medical practitioner of wide reputation, noted for his executive and
judicial abilities. He was appointed chief surgeon of the military
hospital at West Point during the Revolutionary war, closing his service
in 1785, when he settled in Atkinson, N. H., practicing his profession
until the close of his life, January 1, 1831. His mother was Judith
Badger, daughter of Gen. Joseph Badger, Sen., of Gilmanton, N. H. She
was a woman of great force of character, of devout piety and strong
faith. When in her ninety-fourth year, after her earthly vision had
become dim, the name of Jesus would light her face with a radiant glow
of loving recognition. This devout woman united with the church in
Atkinson in 1810, on which interesting occasion her husband and their
three oldest children joined her in the act of consecration; and on the
same day their six younger children were baptized by the pastor, Rev.
Stephen Peabody. The youngest of these nine children died in infancy.
All of the remaining eight became professors of religion, and lived to a
good old age, in the enjoyment of the honors and dignities of the high
official trusts committed to them. Of this large family, the subject of
this sketch alone survives (1882), vigorous in his threescore years and
ten, and actively engaged in the discharge of the duties of his several
official trusts.
Dr. George Cogswell received his preliminary education at Atkinson
Academy, where his love for scientific investigation soon became
manifest. He commenced the study of medicine with his father, whose wise
instruction and safe counsel did much to shape the future career of the
aspiring student. In his desire for a wider culture in the line of his
chosen profession, he became a private student to Reuben D. Mussey. M.
D., L.L. D., and for two years enjoyed the instruction of this
distinguished lecturer on anatomy and surgery. Early in 1830, he became
a pupil of John D. Fisher, M. D., of Boston, who, at that time, was the
most noted auscultator in New England. Dr. Fisher showed his confidence
in his ambitious student by giving him the main practical charge of the
House of Industry, at that time located in South Boston. The grateful
pupil held the most intimate relations with his distinguished teachers
during their lives.
[Illustration: Geo. Cogswell.]
In 1830 he was graduated Doctor of Medicine from Dartmouth College, with
the honors of his class, and the same college conferred upon him the
honorary degree of Master of Arts in 1865.
Dr. Cogswell at once commenced the practice of his profession in
Bradford, Mass., in August, 1830, and soon entered into a large and
successful business. He brought to his work the discipline of hard and
intelligent study, and his great desire was to advance the standard of
medical practice in Essex county. He was the first physician in "Essex
North" who made intelligent use of auscultation and percussion in the
diagnosis of disease.
In his desire for a wider knowledge in the range of his profession,
especially in the line of surgery, he visited Europe in the fall of
1841, spending the succeeding winter in visiting the hospitals of Paris,
and in attending the lectures of the distinguished men who at that time
had attained a position in medical science surpassing, in point of
investigation and practical analysis, that of any other city. In the
following spring he visited the principal cities of Italy, and for a
while studied in the hospitals of London. On his return to Bradford he
at once resumed the practice of his profession. He boldly and
successfully attempted capital operations in surgery, and became the
leading surgical operator and consulting physician for a large circuit.
He fitted up a well appointed dissecting-room, and the advantages of his
instruction were sought by many students, who can attest to the
thoroughness of his teaching, especially in the department of surgical
anatomy. His knowledge of technical anatomy was quite remarkable, and
sometimes his students would contrive a plot to "stump" the "old doctor"
by an intricate quizzing upon some obscure nerve or vessel. The attempt
always proved futile; but the cunning students did not enjoy the fire of
questions that followed from their teacher, who all too easily perceived
the "soft impeachment." The term "old doctor" was applied by the
students before their preceptor was thirty years old. In 1844, Dr.
Cogswell was offered a professorship in the medical department of one of
the leading colleges of New England, which he declined.
He early manifested his interest in the elevation of the standard of
medical practice, by suggesting to his professional brethren the
importance of a local organization, and through his efforts the Essex
North Medical Association was formed, composed of the leading physicians
in the northern portion of the county. This society has had a vigorous
growth, and is now merged into the Massachusetts Medical Society, under
the title of the "Essex North District Medical Society." Although
retired from active practice, he retains his membership in this society,
and regularly attends the quarterly meetings, participating in the
scientific and practical discussions, and manifesting a lively interest
in the success of the younger members.
