USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Taunton > Quarter millinnial celebration of the city of Taunton, Massachusetts, Tuesday and Wednesday, June 4 and 5, 1889 > Part 12
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Rotch, New Bedford; Charles G. Pope, Mark F. Burns, Somerville; Arthur B. Champlin, George E. Mitchell, Chelsea; Jeremiah F. Sullivan, James E. Delaney, Holyoke; William W. French, David I. Robinson, Gloucester; Frederick G. Richards, George H. Carleton, Joseph H. Sheldon, Haverhill; J. Wesley Kimball, Hcman M. Burr, Newton; Al- bert C. Titcomb, J. Otis Winckley, Newburyport; Jeremiah Brown, Arthur Gaylord Hill, Northampton; Joseph F. Wiggin, Marcellus Cog- gan, Malden; Eli Culley, Frederick Fosdick, Fitchburg; Albert R. Wade, John J. Whipple, Brockton; Henry N. Fisher, Waltham; Charles H. Porter, Quincy; Edward F. Johnson, Woburn.
Giles Luther Leach, Vice Pres. of Day, Berkley, Mass. ; Rollin H. Bab bitt, Representative in House of Rep. from Berkley; Calvin T. Crane, Charles F. Paul, Gideon H. Babbitt, Selectmen, Berkley, Mass; Herbert A. Dean, Thomas P. Paul, Committee on Celebration, Berkley, Mass.
George Ethelbert Gooding, Vice Pres. of Day, Dighton, Mass .; Jere- miah P. Edson, James E. Macker, Charles A. Rose, Selectmen, Dighton, Mass. ; Whitman Chase, Alfred Wood Paul, George A. Shove, Committce on Celebration, Dighton, Mass.
Oakes A. Ames, Vice Pres. of Day, Easton, Mass .; Hiram Williams George Copeland, Henry W. Heath, Selectmen, Easton, Mass .; William L. Chaffin, Edward Belcher Hayward, Committee on Celebration, Eas- ton, Mass.
Erastus Maltby Reed, Vice Pres. of Day, Mansfield, Mass. ; Benjamin K. Flint, Valorus B. Hodges, Seth Carroll Shepard, Selectmen, Mansfield, Mass .; Elkanah Hall, John W. Rogers, William B. Rogerson, Conmit- tce on Celebration, Mansfield, Mass.
Austin Messinger, Vice Pres. of Day, Norton, Mass .; Charles Tower Oldfield, Charles Henry Makepeace, Oren E. Walker, Selectmen, Norton, Mass .; Samuel A. Chapin, Isaac T. Braman, George H. Talbot, Committee on Celebration, Norton, Mass.
Nathan W. Shaw, Vice Pres. of Day, Raynham, Mass .; Stephen R. Lincoln, Thomas B. Johnson, Elijah E. Williams, Selectmen, Raynham, Mass. ; Damon D. White, Joseph W. White. Jesse King, Soranus W. Hall, Charles T. Robinson, Edward F. Leonard, Alexis C. Dean, Joseph R. Presho, Elwyn S. Harlow, Cyrus Leonard, 2d, Charles B. Gardiner, Charles H. Lewis, Sidney K. B. Perkins, Edward B. Wilbur, David G. Dean, Edward B. King, Committee on Celebration, Raynham, Mass.
Mrs. Susan Tillinghast (Morton) Kimball, Boston Mass .; Mrs. Lydia (Morton) Lee, Molinc, Iowa; Mrs. Eliza Baylies (Chapin) Wheaton, Nor- ton, Mass. ; Mrs. Harriet Little (Chasc) Pulsifer, Auburn, Maine; Mrs. Leonice Marston (Sampson) Moulton, Roslyn, N. Y .; Mrs. Sarah Ann (Pease) Wadsworth, Auburn, N. Y.
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The preceding list contains only the names of guests of the city from abroad. To past mayors of the city and other residents of Taunton the courtesy was extended but their names are not included. A larger part of our guests honored the occasion with their presence. A few excused their absence with such words of interest in our celebration as should be put on record :-
[Letter from Lieut .- Governor Brackett.]
