing  long-legged  shooting- 
boots,  had  a  hard  time  of  it.  My  father  said  at  first 
John  tried  to  hold  his  gun  above  the  water,  but  only  his 
eyes  showed,  and  soon  the  gun  went  down.  Then  he 
managed  to  slip  out  of  his  shooting-jacket,  and  before  he 
was  rescued  he  had  already  got  off  one  of  his  boots. 
Uncle  John  was  always  a  great  swimmer  even  to  the 
end  of  his  life. 

Your  Grandfather  Boit  had  busied  himself  with  Mr. 
Dehon,  who  could  not  swim,  and  succeeded  in  keeping 
him  up  until  they  were  all  rescued  by  Captain  Clarke. 
Mr.  Dehon  considered  that  your  grandfather  had  saved 


The   Boit  Family  113 

his  life,  and  he  expressed  his  sense  of  obligation  in  a 
very  pleasant  way.  Every  Christmas  thereafter  as  long 
as  he  lived,  he  sent  my  brother  Ned  a  handsome  Christ- 
mas present.  You  can  easily  imagine  the  first  question  we 
other  children  asked  on  Christmas  morning  was,  '•  What 
has  Ned  got  from  Mr.  Dehon  ?  " 

I  remember  one  of  these  presents,  many,  many  years 
after  the  accident,  was  the  fastest  sled  on  Boston  Com- 
mon, which  had  been  renamed  by  him  "  Jane,"  after  my 
mother.  I  was  devoted  to  coasting,  so  this  sled  soon 
came  to  me,  and  with  her  I  won  many  a  race. 

Two  paintings  of  this  shipwreck  were  made  at  the 
time  by  a  Boston  artist :  one  is  owned  by  a  descendant 
of  Mr.  Benjamin  C.  Clarke,  and  the  other,  as  you  know, 
I  inherited,  and  gave  to  your  brother  John.  It  hangs  in 
his  room. 

The  last  generation  was  full  of  tales  of  this  Nahant 
house,  but  I  have  forgotten  most  of  them.  One  recurs 
to  me : 

George  Hubbard's  room  was  directly  off  the  breakfast- 
room,  and  one  morning  after  the  rest  of  the  family  had 
apparently  finished  breakfast  and  gone,  George  slipped 
in  there  directly  out  of  bed  and  in  very  scant  attire. 
Suddenly  he  heard  some  one  at  one  of  the  doors  coming 
in.  There  was  nothing  to  do  but  slip  under  the  table 
concealed  by  the  cloth.  Who  should  enter  but  my  Aunt 
Julia  Boit,  who  was  staying  with  them,  and  was  also  late. 
She  sat  down  at  the  table  and  quietly  ate  her  breakfast. 


114  Chronicles  of 

George  stood  it  as  long  as  he  could,  but  was  growing 
colder  and  more  uncomfortable  all  the  time.  Suddenly 
Aunt  Julia  heard  a  familiar  voice  from  under  the  table : 
"Julia,  if  you  don't  leave  this  instant,  I'll  come  out  Just 
as  I  am  /"  and  she  fled  incontinently.    She  knew  her  man. 

John  Hubbard  {7)  married  Jane  Parkinson,  as  I  have 
said.  Her  brother,  John  Parkinson  (i),  had  a  farm  near 
us  when  I  was  a  boy  and  lived  at  "  Ingleside,"  our  place 
on  Forest  Hills  Street.  His  place  was  also  absorbed  by 
Franklin  Park.  When  the  father  of  this  John  and  Jane 
Parkinson  died,  their  mother  married  a  Mr.  Austin.  She 
was  my  great-grandmother, 

I  remember  her,  though  I  think  her  daughter,  Jane, 
my  grandmother,  died  within  a  year  of  my  birth.  This 
Great-grandmother  Austin  (formerly  Mrs.  Parkinson)  had 
children  who  were,  of  course,  half-brothers  and  half-sisters 
of  John  Parkinson  (i)  and  Jane  Parkinson,  my  grand- 
mother. One  of  these  half-sisters,  Letitia  Austin,  who 
was  my  mother's  aunt,  married  Jonathan  Amory,  and 
her  children  were  George  Amory,  Charles  B.  Amory, 
Gordon  Amory,  Mrs.  Harriet  Garner  of  New  York, 
Mrs.  Manlius  Sargent  of  Boston,  and  several  others. 

This  George  Amory  married  Caroline  Bigelow,  daugh- 
ter of  Judge  Bigelow,  and  their  daughter,  Constance, 
who  married  Alexander  Philip  Wadsworth,  has  been  at 
our  house  in  Islesboro,  Maine. 

Charles  B.  Amory  married  Lily  Clap,  of  New  Orleans, 
and  has  several  sons  and  daughters. 


The  Boit  Family  1 15 

Gordon  Amory  married  Miss  Ernst  and  has  no  children. 

As  I  have  shown  you,  the  children  of  Jonathan  Amory 
were  my  mother's  first  cousins  and  my  first  cousins,  once 
removed. 

Mrs.  Garner  (Harriet  Amory)  was  the  mother  of  the 
first  wife  of  Oliver  Iselin  of  New  York,  the  great  yachts- 
man. 

Mrs.  Manlius  Sargent  was  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Nathan 
Matthews  of  Boston,  and  Sullivan  Sargent  of  Boston, 
who  are  my  second  cousins. 

The  son  of  John  Parkinson  (i)  my  great -uncle,  was 
John  Parkinson  (2)  who  married  Gertrude  Weld,  and 
was  my  first  cousin,  once  removed.  His  son,  John  Park- 
inson (3),  who  married  Miss  Emmons,  is  my  second  cousin. 

Many  of  the  children  of  Jonathan  Amory  and  Letitia 
(Austin)  Amory  were  extremely  distinguished-looking 
men  and  women,  very  high-bred  and  with  much  personal 
dignity,  and  Harriet  Garner  was  certainly  very  beautiful. 

It  is  through  a  brother  of  Aunt  Letitia  (Austin) 
Amory  that  we  are  also  related  to  Mary  Austin,  the 
mother  of  Mrs.  I.  Tucker  Burr. 

Through  the  Greenes  we  are  also  related  to  another 
branch  of  the  Amory  family,  and  also  to  the  Hammond 
family  of  Boston. 

Mr.  Charles  Hubbard  (i)  of  Weston  was  also  my 
mother's  first  cousin.  Charles  W.  Hubbard  (2)  of  Wes- 
ton, whose  son,  Charles  W.  Hubbard  (3)  was  a  class- 
mate and   friend  of  your  brother  John,  is    my  second 


ii6  Chronicles  of 

cousin,  as  also  his  sisters,  Lottie  Hubbard  (Mrs.  Ben- 
jamin Young),  Elizabeth  Hubbard  (Mrs.  Francis  Blake), 
and  Loulie  Hubbard  (Mrs.  Canda  of  New  York). 

The  late  Mrs.  Martin  Brimmer  of  Boston,  who  was  a 
Miss  Timmins,  was  named  oddly  enough  Mary  Anne, 
after  my  aunts,  Mary  and  Anne  Hubbard. 

I  have  heard  it  said  that  from  Reverend  William 
Hubbard  (i)  to  Francis  Stanton  Hubbard  (9)  in  direct 
descent,  none  of  these  Hubbards  had  been  in  trade. 

Having  explained  who  John  Hubbard's  (7)  wife,  Jane 
Parkinson  was,  and  having  told  you  of  some  of  her  rela- 
tions, I  will  turn  to  their  children  —  my  Hubbard  uncles 
and  aunts. 

CHILDREN    OF    JOHN    HUBBARD    (/) 
AND    JANE    PARKINSON 

1806  I.  Mary  Hubbard,  born  in  1806,  the  second  wife  of 
Russell  Sturgis,  who  afterwards  married  my  Aunt  Julia 
Overing  Boit.     Their  children  were  : 

Russell  Sturgis  (2)  who  first  married  Susan  Welles 
of  Boston  and  by  her  had  children  :  Russell  Sturgis  (3), 
who  married  Anne  O.  Bangs ;  Susan  Welles  Sturgis,  who 
married  John  Preston  ;  Richard  Clipston  Sturgis,  who 
married  Esther  M.  Ogden  of  New  York ;  William  Codman 
Sturgis,  who  married  Carolyn  Hall,  who  passed  much  of 
her  youth  in  South  America. 

1811  2.  Anne  Hubbard,  born  in  1811,  who  married  James 
White  of  London  and   Ceylon.     In    Ceylon  he  was   a 


The   Boit  Family  117 

successful  merchant.  He  represented  Messrs.  Baring 
Brothers  &  Co.  there  for  many  years,  and  finally  retired 
from  business  and  returned  to  London.  They  had  many 
children  and  descendants.  Their  most  illustrious  son 
was  John  Hubbard  White  who  became  a  General  of  the 
Royal  Engineers  in  the  British  army,  and  was  at  one 
time  Master  of  the  Mint  in  Bombay. 

3.  Gardiner  Greene  Hubbard  (8),  born  18 1 3,  who  mar-     1813 
ried  Charlotte  Caldwell  Blake,  a  first  cousin  of  George 
Baty  Blake,  who  married  her  sister.     Their  children  are 
Francis  Stanton  Hubbard  (9),  who  married  Mabel  Hill, 

an  Enghshwoman,  and  John  G.  Hubbard,  who  married 
Jane  Frances  Ferguson. 

4.  Elizabeth  Hubbard,  born  in  1815,  who  married  John     1815 
Singleton  Copley  Greene.     She  left  no  children.     She 

was  said  to  have  been  a  beautiful  and  brilliant  woman, 
very  musical  and  with  a  lovely  voice. 

5.  Martha  Hubbard,  born  in    18 16.     When  she  was     1S16 
about  eighteen,  she  walked  to  a  party  and  home  again  in 

thin  slippers.  She  took  a  violent  cold  and  died  a  short 
time  after.     She  was  engaged  to  be  married  at  the  time. 

6.  Jane  Parkinson  Hubbard  (8)  born  in    18 18,  who     1818 
married  Edward  Darley  Boit  (3),  my  father  and  mother. 

I  will  speak  of  their  children  later. 

7.  Reverend  John  Parkinson  Hubbard,  bom  in  1820,     1820 
who  married  Adelaide  McCulloh.    They  lost  seven  unmar- 
ried children.     Their  other  children  are  Russell  Sturgis 
Hubbard,  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Perry;  Mary  Hubbard, 


1 18  Chronicles  of 

unmarried ;  Annie  Hubbard,  unmarried ;  Lucy  Hubbard, 
married  William  Hamilton  Jefferys ;  Edith  Hubbard, 
unmarried. 

8.  George  Hubbard,  who  married  and  died  without 
children,  after  a  most  adventurous  and  unfortunate  life. 


I 

EDWARD  DARLEY  BOIT  (4) 

Son  of  Edward  Darley  Beit  and 
Jane  Parkinson  Hubbard 

Chapter  VIII 

EDWARD  DARLEY  BOIT  (4)  was  born  May  16, 
1840,  in  Boston.     He  attended  the  Boston  Latin     1840 
School  and  later  the  school  of  Epes  S.  Dixwell 
in  Boylston  Place,  the  most  popular  school  of  the  day, 
where  he  was    finally  prepared   to   enter  college.     He 
graduated  from  Har\'ard  in  the  Class  of  '63.  1S63 

He  was  a  large,  strong  man,  nearly  six  feet  tall,  and 
rowed  on  his  Freshman  class  crew,  which  in  that  year 
was  successful  against  the  Yale  Freshmen  on  Lake 
Quinsigamond  at  Worcester.  I  remember,  too,  hearing 
most  creditable  stories  of  his  prowess  in  a  hand-to-hand 
encounter  on  the  Delta  with  a  Sophomore  on  "  Football 
Night."  I  believe  it  was  fought  to  a  finish  in  the  centre 
of  an  eager  ring  of  students  and  that  the  honors  were 
about  evenly  divided  between  the  contestants,  and  with 
sufficient  for  both. 

While  in  college,  he  was  Secretary  and  President  of  the 
Institute;  Secretary  and  Poet  of  the  Hasty  Pudding  Club; 
a  member  of  the  D.  K.  E.  and  A.  D.  F.  It  is  said  that  he 
wrote  the  initiation  of  the  D.  K.  E.,  much  of  which  was 

119 


I20  Chronicles  of 

used  for  a  long  time  afterwards.  He  was  Class  Poet  when 
1863  he  graduated  in  1863,  and  I  remember  that  James  Russell 
Lowell  highly  commended  his  poem,  and  said  it  gave  him 
great  pleasure  to  be  able  to  understand  it,  "  which  was  so 
rarely  the  case  with  Class  Poems." 

I  will  add  here  the  closing  lines  of  this  Harvard  Class 
Day  poem.  I  think  them  particularly  appropriate  to  that 
occasion : 

"  Beside  the  College  gate,  on  either  hand, 

Old  "Harvard  Hall"  and  "Massachusetts"  stand. 

Where  long,  through  summer's  heat  and  winter's  snow, 

They  've  watched  youth's  annual  tide  now  ebb,  now  flow. 

And  lo !  a  venerable  form  appears, — 

His  shoulders  bending  with  the  weight  of  years. 

In  at  the  gate,  with  faltering  step  and  slow. 

Across  the  shady   green,  we  see  him  go. 

Beneath  his  arm  he  bears  a  time-worn  book ; 

Now  round  the  scene  he  casts  a  curious  look, 

As  if,  'mid  passing  groups,  he  sought  to  trace 

The  features  of  one  well-remembered  face. 

Now,  sighing,  turns  and  wipes  away  a  tear, 

That  he,  once  so  well  known,  should  be  a  stranger  here. 

And  now  he  stands  within  that  Gothic  Hall, 

Where  countless  volumes  line  the  lofty  wall; 

And  to  the  guardian  of  the  treasures  there 

The  old  man  thus  :  '  To  thy  protecting  care 

This  volume  I  commit, —  a  sacred  trust, — 


The  Boit  Family  121 

Record  of  deeds,  whose  authors  sleep  in  dust. 

Long  years  ago,  united  heart  and  hand. 

They  issued  from  these  walls,  a  youthful  band, 

With  manly  courage,  and  with  honest  hearts. 

On  Life's  wide  stage  they  played  their  various  parts ; 

All  strove  alike,  with  powers  some  more,  some  less ; 

And  all  deserved,  while  some  achieved  success ; 

Some  died  in  youth  and  manhood,  some  in  age ; 

None  left  a  blot  on  this  unblemished  page. 

When,  in  their  course,  a  few  more  seasons  roll. 

My  happy  name  shall  close  the  glorious  scroll.' 

—  The  vision  fades  !     Classmates,  it  rests  with  you 

To  make  this  final  picture  false  or  true!  " 

After  graduation,  he  entered  the  Harv^ard  Law  School, 
took  his  degi'ee,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Massachusetts 
Bar. 

At  about  this  time  he  published  in  one  of  our  maga- 
zines an  essay  on  the  Letters  of  Junius,  which  was  very 
favorably  reviewed  by  the  critics.  I  have  been  told  by 
some  of  his  legal  friends  that  he  had  an  admirable  legal 
and  judicial  mind,  and  should  never  have  given  up  his 
first-chosen  profession. 

On  June  16,    1864,  a  year  after  graduation,  he  was     1S64 
married  in  Christ  Church,  in  Cambridge,  to  Mary  Louisa 
Cushing,  daughter  of  John  Peck  Cushing  of  Boston,  a 
successful  merchant,  who  had  come  back  from  the  East 
with  a  large  fortune  and  built  the  beautiful  house,  and 


122  Chronicles  of 

laid  out  around  it  the  fine  estate  which  he  called  "  Bel- 
mont," and  after  which  the  town  of  Belmont  was  named. 
Her  mother  was  Mary  Louisa  Gardiner  of  Boston. 

Mary  Louisa  (Gushing)  Boit  was  an  only  daughter. 
Both  her  father  and  mother  were  dead  at  the  time  of 
her  marriage.  She  had  three  brothers :  John  Gardiner 
Gushing,  who  married  Susan  Dexter ;  Robert  M.  Gushing, 
who  married  Olivia  Dulany  of  Baltimore  ;  and  Thomas  F. 
Gushing,  who  married  Frances  Grinnell  of  New  York, 
who  was  the  daughter  of  Moses  Grinnell  and  a  first 
cousin,  once  removed,  of  'your  mother,  Lilian  (Willis) 
Boit. 

The  wedding  reception  was  a  grand  occasion.  The 
lawns  and  gardens  were  in  their  most  beautiful  condition, 
the  day  itself  perfect,  and  what  can  surpass  a  perfect  day 
in  June,  with  life  in  tune  to  it  ?  It  was  a  wonderful  day, 
a  wonderful  place,  a  wonderful  house,  a  wonderful  gather- 
ing, and  the  very  loveliest  of  brides. 

I  was  just  eighteen  and  a  groomsman.  I  drove  my 
bridesmaid  over  to  Belmont  that  morning.  We  were  so 
very  young  and  so  full  of  all  the  hopes  and  possibilities 
of  life  !  We  promised  that  if  either  of  us  were  ever  en- 
gaged the  other  should  be  the  first  told.  What  supreme 
simplicity  and  youth ! 

The  groomsmen  were  Thomas  F.  Gushing,  John  G. 
Warren,  Lawrence  Mason,  George  G.  Shattuck,  Francis 
L.  Higginson,  Francis  G.  Loring,  George  Wheatland  and 
myself,  and  the  bridesmaids,  my  sisters  Lizzie  and  Jeanie, 


The   Boit  Family  123 

Anna  Sargent,  Rosamond  Warren,  Alice  Bradlee,  Marian 
Jackson,  Harriet  Inches,  and  Florence  Dumaresq. 

We  had  a  grand  time  with  dancing  all  the  afternoon 
in  the  long  drawing-rooms.  This  Belmont  was  more  like 
a  fine  old  English  place  than  any  near  Boston,  and  its 
lawns  and  gardens  and  groves  and  farms  and  dairies  and 
long  avenues  of  English  elms  were  unsurpassed.  The 
gardens  near  the  house  were  in  their  June  beauty,  and 
at  that  time  no  gardens  near  Boston  equalled  them. 
Over  the  centre  of  the  garden  was  a  large  marquee  cover- 
ing the  fountain.  Here  the  refreshments  were  served. 
How  many  delightful  days  and  nights  I  passed  there 
while  I  was  in  college !  A  few  years  later  this  place 
was  sold  by  the  Gushing  family. 

Your  Aunt  Isa,  as  Mary  Louisa  (Gushing)  Boit  was 
called,  was  one  of  the  best  friends  I  ever  had,  and  our 
intimacy  and  affection  lasted  throughout  her  life  without 
a  break.  A  great,  noble-hearted  woman,  whose  foibles 
and  eccentricities  added  to  her  charms.  Once  when  she 
heard  I  was  hard  up,  she  wanted  to  sell  her  jewels  to 
help  me.  Very  properly  she  was  not  allowed  to  do  so. 
The  thought  did  not  make  me  love  her  less. 

In  1889,  ^  went  abroad  with  my  brother  Edward,  who  1SS9 
had  been  visiting  this  country.  After  passing  a  few 
weeks  together  in  Paris,  he  and  I  went  on  to  Ouchy, 
where  Isa  and  the  children  were  stopping  at  the  Beau 
Rivage.  There  I  picked  up  Isa  and  we  two  went  to 
Bayreuth  to  a  Wagner  Festival,  stopping  in  Nuremberg, 


124  Chronicles  of 

Basel,  Heidelburg  and  Zurich,  and  one  or  two  other 
places,  going  and  coming.  We  had  a  great  time,  and 
she  proved  herself  a  most  delightful  and  admirable 
travelling  companion. 

Shortly  after  their  marriage  your  Uncle  Edward  built 
a  charming  house  at  Newport,  above  the  Spouting  Horn, 
at  the  end  of  Bailey's  Beach,  known  as  "  The  Rocks." 
They  lived  there  and  entertained  there  for  several  sum- 

187 1     mers,  until  they  went  to  Europe,  in   1871.     It  is  now 
owned  by  Henry  Clews  of  New  York. 

Your  Uncle  Edward  and  Aunt  Isa  spent  a  large  part 
of  their  married  life  abroad,  where  several  of  their  chil- 
dren were  born,  and  where  your  uncle  devoted  his  life 
to  painting.  They  came  to  this  country  from  time  to 
time  for  longer  or  shorter  visits,  and  your  Uncle  Ned 
crossed  the  Atlantic  not  less  than  forty  or  fifty  times. 

187 1     He  began  work  as  a  painter  in  1871,  studying  for  several 

1876  years  in  Rome  and  Paris.  In  the  spring  of  1876,  his 
picture,  a  landscape,  "  Rocks,  Beach,  and  Ocean,"  was 
accepted  at  the  Salon  in  Paris,  His  water-colors  were 
distinguished  and  are  in  many  galleries  abroad.  You  are 
all,  no  doubt,  familiar  with  the  set  of  his  water-colors 
purchased  by  the  Boston  Museum  of  Fine  Arts,  He 
first  worked  with  Frederick  Crowninshield,  in  Rome,  and 
later  with  Couture  and  especially  with  Francais,  in  Paris. 
Your  Uncle  Edward  Bolt's  wife,  Mary  Louisa  Cushing 
died  in  Dinard,  France,  after  a  most  painful  illness,  on 

1894    the  29th  of  September,  1894,  and  was  buried  in  Paris. 


The  Boit  Family  125 

There  are  four  living  daughters  of  this  marriage  and 
there  were  several  children  that  died  young.  The  living 
daughters  are,  Florence  Dumaresq  Boit,  Jane  Hubbard 
Boit,  Mary  Louisa  Boit,  Julia  Overing  Boit,  and  none  of 
them  have  married. 

January  5,  1897,  your  Uncle  Edward  Boit  married  his     1897 
second  wife,  Florence  Little,  daughter  of  Captain  William 
McCarty  Little,  U.  S.  N.,  of  Newport,  Rhode  Island. 

April  28,  1902,  his  wife,  Florence  Little  Boit,  died  in  1902 
Paris,  France,  leaving  two  sons,  Julian  McCarty  Boit  and 
Edward  Boit.  She  died  at  the  birth  of  her  last  son,  and 
was  buried  in  Newport,  Rhode  Island.  These  boys,  as 
you  know,  lived  with  the  grandfather  and  grandmother. 
Captain  and  Mrs.  Little,  in  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  and 
are  both  at  present  in  St.  George's  School  in  Newport. 
Captain  Little  died  in  March,  191 5.  1915 

After  the  death  of  his  second  wife,  your  Uncle  Ned 
built  a  large  house  next  to  mine  on  Colchester  Street, 
Brookline,  intending  to  pass  his  winters,  for  the  remain- 
der of  his  life,  in  America.  After  living  in  it  for  several 
winters,  his  daughters,  who  had  passed  so  much  of  their 
lives  abroad,  could  not  accustom  themselves  to  life  in 
America,  and  persuaded  him  to  take  apartments  in  Paris. 
There  they  have  remained,  and  their  delightful  house  is 
rented  to  others.    This  was  a  great  disappointment  to  me. 

As  you  also  know,  your  uncle  and  three  of  his  girls 
have  passed  their  summers  for  many  years  at  his  Villa 
"Cernitoio,"  twenty  miles  from  Florence,  near  the  famous 


126  Chronicles  of 

forests  of  Vallombrosa.  It  is  an  old  convent,  once  owned 
by  the  monks  of  Vallombrosa,  altered  over  into  a  villa  by 
a  Roman  architect,  employed  by  your  uncle  for  that  pur- 
pose. It  retains  the  spirit  of  old  Italy.  It  is  in  the  moun- 
tains, some  twenty-five  hundred  feet  above  the  sea,  with 
fine  views  down  the  Valley  of  the  Arno,  and  of  its  sur- 
rounding ranges  of  hills  and  mountains.  There  are 
several  hundred  acres  of  lands,  and  a  number  of  farms 
under  cultivation  on  the  place.  Looking  to  the  west- 
ward and  sunsets,  there  are  some  fine  terraces  with 
fountains  and  flower  gardens.  A  short  distance  below 
the  terraces  is  the  old  picturesque  square  tower  of 
Ristonchi,  said  to  have  been  built  in  the  tenth  centur)\ 
It  is  dwelt  in  by  some  of  his  farm  laborers. 

Henry  James,  the  author,  once  said,  after  sitting  awhile 
on  one  of  the  terraces,  "  Ned,  you  have  the  front  seat  in 
the  finest  theatre  in  the  world !  "  or  words  to  that  effect. 

In  pleasant  weather,  on  the  upper  terrace  next  the 
house,  the  family  set  their  table  for  their  meals,  with 
one  of  the  loveliest  of  views  imaginable  spread  before 
them,  as  well  as  the  best  of  Italian  food.  I  think 
there  are  five  fountains  on  the  various  terraces,  playing 
day  and  night.  Their  cool  and  grateful  singing  is  never 
more  dehcious  than  on  warm  summer  nights,  yet  people 
have  been  known  to  ask  to  be  moved  to  the  other  end 
of  the  house  to  get  rid  of  the  sound  of  them. 

Your  Uncle  Ned  was  a  good  landlord.  He  not  only 
brought  down  an  abundance  of  water  from  the  springs 


The  Boit  Family  127 

in  the  mountains  above  him  for  the  use  of  his  own  Villa 
and  gardens,  but  also  piped  water  to  the  various  farms 
on  his  estate.  The  families  on  some  of  these  farms 
have  lived  there  for  untold  generations.  They  pay  trib- 
ute, by  way  of  rent,  with  a  certain  percentage  of  their 
farm  products.  His  tenants  were  devoted  to  him  and 
his  family. 

Of  late  years  Edward  Darley  Boit  (4)  and  his  family 
have  passed  their  winters  in  Paris,  as  I  have  said.     This 
year,   the  winter  of    1914-1915,   they  lived   in   Rome,     "^'■* 
where  your  Uncle  Edward  died  on  the  21st  of  April, 
191  5,  in  the  seventy-fifth  year  of  his  life.  1915 

He  had  been  taken  seriously  ill  with  hardening  of  the 
arteries  ten  months  before,  and  had  gone  through  a  long 
period  of  great  suffering. 

John  S.  Sargent  painted  your  uncle's  portrait,  and 
also  that  of  his  first  wife,  Mary  Louisa  Gushing,  and 
again  that  of  her  four  girls  standing  in  their  Paris  hall- 
way. They  are  all  beautiful  pictures  and  that  of  the 
children  one  of  Sargent's  masterpieces.  At  present  this 
last  picture  is  loaned  to  the  Boston  Art  Museum.  The 
others  are  in  Paris. 

Happening  to  refer  to    my  journal,    I    find  that  on 
Thursday,  April  9,    1903,  I   gave  a  dinner  to  John  S.     iqoj 
Sargent  at  the  Somerset   Club,  and  will  give  you  the 
list  of  guests,  which  I  think  is  an  interesting  one  : 

Benjamin  Kimball,  lawyer,  and  collector  of  all  rare  and 
lovely  things,  a  connoisseur  of  art,  a  Papyrus  president. 


128  Chronicles  of 

T.  Russell  Sullivan,  who  adapted  the  play  of  Jekyl 
and  Hyde,  and  has  written  much  in  prose  and  verse; 
also  a  Papyrus  president. 

Horatio  G.  Curtis,  bank  president  and  collector  of  prints. 

Henry  S.  Howe,  merchant  and  collector  of  books  and 
paintings. 

Robert  S.  Peabody,  architect,  lover  of  art,  yet  still 
the  man  who  built  our  custom  house. 

Edward  Robinson,  at  that  time  Director  of  the 
Museum  of  Fine  Arts. 

Doctor  Frederick  C.  Shattuck,  my  chum  in  college 
and  friend  ever  since. 

Joseph  De  Camp,  the  painter,  Sargent  and  myself. 

We  sat  down  at  half  past  seven  and  did  not  get  up 
till  half  past  twelve.  A  most  agreeable  lot  of  men,  and 
a  delightful  evening ! 

