[Illustration: Truly Yours Amos Lawrence
R Andrews Print.]
EXTRACTS
FROM THE
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE
OF THE LATE
AMOS LAWRENCE;
WITH A
+Brief Account of Some Incidents in his Life.+
EDITED BY HIS SON,
WILLIAM R. LAWRENCE, M. D.
BOSTON:
GOULD AND LINCOLN,
59 WASHINGTON STREET.
NEW YORK: SHELDON, LAMPORT & BLAKEMAN.
LONDON: TRUBNER & CO.
1856.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by
WILLIAM R. LAWRENCE,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the
District of Massachusetts
BOSTON:
Stereotyped by
HOBART & ROBBINS,
New England Type and Stereotype Foundery.
Press of George C. Rand & Avery.
+To his+
ONLY SURVIVING BROTHER,
A M O S A. L A W R E N C E,
OF BOSTON,
+This Volume is Affectionately Inscribed+,
BY
THE EDITOR.
PREFACE.
Among the papers of the late Amos Lawrence were found copies of a
large number of letters addressed to his children.
With the hope that the good counsels there given, during a succession
of years, extending from their childhood to adult age, might still be
made profitable to their descendants, he had caused them to be
carefully preserved.
These letters, as well as an irregular record of his daily experience,
were scattered through many volumes, and required arrangement before
they could be of use to those for whom they were intended.
As no one else of the immediate family could conveniently undertake
the task, the editor considered it his duty to do that which could not
properly be committed to one less nearly connected with the deceased.
The present volume, containing what was thought most interesting among
those letters and extracts, was accordingly prepared for private
circulation; and an edition of one hundred copies was printed and
distributed among the nearest relatives and friends.
It has been thought by many that the record of such a life as is here
portrayed would be useful to other readers, and especially to young
men,--a class in whom Mr. Lawrence was deeply interested, and with
whom circumstances in his own life had given him a peculiar bond of
sympathy.
Although many, among both friends and strangers, have urged the
publication of the present memorial, and some have even questioned the
moral right of withholding from the view of others the light of an
example so worthy of imitation, much hesitation has been felt in
submitting to the public the recital of such domestic incidents as are
treasured in the memory of every family; those incidents which cast a
sunbeam or a shadow across every fireside, and yet possess little or
no interest for the busy world without.
At the solicitation of the "Boston Young Men's Christian Union," the
"Boston Young Men's Christian Association," and the students of
Williams College, through their respective committees, and at the
request of many esteemed citizens, the pages which were prepared for
the eye of kindred and friends alone are now submitted to the public.
Personal feeling is forgotten in the hope that the principles here
inculcated may tend to promote the ends for which the subject of this
memorial lived and labored.
The interest manifested in his life, and the tributes rendered to his
memory, have been a source of sincere gratification to his family; and
they would here tender their acknowledgments to all those who have
expressed their interest and their wishes in regard to this
publication.
The present volume is submitted with a few unimportant omissions, and
with the addition of some materials, received after the issue of the
first edition, which will throw light upon the character and
principles of Mr. Lawrence during his early business career.
His course was that of a private citizen, who took but little part in
public measures or in public life.
To the general reader, therefore, there may be but little to amuse in
a career so devoid of incident, and so little connected with the
stirring events of his times; but there cannot fail to be something to
interest those who can appreciate the spirit which, in this instance,
led to a rare fidelity in the fulfilment of important trusts, and the
consecration of a life to the highest duties.
Mr. Lawrence was eminently a religious man, and a deep sense of
accountability may be discovered at the foundation of those acts of
beneficence, which, during his lifetime, might have been attributed to
a less worthy motive.
It has been the object of the editor to allow the subject of this
memorial to tell his own story, and to add merely what is necessary to
preserve the thread of the narrative, or to throw light upon the
various matters touched upon in the correspondence.
It is designed to furnish such materials as will afford a history of
Mr. Lawrence's charitable efforts, rather than give a detailed account
of what was otherwise an uneventful career.
Such selections from his correspondence are made as seemed best
adapted to illustrate the character of the man; such as exhibit his
good and valuable traits, without attempting to conceal those
imperfections, an exemption from which would elevate him above the
common sphere of mortals.
Most of his letters are of a strictly private nature, and involve the
record of many private details. His domestic tastes, and his affection
for his family, often led him to make mention of persons and events in
such a way that few letters could be wholly given without invading the
precincts of the family circle.
The engraving at the commencement of the volume is from an original
portrait, by Harding, in the possession of the editor, a copy of which
hangs in the library of Williams College.
