PRINCETON, N. J. 
 
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THE 
 
 BLATCHFORD 
 
 MEMORIAL. 
 
 I will, for their sakes, remember the covenant of their ancestors. 
 
 Lev., xxvi, 45. 
 
 NEW YOKE 
 1871. 
 
I have thought that this record would be interesting to the lineal 
 descendants of the Reverend Samuel Blatchford, D. D., who now 
 number sixty-four persons in life, and perhaps to others. Nearly all 
 the materials embraced in it have been collected and arranged by the 
 assiduity and care of Miss Harriet W. Blatchford, of Troy, N. Y. The 
 coat of anns is a facsimile from a larger copy in my possession. I find 
 it thus described in Burke's General Armory, 3d edition, London, 1851 : 
 " Az. two bars wavy or, on a chief of the last three pheons of the first. 
 Crest — A swan's head and neck, erased sa. betw. two wings ar." 
 
 SAMUEL BLATCHFORD. 
 
 New York, February, 1871. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 The Reverend Samuel Blatchford, D.D. 
 
 Autobiography 
 
 Memoir ..... 
 Obituary .... 
 
 Funeral Sermon, by Dr. Nott 
 
 Mrs. Alicia Blatchford 
 
 The Reverend Henry Blatchford 
 
 Mary Milford Windeatt Blatchford 
 
 Alicia Windeatt Blatchford 
 
 Thomas Windeatt Blatchford, M.D 
 
 Samuel Milford Blatchford 
 
 The Reverend John Blatchford, D.D. 
 
 Edgcumbe HEATn Blatchford 
 
 Genealogy ..... 
 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 
 1-68 
 
 1-33 
 
 
 34-53 
 
 
 53-55 
 
 
 55-08 
 
 
 
 69-74 
 
 
 75-77 
 
 
 79-81 
 
 
 83 
 
 
 85-90 
 
 
 91,92 
 
 
 93,94 
 
 
 95 
 
 
 97-104 
 
THE BLATCHFOBD MEMORIAL. 
 
THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 THE REVEREND SAMUEL BLATOHPORD, D.D. 
 
 The Reverend Dr. Blatchford, in compliance with the request of his children, 
 dictated, shortly before his death, this narrative of the principal events of his life. 
 It conies down, however, only to the year 180*7. It is addressed to his children. 
 
 I was born in the year 1767, in the town of Plymouth 
 Dock, now called Devonport, in the county of Devon, 
 England. My lather, Henry Blatchford, was a descendant of 
 Major Blatchford, who was at the battle of the Boyne, having 
 come over from Holland with King William's army. My 
 mother's name was Mary. She was the daughter of Richard 
 Heath, Esq., of Totness, in Devonshire.* My father was 
 twice married. By his first wife he had a son called John, 
 who was eminent for his piety, and died a few years since, in 
 the triumph of faith. By his second wife, my mother, to 
 whom he was married in the year 1766, he had four children 
 — Samuel, Jane, Joseph, and William. William died in 
 infancy. Joseph died at the age of five years, exhibiting a 
 most remarkable instance of early piety, perhaps equal to 
 any detailed in " Janeway's Token for Children." He ex- 
 
 * A " Silver Quart" is a relic in the family. The date on the handle is 1749. 
 Above it are the letters " R H ' M ." Mrs. Alicia Blatchford, on her death bed, 
 gave this "Silver Quart" to her oldest living son, Thomas Windeatt. In 1847, 
 at the request of the family, the following inscription was engraved on it: "Mary, 
 daughter of Richard and Mary Heath, wife of Henry Blatchford, and mother of 
 the Rev. Samuel Blatchford, D.D., was born at Plymouth Dock, England, 1749. 
 At her baptism, according to an old custom, coin was cast into the baptismal 
 font by friends witnessing the ceremony, from which this ' Silver Quart ' was then 
 made." On the reverse side is the following : 
 
 "Mary Heath, born 1749. 
 
 Samuel Blatchford, " 1767. 
 
 Thomas Windeatt Blatchford, " 1794." 
 
