History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 143

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1464

USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II > Part 143

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These few facts have been taken from a manu- script volume in the library of the American Anti- quarian Society, which contains records of meet- ings of the military society and documents relating to its organization. The only other fact not yielded by that volume which I have found out respecting the library of the society is that in 1824, Dr. John Green deposited in the library of "The Odd Fel- lows," an organization to be spoken of presently, thirty-three volumes, which had belonged to the "late military library." 1

THE LIBRARY OF THE FRATERNITY OF ODD FEL- Lows belonged to a society which was formed in 1820 or 1821. The date of formation is inferred from a statement made in a manuscript volume in the pos- session of the American Antiquarian Society, which is, that rules adopted in regard to the management of the library of the society at a meeting of the or- ganization held October 20, 1824, had been agreed upon by the members, at that date, in "the fourth year of their oddity and the second session." Among the rules is the following: "The fine for detention shall be six per centum on the first cost of the work per day." At the end of the year 1827 the library appears to have contained one hundred and sixty- three volumes, which were owned by it, and other books which had been deposited in the collection, but did not belong to it, such, for example, as the thirty- three volumes mentioned above, which had been the property of the military library.

The brotherhood consisted of well-known citizens, whose names are familiar to the student of the annals of Worcester. William Lincoln was at one time its librarian, and Isaac Davis served in the same capacity at a later date.

It should be added that the Fraternity of Odd Fel- lows appears to have had no connection with the or- ganization known as the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, a chapter of which was established in Wor- cester a number of years after the formation of the Fraternity. The only sources of information regard- ing the library of the organization which I know of, are three manuscript volumes, which belong to the American Antiquarian Society. One of these, namely, that which contains a list of the books belonging to the library, has just been referred to. The others are : " Rules of the Library of the Fraternity of Odd Fellows" and "List of Books delivered by the Libra- rian."

1 See " List of Books belonging to the Library of the Odd Fellows " for the titles of the books deposited in that library by Dr. Green. The volume containing the "Lists, &c.," is in the library of the American Antiquarian Society.

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LIBRARY OF THE AMERICAN ANTIQUARIAN SO- CIETY .- The gentlemen who wished to be incorpo- rated as the American Antiquarian Society, in the petition which they caused to be presented to the General Court of Massachusetts, stated that one of their number was "in possession of a valuable col- Jection of books, obtained with great labor and ex- pense, the value of which may be fairly estimated at about five thousand dollars, some of them more ancient than are to be found in any other part of our country, and all of which he intends to transfer to the proposed society, should their project receive the sanction and encouragement of the Legislature."

The gentleman referred to in the petition was Isaiah Thomas, who, as editor, publisher and author, had brought together a large amount of valuable literary matter of the kind most suitable for an anti- quarian and historical library. The prayer of the petitioners was granted, and the American Antiqua- rian Society was incorporated October 24, 1812. It was organized November 19th of the same year, and at a meeting of the society held in February, 1813, the president, Isaiah Thomas, carried out his inten- tions by presenting to it his private library. Thus the founder of the society became also the founder of its library. As before remarked, Mr. Thomas' library was valued at five thousand dollars. It should be stated in this connection, however, that a collection of books of the kind which constituted his library, if sold to-day, would bring a sum of money many times larger than that which represented its market value at the time of its gift to the Antiquarian Society.

Many books were given to the society for its library during the earlier years of the existence of the latter, and in October, 1819, it contained nearly six thousand volumes.

It is interesting to note the fact that in the begin- ning of the activity of the Antiquarian Society it appointed gentlemen of experience and learning in different States of the Union, to act as agents or re- ceivers in collecting books and manuscripts for the library and articles for the cabinet, and that, as a re- sult of this policy, contributions of books, pamphlets and relics of various kinds were forwarded to it from all parts of the country.

Mr. Thomas was unwilling to have the library and cabinet of the Antiquarian Society placed in a large city, fearing that, if so situated, their safety would be endangered by the presence of large fires. Guided also by fears that it was natural for a man to enter- tain who lived here at the time of the organization of the Antiquarian Society, he would not have them placed on the seaboard, because, in time of war, they would be subjected to more peril there from the rav- ages of enemies than in an interior town, where, with the modes of locomotion then available, they were much less likely to be disturbed. At his death, in 1831, Mr. Thomas bequeathed to the society such of his

books, engravings, coins, etc., as he had not already given to it, and left to it money to constitute the librarian's and the collection and research funds.