I  had  the  pleasure  of  entertaining  Sargent  on  several 
other  occasions  and  always  found  him  a  most  charming 
companion.  I  never  heard  him  say  an  unkind,  or  un- 
pleasantly critical  word  of  any  fellow  artist.  He  told  me 
we  had  as  good  a  set  of  portrait  painters  in  Boston  as 
there  were  in  the  world  today,  and  cited  specifically 
De  Camp  and  Tarbell  and  Lock  wood. 

John  Sargent  once  told  me  he  did  not  really  under- 
stand his  own  success,  that  he  never  felt  that  he  con- 
trolled, had  in  his  grasp,  his  own  power  to  paint ;  that 
he  felt  as  if  it  were  outside  of  himself,  and  might  leave 
him  at  any  moment. 


The   Boit  Family  129 

I,  myself,  have  hung  four  of  Sargent's  water-color  ex- 
hibitions, two  in  New  York  and  two  in  Boston.  It  gave 
me  an  intimacy  with,  and  appreciation  of  his  wonderful 
work,  that  I  could  hardly  have  got  in  any  other  way. 

Edward  Darley  Boit  (4)  was  a  man  of  great  personal 
dignity  and  beauty.  Nothing  could  give  a  better  or 
more  truthful  idea  of  his  face  than  Sargent's  portrait  of 
him.  He  was  a  very  distinguished-looking  man,  and 
always  most  particular  about  his  dress.  His  manners 
and  bearing  were  as  simple  and  distinguished  as  his  per- 
son. He  impressed  all  who  knew  him  as  a  very  "big" 
man,  and  his  kindliness,  and  generosity,  and  hospitality 
were  not  to  be  surpassed. 

In  many  ways  he  was  a  veritable  prince  and  lived  like 
one.  Yet  with  all  his  love  for  the  beautiful  and  refined 
in  life,  he  was  democratic  in  his  tastes,  and  no  respecter 
of  persons,  or  titles. 

He  did  not  know  the  meaning  of  the  word  snob,  and 
I've  heard  him  say,  "The  world  is  divided  into  two 
classes  —  those  who  are  worth  while,  and  those  who  are 
not."  This  was,  I  think,  a  very  correct  expression  of 
his  views,  and  he  lived  up  to  them. 

He  was  a  most  cultivated  man  and  a  steady  reader. 
He  entertained  many  people  in  his  various  houses,  and 
was  always  a  most  agreeable  and  admirable  host. 
Whether  they  were  rich  and  distinguished  or  poor  and 
dependent,  there  was  no  difference  in  his  treatment  of 
them. 


130  Chronicles  of 

He  had  great  self-control  and  self-possession,  but 
when  his  indignation  was  once  aroused,  the  wise  kept 
quiet.  My  brother  John  used  to  say,  "When  you  see 
Ned's  eyes  growing  beady,  look  out  for  yourself  !  " 

He  was  loved  and  respected  and  admired  by  all  who 
knew  him,  and  few  had  a  greater  host  of  friends.  At 
his  death  a  real  personality  left  the  world,  and  left  the 
world  richer  by  his  art,  and  the  memories  of  a  manly, 
noble  gentleman. 

Edward  Darley  Boit  was  a  member  of  the  "Somerset 
Club,"  of  Boston,  the  "  Union,"  of  Paris,  and  the  "  St. 
James',"  of  London. 


II 

ELIZABETH  GREENE  BOIT  (4) 

Daughter  of  Edward  Darley  Boit  and 
Jane  Parkinson  Hubbard 

Chapter  IX 

ELIZABETH  GREENE  BOIT  was  born  in  Bos. 
ton,  July  7,  1842.  She  was  a  fine-looking  woman —  1842 
at  times  decidedly  handsome.  She  was  an  agree- 
able companion  with  a  keen  sense  of  humor.  She  went 
to  various  schools  in  Boston,  finishing  at  that  of  Professor 
Agassiz,  which  was  the  fashionable  school  for  young  ladies 
in  my  young  days. 

I  remember  while  Lizzie  was  there,  the  schoolgirls 
were  set  in  a  state  of  great  commotion  or  emotion.  One 
of  them  received  anonymously  the  following  verses,  well 
suited  to  excite  romantic  thoughts  in  the  feminine  breast 
at  the  age  of  sixteen  or  eighteen.  Of  course  they  were 
soon  read  and  copied  by  all  the  young  women  in  the 
school,  and  thus  through  Lizzie,  came  into  my  possession. 

THE  DYING  WISH 

ANONYMOUS 

Best  beloved  —  beyond  your  sight, 
Where  the  hills  rise  bleak  and  white ; 

131 


132  Chronicles  of 


One  whose  faint  and  erring  feet 
Walk  where  light  and  shadow  meet ; 
One  whose  true  heart  never  knew 
Any  other  love  but  you  — 
Murmurs,  on  his  death  bed  lying  — 
Love  me  —  love  —  for  I  am  dying. 


Many  a  league  of  hill  and  plain 
Stretches  wide  between  us  twain ; 
Traversed  only  by  my  thought, 
Out  of  love  and  anguish  wrought ; 
And  my  voice  still  trembles  through 
Songs  once  sung  by  me  and  you, 
Like  an  echo  low  replying  — 

Love  me  —  love  —  for  I  am  dying. 

Though  the  smiling  angels  wait 
Leaning  from  the  shining  gate  — 
Though  their  white  hands  stretching  down 
Offer  life's  unfading  crown  — 
I  would  yield  it  even  now 
For  thy  kiss  upon  my  brow ! 
Crush  me  not  with  cold  denying ! 

Love  me  —  love  —  for  I  am  dying. 

Though  sweet  voices  call  me  o'er 
Softly  to  the  other  shore  — 


The  Boit  Family  133 

Where  all  sorrowing  hearts  find  peace, 
And  their  weary  achings  cease  — 
Yet  my  soul,  which  never  knew 
Any  Heaven  away  from  you, 
Will  not  cease  its  anguish,  crying  — 
Love  me  —  love  —  for  I  am  dying. 

Lizzie  was  presented  at  the  Court  of  St.  James,  in 
London,  when  she  first  came  out  into  society. 

My  father  and  mother  passed  the  winter  of  1866- 1867 
in  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  so  that  my  father  might  be 
near  some  printworks  which  he  was  then  building  at 
Apponaug,  Rhode  Island.  My  sister  Lizzie  returned 
from  Europe  at  that  time  and  passed  the  winter  with 
them  in  Providence.  Here  it  was  that  she  met  in  society 
Joseph  Hurlbert  Patten,  son  of  William  S.  Patten  of 
Providence,  and  Eliza  Bridgham  Patten.  William  S. 
Patten,  Joseph's  father,  was  one  of  the  prominent  and 
well-to-do  gentlemen  of  Providence  and  president,  or  cash- 
ier of  one  of  its  leading  banks.     I  remember  him  well. 

He  was  a  particularly  distinguished  and  aristocratic- 
looking  man,  dignified  and  courtly  in  his  manner,  and 
most  punctilious  in  dress.  His  face  was  close-shaven 
and  his  features  clear-cut  and  regular.  Distinctly  a  gen- 
tleman of  the  old  school,  and  with  a  quiet,  self-possessed 
urbanity  of  manner,  that  one  rarely  has  the  pleasure  of 
meeting  today.  His  son,  Joseph,  was  one  of  the  best 
men  I  have  known.     He  married  Elizabeth  Greene  Boit, 


1866 
1867 


134  Chronicles  of 

1867     in  Boston,  on  the  20th  of  June,  1867,  when  I  had  just 
become  a  senior  in  college. 

They  were  married,  I  think,  in  the  Arhngton  Street 
Church  in  Boston,  and  the  reception  was  at  our  Boston 
house,  No.  30  Marlborough  Street.  It  was  at  this  re- 
ception that  my  father  said  to  one  of  Ned's  friends  as 
he  was  leaving  the  house,  "  Frank,  come  back  and  have 
another  glass  of  champagne."  **  No,  thank  you,  sir,  I've 
had  plenty  already."  "You  don't  look  so,"  said  my 
father.  "Then,"  said  Frank,  "my  looks  belie  my  ap- 
pearances ! " 

They  lived  after  marriage  in  Providence,  Rhode  Island, 
with  a  pleasant  summer  place  at  Warwick  Neck,  Rhode 
Island,  on  Narragansett  Bay.  They  were  most  hos- 
pitable people,  and  many  a  pleasant  time  have  I  passed 
with  them  both  in  Providence  and  Warwick. 
i8^6  Joseph  H.  Patten  was  born  March  8,  1836,  was  mar- 
1867    ried,  as  I   have   said,  on  June  20,    1867,  and  died  in 

1874  Providence,  in  December,  1874,  when  he  was  only  thirty- 
eight  years  old.     His  wife,  Elizabeth  (Boit)  Patten,  died 

1875  '^^  ^^^  following  spring,  April   14,  1875,  when  she  was 
thirty-three  years  old.     They  left  three  children  : 

1869         Jane  Boit  Patten,  born  in  Providence,  June  8,  1869; 

Eliza  Bridgham  Patten,  born  in  Providence,  September 
187 1  17,  1 87 1,  died  in  Jackson,  New  Hampshire,  September 
1890  4,  1890;  William  S.  Patten,  born  in  Providence,  July  21, 
1^^^     1873,  married  to  Anna  Thayer,  June  16,  1904,  daughter 

of  Nathaniel  Thayer  of  Boston  and  Lancaster. 


Ill 

ROBERT  APTHORP  BOIT  (4) 

Son  of  Edward  Darley  Boit  and 
Jane  Parkinson  Hubbard 

Chapter  X 

ROBERT  APTHORP  BOIT,  was  born  at  No.  8 
Walnut  Street,  Boston,  on  the  29th  of  April,  1846.  1846 
I  passed  the  first  seven  years  of  my  life  at 
"Ingleside,"  on  Forest  Hills  Street,  in  a  house  built  by 
my  father  at  that  time,  and,  as  I  have  said  before,  now 
embodied  in  Franklin  Park.  The  seventh  and  eighth 
winters  of  my  life  we  lived  in  West  Cedar  Street,  Boston. 

Our  first  winter  in  Boston,  when  I  was  seven,  I  went 
to  a  Miss  Brown's  school  at  the  head  of  Chestnut  Street, 
and  the  second  to  Miss  Louisa  Alcott's  on  Pinckney 
Street.  She  was  the  author  of  "Little  Women"  and 
many  other  children's  stories. 

I  remember  well  her  father,  old  Mr.  Bronson  Alcott, 
who  was  afterwards  noted  as  one  of  the  Concord  School 
of  Philosophy.  When  we  were  naughty,  our  punishment 
was  to  be  put  in  a  chair  facing  the  table  at  which  he  sat 
in  his  library,  and  he  would  occasionally  raise  his  gray- 
bearded  head  from  his  work,  and  from  under  his  bushy 
eyebrows  peer  at  us  over  his  spectacles.  That  was  suf- 
ficient to  fill  my  infant  soul  with  awe. 

135 


136  Chronicles  of 

I  was  taught  a  good  lesson  one  day  by  Miss  Alcott. 
Annah  and  Charley  Lovering,  five  and  seven  years  old, 
also  went  to  this  school.  I  always  heard  them  call  Miss 
Alcott  "  OUie  "  and  so  tried  it  myself  one  day.  I  was 
immediately  reproved  by  her.  She  told  me  that  she 
had  been  the  governess  of  the  Lovering  children,  and  so 
they  had  got  into  the  habit  of  calling  her  "  Ollie,"  but 
she  did  not  wish  other  children  to  call  her  so.  I  was 
only  seven,  but  it  made  an  impression  I  never  forgot. 
Of  course  it  hurt  my  feelings  at  the  time,  but  the  lesson 
was  a  useful  one,  and  rarely,  if  ever,  in  life  thereafter 
did  I  put  myself  in  a  position  where  I  could  be  accused 
of  being  "fresh,"  as  the  slang  term  goes  today. 
1855  The  following  spring,  in  1855,  on  my  father's  return 
from  Chicago,  he  purchased  a  small  house  in  Eliot  Street, 
Jamaica  Plain,  near  Jamaica  Pond.  They  used  to  call 
the  house  the  Crystal  Palace,  it  had  so  many  windows. 
My  father  added  to  it  and  made  it  very  comfortable. 
We  lived  there  until  I  was  twelve.  It  was  delightful 
to  a  small  boy  to  be  so  near  the  pond,  for  there  I 
learned  to  swim  and  skate  at  a  very  early  age. 

At  this  time  we  passed  two  summers  at  East  Glouces- 
ter. The  first  summer  we  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  David 
Greenough  and  their  children,  also  from  Jamaica  Plain, 
and  a  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ashton  and  their  one  little  girl  filled 
a  Wonson  boarding-house,  close  to  the  shore  opposite  Ten 
Pound  Island.  The  second  summer  we,  and  the  Henry 
Sargent  family  filled  the  house,  and  my  intimacy  with 


The  Boit  Family  137 

this  delightful  family  began.     Mr.  Henry  Sargent  was 
the  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Henry  S.  Hunnewell. 

While  we  lived  in  Eliot  Street  in  1855-1856,  Lucy  J^^^ 
Sturgis  stayed  with  us,  and  while  there  became  engaged 
to  Charles  R.  Codman.  I  remember  they  always  sat 
with  us  in  the  evening  and  did  not  go  off  to  a  room  by 
themselves,  as  do  young  couples  of  this  generation,  and 
others  before  them,  when  they  had  a  chance.  The  con- 
versation was  general  and  often  Lucy  and  my  mother 
sang  duets  at  the  piano.  They  both  had  sweet,  light 
voices  and  their  songs  were  tuneful  and  simple.  Lucy 
sang  the  contralto,  or  second,  which  seemed  quite  won- 
derful to  me.  When  it  was  time  for  Charles  to  leave,  I 
can  hear  my  father  say,  "  Lucy,  go  and  find  Charles'  hat 
for  him,"  and  then  with  some  embarrassment,  they  would 
disappear  into  the  entry,  and  later  the  front  door  would 
close. 

In  the  early  winter  of  1856,  when  I  was  nearly  ten,  ^g^ 
my  mother  took  me  abroad  with  her  to  stay  with 
Uncle  Russell  and  Aunt  Julia  Sturgis  in  England.  It 
was  an  important  time  in  the  family  for  Cousin  Russell 
Sturgis,  Jr.,  had  just  married  Susan  Welles,  and  Cousin 
Lucy  Sturgis  was  going  home  to  England,  to  be 
married  to  Charles  Codman.  We  all  went  out  together 
if  I  am  not  mistaken. 

We  first  went  to  Uncle  Russell's  place  "  Coombwood  " 
near  Richmond  Park.  There  Lucy  was  married  from 
her  father's  house,  to  Charles  Codman,  in  the  quaintest 


138  Chronicles  of 

and  tiniest  of  little  English  Churches  nearby,  and  on  the 
border  of  Richmond  Park. 

There  I  learned  to  ride  on  *'  Donald,"  the  Sturgis  boys' 
Shetland  pony,  and  great  fun  it  was. 

Some  time  after  the  wedding  my  mother  and  I  went 
to  Paris  to  stay  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Benjamin  Wainwright. 
She  was  a  Miss  Coolidge  and  an  old  friend  of  mama. 
Paris  made  a  great  impression  on  me.  For  the  first  time 
even  at  this  early  age,  I  discovered  French  cooking,  and 
rejoiced  in  the  many  delicious  ways  they  cooked  potatoes. 
We  were  in  Paris  over  Easter,  and  I  made  my  acquain- 
tance with  infinite  varieties  of  inedible  Easter  eggs.  We 
were  there  at  the  birth  of  the  Prince  Imperial,  who  was 
afterwards  to  be  killed  by  the  Zulus  in  South  Africa. 
Twenty-one  guns  were  to  be  fired  if  it  was  a  girl  —  one 
hundred,  if  a  boy.  When  the  guns  began  to  boom,  all 
Paris  rushed  to  the  streets  ;  at  the  sound  of  the  twenty- 
second  gun  there  was  an  uproar  of  enthusiam  throughout 
the  city.  Little  Gracie  Wainwright  of  my  own  age  told 
me  the  Lord  had  presented  the  Prince  to  the  Empress 
in  an  Easter  egg. 

This  Mrs.  Benjamin  Wainwright  was  a  sister  of  Mrs. 
Benjamin  T.  Reed  of  Boston,  one  of  my  mother's  brides- 
maids. Mrs.  Wainwright  was  killed  by  run-away  horses 
attached  to  a  hack.  They  dashed  on  to  the  Beacon 
Street  sidewalk  at  the  corner  of  Charles  Street,  where 
Mrs.  Wainwright  was  walking  with  her  sister,  Mrs. 
Reed.     The  sisters  had  seen  these  run-away  horses  go 


The  Boit  Family  139 

down  Beacon  Street  and  turn  into  Arlington  Street. 
The  horses  ran  entirely  round  the  Public  Gardens  and 
came  back  to  them  at  the  corner  of  Beacon  and  Charles 
Streets. 

This  same  Mrs.  Wainwright  had  been  saved,  with  her 
husband  and  child,  from  a  burning  ship  in  the  middle  of 
the  Atlantic.  They  were  separated  in  the  boats  and  his 
hair  turned  white  in  a  night.  It  had  been  a  miraculous 
escape.  Strange  she  should  have  been  saved  for  such  a 
horrid  death  as  was  hers  at  last !  I  think  a  daughter  of 
hers  married  a  Parrish  of  New  York ;  was  not  her  name 
"  Elise  ? " 

In  the  late  spring  of  1856,  after  my  birthday,  which  I     1856 
passed  in  London,  my  mother  and  I  returned  to  Boston, 
where  she  was  faced  at  the  wharf  with  the  news  of  the 
death  of  her  brother,  Gardiner  Greene  Hubbard, 

Robert  Gould  Shaw  came  over  with  us  from  London 
—  he,  who  afterwards  distinguished  himself  in  the  Civil 
War,  and  whose  monument,  showing  him  leading  his 
colored  troops,  stands  on  Boston  Common,  opposite  the 
State  House.  He  seemed  to  me  very  old  at  the  time, 
and  won  my  entire  respect  and  admiration  by  his  affa- 
bility and  consideration.  I  suppose  in  reality  he  was  not 
then  much  over  twenty. 

My  mother  and  I  crossed  to  England  in  the  Cunard 
steamer,  Canada,  a  side- wheeler  of  twenty-five  hundred 
tons.  We  returned  in  the  Baltic,  a  somewhat  larger 
boat  of  the  American  line.     I  think  most  of  her  sister 


140  Chronicles  of 

ships  were  lost  at  sea.  Certainly  the  Arctic  and  Pacific 
were. 

We  remained  in  Eliot  Street  until  I  was  twelve. 
While  there  we  had  a  militia  company,  comprising  some 
ten  or  twelve  boys  of  the  neighborhood.  I  remember 
that  we  had  red  shoulder-straps  and  red  stripes  on  our 
trousers,  and  that  I  owned  and  rattled  the  drum,  which 
gave  me  a  position  and  importance  that  I  would  not  have 
swapped  for  the  captaincy. 

There  is  a  rumor  that  this  gallant  company,  at  a 
street  corner,  suddenly  encountered  a  drunken  man,  and 
incontinently  fled  for  home.  I  fancy  that  at  such  a 
moment,  the  drum  in  which  I  took  so  much  pride,  must 
have  proved  itself  exceedingly  inconvenient. 

While  living  in  Eliot  Street,  I  went  to  a  boys'  and 
girls'  school  on  Burroughs  Street,  kept  by  three  Misses 
Adam  and  their  mother.  This,  too,  was  your  Aunt 
Jeanie  Boit  Hunnewell's  first  school  at  the  age  of  four 
or  five ;  and  strangely  enough  she  never  went  to  any 
other,  continuing  with  these  Misses  Adam,  who  after- 
wards removed  their  school  to  Boston,  until  she  was 
eighteen. 

The  Misses  Adam  were  well-known  characters  in  their 
day,  and  the  fame  of  their  private  theatricals  given 
winter  after  winter,  throughout  my  youth,  spread  far 
beyond  the  limits  of  Boston  and  its  vicinity.  They 
gathered  in  many  excellent  actors.  Miss  Hannah  Adam 
was  the  best  Mrs.  Malaprop  I  have  ever  seen.     Your 


The  Boit  Family  141 

Uncle  Edward  was  a  constant  actor  there  —  usually  tak- 
ing the  lover's  part  —  and  he  painted  most  of  the  scenery 
that  they  used.  Among  the  best  actors  were  Mr.  Henry 
Lee,  Mr.  John  Cabot,  Mr.  WiUiam  S.  Whitwell  (a  won- 
derful Bob  Acres),  Mr.  Colman,  the  Misses  Adam,  Mrs. 
Louis  Agassiz,  her  sister,  Miss  Emily  Russell  (afterwards 
Mrs.  General  Pierson),  and  I  think  Mrs.  Quincy  Shaw, 
and  others.     Mrs.  Agassiz  was  exquisite  !     I  adored  her  ! 

I,  myself,  took  part  in  these  theatricals  when  I  was 
old  enough,  but  not  often. 

When  I  was  twelve,  in  1858,  my  father  bought  a  1858 
house  in  Glen  Road,  just  above  Forest  Hills  Street,  and 
there  we  lived  until  the  end  of  my  Freshman  year,  1865.  1865 
During  my  twelfth  and  thirteenth  years  I  went  to  the 
High  School  in  Jamaica  Plain,  and  then  for  the  next 
four  years,  and  until  I  entered  Harvard,  to  the  school  of 
Mr.  Epes  S.  Dixwell,  in  Boylston  Place,  Boston,  just 
about  opposite  the  present  Tavern  Club.  There  I  made 
many  of  my  life-long  friendships. 

In  those  days  winter  was  the  season  I  loved  best,  with 
its  skating  and  coasting.  Yet  summer  by  the  sea  with 
its  fishing  and  boating  —  surely  I  loved  that  just  as  well. 
And  then  the  spring,  with  its  hockey,  and  cricket,  and 
baseball,  and  birdnesting,  and  the  hopefulness  of  the  re- 
juvenated world — that  was  delightful,  too.  And  then 
autumn,  when  one  got  back  to  the  crowd  of  boys  at 
school,  and  the  excitement  of  football  —  what  was  the 
matter  with  that,  I  should  like  to  know.-'     Oh,  it  was 


142  Chronicles  of 

all  good,  and  the  heart  and  wind  and  muscles  strong ! 
When  I  was  fourteen,  I  felt  very  much  interested  in 
an  attractive  young  lady  in  Jamaica  Plain,  and  on  St. 
Valentine's  day  I  invested  all  my  money  in  a  handsomely 
decorated  round  paper  box  of  chocolate  creams,  and  with 
it  sent  my  first  real  love  poem,  which  began, 

*'  Sweet  Kitty,  't  is  dearly  I  love  thee  — 
But  I  fear  that  my  love  is  in  vain, 
For  I  feel  that  you  look  proudly  on  me, 
Sweet  speeches  I  see  you  disdain." 

I  think  this  deserves  preservation.  How  could  I  forget 
such  burning  lines  as  these  ?  Even  thereafter  I  con- 
tinued to  preserve  her  friendship,  and  fifty  years  later 
she  told  me  she  had  kept  the  verses,  because  they  were 
the  only  ones  ever  written  to  her. 
^^^8  During  the  period  from  1858  to  1865  in  Glen  Road 
we  led  a  most  hospitable  life.  There  was  rarely  a  Sun- 
day that  the  house  was  not  full  of  young  people,  either 
friends  of  Ned  and  Lizzie  or  friends  of  Jeanie  and  me. 
My  good  father  and  mother  seemed  to  love  to  have  girls 
and  boys  about,  and  on  holidays  we  young  people  rarely 
failed  to  ask  our  friends  for  a  night  or  two,  and  in  the 
winters  there  was  much  skating  and  coasting  in  the  day- 
time and  singing  and  dancing  at  night.  Those  were  per- 
haps the  most  delightful  years  of  my  youth. 

While  living  there  I  entered  with  much  enthusiasm 


The   Boit  Family  143 

into  all  the  country  sports  of  boys,  and  our  close  friend 
and  neighbor,  Mr.  William  R.  Robeson  gave  me  a  horse 
to  ride,  which  for  years  was  usually  at  my  command.  At 
one  time  we  boys  had  a  lively  cricket  club,  in  which  I 
was  the  possessor  of  most  of  the  implements  of  strife. 
As  we  could  find  no  one  in  our  vicinity  to  play  against, 
we  gave  it  up  and  started  in  its  place  a  baseball  club. 
This  we  kept  up  for  a  number  of  years  and  played  many 
matches.  The  playground  for  both  of  these  clubs  was  on 
our  own  place,  near  the  house,  and  I  do  not  forget  that 
my  family  thought  us  a  pretty  noisy  lot. 

I  remember  when  I  was  fourteen  years  old,  my  second 
cousin,  Billy  Whitwell,  and  I  rowed  a  race,  across  Jamaica 
Pond  and  back,  against  two  other  Jamaica  Plain  boys. 
We  rowed  a  boat  that  belonged  to  Parkman,  the  historian, 
who  then  lived  on  the  shores  of  the  pond.  We  did 
bravely  the  first  half,  and  led  by  many  lengths,  but  in 
the  middle  of  the  pond  on  our  return,  we  got  quarrelling 
because  one  of  us  thought  the  other  was  rowing  too  hard, 
or  not  hard  enough  —  perhaps  we  were  both  worn  out. 
But  we  had  it  back  and  forth  until  our  rivals  passed  us. 
It  was  a  g^eat  occasion.  The  shore  was  lined  with  people. 
We  were  well  and  deservedly  beaten.  How  my  sister 
Jeanie  wept ! 

The  last  year  I  was  at  Di.xwell's  we  started  the 
"Oneida"  Football  Club,  which  no  boy  of  my  time  can 
have  forgotten.  There  were  from  twelve  to  si.xteen 
of    us  selected  from  our  Boston  Schools,  chiefly    from 


144  Chronicles  of 

Dixwell's,  and  all  of  the  same  crowd.  The  club  was  a 
great  success.  We  beat  all  we  could  find  to  play  against 
us  in  this  vicinity.  We  challenged  the  Harvard  Fresh- 
men, and  when  they  refused  to  play  us,  we  attributed  it  to 
fear.  They  intimated  it  was  beneath  them  to  play  with 
schoolboys. 

Of  course  football  then  was  a  different  game  from 
that  played  today.  We  played  with  a  round  inflated 
rubber  ball.  But  we  had  our  rules,  and  good  ones.  We 
had  our  "rushers  in"  our  "halfbacks"  and  our  "full- 
backs "  and  it  was  a  grand  and  glorious  fight.  For  many 
years  the  great  game  in  Boston  was  Dixwell's  against  the 
Boston  Latin  School,  and  they  were  fierce  encounters, 
with  varying  success.  At  Dixwell's  we  also  had  military 
drill  for  the  last  two  years,  for  it  was  war  times,  and  we 
learned  to  sing  many  patriotic  songs.  Huntington  Wol- 
cott,  one  of  the  handsomest  and  best  fellows  that  ever 
lived  was  our  captain.  It  inspired  him  to  enter  the 
army  where  he  became  a  martyr  to  the  cause  of  his 
country.  He  was  the  older  brother  of  Roger  Wolcott, 
afterwards  Governor  of  Massachusetts. 

g^  As  I  have  said,  in  1864  I  entered  Harvard  College 

without  conditions,  and  the  following  year,  in  the  autumn 

JS65  of  1865,  we  moved  to  30  Marlborough  Street,  Boston. 
During  the  first  winter  of  my  college  life  the  Civil  War 
was  at  its  height,  and  there  were  so  few  young  men  about 
town,  that  we  college  Freshmen  were  taken  into  Boston 
society. 