2 THE BLATCHFOKD MEMORIAL. 
 
 pired in his father's arms, and spent his last laboring breath 
 in singing the pilgrim's song — " Guide me, Oh, Thou Great 
 Jehovah," &c. My father and mother were each of them 
 eminent for piety. The former owed his first religious im- 
 pressions to the preaching of the Reverend John Wesley, and 
 the latter to that of the venerable Rowland Hill. 
 
 Having been early devoted by my parents to the service of 
 the sanctuary, should it please God to make me a subject of 
 divine grace, my studies were directed with a special reference 
 to that object. My English education was superintended by a 
 Mr. Waters, whose name I cannot mention but with the great- 
 est respect, on account of that faithful and pious discharge of 
 his duty toward me which has been a source of benefit I can 
 never forget. My classical studies commenced at an early 
 age, first under the care of the Reverend Mr. King, and after- 
 ward under the Reverend Mr. Stokes, both of whom were 
 clergymen in the Episcopal Church, and were considered men 
 of science. 
 
 About this time the American Revolution commenced, an 
 event which excited the interest of all Europe, and brought 
 forward, even in England, many open friends to the claims of 
 America, and the rights and liberty of the Provinces. Among 
 these were my relatives, who distinguished themselves, as 
 Providence gave them opportunity, by manifesting the sin- 
 cerity of their zeal. This was particularly the case with the 
 Reverend Robert Heath, my mother's eldest brother, who, 
 together with my mother, essentially ameliorated the suffer- 
 ings of the American prisoners who were confined in Mill 
 Prison at Dartmoor. From their own resources they ad- 
 vanced considerable sums, until, at length, a benevolent associ- 
 ation was formed in London, for this purpose. On referring 
 to a letter which I received from my uncle Heath, dated Feb- 
 ruary 13th, 1797, I find that the Marquis of Rockingham, the 
 Duke of Richmond, and several other conspicuous characters, 
 were at the head of this noble institution. " It was at the 
 request of these noblemen," says Mr. Fleath, " who formed the 
 committee of this society, that I undertook to distribute such 
 subscriptions as might be raised for this purpose of benevo- 
 lence. That which I was privileged in doing afforded me sin- 
 
THE REVEREND SAMUEL BLATCHFORD, D.D. 3 
 
 cere pleasure, for, they were in a state in which they could not 
 help themselves." The assistance was sometimes conveyed by 
 Mr. Heath's direct agency, and sometimes I was employed, as 
 being less subject to suspicion. In consequence of this, I was 
 compelled to spend portions of several days in each week in 
 that prison where our American brethren were treated rather 
 as rebels against the government than as prisoners of war. 
 The kindness with which I was received by these poor fellows, 
 and the frequent conversations which I held with them rel- 
 ative to their country and their homes, awakened within me 
 feelings by no means transient, and led me, at that early age, to 
 determine that, when I became a man, I would choose my resi- 
 dence in America. I well remember their expressions of grati- 
 tude; and their sincerity was testified by the numerous little 
 presents which I constantly received from them, consisting of 
 carved boxes, box inkstands, and miniature ships, beautifully 
 rigged. 
 
 The spiritual wants of these poor fellows were not neglected. 
 Bibles and hymn books were distributed among them, and Mr. 
 Heath would frequently address them on the subject of religion. 
 Nor did the charities of these benevolent individuals stop here. 
 Retreats were provided for such as fortunately should make 
 their escape. Among these happy few, was the late Captain 
 Smedley, collector of customs at the port of Fairfield, in Con- 
 necticut. He was concealed in the house of a Mrs. Chenough, 
 whither I have often been sent with means of relief for him and 
 others. 
 
 Before an opportunity arose for forwarding those concealed 
 at Mrs. Chenough's to Holland, on their way to America, the 
 following circumstance occurred : A gentleman, captain of a 
 vessel of war, but whose name I do not recollect, had been se- 
 creted at my father's until the search after him was supposed to 
 be over. To effect his return, it was determined that he should 
 accompany my uncle and my mother to London. A post-chaise 
 received them about three o'clock in the morning, and they 
 travelled unmolested as far as Haldown Heath, an extensive 
 Common of flinty soil, between Plymouth Dock and Exeter, 
 when, hearing the trampling of horses, my uncle perceived, from 
 the glass in the back of the chaise, that a company of horsemen 
 
