USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Professional and industrial history of Suffolk County, Massachusetts, Volume II > Part 48
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NATHANIEL THAYER.
NATHANIEL THAYER Was the youngest of three sons of Rev. Nathaniel Thayer, D. D., of Lancaster, Mass,, in which town he was born Sep-
John C. Haynes.
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tember 11, 1808. His father was the honored and revered minister of Lancaster for nearly fifty years, and a lineal descendant on the maternal side of the famous John Cotton. The son's school education was re- ceived wholly at Lancaster, but among his teachers at the little local academy were such inspired masters as Jared Sparks, George B. Em- erson and Solomon P. Miles. At the age of sixteen he came to Boston and began his business career.
When he arrived at maturity he was received as a partner by his eldest brother, John E. Thayer, who had established a prosperous banking and brokerage business in Boston. This was at the time when railroad building had just fairly begun, and the firm of John E. Thayer & Co. early took a leading part in these enterprises. Their banking business indeed related largely to the railroad enterprises which have opened the West to intercourse and traffic, and it yielded a liberal for- tune to both partners. To a considerable extent, however, these enterprises were conducted as separate risks. Among the earliest in which Nathaniel Thayer was concerned were certain railroads in New York State, which later were consolidated as the New York Central system. Subsequently he took a leading part in the completion of the Michigan Central road, which was originally projected as a State enter- prise, or one to which the State contributed a loan for the building. When about one hundred and fifty mites were constructed under this arrangement, a season of depression followed, and the bonds issued by the State fell into the hands of New York parties. Mr. Thayer in- terested himself with these bondholders and furnished the capital to finish the road, the total extent of which was 285 miles. It was his enterprise rather than theirs, their aim being the conservative one of making good the bonds which they held. Mr. Thayer had not only am- ple pecuniary resources, but the courage to apply them under circum- stances which more cautious, or perhaps it should be said less sanguine, persons regarded as hazardous. The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was another enterprise, the construction and early snecess of which were mainly owing to Mr. Thayer's prescience and vigorous handling as a railroad man, and this proved one of the most profitable of his undertakings. The financial advancement of the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad was originally undertaken by John E. Thayer, but after his decease Mr. Thayer assumed the burden and carried it through. The Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore road was one in which the two brothers were concerned financially. Other railroad
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schemes of less magnitude engaged from time to time the attention of Nathaniel Thayer. Not all of these prospered at once, and a few not at all. The great rise in values after the panic of 1843 had spent its force, which took place from 1878 to 1880, yielded large returns to Mr. Thayer, who was an extensive holder in the panic period of Western railroad stocks which were intrinsically good. These pecuniary helps to Western railroad schemes were not wholly from Mr. Thayer's own exchequer, but to a considerable extent came from Boston capitalists who had confidence in his judgment. Still his investments in these cases largely outranked others, and the result of this energy and enter- prise, whatever it may have brought to individuals, has contributed in a much greater degree to the general wealth of the country, in the development of the agricultural and other resources of vast areas of virgin soil. It is due largely to men like Mr. Thayer that in a very high sense Boston has become the great counting-room of American railroads; and not all railroad men of the present time can form an adequate idea of the financial, legal and technical difficulties with which Mr. Thayer's generation coped so wonderfully well when they con- solidated great roads and pushed others into the wilderness. He illus- trated the fact that railroads are not so much the result of natural growth as of a well directed intelligence and indomitable energy.
Mr. Thaver's brother died in 1852 and from that time until about three years before his death, which occurred March 2, 1883, when fail- ing health debarred him from participation in business pursuits, Mr. Thayer continued the banking business alone with unvarying success. Upon his retirement the firm was succeeded by the well known banking house of Kidder, Peabody & Co.
