USA > South Carolina > Charleston County > Charleston > History of the New England Society of Charleston, South Carolina, for One Hundred Years, 1819-1919 > Part 8
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substitute for the old bank of the United States as the fiscal agent of the South, both at home and abroad. As a private banker he leaves a proud name, not in America alone, but through all Christendom-a name accredited where cominerce carries a flag or sends an adventurer. To have done this was to have lived to some purpose; but he did more. As a patriot. he lived long enough to subscribe his name to the Ordinance of Seces- sion of the state of South Carolina; this has made his name historic. And might he not have said as the prophet of old: 'Now lettest Thy servant depart in peace.' As a friend, we dare not per- mit ourselves to speak of him lest truth might assume the appearance of exaggeration, but we may indulge in the luxury of hoarding the remem- brance of his acts of kindness as treasures to be garnered in our hearts.
"There is one body of men who will have a special tear to shed for him. Those who remem- ber him as the presiding officer of the Hibernian Society of Carolina will feel their hearts swell when they call to mind the genial glow which suffused itself over their meetings when he led them to deeds of charity or in the mirth of the hour.
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"And thus in all, either as a man of measures or as a friend indeed, he was what few are and what all should wish to be."
WILLIAM COOMBS DANA
William Coombs Dana was of Huguenot ancestry. He was descended from Richard Dana, who fled from persecution in France and settled temporarily in England, from which country he emigrated to Cambridge, Massachusetts, about 1640, where he died April 2, 1690. He was the ancestor of a long line of men who have illus- trated the history of New England in all the learned professions, in literary life, and in high public station. The Reverend Dr. Daniel Dana, the father of the subject of the present sketch, was for fifty years one of the most prominent and influential clergymen of New England, and for part of that time president of Dartmouth College. His son, William C. Dana, whose name has been so long and prominently associated with the history of Charleston, came to this city in 1835, preaching in the church in which his life was spent for the first time in December of that year, and
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being ordained to the ministry and installed as pastor, February, 1836. His preparation for the holy office had enjoyed the privilege alike of Andover, Princeton, and Columbia Theological seminaries, and he was a workman fully finished for his work.
To a literary taste that was exquisitely delicate he added a passionate fondness for all that was good and a wide familiarity with all that was best in literature. He was an accurate and elegant classical scholar and a polished and luminous writer. In 1831 he published a translation of Fenelon. In 1845 he issued a volume containing an account of his travels in Europe during the pre- ceding year, entitled Transatlantic Tour; in 1866 he published The Life of the Reverend Dr. Daniel Dana, his father. He paid especial attention to the hymnology and compiled a volume of hymns. He was also the author of several very choice poetical effusions which were received with much favor by the literary public, and yet his devotion to general letters did not demand in sacrifice either the literature or the labor of his chosen and sacred calling. Upon all questions of theology he was deeply read, and in all the trying, practical
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duties of his work he was diligent and inde- fatigable.
His ministry of nearly half a century to a single congregation, the Central Presbyterian Church, one of the most cultured and intellectual that Charleston could boast, and at a time when Charleston was a center of literary and intellectual excellence as it had scarcely ever been before, and the loving devotion of the entire city, speak eloquently of the high esteem in which he was held.
He became a member of the New England Society in 1843 and acted as its chaplain on a number of important occasions.
CHARLES UPHAM SHEPARD
Charles Upham Shepard was born at Little Compton, Rhode Island, June 29, 1804. He was graduated from Amherst College in 1824. The following year he specialized in botany and mineralogy under the direction of Professor Thomas Nuttall at Harvard.
Mr. Shepard's papers on mineralogy published in the American Journal of Science attracted the attention of Professor Benjamin Silliman, of Yale.
