USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Historic homes and places and genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Volume I > Part 28
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(VI) Bunyan Penniman, son of John Bun- yan Penniman (5), was born in Mendon about 1772 and died in Warwick, Massachusetts, in 1848. Child, Dean mentioned below.
(VII) Dean Penniman, son of Bunyan Penniman (6), was born in Warwick in 1800, and died in Lowell, Massachusetts, in 1864. He was educated in the public schools of his native town. He learned the trade of carpen- ter, and when a young man settled in Lowell. He went into business as a contractor and builder, and was eminently successful. He took an active part in the development and up- building of the city of Lowell, and erected many of the buildings of importance in the early days of the town. He made good invest- ments himself in Lowell real estate and ac- quired a competence before he retired from business. In politics Mr. Penniman was a Whig, but followed his party into the Republi- can organization, and was active in his support of the Union during the Civil war. He was a member of the Congregational church, and a generous supporter of the church and its charities. He had an irreproachable character, a kindly and attractive way and manner of speech, and enjoyed the fullest measure of confidence and esteem in the hearts of his friends and townsmen. He married (inten- tions November 17), 1821, Hannah Hastings. Children : I. Clarice, died young. 2. Isaac H. 3. John R. 4. George F. 5. Franklin H. 6. Hannah A., resides on the homestead in Lowell, unmarried. 7. Mary A., resides on the homestead in Lowell, unmarried. 8. Sarah A., resides on the homestead with her sisters, in Lowell; member of the Congrega- tional church.
(VIII) George F. Penniman, son of Dean Penniman (7). was born at Warwick, Massa- chusetts, in 1831, and died in Lowell, Massa-
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chusetts, in 1904. He was educated in the common schools of his native town. He was employed for a few years in Warwick in various clerical positions. He removed to Lo- well when a young man and established him- self in the express business in that town. His business grew rapidly and he was shortly the leading man in his line of business. He ex- tended his facilities, and as the city grew his business continued to increase, and Penni- man's Express became a household word in Lowell. He retired a few years before his death and devoted his attention to his real estate in which he invested extensively in Lo- well. He bought a large tract of land in what is called Lowell Highlands, laid it out in house lots with broad streets, and himself built many houses upon it. This property is very desir- able and attracts tenants readily. The results of his business and the increase from his shrewd investment in real estate and other property brought wealth to Mr. Penniman. He was enterprising, energetic and always inter- ested in the development and upbuilding of the city of Lowell. He was active in his civic duties, a Republican in politics. ยท He served with credit in the common council of Lowell. He was a director of the Lowell National Bank and trustee of the Five Cents Savings Bank. He was active in the Masonic order, and a member of the Universalist church, Lowell. He married Mary A. McAlvin, daugh- ter of John McAlvin. She was born 1840, and died at Lowell, March, 1907. Their chil- dren were: Caroline L., born at Lowell, and George R. Caroline L. married Loren E. Pullen, who is a prominent advertising man of Boston. Their children: I. Raymond L. and Leslie Pullen.
SIMPSON The first settler in New Eng- land by the name of Simpson was John of Watertown, Mas- sachusetts, although about the same time Henry Simpson came from England and set- tled at York, Maine. He was there before 1640, and his only known son, Henry Simpson, was born about 1647 and died 1695. From Henry, Jr., most of the Simpsons in Maine are de- scended. The Nottingham, New Hampshire, history traces the family in that town to An- drew Simpson, who was born in Scotland in 1697, married Elizabeth Patten, who was killed by the Indians; married (second) Widow Brown, of York.
According to the history of Windham, New Hampshire, two more emigrants of the name
of Simpson are the progenitors of the Wind- ham families of this name. Alexander Simp- son was the immigrant ancestor of most of the Simpsons of Windham; was of Scotch de- scent; came from the north of Ireland to Windham and bought land of James Wilson, November 24, 1747. His brother-in-law, Adam Templeton, came with him; Simpson was a weaver and could do exceedingly fine work; Templeton was a maker of spinning wheels.
