USA > New Hampshire > Genealogical and family history of the state of New Hampshire : a record of the achievements of her people in the making of a commonwealth and the founding of a nation, Vol. I > Part 35
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 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115 | Part 116 | Part 117 | Part 118 | Part 119 | Part 120 | Part 121 | Part 122 | Part 123 | Part 124 | Part 125 | Part 126
123.
NEW HAMPSHIRE.
lars. Mrs. Eddy located this church, bought the land, started the building, and paid for it, part of the money having been contributed to her for this especial purpose by Christian Scientists in all parts of the world, who wished to have a share in the work. There are influential Christian Science Churches in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Jose, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Washington, Cleveland, Detroit, St. Louis, Buffalo, Pittsburg, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Providence, Toronto, and many other places on this continent. There are three firmly established churches in London, England; its First Church was recently completed a fine edifice at Sloane Terrace, S. W. The organization at Man- chester, England, also has its own church edifice.
Besides her manifold activities in guiding and supervising her church of more than forty thousand communicants, Mrs. Eddy has been a prolific writer. Her literary output comprises books, sermons, essays, poems, magazine articles, editorials, etc. Her chief books, in addition to the text-book of the denomi- nation, "Science and Health with Key to the Scrip- tures," are, "Miscellaneous Writings;" "Christ and Christmas," an illustrated poem; "Retrospection and Introspection ;" "Pulpit
Press ;" "Unity of Good;" "Rudimental Divine Science;" "No and Y'es ;" "Messages to the Mother Church ;" "Christian Healing;" "People's Idea of God ;" and "Manual of the Mother Church."
Although the youngest among the great Christian denominations, it is seen that Christian Science is completely organized and widely and firmly estab- lished. Among Mrs. Eddy's helpers and followers, in this and in other lands, are eminent men and women, who have rallied to her standard from the ranks of religion, business, the professions, and the nobility,
Mrs. Eddy has been from early years a devoted member and loyal supporter of the Evangelical Church. She was received into the Congregational Church in Tilton, New Hampshire, July 26, 1838. She continued her membership therein for thirty- seven years, and her relations with this historic communion have ever been cordial and fraternal. After Mrs. Eddy had left the state and confessed to him the enlargement of her spiritual sense in the direction of her discovery of the power of Christi- anity to heal the sick, and after she had submitted to him her published work, "Science and Health," for examination, the Rev. Theodore C. Platt. pastor of this church, under date of January 13, 1875. gave to her the following letter of dismissal: "This certifies that Mrs. Mary MI. Glover is a member of this church in good and regular standing. At her own request she is dismissed from this and recom- mended to any evangelical church in Lynn. When received there, her particular connection with us will cease."
In the year 1878 Mrs. Eddy was called to preach in Boston, at the Baptist Tabernacle of the Rev. Daniel C. Eddy, D. D., by the pastor of that church. She accepted the call, and during her ministry there the congregation so increased that the pews were not sufficient to seat the audience, and benches were used in the aisles. At the close of her engagement she parted with her friends there in Christian fellow- ship, although not in full unity of doctrine. She was ordained a minister of the Gospel in 1879. and the same year organized the First Church of Christ. Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts, and became its pastor. In 1895, by the unanimous wish of the entire membership of the church, she was made the Pastor Emeritus.
In 1877 Mrs. Eddy was united in marriage to Asa Gilbert Eddy. in Lynn, Massachusetts, by the
Rev. Samuel Barrett Stewart, and it was a richly blessed and spiritual union. She has thus honored his hallowed memory: "Dr. Eddy was the first student to announce himself publicly as a Christian Scientist and place those symbolic words on his office sign. He forsook all to follow in this line of light. He was the first organizer of a Christian Science Sunday school. which he superintended. He also taught a special Bible class ; and he lectured so ably on spiritual topics that clergymen of other denominations listened to him with deep interest. He was remarkably successful in mind-healing, and untiring in his chosen work. In 1882 he passed quietly away, with a smile of peace and love resting on his serene countenance."
