USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Andover > Necrology, 1890-1900 (Andover Theological Seminary) > Part 21
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61
Rev. Alexander McKenzie, D.D., pastor of the First Church, Cambridge (Class of 1861), says of him: "Mr. Russell was happy in all the conditions of his life. He grew up among the hills in the strength, the sincerity, and sim- plicity of a New England home. He had the training of Harvard College, and chose one of the three learned professions of his time, in which he rose to dis- tinction, adding honor where he gained renown. With his wide learning and large experience he crowned the practice of the law by becoming the instructor of young men who sought to enter his profession. Thus he prolonged his life. He was a lawyer, and more. He gave thoughtful care to religious institutions, and was a counselor who spoke with authority. For eight and fifty years he lived in the fellowship of the church, for the greater part of the time of the First Church in Cambridge. He was a deacon in the church, superintendent of
180
the Sunday school, and for many years the teacher of a class of college students. He built no wall about his life, and was as ready in public and in private to teach the divine commandments as the statutes of the State. He was as simple in his faith as he was profound in his learning. His confession of his spiritual life was natural and without art. In his near personal relations his friendship was as virtuous as his bearing was admirable. His fine presence, his winning voice, his pleasant smile, his courteous greeting, his ample sympathy, can never leave the mind that knew them. At the close the spirit of the man was upborne by the spirit of God, and he went on in ' the power of an endless life.'"
He was married, June 1, 1840, to Sarah Elizabeth Ballister, of Dorchester, daughter of Joseph Ballister and Sarah Yendell. He had four sons and six daughters. Three daughters died in infancy.
Mr. Russell died of pneumonia, in Cambridge, Mass., January 16, 1896, aged eighty years, two months, and twenty-six days.
ALUMNI.
CLASS OF 1825.
Isaac Watts Wheelwright.
Son of Ebenezer Wheelwright and Anna Coombs; born in Newburyport, Mass., September 17, 1801; prepared for college at Phillips Academy, An- dover, 1813-17; graduated at Bowdoin College, 1821 (boarding in President Appleton's family, while a daughter of Dr. Appleton, afterwards the wife of President Pierce, boarded in the Wheelwright family at Newburyport) ; en- tered Andover Seminary in 1821, graduated in 1825, and was licensed to preach by the Norfolk Association, at East Randolph (now Holbrook), April 25, 1826. He was assistant teacher in Phillips Academy, 1822-23, and also 1825-26, be- sides having classes during his last two years in the Seminary. He filled the same position at Dummer Academy in Byfield, 1826-28; preached at Harwich, Mass., 1828-29; was principal of Newburyport Academy for one or two years, and afterwards taught in New Orleans. In 1833 he was appointed agent of the American Bible Society for the circulation of the Scriptures in South America, arriving in 1834 at Valparaiso, the residence of his brother, William Wheel- wright, who was then beginning his remarkable career as the founder and pro- moter of great engineering and industrial enterprises in that region. After two years of discouraging effort he turned his attention to teaching, and introduced Lancasterian schools in Guayaquil and Quito, living in the family of the Presi- dent of the Republic, who made him Director of Education. Obliged by the unsettled state of the government to leave Chili, he spent two years in Massa- chusetts, and then went back to South America, establishing and carrying on for ten years a young ladies' school at Valparaiso. In 1853 he returned to the United States, bought the historic parsonage in Byfield Parish, the birthplace of Theophilus Parsons, and there spent the remainder of his life, having occa- sionally classical pupils under his charge. He was postmaster of South Byfield from 1873 to 1889.