PLEASANT ST., ARLINGTON, JUNE 2, 1889. Rev. S. Hopkins Emery,
DEAR SIR :- I regret very much that by reason of illness, which con- fines me to my house, I shall not be able to attend the celebration at Taunton on Tuesday, the kind invitation to which I accepted several weeks ago.
Very truly yours, J. Q. A. BRACKETT.
[Letter from U. S. Senator Dawes.]
PITTSFIELD, MASS., MAY 31, 1889. Rev. S. Hopkins Emery, Secretary, Committee on Invitations, Taunton, Mass.
DEAR SIR :- I am in receipt of an invitation, for which I tender my cordial thanks, to become a guest of the city of Taunton on the 4th and 5th days of June and participate in the celebration of the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the founding of Taunton. It would be a pleasure indecd to accept your hospitality, to visit the city for whose river I have voted so many appropriations, to tread the turf of the fan- ous Taunton Green, to lay some humble tribute at the tomb of the ven- crated Elizabeth Poole, and to be a witness of the marvellously thrifty growth which has sprung from the seed which she sowed. It is with great regret, therefore, that I find myself compelled by the pressure of my engagements to deny myself this pleasure. Accept, my dear sir, and extend to your associates on the committee, my grateful acknowl- edgements of your courtesy and my best wishes for the success of the ceremonies of this notable occasion.
Very truly yours,
H. L. DAWES.
[Letter from U. S. Senator Hoar.]
WORCESTER, MASS., APRIL 29, 1889.
MY DEAR SIR :- I regret that I shall be absent from Massachusetts when the celebration of the 250th Anniversary of the Founding of Taun- ton will take place. Otherwise it would give me great pleasure indeed to take part in an occasion of so much interest.
I am, faithfully yours,
To Rec. S. Hopkins Emery ..
GEO. F. HOAR.
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[Letter from Chief Justice Fuller.]
WASHINGTON, D. C., MAY 25, 1889. Messrs. Richard Henry Hall, Samuel Hopkins Emery, William E. Fuller, John W. D. Hall, Henry M. Lovering, George Albert Washburn.
GENTLEMEN :- It would give me great pleasure to accept your invi- tation to participate in the ceremonies attendant upon the celebration " of the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the founding of Taunton, but my engagements are such that I find myself, to my regret, entirely unable to do so.
Pray accept my acknowledgments of your courtesy and believe me,
Very truly yours, M. W. FULLER.
[Letter from Chief Justice Brigham.]
NEW BEDFORD, MAY 31, 1889.
Rev. S. Hopkins Emery, Secretary of the Committee on Invitations to the Celebration of the Two Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of the founding of Taunton.
MY DEAR SIR :- My delay in replying to the gracious invitation of the committec whose representative you are, has been due to the hope that I might be able to attend and participate in the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of Taunton.
I now find that official duties will constrain me to be here, on the days of your celebration, to my great disappointment.
Yours truly,
LINCOLN F. BRIGHAM.
[Letter from Judge Davis.]
PLYMOUTH, MAY 3, 1889.
DEAR SIR :- I regret that the state of my health will prevent me from undergoing the fatigue of enjoying your anniversary services on the 4th and 5th of June, which as a native of the Old Colony, I should be glad to attend. Old Plymouth is connected with Taunton by many interesting associations, historically, socially, and in business and law.
Yours truly,
Rev. S. Hopkins Emery, Secretary.
CHAS G. DAVIS.
[Letter from State Librarian Tillinghast.]
BOSTON, MAY 31, 1889. Rec. S. Hopkins Emery, Secretary of the Committee on Invitations.
MY DEAR SIR :- I am honored and obliged by the kind invitation of your committee to participate in the ceremonies at the celebration of the quarter millennial anniversary of the founding of Taunton, but re- gret that I shall be obliged to forego the pleasure of its acceptance.
For two centuries and a half the people of Taunton have illustrated the development of the intelligence, the virtue and the patriotism which unite to form the basis of New England civilization. It is well to honor the founders, as well as their descendants who have cherished, defended and preserved the independence and purity of its civil life, including the
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long roll of her sons, eminent for their ability and their high ideal of public service, which the municipality has furnished to the Colony, the Province and the Commonwealth.