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He was invited in 1827 to become Professor Silliman's assistant and continued so until 1831. Meanwhile for a year he was curator of Franklin Hall, an institution that was established by James Brewster in New Haven for popular lectures on scientific subjects to mechanics. In 1830 he was appointed lecturer on natural history at Yale and held that place until 1847. He was associated with Professor Silliman in the scientific examina- tion of the culture and manufacture of sugar that was undertaken by the latter at the special request of the Secretary of the Treasury; and the Southern states, particularly Louisiana and Georgia, were assigned to him to report upon. From 1834 till 1861 he filled the chair of chemis- try in the Medical College of the state of South Carolina, which he relinquished at the beginning of the Civil War, but in 1865, at the urgent invi- tation of his former colleagues, he resumed his duties for a few years. While in Charleston he discovered rich deposits of phosphate of lime in the immediate vicinity of this city. Their great value in agriculture and subsequent use in the manufacture of superphosphate fertilizers proved an important addition to the chemical industries of South Carolina.
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He became a member of the New England Society in 1843 and delivered a number of scholarly addresses at its annual dinners on Forefathers' Day.
In 1845 he was chosen professor of chemistry and natural history in Amherst, which chair was divided in 1852, and he continued to deliver the lectures on natural history until 1877, when he was made professor emeritus. He was associated in 1835 with Dr. James G. Percival in the geologi- cal survey of Connecticut, and throughout his life he was actively engaged in the study of mineral- ogy. He announced in 1835 his discovery of his first new species of microlite, that of warwickite in 1838, that of danburite in 1839, and he after- ward described many new minerals until shortly before his death. Professor Shepard acquired a large collection of minerals, which at one time was unsurpassed in this country, and which in 1877 was purchased by Amherst College but three years later was partially destroyed by fire. Early in life he began the study and collection of meteorites, and his cabinet, long the largest in the country, likewise became the property of Amherst. His papers on this subject from 1829 till 1882 were nearly forty in number and appeared chiefly
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in the American Journal of Science. The honorary degree of M.D. was conferred on him by Dart- mouth in 1836, and that of LL.D. by Amherst in 1857. Professor Shepard was a member of many American and foreign societies, including the Imperial Society of Natural Science in St. Peters- burg, the Royal Society of Göttingen, and the societies of natural sciences in Vienna.
In addition to his many papers, he published a Treatise on Mineralogy, a Report on the Geological Survey of Connecticut, and numerous reports on mines in the United States.
Professor Shepard died in Charleston, May I, 1886. He was one of the great scientists of his day.
CHARLES ROYAL BREWSTER
Charles Royal Brewster was born at Burton, York County, Maine, July 23, 1808. He died in Charleston, South Carolina, July 16, 1885.
Mr. Brewster was graduated with honors from Bowdoin College in 1828. He studied law in Boston, Massachusetts. He came to Charleston, where he spent the remainder of his life, in 1831. After teaching school for two years, he was admitted to the bar of South Carolina and
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immediately entered into copartnership with Hon. B. F. Dunkin, afterward chief justice of the Supreme Court of the state.
Upon the accession of the latter to the bench as chancellor, Mr. Brewster formed a connection with Hon. Henry Bailey, then attorney-general, which continued ten years. After that he formed at different times various business engagements with A. H. Dunkin, then with Hon. Robert Munro, and since the war with Colonel L. W. Spratt and Mr. J. E. Burke.
An editorial published in the News and Courier July 17, 1885, gives the following estimate of Mr. Brewster's character:
"Mr. Brewster's life presented no glaring contrasts or striking changes, no remarkable vi- cissitudes, no peculiar elevations or unusual de- pressions. He kept the even tenor of his way, pursuing the path of duty as it appeared to him, as with a kind heart, tender conscience, and clear intellect he sought to understand his obligations in all the relations of life, and, understanding, to discharge them completely. Like a calm and peaceful river running its passage to the sea, his life flowed along until it mingled with the ocean of eter- nity, not without dispensing blessings in its course.
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"As a lawyer he added to the clear and sound judgment of a mind well stocked with legal knowl- edge untiring industry in the preparation of his cases and devotion to the interests of his clients. Toward his brethren of the profession he con- stantly exhibited that urbanity of manner which was but the index of his kindly feelings which actuated him in his dealings with them; and while advocating with his utmost power the rights committed to his care, he never forgot what was just and courteous to his adversaries.
