Horace Seaver, Boston News Editor ( 1810 - 1889)

In my last blog post about the Boston Freethinkers and The Boston Investigator newspaper, I noted how my ancestor, Romanus Emerson (1782 - 1852) was a great friend of Horace Seaver, the editor of The Boston Investigator. Both men were Freethinkers, progressives, and abolitionists.  I decided to research a little more about Horace Seaver, to perhaps shed a little more light on how my ancestor came to become a Freethinker, too.  I enlisted a little help from genealogist Randy Seaver, who is a distant cousin to Horace Seaver, the news editor (see below for the genealogies of both men). 

Horace Holly Seaver was named for the famous Unitarian preacher Horace Holly.  His parents wanted him to go to theology school and emulate his namesake, but his faith was put to the test when he joined a debating club and had to argue in support of Christianity.  He listened to a speech by Freethinker, Robert Dale Owen, and this changed his mind about the ministry.  This was very similar to my ancestor, Romanus Emerson's life change.  He wanted to be a minister like his three older brothers, but also ended up a famous atheist in Boston. 

Seaver joined the staff of The Boston Investigator as a typesetter, but assumed control of editing when the regular editor Abner Kneeland was arrested for blasphemy in 1839.  Many famous freethinkers of the day, such as Ralph Waldo Emerson (a cousin to Romanus Emerson), William Lloyd Garrison and Bronson Alcott tried to defend Kneeland's freedom of speech, but he remained in prison for 60 days. After his release he left Boston and started a utopian community out west.  Horace Seaver then became the editor of The Boston Investigator for over 50 years, until his death in 1889.  

When Horace Seaver was still a young editor he joined a meeting of the Freethinkers in New York City on 4 May 1845 where he proposed that the title infidel be used for atheists. He returned to Boston and founded The Boston Infidel Relief Society with my ancestor, Romanus Emerson. Eventually this became a very large, progressive group in Boston.  They built Paine Hall at 490 Washington Street in Boston for meetings, and the offices of The Boston Investigator moved upstairs.  This building was named after Thomas Paine, the famous freethinker. 

The obituary notice for Horace Seaver was published in The New York Times, 22 August 1889:  "Horace Seaver, editor of the Investigator, died yesterday in Boston.  He was born in Boston in 1810, and his connection with the Investigator dates from 1837, when he contributed to that paper a series of articles that attracted wide attention. In 1838 he became editor of the paper and Josiah P. Mendum proprietor, a partnership which had existed uninterruptedly for fifty-one years.  Mr. Seaver devoted a great deal of time to lecturing, his chief theme being "Free Thought".  He was a great anti-slavery man, and was a warm friend of Wendell Phillips, Parker Pillsbury, and William Lloyd Garrison."

The Boston Investigator continued publishing until 1904 when it merged with another Boston newspaper, The Truth Seeker.  Horace Seaver's book was published before his death as Occasional Thoughts of Horace Seaver from Fifty Years of Free Thinking, in 1888.  This book is available to read online through the Google book search.  You can also hear one of the eulogies given at his funeral read aloud at Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpO8EKWSrL0    This "Tribute to Horace Seaver" was originally written and read by the famous Freethinker Robert Green Ingersoll.  

Genealogy:

Below you can see the lineages of both Horace Holly Seaver and the genealogist Randy Seaver.  It is also interesting to note that my 4th great grandfather, Romanus Emerson (1782 - 1852) had a daughter named Emily, who married Melzar Stetson, a 2nd cousin to Horace Seaver.   I am also related to Horace Seaver through his grandmother, Mary May (b. 1657) who is related to me through her own grandmother, Hannah Morrill (my own first cousin 11 generations removed).  

Generation 1:  Robert Seaver born about 1608 in England, and died 5 June 1683 in Roxbury, Massachusetts. He married Elizabeth Ballard about 1634 probably in Roxbury, Massachusetts. 

Generation 2:  Joshua Sever born 30 August 1641 in Roxbury, and died 27 March 1730 in Roxbury.  He married Mary May on 28 February 1677 in Roxbury.

Generation 3: Lt. Joshua Sever born 18 February 1677 in Roxbury, and died 24 September in Dorchester, Massachusetts. On 27 February 1706 he married Mercy Cooke at Dorchester.

Generation 4:  William Sever born 2 September 1721 in Dorchester, and died 4 March 1782 in Dorchester.  On 1 February 1742 in Dorchester he married Patience Trescott, daughter of John Trescott and Sarah Topliff.  She was born 20 March 1722 in Dorchester and died 15 March 1799.

Generation 5:  William Sever, born 8 May 1743 in Dorchester, died 28 July 1815 in Taunton, Massachusetts.  he married first on 15 October 1767 to Mary Foster, and married second on 21 January 1771 to Thankful Stetson.  She was the daughter of Amos Stetson and Margaret Thayer.  

Generation 6: Nathaniel Seaver was born 7 February 1773 in Taunton, and died 17 October 1827 in Boston.  He marry Hannah Loker, daughter of Henry Loker and Hannah Barber on 29 September 1799 in Boston.  

Generation 7:  Horace Holly Seaver was born 25 August 1810 in Boston, and died 20 August 1889 in Boston at 2727 Washington Street.  He was married on 24 September in Providence, Rhode Island to Celinda Griffin, the daughter of James Griffin.  She was born about 1817 in Pelham, New Hampshire and died 9 April 1858 in Somerville, Massachusetts.  No children. 

Genealogy blogger Randy Seaver's lineage:

Generation 1:  Robert Seaver  (1608 – 1683)m. Elizabeth Ballard

Generation 2: Shubael Seaver (1640 – 1730) m. Hannah Wilson

Generation 3: Joseph Seaver (1672 – 1754) m. Mary Read

Generation 4: Robert Seaver (1702 – 1752) m. Eunice Rayment

Generation 5: Norman Seaver (1734 – 1787) m. Sarah Read

Generation 6: Benjamin Seaver (1757 – 1816) m. Martha Whitney

Generation 7: Benjamin Beaver (1791 – 1825) m. Abigail Gates

Generation 8: Isaac Seaver (1823 – 1901) m. Lucretia Townsend Smith

Generation 9: Frank Walton Seaver (1852 – 1922) m. Harriet Louise Hildreth

Generation 10: Fred Walton Seaver (1876 – 1942) m. Alma Bessie Richmond

Generation 11: Fedrick Walton Seaver (1911 – 1983) m. Betty Carringer

Generation 12: Randy Seaver

My blog post on Romanus Emerson "Was Your Ancestor A Freethinker?":

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2021/03/was-your-ancestor-freethinker.html   

Randy Seaver's genealogy blog Genea-Musings:  https://www.geneamusings.com/

    

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To Cite/Link to this post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Horace Seaver,  Boston News Editor ( 1810 - 1889)", Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 30, 2021, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2021/03/horace-seaver-boston-news-editor-1810.html: accessed [access date]). 

