Standard history of Essex county, Massachusetts, embracing a history of the county from its first settlement to the present time, with a history and description of its towns and cities. The Most historic county of America., Part 121

Author: Tracy, Cyrus M. (Cyrus Mason), 1824-1891, et al. Edited by H. Wheatland
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Boston, C. F. Jewett
Number of Pages: 450

USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Standard history of Essex county, Massachusetts, embracing a history of the county from its first settlement to the present time, with a history and description of its towns and cities. The Most historic county of America. > Part 121

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347

HISTORY' OF ESSEX COUNTY, MASSACIIUSETTS.

ment of the present Peabody Institute. The generous donor subse- quently added $10,000 to his first gift, increasing the amount for the building and land to $17,000, and authorizing the appropriation of $3,000 for the purchase of books, and $10,000 for a permanent fund. Further donations were added in later years, increasing the amount to $250,000. In this same year, Mr. Peabody provided the means for equipping the " Advance," which had been given by Henry Grinnell, for the second Kane expedition to the Aretie seas, in search of the lost Sir John Franklin. In 1857, Mr. Peabody established the Pea- body Institute at Baltimore, Md. Between March 1, 1862, and Dec. 5, 1868, he carried out a long-cherished desire of his heart, in donat- ing $1,750,000 for the relief of the laboring poor of his adopted city of London. Peabody Square, Islington, London, is a noble monu- ment to this greatest of the public benefactors of his age. It contains four blocks of buildings, comprising 155 tenements, and accommo- dating 655 persons, or nearly 200 families, at a merely nominal ren- tal. The cost of these buildings was £31,690, exclusive of the land. Sir Curtis Lampson estimates, that, if the present fund accumulated is honestly administered for two hundred years, it will have aecumu- lated sufficiently to provide for three-fourths of all the industrious poor in London. The buildings were opened in September, 1865. There are also other squares of tenement-blocks established by this same munificent gift. Further amounts were added to the fund. Through all these years, Mr. Peabody was giving freely. He established a library at Thetford, Vt., and a Peabody Institute at Danvers. Per- haps the greatest of his gifts was that of $2,000,000 to the. Southern Educational Fund, to promote the education of the people of the South, without regard to race or color. He gave $150,000 to Yale College, for the establishment of a museum of natural history ; and a donation of the same amount to Harvard University, for the estab- lishment and maintenance of a museum and professorship of Ameri- can Archæology and Ethnology, in 1866. In 1867, a donation of $140,000 was bestowed by him upon the Peabody Academy of Sci- ence, in Salem.

Mr. Peabody was made a member of the Merchant Tailors' Fra- teruity of St. John Baptist, of London, an association whose roll of membership commences far back in the year 1351, and which embraces Edward III., James II., several of the Henrys, and a long line of illustrious monarchs and royal personages. In 1867, the Fishmong- ers' Company, of London, presented him with an elegant gold box, containing the honorary freedom of their ancient body. The city of London honored him by the erection of his statue, by the American sculptor Story, in City Square, the cost of which was defrayed by subscription among the people, and which was unveiled, in the pres- ence of an immense concourse, by the Prince of Wales.

Just prior to his last visit to his home, in 1866, it was proposed to confer upon Mr. Peabody a baronetcy, or the Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath ; but with the loyal independence of an American citizen, he declined them both, and, when asked what gift he would accept from the queen for his princely benefactions to the city of his adoption, he only expressed the modest desire for an autograph letter from Her Majesty. This was accorded him, and accompanied by a gift of a portrait of Victoria herself, painted by Tilb, on a solid sheet of gold, and finished in 1867. The picture was mounted in an elabo- rate and massive chased frame of gold, ornamented by the royal crown. It is the largest miniature of the kind ever attempted in Eng- land ; and a furnace was specially built for the execution of the work. Its cost is variously estimated at from thirty to fifty thousand dollars, but it is not known in this country that any one has information of the exact sum. The queen was attired in demi-robes of state, with demi-crown, Marie Stuart eap, and wore a jewelled cross, and the famous Kohinoor. The likeness is said to be remarkably good.

In 1866, Congress presented Mr. Peabody with a gold medal, of chaste design, valued at $5,000, as a recognition of his generosity to the South.

Mr. Peabody was elected an honorary member of the Massachu- setts Historical Society, July 12, 1866.

