Chapter XII: Part 12

_Robert W._, (b. May 3, 1814; m. Olive Dunlap of Bedford, June
1, 1839; settled in Jefferson, Tex., and d. at Sulphur Springs
in that state, Nov. 28, 1866. He left two daughters: Oriette,
now in the Metropolitan Railroad office, Boston; and Sally Y.,
who m. Com. Decatur Morris, and lives in Little Rock, Ark.)

_Jonathan_, (b. Jan. 24, 1816; m. Marietta F. Morrill of
Franklin, Nov. 15, 1841; inherited the homestead of his father
and grandfather, sold the same in 1865, and two or three years
later moved to Hancock, where he now resides. He was the last of
the name in town. At one time there were three Dea. Nesmiths in
town, known as "Dea. James," "Dea. Arthur," and "Dea. Jonathan,"
and they each had nine children,--making, with sisters and
friends, nearly forty by that name in this place. Jonathan's
children are: Jennie M., who was b. Sept. 23, 1842,--an
excellent teacher; Thomas S., who was b. May 12, 1846, and d. at
the age of three years; Fannie H., who was b. Dec. 8, 1848, and
m. Frank H. Baldwin, June 19, 1876, residing in Keene; Annie M.
T., who was b. Sept. 12, 1852; Abbie Isabel, who was b. Nov. 15,
1854, and d. 1856; Miles G., who was b. Sept. 26, 1857; Addie
M., who was b. Jan. 27, 1860; and John S., who was b. May 5,
1863.)

_Sarah E._, (b. Dec. 24, 1818, m. John W. Buttrick, and lives in
Lawrence, Mass.)

_Miles_, (b. Feb. 2, 1821; went to California in 1849, and was
driver for the California Stage Company; the horses became
unmanageable, and the whole team was thrown down a fearful
precipice near Virginia City, Nev., by which the driver, all the
horses, and most of the passengers were instantly killed. This
sad event occurred in December, 1862.)

_Harriet F._, (b. Feb. 2, 1823, m. Walker Flanders, and lives in
Lawrence, Mass.)

_Martha J._, (b. June 9, 1825; m. Isaac P. Cochran of Windham,
Nov. 12, 1846.)

_Melvin_, (b. Dec. 20, 1830; d. in Sacramento, Cal., Dec. 31,
1853.)

_Hiram G._, (b. Feb. 18, 1833; d. in Jefferson, Tex., in 1857.)

_Nancy R._, (b. Jan. 24, 1836, m. Josiah Melville, and lives in
Nelson.)

4. ADAM, b. March 5, 1792; m. Rebecca Dale; settled in Beverly,
Mass., and d. Jan. 15, 1865.

5. MARY D., "Molly Dinsmore" on town record, b. April 11, 1794;
called "Long Mary," being tall in form; a talented, respected,
and Christian woman; d. unm. April 6, 1874.

6. MARGARET, b. May 4, 1796; d. unm. in 1827.

7. ISABEL, b. March 6, 1798; d. unm. March 8, 1862.

8. HON. GEORGE W., b. Oct. 23, 1800; was graduated at Dartmouth
College in 1820; m. Mary M. Brooks; settled in the practice of
law at Franklin; was long judge of the New Hampshire supreme
court, remaining on the bench until relieved by the
constitutional limitation of years. Is now president of the N.
H. Orphans' Home, and trustee of Dartmouth College; is a man of
noble principles and honored life, enjoying in his old age the
highest confidence and esteem of men. The degree of LL. D. was
conferred upon him by Dartmouth College. He stands among the
best and noblest of the sons of New Hampshire, and is an honor
to his native town.

CHARLES MARSH.

Yankee courage, integrity, and judgment have won no more substantial or more splendid triumphs in the business world than are reflected from the dry-goods palace of Jordan, Marsh, & Co., a house whose grand successes have made it famous throughout the mercantile world. The foundations of this magnificent establishment were laid in 1851 and 1852, by three young men, two of whom were natives of New Hampshire. The head of the firm, Eben D. Jordan, when fourteen years old had gone up to Boston from his home in Maine, and began his business career as an errand boy, and in a short time had been promoted to a clerkship, in which position he made himself master of the dry-goods business, and while doing it became acquainted with two other young men, Benjamin L. and CHARLES MARSH, who had left their father's house in Chesterfield, N. H., and sought in Boston an opening in which pluck, push, and perseverance, unaided by influential friends or unearned capital, could carry them on to success.

In 1852, Messrs. Jordan and Benjamin L. Marsh established the firm of Jordan, Marsh, & Co., and the next year Charles Marsh, then a clerk in the store of Pearl, Smith, & Co., was admitted as a partner. The house began in a small way; it had behind it little but the splendid courage and the remarkable abilities of the three young partners; but these were sufficient to win a fair share of business, and a reputation which was better than money, and in a short time it was firmly established in the confidence of the mercantile world and the good will of the public. In eight years the business had grown to two million dollars per annum, and since that time it has steadily and rapidly increased, until the firm controls the dry-goods market of New England, and, in many lines, of the entire country.

The elder Marsh died in 1856, leaving his partners to carry on and complete the grand enterprises he had helped project and begin. His brother still remains to share with Mr. Jordan the triumphs of the firm. In the early days of the business, Charles Marsh was an active salesman, and was accounted one of the best ever known in Boston. Afterwards, he took charge of the wholesale department, which has since been and still is under his personal supervision.