In her pioneer days there were noble men and women who cordially extended to Mrs. Eddy the right hand of fellowship. When "Science and Health with Keys to the Scriptures" was assailed by some mistaken critics, A. Bronson Alcott, the founder of the Concord School of Philosophy, sought out and introduced himself to the author, saying, "I have come to comfort you." The distinguished clergy- man and scholar, Rev. A. P. Peabody, D. D., while chaplain at Harvard University, and occasionally supplying Mrs. Eddy's pulpit in Boston, in a letter to her wrote: "Do not hesitate to call on me for any assistance that I can give you. I enjoy speaking to your people; they are good listeners and carnest seekers."
Mrs. Eddy's teachings beget a clearer understand- ing and a better appreciation of the Bible, of God, and of Christ Jesus. She has repeatedly said : "There never was, is not now, and never will be but one God, one Christ, one Jesus of Nazareth. To think of or speak of me in any manner as a Christ, is sacrilig ious. Such a statement would not only be false, but the absolute antipode of Christian Science. and would savor more of heathenism than of my doc- trine. All Christian Scientists deeply recognize the oneness of Jesus-that he stands alone in word and deed, the visible discoverer, founder, demonstrator, and great Teacher of Christianity, whose sandals none may unloose."
The effect of Mrs. Eddy's writings is to beget peace and harmony. She is not and never was a believer in. Spiritualisin or Mesmerism, but she and her followers have no contention with those holding opposite views. Her teachings exalt the home, strengthen the sacred attachment between husband and wife, promote harmony and unity in the family, and tenderly provide for the children, of whom Jesus said, "Of such is the kingdom of heaven."
Mrs. Eddy is the gladly accepted Leader of Christian Science, because of her eminent fitness and her long-tested qualifications. During forty years of successful leadership, every enterprise she has inaugurated has prospered. She has many times sought to resign to others the post she has so illustriously filled, but no one has yet been found to whom could be assigned the sacred task. In the "History of Christian Science," Judge Septimus J. Ilanna writes: "Mrs. Eddy exercises no power over her church apart from compliance with its by-laws which the church adopts, and she declines to receive even a salary. Iler large income is the result of her growing popularity as an author and the increasing demand for her books all over the continent. Self-deification or worship she abhors -as all know who have a true knowledge of her, and whose honesty keeps pace with their convictions The hundred of thousands who adhere to her do this simply from love, because of the benefit they have received from her work."
For more than forty years Mrs. Eddy has given
124
NEW HAMPSHIRE.
her entire time to this great ethical and religious reform. Except for a short drive each afternoon, she takes no time for recreation or social enjoyment. But it is not to be inferred that Mrs. Eddy lives an isolated life. She is citizen and friend, alive to the public interest, and greatly beloved in Concord Under her incentive and generous support some good roads have been substantially advanced, public institutions have been liberally remembered, and many there are among the worthy poor who "rise up and call her blessed."
Mrs. Eddy is a life member and associate of the Victoria Institute, London, England; a life member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Washington, D. C .; a life member of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Boston; a member of Mr. Comstock's Society for the Sup- pression of Vice, New York.
Mrs. Eddy's charities are numerous and gener- ous, but quiet and unobstrusive. She has silently given to numberless institutions and to a host of in- dividuals of which no public mention has been or ever will be made. To the Mother Church of Christ. Scientist, she donated the real estate and all the property of the Christian Science Publishing House, valtted at $90,000. She gave to the church in New Berne. North Carolina, for its church home, three thousand dollars. She presented the city of Concord with five thousand dollars for good roads, and she is continually giving to its various institutions, without regard to sect or creed. To perform gra- tuitous tasks she has deferred remunerative work for months at a time. She has healed the sick and the sinner without price, and in her classes has taken many free students. Her secretary has said that for many years her benefactions averaged annually more than eighty thousand dollars. She is simple in her tastes and habits, punctual and systematic in her work.
