USA > New Hampshire > Coos County > Stratford > History of the town of Stratford, New Hampshire, 1773-1925 > Part 24
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This sketch of Lieutenant Thompson's military career is quoted from the "History of the Thirteenth Regiment." We have taken a few further extracts from that book, as they tell of the privations and dangers, and the bravery of the Stratford men in that awful struggle.
In the Trenches Near Petersburg, Va., August 20, 1864.
We have been in the front trenches here for a week, and are having a hard time of it. It has rained every day. The water is two and a half feet deep in the trenches where the men of the 13th have to stand and wade. About one mile from us the men are in water up to their armpits. It literally floods the trenches. If a man rises up so as to get out of the
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water, a rebel bullet is sure to be after his head. I have not had my clothing dry for a week, night or day, and am covered with mud from head to foot. The men were still worse off than the officers. The rebels open with artillery between 12 and I A. M., and continue shelling for two hours, and as a matter of course we cannot sleep. We have to lie in the trenches all night, and have no covering except a rubber blanket to protect us from the weather. All the troops that can be spared now have gone to the left, where the 2nd and 5th Corps are operating. Rough work this; I feel almost worn out. To be wet, go without sleep, and feel in danger all the time-for there is constant danger of being shot-is any- thing but pleasant; but I get along so much better than most of the enlisted men that I feel quite satisfied with my lot. If anything will make a soldier think of home, wife and children, this kind of life will do it.
R. R. THOMPSON.
The Battle of Drury's Bluff
General Burnham orders Lieut. R. R. Thompson of Com- pany H, and the picket line that came in with him, out again into the open field or space, between the works we hold and the enemy; and Lieutenant Thompson, as ordered, takes his men-the most of them from Company H, but a number from Company B-straight over the works again, neither he nor his men flinching or wavering in the least, deploys the line immediately upon passing the works, and advances with it upon the enemy-practically a little skirmish line going out over the open ground to engage a rebel line of battle.
Fort Harrison
Fort Harrison was the key to a long portion of the enemy's line, situated on Chaffin's Farm (sometimes called Chapin's), about one mile from the east bank of the James, six miles from Richmond, and nearly opposite Fort Darling on the west bank of the James, which was garrisoned by 3,000 men. The fort mounted eight or ten guns, and was surrounded by a ditch ten feet deep, the sides of it nearly vertical, above which rose the walls of the fort, some ten or fifteen feet more. The approach was guarded by numerous redoubts in every direction, by gunboats in the James, and was one of the strongest and most easily defended fortifications in the entire Confederate line. The capture of this formidable fort was in the nature of a surprise, taking place early in the morning, the Union soldiers sitting down to the unfinished breakfast of the Confederates at 7 o'clock. The Union column charged up the hill in a solid body and rushed straight over ditch and
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parapet of the lone southeast face into the main fort; the men jumped into the moat, now dry, drove their bayonets into the front side of the walls of the fort up to the muzzles of their guns, then placed the gunstocks upon their shoulders, and other men climbed upon them into the fort. Captain For- bush and Lieutenant Thompson were shot near the moat be- fore entering the fort, instantly killed in assault. Both were exceptionally brave men, and faithful, true soldiers, who have shared in all the regiment's labors and battle from its first organization."
STRATFORD'S WORLD WAR RECORD
Stratford has an enviable World War record, sending seventy- five enlisted men and women into the different activities and service department of the United States Government, a number which represented nine and three eights per cent of her entire population, and was equalled by but one other town, or city, in the state.
She "went over the top" in the five Liberty Loan campaigns, purchasing three hundred and fifty-two thousand dollars of the War Liberty and Victory Bonds, and sixty thousand of War Saving Stamps through the Post Office Department. She sent twenty-five per cent above her quota in all of the War Work activities.
On September 25, 1918, was held Stratford's "Liberty Auction Sale," when in one day under most unfavorable weather condi- tions, and with the influenza epidemic in our midst, forty-five hundred dollars was raised for the "war chest." Here were sold live stock, farm products, and personal property, consisting of furniture, clothing, jewelery, etc., contributed and bought back again at larger figures by a generous and loyal people.
