reconstruction of the bench of the highest judicial tribunal of the
state; and during that time nearly every position upon that court was
filled by his appointment. It is sufficient to say that the exalted rank
which that tribunal has ever held among the courts of last resort of the
states of the nation, suffered no diminution from his appointments to
its bench, such was the good sense and discernment of Mr. Goodwin in
making the selections, although himself not versed in the law.
"Waite's History of New Hampshire in the Rebellion" says of him:--
"His administration of state affairs met with universal
approval, and he left the office (that of governor) with the
respect of all parties. As a member of the legislature and of
the constitutional convention, he took a leading part on
committees and in debate. His speeches were never made for show.
He spoke only when there seemed to be occasion for it, and then
always to the point, and was listened to with great respect and
attention; for his conservatism and practical wisdom in all
matters of public policy were well known. In all public
positions he has discharged his duties with fidelity, industry,
and marked ability. As a citizen and business man he is
public-spirited, liberal, high-minded, and enjoys the unbounded
confidence and respect of all."
Mr. Goodwin has always been noted for his kindness to young men, aiding
them without stint, both with his purse and his advice in their business
difficulties; and he has ever been ready to extend to all his townsmen
who needed aid the assistance of his influence, his counsel, and his
pecuniary means.
In 1827, Mr. Goodwin married Miss Sarah Parker Rice, a daughter of Mr.
William Rice, a wealthy and prosperous merchant of Portsmouth. Of seven
children, one son and two daughters survive.
[Illustration: William Cogswell]
REV. WILLIAM COGSWELL, D. D.
By Rev. E. O. Jameson.
WILLIAM COGSWELL, the oldest of the four Cogswell brothers whose
distinguished lives are briefly sketched in this volume, was born June
5, 1787, in Atkinson, N. H. His ancestors were among the earliest
settlers of Massachusetts, and persons of quality, piety, and
distinction.
His descent is from John Cogswell, who settled in Ipswich, Mass., in
1635, and Giles Badger, who settled in Newbury, Mass., the same year.
His parents were Dr. William and Judith (Badger) Cogswell, of Atkinson.
His grandparents were Nathaniel and Judith (Badger) Cogswell, of
Haverhill, Mass., and Gen. Joseph and Hannah (Pearson) Badger, of
Gilmanton.
His grandfather, Nathaniel Cogswell, was the son of Lieut. John and
Hannah (Goodhue) Cogswell, of Chebacco Parish, Ipswich, Mass. Lieut.
John Cogswell was the son of William and Susannah Cogswell of the same
place, and William Cogswell was the son of[3]John and Elizabeth
(Thompson) Cogswell, who emigrated from Westbury, Wilts county, England,
in 1635, and settled in Ipswich, Mass.
His grandfather, Gen. Joseph Badger, was the son of Joseph and Hannah
(Peaslee) Badger, of Haverhill, Mass. Joseph Badger was the son of John,
Jr., and Rebecca (Browne) Badger, of Newbury, Mass. John Badger, Jr.,
was the son of John and Elizabeth Badger of the same place; and John
Badger was the only son of Giles and Elizabeth (Greenleaf) Badger,
immigrants to Newbury, Mass., in 1635.
It may be said of his ancestry, in general, that they were a religious,
intelligent, liberty-loving, and an enterprising people. By reason of
ability, integrity, piety, and attainments, many of them have been
called to positions of municipal, military, political, and
ecclesiastical duty and eminence, and have excelled in the learned
professions, in the halls of legislature, on the field of battle, and in
the Christian pulpit.
From such choice Puritan stock, having in his veins the blood of the
Thompsons, the Greenleafs, the Brownes, the Goodhues, the Peaslees, and
the Pearsons, as well as of the Cogswells and the Badgers, it is not
strange that he and his no less eminent brothers should be found among
the distinguished men whose portraits adorn and whose biographies fill
the pages of this volume.