The standard modern biographical works, en- cyclopedias and dictionaries contain carefully pre- pared reviews of Mrs. Eddy and of Christian Science. A few appreciative extracts from thesc works conclude this brief and incomplete biography of Mary Baker Eddy. A recent biographical work truly says of her: "The organization, nature, con- stitution and government of The Mother. Church of Christ, Scientist, its Tenets, its Church Manual and its special form of public service, are all of Mrs. Eddy's devision. They are in most respects unique, without precedent in church economy, proofs of her wisdom and evidence of her ability as a leader. While the business of the Church of Christ, Scient- ist, is conducted by a board of directors. the in- spiration and fountain head of the series of remark- able steps which have brought Christian Science to the front so unswervingly and so rapidly, can be traced to this modest and unassuming, but strong and resourceful woman. It is impossible to investi- gate the far-reaching effects of the majority of her acts, without coming to the inevitable conclusion that she has been and is divinely directed."
A thoughtful reviewer thus succinctly writes : "Christian Science is a religious system based upon spiritual interpretation of the Scriptures. Its pur- pose is not to supplant primitive Christianity, but to render it more practical by reason of an enlarged and more comprehensive understanding of God.'
A careful writer observes: "The work of this great religious leader are the outcome of her pure and holy life. All that characterizes true citizen- ship, unsullied patriotism and spotless Christian vir- tue, are as native to Mrs. Eddy as the granite to New Hampshire hills."
The "Encyclopedia Americana" thus concludes a discriminating article upon Mrs. Eddy: "Be- loved and honored by all who know her, Mrs. Eddy lives in modest retirement in her country home in Concord, New Hampshire, where, with unabated vigor and with untiring devotion, she continues to direct that beneficent movement with which her name will ever be associated."
(VI) Captain Lovewell, son of Captain Josepli (1) and Hannah (Lovewell) Baker, was born September 18, 1743, in Pembroke, where his life was passed, in the enjoyment of the respect and confidence of his fellows. He was married, Sep- tember 25, 1766, to Mary Worth.
(VII) Richard, son of Captain Lovewell and Mary (Worth) Baker, was born February 17, 1771, in Pembroke, and was married, October 27, 1793, to Lydia Robinson. Soon after his marriage he set- tled in Goshen, this state, where he engaged in farm- ing and ended his days.
(VIII) Lovell (2), eldest child of Richard and Lydia (Robinson) Baker, was born September II, 1794, in Goshen, and was a farmer in Croydon. He died about 1858, in Chesterfield, New Hampshire. He married Nancy Lane, who was born November 22, 1796. and their children were: Rufus, Albert and Lydia. The daughter married, successively, Jonathan Tasker and Elbridge Hubbard, and died in Chesterfield, New Hampshire. Rufus was a farmer in Croydon, and died in Lebanon.
(IX) Albert H., second son and child of Lovell and Nancy (Lane) Baker, was born July 14, 1825, probably in Croydon, and before 1852 was a resi- dent of the town of Concord. He was employed in a kit factory at West Concord, and became su- perintendent of the establishment. On account of failing health he returned to the paternal farm in Croydon, where he died January 25, 1863, in his thirty-cighth year. He was an attendant of the church at Croydon Flat. He was married, January 27, 1852, in Concord, to Alvira Humphrey, who was born in Croydon, a daughter of John and Charity (Darling) Humphrey of Concord. She died before her husband, passing away June 17, 1862. aged thirty-one years. They were the parents of a son and daughter. The latter, Harriet. was adopted by Jesse Gibson, and now resides in Derry, unmar- ried.
(X) Stillman Humphrey, eldest child of Albert H. and Alvira (Humphrey) Baker, was born Sep- tember 28, 1853, in Croydon, and was left an orphan soon after he was nine years old. After the death of his mother, he was taken by an uncle for whom he was named, Stillman Humphrey, of Concord, and attended school at intervals until he was fifteen years of age. He began to earn his way by working in a mill at the age of thirteen years, and has ever since manifested the energetic and independent char- acter thus developed. He is to-day one of the most substantial citizens, of his home town. At the age of fifteen years he went to Hillsboro Bridge and took employment in a general store, where he continued three years. When only nineteen years of age he engaged in business on his own account, forming a partnership with a practical tailor to carry on a clothing store. He went to New York and perfected himself in the details of the tailor's trade, and soon added to his business the sale of ready-made goods. After twelve years of successful business, he was forced to abandon it on account of ill health. He went to Jamaica, West Indies, where he soon estab- lished himself in business, and rapidly regained his vigor. His energy and success soon led to more advantageous conditions, and he was induced to
125
NEW HAMPSHIRE.