The unexpected termination of the war did not utterly ex- haust the "chest," and the town found itself in 1922 with eleven hundred dollars still in the treasury. A meeting of the citizens was called, and by a unanimous vote it was decided to devote that sum to the laying out of an athletic field at the North Stratford school building, to be known as the Memorial Ath- letic Field; also, to erect a monument in the Square to the memory of Stratford's soldiers.
The town has a World War honor certificate, from the United States Government, now hanging in the Town Building, as well
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as honor flags for each of the Loan Drives as evidence of the self sacrifice of her people.
[These figures have been furnished us by the Hon. John C. Hutchins, town historian during the war, a "dollar man" in the enlisting office for the Regular Army, and Shipping Board, chairman of the five Liberty and Victory Loan drives, also chairman of the United War Work activities, county chairman of the Near East Post-War drive .- ED.]
Stratford's Soldiers in the World War
HORATIO N. ALLEN, Oct. 21, 1918; Fort Constitution, New Castle, N. H.
LESLIE E. BARNETT, Nat. Guard, June 14, 1917, Sanitary Troop, Hdqrs. Amb. Co., 10Ist Regt., 26th Div., A. E. F., France; sailed Oct. 8, 1917.
LOREN J. BARROWS, Nat. Army, June 27, 1918; Infantry, Camp Devens, Mass .; discharged 1918.
RICHARD L. BARROWS, June 1, 1918; Camp Colt, Gettysburg, Pa. FRED L. BARTLETT, Nat. Army, Oct. 3, 1917; 309th Regt. Amb. Co., Camp Devens, Mass .; France.
HAROLD L. BALDWIN, S. A. T. C., 1918; Plattsburg, N. Y .; Camp Perry, N. Y.
HOWARD BEEDE, Oct. 21, 1918; Fort Constitution, New Castle, N. H.
FRANK J. BLODGETT, April 20, 1918; Aviation School, Minneapolis, Minn.
BISHOP BROWN, June 6, 1917; 10th Harvard Amb. Unit; Trained at Allentown, Pa .; assigned to France.
IRVING D. BLODGETT, Nat. Army, July 30, 1918; Camp Devens, Mass.
JOSEPH S. BRAIDEAU, Nat. Army, Sept. 15, 1917; Camp Devens, Mass .; discharged 1918.
DANIEL AMBROSE BUCKLEY, Reg. Army, Aug. 21, 1918; Q. M. C. Engineer, Spanish War; not accepted on account of physical defects.
IRVIN CHAFFEE, Nat. Army, Infantry; seriously wounded; re- ported Aug. 7, 1918.
ISAAC J. CONNELLY, Merchant Marine, April 13, 1918; training ship, Gov. Dingley. U. S. Coast Patrol; Oiler. discharged 1918.
GEORGE J. MCCREA, Reg. Army, September, 1917; Artillery Sup- ply Co. 78, Camp Logan, Houston, Tex.
BURT CULLENS, Reg. Army (Canadian Forces), Inf. Can. Exp. Forces. Military Camp, Sherbrooke; France; wounded Nov. 1917-fractured arm.
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ERNEST J. CURTIS, Nat. Army, Inf. 37th Co., 9th Brig., 15Ist Depot Brigade; Camp Devens, Mass.
WALTER B. CURTIS, Nat. Army, June 1, 1918; Camp Devens, Mass.
EDWARD J. DALEY, Oct. 1, 1918; Heavy Artillery, S. A. T. C., Harvard, Cambridge, Mass.
MILDRED CATHERINE DALEY, Nov. 6, 1918; Unit 15, Nurse, Plattsburg Barracks; Camp Lee, Va .; Walter Reed Hospital, Washington, D. C.
NELLIE H. DALEY, Oct. 1, 1918; Yeoman (F), Naval Hospital, Portsmouth, N. H.
ALBERT E. DAVIDSON, Nat. Guard, 5th Truck Co., Supply Train, 26th Div., Westfield, Mass. Overseas, A. E. F .; Ist Sergt; discharged May, 1919.
JOSEPH J. DAVIDSON, July, 1918; Camp Devens, Mass.
ELMER EGAN, Oct. 21, 1918; Fort Constitution, New Castle, N. H. NEAL D. FARNSWORTH, Nat. Guard, May 17, 1917; Infantry, Co. L, 103rd Regt., Camp Bartlett; France.