In October, 1872, Mr. Nathaniel Paine counted the number of volumes in a large portion of the library, and made careful estimates regarding the number in the remaining portions. Reckoning ten pamphlets as constituting a volume, he made up his mind that there were about fifty-three thousand volumes in the library at the date mentioned. Taking this calcula- tion as a basis, and adding to the number obtained subsequent acquisitions, and subtracting from the total the number of volumes which have been taken out of the library for purposes of exchange or for other reasons, it appears, according to a statement given to me by the librarian, that at the time of the annual meeting of the society in October, 1888, there were about ninety thousand volumes in the library, calling ten pamphlets a volume, as in the reckoning of Mr. Paine.

The library is very valuable, but in many respects cannot be compared in importance to the antiquary, with such magnificent collections as the Lenox Li- brary in New York City, and the rich private library brought together by the late John Carter Brown, of Providence, and still owned by his family. Certain classes of books, however, are represented here by numerous and noteworthy examples. Thus, for in- stance, the library contains a large and exceedingly interesting collection of early volumes of the oldest newspapers of the United States. It also possesses many rare works which were printed in this country in the days of its infancy and a number of valuable manuscripts.

The feature which best distinguishes it from other libraries and museums is its unique collection of memorials of the Mather family. There are from three thousand five hundred to four thousand vol- umes of newspapers in the library. Among these are sixteen of the Boston News Letter, the first es- tablished newspaper published on this continent. These volumes are not wholly complete, however. The News Letter was first issued in 1704. The library also contains several volumes, bearing dates between 1719 and 1753, of the Boston Gazette, the second newspaper established in Boston, and specimen vol- umes of the Boston Post Boy, a paper which was first issued in 1734. It has, too, seven early volumes of the New Hampshire Gazette, started in 1756, and sev- eral of the Newport Mercury, established in 1758, the Connecticut Gazette and the Connecticut Courant, first printed in 1764. Of these the New Hampshire Ga- zette is said to be the oldest newspaper in the United States, still in existence, that has been issued without interruption or change of name since its establish- ment.

The file of the Massachusetts Spy, the first number of which was issued in Boston, July 17, 1770, and the first number of which printed in Worcester bears

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WORCESTER.

the date of May 3, 1775, is nearly complete. This is the oldest existing newspaper in the State of Massa- chusetts.

The library also possesses volumes of Rivington's Royal Gazette and of Gaine's Gazette, published in New York while that city was occupied by British troops. The files of the Polar Star or Boston Daily Advertiser, the first daily paper started in Boston, are nearly complete. That paper was begun in October, 1796, but was discontinued after it had been pub- lished for a few months. The present Boston Daily Advertiser did not begin its life until March 3, 1813. That is the first daily paper that was permanently established in Boston. There is in the library a large proportion of the books printed in the United States before the year 1700. For example, it con- tains a copy of the "Bay Psalm-Book," which was issued from the press in Cambridge in 1640, and was the first volume printed in British America, and one of the first edition of Eliot's Indian Bible, the print- ing of which was finished at Cambridge in 1663.

The library also has a handsome and beautifully- bound copy of the second edition of that Bible, the printing of which ended in 1685, and several rare tracts in the Indian language prevalent in this vicinity. It possesses a large collection of Bibles. Among these there is a fine copy of the folio Bible printed by Isaiah Thomas at Worcester, Mass., in 1791. This was the first folio Bible in the English language ever published in America. Mr. Thomas had a great printing and publishing establishment in this town, and such was the excellence of the work which came from his presses that he won for himself the name of the American Baskerville. The library contains a collection of psalmody and church music which is large enough to deserve mention, and has a good collection of books which were printed in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.