In commercial circles and in the store he has a clearly defined and high rank as a manager, with rare combination of talents. His coolness, his thorough knowledge of the business, his level-headed judgment, and organizing and executive capacity are abundantly attested in the great and rapid growth of the wholesale business. He is a balanced man; and how necessary this quality is to success in an enterprise of this magnitude, only those who have seen houses go to wreck for lack of it can tell. The elements of personal popularity in his character, and his extensive acquaintance throughout the country, help to explain his success. For nearly thirty years his steady hand has been felt at the helm, and yet he seems to-day only in the prime of his powers.

HON. GEORGE BYRON CHANDLER.

The subject of this sketch is a member of a family that has long occupied a prominent and honorable place in New Hampshire history. His parents, Adam and Sally (McAllister) Chandler, were worthy representatives of the strong-minded, able-bodied, industrious, and successful citizens who in the early part of the century tilled the farms and shaped affairs in our farming towns. They resided upon a fertile farm in Bedford, which was the birthplace of their four children. Of these, the three sons--Henry, John M., and George Byron--are all citizens of Manchester, and are now engaged in the banking business. The only daughter is dead. The boys spent their boyhood upon the farm, doing their share of the work; but their parents were solicitous that they should be fitted for some more profitable calling, and gave them all the school privileges of the neighborhood, which were afterwards supplemented by academical instruction at several state academies.

His home work, his studies at Piscataquog, Gilmanton, Hopkinton, and Reed's Ferry academies, and his duties as a teacher at Amoskeag, Bedford, and Nashua, occupied the boyhood of GEORGE BYRON CHANDLER until the age of twenty-one, after which he spent one year as a civil engineer in the employ of the Boston, Concord, & Montreal Railroad.

In the spring of 1854 he decided to devote himself to a business instead of a professional career, and, coming to Manchester, entered the grocery house of Kidder & Duncklee as a book-keeper. The next year he was offered a similar position in the Amoskeag Bank, which he accepted, and filled so acceptably that eighteen months later he was promoted to the teller's counter, and remained there until the organization of the Amoskeag National Bank, in 1864, when he was elected its cashier and entered upon the discharge of the duties of this responsible position, which he still holds. That he has won in it the continuing confidence of its managers, who are among the most sagacious of financiers, and the hearty approval of its numerous owners and patrons, is the best testimony to his fidelity and efficiency. His success in this capacity led the trustees of People's Savings Bank, when it was organized, to select him as its treasurer, and the success of this institution is another reflection of his patient and skillful work. These two banks, of which he is the chief executive, are among the strongest in the country; and it is much for him to be proud of that they have grown so great in resources and public confidence during his administration.

Mr. Chandler has also been prominently, honorably, and profitably identified with many other financial enterprises which have been conspicuous for their success. He has been the treasurer of the New Hampshire Fire Insurance Company since its organization in 1870; he was for five years a director of the Manchester & Lawrence Railroad, and has been for several years its treasurer; he was a director of the Blodget Edge Tool Company and of the Amoskeag Axe Company, during their existence; and he has been for years constantly intrusted with numerous private trusts involving the management of most extensive and important interests.

Mr. Chandler has an ample fortune, and a large income which he scatters with a free hand. He gives liberally and buys freely. The representatives of a worthy object who appeal to him for aid seldom go away empty. His residence and grounds, which occupy an entire square, are among the most costly and attractive in the city, and are noted as the home of good taste, elegance, and hearty hospitality. He is a leader in social life and active in city affairs. For several years he has been an officer of the Amoskeag Veterans, and is now president of the New Hampshire Club, composed of the leading business men of New Hampshire, which he was largely instrumental in organizing. He has read much, and traveled extensively in this country, and has a wide acquaintance with its distinguished men, and a valuable knowledge of the resources, customs, and characteristics of its several sections, which he has often been called upon to utilize for the benefit of others in lectures before schools and also in addresses before public assemblies.

From his early days Mr. Chandler has been an active member of the Unitarian Society in Manchester, and has served for years as one of its directors and president. Like other organizations with which he has been identified, this has been frequently indebted to him for liberal donations in money and a zealous support in many ways.

In 1874, the Democratic party of the Manchester district elected him to the state senate, where he served with credit to himself and the city. He declined a renomination.

In 1862, Mr. Chandler married Miss Flora A., daughter of Hon. Darwin J. Daniels, an ex-mayor of Manchester, who died in May, 1868, leaving an infant daughter, who did not long survive her mother.

His second wife, who now presides over his mansion, is the only daughter of Col. B. F. Martin, of Manchester, to whom he was married in 1870. Three children--Benjamin Martin, Alexander Rice, and Byron--are the fruit of this union. Of these, the oldest and youngest are living.

HON. NAPOLEON B. BRYANT.

BY HON. J. M. SHIRLEY.

The subject of this sketch was born at East Andover, N. H., on February 25, 1825. His mother was of Revolutionary stock, and from one of the oldest families in town; and was one of those sunny-souled "Mothers in Israel," who, half a century ago, were alike the glory and honor of our New England homes. His father was a man of high character and fine natural endowments; but was in straitened circumstances. As there was no lawyer in that part of the town where he lived, nor within several miles, he acted as a magistrate, trial and otherwise, for many years; and his services were sought in making deeds, wills, and contracts, formulating notices and the like, organizing voluntary corporations, settling the estates of deceased persons, and in this class of business usually intrusted to lawyers. His son grew up in this atmosphere, the influence of which, with his father's strong desires, determined the choice of his profession.