HENRY J. GUAY, Nat. Army, July 24, 1918; 246th Amb. Co., Sanitary Train, Camp Devens, Mass .; discharged Jan. 28, 1919.
HAROLD HAPGOOD, Nat. Army, May 17, 1917; discharged Aug. 15, 1917; recalled, Aug. 15, 1918; Co. L, Dartmouth College Training Camp.
WILLIAM S. HAPGOOD, Nat. Army, April 26, 1918; Infantry, 328th Reg .; Camp Dix, N. J .; France.
THOMAS HILL, May 6, 1918; Tufts College; France.
HAZEN B. HINMAN, Reg. Army, Inf., 27th Co., 7th Brig .; Depot Brig., O. T. C., Camp Devens; transferred to Petersburgh, Va .; promoted from 2nd Lieut. to Ist Lieut.
RALPH M. HUTCHINS, Nat. Army, June 14, 1918. Aug. 14, Ft. Joseph E. Johnston, Jacksonville, Fla .; Motor Truck Supply Train; furloughed to Reserve Corps, Motor Transport, as 2nd Lieut., First Camp, Ranking Sergt. Major; discharged Dec. 17, 1918.
MAHLON A. JONAH, Reg. Army, May 24, 1917; Cavalry, Troop H, 2nd Regt., Fort Ethan Allen; France.
CLEVELAND JORDAN, Nat. Army, Field Artillery, Supply Co., 32Ist Regt., Camp Devens; Camp Gordon; France.
JOHN A. KENNEDY, Nat. Guard, Inf. Co., 3, Div. H, 10Ist Amm. Train, 26th; France; discharged, May, 1919.
WILLIAM J. KING, Merchant Marine, March 26, 1918; training ship, Gov. Dingley; Instructor.
FRED LATOUCH, Nat. Army, July, 1918; Camp Devens, Mass. ALFRED O. LIBERTY, Nat. Army, Aug. 15, 1918; Camp Devens, Mass.
JOSEPH LIBERTY, Nat. Army, June 24, 1918; Fort Slocum, N. Y .; Camp Devens, Mass.
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CHARLES C. McMANN, JR., Nat. Army, 310th Amb. Co., Camp Dix, N. J .; France.
DONALD L. NEEDHAM, Merchant Marine, May 17, 1918; trained on Gov. Dingley; transports, Overseas Service.
JAMES NELSON, Reg. Army, Jan. 20, 1918. Medical, Ft. Slocum. WILLIAM NELSON, Merchant Marine, March 29, 1918; training
ship, Gov. Dingley; 2nd Cook, Overseas Transport Service. LELAND NELSON, March 29, 1918; not accepted.
EUGENE NICKERSON, Nat. Guard, Infantry, Co. E, Ist N. H.
CHARLES J. PARADIS, May, 1918; Infantry, Co. L, 309; France; wounded-gun shot left leg, under knee cap, Oct. 1, 1918. CARLOS HENRY PARKER, Nat. Army, June 1, 1918; Ft. Slocum; Camp Jackson; France.
CHARLES G. PLATT, Oct. 10, 1918; Durham, N. H., S. A. T. C. FRANKLIN I. PORTER, Reg. Army, 1917. Aviation, 185 Squad- ron; England.
JOHN E. RAINEY.
DAVID B. RIGGIE, Reg. Army, Aug. 9, 1918; Ft. Slocum, N. Y.
CLAUDE L. ROBERTSON, Reg. Army, Jan., 1918; Montesario Detachment, Montesario, Wash., Camp 6.
CLIFFORD S. ROBERTSON, Nat. Army, Aug. 15, 1918; Durham College.
WALTER J. ROBARGE, Nat. Army, July, 1918; Camp Devens, Mass.
LEO N. SEVERY, Nat. Army, June 1, 1918; Fort Slocum; France. LEONARD L. SHOFF, Reg. Army, February, 1917; Medical, Ft.
Ethan Allen; Base Hospt., 66, Ft. Slocum; Camp Merritt; France.
MAYNARD R. SCHOFF, Nat. Army, Durham College; discharged Aug. 18, 1917; recalled May 15, 1918; 76th Div., France.