(I) William Simpson, the immigrant, ac- cording to the Windham history, came from the north of Ireland and was of Scotch ances- try. He settled in Greenland, New Hamp- shire, where he died. The connection with the family of Alexander Simpson is not known, but it is likely that he was a nephew or cousin, both from the fact that they lived in the same towns and of the similarity of the names in the two families. A William Simpson served in the Revolution from Pembroke, though he is not mentioned in the Pembroke history. Joseph Simpson, the permanent settler of this name in Pembroke, came there from Green- land and was probably a brother of William. Two of his children married Simpsons from Greenland. It may be presumed that a brother of Alexander of Windham settled in Green- land and had sons: Joseph, of Pembroke, William, of Pembroke, and Windham, and perhaps Thomas Simpson, of Haverhill, New Hampshire. William married Mary Haynes, of Portsmouth. Children I. Joseph, removed to Windham about 1788 and lived where the T. W. Simpson house now stands ; built Simpson's Mills soon after he came ; was a fine carpenter and. millwright; mar- ried Jennie Wilson, daughter of George; children : i. Charles, resided in Pennsylvania ; ii. Alva O .; married Sarah Packard, of Wind- ham; resided in Lowell; farmer; died in 1881 ; iii. Esther, removed to Vermont; iv. Joseph, went to California. 2. George, mentioned be- low.
(II) George Simpson, son of William Simp- son (I), was born in Greenland, New Hamp- shire, in 1767; removed to Windham in 1793 and lived a few rods from T. W. Simpson's mill near the Pelham line. The house has disappeared, but the old cellar remains to mark the site. He lived in Windham just sixteen years and sold his place to one Atwood, and in 1809 settled at Rumney, New Hampshire, where he died in 1850 at the age of eighty- three years. He married Mary Lang, daugh- ter of Thomas Lang, of Lee, New Hampshire. She was born in Portsmouth. Children: I.
MARY A. PENNIMAN
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Mary, born in Portsmouth, October 27, 1787; died November 13, 1876; married Robert Simpson, son of Samuel, grandson of Alexan- der Simpson, mentioned above. 2. Thomas, born at Portsmouth ; merchant, resided in Bos- ton, buried in Mount Auburn cemetery ; had two children : Sarah and Thomas. 3. George, Jr., born at Windham, 1797; went to Went- worth; died and was buried with his family in West Rumney ; married Mary Savage, of Or- ford, New Hampshire, and had six children : Mary, Katherine, Thomas, Dan Y., John, Ayer. 4. Benjamin F., born July 21, 1799, mentioned below. 5. Sally, born at Windham, 1801, married John M. Smart, of Rumney. lived in Plymouth and New York City where he died, leaving six children. 6. William Wash- ington, born in Windham, 1803; farmer and stage owner in Haverhill, New Hampshire : died about 1873 ; married Sarah Burnham, of Rumney, who died in 1875 ; children : George, Charles, born August 22, 1828, married Ro- salie J. Lund; William, Henry, Jabez, John. Ellen and Frank. 7. Dr. Daniel Lang, born in Windham, May 9, 1807, graduated from Dartmouth Medical School in 1827; practiced in Colebrook and Londonderry, coming to Windham in 1832 and resided there sixteen months and was on the school committee; re- moved to Londonderry and lived until 1837; then went to Nashua and back to Windham; settled finally in West Rumney in June, 1838; died July 15, 1878; married, February 5, 1829, Angeline L., daughter of Edward Kneeland, of Hartford, Vermont, born November 20, 1809; children : i. Henry Clay, born at Londonderry, January 29, 1830, resided at Keesville, Ver- mont, and Potsdam, New York; first lieuten- ant in Second Regiment Minnesota Volunteers in Civil war, and died in service, December I. 1861. ii. Edward Alphonso, born at London- derry, April 1, 1832, postmaster at Chelmsford, Massachusetts ; was surgeon three years in the Thirtieth Massachusetts Regiment and lost a leg in the service; iii. Minerva Jane, born in Londonderry, December 28, 1833, married, De- cember 27, 1852, James M. Douglass, and set- tled at Anoka, Minnesota. iv. Helen Maria, born at Windham, May 17, 1834; married, April 5, 1863, Alpheus G. Hobbs. v. Charles Daniel, born at Londonderry, January 31, 1836. married Rosanna G. Pitman, of Gilmanton ; resided at Fairport, New York. vi. Mary Lang, born at Windham, March 24, 1838, married Joshua Fessenden. vii. Evelyn Louise, born at West Rumney, February II, 1841, married, January 8, 1869, Henry Clark. viii. Oliver Everett, born at West Rumney, January
24, 1842, was in Twelfth Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteers in Civil war. ix. Har- riet Frances, born at West Rumney, June 25, 1844, married, March 19, 1866, Dixie C. Smol- ley. x. Susan Caroline, born at West Rumney, June 17, 1846, music teacher in West Rum- ney. xi. Alice Olena, born at West Rumney, April 9, 1848, married, February, 1869, Aaron Hamblett, of Pelham. xii. Elizabeth, born at West Rumney, April 30, 1850, married William E. Flynn. xiii. Frank Edwin, born at West Rumney, July 3, 1853, married, July 8, 1878, Lucy Holyoke.