Was your ancestor a Freethinker?

The Boston Investigator

Truth, Perseverance, Union, Justice - The Means.  Happiness - The End.  Hear All Sides - then decide.

Devoted to the development and promotion of universal mental liberty

Did you see “Freethinker” describing one of your ancestors in a biographical sketch? Newspaper article? In a flowery Victorian era obituary?   Did you think it was just an interesting personality trait? A poetic description of your eccentric ancestor? It is time to learn more about the Freethinker Movement, and the entire history of this interesting society!

I had seen my ancestor Romanus Emerson (1782 – 1852) described as a freethinker (or sometimes capitalized as Freethinker) in a compiled genealogy.  I knew he was an atheist and an abolitionist, so I thought that perhaps the author was trying to cover up his controversial, progressive beliefs with a bit of affectation.  But it turns out that this was EXACTLY the proper identification of his beliefs. 

The Freethinkers emerged as a movement in the United States in the early nineteenth century. They took up the cause of Thomas Paine and other earlier deists and atheists at a time when it was still considered blasphemous and sometimes illegal.

In Boston, The Boston Investigator emerged as a Freethinking newspaper, which was founded in 1831 by Abner Kneeland.  Several famous New Englanders such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, William Lloyd Garrison and Bronson Alcott all defended Kneeand when he spent 60 days in jail for blasphemy.  My ancestor Romanus Emerson was a friend of Kneeland, and he often wrote for The Investigator. While Kneeland was jailed, the compositor for the newspaper, Horace Seaver, took over as editor, and Seaver eventually ran the newspaper when Kneeland left Boston to establish a utopian community in the mid-West. 

Horace Seaver ran The Investigator for over fifty-one years, and was a best friend to my 4^th great grandfather, Romanus Emerson.  It seems that Freethinking ran in families.  My ancestor Romanus Emerson began his career in theology school to prepare for the ministry, just like his famous cousin Ralph Waldo Emerson, but both set aside these plans for more progressive beliefs like Freethinking and philosophy.  Horace Holley Seaver was named for a famous Unitarian minister, and began his career as a minister, too, but turned to journalism to spread his new views through his Freethought newspaper. 

When Horace Seaver’s wife, Celinda Griffin, died in 1858, he held a “social funeral” that was published in The Investigator. It was the pre-cursor to today’s secular memorial services held in funeral homes.  Romanus Emerson had previously died in 1852, and his final wish was to have his friend Seaver read his self-written eulogy instead of having a Christian service and funeral sermon.  These wishes were not kept by Emerson’s family and friends, and so Seaver instead published the eulogy in The Investigator.  Perhaps this cemented his belief in a secular funeral for his freethinking wife.  Today, this is not considered unusual at all. 

In 1836 the Free Thinkers were founded at a national convention in Saratoga Springs, New York.  At the convention of 1845 Seaver brought up the word Infidel to be adopted as a title for all atheists. Seaver and Emerson founded The Infidel Relief Society of Boston.  Seaver even built the Paine Memorial Hall in Boston for the infidels, with offices for his newspaper upstairs, because infidel meetings were not welcome at other theaters.  The Paine Hall became popular with progressive orators of the time, especially with abolitionists like Garrison, and for meetings for woman suffrage. The Infidel Relief Society even hosted dances and social events such as picnics, and met regularly until the Civil War.  From atheist to infidel to Freethinkers, their beliefs were the same, and they continue today. 

Freethinkers definition:  Freethinkers are often defined by their rejection of religion, or at least of any organized form of religion.  The Freedom from Religion Foundation describes a freethinker as someone “who forms opinions about religion on the basis of reason, independently of tradition, authority, or established belief”.  Today, freethinking is intricately linked with secularism, atheism, agnosticism, and humanism.

The Cambridge English dictionary: “Someone who forms their own opinions and beliefs, especially about religion or politics, rather than just accepting what is officially or commonly believed or taught”.

The Oxford English dictionary: “…the free exercise of reason in matters of religious belief, unrestrained by deference to authority; the adoption of the principles of a free-thinker”. 

Trivia:  Freethinkers Day is commemorated every year on the birthday of Thomas Paine, January 19^th as a day to challenge arbitrary authority and question the status quo.

Famous Freethinkers:

Thomas Paine

Robert Frost

Frederick Douglass

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Benjamin Franklin

Robert Green Ingersoll (famous orator)

Thomas Jefferson

Emma Lazarus

Abraham Lincoln

Albert Einstein

 

For the Truly Curious:

Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism by Susan Jacoby, 2005

Black Freethinkers: A History African American Secularism, by Christopher Cameron, 2019

Annie Laurie Gaylor, “Horace Seaver”, Freedom From Religion Foundation website, (  https://ffrf.org/news/day/dayitems/item/14517-horace-seaver  accessed 13 March, 2021)

A webpage from Boston's West End Museum about Abner Kneeland:

https://thewestendmuseum.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/06_Frame-Abner-the-Blasphemer-2-9-15.pdf?   

My blog post about Romanus Emerson’s self written eulogy (that was no read at his funeral) all about his Freethinking beliefs: 

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2021/02/romanus-emersons-self-written-eulogy.html 

 

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To Cite/Link to this post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Was your ancestor a Freethinker?", Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 23, 2021, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2021/03/was-your-ancestor-freethinker.html: accessed [access date]). 

The Obituary of Jemima (Burnham) Emerson, 1868 - The Christian Wife of an Infidel

The Col. Joshua Burnham Tavern, photo 2001
where Jemima Burnham grew up, Milford, New Hampshire

My 4th great grandmother was born as Jemima Burnham.  Her name is listed as Jemima Wyman Burnham on an SAR application dated 20 August 1957 for Emerson Francis Thayer McLean, a distant cousin.  I've never seen her listed with a middle name on any other vital record or documentation.  Her mother's name was Jemima Wyman, so it could be possible.  Jemima was born 9 May 1783 in Milford, New Hampshire.  It is often difficult to learn about the lives of our women ancestors, but bits and pieces of Jemima's life have become revealed to me over 40 years of searching for clues.