The  Boit  Family  145 

I  rowed  on  our  Freshman  crew,  and  also  trained  with 
the  "Varsity"  in  my  junior  or  senior  year,  rowing  at 
five,  alternately,  day  after  day  with  another  man.  He 
was  a  better  man  than  I,  and  finally  won  his  place  on  a 
successful  crew.  After  a  few  months  I  got  tired  of  the 
hard  work  with  the  uncertainty  of  its  results,  and  con- 
cluded I  could  secure  more  amusement  from  other  pur- 
suits—  and  I  did. 

While  in  college,  I  belonged  to  the  Institute  and  was 
its  Poet ;  the  D.  K.  E.,  the  Alpha-Delta-Phi,  the  A.  D. 
This  club  our  own  set  of  men  started.  It  seemed  that 
the  Alpha-Delta-Phi  Fraternity  became  dissatisfied  with 
our  Chapter  because  we  would  not  live  up  to  the  rules. 
They  asked  us  to  return  our  Charter  and  our  records. 
The  Charter  could  not  be  found,  but  in  our  insolence 
we  tore  a  few  pages  from  our  records  and  returned  them. 
We  then  started  the  A.  D.  Club  in  its  place.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  before  we  left  the  Fraternity  the  "  Alpha- 
Delta-Phi  "  was  always  spoken  of  as  the  "  A.  D."  I 
also  belonged  to  the  Porcellian  Club  and  the  Hasty  Pud- 
ding of  which  latter  I  was  made  Chorister  and  Poet; 
though  if  my  memory  serves  me,  some  foolish  trouble 
arose  and  I  never  read  my  poem.  How  good  it  was  can 
be  judged  from  the  few  following  lines  of  several  hundred. 

The  story  told  of  a  young  man,  who  led  a  rather  dis- 
.sipated  life  in  college.  Finally,  one  night,  he  became 
engaged  to  a  young  woman  from  the  Port,  who  did  not 
have  a  very  savory  reputation.     His  chum,  when  told. 


146  Chronicles  of 

gave  him  much  advice  and  finally  ended  with  the  lines : 

"  With  those  blue  eyes  and  long  curls  oft  before 
Has  Hopkins  vanquished  students  by  the  score ! 
And  when  deserted  by  each  faithless  swain, 
She  weeps  an  hour  —  then  sets  the  curls  again  ! 
Let  Bacchus  Cupid  save  —  seek  your  warm  bunk, 
And  write  "Excuse  me,  Hopkins  —  I  was  drunk" — 

After  much  reflection  the  sorry  youth  concludes  his 
chum  has  given  him  a  good  pointer,  and  in  the  still 
watches  of  the  night  he  writes  to  his  lady-love  as  follows. 

"  My  dear  Miss  Hopkins,  I  can  scarcely  write 
From  mingled  sentiments  of  shame  and  fright. 
At  what  I  may  have  said  to  you  last  night. 
'Tis  strange,  when  fumes  of  wine  my  reason  reach, 
They  don't  affect  my  gait,  nor  yet  my  speech, 
But  of  the  words  my  tongue  just  then  may  say, 
I  can't  recall  a  syllable  next  day ! 
But  friends  tell  me  —  who  sometimes  chance  to  hear  — 
They  're  quite  unfit  for  any  lady's  ear  ! 
That  I  speak  falsehoods  o'er  and  o'er  again, 
And  swear,  and  rave,  and  rant  —  Hke  one  insane ! 
Now  dear  Miss  Hopkins,  still  remain  my  friend  — 
Forgive  this  once,  and  I  '11  no  more  offend  — 
And  to  your  kind  regard  —  my  friend  for  life  — 
Some  future  day  —  I  '11  introduce  my  wife  — 


The  Boit  Family  147 

But  let  last  night  in  Lethe's  waves  be  sunk, 
For,  dear  Miss  Hopkins,  /  was  very  drunk  !  " 

One  recognizes  the  fact  that  his  was  not  an  altogether 
admirable  character. 

When  we  graduated  I  was  made  Odist  of  the  class. 
It  may  or  may  not  be  of  interest  to  anybody  and  there- 
fore I  will  insert  here  the  Ode  I  wrote  for  the  occasion. 


CLASS  DAY  ODE 

June  19,  1868  ,868 

BY    ROBERT    APTHORP    BOIT 

Fair  Harvard,  today  pleasure  speeds  the  gay  hours ; 

Beauty's  eyes,  like  the  sunbeams  are  bright, 
And  the  music  of  birds,  and  the  fragrance  of  flowers, 

Fill  the  emerald  earth  with  delight ; 
But  soon  this  fair  scene,  like  a  vision  departs. 

Long  to  linger  on  Memory's  shore, 
While  thy  children,  tonight,  leave  with  sorrowing  hearts, 

These  dear  haunts  that  shall  know  them  no  more ! 

In  a  few  fleeting  moments  thy  time-honored  towers 

Shall  tearfully  fade  from  our  view. 
And  the  labor  and  sport  of  this  old  world  of  ours 

Shall  give  place  to  the  work  of  the  new ; 


148  Chronicles  of  ' 

But  the  wisdom  we've  learned,  and  the  friendships  we've 
gained, 

Shall  go  with  us  where'er  we  may  be, 
And  led  by  the  one,  by  the  other  sustained, 

Thy  sons  shall  do  honor  to  thee ! 

As  the  brave  Spartan  vowed  'ere  he  mingled  in  fight, 

To  conquer,  but  never  to  yield. 
To  exult  as  a  victor  for  freedom  and  right. 

Or  in  death  be  borne  back  on  his  shield,  — 
May  thy  children,  tomorrow,  go  forth  to  the  strife. 

Bearing  "Truth"  for  their  motto  on  high, 
'Neath  her  banner,  like  heroes  to  triumph  in  life, 

Or,  if  vanquished,  like  heroes  to  die ! 

1868  I  graduated  from  Harvard  in  1868,  without  college 
honors.  I  emphasize  the  word  college,  for  let  me  hope 
my  life  there  in  other  respects  had  not  been  altogether 
without  honor,  notwithstanding  the  episode  of  my  sus- 
pension in  my  Freshman  3'ear,  of  which  I  spoke  in  the 
life  of  my  father.  I  had  certainly  had  the  honor  of  sing- 
ing for  a  year  in  the  Freshman  Glee  Club,  and  then  for 
three  years  in  the  Varsity  Glee  Club,  which  seems  to 
have  held  a  more  important  place  in  college  than  it  does 
today.     I  got  no  end  of  pleasure  out  of  this. 

But  the  pleasantest  experience  I  had  in  college  was 
that  of  our  Club  Table  of  fourteen  men.     Twelve  of  us 


The  Boit  Family  149 

came  together  the  second  term  of  our  Freshman  year, 
and  we  added  two  more  to  our  number  in  our  Sophomore 
year.  These  fourteen  remained  together  throughout  our 
college  course  and  all  became  friends  for  life.  Death 
spared  us  for  nearly  forty  years  after  graduation. 

Thirty-five  years  after  we  left  college  the  inspiration 
seized  me  to  get  all  the  old  Club  Table  together  again 
for  a  dinner  at  the  Somerset  Club.  All  were  alive  and  it 
happened  at  that  moment  that  all  were  in  America.  Our 
dinner  took  place  on  the  night  of  February  12,  1903.  1903 
Every  man  was  there.  They  came  from  St.  Louis,  Penn- 
sylvania, New  York  and  Massachusetts,  We  sat  in  the 
same  position  as  at  our  college  table.  The  men  at  the 
head  and  foot  carved  one  course  for  all  of  us  in  memory 
of  the  good  old  times.  I  still  owned  a  photograph  of  us 
taken  when  we  graduated.  This  I  had  copied  so  that 
each  might  have  one.  After  dinner  a  flashlight  photo- 
grapher took  us  in  the  same  positions  in  which  we  had 
been  seated  for  the  old  photograph  taken  thirty-five 
years  before. 

You  are  no  doubt  familiar  with  these  two  curious 
photographs  of  boys  and  old  men.  I  doubt  if  such  a 
large  and  perfect  reunion,  after  such  a  gulf  of  years,  ever 
took  place  before.  We  had  a  glorious  time.  Never 
before  had  we  been  all  together  since  we  left  college. 

Our  feast  was  of  a  higher  order  than  in  our  college 
days  —  but  did  it  taste  as  well .?  Not  to  one  of  us.  Did 
we  sing  the  old  songs  as  well  ?     I  believe  we  cared  more 


150  Chronicles  of 

for  them,  even  if  our  voices  were  less  melodious.  It  was 
a  night  of  pleasant  visions.  These  were  the  men : 
Dawes  E.  Furness  of  Philadelphia  ;  Edgar  Huidekoper  of 
Meadville,  Pennsylvania ;  Doctor  Frederick  C.  Shattuck 
of  Boston  ;  Doctor  Francis  P.  Kinnicutt  of  New  York ; 
Professor  James  Barr  Ames  of  Cambridge ;  Charles  T. 
Levering  of  Boston  ;  Augustus  G.  Bullock  of  Worcester ; 
Arthur  Hunnewell  of  Boston  ;  Robert  A.  Boit  of  Boston  ; 
Leverett  S.  Tuckerman  of  Salem  ;  Horace  Bacon  of  New 
York  ;  Malcolm  S.  Greenough  of  Cleveland,  Ohio ;  Moses 
Williams  of  Boston,  and  Dexter  Tiffany  of  St.  Louis. 

As  I  said  on  that  great  occasion,  none  of  us  had  been 
in  jail,  however  much  we  might  have  deserved  it ;  and 
all  of  us  had  been  sufficiently  successful  in  life  to  own 
the  dress  suits  we  wore  ! 

1915  Today,  May,  191 5,  fifteen  years  after  our  dinner,  sk 
are  dead. 

1868  In  the  autumn  of  1868,  the  year  I  graduated,  I  went 
with  my  father  and  mother  to  Savannah,  Georgia,  and 

1875  lived  there  in  business  till  1875.  During  this  period  I 
passed  my  summers  chiefly  in  Newport,  Rhode  Island, 
with  visits  to  my  friends  in  Mount  Desert,  Nahant, 
Cotuit,  and  other  places. 

While  in  college  I  had  rowed,  more  or  less,  as  I  have 
said.     In  Savannah  I  joined  the  Couper  Boat  Club,  and 
trained  three  successful  four-oared  crews,  the  last  win- 
ning at  the  annual  regatta  on  the  Schulkill  in  Philadelphia. 
During  my  stay  in  Savannah  I  went  into  society  —  a 


The   Bolt  Family  151 

delightful  society  it  was  —  and  made  many  life-long 
friends.  Although  it  was  so  soon  after  the  Civil  War,  I 
was  treated  with  great  consideration  and  kindness,  and 
in  many  houses  became  as  intimate  as  if  I  had  been  bom 
a  Southerner.  I  never  met  a  more  charming,  kindly, 
hospitable  people.  Whenever  I  think  of  them  my  heart 
is  filled  with  gratitude  and  affection  for  some  of  the 
pleasantest  years  of  my  life. 

January  15,  1874,  in  the  beautiful  old  Presbyterian  ^874 
Church  in  Savannah,  I  married  Georgia  Anderson 
Mercer,  daughter  of  General  Hugh  Weedon  Mercer  of 
Virginia  and  Mary  (Anderson)  Mercer  of  Savannah. 
General  Mercer  was  a  class-mate  at  West  Point  and  an 
intimate  friend  of  General  Robert  E.  Lee,  commander- 
in-chief  of  the  Southern  forces  during  the  Civil  War.  I 
had  the  privilege  of  meeting  this  great  man  a  number  of 
times  at  General  Mercer's.  He  was  a  most  dignified  and 
distinguished-looking  old  gentleman.  Just  what  one 
would  have  expected  him  to  be.  I  also  had  the  pleasure 
of  knowing  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston.  I  met  him 
often  at  the  club  and  at  his  own  house.  He  lived  in 
Savannah  and  was  loved  and  respected  by  everyone. 
His  influence  against  it  did  much  towards  putting  a  stop 
to  duelling  in  Savannah. 

In  1875  my  father's  firm  failed.     I  had  recently  been     1875 
taken  into  the  firm  as  a  junior  partner  on  a  salary.     Of 
course,  this  was  a  great  blow  to  me,  falling  as  it  did,  so 
soon  after  my  marriage.     As  I  have  before  said  we  owed 


152  Chronicles  of 

little  or  nothing  in  Savannah,  our  chief  debt  being  to 
Messrs.  Baring  Bros.  &  Co.  of  London. 

1876  In  1876  my  wife  and  I  went  to  New  York,  where  I 
started  in  the  real  estate  business,  taking  desk  room  in 
the  show-room  of  a  gas  fixture  and  chandelier  shop  on 
Broadway  near  Twenty-second   Street.     It    was   uphill 

1S77  work,  but  in  the  summer  of  1877,  j^st  as  I  was  begin- 
ning to  see  my  way  in  real  estate,  I  was  offered  the  posi- 
tion of  cashier  in  the  New  York  office  of  the  Commercial 
Union  Assurance  Company  of  London,  at  a  salary  of 
^1,000  per  annum,  and  I  accepted  it.  Mr.  Alfred  Pell 
of  New  York,  the  Manager  of  the  company,  gave  me  the 
position,  and  we  afterwards  became  very  close  friends. 

1S76  Georgia  and  I  passed  the  summer  of  1876  at  Tarry- 
town,  on  the  Hudson,  and  most  of  the  following  winter 
in  New  York.  The  following  summer  I  cannot  remem- 
ber, but  towards  the  middle  of  August  we  moved  again 
to  New  York  and  there  in  a  boarding-house  on  the  north 
side  of  Thirty-fourth  Street,  just  east  of  Fourth  Avenue, 

1877  September  2,  1877,  our  first  child,  Mary,  was  born.  My 
mother  and  father  then  asked  Georgia  and  the  baby  to 
pass  the  winter  with  them  in  Newport.  This  they  did, 
and  it  turned  out  well,  for  they  all  became  devoted  to 
one  another. 

Meanwhile  I  remained  in  New  York,  living  in  a  hall 
bedroom  of  a  boarding-house  on  West  Thirty-sixth  Street, 
at  $9.00  per  week.  Off  and  on  I  went  to  the  family  for 
a  Sunday  or  holiday. 


The  Boit  Family  153 

These  were  perhaps  the  hardest  years  in  my  Hfe  so  far 
as  the  means  of  living  went.  It  was  hard,  too,  hving  in 
New  York,  where  I  knew  so  many  nice  people,  and  at  the 
same  time  felt  forced  to  cut  myself  off  from  them  entirely 
owing  to  my  poverty. 

Then  it  was  that  Franklin  Bartlett,  the  lawyer,  and 
his  wife,  Bertha  Post,  proved  the  strength  of  their  friend- 
ship. Their  house  was  nearby,  and  always  open  to  me 
at  any  time,  day  or  night.  If  I  had  been  rolling  in 
money  they  could  not  have  been  more  constantly  atten- 
tive to  me.  Theirs  was  practically  the  only  house  of 
my  old  friends  I  ever  went  to.  They  themselves  were 
at  that  time  very  fashionable  people  in  New  York. 
F'rank  was  a  Governor  of  the  Union  Club,  an  officer  of  one 
of  the  crack  regiments,  of  which  later  he  became  Colonel, 
a  most  successful  lawyer,  and  an  acknowledged  leader 
in  New  York  society.  His  wife's  social  position  was  of 
the  best.  They  were  my  good  angels  in  those  hard 
times.  Their  never-ending  devotion  and  hospitality  made 
my  heart  sing.  There  is  nothing  I  would  not  have  done 
for  them. 

When  I  had  been  with  the  Commercial  Union  less 
than  a  year,  in  the  summer  of  1878,  I  was  promoted  by     1S78 
Mr.  Pell  to  represent  the  company  as  its  agent  in  Boston. 

In  September  of  that  year  I  moved  into  the  block  of 
houses   on    Hawes    Street,   Brookline,   near   Colchester 
Street.     Here   on    the    26th  of   November,   1878,  our     187S 
second  daughter,  Georgia  Mercer,  was  born.     On  the  6th 


154  Chronicles  of 

of  December,  my  wife,  Georgia  Mercer  died.  And  so  it 
was,  that  my  noble  and  devoted  young  wife,  lived  only 
long  enough  to  comfort,  and  inspire  me  through  the 
hardest  struggles,  and  darkest  hours  of  my  business  hfe, 
and  then  died  just  as  the  day  was  breaking.  My  mother 
was  with  her  at  the  time. 

I  continued  to  live  alone  with  my  little  children  in 
Hawes  Street  for  the  next  eight  years,  going  to  various 
places  in  the  summer.  At  this  time  I  wrote  "Eustis," 
my  one  novel,  and  devoted  much  time  to  the  study  of 
singing.  I  remember  that  for  several  years  I  took  sing- 
ing lessons  at  eight  in  the  morning,  so  that  it  might  not 
interfere  with  my  business,  nor  with  the  freedom  of  my 
evenings,  which  I  always  jealously  guarded. 

1886  On  the  20th  of  May,  1886,  I  married  Lilian  Willis, 
daughter  of  Nathaniel  P.  Willis  and  Cornelia  Grinnell. 
We  had  known  one  another  well  just  after  I  graduated 
from  college,  but,  until  a  few  months  before  we  were 
married,  we  had  not  met  for  sixteen  years.  We  were 
married  in  the  Joseph  Grinnell  house  on  County  Street, 
New  Bedford,  and  in  front  of  the  mirror  before  which 
Lilian's  mother  and  father  had  been  married,  and  before 
which,  in  my  own  house.  No.  19  Colchester  Street, 
Longwood,  my  daughter  Alice  received,  when  she  was 

1914  married  to  William  A.  Burnham,  Jr.,  December  5,  1914. 
Thus,  three  generations  of  Grinnell  descent  have  stood 
before  this  mirror  on  their  wedding  days. 


The  Boit  Family  155 

On  May  2,  1887,  Alice  was  born  in  the  Hawes  Street     18S7 
house. 

On  November  20,  1889,  John  Edward  was  born  in  the     1SS9 
same  house. 

On  December  7,  1892,  we  moved  into  our  new  house,     '892 
No.    19    Colchester    Street,  Longwood.     I  bought  this 
house  in  the  preceding  spring  and  we  altered  it  over  that 
summer  and  autumn  while  the  family  were  living  in  Tops- 
field.     We  have  lived  in  this  house  ever  since. 

No  less  than  five  architects  have  made  changes  in  this 
house  for  me,  to  wit :  Hunnewell  and  Shaw,  Arthur 
Dodd,  Thomas  A.  Fox,  R.  Clipston  Sturgis,  and  Peabody 
and  Stearns.     The  result  is  not  without  attraction. 

I  must  mention  the  quaint  story  of  the  marble  statue 
and  the  marble  bust  in  our  drawing-room.  The  bust  is 
of  Nathaniel  P.  Willis,  the  Poet,  when  about  twenty-six 
or  -eight  years  old.  The  statue  is  of  Cornelia  Grinnell, 
at  the  age  of  six  or  eight. 

In  1832  or  1833  Nathaniel  P.  Willis,  a  young  man,  had  '^32 
his  bust  made  in  Florence,  Italy,  by  Horatio  Greenough. 
The  same  year,  Joseph  Grinnell  of  New  Bedford,  went  to 
Florence  with  his  little  daughter,  Cornelia,  and  had 
Greenough  make  a  statue  of  her.  At  this  time  Willis 
did  not  know  the  Grinnells. 

After  Cornelia  had  grown  up,  she  met  Willis,  and 
married  him.  She  was  twenty  years  younger  than 
Willis.  Years  afterward,  Horatio  Greenough  came  to 
this  country,  and  when  dining  with  Joseph  Grinnell  in 


156  Chronicles  of 

New  Bedford,  said  he  had  always  felt  interested  in  the 
marriage  of  his  daughter,  Cornelia,  to  N.  P.  Willis, 
because  their  two  statues  had  been  made  from  the 
same  block  of  marble. 

Long  ago  both  N.  P.  Willis  and  his  wife  passed  away, 
but  the  two  pieces  of  that  block  of  marble,  one  of  a  little 
girl,  and  the  other  of  a  handsome  young  man,  are  still 
faithfully  keeping  each  other  company  in  my  drawing- 
room. 
1902         In  the  summer  of  1902,  I  bought  some  land  in  Isles- 

boro,  Maine,  and  built  there  the  following  year. 
1904         In  June,  1904,  we  moved  into  our  new  house  in  Isles- 
boro,  and  there,  since  then,  we  have  passed  most  of  our 
summers. 

I  have  tried,  as  little  as  possible,  to  go  into  the  details 
of  my  own  hfe,  yet  it  occurs  to  me  that,  in  years  to 
come,  my  children  and  grandchildren  may  wish  to  know 
something  of  my  interests  and  activities,  so  I  will  add  a 
brief  summary  of  them,  hoping  that  my  doing  so  will  not 
be  misinterpreted. 

In  Newport,  I  was  for  many  years  a  stockholder  and 
member  of  the  Newport  Reading  Room.  All  the  best 
men  of  both  the  summer  and  winter  colonies  of  Newport 
belonged  to  it,  at  least  temporarily.  One  also  met  there 
such  officers  of  the  army  and  navy  as  were  quartered 
from  time  to  time  at  Fort  Adams  or  the  Torpedo  Station 
or  Naval  Training  Station.  It  was  a  most  agreeable 
loafing  place. 


The  Boit  Family  157 

The  "genial  bowl"  flowed  more  freely  here  than  in 
any  Club  I  ever  belonged  to ;  but  its  chief  frequenters 
were  men  who  had  nothing  to  do  in  summer  but  to 
amuse  themselves.  Besides  which,  as  men  gathered 
there  from  all  parts  of  the  country,  an  exchange  of 
drinks  was  the  simplest  and  most  cordial  form  for  the 
making  of  new,  or  the  renewal  of  old  relations. 

In  Savannah,  I  was  one  of  the  Charter  members  of 
the  Oglethorpe  Club.  I  believe  only  three  or  four  of 
the  original  members  are  still  living,  but  the  club  is  as 
successful  and  important  as  ever.  It  was  and  is  today 
on  the  second  floor  of  a  large  building  at  the  corner  of 
Bull  and  Broad  Streets.  The  first  floor  of  the  building 
is  very  high-studded.  A  long,  narrow,  steep  flight  of 
stairs  runs  from  the  street  entrance  to  the  club  rooms. 
After  a  grand  military  day,  Dvvight  Roberts,  an  officer 
of  the  crack  Cavalry,  rode  a  splendid  horse  of  his  up 
this  flight  into  the  club  rooms.  They  had  to  use  a  fall 
and  tackle  to  get  him  down  again.  Such  things  hap- 
pened in  Savannah.  If  they  were  a  wild  lot,  they  were 
again  the  most  delightful  and  free-handed  companions  I 
have  ever  known.  Full  of  fun  and  full  of  fight,  but  the 
staunchest  of  friends ! 

In  New  York  I  have  been  a  member  of  one  or  two 
small  clubs,  and  still  belong  to  the  Harvard  Club. 

In  Cambridge  I  am  a  graduate  member  of  the  Porcel- 
lian,  the  Pudding,  the  Fly,  the  A.  D.,  the  D.  K.  E.,  and 
the  Institute,  and  a  life  member  of  the  Harvard  Union. 


158  Chronicles  of 

In  Boston,  I  was  one  of  the  early  members  of  the 
Longwood  Cricket  Club ;  one  of  the  first  members  of  the 
Boston  Athletic  Association ;  one  of  the  first  members 
of  the  Tennis  and  Racquet  Club ;  one  of  the  first  mem- 
bers of  the  Exchange  Club  and  on  its  finance  com- 
mittee ;  and  one  of  the  early  members  of  the  City  Club. 
I  am  today  a  member  of  Boston  Athletic  Association ; 
the  University  Club  ;  the  Harvard  Club ;  the  Somerset 
Club;  the  St.  Botolph  Club,  of  which  I  was  President 
for  four  years,  after  holding  practically  every  other  office 
in  the  Club  ;  the  Central  Lunch  Club  ;  the  Papyrus  Club, 
of  which  I  was  Secretary  and  President.  This  is  the 
semi-Bohemian  literary  club  of  Boston  and  has  held,  as 
members,  most  of  the  literary  lights  of  Boston  for  the 
last  fifty  years.  I  am  also  a  member  of  the  Franklin 
Club,  another  small  literary  dinner-club  ;  the  Har\'ard 
Musical  Association ;  the  Commercial  Club,  the  leading 
business  dinner-club  of  Boston ;  the  Metropolitan  Im- 
provement League,  of  which  I  was  the  first  President 
and  continued  to  be  its  President  for  a  number  of  years  ; 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce  ;  the  Boston  Board  of  Fire 
Underwriters  of  which  I  was  one  of  the  original  seven 
members  and  its  President ;  the  Boston  Protective  Depart- 
ment, of  which  I  was  a  Director  for  several  years  ;  the 
Boston  Associated  Board  of  Trade,  of  which  I  was  Presi- 
dent, and  also  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  Executive 
Committee.  This  Board  was  finally  merged  in  the  Cham- 
ber  of    Commerce,    but    prior   to    that   was    the    most 


The   Boit   Family  159 

important  and  influential  trade  organization  of  Boston. 
The  Presidency  of  this  was  my  highest  civic  honor. 

I  am  also  a  Director  of  the  Chicopee  Manufacturing 
Company  ;  of  the  Old  Boston  National  Bank  ;  of  the  New 
England  Casualty  Company  ;  of  the  Commercial  Union 
Fire  Insurance  Company  of  New  York ;  a  trustee  of  the 
Cushing  Real  Estate  Trust,  and  several  other  trusts  ; 
for  many  years  a  Director  and  Trustee  of  the  Boston 
Dispensary,  and  for  eight  years  its  President ;  a  Director 
of  the  Brookline  Friendly  Society ;  a  member  of  the 
Bostonian  Society ;  the  Historical  and  Genealogical 
Society,  and  the  Artists'  Guild. 

I  have  always  felt  it  a  man's  duty  to  give  a  certain 
portion  of  his  life  and  time  to  the  interests  of  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  lived,  and  from  which  he  derived  his 
means  of  livelihood. 

PVom  si.xty  to  sixty-five  I  retired  from  practically  all 
work  outside  of  my  business,  finding  at  that  age  my 
business  alone  required  the  time  and  attention  I  could 
give  it.  When  I  began  business  in  Boston,  in  187S,  1878 
there  were  four  on  my  pay-roll ;  today  there  are  between 
fifty  and  sixty. 

From  boyhood  I  was  fond  of  singing,  and  from  twelve 
to  fourteen  was  taught  to  sing  second  in  the  high  school 
in  Jamaica  Plain.  At  Dixwell's  school  we  had  a  small 
singing  club  —  at  least  there  were  half  a  dozen  or  more, 
who  were  constantly  singing  together  with  such  parts  as 
we  could  master.     In  college,  as  I  have  said,  I  was  a 


i6o  Chronicles  of 

member  of  the  Glee  Club,  and  when  I  went  to  Savannah, 
I  joined  a  choral  society  which  was  a  very  admirable 
musical  association.  In  Savannah,  too,  I  was  for  many 
years  a  member  of  the  quartette  choir  of  Christ  Church. 
The  soprano  was  a  Mrs.  Cleveland,  who  sang  church 
music  more  superbly  than  any  woman  I  have  ever  heard. 
A  grand,  great  voice  of  most  touching  timbre !  In  this 
choir  I  sang  tenor.  I  never  was  a  tenor.  In  Savannah, 
too,  I  sang  for  a  while,  in  the  beautiful  old  Independent 
Presbyterian  Church. 

During  my  widowerhood,  while  living  in  Longwood, 
I  sang  for  several  years  in  the  quartette  choir  of 
the  Unitarian  Church  on  Walnut  Street,  Brookline. 
Hyram  G.  Tucker  was  the  organist.  In  this  choir  I 
sang  bass.  I  was  never  a  bass.  My  voice  was  baritone. 
At  this  same  time  I  belonged  to  several  male  quartettes 
and  choral  societies.  I  studied  singing  under  various 
good  masters,  and  loved  it.  I  gave  up  singing  when  I 
was  about  forty -five. 

