USA > New York > Chautauqua County > Ellicott > The early history of the town of Ellicott, Chautauqua County, N.Y. > Part 37
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Alexander T. Prendergast was a man of superior intellectual gifts and strong reasoning powers. His reasoning was largely from cause to effect-this was a mental characteristic of the family ;- he was not apt in dealing with comparisons, and his judgment was sel- dom at fault, only when he desired to do some great
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good to some unworthy recipient of his charity. In such cases he would compare the seemingly needy con- dition of the unworthy and in every way bad character of the person seeking his aid, with his own superior condition and ability to relieve, and thus be led to give to persons the most debased and profligate.
He was brought up at the feet of his pure minded, gifted mother. He received a plain but thorough ed- ucation in everything useful, and was well prepared to enter college. In addition he was well versed in the political and economic history of the country. Brought into the wilderness when a child, his whole education was received at home, but his watchful father was careful that he should be instructed by the most com- petent of teachers. Being an only child his parents were willing to take sole charge of his moral and social training, and to direct as to his mental culture, and they discharged these duties with the utmost faithful- ness. He received a few months instruction as a child from the Rev. Amasa West, who taught the first school at the rapids; and he was for three terms a pupil in the Prendergast Academy, two under Abner Hazeltine and one under the Rev. Phillip Smith. For something more than six years his education was in charge of Dr. Laban Hazeltine, who was to him a most thorough and pains-taking preceptor. He was thoroughly pre- pared, and expected to enter Union College in 1824 during the sixteenth year of his age. When the time came for his leaving home, it was found that the father, the mother and the son, were mutually opposed to the separation, and the idea of a college education was abandoned. The mother declared the son should re- main and assist his father, and that the cotton factory (1823) had just been converted into a grist mill and
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they had no money with which to defray the expense, and if they had she was of the opinion that another year or two with Doctor Hazeltine was to be preferred to four years in a college, when the danger of contract- ing bad habits was considered. During the next year he pursued a course of reading in Mental Philosophy and Physiology, reading thoroughly the works of Locke, Reid and Dugald Stuart in Philosophy, and Haller and Darwin on Physiology. It may be said that his scholastic course closed with the burning of the mills in 1827. An affectionate regard sprang up between the teacher and his pupil, which was broken only by death. Living at home as he did during the whole period of his education, he was constantly under the watchful supervision of his parents, who most thoroughly supplemented his mental progress by the moral and social inspiration of their own noble char- acters. They inspired in him those generous and manly actions of which he gave subsequently so mem- orable an example. His father was a man of strong intellect, rigidly correct principles,-generous, but always standing for the right. His mother was a gifted, noble woman, with a highly cultivated mind acting on an organization in which all the higher feel- ings predominated. It was under these favoring cir- cumstances that Alexander received his superior edu- cation.
Alexander T. Prendergast not only inherited the noble qualities of his parents, but in early life was called upon under his father's training, to practice all ยท the generous qualities which should be, and were, his by heritage. His father had always stood a self-con- stituted guardian betweed the pioneers and much of the distress inevitable to the privations and hardships
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of settling a new country. There were two memorable instances, at least, in which he tided the early settlers over periods of impending famine and financial dis- tress, and that, too, when his own possible financial ruin was staring him in the face. The first lesson he taught his son was "nerer to collect a debt from a poor man, and to always help the needy." That in all in- stances "it was better to give a man money instead of collecting a debt from him if needy." Another rule was that "no man owed him when it was easier for him to go without the money than for his poor neighbor to pay it." No one can be found, or could be found, who ever knew either the father or the son, to go contrary to these their golden rules.
Soon after James Prendergast sold his prop- erty in Jamestown, in company with his son he looked over a large bundle of notes and obliga- tions, and separated them into two portions. One of the piles represented over $10,000-the other far less. The Judge says " Alexander, here are. over $10,000 in notes, mostly collectible, but we can- get along without the money, and it will be hard for. most of these men to pay; I propose we burn them up,. we will enjoy it much more than the collecting of them." "I think so too, father, and if you say so we. will see them blaze now." They were placed on the. fire, and in a moment were gone, An approving smile on the father's face and the simple remark, "You have made a good many men happy, Alexander," was all that was said.
