Proceedings of the Nantucket Historical Association: Fifty-fourth Annual Meeting

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PROCEEDINGS OF THE

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NANTUCKET HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

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Fifty-Fourth Annual Meeting 1948 .

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"Annual Meeting"

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Reports of Officers

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"By Strangers Honored"—Oehler

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"Study of an Early View of the Town"

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PROCEEDING S OF THE

NANTUCKET HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

Fifty-Fourth Annual Meeting

1948 "Annual Meeting" Reports of Officers "By Strangers Honored"—Oehler "Study of an Early View of the Town"

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MEMBERSHIP You are cordially invited to become a member of the NANTUCKET HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION. Our membership classes are: Life Membership, $15.00; Sustaining Membership, $5.00; Annual Membership, $1.00 annually. An initiation fee of $1.00, is charged for each new active membership.

THE NANTUCKET HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION is an organiza­ tion devoted to the preservation of the island's famed heritage— its illustrious past as a whaling port. Due to Nantucket s im­ portance in American whaling, its history is a vital chapter in the larger maritime history of the world. There is no place in America quite like old Nantucket town—the birthplace of this nation's deep-sea whaling.

Your support of our Association enables us to preserve this whaling tradition. It allows us to carry on the work of maintaining our exhibits—the Whaling Museum, the Fair Street Museum, the Oldest House, the Old Mill, and our newest acquisitions, the Old Jail and House of Correction and Industry.

Send checks to Mrs. Elizabeth B. Worth, Treasurer, West Chester Street, Nantucket, Mass.

A HALF CENTURY OF ACHIEVEMENT May 9, 1894—The Association was organized in the "west parlor of the westernmost of the three brick (Starbuck) houses" on Main street, then the home of Mrs. Elizabeth Starbuck. The first officers were: Vice Presidents, Rev. Myron S. Dudley and Henry S. Wyer; Recording Secretary, Miss Mary E. Starbuck; Corresponding Secretary, Miss Susan Starbuck; Treasurer, Alexander Seaverns; Councillors, Mrs. Maria T. Swain, Mrs. Elizabeth C. Bennett, Mrs. Judith J.; Fish, Miss Susan E. Brock, Rev. Edward C. Gardner, Wendell Macy and Arthur H. Gardner.

July 9, 1894—Incorporated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, The same year the Association bought the Friends Meeting House on Fair Street for $1,000. Here were assembled ex­ hibits and here were held the meetings of the Association and the Council.

August 4, 1897—At a public auction, with a record attendance, held on Main Street's lower square, the Old Mill was sold to the Association for $885. As the Association did not have that total amount, Miss1 Caroline L. French, by a gift of $135, made up the full amount.

July 21, 1904—The corner stone of a new "fire-proof building" was laid adjacent to the Friends Meeting House.

October 31, 1923—The Oldest House was bought for $3,500. Winthrop Coffin of Boston, a descendant of Tristram Coffin, generously financed the restoration, which was done under the super­ vision of Alfred F. Shurrocks and William Sumner Appleton.

July 24, 1930—The Whaling Museum was formally opened in the "Old Candle House" on Broad street. This brick building had been purchased by Edward F. Sanderson, and with the adjacent land cost $35,000. With the purchase, Mr. Sander­ son made generous gifts to the Association of his extensive collection of whaling implements, books, papers, etc., and also waived payment of taxes and interest.

The Association is greatly indebted to the late William F. Macy (President 1924-1935) for his active work over a per­ iod of years in raising the money to make this purchase possible. The first custodian was the late George A. Grant, whose whaling experience and lore was invaluable in fitting the Museum into its present shipshape arrangement.

August 16, 1946—The Association was deeded the Old Gaol, built in 1805, and the House of Correction, first erected at Quaise in 1826 and moved to its present location in 1854.

OFFICERS

1948 --1949 PRESIDENT

Edouard A. Stackpole VICE PRESIDENTS

Mrs. Walton H. Adams Everett U. Crosby Miss Grace Brown Gardner

Dr. William E. Gardner Bassett Jones Col. Louis J. Praeger

SECRETARY

Mrs. Oscar B. Eger TREASURER

Mrs. Elizabeth B. Worth AUDITORS

Miss Cora Stevens

Henry B. Coleman COUNCILLORS Term Expires

Mrs. William L. Mather Mrs. Elkins Hutaff Burnham N. Dell Robert D. Congdon Mrs. Lewis S. Edgarton Howard C. Barber John H. Robinson Albert E. Marshall

1949 1949 1950 1950' 1951 1951 1952 1952

LIFE COUNCILLORS

Miss Annie Alden Folger Edward F. Sanderson Harry B. Turner

MOSES P. ELLIS In the last issue of the "Annual Proceedings," the above picture was presented1 the Association in the mistaken belief that it was a photograph of Owen Spooner, the Nantucket man who discovered the navigational method known as "Sunset Longitude." This is not the case, as the picture has been identified by Mrs. Robert Appleton as that of Moses P. Ellis, her grandfather, also a Nantucket man. The photograph is called "Tempus Fugit," as reported in our last issue, and, as stated there also, was taken by the late Henry S. Wyer, who was an outstanding photographer locally for many years.

ANNUAL MEETING

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HE FIFTY-FOURTH Annual Meeting of the Nantucket Historical Association was held on Tuesday afternoon, July 27, at the Friends Meeting House on Fair Street. The presiding officer, President Edouard A. Stackpole, welcomed members and friends on behalf of the Association, and then called upon the officers for their annual reports.

The first report given was that of the Secretary, Mrs. Oscar B. Eger, who summarized the year's work. Her report showed that the Council has held ten meetings, during the nine-month period from September, 1947, to June, 1948, at which meetings the general bus­ iness of the Association has been conducted. The report further show­ ed that the Association has a total membership of 511, of which total 388 are annual members, 104 are life members, and 19 are sustaining members.

Mrs. Elizabeth B. Worth read her report as Treasurer. The re­ port revealed that the Association, despite heavy expense during the past year for repairs and restoration work, is in excellent financial condition.

Mrs. Worth's complete report will be found in this issue. **

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The report of the Nominating Committee was read by its Chair­ man, Mrs. Alice Albertson Shurrocks, as follows: PRESIDENT—Edouard A. Stackpole.

VICE PRESIDENTS—Mrs. Walton H. Adams, Miss Grace Brown Gardner, Everett U. Crosby, Dr. William E. Gardner, Bassett Jones, Col. Louis J. Praeger.

SECRETARY—Mrs. Oscar B. Eger.

TREASURER—Mrs. Elizabeth B. Worth.

AUDITORS—Miss Cora Stevens, Henry B. Coleman.

COUNCILLORS—(for one year) Mrs. William L. Mather; (for two years) Robert D. Congdon.

The Nominating Committee was composed of Mrs. Alice Albertson Shurrocks, Chairman, Miss Edith V. Folger, Mrs. Grace Selden, William H. Tripp.

Upon motion, duly seconded, the meeting then voted that th® Secretary be instructed to cast one ballot for the election of the officers listed by the Nominating Committee.

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In his report to the Association, President Stackpole made men, tion of several outstanding acquisitions received during the year.

