USA > New Hampshire > Sullivan County > Charlestown > History of Charlestown, New-Hampshire, the old No. 4 > Part 59
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Moses Wheeler, Samuel Wetherbe, Henry Silsby, John Hastings, Eleazer Heywood, John Simonds, Jotham White, John Spafford, Rob- ert Rand, Nathaniel Mills, and Thomas Dutton.
The following is a record kept by Capt. Walker, of a portion of their march to Quebec .*
"Saturday the 10th, (February) to St. John's, 20 miles ; Sunday to Sorelle, 5 miles ; Monday, 12 miles to Chambly ; paid a tavern in Chambly for victualling 13 persons, 11s, 9d; Tuesday the 13th, to Mon- treal; stayed in Montreal till Saturday about three o'clock, then marched for Quebec ; went six miles ; Sunday marched 20 miles ; Mon- day, marched 18 miles ; Tuesday, marched 21 miles ; Wednesday, 24 miles to the Three Rivers ; Thursday, 15 miles to Champlain ; Friday 23d day, 20 miles ; Saturday 24th, marched 26 miles ; Sunday 25th, marched 20 miles to Quebec."
General Arnold had been unsuccessful in his attack upon Quebec, and the gallant General Montgomery had fallen. This was on the 31st of December, 1775. When the news of this disaster reached the States a call was immediately made for troops to re-enforce, and save this army, the command of which had devolved on Major General Thomas ; and New-Hampshire answered the call with her usual prompt- ness. In furnishing this re-enforcement, Charlestown was not behind other towns, but sent forth twelve of her sons to the rescue ; and that the gallant Captain and his men made no delay in reaching the front, is evident from the record of their march above given.
On the retreat of our army from Canada in the fall of 1776, before an overpowering British Army, Arnold, after a severe contest, escaped into the fortress of Ticonderoga, which was soon threatened by the British forces. But the Americans applied themselves with vigor to strengthening its entrenchments, and by the daily arrival of re-enforce- ments and the recovery of the sick and wounded, General Gates soon found himself at the head of 12,000 effective men. In this situa- tion, he was not unwilling that Carlton, the commander of the oppos- ing forces, should make any attempt he might choose to get possession of the place. But the British officer was too judicious to hazard an
* In this march the members of the company took turns in taking the lead and breaking the crust of the snow, with the exception of Eleazer Heywood, who had, a short time before, been sick, having had the small pox, and whose weight was not sufficient to break it down.
:
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assault and after spending about a month in reconnoitring the Amer- ican works, he re-embarked his army at Crown Point and returned to Canada and thus terminated the military enterprizes in that section for 1776.
Among those who marched to re-enforce the American army at Ti- conderoga, at this time, was Capt. Abel Walker and his company, among whom, as attested by Colonel Benjamin Bellows, jun., were the following men from Charlestown.
John Spafford, John Simonds, Eleazer Heywood, Isaac Walker, John Sartwell, Simeon Powers and William Layton.
Again in the spring of 1777, there was an alarm that Ticonderoga was in danger and once more Capt. Abel Walker hastened to its de- fense. He was this time commander of company No. 1, Col. Benja- min Bellows' regiment, a roll of which as it is not found in the military history of New-Hampshire, I give here.
Abel Walker, Captain.
John Sprague, Sergeant.
Bradford Spafford, Lieutenant.
Joseph Lear, Corporal.
John Beckwith, Ensign.
Julius Silsby,
Seth Walker, Sergeant.
Nathaniel Powers, “
Joseph Hobart,
Oliver Cook,
Lazedell Silsby, “
Eliab Gleason, Fifer.
PRIVATES.
Levi Simonds.
Joseph Wood.
Joseph Spencer.
John Cross.
Samuel Atkins.
Oliver Hastings. .
Eben'r Terry.
Thomas Nott.
Christopher Ayres.
Timothy Putnam.
Ephraim French.