The world lavishes its praise upon, and often loads with honors, the self-made man, for that implies a successful one. It too often forgets the rugged path which leads thereto, and the hard discipline--the heroic treatment that so often kills--which enables him to attain that position. As a rule, it crowns with honors the victors as they sweep the summit-heights, but furnishes no headstone for the dead that mark the ascent and block the pathway.

Young Bryant had the hard lot so common "among the hills;" but he had health, hope, courage, ambition, and the glow-fire of a fervid imagination, which enabled him to succeed when others

"By the wayside fell and perished,
Weary with the march of life."

Until ten years of age, he had the limited educational advantages afforded by the district school, gaining one term at a private school when about seven, by walking two miles and a half each way, daily, to attend it. At ten he entered the high school at Franklin, taught by Master Tyler of Andover, an author of some note and a teacher of high repute in those days, and remained for half a term,--all that the limited means of the family would permit. A similar privilege was accorded at eleven and again at twelve. At the age of fourteen he borrowed money enough of a relative to defray the expense of an entire term at Boscawen Academy, then under the charge of Mr. Ballard, of Concord, a graduate of Dartmouth, giving his note therefor, which he repaid with interest at the end of three years. Here he studied trigonometry and surveying, and for several years afterwards earned considerable sums to aid him in prosecuting his studies by surveying in his own and adjoining towns. When fourteen he "cast off the lines" and assumed the entire burden of his support and education. To aid in this work he commenced teaching when fifteen, and taught every winter until he left college. Thus lacking means, he drifted about, a term at a time, among the various academies in the state, at Concord, Claremont, Gilmanton, and New London, until he entered New Hampton, joining a class which was to fit for college in one year from that time. Here, through the kindness of the faculty, he took the studies of the freshman year, entered the sophomore class at Waterville at the same time his fellow-classmates entered as freshmen. At the academies and in college he developed an intense passion for debate, and took a leading part in all the lyceums at home and the societies connected with the various institutions of learning he attended, to which he undoubtedly owes much of the freedom and ease that have since characterized his efforts on the hustings and at the bar.

When he was about twelve, his father gathered at his house the _debris_ of what had been an excellent town library. The son reveled in this feast of good things, reading everything from Goldsmith's "Animated Nature," to Paley's Philosophy. With boyish enthusiasm he devoured the pages of Rollin, without the slightest idea, that, except when the old Jansenist relied upon others, he was reading romance instead of history. This gave a new impetus to his desire for what was then termed a "liberal education." At twenty-two he entered the office of an eminent law firm---Nesmith & Pike--at Franklin, and after something less than two years' hard study went to Harvard Law School, from which he graduated in 1848; was admitted to the bar of Grafton county at the November term of the same year, and, having opened an office at Bristol in that county in November, 1848, upon his admission, entered upon the active practice of his profession.

At twenty-five he was elected one of the commissioners of the county of Grafton and held the office for three years, being chairman of the board two years. At twenty-nine he was appointed prosecuting attorney (solicitor) for that county, and discharged its duties with marked efficiency. In 1853 he removed from Bristol to Plymouth; and from that time was engaged on one side or the other of nearly every important cause there tried by the jury.

The county of Grafton was created in 1771. It was a large county and had for its shire towns Haverhill on the Connecticut and Plymouth on the Pemigewasset. It had at the outset, as it now has, a bar of exceptional character and ability. Some of the greatest forensic and legal battles of the century--like the celebrated Dartmouth College case of national reputation--were lost and won here. Over the highest court, Smith, Richardson, and Parker, a triad of illustrious chief-justices presided, followed by Gilchrist, Woods, and Perley, but little less distinguished. Here, in the olden time, Jeremiah Mason, the foremost jurist of his day, Daniel and Ezekiel Webster, the Sullivans, and their compeers, "rode the circuit" after the custom in the mother country. These great advocates, after exhaustive preparation; spoke to crowded court-rooms, the people flocking to these entertainments like men to a feast. Then oratory was in demand at the bar; but now, in its place, is required a dry summary, as terse and pointed as an auditor's statement of accounts.

When Mr. Bryant became actively engaged in jury trials, the bar was not what it once was, for Livermore, Olcott,--the father-in-law of Choate,--Woodward, and others were in their graves; Woods and Wilcox were on the bench; Ira Perley had removed to Concord; and Joe Bell had left the state. But there were Goodall, with his varied experience and eventful life; Felton, active, precise and mathematical; Duncan, whose earlier efforts were regarded by competent critics as at least equal to those of his famous brother-in-law, Choate; Harry Hibbard, scholar, lawyer and statesman; that dark haired "giant of the mountains," Bingham; Bellows and Sargent, since chief-justices,--headed by their acknowledged leader, Josiah Quincy, one of the most practical, sagacious, and clear-headed men in the state. Here, too, occasionally came Perley, with combative blood, incisive speech, and immense law learning, to enter the lists with that child of genius and prince of cross-examiners and advocates, Franklin Pierce. It was no child's play for a young man to withstand the "cut and thrust" of such, and contest for supremacy with them before twelve men.