Four of these accessions were shown, and a brief account of their historical value was given. A spyglass in its original case from the ship Hero was mentioned as a loan from Robert Waggaman, of Nan•*§{ 8 )§•

tucket and Washington, D. C. Another accession was the clock used on board ship by Capt. Edward B. Coffin, presented by Editor Harry B. Turner, of The Inquirer and Mirror.

The two swords and a daguerreotype of Lieut. Leander Alley, of Nantucket's Civil War heroes, were shown. These came as a gift from Mrs. Robert Armstrong Nagle, a grand-niece of Lieut. Alley.

The fourth accession mentioned was a book-plate—"John Coffin-1771" —engraved by Walter Folger, Jr., and a Coffin coat-of-arms, donated

by Rev. Lyman Greenman, of Harvard, Mass. **

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Dr. William E. Gardner, who as Chairman of the Whaling Museum continues his active work in behalf of the Association, gave a report on the Whaling Museum's activities. An average of 7,000 visitors have "taken in" the Museum each year for the past eighteen summers, and the financial contribution of the Museum to the Associ­ ation is of the highest importance. Dr. Gardner expressed the opin­ ion that the Museum would this year surpass the 10,000: record at­ tendance established during the first year it was opened. (This predic­ tion was fulfilled). He stressed the fact that certain key repairs will face the Association in the near future, as the slate shingles—now over 100 years old—must soon be replaced, and one of the supporting or truss beams must be spliced, and a sagging wall strengthened.

He gave a resume of the routine work this year, and again mentioned the part played by the "Archives" in the Association's storage plan. ** ** ** ** Among the members in attendance were William H. Tripp, the Curator of the Old Dartmouth Historical Society, and Mrs. Ruth Dame Coolidge, of the Bay State Historical League. **

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The speaker of the afternoon was Mrs. Helen Irving Oehler, of Dallas, Texas, and her address, titled "By Strangers Honored," was the story of Dr. Charles F. Winslow, of Nantucket. Mrs. Oehler is eminently qualified to speak on Dr. Winslow, being a great-grand­ daughter and a loyal admirer of the remarkable man.

During the summer of 1947, an unusual ceremony took place at the Newtown Burial Ground. A tablet was placed beside the grave of Dr. Winslow's mother which read: "The Heart of Dr. Charles F. Winslow Lies Buried Here." It was early in 1877 that Dr. Winslow died in Salt Lake City, and in his will, he stipulated that his body be cremated and the ashes placed beside the body of his wife, Mrs. Lydiia Jones Winslow, in Boston, but that his heart should be taken to Nantucket, to be buried beside the grave of his mother.

In June, 1877, in the dark of midnight, two Nantucket sea cap­ tains, who had known Dr. Winslow, carried out the unusual request.

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The two were Capt. Daniel Russell and Capt. George Rule.

This unique fulfillment of Dr. Winslow's wish was not as strange as might appear after one learns something of the man's extraordin­ ary career. It is doubtful if any description of his life could have been more interesting than that given by Mrs. Oehler. Her talk was filled with interesting facts and delivered in such a pleasant manner that the assemblage regretted the conclusion.

Dr. Charles P. Winslow was born in the year 1811 in a house still Standing on India street. At a young age he displayed those qualities of interest in books and people which characterized his entire life. His studious bent soon attracted many to him. Upon graduation from the Harvard Medical School, he was sent to Paris by several whaling merchants, who wished him to continue his studies.

Returning home, he became one of the island's prominent phys­ icians. He married Lydia Coffin Jones, and lived in the brick home of the Jones family on Orange street, now the Congdon residence.

His thirst for knowledge demanded travel, and in the next twenty years he journeyed all about the world, residing in the Hawaiian Islands, in Chile, in California and in Utah. He wrote books and essays on scientific subjects, corresponded with many noted people, (including Michael Faraday, to whom he stated the study of the atom had unlimited possibilities,) and also served on the consular staff in South America. As one of the founders of the University of California he is to be honored on the West Coast in the publication of some of his letters.

In reading her biography of her gifted ancestor, Mrs. Oehler provided her listeners with an afternoon they will not soon forget.

Her charm of manner and her enthusiasm for her topic combined to make her address an outstanding one. She was warmly applauded and many lingered after the meeting to express their pleasure at the opportunity to hear such an unusual story so charmingly re­ counted.

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Secretary's Report Dear Members and Friends of the Nantucket Historical Association: The home attachment which reconciles the Laplander to his freezing zones and the African to his scorching suns has nothing meritorious in comparison to that which binds the Nantucketer to his Island by ties of memory and beauty. Like true Americans, we boast of departed glories and yearly indulge in a burst of common admiration of our Society and its accomplishments down the years.

The Council during the past year has held the usual meetings, always well attended, and interest never flagging.

Meetings for routine business was held: Sept. 3, 1947, Sept. 23, 1947, Oct. 21, 1947, Nov. 18, 1947, Dec. 16, 1947, Jan. 20, 1948, Feb. 17, 1948, March 16, 1948, April 20, 1948, May 19, 1948, and May 25, 1948.

Of course, scattered as our members are, they must leave the burden of the work to the discretion of the Council. However, every memberi should bear in mind that the Annual Meeting should be a time for free discussion, and that throughout the year, as occasions may arise, it is his or her privilege to communicate to the Council any idea which undertaken promptly might enlarge our opportunity for service. It is that thought of service which your officers would emphasize in looking back over the year just closed.

In this year, as in other coming years, our desire is for increased membership, and additions to our fine collections.

Our membership, at present, stands thus at the close of the fiscal years, June 30, 1948: Life members, 104; Sustaining members, 19; Annual members, 388. Total membership, 511.

Widespread interest and individual activity are the lifeblood of our Association. Old hopes and affections give inspiration to new endeavors. At this Annual Meeting, as at the meetings of the Council throughout our winter months, that tenacity of home feeling and home inspiration is keenly felt and clearly shown. Let us keep it alive always.

Respectfully submitted, CATHERINE RAY EGER, Secretary.

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Treasurer s Report 1948 RECEIPTS Cash Balance, July 1, 1947 Annual Memberships Life Memberships Donations Interest and Dividends Museum Accounts: Fair Street—Admissions, Sales Whaling Museum—Admissions, Sales Oldest House—Admissions, Sales Old Mill—Admissions, Sales Old Jail—Admissions, Sales

$860.76 766.00 30.00 30.00 128.00 1005.40 3582.78 954.70 367.70 59.25 $5969.83 1128.30 204.20 500.00 500.00

Admissions Taxes Withheld Taxes Virginia Sharp Legacy Transfer from Nantucket Institution for Savings

$10117.09 DISBURSEMENTS General Account—Salaries Postage, printing, supplies

450.00 669.04

Museum Accounts: Fair Street, Attendants and Maintenance Whaling Museum, Attendants & Maint.

Oldest House, Attendant and Maintenance Old Mill, Attendant and Maintenance Old Jail, Attendant and Restoration

$1119.04 928.04 1,594.47 490.88 351.25 1210.37

$4575.01 Admissions Taxes 1138.50 Withheld Taxes 216.40 Portrait Restoration 150.00 Transfers To Life Memberships 30.00 To Nantucket Institution for Savings, General Account 2500.00 Cash Balance, June 30, 1948 388.14 $10117.09 -4{ 12 }8s-

MAINTENANCE and INSURANCE RESERVE CASH ACCOUNT Cash on hand, July 1, 1947 Transfer for 1947-48 from Nantucket Institution for Savings—General Acct.

