The Diary of William Bentley, D.D., Pastor of the East Church, Salem, Massachusetts, Volume 4

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Essex Institute, 1914 - American diaries
 

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Page 638 - On the demise of a person of eminence, it is confidently averred that he had a hand "open as day to melting charity," and that "take him for all in all, we ne'er shall look upon his like again.
Page 4 - He was descended of a family of Carpenters who had no claims on public favor and was educated at a branch of that business. By attention he soon gained a superiority to all of his occupation and the present Court House, the North and South Meeting Houses, and indeed all the improvements of Salem for nearly thirty years past have been done under his eye. In Sculpture he had no rival in New England and I possess some specimens which I should not scruple to compare with any I ever saw. To the best of...
Page 631 - Crowninshield lot. The Court rose last week. Dr. Sewall of Essex was fined 4 Hundred Dollars for each offence in removing bodies from their graves, which he did in a most shameful manner. Several civil cases exhibited no small degree of moral depravity but we have not yet in Essex reached daring & open crimes. 30. Delivered up the Curwin picture to GA Ward for a mean painting of Gov. Burnet of 1729. The exchange was agreed on but the person was mean enough to try to make a fraud out of it.
Page 392 - Woodbridge house, said to be 140 years old, to view Holliman's painting. He died about 1744. The great southeast room is pannelled on the north side around the fireplace. The ground is variegated white & black shaded. The panels brown framed in white. Above in the chamber the ground white & red variegated shades, frame & pannel as below. One beam till lately covered by a closet exhibits all the beauty of this man's...
Page 4 - All the instruments we use he could understand and was the best person to be employed in correcting any defects, or repairing them. He had a fine person, a majestic appearance, calm countenance, great self command and amiable temper. He was welcome but never intruded. He had complained of some obstruction in the chest, but when he died it was unexpectedly. The late increase of workmen in wood has been from the demand for exportation and this has added nothing to the character and reputation of the...
Page 362 - the convenience of the spot for other buildings brought a sentence of destruction on it, and before the world it was destroyed from its foundations.
Page 539 - Aug. 11, 1818. We had in Salem a vendue of the effects of afelo de te, a carpenter, named Samuel Chever. He was an honest, industrious, melancholic man. He had in his possession his share of the books of his father, Amos Chever, minister of Manchester, son of S. Chever, minister of Marblehcad, who was son of the preeminent Master Ezekiel Chever, of the Boston Grammar School.
Page 402 - ... true stile of the Imposture which he boasts beyond detection. He is the great Emp. of Conjurors. He affirms he has given great satisfaction to thousands & has such novelties as have never been attempted on the face of the earth, & gave an opportunity which may not occur again for centuries to come. The poor Elephant was destroyed in Maine, because he took money from those who could not afford to spend it.
Page 490 - ... The Anchor making is still continued from 4 hundred to 2 tons. Between 20 & 30 men are in the employment of this establishment & the best order obtains among the workmen. . . . The bars for plates pass from the furnace through three pair of rollers before complete for cutting. A furnace with Rhode Island coal heated the plates for the cutting machines, of which four were at work upon the larger nails for sheathing, decking & ship work. The largest Anchor among the Stock which I saw was 15 hundred....
Page 560 - ... a month later (IV, 135, 492, 496). After that the oratorio was an annual affair, a solemn affair, indeed, with the clergy presiding. Bentley knew that music was a civilizing influence. "Our fathers mistook the power of Musick for the work of the Devil, when if they had taught the Indians music and made violent agitation accompanying shouts, clapping of hands as in David's time, they might have done more to gain the Indians than by all their practices

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