Samuel Lewis.
Benja'n Powers.
Wm. Osgood. Joseph Powers.
Whitcomb Powers.
Comfort Towner.
Joseph Clark.
Amasa Grout.
Sam'l Gunnison.
Sam'l Remington.
Eleazer Heywood.
Moses Spafford.
Oliver Farnsworth.
Thomas Putnam.
Eli Smith.
John Atkins. John Hart.
Daniel Elmore, Thom's Rose.
Eliphas Silsby.
Asa Walker.
Nath'l Walker.
Timothy Cross. Josiah Reed.
Roswell Stevens.
Reuben Bingham.
Lemuel Royce.
Samuel Carey.
Jesse Scovel. Richard Holden.
This alarm proved to be false and the troops returned in about three weeks. They marched from Charlestown on the 7th of May, by order
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of Major General Folsom and were discharged on the 21st of June. But scarcely had they reached their homes when other expresses arrived with the exciting tidings that General Burgoyne and his army had ac- tually arrived within a few miles of Ticonderoga and were about to in- vest the fated fortress. Again Gen. Folsom made a requisition upon the same officers for troops and also for other detachments of militia ; and again at the call of Col. Bellows, Capt. Walker and his company hastened to the scene of expected conflict. At this time his company was No. 6; and James Farnsworth, first Lieutenant ; Peter Page, Second Lieutenant and Jotham White, Ensign, were all of Charlestown. Char- lestown too furnished the first Major in this regiment in the person of William Heywood (wrongly spelt Hayward) one of the most trusted as well as of the most trustworthy of its citizens. But the fortress being evacuated on the 6th of July, these troops were of no great use save to exhibit the patriotic spirit by which they were animated ; which, such were the circumstances of the country at that time, was no small matter.
For a few months now Charlestown was directly in the war-path and those who know the history of that brief period need not be told that there were lively times in it. For the whole of New-Hampshire was awake as well as the County of Cheshire. And every town seemed de- termined to do its best and not fall behind others on the occasion. Com- panies therefore from Westmoreland and vicinity ; Nottingham West, (now Hudson), and vicinity; Amherst, Wilton, New Ipswich and vicin- ity ; from Dunstable, Merrimac, Hollis and vicinity ; and from Peter- boro, Lempster, Newport, Chesterfield, Litchfield, Bedford and Derry- field (now Manchester) and Weare and vicinity; Washington and vi- cinity and Plymouth and the adjoining towns, all came pouring into No. 4. Other companies from various towns not less patriotic started for the scene of action but were turned back by the news of the evacu- ation of the fortress before they reached Charlestown.
Colonels Ashley and Bellows with their officers and soldiers, for their promptness and expedition on these occasions, subsequently received the following very complimentary return of thanks from General Gates.
Ticonderoga, Nov. 9th, 1777.
Gentlemen : I return you and the officers and soldiers under your com- · mand my thanks for the spirit and expedition both you and they have shown in marching, upon the first alarm, upwards of one hundred miles, to the support of this important post when threatened with an immedi- ate attack from the enemy's army. I now dismiss you with the honor
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you have so well deserved. I further certify, that neither you nor any under your command have received any pay or reward from me for your services on this occasion ; that I leave to be settled by the gener- al Congress with the Convention of your State.
With great respect, I am, gentlemen,
your most obedient and humble servent,
HORATIO GATES.
To Col Ashley and Col. Bellows commanding the regiments of mili- tia from the county of Cheshire in the State of New-Hampshire."
It will be perceived by this note that the patriotism of old Cheshire required for its exercise no promptings from pecuniary considerations.