Mr. Thayer was one of the most munificent benefactors of Harvard University, to which his brother was also a generous giver in the form of scholarships. His direct benefactions to the university exceeded $250,000, exclusive of the sums distributed through channels of his own choosing as pecuniary aid to students in the university and to scholars in preparation for it. In 1865 he performed for the institution what at the time was a most needed service, in providing in accordance with a suggestion by the Rev. Dr. Peabody a place and means for such stu- dents as wished to avail themselves of a common hall for boarding in company, and at reasonable rates, after the former arrangements for the purpose had been given up and before the dining room in Memorial Hall was ready for use. To this end he caused to be enlarged consid-
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erably a building fronting on Harvard square and formerly used as a railroad station. As thus reconstructed it was called " Thayer Com- mon Hall." During the same year substantially in service of the University, he generously assumed the whole cost of Professor Agas- siz's vigorous and most fruitful visit of exploration and research in South America known as the "Thayer Expedition." This was in the interest of high science and it has proved the basis and instigation of advanced stages already reached, and of infinite progress still inviting its pupils. It is believed that the only hesitaney in facing the known and possible obligations to which Mr. Thayer committed himself in this enterprise, was in his humorous lament to Professor Agassiz as to the enormous amount of alcohol needed to prepare the fishes of which he appeared to empty the ocean.
Thayer Hall, erected in 1820, was designed by the donor as a memorial gift commemorative of his father and of his brother, John E. Thayer. It is one of the largest structures on the college grounds, and is used as a dormitory. Another of the admirable provisions made by Mr. Thayer, through his friend Professor Gray, in meeting the ever multiplying needs of the university, was in erecting and furnishing in 1874 the fire-proof herbarium on the grounds of the Botanic Garden. In 1866 he received the degree of Master of Arts from Harvard College, and in 1868 was elected a Fellow of the Corporation, a very exceptional compliment but once before paid to one not an alumnus. He was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and Massa- chusetts Historical Society, and honorary member of the Berlin Geographical Society. He served as president of the corporation of the Massachusetts General Hospital, of which institution he was also a liberal benefactor.
Mr. Thayer was married June 10, 1846, to Cornelia, daughter of General Stephen Van Rensselaer, of Albany, N. Y. They had seven children, five of whom are still living, four sons and one daughter. The latter years of Mr. Thayer's life were spent mostly at Lancaster, where he had built a fine home among the elms that shaded the old parsonage where his revered father and mother lived and died. He was tenderly loyal to old acquaintanceships and greatly enjoyed revisiting and renew- ing the memories of his boyhood days. He was ever a cheerful giver to all philanthropic objects. His liberality was, however, wisely dis- criminate in its aims and independent in method, while the modest dignity associated with his every act prompted him to shun all public-
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ity. In personal appearance and in character Mr. Thayer was a man to command respect. He was tall and broad shouldered ; dignified in manner, and with a face that was marked both by amiability and decision of character.
JAMES LOVELL LITTLE.
JAMES LOVELL LITTLE, for many years one of the most prominent factors in the business life of Boston, was born in Marshfield, Mass., April 1, 1810, and was a son of Captain Luther and Hannah (Lovell) Little. The first ancestor of the family in America was Thomas Lit- tle, who came from Devonshire, England, and settled in Plymouth, Mass., in 1630, and is said to have been a lawyer. Ile married in 1633 Ann, daughter of Richard Warren, one of the Mayflower pilgrims, and in 1650 removed to East Marshfield, where he built a house still in the possession of his descendants, and where he died March 12, 1611. That he was a man of respectable and affluent family is reasonably conjectured from the fact stated in some old papers that he brought with him to Plymouth four bound men servants. The name of his wife's father, Richard Warren, is found in the Mayflower list of pas- sengers in Prince's Chronology, in which his death is thus recorded : " This year (1628) dies Mr. Richard Warren, a useful instrument, and bears a deep share in the difficulties attending the settlement of New Plymouth ;" while the Plymouth Colony Records contain frequent references to him and members of his family. To Thomas and Ann (Warren) Little were born eight children, four sons and four daughters. Thomas, the eldest son, was killed by the Indians at the Rehoboth fight in 1616. The other children in order of birth were Samuel, Ephraim, Isaac, Hannah (married Stephen Tilden), Mercy (married John Sawyer), Ruth and Patience.