It seems also fitting to include a portrait of the Hon. Abbott
Lawrence, who, for forty-three years, was so intimately associated
with the subject of this memorial in all the trials, as well as in the
triumphs, of business life, and who was still more closely connected
by the bonds of fraternal affection and sympathy. A few days only have
elapsed since he was removed from the scene of his earthly labors.
The grave has rarely closed over one who to such energy of character
and strength of purpose united a disposition so gentle and forbearing.
Amidst the perplexities attending his extended business relations, and
in the excitement of the political struggles in which he was called to
take part, he was never tempted to overstep the bounds of courtesy, or
to regard his opponents otherwise than with feelings of kindness.
His wealth was used freely for the benefit of others, and for the
advancement of all those good objects which tended to promote the
welfare of his fellow-men.
That divine spark of charity, which burned with such ceaseless energy
in the bosom of his elder brother, was caught up by him, and exhibited
its fruits in those acts of munificence which will make him long
remembered as a benefactor of his race.
BOSTON, _September_ 1st, 1855.
LETTERS,
REQUESTING PUBLICATION.
_Rooms of the Boston Young Men's Christian Union,
6 Bedford-street, Boston, June 22, 1855._
WILLIAM R. LAWRENCE, ESQ.
DEAR SIR: The undersigned, members of the Government of the Boston
Young Men's Christian Union, some of whom have perused the excellent
memoir of your honored father, feel deeply impressed with the desire
that it should be published and circulated, knowing that its
publication and perusal would greatly benefit the young, the old, and
all classes of our busy mercantile community.
Remembering with pleasure the friendship which your father expressed,
not only in kind words, but in substantial offerings to the treasury
and library of our Society, the Union would be most happy, should it
comport with your feelings, to be made the medium of the publication
and circulation of the memoir, which you have compiled with so much
ability and faithfulness.
Hoping to receive a favorable response to our desire,
We are most truly yours,
THOMAS GAFFIELD, H. K. WHITE,
JOHN SWEETSER, J. F. AINSWORTH,
JOSEPH H. ALLEN, W. H. RICHARDSON,
CHAS. C. SMITH, FRANCIS S. RUSSELL,
C. J. BISHOP, FREDERIC H. HENSHAW,
F. H. PEABODY, CHARLES F. POTTER,
W. IRVING SMITH, THORNTON K. LOTHROP,
ARTHUR W. HOBART. GEO. S. HALE.
* * * * *
_Rooms of the Boston Young Men's Christian Association,
Tremont Temple, Boston, July 10, 1855._
DEAR SIR:
The Committee on the Library of the Boston Young Men's Christian
Association beg leave, in its behalf, to tender you sincere thanks for
your donation of a copy of the "Diary and Correspondence of Amos
Lawrence." It will remain to the members of the Association a valued
memorial of one of its earliest benefactors. It will be yet more
prized for its record of his invaluable legacy,--the history of a long
life--a bright example.
The Committee, uniting with the subscribers, managers of the
Association, are happy to improve this opportunity to express the hope
that you may be induced to give the book a more general circulation.
The kindly charities of your late lamented parent are still fresh in
impressions of gratitude upon their recipients. They require no herald
to give them publicity. The voice of fame would do violence to their
spirit.
Yet, now that "the good man" can no more utter his words of sympathy
and counsel,--that his pen can no more subscribe its noble
benefactions, or indite its lessons of wisdom and experience,--the
press may silently perpetuate those which survive him.
We must assure you of our pleasure in the knowledge that the liberal
interest in the Association, so constantly manifested by your revered
father, is actively maintained by yourself.
We remain, in the fraternal bonds of Christian regard,
Yours, truly,
JACOB SLEEPER, FRANCIS D. STEDMAN,
J. S. WARREN, ELIJAH SWIFT,
SAMUEL GREGORY, B. C. CLARK, JR.,
LUTHER L. TARBELL, JOSEPH P. ELLICOTT,
ALONZO C. TENNEY, GEO. N. NOYES,
MOSES W. POND, PEARL MARTIN,
STEPHEN G. DEBLOIS, W. H. JAMESON,
HENRY FURNAS, W. F. STORY.
FRANKLIN W. SMITH, }
E. M. PUTNAM, } _Committee
CHAS. L. ANDREWS, } on
GEO. C. RAND, } Library and Rooms_
H. C. GILBERT, }
To
WILLIAM R. LAWRENCE, M.D.