1313.05 1313.05

Disbursed for Insurance Disbursed for Maintenance Whaling Museum Fair Street Old Mill Oldest House

643.35 341.14 212.46 19.99

Cash on hand, July 1, 1948

$2626.10 199.12

$1216.94 1210.04 $2626.10

ASSETS Land—Buildings Collections in all Museums Trust Accounts, Nantucket Institution for Savings Stocks and Bonds Reserve for Maintenance Reserve for Insurance

$31,500.00 10,000.00 16,241.67 5,307.50 783.06 426.98

Respectfully submitted, ELIZABETH B. WORTH, Treasurer.

Audited by Miss Cord Stevens and Robert D. Congdon

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Report of The President.

Members and Friends of the Nantucket Historical Association: The passage of time has brought the chronicles of the island's history to the beginning of an era which mark anniversaries quite unlike the observances of previous years. Where the Association has happily pointed out that "one hundred years ago the island's whaling fleet numbered eighty-four vessels," and "one hundred years ago Nantucket was the third wealthiest town in the Commonwealth," we are now approaching centenaries which recall a period of depres­ sion, change and sadness.

Two years ago, an article appeared in our "Proceedings" which told of the "Great Fire of 1846," which was the first in a series of disasters which destroyed the island's ancient calling—its whaling industry. In 1842, the incorporation of the "Nantucket Camels Com­ pany" had promised to literally carry the industry over the "slough of despond" as well as the bar that hindered the passage of shipping into our harbor. But the breed of merchants and investors who had brought the island its success had given way to a more conservative group. Capital found investment in New Bedford whaling firms or in manufacturing centers; the generation of community enterprise had given way (with the influx of many new-comers) to a new type of crew manning the ship^; then came the disastrous fires of 1838 and 1846 to wipe out much of the investment in physical properties and stored whale-oil.

The crisis was at hand, and the balance needed only a slight shifting to bring on the economic collapse which showed in the offiing.

In 1848 the discovery of gold near Sutter's Mill in the Territory of California brought a reaction which swept through the entire nation.

Nantucket was in the doldrums; the news was like a spur to the en­ terprising men—especially the younger group—and within the next year an estimated five hundred men sailed from this island. For the most part, these men never returned to their island home.

An account of this interesting and vital period in the island's history will appear in our next "Proceedings." In order that as com­ plete a story as possible may be presented, members are urged to search family records, hunt through old documents, and in every way possible bring to light any material relating to these Nantucket "Forty-niners." While on the subject of requests, your President further asks that any material relating to Lieut. Alexander Pinkham, Capt. William Worth or Henry Clapp will be very gratefully re< 14 >

ceived by him. Work on the biography of these men is proceeding slowly due to the scarcity of connected material.

The Association's properties continue to be in the care of persons who carefully supervise them and direct the important business of maintaining the buildings as exhibits for the benefit of the public.

The Whaling Museum continues to be the greatest of the Associa­ tion's many attractions. Dr. William E. Gardner, who has been the faithful chairman of this museum for the past seven years, continues to guard it against the ravages of the elements and, while it has cost more to maintain, the work has been necessary in every detail. The old Candle House has now begun its second century of existence. Its brick walls and slate roof have had comparatively little repair for at least three-quarters of its life-tenure. Close to 10,000 visitors have walked through the Whaling Museum each year since it was opened in 1930, and Dr. Gardner feels that this year may be the banner year of them all as regards attendance. Wallace Long continues to carry on the important work as custodian, while Clinton T. Macy, a former custodian at the Oldest House, is doing excellent work in the Library.

The Fair Street Museum continues under the chairmanship of Everett U. Crosby, with Mrs. Walton H. Adams, another of our Vice Presidents, assisting the Chairman. Her many years as Curator have made Mrs. Adams a valued member of our Council, and the work at Fair Street has always beien close to her interests. The two custodians, Mrs. Alma Backus, at then entrance lobby and the lower floor, and Mrs. Bessie Winslow, on the second floor and in the gen­ ealogical department, are in their eighteenth year of service at these posts. **

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The Oldest House has been under the supervision of your Presi­ dent this year, due to the fact that there has as yet been no Chair­ man appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the retirement of Miss Grace Brown Gardner. With the help and direction of Mrs. Lewis S. Edgarton, one of our Councillors, the house was opened at the reg­ ular date. Miss Lucy Clark, of Nantucket, was engaged as Custodian, and she has been most satisfactory. Miss Clark reports that, up to the present date, (July 30), nearly 1,800 visitors have been admitted to the old house, which indicates that a better than average season is in prospect. This fall the Council will be asked to approve certain necessary repairs around the old structure. **

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The Old Mill has as its Custodian this year John Collis, who last year had charge of the Old Jail for several weeks. This year we re­ gret to report the retirement of Col. Louis J. Praeger as Chairman of the Old Mill Committee. Col. Praeger, who is leaving the island with Mrs. Praeger to take up residence in Virginia, has been Chair-

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man of our Mill for six years, and before that served on the com­ mittee. His work on the Council has always reflected his deep interest in our Historical Association, and while we record his retirement from our ranks with regret, we wish him continued health and many happy hours in his new surroundings. **

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Our latest exhibit—the Old Jail and House of Correction—has been in charge of Chairman Burnham N. Dell. During the winter months, Chairman Dell, assisted by his committee, composed of How­ ard C. Barber, drew up plans for the restoration of the "Old Gaol."

Through the interest of Everett U. Crosby, a Vice President of the Association, a man who has had considerable experience in restoring old Nantucket dwellings, the committee obtained the services of Clar­ ence Swift, who has been Mr. Crosby's foreman in this work for a number of years. Mr. Swift worked on the old structure during the winter and spring and, after many hours of careful application, com­ pleted the job this spring.

It was necessary to restore the wood under the windows on the south side where the water, peeping in for nearly half a century, had completely rotted away the timbers. Due to the fact that the old structure is mainly built of logs which, laid cabin-style, are bolted to each other with long iron bolts, the prospect of obtaining replace­ ments was slim. Again, Mr. Crosby's interest came to the fore, and he gave the Association the large timbers so necessary for the work.

The interior sheathing, put in early in this century, and other modern "conveniences" were removed, iron grills were restored and shingles replaced on the north side. The main door, sagging on its hinges, was re-hung. The outside stair-case was "secured."

As a final touch of restoration, the original lock and key to the Old Gaol were returned to the island. In January, 1948, your Presi­ dent communicated with Mrs. Robert C. Langlotz, of Daytona Beach, Fla., who had the lock and key in her possession. They had come to her through her grandfather, Dudley P. Ely, deceased,' of Norwalk, Conn., who in turn had obtained them from Joseph B. Macy in March, 1867. Mrs. Langlotz still had the letters proving the authenticity of the lock. One of the letters reads as follows: "?• P' Ely> Es<I-> Nantucket, April 29, 1867.