(III) Dr. Benjamin F. Simpson, son of George Simpson (2), was born in Windham, July 21, 1799. He went to Rumney with his father in 1809, and when sixteen years old pur- chased an old horse and wagon and, being sup- plied with dry goods by Thomas and John Nes- mith, then in trade at Windham Centre, he peddled these goods through the country from Windham to Haverhill, New Hampshire, and laid the foundation of the wealth he acquired. He taught school in the winter and during three years saved a thousand dollars which he expended in acquiring an education. In 1819 he commenced the study of medicine under Dr. David Gibson, of Rumney, graduated at Dartmouth Medical School in 1821, and prac- ticed his profession in Rumney seven months, having but one patient, whom he succeeded in curing, but who never paid his bill. He removed to Plymouth, in 1822, where he practiced until the fall of 1829, when he removed to Chester. He came to Windham in the fall of 1829, living in the village. Afterwards he owned and lived upon the farm of G. W. Noyes ; remained there twelve years, and was successful in his prac- tice. He served the town of Windham as col- lector of taxes and in 1834 as selectman. He settled in Lowell, Massachusetts, in 1843, and practiced his profession until 1879. During his later years much of his time was occupied in the care of his property and making invest- ments. He was a Republican in politics, a man of large influence, and great ability and force of character. He died in Lowell, April 10, 1883, and was buried in Windham, his native place. He married, 1827, Elizabeth McDear- maid, of Thornton, New Hampshire, who was born July 23, 1801. Children : I. Olenia, born at Plymouth, February 20, 1829, died January, 1841. 2. Odanathus, born at Windham, De- cember 15, 1831, mentioned below. 3. Vera- zino, born at Windham, December 31, 1833, resided at Winona, Minnesota, and has been mayor of that city ; has children. 4. Longinus, born at Windham, March 10, 1841, died 1843.
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5. Longinus, born at Pelham, June 4, 1843.
(IV) Odanathus Simpson, son of Dr. Ben- jamin F. Simpson (3), was born in Windham, December 15, 1831. He received his early ed- ucation in the district schools in Windham and in Lowell. whither his father went to live in 1843. After graduating from the high school he was apprenticed to learn the trade of car- penter, and he followed it as a business for many years, as a builder and carpenter, be- coming one of the best known and most suc- cessful contractors in the city. He built many of the important buildings of Lowell. He in- vested extensively in real estate, and his time was occupied in later years in the care of his property and in dealing in real estate. When a young man he belonged to the militia com- pany in Lowell. In politics he was an active Republican, and was a delegate to various political conventions, though he declined all public offices. He was a man of sterling char- acter, whose memory is cherished by many friends. He died June, 1901.
He married, 1851, Esther P. Clifford, daugh- ter of Moses and Lavinia (Barnes) Clifford, natives both of New Hampshire. Mrs. Simp- son survives her husband and resides with her family in the homestead on Branch street, Low- ell. Children : I. Benjamin F., born Septem- ber 13, 1851, died October 10, 1897; married Emma Mancil; children : Elizabeth, George, Arthur, Benjamin, Edward. 2. Olena, born September 13, 1854, married Rockford Snow. 3. Lavinia, born November 5, 1858, married August 7, 1877, Arthur Gross, and they have one child. Ralph Gross.