* * * * *
_Williams College, June 30, 1855._
DEAR SIR:
The students of Williams College having learned that you have
prepared, for private distribution, a volume illustrating the
character of the late Amos Lawrence, whose munificence to this
Institution they appreciate, and whose memory they honor; the
undersigned, a Committee appointed for the purpose, express to you
their earnest desire that you would allow it to be published.
Very truly yours,
SAMUEL B. FORBES,
E. C. SMITH,
FRED. W. BEECHER,
HENRY HOPKINS.
To
W. R. LAWRENCE, M.D., _Boston_.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
CHAPTER I.
BIRTH.--ANCESTRY.--PARENTS, 15
CHAPTER II.
EARLY YEARS.--SCHOOL DAYS.--APPRENTICESHIP, 20
CHAPTER III.
ARRIVAL IN BOSTON.--CLERKSHIP.--COMMENCES BUSINESS.--HABITS, 28
CHAPTER IV.
BUSINESS HABITS.--HIS FATHER'S MORTGAGE.--RESOLUTIONS.--ARRIVAL
OF BROTHERS IN BOSTON, 35
CHAPTER V.
VISITS AT GROTON.--SICKNESS.--LETTER FROM DR. SHATTUCK.--
ENGAGEMENT.--LETTER TO REV. DR. GANNETT.--MARRIAGE, 40
CHAPTER VI.
BRAMBLE NEWS.--JUNIOR PARTNER GOES TO ENGLAND.--LETTERS TO
BROTHER, 47
CHAPTER VII.
DEATH OF SISTER.--LETTERS, 54
CHAPTER VIII.
DOMESTIC HABITS.--ILLNESS AND DEATH OF WIFE, 59
CHAPTER IX.
JOURNEYS.--LETTERS.--JOURNEY TO NEW YORK, 68
CHAPTER X.
MARRIAGE.--ELECTED TO LEGISLATURE.--ENGAGES IN MANUFACTURES.--
REFLECTIONS, 77
CHAPTER XI.
REFLECTIONS.--BUNKER HILL MONUMENT.--LETTERS, 82
CHAPTER XII.
JOURNEY TO CANADA.--LETTERS.--DIARY.--CHARITIES, 89
CHAPTER XIII.
CORRESPONDENCE WITH MR. WEBSTER.--LETTERS, 96
CHAPTER XIV.
TESTIMONIAL TO MR. WEBSTER.--DANGEROUS ILLNESS.--LETTERS, 102
CHAPTER XV.
JOURNEY TO NEW HAMPSHIRE.--LETTERS.--RESIGNS OFFICE OF TRUSTEE
AT HOSPITAL.--LETTERS, 109
CHAPTER XVI.
DAILY EXERCISE.--REGIMEN.--IMPROVING HEALTH.--LETTERS, 122
CHAPTER XVII.
REFLECTIONS.--VISIT TO WASHINGTON.--VISIT TO RAINSFORD
ISLAND.--REFLECTIONS.--VIEW OF DEATH.--REFLECTIONS, 137
CHAPTER XVIII.
BROTHER'S DEATH.--LETTERS.--GIFTS.--LETTERS.--BIRTH-PLACE.--
DIARY.--APPLICATIONS FOR AID.--REFLECTIONS.--LETTER FROM
REV. DR. STONE.--DIARY, 147
CHAPTER XIX.
REFLECTIONS.--LETTERS.--ACCOUNT OF EFFORTS TO COMPLETE BUNKER
HILL MONUMENT, 165
CHAPTER XX.
INTEREST IN MOUNT AUBURN.--REV. DR. SHARP.--LETTER FROM BISHOP
McILVAINE.--LETTER FROM JUDGE STORY, 175
CHAPTER XXI.
ACQUAINTANCE WITH PRESIDENT HOPKINS.--LETTERS.--AFFECTION FOR
BRATTLE-STREET CHURCH.--DEATH OF MRS. APPLETON.--
LETTERS.--AMESBURY CO., 182
CHAPTER XXII.
DEATH OF HIS DAUGHTER.--LETTERS.--DONATION TO WILLIAMS
COLLEGE.--BENEFICENCE.--LETTERS, 193
CHAPTER XXIII.
LETTER FROM DR. SHARP.--ILLNESS AND DEATH OF HIS SON.--
LETTERS.--AFFLICTIONS, 203
CHAPTER XXIV.
REFLECTIONS.--EXPENDITURES.--LETTERS.--DONATION FOR LIBRARY AT
WILLIAMS COLLEGE.--VIEWS ON STUDY OF ANATOMY, 212
CHAPTER XXV.