I  had  always  been  able  to  draw  more  or  less  well  from 
the  time  I  was  a  boy,  and  until  I  was  thirty  I  often 
sketched  in  water  colors,  but  without  much  success.  At 
one  time,  in  youth,  I  thought  a  little  of  trying  to  become 
a  painter,  and  I  took  my  water-colors  to  La  Farge  to 
criticise.  I  remember  his  words:  " I  can  only  say  you 
are  evidently  fond  of  trying  to  paint.  You  may  come 
to  work  in  my  studio  if  you  wish  to."  At  the  time  I 
thought  this  most  discouraging,  probably  expecting  him 


The  Boit  Family  i6i 

to  say  I  was  an  incipient  Rubens.  Now  it  appears  to 
me  to  have  been  a  very  kind  and  hopeful  view  to  have 
taken  of  my  amateurish  work.  I  own  today  examples 
of  what  I  showed  him,  and  am  surprised  to  think  of  his 
gentleness  and  forbearance! 

After  a  long  lapse  of  years,  when  I  was  sixty-three,  I 
took  up  oil  painting.  However  mediocre  may  be  my 
work,  I  have  derived  an  immense  amount  of  enjoyment 
from  it,  and  many  hours  of  absolute  peace  and  forget- 
fulness  of  the  outside  world. 

I  have  contributed  from  time  to  time  to  the  daily 
press,  but  chiefly  on  insurance  questions.  I  have  never 
taken  an  active  part  in  politics,  though  I  have  done  fully 
my  share  of  talking  about  them.     I  have  always  voted. 

I  have  written  many  verses,  indifferently  well,  for 
the  various  clubs  I  have  belonged  to,  and  for  family 
consumption. 

When  I  re-read  what  I  have  written  of  the  great 
diversity  of  interests  in  my  life,  I  am  not  surprised  that 
I  never  distinguished  myself,  but  I  am  surprised  that  I 
should  have  been  sufficiently  successful  in  business  to 
bring  up  my  family  in  comfort,  if  not  in  luxury. 

When  I  was  growing  up,  I  passed  most  of  my  sum- 
mers in  Nahant  or  Cotuit.  I  remember  our  family 
boarded  at  Nahant  for  two  years,  at  Johnson's,  where 
the  Postoffice  now  stands.  One  of  these  summers  the 
Inches  cousins  were  also  there  or  in  the  next  house,  and 
Robert  S.   Sturgis  was  paying  court  to  Susan  Inches, 


1 62  Chronicles  of 

and  driving  her  about  in  a  high  dog-cart  that  commanded 
my  boyish  admiration.  For  two  summers  we  had  the 
house  just  above  Pea-Island  and  the  Cave,  now  owned 
by  the  Bradlee  family,  but  at  that  time  belonging  to  my 
uncle,  Charles  Inches.  Opposite  us  were  the  Rices  and 
Guilds  and  Grants.  Another  summer  I  passed  there 
with  Aunt  Charlotte  Hubbard,  who  was  living  in  the 
Curtis  house  on  the  site  of  which,  I  think  today,  stands 
Frank  Merriam's  house.  My  Grandfather  Hubbard's 
house  on  this  same  street  had  been  sold  many  years 
before,  and  was  owned  in  my  youth  by  a  Mr.  Green  of 
New  York,  whose  wife  was  a  Miss  Coolidge  of  Boston. 

After  I  was  nineteen  or  twenty,  and  until  I  was  twenty- 
seven,  I  passed  my  summers  in  Newport,  Rhode  Island. 
There  I  went  into  society,  and  became  acquainted  with 
people  from  all  over  the  country,  but  especially  from  New 
York,  Philadelphia,  and  Baltimore.  Among  them  I  made 
many  friends.  When  hard  times  struck  me  I  lost  most 
of  these  good  people  from  my  visiting  list. 

I  loved  Newport  with  its  wonderful  boating  and  bath- 
ing and  dinners  and  dances  and  hosts  of  pretty  girls.  It 
was  a  varied  and  delightful  society  with  perhaps  less  vul- 
gar ostentation  and  extravagance  than  in  later  years,  but 
still  with  more  style  and  lavishness  of  expenditure  than 
one  saw  at  that  period  in  Boston.  A  number  of  Boston 
families  passed  their  summers  there,  and  among  them 
were  the  Robert  and  Tom  Gushing  families,  the  Whit- 
wells,  Miss  Deacon,  the  Sigourneys,  the  Robert  Sturgis 


The  Boit  Family  163 

family,  the  Hollis  Hunnewells,  the  Brewers,  the  Princes, 
the  Robert  Masons,  the  Andrew  Robesons,  and  Mrs. 
Julia  Ward  Howe's  family  at  the  head  of  their  attractive 
Glen  in  the  country  nearby. 

Then  my  brother  Ned  and  sister  Isa  lived  there,  at  the 
place  they  had  built  just  beyond  Bailey's  Beach  —  "  The 
Rocks" — back  of  the  Spouting  Horn.  At  that  time 
Mrs.  Paran  Stevens  was  in  her  prime,  with  her  sister 
Fanny  of  the  lovely  voice.  There,  too,  from  New 
York,  were  the  Rutherfords,  Kings,  Traverses  —  that 
most  delightful  of  families  — the  Parrishes,  Lorillards, 
Keteltases,  Lawrences,  Belmonts,  Whitings,  Potters, 
Bonapartes  (I  heard  Christine  Nielson  sing  at  their 
house),  the  Samuel  G.  Wards,  the  Barclays,  the  Van 
Rensselaers,  and  many  others.  From  Philadelphia  and 
Baltimore,  the  Tiffanys,  Powells,  Ashursts,  Fishers, 
Willings,  and  other  delightful  people.  It  was  before  the 
coming  of  the  Vanderbilts  and  Astors  to  Newport. 

It  was  a  wonderful  place  for  idle  young  men !  These 
were  the  years  from    1865   to   1874,  just  prior  to  my      ^„ 

io/4 

first  marriage.  During  this  period  I  either  boarded  in 
Newport,  or  stayed  with  Ned  and  Isa,  or  Robert  and 
Susie  Sturgis,  or  lived  with  my  father  and  mother,  who 
for  one  or  two  summers  hired  a  house  there.  I  could 
write  chapters  of  gossip  of  Newport  and  its  people  as  I 
knew  them  in  my  youth ! 

I  have  been  to  Europe  five  times  :  first,  as  a  boy  with 
my  mother  in  1856;  second  for  three  or  four  months  in     1856 


164  Chronicles  of 

1889  1889  with  Ned,  when  I  went  with  my  sister  Isa  to  the 
Bayreuth  Festival ;  third,  for  a  month  or  more  with  Ned, 

1890  in  1 890,  after  the  death  of  my  father  and  mother ;  fourth, 
1898    for  three  or  four  months  in    1898,   to  see  Mary  and 

Georgia,  in  Dresden,  where  they  were  studying.  At 
that  time  I  took  them  to  Nuremberg,  and  Munich,  and 
Innsbruck  and  thence  to  Venice  and  back.  Fifth,  for 
19 10  the  summer  of  19 10,  when  I  took  my  wife,  Lilian,  and 
daughter  Alice,  and  maid  to  Paris,  (motoring  from 
Cherbourg),  and  thence  to  Florence,  near  which  city  we 
stayed  with  my  brother  Ned  for  six  weeks  at  his  lovely 
Villa  **  Cernitoio,"  in  the  mountains  above  Pelago,  near 
Vallombrosa.  Thence,  we  came  home  through  Germany, 
Holland,  Belgium,  and  England. 

It  was  at  "Cernitoio"  that  I  first  tried  my  hand  at  oil 
painting.  That  morning  Ned  and  I  went  out  together 
to  paint.  He  had  put  such  colors  on  my  palette  as  he 
thought  necessary.  We  selected  positions  about  a  hun- 
dred yards  apart  overlooking  those  beautiful  valleys  of 
the  Arno.  After  a  couple  of  hours  he  came  to  me  and 
looked  at  what  I  had  done.  After  a  little  he  said  "  Bob, 
I  won't  say  that  what  you  have  done  is  good,  but  I  do 
say  its  the  most  remarkable  thing  I  ever  saw  —  for  you 
Q.2iXi  paint !  "  And  again  "  I  never  saw  any  man  do  such 
a  thing  before  !  " 

Of  course  he  meant  exactly  what  he  said  and  no  more 
—  that  without  ever  having  used  oils,  and  without  trying 
to  paint  at  all  for  thirty  years  or  more,  I  had  a  certain 


The  Boit  Family  165 

knowledge  of  painting  which  usually  comes  only  with 
study  and  practice.  But  I  had  always  loved  painting, 
and  been  thrown  much  with  artists,  and  watched  them 
paint,  even  if  never  painting  myself.  That  and  a  love  of 
nature  had  been  study,  even  if  not  realized  by  me. 

It  was  during  this  stay  at  "  Cernitoio,"  that,  on  the 
loth  of  July,  19 10,  I  had  a  quite  unusual  adventure.  1910 

That  morning,  my  brother  Ned  took  Lilian  and  me, 
and  my  niece,  Jeanie  Patten,  in  his  motor  to  San 
Gimignano,  where  we  lunched  and  did  a  little  sightseeing. 
No  sojourner  in  Florence  should  miss  seeing  this  pic- 
turesque town  with  its  wonderful  old  towers.  In  the 
afternoon  we  motored  from  there  to  Florence  for  tea, 
and  thence  twenty  miles  home  in  the  cool  of  a  beautiful 
evening. 

When  we  entered  Ned's  avenue,  high  up  on  the  moun- 
tainside, and  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  from  his 
house,  we  were  suddenly  stopped  by  a  barricade  of  stones 
thrown  across  the  road.  At  the  same  moment  we  were 
covered  by  the  pistol,  and  double-barrelled  shot-gun  of 
two  brigands.  It  was  a  lonely  spot,  and  as  we  were  un- 
armed there  was  nothing  for  us  to  do,  but,  after  many 
minutes  of  parleying,  to  hand  over  our  money,  which 
amounted  in  all  to  some  sixty  dollars. 

Lilian  and  Jeanie  behaved  with  great  presence  of  mind, 
and  Lilian  managed  to  take  off  her  glove,  conceal  her 
diamond  engagement  ring,  and  pull  on  her  glove  again 
without  its   being    noticed.     So    that  when  the    ladies' 


1 66  Chronicles  of 

jewelry  was  demanded  they  had  nothing  on  them  but 
Lilian's  plain  gold  wedding  ring.  This  they  did  not 
take.  In  fact  they  did  not  lay  hands  on,  or  personally 
touch  any  of  us. 

Then,  not  satisfied  with  their  booty,  they  ordered  me 
(no  doubt  mistaking  me  for  Ned)  to  stay  with  them  as 
hostage,  and  the  rest  of  the  party  to  go  on  to  the  Villa, 
and  bring  them  io,ooo-lire- worth  in  money  or  valuables. 
At  Ned's  request  he  was  allowed  to  remain  with  me. 
They  treated  us  decently  while  with  them,  and  per- 
mitted us  two  old  men  to  sit  quietly  by  the  roadside. 

When  the  motor  returned,  with  the  chauffeur  and 
Jeanie  Patten,  after  an  absence  of  about  half  an 
hour,  the  brigands  were  evidently  in  great  haste 
to  be  off,  for  they  seized  the  roll  of  money,  without 
counting  it,  stuffed  it  into  their  pockets  and  disappeared 
hurriedly  into  the  woods.  Jeanie  had  brought  them  all 
she  could  find  in  the  house,  but  it  only  amounted  to 
about  a  hundred  dollars,  so  that  we  got  off  very  easily  so 
far  as  money  was  concerned. 

The  moment  the  robbers  disappeared  a  throng  of  Ned's 
retainers  came  rushing  up  the  road  armed  with  every 
conceivable  weapon  —  some  twenty  or  thirty  of  them 
with  pistols,  and  rifles,  and  shotguns,  and  butcher  knives, 
and  stilettos,  and  carving-knives,  and  pitchforks.  They 
were  a  motley  and  wildly  excited  crew ! 

They  were  so  close  upon  the  heels  of  the  brigands,  that 
Ned  would  not  permit  them  to  follow,  but  stopped  them 


The  Boit  Family  167 

in  their  tracks.  He  knew  there  would  be  a  fight  and 
was  quite  unwilling  to  have  any  of  his  men  hurt,  so  long 
as  we,  ourselves,  were  safe.  It  was  a  quick  decision  but 
made  with  Ned's  usual  wisdom. 

His  forester  caught  a  third  member  of  this  gang  in 
the  woods  that  evening,  imprisoned  him  for  the  night  in 
one  of  the  farm  buildings,  and  turned  him  over  to  the 
authorities  the  next  morning.  He  died  in  prison,  in 
Florence,  within  a  year.  The  other  two  robbers  were 
supposed  to  have  been  killed  by  the  police  a  few  months 
later,  while  making  a  similar  attack  somewhere  between 
Florence  and  Rome. 

This  affair  created  great  excitement  throughout  the 
whole  of  Northern  Italy.  It  was  said  such  a  thing  had 
not  happened  in  Tuscany  for  a  hundred  years.  The 
papers  were  full  of  it.  The  government  in  Rome  quad- 
rupled the  force  of  mounted  police,  or  Carabinieri,  in  the 
environs  of  Florence.  One  evening  eighteen  Carabinieri 
appeared  at  "  Cernitoio,"  and  passed  half  of  the  night  in 
our  out-buildings,  scouring  the  mountains  above  us 
before  morning.  The  government  offered  a  large  reward 
for  the  apprehension  of  the  robbers. 

After  gazing  into  the  muzzle  of  a  double-barrelled 
shot-gun  for  twenty  minutes  or  more,  I  am  satisfied  it  is 
a  very  persuasive  weapon  for  the  extraction  of  money ! 

I  believe  I  have  nothing  more  to  write  of  myself.  I 
have  not  intended  this  as  an  autobiography,  but  have 


1 68  Chronicles  of 

tried  to  write  of  myself  impersonally.     No  doubt  there 
are  lapses  here  and  there. 

For  the  fortieth  anniversary  of  my  class  after  gradu- 
ation, as  Class  Odist,  I  wrote  some  verses.  They  were 
read  at  our  dinner  at  the  University  Club  in  Boston,  in 

1908  June,  1908.  When  I  had  written  them  I  found  by  a 
strange  coincidence  there  were  exactly  the  number  of 
lines   that    there  were   classmates  who    had   graduated 

1868    with  me  in  1868.     These  are  the  verses: 

FORTIETH    ANNIVERSARY    CLASS    DINNER 

1908  June  23,  1908 

BY    ROBERT    APTHORP    BOIT 

Comrades  of  old  !  Is  it  a  day  or  year 

Since  last  we  met .' 
Youth  is  but  yesterday  —  life  but  a  smile  —  a  tear, 

And  even  yet 
The  shouts  that  echo  from  our  joyous  band 

Strike  sharp  and  free, 
As  shoulder  to  shoulder,  hand  tight  clasped  in  hand, 

We  circle  round  the  tree ! 
Hark  to  the  songs  we  sing !     Hear  the  wild  cries 

As,  tussling  for  the  flowers. 
We  seek  at  least  one  bud  to  win  —  a  prize 

For  some  sweetheart  of  ours ! 


The   Boit  Family  169 

And  then  we  parted — boyhoods'  banners  furled  — 

Each  hugging  to  his  breast 
Faith  in  himself  —  his  strength  to  win  the  world  — 

And  at  its  best. 
Keen  for  a  single-handed  fall  with  fate, 

In  boyish  pride 
We  parted  —  girding  up  our  loins  and  plunging  straight 

Into  the  surging  tide ! 

Some  have  achieved,  some  ridden  to  a  fall, 

Some  more,  some  less,  been  blessed  ; 
But  we  have  fought  like  men,  tho'  one  and  all, 

God  knows,  have  been  hard  pressed. 
Who  shall  stand  first  ?     He  who  in  springtime  sows 

The  up-turned  field, 
Or  he  who  gathers  from  the  autumn  rows 

Their  golden  yield  ^ 
Who  shall  stand  first .?     He  who  may  claim  of  memory 

An  unstained  past, 
Or  he  who,  wrestling  with  the  tempter  hip  and  thigh 

Is  thrown  at  last .? 
Yes!     Who  stands  first,  where  all  their  best  have  done.? 

Not  wealth,  nor  glory, 
Nor  fame  for  this  world's  battles  won 

Shall  tell  the  story. 


lyo  Chronicles  of 


Hark !   This  man  gained  the  battles  of  the  Soul, 

Unseen,  unknown, 
By  day,  by  night,  still  fighting  for  the  goal, 

In  silence  and  alone  ! 
Crushed  through  dark  hours  of  agony  and  wrath, 

Yet  daylight  found  him, 
Strong  and  courageous  still  to  cheer  the  path 

Of  those  around  him. 
He  shall  stand  first !     Up !     Answer  to  the  call ! 

We  hear  the  cry 
In  answer  from  the  fire-purged  Souls  of  all  — 

"  It  is  not  I." 


And  yet  about  us  here,  on  every  side. 

If  we  but  knew, 
Gems  of  self-immolated  lives  abide 

In  hearts  steadfast  and  true. 
Into  each  other's  souls,  if  we  might  see, 

Ere  now  we  part. 
How  tight  at  leash  would  strain  our  sympathy 

As  heart  sought  heart ! 


The  Boit  Family  171 

Those,  who,  o'er-burdened,  left  us  on  the  way, 

We  greet  tonight. 
As  they  shall  greet  us  with  the  coming  day, 

When  all  is  light. 
Whether  of  fable  or  of  truth  the  hope  be  born, 

That  hope  beats  in  us  still ; 
In  spite  of  reasons,  scoff,  or  cynic  scorn, 

Hope  on  we  will. 
When  each  of  us  through  that  dark  night's  despair 

Has  passed  —  and  hesitating  stands  — 
Comrades  of  old  shall  greet  us  there  —  somewhere  — 

With  out-stretched  hands  ! 


Rise,  brothers,  rise  !     With  voices  strong  and  clear. 

As  once  you  sung, 
Sing  us  again  the  songs  we  held  so  dear 

When  we  were  young  ! 
Those  brave  old  songs  of  love  and  hope  and  youth. 

Of  mighty  deeds  and  men. 
Of  constancy,  eternity  and  truth  — 

Sing !  sing  them  all  again  ! 
Then  shall  we  turn  to  our  allotted  parts. 

Companioned  —  or  alone, 
With  youth's  glad  chorus  ringing  in  our  hearts 

As  we  trudere  on ! 


iS49 


J 


IV 

JANE  HUBBARD  BOIT  (4) 

Daughter  of  Edward  Darley  Boit  and 
Jane  Parkinson  Hubbard 

Chapter  XI 

'ANE  HUBBARD  BOIT  was  born  at  "Ingleside," 

October  5,  1849.     She  was  brought  up  in  Jamaica 

Plain,  and    Boston,  and    took    several  journeyings 

abroad.     We  have  been  sympathetic  companions  from 

infancy. 

I  remember  perfectly  the  morning  after  she  was  born. 
I  was  four  and  a  half.  I  was  taken  into  my  mother's 
room  to  see  her.  The  sun  was  pouring  into  the  room 
between  the  gauze  curtains.  My  mother  was  lying  in  a 
high  four-poster.  I  had  to  be  lifted  up  from  the  floor  to 
see  her.  She  smiled  but  looked  white  and  thin.  Then 
I  was  shown  a  tiny  little  red  face  beside  her.  I  was  told 
it  was  my  httle  sister.  I  felt  interested,  but  it  did  n't 
seem  to  me  as  dear  as  they  said  it  was.  Mammie  Thomp- 
son, or  Katie,  her  daughter,  told  me  an  angel  had  brought 
it  down  in  the  night,  and  presented  it  to  mama.  It  was 
made  very  mysterious  and  I  was  duly  impressed.  That 
was  my  first  sight  of  the  being  who  was  my  sister,  and 
was  to  become  my  life-long  friend. 

When  she  was  a  very  young  girl,  an  intimate  friend  of 

172 


The  Boit  Family  173 

mine,  who  was  much  in  love  with  her,  sent  her  these 
verses  with  a  bunch  of  heliotrope  : 

I  send  a  bunch  of  heliotrope 

With  thoughts  no  written  words  can  name, 
It  tells  of  fear,  and  doubt,  and  hope. 

And  speaks  these  three  words,  "  Je  vous  aime." 

Such  words  do  raptured  lovers  say 

To  those  who  their  hearts'  homage  claim, 
When  in  some  bower  at  fall  of  day 

They  gently  whisper  "  Je  vous  aime." 

And  with  such  words,  one  day  may  I 

Tell  unto  you  my  heart-felt  flame, 
And  may  the  breezes  passing  by, 

Bring  answer —  "  Moi  aussi  —  Je  t'aime." 

They  are  very  lovely,  but  made  no  impression  on  the 
heart  of  my  dear  sister.  He  himself  got  over  it  in  time 
to  marry  twice. 

She  married  Arthur  Hunnewell  of  Wellesley  and  Bos- 
ton, son  of  Horatio  Hollis  Hunnewell  and  Isabella 
(Welles)  Hunnewell. 

They  had  the  following  children  :  Isabella,  born  May 

7,  1 87 1,  married  October  8,  1907,  James  Searle  Barclay     '^71 

1907 
of  New  York  ;  Jane  Boit,  born  May  9,  1872,  unmarried  ;     jg.., 

Julia  Overing,    born    November    19,    1873,   unmarried;     1S73 


I 


174  Chronicles  of 

1^78    Margaret,  born  May  21,   1878,  married  June  30,  1902, 
George  Baty  Blake  of  Boston  and  Lenox. 

Margaret  and  George   B.   Blake  have  two  children: 

1904    Margaret  Hunnewell  Blake,  born  August  i,  1904  ;  Julia 

1907     Overing  Blake,  born  March  8,  1907. 

Jane  Boit  Hunnewell  and  Arthur  Hunnewell  also 
brought  up  from  infancy,  William  S.  Patten,  the  son  of 
Joseph  H.  Patten  and  Elizabeth  Greene  (Boit)  Patten, 
both  of  whom  died  within  a  few  years  of  his  birth. 

1845         Arthur  Hunnewell  was  born  December  i,  1845  5  ^lar- 

\^l°  ried  June  i,  1870;  died  October  17,  1904.  He  was  a 
classmate  of  mine  at  Harvard,  and,  as  I  have  said,  became 
my  brother-in-law.  At  fifty-nine,  when  he  died,  he  was 
in  the  prime  of  life.  I  never  knew  a  finer  man.  He 
was  very  powerful  and  a  great  athlete  in  his  youth.  He 
was  the  pitcher  of  our  Varsity  nine  and  much  admired 
by  his  classmates.  Later  he  became  a  crack  lawn  tennis 
and  court  tennis  player.  In  fact,  he  and  his  brothers, 
and  a  few  others,  built  the  first  tennis  court  in  or  about 
Boston,  where  Thomas  Petit  grew  up;  the  man  who 
finally  became  the  champion  court  tennis  player  of  the 
world. 

Arthur  Hunnewell  was  a  splendidly  "  set-up "  man 
and  always  dressed  with  great  taste  and  care.  He  was 
strong  and  fearless  and  almost  fierce-looking,  but  with 
the  kindest  of  hearts  and  gentlest  of  natures  —  admired 
and  feared  by  those  who  did  not  know  him ;  admired 
and  loved  by  those  who  did.     He  was  full  of  fun,  keen 


The  Boit  Family  175 

of  wit,  a  persistent  tease,  and  a  great  "sizer-up  "  of  men. 
His  judgment  was  always  good,  and  his  common  sense 
unfailing.  He  rarely  showed  his  sympathy  and  feeling 
in  words,  but  in  acts. 

He  was  a  brave,  honorable,  noble  gentleman,  if  there 
ever  was  one,  and  a  most  loyal  and  generous  friend. 
Life  has  not  seemed  the  same  to  me  since  his  death. 

After  his  death  Tarbell  painted  a  portrait  of  him. 

John  S.  Sargent  painted  a  portrait  of  his  wife,  Jane 
Boit  Hunnewell.  It  is  a  fine  portrait,  but  failed  to  do 
entire  justice  to  the  great  beauty  of  her  face. 

Jane  Boit  Hunnewell  (4)  and  her  daughter  Jane,  both 
showed  a  strong  artistic  taste  in  some  of  their  pottery 
work. 


V 

JOHN   BOIT   (4) 

Son  of  Edward  Darley  Boit  and 
Jane  Parkinson  Hubbard 

Chapter  XII 

JOHN  BOIT  (4)  was  born  in  Eliot  Street,  Jamaica 
Plain.  He  attended  various  schools  in  Boston  and 
Savannah,  and  also  went  to  St.  Mark's  and  Exeter. 
He  received  his  LL.  D.  from  the  Harvard  Law  School 
and  was  admitted  to  the  Massachusetts  Bar.  He  studied 
architecture  in  New  York  for  several  years  and  built  the 
New  York  Yacht  Clubhouse  in  Newport.  Thereafter 
he  studied  painting  under  John  LaFarge,  and  again  in 
Julien's    Studio  in   Paris.     On  the  7th  of   September, 

1904  1904,  he  married  Louise  Horstmann  of  Washington, 
District  of  Columbia.  They  were  married  at  Laleham, 
on  the  River  Thames,  in  England.  They  live  in  Wash- 
ington, District  of  Columbia,  and  have  a  country  place  at 
South  Natick,  Massachusetts,  on  the  Charles  River. 
They  have  one  son,  John  Boit  (5),  born  September  i, 

1910  1910,  in  Colchester  Street,  Brookline,  in  my  brother 
Ned's  house,  next  to  mine,  which  they  were  occupying 
that  summer. 


176 


The   Boit  Family  177 

I   have  used  so  many  family  verses  to  this  story,  I 
shall  also  add  the  following  by  your  Uncle  John  Boit  (4). 

THE    FARMER'S    DAUGHTER 

1879  1879 

Heigho  !     Heigho  !    Why  does  the  farmer's  daughter  go 
Through  the  wood  so  early? 

The  farmer's  daughter  is  fair  to  see  ; 

She  is  so  pale  and  slender  and  tall ; 
She  looketh  more  like  a  fair  ladie, 

Than  a  simple  farmer's  daughter. 

A  comely  lad  is  the  Squire's  son, 

With  his  curly  hair,  and  his  coal  black  eyes; 

And  every  morning  he  shoulders  his  gun. 
And  goes  to  the  wood  a  hunting. 

Tonight  there 's  feasting  up  at  the  Hall, 

For  the  Squire's  son  hath  taken  a  wife ; 
She  is  both  pale  and  slender  and  tall. 

But  never  a  farmers  daughter. 

There's  weeping  down  at  the  Farm  tonight 

For  the  farmer's  daughter  lies  dead  in  the  house, 

And  on  her  bosom  so  cold  and  white 
A  little  babe  is  sleeping. 

Heigho !  Heigho  !  The  farmer's  daughter  no  more  shall  go 
Through  the  wood  so  early. 


17S  Chronicles  of 


WHEN    SPRING    COMES 
1888 

When  spring  comes,  the  children  go 
Laughing  through  the  fields  and  woods, 

Seeking  glades  where  violets  grow. 
Slopes  where  sweet  arbutus  tv/ines, 
Rocks  where  fragile  columbines 

Nod  their  scarlet  hoods. 


When  the  Spring  comes,  hand  in  hand, 
Youth  and  maiden,  lover-wise. 

Dreaming  roam  through  fairy-land. 
Tearful  yesterday  has  vanished 
Stern  to-morrow  has  been  banished 

From  Love's  Paradise. 


When  the  Spring  comes  —  lo  —  she  brings 
Mid  gay  flowers  and  merry  birds, 

Memories  of  other  springs. 