18I
Mr. Wheelwright's quiet, simple life for forty years past was in direct con- trast to the adventurous work and experiences of earlier years. He used to re- call the acquaintance at Quito with Charles Darwin, afterwards the eminent naturalist, whom he accompanied on mountain trips. In 1841 he undertook an important commission for his brother, making a journey of five hundred miles across the Andes, carried some of the way on a native's back, to carry a peti- tion to the Colombian Government at Bogota and thence to Carthagena. His labors in South America, beset with opposition of the priesthood and revolu- tionary difficulties, were necessarily of a pioneer character; but his faithful in- struction and his translation of schoolbooks and of the New Testament into Spanish prepared the way for the long and fruitful service in Valparaiso of Rev. David Trumbull, whom Mr. Wheelwright was the means of inducing to begin mission work there, and who was for several years a member of his fam- ily. For the last four years of his life he was confined to his bed with paralysis, but the annual messages from his home at the time of our Alumni meetings al- ways spoke of his delight in hearing his attendant read to him " from the Bible, from Cowper's Hymns, Pilgrim's Progress, Watts's and Select Hymns, and occasionally from Baxter's Saints' Rest and Owen on Forgiveness." In his last conscious moments he repeated, " O, receive my soul at last," and so passed away.
His old friend, Rev. E. G. Parsons (Class of 1837), writes of Mr. Wheel- wright : " He was specially remarkable for his public spirit. He was always ready to take hold of any enterprise which promised to promote the general welfare, especially if it pertained to the education of the young. His religion dominated in all things. He lived for others and not for himself - God's steward of the property intrusted to him, which he felt bound to employ as God would have him do." Rev. George L. Gleason (Class of 1864), Mr. Wheel- wright's pastor for several years, says of him: " Mr. Wheelwright was a mod- est, shrinking man ; but he was not a useless man, nor was his education wasted. As a teacher he was very successful. His greatest usefulness lay along the line of education. He was a liberal supporter of Dummer Academy. It was through his influence that the old Byfield Female Seminary, the oldest in the State, was revived. For several years he supported an experienced teacher and furnished free instruction to the youth of Byfield. He did more than any other person in the parish for the support of the gospel, and was a liberal giver to every good cause. Up to extreme old age he was a delightful companion, being a great conversationalist. He was a conservative theologian, but charitable in his judg- ment of others. Though never a preacher of the gospel, his theological studies were a great blessing to the Church and the world."
Mr. Wheelwright was married, October 27, 1842, to Sarah Dana, of New- buryport, Mass., daughter of Rev. Dr. Daniel Dana and Sarah Emery. She died April 27, 1856. He married, second, Adaline Adams, of Byfield, daughter of Stephen Adams and Mary Anne Longfellow. She survived him only a few months, dying January 20, 1896. He had three sons and seven daughters. Two sons and five daughters are living. One of the sons has been a recent student in this Seminary, and one of the daughters is the wife of the Byfield pastor, Rev. David C. Torrey.
Mr. Wheelwright died of old age, at Byfield, Mass., July 14, 1895, aged ninety-three years, nine months, and twenty-seven days.
182
CLASS OF 1826.
Louis McDonald. (Non-graduate.)
Son of Joseph McDonald and Amanda Beach; born in Middlebury, Vt., January, ISO1 ; fitted for college at Addison County Grammar School; gradu- ated at Middlebury College, 1823; confirmed in St. Stephen's Church, Middle- bury, October, 1823; studied in this Seminary, 1823-24, afterwards under Rev. Benjamin B. Smith, subsequently Bishop of Kentucky; ordained deacon in the Episcopal Church by Bishop Griswold, October 23, 1825; as priest, October 10, IS27, at Shelburne, Vt. He officiated as deacon at Rutland, Vt., 1826-27 ; as rector at Shelburne, Vt., 1827-1834 ; at Berkshire, Montgomery, and Enosburgh, Vt., 1834-37 ; at Sheldon, Vt., 1837-40; at Cambridge and Eden, Vt., 1840-41 ; at Wells, Vt., 1842-43. While at Wells his mind became unsettled, and from September 17, 1844, he was an inmate of the Vermont Asylum at Brattleboro, Vt., until his death. All his means were invested in bonds, which were stolen by burglars from a safe in Middlebury several years ago, and his maintenance was afterwards provided for by the diocesan fund for aged and infirm clergymen. He received the honorary degree of Master of Arts from the University of Ver- mont in 1828.