Lawyers know that those who are almost invincible before a referee, auditor, chancellor, or the full bench, are often failures before a jury. Nothing tests or taxes a lawyer's nerve, knowledge of men, tact, readiness, fertility in resource, and the power of reconstruction or combination, like a jury trial, and he only who has been through it--unless it be the woman who is so unfortunate as to be his wife--can fully appreciate the strain of the minute and laborious preparation which precedes, the anxious days without food and nights without sleep which attend the progress of the trial, and the collapse after the verdict, especially if it be an adverse one, when a young practitioner is pitted against one of the leaders. It is a hard experience; but it schools him in his work, and enures him to the hardships of campaigning. Mr. Bryant tried his first cause before a jury, against Mr. Quincy, and won. The veteran congratulated his youthful opponent and predicted his success at the bar. At the next term he was pitted against his old instructor, Mr. Pike, and one of the judges wrote his father a note highly complimenting the efforts of the son in that important and exciting trial.

In 1855, Mr. Bryant removed to Concord and entered into partnership with Lyman T. Flint, Esq., who had assisted him at New Hampton in fitting for the sophomore year. His practice soon extended to Belknap and Hillsborough, while he retained his hold in Merrimack and upon his old clients in Grafton, where he attended the courts as before.

Mr. Bryant had hitherto acted with the Democratic party, in whose faith he had been reared, but in 1856, in common with thousands more, in the whirlwind which swept the North after the passage of the Nebraska bill, and the troubles which had arisen in Kansas, he supported by voice and vote the nomination of John C. Fremont, speaking in all the large towns and in nearly every county in the state. From that time until he left the state in 1860, he probably made more stump-speeches than any other man in it. In 1857 he was elected representative from ward six in Concord, was re-elected in 1858 and 1859, and was speaker the last two years. He originated and carried through, against a violent opposition, the act making parties witnesses. At this day the act seems eminently proper; but then it was regarded by many as portentous of evil, subversive of social order, and revolutionary in the extreme. Its constitutionality as applied to pending suits was affirmed in Rich _vs._ Flanders (39 N. H., 304), against the dissent of two of the six judges, Chief-Justice Bell and Judge Bellows, who, as a member, had strenuously opposed its passage.

When the Know-Nothing party, so called, carried the state in 1855, one of their first acts was to overthrow the entire judicial system of the state, by repealing the acts creating it, and to erect a Siamese-double-headed-partisan one upon its ruins. The system proved expensive and became odious, not only to the entire Democratic party, but to the bar and influential class, irrespective of party relations, and to potential forces in the then Republican party.

In 1859, Mr. Bryant devised the system, which, with a brief exception, has been in force to the present time. It was carried after an intensely bitter contest. He made up the committee on the judiciary, to whom the bill was referred. It consisted of ten members, four of whom were Democrats headed by the veteran Quincy, five radicals, and one conservative Republican. Two of the six were for the bill and one was on the fence. The moss-backs, politicians, and lobbyists swarmed, and great efforts were made to defeat it. The four Democrats on the committee at first voted for their own bill, and then notified the friends of the new one that on the test vote they should give them a solid support, which would enable them to bring an affirmative report into the house. Caucuses were held almost every night of actual session to hold the timid ones in line, and prevent their yielding to the great pressure to which they were subjected.

An incident occurred during his speakership in 1859, which illustrates Mr. Bryant's readiness, courage, and political forecast. The theory that it was the right of every state and everybody in it to nullify the laws of congress whose constitutionality had been affirmed by the federal supreme court was much more popular in the North then than it became after the election of Mr. Lincoln. Lengthy petitions headed by A. T. Foss, A. Folsom, and Stephen Thayer, "praying for the enactment of a law that no person held as a slave shall be delivered up within this state," were presented. They were referred, as a matter of course, to the committee on the judiciary. Parker Pillsbury, Elder Foss, Dr. Hawks, and others appeared for the petitioners at the hearing, and made eloquent speeches in support of their petition. They had the candor, courage, and directness which characterized the old-time Abolitionists. They did not attempt to deceive the committee or any one else, but avowed that their purpose was by the bill proposed to array the state against the general government. The hearing closed. The four Democrats voted against the bill, and the chairman with flushed face demurred at such legislation; but five out of the six Republicans voted for the bill, and without a word of warning it was reported to the house by a party vote. It was read the first time without objection, and upon a division was ordered to a second reading by a vote of one hundred and thirty-four to one hundred and one. Mr. Bryant called Mr. Parker of Lempster--since a member of congress--to the chair, took the floor, and in an eloquent speech denounced the bill as nullification pure and simple, and moved its indefinite postponement. A sharp debate followed. Three lawyers who had voted for the bill in the committee defended the principle of it mainly upon the ground that everybody had the right to judge of the constitutionality of the bill at which the proposed law was aimed, and that the opinion of the supreme court was of no more account or binding force than the opinion of a like number of other persons. Mr. Bryant replied, and the result was that two members of the majority of the committee voted to sustain their nullification report, four, including the one who reported the bill to the house, voted against their own report, and the bill was defeated by a vote of two hundred and seventy-nine to nineteen. He had a natural gift for the position, and left the speaker's chair with the respect of all for his ability, his fairness, and his unvarying courtesy as a presiding officer.

In 1860, Mr. Bryant was at the Chicago convention as a substitute delegate, working strenuously and effectively for the nomination of Mr. Lincoln. He stumped the state for him, and after his election removed to Boston.