Dr. Cogswell has been called upon to fill many positions of
responsibility and trust; and since he retired from the active duties of
professional life his whole time has been absorbed in the transaction of
business of a public and private nature. He was elected president of the
Union Bank in Haverhill, Mass., at its organization, in 1849, and was
elected to the same office when that institution became the First
National Bank, in 1864, which position he still retains. For many years
he has been vice-president of the Haverhill Savings Bank, and was for a
time a successful railroad president.
He was an active member of the Chapman-Hall meeting in Boston, which
organized the Republican party in Massachusetts, with which party he has
ever been in full accord. In 1852 he was a member of the electoral
college of Massachusetts, which gave the vote of the state for Gen.
Winfield Scott; and also a member of the college of 1864, which gave the
vote of the state for Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. He was a delegate from the
sixth district of Massachusetts to the Chicago convention which
nominated Abraham Lincoln for president in 1860. In 1858 and 1859, he
was a member of the executive council of Massachusetts, with Nathaniel
P. Banks as governor. In 1862 he was appointed, by President Lincoln,
collector of internal revenue for the sixth district of Massachusetts.
After holding this office for four years, he was removed by President
Johnson, without cause; but was again appointed to the same office by
President Grant, in 1870, which position he held until 1875, when this
district was consolidated with two other districts. This was one of the
largest and most important paying districts in the country, and under
the administration of Dr. Cogswell its affairs were conducted with
marked efficiency, and with absolute correctness.
Dr. Cogswell has always taken a deep interest in educational matters,
and he has given some of his best service to the management of important
schools. He has been, for a long time, a trustee of Atkinson Academy,
and is also a trustee of the Peabody Academy of Science, in Salem, Mass.
But the crowning work of his life in the department of education has
been in connection with Bradford Academy. For nearly fifty years he has
been a trustee of this famous school, and during most of this time has
had the entire management of its financial affairs. His efficiency in
this work is best illustrated by the success of the school in all its
departments. The splendid appointments of this academy for the higher
education of young ladies, the ample grounds, the perfection of the
school edifice, the excellence of the teachers, and the scope of its
curriculum, give it a prominence and a power not excelled by any similar
institution in the land. It may be safely estimated that Dr. Cogswell,
by his long connection with this, the oldest school for young ladies in
the country, has had a wider personal experience in matters of internal
management, in consultation with teachers, and in advising with
reference to pupils, than any man connected with an institution of this
character; and he has the pleasure, with his associate trustees, of
seeing this school, by the generosity and interest of its many friends,
placed upon an enduring foundation. He was elected, in 1869, a member of
the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and is also a
member of the New England Historic-Genealogical Society.
In the great reforms that have occurred during the last half-century,
Dr. Cogswell has given his influence by judicious advice and consistent
example. He commenced active life with the temperance movement, and by
precept and example has ever advanced the cause. He was also an ardent
supporter of the anti-slavery movement from the beginning of that great
controversy.
Dr. Cogswell is evangelical in his religious convictions, and has never
departed from the traditions of his ancestors. In 1831 he became, by
profession, a member of the First Parish Congregational church in
Bradford, and has always been identified with its growth and prosperity.
In 1860 he assisted in forming the "Haverhill Monday Evening Club," a
private organization limited to twenty-five members. This club is
composed of gentlemen of literary tastes, residing in Haverhill and
Bradford, and the meetings afford delightful recreation in the
discussion of literary, scientific, and social topics. This is one of
the oldest and most successful clubs in Massachusetts, and its unique
character has suggested similar organizations in many neighboring
cities.
In 1831 he married Abigail Parker, daughter of Peter Parker, Esq., of
East Bradford, now Groveland. Her ancestors were noted for intellectual
ability and force of character. She was born September 6, 1808, and died
July 23, 1845. The children of this marriage are as follows:--
Abby Parker, born September 25, 1832; graduated at Bradford Academy;
married Hon. George F. Choate, judge of probate and insolvency of the
county of Essex, Mass., October 20, 1869.