"Dear Sir: I have this afternoon put into the Express a box containing the Lock of the Old Jail & Key. I cannot get much of a history as yet, but it must have been the original lock put upon the build­ ing when built, and I will soon find out more about it and write you. My carpenter had quite a job getting it off as the door was so thick and so heavily ironed. I could not find a bolt with a lock sufficient to take the place of the old one, but I found an old pad­ lock that was used on our Bank Vault and thinking it would be cheaper than a lock, I bought it and paid my carpenter $3—mak­ ing the total cost of lock & expenses $8—which is more than I hoped. I have put into the Box a few of our very nice preserved

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Fish to fill the Box, which you will please accept and give a mess to Mr. Bishop. Excuse haste as I expect my whaling vessel to go in the morning and am much hurried up.

Very respectfully, Joseph B. Macy."

All doubts as to any mistaken identity of the lock vanished when, upon its arrival in April, it was placed in the aperture in the huge lower door—and fitted perfectly, with the key-holes lining exactly.

The lock, which weighs 22 pounds, is 16 1-2 inches long by 8 inches wide, and the key measures 9 1-2 inches in length. The entrance to the lock and the end of the key are curved in a strange manner hut, of course, were so constructed as to make duplicate keys a difficult operation. **

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A number of outstanding accessions have been recorded this year. On display here today are four of them. Here is the spy-glass used by Capt. Obed Starbuck on board the whaleship Hero. On the top of the wooden box is the date "1823," made with brass-headed nails. It was on this, voyage of the Hero that Capt. Starbuck discov­ ered the island in the Pacific (north of the Society Group) which is still called Starbuck's Island. The glass is a loan from Robert Waggaman, of Washington, D. C., and Nantucket, who is a deeply interested member of our Association. Another reminder of our whal­ ing masters is this ship's clock, which was used by Capt. Edward B. Coffin in his cabin when at sea. Upon retiring from a seafaring life, Capt. Coffin took the clock home and hung it in his kitchen. It comes to the Association through the interest of Harry B. Turner, Editor of The Inquirer and Mirror. A third accession is this book-plate, en­ graved on copper by that famous Nantucket craftsman and scholar, Walter Folger, Jr. The plate is marked "John Coffin—1771," although it was made for the Coffin family at a much later date. The donor is the Rev. Lyman Greenman, of Harvard, Mass., who will be remem­ bered for his excellent essay on "Walter Folger," which he presented at an annual meeting of this Association a decade ago.

The fourth accession is of particular interest to your President, who, many of you are aware, is collecting material on the "Nantucket Boys in the Civil War." This accession consists of two swords and a daguerreotye of Lieut. Leander Alley, one of the island's heroes in "The War Between the States." One of the swords was presented Lieut. Alley by his comrades in Co. I, 20th Mass. Regiment, and the other was the one which this 24-year-old Nantucketer held in his hand as he led his company up Marye's Heights at Fredericksburg, Dec. 13, 1862, when he was killed. His body, rescued by volunteers who crawled over the battlefield that night, was brought back to Nantucket and buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery.

The swords and daguerreotype are gifts from Lieut. Alley's 4 17 }>

grand-niece, Mrs. Robert Armstrong Nagle, of Cleveland, Ohio. **

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From the time of our first Association's President, Dr. Joseph Sidney Mitchell, a half century ago, through the successive terms of William F. Barnard, Alexander Starbuck, Arthur H. Gardner, William F. Macy, Dr. Charles E. Congdon, and the present incum­ bent, the Association has been most fortunate in the work of the various Vice Presidents, Secretaries, Treasurers and Councillors.

These men and women have devoted many hours to the continued welfare of our Association. As the late Anna Gardner Fish showed in her article on the Rev. Myron Dudley, it was a "stranger," how­ ever, who actually launched the Association. With characteristic —albeit roundabout—manner of inviting all "strangers" to join with islanders in furthering the work of the Association, it is well to re­ print a paragraph by the late Mary E. Starbuck, of rich memory: "I would call attention to the fact that all who care for the Island and its traditions are welcome as members of the Associa­ tion. The satisfaction of being a Nantucketer is not for all the world, and we would mitigate, as far as possible, the lot of those less fortunate than ourselves by instructing them in our past history, and by sharing with them the privilege of perpetuating its memory."

Recalling the Association's indebtedness to the many, many "summer Nantucketers," we invite all of those far and near—island­ ers for a week, a month, or a year—to join us and help us in our work.

EDOUARD A. STACKPOLE, President.

THE ARCHIVES (Not Open to the Public.)

In 1943, I proposed that the floor over the library be used for "archives," meaning a place where we might preserve and arrange valuable items for "special collections" to be exhibited. Bibles with geneological records, portraits and old pictures, whale ship charts, school books, account books, baskets, newspapers and many relics, are some of the collections now in process. The Archives has become a valuable work room for classifying and investigation. Some of the accessions during the year 1947 are: Bible of the late Eliza M. Hussey, from Miss Grace Brown Gardner; eight Bibles containing Bunker geneology from Albert M. Tucker; Bible of Benjamin and Patience Coombs, from Straight Wharf Theatre; palette, paints and paint-box of James Walter Folger from Mrs. Florence Stackpole for estate of Mrs. Eleanore Brown.

The classification of hundreds of items within the Archives goes on slowly because of our dependence on volunteer assistance. We are indebted to Albert Moody Tucker, who has given many hours, listing and arranging portraits, pictures and books. Especially, I wish to thank William C. Brock and Edward P. Tice for their helpful assist­ ance as members of the Whaling Museum committee.

WILLIAM E. GARDNER, Chairman.

Report on The Whaling Museum PERIOD COVERED: MAY, 1947, THROUGH APRIL, 1948.

The marked increase in the attendance at the Whaling Museum this year deserves recording. Since 1930, when the Museum, through the generous work of Will Macy and many friends, became part of the property of the Association, the attendance has been about 7,000 each year. During the war years there was a decrease, and after the war a steady rise, until this year the attendance reached 13,651 visi­ tors. Much of this increase was due to daily excursionists by boats which came from Hyannis and others operated by the regular service.

The income from the Museum was over $3,000 and the total in- ' come since the Museum opened has amounted to over $35,000.

This increase in attendance and receipts is fortunate for the old "candle house" has passed its century mark and is now in need of repairs and changes. This treasured brick building, with its vast roof expanse requires careful examination each year and considerable out­ lay. The slates of the roof and even the boards beneath them need constant replacement, while the strong east winds have blown water into the bricks and damaged the east wall. Fortunately, for some of the repairs we carry storm insurance which has already covered some of the expense. Within, a portion of the flooring needs replace­ ment, and the growing use of the library demands removal of parti­ tions to increase space from the small west room to the whole front.

During the summer of 1947, Miss Urana Clarke, an expert in marine literature, suggested necessary re-arrangement of rare books given and loaned by our late President of the Association, Dr. Charles E. Congdon. I told Miss Clarke she was the person "I had been wait­ ing for," and if she would give the library a dozen hours I would see the screen doors with locks were installed. Miss Clarke gave more than a dozen hours and valuable books will be re-arranged and protected.

Under the direction of Mrs. Chamberlain Williams, of the High School commercial department, students have made copies of docu­ ments and manuscripts for preservation, some difficult to decipher.

Each year one of the students is selected as a Museum secretary, and is allowed the use of a typewriter. We express gratitude to the School authorities for their co-operation.