Yours very truly,
C. B. TILLINGHAST.
[Letter from the Secretary of the New England Historic Genealogical Society. Soci- ety's House, 18 Somerset Street, Boston, Mass.]
TUESDAY, MAY 7, 1889. Rev. S. Hopkins Emery, Secretary of the Committee on Invitations.
DEAR SIR :- I thank the Committee for their invitation to attend the Quarter Millenary Celebration of the Founding of Taunton. I am sorry to say that I shall not be able to accept it; for it would give me great pleasure to be present on the occasion and assist in doing honor to the memory of those who have aided in raising your city to its present im- portant place among the cities of New England; and particularly to the hardy men and courageous women who, two centuries and a half ago, made a home in this New World wilderness, and named it Taunton "in honor and love, " to use their own words, to their " dear native country."
Respectfully yours,
JOHN WARD DEAN.
[Letter from Rev. C. H. Payne ]
NEW YORK, May 4, 1889. To Richard Henry Hall and others, Committee on Invitations, Taunton, Mass.
GENTLEMEN :- I have the honor of acknowledging the receipt of your kind invitation to attend the 250th Anniversary of the founding of Taunton on the 4th and 5th of June next. I deeply regret that previous engagements will prevent my being present on that interesting occasion.
I had the honor to be born in the goodly town of Taunton, and bear a name honored in its annals and distinguished throughout our entire nation. I have always been proud of my birth place, and it would give me unfeigned pleasure to participate in the interesting exercises of the occasion to which you invite me.
Please accept my thanks for the invitation, and my cordial good wishes and desire that the day may be as full of interest and good cheer as your highest anticipations compass. With sentiments of personal esteem, I am,
Sincerely yours,
C. H. PAYNE.
[Letter from Rev. Phillips Brooks,]
Mr. Phillips Brooks acknowledges with many thanks the invitation which he has received to be present at the 250th Anniversary of the City of Taunton; and regrets exceedingly that he cannot accept it.
Boston, May 27, 1889.
[Letter from Rev. R. S. Storrs.]
BROOKLYN, N. Y., MAY 3, 1889.
REV. AND DEAR SIR :- I am honored by the invitation of the Com- mittee on the Celebration of the 250th Anniversary of the Founding of
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Taunton-an invitation so kindly communicated by you-and am hearti- ly sorry that it is not in my power to accept it. My engagements are such for the weeks intervening between this and the last of June as to make it impossible for me to be at Taunton on the days named, or on either of them. I remember Taunton very well as it was fifty six years ago, when as a lad I was there for a day or two. I have rarely seen it since, but the early impression of its beauty and prosperity is still strong withi me, and I have rejoiced to know from others that its promise of that day has been more than fulfilled in its subsequent charming, busy, and wealthy expansion. I never forget, and shall never forget, my early associations with the towns and villages of Eastern Massachusetts; and every anniversary celebration in any of them, of which I know, gives a fresli impulse to my backward-looking thoughts and love.
Please to present to the Committee my thanks and my regrets, and believe me, my dear sir, with great regard,
Ever faithfully yours.
The Reverend S. Hopkins Emery.
R. S. STORRS.
(Letter from Rev. Thomas J. Conaty.)
PARIS, MAY 18, 1SS9.
Rev. S. Hopkins Emery.
MY DEAR SIR :- Will you kindly assure your committee of the very great pleasure given me by their "Invitation, " which was forwarded to me from Worcester and which I received here yesterday. As I have been obliged to seek relief from work by a trip abroad, I regret that I cannot enjoy the privilege of returning "Home " as a son of Taunton to rejoice with our good old city, on her prosperous length of days. I am very grateful to your committee for kindly remembering me and I beg you to assure them that though distant from my old and cherished home during those days of rejoicing, I join with all who will enjoy her hospitality in wishing to our goodly city, a renewal of her youth and years of greater prosperity and happiness to all who will seek shelter within her boundaries. I rejoice with you and regret my absence from your festivities.
I am yours respectfully,
THOMAS J. CONATY.