go to Port Limon, Costa Rica, where he engaged in the interest of the Philadelphia Fruit Company, in shipping fruit to the United States. Having closed up a successful business, he returned to Hillsboro Bridge, where he has resided since. Here he en- gaged in real estate and auctioneer business, with great success, and is still so interested, though his public duties take up much of his time. He has filled most of the town offices, including selectman, and was representative in 1893. He was chairman of the committee on public improvements of the house. For the last ten years he has been one of the county commissioners of Hillsboro county, and for six years chairman of the board. He is a member of Harmony Lodge, No. 38, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of Hillsboro, and Valley Lodge, No. 43. Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of the same place. He has passed the principal chairs of the latter lodge and also of the local encampment of the same order. Like most selfmade men, Mr. Baker sympathizes with all honest effort, is genial and approachable, honest and industrious, and en- joys the respect of all who are privileged to know him. He is a worthy representative of worthy sires. He was married, September 28, 1887, to Mary Belle Abbott, who was born April 20, 1861, in Henniker, this state, a daughter of Edwin R. Abbott, a widely known hotel manager and proprietor. During the administration of the celebrated "Jim" Fiske, Mr. Abbott was manager of hotels along the line of the Erie railroad, and was later manager of the Profile House in the White Mountains. Mr. and Mrs. Baker have a son and daughter, namely, Albert Humphrey, born May 6, 1890, and Dorothy Ellen, May 26, 1893.
( Second Family).
(1) Joseph, son of Geoffrey Baker, was BAKER born June 18, 1655, in England, and came to America about 1670, settling in Connecticut. He is the ancestor of many men dis- tinguished in the professions and other pursuits. He was married January 30, 1677, to Hannah Cook Buckland.
(II) Joseplì (2), son of Joseph (1) and Hannah C. (Buckland) Baker, was born April 13. 1678, and was married, July 8, 1702, to Hannah Pomeroy, who died leaving sons Joseph and Samuel. The father married (second), Abigail Bissell, who was the mother of John, Hannah, Jacob, Abigail (died young), Ebenezer, Daniel. Heman, Titus and Abi- gail.
(III) Heman, son of Joseph (2) and Abigail (Bissell) Baker, was born April 27. 1719, and mar- ried, November 24, 1747, Lois Gilbert. They lived in Tolland, Connecticut, and their children were : Heman, Anna, Deborah, John, Oliver, Abigail, Lois, Delight and Lydia.
(IV) Oliver, third son and fifth child of Heman and Lois (Gilbert) Baker, was born October 5. 1755, in Tolland, Connecticut, and received a medical education. He was a physician and farmer, locating in Plainfield, New Hampshire, where he died Oc- tober II, ISII. He was married, March 23. 1780, to Dorcas Dimmick, who was born September 23, 1760, and survived him thirty-eight years. Their children were : Heman. Diantha, Zina. Lina, Oliver, Saman- tha. Dimmick, Dorcas, Lodemia, Elizabeth and Mary. (V) Dimmick, third son and seventh child of Oliver and Dorcas (Dimmick) Baker, was born March 18, 1793, in Plainfield, New Hampshire. where he was a properous farmer, merchant and stock dealer. He was a member of the Congrega- tional Church, and an ardent Republican in politics. He died March 19. 1876. He was married June 2, 1822, to Hannah Colby, who was born Feb-
ruary 1794. in Plainfield, New Hamp- shire, and died March 17, 1856. They were the parents of five children: Elias, Edward D., Han- nah H., Helen F. and Cyrus E. The Baker home- stead is located near Kimball Union Academy, and all Dimmick Baker's children received a liberal education at that institution. The property is now (1907) owned by the fifth generation.