Eyes,  long  dim,  our  own  eyes  seek; 
Lips,  long  silent,  smile  and  speak 

Old  familiar  words. 


The  Boit  Family  179 

LINES   WRITTEN    IN    1878  1878 

Gaily  in  through  the  casement  peeps  the  dawn ; 
Gaily  the  bird  in  the  coppice  greets  the  mom :  — 

Love  starts  from  its  troubled  slumber — wakes  and  sighs. 

Calmly  the  moon  is  shining  o'er  the  world  at  rest ; 
The  bird  is  quietly  sleeping  on  her  nest :  — 

Love  turns  on  its  feverish  pillow  with  open  eyes. 

Your  Uncle  John  certainly  was  gifted  with  as  much 
power  in  verse  as  the  rest  of  the  Boit  family,  and  per- 
haps with  more  imagination,  and  a  subtler  touch  than 
any  of  them.  He  has  also  done  some  excellent  work  in 
water-colors. 

With  this  last  member  of  our  family  of  my  generation 
these  chronicles  of  the  Boit  family  must  end. 

I  know  well  how  few  people  take  an  active  interest  in 
their  forbears.  Yet  here  and  there  is  one,  who  goes 
hunting  in  the  records  of  the  past  with  a  keen  scent  for 
what  he  may  unearth  of  the  lives  of  his  people. 

I,  myself,  am  one  of  these,  and  in  my  own  researches, 
often  have  lamented,  that  none  of  my  forefathers  had 
left  a  printed  record  of  those  they  knew  in  life,  or  of 
those  who  had  preceded  them. 

I  therefore  think  I  have  a  right  to  hope,  if  my  race 
does  not  become  extinct,  that  the  work  I  have  done  may 


i8o  Chronicles  of 

prove  of  value  to  some  descendant  in  quest  of  family- 
records.  I  also  hope  that  my  children,  for  whom  it  has 
been  chiefly  written,  and  m.y  other  kindred  of  today,  may 
gather  from  it  pleasant  and  welcome  thoughts  of  some 
of  their  own  people,  who  have  lived  their  simple  lives, 
have  done  their  duty  by  their  fellowmen,  as  they  have 
seen  it,  and  have  passed  on  without  making  a  deep  or 
lasting  impression  on  the  history  of  their  times,  or  of 
their  country. 


FINIS 


Chapter    XIII 

DESCENDANTS    OF 

THE  BOIT   FAMILY 

IN    AMERICA 


l8l 


The  Boit  Family 


i8 


OUR    BRANCH    OF    THE 

BOIT  FAMILY 

In  Boston,  U.  S.  A. 


JOHN    BOIT  (I) 

B.  1733;  D.  Dec.  31,  1798 

in  Boston 

Buried  King's  Chapel 

M.  (first;  June,  1762 

HANNAH  (SEARS)  ATKINS 

D.  1767 

M,  (second)  Aug.  3,  1 769 

SARAH  BROWN 

D.  1794 

By  Hannah  Atkins  By  Sarah  Brown 


Hannah  Boit  (2) 

B.  1765 

M.  Sept.  27,  1789 

Crowell  Hatch 

of  Boston 

B.  1733 

D. 1814 

Many  descendants 

but  none  in  or 

about  Boston 

II 

Henry  Boit  (2) 

B.  July  1763 

Married  and  died  in 

Barcelona,  Spain 

leaving  children 

III 

John  Boit  (2) 

B.  1767 

Said  to  have  died 

in  infancy 


IV 

Sarah  Boit  (2) 

B.   1770 

M.   1790 

John  Duballet 

French  gentleman 

Lived  and  died  in 

Bordeaux,  France 

Presumably  no  children 

V 

Rebecca  Boit  (2) 

B.  1772 

D.  1793 

Spinster 

Buried  King's  Chapel 

Boston 

VI 

John  Boit  (2) 

B.  Oct.  15,  1774 

D.  Mar.  8,  1S29 

Boston 

M.  Aug.  20,  1 799,  in 

Trinity  Church,  Newport,  R.  I. 

Eleanor  (.-Vuchmuty)  Jones 

of  Newport.     D.   1831 

Both  buried  King's  Chapel 

Boston 


1 84 


Descendants  of 


JOHN    B0IT(2) 

B.  Oct.  15,  1774 

D.  Mar.  8,  1829 

Boston 

M.  Aug.  20,  1799,  in 

Trinity  Church,  Newport,  R.  I. 

ELEANOR  JONES 

of  Newport 

D. 1831 

Both  buried  King's  Chapel,  Boston 


X  Their  children 

Ellen  M.  Boit  (3) 

B.  Feb.  2,  1803 

Newport 

D.  Charleston,  S.  C. 

Spinster 


Caroline  Boit  (3) 

B.  May  5,  1804 

D. about  1S63 

M.  Henry  F.  Baker 

Nov.  1822 

Merchant,  Boston 

Col.  of  Cadets 

Harvard  181 5 

Their  children 

(a)  Ellen  Baker  (4) 

B.  Mar.  8,  1S25,  Boston 

D.  May  27,  1904,  Boston 

Spinster 

(b)  Darley  Baker  (4) 
B.  July  28,  1827 
D.  Oct.  3,  1868,  New  Orleans 
M. 

No  children  living 
Harvard  1848 

III 

Henry  Boit  (3) 

Dates  of  birth  and  death 

not  known 

Went  South  when  young 

and  died  there 


IV 

Mary  Boit  (3) 

Bapt.  June  13,  1779 

D.  June,  1833 

Lived  last  part  of  her  life  in 

Weymouth,  Mass. 

and  died  there 


Harriet  Auchmuty  Howard 

Boit  (3) 

B.  Aug.  31,  181 2,  Boston 

D.  Aug.  20,  1870,  Boston 

M.  Charles  Inches,  Boston 
B.  Mar.  19,  1808,  Boston 
D.  Jan.  22,  1888,  Boston 

VI 

Edward  Darley  Boit  (3) 

B.  Aug.  31,  18 1 3,  Boston 

D.  Oct.  14,  1890,  Cotuit 

M.  June  13,  1839,  Boston 

Jane  Parkinson  Hubbard  (8) 

of  Boston 

B.  Nov.  25,  1 818 

D.  May  14,  1890 

in  Newport,  R.  L 

Harvard  1S34 

VII 

Julia  Overing  Boit  (3) 

B.  July  15,  1820 

D.  May  i,  1888 

M.  June  4,  1846 

Russell  Sturgis 

Boston  and  London 

Harvard  1823 


The   Boit  Family 


185 


VI 

EDWARD    DARLEY    BOIT  (3) 
B.  Aug.  31,  1 81 3,  Boston 
D.  Oct.  14,  1890,  Cotuit 
M.  June  13,  1839,  Boston 

JANE  PARKINSON  HUBBARD  (8) 

of  Boston 

B.  Nov.  25,  1818 

D.  May  14,  1S90,  Newport  R.  I. 

Harvard  1834 


I  Their 

Edward  Darley  Boit  (4) 
B.  May  16,  1840,  Boston 

D.  Apr.  21,  191 5 

M.  (first)  June  16,  1864 

Mary  Louisa  Gushing 

B.  Dec.  19,  1845 

D.  Sept.  29,  1894 

Dinard,  France 

M.  (second)  Jan.  5,  1897 

Florence  Little,  Newport,  R.  I. 

B.  Nov.  6,  1876 

D.  Apr.  28,  1902 

Paris,  France 

Harvard  1863 

II 

Elizabeth  Greene  Boit  (4) 

B,  July  7,  1842,  Boston 

D.  Apr.  14,  1875,  Providence 

M.  June  20,  1S67 

Joseph  H.  Patten, 

Providence 

B.  Mar.  8,  1836 

D.  Dec.  17,  1874 

Providence 

III 

Robert  Apthorp  Boit  (4) 

B.  Apr.  29,  1846,  Boston 

M.  (first)  Jan.  15,  1874 

Georgia  Anderson  Mercer 

Savannah,  Ga. 

B.  Sept.  6,  1852 

D.  Dec.  6,  1878 

M.  (second)  May  20,  1S86 

Lilian  Willis,  New  Bedford 

B.  Apr.  27,  1850 

Harvard  186S 


children  iv 

Jane  Hubbard  Boit  (4) 

B.  Oct.  5,  1849 

Jamaica  Plain 

I\L  June  I,  1870 

Arthur  Hunnewell 

Boston 

B.  Dec.  I,  1845 

D.  Oct.  I  7,  1904 

Wellesley 

Harvard  1868 

V 

John  Boit  (4) 

B.  Oct.  27,  1858 

Jamaica  Plain 

M.  Sept.  7,  1904 

at  Laleham,  Eng. 

Louise  Horstmann 

Washington,  D.  C. 

B.  Mar.  28,  1869 

Philadelphia 

Harvard 

Law  School 

1881 

VI 

Julia  Boit,  (4) 
Died  in  infancy 


1 86 


Descendants  of 


EDWARD    DARLEY    BOIT  (4) 

and 

MARY    LOUISA   GUSHING  (first  wife) 


Their  living  children 


Florence  Dumaresq  Boit  (5) 

B.  Newport,  R.  I.,  1868 

Unmarried 


Jane  Hubbard  Boit  (5) 

B. 1870 

Unmarried 


III 


Mary  Louisa  Boit  (5) 

B.  June  5,  1874 

Paris,  France 

Unmarried 

IV 

Julia  Overing  Boit  (5) 

B.  Nov.  15,  1877 

Soisy,  France 

Unmarried 


EDWARD    DARLEY   BOIT  (4) 

and 

FLORENCE    LITTLE  (second  wife) 

Their  children 


Julian  McGarty  Boit  (5) 

B.  Jan.  21,  1900 

Paris,  France 


VI 

Edward  Boit  (5) 

B.  Apr.  12,  1902 

Paris,  France 


The  Boit  Family 


187 


II 

ELIZABETH    GREENE    BOIT  (4) 

and 

JOSEPH    H.    PATTEN 

Their  children 


Jane  Boit  Patten  (5) 

B.  June  8,  1869 

Providence 

Unmarried 

II 

Eliza  Bridgham  Patten  (5) 

B.  Sept.  17,  1 87 1 

Providence 

D.  Sept.  4,  1890 

Jackson,  N.  H. 

Unmarried 


III 

William  Samuel  Patten  (5) 

B.  July  21,  1873 

Providence 

M.  June  16,  1904 

Anna  Morton  Thayer 

daughter  of 

Nathaniel  Thayer 

of  Boston  and 

Lancaster,  Mass. 

B.  May  28,  1883,  Boston 

Harvard  1895 


III 

WILLIAM  SAMUEL  PATTEN  (5) 

and 

ANNA  MORTON  THAYER 

Their  children 


II 


Anna  Thayer  Patten  (6) 
B.  Mar.  29,  1905 


Jane  Hunnewell  Patten  (6) 
B.  May  9,  1906 


III 


William  Samuel  Patten,  Jr.  (6) 
Nov.  29,  1909 


Descendants  of 


III 

ROBERT    A.    BOIT  (4) 

and 

GEORGIA   ANDERSON    MERCER,  (first  wife) 


Their  children 


II 


Mary  Anderson  Boit  (5) 

B.  Sept.  2,  1877 

New  York  City 

M.  Sept.  22,  1902 

Church  of  our  Saviour 

Brookline 

Dr.  Hugh  Cabot 

B.  Aug.  ir,  1872 

Beverly,  Mass. 

Harvard  1894 

Their  children 

(a) 

Hugh  Cabot  (6) 

B.  Feb.  20,  1905 

3  Marlborough  St.,  Boston 

(b) 

Mary  Anderson  Cabot  (6) 

B.  Sept.  24,  1907 

8y  Marlborough  St.,  Boston 

(c) 
John  Boit  Cabot  (6) 
B.  Nov.  18,  1909 
87  Marlborough  St.,  Boston 


Georgia  Mercer  Boit  (5) 
B.  Nov.  26,  1878 

Brookline 

M.  May  14,  1902 

Church  of  our  Saviour 

Brookline 

Walter  Siegfried  Gierasch 

B.  Berlin,  Germany 

Dec.  24,  1877 

Harvard  1902 

Their  children 

(a) 

Christina  Stuart  Gierasch  (6) 

B.  July  29,  1903 

Madison,  Wis. 

D.  Chicago,  111. 

(b) 

Walter  S.  Gierasch  (6) 

B.  July  15,  1905 

Chicago,  111. 

(c) 

Robert  Boit  Gierasch  (6) 

B.  Feb.  12,  1907 

Louisville,  Ky. 

(d) 
David  Gierasch  (6) 

B.  July  5,  1908 
Hingham,  Mass. 

(e) 

Dorothea  Gierasch  (6) 

B.  May  10,  1910 

Brookline,  Mass. 

(f) 

Edward  Darley  Gierasch  (6) 

B.  Feb.  14,  1914 

Brookline,  Mass. 


The  Boit  Family 


189 


III 

ROBERT   A.    BOIT  (4) 

and 

LILIAN    WILLIS  (second  wife) 

Their  children 


Alice  Boit  (5) 

B.  May  2,  1887,  Brookline 

M.  Dec.  5,  1914,  in  the 

Church  of  Our  Saviour 

Brookline 

Wm.  Appleton  Burnham,  Jr. 

Boston 

Harvard  1904 


John  Edward  Boit  (5) 

B.  Nov.  20,  1889,  Brookline 

Harvard  191 2 


1 90 


Descendants  of 


IV 

JANE  HUBBARD  BOIT  (4) 

and 

ARTHUR  HUNNEWELL 

Their  children 


Isabella  Hunnewell  (5) 
B.  May  7,  1871 
M.  Oct.  8,  1907 

James  Searle  Barclay 
of  New  York 


Jane  Boit  Hunnewell  (5) 

B.  May  9,  1872 

Unmarried 


III 

Julia  Overing  Hunnewell  (S) 

B.  Nov.  19,  1873 

Unmarried 

IV 

Margaret  Hunnewell  (5) 
B.  May  21,  1878 
M.  June  30,  1902 

Wellesley 

George  Baty  Blake 

of  Boston  and  Lenox,  Mass. 

Harvard  1893 


III 

MARGARET  HUNNEWELL  (5) 

and 

GEORGE  BATY  BLAKE 

Their  children 


Margaret  Hunnewell  Blake  (6) 
B.  Aug.  I,  1904 


II 


Julia  Overing  Blake  (6) 
B.  Mar.  8,  1907 


V 

JOHN  BOIT  (4) 

and 

LOUISE  HORSTMANN 

Their  child 

John  Boit,  Jr.  (5) 

B.  Sept.  I,  1910 

Brookline 


The  Boit  Family 


191 


V 

HARRIET  AUCHMUTY  HOWARD  BOIT  (3) 

and 

CHARLES  INCHES 

Their  children 


Susan  Brimmer  Inches  (4) 
B.  Aug.  15,  1838 
D.  Nov.  3,  1900 
M.  Oct.  4,  1858 
Robert  Shaw  Sturgis 
B.  Aug.  29,  1824 
D.  April  2,  1876 
Philadelphia 


Charles  Edward  Inches  (4) 
B.  Aug.  31,  1 841 
D.  Jan.  12,  191 1 
M. 

Louise  Pomeroy 

B.  Aug.  14,  1861 

Harvard  1861 

III 

Harriet  Boit  Inches  (4) 

B.  Feb.  27,  1844 

D.  May  24,  1892 

Spinster 


SUSAN   BRIMMER  INCHES  (4) 
and 


ROBERT  SHAW  STURGIS 


Their  children 


(a) 

Robert  Sturgis  (5) 

B.  June  27,  1859 

D.  May  3,  1900 

M.  June  14,  1888 

Marion  Sharpless 

of  New  York 

Harvard  1881 

(b) 

Charles  Inches  Sturgis  (5) 

B.  July  21,  i860 

M.  June  6,  1893 

Margaret  Noble 

Harvard  1882 

(c) 

Roger  Faxton  Sturgis  (5) 

B.  Mar.  21,  1862 

M.  Oct.  7,  1893 

Mildred  Frazer 

Harvard  1SS4 


(d) 


Henrietta  Auchmuty 

Sturgis  (5) 

B.  Mar.  1,  1864 

M.  Dec.  23,  1 886 

Charles  Edward  Ingersoll 

of  Philadelphia 

(e) 

Elizabeth  Perkins  Sturgis  (5) 

B.  Dec.  18,  1865 

M.  June  2,  1885 

James  Potter 

(f) 

Susan  Brimmer  Sturgis  (5) 

B.  Aug.  29.  1869 

M.  June  27,  1898 

Antonio  Yznaga  Stewart 

Philadelphia 

(g) 

Mary  Howard  Sturgis  (5) 

B.  Mar.  25,  1872 

M.  Feb.  28,  1898 

Edgar  Thomson  Scott 

Philadelphia 


192 


Descendants  of 


ROBERT  STURGIS  (5) 

and 
MARION  SHARPLESS 
Their  children 


Mary  Lyman  Sturgis  (6) 

B.  Feb.  14,  1890 

M.  April  23,  191 2 

Armitaee  Whitman 


Henrietta  Howard  Boit 

Sturgis  (6) 

B.  Oct.  29,  1896 


(b) 
CHARLES  INCHES  STURGIS  (5) 
and 
MARGARET  NOBLE 

Their  children 

I  n 

Robert  Shaw  Sturgis  (6)  Frank  Noble  Sturgis  (6) 

B.Apr.  4,  1894  B.Jan.  9,  1897 


(c) 

ROGER  FAXTON  STURGIS  (5) 

and 

MILDRED  FRAZER 

Their  children 

I  n 

Susan  Brimmer  Sturgis  (6)  Roger  Sturgis  (6) 

Born  Nov.  11,  1894  Born  Feb.  10,  1896 

III 
Anita  Sturgis  (6) 
B.  June  15,  1898 


The  Boit  Family 


193 


(d) 

HENRIETTA  AUCHMUTY     STURGIS  (5) 

and 

CHARLES  EDWARD  INGERSOLL 


Their  children 


Anna  Warren  IngersoU  (6) 
B.  Sept.  30,  1887 


IV 


Charles  Jared  IngersoU  (6) 
B.  Feb.  1 1,  1894 


Harry  IngersoU  (6) 
B.  May  27,  1889 

III 

Robert  Sturgis  IngersoU  (6) 

B.  Dec.  16,  1891 

M.  Oct.  31,  1914 

Maria  Bernard  Fowle 


Susan  Brimmer  IngersoU  (6) 
B.  Feb.  19,  1896 

VI 

John  Hobart  Warren 

IngersoU  (6) 

B.  Oct.  27,  1899 


(e) 

ELIZABETH  PERKINS  STURGIS  (5) 

and 

JAMES   POTTER 


Their  children 


III 


Elizabeth  Sturgis  Potter  (6) 

B.  July  9,  1 886 

M.  Jan.  27,  1908 

Frank  Lyon  Polk 

II 

John  Hamilton  Potter  (6) 

B.  June  13,  1 888 


Robert  Sturgis  Potter  (6) 

B.  Dec.  20,  1889 

Harvard  191 2 


IV 


Alice  Beirne  Potter  (6) 
B.  July  14,  1892 
D.  Apr.  12,  1S93 


194 


Descendants  of 


(f) 

SUSAN  BRIMMER  STURGIS  (5) 

and 
ANTONIO  YZNAGA  STEWART 

Their  children 

I  IV 

Susan  Brimmer  Stewart  (6)  Elizabeth  Potter  Stewart  (6) 

B.  Mar.  2,  1900  b.  Nov.  4,  1904 

II  V 

Mary  Howard  Stewart  (6)  Antonio  Yznaga  Stewart  (6) 

B.  Oct.  13,  1901  B.July  8,  1906 

III 

William  Hood  Stewart  (6) 
B.  May  16,  1903 


(g) 

MARY  HOWARD  STURGIS  (5) 

and 

EDGAR  THOMSON  SCOTT 

Their  children 


III 


Edgar  Thomson  Scott,  Jr.  (6) 
B.  Jan.  II,  1899 

II 

Warwick  Potter  Scott  (6) 

B.  Apr.  17,  1 90 1 


Anna  Dike  Scott  (6) 
B.  June  5,  1907 


IV 


Susan  Brimmer  Scott  (6) 
B.  Nov.  22,  1908 


The  Boit  Family 


195 


II 

CHARLES  EDWARD  INCHES  (4) 

and 

LOUISE  POMEROY 

Their  children 


Henderson  Inches  (5) 

B.  Oct.  16,  1S85 

Harvard  1908 


Charles  Edward  Inches  (5) 

B.  Feb.  27,  1887 

Harvard  1909 


III 


Louise  Brimmer  Inches  (5) 
B.  Feb.  24,  1896 


VII 

JULIA  OVERING  BOIT  (3) 

(Daughter  of  John  Boit  (2) 

and 

RUSSELL  STURGIS 

of  Boston  and  London 


Their  children 


III 


Henry  Parkman  Sturgis  (4) 

B.  Mar.  i,  1847 

M.  (first)  Oct.  2,  1872 

Mary  Cecilia  Brand 

D.  June  20,  1 886 

M.  (second)  July  17,  1894 

Marie  Eveleen  Meredith 

All  of  England 

Oxford  University 

II 

Julian  Russell  Sturgis  (4) 

B.  Oct.  21,  1848 

D.  Apr.  13,  1904 

M.  Nov.  5,  1883 

Mary  Maud  Beresford 

Both  of  England 

Oxford  University 


Mary  Greene  Hubbard 

Sturgis  (4) 

B.  Feb.  2,  1851 

M.  (first)  July  5,  1871 

Leopold  Richard  Seymour 

Col.  of  Guards,  London 

D.  May  30,  1904 

M.  (second)  July  18,  1906 

Bertram  Godfrey  Falle 

IV 

Howard  Overing  Sturgis  (4) 

B.  Nov.  8,  1855 

Unmarried 

of  England 

Oxford  University 


196 


Descendants  of 


I 

HENRY  PARKMAN  STURGIS  (4) 

and 

MARY  CECILIA  BRAND  (first  wife) 

Their  children 


Margery  Sturgis  (5) 

B.  June  21,  1874 

M.  Jan.  31,  1900 

W,  Ellice 

Their  children 

(a) 
James  Ellice  (6) 
B.  June  4,  1901 

(b) 
Cecilia  Ellice  (6) 
B.  July  19,  1906 

(c) 

Aline  Ellice  (6) 

B.July  9,  1909 

II 

Rachel  Sturgis  (5) 

B.  Feb.  6,  1876 

M.  Sept.  8,  1898 

Aubrey  Price 

Their  children 

(a) 

Margaret  Rachel  Price  (6) 

B.  Nov.  15,  1899 

(b) 
Trevor  Price  (6) 
B.  Mar.  2,  1901 


Olive  Sturgis  (5) 

B.  Apr.  24,  1878 

M.  Oct.  18,  1900 

George  Barnard  Hankey 

Their  child 

(a) 

Hans  Mark  John 

Barnard  Hankey  (6) 

B.  Aug.  17,  1905 

IV 

Henry  Russell  Sturgis  (5) 

B.  Oct.  25,  1879 

M.  Apr.  28,  1912 

Violet  Milne 

V 

John  Bryan  Sturgis  (5) 
B.  June  22,  1881 
M.  Feb.  19,  1914 
IsHBEL  Ellice 

VI 

Mary  Sturgis  (5) 
B.  June  17,  1886 
M.  Feb.  17,  1 910 

William  Basset 

Their  children 

(a) 

Nancy  Ursula  Basset  (6) 

B.  Nov.  22,  1910] 

(b) 

Richard  Thurstine  Basset  (6) 

B.  Apr.  27,  1913 


The  Boit  Family  197 


I 

HENRY  PARKMAN  STURGIS  (4) 

and 

MARIE  EVELEEN  MEREDITH  (second  wife) 

Their  children 
VII  VIII 

Joan  Meredith  Sturgis  (5)  Dorothy  Meredith 

B,  July  24,  189s  Sturgis  (5) 

B.  Jan.  26,  1897 


II 

JULIAN  RUSSELL  STURGIS  (4) 

and 

MARY  MAUD  BERESFORD 

Their  children 

(a)  (b) 

Mark  Beresford  Russell  Gerard  Boit  Sturgis  (5) 

Sturgis  (5)  B.  Sept.  12,  1885 

B.  July  ID,  1884  Unmarried 

M.  July  9,  1914  (c) 

Ellen  Rachel  Stuart  Wortley  Roland  Josselyn  Russell 

Sturgis  (5) 

B.  Jan.  9,  1888 

Unmarried 


198 


Descendants  of 


III 

MARY  GREENE  HUBBARD  STURGIS  (4) 

and 

COL.  LEOPOLD  RICHARD  SEYMOUR 


Their  children. 


IV 


Mildred  Seymour  (5) 

B.  Aug.  14,  1872 

Unmarried 


Conway  Russfxl  Seymour  (5) 

B.  June  24,  1874 

M.  May  27,  1897 

Louisa    Mary  Street 

III 

Richard  Sturgis  Seymour  (5) 

B.  Sept.  21,  1875 

M.  April  20,  191 1 

Victoria  Alexandra 

Fitzroy 

Their  children 

(a) 

Leopold  Richard  Seymour  (6) 

B.  Sept.  23,  191 2 

(b) 

Alexandra  Victoria  Seymour  (6) 

B.  May  24,  1914 


Edward  Seymour  (5) 

B.  Feb.  10,  1877 

M.  July  29,  1905 

Blanche  Frances 

conyngham 

Their  child 

(a) 

Verena  Mary  Seymour  (6) 

B.  May  24,  1906 

V 

Beauchamp  Seymour  (5) 
B.  Oct.  6,  1878 

VI 

Ethel  Seymour  (5) 

B.  Jan.  17,  1881 

M.  May  23,  1910 

Eric  Henry  Bonham 

Their  child 

(a) 

Elizabeth  Mary  Bonham  (6) 

B.  July  10,  1914 

VII 

Lionel  Seymour  (5) 
B.  Feb.  24,  1889 
M.  Oct.  28,  1909 

Catherine  Wooding 
Docking 


Chapter    XIV 

DESCENDANTS    OF 

THE  HUBBARD   FAMILY 

IN    ENGLAND    AND    AMERICA 


199 


The   Hubbard  Family  201 

THE   HUBBARD   FAMILY 

THEIR  DESCENT  IN  ENGLAND 
Claimed  to  be  from  Edward,  the  First,  of  England 


1.  Edward  1  married  Eleanor,  daughter  of  Ferdinand  III  of 
Castile. 

2.  Joan    Plantagenet    married     Gilbert    de    Clare,    Earl    of 
Gloucester. 

3.  Margaret   de    Clare   married    Hugh    de    Audley,   Earl  of 
Gloucester. 

4.  Margaret    de    Audley    married     Ralph     Stafford,    Earl   of 
Stafford. 

5.  Hugh,    Earl    of    Stafford,    married    Fhilippa    Beauchamp, 
daughter  of  Earl  of  Warwick. 

6.  Margaret    Stafford    married     Ralph    de     Nevill,    Earl    of 
Westmorland. 

7.  Fhilippa  Nevill  married  Thomas  Dacre,  Lord  Dacre. 

8.  Thomas  Dacre  married  Eliza  Bowes. 

9.  Joan  Dacre  married  Sir  Richard  Fienes,   Lord  Dacre. 

10.  Sir  Thomas  Fienes  married  Alice  Fitz  Hugh,  grand- 
daughter of  Richard  Nevill,  Earl  of  Sahsbury. 

11.  Thomas  Fienes,  Lord  Dacre,  married  Anne  Bouchier, 
daughter  of  Sir  Humphrey  Bouchier. 

12.  Catherine  Fienes  married  Richard  Loudenoys. 

13.  Mary  Loudenoys  married  Thomas   Harlakenden. 

14.  Roger  Harlakenden  married  Elizabeth  Hardres. 

15.  Richard  Harlakenden  married  Margaret  (Hubbard)  Hobart. 

16.  Mabel  Harlakenden  married  Governor  John  Haynes. 

17.  Ruth  Haynes  married  Samuel  Wyllis. 

1 8.  Mehitable  Wyllis  married  Rev.  Daniel  Russell. 