He married Elizabeth Bissell, of Middlebury, daughter of David Bissell and Heart Wickham, of Pomfret, Ct. She died June 19, 1853. Their only daugh- ter, Charlotte McDonald, died at Burlington, N. J., where she was attending school, July 5, 1848, at the age of twenty years.
Mr. McDonald died of old age, at Brattleboro, Vt., June 16, 1895, aged ninety-four years and five months.
CLASS OF 1827.
Edward Beecher, D.D. (Non-graduate.)
Son of Rev. Lyman Beecher, D.D., and Roxana Foote; born in East Hampton, L. I., August 27, 1803; prepared for college at South Farms Acad- emy, Litchfield, Ct. ; graduated at Yale College, 1822, Berkeley Scholar and valedictorian ; teacher of languages in Grammar School, Hartford, Ct., 1822-24 ; studied in this Seminary, 1824-25; tutor, Yale College, 1825-26; licensed to preach by the New Haven West Association, February 7, 1826 ; ordained pas- tor of Park Street Church, Boston, December 27, 1826, remaining four years ; president of Illinois College, Jacksonville, Ill., 1830-44 ; pastor of Salem Street Church, Boston, 1844-55; pastor of First Congregational Church, Galesburg, Ill., 1855-71 ; resided after in Brooklyn, N. Y., acting as pastor of the Parkville Mission Church in the suburbs of that city, 1884-89. He received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Marietta College in 1841. While at Galesburg he delivered courses of lectures on Church Institutions in Chicago Theological Seminary. He was associated with other prominent ministers in founding the Congregationalist in 1849, and was for four years its senior editor. He was afterwards for some time on the editorial staff of the Christian Union. In addition to numerous contributions to the Biblical Repository, the Bibliotheca Sacra, the Independent, and other periodicals, he published History of the Alton Riots ; Import and Mode of Baptism ; Conflict of Ages ; The Papal Conspiracy ; Concord of Ages ; History of Scriptural Doctrine of Retribution.
183
Dr. Beecher's long life was one of remarkable activity and usefulness. His preaching and personal efforts while a tutor in New Haven are said to have produced a marked reformation in the college. He brought forth fruit in his old age by his earnest service for the Parkville Church, to which he returned after the crushing of a leg in a railroad accident when he was eighty-six years old.
Professor Park, of Andover, furnishes the following tribute : "I heard of Mr. Edward Beecher for the first time in September, 1822. At this time I lis- tened to the conversation" of Dr. Joel Hawes, of Hartford, and Mr. Solomon Stoddard, afterward known as a Latin grammarian. These gentlemen had just returned from Yale College Commencement and were enthusiastic in their praise of the young man who had pronounced the Valedictory Addresses on that occa- sion. They spoke of him as bearing a striking resemblance to his father, and giving promise of becoming a second Lyman Beecher in the pulpit. I next heard of him in 1828 as the pastor of Park Street Church in Boston. His ad- vent to that pastorate was hailed with great joy. It was known that his father, and also his mother, possessed rare genius ; that in his boyhood he had been acquainted with many eminent clergymen, and in his early manhood had been intimate with some well-trained students in the Litchfield Law School; that he had been in the habit of conducting theological debates with his father, who was called the prince of New England preachers. It was also known that while a student at Andover he had been intimate with Prof. Moses Stuart, and, like Prof. Edward Robinson and President Jasper Adams, had felt the inspira- tion of Stuart's familiar talks.
" He was only twenty-five years of age when he assumed the pastorate of the church which had been signalized by the ministry of Dr. Edward Dorr Griffin. He was too young for an office so responsible. Some of his discourses were highly intellectual and gave him the reputation of being well fitted for some place in a literary institution. At this time the presidency of Illinois Col- lege was offered to him. His acceptance of it was regarded as a highly auspi- cious event. The college was in its infancy, was surrounded with enemies, and needed a president who united an intrepid spirit with solid learning. The State of Illinois was in danger of becoming a pro-slavery State. It needed a man of high literary reputation for the presidency of its new college. Mr. Beecher proved himself to be the man. He became conspicuous in opposing the influ- ence of pro-slavery politicians. With great boldness he defended the course of the martyr Lovejoy. It has been said that his political influence in Illinois was one means of preparing the Illinois voters to sustain Abraham Lincoln as a candidate for the presidency of the republic. It is known that his zeal for the anti-slavery cause enlisted the sympathies of his sister, Mrs. Stowe, in the same cause, then so unpopular.