Since he has resided in Massachusetts, he has refused to hold any political office whatever, and has only interested himself in politics in speeches during the state and national campaigns. Since his residence there he has devoted his time almost entirely to an active, extensive, and constantly increasing general practice in several counties in eastern Massachusetts, in both the state and federal courts, and not infrequently has been called to his old circuit in New Hampshire, when he could spare the time. The importance of the cases in which he has been engaged, and the character of those opposed to him, are sufficient evidence, if any were needed, that he is a trained lawyer, a skillful, eloquent, and able advocate.

He delivered the centennial oration in his native town in 1879, and, for some reason unknown to the writer, rendered the same service for the town of Brandon, Vt. He has also occasionally delivered lectures before lyceums and the like.

When twenty-four, he married Miss Susan M. Brown, of Northfield, N. H., a woman of high personal character and accomplishments, and who proved all that any man could wish as a wife and mother. Three children still survive.

In private as in professional life, Mr. Bryant is noted as a genial and courteous gentleman.

HON. OLIVER PILLSBURY.

BY HON. J. W. PATTERSON.

WILLIAM PILLSBURY, from whom most and probably all of the Pillsburys of this country have descended, emigrated from Dorchester, England, and settled in old Newbury, now Newburyport, Mass., about the year 1641.

OLIVER PILLSBURY, the subject of this sketch, sprung from this line. He was born in Henniker, N. H., February 16, 1817. His parents, Deacon Oliver Pillsbury and Anna Smith Pillsbury, were both persons of unusual physical and mental strength. The writer recalls distinctly, after a lapse of more than thirty years, the amiable expression and serene dignity of Mrs. Pillsbury, and the masculine thought and deep, solemn voice of the deacon as he led the devotions of the religious assemblies of the people. He was one of the strong men of the town and a pillar in the church. Others might veer and drift, but we all knew that the deacon was anchored within the veil, and was as sure to outride the storm as the hill upon which he had fixed his home. He was a man of strong powers, a stern will, and constant devotion to the great ends of life as he saw them. The qualities of both parents were transmitted in large measure to their children. Our state has produced but few men who were the peers in intellectual strength and moral courage to their first born, Parker Pillsbury. Not many men in our country, indeed, in the years that preceded the civil war, struck heavier blows for, or clung with a more courageous, self-sacrificing devotion to, liberty than he. Those of us who knew him could hear the deep undertone of the deacon's voice in his, and knew he would conquer or die. In the roll-call of the imperishables in the great struggle for liberty, his name will be heard among the first.

Of such stock is Oliver, the fifth son of Dea. Oliver Pillsbury. During the first seventeen years of his life he experienced the usual fortune of the sons of New England farmers,--a maximum of hard work and a minimum of schooling; but at that time, having been overtaken by a lameness which threatened to be permanent, he was sent to the academy, that he might prepare for duties suited to his prospective infirmity. He entirely recovered, but this circumstance gave a new drift to his life. For nearly five years he pursued his studies with unabated interest and industry, giving thoroughness and a practical character to his acquisitions by teaching during the winter months. Mr. Pillsbury had few equals and no superiors among those who taught at that time in our public schools. He was master both of his school and his studies, and had the faculty of inspiring his pupils with his own spirit. Many who have since done good work in life look back with gratitude to those years of pupilage.

In 1839, Mr. Pillsbury left New England and went to New Jersey, where he opened a tuition school, there being no free schools in the state at that time. There, though an entire stranger, he gained the confidence of the whole community at once, and held it during eight years of successful work. During the last six years of this time he taught the academy at Bound Brook, Somerset county. While there he married Matilda Nevius, who died in 1847, leaving a young daughter, an only child. The position which Mr. Pillsbury acquired among the educators of New Jersey may be learned from the fact that he was prominent among the few gentlemen who held the first school convention at the capital, over which he presided, and which was followed by similar conventions in other cities. The movement thus begun resulted in the establishment of public instruction in that state. To have been a leading spirit in the accomplishment of so beneficent a work, in a sojourn of only eight years, should be a perpetual honor to the life of any man.

At the end of this time, Mr. Pillsbury's health having become impaired, he returned to his native place, where he purchased the paternal homestead and entered again upon the work of his boyhood. For seventeen years he followed the life of a farmer, but did not move in its old empirical ruts. He applied the knowledge and improved methods which modern investigation has given to agriculture, and in a little time doubled the productive power of his farm. The successful factor in every industry is brains, and in this case even New Hampshire farming proved no exception to the rule.

In 1850, Mr. Pillsbury contracted a second marriage with Miss Sarah Wilkins, of Henniker, his present esteemed and accomplished wife.

Though assiduous in the pursuits of agriculture, his benevolent instincts led him to take an active interest in the causes of temperance, anti-slavery, and whatever else the public welfare seemed to demand. His efforts in this direction, in co-operation with those of others, produced a change in the politics of the town, which resulted in his introduction to public life. He was elected moderator of town-meeting fourteen times, selectman six times, and to the legislature three times. In all these trusts he showed himself wise, able, and efficient. As a legislator, he did not seem anxious merely to shine, but to be useful, and to advance the interests of the state. Such qualities and service commended him to public favor, and in 1862 he was elected a councilor for the last year of Gov. Berry's administration, and re-elected to the council of Gov. Gilmore. This, it will be remembered, was while the hardships and horrors of the civil war were upon us, and when questions that could not be settled by precedent, and that tested the authority and resources of the state, were brought daily before the governor and his council for decision. The exigencies of the government would not suffer delay. Not only great permanent interests, but the very life of the nation was in peril, and large and frequent demands were made upon the states for supplies of men and money, when every resource seemed exhausted. In such times means must be invented and resources created. Criticism becomes silent, and waits for the return of peace to awaken into unreasoning activity. Under the pressure of such events, weak men are likely to be paralyzed, avaricious men corrupt, and bold men to abuse power.

