USA > New Hampshire > Cheshire County > Rindge > History of the town of Rindge, New Hampshire, from the date of the Rowley Canada or Massachusetts charter, to the present time, 1736-1874, with a genealogical register of the Rindge families > Part 23
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Rodney A. Hubbard, '62.
Josiah Stratton, '65.
It is regretted that the space which remained for this chapter has forbidden a more extended account of the volunteers, and of the patriotic action of the town; and if
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THE WAR OF THE REBELLION.
little is said of generous acts and patriotic words of the citizens who remained at home, the limits of this chapter must plead excuse. There remains one class of patient toilers whose untiring efforts conferred lasting honor upon themselves. The contributions to the great cause by the ladies of Rindge cannot properly be overlooked. A Soldiers' Aid Society was promptly organized, in May, 1861, and continued in active operation during the war. The officers were chosen annually, and, in many instances, were reelected. They were: Mrs. S. W. Brown, Miss Cordelia Daggett, and Mrs. George S. Coffin, Presidents ; Miss Cordelia Daggett, Miss Carrie M. Burnham, and Mrs. Warren W. Emory, Vice-Presidents; Miss E. Augusta Wilder, Miss H. A. Walcott, and Miss Sarah R. Hubbard, Secretaries and Treasurers ; Mrs. Reuben Ramsdell, Mrs. A. S. Coffin, Mrs. Alison Lake, Mrs. W. H. Rugg, Mrs. J. B. Breed, Miss H. A. Walcott, Mrs. William Lawrence, Mrs. G. W. Stearns, Mrs. F. A. Wilder, Mrs. W. A. Sher- win, and Mrs. George S. Kimball, Directors.
The society held no less than from eighty to one hundred sessions, which were devoted to industrious efforts in fashioning articles of comfort and of clothing for the volunteers. At each of these gatherings much actual labor was performed. Nor should we forget the many busy hands which were similarly employed in the home circle. The fruit of this toil was either sent directly to the soldier, or was left with the society, to be forwarded to its desti- nation. The intrinsic value of the articles sent by the society, was no less than six hundred and fifty dollars ; but when it is realized that many of the stores of lint, of bandages, of comfortable bedding and clothing for the wounded and the sick in the hospitals were received at a time when the demand was great and the supply limited,
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HISTORY OF RINDGE.
the value of these articles was incalculable. These efforts were prompted by a true womanly sympathy for suffering and love of country, from which the bravest of men could read living lessons of faith, devotion, and patriotism.
At the close of the war, after this thoughtful care for the living, an immediate and successful effort was made, by the members of this society, to raise money to procure some fitting inscription which should perpetuate the memory of the dead. At first a monument was proposed, but it was finally decided to procure four marble tablets containing the names of those from Rindge who died in the service. The names of those who were natives and had removed from town but a short time previous to the war, were also included. For this purpose the Soldiers' Aid Society was reorganized, and assumed the name of the Ladies' Monument Association. Of the new organization, Mrs. W. H. Rugg was President, and Miss Sarah R. Hub- bard was Secretary and Treasurer; the Directors were Mrs. William Lawrence, Mrs. F. A. Wilder, Mrs. W. A. Sherwin, Mrs. N. H. Eastman, and Mrs. M. W. Hale.
The money raised for this laudable object was mostly the proceeds of several levees, which occasioned much labor on the part of willing hands. The tablets, which now are found in the Town Hall, were procured at an expense of three hundred and sixty-two dollars. They were dedicated on the twenty-ninth of May, 1869. The address on the occasion was delivered by Ezra S. Stearns, and poems were furnished by Samuel Burnham and Herbert Ingalls.
These inscriptions reflect credit upon those who were instrumental in their erection, and will be treasured by succeeding generations as a solemn trust committed to their care.
CHAPTER XVI.
SKETCHES OF PROMINENT INDIVIDUALS, AND A LIST OF COLLEGE GRADUATES.
Edward Payson. - Asa Rand. - Marshall P. Wilder. - Ezekiel Jewett. George P. Barker. - Amasa Norcross. - Ira Russell. - Samuel Burnham. - Albert S. Ingalls. - Lake Coffeen. - James Milliken. James Walker. - Isaac Kimball. - Silas Wilder. - Charles Walker. Charles Shedd. - William C. Richards. - George Shedd. - John P. Perry. - Joseph Brownlee Brown. - Charles W. Kimball. - Howard Rand. - Frank H. Hardison. - Albert F. Norcross.