Mr. Peabody made his last publie appearance in this country at the great National Peace Jubilee in Boston, in 1869. He returned that summer, in failing health, to London, in the firm belief that the at- mosphere of the metropolis would restore him. The final summons had come, however, and soon after his arrival in England he grew worse, and, on the night of the 4th of November, 1869, the noble benefactor of his race passed away from the world in which he had accomplished so much.

His decease was mourned by every civilized nation of the world ; and the land of his birth, and that of his adoption, vied with each

other in paying honors to his memory. A public service was held in Westminster Abbey, which was attended by the queen and royal household, the lord-mayor and official dignitaries, the nobility, and the people, whose friend he was. The Bishop of London preached his funeral discourse on the following Sunday. The remains were embalmed and conveyed across the Atlantic, in Her Majesty's ship of war " Monarch," convoyed by the United States frigate " Plymouth," especially detailed for the purpose. The squadron was received with naval honors at Portland, from whence the body was carried to the town he loved, and where it was returned to the dust from whence it came, amid the tears of a bereaved nation. Both governments (II. R. HI. Prince Arthur representing Great Britain ), the Commonwealth, and the town were represented at the final ceremonies, and the body was accorded military honors when interred in its last resting-place in Harmony Grove Cemetery. Mr. Peabody was a man of genial, kindly temperament, a thorough and devoted Christian. Space for- bids a more extended description of the noble work which he accom- plished, but the following is a partial list of his larger donations : To the State of Maryland, for negotiating the loan of $8,000,000, $60,000 ; to the Peabody Institute, Baltimore, including accrued in- terest, $1,500,000 ; to the Southern Education Fund, $3,000,000 ; to Yale College, $150,000 ; to Harvard College, $150,000; to Peabody Academy of Science, Salem, $140,000 ; to Phillips Academy, Ando- ver, $25,000; to Peabody Institute, Peabody, $250,000; to Kenyon College, Ohio, $25,000; to Memorial Church, at Georgetown, Mass., $100,000 ; to Homes for the Poor of London, $3,000.000; to libra- ries in Georgetown, Mass , and Thetford, Vt., $10,000; to Kane's Arctic Expedition, $10,000; to different sanitary fairs, $10,000; to unpaid moneys advanced to uphold the credit of States, $40,000 : total, $8,470,000. He left an estate estimated at $4,000,000. Besides the above donations, there were a number of others, of sums varying from two hundred and fifty to one thousand dollars, and extending back to the year 1835. The Memorial Church at Georgetown was erected by Mr. Peabody and his sister Judith, in memory of their mother, Mrs. Judith Peabody, who died June 22, 1830.

The history of the town of Peabody is brief, it being, as yet, but twenty-three years since the date of its incorporation, and its previous record is linked with that of the present town of Danvers.

It embraces within its limits the old historic Second Parish Church, or, as it is now known, the " South Church "; the site of the Old Bell Tavern, where genial Francis Symonds was once the jolly host ; the spot where Foster's company assembled to go forth to its first baptism of blood at Lexington, and the granite testimonial to their memory ; the grave of Eliza Wharton, famous in song and story, and the site of the first mill erected in this country, on the spot now occupied by the depot, about the year 1630. Here, too, stands the famous Crownin- shield House, built by the Salem merchant, who thought to bring the wealth of the Indics to his very door from the ancient port below, via the present stygian North River, then a far grauder stream, and canal. A chain of sad fatalities gradually encircled the mansion, and its owner never saw the hoped-for "golden flecce" landed at his door. For many years the major part of the house remained un- finished, and it was not until within a few months that the hand of trade set its grasp upon it and it was converted into a factory, in which capacity it may yet realize in a measure the magnificent expec- tations of its builder. The house stands by itself in the rear of Central Street ; beyond it, on the Danvers road, were the famous potteries, the producers of the once-familiar Danvers china. Of the many that lined the way but one now remains. Here, too, the brilliant lawyer, statesman, aud orator, Rufus Choate, laid the foundation of his sub- sequent fame, and commenced his practice after the completion of his studies. And here lived and was born the pure and noble states- man, Daniel P. King. He was the son of Daniel and Phoebe (Upton) King, a descendant of staunch Danvers stock, whose family patronymics have been identified with the town from its earliest settlement. His ancestors were of the respectable class of farmers, and it is said by Upham, that they were raised to affluence through the extraordinary energy and business enterprise of one of its female heads. The grandmother of Daniel P. King opened a small shop or store in the farm-house, furnishing needful supplies to the passing teams and country people. She left the care of the farm to her hus- band and took entire charge of her business, purchasing from the original importers, and in turu selling directly to the exporters. She soon had a large business, and was recognized as a merchant in full standing. She was possessed of remarkable intelligence, judgment, and force of character, and had a thorough knowledge of the laws of trade. She kept a sharp eye on the arrival of vessels from foreign ports, and

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HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

was often first at the counting-rooms of the owners to purchase largely of their cargoes. She thus speedily founded a prosperous business, in addition to which she carried on the manufacture of vinegar exten- sively. As a natural result, her family was soon far more affluent than if they had depended on agriculture alone.