George Badger, born September 15, 1834; fitted for college under the
tuition of Benjamin Greenleaf, and at Gilmanton Academy; entered
Dartmouth College in 1851; followed the sea before the mast from 1853 to
1855, sailing up the Mediterranean, and around the world. In the winter
of 1855-56 he attended Harvard Medical School, and graduated as M. D.
from Dartmouth College in 1857; from 1857 to 1859, was resident
physician in charge of the state almshouse at Bridgewater, Mass. He
settled in North Easton in 1860, where he now resides, enjoying a large
and successful practice; was surgeon of the Twenty-Ninth Massachusetts
regiment during the war; was on the staff of Gen. Wilcox as acting
medical inspector of the ninth army corps, and for two months was
incarcerated in Libby prison; medical director of Massachusetts
Department, G. A. R., in 1874 and 1875. He received the honorary degree
of A. M. from Dartmouth College in 1880. He married Catherine Babson
Brown, of Bradford, February 18, 1858.
William Wilberforce, born January 22, 1837; died August 5, 1837.
William, born August 23, 1838. He fitted for college at Phillips
(Andover) and Kimball Union academies; entered Dartmouth College in
1856; made a voyage around the world, before the mast, in 1856 and 1857,
doubling Cape Horn and Cape of Good Hope; graduated at Harvard Law
School in 1860, and admitted to the practice of law the same year;
entered the United States military service in 1861, as captain of
volunteers; promoted to lieutenant-colonel in 1862, to colonel in 1863,
and brevet brigadier-general in 1864; discharged from service July 28,
1865; commander of the post at Atlanta during its occupation by Gen.
Sherman's army; was under Banks in Shenandoah valley, Pope in Virginia,
McClellan at Antietam, Hooker at Chancellorsville, Sherman at
Chattanooga, Atlanta, Savannah, Raleigh, and at the final surrender;
commander Massachusetts Department, G. A. R., 1870; senior
vice-commander United States military order, Loyal Legion, of
Massachusetts, 1870; was four times wounded, once severely. He now
resides in Salem, Mass., and was mayor of that city from 1867 to 1869,
and from 1872 to 1873, inclusive; member of the house of representatives
in 1871 and 1872, and in 1881 and 1882. He married, June 20, 1865, Emma
Thorndike Proctor, who died April 1, 1877. He was again married December
12, 1881, to Eva M. Davis, of Salem. Dartmouth College conferred on him
the honorary degree of A. M. in 1878.
Sarah Parker, born March 23, 1843; graduated at Bradford Academy. In
1871 she made an extended tour in Europe, in company with her
brother-in-law, Judge Choate.
In 1846, Dr. Cogswell married Elisabeth Doane, youngest daughter of Hon.
Elisha Doane, of Yarmouth. Judge Doane was a man distinguished for
wisdom and exactness, belonging to one of the most respected and
cultivated families on Cape Cod. The following are the children of this
marriage:--
Elisha Doane and Susan Doane, born September 22, 1847. Susan died
November 29, 1847; Elisha died April 6, 1850.
Doane, born April 29, 1851; graduated at Phillips Academy, Andover, and
at Dartmouth College in the class, of 1874; studied medicine two years
at Harvard Medical School; is now extensively engaged in agriculture, on
one of the largest farms in Essex County.
Caroline Doane, born August 2, 1852; graduated at Bradford Academy; and
in 1878 visited the most interesting portions of England, Scotland, and
the continent of Europe.
In 1878. Dr. Cogswell made his second visit to Europe, and was at the
World's Fair, in Paris, during that year. He included in his travels the
mountains and lakes of Switzerland, and portions of Germany, Belgium,
and Holland. He also visited the rural districts of England, Scotland,
and Ireland, giving much attention to the agricultural capabilities and
resources of the countries through which he passed, and manifesting, at
the age of seventy, the same enthusiasm in all objects of interest that
characterized his former visit, thirty-six years before.