4 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 was pursuing them. In this extremity, the expedient was 
 adopted, of placing the fugitive on the bottom of the carriage, 
 and concealing him with their cloaks. The company, having 
 overtaken them, caused the postillion to stop. Observation was 
 made by the officer, and the company passed on, after having 
 made an apology for detaining them. They now hoped to meet 
 with no farther molestation, but soon perceived that the horse- 
 men had halted, and were waiting the coming up of the carriage. 
 The postillion was again ordered to stop, the former process was 
 repeated, and they then passed on towards the city. Whether 
 the fugitive was really being pursued or not, could not be ascer- 
 tained. My uncle thought it prudent, instead of going into the 
 city, to enter the lower suburbs, and proceed immediately to the 
 town of Collomton, about twelve miles distant, on the Bristol 
 road. At Collomton they changed carriages, and reached Lon- 
 don in safety. My mother, who was a woman of timid make, 
 although not apprehensive at the time of suffering any evil 
 effects from her fright, underwent, in consequence of it, a severe 
 attack of illness. She was removed from the carriage to her bed 
 at her brother's, Mr. Richard Heath's, and was unable to leave 
 it for the space of six weeks. 
 
 When I was between the ages of seven and nine years, I ex- 
 perienced two instances of divine interference in the preserva- 
 tion of life, when exposed to imminent danger. The first of 
 these was the following : I had been amusing myself nearly 
 the whole of an afternoon by fishing from a boat which lay be- 
 side the dock, and was so much occupied by my employment, 
 that I did not perceive the falling of the tide. It fell, I think, 
 about twelve or fourteen feet. It now became a question how 
 to return, and I determined to clamber up by the help of the 
 projecting stones by which the pier was built. In the attempt, 
 one of the stones gave way, and I fell between the boat and the 
 pier. At the adjoining pier lay a collier, of about three hundred 
 tons burden, on the yard-arm of which was a Mr. Blewits, be- 
 longing to the Customs. He swung off from the yards by means 
 of a rope, and caught me by my hair, and thus rescued me from 
 a watery grave. 
 
 The second circumstance, to which I have referred, was this : 
 I was requested to ride my uncle's horse from Stoke, his conn- 
 
THE REVEREND SAMUEL BLATCHFORD, D.D. 5 
 
 try residence, to Plymouth Dock. As I approached the draw- 
 bridge which covered the loss, (for Plymouth Dock was a forti- 
 fied town,) I slid, by some means, from the saddle, and my 
 left leg caught in the stirrup. No one was near to render me 
 assistance, excepting the sentry, who was on guard at the time ; 
 and he could not leave his post without a breach of orders, 
 which would subject him to punishment. But the invisible God 
 was present, and graciously sustained me until the horse drew 
 me, without injury, within the limits beyond which the sentry 
 could not pass. " Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, 
 even they shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord." 
 
 The first religions impressions which I recollect, (although 
 a tenderness of conscience was remarkably preserved, through 
 the influence of that pious care which was taken of my earliest 
 youth,) commenced when I was between eight and nine years 
 of age, under a sermon by the Reverend Andrew Kinsmans, 
 from the words, " The Master is come, and calleth for thee." I 
 then felt myself to be a sinner, and altogether unfit to appear in 
 the Master's presence, as he stood in the character of a judge, 
 by whose righteous judgment I thought I must be eternally 
 condemned. Although the pungency of these impressions, in 
 a measure, wore off, yet I was still followed by exercises of a 
 very serious nature, until about the age of twelve, when the 
 Lord was pleased, as I humbly hope, to further, by his own 
 spirit, the word of grace. It was under the preaching of a col- 
 league of Mr. Kinsmans, a Mr. Dunn, from Psalm 80, verse 19, 
 " Turn us again," &c. My distress was very great, and my afflic- 
 tion called forth the solicitude of my parents. My father urged 
 upon me the great truths of the gospel, as the claim which God 
 had upon the hearts of his creatures, the necessity of regeneration 
 and the certainty of salvation to all who should obtain reconcilia- 
 tion with God through the merits of the sacrifice of Christ. 
 These prayers and exhortations, were, I trust, instrumental in 
 causing me to seek, and, as I trust, to obtain, a hope which will 
 never make me ashamed. Now was I peculiarly delighted with 
 the idea of being, at some future time, honored of God by enter- 
 ing the ministry. With this view, I was sent to a boarding- 
 school, at Willington, in Somersetshire, under the care of the 
 Reverend Joseph Chadwick, a dissenting clergyman of piety, 
 
6 THE BLATCHFOKD MEMORIAL. 
 
 and fine literary endowments. Under his care I was prepared 
 to become a member of the dissenting college of theology, at 
 Homerton, near London. 
 