Among many accessions are the following: Jaw bone of a Sperm whale, length 16 feet; shoulder bomb gun; two whale vertebra—gifts from Breckinridge Long. Nine ivory mortar and pestle sets, each less than a half-inch in size, carved by Capt. Charles Murphey on board whaleship Sophia in 1832—indefinite loan by Capt. Murphey's grand­ daughter, Mrs. Lillian Pease. Cooper's gauge, initials, "R. E.," belong­ ing to an island cooper, Reuben Ellis (born 1782), gift of his greatgrand-daughter, Mrs. Eugene L. Webber, of Littleton, Mass. "Cruis­ ing the New England Coast," by Edward Rowe Snow, gift of author.

"Proceedings of the N. H. A. for the years 1940—1945," bound and presented to the library by William E. Gardner.

WILLIAM E. GARDNER, Chairman.

"By Strangers Honored."

THE STORY OF DR. CHARLES F. WINSLOW, OF NANTUCKET,

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By MRS, JAMES C. OEHLER—His Great-Granddaughter.

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Like many more illustrious men, Dr. Charles Frederick Winslow of Nantucket was a fascinating man of many facets. It is curious that this versatile man, born in 1811, of obscure parentage, should have gained such eminence in his day, only to have been neglected during the seventy years since his death by his own descendants.

Indeed, it has remained for strangers at this late date to discover his contributions to science and to find in him an intriguing personality.

Numerous contemporaries, however, have left in writing their es­ timate of him as a scientist and gentleman.

In a letter written in 1878, Judge James B. McKean, who was a witness to Dr. Winslow's last will, paid him high tribute. Judge McKean was a Mormon, one of the leaders of those days in Salt Lake City, and he wrote in part as follows: I was for some years the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of this Territory. While on the bench and after leaving it, I knew your distinguished father well, and was honored with his friend­ ship and confidence. Having resided many years at Saratoga, N. Y., and having been born not far from there, my tastes and associations, like his, were eastern. Dr. Winslow and I, in matters of faith, differed—but we did so amicably and with mutual re­ spect for each other's convictions. Our relations with each other became very intimate, and for some time before his death, on each alternate Sunday afternoon, Mrs. McKean and I had the pleas­ ure of the Doctor's society at our house as a guest at dinner.

We shall never forget those occasions made memorable by Dr. Winslow's vast fund of information and knowledge of men, of books and things, and his most attractive manner of pouring out his treasures at the feet of his interested auditors. On one occasion, it was the 100th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, the Doctor and I, more than half seriously, agreed to meet here again in just 100 years from that time to discuss the past and the then present! Ah, me, although I was with the Doctor a few moments before he said to those who were actually present with him at the last, 'Bid everybody and all my friends goodbye. I wish everybody well,' and then died as calmly as though only go­ ing to a night's rest—although I was one of the pall-bearers at the funeral rites which he himself had ordered, still it never seems to me that Dr. Winslow is dead!"

The Boston Medical and Surgical Journal, of April 6, 1853, had the following: "Whenever a physician distinguishes himself in any depart­ ment of knowledge, out of the common course of his orbit, he •^20^

exalts the profession to which he belongs. We have reason to be proud of the bright army of great names in the calendar of fame that sprang from our ranks. Charles F. Winslow, M. D., of Waltham, Mass., formerly of Nantucket, and for many years a resi­ dent of the Sandwich Islands, has written a small volume under the unobtrusive title of 'Cosmography or Philosophical Views of.. the Universe,' that is calculated to give activity to the thoughts of one class of philosophers, the astronomers, if no others. He labors to develop and establish the theory that repulsion is a planetary force. Dr. Winslow has secured to himself an elevated position by this publication. He demonstrates the possession of a mind capable of grasping great thoughts and of conducting in­ quiries of the loftiest import."

A native of the Sandwich Islands wrote to Dr. Winslow in Nan­ tucket in November, 1847, some time after the Doctor's sojourn there.

Translated by a clerk in the consul's office, it reads as follows: " . . . .I c o n c l u d e d t o w r i t e t h e s e f e w l i n e s , i n o r d e r t h a t o u r mutual respect for each other may be perpetuated forever, be­ cause you (two) are going home, and we (two) shall remain here.

I wish that our mutual love may continue for ever. I esteem you as my brother, because you give us that which cures the body.

Farewell—go in peace and great prosperity forever and ever.

H. Kuihelani."

At the time Dr. Winslow was moving to Waltham, from Nan­ tucket, The Nantucket Mirror, on April 18, 1852, printed the follow­ ing: "The history of Dr. Winslow furnishes a bright example to the young of how much can be accomplished through persevering in­ dustry, moral integrity, and a determined will. Having com­ menced his career in youth, under many disadvantages, he has raised himself by his own exertions to a position of wealth, use­ fulness and honor. Born in humble circumstances, but inheriting strong mental and physical energies and an excellent constitu­ tion, he has overcome obstacles of no ordinary magnitude—ob­ stacles which would have disheartened a less courageous mind— and by his intellectual capacity and force of character has ac­ quired a large stock of valuable learning, an extensive acquaint­ ance with the natural sciences, an effective and eloquent manner of communicating his ideas either in public or private, and added to all these attainments eminence and success in his pro­ fession.

"There are many of our citizens who remember him well as the ambitious and diligent student in his boyhood, as the inmate of Dr. Swift's office, as the young practitioner, and after a sojourn in Paris of two years, whither he went to prosecute his studies and mature his professional skill, overcoming obstacles in this undertaking which not one in a thousand would have done, he returns to his native town and practices his profession with entire success.

"During this period he marries Miss Lydia Jones. With his young family he determines on another adventure, and they pur­ sue his way across the sea to the Sandwjch Islands. There in 4 21 )§*•

a few years the Doctor accumulates a handsome fortune in the practice of his profession. Then he and his family return to spend a few more years on their native island." **

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Among the strangers who would today honor Dr. Winslow's! memory are two who are separated by the continent. Edward Rowe Snow, the writer on New England subjects, first became interested in him while reading of the burial of Dr. Winslow's heart on Nantucket..

A trip to the island for further details led to the reading of his book, "Cosmography," published in 1853, and to the conclusion— reached by others at about the same time from reading other Winslow material—that this modest physician was truly one of the early re­ search scholars recognizing the importance of studying atomic energy.

The other stranger, one long interested in the early history of California and Hawaii, was impressed with Dr. Winslow's activities on behalf of trade and education in both places more than a century ago.

Dr. Winslow's correspondence with Michael Faraday, in which he stresses the urgency of further study of the atom, was bought for publication by no less an authority than Norman Cousins. sfcsf:

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Let us look briefly at some of the facets of this scintillating Nantucketer. First of all, he was by profession a physician. Though he practiced successfully in Nantucket, in Boston and some of its suburbs, in Tahiti, the Sandwich Islands, Peru, in San Francisco, and finally in Salt Lake City, nevertheless he seems to have had an increasing distaste for his profession. It was while studying medicine in Paris that he became interested in science, later to become the great and consuming interest of his life. In a letter written toward the end of his career, he speaks of medicine as a thankless profession.

Yet it was medicine which took him to the islands of the Pacific and to Peru, there to establish and maintain maritime hospitals. Scien­ tific research and business enterprises were operated only on the side, as it were.