19.  Mabel  Russell  married  Rev.  John  Hubbard,  died  1705. 

Having  gone  back  to  Edward  I,  I  understand  the  line  is  carried  back  still  far- 
ther to  the  Emperor  Charlemagne.  This  chain  is  considered  valuable  by  the 
Hubbard  family,  and  has  been  much  worn. 


202 


Descendants  of 


OUR    BRAN'CH    OF    THE 

HUBBARD   FAMILY 

In  America 


REV.  WILLIAM  HUBBARD  (i) 

Came  to  Boston,  in  America,  in  1635 

He  married  his  wife,  Judith,  in 

Cambridge,  England,  in  1620 

Became  a  Pastor  in  Ipswich,  Mass. 

Died  in  1670 


John  Hubbard  (2) 
B.  1620 


Rev.  William  Hubbard  (2) 

B.   1621.     D.   1704 

M.  (first)  Margaret  Rogers 

M.  (second)  Mary  Crane  Pierce 

Harvard  1642 

Pastor  in  Ipswich,  Mass. 

Called  the  "  Historian" 

III 

Nathaniel  Hubbard  (2) 

B.  1629 


Richard  Hubbard  (2) 

B.  1631 

D.  1 68 1,  Boston 

M.  Sarah  Bradstreet 

Daughter  of  Gov.  Bradstreet 

Harvard  1652 

Their  daughter,  Sarah 

B.   1659 
M.  Rev.  John  Cotton 

V 

Margaret  Hubbard  (2) 
B.  1633 

M.  (first)  Ezechiel  Rogers 
M.  (second)  Thomas  Scott 

VI 

Martha  Hubbard  (2) 

B.  1638 

M.  (first)  Simeon  Eyre 

M.  (second)  John  Whittingham 


The  Hubbard  Family  203 

II 

REV.  WILLIAM  HUBBARD  (2) 

and 
MARGARET  ROGERS  (first  wife) 

Their  children 
I  III 

John  Hubbard  (3)  Margaret  Hubbard  (3) 

B.  1648.     D.  1 710,  Boston  B.  1652 

M.  Anne  Leverett,  daughter  of  M.  John  Pynchon 

Governor  Leverett 
II 
Nathaniel  Hubbard  (3) 
B.  1650 


I 
JOHN  HUBBARD  (3) 

and 
ANNE  LEVERETT 

Their  children 
I  V 

Mary  Hubbard  (4)  Hon.  Nathaniel  Hubbard  (4) 

B.  1673  B.  1680.     D.  1748 

M.  Rev.  Thomas  Ruggles  Harvard  1698 

jj  M.  (first;  Mrs.  Elizabeth 

Sarah  Hubbard  (4)  ,,      ^'^^'L^'^?'' o\ 

g    jg--  M.  (second)  Mrs.  Rebecca 

'^  (Smith)  Gore 

III 

Rev.  John  Hubbard  (4)  ,       ,  X\  ,      , 

B.  1677  Richard  Hubbard  (4) 

D.  1706,  Jamaica,  L.  I.  ^-   '^^4 

M.  Mabel  Russell  vii 

Harvard  1695  Anne  Hubbard  (4) 
IV  B.  1686 

William  Hubbard  (4) 
B.  1678 


204  Descendants  of 


III 

REV.  JOHN  HUBBARD  (4) 

and 

MABEL  RUSSELL 

Their  children 
I  II 

Dr.  John  Hubbard  (5)  Daniel  Hubbard  (5) 

B.  1703.     D.  1773  B.  1706.     D.  1741 

New  Haven  New  London 

M.  Elizabeth  Stevens  Yale  1727 

They  had  many  descendants  M.  Martha  Coit 

After  Daniel  Hubbard's  death 

she  married  Thomas  Greene  of 

Boston.     D.   1774 


II 

DANIEL  HUBBARD  (5) 

and 

MARTHA  COIT 

Their  children 

I  IV 

Russell  Hubbard  (6)  Elizabeth  Hubbard  (6) 

B.  1732     Of  Norwich  and  B.  1738 

New  London  M.  Benjamin  Greene 

Yale  1 75 1  V 

M.  Mary  Gray  William  Hubbard  (6) 

Many  descendants  ^    ^^^^     Of  Boston  and 

II  New  London 

Lucretia  Hubbard  (6)  M.  (first)  Lydia  Coit 

B.   1734,  Boston  M.  (second)  Mary  Copley,  1780 

M.  Gregory  Townsend  M.  (third)  Joanna  Perkins,  1 784 
jjj  Many  descendants 


Daniel  Hubbard  (6) 

B.  1736.     Of  Boston 

M.  Mary  Greene  of  Boston 


The   Hubbard  Family 


205 


III 

DANIEL  HUBBARD  (6) 

and 

MARY  GREENE 

Their  children 


Martha  Hubbard  (7) 

B.  1758,  Boston 
M.  Adam  Babcock 

II 
Elizabeth  Hubbard  (7) 

B.   1760,  Boston 
M,  Gardiner  Greene 

III 

Daniel  Hubbard  (7) 

B.   1762 

IV 

Thomas  Hubbard  (7) 
B.  1764 

V 

John  Hubbard  (7) 

B.  1765.     D.  Oct.  I,  1836 

M.  (first)  Elizabeth  Patterson 

M.  (second)  Jane  Parkinson 

Oct.  3,  1802 

D.  Mar.  3,  1847,  Boston 

Married  at  "  Plantation  Grove" 

Mahoica,  Demerara 


Lucretia  Hubbard  (7) 
B.   1767 

VII 
Henry  Hubbard  (7) 

B.   1769,  Boston 

M.  Mary  Chadwell 

Father  and  mother  of 

Charles  Hubbard 

Grandfather  and  grandmother 

of  Charles  W.  Hubbard 

of  Weston,  and 

Father  and  mother  of 

Mary  Hubbard  wlio  married 

Wm.  S.  Whitwell,  and  was  the 

Mother  of  Elizabeth  Whitwell 

who  married  William  Tudor 

VIII 

Gilbert  Hubbard  (7) 
B.  1771 

IX 

Charles  Hubbard  (7) 
B.  1773 


206 


Descendants  of 


JOHN  HUBBARD  (7) 

and 

JANE  PARKINSON  (second  wife) 


Their  children 


VI 


Henry  Hubbard  (8) 

B.  1804.     D.  1837 

No  children 

II 

Mary  Greene  Hubbard  (8) 

B.  1806,  Boston 

D.  Sept.  17,  1839 

M.  Sept.  28,  1829 

Russell  Sturgis  of  Boston  and 

London 

III 

William  Hubbard  (8) 

B.  1809.     D.  1841 

No  children 

IV 

Anne  Hubbard  (8) 

B.  April  21,  1 811 

Plantation  Mainstay 

Demerara 

D.  Dec.  22,  1867 

Tunbridge  Wells,  Kent 

M.  James  White 

Merchant  of  London 

and  Ceylon 

B.  Oct.  31,  1805 

Hailsham,  Sussex  Co. 

D.  1889    London 

V 

Gardiner  Greene 

Hubbard  (8) 

B.  1813.     D.   1856 

M.  Oct.  3,  1844 

Charlotte  Caldwell  Blake 

B.  Oct.  26,  1822 

D.  Nov.  29,  1900 


Elizabeth  Hubbard  (8) 

B.  181 5,  Boston 

D. 

M.  John  Singleton  Copley 

Greene 

of  Boston 

No  children 

VII 

Martha  Hubbard  (8) 
B.   1816 
Unmarried 

VIII 

Jane  Parkinson  Hubbard  (8) 

B.   1818.     D.  1890 

Newport,  R.  L 

M.  June  13,  1839 

Edward  Darley  Boit,  Boston 

Harvard  1834 

IX 

Rev.  John  Parkinson 

Hubbard  (8) 

B.  June  I,  1820 

D.  Oct.  12,  1899 

M.  June  28,  1849 

Adelaide  McCulloh 

of  Virginia 

X 

Harriet  Hubbard  (8) 

B.  1822 

Unmarried 

XI 

George  Hubbard  (8) 

B.  1823.     D.  1867 

Married 

No  children 


The  Hubbard  Family 


207 


II 

MARY  GREENE  HUBBARD  (8) 

and 

RUSSELL  STURGIS 


Their  children 


III 


Russell  Sturgis  (9) 

Manchester,  Mass. 

B.  Aug.  3,  1 83 1 

D.  Oct.  14,  1899 

M.  (first)  Jan.  10,  1856 

Susan  Codmax  Welles 

of  Boston 

M.  (second)  May  19,  1866 

Margaret  McCulloh 

of  Virginia 

II 

Lucy  Lyman  Paine 

Sturgis  (9) 

B.  Mar.  13,  1833 

D.  Jan.  22,  1907 

M.  Feb.  28,  1856,  in  England 

Col.  Charles  R.  Codman 

of  Boston 

Harvard  1849 


John  Hubbard  Sturgis  (9) 

B.  Aug.  5,  1834 

D.  Feb.  14,  1888 

M.  Sept.  14,  1858 

Frances  Anne  Codman 

B. 

D.  May  16,  1910 

Sister  of  Col.  Charles  R. 

Codman 


2o8  Descendants  of 


RUSSELL  STURGIS  (9) 

and 

SUSAN  CODMAN  WELLES  (first  wife) 

Their  children 

I  III 
Russell  Sturgis  (10)                            Richard  Clipston 

B.  Dec.  16,  1856  Sturgis  (10) 

D.  July  17,  1899  B.  Dec.  24,  i860 

M.  Mar.  30,  1880  M.  June  22,  1882 

Anne  O.  Bangs,  Boston  Esther  M.  Ogden  of  N.Y. 

Harvard  1878  Harvard  1881 

II  IV 
Susan  Welles  Sturgis  (10)                       William  Codman 

B.  July  II,  1858  Sturgis  (10) 

D.  Feb.  18,  1888  B.  Nov.  15,  1862 

M.  Oct.  26,  1886  M.  April  4,  1889 

John  Preston  Carolyn  Hall  of  New  Jersey 
No  children  Harvard  1884 


RUSSELL  STURGIS  (9) 

and 

MARGARET  McCULLOH  (second  wife) 

Their  children 

V  VII 

Sullivan  Warren  Sturgis  (10)  J.  McCulloh  Sturgis  (10) 

B.  Apr.  24,  1868  B.  Nov.  13,  1872 

M.  July  26,  1S99  Unmarried 

Edith  S.  Barnes  of  New  York  Harvard  1896 

Harvard  1S90  yjjj 

VI  Lucy  Codman  Sturgis  (10) 

Edward  Sturgis  (10)  B.  Feb.  11,  1876 

B.  Apr.  24,  1868  Unmarried 

M.  Jan.  14,  1902 
Josephine  Putnam 
Harvard  1890 


The  Hubbard  Family 


209 


DR.  RUSSELL  STURGIS  (10) 
and 
ANNE  O.  BANGS 


Their  children 


(a) 


(d) 


Russell  Sturgis  (i  i) 
B.  Dec.  31,  1880 

(b) 

Anne  Outram  Sturgis  (11) 

B.  Mar.  25,  1882 

M.  Apr.  8,  1 901 

Sidney  Archer  Lord 

Their  children 

I 
Joseph  Lord  (12) 
B.  May  26,  1903 

II 

Anne  Outram  Lord  (12) 

B.  Jan.  6,  1909 

III 

Hope  Gray  Lord  (12) 

B.  July  14,  1914 

(c) 

Susan  Welles  Sturgis  (11) 

B.  Jan.  14,  1885 

M.  Apr.  4,  1905 

George  Clymer 

Their  children 

I 

William  Branford  Clymer  (12) 

B.  Jan.  20,  1906 

II 

Susan  Welles  Clymer  (12) 

B.  Jan.  8,  1910 

III 

Russell  Sturgis  Clymer  (12) 

B.  Aug.  25,  1914 


Beatrice  Outram  Sturgis  (i  l) 
B.Aug.  7,  1886 
M.  Jan.  22,  1907 

Andrew  Hopewell  Hepburn 

Their  children 

I 

Andrew  Hopewell 

Hepburn,  Jr.  (12) 

B.  Feb.  II,  1 910 

II 

Russell  Sturgis  Hepburn  (12) 

B.  May  9,  191 2 

(e) 

Gertrude  Sturgis  (i  i) 

B.  June  20,  1889 

^L  Apr.  24,  1 91 2 

Dexter  P.  Cooper 

Their  child 

I 

Nancy  Parshall  Cooper  (12) 

B.  Nov.  27,  1913 

(f) 

Carolyn  Sturgis  (11) 

B.  June  16,  1891 

M.  June  15,  1911 

Theodore  Townsend  Scudder 

Their  children 

I 

Theodore  Townsend 

Scudder,  Jr.  (12) 

B.  June  4,  1912 

II 

Frances  Scudder (12) 

B.  Nov.  8,  191 3 

(g) 

Frances  Sturgis  (i  i) 
B.  Nov.  27,  1893 
M.  Jan.  19,  1914 

F.  Haven  Clark,  Jr. 


2IO 


Descendants  of 


III 

RICHARD  CLIPSTON  STURGIS  (lo) 
and 
ESTHER  MARY  OGDEN 
Their  children 


(a) 

Richard  Clipston  Sturgis  (ii) 

B.  Mar.  17,  1884 

D.  Oct.  18,  1913 


(b) 

Dorothy  Margaret  Sturgis  (11) 

B.  July  28,  1891 

M.  June  I,  1912 

Lester  William  Harding 

Their  child 

I 

Margaret  Helen  Harding  (12) 

B.  Nov.  II,  1914 


IV 

WILLIAM  CODMAN  STURGIS  (10) 
and 
CAROLYN  HALL 
Their  children 


(a) 

Norman  Romney  Sturgis  (11) 

B.  Feb.  3,  1890 

M.  Nov.  6,  191 1 

Harriette  Appleton  Woods 

Harvard  191 2 

Their  children 

I 

Norman  Romney 

Sturgis,  Jr.  (12) 

B.  Oct.  30,  191 2 

II 

Harriette  Woods  Sturgis  (12) 

B.  Jan.  19,  1915 


(b) 

Alan  Hall  Sturgis  (ii) 

B.  April  29,  1892 

(c) 

Margaret  Sturgis  (11) 

B.  Mar.  i,  1894 

M.  Mar.  26,  1913 

John  Wallace  Suter,  Jr. 

Their  child 

I 

Margaret  Suter  (12) 

B.  April  16,  1 914 

(d) 
Julia  Sturgis  (11) 
B.  May  23,  1898 


The  Hubbard  Family 


21  I 


SULLIVAN  WARREN   STURGIS  (lo) 

and 

EDITH  S.  BARNES 

Their  children 


(a) 

Susan  Bainbridge  Sturgis  (ii) 

B.  Aug.  2,  1900 

(b) 
Edith  Sturgis  (11) 
B.  April  16,  1903 


(c) 

Warren  Sturgis  (11) 

B.  Nov.  26,  1 91 2 

(d) 

Somers  Hayes  Sturgis  (ii) 

B.  Oct.  14,  1914 


EDWARD  STURGIS  (10) 

and 

JOSEPHINE  PUTNAM 

Their  children 


(a) 


Edward  Sturgis  (11) 
B.  July  25,  1904 

(b) 

George  Putnam  Sturgis  (11) 

B.  July  23,  1905 

(c) 

Howard  Sturgis  (11) 

B.  Sept.  9,  1906 


(d) 


Harriet  Lowell  Sturgis  (11) 
B.  Feb.  15,  1908 

(e) 

Josephine  Lowell  Sturgis  (11) 

B.  Feb.  22,  1910 

(f) 

Charles  Russell  Lowell 

Sturgis  (II) 

B.  Feb.  8,  1912 


212 


Descendants  of 


II 

LUCY  LYMAN  PAINE  STURGIS   (9) 

and 

CHARLES  R.  CODMAN 


Living  descendants 


IV 


Russell  Sturgis  Codman  (10) 

B.  Oct.  20,  1 861 

M.  Aug.  4,  1 891 

Anna  K.  Crafts  of  Boston 

Harvard  1883 

II 
Anne  McMaster 

Codman  (10) 

B.  Nov.  II,  1864 

M.  Nov.  15,  1892 

Henry  B.  Cabot  of  Boston 

Harvard  1883 

III 

Susan  Welles  Codman  (10) 

B.  Dec.  30,  1866 

M.  May  19,  1896 

Redington  Fiske 


John  Sturgis  Codman  (10) 

B.  Feb.  25,  1868 

M.  Apr.  25,  1901 

Susan  Sargent  Codman 

daughter  of 

Richard  Codman 

Harvard  1890 

V 

Julian  Codman  (10) 

B.  Sept.  21,  1870 

M.  Apr.  29,  1897 

Nora  Chadwick 

Harvard  1892 


RUSSELL  STURGIS  CODMAN  (10) 

and 

ANNA  K.  CRAFTS 

Their  children 


(a) 

Charles  Russell  Codman  (11) 

B.  Feb.  22,  1893 


(b) 

Russell  Codman  (I  I) 

B.  June  15,  1896 


The   Hubbard  Family 


21 


II 

ANNE  McMASTER  CODMAN  (lo) 

and 

HENRY  BROMFIELD  CABOT 

Their  children 


(a) 

Henry  Bromfield  Cabot  (ii) 

B.  Dec.  7,  1894 

(b) 

Powell  Mason  Cabot  (11) 

B.  Dec.  20,  1896 

(c) 

Paul  Codman  Cabot  (i  i) 

B.  Oct.  21,  1898 


(d) 

Charles  Codman  Cabot  (11) 

B.  Nov.  22,  1900 

(e) 

Anne  Mc Master  Cabot  (i  r) 

B.  May  13,  1903 

(f) 

Susan  Mary  Cabot  (11) 

Feb.  27,  1907 


III 

SUSAN  WELLES  CODMAN  (10) 

and 

REDINGTON  FISKE 

Their  children 


(a) 
Redington  Fiske  (11) 
B.  Dec.  3,  1898 

(b) 
Francis  Fiske  (11) 
B.  Nov.  26,  1900 

(c) 

Lucy  Codman  Fiske  (11) 

B.  Sept.  22,  1902 


(d) 

Robert  Francis  Fiske  (11) 

B.  Dec.  22,  1903 

(ej) 

John  Codman  Fiske  (11) 

B.  Feb.  8,  1910 


2  14  Descendants  of 


IV 

JOHN  STURGIS  CODMAN  (lo) 

and 

SUSAN   SARGENT  CODMAN 

Their  child 

(a) 

Rachel  Sturgis  Codman  (i  i) 

B.  June  21,  1909 


V 

JULIAN  CODMAN  (10) 

and 

NORA  CHADWICK 

Their  children 

(a)  (b) 

Lucy  Sturgis  Codman  (i  i)  Hester  Schuyler  Codman  (11) 

B.  May  5,  1907  B.  April  17,  1909 


The   Hubbard  Family 


21 


III 

JOHN   HUBBARD   STURGIS  (9) 

and 

FRANCES  ANNE  CODMAN 


Their  children 


I 


John  Hubbard  Sturgis  (10) 

B.  Oct.  II,  i860 

M.  July  19,  1898 

Kate  Hosmer 

Harvard  1S81 

II 

Gertrude  Gouverneur 

Sturgis  (10) 

B.  Feb.  3,  1862 

D.  Mar.  15,  1890 

M.  Aug.  29,  1889 

Francis  W.  Hunnewell 

Harvard  1S60 

No  children 

III 

Frances  C.  Sturgis  (10) 

Unmarried 

B.  Nov.  7,   1863 

IV 
Mabel  Russell  Sturgis 
Unmarried 
B.  July  17,  1865 


10) 


Alice  Maud  Sturgis  (10) 

Unmarried 

B.  June  4,  1868 

VI 

Charles  R.  Sturgis  (10) 

B.  April  9,  1 87 1 

D.  Oct.  2,  1909 

M.  April  13,  1909 

Alice  Bowditch 

of  Albany,  N.  Y. 

Harvard  1893 

No  children 

VII 

Evelyn  R.  Sturgis  (10) 

B.  Oct  4,  1872 

Unmarried 


JOHN  HUBBARD  STURGIS  (10) 

and 

KATE  HOSMER 


Their  children 


(a) 


(c) 


Gertrude  Gouverneur 

Sturgis  (II) 

B.  July  5,  1899 

(b) 

John  Hubbard  Sturgis  (11) 

B.  Nov.  27,  1900 

D.  Sept.  10,  1909 


Frances  Anne  Sturgis  (11) 
B.  Oct.  30,  1903 

(d) 

Katherine  Sturgis  (11) 

B.  Oct.  17,  1904 


2l6 


Descendants  of 


IV 

ANNE  HUBBARD  (8) 
and 
JAMES  WHITE 
Their  children 


VI 


Eliza  died  unmarried  (9) 

II 

John  Hubbard  White  (9) 

B.   1834.     D.   1910 

M.   1856 

Emma  Davies 

General  of  Royal  Engineers 

Master  of  Mint  in  Bombay 

Retired  and  died  in  England 

(Children; 

III 

Anne  Gordon  White  (9) 

B.  1836 

M.   1866 

Henry  Bois,  a  Merchant  of 

Ceylon 

Retired  to  London 

(Children) 

IV 

Ellen  Parkinson  White  (9) 

B.  Dec.  1838 

M.  1867 

Sir  William  F.  Haynes-Smith 

K.  C.  M.  G. 

Retired  to  London  from  the 

Colonial  Service 

(Children) 


Madeline  Louise  White  (9) 

B.  1842.     D.  1908 

M.  1871 

Sydney  Unwin 

Emigrated  to  Tasmania 

One  boy  and  four  girls 

All  married  but  one  girl 

VII 

Gordon  White  (9) 
B.  1844.     D.  1903 

M.  1880 

Miss  Annie  Lovell 

Two  boys  and  two  girls  of 

whom  one  boy  is  dead 

VIII 

Isa  Loring  White  (9) 

B.  1846 

M.  1869 

Gabriel  Ross 

(Children) 

IX 

Russell  White  (9) 

B.  1854 

Married  twice 

No  children 

A  Doctor 


Mary  Elizabeth  White  (9) 

B.  1840 

M.   1868 

Frederick  Bois 

Brother  of  Henry  Bois 

Merchant  of  Ceylon 

Retired  to  London 

(Children) 


The  Hubbard  Family 


217 


JOHN   HUBBARD  WHITE  (9) 
and 


EMMA  DAVIES 
Their  children 


(a) 


John  Houghton  White  (10) 
B.   1857 
D.  1895 

(b) 

Herbert  White  (io) 

B.   1858 

D.  1862 

(c) 

Julian  White  (10) 

B.  1S60 

D.  1896 

(d) 

Ella  White  (10) 

B.  1862 

M. 

Sir  Henry  Pilkingham 

They  have  one  son,  William 

who  is  now  fighting  in  the 

Canadian  Contingent 

and 

Three  daughters 

(e) 

Mary  White  (10) 

B.   1866 

Unmarried 


(f) 


Maude  White  (10) 

B.  1868 
M. 

Herbert  Carden 

They  had  one  son  who  is  now 

a  prisoner  of  war 

One  other  son 

and 
Two  daughters 

(g) 

Beryl  White  (10) 

B.  1872 

M. 

Captain  Shelley 

They  had  two  children 

Boy  and  girl 

(h) 

James  Ross  White  (10) 

B.  187s 

M.  1908 

Miss  Mcpherson 

A  Captain  of  the 

Royal  Engineers 

No  children 


2l8 


Descendants  of 


III 

ANNE  GORDON  WHITE  (9) 

and 

HENRY  BOIS 


Living  children 


(a) 


H.  Gordon  Bois  (10) 

B.  1868 

M.  1900 

Miss  Harvey 

No  children 

In  his  father's  business 

Ceylon  Merchant 

(b) 

Herbert  Gordon  Bois  (10) 

B.  1873 

M.  1900 

Florence  Anderson 

Three  boys 

In  father's  business 

Ceylon  Merchant 


(c) 


Anne  Gordon  Bois  (10) 

B.  1875 

M.  1898 

Thomas  Webster 

Children 
Two  girls  and  boy 

(d) 

Elsie  Gordon  Bois  (10) 

B.   1876 

M.  191 2 

John  Gabarde 

No  children 

(e) 

Charles  Gordon  Bois  (10) 

B.  1878 

Unmarried 

In  business  in  London 

At  present  in  Red  Cross  work 

with  motor  in  France 


J 


The   Hubbard   Family 


219 


ELLEN   PARKINSON  WHITE  (9) 

and 

SIR  WILLIAM  F.  HAYNES-SMITH 

Living  children 
(a)  III 


Anne  Gordon  Haynes- 

Smith  (10) 

B. 

M. 

Captain  E.  C.  Villiers 

Royal  Navy 

In  command  of  defences  of 

the  Nore 

Their  children 

I 

Ellen  Margaret  Villiers  (i  i) 

B.  1 90 1 

II 

Louis  Alexander  Villiers  (11) 

B.  1902 

Godson  of  Prince  Louis 

of  Battenbero^ 


William  Amherst  Villiers  (i  i) 
B.  1904 

IV 

John  Michael  Villiers  (i  i) 

B.  1906 

V 

Edward  Jordon  Villiers  (i  i ) 

B. 1909 

(b) 

William  Haynes-Smith  (10) 

Unmarried 


MARY  ELIZABETH  WHITE  (9) 

and 

FREDERICK  BOIS 

Their  children 


(a) 

Mary  Louise  Bois  (10) 

B.  1872 

M.  1898 

Graham  Hurd-Wood 

They  have  two  sons 

Edric  and  F^ergus 

Both  midshipmen  in  the  Navy 

One  of  whom  was  a  survivor  of 

the  "  Formidable  " 

which  sunk  on  January  2,  191 5 

and  one  daughter,  Margery 


(b) 

Winnifred  Bois  (10) 

B.   1875 

Unmarried 


2  20  Descendants  of 


vrii 

ISA    LORING 

WHITE  (9) 

and 

GABRIEL 

ROSS 

Living  children 

(a) 

(c) 

Isa  Ross  (lo) 

Brenda  Ross  (lo) 

B. 

B. 

M. 

M. 

Sir  Stanley  Bois 
Youngest  brother 

Sir  Stanley  Bois 
Her  sister's 

of  her  Bois  uncles 

widower 

No  children 

(d) 
Walter  Ross  (ro) 
B. 

Isa  Ross 
D. 

(b) 

Unmarried 

Ena  Ross  (lo) 

B. 

Unmarried 

V 

GARDINER  GREENE  HUBBARD  (8) 

and 

CHARLOTTE  CALDWELL  BLAKE 

Children  who  reached  maturity 
I  II 

Francis  Stanton  Hubbard  (9)  John  Gordon  Hubbard  (9) 

B.  Dec.  21,  1847,  Boston  B.  Feb.  13,  1853,  Boston 

M.  June  23,  1909  M.  April  15,  1901 

Fannie  Mabel  Rebecca  Hill  Jane  Frances  Ferguson 

of  Kent,  Eng.  B.  Dec.  26,  1857 

B.  Feb.  5,  1880  Mass.  Inst.  Technology 

Joint  inventor  with 

Francis  Blake  of  the 

Blake  Transmitter 


The  Hubbard  Family 


22  1 


IX 

REV.  JOHN  PARKINSON  HUBBARD  (8) 

and 

ADELAIDE  McCULLOH 


Children  still  living 


IV 


Mary  Adelaide  Hubbard  (9) 

B.  Dec.  9,  1850 

Unmarried 

11 

Russell  Sturgis  Hubbard  (9) 

B.  June  26,  1863 

M. 