Amid his multiplied cares and duties, Dr. Cogswell has found time to
devote no little attention to agriculture; and his broad acres, on the
sunny slope of "Riverside," give evidence of successful labor. There,
amid the rural retirement of his country home, he passes the summer
months of his green old age, with his delightful family, receiving his
friends with the easy, cordial grace of old-time hospitality. His
interest in all that relates to the welfare of the people among whom he
has lived for half a century remains unabated. The public schools, the
intellectual and social life of the town, improvements in agriculture,
and the dignity and proprieties of local management,--all claim his
attention and enlist his co-operation; and to him belongs the noble
prestige of the honored and beloved fellow-citizen.
"His prosperous labor fills
The lips of men with honest praise;
And, sun by sun, the happy days
Descend below the golden hills."
[Illustration: Charles A. Peabody]
HON. CHARLES A. PEABODY.
Hon. Charles. A. Peabody, of New York city, was born in Sandwich, in
Strafford (now Carroll) county, N. H., on the 10th day of July, A. D.
1814, and was the son of Samuel and Abigail Peabody, who were natives of
Boxford, Essex county, Mass. His paternal grandfather was Richard
Peabody, of Boxford, an officer in the war of the Revolution, who had a
command at Ticonderoga and elsewhere. His mother, whose maiden name was
Wood, was the daughter of Jonathan Wood, also of Boxford. His maternal
grandmother's name was Hale. Her family claimed to be descended from a
branch of the family of Sir Matthew Hale. On his father's side he is
descended from Welsh ancestry. The name of Peabody (as tradition of
heraldry has it) is composed of two words,--_pea_, meaning mountain, and
_boadie_, meaning man,--and signifies mountain man, or man of the
mountains. It was first borne by a chieftain of a clan in the mountains
of Wales. After the battle between Nero and Boadicea, about the year 61,
the Queen's forces, although routed, refused to surrender, and such of
them as escaped the sword of the Romans fled to the mountains, and there
maintained a wild independence under a chieftain, who, from that fact,
acquired the name of Peabody, or man of the mountains.
The father of our subject, who was a lawyer of fine talents, and much
respected as a gentleman of high moral and social qualities and much
general culture, was graduated from Dartmouth College in the class of
1803. He was a college-mate of Daniel Webster and Ezekiel the cherished
brother, whose name Daniel desired always to have associated with his
own. An intimacy between himself and Ezekiel, contracted in college,
continued throughout their lives. He lived and practiced law in
Sandwich, Epsom, and Tamworth, N. H., at different periods of his life;
and, after retiring from business, moved to Andover, Mass., in his
native county, for the better education of his younger children, about
1843, where he died in 1859. His wife survived him, and died at Andover
in 1872.
The subject of this sketch--the oldest of ten children--was educated
partly by private tuition at his father's house, partly in
Massachusetts, and partly in the classical schools (academies) in the
northern part of New Hampshire,--at Wolfeborough, Gilford, Sanbornton
(now Tilton), and Gilmanton. He fitted for college with the intention of
entering Dartmouth, the _alma mater_ of his father. Failure of health at
the critical time defeated that purpose, however, and had almost
unlimited control over his movements and destiny for a time much longer
than the term of a college course. In the years 1832 and 1833 he lived
most of the time in Beverly, Mass., where he taught and studied as
health and circumstances permitted. In 1834 he went to Baltimore,
attracted by advantages of climate over northern New Hampshire, and the
greater facilities afforded there for his temporary occupation of
teaching, by which to support himself and render needed pecuniary aid in
the education of younger members of the family. There he pursued the
study of law in the office of Nathaniel Williams, at that time attorney
of the United States for the district of Maryland. He remained in
Maryland a little more than two years, when he returned to New England
and entered the law school of Harvard University. He remained there
until 1839, when he went, in November of 1839, to the city of New York,
where he has since resided. There he entered an office as a student,
introduced by the late Rufus Choate, of Boston. But he soon commenced
business as a practitioner at the bar. In 1846 he married Julia Caroline
Livingston, daughter of James Duane Livingston, of the city of New York.