Alexander T. Prendergast was one of the most affectionate of sons, one of the most noble of youthful companions, and one of the truest of friends. It is true he had but two or three youthful companions, and
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they were somewhat older than himself. It should be borne in mind that there were not half a dozen of his own age in the early days of Jamestown, and they were not fit companions for a boy entertaining the high ideas that he entertained. It used to be said of him that his greatest enjoyment consisted in taking a stroll through the woods, with or riding behind Dr. Hazel- tine on his old horse Charly when visiting his pa- tients; that he preferred these excursions to going a fishing, and that he never had shot a gun in his life. The boys younger, among whom we unhappily must number ourself, gave him the nick name of "Charly's Hitching Post," it being his custom to hold the horse during the time the Doeter was visiting his patient. We can again vouch that boys have a terrible aversion to nick names-for many the time have we seen Alex- ander leaving his persecutors without deigning a reply, and going home, with the tears streaming down his face. And we well remember a small boy, who, seeing Alexander passing one day, screamed out, " Charly's Hitching Post." who was saved a flogging by Alexander's prompt interference with the father, and we are positive that that boy never applied that nick name afterwards. We can now remember a dozen poor children who, if living to day, would bless the memory of Alexander T. Prendergast ;-- and one in particular, who appeared before our father's house one cold day, barefoot and with neither coat or jacket. Alexander, who was passing, took the boy home with him, and soon he was seen returning with shoes and stockings on his feet, and with warm clothing .* A
* Such families are found in ail towns, both new and old. The presence of two or three families of this kind, in the early days of Jamestown, undoubtedly aided in originating the idea that James- town was settled by a rough set of inhabitants. Families of this tramp species are found everywhere.
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man named Scovill, with a half dozen or more ragged children, had come to town-how no one knew-had driven the the hogs out of the Blowers slab shanty, (spoken of on pages 39 and 210) and taken possession. That Alexander made one of those boys happy we had the evidence of our own eyes. Aunt Nancy was busy the next day with the remainder of the family, and before night the Judge had them comfortably housed in the rooms that had once been his own home on Cherry street. We could relate a large number of similar happenings, but this we beheld with our own eyes, and had its origin as we have stated. In those early days, any person who had Alexander for a friend was sure not to suffer, for invariably he had Uncle James and Aunt Nancy for backers. We ask the few old settlers, and those of our own age still living, who were boys and girls at the time of which we are speaking, how many times, on some cold, dreary day, they have seen Alexander looking into the habitations of the poor and the needy; how many of his orders on the mill for flour and meal they have seen; and how many little pack- ets of tea (1-4 1b.) they have known of his leaving with those too poor to buy so costly a luxury. His private account at Prendergast's store at one time, for tea alone, was nearly two hundred dollars, the price of tea at that time being from two to three dollars per pound.
In after life, Alexander T. Prendergast was the exemplar of the loving and faithful husband, of the affectionate father, of the kind and helping neighbor, of the good and patriotic citizen, of charity towards every human being, and kindness towards all of God's creatures.
He was, during his whole life, a diligent laborer, believing that it was every man's duty to earn his
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daily bread by the sweat of his brow, and that idleness was the fruitful parent of misery and wrong doing. From childhood he honored his father and his mother, and loved his neighbor as himself. He fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and housed the needy and unfor- tunate; he visited the sick and the decrepit and min- istered to their wants and necessities. He was pure in heart and in mind, never puffed up by the vanity of riches or by the extent and value of his possessions. He was always more ready torelieve the wants and dis- tress of the sick and needy, than to join in the joys and pleasures of those who had been more fortunate in life.
In addition to all the other sterling, good traits of character and good qualities, Alexander T. Pren- dergast was one of the most patriotic men of patriotic Chautauqua county. He contributed his thousands to the country's defense. He gave to every soldier from Kiantone one hundred dollars as soon as enlisted. Some curious anecdotes of greed in high places might be told as happening during those stirring times of en- listments; suffice it to say, that a few unpatriotic- although passing as patriots-were in those days to be found even in Old Chautauqua. The country was saved, and home wrongs should be forgotten and for- given by us as they were by Alexander T. Prendergast.