 Previously, however, to my removal from "Wellington, it 
 pleased God to visit my dear father with a disease which ter- 
 minated in his death. He was a rich partaker in the grace of 
 God, lived much in the fellowship with the Father and with 
 his Son Jesus Christ, and, in the sixty-third year of his age, 
 terminated his earthly pilgrimage, and entered into that rest 
 which remaineth for the people of God — an inheritance incor- 
 ruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away. He was a most 
 affectionate parent. My last interview with him I can never 
 forget. He took me with him to Mount Batton, a favorite re- 
 treat, about half a mile from Plymouth Dock. After having 
 spent a considerable time there, during which we experienced 
 mingled emotions of pleasure and pain, we set out on our re- 
 turn. Having reached a retired field, I received his last ad- 
 vice, and, while we knelt down together on the sod, he renew- 
 edly dedicated me to God, and solemnly implored the blessing 
 of a covenant God and Father to rest upon a beloved son 
 whom he expected never again to see in this vale of tears — 
 this land of separation. 
 
 Notwithstanding my parents had early designed me for 
 the gospel ministry, yet, under the influence of one or two 
 relatives, my mother was prevailed upon to think of another 
 profession for me. Nothing had been said to me of this de- 
 sign, until I was introduced to Dr. Lawrence Reeves, an emi- 
 nent surgeon in the city of London, when, to my astonishment, 
 the plan was developed. But my own mind was too intently 
 fixed upon the gospel ministry, to accede to the proj)Osal ; so 
 that, after having tarried two or three weeks in London, I re- 
 turned to Willington, where, having finished my course of 
 studies, I entered, as a student, the theological seminary at 
 Homerton, which afforded many important advantages to theo- 
 logical students. The professors were men eminently qualified 
 to fill the stations they were called to occupy in that interest- 
 ing school of the prophets. It has been the means of sending 
 forth to the furtherance of Christ's glorious kingdom, many 
 eminently useful men, who will doubtless " shine as the bright: 
 
THE REVEREND SAMUEL BLATCHFOED, D.D. 7 
 
 ness of the firmament." The professors at that time were the 
 Reverend Benjamin Davis, classical, oriental, and resident pro- 
 fessor ; the Reverend Daniel Fisher, D.D., professor of didactic 
 aucl polemic divinity ; and Dr. Thomas Gibbon, professor of 
 belles-lettres, ecclesiastical history, &c, &c. Dr. Gibbon died 
 during my second year, and was succeeded by the Reverend 
 Henry May, D.D. 
 
 Dr. Gibbon is generally known in this country as the editor 
 of President Davies' sermons, and as his particular friend. He 
 was also the intimate and confidential friend of Dr. Isaac 
 Watts. Many were the pleasant communications respecting 
 Dr. Watts which Dr. Gibbons was pleased to make to the stu- 
 dents. He was with him during his sickness and at his death, 
 and often spoke of the firmness of his hope, breathing after im- 
 mortality, and finding the precious promises of the gospel his 
 support in a dying hour. " With the highest degree of satis- 
 faction," said Dr. Gibbon, " did he speak of that blessed 
 method revealed in the Holy Scriptures, whereby we may be 
 saved, exhibiting, at once, the perfections of God and the mys- 
 teries of his grace, encouraging the helpless but convinced sin- 
 ner to look for pardon and peace through the atoning blood of 
 Jesus Christ, the great sacrifice by which God could be just 
 and yet justify the repenting and believing sinner. His 
 whole soul seemed to be filled with gratitude and joy for the 
 redemption of sinners by Jesus Christ. He esteemed as noth- 
 ing his labors, his accomplishments, and his merits, and gave 
 all the glory to Him who had called him out of darkness into 
 marvellous light and the hope of reconciliation with God. A 
 little before he expired, to the inquiry, ' How is it with your 
 soul?' he emphatically replied, 'All is comfortable there.' 
 The age in which he lived might, perhaps, be styled an age of 
 theological and philosophical speculation. Dr. Watts was not 
 deficient in speculations on the most important points of divin- 
 ity. This was his principal fault. Among other doctrines 
 essential to the Christian system is the doctrine of the Trinity. 
 To this he yielded implicit belief, as it is revealed in the Scrip- 
 tures, and believed by the orthodox church at large." Thus 
 far we have the testimony of Dr. Gibbons. The speculations 
 of Dr. Watts as to the modus of existence of the sacred three 
 