REV. EDWARD PAYSON, D.D., son of Rev. Dr. Seth and Grata (Payson) Payson, was born in Rindge, July 25, 1783. He received his preparatory education in the public schools, at the academy in New Ipswich, and under the efficient tuition of his parents. Entering Harvard University in sophomore year, he graduated in the class of 1803. In the winter of junior year he taught a term of eleven weeks, in the schools of this town. At other times, during his student life, he was a favorite teacher in the neighboring town of Winchendon. "Marvin's History " preserves the testimony of Dr. Whiton, in these words: "The first winter of this century -that of 1800-1 -an excellent school was taught at the Centre, by a son of Rev. Dr. Payson, of Rindge - Edward Payson, then a member of Cambridge College; afterwards the distinguished Rev. Dr. Payson, of
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HISTORY OF RINDGE.
Portland, Maine, a name known and honored on both sides the Atlantic. I think his school gave a new impulse to educational interests."
It is a most difficult task to write with the certainty that nothing not already known to the reader can be communi- catcd. Few names, if any, are as familiar in this country, and in Christian circles abroad, as that of Edward Payson.
The outlines of his life, the fervency of his piety, the weight of his character, and the cloquence of his lips, are familiar to all; his memoirs have been extensively read, and tradition has frequently rehearsed the story of his life.
Upon the completion of his collegiate course at Harvard, with the most complimentary recommendations from mem- bers of the faculty of that institution, he went to Portland, Maine, and took charge of an academy recently founded in that place. Here he remained for three years, having meanwhile connected himself with the church in Rindge; the entry of his admission is in the handwriting of his father, under date of September 1, 1805. In August, 1806, he resigned his charge at Portland, and returned to Rindge for the purpose of pursuing the study of theology, under the direction of his father. He was licensed to preach May 20, 1807, and on the following Sabbath preached his first sermon, in Marlborough, New Hampshire, where he continued in the ministry about three months. Late in August, he proceeded to Portland, which was destined to be the scene of his remarkable career. He was received in a most flattering manner, and numerous overtures were made to him. He finally accepted a call from the Second Church, in Portland, and was ordained as colleague to Rev. E. Kellogg, December 16, 1807. The sermon was preached by his venerable father, from the text: "Lay hands sud- denly on no man; neither be partaker of other men's sins."
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EDWARD PAYSON.
The discourse was printed. Four years later, Mr. Kellogg was dismissed, and he continued the sole pastor of the church until his death, October 22, 1827. The record of these twenty years is carefully preserved, in a Memoir, by Rev. Asa Cummings, D.D., and in a volume of Reminis- cences, more recently published. He received the degree of Doctor of Divinity, from Bowdoin College, 1821. During his life, the following discourses were printed : A Discourse before the Bible Society of Maine, 1814; A Thanksgiving Sermon, 1820; An Address to Seamen, 1821; A Sermon before the Marine Bible Society of Boston, 1824; A Sermon in behalf of the American Education Society, published in the National Preacher after his death, but prepared for publication by himself. Since his death, a large number of his sermons have been published, and his collected writings appear in the second and third volumes, compiled by Dr. Cummings.
Dr. Payson is represented, by those who remember his personal appearance, to have been of medium height, of compact form, and fair proportions. In these particulars he resembled his father in a striking manner. His hair was black, as were his eyes, which were of singular fullness, and somewhat retired under a prominent forehead. His expression was placid and benignant, melting into looks of extreme kindness. In silence, his countenance was thoughtful and serious, but in conversation it was enlivened by the most vivid flashes of keen intelligence and emotion. In the expression of his eyes, there is said to have been a most singular eloquence, placid and downcast when at rest, but keen and scrutinizing when fixed upon any object, and when engaged in conversation, particularly when speaking to the multitude, they became the mirror of his deepest emotion, melting in pity, suffused with tears, or glowing
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HISTORY OF RINDGE.
with the fire of his fervent nature, they continually appealed to the hearts of men, even while his tongue was directing and convincing the intellect.