Her father was Colonel Joshua Burnham.  He was a local character, a veteran of the Revolutionary War, a local hero who was present at the Battle of Bunker Hill and served in New York, Philadelphia and Canada.  The history of Milford states that he was an eyewitness when George Washington took command of the Continental Army.  He built a large farm and tavern near the banks of the Souhegan River, which is still standing on River Road.  He later sold his tavern and property to Jesse and Polly Hutchinson, who raised their thirteen children there in Milford.  These children were famous as the Hutchinson Family singers who sang songs of temperance, abolition, women's suffrage, and other progressive movements all over the USA and even in Europe.  

Although Col. Burnham sold his farm to the Hutchinson family, he remained in Milford, and remained a good friend to Jesse Hutchinson.  He must have agreed with all the progressive beliefs, and discussed them with the Hutchinson's various friends who included P. T. Barnum, William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass.  These famous singers gave their very first concert at the Baptist church in Milford.  The Hutchinson Singers toured England with Douglass in 1845, and some moved to Lynn, Massachusetts to live next door to him.  

Local history and various Hutchinson journals and books remember Col. Burnham as an old veteran who would wander the property, often stuffing his pockets with apples from the orchard.  The Burnham family and the Hutchinson family lie side by side in a small burial ground, the North Yard Cemetery,  within site of the Col. Burnham tavern on River Road.  Joshua Hutchinson wrote the epitaph for Joshua Burnham "Soldier of the revolution zealous in his country's cause, Faithful to the constitution and obedient to its laws"

These stories are what I know of Jemima's life in Milford.  Of course, she had married by 1810 to Romanus Emerson and removed to South Boston where her children were born.  Her family had been members of the Baptist Church in Milford, listed on the records.  The same Baptist church that held the first concerts for the Hutchinson family who sang about abolition before the Civil War.  Although the Baptist church is considered conservative today, they supported very progressive ideas in the early nineteenth century. 

I was not surprised that she married Romanus Emerson.  He came from a family of ministers.  They were Congregationalists going back to Puritan times.  The Emerson family included early ministers such as Rev. Joseph Emerson, born in England about 1620, who married Elizabeth Bulkely, the daughter of Rev. Edward Bulkely (1614 - 1696) the first minister of Concord, Massachusetts.  Even Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882), son of a Concord minister, also studied for the ministry at Harvard.  Romanus Emerson had three brothers who became ministers, and he himself studied for the ministry but gave up due to a speech impediment.  

It was during his time studying theology that Romanus Emerson had a change of heart.  He became an atheist.  He said that "Freethinking" without the constraints of religion and other social mores opened his mind to progressive thoughts and more independent beliefs.  He joined the Free Soil movement, the abolitionists, and the Infidel Society.  He called himself an "Infidel" for the rest of his life, and wrote his own eulogy describing his "Infidel" beliefs. 

I have no idea what Jemima thought of all this during her married life with Romanus, the atheist.  I believe that she agreed with his progressive thoughts and politics.  But to be an atheist, or an "Infidel", at this time was considered quite shocking.  As a Baptist all her life, this was probably somewhat of a problem at home. Or was it? Women were considered to be obedient and quiet in those days. But we know that was not always the case.  

Romanus died in 1852.  He was a famous Bostonian, with his obituaries carried in newspapers across the country.  His last wish was to not have a Christian funeral, but to be buried in South Boston "At the point" and for his best friend, Horace Seaver, to read his self written eulogy.  However, his family (Jemima?) did not follow his final wishes, and gave him a funeral officiated by the Rev. Capen of the Hawes Place Church (next door to their house) and he was laid to rest in the Hawes Burying Ground.  Was it out of spite that she ignored her husband's final wishes? or did Jemima truly love her husband and worry about his immortal soul? 

As a widow, Jemima Emerson was enumerated in the 1855 Massachusetts State Census and the1860 Federal Census living in the Boston home of Melzar Stetson, her son-in-law, husband to her daughter Emily.  Her death certificate lists her place of death as 88 Emerson Street, her home address on the street in South Boston named after her Infidel husband, Romanus. 

Jemima died in 1868. Unlike her famous husband, I found only one mention of Jemima's death (other than short death notices in Boston newspapers) in The Christian Watchman (a Boston Baptist journal), dated Thursday, 27 August 1868, on page 7. See the obituary transcribed below.  She was laid to rest at the Mount Hope Cemetery in the Mattapan section of Boston, and Romanus was reinterred from the Hawes Burial Ground to lie next to her.  I like to think that perhaps it was out of love that she had him moved to be next to her for eternity.

"Obituary

Mrs. Jemima Emerson

In South Boston, August 5, Mrs. Jemima Emerson, at the advanced age of 86 years, widow of the late Romanus Emerson.  When 18 years of age she was converted, and baptized in Milford, N. H.  Afterwards united with the Dudley Street Church, Roxbury, and then with the South Baptist Church, and finally became a constituent member of the Fourth Street Baptist Church.  Her early Christian experience began with deep conviction of sin, from which, after long struggles, she was delivered by the power of Christ.  This, together with the opposition she encountered in following the Lord in baptism, determined, in great measure, the marked features of her subsequent life.  She loved the doctrines of grace, and clung with ever increasing tenacity to the great pillars of eternal truth.  She loved the assembly of God's people, and even until within a few weeks of her death her voice was frequently heard in the prayer meeting, as she bore cheerful testimony to the faithfulness of God.  Her children have lost a faithful, godly mother, whose prayers for their spiritual welfare ended only with her life.  The church she honored has lost a firm friend.  The community, which for forty years has been growing around her, has lost a beacon of light.  She now enjoys the rest which for many years she has anticipated, and she "being dead yet speaketh."  "Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.  They shall still bring forth fruit in old age." " 

For the truly curious:

"Romanus Emerson's Boston Obituaries 1852", published February 9, 2021: https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2021/02/romanus-emersons-boston-obituaries-1852.html   

"Romanus Emerson's Obituaries 1852" (published across the United States), posted on this blog on October 1st, 2020:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2020/10/romanus-emersons-obituaries-1852.html    

My Surname Saturday post on the EMERSON family:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/01/surname-saturday-emerson-of-ipswich.html    

My Surname Saturday post on the BURNHAM family:     https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/05/surname-saturday-burnham-of-chebacco.html  

"Tombstone Tuesday ~ Col. Joshua Burnham, Milford, New Hampshire":     https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/10/tombstone-tuesday-col-joshua-burnham.html  

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To Cite/Link to this post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "The Obituary of Jemima (Burnham) Emerson, 1868 - The Christian Wife of an Infidel", Nutfield Genealogy, posted February 23, 2021, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2021/02/the-obituary-of-jemima-burnham-emerson.html: accessed [access date]).  