" He performed an important service in elevating the standard of collegiate education in several of our Western States. While president of Illinois Col- lege he was sent, with a few presidents of other Western colleges, to the city of New York in order to awaken new interest in the cause of education and to adopt new measures for transmitting the gifts of Eastern philanthropists to Western beneficiaries. One result of this visit was the formation of the Col- lege Society, the influence of which is well known. In originating this society Dr. Beecher was a conspicuous agent. After his return from Illinois to Boston he continued to stand up in the pulpit as a man of rugged form, uttering rugged
184
truths in a rugged style. He struck hard blows in defense of the Edwardean theology. He was an enthusiastic friend of the Bibliotheca Sacra, and wrote some vigorous articles for it over his own name. It ought here to be stated that, although in many respects he was equal, if not superior, to his honored father, he was not so in all respects. The father had defined eloquence to be ' logic on fire.' Some later publications of the son were specimens of fire on logic. Still, he was commonly acknowledged to be a learned scholar, a virile logician, a profound thinker, a forceful man, sincere, earnest, and deeply religious."
Dr. Beecher was married, October 27, 1829, to Isabella Porter Jones, of Portland, Me., daughter of Enoch Jones and Paulina Porter. She survived him for a few months, dying November 15, 1895. Of their eleven children, three only are living. Eugene F. Beecher, Yale, 1867, is a journalist in New York City, and Frederick W. Beecher, of Williams College and Chicago Seminary, an Episcopal clergyman in Angelica, N. Y.
Dr. Beecher died of old age, at Brooklyn, N. Y., July 28, 1895, aged ninety-one years, eleven months, and one day.
CLASS OF 1832.
Samuel Francis Smith, D.D.
Son of Samuel Smith and Sarah Bryant; born in Boston (at the North End, near the historic Christ Church), October 21, 1808; prepared for college at Boston Latin School ; graduated at Harvard College, 1829 (in the same class with Judges George T. Bigelow and Benjamin R. Curtis, Dr. James Freeman Clarke, Dr. Chandler Robbins, Prof. Benjamin Peirce, and Oliver Wendell Holmes); took the full course in this Seminary, 1829-32. He was editor of the Baptist Missionary Magazine in Boston, 1832-33; ordained pastor of the First Baptist Church, Waterville, Me., February 12, 1834, and continuing there till 1842; professor of Modern Languages in Waterville. College, now Colby University, 1834-41 ; pastor of First Baptist Church, Newton, Mass., 1842-54, and editor of Christian Review, 1842-48; afterwards editorial secretary of the American Baptist Missionary Union for fifteen years, continuing his residence in Newton until his death.
He received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Waterville College in 1853, and was a member of its Board of Trustees, 1840-60. He published Life of Rev. Joseph Grafton, Missionary Sketches, History of Newton, Mass., and Rambles in Mission Fields. He was compiler of Lyric Gems, The Juvenile Lyre, and, with Rev. Baron Stow, of The Psalmist, the widely used hymn book of his denomination, which contained nearly thirty hymns of his own composi- tion. He wrote in his Seminary room (6 Phillips Hall) the missionary hymns, "Yes, My Native Land, I Love Thee " and " The Morning Light is Breaking," the latter having been translated into many languages. His most famous pro- duction, " America," long ago adopted as a national hymn and sung in time of war and in time of peace all over our own country and in other lands, was writ- ten at Andover in his room at Mrs. Hitchings', now Mrs. Blunt's, in Febru- ary, 1832.