His style of preaching was as simple as his nature, but effective and earnest, and marked by the power of his appeals and entreaty. So impassioned, so earnest, and so solemn was his manner, so anxious and solicitous his coun- tenance, the little child, who understood not the weight of his words, nor comprehended the solemn duties enjoincd, was lost in wonder that his hearers did not perform some incomprehensible act for which the eloquent preacher was so earnestly pleading. It would be extremely difficult to define the character of his eloquence, but it is safe to pronounce him among the greatest and most eloquent pulpit orators this country has produced. Simplicity was so blended with the profound, earnestness with tenderness, fervency with mildness, and all clothed in such matchless imagery, that none listened unmoved, and all keenly felt the power of rebuke, clothed in language of affection and entreaty, melting into love and tenderness.
REV. ASA RAND, son of Col. Daniel and Susannah (Hemenway) Rand, was born in Rindge, August 6, 1783, and was only a few days younger than Rev. Dr. Edward Payson. Labor upon the extensive farm of his father, and diligent study whenever opportunity was presented, gave full exercise to his physical and mental powers, until he entered Dartmouth College, where he graduated, 1806. Having prepared for the ministry, he was ordained over the Congregational Church in Gorham, Me., in 1808 or 9. He married for his first wife a sister of Edward Payson, a lady of unfailing piety and superior mental endowments, and between Mr. Payson and himself there existed the most indissoluble friendship. It has been said, by a member
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MARSHALL P. WILDER.
of Mr. Payson's congregation, that he exchanged with Mr. Rand more frequently than with any other clergyman, "and he gave us on these occasions finely written, strongly indoc- trinated, choice sermons."
In 1822, on account of failing health, he resigned his charge in Gorham, and removed to Boston, where he engaged in efficient editorial labor of a denominational character. From 1835 to 1855, he preached in several places, as acting pastor and stated supply, and, soon after retiring from active labor, ripe in years, and enjoying the retrospect of a prolonged and useful life, he removed to Ashburnham, where he passed the remainder of his earthly life. He died, August 27, 1871, at the venerable age of eighty-eight. In his disposition he was cheerful and social, in manner dignified but not austere. He was a ready writer, and all his composition is marked with careful thought and logical arrangement. In theology, he belonged to the old school; but his conservative tendency preserved him from extreme views and opinions. Though gifted with less imagination than many, he presented his argument with ability. His mental faculties were strong and well balanced, and developed by liberal study. He was char- acterized by substantial attainments and well matured opinions, rather than by brilliancy of qualities and fervency of manner, and as a preacher, if he did not captivate his hearers by vivid play of the imagination, or remarkable exhibition of eloquence, he secured their favorable attention and regard by his wisdom and force of argument.
HON. MARSHALL PINCKNEY WILDER, son of Samuel L. (Esq.) and Anna (Sherwin) Wilder, was born in Rindge, September 22, 1798. Having been a pupil in the public schools of this town, at twelve years of age he entered the Academy at New Ipswich, of which Oliver Swain Taylor
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HISTORY OF RINDGE.
was then preceptor. He pursued his studies at this insti- tution, and under the tuition of Rev. Joseph Brown, until, at an early age, he was prepared to enter upon a collegiate course of study, which, whatever may have been his youth- ful plans, he voluntarily relinquished for a more active life than could be enjoyed in a professional career. At the age of sixteen, his father gave him the choice to qualify himself for a farmer or merchant, or to fit for college. He chose the first, having had from his youth a love for the cultiva- tion of the soil. In his student life, he was healthful and athletic, and possessed no ordinary measure of life and activity, -ready at all times to fully enjoy the sports and pastimes of youth, but always restrained from any excess by a fine sense of honor and the proprieties of life. In the treatment of his associates, his kindness and generous sympathies were as conspicuous as they have subsequently appeared in his intercourse with his fellow-men, or in philanthropic efforts for his race. The business of his father having increased largely, Marshall was required to enter the store, and, upon reaching his majority, he became a partner in the firm of S. L. Wilder & Son, and, in 1821, was appointed postmaster, which position he held until his removal from this town.