Mr. James Carson Breevoort gave to it, a few years ago, a number of early books relating to Japan which he had been engaged for twenty-five years in bringing together. It also possesses accounts of many early voyages and travels, a large collection of almanacs, a valuable and extensive collection of bio- graphical and genealogical works, a noticeably large accumulation of American school-books and of liter- ary matter relating to slavery in this country and to the Civil War.

Among the manuscripts in the library are forty or fifty orderly books and volumes containing records similar to those in hooks of that kind. The entries in these works bear various dates between the years 1758 and 1812. The matter in them relating to the period of the Revolution is of especial interest. The library also possesses a large collection of muster- rolls, army-orders and other military papers, with dates extending from 1745 to 1787. It has, also, two diaries of John Hull, mint-master,-one relating to private, and the other to public matters,-his letter-

book for the years 1670-1680, and a manuscript nar- rative by him of a voyage to Spitzbergen in the year 1613, and an interesting, interleaved Edinburgh al- manac of the year 1768, with manuscript notes by Rev. Dr. John Witherspoon, who in that year was inducted into the office of president of the college at Princeton, N. J., and who became a member of the Provincial Congress of that State and of the Congress at Philadelphia which promulgated the Declaration of Independence, of which document he is one of the signers.

Dr. Witherspoon came to America in 1768, and a portion of the notes in the almanac were written in Scotland and Ireland and another portion in America. The library has a manuscript copy of the original Connecticut laws of 1650, the Curwen papers of the Salem family of that name; the Cragie manuscripts, written in the last half of the eighteenth century, several bound volumes of letters addressed to Isaiah Thomas, and of copies of letters of his own ; William Lincoln's manuscripts, relating to Worcester, an in- terleaved copy of his history of the town, containing corrections and additions to that work, and Christo- pher C. Baldwin's papers concerning Sutton.

Among the more elegant mannscripts in the library are an illuminated missal on vellum, written perhaps as early as 1304, a Persian tale or romance which has gilt borders and is illustrated by highly-colored pic- tures, and a folio copy of the Koran which is adorned by illuminated borders.

The manuscripts in the library have lately been put in order, income from the recently received Alden Fund having been expended in doing the work.

Two large gifts of books have been made to the library within a few years-one in 1879, by the heirs of the late George Brinley, of Hartford, the other under the provisions of the will of the late Joseph J. Cooke, of Providence. In both instances permission was granted to the Antiquarian Society to bid off books to the value of five thousand dollars at the sales by auction of the collections of the benefactors. The books obtained at those sales form a very noteworthy addition to the library of the society.

At an earlier period in its history the library was the recipient of a valuable bequest of books and manuscripts from Rev. Dr. William Bentley, of Salem, (1759-1819). He gave to it, by will, all his German books, such volumes belonging to him as had been printed in New England, the manuscripts which he left that were not written in his own hand, a cabinet with its contents and all of his paintings and engrav- ings.

Mr. William Bentley Fowle, his nephew and sole executor, bequeathed to the Antiquarian Society other portions of the library and literary remains of Dr. Bentley. In the collection obtained from these two sources are nineteen bound volumes of notes contain- ing memoranda on various subjects, thirteen diaries, letters addressed to its owner by prominent corre-

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tion, in 1812, to 1831. This was paiuted from life hy | gust 24, 1820. The two wings were added to the E. A. Greenwood. It also possesses a marble bust of Mr. Thomas, which was the work of the late B. H. Kinney.

Of its second president,-1831-41,-asstated above, it has a portrait by Thomas Sully. It has no por- trait of Edward Everett, its third president (1841- 53), only a framed engraving of Wight's full- length portrait. The absence of a suitable likeness of Governor Everett is much to be regretted. Of Governor John Davis, its fourth president (1853- 54), the society has a portrait. by E. T. Billings, taken from a daguerreotype, a bust by Henry Dexter, a representation of his head on a medallion and a life-size photograph finished by the use of crayon. It has a fine portrait, by Daniel Huntington. of New York, of the fifth president, the late Stephen Salis- bury, who occupied that position for thirty years, from 1854-84. Of its living presidents, Senator George F. Hoar (1884-87) and Mr. Stephen Salis- bury (1887), it has as yet no portraits.