These alarms, though really answering no other purpose, were greatly instrumental in exciting and keeping alive the military spirit of the people, and in holding them in readiness for the hour of conflict which was close at hand. For Burgoyne, flushed with success, and animated with a spirit of conquest, determined to send a force through the New- Hampshire grants, and try his hand in subjugating the freemen of New- England. Then it was that the New-Hampshire boys at the summons of Stark came rushing again into Charlestown, and thence over the mountains of the New-Hampshire grants to join the Green Mountaineers at Manchester. Among the regiments which hastened forward on this occasion to the scene of action was that of *Col. David Hobart, who was originally from Hollis, but was then of Plymouth. In this regiment Abel Walker was Captain of Company No. 1. and Seth Walker, also of Charlestown, was ensign. William Heywood (in the report again spelt wrong, Hayward) was its Major. This regiment and that of Col. Thomas Stickney, at the battle of Bennington, were in the most fiercely contested part of the field. The tories had gathered in great numbers to the battle, and had entrenched themselves for a desperate resistance. They had thrown up a formidable breastwork as if to bid defiance to all assailants. This entrenchment the detachments of Colonels Hobart and Stickney were directed to force, and it was at this point that there oc-
* After the war was over, Col. Hobart, having lost his wife married a widow of Haverhill, Mass., and moved to that town where he died soon after. This fact ac- counts for the mystery that has existed relating to him. Gen. Stark in his report called him Col. Hubbard, and Dr. Belknap and other historians have followed his error. Living and dying out of the state there was little chance of correcting the error, and not until lately did any one know who was Col Hubbard that led the attack upon the tory breastwork at Bennington. (See note page 320, Adjutant General's Report, Vol. II.)
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curred the most desperate fighting of the day. " The tories " says Pot- ter, in his Military History of New-Hampshire, " expected no quarter, and gave none, fighting to the last like tigers. They were completely surrounded within their fortifications, and the work of death was finish - ed with bayonets and clubbed muskets. Hobart and Stickney saw the work thoroughly done. Stark had ordered the men, as they passed through a field of corn to put a husk of corn on each one's hat. This precaution was of great benefit. As the tories were dressed like them- selves in their " working clothes," the corn husk under the hat-band served to distinguish friends from foes, and a man without a husk in his hat was sure to be visited by a bayonet or the breech of a musket."
The following receipt with the names attached is found among Col. Walker's papers, from which we may infer that for the fourth time he led a company to Ticonderoga :
Charlestown, May 25th, 1778.
This is to certify that we have received eight shillings for going to Ticonderoga,
Sylvanus, Johnson. Wm. Willard, Josiah Hart, John Spafford, Noah Porter, Whitcomb Powers, Phineas Page, Asa Spafford, Timothy Put- nam, Josiah Farwell, jun., Benjamin Weed, Nathaniel Holden, Ebene- zer Geer, Jeremiah Garland* Joseph Powers, Joel Andres, Silas Si- monds, Richard Holden, Seth Walker, Nathan Allen.
This detachment probably was employed for assisting to garrison the fort after its evacuation by the forces of Burgoyne about the middle of November, 1777, or possibly might have been employed in the previous attempt to cut off the communications of Burgoyne with Canada.
Among Capt. Walker's papers are also found the following receipts :
Charlestown, Feb. 7th, 1780.
Received of Capt. Abel Walker one fire arm and one pound of lead, Samuel Prouty, Ebenezer Farnsworth, M. W. Hastings.
Charlestown, Feb. 10th, 1780.
Received of Capt. Abel Walker each of us one fire arm and one pound of lead,
Calvin Judevine, Oliver Farwell, Timothy Putnam, jun., Prentice Barrows, Nathaniel Holden, Samuel Remington, Oliver Farnsworth, Lewis Putnam, Amasa Grout.
* Probably ; name indistinctly written.
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Among his papers is also found the following Commission : State of
New-Hampshire. The Government and People of said State, to Abel Walker, Greeting.