DONATION TO LAWRENCE ACADEMY.--CORRESPONDENCE WITH R. G.
PARKER.--SLEIGH-RIDES.--AVERSION TO NOTORIETY.--CHILDREN'S
HOSPITAL, 221
CHAPTER XXVI.
CAPTAIN A. S. MCKENZIE.--DIARY.--AID TO IRELAND.--MADAM
PRESCOTT.--SIR WILLIAM COLEBROOKE, 234
CHAPTER XXVII.
MR. LAWRENCE AS AN APPLICANT.--LETTERS.--DIARY.--PRAYER AND
MEDITATIONS.--FAC-SIMILE OF HAND-WRITING.--LIBERALITY
TO A CREDITOR.--LETTERS, 242
CHAPTER XXVIII.
REFLECTIONS.--VIEWS ON HOLDING OFFICE.--LETTERS.--CAPT. A.
SLIDELL McKENZIE.--DEATH OF BROTHER AND OF HON. J. MASON, 255
CHAPTER XXIX.
SYSTEM IN ACCOUNTS.--LETTER FROM PROF. STUART--LETTERS.--
DIARY.--DR. HAMILTON.--FATHER MATHEW, 264
CHAPTER XXX.
CODICIL TO WILL.--ILLNESS--GEN. WHITING.--LETTERS.--DIARY, 271
CHAPTER XXXI.
DIARY.--REFLECTIONS.--SICKNESS.--LETTER FROM DR. SHARP.--
CORRESPONDENCE, 278
CHAPTER XXXII.
AMIN BEY.--AMOUNT OF DONATIONS TO WILLIAMS COLLEGE, 285
CHAPTER XXXIII.
LETTERS--LIKENESS OF ABBOTT LAWRENCE.--DIARY, 292
CHAPTER XXXIV.
SIR T. F. BUXTON.--LETTER FROM LADY BUXTON.--ELLIOTT
CRESSON.--LETTERS, 298
CHAPTER XXXV.
LETTERS.--REV. DR. SCORESBY.--WABASH COLLEGE, 304
CHAPTER XXXVI.
DIARY.--AMOUNT OF CHARITIES.--LETTERS.--THOMAS TARBELL.--
UNCLE TOBY.--REV. DR. LOWELL, 311
CHAPTER XXXVII.
CORRESPONDENCE.--DIARY, 324
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
MR. LAWRENCE SERVES AS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTOR.--GEN. FRANKLIN
PIERCE--SUDDEN DEATH.--FUNERAL, 334
CHAPTER XXXIX.
SKETCH OF CHARACTER BY REV. DRS. LOTHROP AND HOPKINS, 343
CHAPTER XL.
CONCLUSION, 352
INDEX, 361
DIARY AND CORRESPONDENCE.
CHAPTER I.
BIRTH.--ANCESTRY.--PARENTS.
Amos Lawrence was born in Groton, Mass., on the 22d of April, 1786.
His ancestor, John Lawrence, was baptized, according to the records,
on the 8th of October, 1609, at Wisset, County of Suffolk, England,
where the family had resided for a long period, though originally from
the County of Lancaster.
Butler, in his "History of Groton," has, among other details, the
following:
"The first account of the ancestor of the numerous families of
this name in Groton and Pepperell, which can be relied upon as
certain, is, that he was an inhabitant of Watertown as early as
1635. He probably came in the company which came with Governor
Winthrop, in 1630. His given name was John, and that of his wife
was Elizabeth. Whether they were married in England or not, has
not been ascertained. Their eldest child was born in Watertown,
January 14, 1635. He removed to Groton, with probably all his
family, at an early period of its settlement, as his name is
found in the records there in 1663. He was an original
proprietor, having a twenty-acre right."