(Letter from Bishop Paddock.)
BOSTON, MAY 4, 1889. The Rev. S. Hopkins Emery, Secretary, etc., etc.
DEAR SIR :- It would give me much pleasure to be present at the most interesting and valuable Historical Commemoration to which you do me the lionor to invite me. But imperative official engagements make it impossible.
I am, sir, yours sincerely, BENJ. H. PADDOCK, Bishop of Massachusetts.
(Letter from Bishop Clark.)
PROVIDENCE, R. I., APRIL 27, 1889.
MY DEAR OLD FRIEND :- I would like to look upon your face again and wish that I were in a condition to accept the very kind invitation of your committee, for I have many pleasant recollections of Taunton, but
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I am not strong enough to bear the fatigue and excitement incident to such occasions. Please express my warmest thanks for the honor I have received from the authorities of your beautiful city, and be sure that I have not forgotten the days when we dwelt together in Amherst. How few there are left, who started with us in the race!
Very affectionately yours,
THOMAS M. CLARK.
(Letter from Bishop Harkins.) .
PROVIDENCE, MAY 27, 1889.
REV. DEAR SIR :- The kind invitation extended to me by the Com- mitttee in charge of the Celebration of the 250th Anniversary of the founding of Taunton has been received. It would indeed be a pleasure for me to join with the citizens in the joyful commemoration of this event; and, with thanksgiving for the blessings of so many years, to wish to the city every kind of prosperity in the years to come.
But a previous engagement obliges me to be in Boston on the days appointed for your celebration, and thus renders it impossible for me to attend.
With grateful recognition of your kind courtesy, I am, Yours respectfully,
MATTHEW HARKINS, Bishop of Providence.
(Letter from Bishop Leonard, sometime of Washington, now of Ohio.)
WASHINGTON, D. C., MAY 20, 1889.
DEAR DR. EMERY :- I greatly regret that I cannot be present at your great celebration on June 4th. next. But since I wrote last, I find that on that evening I must be home to marry Mr. Justice Gray, of the Supreme Court, to Miss Matthews-a parishioner, and daughter of the late Justice Stanley Matthews-I am much disappointed as I had intend- ed being with you. Please express my profound regrets to your col- leagues, and to my excellent and revered friend, Capt. Hall.
What a day it will be for old Taunton! Shades of my forefathers- how it would rejoice their venerable hearts!
Faithfully,
W. A. Leonard.
(Letter from General Couch.)
NORWALK, CONN., MAY 7, 1889. My Dear Rev. S. Hopkins Emery, Secretary of Committee on Celebration, etc., etc., Taunton, Mass.
I have delayed answering the honored invitation of your Committee until this time, hoping the way might be clear for me to be present upon so interesting an event in the history of Taunton, but am now sorry to say that I shall not be able to join my friends and former fellow-citizens in its 250th Anniversary.
My wife desires me to present her thanks for your courtesy to her, with regrets that she will not be able to attend as a guest of the city.
Trusting that the Celebration will be successful, and with many kind wishes for its participants,
I am, very truly, D. N. Conch.
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(Letter from President Angell.)
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, ANN ARBOR, APRIL 29, 1889.
MY DEAR SIR :- I beg to acknowledge my indebtedness to the com- mittee for the courtesy of an invitation to attend the 250th Anniversary of the founding of Taunton.
I deeply regret that my engagements will prevent me from accept- ing the invitation. The story of few of the old New England towns is so interesting and important as that of Taunton. As one connected by marriage with the Caswells of Taunton, I have a personal interest in the celebration.
Yours truly,
Rev. S. Hopkins Emery, Taunton.
JAMES B. ANGEL.L.
(Letter from Professor Talcott.)
BANGOR, ME., JUNE 1, 1889.
To the Committee on Invitations, Taunton, Mass.
GENTLEMEN :- Please accept my thanks for the kind invitation sent me to be present at your approaching celebration. I have long desired that it might at some future time be in my power to make a pilgrimage to the old historic city of Taunton, and the more especially in view of the fact that one of the mnost warmly cherished friends of my youth. (although my junior in age,) whose name it is pleasant to recognize among your number, has been for many years largely identified with the best interests of your community.