Elizabeth  Perry 
B.  Jan.  9,  1875 

Their  children 

(a) 

Russell  Sturgis 

Hubbard,  Jr.  (10) 

B.  Sept.  8,  1902 

(b) 

John  Perry  Hubbard  (10) 

B.  Oct.  26,  1903 

(c) 

James  Dewolf  Hubbard  (10) 

B.  Dec.  7,  1907 

III 

Anne  McCulloh  Hubbard  (9) 

B.  Sept.  26,  1866 

Unmarried 


Lucy  Sturgis  Hubbard  (9) 

B.  July  19,  1872 

M.  June  10,  1897 

Wm.  Hamilton  Jefferys 

B. 

Their  children 


Anne  Jefferys  (10) 
B.  July  27,  1898 

(b) 
Lucy  Jefferys  (10) 
B.  Mar.  iS,  1904 

(c) 
Adelaide  McCulloh 

Jefferys  (ro) 
B.  Mar.  23,  1907 

V 

Edith  Hubbard  (9) 

B.  Aug.  4,  1 874 

Unmarried 


I  would  say  again,  in  explanation,  that  1  am  the  son  of  Edward 
Darley  i3oit  (3)  and  Jane  Parkinson  Hubbard  (S).  I  have  given 
the  pedigrees  of  the  Boit  and  Hubbard  families  down  to  my  said 
father  and  mother.  I  have  given  the  descendants  of  my  father 
and  mother.  To  these  I  have  added  the  descendants  of  the 
brothers  and  sisters  of  my  father  and  mother,  that  is  to  say  the 
descendants  of  my  own  uncles  and  aunts. 


Robert  Apthorp  Boit  (4) 


April  29,  191 5. 


ROBERT  APTHORP  BOIT 

Married  May  20,  1886 

LILIAN  WILLIS 

Born  April  27,  1850 
New  York  City 

Chapter  XV 

THEIR  first  child  was  Alice  Boit,  born  in  Hawes 
Street,  Brookline,  Massachusetts,  May  2,  1887; 
married  William  Appleton  Burnham,  of  Boston, 
Massachusetts. 

Their  second  child  was  John  Edward  Boit,  born  in 
Hawes  Street,  Brookline,  Massachusetts,  November  20, 
1889. 

Lilian  Willis  was  the  daughter  of  Nathaniel  P.  Willis, 
the  well-known  author  and  poet,  and  his  second  wife, 
Cornelia  Grinnell  of  New  Bedford,  Massachusetts. 

Nathaniel  Parker  Willis  was  born  in  Portland,  Maine, 
and  was  a  graduate  of  Yale.  His  life  has  been  so  fully 
written,  and  his  journeyings  and  writings  are  so  well 
known,  that  it  is  unnecessary  for  me  to  enlarge  upon 
them. 

Cornelia  Grinnell  was  born  in  New  Bedford,  Massa- 
chusetts, and  the  daughter  of  Cornelius  Grinnell,  who 
died  when  she  was  young.     Afterwards  she  was  adopted 

222 


The  Boit  Family  223 

by  her  uncle,  Joseph  Grinnell,  of  New  Bedford,  who  was 
the  founder  of  the  old  and  well-known  firm  of  Grinnell, 
Minturn  &  Co.,  of  New  York.  He  later  returned  to  New 
Bedford,  and  was  one  of  the  builders  of  the  Wamsutta 
Mills,  and  its  President  for  fifty  years.  He  was  also 
President  of  the  First  National  Bank  until  he  died,  in 
the  full  possession  of  his  faculties,  at  the  good  old  age 
of  ninety-seven.  Another  brother  of  his  was  Henry 
Grinnell,  of  New  York,  who  chiefly  financed  two  Arctic 
expeditions  in  search  of  Sir  John  Franklin.  Grinnell 
Land  was  named  for  him.  Another  brother  was  Moses 
Grinnell  of  New  York,  who  was  at  one  time  the  Collector 
of  the  Port  of  New  York,  and  whose  daughter,  Frances, 
married  Thomas  Gushing  of  Boston,  the  brother  of  Mary 
Louisa  Gushing,  who  married  Edward  Darley  Boit   (4). 


GRINNELL  FAMILY 

IN  AMERICA 

(FRENCH     EXTRACTION) 

1.  Matthew,  born  1602,  died  1643.  Settled  and  died 
on  Island  of  Aquidneck,  Rhode  Island.  On  May  20, 
1638,  was  admitted  as  an  inhabitant  of  Newport,  Rhode 
Island,  Married  Rose  .  .  .  who  later  married  Anthony 
Paine,  of  Portsmouth,  Rhode  Island,  and  again  James 
Weeden,  of  Portsmouth. 

2.  Daniel  Grinnell,  of  Freetown,  Massachusetts,  who 
married  Sarah  Chase.  Another  record  calls  him  of 
Portsmouth  and  Little  Compton,  Rhode  Island.  In  1657 
he  became  a  Freeman  of  Portsmouth  and  married  Mary 
Wordell,  born  in  1640.     By  trade,  maltster. 

3.  Richard  Grinnell,  born  1675,  died  July  i,  1725,  of 
Little  Compton,  Rhode  Island,  a  large  land  owner.  Mar- 
ried May  25,  1704,  Patience  Emery,  who  was  born  in 
1 68 1  and  died  1749.  His  will  was  probated  July  20, 
1725,  dividing  a  large  landed  estate  among  his  children. 
The  inventory  of  his  estate  shows  that  he  owned  two 
slaves  :  Toby,  valued  at  £60,  and  Phillis,  at  i;5  5.  When 
his  v/idow.  Patience,  died,  her  estate  was  valued  at  ^i,  105. 
They  were  both  buried  in  the  quaint  cemetery  at  Little 
Compton  Commons. 

4.  Daniel    Grinnell,  born  April    20,   1721,  in    Little 

224 


The   Boit  Family  225 

Compton,  and  died  there.  He  was  a  prosperous  farmer. 
He  married,  May  31,  1741,  Grace,  daughter  of  John  and 
EHzabeth  Palmer.  She  was  born  January  18,  1720. 
Through  the  Church  family  (her  mother's  family)  she 
was  a  descendant  of  Richard  Warren,  of  the  Mayflower. 
5.  Cornelius  Grinnell,  born  February  11,  1758,  in 
Little  Compton,  died,  April  19,  1850,  in  New  Bedford. 
Started  as  apprentice  to  a  hatter  in  New  Bedford,  but 
broke  away,  and  went  to  sea,  entering  the  whaling  serv- 
ice. In  1 79 1,  was  first  mate  on  ship  Rebecca,  owned 
by  Joseph  Russell,  and  next  voyage  became  Captain. 
Later,  he  sailed  in  the  merchant  service  and  prospered 
greatly.  He  became  a  very  prominent  man  in  his  com- 
munity. He  married  in  1785,  Sylvia  Howland,  daughter 
of  Gideon  and  Sarah  (Hicks)  Howland,  of  Dartmouth, 
Rhode  Island.  She  was  born  August  4,  1765,  died 
August  I,  1837.  During  the  Revolutionary  War,  Cap- 
tain Grinnell  served  his  country  on  land  and  sea.  "  Hale, 
hearty,  intelligent  and  hospitable,  he  died,  full  of  years 
and  universally  respected,  leaving  behind  him  a  remark- 
able family."  He  was  a  Director  of  the  first  bank  started 
in  New  Bedford,  in  1803,  and  called  the  Bedford  Bank. 
He  was  also  an  incorporator  and  trustee  of  the  New 
Bedford  Institution  for  Savings.  "  Captain  Grinnell  was 
a  gentleman  of  the  old  school,  hospitable,  urbane,  a  man 
of  sound  judgment  and  unswerving  integrity  of  character. 
In  personal  appearance  he  was  said  strongly  to  resemble 
the  great  Lafayette.     He  retained  until  his  last  years, 


2  26  Chronicles  of 

the  costume  of  his  earlier  days,  and  was  remarkable  for 
the  neatness  of  his  person."  He  and  his  wife  lie  side 
by  side  in  Oak  Grove  Cemetery,  New  Bedford. 

6.  Cornelius  Grinnell,  Jr.,  born  February  8,  1786,  in 
New  Bedford,  died  December  30,  1830.  Married  (first) 
June  26,  1808,  Eliza  Tallman  Russell,  daughter  of 
Gilbert  and  Lydia  Russell,  born  November  27,  1784, 
died  January  19,  1827;  (second)  October  9,  1828,  her 
sister,  Mary  Russell,  born  October  14,  1790,  died  Sep- 
tember 10,  1838,  while  visiting  the  Blue  Sulphur  Springs, 
Virginia.  He  was  first  in  the  commission  business  in 
New  York.  Then  he  returned  to  New  Bedford  and 
bought  a  farm  at  Potomska,  where  he  devoted  himself  to 
raising  fine  Merino  sheep.  About  1828  he  returned  to 
New  Bedford  and  built  his  house,  which  now  stands  at 
the  corner  of  County  and  Hawthorn  Streets,  and  was 
afterwards  occupied  by  Horatio  Hathaway.  He  was  in 
the  Legislature  for  three  years. 

7.  Cornelia  Grinnell,  born  March  19,  1825,  in  New 
Bedford,  died  March  26,  1904,  in  Washington,  District 
of  Columbia.  Married  October  i ,  1 846,  Nathaniel  Parker 
Willis,  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Hannah  (Parker)  Willis, 
born  in  Portland,  Maine,  January  20,  1806,  and  died  at 
Idlewild  on  the  Hudson,  New  York,  January  20,  1867; 
poet  and  journalist. 

8.  Their  children  were  :  Grinnell  Willis,  born  April  28, 
1848;  married  Mary  Haydock,  of  Philadelphia.  Lilian, 
born  April  27,    1850;    married    Robert    Apthorp    Boit, 


The  Boit  Family  227 

of  Boston.  Edith,  born,  September  28,  1853;  married 
Lawrence  Leslie  Grinnell  of  New  York.  Bailey,  bom 
May  31,  1857  ;  married  Margaret  Baker  of  Washington. 

There  are  other  branches  of  the  Grinnell  family. 

At  the  death  of  her  father,  Cornelius  Grinnell, 
Cornelia  Grinnell  was  adopted  by  her  uncle,  Honorable 
Joseph  Grinnell,  a  distinguished  man,  at  one  time  in 
Congress.  He  left  his  property  to  Cornelia  and  her 
children. 


GENERAL  HUGH   MERCER 

Sketch  of  his  life  by  his  great-granddaughter,  Mary  Stuart  (Mercer)  Walker 

—  sister  of  Georgia  (Mercer)  Boit.    Written  for  the  Celebrations 

at  Mercersburgh,  Pennsylvania,  about  1910 

Chapter  XVI 

IN  the  parish  register  of  the  little  country  church  at 
Pitsligo,  Aberdeenshire,  Scotland,  there  are  the  fol- 
lowing entries:    "June  9th   1723,  this  Lord's  day, 
Mr.  William  Mercer,  and  Mistress  Anne  Munroe,  were 
proclaimed  for  the  third  time,"  their  marriage  following 
in  the  same  month. 

Then  "January  17th  1726  the  Reverent  Mr.  William 
Mercer,  and  Mrs.  Anne  Munroe  his  wife,  had  a  son 
baptised  named  Hugh." 

In  view  of  the  above  entries,  I  must  take  issue  with 
such  of  his  biographers  as  give  the  year  1721  as  the 
date  of  the  birth  of  my  great-grandfather,  Hugh  Mercer. 
More  accurate  history  should  place  it  in  the  year  1725. 

Descended  on  his  paternal  side,  from  a  long  line  of 
ministers  of  the  Church  of  Scotland,  from  about  1650, 
it  was  doubtless  both  from  inheritance  and  training,  that 
Hugh  Mercer  was  so  thoroughly  imbued  with  those  ster- 
ling virtues  of  truth,  a  high  sense  of  honor,  loyalty  and 
devotion  to  duty,  which  made  him  the  good  and  great 
man  he  was  afterwards  to  become.     According  to  our 

22S 


The  Boit  Family  229 

family  tradition  he  was  a  man  of  modest,  gentle,  un- 
assuming nature,  content  to  do  his  duty  faithfully  as  he 
saw  it,  without  any  undue  regard  either  to  the  praise  or 
blame  of  others;  and  he  would,  no  doubt,  in  his  early 
years,  have  been  very  much  surprised  had  it  been  fore- 
told of  him,  how  prominent  a  part  he  was  destined  to 
play  in  after  life,  in  the  history  of  his  adopted  country. 
Hugh  Mercer  became  a  student  of  medicine  at  Marischal 
College,  in  1 740,  and  we  next  hear  of  him  as  an  assistant 
surgeon  in  the  army  of  "  Bonnie  Prince  Charlie,"  in  1746, 
in  that  ill-fated  attempt  to  place  him  on  the  throne  of 
his  fathers. 

The  Scotch,  especially  those  from  the  Highlands,  were 
always  loyal  to  the  house  of  Stuart,  and  Mercer,  no 
doubt  convinced  of  the  justice  of  the  cause,  and  with  all 
his  martial  and  patriotic  spirit  stirred  to  the  depths, 
hastened  to  "  Link  his  fortune  and  his  fate  "  to  the  cause 
of  the  Pretender. 

This  was  all  the  more  to  be  expected  as  he  had  fight- 
ing blood  in  his  veins,  his  maternal  grandfather  being  Sir 
Robert  Munroe,  who  fought  with  distinction  in  the  Brit- 
ish army  on  the  continent,  at  Fontenoy  and  elsewhere. 
He  was  ordered  home  to  oppose  the  Young  Pretender, 
and  was  killed  while  in  command  at  the  battle  of  Falkirk, 
in  1746.  We  do  not  know  whether  his  grandson,  Hugh 
Mercer,  was  his  opponent  on  that  bloody  field,  but  we 
do  know  that  he  was  certainly  at  the  battle  of  Culloden, 
where   Prince   Charlie's  army  was  completely  crushed, 


230  Chronicles  of 

and  the  Stuart  cause  lost  forever.  "  In  his  flight  the 
Pretender  was  like  a  hare  hunted  by  hounds.  Flora 
MacDonald,  a  Scottish  maiden,  foiled  his  pursuers ;  and 
at  length  he  reached  France  in  safety.  His  loyal  and 
loving  followers  found  refuge  in  any  way  possible,  hunted 
down  and  mercilessly  butchered  when  caught.  The  ter- 
rible tragedy  of  the  battle  was  as  nothing  compared  to 
the  butchery  of  these  fugitives  by  the  relentless  and 
implacable  Duke  of  Cumberland,  a  name  made  infamous 
by  his  treatment  of  a  fallen  foe." 

After  remaining  in  hiding  for  a  time,  Hugh  Mercer 
managed  to  escape  the  vigilance  of  his  enemies,  and  in 
the  fall  of  the  year  1746,  embarked  at  Leith  for  America, 
landing  a  few  weeks  afterwards  at  Philadelphia.  He 
remained  but  a  short  time  in  that  city,  however,  and  then 
made  his  first  attempt  to  establish  a  home,  on  the  west- 
ern borders  of  the  state  of  Pennsylvania,  at  a  place  then 
described  as  "near  Greencastle,"  but  now,  since  named 
in  his  honor,  known  to  all  the  country  as  Mercersburgh. 

Here  he  settled  down  to  the  practice  of  his  profession 
—  a  varied  experience  in  those  Colonial  times  on  the  fron- 
tier of  civilization,  requiring  high  qualities  of  endurance, 
patience,  skill  and  courage.  It  is  believed  that  Mercer's 
services  as  a  physician  and  surgeon  covered  the  whole 
Conococheague  settlement,  embracing  the  entire  district 
between  Chambersburg  and  his  own  residence ;  and 
young  as  he  was  at  that  time,  he  was  well  known  to  all 
the  inhabitants   of    the  region  round  about,  loved  and 


The    Boit  Family  231 

welcomed  everywhere,  and  looked  up  to  as  one  who  not 
only  healed  the  sick,  but  who  strengthened  the  weak, 
comforted  the  weary,  and  cheered  the  sorrowing.  It  was 
a  splendid  preparation  for  the  hardships  and  privations 
he  was  in  the  future  called  upon  to  endure.  "A  life  of 
hardship  well  done,  and  consecrated  by  self-sacrifice." 

But  Dr.  Mercer  was  not  to  be  allowed  to  lead  his 
chosen  life  for  a  very  long  period  among  those  peaceful 
scenes,  in  that  beautiful  part  of  the  state  of  Pennsylvania. 
After  Braddock's  disastrous  defeat  by  the  French  and 
Indians  in  his  attempt  to  capture  Fort  Duquesne,  in  the 
year  1755,  the  Indians  emboldened  by  success,  became 
more  and  more  troublesome,  and  in  self-defence  the 
Colonists  formed  themselves  into  companies  of  Rangers, 
of  one  of  which  Dr.  Mercer  was  made  Captain.  His 
commission  is  dated,  March,  1756,  and  his  territory 
extended  to  the  Welsh  Run  district  and  Mercersburgh, 
into  the  remote  regions  among  the  foothills,  with  head- 
quarters at  McDowell's  Fort,  now  Bridgeport. 

In  one  of  his  Indian  fights  he  was  severely  wounded, 
and  having  been  left  behind  by  his  retreating  com- 
panions, he  narrowly  escaped  with  his  life.  Closely  pur- 
sued by  the  savages,  he  providentially  found  a  place  of 
safety  in  the  hollow  trunk  of  a  tree  around  which  the 
Indians  rested,  and  discussed  the  prospect  of  scalping 
him  in  the  near  future.  When  they  had  taken  their 
departure,  Mercer  struck  out  in  another  direction,  and 
completely  outwitted  them.     Sick  with  his  wounds,  and 


232  Chronicles  of 

worn  out  with  his  struggles,  he  began  a  lonely  march  of 
one  hundred  miles,  but  finally  succeeded  in  joining  the 
remnant  of  his  command  at  Fort  Cumberland.  To  sus- 
tain existence  while  on  this  wearisome  march,  he  was 
compelled  to  live  upon  roots  and  herbs,  the  carcass  of  a 
rattlesnake  proving  his  most  nourishing  meal. 

Hugh  Mercer  was  with  the  force  that  surprised  and 
destroyed  the  Indian  village  of  Kittaning  in  1756,  but 
was  severely  wounded  in  that  encounter,  and  once  more 
counted  among  the  missing.  For  the  second  time  he 
had  to  use  all  his  wits  to  manoeuvre  and  march  through 
the  forest,  half  famished,  and  faint  from  the  lack  of  food, 
until  he  succeeded  in  joining  his  surviving  companions. 
Such  energy  and  bravery  illicited  the  applause  of  all  who 
knew  his  experiences,  and  in  appreciation  of  his  services 
and  sufferings,  the  Corporation  of  Philadelphia  presented 
him  with  a  vote  of  thanks,  and  a  beautiful  memorial 
medal. 

In  the  summer  of  1757  Mercer  was  made  Commander 
of  the  garrison  in  the  fort  at  Shippensburg,  and  in 
December  of  the  same  year  was  appointed  Major  of 
the  forces  of  the  province  of  Pennsylvania,  posted  west 
of  the  Susquehanna.  In  the  following  year  he  was  in 
command  of  a  part  of  the  expedition  of  General  Forbes 
against  Fort  Duquesne ;  and  it  was  on  this  memorable 
march  that  he  first  met  George  Washington,  then  a 
Brigadier-general  of  Virginia  troops.  A  strong  attach- 
ment  soon  sprang  up  between  these  two  men,  which 


The  Boit  Family  233 

lasted  as  long  as  Mercer  lived,  and  as  a  result  of  that 
attachment,  on  the  advice  and  at  the  suggestion  of 
Washington,  Virginia  became  the  home  of  Hugh  Mercer, 
and  Mercersburgh,  Pennsylvania,  lost  a  good  and  valued 
citizen. 

After  the  conclusion  of  the  French  and  Indian  War, 
and  the  evacuation  of  the  forts  by  their  French  garrisons, 
Mercer,  who  had  been  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Colonel, 
retired  from  military  life,  and  moving  to  Fredericksburg, 
Virginia,  again  commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession 
as  a  physician.  "  At  this  time,  although  thinly  settled, 
this  part  of  Virginia  contained  the  homes  of  many  of  the 
most  distinguished  families  on  the  continent.  They 
gave  Mercer  the  cordial  welcome  to  which  his  education 
and  talents  entitled  him,  reinforced  by  his  brilliant  career 
as  a  military  man,  and  supplemented  by  the  brotherly 
love  and  many  favors  shown  him  by  General  Washington." 

Life  in  the  quiet  little  town  of  Fredericksburg,  during 
the  next  few  years,  was  uneventful ;  the  only  matter  of 
interest  being  Mercer's  marriage  to  Isabella  Gordon,  the 
daughter  of  a  prominent  Virginia  family,  and  a  sister  of 
the  lady  who  married  George  Weedon,  a  Major-general 
in  the  War  of  the  Revolution.  At  his  death,  General 
Weedon  left  his  property  to  my  Grandfather  Hugh 
Mercer,  2d,  who  was  an  infant  at  the  time  of  his  father's 
death  at  the  Battle  of  Princeton. 

With  this  dear  old  home,  "The  Sentry  Box,"  on  the 
banks  of  the  Rappahannock   River,  are  connected  some 


2  34  Chronicles  of 

of  the  happiest  memories  of  my  childhood  and  early  girl- 
hood. My  father,  Hugh  Mercer,  3d,  was  the  much 
beloved  eldest  son  of  the  family,  and  as  long  as  his 
parents  lived,  his  children  were  taken  by  him  every 
year  to  spend  a  few  weeks  in  "  The  Sentry  Box,"  still 
dear  to  my  memory. 

In  1775,  Dr.  Mercer's  quiet  life  was  again  to  be  inter- 
rupted by  political  troubles.  "  Ominous  clouds  were 
gathering  in  the  Colonial  sky,  and  the  perilous  situation 
was  quickly  and  fully  realized  by  the  patriotic  Virginians. 
When  the  general  British  order  went  forth  to  seize 
all  military  stores  in  the  Colonies,  the  Americans  made 
prompt  resistance  without  further  parleying.  Massachu- 
setts was  speedily  followed  by  Virginia ;  and  in  almost 
the  first  important  item,  we  find  that  Dr.  Hugh  Mercer 
was  drilling  a  partially  organized  body  of  Virginia  men 
to  be  ready  for  any  emergency.  They  did  not  have  long 
to  wait,  and  when  '  the  next  gale  from  the  north  brought 
the  clash  of  resounding  arms,'  the  patriots  of  Virginia 
commenced  organizing  for  immediate  fighting." 

In  March,  1775,  the  Virginia  Convention  assembled 
in  St.  John's  Church,  Richmond,  where  the  eloquence 
of  Patrick  Henry,  and  his  splendid  rallying  cry  of  "Lib- 
erty or  Death"  stirred  all  hearts  to  decision  and  action. 
Mercer,  with  his  customary  modesty,  made  to  the  Conven- 
tion his  simple  proffer  of  ser\dces  in  the  expressive  words: 
"  Hugh  Mercer  will  serve  his  adopted  country,  and  the 
cause  of  liberty,  in  any  rank  or  station  to  which  he  may 


The   Boit  Family  235 

be  assigned."  Noble  words,  these,  which  found  their 
echo  in  what  he  said  later:  "We  are  not  engaged  in  a 
war  of  ambition,  or  I  should  not  have  been  here.  Every 
man  should  be  content  to  serve  in  that  station  in  which 
he  can  be  most  useful.  For  my  part  I  have  but  one 
object  in  view,  and  that  is  the  success  of  the  cause;  and 
God  can  witness  how  cheerfully  I  would  lay  down  my 
life  to  secure  it." 

After  some  balloting  and  discussion,  to  Mercer  was 
assigned  the  Colonelcy  of  the  Third  Regiment  of  Virginia, 
but  Congress  having  adopted  the  Virginia  troops  as  a 
part  of  the  Continental  Army,  Mercer  was  not  long  per- 
mitted to  remain  a  Colonel,  but  on  the  urgent  recommen- 
dation of  Washington,  was  made  a  Brigadier-general. 

His  commission  is  dated  June  5,  1776,  and  his  assign- 
ment with  "the  Army  around  New  York."  It  is  impos- 
sible within  the  limits  of  this  short  sketch,  to  follow  all 
the  details  of  the  later  career  of  my  illustrious  ancestor, 
as  much  as  it  would  interest  me  to  do  so,  and  I  must 
confine  myself  to  matters  only  of  the  greatest  interest. 

The  friendship  between  Washington  and  Mercer  con- 
tinued warm  and  unabated,  and  there  is  every  reason  to 
believe  that  the  latter  was  often  consulted  upon  military 
matters  by  his  great  Chief.  It  is  stated  on  good  author- 
ity that  the  idea  of  attacking  the  British  Army  at  Trenton 
originated  with  Mercer,  and  he  is  also  credited  with  the 
plan  of  the  battle  of  Princeton. 

This  was  a  most  daring  venture,  for  our  little  army 


236  Chronicles  of 


was  struggling  against  tremendous  odds,  and  a  single 
break  in  the  American  calculations  meant  untold  disaster. 
"All  went  well  through  the  night,  but  in  the  early- 
hours  of  the  3d  of  January,  1777,  the  American  troops 
were  surprised  by  the  17th  British  Regiment  under  Col- 
onel Mawhood.  General  Mercer  was  on  a  fine  gray 
horse,  occupying  the  post  of  honor  in  the  front,  and  at 
the  iirst  volley  from  the  enemy  his  horse  was  brought 
down,  and  his  most  trusted  lieutenant,  Colonel  Hazlett, 
killed.  The  British  troops  charged  after  the  third  volley, 
and  the  Colonists  were  driven  back  in  disorder  before  a 
bayonet  charge,  by  a  force  vastly  superior  in  numbers." 

Mercer  was  unable  to  extricate  himself  from  his  fallen 
horse  in  time  to  defend  himself  at  once,  and  at  that  in- 
stant he  was  surrounded  by  a  detachment  of  the  enemy, 
who  thought  from  his  prominent  position  in  the  front 
that  they  had  captured  the  "rebel  General  Washington." 
They  demanded  his  surrender  but  with  too  reckless  cour- 
age, he  refused,  and  sought  to  fight  his  way  out  with 
his  sword,  when  he  was  struck  from  behind  by  a  blow 
with  the  butt  end  of  a  musket,  and  was  knocked  down, 
receiving  while  he  lay  helpless,  no  less  than  seven  bayonet 
wounds  in  his  body,  in  addition  to  two  wounds  in  the  head. 

As  soon  after  the  battle  as  possible,  General  Mercer  was 
moved  to  an  adjacent  farmhouse  owned  by  Mr.  Clark, 
where  he  was  tenderly  cared  for  by  Mrs.  Clark  and  her 
daughter;  and  for  a  time  his  recovery  was  hoped  for,  in 
spite  of  the  intense  pain  from  his  wounds  and  the  great 


The  Bolt  Family  237 

loss  of  blood.  Every  thing  that  medical  skill  could 
accomplish  was  done  to  alleviate  his  suffering,  and  to 
save  the  life  of  this  brave  and  gallant  man,  but  nine 
days  after  the  battle  he  expired  in  the  arms  of  Major 
George  Lewis,  who  had  been  sent  by  his  uncle,  General 
Washington,  to  minister  to  the  wants  of  the  dying  hero. 

General  Mercer  died  as  he  had  lived,  bravely  and 
calmly  sinking  into  his  well-earned  rest.  "What  is  to 
be,  is  to  be !  Goodbye,  dear  native  land !  Farewell 
adopted  country  !  I  have  done  my  best  for  you !  Into 
thy  care,  O  America,  I  commit  my  fatherless  family ! 
May  God  prosper  our  righteous  cause  !  Amen  !  "  Such 
was  his  final  prayer;  his  race  was  won,  his  labor  over. 