The business, thus established, was continued by Mrs. King's son Daniel, a man of checrful temperament, hospitable manners, and decision of character. His wife was a very excellent woman, of great strength of character and firm Christian faith. Her son inherited her prominent traits. He commenced his education in the district school, was subsequently at school in Saco, Me., and afterwards at Phillips Academy in Andover, where he finished his preparatory studies for a college course. He graduated from Harvard in the class of 1823, and received his degrees from that university. He made no preten- sions to eminenee as a scholar, and pursued his studies quictly and without ostentation throughout his collegiate career. Upon graduat- ing, he commenced the study of law, but soon acquiring a distaste for its pursuit, he abandoned the legal profession. In 1824 he married Sarah P., daughter of Hezekiah and Sally (Putnam) Flint, and settled down as a farmer on the estate left by his wife's father, and entered at once upon his favorite study and occupation as an agricult- urist, devoting his leisure hours to his classical studies and English literature. Although somewhat retired, he was soon called forth by his fellow-citizens to fill municipal offices, through the whole round of which he passed successfully. The knowledge of the best methods in agriculture, which he soon acquired, made him a leader and guide among his townsmen and neighbors. His sound judgment and ster- ling common-sense restrained him from the wasteful experiments and foolish speculations commonly indulged in by gentlemen farmers. His publie career may be said to have fairly commenced in his election to the State Legislature in 1835. Some years previous he had been nominated, at a period when there were a large number of contestants in the field, and had been defeated by only one vote. Afterwards, by singular coincidence, one vote placed him on the high-road to fame, after a long and exciting struggle. His cheerful, sunny nature did not brook of diseouragement from defeat, and, with his customary pleasantry, he remarked that he owed his fortunate escape to having himself voted for the successful candidate. He claimed by virtue of that fact the right to share in the congratulations tendered that gentle- man. Upon his election in 1835, he remained two years'in the House and was subsequently four years in the Senate, during the two last years being the president of that body. His inherent modesty, and lack of self-conceit common to the majority of mankind, and also the high esteem in which he was held by his fellow-associates, is shown by the following episode : Upon his retiring from the chair of the Senate, one of the most distinguished members of that body prepared a resolution of thanks, which he desired to present for adoption. He submitted it to Mr. King, who expressed reluctance to have it offered in the form in which it was framed; and upon further reflection addressed a characteristic note to the senator, in which he says : -

"Even your persuasive eloquence could not prevail with the Senate to adopt such a vote. A general and common expression of satisfaction with the discharge of the duties of the Chair is all that I can expect : or, if you will allow me to say it, I think your kindness of heart and generons disposition should not extend the testimonial beyond the most common terms.

DANIEL P. KING." "I am deeply impressed with your kindness of intention and shall ever remain most truly your friend,

The reply of the senator was : -

"I will do what you want, but let me say in all sincerity, I have shown that to most of our leading men, and they all say you deserve it, and it ought to be said, and so I do seriously think. Unless you feel quite an objection, I shall like to 'adhere.'"

The Resolve was cordially and unanimously passed as follows : -

"COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS.

" In SENATE, March 16, 1841.

Resolved, That the thanks of the Senate be offered to the Hon. Daniel P. King, for the faithful, just, and able performance of his duties as President of the Senate. To the promptitude and accuracy of his decisions, and his unfailing courtesy, we are indebted for much of the harmony, which has facilitated the business of the Session, and will make our recollections of it pleasant."