"As he was regular in habit and even in dis- position, so the character of Mr. Brewster was well rounded in every respect. As a moral and religious man he endeavored to fulfil the duties he owed to his God; as a husband and the head of a family he did all that in him lay to promote the welfare and happiness of the household; as a citizen he was alive to all that concerned the common good of state, city, and county, and cheerfully gave his support to all measures tend- ing to the public benefit. As a professional man he was able, high toned, devoted, courteous, and just.
"In the latter part of his life, especially, his mild and genial nature impressed many with
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whom he was daily brought in contact, for to the last he was busy among men. Many who are but acquaintances will remember with kindness the good old man with youthful spirits and never a bitter word to wound his fellow-man, while those to whom he was nearer and dearer throughout their lives will treasure his memory with grateful and affectionate regard."
STEPHEN AUGUSTUS HURLBUT
Stephen Augustus Hurlbut was born in Charleston, South Carolina, November 29, 1815. He was of New England stock.
Mr. Hurlbut studied law and was admitted to the bar of South Carolina in 1837. Three years later he became a member of the New England Society. When the "Florida War" broke out, he gave up his law practice temporarily and entered the service as adjutant of a South Carolina regiment.
In 1845 he went to Illinois and practiced his profession in Belvidere. He was a presidential elector on the Whig ticket in 1848, was a member of the legislature in 1859, 1861, and 1867, and presidential elector at large on the Republican ticket in 1869. At the beginning of the Civil War,
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he was appointed a brigadier general of volunteers and commanded at Fort Donelson after its capture in February, 1862. When General Grant's army moved up the Tennessee River, Hurlbut com- manded the Fourth Division, and was the first to reach Pittsburg Landing, which he held for a week alone. He was promoted to the rank of major general for meritorious conduct at the Battle of Shiloh, was then stationed at Memphis, and after the Battle of Corinth, in October, 1862, pursued and engaged the defeated Confederates. He commanded at Memphis in September, 1863, led a corps under Sherman in the expedition to Meridian in February, 1864, and succeeded General Nathaniel P. Banks in command of the Department of the Gulf, serving there from 1864 till 1865, when he was honorably mustered out.
Mr. Hurlbut was appointed commander-in- chief of the Grand Army of the Republic at the first annual encampment in 1866.
He was Minister of the United States to Colombia from 1869 till 1872, and was then elected a representative to Congress from Illinois as a Republican for two consecutive terms, serving from 1873 till 1877. In 1881 he was appointed Minister to Peru, which office he
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retained until his death, which occurred in Lima, Peru, March 27, 1882.
ALVA GAGE
Alva Gage was born in New London, New Hampshire, March 14, 1820. As a young man, he engaged in business in Charlestown, Massa- chusetts. In 1853 he came to Charleston, with whose practical enterprise and public institutions he was prominently identified until his decease- serving as alderman, market and orphan house commissioner, director of the People's National Bank and the Lockhart Mills; first vice-president of the Associated Charities Society, of which he was one of the founders and to which he gave five thousand dollars, in addition to the donation of constant funds to meet emergent cases; second vice-president of the William Enston Home, "to make old age comfortable"; second vice-president of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and a prominent member and munificent benefactor of the church of his own and ancestral faith. The Alva Gage Hall, the parish house of the Unitarian Church of Charleston, is a memorial to Mr. Gage.
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He became a member of the New England Society in 1855, two years after his arrival in Charleston, and at the time of his death, Septem- ber 12, 1896, was the oldest in membership on the roll of the Society.
The New England Society paid the following tribute to Mr. Gage at a meeting held immediately after his death:
"'Let him to whom I have done violence or injustice now appear, and I am ready to make reparation.' So said a dying leader of men who passed from earth many centuries ago. And so with far, far more truth could he have said, our brother, who looked his last upon earth and air and sea and sky since we last gathered in the intercourse, so dear to him, of this Society, and whose absence leaves a void which we dare not hope to fill.