William Cogswell was born only a few years after the victory of our
great struggle for national existence and independence. His rural home
was far up the side of one of New Hampshire's grand old hills, sloping
southward and crowned with a New England meeting-house. He was born
where he could breathe to heart's content the pure air of heaven, look
off upon scenery of landscape wide, varied, and grand. His early life
was beneath the shadow of the best religious and educational
institutions, which his father had been the prime mover in
establishing. In full sight of his early boyhoood's home was the academy
which said to country boys of those days. The door is open to you here
to enter a college course and find your way into the learned
professions. The lad heard the invitation, seized the opportunity, and
eagerly pursued his preparatory studies at Atkinson Academy, then under
the charge of John Vose, Esq. He entered the sophomore class of
Dartmouth College in 1808, maintained a high rank of scholarship during
his course, and was honorably graduated in the class of 1811.
Before entering college, William Cogswell received deep and abiding
religious impressions which ripened into a personal religious
experience, and during the vacation of his junior year, September 23,
1810, he made a public confession of faith and united with the
Congregational church of his native town. After graduation from college
he taught in the academy of his own town, in Essex, Mass., and was one
year principal of the Hampton Academy. While teaching in Essex, Mass.,
he had, for a pupil in the classics, a lad some ten years of age, whose
name was Rufus Choate. This Rufus Choate was heard of in later years.
Meanwhile, occupied with teaching, Mr. Cogswell pursued somewhat his
theological studies, having his eye on the Christian ministry. At the
end of two years, he found that his labors in school and studies out of
school had told seriously upon his health. Acting upon the advice of his
physician and of his minister, he procured a good saddle-horse and a
license to preach the gospel in destitute parts, and galloped off toward
the northern wilderness of his native state, in eager pursuit of health
and men's souls. In both these objects he was successful. He regained
his health, and under his earnest presentation of the gospel a large
number of persons were hopefully converted to Christ, and Christian
institutions planted in the then spiritual wastes, which have since
blossomed as the rose and borne fruit to the glory of God. Upon his
return, Mr. Cogswell completed his professional studies under the
instruction of Rev. Daniel Dana, D. D., of Newburyport, and Rev. Samuel
Worcester, D. D., of Salem, Mass. After preaching a few Sabbaths, he
received a unanimous call to become the pastor of the South church in
Dedham (now Norwood), Mass., which he accepted, and was ordained and
installed over that church, April 26, 1815.
At this time, Mr. Cogswell was twenty-seven years of age, a man of fine
personal bearing and manners; his warm christian spirit and deep
religious experience spoke in the very lineaments and expression of his
open, intelligent, and winning countenance. His qualities of mind were
the best, his education thorough, his grasp of truth vigorous, his views
scriptural and discriminating, and his faith in God and Revelation
implicit.
His ministry in South Dedham lasted fourteen years, and was of
unmeasured benefit to that church, at once stimulating to its religious
life, educating to its members in scriptural doctrine, and successful in
bringing men to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour.
Mr. Cogswell was a preacher whose clear-cut statements, whose logical
order, conclusiveness of argument, and persuasiveness of appeal made him
a power in the Christian pulpit. Quite a number of his sermons were
requested for publication by his congregation; and in those days when
the printing of a sermon meant that it was something of rare merit. He
had been settled in South Dedham some three years, when he married, Nov.
11, 1818, Miss Joanna Strong, the youngest daughter of the then late
Rev. Jonathan Strong, D. D., of Randolph, Mass.
In 1829, being urgently called to important services in connection with
the American Education Society, to the regret of his people and with
personal reluctance, he resigned his pastorate to enter upon these new
duties; and, accordingly, was dismissed December 15, 1829, and removed
to Boston, where he resided for some years. So important were his
labors and so successful in this new field of effort, that January 25,
1832, he was chosen, with great enthusiasm, to succeed Dr. Cornelius to
the secretaryship of the society, which office he filled with fidelity
and acceptance until he resigned in 1841 to accept a professorship in
Dartmouth College. In 1833, Mr. Cogswell received from Williams College
the degree of Doctor of Divinity, and in 1837 was chosen one of the
trustees of Andover Theological Seminary. He removed to Hanover, N. H.,
and entered upon his duties as professor of National Education and
History in Dartmouth College. This position he resigned in 1844 to
accept the presidency and professorship of Christian Theology in the
Gilmanton Theological Seminary.
