To the honored Gouernour, Deputie Gouernour, and the rest of the Magistrates, together with the Deputies, assembled in the generall Court at Boston The humble peticon of Daniel Weld & Elijah Corlett. Humbly sheweth that your peticrs hath liued in this Cuntry for the space of twenty years and vpward, And hath all this tyme been exercised in publike imployment, namely in teaching scholars, as wherein they might be most seruicable to the Common welth: And thereby hath hetherto neglected the lookeinge after future supplie in prouidinge land for our wives and four1 smale Children, ourselfe haueing not soe much as one Acre of land in our owne possession for the p'sent In Consideration whereof your Pet's doe most humbly make their Addresse vnto this honoured assembly, humbly intreatinge you to grant vnto vs some Convenient ption of land, as shall seeme good vnto vs your graue wisdomes, lying wher your petic's shall fynd out, not intrenchinge in the least measure vpon any former graunt giuen to any man: And your petic's shall pray, for the flourishinge estate of this Country longe to Continue &c The Comittee considering the vsefulness of the Peticcons in an imploymt of so com̃on conc1nem* for the good of ye whole Country. & the little Incouragemt that they have had from their respective Townes for their Service & vnwearied paynes, in that imploym*, Do Judge meet that they be granted 200 acc's of land a peece to be taken vp adjoyneing to such lands as have ben already granted & layd out by ord' of this Court THOMAS DANFORTH 21. (8) 59. ANTHONY STODDARD The Deputies approue of ye returne of ye Committee in answer to this pet. desireing of Honord Magists Consent hereto Consented by ye magists WILLIAM TORREY Cleric EDW RAWSON Secret 2 So far as records show, Weld and Corlet came to this country in 1640 and 1641, respectively, but this petition of 1659 says that they have "liued in this Country for the space of twenty years and vpward," and makes it clear that they came in 1639 or earlier. By September, 1642, Corlet, according to New Englands First Fruits, 1 Perhaps "our." 2 Massachusetts Archives, lviii. 40. Cf. Massachusetts Colony Records (November 12, 1659), vol. iv. pt. i. p. 397. had "well approved himselfe for his abilities, dexterity and painfulnesse in teaching and education of the youth under him." If Corlet had the charge of the College during the time between the dismissal of Eaton on September 9, 1639, and the arrival of Dunster and his taking the presidency on August 27, 1640, he would have" well approved himselfe," as stated above. The identity of Daniel Weld, the other petitioner, is not clear. That he was of Roxbury is certain; but of the Daniel Weld who died there in 1666, Savage, in his Genealogical Dictionary, says: "Now great uncertainty arises herein, whether the yrs of his age [80 years] in the Town rec. be not too high, if he be f. of the twins 1655, and also whether the Daniel b. Oct. 1658 were s. or gr. s." There was a son Daniel, at the time the will was made in 1666, living in England. The question arises whether he, or his father, was the Roxbury teacher. The two hundred acres of land for each of the petitioners were laid out in or near Sudbury. THE ANNUAL MEETING, NOVEMBER, 1913 HE ANNUAL MEETING of the Society was held at the University Club, No. 270 Beacon Street, Boston, on Friday, 21 November, 1913, at six o'clock in the afternoon, the President, HENRY LEFAVOUR, LL.D., in the chair. The Records of the last Stated Meeting were read and approved. The PRESIDENT announced the death, during the past year, of THORNTON MARSHALL WARE, FRANCIS BLAKE, Gustavus ARTHUR HILTON, FRANCIS HENRY LEE, THOMAS MINNS, THORNTON KIRKLAND LOTHROP, Resident Members; of JOHN SHAW BILLINGS and HENRY LELAND CHAPMAN, Corresponding Members; and of JOHN PIERPONT MORGAN, Honorary Member. The name of Mr. EDGAR HUIDEKOPER WELLS was transferred from the roll of Resident Members to that of Corresponding Members, since he has removed his permanent residence from Massachusetts to New York. Mr. FRANCIS HENSHAW DEWEY of Worcester, and Mr. ALFRED CLAGHORN POTTER of Cambridge, were elected Resident Members. The Annual Report of the Council was presented and read by the Rev. CHARLES EDWARDS PARK. REPORT OF THE COUNCIL The past year has been productive of the usual