Dr. Winslow was also a business man. From all accounts, whether those published in the Nantucket Mirror, or those contained in his private letters, he seems to have been for the most part a very astute and successful business man. His real estate investments in San Francisco, following the Gold Rush, kept his two unmarried daughters in luxury throughout their long lives and educated several of his grandchildren, children of his one married daughter. Indeed,

4 22

-when the Chinatown property was finally sold in 1926, a half dozen descendants had reason to rise up and call him blessed! Nevertheless, it would appear that only when business was a sideline was it highly remunerative. Investments made during the closing years of his life, when he allowed himself practically only one activity, that of accum­ ulating an estate for his old maid daughters, turned out to be almost complete failures.

During those last years, spent largely in mining operations and in begging his family to join him in the west, I wonder if he ever missed the great number of interests and activities of his youth.

Time was when he was in great demand as a lecturer on tem/perance.

One address of his, on the subject "The Nazarite's Vow," delivered in San Francisco, was published in 1855. Did he miss his earlier work in politics, back in Boston? In 1860, he had taken time out from his fashionable practice, to campaign for the Republican ticket. It is worthy of note, though he was at that time a man of nearly fifty, as a member of this new Party he was classed as a liberal!

True New Englander that he was, born in the town meeting and the common school tradition, he even urged the Republican govern­ or-elect to go down to Pennsylvania to speak on behalf of Lincoln, because Pennsylvanians were good people but not much educated!

Probably at the very moment when he was penning those words in his journal, his future son-in-law, descendant of Philadelphia's first mayor and himself a graduate of Dr. Winslow's own alma mater, Harvard, was educating those same voters from a flag-draped plat­ form in western Pennsylvania! **

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Though Dr. Winslow confesses to having left the common schools of Massachusetts at an early age, throughout his life he was inter­ ested in education. It was not enough for him to educate himself, first at Harvard Medical School and later in Paris, and to continue his own search for scientific knowledge in all parts of the world. He was as much concerned with educating others as with satisfying his own thirst for learning.

That he had a very important part in the establishment of the public school system and the State university in California is proved over and over again in letters, written to him by prominent educators and politicians, during his residence in the city by the Golden Gate in the '50's.

Writing from Paris to his home town newspaper, in a series of "Familiar Epistles to the Islanders," Dr. Winslow, then the young medical student, only twenty-four years old, states the philosophy which must have shaped his whole career: "I think it the duty—and advance the sentiment with all due 4f 23 ^

modesty—of every member of the community to help to elevate the standard of intelligence and morals, correct public taste, and advance public improvements. I see it incumbent on each individual to contribute his mite to the general weal whatever the department of action may be. It should be the aim of all, not only to promote learning and virtue, but to discountenance boldly— and if necessary suppress—vice and immorality. And further­ more, he who can advance the public interests and stubbornly withholds aid, for fear that others may become as good, as great, or as learned as himself, is neither more nor less than a leech in the body politic."—From the Nantucket Mirror, July, 1835.

It is particularly noteworthy, I think, that he was interested in the education of women. In a letter written in 1849, as he was sail­ ing to New Grenada (Panama) and to San Francisco, he urges the purchase by the women of America of a suitable telescope for Maria Mitchell, his illustrious fellow-townswoman, and he stresses his belief that genius coupled with industry should be recognized and encour­ aged wherever found. After a hundred years, women eminent in their fields today do not always1 receive such encouragement from the op­ posite sex! **

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But it was not alone in education or feminism that Dr. Winslow exhibited his forward, look. Recognizing the close relationship be­ tween economics and politics, he became interested just before the Civil War in trying to find a substitute for cotton. In an article en­ titled "Cotton: Science is King—Not Cotton Nor Gold," he discussed the experimentation in making cloth or flax or of flax aod cotton mixed, then being carried on by a young Bostonian. His interest stemmed largely from his belief that the north and especially New England must become independent of the South and its cotton. **

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When the war could no longer be averted, and when, because of his chronic heart trouble, Dr. Winslow could not accompany his friend, General Watson, as his personal physician in the Army, Gov­ ernor Andrew secured for his political supporter and social crony an appointment in a maritime hospital in Peru. Dr. Winslow accept­ ed the important war-time task with the understanding that he was to be allowed free time for scientific study. Among other inter­ ests in and around Callao, he studied the country's agriculture. The specimens which he shipped to the Commissioner of Agriculture in Washington included long staple cotton and plants which he hoped could be raised in his native land.

Dr. Winslow, an amateur geologist, was constantly looking for oil, to take the place of the whale oil which had made his wife's family prosperous a few decades before. His interest in geology extended to 4{24^

the study and collection of rocks, and was closely linked to his primary absorption in volcanology.

Dr. Winslow's search for better cotton and more oil came not from any self-interest but from his larger concern for American commerce. There is no evidence that he gained personally from most of his activities along this line, or sought to do so. However, he is credited with having introduced Chinese labor into the United States, and he is reported to have used coolies in his mining operations along the Feather River in 1849. **

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As though the good doctor did not have enough to do, he evi­ dently was something of a "joiner." In addition to cultural, education­ al and genealogical groups, he joined fraternal organizations of various kinds. He was the ninety-ninth Mason in California; he was a member of the Odd Fellows, and was, I understand, prominent in Delta Phi. To whatever organizations he belonged, he seems to have given unlimited time. He organized the Young Men's Temperance Society of Nantucket and served as its first secretary, shortly after his return from Paris.

A few years later we find him acting as secretary of the Nan­ tucket Total Abstinence Association. When it is noted that he was also secretary of the Board of Health at the time, one wonders when he had leisure time to write prescriptions! Perhaps his legible handwriting, a novelty in the medical profession, surely, made him in great demand for dashing off minutes and communications! That he could do more than write neatly is indicated by his appointment to a committee of twelve to supervise the direction of the Nantucket Seaman's Society Boarding House. Perhaps it was due to his influ­ ence that each boarder was able to receive for his $3.50 per week pay­ ment not only every item of expense but also the use of a Reading Room! (The capitals are the editor's, not mine!)

In 1855, Dr. Winslow, then living in San Francisco, was asked to address the Sons of Temperance there. His talk was later pub­ lished by Crosby, Nichols and Company of Boston. Excerpts follow: It gives me the highest gratification to bear a testimony to the lofty Christian virtues of self-denial and self-discipline which have distinguished the American missionaries at the Hawaiian Islands from the day of their landing to the present time. This embraces a period of thirty-four years. Notwithstanding they left the United States in 1820, at a time when the most respect­ able sideboards were crowned with choicest liquors, and before the great temperance principles of the old and new covenant were asserted as a basis of reformation from practices which had become engrafted on Christian society—notwithstanding this, when they landed at the Sandwich Islands they entered into a •«f25>-

solemn obligation with their own hearts and with each other to walk before God after the order of Aaron, and to follow strictly the injunctions of Paul, in their ministrations to a heathen race.