In military affairs, he always evinced a lively interest, and was, at the age of twenty-one, commissioned as adjutant of the Twelfth Regiment of New Hampshire militia. His efforts in the organization and equipment of the Rindge Light Infantry were conspicuous. This, however, was not effected without strenuous opposition on the part of several men of influence who encouraged a continuance of the old companies of militia. Of this company, which enjoyed no small measure of celebrity, and in which the citizens of the town manifested considerable pride, Mr. Wilder
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MARSHALL P. WILDER.
was the first commander. In 1823, he was made lieuten- ant-colonel, and in 1824 was commissioned colonel of the Twelfth Regiment. Of commanding personal appearance, perfectly familiar with the military tactics then employed, prompt and efficient in command, Col. Wilder enjoyed unbounded personal popularity, and was in the line of rapid promotion, which was only prevented by his removal from the State. Since his removal to Boston, he has been a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company, the oldest military organization in this country, having been chartered in 1638, which company he com- manded in 1857. Leaving his native town at the age of twenty-seven, Col. Wilder has left upon the minds of his cotemporaries the impress of mature manhood. His influ- ence was great, but he was never an unwise or unsafe counsellor ; and if he had found no other fields of achieve- ment, he would be gratefully and honorably remembered by the townsmen with whom he was early associated. During his residence in this town, he was cotemporary with Col. Ezekiel Jewett, brother of his first wife, who is a few years his senior, an associate of the Calhouns, and at the time of his removal Hon. George P. Barker was a student at college, while Edward Payson, D.D., and Rev. Asa Rand, scarce belonged to an earlier generation. Few towns can present a more brilliant constellation of intellect, virtue, scholarly attainment, and philanthropy.
In 1825, Mr. Wilder, seeking a wider field of labor and usefulness, removed to Boston, and engaged in the whole- sale West India goods trade, under the firm of Wilder & Payson, his partner being Henry Payson, Esq., a son of Rev. Dr. Payson, of this town. The same business was subsequently pursued under the firm of Wilder & Smith, until, in 1837, he became a partner in the commission
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HISTORY OF RINDGE.
house of Parker, Blanchard & Wilder-at present known as Parker, Wilder & Co., -of which he is the senior member, who conduct an extensive commission business, for the sale of domestic fabrics, in Boston, and have a branch house in New York. In business, Mr. Wilder has been successful, never failing to meet his obligations, nor to maintain an honorable reputation.
In affairs of a monetary character, he has filled many positions of trust and responsibility. He was an original director in the Hamilton Bank and in the National Insur- ance Company, both which positions he has held for forty years. For twenty-six years, he has been a director in the New England Mutual Life Insurance Company, and several other similar institutions are indebted to his direction and counsels.
But in other fields of effort the services of Col. Wilder are even more conspicuous. Of himself he says, in one of his admirable addresses : "Endowed from my youth with a love for rural life and rural taste, I have but obeyed the instincts of my nature in devoting such time, ability, and means as I could command to the cultivation of the earth." With these proclivities, united with talent and an indom- itable perseverance, in his favorite pursuits he has accom- plished an incalculable labor. He has devoted much time to the theoretical and practical study of agriculture and horticulture, and has spared no effort in instilling into the public mind a knowledge and love of the same pursuits. In the formation of societies for these purposes, and in the careful cultivation of his own grounds at Dorchester, in the extensive importation of trees and plants, by his numerous addresses and fruitful example, he has done much for the benefit and encouragement of the tiller of the soil.
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MARSHALL P. WILDER. .
Col. Wilder was early associated with the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, and in 1840 was chosen its president, which office he resigned after an efficient service of eight years. To the wise forethought and judicious counsels of Mr. Wilder, the Society is indebted in a most unmistakable manner, and many of the measures which have been successfully carried into execution, and upon which the flattering prosperity of the Society is based, originated with him. To his influence the Society is largely indebted for that amicable settlement with the Mount Auburn Cem- etery Corporation, from which a large income has already been received, and by which a perpetual revenue is to accrue to its funds. As a memorial of his services, the Society has placed in its halls a life-like portrait and a fine marble bust. His name stood at the head of the circular which resulted in the organization of the American Con- gress of Fruit Growers, at present styled the American Pomological Society, a national institution. He was chosen its president, which position he still occupies. Under his direction, the Society has held biennial sessions in different parts of the Union, at which he has made appropriate addresses. These are published with the proceedings of the Society. For twenty successive years, he was president of the Norfolk Agricultural Society. This organization is one of the first of its character in this country. Col. Wilder delivered the address at its inauguration, in 1848, and was honored by the presence of Daniel Webster, Edward Everett, Josiah Quincy, Horace Mann, Charles Francis Adams, Robert C. Winthrop, and others equally respected in the various walks of life. It was here that he advocated the importance of agricultural education, which culminated in the establishment of the Massachusetts, and aided much the other agricultural colleges of our Union.
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. HISTORY OF RINDGE.