Ephraim Little, the third son of the pilgrim, Thomas Little, and the ancestor in direct line of our subject, was born in Marshfield, May 1 ;. 1650, He married in 1642, Mary, daughter of Samuel Sturtevant, of Plymouth, and had children as follows: Ephraim, born 1623, graduated at Harvard College in 1695, and was ordained pastor of the Plymouth Church in 1699; Ruth, born in 16:5 and died in infancy: David, born in 1681 and settled as a lawyer at Scituate; John, born 1683; Ruth, born November 23, 1686, married November 23, 1210, John Avery,
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son of Robert and Elizabeth ( Lane) Avery, of Dedham; Ann and Mary. Ephraim Little, sr., died November 24, 116, and his wife February 10, 1:12. Both were buried at Scituate.
John Little, son of Ephraim, and great-grandfather of our subjeet, was a magistrate, a large land owner, and had several slaves. He married in 120; Constant Forbes, of Little Compton, R. I., and was a valuable and highly useful citizen. Of their eight children, Fobes, the eldest, was graduated at Harvard in 1221, became a physician at Little Compton; John removed to Windham; William to Lebanon, Conn. To each of these three sons the father gave a farm: to Fobes one in Little Compton, to John one in Columbia, Conn., and to William one in Lebanon, Conn. To each of his three other sons, Ephraim, Thomas and Lemuel, was given a farm in East Marshfield. Of the two daugh- ters, Anna married a White, and Ruth an Oakman. John Little died February 26. 1262, and his wife June 29. 1111.
Lemuel Little, youngest son of John and grandfather of our subject, was born December 8, 1224, and December 28. 16, was married to Penelope Ames. He died December 30, 1798, and his wife August 26, 1803. Their children were Lemuel, jr., Olive, George, Luther, James. Mercy, Mary, Persis, William and Jane. Of these George and Luther distinguished themselves as commanders in the navy during the Revo- lutionary War. A son of the former, Edward P., was a greatly re- spected and influential citizen of Marshfield during the first half of the present century, and also representative in Congress. He left several children among whom is Amos R. Little, a prominent business man of Philadelphia.
Captain Luther Little, son of Lemuel and father of our subjeet, was born April 15, 1136, and lived in the old homestead at East Marshfield. At the age of nineteen, while serving as a naval officer under his more distinguished brother, he received a grape-shot wound in the face dur- ing the action between the Protector and the Admiral Duff. He was long disabled, losing his speech for two years, but it eventually was almost entirely recovered. After his recovery he made many voyages as a merchant captain. Captain Little was twice married: first in 1188 to Susanna White, a direct descendant of Peregrine White. The issue of this marriage were two children, Luther, jr., and Susanna. His second wife, to whom he was married January 1, 1298, was Hannah Lovell, a daughter of the distinguished General Solomon Lovell, who was a descendant in the fifth generation from Robert Lovell, who was
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a member of the company led by Rev. Joseph Hull which was gathered in Somerset, Worcester and Dorchester, England, and came to America in the summer of 1635, settling at Wessaguscus (now Weymouth Mass. )
During the French and Indian war General Lovell rendered valuable service, and early entered actively into the military service of the State of Massachusetts in the Revolutionary War, his commission as colonel of the Second Regiment being dated February 6, 1126. On the 24th of June, 1112, he was elected by the Council brigadier-general of the militia of Suffolk county, a position of the highest importance, since it made him subordinate only to the department officer appointed by the Continental Congress, the military commander of Boston, and virtually of the Eastern District, which covered nearly the whole of New Eng- land, a position that he retained to the close of the war-a period of six years of constant watchfulness and preparation; sufficient proof that his services were eminently satisfactory to the people over whom he was placed, and in whom was vested the power of removal at any time. He was commander of the famous Penobscot expedition, and in every station admirably acquitted himself as a brave and efficient soldier.
The children of Captain Little by his second marriage were Sarah Lovell, William Fobes, Solomon, Hannah, Priscilla, Lydia, James Lovell and Olive. Captain Little died March 22, 1842, living to the advanced age of eighty-six, retaining up to the time of his death re- markable vigor of mind and body. His second wife died May 3, 1826.