"During a long residence among that swarthy and frail people, I can bear ample testimony to the blessed results of the apostolic example of these missionaries; for during that period I never saw a native intoxicated, nor make use of intoxicating drinks, with one exception, and the lofty rank of that exception placed him above all law, and above the beneficial effects of church dis­ cipline. However loudly that noble band of self-denying men and women may be slandered by private enemies or ungenerous strangers, I am prepared, by the largest and freest intercourse with their private views and practices, both in their homes and throughout their fields of labor, to bear unqualified testimony to their persevering abstinence, and to their endeavors in all re­ spects to walk worthy of their consecrated calling; and though differing somewhat from them in religious opinions, and on some important points of temporal policy and church discipline, still do I declare that as a band of indefatigable and self-sacrificing Christian teachers, no rank nor race in the order of the priest­ hood, from the days of Aaron down through the long line of prophets, apostles and martyrs, are more deserving of the re­ spectful and affectionate remembrance of posterity than the earlier missionaries of the Hawaiian Islands." **

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I suppose that Dr. Winslow gave so generously of himself to these organizations because fundamentally he was interested in people, and had an enormous capacity for friendship. This modest man of simple tastes numbered among his warm admirers many of the great and near-great of his day. The list of his correspondents, especially dur­ ing the late sixties, when the Winslow family was living in Europe, reads like a "Who's Who:" Maria Mitchell, Julia Ward Howe, Dr. Dwight Baldwin and Dr. Judd (famous missionaries to Hawaii, of whom uncharitably it has been said that they went out to do good but did well), at least three distinguished governors of Massachu­ setts, Augustus Hare (author of "Walks in Rome)", Lady Augusta Stanley and Dean Stanley of Westminster Abbey, Franz Liszt, Jay Gould, and a host of other notables. The innate dignity of the man is nowhere more evident than in his attitude toward these people.

No falling on his face to celebrities. Only that he finds them inter­ esting. They in their turn see in him not only a cultivated gentleman but a great scientist.

Nor does this Nantucket physician, coming from humble folk listed on the Winslow family tree as shipwright, cordwainer, ship­ builder, seaman, overlook the humble folk around him. The little boy who had delivered his milk and run his errands during those last years of exile in Salt Lake City was remembered in his will. The «K26fc

estate's executors were to lend him money to enter business and were to expect no security and no interest from this Scandinavian youth, Peter Winslow Anderson.

More significant than the boy's taking his benefactor's name and eventually dropping his own first name is the fact that he be­ came, not a great merchant prince, but a very prominent physician in the city which his mentor had loved so much—San Francisco. In 1915, on the one occasion when I met Dr. Anderson, he made a pro­ phetic statement: "Your great-grandfather was more of a scientist than a doctor—a great scientist." **

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It is for his interest in science that he is being remembered to­ day—by strangers honored. In his own days, his theories concerning what he termed cosmic repulsion were met in various ways. Some there were who accepted them eargerly, others were as violently op­ posed, and some, because their own pre-eminence and prestige might thereby be diminished, resented them. But nobody, so far as I can discover, either ignored Dr. Winslow's theories or considered them the vagaries of a lunatic.

After lecturing and writing voluminously on the topic, calling forth his knowledge of volcanoes, meteors, comets to prove his con­ tentions, and annotating every product of his pen with carefullykept records and statistics, he had one great satisfaction, I fancy.

It was not the precious words of encouragement from Michael Far­ aday, not the publication by MacMillan of the great effort of his life, "Force and Nature," 1869, not the favorable reviews which all his writings received. It came, the doctor's satisfaction, on the day when the man who had scoffed at -his theories for years came around to stealing them! Surely Dr. Winslow would be pardoned for gloat­ ing over that triumph. It may have found him too wearied to care.

So it may remain for his descendants and for strangers to thrill for him, thrill in the knowledge that surely this obscure Nantucket physician made a contribution to the long study which started with Democritus and which led to Hiroshima. **

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For all his interest in science, or rather because of it, Dr. Wins­ low was essentially a man of great religious faith. A Unitarian, who meticulously differentiated between his own religious beliefs and those of people whom he always termed orthodox Christians, he both respected their views and sometimes shared them. The Bible which his wife gave him in 1848, as he sailed away from Nantucket, was his constant companion and was the most cherished possession which

•^27^-

he had to bequeath in his remarkable will.

If his instructions in that instrument shock the reader—in­ structions which called for the burial of his heart on Nantucket and the cremation of his body—all without the services of an intermediary between him and his God—I would refer him to the writings of Dr. Winslow to and about the great missionaries to the Sandwich Is­ lands.

They evidence such lofty and exquisitely beautiful thoughts on Diety, and the nature and; chief end of man, as to bring tears to the eyes of materialistically minded readers in this succeeding cen­ tury. _ "I have seen them under all circumstances of seclusion, in their lonely abodes, in their domestic gladness, and in their pri­ vate griefs and trials; and the sublimest hour , of Christian joy and triumph that it has ever fallen to my lot to witness was when one of those earlier apostles—still in the strength of a green old age, but bowing beneath the weight of incurable dis­ ease—was yielding up the ties of earth and kindred and duty to a half-converted race and winging his way to just rewards in the realm of immortal glory. They have all fulfilled their vows during the days of their separation, and they have offered no strange fire before the Lord to bewilder and lead astray the feeble race among whom they have built altars on which to offer themselves living sacrifices to the Most High.

"That swarthy race, in the Providence of God, is but tem­ porary, and must soon pass away; but if the pyramids of Egypt remain through countless ages as the mementoes of pagan rites, and of sacerdotal sway over nations that have vanished, and if the sculptured cliffs of Idumaea can still be pointed at as a me­ morial of God's condemnation of a wicked priesthood, then shall the lofty and swelling domes of the Hawaiian mountains rise from the blue waste of the Pacific as everlasting monuments to the virtue and self-conquest of the early American missionaries.

Their volcanoes shall become sacred altar-fires from which shall ascend perpetual incense to the memory of their faith and pa­ tience and temperance and self-sacrifice and general conformity to the stipulated requirements of the Law and Gospel."

Withal, Dr. Winslow had a delicious sense of humor. For the best example of his sense of the ridiculous, of his religious convictions, of his utter friendliness, I would refer you to his "clam chowder letter."

"Nantucket, April 29, 1850.

"Dear Dr. Baldwin: "To let you and Mrs. Baldwin know that we have not for­ gotten you nor even our promise to you, I will tell you the his4 28 }§*•

tory of a little matter that has ended, I am sorry to say, in gas.

We intended for you to anoint your palates with some of the nicest clam chowder that was ever concocted in this land of epi­ cures. I ordered a faithful digger in the month of February—the month par excellence when these delicious beasts are in their per­ fection of fatness and juiciness—to go to a certain creek, where the water was over his knees, and to never mind the ice nor cold, and to produce me a great quantity of these unspeakable luxuries on a certain day. I ordered a tin-man to prepare one-half a dozen large sized canisters, strongly sealed and soldered so that nothing short of a hammer and chizzle could open them. A hole was left in the top of these to be closed afterward hermatically.

"Digger and tin-man both accomplished their tasks. Then the onions and the pork were set to frying—and such a hissing and sputtering and such savoury odours you never heard nor in­ haled in all Hawaii—no—not even at a dagbake. Over these cul­ inary operations, Mrs. Winslow and your humble servant presided with all the temerity and intelligence of the most accomplished French cuisiniers and tasters.

"Everything was well and deliciously done, I assure you. It was all right—pepper and salt—thickness and richness—flavour— nothing lacking. It was pronounced good, nothing to be altered.