Of the parents of the subject of this memoir, the same author writes:
"Samuel Lawrence, the son of Captain Amos Lawrence, sen., was an
officer in the continental army, in the former part of the
Revolutionary War. He was in the battle of Bunker Hill, where a
musket-ball passed through his beaver hat. He was also in the
battle in Rhode Island, where he served as adjutant under General
Sullivan. On the 22d day of July, 1777, being at home, on a
furlough, for the express purpose, he was married to Susanna
Parker. * * * *
"Having faithfully served in the cause of his country during the
term of his engagement, he returned to his native town, to enjoy
the peace and quiet of domestic life on his farm. He was elected
by his townsmen to some of the highest offices in their gift; he
was a deacon of the church, and a justice of the peace _quorum
unus_. He took a deep interest in providing means for the
education of youth, particularly in establishing and supporting
the seminary in Groton, which now, in gratitude to him and his
sons, bears the family name. Of this institution he was a trustee
thirty-three years, and in its benefits and advantages he gave
ample opportunities for all his children to participate. Here
their minds undoubtedly received some of those early impressions,
the developments and consequences of which it will be the work of
their biographers hereafter to portray. No deduction, however,
should here be made from the importance of parental instruction,
to add to the merit of academical education. The correct lessons
given by the mother in the nursery are as necessary to give the
right inclination to the tender mind as are those of the tutor in
the highest seminary to prepare it for the business of life and
intellectual greatness. In the present case, all the duties
incumbent on a mother to teach her offspring to be good, and
consequently great, were discharged with fidelity and success.
Both parents lived to see, in the subject of their care, all that
they could reasonably hope or desire. He died November 8, 1827,
æt. seventy-three; and his venerable widow, May 2, 1845, æt.
eighty-nine."
Mr. Lawrence writes, in 1849, to a friend:
"My father belonged to a company of _minute-men_ in Groton, at
the commencement of the Revolution. On the morning of the 19th of
April, 1775, when the news reached town that the British troops
were on the road from Boston, General Prescott, who was a
neighbor, came towards the house on horseback, at rapid speed,
and cried out, 'Samuel, notify your men: _the British are
coming_.' My father mounted the general's horse, rode a distance
of seven miles, notified the men of his circuit, and was back
again at his father's house in forty minutes. In three hours the
company was ready to march, and on the next day (the 20th)
reached Cambridge. My father was in the battle of Bunker Hill;
received a bullet through his cap, which cut his hair from front
to rear; received a spent grape-shot upon his arm, without
breaking the bone; and lost a large number of men. His veteran
Captain Farwell was shot through the body, was taken up for dead,
and was so reported by the man who was directed to carry him off.
This report brought back the captain's voice, and he exclaimed,
with his utmost power, '_It an't true; don't let my poor wife
hear of this; I shall live to see my country free._' And so it
turned out. This good man, who had served at the capture of Cape
Breton in 1745, again in 1755, and now on Bunker Hill in 1775, is
connected with everything interesting in my early days. The
bullet was extracted, and remains, as a memento, with his
descendants. My father and mother were acquainted from their
childhood, and engaged to be married some time in 1775. They kept
up a correspondence through 1776, when he was at New York; but,
on a visit to her, in 1777 (his mother having advised them to be
married, as Susan had better be Sam's widow than his forlorn
damsel), they were married; but, while the ceremony was going
forward, the signal was given to call all soldiers to their
posts; and, within the hour, he left his wife, father, mother,
and friends, to join his regiment, then at Cambridge. This was on
the 22d day of July, 1777. In consideration of the circumstances,
his colonel allowed him to return to his wife, and to join the
army at Rhode Island in a brief time (two or three days). He did
so, and saw nothing more of home until the last day of that year.
The army being in winter quarters, he got a furlough for a short
period, and reached home in time to assist at the ordination of
the Rev. Daniel Chaplin, of whose church both my parents were
then members. His return was a season of great joy to all his
family. His stay was brief, and nothing more was seen of him
until the autumn of 1778, when he retired from the army, in time
to be with his wife at the birth of their first child. From that
time he was identified with everything connected with the good of
the town. As we children came forward, we were carefully looked
after, but were taught to use the talents intrusted to us; and
every nerve was strained to provide for us the academy which is
now doing so much there. We _sons_ are doing less for education
_for our means_ than our father for his means."
Of his mother Mr. Lawrence always spoke in the strongest terms of
veneration and love, and in many of his letters are found messages of
affection, such as could have emanated only from a heart overflowing
with filial gratitude. Her form bending over their bed in silent
prayer, at the hour of twilight, when she was about leaving them for
the night, is still among the earliest recollections of her children.
She was a woman well fitted to train a family for the troubled times
in which she lived. To the kindest affections and sympathies she
united energy and decision, and in her household enforced that strict
and unhesitating obedience, which she considered as the foundation of
all success in the education of children. Her hands were never idle,
as may be supposed, when it is remembered that in those days,
throughout New England, in addition to the cares of a farming
establishment, much of the material for clothing was manufactured by
the inmates of the family. Many hours each day she passed at the
hand-loom, and the hum of the almost obsolete spinning-wheel even now
comes across the memory like the remembrance of a pleasant but
half-forgotten melody.