results in the way of meetings held, and valuable papers presented. Of the five stated meetings, the last one, held in April, was at the residence of the Society's Treasurer, Mr. Henry H. Edes, in Cambridge. The other four meetings have been held, through the kindness of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, in their most comfortable Society House. In addition to sundry communications, papers have been presented by our associates, Mr. Andrew McFarland Davis, Mr. Henry H. Edes, Mr. George E. Littlefield, Mr. Albert Matthews, Mr. Samuel Eliot Morison, and Mr. Julius H. Tuttle; and a portrait in oil by the late William Morris Hunt, of President Wheelwright, was presented to the Society. The Society's loss by death has been, this year, peculiarly heavy. Those who have been taken from our roll of Resident Members are as follows: THORNTON MARSHALL WARE, member of an old and famous family, who was keenly sensitive to the obligations of his heritage, and who lived a life of peculiar hardship with touching bravery and cheerfulness. FRANCIS BLAKE, scientist and inventor, whose enthusiasm for life, coupled with intellectual industry and thoroughness, made him one of the most useful men of his times; and whose very amusements were valuable. GUSTAVUS ARTHUR HILTON, an original member of this Society; one who played an active part in its incorporation; in his character, loyalty to his friends, filial devotion, and gentleness of disposition were predominating qualities. FRANCIS HENRY LEE, who exemplified the highest ideal of citizenship, — soldier, philanthropist, a lover of true culture, simple in all his tastes, undefiled in all his ways, his heart was full of great sympathies and clean laughter. THOMAS MINNS, a faithful and well-beloved associate, to whose interest the Society is indebted for a large part of its financial endowment; a sagacious man of affairs; himself a descendant from some of the founders of Boston, he found a rare pleasure in our local antiquities. THORNTON KIRKLAND LOTHROP, for years one of Boston's leading lawyers, an author and man of affairs, a studious, refined, cultivated gentleman, who in quietness and without ostentation lived a life of rare richness and charm. From our roll of Corresponding Members: HENRY LELAND CHAPMAN, for over forty years, Professor of Eng lish Literature in Bowdoin College; a learned scholar, a gracious personality, a well-rounded man. He was a lover and instructor of youth, and his best memorial is to be found in the deep affection which he invariably commanded from all who came under his vitalizing influence. JOHN SHAW BILLINGS, surgeon-general, author, and Director of the New York Public Library; one of that large class of men who do great things in obscurity, and who are never so sorely missed as when they die. Vigorous and precise, his energies were directed by a rare skill, and were sustained by a heroic perseverance. And from our roll of Honorary Members. JOHN PIERPONT MORGAN, financier, and lover of art; for whom it may fairly be said that he occupied an exceedingly difficult position with sincerity and self-honesty. He dealt familiarly with tremendous responsibilities, and brought to the task a personality of tremendous power. The names of six gentlemen have been added to our roll of resident membership: ALLAN FORBES, GEORGE EMERY LITTLEFIELD, EDGAR HUIDEKOPER WELLS, CHARLES LEMUEL NICHOLS, SAMUEL CHESTER CLOUGH, CHARLES GRENFILL WASHBURN; and one to that of our Honorary Members, WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT. The year has been marked by gratifying activity in the Society's Publications. This is due, in large measure, to the notable generosity of certain members who have contributed over $6000 for immediate use in getting out the Publications. Of this sum, more than $5000 was given by two of our Resident Members. The Council wishes to express in formal terms its lively sense of gratitude to our associates who have made this work possible. As a result of this activity, Volume II, containing the Massachusetts Royal Commissions from 1681 to 1774, which has been many years in preparation, has at last been published and distributed. Volume XIV, containing the Transactions of the Society from April, 1911, to February, 1913, inclusive, has also been completed, |