Rev. Dr. Cogswell for many years had been engaged in editorial work, and
was much interested in historical and genealogical researches. In 1846
he retired from his connection with the seminary, about to be
discontinued, and gave himself exclusively to literary pursuits, except
that he usually preached on the Sabbath. In the few remaining years of
his life he performed a vast amount of literary labor, and became known
very widely, and was honored with a membership in nearly all the
historical societies in this country and in Europe.
Rev. Dr. Cogswell published several works, viz.: a Catechism on the
Doctrines and Duties of Religion; a Manual of Theology and Devotions;
the Theological Class Book; the Christian Philanthropist; and Letters to
Young Men Preparing for the Christian Ministry. All these works passed
through several editions. His published editorial works were: Four vols.
of the American Quarterly Register, 1837-1841; New Hampshire Repository,
2 vols.; the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. I.;
New Hampshire Historical Collections, vol. VI. He published, also,
various miscellaneous writings.
Rev. Dr. William and Joanna (Strong) Cogswell had four children.
The eldest, a daughter, died in infancy.
William Strong Cogswell was born in South Dedham, April 11, 1828, and
died April 6, 1848, at the age of twenty years. He was a young man of
rare ability and brilliant promise. At the time of his death he was a
member of the senior class in Dartmouth College.
Mary Joanna Cogswell was born June 6, 1832, in Boston, Mass. She
graduated at Gilmanton Academy in 1851; married, September 20, 1858,
Rev. E. O. Jameson, who is now (1882) pastor of the First Church of
Christ, in Medway, Mass.
Caroline Strong Cogswell, the youngest child of Rev. Dr. Cogswell, was
born June 3, 1840, in Boston, Mass. She was educated at Gilmanton
Academy and Holyoke Female Seminary, and has been a successful teacher
in the public schools.
Rev. Dr. Cogswell, at length, under the taxing pressure of a busy
editorial service, and crushed by the great loss of his only and very
promising son, found his health giving way, his usual vigor forsaking
him, and it became only too evident that the end of his earthly life was
approaching. He continued, however to accomplish more or less literary
work, even up to the last few days before his death, which occurred
April 18, 1850. The funeral service was on the following Sabbath,
conducted by Rev. Daniel Lancaster, who preached a memorial discourse
which was subsequently published.
Rev. Dr. Cogswell's life was eminently busy, laborious,
self-sacrificing, and honored. His earthly work was faithfully and nobly
done; his death triumphant, and heavenly reward sure.
FOOTNOTES:
[3] For full account of John Cogswell, whom tradition calls "a
prosperous London merchant," see "Cogswells in America," soon to be
published.
JEREMIAH W. WHITE, ESQ.
BY HON. JOHN H. GOODALE.
On the head-waters of Suncook river, in the central region of New
Hampshire, is the town of Pittsfield. It is limited in extent,
undulating in surface, rich in the quality of its soil. Its earliest
settlers were sturdy farmers, men and women who from infancy had been
accustomed to the hardships and privations of pioneer life.
Among these settlers was Josiah White, who, with his wife of Scottish
origin, in the spring of 1775 took up his abode in the outskirts of an
unbroken forest. Years of hard labor followed, which at length brought
to him and his family the comforts of a rural home. Of his sons,
Jeremiah White, the father of the subject of this sketch, succeeded to
the homestead. He was born March 4, 1775, and, passing his life amid the
scenes of his earlier days, died December 5, 1848. He is still
remembered by the older residents of Pittsfield as a citizen who was
useful, influential, and respected. Of great personal activity and tact
in business, genial and generous, an enterprising farmer of the old
school, a safe and sagacious adviser, his departure left a place
difficult to fill in the business affairs of the vicinity.
JEREMIAH WILSON WHITE was born in Pittsfield, September 16, 1821. The
active habits and pure atmosphere of his early rural life laid the
foundation of a sound physical constitution. His opportunities for
education during childhood were limited to a few months at a distant
district school. At the age of fifteen he entered the Pittsfield
academy, under the instruction of James F. Joy, a graduate of Dartmouth,
and in later years well known as president of the Michigan Central
Railroad. Pittsfield village had a thrifty and vigorous population, and
among her ambitious and talented young men were several who have since
been conspicuous in public life. One became United States senator;
three, judges of the supreme court in their respective states; and one,
founder of the system of public instruction now in successful operation
on the Pacific coast. Remaining at the academy two and a half years, Mr.