GOODNESS was the great, prominent, all-ruling characteristic bequeathed to Alexander T. Prender- gast by his noble mother. He inherited his father's superior intellect and his mother's great heart and pure soul. Of his ancestry we have spoken in the first. chapter of this volume. The Prendergasts were a peculiar family of men ;- strong minds, sent forth in stout bodies, well fitted to be the leaders and rulers of men.
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Every word we have written of Alexander Thomp- son Prendergast is strictly true, as every fair minded, honest man, who was intimately acquainted with him, will testify. Our picture of this truly great and good man is finished ;- great because he was good.
Alexander T. Prendergast was one of those men whose very existence was a blessing to his race. The lives of such men are not only a heritage to the com- munities in which they lived, but to the country at large and to the world. Such men manifest the gran- deur of moral power, by showing in themselves the highest moral advancement of the human race. They have lingered on the extreme verge of moral power, and have set up their monumental pillars and trophies on the uttermost limit of human virtue and charity. That heavenly virtue charity, seemingly so difficult to follow, to any great amelioration of the condition of our fellow beings, was a virtue inherent in his soul- and founded on his deep, abiding goodness.
In April, 1847, Alexander T. Prendergast was married to Mary, the daughter of Thomas and Anna (Patterson) Norton, of Westfield, representatives of two of the old families of the cross roads. Mr. Norton was the first cabinet maker, and afterwards started the first grocery store in Westfield, but he was by nature a stu- dent and an artist, and had received a thorough scho- lastic education, and his leisure hours were spent in more congenial pursuits. He was a great student, especially in theology, and became a noted expounder of the bible and its doctrines ; he had a natural bent and inclination for scripture exegesis and for deep bib- lical studies. Mary inherited the literary and artistic tastes of her father, and her passionate love for flowers
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we never knew equalled, but by one, our own sainted mother. Alexander's large but plainly furnished house on the Kiantone was soon converted into bowers of beauty and fragrant loveliness, and happiness reigned in and over all.
To Alexander and Mary (Norton) Prendergast were born two children. JAMES was born June 18th, 1848, and died December 21st, 1879 ; of him we shall speak hereafter.
CATHERINE (KITTIE) PRENDERGAST was born April 2d, 1854, and she died at Marquette, Michigan, August 2d, 1864. Kittie was a most exquisitely beautiful child. She died when but little more than ten years old, but her mind was so mature that she was no com- panion for children of that age. In intellectuality she would grace any circle of more than twice those years. She was a great reader of books, and of books of that high intellectual standing that would fail to interest children of her own age. A knowledge of high char- acter seemed to be intuitive with her, and she would converse with remarkable earnestness, knowledge and good taste on subjects that her elders were scarcely acquainted with. She was of a cheerful, lively tem- perament, or, as Coleman E. Bishop expresses it, "She was a ray of light and warmth in every heart upon which she beamed." Shall we say that Kittie Pren- dergast was too beautiful, too bright, with ideas too noble, too advanced, for a life on this earth? Oh, no ; that would not be the true explanation, for a few thus gifted have been permitted to live long, happy, useful lives with us, and it would be a reflection upon the goodness of the All-Father. But we are forced to admit that such precocious minds too frequently come to us in bodies too frail to stand the wear and tear of
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a life here. And yet this was not the case with Kittie. She had a good constitution and was filled with good health, although of that delicate make up which is a constituent of beauty of body and precocity of mind. The natural laws are as unbending as any of that great code which the Almighty has given for our earthly guidance. The other world which Kittie so highly adorns will afford us good reasons for God's mysterious providences, without our reflecting on His goodness to us here below.
It is not often that parents are as devoted to the welfare of their children as were Alexander and Mary Prendergast to theirs-but they are gone, and Alexan- der has followed. Mary only remains, a lonely watcher among the tombstones.