"If ever a man singularly equipped by nature and training for the active pursuits of life and incessantly occupied with them kept his heart more tender, his hand more responsive to it, and his conscience more clear of intentional wrong than Alva Gage, it has scarcely been our lot to know him. For forty-three years his life was
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lived here, amid a people differing from his own in race and tradition and largely of differing religious convictions; a people proud of their own birthright of noble ancestry and fixed in steadfastness to their own modes of life and habits of thought, which were other than those in which he had been nurtured. That, in a community such as this was when he came to it, the young New Englander earned a place of respect, confidence, honor, and love, which in- creased with increasing years-and through all the changes wrought by a war which uprooted the very foundations of its social fabric increased without the sacrifice of a single conscientious conviction, until the whole community mourned his loss as that of a model citizen and public benefactor! That this could be, and was, is a tribute to our brother compared to which all others are meaningless. If the end came sud- denly to this blameless and bountiful life, that life could afford that thus it should be. He does not die silent whose helpfulness to others is inspired by his own hands, folded though they be in their last sleep.
"As a public tribute to our lamented brother, be it
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" Resolved, That this memorial of Alva Gage, the philanthropist and friend of every good cause, the eminent citizen and stainless man, our brother beloved, be spread upon the record book of the New England Society, and that a page of that record book be consecrated to his memory.
" Resolved, That a copy of this memorial, suitably engrossed and signed by the president and secretary, be furnished to the widow of our departed fellow-member."
GEORGE WALTON WILLIAMS
George Walton Williams was born in Burke County, North Carolina, December 19, 1820. His ancestors emigrated to America from Wales on account of religious persecution. In 1799 Edward Williams, of Easton, Massachusetts, came to Charleston and located for a time, later going to western North Carolina, where he became a successful farmer and merchant. Dur- ing his sojourn in North Carolina, Edward Williams married Mary Brown. Eight children were born to this union, George Walton being the fourth and youngest son. At the age of three, young George Walton was taken by his parents
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to Nacoochee, Georgia. In this beautiful valley his childhood and early youth were spent.
While in his teens young Williams went to Augusta, Georgia, and began his business career as a clerk in a wholesale grocery establishment. In a few years he became a partner in the business and at the age of twenty-three a director in the State Bank of Georgia. Mr. Williams came to Charleston in 1852 and established the whole- sale grocery house of George W. Williams and Company. Four years later he became a mem- ber of the New England Society and subsequently vice-president.
When the Civil War began in 1860, Mr. Williams was the head of two great mercantile establishments, a director of two railroads, a director of the Bank of South Carolina, and the financial counselor of the city of Charleston and of a large number of friends.
Five of Mr. Williams' partners were in the Confederate Army and all of his clerks in service. Food of every description became scarce and prices became higher from day to day. In this condition Mr. Williams no longer had a heart for trade. As Mr. Williams was an alderman of the city of Charleston and chairman of the committee
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on ways and means, Mayor Macbeth needed his services in Charleston to aid in managing the finances.
The state legislature had appointed Mr. Williams commissary to procure provisions for the soldiers' families, and he was appointed by the city council of Charleston manager of the subsistence stores to procure supplies for the poor of Charleston. Mr. Williams, having cor- respondents in all of the Southern states, at once adopted measures to procure the needed supplies, which were issued under his personal supervision without his charging one cent for his services or for rent on the buildings which were occupied.
Mr. Williams with his usual skill, promptness, and energy threw himself into this labor of use- fulness, and through his exertions thousands of the destitute and suffering were supplied with food daily to the end of the war. The friends of Mr. Williams regarded this beneficent enterprise and labor as the crowning achievement of his life.
The gigantic undertaking under the most try- ing circumstances, shut out by land and sea, with its endless details of duty, its cares, trials, diffi- culties, and responsibilities, was of an exhausting
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character and proved almost beyond his power of mental and physical endurance. Nevertheless he held his ground and stood steadfast at his post to the last.
The very day that the city fell, he issued rations to some ten thousand people, all grades and colors, from his private residence, located near Hampstead in the northeastern part of the city; he had removed from George Street in consequence of the bombardinent.