We, reposing especial trust and confidence in your fidelity, courage and good conduct, Do, by these Presents, constitute and appoint, you, the said Abel Walker, to be Major of the sixteenth regiment of Militia in the said State of New-Hampshire. You are therefore carefully and diligently to discharge the duty of a Major in leading, ordering and exercising said Regiment in Arms, both inferior officers and soldiers, and to keep them in good order and discipline; hereby commanding them to obey you as their Major and yourself to observe and follow such orders and instructions as you shall from time to time receive from the Council and House of Representatives of said State for the time be- ing, and, in their recess, from their Committee of safety, or any of your superior officers for the service of said State according to military rules and discipline, pursuant to the trust reposed in you. In Testimony whereof we have caused the Seal of said State to be hereunto affixed.
Witness, Meshech Weare, Esq .; President of our said Council, at Ex- eter, the ninth day of November, Anno Domini, 1780,
M. WEARE.
Attest, E. THOMSON, Sec'ry.
March 16th, 1782, he received a commission of Lieutenant Colonel, with which his military life was brought to a close. It is not known that the regiment after this was called out into any public service.
I cannot close this sketch without alluding to an incident in Colonel Walker's private life, which is not less honorable to him than the acts of his public career. In 1816 there was a great scarcity of corn, the crop having been cut off. Prices of course immediately advanced, and Col. Walker, who had a considerable quantity on hand, had he been so disposed, might have turned the necessities of his neighbors greatly to his own profit, but instead of that he most generously disposed of his whole surplus to those who had most need, without any advance in price. '
During this scarcity Mr. Amasa Reckard, wanting a bushel of corn, came down to Colonel Walker's to purchase. On making known his errand the Colonel said " Mr. Reckard, have you any money to pay for it ?" "O, yes," said Mr. Reckard " I can give you the money right in hand." "Mr. Reckard, " continued the Colonel, " have you a horse ?" " Yes," he replied " my horse is now at the door." "Then," said the
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Colonel, "if you have a horse and money I cannot let you have any corn, for I must save it for my poor neighbors who have neither of these-you can get it somewhere else but they cannot." This illustrates his general character, for at the hands of no man did those in want fare better.
Col. Walker continued to reside in Charlestown a much respected citizen, till March 11th, 1815, when he died, at the age of 81 years. Mrs. Walker died Oct. 8th, 1806, aged 62 years. Ch. 1. Eunice, b. Nov. 21st, 1767; d. Sept. 7th, 1773. 2. Sarah, b. July 16th, 1769 ; d. Oct. 20th, 1788, 3. Phineas, b. Apr. 26th, 1771 ; d. Apr. 8th, 1772. 4. Phyle, b. Jan. 19th, 1773; m. Aaron Dean, of Charlestown, Nov. 4th, 1790 (see Dean) d. in Boston, Mass., Nov. 15th, 1849. 5. Phineas, b. Dec. 28th, 1774 ; d. July 30th, 1777. 6. Abel, b. Oct. 11th, 1776 ; d. Aug. 14th, 1777. 7. Elizabeth, b. Sept. 7th, 1778 ; m. Sept. 24, 1797, Tho's Melville. 8. Phineas, b. Aug. 8th, 1780; drowned in Connecticut river, June 29th, 1792. 9. Abel, jr., b. Sept. 11th, 1783; m. Jan. 1813, Sally Doolittle, (daughter of John and Lucy. Doolittle) b. in Westmoreland, N. H., Feb. 11th, 1789. Ch. (1) Mary Doolittle, b. in Charlestown, Nov. 16th, 1813; d. in Hyde- park, Vt., June 26th, 1845. (2) Phineas, b. Apr. 20th, 1820; d. in San Francisco, Cal., July 26th, 1852. (3) Samuel, b. March 17th, 1823-was one of the selectmen in 1857-58 and was representative in 1859. Abel Walker, jr., who was a useful and much esteemed citizen, died in Charlestown, Oct. 3d, 1827. 10. Eleuthera, (daughter of Col- onel Abel and Elizabeth (Parker) Walker) b. July 21st, 1786 ; m. John Willard, jr. II. Sybil (dau. of Seth and Eleanor (Chandler) Walker) b. in Groton, Mass., March 23d, 1735-6.