The programme of your proposed celebration is certainly most at- tractive, and I trust that the weather may be such as to allow of its being carried out in a manner worthy of the spirit which has planned it, and such as to secure to the multitudes that will be in attendance, an ample measure of enjoyment and of profit.
Be assured, Gentlemen, that it is with no ordinary regret that I feel myself obliged to say that just at the present time, peculiar circum- stances forbid me to be absent from home.
I am, Gentlemen, yours with high consideration and respect,
D. S. TALCOTT.
(Letter from Hon. Robert C. Winthrop.)
BROOKLINE, MASS., MAY 21, 1889.
Hon. R."H.THall, Chairman, Rev. S. H. Emery, Secretary.
GENTLEMEN :- I thank you and your associates on the Committee, for including me among the invited guests of the City of Taunton for the 4th and 5th of June next. It would afford me great pleasure to unite with you in celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the founding of the most ancient town of Bristol County, and in recalling the memory of its Worthies, from the days of Elizabeth Pool to those of the Baylies, and Crockers whom I have known and valued personally. But I dare not contemplate the fatigues of such an occasion, and can only offer you my grateful acknowledgments of the invitation, with my sincere regrets that I am unable to accept it.
Believe me, Gentlemen, resp'y and truly yours, ROBT. C. WINTHROP.
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(Letter from Hon. John D. Long.)
HINGHAM, APR., 27, 1889.
MY DEAR SIR :- I am in receipt of the kind invitation of the city of Taunton to the celebration of its 250th Anniversary. If my engage- ments will permit I shall be happy to attend, but I fear that on the 4th and 5th of June next, I shall be so engaged that I cannot do so.
With many thanks for the courtesy I am,
Rev. S. Hopkins Emery.
Truly yours, JOHN D. LONG.
(Letter from Hon. Alexander H. Rice.)
BOSTON, JUNE 3, 1889. R. II. Hall, Esq., Chairman, etc., Taunton, Mass.
MY DEAR SIR :- I extremely regret that an unexpected engagement beyond my control, compels me to be in Boston to-morrow and the next day; and consequently deprives me of the anticipated pleasure of at- tending the commemorative festival in Taunton, this week.
Believe me not less appreciative of the courtesy of your committee in this kind invitation.
Very truly yours, ALEXANDER H. RICE.
(Letter from Hon. George D. Robinson.)
CHICOPEE, MASS., MAY 14, 1889. Rev. S. Hopkins Emery, Taunton Mass.
DEAR SIR ;- I am under great obligations for the honor of the invi- tation in behalf of the City of Taunton to participate in the ceremonies of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the City, and regret to say in reply that I am constrained, by reason of engage- ments which I cannot avoid, to forego the pleasure of an acceptance. Accept my sincere wishes for the highest enjoyment of all who shall be in attendance or interested in the event, and for the continued pros- perity of the City and the happiness of all her people.
Yours truly, GEO. D. ROBINSON.
(Letter from Hon. E. Rockwood Hoar.)
CONCORD, MAY 18, 1889.
Messrs. Richard Henry Hall, Samuel Hopkins Emery and others, Commit- tee on Invitations.
GENTLEMEN :- I am much honored by the invitation of the City of Taunton to be present as its guest and participate in the ceremonies at the celebration of the 250th Anniversary of the founding of Taunton, on the 4th and 5th of June of this year, and regret extremely that my state of health will not allow me to accept it.
The history of so old a New England town, and the memories be- longing to one of such honorable distinction as Taunton, make the occasion one of great interest; and especially attractive to me, not only from pleasant relations to some of your citizens in days gone by, but from the pleasure I should expect in hearing my valued friend, Judge
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Bennett, who is, as I am informed, to deliver the historical address- and in witnessing the growth and prosperity which have marked the advance of the beautiful town into the thriving city.
With my best wishes for the success of your celebration,
I am, Gentlemen, very respectfully your obliged friend, E. R. HOAR.
(Letter[from John Wilson Smith, Esq.)
PROVIDENCE, MAY 17, 1889.