Romanus Emerson's Self Written Eulogy 1852

As I wrote in my blog post last week, my 4th great grandfather, Romanus Emerson (1782 - 1852) wrote his own funeral eulogy, with instructions that he NOT be given a Christian funeral or burial. This was ignored by his family, who had Rev. Capen of the Hawes Place Church give a sermon and he was laid to rest in the Hawes Burying Ground in South Boston. Later he was reinterred at the Mount Hope Cemetery in Mattapan where he lays beside his wife, Jemima (Burnham) Emerson (1783 - 1868).  The newspapers across Boston, and Massachusetts, and even across the country, all carried his obituary and the scandalous nature of his funeral where his final wishes were not carried out by friends and family. 

His final wish was to have a simple burial, and for the editor, Horace Seaver, of the Boston Investigator (a progressive newspaper) to read this self written eulogy or statement.  Romanus was an avowed atheist, or as they were known at the time, an "infidel". This was considered quite improper in Boston.  Horace Seaver was his friend, and Romanus Emerson had written several articles for the Boston Investigator.  Horace Seaver carried this funeral address in the 20 October 1852 issue of the newspaper. 

"FUNERAL ADDRESS OF ROMANUS EMERSON

          WRITTEN BY HIMSELF

                                     Boston, June 17, 1849

To all my nearest relatives who may be my survivors, and to ALL who are relatives or friends who may be my survivors: -

      Being in good health and sound mind, calm and composed, I do hereby, in pursuance of a long and well settled intention, request, order, and direct, that, at the time of my decease, funeral, or burial, or at any time thereafter, there shall be no funeral sermon or other religious discourse delivered at any place on the account of my decease, either by the consent or request of any of the forenamed relatives or friends.  Also, that no priest or minister of the Gospel or pious religionist of any kind be allowed to speak, address, or exhort at the time or during any part of the funeral ceremonies.  And further - that honest, liberal, free-thinking men be selected to take charge of the order of the proceedings, in pursuance of the advice and request of my nearest relatives, my survivors.  All which I soberly and seriously enjoin.

      Whereas it is a fact, that daily experience and observation corroborate, that all who are born must die, I have thought it most fit and proper that I should write my own funeral address, inasmuch as I am decidedly opposed to the services of a clergyman of any denomination at my own funeral; and also, that I may leave to my survivors my own own sentiments in regard to the order of Nature and what is commonly called Theology.

      I consider that death and decomposition leave us just where we were before we were born; that there is no identity to any of mankind after death and decomposition; that mankind were formed from the elements, or composed of the elements, and as certainly return to the elements; that there is no part or parcel of the creature man that survives his decomposition.

     This, I consider to be the inflexible, unalterable, and universal order of Nature.  To this, mankind must all arrive, without single exception, whether their imaginations are wrought up to a high pitch, in anticipation of future bliss beyond the grave, or whether their reason and philosophy confine their speculations to this world and the system to which it belongs.  "In this warfare there is no discharge."

     I consider Theology, so called, a system of deception and fraud, whereby one class of citizens obtain a rich living by exciting the hopes and fears of their fellow beings in regard to a place of happiness and a place of misery somewhere away from this globe or world which we inhabit; and also, in regard to beings or existences not material, nondescripts, residing nowhere and yet everywhere present.

     Also, said Theology maintains that one of these wonderful beings has written a book called the Bible, and that mankind are bound to believe what that Bible says, upon the penalty of eternal damnation.

     Out of this Theology, whether Christian, Mahomedan, or Hindoo, have arisen all those belligerent and contending sects, who have in turn destroyed each other and even desolated the fair face of Nature.

     The morality of said book, the Bible, I believe will not compare, as a whole, with the writings of the ancient philosophers.  Let everyone impartially examine both, and render his own verdict.

     My relatives and friends are hereby exhorted to reject every system of Theology which may be offered for their acceptance, as tending only to distract the mind and lead it away from the cause of humanity. To do as you would wish to be done unto, and to love your neighbor as yourself, is better than all the religious systems of the world put together.  As one who speaks to you from the grave, I exhort you to live peaceably with all mankind; view the whole human family as a universal brotherhood; maintain inflexibly, on every occasion, the truth; and set it down as an invariable consequent, that deception and fraud work their own ruin and give no peace and comfort to the mind.

     The individual interest of each is advanced in proportion as each advances the good of the whole.  Seek, therefore, to establish and perpetuate a rational, practical, and useful education for the masses, so that no child shall be without a competent education for the transaction of any business in the ordinary concerns of life.  And as children are not responsible for their birth, or the time or place of their birth, or the circumstances which may surround them, the generation who conduct the affairs of the world for the time being are responsible and should give to every child, however poor it may be, a good, rational, and practical education.  Furthermore, as many children are left with relatives to protect them, the State should establish institutions which should feed, clothe, and educate them so that they may be equal to their fellows of the same generation.

    Nothing will elevate the masses, and raise them to their proper position in the world, but an equal education for one and for all.  Nothing, to my mind, is of so vast importance as this, for the well-being of society and the good of the world.  Nothing but this will preserve the free institutions of these United States from decay and corruption.  This being done, free institutions will grow and flourish and improve with their age, and root out the evils which through ignorance they my labor under.

N.B. - This, my funeral address, is to read at my funeral by a liberal-minded, well-disposed freethinker, and either he or some other liberalist may address the audience as occasion may serve; and this my funeral address, I wish to have published, after my decease, in as many of the newspapers of the day as choose to do it.

    And furthermore, I order that my grave-clothes shall be of the most common and cheap kind, and my coffin of pine and the most ordinary sort.

    In testimony whereof, I subscribe my name in my own hand-writing,

                   ROMANUS EMERSON"

For the truly curious:

"Romanus Emerson's Boston Obituaries 1852", published February 9, 2021: https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2021/02/romanus-emersons-boston-obituaries-1852.html   

"Romanus Emerson's Obituaries 1852" (published across the United States), posted on this blog on October 1st, 2020:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2020/10/romanus-emersons-obituaries-1852.html    

My Surname Saturday post on the EMERSON family:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/01/surname-saturday-emerson-of-ipswich.html    

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To Cite/Link to this post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Romanus Emerson's Self Written Eulogy 1852", Nutfield Genealogy, posted February 18, 2021,  ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2021/02/romanus-emersons-self-written-eulogy.html: accessed [access date]). 