SETH WALKER, m. 1st, Jan. 14th, 1741-2, Abigail Holden (dau. of Nathaniel Holden and Abigail Stone, of Groton, Mass.,) b. Sept. 15th, 1719. Ch. I. Sybil, b. March 13th, 1745. II. Seth, jr., b. Apr. 5th, 1747. III. Abigail, b. June 10th, 1750-The above b. at Groton. IV. Asa, b. Sept. 5th, 1753. V. and VI. Nathaniel and Isaac, twins, b. March 30th, 1756. VII. Jabez, b. June 2nd, 1758, published, to An- na Watkins, of Charlestown, Oct. 17th, 1790. Children by 2nd wife, Jemima, VIII. Mary, b. Aug. 9th, 1766. IX. Jemima, b. Apr. 27th, 1768. X. Emma, b. March 26th, 1770. The above b. in Shirley, Mass. Seth Walker, jr., was sergeant in Capt. Abel Walker's com- pany. The family came to town probably in the spring of 1770. The Seth Walker in No. 4 and Charlestown at an carlier date, was the fath - er of Col. Abel Walker.
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MATTHEW WALKER, from Thompson, Ct., settled in Charlestown at an early day. His children were, I. Dyer ; II. John; III. Benjamin ; IV. Dorcas ; V. Mary. I. Dyer, b. Dec. 30th, 1776; d. Jan. 27th, 1851; m. Jan. 30th, 1799, Mary Spencer (dau. of Taylor and Mary (Davis) Spencer) b. Oct. 20th, 1780; d. Feb. 27th, 1872 (see Spencer) Ch. 1. Stephen, b. Dec. 27th, 1799 ; nı. Nov. 2nd, 1824, Keziah Con- verse. Ch. (1) Mary Ellen. (2) Clark S. (3) Annette K. (4) Alice. He removed from C., in 1851; d. Feb. 26th, 1865. 2. Angeline, b. Nov. 22nd, 1801; m. Feb. 22nd, 1824, Sherburne Merrill, of Unity. Ch. (1) Rosette, m. Erastus Perkins and lives in Iowa. (2) Wil- son, m. Marion Bluff, of Charlestown, died and buried in C. (3) Hel- en, m. Alvah Spaulding and lives in Iowa. (4) Jenette, m. David Hubbard (son of Jonathan B. Hubbard) and lives in Kansas. (5) Ran- som, nı. - Putnam, of Charlestown. (6) Julia. 3. Oracy, b. Oct. 16th, 1804; m. Lorenzo Willard (son of Moses and Lydia (Farwell) Willard) and settled in Montpelier, Vt. 4. John S., b. Jan. 11th, 1807; d. Dec. 30th, 1859; m. 1st, Sarah Merrill, Dec. 1822; b. Jan. 1808; d. May 13th, 1840. Ch. (1) Arnold, m. Oracy Walker and lives in Wisconsin. (2) Sarah, deceased ; m. 2nd, Sarah Campbell, of C., b. Oct. 24th, 1804; d. Feb. 1875. 5. Abigail, b. Feb. 27th, 1809 ; m. Wilson Merrill, Jan. 20th, 1831, and settled in Claremont. 6. Ly- dia, b. Jan. 22nd, 1811 ; d. Jan. 21st, 1820. 7. Amelia B., b. March 9th, 1816; d. Oct. 16th, 1846. 8. Erastus Otis, b. Feb. 14th, 1819; m. Jan. 4th, 1843, Lucy A. Towner (dau. of John and Lucretia (Ad- kins) Towner) b. March 22nd, 1819, II. John (son of Matthew) m. Philey Spencer (see Taylor Spencer). III. Benjamin, m. Sarah Whip- ple (dau. of Edward Whipple). IV. Dorcas, ni. Jacob Wright. V. Mary, m. a Mr. May.