To the Committee on Invitations, Rev. S. Hopkins Emery, Secretary, Taun- ton, Mass.
GENTLEMEN :- It is with great pleasure I acknowledge the receipt of your kind invitation to attend the celebration, on the 4th and 5th of June proximo, of the 250th Anniversary of the founding of Taunton, but regret that I shall be unable to give myself the gratification of ac- cepting it.
It would be an especial satisfaction to be present on the interesting occasion, for on my paternal side I trace my ancestry from John Smith Sen'r, one of the proprietors of Taunton in 1639,-died 1691,-who mar- ried Jael Packer,-to John Jr .- married Mary Godfrey,-to Job,-mar- ried Hannalı Barney, grand daughter of Rev. Samuel Danforth, Jun'r,- to John Wilson,-married Susanna Tillinghast,-to William Henry, my father, -- married Mary Chaplin Avery.
Sincerely thanking you for including me among your invited guests, I am very respectfully, your obd't serv't, JOHN WILSON SMITH.
(Letter from Charles W. Thrasher, Esq.)
SPRINGFIELD, MO., MAY 28, 1889. Messrs. Richard Henry Hall, Samuel Hopkins Emery, John Williams Dean Hall, William Eddy Fuller, Henry Morton Lovering, George Al- bert Washburn, Committee on Invitations.
GENTLEMEN :- Please accept my sincere thanks for your kind and cordial invitation, to be present on the 5th of June next at the Celebra- tion of the 250th Anniversary of the founding of Taunton. It would af- ford me much pleasure to be present on the occasion mentioned, but business engagements render it impossible. I shall never forget your beautiful and grand Old City, and the many kind friends I left there. The anniversary of the founding of a town in the state of Massachusetts, having an existence of two and one half centuries, could not be other- wise than interesting. The history of the old towns of Massachusetts most conspicuously illustrates the influences and traits of character, which have made America the wonder and admiration of the world. One who has never lived in the great west can hardly understand or appreci- ate the vast and beneficent influence of New England and her stern Puri- tanical institutions and principles, in molding the development and civilization of this entire Continent. I am assured that your Celebra- tion will not only prove a success, but will also be unusually interesting; and I much regret that I am unable to share with you its pleasures and benefits.
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With my best wishes for the grand old city of Taunton, and its good people, and for its and their future prosperity, I am
Respectfully yours,
CHARLES W. THRASHER.
(Letter from George A. Crocker, Esq.)
NEW YORK, MAY 10, 1889.
MY DEAR MR. EMERY :- I am in receipt of the very pleasant invita- tion to be present in the City of Taunton on the 5th of June, and am much gratified at being thus remembered. It would certainly give me great pleasure to attend the interesting ceremonies, but I can see now that it will be impossible for me to do so. I am sorry to be deprived of so pleasant an experience as this celebration in Taunton, for though it is many years since I left the good old place, I still cherish the fondest recollections of all the associations of my early life there. With cordial regards for yourself and the other gentlemen of your committee, believe me, Very sincerely yours,
GEO. A. CROCKER.
(Letter from Ex-Gov. Joseph H. Williams of Maine.)
AUGUSTA, MAINE, May 22, 1889.
GENTLEMEN :- I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your invitation to visit Taunton on the 4th and 5th of June next, as a guest of that city, and to participate in the ceremonies of the occasion, which you intend to make a most attractive memorial of the early Fathers.
I would gladly avail myself of the generous hospitality of your city to pay the humble tribute of my presence, at least, at the time and place appointed to manifest our pious interest in the early period before Cohannet became Taunton-but the state of my health will not permit me to take a journey at this time, and to undergo the fatigue incident to a full appreciation and enjoyment of the celebration you have in view.
Permit me to add that I shall regret my absence from your festi - vities the more because, within a few weeks, I have received from Eng- land some interesting items of intelligence about my ancestor Richard Williams, prior to his emigration; and if I could be present, and were to be called upon to say a word or two, at some suitable stage of your proceedings, I am quite sure the authentic facts I have learned would impart a grateful flavor to whatever I might feel moved to say concern- ing Deacon Richard and his well born wife-Frances Dighton.
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