James Lovell Little, the seventh child of Captain Little and Hannah (Lovell) Little, was born at the old homestead, on the spot first settled by the common American ancestor, Thomas Little. He received his education in the schools of Marshfield during the winter months, the remainder of the year being spent in agricultural pursuits on the paternal farm. The first eleven years of his life were those of the boy of those times upon the New England farm. He was then apprenticed to a cabinet maker in Weymouth, but the trade was not to his liking, and after seven months' trial he ran away and returned home, where he remained till November 3, 1825, when he came to Boston to begin a business career in which he was destined to achieve notable success. The journey from Marshfield to Boston in those days was something of an undertaking and little appreciated at this advanced period of rail- road traveling. It was made by stage and consumed the time from seven in the morning until eight or nine in the evening. Upon his
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arrival in Boston young Little entered the store of B. I. Leeds, a retail dry goods and notion dealer on Washington street below Boylston street, the position of general utility boy having previously been secured for him by his uncle, W. IF. Montague. Here he remained for two years, receiving as compensation $?5 per annum and his board, his duties consisting of being on hand at 6 A.M., opening, closing and sweeping the store, making fires, cleaning lamps, and such other similar work he might be called upon to perform. It is evident that he kept his eyes and ears open, for when in December, 1827, he was asked by his cousin, Mr. Montague, of the firm of Montague & Guild, also retail dry goods dealers, to assume the lease and stock of their firm. as they desired to move, he went to Mr. Leeds and told him of the offer. Leeds sought to persuade him from assuming such an undertaking, when in reply he told Mr. Leeds he did not like the way his business was looking and that he thought he would fail. Leeds then said he thought he had better go. Sixty days thereafter Leeds did fail, proving the correctness of young Little's prediction. Little accepted the proffer of Montague & Guild, and thus at the age of seventeen we find the country lad fairly launched in business for him- self. He ran the business very successfully and to the satisfaction of all parties concerned till the lease expired, when he began the same business on his own account and continued in it up to 1835. In the autumn of that year, when the firm of George Howe & Co. was organ- ized for the importation of dry goods, he became a member of the firm. Being particularly adapted to the duties of purchasing agent abroad, he was selected by his partners to represent them in that capacity in England, Scotland and France. While thus engaged he formed the acquaintance of the leading manufacturers and bankers in those coll- tries, and derived no small benefit from his association with them in the disastrous panic of 183 ;.
He remained in Europe until the fall of 1836, and on his return home severed his connection with the firm of George Hlowe & Co., which was then dissolved. He next became a partner in the firm of Eliphalet Baker & Co., also importers of dry goods, and again repaired to Eu- rope in 1837 to represent the new firm in his old capacity. It was then that his previous fiscal and manufacturing acquaintanceship proved to be so advantageous. He was able to obtain large invoices of goods on his own credit, and these, when sold in the United States, netted hand- some profits. ITis connection with Eliphalet Baker & Co. lasted until 1843.
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In January of the year named Mr. Little, in connection with Paul Alden and William Munroe, jr., formed the firm of Little, Alden & Co., and began the business of dry goods importation at Old Julian Hall, corner of Milk and Congress streets, which was remodeled into one of the finest business buildings then in Boston. The importations of the firm were large, the demands for their goods being great even from New York and Philadelphia firms. The firm remained unchanged un- til the death of Mr. Alden, when the firm name was changed to James L. Little & Co., their business quarters in the mean time, however, hav- ing been removed to Federal street. Importations from Europe were made by the firm until 1858, when this branch of trade was relin- juished. The firm was dissolved in 1883, when Mr. Little retired to private life.
Mr. Little was one of the original incorporators of the Pacific Mills of Lawrence, and when they went into operation in 1853 the firm of Little, Alden & Co. became the selling agents of their products. This relation was vested principally in the senior partner, who by his active efforts had materially contributed to the inauguration of that great in- dustry. The first product of the Pacific Mills came upon the market after a period of suspension, and similar mills at that time were not do- ing a profitable business. By the energy, enterprise and good judgment of Mr. Little, however, the Pacific Mills were made to pay a handsome dividend at the close of the first year's business, and it was to him in a great measure that they owed their subsequent prosperity.