DEA. CEPHAS WALKER (son of Elijah and Polly (Howe) Walker) m. July 16th, 1836, Mrs. Priscilla E. (West) Burnham. Mrs. Walk- er d. of small-pox, Jan. 14th, 1873. Dea. Walker came to Charles- town, Apr. 7th, 1843-a miller and wheelwright.
BENJAMIN WALKER (son of Benjamin and Sarah (Whipple) Walker) b. Dec. 25th, 1809; m. Sept. 30th, 1835, Mahala Garfield (dau. of John and Susan (Rogers) Garfield) b. in Charlestown, July 19th, 1814. Ch. I. Lucetta, b. Aug. 27th, 1838 ; d. July 24th, 1840. II. Susan, b. Aug. 20th, 1838. III. an infant, d. Oct. 24th, 1839. IV. Susan, b. Oct. 23d, 1841. V. Floretta, b. July 22nd, 1843; d. Aug. 31st, 1849. VI. Watson J., b. March 29th, 1845. VII. George Milon, b. July 11th, 1849; d. Dec. 29th, 1863. VIII. Etta Lavonn, b. May
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31st, 1855. Mrs. Mahala Walker has always lived in Charlestown.
JOEL WARD (son of William and Hopy (Sargeant) Ward) b. Apr. 12th, 1816, in Bradford, N. H .; m. Oct. 25th, 1842, Mary J. Locke (dau. of Frederick and Anna (Farwell) Locke) (see Locke) b. June 7th, 1821. Ch. I. George, b. May 10th, 1844; d. Jan. 14th, 1867. He was in the Ninth New-Hampshire Regiment, in the war of the Rebellion. II. Ann L., b. Apr. 10th, 1846; d. March 24th, 1863. III. Mary A., b. Jan. 8th, 1848; m. Richard Robertson (see Robertson). IV. Charles W., b. June 5th, 1850 ; d. Feb. 4th, 1855 ; V. Frank H., b. Apr. 19th, 1853; VI. Charles G., b. Jan. 21st, 1855; VII. Mar- tin N., b. May 1st, 1856; d. June 8th, 1874; VIII. Ralph W., b. Feb. 1st, 1860. IX. Robert E., b. Sept. 8th, 1861; d. Aug. 29th, 1871.
MARVIN WAY, b. at Newport, N. H., March 24th, 1781; m. June 21st, 1806, Hannah Walker (dau. of Abel Walker) of Shirley, Mass. Both died at Langdon, N. H. Mr. Way, Oct. 6th, 1856, and Mrs. Way, April 16th, 1856. Warren Walker Way, son of the above, b. in Windham, Vt., Nov. 4th, 1807 ; m. Nov. 21st, 1836, Mary Ann Os- good (dan. of Manassah Osgood) b. Oct. 1st, 1816. Mr. Way became a farmer in Charlestown, where he died at the house of his son-in-law, George S. Bond, March 25th, 1872. Mrs. Way died Oct. 6th, 1869. Ch. 1. Mary Maria, b. at Newport, N. H., Apr. 15th, 1840; m. George S. Bond (see Bond). 2. Alvah Charles, b. at Newport, N. H., Dec. 5th, 1843; m. Sept. 30th, 1867, Catherine Jane Putnam (dau. of Oliver and Catherine (Dunsmoor) Putnam, of Charlestown) b. Sept. 15th, 1845. Ch. (1) Stella Augusta, b. Apr. 17th, 1870. (2) Fred- eric Elwyn, b. June 11th, 1872.
LUCIUS A. WAY, b. July 27th, 1833; m. 1852, Julia A. Dow, b. Apr. 20th, 1833. Ch. I. Frank E., b. July 19th, 1855 ; d. July 9th, 1875; II. Hattie Imogene, b. July 27th, 1857 ; d. Sept. 14th, 1858. III. Tim Byron, b. July 7th, 1860. Mr. Way settled in C. in 1850.
