Twenty Years Later John Thacher's
Prophecy Came True When He Married
His Son's Sweetheart.
Thacher is a solid name in American history. Beginning with Thomas
Thacher, the minister and physician, who came from England to New England
in 1635, there is a long line of educators and professional men; and the
cognate branches of the family have also contributed many prominent
citizens, including James Thacher, the famous surgeon of the Revolution.
An old copy of the Yarmouth (Massachusetts) _Register_ gives an anecdote
concerning John Thacher, son of one of the first settlers at Yarmouth.
He married, in 1661, Miss Rebecca Winslow, of Duxbury,
Plymouth County, if we mistake not. On his way home with his
new bride, he stopped for the night at the house of a
friend, a Colonel Gorham, of Barnstable, one of the most
prominent citizens of the town.
Merriment and gaiety prevailed, and during the evening a
female infant about three weeks old was introduced, and the
night of her birth being mentioned, Mr. Thacher observed,
"That is the very night on which we were married," and,
taking the child in his arms, he presented it to his bride
and jokingly said: "Here, my dear, is a little lady that was
born on the same night that we were married. I wish you
would kiss her, for I intend to have her for my second
wife."
"I will, my dear, with great pleasure," replied she, "but I
hope it will be very long before your intention is fulfilled
in that respect."
Mr. Thacher and his wife lived happily together until her
death, about twenty years later. She left him a large family
of children, among whom was a son named Peter.
After Mr. Thacher had mourned a reasonable length of time he
began to think of getting another partner. None of the
maidens, young or old, seemed to please him like Lydia
Gorham, the little lady of the preceding part of the story,
now grown up, if we may believe tradition, to a fair, comely
girl.
But there was one impediment in the way. His eldest son,
Peter, had shown a predilection for the girl, and the old
man was at a loss to decide whether she favored the suit of
the sire or the son.
The one rode a black horse in his visits, and the other rode
a white. There was a kind of tacit agreement between the two
that one should not interfere with the visits of the other;
so when the father found a white horse tied in front of
Colonel Gorham's, unlike the good Samaritan, he crossed over
on the other side; and the son, when the black horse was
there, returned the favor.
Thus things went on till the patience of the elder gentleman
was well-nigh exhausted, and he resolved upon a desperate
step to decide the matter. Taking his son one side, he said
to him:
"Peter, are you or are you not going to marry Lydia Gorham?"
Peter replied that he had not yet made up his mind.
"Well," said the old gentleman, "I will make you an offer;
if you will give her up and court her no more, I will give
you thirteen pounds in money and the pair of black steers.
What do you say to that?"
The young man hesitated but a moment. "'Tis a bargain," said
he; and it is due the parties to say that it was observed by
them all with perfect good faith.
Whether Lydia knew the bargaining that her charms had
occasioned, tradition sayeth not; but she subsequently
became Mr. Thacher's wife, and bore him ten children.