Richard Robbins, the immi- ROBBINS grant ancestor, was born in Charlestown, England, and settled early at Massachusetts. His brother, Nicholas, was a settler at Cambridge very early, removed to Duxbury, Massachusetts. Richard and his wife Rebecca were admitted to the Charlestown Church, May 24, 1640. They removed to Boston and again to Cam- bridge, where they settled on the south side of the river until about 1673, when he removed to the center of the village, on the Crackbone place. He deeded March 14, 1678-79, to his son Samuel thirty-six acres ; to son Nathaniel thirty-four acres, and June 7, 1681, to daugh- ter Rebecca thirty acres. He married (first) Rebecca (second) Elizabeth Crack- bone, March 26, 1673-74. Children of Richard and Rebecca Robbins: I. John. baptized at Charlestown, May 24, 1640. 2. Samuel, born
May 22, 1643. 3. Nathaniel, baptized in Lex- ington, mentioned below. 4. Rebecca, baptized in Lexington, married John Woodward.
(II) Nathaniel Robbins, son of Richard Rob- bins (I), was baptized in Cambridge in 1643; died there in 1719. He married, August 4, 1669, Mary Braside. He was hog reeve for the district on the south side of the river in 1679. Children : 1. Rebecca, born January 6, 1671-72, married Joseph Cheney. 2. Mary, born May 31, 1673, died November 30, 1676. 3. Deborah, born June 6, 1674, married Thomas Squires ; (second) William Brown. 4. Nathaniel, born February 28, 1677-78. 5. John, born Novem- ber 21, 1680, mentioned below. 6. Thomas, born November 6, 1683, died January 31, 1700-01. 7. Samuel, born May 30, 1686. 8. Joseph, born November 8, 1689.
(III) John Robbins, son of Nathaniel Rob- bins (2), was born at Cambridge, November 21, 1680, died there June 10, 1751. He married, April 4, 1705, Abigail Adams ; (second), about 1762, Hepzibah He probably lived on the south side of the Charles river. Children, born in Cambridge : I. John, born February I, 1705-06. 2. Daniel, born November 25, 1707, married, October 23, 1731, Hannah Trow- bridge of Newton. 3. Mary, born May 20, 17II. 4. Roger, born 1714, baptized Septem- ber 26, 1714, mentioned below. 5. Eliphalet, baptized January 26, 1717-18. 6. Solomon, baptized September 25, 1720. 7. Abigail, born February 24, 1723-24, married Par- ker.
(IV) Roger Robbins, son of John Robbins: (3), was baptized September 26, 1714, at Cam- bridge. He settled at Lancaster, Massachu- setts, and married there October 17, 1744, Lucy Smith, of Lexington. Children, born at Lancaster : I. Silas, born November 24, 1746. 2. Luke born April 25, 1748. 3. Jacob, born De- cember 16, 1750, mentioned below. 4. John, born January 12, 1756. 5. Lucy, born Sep- tember 8, 1758. 6. Levi, born May 5, 1761. 7. Jude, born April 17, 1765.
(V) Lieutenant Jacob Robbins, son of Roger Robbins (4), was born at Lancaster, Decem- ber 16, 1750. He settled in the adjoining town of Harvard. He was selectman there in 1798, 1803 and 1814 ; assessor in 1777 and 1809. He was on the committee of safety and corres- pondence in 1776, and was a soldier in the Rev- olution, a lieutenant in Captain Burt's company which marched from Harvard to Cambridge on the Lexington alarm, April 19, 1775. Be- fore the Revolution he was active in the militia and was sergeant of the "younger company" under Captain Josiah Whitney in 1774. He
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was in the Rhode Island campaign in 1777 un- der General Joseph Spencer. He married (first) (intentions February 14,) 1778, Sophia Houghton; (second) Olive Willard, of Lancas- ter, a descendant of Major Simon Willard, the principal founder of Lancaster and its most prominent citizen for many years. Children of Jacob and Olive Robbins: I. Onesiphorus, born at Harvard, August 19, 1792. 2. Nabby, born January 28, 1796. 3. Jacob, (twin), was born October 24, 1798; mentioned below. 4. Olive (twin), born October 24, 1798. 5. Au- gustus, born October 17, 1805, graduate of the Harvard Medical School in 1832; removed to Holden, Massachusetts, in 1842; to Brooklyn, New York, in 1850, and died there September 13, 1855.