The last survivor of his Seminary classmates, Rev. Elias Riggs, D.D., a lifelong missionary of the American Board, writes from Constantinople : "I
185
have today received your letter announcing the sudden death, or rather trans- lation, of my beloved classmate and friend, Dr. Samuel Francis Smith. I count it one of the distinguished privileges of my very pleasant Seminary course at Andover that I was permitted to know and love him. We two were among the youngest members of the Class of 1832, myself the youngest member of all. I presume that no other two members formed and maintained so intimate an acquaintance and friendship as did we while in the Seminary. Our difference of denomination did not prevent our free and earnest discussion on our daily walks of the deeply interesting topics which came before us in the classroom. Together also we engaged in extra studies, especially in dialects cognate with the Hebrew and Chaldee of the Old Testament. Brother Smith was one of the last to part from me and my wife when we embarked at Boston for Greece in 1832 in a little brig of only one hundred and eighty tons. After nearly a half century of varied experiences we were permitted to meet again in Constantinople in October, ISSI, on the return of Dr. and Mrs. Smith from their visits to the Burmah and Telugu missions. May I be permitted to meet him again in the ' better land !' Others can speak better than I can of his public career. It is my privilege to speak of a warm and uninterrupted personal attachment, begun before the writing of 'My Country, 'tis of Thee' or 'The Morning Light is Breaking ' and continuing through life."
Rev. Daniel L. Furber, D.D. (Class of 1846), for nearly fifty years Dr. Smith's neighbor at Newton, writes of him: "Dr. Smith held responsible posi- tions as pastor, editor, or professor for thirty-six years. After that his facile pen was always busy, and he wrote books, reviews, and an uncounted number of articles for the daily and weekly newspapers, some of which were transla- tions from the German, French, and Swedish. He was an adept in linguistic study, and could read with considerable readiness twelve or fifteen languages. In conversation he had a ready command of language, a retentive memory, and a large store of general information enlivened with anecdote. He was a lover of the beauties of the natural world, and often used them in his writings to illus- trate spiritual truth. His patriotism is known to all. Hymns and poems were written by him during the war and on patriotic occasions ever since. The lyr- ical quality of his verse, whether patriotic or religious, and the marriage of his best hymns to suitable tunes redoubled their usefulness and helped them to their world-wide popularity. In his journey to the far East he heard them sung in many languages at many missionary stations. The last year of his life gave him the consummate satisfaction of seeing how warmly he was appreciated as the author of our national hymn. His mental activity continued to the last, and while on his way to preach in a neighboring town he was suddenly and painlessly called to sing 'The Morning Light is Breaking ' in another and a brighter world."
Dr. Smith was married, September 16, 1834, to Mary White Smith, of Haverhill, Mass., daughter of Jonathan Kimball Smith and Ann White, and granddaughter of Rev. Dr. Hezekiah Smith, a chaplain in Washington's army. She survives him, with five of their nine children, three sons and two daugh- ters. The eldest son, Samuel F. Smith, is a lawyer in Davenport, Io., and Rev. Dr. Daniel A. W. Smith is president of the Baptist Theological Seminary in Burmah.
Dr. Smith died of heart disease in Boston, November 16, 1895, aged eighty-seven years and twenty-five days.
186
OLASS OF 1833.
James Radcliffe Davenport, D.D. (Non-graduate.)