Mr. Peabody continued the practice of law in the city of New York,
taking no active part in politics, but always observing with interest
the course of events in the general government, and especially those
connected with slavery and the slave power. He was an unconditional
Whig, and his residence at the South in early life had given him such
knowledge of slavery, in its effect on the slave, the owner, the free
population, white and colored, and on general prosperity, that he early
formed very positive opinions concerning it and its very great evils. On
this, as on all other subjects, he was conservative and temperate in his
opinions and feelings, taking no part in extravagant denunciations of
those engaged in it, but always deprecating such courses as being, to
his mind, not only inexpedient and unwise, but also unjust. With the
strongest possible convictions against slavery on all grounds, moral and
economic, he counseled moderation in the treatment of it. He was ever
opposed to intemperate agitation, as tending to no good, but liable to
lead to great evil. He was for years prior to the formation of the
Republican party an active member of the Union Safety committee in New
York, a body of conservative gentlemen of the highest character,
organized to repress acrimonious treatment of the subject, as tending to
alienate the different sections of the country, and to imperil the peace
and possibly the integrity of the nation.
When the Republican party was organized, adopting as its principles on
the subject of slavery that it might remain undisturbed where it then
existed, but should on no condition be extended into territory where it
did not then exist, he accepted those views as the best terms for
freedom to be obtained peaceably, and perhaps the best the lovers of
freedom were warranted under the constitution in demanding. In 1855 he
was a member of the convention which organized the Republican party of
the state of New York. In the same year he was the candidate of the
Republican party for election as justice of the supreme court of the
state, to succeed Robert H. Morris, but his party was in the minority.
In the same year (1855) he was appointed, by the governor of the state,
justice of the supreme court, as the successor of Henry P. Edwards,
deceased. In 1856 he was appointed justice of the supreme court of the
state to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of James R. Whiting.
In 1857 he was again the candidate of the Republican party for justice
of the supreme court, but the party was not sufficiently strong to elect
him. He served on the bench of the supreme court the terms for which he
was appointed, and received more than the votes of his party at the
times he was nominated for election.
While serving as justice of the supreme court, and when his term in that
court was about to expire, he was offered, by the governor, the
appointment of city judge. This would have made him judge of the court
of general sessions, the principal criminal court of the city, having
jurisdiction of cases of the highest class. This appointment he did not
accept. In 1858 he was appointed, by the governor of New York,
commissioner of quarantine, to succeed Ex-Gov. Horatio Seymour, with
authority to abolish the then present station and erect a new one
elsewhere, as the commission might decide. His associates in this
commission were men of the highest character, and the commission was one
of importance at the time,--just after the quarantine buildings had
been destroyed by a terror-stricken mob, and the wildest fears that
contagious diseases might be transmitted from such a station had taken
possession of many minds.
In 1862 he was appointed, by Abraham Lincoln, President of the United
States, judge of the United States Provisional Court for the state of
Louisiana. This court was called into existence by the necessities of
the federal government in respect to its foreign relations, after the
conquest of New Orleans and other parts of Louisiana by the army of the
United States, during the late war of the rebellion, and while that
territory was held in military occupation. A large part of the
population of New Orleans and Louisiana was persons of foreign birth and
allegiance, having claims on their respective governments for the
protection of their rights. Those governments, when appealed to, made
demands through their ministers, resident at Washington, on the
government of the United States, and the number and importance of these
claims had become so great that the state department was much
embarrassed by them. Mr. Seward, secretary of state, had been more than
half his time since the conquest occupied by them, and they had, in some
instances, assumed such proportions as to threaten seriously the
relations of the government with foreign powers. In this condition of
things it was resolved to constitute a tribunal which should be
empowered to decide all these questions, and keep them from the
department. Accordingly, the government resolved to establish a court at
New Orleans, which should have power to hear and determine every
question which could possibly arise out of human transactions, and to
make the decisions of that court conclusive of the rights of all
parties. To effect that purpose, the following order was made by the
President of the United States:--
EXECUTIVE ORDER,
ESTABLISHING A PROVISIONAL COURT IN LOUISIANA.
EXECUTIVE MANSION, }
WASHINGTON, October 20, 1862. }