Romanus Emerson's Boston Obituaries, 1852

 

The Boston Investigator (1831 - 1904)
The first American newspaper for freethought

A few months ago I posted a story about my 4th great grandfather Romanus Emerson's 1852 obituaries that were carried in newspapers across the country.  I was surprised that an ordinary citizen of Boston would have his obituaries copied and reprinted in so many cities.  However, Romanus Emerson was an avowed "infidel" or "atheist", which was highly unusual at that time, which was probably very newsworthy.  His request to NOT have a clergyman preside over his funeral was ignored by his friends and family, which was probably more of a news story than his unusual thoughts about religion.

You can click on the link above or below to read the short obituaries in cities outside of New England, but I've included a few obituaries from Boston here today.  

 South Boston Gazette: (date unknown)

"The death of Father EMERSON, an old resident of the Ward, demands more than a passing notice.  We have gathered the following events in his life, from a reliable source.  Romanus Emerson was born in Hancock, New Hampshire, September 1st, 1782.  Besides one sister, he had three brothers, Orthodox ministers, that survive him,  - Rev. Dr. Brown Emerson of Salem, Rev. Reuben Emerson of Reading, both older than he, and Rev. Noah Emerson, of Holliston, younger.  He was educated for the ministry and entered college with his brothers, but owing to an impediment in his speech, he gave it up and learned the Carpenter's trade.  He came to South Boston in 1809, was married in 1810, and has therefore reside here 43 years, engaged as a West India Goods Dealer and at his trade.  When he came here the spot on which he settled (near the Hawes Place Meeting House) was the village consisting of only six houses, and the only place settled.  He paid 3 cents a foot for land, while near the Bridge he could buy it for 1/4 of a cent.  We mention this to show the increase in real estate.

    He has left a wife and six children.  He has been Fence Viewer since 1822, was a member of the Common Council in 1843, and was an original pew owner and member of the Hawes Place Society, and continued so to his death.  As a man, he was strictly honest, always to be relied on in business transactions, an excellent neighbor, a good citizen, a firm unyielding friend of temperance, and had been for 18 years.  He formerly sold liquor, had a license, but seeing its evil he gave it up in 1834.  In politics - a Jeffersonian Democrat, repeatedly a candidate for that party.  In 1848 he became a Free Soiler, as firm and unyielding as he had previously been Democratic.  In religion, - he was in former years a strict Baptist, an active, praying, faithful member of the Baptist church.  In 1834 he read Thomas Paine's Age of reason; this, with other causes, changed his views, and he asked and received his honorable discharge from the Baptist church; then went to the extreme point the other way.  His views, to which he has adhered 18 years, and in the full faith of which he died, were- that there was no God, except a God of Nature; that death is an eternal sleep, that when he died that was the end of him - annihilation.  

    He gave full directions as to his funeral; that he should be put in a pine coffin and buried in the burying ground at the Point, which was done; and also left an address to be read at his funeral by Horace Seaver, Esq. Editor of the Investigator.  After consultation of his friends with Mr. Seaver,  it was deemed best that he should be buried from the Hawes Place Meeting House and Rev. Lemuel Capen deliver an Address and make a Prayer, which was done on Wednesday afternoon, at 2 o'clock.  The funeral was attended by a large number of relatives and friends.  The Address of Mr. Capen dwelt on the life and character of the deceased.

    Mr. Emerson left a Will.  He gave to the Infidel Relief Society five hundred dollars, but as they are no known to the law, it is doubtful whether they can receive it.  The rest of his property goes to his wife and children.

    The complaint causing his death was general debility of the system - consumption of the blood, caused by advancing old age.  He had been failing about one year and six months; and he retained all his mental faculties to the last, and though at times in great distress, died calmly, without a struggle."

And from The Boston Herald, Thursday, October 14, 1852, page 2:

"ROMANUS EMERSON, Esq. one of the oldest citizens of South Boston, and for many years, one of the leading infidels of this city, died on Saturday last, aged 70 years.  In early life he was a firm Baptist, and has three brothers who are clergymen.  The Traveller learns, that it was his dying request that no clergyman should officiate at his funeral, but that an address should be read, which was written by himself, explaining his religious principals.  His request was not complied with.  Mr. Emerson has been esteemed as an upright and valuable citizen by all who knew him." 

And from The Boston Investigator, Wednesday October 13, 1852, page 3

"Obituary   Died - South Boston, on Sunday evening last, of illness, Romanus Emerson, Esq. aged 70 years.  His funeral will take place this (Wednesday) afternoon at 2 o'clock.

   Mr. Emerson possessed in a very remarkable degree all those qualities which render a man estimable in society.  He was truly a philanthropist; and by his unaffected manners, excellent judgement, and fatherly counsel, solicited the affection and respect of all who enjoyed the pleasure of his acquaintance.  A high sense of honor extended itself in the minutest transactions of his life, and his integrity and truth were beyond the shadow of suspicion. He was a strict lover of justice, bordering on enthusiasm, and by his associates in the cause of Free Enquiry he was held as a honor and ornament.  We thin we may say with the utmost confidence, that if ever a person lived of whom it might be said he was a pure-minded and honest man, it was ROMANUS EMERSON.  His many virtues endeared him in the hearts of a large circle of friends, who, while they regret his decease, will cherish and venerate his memory.

    Mr. EMERSON, on the subject of religion, was a materialist and a member of the Boston Infidel Relief Society. Possessing an uncommon mind, improved by much reading and reflection, he was led in former years to examine and eventually reject the religious opinions of the church.  He was decidedly opposed to the religious dogmas of the day, and being a man of great decision and firmness, he maintained and preserved his opinions to the last against all opposition.  And although without the Christian's faith and hope to support him in the final hour, he met the change with perfect composure and resignation, affording another proof that an honest and useful life is a sure guarantee of meeting with dignity and submission the approach of death.  Having practiced when in health those virtues which adorn human nature and impart purity and serenity to the mind, his long and painful sickness was borne without repining, and his last hour was calm and tranquil.

    Not long since, and before his strength and faculties began to fail him, Mr. EMERSON wrote with his own hand an address to be read at his burial, this address we shall publish in our next paper."  

I found the eulogy written by Romanus Emerson himself in the October 20, 1852 issue of The Boston Investigator newspaper.  I'll post the entire piece in the next installment of my blog posts on Romanus Emerson! 

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For the truly curious:

My blog post from October 2020 "Romanus Emerson Obituaries, 1852" contains many links to other stories written about my "infidel" ancestor! 

 https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2020/10/romanus-emersons-obituaries-1852.html    

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To Cite/Link to this post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Romanus Emerson's Boston Obituaries, 1852", Nutfield Genealogy, posted February 9, 2021, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2021/02/romanus-emersons-boston-obituaries-1852.html: accessed [access date]). 