In the panie of 185; the Pacific Mills Company was compelled to ask for an extension of its obligations. The firm of Little, Alden & Co., being endorser to a large amount of this paper, was in consequence obliged to suspend payment for a while; but in three months all its obligations were met with the interest acerned. At that momentous erisis, the courageous determination of Mr. Little to sustain this man- ufacturing organization inspired the wavering with confidence, and gave new zeal to many who had been dispirited by the numerous de- pressing circumstances to which all business, and particularly the new branches of American industrial art, were subjected.
After the death in 1814 of Hon. J. Wiley Edmands, who had been treasurer and purchasing agent of the Pacific Mills, Mr. Little was chosen to that position, which he held until his resignation in 1880. His incumbency of this important trust represented perhaps the most prosperous period in the history of the mills. When Mr. Little re-
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signed the Pacific Mills were the best equipped, as far as machinery was concerned, of any mill in the county. During the last year of his ad- ministration there was more new machinery put in than in any previous year in the history of the corporation. Despite this consequent large expenditure, there was paid that year a dividend of twenty-two per cent. out of the earnings, and a considerable addition was made to the surplus fund. During the ten years ending with Mr. Little's adminis- tration, over $200,000 a year had been spent in new machinery and in making repairs. To this great corporation he gave most earnest and thoughtful care, and to his mercantile sagacity and rare business judg- ment in the most critical period of its history, its final success was largely due. These mills now constitute one of the most remarkable and useful industrial organizations in the United States, or even in the world. Associated with Mr. Little in their operations during the earlier years of their existence were some of the foremost business men of New England, prominent among whom were Abbott Lawrence, J. Wiley Edmands and others equally well known for their connection with the inauguration of the cotton and woolen mills of New England.
While holding the responsible and onerous position as treasurer of Pacific Mills, Mr. Little continued as the controlling and directing spirit of the firm of James L. Little & Co., the selling agents of that organiza- tion. Several years previously a branch house had been established at New York, and from these two centers an immense business was trans- acted all over the United States. Mr. Little also was president of the Kearsage Mills at Portsmouth, the Middlesex Corporation, and of the Boston Gas Light Company. He was also a director in the Second Na- tional Bank, and during the year of absence of President Jas. H. Beal, Mr. Little assumed the duties. He was overseer of the poor of Boston, trustee of Mt. Auburn Cemetery, and held various other important positions. In comparatively recent years he acquired valuable real es- tate in the business center of Boston, to the improvement of which he, aided by his sons, devoted much time and attention.
During his active business life, Mr. Little found time to advance the interest of the community at large in various ways. He was one of the first corporators of the Institute of Technology, and for years served as an efficient trustee of this valuable educational institution. By Gov- ernor Bullock he was appointed trustee of the Massachusetts General Hospital; held the office acceptably for some years, and took deep in- terest in the objects and prosperity of that worthy State charity. For
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many years he was a member of the reorganized board of overseers of the poor. The Agassiz Museum at Cambridge also received his hearty support, while his contributions to private charity and philanthropic ob- jeets were constant and liberal.
In politics Mr. Little was originally a Whig, and subsequently an earnest Republican, but he never sought nor desired political prefer- ment, although many times strongly urged to take prominent political offices. A man of his positive characteristics, however, could not be indifferent to the claims of his country, nor neutral in the strife of par- ties when the contest raged around clearly defind and influential issues. Throughout the late civil war his thoughts and energies were tasked to the uttermost in securing recruits for the patriotic armies, in minister- ing to the wants of soldiers' families, and in encouraging, by voice and example, all who were doubtful and faint-hearted to rouse themselves to the support of the national government, and to give it their warmest sympathies. Indeed, he gave his time, money and talents, without stint, to push the struggle to a victorious close. He was one of eight gentlemen in Boston who in February, 1863, organized the Union Club, a patriotic organization, similar to the Union League of Phila- delphia. This club ran through a prosperous and influential career; lent effective aid to the Union cause, and did much to suppress latent and avowed disaffection to the administration of President Lincoln.
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