MERLE A. SHOFF, Reg. Army, Feb. 5, 1918; Cavalry, 7th Regt., Ft. Slocum; Ft. Bliss.
GEORGE H. SWETT, Nat. Army, May 25, 1918; Camp Devens, Mass.
JAMES CHARLES THOMPSON, M.D., Reg. Army, Medical, Fort Oglethorpe; Ist Lieut., M. R. C .; Capt., 1919; Major, 1920. SAMUEL J. VALLEY, Nat. Guard, Co. 6, 26th Div., 10Ist Amm. Train, A. E. F .; France.
HAROLD WHEELER, Oct. 21, 1918; Ft. Constitution, New Castle, N. H.
JERRY WILLARD, Canadian Army.
GEORGE L. WILLEY, Nat. Army, May 25, 1918; Camp Devens, Mass .; France.
CLINTON WILLIAMS, Reg. Army, May, 1918; Engineers, Co. F, 33rd. Regt .; France.
EVERETT J. WILLIAMS, Nat. Army, June 14, 1918; Inft., Co. H, 303rd, Camp Devens; France.
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WENDELL P. WILLIAMS, Canadian Army, May, 1918; Royal Canadian Engineers, St. Johns, P. Q .; France.
WILLIAM L. WRIGHT, Nat. Guard, July 25, 1917; Inft., Co. E, 103rd Regt., 26th Div., Camp Bartlett; France; wounded by bursting shell, lost right eye.
Casualties
HARRY L. CURTIS, Reg. Army, Engineers, Co. B, 6th Regt., A. E. F., Corporal; seriously wounded April 6, 1918; died May 10, 1918 (see sketch).
WALTER GEORGE DALE, Reg. Army, Aug. 1, 1914; Inft., Ist Bat., Welsh Regt., Eng. Exped. Force; killed, first Battle of the Marne, April 18, 1915.
FREDERICK DAY, Nat. Guard, July 1917; 10Ist Engineering, 26th Div., A. E. F .; died in France, pneumonia, 1917.
ROY G. ESTES, Nat. Army, July, 1917; Inft. 23rd, 10Ist Regt., Ft. Ethan Allen; Syracuse, N. Y .; France; killed in action.
HARRY L. CURTIS POST, NO. 52, AMERICAN LEGION
During the last days of the great World War, while the Ameri- can troops were closing in on the forces of the Germans, it was conceived by several United States Army officers located in and about the city of Paris, France, to promote, not for selfish or political reasons, an organization and an association similar to that known as the Grand Army of the Republic, which was founded at the close of the Civil War. This organization or association was to be called the American Legion, and all who had received an honorable discharge from the United States Army, Navy or Marine Corps between the dates of April 6, 1917, and November IIth, 1918, were entitled to membership in the same, regardless of rank, color, creed or nature of service.
Little these officers realized that this organization would gain such a foothold as it has within its short life throughout the world as well as the United States.
After the return of the North Stratford men who served their country during the World War, a small group gathered one evening in the storeroom of one of the local merchant's place of business, and decided to apply for a charter to allow and estab- lish a post of the American Legion here at North Stratford, and the same to be called Harry L. Curtis Post, named after the first son of Stratford to give his life in making the world safe for democracy during the great World War (1914-1918).
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The following list contains the entire charter membership and these names appeared on the application for a permanent char- ter, each man bearing his part of expense needed to apply for the charter, which was required by the state and national depart- ments: Roy F. Beattie, Ralph M. Hutchins, Leslie E. Barnett, Maynard R. Schoff, Edward J. Daley, Jr., John A. Kennedy, Lewis Marshall, Lloyd H. Hendricks, Fred L. Bartlett, Neal D. Farnsworth, Robert S. Marshall, Everett J. Williams, Everett W. Ramsay, Benj. R. Damon, Harold B. Hapgood.
Through the State Department of New Hampshire American Legion, then located in the city of Manchester, a temporary charter was procured, which allowed the charter members rights whereby they could proceed and organize legally as members of the American Legion, under the post name and number, Harry L. Curtis Post, No. 52, Department of New Hampshire.