Hancock, New Hampshire Town Hall - Weathervane Wednesday

 Today's weathervane was photographed in Hancock, New Hampshire.

The Hancock town hall is on the common, across from the Congregational Church and the Pine Ridge Cemetery.  The first "meetinghouse" was the church across the street, with it's bell made by Paul Revere, built in 1790, and the bell tower added later.  In 1871 the church and town government separated, and the town hall was built across the street. According to The History of Hancock, New Hampshire page 288, "W. S. Carkin, who [it is conjectured] contributed the elegant weather-vane, so useful as ornamental, which now rests on the cupola of this structure".  The new building served as a school, as well as for meetings and town offices. 

The town separated from Peterborough in 1779 and was named after John Hancock. He owned land in what is now the center of town. The first settler in Hancock was John Grimes, a Scots Irish man from Londonderry. He settled in Hancock in 1764 for a brief time, but returned to Londonderry.  

In the 2010 census there were 204 people residing in the main village (the junction of NH state routes 123 and 137) and a total of 1,654 in the town of Hancock.  My 5th great grandparents, John Emerson and Catharine Eaton, removed from Massachusetts to Hancock after the Revolutionary War.  In 1790 the population of the town was 634 people, then it jumped up to 1,184 around the time of their deaths (1809).  The population of the town dropped during the Civil War and reached a low of 531 in 1920.  The estimate for 2017 (according to Wikipedia) has dropped again down to 1,640.  None of John and Catherine Emerson's eleven children lived in Hancock (or even New Hampshire) after marriage - they all removed to distant places such as Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, and Ohio.  Farming the stony soil in the hills of the Monadnock region of New Hampshire was not profitable. 

As you can read above, the weathervane above the cupola on the Hancock town hall dates from about 1871.  It is a scrollwork weathervane, probably mass produced in a local New England factory, which was a common product in this time period.  Scroll weathervanes were popular, replacing the banner weathervanes of the eighteenth century. This arrow style scroll features a heart shaped tail. 

For the Truly Curious:

The History of Hancock, New Hampshire: 1764 - 1889, by William Willis Hayward, 1889

The Town of Hancock, New Hampshire website:  https://www.hancocknh.org/  

Hancock, New Hampshire Congregational Church - Weathervane Wednesday:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2021/01/hancock-new-hampshire-congregational.html   

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To Cite/Link to this post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Hancock, New Hampshire Town Hall - Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted February 3, 2021, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2021/01/hancock-new-hampshire-town-hall.html: accessed [access date]). 

Hancock - Greenfield Covered Bridge , New Hampshire - Photo Friday

 This covered bridge was photographed over the Contoocook River between Greenfield and Hancock, New Hampshire.  

While we were out in the little red convertible this fall, toodling around the Monadnock Region to see the foliage colors and to visit a burial ground in Hancock, we came across this little covered bridge.  I remembered it from my childhood when we used to go camping almost every summer at the Greenfield State park.  

Every covered bridge in New Hampshire is numbered. There are officially 54 wooden covered bridges in New Hampshire, and this bridge is #8 on the state list, called the County Bridge or the Hancock-Greenfield Bridge.  It dates from 1937, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.  The original covered bridge was built in 1852, but was damaged in the 1936 floods which took out many of the bridges across New England.  Car traffic is allowed on this bridge. 

My Emerson ancestors lived in Hancock, but they never saw either covered bridge over the Contoocook River. The last Emersons in my lineage both died in Hancock in 1809, and their children all moved away. 

The Contoocook River is not very long (only 71 miles), but it has four covered bridges: The Contoocook Railroad Bridge (1849 - 1850), Rowell's Bridge in West Hopkinton (1853), this bridge above, and the New England College Bridge (1972) on the campus of New England College in Henniker for pedestrians only.  

The oldest covered bridge in New Hampshire is the Bath-Haverhill Bridge built in 1827.  It carries only foot traffic.  There were two bridges built in 1832, another one in Bath, and one in West Swanzey called the Thompson Bridge (both carry foot and car traffic).  

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To Cite/Link to this post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Hancock - Greenfield Covered Bridge , New Hampshire - Photo Friday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 29, 2021, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2021/01/hancock-greenfield-covered-bridge-new.html: accessed [access date]). 

Hancock, New Hampshire Congregational Church - Weathervane Wednesday

 Today's weathervane was photographed on the steeple above the Hancock, New Hampshire Congregational Church. 

The Hancock Congregational Church was gathered in 1788, and the current building was erected in 1820 as the Hancock Meetinghouse.  It was rebuilt and moved in 1851 to create two floors, the first floor served as the town hall and the second floor was the sanctuary for church services. The church has remained exactly like this up until a recent 2014 restoration project described below.

The weathervane here dates from 1820. It was restored and regilded during the recent restoration. It is a simple two dimensional banner, with a lyre shaped tail, similar to many seen around New England at this time period.  According to town reports, it was regilded after the 1938 hurricane, which it thankfully survived! 

In 2019 the Hancock Congregational Church received a Preservation Achievement Award from the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance. The recent 2014 restoration project improved the original timber framing, mechanical systems, installed a lift, added restrooms, restored this weathervane and steeple, restored the original windows, and more.  A quote from the Preservation Alliance says "This award salutes Hancock's high quality foundation-to-weathervane-work fueled by strong community support and a great team." [https://nhpreservation.org/blog/9yxfxdfac5mxmvyhn99jn3efaneqnu accessed 11 January 2021] 

In the above photo you can see the Hancock Church, the brick vestry building, and the town common.  The little red convertible is parked next to the Pine Ridge Cemetery, where I was looking for the graves of my 5th great grandparents John and Catharine (Eaton) Emerson. They removed to Hancock, New Hampshire from Reading, Massachusetts around 1788 or 1790 where they raised their children.  They had eleven children, one died before they moved to New Hampshire, and nine grew to adulthood. Three of their nine sons became ministers!  They signed the church covenant in 1805. I'm sure they were very loyal members of this Congregational Church.  John and Catharine's tombstone in Hancock can be seen at this link: https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2020/11/john-and-catherine-eaton-emerson.html  

My 4th great grandfather, Romanus Emerson (1782 - 1852) grew up in Hancock, and planned on becoming a minister, too, but he had a speech impediment.  He went to South Boston, where he became an infamous atheist.  Imagine that! You can read about the "infidel" Romanus at this link:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2020/10/romanus-emersons-obituaries-1852.html   

For the truly curious:

The History of Hancock, New Hampshire, 1764 - 1889, by William Willis Hayward, 1889. (available to read online at Archive.org  https://archive.org/stream/historyofhancock00haywrich/historyofhancock00haywrich_djvu.txt  ). 