And  so  passed  into  the  Great  Beyond  this  brave  and 
good  man,  a  pure  patriot  and  a  martyr  to  the  cause  of 
liberty.  It  is  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  the  whole 
country  mourned  his  loss.  His  body  was  removed  under 
a  military  escort  from  Princeton  to  Philadelphia,  where 
it  lay  in  state  for  a  day,  and  was  then  interred  in  Christ 
Churchyard  with  military  honors,  and  attended,  it  is  said, 
by  over  thirty  thousand  persons.  General  Mercer  was  a 
member  of  the  St.  Andrew's  Society  of  Philadelphia,  and 
his  body  was  removed  in  1 840  to  Laurel  Hill  Cemetery, 
and  reinterred  in  the  burial  lot  purchased  for  the  purpose 
by  that  Society,  which  in  addition  to  caring  for  his  grave, 
is  the  custodian  of  his  sword,  now  deposited  with  the 
Historical  Society  of  Philadelphia. 

I  cannot  more  fitly  close  this  sketch  than  by  quoting 


238  Chronicles  of 

the  fine  words  of  a  recent  biographer :  "He  is  entitled 
to  the  gratitude  of  all  liberty-loving  America.  His  life 
was  beautiful  and  complete  in  its  symmetry,  and  was 
both  a  benediction  and  benefaction.  The  memory  of 
such  a  man  cannot  perish  from  the  face  of  the  earth, 
but  shall  be  as  eternal  as  Truth." 


Copy  of  letter  given  me  by  Mary  Stuart  (Mercer) 
Walker,  written  by  her  great-great-grandfather,  John 
Stuart,  sixth  Earl  of  Traquair,  to  his  daughter,  Lady 
Christina  Griffin,  wife  of  Cyrus  Griffin  of  Virginia,  whose 
daughter  married  Hugh  Mercer,  2d  of  Virginia. 


"Traquair,  26th  March,  1774. 

"  To  the  Right  Honorable 

"  Lady  Christina  Griffin  : 

"  My  dear  Christina, — 

"  Yours  of  the  14th  November  from  Virginia  I  received 
about  a  fortnight  ago;  but  previously  to  it  I  had  got  a 
letter  from  Mr.  Griffin  with  the  agreeable  accounts  of 
your  safe  arrival,  to  which  I  returned  an  answer  a  few 
days  after. 

"  We  were  all  very  sorry  for  the  danger  you  underwent 
in  your  voyage ;  but  at  the  same  time  were  thankful  for 


The  Boit  Family  239 

our  ignorance  of  the  hazard  you  were  in  till  all  your  fears 
and  dangers  were  over.  Your  accounts  of  little  Jacky 
were  very  agreeable ;  long  may  he  be  a  blessing  and 
comfort  to  you  both,  and  as  you  have  been  so  agreeably 
welcomed  and  entertained  by  all  Mr.  Griffin's  acquain- 
tances and  friends  in  that  country,  I  don't  doubt  but 
that  their  future  behavior  will  endear  you  more  both  to 
them  and  to  the  place.  As  your  sister  Lucy  who  is 
lately  come  from  ...  I  shall  refer  you  to  her  ac- 
counts of  that  town  and  news  of  all  your  acquain- 
tances, and  confine  mine  to  those  of  this  family,  and 
what  chiefly  concerns  you ;  to  wit,  the  death  of  your  old 
friend,  Lady  Earlshall,  which  happened  about  six  weeks 
ago.  As  the  papers  concerning  your  claim  upon  her 
heir  were  left  in  my  custody  by  Mr.  Griffin,  and  the 
.  .  .  Mr.  Robert  Henderson  is  waiting  to  be  informed 
of  all  her  debts,  I  have  thought  it  the  properest  way  to 
lodge  the  vouchers  for  your  claim  in  the  hands  of  Mr. 
Colquhoun  Grant  especially  as  I  am  not  to  be  long  in 
this  country.  He  is  to  be  soon  at  Traquair;  shall  then 
make  him  peruse  the  papers  and  after  that  transmit  to 
Mr.  Griffin  his  opinion  of  them,  whether  they  would 
stand  a  law-suit,  or  to  save  expenses  perhaps  it  would  be 
more  eligible  to  submit  the  affair  to  arbiters,  but  in  the 
meantime  I  shall  tell  him  to  do  nothing  in  it  till  Mr. 
Griffin  sends  him  orders  how  to  act. 

"About  three  weeks  ago  our  family  are  separate  — 
Your  brother  and  wife  arc  gone  to  live  at  Edinburgh 


240  Chronicles  of 

until  I  leave  them  place,  which  I  propose  doing  at  Whit- 
sunday next.  Your  sisters  and  I  are  to  go  beyond  seas, 
but  whether  we  are  to  be  at  Doray  (or  Douai)  or  Paris 
cannot  yet  be  determined  until  I  hear  from  Mr.  Gordon 
of  the  Scots  College,  as  I  find  both  places  pretty  equal. 
Shall  decide  myself  for  the  last,  if  I  be  agreeably  wel- 
comed there  as  a  boarder ;  if  not,  my  friend,  Mr.  Robert 
Grant,  will  receive  me  as  such  at  .  .  .  and  in  that  event 
your  sisters  will  either  go  to  the  Abbey  des  PRES  or 
any  other  convent  in  that  town  .  .  .  refer  to  it.  If  Paris 
is  to  be  the  place  of  our  abode,  as  they  don't  like  to  be 
in  an  English  house  they  propose  to  be  boarded  in  a 
French  convent,  the  nearest  that  can  be  gotten  to  the 
Scots  College  if  there  be  a  proper  apartment  there  for 
me;  for  which  I  wait  an  answer  from  Mr.  Gordon  "The 
Principle,"  the  middle  of  next  monthe,  when  it  comes 
shall  inform  you  before  I  go  away  where  we  are  deter- 
mined to  settle. 

"Tho'  notwithstanding  of  Lent,  I  have  kept  my  health, 
thank  God,  very  well,  yet  the  fatigue  of  so  long  a 
journey  for  one  of  my  advanced  age  frightens  me.  If 
my  daughters  were  willing  I  should  make  most  of  the 
journey  by  sea,  as  the  most  convenient  for  the  old  and 
lame.  Wherever  I  am,  I  shall  be  glad  to  hear  from 
you  or  Mr.  Griffin.  While  on  this  side  of  the  grave 
your  letters  to  me  may  be  directed  to  me  to  the  care 
of  Mr.  Colquhoun  Grant,  in  Edinburgh,  and  I  shall  direct 
mine  as  you  desire,  care  of  Mr.  Mc.  Call,  Merchant  in 


The  Boit  Family  241 

Glasgow.  Adieu.  My  affectionate  and  warmest  love 
ever  attend  you,  Mr.  Griffin,  and  my  dear  little  name- 
sake, and  I  am 

"My  dear  child 

"  Your  most  affectionate  father 

"  Traquair. 

"  Mrs.  Oliver  received  your  present  and  values  it  much. 
She  was  here  the  other  day  and  begged  to  be  remem- 
bered to  you  and  Mr.  Griffin  in  the  kindest  manner. 
Mrs.  Donnie  is  returned  from  her  jaunt  to  Paris.  She 
says  she  cannot  understand  how  the  sheets  are  missing, 
thinks  you  must  have  counted  wrong." 


242  Chronicles  of 

HUGH  WEEDON  MERCER 

of  Virginia 

M.  1834 

MARY  S.  ANDERSON 

of  Savannah,  Ga. 

Their  children  were 

(a)  (d) 
George  Anderson  Mercer                      Mary  Stuart  Mercer 

M.  1861  M.  1863 

Nannie  Herndon  of  Virginia  Henry  Harrison  Walker 

of  Virginia 

(b)  ^ 

William  Gordon,  died  young  (^) 

Georgia  Anderson  Mercer 
^^'  of  Savannah,  Ga. 

Hugh  Weedon,  died  young  jyi^   1874 

Robert  Apthorp  Boit 
of  Boston,  Mass. 

GENEALOGY    OF    ABOVE 

HUGH  WEEDON  MERCER 


General  Hugh  Weedon  Mercer,  West  Point  Graduate  and  General 
in  Confederate  Army,  son  of  Hugh  Mercer  of  Virginia  and 
Louisa  Griffin.  Louisa  Griffin  was  the  daughter  of  Cyrus 
Griffin  and  Lady  Christina  Stuart,  daughter  of  John  Stuart, 
Earl  of  Traquair,  Scotland. 

Hugh  Mercer  of  Virginia,  son  of  General  Hugh  Mercer  (baptised 
in  Pitsligo,  in  the  Presbytery  of  Deen,  Aberdeenshire,  Jan- 
uary 17,  1726),  and  Isabel  Gordon,  his  wife. 

General  Hugh  Mercer,  killed.  Battle  of  Princeton,  1777,  settled  in 
Virginia,  after  the  Battle  of  Culloden,  son  of  William  Mercer 
(born  1696;  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  at  the  Kirk  of  Tyrie, 
September,  1720)  and  his  wife,  Anna  Munro,  daughter  of  Sir 
Robert  Munro  of  Fowlis.     Married,  June  1723. 

Reverend  William  Mercer,  son  of  Thomas  Mercer  of  Todlaw 
and  Middyburn. 

Reverend  Thomas  Mercer,  son  of  John  Mercer  (ordained  Minis- 
ter of  Kenellan,  in  Aberdeenshire  in  1650)  and  Lilias  Row, 
his  wife,  daughter  of  John  Row,  the  Historian  of  the  Church. 

Reverend  John  Mercer,  son  of  Robert  Mercer,  Minister  of  Ellon, 
Aberdeenshire,  from  1596,  died  at  Ellon,  1642. 


GYRUS  GRIFFIN 

OF  VIRGINIA 
Great-grandfather  of  Georgia  (Mercer)  Boit 

By  Sally  Nelson  Robins 
Chapter  XVII 

THE   Griffin  family,   of  Virginia,  was  founded  by 
Thomas  Griffin,  who  took  up  various  grants  of 
land,  from   165 1,  on  the  Rappahannock  River  in 
Virginia. 

Thomas  and  his  brother  Samuel  came  to  America 
from  Wales.  They  left  their  eldest  brother  in  Wales, 
who  possessed  an  estate  of  ^600  sterling  per  annum. 
He  died  without  issue,  and  Samuel  went  back  to  Wales 
to  look  after  the  estate.  He  died  before  his  business 
was  finished.  Thomas  then  sent  over  an  agent  to  collect 
the  revenue  of  the  estate. 

Thomas  Griffin  never  left  Virginia.  His  wife's  maiden 
name  is  not  known.  Her  baptismal  name  was  Sarah. 
Their  eldest  child.  Colonel  Leroy  Griffin,  Justice  of 
Rappahannock  County,  1680- 169 5,  married  Winifred, 
daughter  of  Colonel  Gawin  Corbin.  Thenceforward  the 
"  Corbin-Griffins "  appear.  The  oldest  son  of  Colonel 
Leroy  and  Winifred  Griffin  was  Thomas,  of  Richmond 
County,  Virginia.     He  was  a  member  of  the  House  of 

243 


244  Chronicles  of 

Burgesses,  for  Richmond  County,  from  171 8  to  1723. 
His  oldest  son,  Leroy,  High  Sheriff  of  Richmond  County, 
married  October  5,  1734,  Mary  Ann,  only  daughter  and 
heiress  of  John  Bertrand,  of  "  Belleisle,"  Lancaster 
County,  Virginia,  and  had  four  sons,  who  became  useful 
and  distinguished  men. 

Cyrus  Griffin,  born  in  1749,  was  the  fourth  and  young- 
est son. 

The  opening  words  of  a  discolored,  almost  illegible, 
autograph  letter  of  Judge  Richard  Peters,  dated  "  Bel- 
mont" (Philadelphia  County,  Pennsylvania),  July  6,  1820, 
addressed  to  Dr.  S.  S.  Griffin,  Yorktown,  Virginia,  gives 
us  a  favorable  comment  upon  the  character  of  Cyrus 
Griffin,  the  last  president  of  the  Continental  Congress : 

"Dear  Sir:  —  I  am  happy  that  any  occasion  should 
have  given  me  the  pleasure  of  a  letter  from  the  son  of 
my  late  much-esteemed  friend,  Cyrus  Griffin,  with  whom 
I  have  spent  many  happy  hours,  and  have  cheerfully 
passed  through  many  a  gloomy  day.  At  the  period  of 
our  acquaintance,  we  never  complained  of  'hard  times,' 
for  we  had  made  up  our  minds  steadily  to  encounter 
them.  We,  of  this  day,  must  acquire  the  same  habits, 
and  we  shall  find  the  pressure  the  lighter,  and  the  bur- 
den the  more  easily  borne." 

Of  the  early  years  of  the  life  of  Cyrus  Griffin,  we 
know  little.     He  was  sent  abroad  to  be  educated,  and 


The  Boit  Family  245 

studied  in  Edinburgh  and  London,  and  graduated  in  law 
at  the  Temple.  The  family  of  Admiral  Sir  John  Griffin, 
seated  at  "  Trexted,"  on  the  road  from  London  to  New 
Market,  acknowledged  relationship,  and  the  American 
youth  frequently  visited  there. 

While  at  college  at  Edinburgh,  Cyrus  Griffin  formed 
a  friendship  with  a  young  man  near  his  own  age,  Charles 
Stuart  (Lord  Linton),  son  and  heir  of  the  Earl  of 
Traquair.  Lord  Linton  invited  young  Griffin  to  make 
him  a  visit  at  Traquair  House.  There  he  met  the  Ladies 
Christina,  Mary  and  Louisa,  stiff  young  Scottish  maidens, 
reared  in  dignified  seclusion  at  their  buttressed,  historic 
home.  We  can  fancy  that  this  stalwart,  frank,  young 
American,  with  his  cordial  manner  and  merry  words,  was 
a  revelation  to  the  prim  daughters  of  an  earl.  Lady 
Christina  was  at  once  attracted  to  the  Virginia  stranger ; 
indeed,  a  mutual  interest  was  simultaneous,  unobserved 
at  first  by  the  noble  father, 

John,  the  sixth  Earl  of  Traquair,  Lord  Stuart,  of  Tra- 
quair, Linton  and  Caberston,  died  in  Paris,  March  28, 
1779,  aged  eighty-one.  He  married  in  1740,  Christian, 
daughter  of  Sir  Patrick  Anstruther,  of  Anstrutherfield, 
Baronet,  relict  of  Sir  William  Weir,  of  Blackwood,  Lan- 
ark, Baronet.  He  had  by  her,  who  died  at  Traquair, 
November  12,  1771,  aged  sixty-nine,  an  only  son,  Char- 
les, Lord  Linton,  afterwards  the  seventh  earl,  and  three 
daughters,  Lady  Christina,  Lady  Mary  and  Lady  Lucy. 


246  Chronicles  of 

The  eldest  of  this  trio,  hedged  about  by  royal 
connection,  historic  family,  and  the  pride  of  an  earl, 
responded  to  the  suit  of  Cyrus  Griffin,  in  a  remote  and 
sombre  castle ;  and,  although  an  irate  father  and  religious 
prejudice  (she  was  a  Roman  Catholic)  forbade  a  union, 
they,  like  two  blind  lovers  of  our  own  time,  scorned  every 
barrier,  and  were  wedded.  In  an  old  scrap-book  of 
James  Lewis  Corbin  Griffin,  a  grandson  of  Cyrus  Griffin, 
we  find  they  were  married  at  Traquair  by  a  Romish 
priest ;  but  there  is  also  a  tradition  in  the  Griffin  family 
that  they  fled  from  Traquair  at  night,  and  that  the  grand 
lady,  unused  to  sudden  journeys  across  a  rough  country, 
fell  and  hurt  her  slender  ankle.  Then  her  brave  young 
lover  bore  her  in  his  arms,  mile  after  mile,  until  they 
reached  a  parson,  who  joined  them  in  wedlock.  The 
story  goes,  that  in  consequence.  Lady  Christina  was 
always  lame. 

The  marriage  bond  between  Cyrus  Griffin  and  his  wife 
was  for  years  in  possession  of  Mrs.  Mottrom  Dulaney 
Ball,  and  was  destroyed  when  the  Ball  mansion,  in  Fair- 
fax County,  Virginia,  was  burned,  in  1886,  No  copy 
was  preserved,  but  it  is  said  that  Benjamin  Franklin's 
name  was  affixed  to  it ;  he  was  at  the  time  agent  for 
Pennsylvania,  in  London.  If  they  married  clandestinely 
the  Earl  soon  forgave  them,  for  their  first  son,  named  for 
his  grandfather,  was  born  at  Traquair,  in  1771.  After 
the  birth  of  their  eldest  son,  Cyrus  Griffin  and  Lady 
Christina  came  to  Virginia  and  resided  at  Williamsburg, 


The  Boit  Family  247 

and    Cyrus    Griffin    forthwith    became  zealous    for   the 
"patriot  cause." 

He  was  a  close  personal  friend  of  George  Washington, 
who  valued  his  judgment,  for  he  asked  his  opinion  upon 
the  judiciary  appointments  of  Virginia,  wishing  to  know  of 
him  which  he  considered  the  fittest —  Edmund  Pendleton, 
George  Wythe,  Lyons  or  Blair.  Griffin  recommended 
Blair  and  Pendleton.  Pendleton  declined  to  serve,  and 
Cyrus  Griffin  himself  was  then  appointed. 

Judge  Griffin  left  the  seclusion  of  Williamsburg  in 
1778,  having  been  elected  a  delegate  to  the  old  Congress, 
and  served  till  1781.  August  19,  1778,  he  presented 
the  credentials  of  himself  and  colleagues  ;  September  28, 
he  voted  upon  the  conduct  of  Silas  Deane,  and  December 
19,  1778,  he  signed  the  instructions  given  by  Virginia  to 
her  delegates  in  Congress,  authorizing  that  body  that  she 
was  •*  ready  and  willing  to  ratify  the  confederation  with 
one  or  more  States." 

Cyrus  Griffin  was  president  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
Admiralty  from  its  creation  until  its  abolition. 

He  was  re-elected  to  Congress  in  1787,  and  served 
two  terms,  and  was  the  last  president  of  the  Continental 
Congress.  He  and  Lady  Christina  attended  the  inaugu- 
ral ball  of  George  Washington. 

He  was  elected  Judge  of  the  General  court  by  joint 
ballot  of  the  Senate  and  House  of  Delegates,  December 
27,  1788,  in  the  room  of  Beverley  Randolph,  who  was 
elected  Governor  of  Virginia.     October  29,  1789,  he  took 


248  Chronicles  of 

the  oath  of  privy  councilor  before  Turner  Southall,  a 
Justice  of  the  Peace  for  Henrico  County,  Virginia,  and 
in  the  same  year  was  made  judge  of  the  United  States 
for  the  district  of  Virginia,  which  office  he  held  until  his 
death.  He  sat  with  Chief  Justice  Marshall  in  the  trial 
of  Aaron  Burr. 

The  last  years  of  the  life  of  Cyrus  Griffin  were  dark- 
ened by  ill-health.  He  travelled  extensively  in  the  hope 
of  recovery,  and  died  in  December,  1 8 10.  Lady  Christina 
had  preceded  him  to  the  grave  three  years. 

Judge  Cyrus  Griffin  had  four  children.  John,  who 
was  a  judge  in  the  State  of  Michigan;  Samuel  Stuart, 
who  married  Sally  Lewis,  of  Gloucestertown,  Virginia ; 
Mary,  who  married  her  cousin,  Thomas  Griffin,  of  York- 
town;  and  Louisa,  who  married  Hugh  Mercer,  son  of  the 
famous  General  Hugh  Mercer.  Samuel  Stuart  Griffin, 
the  second  son  of  Cyrus,  was  educated  in  Scotland.  He 
knew  well  and  loved  his  mother's  relations  and  spent 
much  of  his  time  at  Traquair.  His  uncle,  Charles  Stuart, 
was  then  the  seventh  earl,  and  his  first  cousin  was  Charles, 
Lord  Linton.  His  aunts.  Lady  Mary  and  Lady  Lucy, 
were  alive,  and  used  their  influence  to  bring  him  into  the 
Roman  Catholic  faith.  When  an  old  man  he  used  to 
tell  his  grandchild  the  weird  tales  of  Traquair,  where  he 
had  eaten  the  famous  "haggis"  and  heard  the  mournful 
pipes.  Many  years  after  his  return  to  Virginia,  the  Rev- 
erend Dr.  Leyburn,  of  Baltimore,  an  eminent  divine  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  his  wife,  who  was  Louisa  Mercer, 


The  Boit  Family  249 

a  granddaughter  of  Cyrus  Griffin,  visited  their  kin  of 
Traquair  House,  bearing  letters  from  Dr.  Samuel  Stuart 
Griffin  to  his  first  cousin,  Charles  Stuart,  then  the 
eighth  Earl  of  Traquair. 

The  Traquair  House,  where  Judge  Griffin  courted  and 
won  his  wife,  stands  on  the  small  stream  of  Quair,  near 
its  junction  with  the  Tweed,  and  about  a  mile  from 
Innerleithen.  The  house  occupies  a  low  position,  shut 
out  from  extensive  views  by  a  circle  of  lofty  hills  on  all 
sides,  and  immediately  surrounded  by  a  venerable  forest. 
An  ancient  avenue  of  trees  leading  in  a  straight  line  from 
the  front  of  the  house  for  half  a  mile  southwestward,  is 
a  particularly  striking  feature  about  the  place.  This 
avenue,  which  has  been  shut  up  for  about  two  centuries, 
has  a  spacious  entrance  gateway  with  great  pillars  sur- 
mounted with  bears  supporting  shields  containing  the 
Stuart  Arms,  and  on  cither  side  are  quaint  gate  lodges. 
The  house  and  offices  form  three  sides  of  a  square, 
measuring  about  one  hundred  feet  each  way,  and  inclosed 
on  the  fourth  side  with  a  beautiful  iron  railing.  Oppo- 
site this,  is  the  main  building,  four  stories  high,  having 
a  frontage  to  the  courtyard  of  about  one  hundred  feet, 
and  on  the  outward,  or  northeast  face,  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty-two  feet.  The  side  wings  are  one  story,  with 
attics.  The  northwest  side  has  an  extra  story  on  a  low 
fall  of  land,  containing  the  stables  and  offices,  and  a 
chapel  with  sacristy  on  the  floor  above.  The  wing  on 
the  cast  side  contains  a    brew-house  and  other  offices. 


250  Chronicles  of 

On  the  northeast  front  of  the  main  building  is  a  high 
terrace,  seventeen  feet  wide,  with  steps  leading  to  a 
lower  terrace,  and  the  park  stretching  to  the  Quair. 

The  eighth  Earl  of  Traquair  never  married.  When  he 
died  he  left  the  estates  of  Traquair  to  his  sister,  Lady 
Louisa,  who  was  also  unmarried,  and  who  died  in  1876, 
aged  one  hundred  years.  At  her  death  the  press  of  the 
country  was  filled  with  anecdotes  of  the  life  of  this 
ancient  and  highly  respected  lady,  and  also  the  heirship 
of  James  Lewis  Corbin  Griffin,  son  of  Samuel  Stuart 
Griffin,  and  only  grandson  (of  the  name)  of  Cyrus  Griffin 
and  the  Lady  Christina.  The  descent  was  so  direct  and 
close  that  his  right,  notwithstanding  his  being  an  alien, 
was  about  to  be  tested  by  law,  but  the  expense  of  the 
proceedings  was  so  enormous  that  the  effort  was  para- 
lyzed. An  unusual  scholar  and  a  modest  gentleman,  he 
died  at  the  house  of  a  maternal  kinsman  at  Lansdown, 
Gloucester  County,  Virginia,  and  it  is  from  his  valuable 
papers  that  this  sketch  is  written. 

In  Eastern  Virginia,  about  York  and  Williamsburg, 
there  is  not  left  one  of  the  name  of  Griffin.  There  are, 
however,  Mercers  and  Morrisses  and  Wallers,  who  are 
great-grandchildren  of  Cyrus  Griffin. 

James  Lewis  Corbin  Griffin's  sister  married  Stephen 
Orrin  Wright,  of  Norfolk,  Virginia,  and  had  one  child, 
Sally  Lewis,  who  married  Mottrom  Dulaney  Ball,  of  the 
same  family  as  Mary  Ball,  the  mother  of  Washington. 
Her  son,  Mottrom  Corbin  Ball,  of  Georgetown,  is  in  truth 
next  of  kin  to  Charles  Stuart,  eighth  Earl  of  Traquair. 


The   Boit  Family  251 

Chapter  XVIII 
BOIT   FAMILY 


REFERENCES    IN    ENGLAND 


"  Registre  de  I'Eglise  Wallancer  de  Southampton,  England." 

"The  Registers  of  the  French  Church,  Threadneedle  Street, 
London." 

"  Domizations  and  Naturalizations  of  Aliens  in  England  and 
Ireland." 

"Huguenot  Society  Publications." 

"  Registers  of  the  Church  of  LaPatente,  Spitalfields,  England." 


REFERENCES    IN    AMERICA,    BOSTON 


Columbian  Centinel,  1 784-1 S32. 

Marriage  Intentions,  Vol,  IV,  June  17,  1762. 

History  of  the  Boyd  Family  and  Descendants. 

Records  of  the  Second  Church  (afterwards  the  New  Brick 
Church). 

Records  of  the  New  Brick  Church. 

Province  Laws,  p.  796,  October  5,  1765. 

Marriage  Intentions,  Vol.  V,  July  6,  1769. 

Marriages  registered  in  Boston,  August  3.  1769. 

New  North  Church  records,  page  23,  August  3,  1769. 

King's  Chapel  records. 

Massachusetts  Magazine,  March  16,  1793. 

Petitions  to  Assessors  of  Boston.  Selectmen's  meeting,  Aug- 
ust 1 8,  1777. 

General  Court  records, —  in  re  taxes,  March  15,  1782. 


252         Chronicles  of  The  Boit  Family 


Registry  of  deeds,  March  14,  1781,  July  5,  1782,  September  5, 
1782,  September  19,  1782,  March  17,  1784,  July  26,  1784,  July  15, 
1785,  June  9,  1795,  August  4,  1795,  February  16,  1797. 

Taking  Book,  1784. 

Valuation  Tax  Book  1785,  1786,  1787,  1788,  1796,  1797. 

Directory,  1789. 

Boston's  Inhabitants,  1790. 

Marriage  Intentions,  Vol.  VI,  September  3,  1789;  also  May  2, 
1790. 

West  Church  records,  September  27,  1789. 

Massachusetts  Magazine,  March,  1793. 

Letters  from  Sarah  R.  Chamberlayne,  wife  of  General  Chamber- 
layne,  Cuba,  Allegheny  Co.,  New  York,  a  great-granddaughter 
of  Hannah  Atkin's  Boit. 

I  am  largely  indebted  to  Mr.  Francis  S.  Sturgis,  for  tables  of 
the  Sturgis  family. 

There  are  no  doubt  many  other  Boston  records  that  I  have 
failed  to  examine. 


ERRATA 

Page  9. 

The  First  Church  was  the  John  Cotton  Church ;  first 
situated  on  the  present  State  Street  ;  next  in  Scollay 
Square ;  next  in  Washington  Street,  and  then  called  the 
"  Old  Brick  ;  "  next  in  Chauncy  Street ;  and  now  at  the 
corner  of  Marlborough  and  Berkeley  Streets. 

The  Second  Church  was  an  offshoot  of  the  First 
Church,  and  was  the  church  of  the  Mathers  and 
Chandler  Robbins.  It  was  first  known  as  the  "  New 
Brick  Church"  or  the  "Second  Church."  It  was  first 
in  Hanover  Street ;  next  in  Bedford  Street ;  next  it 
was  moved  and  re-erected  (all  but  its  tower)  in  Copley 
Square ;  next  it  was  situated  at  the  corner  of  Beacon 
Street  and  Audubon  Circle. 

Page  141. 
Mrs.  Louis  Agassiz  should  read  Mrs.  Alexander  Agassiz.