The librarians of the Antiquarian Society have been Samuel Jennison (1814-25), William Lincoln (1825-27), Christopher Columbus Baldwin (1827-30 and 1831-35), Samuel M. Burnside (1830-31), Matu- rin Lewis Fisher (1835-38), Samuel Foster Haven (1838-March 31, 1881; Librarian Emeritus April 1, 1881, until his death, September 5, 1881) and Ed- mund M. Barton (1883). Of these gentlemen, the society has portraits of C. C. Baldwin and Samuel F. Haven. They were painted respectively by Chester Harding and Edward L. Custer. It also has copies of portraits of Columbus and Vespucius, made by Antonio Scardino from originals of Francesco Maz- zola (Parmigianino) at Naples. Of Columbus it possesses likewise a full-length engraved portrait and a likeness by Salviati in the form of a modern Vene- tian mosaic. It has also a collection of engraved portraits and pictures of other kinds, and busts in marble or plaster of Washington, Franklin, Hamil- ton, John Adams, Jackson. Clay, Webster, Jared Sparks and others. Its halls are adorned with copies in plaster of two of the statues of Michael Angelo; one from his Christ in the church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva at Rome and the other from the co- lossal statue of Moses in the church of S. Pietro in Vincoli, in the same city.

When Mr. Thomas gave his private library to the Antiquarian Society in the spring of 1813 he was requested to retain it in his possession until a suitable place could be prepared for its reception. Early in the year 1819 Mr. Thomas offered to put up a building at his own expense for the accommodation of the society and its library, and in August of that year a committee was ap- pointed, at his request, to superintend its erection. The work was attended to at once and the central portion of the old Antiquarian Hall on Summer Street was dedicated to the uses of the society Au-

main structure in 1832. The building, however, which still stands, although now (January, 1889) used for private purposes, proved too small to house the growing library and was also found to be damp. A new hall was therefore built on the site now oecu- pied after a time. This was completed in 1853. But the rapidly increasing collection of books demanded still ampler accommodations and an addition to the present building was determined upon. That was finished in 1877. In putting up the existing build- ing and adding to it the society was assisted by very generous contributions of money from the late Stephen Salisbury, who, as before stated, was its president for thirty years.

The executive officers of the society are appointed by the council of the society and perform their duties under the supervision of a sub-committee of that body.

The present librarian, as before stated, is Edmund Mills Barton. He had been assistant librarian for seventeen years before he was appointed librarian. Reuben Colton was assistant librarian from April, 1878, to February 1, 1889. At the latter date he re- signed the position for the purpose of going into business. Miss Mary Robinson became connected with the library as cataloguer in the autumn of 1881. February 1, 1889, she was promoted to the position of assistant to the librarian.

A catalogue of the books in the library (pp. 571), was printed in 1837 by Henry J. Howland. A card catalogue has been in preparation for several years, and nearly all of the bound volumes in the collection have already been indexed. The society also has in its pos- session a manuscript catalogue of the books presented to it by Isaiah Thomas. The library is kept open from nine o'clock A.M. to five P.M. every secular day, excepting Saturday, when it is closed at one P.M.

This account of the library of the American Anti- quarian Society has been gathered largely from the proceedings of the society. Particular indebtedness should be acknowledged to the recorded researches of Mr. Nathaniel Paine, as they appear in the volumes of the society's publications or in periodicals or separate pamphlets. The history of the Antiquarian Society, as distinguished from that of its library, is given under the head of societies, in another portion of the present work. That is also the case in regard to the other associations whose libraries are described and their histories given in the monograph which I am writing.

THE WORCESTER COUNTY ATHENEUM .- It is stated in the Spy of November 4, 1829, that "After the adjournment of the Lyceum on Wednesday last, pursuant to notice given at the close of the address in the meeting-house, a public meeting was held to con- sider the expedieney of adopting measures to estab- lish a public library for the County of Worcester." An association was formed to found a library. The

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subscribers agreed to unite " for the purpose of estab- lishing a Public Library in the Town of Worcester, to contint principally of such rare works in Science and Literature as are mos meually found in private Libra- ries." The property of the society was divided into : hares of twenty-five dollars each. At a meeting of the members of the organization, held December 16. 1829, it was voted to call the new association the Worcester County Atheneum, and January 6, 1890, Otis C. Wheeler was chosen librarian. At a meeting of directors, held che ?d of February, - William Lin- colm and Isaac Goodwin reported that they bad leased of Dr. John Green the room in the second story of the new brick building on Main Street, opposite Central Street, for the use of the Atheneum, and recommended that one +bare of the mock of the Atheneum be con- vered to him in payment of the zent for one year. which report was accepted."