In 1842 he was again a member of the House. The opening scs- sion was stormy ; parties werc equally divided ; and political passions Were running high in the Legislature and State. On the first day, there was no choice for Speaker, the Democratic candidate having within one of a choice, and the Whig leader within two. The next day, Mr. King, whose name had not been mentioned in the contest, was found to be chosen on the first count. In politics, Mr. King was =

an undeviating Whig; but he cherished views on the slavery ques- tion far in advance of those of either of the national parties of the day. In 1843, the position of Speaker was one of great difficulty, and one which a man of less nerve, equanimity, gentleness of temperament, prudence, and foresight, would have found impossible to fill. The Governor was a Democrat, elected in the House by one vote. There was a Democratic majority in both Senate and House; but so wise and judicious was the conduct of Speaker King, - so impartial, cor- rect, and prompt were his rulings, -that neither party could be or were dissatisfied with his performance of his duties, and both con- curred heartily in sustaining his authority. He again received a vote of thanks for the "courteous, able, and impartial manner" in which he had presided. Yet there was nothing in the man's deportment and bearing in ordinary life that would stamp him as a leader, and one born to command. There was a latent and decisive force in his char- acter, which developed itself in publie bodics,, and brought him strangely into prominence. His address was pleasing ; his manner wholly unpretentious and unobtrusive ; his countenance open, frank, and genial, but not striking. In dress, he was scrupulously neat ; but his tastes were for plain apparel, and he was no follower of the world of fashion. While in the Legislature, he was an active, vigilant, and efficient member. January 14, 1837, he introduced and carried into effect an order instructing the Committee on Education to consider the expediency of providing by law for the better education of teachers of the public schools. This was the germ which, subsequently, under the guidance of James G. Carter, of Lancaster, bore fruit in the es- tablishment of the present admirable system of State Normal Schools. Mr. King's chief efforts as a legislator were, however, in the interests of agriculture. He was the author of a proposition, now carried into effect, to establish an agricultural college, and also for providing a professorship of the same in Harvard University.

In the district to which the present town of Peabody, as a portion of Danvers, belonged, there was no choice for member of Congress in the election of November, 1842. The old majority system was then in vogue, and a plurality did not elect. At the election, the Democratie candidate received 5,403 votes, the Whig 4,928, all others 1,230, and there was no choice. At a special election, February 13, 1843, the result stood, - Democratic, 4,978 ; Whig, 3,904; all others, 1,349 ; and again no choice. The Whig candidate withdrew, and the dis- trict seemed lost to the Whig party. In this crisis, on the 2d of March, Daniel P. King was made the Whig nominee. On the next trial, April 3d, the vote stood, - Democratic, 4,621; Whig, 4,480; all others, 1,107. The Democratie plurality was reduced to 141. Their candidate withdrew from the field, firm in the conviction that Mr. King was to be chosen, and so it proved. June 5, 1843, the Whigs carried the election by a majority of eighty-two, - the vote being 3,711 for Mr. King ; 2,854 for the Democratic candidate ; and scatter- ing, 775. The district was saved to his party, and he held it to the end of his life. He took his seat in the twenty-eighth Congress, De- cember 4, 1843. On the 16th, Mr. King presented the Resolves of the Massachusetts Legislature against the annexation of Texas, and on the 29th of December he warmly espoused the cause of the oppressed bondmen in the District of Columbia, in an exciting debate. He took firm stand as opposed to the eurse of slavery, and remained true to his principles and convictions throughout his career. On the 26th of January, 1844, he took a manly stand in a brave and eloquent speech in the House, which gave him great prominence, and won for him the warm support and friendship of the friends of freedom throughout the country. It was upon the Resolve of the Massachusetts Legislature, proposing an amendment of the Constitution that would base repre- sentation on the free population alone, thereby striking out the ele- ment that gave preponderance to the slave States, by virtue of the provision counting three-fifths of the slaves. Mr. King remarked, that the petitions on which these Resolves were founded were signed by sixty thousand freemen of Massachusetts. A Southern member asked if the form of the heading for those petitions had not been framed by a runaway slave from Virginia? Mr. King replied that "he presumed the petition was signed by freemen only, for in Massachu- sctts they had no slaves, but every man, created in the image of his Maker," - (cries of "order," "order," in loud, angry tones, re- sounded through the hall). Raising his voice to the full volume and height of which it was capable, clearly and distinctly above the np- roar, the speaker finished his sentence, - "owes allegiance to Him alone." The Speaker ruled him out of order, but his brave and manly bearing shamed his opponents, and he continued his speech. May 23, 1844, he introduced and carried through the House an amendment to the Navy Appropriation Bill, to prohibit spirit rations, substituting