Many were the hearts that ached when the words were passed from mouth to mouth in our streets, " Alexander Prendergast is dead," many were the tears of sincere grief, of deep sorrow then shed. We met a man on one of our streets that day. one not noted for his goodness, and but little respected by his neighbors, weeping as if his heart would break. "Why do you cry?" we asked. "My only friend is gone; Alexander T. Prendergast is dead." "Was he your friend?" " Yes, he was my friend; he was everybody's friend. He gave everybody money, clothes and bread when they needed. It is not because I shall get no more assistance from him that I ery, but it is because I think ' HOW GOOD HE WAS.' If you ever write anything about Alexander T. Prendergast say he was ' A GOOD MAN.'" The appearance of that miserable man, and the earnestness with which he spoke, made an impression upon us, which will always remain bright in our mem-
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ory. We shall never forget it, and when we remember the one we think of the other. There is a tender place in our own heart for that miserable, degraded man, and we feel that we would give a world to have him say of us from the depths of his heart, as he then said of Alexander T. Prendergast,
HE WAS A GOOD MAN.
JAMES PRENDERGAST, JR.
James Prendergast was the only grandson of James and Agnes (Thompson) Prendergast, and the only son of Alexander and Mary (Norton) Prendergast. He was born in Kiantone, Chautauqua County, N. Y., June 18th, 1848, and died in Buffalo, December 21st, 1879.
Spirit ! thy labor is o'er ! Thy term of probation is run, Thy steps are now bound for the untrodden shore And the race of immortals begun. Spirit ! look not on the strife Or the pleasures of earth with regret-
Pause not on the threshhold of limitless life, To mourn for the day that is set. Spirit ! no fetters can bind, No wicked have power to molest ;
There the weary, like the-the wretched, shall find A haven-a mansion of rest. Spirit ! how bright is the road For which thou art now on the wing ! Thy home is with him-thy Saviour and God There-loud hallelujahs to sing.
-Mozart's Requiem.
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James Prendergast passed from life in the prime of manhood, breaking the last worldly ties that bound his parents to earth. In his death the bright anticipa- tions of the citizens of Jamestown-of a city, founded by the grandfather-carefully cherished by the father- and which had become the especial care of the son- were quickly blasted. There are misfortunes which over- take towns as well as families, that we have no right to attribute to the will of Heaven. James Prender- gast passed away from earth in the prime of his man- hood and in robust health. That he should lose his life from a surgical operation for a trivial ailment, from which a fatal termination should be no more looked for than from the pulling of a tooth, is a sad reflection upon surgical ability. One of those unaccountable accidents so frequently taking place, robbed us of one of our most prominent and most important citizens. We bow reluctantly to the fiat of fate, for with him a noble family has ceased to exist ;- a line, bearing Na- ture's stamp of nobility has disappeared, and forever. Earthly ties have been forever broken-earthly hopes forever destroyed. But Shakspeare speaks truly when he says,
"The grave's the pulpit of departed man, From it he speaks"-
The great fountain of human character lies beyond the limits of mortal life, where human passions cannot invade. It is there that the spirits of all ages, after their sun is set, are gathered into one firmament, to shed their unquenchable light upon us. It is in the great assembly of those who have gone, that great and gifted souls-the philosopher, the lover of his country and his kind-complete their benefactions to man- kind, by becoming imperishable exemplars of goodness
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and of virtue. Therefore, we grieve not at the depar- ture of the young or of the eminently wise and good. They cease to walk with us the weary days of earthly life-but all they desired to accomplish they leave with us, a rich inheritance, and their good works go on -- although they have been permitted to enter into rest a few short years before us.
His sudden and unexpected death came upon us mournfully and sadly, but it is not for these reasons we so deeply deplore his loss, but because of what he was, in and of himself. Most strictly true was that sen- tence in the Rev. Mr. Burford's discourse, at his fune- ral, which reads in these words. " The solemn re- quiem bell had scarce ceased to toll for a Nestor* of good men, ere another dirge arose, unexpectedly, from the stricken hearts of old and young, rich and poor, in this county and city-when the lightning flashed upon us the sad intelligence of the death of JAMES PREN- DERGAST-the knightly gentleman, the faithful friend, the affectionate and obedient son, the enterpris- ing citizen, the honest and charitable landlord of large property, the very center of a cultured coterie of friends and admirers, here and elsewhere ; the attached mem- ber of literary societies, the honored and faithful Leg- islator in the Assembly of his State and rising luminary of his profession. Seldom or never (certainly not in one so young) has such a sharp and heavy blow been received to society in this region, as that experienced at the sad news of his demise." The bright and manly qualities which brought forth this tribute, plainly in- dicate that the head was filled with knowledge of a high grade, and the heart with generous and honora- ble charities and affections ;- that he possessed not only
* Hon. Abner Hazeltine.