(VI) Hannah A., eldest daughter and fourth child of Dimmick and Hannah (Colby ) Baker, was born October 4, 1832, in Meriden, New Hamp- shire, and became the wife of Francis M. Cutting. (See Cutting, VIII).
(Third Family.)
There were several brothers of this BAKER name who settled in Massachusetts in the early period of the formation of that colony. The bearers of this name have con- tributed their share to the growth and develop- ment of many states in the union.
(1) Cornelius Baker, a blacksmith, was living in Salem, Massachusetts, as early as 1658, and in 1668 removed to Beverly, Massachusetts. He mar- ried, April 26, 1658, Hannah Woodbury, of Salem, daughter of John Woodbury, a pioneer settler of that town. Their children were: Hannah, Samuel, Cor- nelius, Jonathan, Abigail, Priscilla, Bethiah and Jabez.
(II) Jonathan, third son and fourth child of Cornelius and Hannah ( Woodbury) Baker, was born 1669, and resided in Beverly, where he had a house and land and was a weaver by occupation. He died in 1706. His widow, Mary, married (second), November 21, 1710, Samuel Balch. Jona- than Baker's children were: Robert, John, Mary. Jonathan and Cornelius.
(III) Robert, eldest child of Jonathan and Mary Baker, was born April 23. 1698, in Beverly, and lived in that town and in Salem. He died 1775. Ile mar- ried, July 1, 1723, Abigail Trask, and their children were : Jonathan, Robert (died young), Benjamin, Nathan, Abigail, Mary, Anna, Simeon, Lydia, Rob- ert and Hannah.
(IV) Jonathan (2), eldest child of Robert and Abigail (Trask) Baker, was born March 15. 1724. in Salem. Massachusetts, and resided for a time in Beverly. In 1758 he removed from Beverly to Haver- hill, Massachusetts, where he continued to reside nearly half a century and died March 9, 1805. While living in Beverly he was called Jonathan Baker. Junior, to distinguish him from an uncle living in the same town. He married. April 22, 1745. Mary Conant, born April 15, 1722, daughter of Daniel and Lucy (Dodge) Conant. Her children were: Be- thiah. Benjamin (of Salisbury, New Hampshire), Lydia, Simeon, Asa, Anna, Abigail and Sarah.
(V) Abigail, fifth daughter and ninth child of Jonathan (2) and Mary (Conant) Baker, was born May 26, 1767. in Haverhill, Massachusetts, and married, in 1788, John Smith, of Beverly, Massachu- setts. (See Smith. I).
(Fourth Family. ) This is a Connecticut family, but there
BAKER seems to be no record to indicate from what portion of that state this branch came. The name Osman is a common one am ng the Connecticut Bakers, and there is no question that the pioneer of this line in New Hampshire be- longs to that stock.
(I) Osman Baker, the first of whom any knowledge is possessed by his descendants in New Hampshire, is said to have been a scafaring mar who retired from the cecan after amassing a good property and spent the remainder of his life in Con- necticut.
I26
NEW HAMPSHIRE.
(II) Osman, son of Osman Baker, was born 1734, in Connecticut. and came from that state on horseback to Charlestown, New Hampshire, before 1767. His possessions were carried in a pair of saddle bags and among other items he had the fore- sight to carry glass and nails for use in construct- ing a house. He immediately began clearing land and made him a home in that town, where he passed the remainder of his life. He was a colonel of the militia, served as town clerk and county treasurer, and was many years a deputy sheriff. He was in- terested in the establishment and progress of schools, and in the temperance movement. During his last years he was engaged in the mercantile busi- ness, and died August 18, 1802. He was married in Charlestown, March 2, 1767, to Mary Farnsworth. daughter of Aaron and Hannah (Baron) Farns- worth, who were also pioneers in Charlestown. She was born January 29, 1732, in Groton, Massachu- setts, and died September 19, 1796, in Charlestown. Their children were: Jonathan, Isaac, Jchn and Elizabeth. The elder son was a prominent citizen of Charlestown. and å major of the militia.