It could be no better. We looked at each other, with aprons on, and smiled and said, 'this is rich,' and 'how nice it is,' and 'won't it be a treat for 'em?' (Don't let your mouth water so, Doctor.)

"Well, the canisters were set in order, the tin-man was in­ vited with his portable furnace and soldering irons, the matchless chowder was poured in steaming hot, the apertures were closed, and there it all was as safe and sound as the Bank of England.

It was put one side, and day after day the canisters were watched and turned in different directions to ascertain if they leaked. They were faultless. But as no opportunity presented at that time to forward them to you they were put into a storeroom in the garret, there to await suitable conveyance. Week after week passed and they were forgotten.

"One day not long since a terribly offensive smell was ob­ served in the hall. What in nature's name could it be? It in­ creased ten-fold every minute and poured into the parlours through cracks and keyholes. Doors and windows were set wide open—but to no avail. What had happened nobody could tell.

Vengeance was pronounced on all cats and skunks and all sorts of varmints this side of Cape Cod woods.

"The higher in the house we ascended, the more horrid the atmosphere. Room after room was ransacked in vain. The garret was intolerable. The storeroom was opened at last and there, shocking to tell, lay one of those precious canisters, torn unre­ lentingly open from top to bottom. The matchless chowder had scattered itself far and wide over walls and shelves, barrels of sugar and of crackers, firkins of butter and jars of preserves.

Rarely, I'll be bound, have you seen such a catastrophe—and all I thank my stars for is that the heroes who presided at the cre­ ation of that delicious compound were not the spectators of its self-destruction! *

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"I deplore the unfortunate result of the maladies which have •4. 29

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swept away so many of the natives. I do not wonder that you are filled with anguish after so many years of unwearied toil.

However, God has his plans arranged for all the races which he has created. When they have accomplished their purpose they must give way to the more perfectly developed ones—and one will succeed another, as the waves on the ocean succeed each other, till the ultimate intention of the Creator has been consummated.

What this is we know not.

"But from the more feeble organization of all the darker races, it is evident that they are only temporary creations and steps to the great physical and spiritual developments which are destined for future ages. The vast and wonderful progress in sciences and arts, the innumerable and extraordinary discov­ eries, all made by the white race, only accumulate the balance of power in their favor, which from the apparent and natural course of events must sweep them forward to an overwhelming superi­ ority. Whatever the great natural results may be, however, you will have the satisfaction to know—and so will posterity—that in your day and generation you devoted yourself to the spiritual elevation of a benighted people, and used up your strength for their benefit, and that your bones will be a monument of your self-denial amid the relics of your labours.

Yours truly, Charles F. Winslow."

[Note: This letter was written to Dr. Dwight Baldwin, famous missionary to the Sandwich Islands, by Dr. Winslow, who had been the Baldwins family physician. The two families had formed a warm friendship while the Winslows lived in Lahaina, Island of Maui, in the 1840's. It is interesting to note that the descend­ ants of Dr. Baldwin (D. D.) have since become wealthy and im­ portant earners of pineapple out in the Islands!] **

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How can we account for a man like Charles Frederick Winslow?

Ancestry? Environment? Perhaps. A physician, friend of mine, her­ self a minister's daughter and possessing also a variety of interests, wonders if the great minds of one generation or age do not possibly return in the bodies of others. It is a theme which would enthral Dr. Winslow, I fancy. When he and Judge James B. McKean keep their tryst in Salt Lake City in 1973, on the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, I wonder if advances in the realm of the spiritual will not be one of their subjects of conversation!

Meanwhile, should we not do as his friends did, accept him without question, and be thankful that strangers have re-discovered another great personality to add to the long list of notables born on the Faraway Island? Nantucketers, individualists that they have always been, and, loving their isle fiercely, will have little difficulty in accepting one of their own, a man intensely individualistic and one who sent back his heart to the land of his birth. Off-islanders, when confronted with his amazing career, may wonder anew at the remarkable folk which Nantucket has produced. All can say, "There was a man."

30 jt<-

A VIEW OF NANTUCKET EARLY IN THE LAST CENTURY.

The above picture is an engraving made by Benjamin Tanner for an article written by Joseph Sansom, which appeared in "The Port­ folio," a Philadelphia publication, in January, 1811. The engraving must have been done by Tanner some time late in the preceding year when Sansom was writing his article. The fact that the picture was called "The Town of Sherburne on the Island of Nantucket" raises a question, as the name of the town was changed from "Sherburne" or "Sherborn" to Nantucket in 1795, some fifteen years before the

engraving's date and at least ten years before the article appeared.

Last summer, Robert Waggaman, of Washington and Nantucket —a summer resident—and Prank Sylvia, a local dealer in antiques, secured a painting by Thomas Birch, a well-known artist of his time, which has a view similar to that of Tanner's ennraving. The question of which picture was completed first is a matter for conjecture. The two views are too much alike to suggest a coincidence. The Birch painting is much the superior in perspective—the line of the beach, the adjustment of Great Point, and the treatment of the houses give one a feeling of authenticity.

The important factor is the time or date when the painting or the engraver's sketch was first completed. The fact of the title being "Sherburne" is not conclusive, for the habit of continuing that name for several years after the 1795 change is not unusual. But there are other factors. The four windmills were all standing during the period from 1795 to 1816, the dates of their erection ranging from 1723 to 1770, while the "Round Top Mill," near the Old North Burial Ground, was built in 1802. This latter mill is not shown.

In J. Freeman's "Notes on Nantucket," written in 1807, the five windmills are mentioned, and there is also a foot-note which tells of the Second Congregational Meeting House (the Unitarian Church of today) as having been erected "since the above was written." This structure was completed in 1809 and dedicated in November.

Was the engraving a copy of the Birch painting, and was the painting done in 1799 or 1800, before the fifth windmill was built?

What about the two towers in the view? The First Congregational Church (North) was the building now known as Old North Vestry, which occupied the site of the present church, and it had a look-out tower—80 feet high—on one end, "which commands a fine prospect of the town, the island and surrounding sea." This must be the north tower in the picture. In November, 1800, the Selectmen ordered the bell which hung in the tower to be rung at sunrise, noon and 9:00 at night—curfew. The tower is further mentioned in the town records in 1806. The present dome tower of the Unitarian Church was not completed until 1830, while the North Vestry tower was erected in 1795. Four years later, the Methodists built a meeting house on the corner of Fair and Lyons street, dedicating it on New Year Day, 1800. It may be the other big structure shown in the picture. Thus, it would appear that Birch could have painted the picture in 1800, while the name of "Sherburne" still clung to the town and the two towers of the meeting houses vied with the windmills on the horizon.

The Great Point lighthouse was erected in 1784, and in the same year the State built a new tower to replace the town's structure on Brant Point. Both lighthouses were standing in 1800. Ropewalks on Brant Point and the south harbor beach had been there for some years at the turn of that century. Brant Point was re-built in 1791.

One of the windmills in Tanner's engraving is obviously of a Dutch type. This may be a definite proof he never came to the island but was copying the Birch painting and did not copy it correctly.

Perhaps the two artists worked together? Further evidence is needed.

Or did the writer of the "Portfolio" decide the question?

—EDOUARD A. STACKPOLE.