(VI) Jacob Robbins, Jr., son of Jacob Rob- bins (5), was born in Harvard, October 24, 1798, and died in Lowell, Massachusetts, March 8, 1885. He was educated at the dis- trict schools of his native town and the acad- emy at Westford, Massachusets. He began his business career as clerk in a drug store, learned the business thoroughly and eventu- ally engaged in the drug business on his own account. He was successful from the first and became the leading druggist of the city. Some years before his death he retired from busi- ness. He was active in political and municipal affairs. First a Whig, he naturally went with the majority of that party in this state into the Republican party .. He was appointed post- master of Lowell in 1841 by President Tyler. He was one of the first board of aldermen of the city of Lowell after its incorporation. He was trustee and vice president of the City Institution of Savings, and a director of the Lowell Fire Insurance Company. He was fond of travel and often went abroad. He at- tended the High Street Congregational Church, of which he was a generous supporter. He commanded the utmost respect and esteem among his townsmen. His personality was un- usually attractive and he made friends through- out his life. He was upright, able and honor- able in all the walks of life, but quiet and un- pretentious withal.
He married Nancy Pierce Hartshorn, daughter of Roland Hartshorn, of Boston. She died in Lowell. Children: I. Elizabeth Olive, was very prominent in art and literary circles, and spoke many languages ; 2. Nancy P. H., educated in the Lowell schools, private schools and resides in the Robbins homestead ; is a member of Daughters of the American Revolution ; she has made a study of art and
kindred subjects, and is reckoned among the social leaders of the city.
SWAN John Swan, the immigrant ances- tor, was born in Ireland of English ancestry. He came from the vi- cinity of Londonderry, in the Province of Ul- ster with various Scotch-Irish neighbors, and doubtless many of his own ancestors were Scotch. He may have been in this country several years when he settled in Lunenberg, Massachusetts, and bought land there before May 21, 1745. He went to Petersborough, New Hampshire, late in life to carry on the farm of his son Gustavus. He was generally known as "Old John." He planted the first apple tree in Petersborough. He married (first) in Ireland Peggy McCrossin; (second) Mrs. Jane Wilson, mother of Major Robert Wilson, whose maiden name was Jane Bell. He married (third) Mary (Alld) Glaney, aunt of Captain William Alld. All the family be- longed to the Presbyterian church. Children of John and Peggy Swan: I. Gustavus, born 1717, mentioned below. 2. Lieutenant John, married Agnes Nay, daughter of William Nay (or McNee). 3. William, married, February 26, 1750-51, at Lunenburg, Mary Russell, of Petersborough ; he died in the service during the French war, and she married (second) Moses Adams, of Dublin, New Hampshire. 4. Jeremiah, born about 1736, lost in the French war, 1758-59 ; married Nabby Stone. 5. Alex- ander, married (first) Elizabeth Putnam; sec- ond) Lizzie Stiles, of Lunenburg; married third, March 7, 1756, Lucy Foster.
(II) Gustavus Swan, son of John Swan (I), was born in Ireland in 1717, and came with his parents to Lunenburg, Massachusetts. He went to Petersborough, New Hampshire, in its early days and began to clear the place now known as the Samuel Morison farm, but after a time went to New York to make bricks and his father came to Petersborough to live on the place. He married, November 4, 1747, (by Thomas Prentice) Isabel Wilson, of Town- send, Massachusetts. He died January 8, 1769, aged fifty-two years. Children: I. William, born at Petersborough, married Annas Wood and had seven children, all in Petersbor- ough; married (second) Abigail Coburn, by whom he had two children; resided in St. Albans, Vermont, and was drowned on Lake Champlain, Christmas Day, 1799, by the breaking of ice when he was on his way to Montreal. 2. Captain Robert,
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born September 16, 1752, mentioned below. 3.