The Knights of Pythias immediately offered the post the use of their lodge room for its meeting place and headquarters, to- gether with the use of the other rooms in the building, free of charge; a courtesy which was highly appreciated by the members of the post.
The first meeting was called soon after the arrival of the charter, and the following officers were elected for the remainder of the year 1919: Commander, Ralph M. Hutchins; Vice-Com- mander, Roy F. Beattie; Adjutant and Treasurer, Lewis Mar- shall; Executive Committee: Edgar DeBanville, Leslie E. Bar- nett, John O'Dowd.
On Memorial Day the post had thirty members in line for the parade, as well as members of the French and Canadian armies, as guests. During the afternoon the committee called at the different cemeteries and decorated with flags the graves of soldiers who were buried within their respective limits, who had served in previous wars. The following Sunday morning a Memorial service was held at the First Baptist Church, for the following organizations, namely, K. of P. Lodge, Civil, Spanish, and World War veterans, the different organizations attending in a body.
On August 1, 1920, the permanent charter for the post arrived, issued from national headquarters, and is now framed, and hangs on the wall of the post headquarters; also, the death certificate of Harry L. Curtis, issued by the Government of France, and signed by R. Poincaré as President.
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In 1921, Roy F. Beattie and Ralph M. Hutchins were elected delegates to the state convention held at the Weirs, N. H., the home of the New Hampshire Veteran's Association. At this convention Post Commander Ralph M. Hutchins was elected a delegate to attend the national convention of the American Legion held in Kansas City, Missouri, during the latter part of October.
In September, 1921, the post decided to assume the respon- sibility of presenting a lecture course during the winter months. Through the strenuous efforts of the committee, F. L. Gilbert, Leslie E. Barnett, Lewis Marshall, and Roy F. Beattie, this proved a financial success, and the purchasers of tickets were in- structed as well as entertained.
During the latter part of the winter 1922 the post secured the services of Donald B. McMillan, the great Arctic explorer, who was on the platform at that time delivering lectures on the polar regions, illustrated by colored slides made from pictures taken by him personally, the previous summer. This lecture was enjoyed by a large audience, who received a vast amount of information concerning that little known region.
During the spring of 1922, through the efforts of the members of the North Stratford Chapter of the American Red Cross, the post was presented with a post banner (regulation) of blue silk, lettered in gold, with beautiful gold cord, tassels and fringe, and costing in the vicinity of one hundred and twenty-five dollars.
The year 1923 was marked by the celebration of the one hun- dred fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the town of Stratford, and the post was called upon to take a prominent part in the celebration of Old Home Week, acting as escort to the governor, etc.
One of the features of that week was the presentation of the soldiers' monument to the town of Stratford, through the Old Home Week Committee from the citizens of Stratford, and its dedication by the Hon. Garvin R. Magoon of Lancaster, N. H., who was until recently a resident of Stratford. He was assisted in the unveiling by Leslie E. Barnett, a veteran of the World War, and Mr. Antipas Young, a veteran of the Civil War, both residents of the town.
This monument was built with funds taken from Stratford's
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War Chest, a sum raised to meet the various drives that con- fronted the people of this country during the stress and strain of the World War.
After meeting all the so-called drives and calls for money, there remained in this chest a certain sum. A meeting was called of the town's people to decide on the disposition of this balance. By a unanimous vote of a large and representative gathering in Pythian Hall, it was decided to appropriate a part of this fund in building and locating a monument to Stratford's soldier dead, as well as those living. A committee was appointed, John C. Hutchins, first selectman, Leslie E. Barnett, commander of the Legion Post, and Charles E. Clark, treasurer of the town of Stratford.
The monument was erected in Post Office Square, North Stratford village. It is constructed of cobble stones, and is pyramidical in form, with a triangular plot artistically set in turf surrounding the same, with a small iron rail set in a slab about eighteen inches high. Through the courtesy and help of the Hon. George H. Moses, United States Senator from New Hampshire, the town was loaned two deck guns and mountings, taken from the U. S. S. Battleship New Hampshire, which was being dismantled at the Philadelphia Navy Yard at that time.
These the town committee placed on opposite corners of the triangle, one pointing down the Daniel Webster Highway, and the other up the same highway. On the other corner of the triangle, is a large three hundred pound shell, taken from one of the numerous carloads of its kind shipped over the Grand Trunk Railroad to Portland, Maine, from Canadian manufacturing plants, for use overseas.