The qualities which Mr. Pillsbury developed in these trying circumstances ought to make his name historic. The writer has received communications from two gentlemen who were associated with him in the council, and whose services to the state are universally acknowledged, and, as they express more forcibly than any words of mine can do the part which the subject of this sketch took in that eventful period, I take the responsibility to publish such portions of their respective letters as bear specially upon the subject of this paper. The known character of the writers will give additional weight to their strong language of encomium. Hon. John W. Sanborn, of Wakefield, writes, as follows:--

"Learning that you are to prepare a biographical sketch of Hon.
Oliver Pillsbury, I take pleasure in saying that I formed
acquaintance with him in 1863, being then associated with him in
Gov. Gilmore's council. His great executive ability, patriotism,
honesty, and integrity won the respect and admiration of all his
associates. At that time the country was engaged in that
terrible war for the support of the government and its own
salvation, and grave questions came before us relative to the
prosecution of the same. Although an ardent Republican, he never
let partisan feelings warp his judgment in his official acts. He
had strong convictions of right, but was always ready to discuss
all questions with that frankness and fairness which
characterize men of noble minds, and he fully appreciated the
opinions of his opponents. I had the honor to serve with him on
the military committee of the council, which had important
matters to consider,--questions involving the rights and
interests of the soldiers, their families, and the state. The
duties of this committee were arduous and often difficult, but I
can attest to the fidelity and untiring energy with which he
performed his part. He took great interest in the welfare of the
soldiers, particularly the sick and wounded, and was ever ready
to minister to their wants. In a word, he was a model councilor
for the time in which he served, and the future historian will
class him among our ablest and most efficient men."

Hon. John W. Noyes, of Chester, who was also in official association with Mr. Pillsbury, says:--

"I was with him a very considerable portion of the time for two
years, while we were members of Gov. Gilmore's council, during
the war. He was the most important member of the council, on
account of his past experience and familiarity with the duties
of the situation; in fact, his information and judgment were
exceedingly valuable to the governor, and all the other members
of the council.

"I regard Mr. Pillsbury as one of the best-informed and most
competent business men in this state. I hardly think that there
is another man in the state that could fill his present position
as well as he does. I told Gov. Stearns before he made the
appointment, that, if he knew Mr. Pillsbury as well as I did, he
would not need recommendations, but would urge his acceptance of
the place."

It would be idle to add anything to such commendations.

In 1869, Mr. Pillsbury was appointed insurance commissioner, by Gov. Stearns, for a period of three years, and has been re-appointed from time to time to the office, which he still holds. Soon after his appointment he drafted and secured the enactment of the present law of the state relative to insurance companies of other states and other countries. This law established the department of insurance, and has given to the people a degree of protection against the frauds and impositions of unreliable companies never before enjoyed is this state, and has brought into its treasury, by tax on insurance premiums, over hundred and twelve thousand dollars, in addition to the compensation of the commissioner.

During the whole term of his office, Mr. Pillsbury has worked quietly but assiduously to eliminate unreliable companies from our borders, and has carefully avoided the admission of all such as are not regarded as perfectly trustworthy. It is universally affirmed by men familiar with the insurance business, that the commissioner of this state has administered his office with unusual skill and success, and his reports are much sought for and often quoted and referred to as authority in other states. The state may well congratulate itself on having had the continued services, for thirteen years, of one so able and experienced in an office so intimately connected with the material interest of the people.

In 1871, Mr. Pillsbury moved to Concord, and the estimation in which he is held in the community is attested by the fact, that, during the eleven years of his residence at the capital, he has twice been elected to represent one of its wards in the legislature, and has been a member of its board of education for seven years, and was president of the board at the time he tendered his resignation. When a member of the legislature, Mr. Pillsbury was eminently practical, and whenever he spoke was listened to with marked attention; for he only addressed the house on subjects that he had thoroughly considered, and it was understood that his remarks were likely to aid the members in reaching a wise and just conclusion.

As one of the supervisors of the educational interests of Concord, Mr. Pillsbury was exceptionally intelligent, conscientious, and painstaking. His views on the general subject were comprehensive, and he kept himself informed as to all real improvements in methods of instruction. He discountenanced shams, and labored faithfully to make the schools sources of knowledge, of discipline, and of virtue. To the other public trusts so honorably held by the subject of this sketch, we may add that of trustee of the State Industrial School. He has had a deep and abiding interest in this institution since its founding, and has given to it an active and efficient support.

We can only realize how pure and unselfish his labors of this character have been, when we reflect that Mr. Pillsbury has no children of his own to kindle and feed his sympathies, but that they spring from a general benevolence toward all children of whatever condition in life. His only child was a daughter of rare mental activity and attainments, and of unusual sweetness of temper. She married Mr. J. S. Eveleth, of Beverly, Mass., where, after a residence of nearly two years, she died of consumption, in the flower and promise of early womanhood, leaving two homes stricken and desolate.