Son of John Alfred Davenport and Eliza Maria Wheeler ; born in Stam- ford, Ct., November 15, 1812; prepared for college at Borland and Forest's School in Stamford, his mother having commenced his instruction in Latin when he was eight years old ; took his freshman year in Columbia College, and graduated at Yale College, 1830; studied in this Seminary, 1830-31, and in Yale Divinity School, 1832-33; tutor, Yale College, 1833-35; licensed by the New Haven West Association, April 16, 1834. He was ordained by Bedford (N.Y.) Presbytery, October 13, 1836, and was pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Rye, N. Y., 1836-38; of the Congregational Church at Francestown, N. H., 1839-42; and of the Presbyterian Church at Cazenovia, N. Y., 1842-46. He was ordained deacon in the Episcopal Church, December 19, 1847 ; priest, March 4, 1849; rector of Grace Church, Albany, N. Y., 1849-57, being also in temporary charge of St. John's Church at Christiansted, Vera Cruz, for six months in 1857; rector of St. Anne's Church, Annapolis, Md., 1858-67; in Europe, 1865-67; resided afterwards in New York City until his death, but served as assistant rector for a time at the Church of the Heavenly Rest and at St. Paul's Church ; was rector of St. Mary's Church, Mott Haven, 1878-83; officiated one year, 1883-84, at the Church of the Holy Innocents, where he preached his last sermon, May 24, 1884.
He received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Columbia College in 1878. He was one of the Examining Board of the General Theological Semi- nary and Secretary of the Clergymen's Retiring Fund Society. The following is from a tribute written for the Churchman by Bishop Henry C. Potter : " There are parishes in the city of New York which, at critical periods in their history, were mainly indebted to his wise and unselfish devotion for their con- tinued existence. To such a mind for service Dr. Davenport united a love of good learning, a clear and well-defined knowledge of the faith and order of which he had been put in trust, and culture both varied and discriminating. The books that he had read he remembered; the teachers at whose feet he most loved to sit he had sufficiently mastered ; and he held to his convictions with quiet but decided tenacity. Of a naturally devout temper, the atmosphere in which he lived was that of a chastened reverence, and, full of all kindly dis- positions himself, he made it easy for his brethren to respect and love him."
Dr. Davenport was married, September 7, 1836, to Mehitabel Woodward Newell, of Boston, Mass., daughter of Ebenezer Newell and Anna Whiting, of Natick. She survives him, with two daughters and one son, the oldest son having deceased.
Dr. Davenport died of pneumonia, in New York City, April 13, 1896, aged eighty-three years, four months, and twenty-eight days.
CLASS OF 1834.
Daniel Smith Talcott, D.D.
Son of Daniel Smith and Abigail Jewett (his name having been changed from Daniel Talcott Smith in 1864); born in Newburyport, Mass., March 7, 1813; fitted for college with Amos Pettingell (a graduate of Phillips Academy
187
in 1821) and Alfred W. Pike; graduated at Amherst College, 1831 ; studied theology in this Seminary; licensed by Essex North Association, March 12, 1834; was Abbot Resident, 1834-36 ; assistant to Professor Stuart in Hebrew, 1833-36. He was ordained, December 7, 1836, at Sherborn, Mass., and was pastor there, 1836-38, until called to the professorship of Sacred Literature in Bangor Theological Seminary, which he filled until 1881 - a period of forty- two years - residing afterwards at Bangor without charge.
Professor Talcott received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Water- ville College (now Colby University) in 1853, and from Bowdoin College in 1858. His publications were a sermon before the Maine Missionary Society in 1857, a memorial sermon prefixed to the sermons of Professor Shepard, one of the Boston Lectures on Skepticism, 1871, and several articles in the American edition of Smith's Dictionary of the Bible. Prof. Egbert C. Smyth, of Andover Seminary, furnishes this tribute : "Professor Talcott was my teacher in Hebrew and New Testament Greek. He had a clear, candid, well-trained, and thor- oughly informed mind. He was patient and faithful. I recall with especial gratitude the pains he took in Biblical interpretation to train his pupils to study a verse or clause in its connection and setting. The meaning of words, the construction of clauses and sentences, were duly regarded, but everything was looked at, if possible, in its relation to the course of thought. He was kind enough to meet some of us, in one of the students' rooms, for special and voluntary work on one of St. Paul's Epistles. He was as minute and exact in grammatical examination as Meyer, but what I have just emphasized stands out in memory, and has been of lifelong benefit. He was an accomplished scholar and superior instructor. His interpretation of Scripture was candid, thorough, spiritual. He had, in all relations, the confidence and high esteem of his pupils."
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.