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HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

money in their place. He was active and energetie in pushing through a large number of useful and needful appropriations for his constitu- ents and the people at large. He was a persistent and active oppo- nent of the Mexican War, voting against it in every shape. The bill for raising volunteers and other troops was passed by 159 yeas to 4 nays. Of those four were John Quincy Adams and Daniel P. King. The latter had previously endeavored to attach an amendment looking to an honorable and peaceful adjustment of the difficulties with the " sister Republic of Mexico," which was rejected. December 29, 1845, Mr. King presented the Memorial of the Soeicty of Friends in New England against the Mexican War, and made an earnest, effective, and fearless speech in its support in the angry debate which followed. In the thirtieth Congress, December 6, 1847, Mr. King was made Chair- man of the Committee on Revolutionary Claims, and Chairman of the Committee on Accounts, Robert C. Winthrop being Speaker of the House. He discharged the duties of these positions with his accus- tomed fearlessness and honesty. In 1847 and 1850, he made several glowing and eloquent speeches upon the Mexican War, and the exten- sion of slavery. Alluding to the undying fame of Nathan Dane, for having rescued the North-western territory of the Union from slavery by the ordinance of 1787, he concluded his speech as follows : "If, in 1847, his successor ean achieve no such renown, he will at least, on this ground, stand firm ; that by no voluntary servitude of his, by no treason against duty, conscience, humanity, and Heaven, shall slavery be tolerated in any territory hereafter to be acquired ; by no decd of his shall the glorious memories of the past be tarnished, or the bright hopes and prospects of the future be clouded."

He characterized the Mexican War as bad in its inception, bad in its progress, and nothing but evil in its consequences ; and closed by say- ing that if ever a stone was raised to his memory he hoped that it might bear the inscription, " A lover of Peace, of Liberty, of his Country - he voted against the Mexican War." On the 21st of May, 1850, he made an elaborate speech, in Committee of the Whole, on the California ques- tion, then pending, and the ordinance of 1787. It was his last effort on the floor of Congress. July 10, 1850, Mr. King left Washington for home, for a brief respite from his exhausting labors. He never returned. Stricken with a fatal disease upon his arrival in his native town, he lingered until the 25th of the same month, when he was gathered to his final rest. His death was a great shock to his towns- men, his constituents, the Commonwealth, and the nation at large. On the 27th of July, the sad event was announced to the House of Representatives by Mr. King's life-long friend, Mr. Rockwell, of Berk- shire, accompanied by a brief and touching eulogy. The Whig con- vention of August 8, 1850, held at Salem, passed resolutions expres- sive of the great loss which the party had sustained. Probably no man ever combined in so great a degree the heartfelt affection of his friends, and the profound respect of his political opponents, as Daniel P. King.

Grace Greenwood, shortly before his death, sent Mr. King the fol- lowing graceful tribute of her pen : -

"Child of the Republic, I have never bowed the kuee To coronets or sceptres, To rank or royalty. But when a royal nature, Crowned with a royal name,

Devotes to holy freedom His genins and his fame -- 'Tis then my heart forgets its pride ; Then to the winds I fling My Democratic sernples, And all that sort of thing. My spirit owns allegiance, Aud prays, ' God save thee, King.'"

Mr. King was a trustee of the Massachusetts Lunatic Asylum, mem- ber of the Essex Historical Society, Essex Natural History Society, and of the New England Historic-Genealogieal Society ; Secretary of the Essex Agricultural Society, from 1842 to 1844, and one of its vice-presidents and trustees nntil his death.

Of the institutions of Peabody, the Peabody Institute stands pre- eminent. The building stands on Main Street, a short distance above the monument, facing the beautiful estate of Mrs. Eben Sntton. It is a handsome structure, built of briek, with freestone trimmings, and surrounded by beautiful grounds. The corner-stone was laid by Abbott Lawrence, with appropriate ceremonies, Aug. 20, 1853, and the building was finished the following year. The institute was the munificent gift of George Peabody, and was dedicated on the 29th of September, 1854, Hon. Rufus Choate delivering an eloquent address. The building is 128 feet by 50 feet, and is of two stories, with a tower.

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Standard history of Essex county, Massachusetts, embracing a history of the county from its first settlement to the present time, with a history and description of its towns and cities. The Most historic county of America., Part 121

Author: Tracy, Cyrus M. (Cyrus Mason), 1824-1891, et al. Edited by H. Wheatland Publication date: 1878 Publisher: Boston, C. F. Jewett Number of Pages: 450

Author: Tracy, Cyrus M. (Cyrus Mason), 1824-1891, et al. Edited by H. Wheatland
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Boston, C. F. Jewett
Number of Pages: 450