He has been a leader in all movements on the part of the State to promote the interests of agriculture, and was chairman of the Massachusetts Central Board of Agriculture until the Board became a department of State.
Col. Wilder was mainly instrumental in the organization of the United States Agricultural Society. In 1852, he was chosen the first president, and during his official service of six years the society held exhibitions in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Kentucky. His addresses and speeches on these occasions are published in the transactions of the Society.
Concerning his labors and scholarly acquirements in horticultural matters, a recent number of the London Gardeners' Chronicle pronounces him "one of the most distinguished of transatlantic horticulturists, and one who, by his zeal, industry, and determination, has not only conferred lasting benefits on his native country, but has, by his careful experiments in hybridization and fruit culture, laid the horticulturists of all nations under heavy obliga- tions to him. The name and reputation of Marshall P. Wilder are as highly esteemed in Great Britain as they are in America."
In January, 1868, Col. Wilder was solicited to accept the office of president of the New England Historic-Genealogical Society, vacated by the death of Gov. John A. Andrew. He was unanimously elected, and still holds the office. His untiring efforts in securing funds, and in the erection of the society's convenient and handsome building, on Somerset Street, have demonstrated the wisdom of the choice.
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In 1839, he represented the town of Dorchester in the Legislature ; ten years later he was a member of Gov. Briggs' Council; the following year he was elected to the
Marshall ? Wilder
PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN ROMOLOGICAL SOCIETY
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MARSHALL P. WILDER.
Senate, and of this body he was chosen president; and when the "Constitutional Union Party " was formed, at Washington, in 1860, he was the member selected for New England.
In 1867, Mr. Wilder visited Europe, and was one of the United States Commissioners at the Paris Exposition, where he was appointed Chairman of the Committee on Horti- culture and the Cultivation and Products of the Vine. In 1869, with a select party of horticulturists, for the purpose of learning its agricultural resources, he made a tour at the South; and for the same purpose, in 1871, he visited Cali- fornia and the Pacific Coast. The result of his observation has been given to the public in several comprehensive
addresses. Although advanced in years, the energy and ability which has secured these manifold results is un- dimmed. In addition to the many honors and services named, he is the senior member of the State Board of Agriculture, senior trustee of the Massachusetts Agricult- ural College, a member of the Executive Committee of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, and of the Gov- ernment of the Institute of Technology, of which he has been vice-president for many years, and chairman of the Society of Arts. Among his many qualifications for use- fulness, his executive ability is prominent, both in the accomplishment of herculean tasks, and in the presidency over deliberate assemblies. Mr. Wilder was vice-president at the famous festival in Boston, in 1844, when fifteen hundred sons of New Hampshire were present, and Mr. Webster presided; and on their second festival, November, 1853, Mr. Wilder was president, and delivered one of his most eloquent and touching speeches. Few gentlemen have been so frequently called upon, and on such varied occa- sions, to preside over conventions and societies, and very
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HISTORY OF RINDGE.
few have acquitted themselves so happily, " whether dignity of presence, amenity of address, fluency of speech, or dis- patch of business, be taken into consideration." "Boston Past and Present," an elegant folio volume recently pub- lished, contains a carefully prepared sketch of Mr. Wilder, which closes with the following merited tribute : "Mr. Wilder has excelled in all that he undertook, because he knew the measure of his own abilities. His plans and experiments appertaining to the grand object of his pur- suits - the cultivation of fields, fruit, and flowers - were matured with deep thought, and executed with zeal, resulting from a clear, practical head. Look at the pros- pective of a long and vigorous life consecrated to the public, in which every step he advanced became a fulcrum on which to start some greater and higher movement. From the stand-point of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, he originated the American Pomological Society ; then the Norfolk Agricultural Society; then the State Board of Agriculture, the Massachusetts Agricultural College, and the United States Agricultural Society. As the zealous patron and promoter of the noblest of all sciences, his name will fill a luminous page in the history of human progress and improvement, -a page which will suffer no deterioration by the lapse of years, and which will have its interpreter on every hillside, and in every valley, where rural taste and refinement are found. Well did Gov. Bullock, on a late public occasion, allude to Mr. Wilder as 'one who has applied the results of a well-earned commercial fortune so liberally that in every household, and at every fireside in America, where the golden fruit of summer and autumn gladdens the sideboard or the hearth- stone, his name, his generosity, and his labors, are known and honored.'"
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