White, then in his seventeenth year, decided to prepare himself for
mercantile and active business life. Adopting the plan which appeared
most feasible, he went to Boston, and entered upon an apprenticeship in
a drug-store. Forty years ago a mercantile apprenticeship in that city
was not a sinecure position. But the young man was not averse to toil,
and by assiduous and systematic attention to his duties was preparing
the way for future success. Added to his other duties he began the study
of medicine in all its branches, and continued it for several years
after, until he was qualified for, and, if occasion had required, could
have entered upon, professional service.
Finishing his engagement at Boston, he engaged as clerk to Luther
Angier, postmaster and druggist at Medford, Mass., with the agreement
that with proper notice he could leave to engage in business for
himself. Early in the summer of 1845, Mr. White believed that that time
had arrived. He had never visited Nashua, but had heard of its
reputation as a growing manufacturing town. A few hours' inspection
settled the question, and before leaving he hired the store which he
afterwards occupied for nearly thirty years.
[Illustration: Yours truly
J. M. White]
Mr. White, in engaging in trade for himself in Nashua, was aware that a
young man and a stranger must encounter severe difficulties in entering
upon mercantile life. Many before him had succumbed to the obstacles
which he was now to encounter. He did not hesitate. Laying out his plan
of business, he examined into the most minute details of its management.
He was never idle. No man was more thorough and painstaking in the
discharge of obligations to his customers. His labors often extended far
into the night. In fact, he lived in labor, and thought no plan complete
till its execution was secured. With these habits added to sound
business judgment and foresight and a rare knowledge of men, the record
of the business life of Mr. White has been an uninterrupted success; and
it is in this department of consistent and persistent effort that his
example is worthy of imitation.
In many of the business enterprises of Nashua, Mr. White has taken an
active, and in some of them a prominent, part. Engaging in the
transportation and sale of coal on his arrival, he has always been the
leading dealer in the trade. After the close of the war he originated
the project of, and gave his attention to, the construction of the large
block of stores on Main street, known as the "Merchants' Exchange,"
retaining for himself and son the corner store, which he still occupies.
Early in 1875 he conceived the idea of establishing a new national bank,
and in the April following obtained a charter. The people of Nashua and
vicinity believing in his financial ability immediately subscribed for
the stock and elected him president, a position he continues to hold to
the satisfaction of the stockholders, and the advantage of the
institution.
In addition to the presidency of the Second National Bank. Mr. White is
now recognized by the public as a sagacious and influential railroad
manager. Since 1876 he has been prominently connected with the affairs
of the Nashua & Lowell Railroad as a director and large stockholder. For
many years this road had been connected with and used by the Boston &
Lowell Railroad corporation, and, as Mr. White clearly saw, on terms
greatly disadvantageous to the stockholders of the Nashua & Lowell
company. The stock had gradually declined much below par. To resist so
great and powerful a corporation required pluck and energy. To be
successful against such odds demanded a leader daring, prompt,
aggressive. Mr. White was the man for the emergency. How well his
measures succeeded is realized not only by every stockholder, but in all
railroad circles throughout New England.
In the transaction of business, Mr. White is not only methodical but
positive. He reaches his conclusions quickly and acts upon them with the
utmost directness. Having decided upon a measure he engages in it with
all his might, bending all his efforts to make sure of the desired end.
Selecting his agents, he accomplishes the whole work while many would be
halting to determine whether the project was feasible. A man of so
pronounced opinions and prompt action naturally makes some enemies; but
he has no opponents who do not accord to him the credit of an open and
honorable warfare. In a word, he is essentially a business man in the
full sense of that term. Not only in occupation, but in taste and
aptitude, he is a representative of that class of American citizens who
have won a world-wide reputation for practical sagacity, enterprise, and
thrift.