(III) Isaac, second son and child of Osman (2) and Mary (Farnsworth) Baker, was born in Charlestown, New Hampshire, February 7, 1770, and died October 16, 1847. He studied medicine and became one of the prominent physicians of his day. He settled in Marlow, New Hampshire, and he and his wife are said to have been people of more than ordinary cultivation and intelligence, and their home was one of quiet refinement and unos- tentatious wealth. He married, May 7. 1797, Abi- gail Kidder, who died July 16, 1832, daughter of James and Deborah ( Wood) Kidder, of Spencer, Massachusetts, and granddaughter of Ezra and Anna (Chapin) Wood, the former a colonel dur- ing the war of the Revolution. Dr. Isaac and Mrs. Baker had children: Betsey, Willard, Abigail, Isaac Kidder and Osman Cleander.
(IV) Osman Cleander. third son and fifth and youngest child of Dr. Isaac and Abigail (Kidder) Baker, was born in Marlow, New Hampshire, July 30, 1812. His early education was acquired in the public schools of his native town and in the Chester- field Academy, and in 1828 he became a student at Wilbraham Academy, Wilbraham, Massachusetts. He joined the Methodist Episcopal Church in April of the same year, and soon began to seriously con- sider the study of theology, with a view of adopting this as his life work. He matriculated at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, in the fall of 1830, but owing to an attack of illness was un- able to complete his course at this time. Later he again took up his studies, completed them, and the degree of Master of Arts was conferred upon him in 1837; later he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity. When the seminary in Newbury, Ver- miont, was opened in 1834, he was elected to a professorship and served the institution in that capacity for a period of five years, and upon the resignation of the principal he was elected to fill that honorable and responsible position. He was noted for his clear and concise methods of teach- ing, bringing to his work a devotion and thorough- ness which made him at once the master as well as the friend of his pupils. The church, however. was the great object of his desire. He was already a member of the New Hampshire conference, and in 1844 he applied for a pastoral appointment and was given one at Rochester. Later he was transferred to the Elm Street Church in Manchester, and was appointed presiding elder of the Dover district. Before his term of office had expired he was elected to a professorship in the Biblical Institute, which
had just been removed (in 1847) from Newbury, Vermont, and located as an independent institution in Concord, New Hampshire. He had been the prime mover in organizing the theological depart- ment in Newbury, and in the board of trustees that elected the first faculty in Concord it was said "Professor Baker has done more to organize and give shape to this new institution than any other man; and he is now looked to as one of the chief men to fashion its future." It was the first theolo- gical school of the church, and was the parent of similar institutions, still in existence at Boston, Evanston. Illinois, and Madison, New York. His business ability was recognized in Concord, where he resided for over twenty years. He was a di- rector in the State Capitol Bank and his counsels were sought far and wide. During the five years he spent with the Biblical Institute he accomplished a vast amount of literary work. While visiting the Kansas, California and Oregon Conferences, early during his Episcopal duties, he wrote and published a series of letters descriptive of that portion of the country, particularly of whatever pertained to the missions of the Methodist Episcopal Church. At the general conference held in Pittsburg, Pennsyl- vania, in 1848, he was elected a member, and at the general conference held in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1852. he was elected bishop. For his work in the Episcopal Church he possessed almost every quality necessary to render his labors successful. He was possessed of rare judgment, keen sympathy, and a refinement of feeling which was combined with ease and dignity of bearing. He was a most superior presiding officer, and none were his equals in knowledge of parliamentary laws and usage. As a preacher his discourses were strong, clear and con- vincing, and couched in the most elegant English. The greatest work of his life was the establishment of the Biblical Institute. Among his later publi- cations, "Baker on the Discipline" involved extended research and critical judgment, and is considered a standard work in his denomination, a lasting monu- ment to his memory, and a rich tribute to his intel- lectual worth. Fourteen years after his election to the Episcopacy, in June, 1866, while traveling in Colorado to meet the conference at Empire City, he was stricken with partial paralysis, particularly of the vocal organs. He had traveled six days and six nights over a difficult and dangerous stage route, with little rest prior to his attack, but he recovered partially and was able to visit and attend his home church in Concord until within a few days of his death, which occurred December 20, 1871.
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.