In this brief sketch we have unconsciously drawn a model citizen,--a man in all the relations of life faithful to the claims of duty; in the family, society, and the state, blameless; benevolent without ostentation, patriotic without the claim of reward, and true to every trust.

"While we such precedents can boast at home,
Keep thy Fabricius and thy Cato, Rome."

CORNELIUS VAN NESS DEARBORN.

Early as 1639, and only nineteen years after the landing of the Pilgrims, John Wheelwright, a dissenting minister from England, gathering a company of friends removed from Massachusetts bay to Exeter in the province of New Hampshire. Among the thirty-five persons who signed the compact to form a stable and orderly colony is found the name of Godfrey Dearborn, the patriarch of the entire Dearborn family in this country.

Forty years before, he was born in Exeter, England, and in 1637 landed at Massachusetts bay. He lived at Exeter ten years, and in 1649 moved to Hampton, built a framed house which is still standing, became a large land-holder and town official, and died February 4, 1686. Few men of the early settlers have left a family name so widely represented as Godfrey Dearborn. His descendants are numerous in every county of New Hampshire, and are to be found in every part of New England.

It is worthy of note, that among the descendants of Godfrey Dearborn the practice of medicine has been a favorite occupation. Benjamin Dearborn, of the fifth generation, graduated at Harvard in 1746, and, entering upon a successful practice at Portsmouth, died in his thirtieth year. Levi Dearborn had for forty years an extensive practice at North Hampton, and died in 1792. Edward Dearborn, born in 1776, was for half a century the medical adviser of the people of Seabrook, and acquired a handsome estate. Gen. Henry Dearborn, who gained a national reputation by his brilliant services in the Revolutionary war, and as the senior major-general of the United States army in the war of 1812, was a practicing physician in Nottingham when summoned to join the first New Hampshire regiment raised in 1775. To-day several of the ablest physicians of the state bear the name.

Toward the middle of the last century the Dearborn family had been quite generally distributed through Rockingham county. Peter Dearborn, the great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was born in Chester in 1710. Of his children, Josiah, born in 1751, married Susannah Emerson, the daughter of Samuel Emerson, Esq., a substantial Chester farmer. He learned the trade of a shoemaker, but, on the breaking out of the Revolutionary war, entered the army as a private, and was stationed at Portsmouth under Col. Joseph Cilley. Afterwards he did honorable service, first as a private, and then as lieutenant in northern New York, and finally closed his enlistment by an expedition to Newport, R. I., in 1778.

Returning from the war, he and his family found a new home thirty miles westward in Weare. It was not an unfitting location. With its sixty square miles still mostly covered with a dense forest of oak, maple, and beech, with its uneven surface nowhere rising into high hills, it had a strong soil, which, when cultivated, yielded large crops of hay and grain. It was already a growing township, and thirty years later became one of the four leading farming towns of the state. Here Josiah Dearborn passed his life, raising a family of eleven children, nine of whom were sons. Samuel, the fifth son, and father of the subject of this sketch, was born in 1792. The district-school system was not organized in New Hampshire until 1806, and the children of that time had scanty opportunities for instruction. Young Dearborn and his brothers were reaching manhood, when farming in the eastern states was depressed by the recent war with England and the occurrence of several cold summers. Migration westward had commenced, and the Dearborns for a time debated the expediency of a removal to the Western Reserve. They at length decided to locate in Vermont, and in 1816 five of the brothers and a sister removed to Corinth, a town in the eastern part of Orange county. Here Samuel Dearborn settled upon a farm, soon after married Miss Fanny Brown, of Vershire, whose parents were natives of Chester, N. H., and here he passed a long and useful life. He died December 12, 1871, in the eightieth year of his age. His wife had died in 1836. Of scholarly tastes, he was for many years a teacher of winter schools. An active member of the Freewill Baptist denomination, his religion was a life rather than a creed.

CORNELIUS VAN NESS DEARBORN, the son of Samuel and Fanny Dearborn, was born in Corinth, Vt., May 14, 1832. His name was in compliment to the then ablest statesman of the state, who had filled the offices of governor and minister to Spain. Cornelius was the youngest but one of seven children. His childhood was passed in a strictly agricultural community. Corinth, lying among the foothills of the Green Mountains, is one of the best farming towns in eastern Vermont. Without railway facilities, with scanty water power, its inhabitants depend for a livelihood upon the products of the soil, from which by industry they gain a substantial income. Few in Corinth have ever accumulated more than what is now regarded as a fair competency, and very few have encountered extreme poverty. A more industrious, law-abiding, practically sensible people would be difficult to find.

When four years old, young Dearborn met with the saddest loss of childhood--a mother whose intelligence, forethought, and womanly virtues had been the life and light of the household. He early joined his older brothers in the labors of the farm, attending the district school for a few weeks in summer, and ten or twelve weeks each winter. When fifteen years old, he attended the spring term of the Corinth Academy, and continued at intervals for several terms later. In the winter of 1848-49, his seventeenth year not yet completed, he taught the school of a neighboring district. His success warranted his continuance as teacher in the vicinity for the five following winters. Continuing his farm labors in summer, he in the meantime developed a mechanical capacity in the making of farm implements and the designing of buildings,--a natural aptitude which has been of great service in maturer years.