So great was the pressure the day of the evacu- ation that it was necessary to barricade the doors of the dwelling and distribute the provisions through the windows, for everything in Charleston was in the wildest state of confusion. At one moment when the crush was greatest, a terrible explosion took place at the Northeastern Depot, by which, it was said, several hundred persons had lost their lives, and it was believed that the immense powder magazine in the Half Moon Battery near his dwelling had been blown up. The panic occasioned by this dreadful catastrophe beggars all description.
It will be seen from these details that Mr. Williams was in Charleston when the city was evacuated by the Confederate forces.
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Through his appeal to the retiring Confederate general the day before the surrender, he obtained an order written by R. G. Gilchrist, the general's private secretary, for all remaining supplies and stores of the Confederate government. These were destined to the flames, but were thus saved by his prompt action.
The fires caused by the burning of cotton, by gunboats, and in part by incendiaries were then raging fiercely and threatened to lay the city in ashes. In this crisis Mr. Williams called on the Mayor to urge upon him the necessity of sur- rendering the city, especially as the fire depart- ment was disorganized in consequence of its members being arrested by the small squads of Confederate soldiers who had been left in Charles- ton for that purpose.
Mayor Macbeth appointed Alderman W. H. Gilliland and George W. Williams to be the bearers to Morris Island of the following com- munication:
To the General Commanding the Army of the United States, at Morris Island
SIR:
The military authorities of the Confederate states have evacuated this city. I have remained to enforce
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law and preserve order until you take such steps as you may think best.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant, CHARLES MACBETH, Mayor
In the meantime Mr. Williams, learning that the United States troops under Colonel A. G. Bennett were landing on Atlantic Wharf, in the rear of the old Exchange, proceeded to that place and had an interview with Colonel Bennett. Mr. Williams informed him of the disorganized condition of things in Charleston and asked for assistance to aid in extinguishing the fires. The assistance was furnished by Colonel Bennett.
After the interview, the subjoined reply was sent to the Mayor's note:
HEADQUARTERS, UNITED STATES FORCES CHARLESTON HARBOR N. ATLANTIC WHARF, February 18, 1865
MAYOR CHARLES MACBETH:
I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of this date. I have, in reply thereto, to state that the troops under my command will render every possible assistance to your well-disposed citizens in extinguishing the fires now burning. I have the honor to be, Mayor, very respectfully your obedient servant,
A. G. BENNETT
Lieutenant Colonel Commanding United States Forces, Charleston
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The navy took possession of Fort Moultrie and Castle Pinckney, and a volunteer party of ten men from Morris Island planted the United States flag on Sumter. The soldiers took pos- session of the citadel and arsenal. Mr. Williams procured from the Federal military authorities a guard to protect the several mills and ware- houses in which the provisions had been stored and thus saved from the devouring flames food enough to sustain twenty thousand people for three months, which he issued to the citizens after the fall of Charleston when they had neither money nor the means of procuring support. Many were thus rescued from great want and suffering.
· When the war was over, Mr. Williams went to Washington, D.C., and procured a charter for the First National Bank of Charleston, with a capital of $500,000, intending to be its president; but on account of the importunity of many friends he gave up his original plan and returned to his wholesale business, which was the first commercial establishment to open its doors after the Civil War.
Mr. Williams later opened a banking house and in 1874 organized the Carolina Savings Bank
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gratuitously distributed in the past twenty years- Success and Failure, Making and Saving, may be perused with profit by all who wish to emulate the worthy example of a worthy man. He has also published a volume of five hundred pages, Sketches of Travel in the Old and New World.
"There is no citizen in the South who, by his teachings and example, and by the introduction of wise and beneficent measures, and by the foundation of a financial institution for the encouragement of the young, by building and founding commercial houses, has been of more benefit to the city and state of his adoption than George W. Williams."
JOHN R. READ
John R. Read was born at Antrim, New Hampshire, September 5, 1831. His parents were among the early settlers of Massachusetts and were of Puritan origin.
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