CHARLES A. WAY (son of John and Polly (Emerson) Way of Lempster) b. March 14th, 1836 ; m. March 14th, 1867, Caroline Eliz- abeth White (dau. of Rand and Fanny (Allen) White) b. May 20th, 1839. Ch. I. Carlos Rand, b. Feb. 22nd, 1868; II. Effie Louise, b. March 26th, 1870 ; III. Allan, b. Sept. 19th, 1871; IV. Annie Ruth, b. May 13th, 1874. Came to C. in 1865-manufacturer of Fishing Rods and Carriage Bows, at North Charlestown.
LEONARD WAY, b. in Lempster, 1796; m. in 1822, Olive Graves, of Unity, b. in 1795. Ch. I. Susan, b. March 8th, 1821; m. Alpheus Perry (see Perry). II. Franklin-resides in Chicago. III. Louise; m.
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Albert W. Gilmore-lives in Chicago (see Gilmore). IV. Henry-lives in San Francisco. V. Gardner, b. Nov. 16th, 1833; m. Aug. 25th, 1857, Marion W. Way (dau. of John and Polly (Emerson) Way of Lempster) b. July 21st, 1833. Ch. 1. Henrietta L., b. March 3d, 1860 ; d. March 5th, 1875; 2. Florence R., b. May 22nd, 1862; d. Feb. 16th, 1863; 3. Elizabeth A., b. Sept. 8th, 1864; 4. Charles H., b. Dec. 25th, 1866 ; d. Apr. 8th, 1867 ; 5. Albert G., b. Apr. 5th, 1868; d. June 27th, 1873; 6. Georgianna F., b. May 4th, 1870. Mr. Leon- ard Way, d. Dec. 13th, 1870. He came from Claremont and settled in Charlestown in 1835.
DR. SAMUEL WEBBER.
Among the members of the medical profession, who have practised in Charlestown, our venerable citizen, Dr. Samuel Webber, is undoubt- edly to be regarded as holding a distinguished place. " He is a native of Cambridge, Mass., the second son of Rev. Samuel Webber, D. D., President of Harvard University, and was born Sept. 15th, 1797. His early education was received partly at private schools and partly at the public Grammar school, of Cambridge. He graduated at the in- stitution over which his father had presided, in 1815. Subsequent to his graduation, he was employed four years in teaching, during a por- tion of which time he pursued professional studies, first with Dr. Wil- liam Page, jr., of Hallowell, Me., and afterwards with Dr. Thomas Foster, of Cambridge, Mass. At the expiration of that time, he de- voted himself more exclusively to professional study, though for one year he held the place of private instructor in mathematics, in the University, and for a year and a half, that of assistant to the Professor in Chemistry. He received his medical degree in February, 1822, and in May following, removed to Charlestown, where he has since permanently resided.
Previously to the time of his removing to Charlestown, in connection with his other studies, he had paid considerable attention to literature, and had given the public a taste of the quality of his productions, in the publication of a poem entitled Logan, an Indian Tale, to be found on page 155 of vol. III. of Samuel Kettell's specimens of American Poetry. " Logan" was published in 1821, and was followed by a poem, entitled " War" in 1824, after which time his mind seems to have been very fully absorbed in the business of his profession, and the writer is not aware of the existence of any poem published by him afterwards. But it is known to his friends, that he has many poems in manuscript,
DR. SAMUEL WEBBER.
1
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which would doubtless make an interesting volume, if issued from the press."
Dr. Webber, at the venerable age of 77, is still in practise among us. During his residence here, a large number of physicians have located in town, most of them to leave again within a few months or a year.
He has therefore been the principal physician of the place for over 56 years, during which time he has not only ministered to the wants of the people in the line of his profession, but done much for education and the diffusion of general intelligence in the community, and has been and is one of our most useful and respected citizens.
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