Mr. White is in no sense of the word a party politician. Of Whig
antecedents, his first vote was cast for Henry Clay, in 1844, for
president. Before leaving his native town his liberal tendencies had
been quickened by witnessing the unwarranted arrest, in the pulpit, of
Rev. George Storrs, who was about to deliver the first anti-slavery
lecture in Pittsfield. The event justly occasioned an unusual
excitement, and was the beginning of that agitation which reached every
town and hamlet in the Union.
Since the organization of the Republican party, Mr. White has supported
it in all national issues; but is one of the independent thinkers who
does not hesitate to exercise "the divine right of bolting" when unfit
men are put in nomination.
In the winter of 1861, Mr. White and his family left on a southern trip,
and reached Charleston, S. C., the last of February, not long after the
United States troops under Maj. Anderson were shut up in Fort Sumter by
the rebel forces. Mr. White had letters of introduction to several
citizens of the city high in authority, who received him kindly, and,
learning that he was a business man and not a politician, were anxious
to learn from him the state of feeling among the business men and the
middle class of citizens at the North. While the statements of Mr. White
were far from gratifying, they continued their friendly relations.
Previously he had written to his friend, Capt. John G. Foster, second in
command at Fort Sumter, of his intended tarry at Charleston. He was now
desirous of an interview with him. Applying to the Confederate
authorities for a pass to Fort Sumter, it was granted him,--a privilege
not allowed to any other civilian during the siege.
On the following day, March 5, he went on the steamer Clinch to Fort
Johnson, to which point Maj. Anderson was allowed to send his boat under
a flag of truce for the daily mail. Here a new obstacle was encountered,
for the boat was forbidden by Maj. Anderson to bring any person to the
fort. But, with the restriction that he should remain outside with the
boat till Captain Foster could be notified, he was permitted to go. The
interview was a great surprise as well as gratification.
Reaching Washington before the bombardment of Fort Sumter and the
beginning of actual hostilities, Mr. White was taken to the war
department and interviewed by Gen. Scott as to the determination and
strength of the Confederate force at Charleston. Mr. White thought it
would require a force of ten thousand men to relieve Fort Sumter, and
said so. Gen. Scott laughed heartily, and told him that two thousand men
would be ample for the purpose. In common with the most of the leading
men at the capital, Gen. Scott underestimated the pluck and strength of
the rebels. Soon after, when Jay Cooke was appointed government agent to
negotiate the war loans, Mr. White received the appointment of agent for
Nashua and vicinity.
In 1846, the year after coming to Nashua, Mr. White was united in
marriage with Miss Caroline G. Merrill, oldest daughter of Caleb
Merrill, Esq., of his native town. The marriage was a fortunate and
happy one. The young wife was endowed with scholarly and refined
attainments, qualifying her for the enjoyment of social and domestic
life. Added to this, she possessed a sound and discriminating judgment
on which her husband could safely rely. No transaction of any magnitude
was entered upon without securing her approval. Many of his best and
most sagacious moves in business were made at her suggestion. Of their
two children, the eldest, Caroline Wilson, died in infancy. The son,
James Wilson White, born June 10, 1849, fell a victim to the prevailing
disease of this climate, and died in Florida, January 27, 1876. Mrs.
White, having survived her children, died suddenly of apoplexy in 1880.
Her memory is cherished by many who knew her worth.
In April, 1881, Mr. White was married the second time to Mrs. Ann M.
Prichard, of Bradford, Vt., an educated and accomplished lady and the
sister of his first wife. His residence, at the corner of Pearl and
Cottage streets, combines the elements of modesty, taste, and comfort,
and is the abode of a happy home circle.
[Illustration: E. A. Rollins]
HON. EDWARD ASHTON ROLLINS.
BY PROF. E. D. SANBORN.
The early settlers of New Hampshire were of pure English origin. They
possessed that "large, roundabout common sense" which John Locke
ascribes to the English people. A few leading families planted the first
colonies, founded the state, and ruled it for more than a century. The
Rollins family held a prominent place among the settlers of southern New
Hampshire. James Rollins, the ancestor of most of the men who have borne
that name in the state, came to this country as early as 1632, and
finally settled in Dover.