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the highest and choicest fruits of intellectual training and culture, but that the best and most ennobling sen- timents of which the heart is capable, were among his richest and most lofty possessions. Errors and fail- ures, excepting those inseparable from human nature, were not among his attributes ; and it is certainly true, that whatever of fault might be perceived in his char- acter, were largely the exaggeration of his virtues ;- an excessive anxiety that everything he did should be perfect. It may be said, there were times in the great multiplicity of business, building and public affairs, he undertook too much, more than his powers of endur- ance would well bear, vet he accomplished them, and perfectly, the injury, if any, being to his own over taxed powers. The idea of thoroughness and perfec- tion, went with him in all the duties of life ; as much in the choice of a piece of furniture, in the hanging of a picture, the direction of a party of pleasure, in the reading of a book and in everything he undertook, up to affairs of vital importance ; each and all, the trivial as well as the important, must be as thoroughly and perfectly done as he was capable of accomplishing. His rule was, every thing must be the best of its kind. His father once said to us, since James' death, " I have often thought of a conversation I had with him when he was eleven or twelve years old. It made an im- pression on my mind that caused me to remember it .; he was home from school at the time. He said to me ' Father, I have been making for myself a rule to be guided by all through life. It is this :- ' Whatever I do, to do it as perfectly as I possibly can, however trifling the thing to be done may be.' My rule, father, differs from that of many others in this-I include the little things, those that are usually considered of
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trifling importance or none at all. I think I have seen that the division line made by men between the im- portant and the unimportant varies almost as much as do the countenances of men; and some include in their list of trifles, things of the highest importance, if they expect to succeed and be honest and respected. I feel quite sure that if I perform little duties as thoroughly and as well as it is possible for me to do, it will aid me to do well things of more importance. Among the boys at the school I notice quite a number who do not get their lessons well, and they are generally consid- ered the bad boys, and I can safely say they are the poor scholars. Now, if they shirk and cheat them- selves while acquiring their education, and get rusti- cated, wont it learn them to shirk their duty and cheat others when they come to be men? I do not expect to be perfect, but I want to be as perfect as I can. Mother says my rule is a good one, and that if I do one thing well it will learn me to do other things well, and finally all things well. I do believe she is right, and I intend constantly to use my best efforts to do whatever I un- dertake well and as perfect as I possibly can." "I read an article in a newspaper not long ago on high aims. It said that if we aim at the sun we shall shoot higher and further than if we aimed at some lower object. Now, father, I am going to aim at the sun-if I do know I cannot hit it, I can try, and I shall accomplish all I expect by shooting higher and farther than I other- wise would do." Mr. Prendergast remarked, "I do be- lieve that Jimmy's rule was a good one-that he did aim at the sun ; certainly he did try to do to perfec- tion all he undertook."
He was distinguished when a mere youth-in the morning of his life, by rare attainments and unblem-
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ished integrity. He kept his fine natural powersfin vigorous action by the motives of a generous ambition, which never fails to address itself to the young and susceptible in all seminaries of learning, and happy are those who make the James Prendergasts of their schools their models in mental cultivation and moral worth. It is a well ascertained fact that the great mass of mankind form their character on those of others, and are determined followers in their tracks. If the exemplar chosen is from among the moral, the intellectual and the studious, the extent of their influ- ence for good, even in school life, can scarcely be esti- mated. Thousands of eminent men are made, and others who should have been eminent, lost, even in our primary schools; and the real teachers of each have been fellow students-teaching by example. Good as well as bad example is contagious; example, especially among the young, is as diffusive as the vibration of sound in the atmosphere. It is impossible to calcu- late the influence of example, it enlarges the sphere of human impulses, and it kindles in many bosoms aspi- rations after excellence by the exhibition of excellence in their companions.
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