Hancock Congregational Church website:  https://hancocknhchurch.com/   

Hancock Congregational Church Facebook group:   https://www.facebook.com/hancockcongregationalchurch/  

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To Cite/Link to this post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Hancock, New Hampshire Congregational Church - Weathervane Wednesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 20, 2021, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2021/01/hancock-new-hampshire-congregational.html: accessed [access date]). 

The Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts

Last week we took a walk by the Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts.  I have never seen the inside of this historic house museum, even though I am related to the Emerson family of Concord.  It was built in 1770 by the Reverend William Emerson, just in time to experience one of the first battles of the American Revolution.  It is located by Concord’s Old North Bridge where the battle of April 19, 1775 was fought between the American patriots and the British.

First, a little family history! The Rev. William Emerson is my 2^nd cousin, seven generations removed. We share Joseph Emerson (about 1621 – 1680) and his wife Elizabeth Bulkely (1638 – 1693) as our common ancestor.  My line of Emerson ancestors lived nearby Concord in Reading, Massachusetts until the 1800s when my ancestor Romanus Emerson (1782 – 1852) removed to South Boston.  He was from a family of eleven children, and eight brothers.  Of those eight brothers, four lived to adulthood and became ministers. Romanus studied for the ministry, too, but due to a “speech impediment” (according to a compiled genealogy of the family) he went to Boston and became a famous atheist!

The great writer and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882) lived in Concord and was the grandson of Rev. Phebe Bliss. Ralph Waldo Emerson was from a line of five out of six generations of minister Emerson ancestors in a row, and he studied to be a minister, too. His brief ministry included being ordained at Boston's Second Church and being the chaplain of the Massachusetts legislature, but it all ended when he began to doubt his faith. He went to Europe and returned to Concord to become a popular lecturer, and later a philosopher and writer.  It was perhaps the influence of this famous writer and his transcendentalist friends, including Nathaniel Hawthorne, that made this house so important and historic. 

From this sign by the Old Manse:

"The Reverend William Emerson (1743 - 1776), grandfather of writer Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882), built this house in 1769-70.  On April 19, 1775, family members watched from the house as British soldiers and local militia fought the battle that started the American Revolution.

The Old Manse then played an important role in America's literary and cultural revolutions.  Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) wrote Nature here in 1834-35, an essay that sparked the Transcendental movement.  Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804 - 64) lived here from 1842 - 45).  His collection of short stories, Mosses from an Old Manse, gave the house its nickname, a Scottish term for 'minister's house." 

Rev. William Emerson became a chaplain to the Continental Army, then died in October 1776 on his way home from Fort Ticonderoga. His widow remarried to his successor, the Rev. Ezra Ripley, and continued living at the Old Manse.  Ralph Waldo Emerson lived here with his step-grandfather in 1834 while writing Nature. 

Nathaniel Hawthorne and his new bride, Sophia Peabody, moved here in 1842, and Henry David Thoreau dug them a garden.  One famous legacy that Hawthorne and his wife left at the Old Manse was a a short passage they etched in the window of his study with her wedding ring diamond. He also wrote many of his tales here, some which were included in Mosses from an Old Manse (1846), and others published later. New Hampshire's only US president, Franklin Pierce, was a guest of the Hawthorne's while they lived at the Old Manse.  Hawthorne removed to Salem in 1845, and returned to Concord in 1852 to live at the historic house called The Wayside.  

The house was owned by the Ripley family until 1939 when it was donated to the Trustees of Reservations.  It was a National Historic Landmark in 1966.  The house is open for guided tours by the Trustees of Reservations in the summer, see the website (below) for more information. It is located adjacent to the Old North Bridge, the Minuteman Statue, and the battlefield.  There is a restroom across the path to the Old North Bridge, and if you follow across the bridge and up the hill, you will reach the US National Historic Site interpretive center with more restrooms, giftshop, and small museum. It is also within walking distance of the Concord Common and the Sleep Hollow Cemetery with Author's Ridge where Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, William Ellery Channing, Louisa May Alcott and others are buried. 

For the truly curious:

The Old Manse, 269 Monument Street, Concord, Massachusetts

The Old Manse website:   https://thetrustees.org/place/the-old-manse/   

The US National Park Service website:  https://www.nps.gov/places/the-old-manse.htm   

My EMERSON Surname Saturday sketch, with eight generations of Emersons from Thomas Emerson the immigrant to Ipswich, Massachusetts down to my great great grandmother, Mary Katharine Emerson (1847 - 1932):  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/01/surname-saturday-emerson-of-ipswich.html    

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To Cite/Link to this post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "The Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 12, 2021, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-old-manse-in-concord-massachusetts.html: accessed [access date]).

John and Catherine (Eaton) Emerson - Tombstone Tuesday

 These tombstones were photographed at the Pine Ridge Cemetery in Hancock, New Hampshire.

JOHN EMERSON,

in whose memory

this monument

is erected,

died Nov. 14, 1809

AEt. 70

CATHARINE EMERSON,

wife of

John Emerson

died

Jan. 24, 1809

AEt. 64

The memory of the just is blessed.

John and Catharine Emerson are my 5th great grandparents.  John Emerson is the son of Brown Emerson (1704 - 1774)  and Sarah Townsend (b. 1705) of Reading, Massachusetts.  He was from a long line of ministers and deacons, and his great grandfather was the Reverend Joseph Emerson of Concord, Massachusetts, who married Elizabeth Bulkely, the daughter of the famous Reverend Edward Bulkely, the first minister of Concord.  John was baptized on 5 April 1739 in South Reading and he served in the Revolutionary War as an ensign in Captain Thomas Eaton's company at the Lexington Alarm in 1775.  John moved his family from Reading to Ashby and Townsend, Massachusetts, and then to New Ipswich, New Hampshire and Reading Vermont.  He settled in Hancock in 1793 on property number 22 between Mount Skatutahkee and Little Skatutahkee.  

John married his wife, Catharine Eaton, on 20 December 1764 in Reading, Massachusetts. She was the daughter of Noah Eaton (1704 - 1770) and Phebe Lilley (1706 - 1786) of Reading. She had an extensive obituary which outlined her life published in The Panoplist and Missionary Magazine United, Volume 2, issue 2, (August 1809) pages 151 - 152.  I wrote a blog post about her, with a transcription of this obituary, at this link:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/12/amanuensis-monday-obituary-of-katherine.html   

John and Catharine were the parents of eleven children, with seven sons and two daughters surviving childhood.  Three of the sons became ministers.  Since this was a very religious family, I'm thinking that perhaps John wrote Catharine's obituary.  She died in December of 1808, and he died less than a year later on 14 November 1809.  I descend from their son, Romanus Emerson (1782 - 1852), who was not a minister, but instead became a self-proclaimed infidel (atheist).  He was quite famous for being a non-believer, and even belonged to a society of infidels in Boston and faced many legal issues due to his beliefs.  