On the three sides of the monument proper are inserted bronze tablets, about eighteen by twenty-four inches, in which are cast the names of Stratford's citizens who have participated in various wars in which the United States of America have been engaged.
The post has advanced rapidly in numbers, and through the aid of the several social functions which it has held it has prospered financially. The money gained in this way has been spent in further equipment for carrying on the business of the post systematically : a United States flag to match the post banner, a
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degree lamp, books, manuals etc. Through the officers of the post, and those at state headquarters, the post was able to secure for its use in ceremonials of different kinds, eight United States Army rifles, with belts, bayonets, and ammunition carriers. This was done by bonding the post, which was carried out by the aid of the treasury, and the Farmers Guaranty Savings Bank of Colebrook.
Upon the arrival of the rifles the post organized a firing squad, which took an important part in the program on Memorial Day, 1924. At the closing of the year of 1924, it was found that the post had forty-one members. This entitled them to a one hun- dred per cent bronze band for the color staff which was presented by state headquarters, reading as follows "Membership Excel- lence, 1924."
The following officers were elected for the year 1925: Com- mander, Dean S. Clough; Vice-Commander, Maynard R. Schoff; 2nd Vice-Commander, Lewis Marshall; Adjutant and Treasurer, Vernus E. Shira; Chaplain, Frank L. Gilbert; Historian, Ralph M. Hutchins; Master at Arms, Michael S. Tremose; Executive Committee, Edgar DeBanville; Leslie E. Barnett; Reginald L. Hill.
Through death the post has been saddened but twice, and those "going west" are members of whom the post may well be proud namely :
Everett William Ramsay, who died December 2, 1920, at his home in Bloomfield, Vt. He was born in Bloomfield May 18, 1896. Educated in the schools of his native town, and those of Stratford. He served during the war in the 26th Division, United States Army, with foreign service. He was laid to rest in Fairview Cemetery, with military honors performed by the Harry L. Curtis Post.
Clifford S. Robertson, born in Stratford, on June 27, 1890. He received his education in the public schools of Stratford and Berlin, moving into the southern states, when about sixteen years of age, and taking up the work of a saw mill man, an occupation which he followed until his death, excepting the period spent in the United States service. He was killed in a runaway accident in New Brunswick, on September 24, 1924. He was laid at rest in Fairview Cemetery with military honors, carried out by the local American Legion Post.
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PERSONAL HISTORY OF HARRY L. CURTIS *
Harry L. Curtis was born in Stratford February 26, 1889, the son of Hazen W. and Clara (Lindsey) Curtis.
The name of Curtis has been connected with the town of Stratford, since it was chartered by the King of England, and Harry L. was a direct descendant of William Curtis, a Revolu- tionary soldier, who was one of the earliest settlers in Stratford.
Harry was the oldest of a large family of children, his parents, hard working people. His mother, who died before the children had grown to maturity, carried on the strenuous duties of a farmer's wife, as well as the supreme duty of guiding her children to manhood and womanhood through the best channels available at that time.
He was educated in the district schools of Stratford, and gave early promise of his brilliant scholarship, and graduated from the Stratford High School, in the class of 1906; the largest class the school had graduated, which he led in scholarship. After gradua- tion he passed with very high marks the entrance examinations of Dartmouth College.
Owing to financial reasons, he did not enter Dartmouth in the fall, but worked as timekeeper in the lumber camps operated by the Connecticut Valley Lumber Company, in the vicinity of Paul Stream, to earn the needed money to pay his college ex- penses, when he should enter at a later date, his father being so situated that he felt unable to assist him in any way. The following spring he followed the log drive the length of the Con- necticut River, in the same capacity as he had been working the winter previous.
Returning home in August he made preparations to enter college. Upon investigation he found that by entering Colby College, a Baptist College, located at Waterville, Maine, he might secure a small scholarship, that would help in the matter of tuition, as he was connected with a church of that faith. By the advice of his pastor, and the promised aid of two of Strat- ford's prominent citizens, who were vitally interested in the schools of Stratford, and recognized the talent of the young student, he entered Colby College.
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