March And the directors voted ""that the Atheneum will receive the deposit of the books, minerals and property of the Worcester Lyceum of Natural History and pay the expen-es of making the cases and cabi- nete belonging to that association," &c. Some of the property of the last-mamed society was afterwards scored in the rooms of the American Antiquarian Society, and remained there until. br a vote of survit- ing members, it was given to the organization now known as the Natural History Society, of whose col- lections it to-day forms a part. The Atheneum was incorporated in March, 1630, and chose officers, under the act of incorporation, on the 14th of the following month.

It seems to have beem. in the main, a circulating library, but that it was mot wholly so appears from the following regulation .: "The Directors shall cause books to be procured for the library -- and a: certain books, from their value and beauty, may be liable to injury, or their use may be prevented by circulation, they may require Auch works to be retained in the apartments of the Atheneum." The librarian was appointed by the directors.

On the 16th of June, 1830, it was " voted chat Al- fred D. Foster, Frederick W. Paine and William Lincolo be a committee to make a catalogue of the books of the Atheneum," ke., and "that Otis C. committee." On the Eth of the following December it was voied to execute a lease of Dr. Green's rooms, and on the same day the directors appointed William S. Lincoln librarian " for the ensuing yesr." January 5, 1832, the directors reported that the library thes " contained 2109 volume:, exclusive of the Cyclope- dias and unbound pamphlets."

Owners of shares (proprietors), life subscribers and annual subscribers could take out books from the library. William Lincoln, writing in 1836, stated that about three thousand volumes of what he denomimates "general literature" had been collected by the Athe- neum when he wrote. The library at that time was

kept in a room appropriated for the purpose in the old building of the Antiquarian Sociery, on Summer Street.

The Atheneum has for a long time ceased to exist. Most of its books were given To the Antiquarian Society. This was a natural proceeding. as a large proportion of the members of the former society were interested in the lamer organization. I find that a book was taken out from the library of the Atheneum at as late a dare a: 1551.

Nearly all of the information relating to the Athe- neuro given here has been obtained by me from the following manuscript volumes in the library of the Antiquarian Society: " Rules and regulations. stock and property " and records of meetings : + Waste book"-this is a list, under the names of giver- and depositors, of books placed in the library,-a volume in which charges of books taken out from the library were made.

WORCESTER SOCIAL LIBRARY .- In the library of the Antiquarian Society there is a manuscript which is headed " Alphabetical List of the Proprietors of the Worcester Social Library." It is dated May, 1550. I find mo evidence that this library was actually estab- lished. No mention of such an organization is made by William Lincoln in the " History of Worcester." which he wrote a few years after the date of the mammscript. There were several movements in Wor- cester about the year 1890 looking towards the forma- tion of libraries. Thus, as we have seen, the Worcester County Atheneum was started late in the year 1829 and incorporated in March, 1800. The Worcester Lyceum, of which I am now about to write, was of- ganized in November, 1829.

WORCESTER LICEUM .- Anthony Chase, the first secretary of the Worcester Lyceum, in a rough draft of a lever wrimen to the secretary of the Lyceum in Medway, mow in the possession of his som, Mr. Charles A. Chase, writes : " Our Lyceum was organized the 5th of November, 1529, though many of the prelimi- paries were settled previous to that time." This let- ter was written in 1831. Lincoln, writing a few years later, gives the date of its formation as November 4th. He adds: "The Lyceum " (about 1536) "is possessed of a good chemical apparatus and a well-selected Wheeler be Librarian, subject to the direction of this library of about five hundred volumes, beneficially

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History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 143

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) Publication date: 1889 Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co. Number of Pages: 1464

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1464