Soon after attaining the age of eighteen, Mr. Dearborn determined to enter upon a course of study preparatory to a professional life. Before leaving Corinth he commenced the reading of law with Rodney Lund, a young man who had commenced practice in the vicinity. In March, 1854, at the suggestion of his maternal uncle, Dr. W. W. Brown, he came to Manchester, and renewed his law studies in the office of Hon. Isaac W. Smith, with whom he remained till his admission to the bar in the fall of 1855.

In December, 1855, he opened an office at Francestown. The town afforded a safe opening for a young practitioner, but not one for large profits. There was a time, after the close of the war of 1812, when the trade of Francestown village exceeded that of any other locality in Hillsborough county. But the opening of the railroad to Nashua, and soon after to Manchester, entirely changed the centers of trade and business, and left Francestown to become a respectable and very quiet village.

Hitherto, Mr. Dearborn, while entertaining positive views, had not actively participated in political discussion. But the year 1856 witnessed the consolidation of the anti-slavery sentiment of the country. It had already so far concentrated its strength in New Hampshire as to have secured the state government and a unanimous representation in Congress. The nomination of John C. Fremont for president, in the summer of that year, hastened the organization of the anti-slavery elements of the entire North under the name of the Republican party. In common with a majority of the intelligent young men of the state, Mr. Dearborn entered into this contest with all the zeal, vigor, and enthusiasm of one whose action is untrammeled by personal or partisan ends. The campaign which followed was the most brilliant and far-reaching in its results of any in the political history of the nation. No idea ever agitated the American mind to which calculating selfishness was more foreign. Even the great uprising which brought about the war of Independence was less free from selfish motives. And, though the general result in the presidential election of that year was adverse, yet in New Hampshire, as in every state north of Pennsylvania, the returns clearly showed that the cause of freedom had acquired an over-ruling strength.

In June, 1857, Mr. Dearborn was united in marriage with Miss Louie Frances Eaton, daughter of Moses W. Eaton, of Francestown, and grand-daughter of Dr. Thomas Eaton, a physician of long and extensive practice, and one of the most enterprising farmers of his time. In 1857 he was elected county treasurer, and re-elected in 1858. It was the first public position he had held, and its duties were satisfactorily discharged.

In 1858 he removed to Peterborough, occupying the office of E. S. Cutter, Esq., who had recently been appointed clerk of the courts for Hillsborough county. He resided in Peterborough till 1865. During this time he was in partnership with Charles G. Cheney, and afterwards with Albert S. Scott, both of whom have since died. He represented the town in the legislature in the years 1861 and 1862, being a member of the judiciary committee.

In the summer of 1865 he removed to Nashua, for the purpose of continuing the practice of his profession. An accidental purchase led to a change of occupation. The _Nashua Telegraph_ had for many years been edited by Albin Beard, a genial, witty, and, withal, accomplished writer. Under him, the _Telegraph_ had acquired a marked local popularity. He died in September, 1862. Its present publishers were inexperienced writers, and illy qualified to satisfy the admirers of its former editor. The _Telegraph_ was rapidly deteriorating in value and influence. The senior proprietor inquired of Mr. Dearborn what he would give for his half of the establishment. A somewhat nominal price was offered, and much to the surprise of Mr. Dearborn was accepted. He at once entered upon the duties of editor and financial manager. Under his direction the _Telegraph_ was rapidly recovering its patronage and influence, but at the end of two years his health failed, and a change of occupation became a necessity. He disposed of his interest to the present editor, Hon. O. C. Moore, and resumed the practice of law.

Since his residence at Nashua. Mr. Dearborn has contributed largely to the improvement of real estate, to the erection, of improved school-buildings, and in his capacity as member of the board of education to the reconstruction and greater efficiency of the public schools. He was appointed register of probate for Hillsborough county in 1868, and held the office till 1874.

For several years he was treasurer of the Nashua & Lowell Railroad, and is still one of the directors. In his official action he aided largely in sustaining the measures which have placed that corporation in front rank of profitable railways.

Nearly twenty years ago, while a resident of Peterborough, he was appointed, by the governor, one of the Bank Commissioners of New Hampshire. In that capacity he became acquainted with the extent and peculiarities of the financial institutions of the state. In 1864 and 1865, he actively superintended, in his official capacity, the converting of the state banks of discount into the national banks of the present system. In March, 1866, he was appointed Examiner of the National Banks for the state of New Hampshire, a position which he still holds. He is the only person who has filled this position since the organization of the national banking system.

In the discharge of the duties of Bank Examiner, official fidelity requires that the investigation shall be thorough and exhaustive. That during the past sixteen years but a single instance of defalcation has occurred resulting in loss among the forty-nine national banks in the state, is pretty conclusive evidence of a diligent and careful supervision. From the length of time he has held the position, he has become familiar with the indications of laxity, lenity, negligence, not to mention recklessness, which mark the first steps of danger to a banking institution; and his suggestions and warnings to bank officials have not infrequently been of advantage to the public generally as well as to stockholders, where no publicity has been gained through the press or otherwise.

Personally, Mr. Dearborn is not an ostentatious, obtrusive, aggressive man. He has no fondness for newspaper notoriety, no solicitude lest he shall be overlooked by the public. In politics and religion he is liberal and tolerant, conceding to others the utmost freedom of opinion. Attending to his own duties, it is not his habit to interfere with the personal affairs of others. But when attacked without reason or provocation, no matter what his pretensions, his assailant will speedily find that he has need for a prudent husbandry of all his resources.