Jean, born May 9, 1755, married Stin- son ; settled in Maine. 4. Elizabeth, born July 24, 1759, married Parker, of Stoddard, New Hampshire. 5. Susey, born June 30, 1761, married Frank Stuart; resided at Grand Isle, Vermont. 6. Jeremiah, born April 25, 1764, married Anna Wilson; he died January 3, 1828, aged sixty-five years.
(III) Captain Robert Swan, son of Gustavus Swan (2), was born in Petersborough, Sep- tember 16, 1752. He was a farmer, living in the eastern part of his native town. His early days were spent in the usual struggles of the first settlers to clear their land. He endured the trials and hardships of his environment, and with practically no school advantages man- aged to become a man of extensive knowledge and good general education. He did not read much, but he was a careful observer and had the power of absorbing information. He had great natural ability, was much respected by his townsmen for his good judgment, common sense and patriotism. He was a good speaker and was called upon often by the town to serve on important committees. He was a soldier in the Revolution in Captain Joseph Parker's company, Colonel Enoch Hale's regiment, which joined the Northern army at Ticonder- oga in 1776; also in Captain Alexander Robie's company in the same regiment in the Northern army in 1777. Later he was captain of a militia company. He married Jane Alld, daughter of Captain William Alld, she died April 10, 1846, aged eighty-four years. He died May 25, 1835, aged eighty-three years. Children : I. Polly, born June 20, 1780, married Butters, resided at Houlton, Maine ; died 1850, aged seventy. 2. Robert, born Oc- tober 20, 1782, married Margaret Scofield, of Maryland; died there in 1846, aged sixty-three. 3. Jane, born 1783, died unmarried November 13, 1849, aged sixty-six. 4. Lettice, born Jan- uary 15, 1784; married Hugh Graham; died 1852, in St. Louis, aged sixty-seven. 5. James, died in Maryland while visiting his brother. 6. Samuel, born June 16, 1791, married Janet Steele. 7. Sally, born 1796, married Zadoc Chamberlain ; she died 1836, aged forty. 8. William, born 1802, mentioned below ..
(IV) William Swan, son of Captain Robert Swan (3), was born in Petersborough, in 1802; died in 1865, aged sixty-three years, in North Adams, Massachusetts. He was educated in the public schools of his native town, and then learned the trade of machinist. He was a skill- ful mechanic and began his business career in Petersborough manufacturing turbine water
wheels. His business grew and he removed to North Adams for enlarged facilities. He was appointed a superintendent of construction of the Hoosac Tunnel, built by the Fitchburg Railroad and the state of Massachusetts, and held this position at the time of his death. He was well known and popular among his towns- men, of much energy and force of character. In politics he was a Republican, but never sought public honors. He attended the Unitar- ian church. He married Louisa Fletcher, who was born in Petersborough in 1812, and died in 1856, aged forty-five years. Children : James, William, Sarah, Charles Alfonso Fletcher, born August 18, 1830, mentioned below ; Rodney deceased.
(V) Charles Alfonso Fletcher Swan, son of William Swan (4), was born at Peters- borough, August 18, 1830. He came to Lowell with his parents when he was eight years old and received his early educa- tion in the schools of that town. When about ten years old he began to work in the spinning room of the Appleton Company Mills, in ac- cordance with the customs of the day, and he worked there the greater part of his time for several years. He was apprenticed to learn the trade of machinist in the shop of Aldrich & Tyng, then on Middlesex street, and soon became proficient, but abandoned this trade for the more congenial profession of civil en- gineering. He formed a partnership with John B. Straw and continued several years. He finally chose the law as his profession, how- ever, and fitted himself in the offices of John P. Robinson and of Norris & Blaisdell. He was admitted to the bar in 1858 and began to practice in Lowell. During the first ten years of his professional career he had various law partners, but from 1869 until his death he was alone in business. He devoted himself to the practice of his profession and enjoyed abun- dant success in the courts and in a material way. He was a shrewd judge of the value of real es- tate, and his property grew to large values. Among the members of the bar he was recog- nized as a man of great natural ability and ex- tensive legal knowledge. He was prominent in municipal affairs and a most efficient and use- ful public officer. He was a Republican in pol- itics and held many positions of trust and hon- or. He was elected alderman in 1873, and representative to the general court in 1875-76. He was a member of the Unitarian church on Merrimack street.
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