To see my entire EMERSON lineage, click this link:

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/01/surname-saturday-emerson-of-ipswich.html   

I have blogged many times about Romanus Emerson, but this last blog post contains links to some of the other stories about him:  

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2020/10/romanus-emersons-obituaries-1852.html    

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Cite/Link to this post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "John and Catherine (Eaton) Emerson - Tombstone Tuesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted 17 November 2020, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2020/11/john-and-catherine-eaton-emerson.html: accessed [access date]). 

Romanus Emerson's Obituaries, 1852

Richmond Dispatch (Richmond, Virginia) 21 October 1852, page 1

Romanus Emerson, born 1 September 1782 in Townsend, Massachusetts, and died 10 October 1852 in South Boston, Massachusetts was a curious character.  His parents, John Emerson and Katherine Eaton, were quite religious.  John was a deacon, and Katherine’s lengthy obituary was written up in the August 1809 magazine, The Panoplist and Missionary Magazine United (a religious tract).  They had eleven children, including eight boys (seven lived to adulthood).  Of those seven living sons, five became ministers.  You can read her obituary HERE.

The Emerson family was from a long line of ministers that go back to Rev. Joseph Emerson, born in England about 1620 who was a minister in Mendon, Massachusetts, and several other towns.  He married Elizabeth Bulkely, the daughter of Rev. Edward Bulkely (1614 – 1696) the first minister of Concord, Massachusetts. This is the family of Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882), son of a Concord minister, who studied for the ministry at Harvard, yet later reconsidered religion and became a transcendentalist philosopher.

Romanus Emerson, my 4^th great grandfather, and cousin to “The Sage of Concord” Ralph Waldo Emerson, also studied for the ministry like his brothers.  Somewhere along the way he changed his mind about religion, too, and began to espouse atheism.  It was quite shocking for his time period, and he was well known in Boston, being a founding member of the Boston Infidel Society.  But he was also an ardent abolitionist, and a member of the Humane Society, and other progressive organizations that made him a popular, but controversial, figure in Boston society.  Emerson Street in South Boston was named for him, since he had his house and land there before it was developed into a neighborhood of Boston and all the surrounding streets are named for numbers and letters of the alphabet. 

I was surprised to learn that Romanus Emerson’s obituary was carried in newspapers across the United States in 1852.  When I used Genealogy Bank and put in his name and didn’t limit it to Massachusetts, results poured in from all over. Five years ago, the last time I had searched his name in newspapers I had limited it to just Massachusetts.  This was a big shock to learn that news of his death was carried outside of New England!

“Richmond Dispatch (Richmond, Virginia) 21 October 1852, page 1

"Romanus Emerson, Esq., an old citizen of Boston, died a few days ago. He was, it is said, a confirmed infidel, and the main support of all the infidels in that city.  His dying request was that no clergyman should officiate at his funeral, but that an address written by himself, avowing his principles, should be read.  This request was not complied with."

The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Kentucky), 22 October 1852

"Death of an Old Resident - Romanus Emerson, Esq., one of the oldest residents in South Boston, died on Saturday last, aged 70 years.  Mr. Emerson, in 1809, took up his residence in South Boston, and built a house on the old road, just before Mt. Washington, in what is now known as the Lower Village.  In this house he continued to reside until his death, a period of 43 years.  When he first lived in South Boston, there were but about six houses in the place, and he has lived to watch the rapid growth of the place until he had gathered about him a population of 15,000 souls.  In early life, Mr. Emerson was a firm Baptist.  about 18 years since, he suddenly became infidel, and continued so until his death, avowing to his end that there was no God, no Heaven, no Hell, and denying the immortality of the soul.  He has been for some time the main supporter of the infidels in this city. His dying request was that no clergyman should officiate at his funeral, but that an address written by himself, avowing his principles, should be read.  This request is not to be complied with, and he was buried yesterday afternoon from the Hawes place church.  Boston Times, October 14."

Romanus never traveled, and he was not famous, so I do not know why he was in the out of state newspapers except for the curious fact that he was an “infidel” or an avowed atheist.

Finding all this interesting information on my ancestor, Romanus Emerson, also sent me back to Find A Grave to re-search his name in the Boston Cemeteries.  I had read some of the Boston obituaries years ago, and like above, they all mentioned the Hawes Burial Ground in South Boston, not far from where his house stood.  I had searched this cemetery on foot and not found any Emersons.  But, according to Find A Grave I finally found him!  "Gravesite details - AE 71 y, 1 m, 9d (b. 1781?) orig. interred at Hawes Cemetery, re-interred Nov. 1852 at Mount Hope"  No photo, but I put in a photo request and hope to visit Mount Hope when the pandemic is over.

Thus, it paid off well to re-search for Romanus Emerson twice where I did not expect to find him!

For the truly curious, I did a series of blog posts on Romanus Emerson back in 2010:
Part 1 - "The 'Odd' Romanus Emerson"
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/03/madness-monday-odd-romanus-emerson-part.html

Part 2 - "Romanus Emerson Died an Infidel"
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/03/amanuensis-monday-romanus-emerson-died.html

Part 3 - "Romanus Emerson buried in a Christian Cemetery, whether he liked it or not!"
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/03/tombstone-tuesday-romanus-emerson.html

Part 4 - "Romanus Emerson, in his own words" (He wrote his own eulogy which was NOT read at his funeral):
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/03/romanus-emerson-in-his-own-words-part-4.html

Part 5- "Romanus Emerson, a few words from the Infidels":
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/03/romanus-emerson-in-his-own-words-part-4.html

Romanus Emerson's 1852 Last Will and Testament blog post:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/09/romanus-emersons-1852-last-will-and.html 

My Surname Saturday post about my EMERSON lineage:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/01/surname-saturday-emerson-of-ipswich.html

UPDATE 2 February 2021

I published some of the Boston Obituaries for Romanus Emerson! Lots of good biographical information for Romanus were included in these newspaper articles...

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2021/02/romanus-emersons-boston-obituaries-1852.html 

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Cite/Link to this post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Romanus Emerson's Obituaries, 1852", Nutfield Genealogy, posted October 1, 2020, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2020/10/romanus-emersons-obituaries-1852.html