8 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 gave birth to a variety of attempts, on the part of Arians and 
 Sabellians, to enlist his name as an authority on their side of 
 the question. These, however, could never succeed during the 
 life-time of Dr. Gibbons, and of others who were personally 
 acquainted with Dr. Watts. But, after the death of Dr. Gib- 
 bons, great efforts were made by a distinguished individual, an 
 advocate for the indwelling scheme, to accomplish this object. 
 His design was to publish anonymously, lest the knowledge of 
 the author should detract from the influence of the work. In 
 this, however, he was defeated by a mistake of the printer's 
 boy, who providentially left the proof-sheets at another house 
 than the author's. I have never thought it strange that 
 Arians, Sabellians, and other Anti-Christians should anxiously 
 seek the support of the reputation of so distinguished an indi- 
 vidual ; but I have been exceedingly surprised that there should 
 exist, among a section of the Protestant church, a disposition 
 to urge the charge of heterodoxy against Dr. Watts, as a reason 
 for neglecting, in their worship, the use of his invaluable 
 psalms and hymns. 
 
 The seminary at Homerton afforded many delightful op- 
 portunities for religious exercise, which were gladly improved 
 by many of the students. It is well known that, around Lon- 
 don, there are several charitable establishments, intended for 
 the accommodation of widows whose piety and poverty recom- 
 mend them to the benevolence of the churches. These estab- 
 lishments accommodate variously from four to eight widows, 
 each occupying a separate apartment, where they are furnished 
 with the various comforts of life. Here they are able to hold 
 sweet converse together, and trace the dealings of Divine 
 Providence, with adoring conceptions of the covenant faith- 
 fulness of the widow's God. At several of these places were 
 established weekly lectures, conducted by the theological stu- 
 dents. It was delightful, in these little congregations, formed 
 of the widowed mothers in Israel, to mingle in prayer and 
 praise, and meditate on the great truths of the gospel. With 
 them I was often permitted to meet ; and often have I felt en- 
 couraged and animated by these precious saints, who seemed 
 already to have learned the language of the heavenly Canaan, 
 and longed for the universal extension of the kingdom of our 
 
THE REVEREND SAMUEL BLATCHEORD, D.D. 9 
 
 Lord Jesus Christ. Often have I thought, could they have 
 looked forward to the day in which we live and marked the 
 signs of the times which afford prospects of such a pleasing- 
 character, could they have seen the general diffusion of the 
 word of God amongst the nations of the earth, and attended 
 the living preacher with the Bible in his hand, publishing 
 the mysteries of the Cross and proffering the salvation 
 of the gospel to Jews and infidels, to idolaters and savage 
 men, could they have known the success with which these 
 efforts have been crowned, how would their hearts have been 
 filled with holy joy, and the song of praise have broken from 
 their lips, to the honor of the Lamb that was slain. But they 
 have doubtless, long ere this, been made acquainted with these 
 triumphs of divine grace. 
 
 During my last year at Homerton, I had an invitation to 
 preach, during the vacation, in the town of Plymouth, in the 
 congregation of the Reverend C. Mends and his son Herbert 
 Mends, who were co-pastors in the same church, and also in a 
 congregation connected with it, at Stonehouse, about a mile 
 from Plymouth Dock. I labored about six weeks, during the 
 absence of Mr. Herbert Mends, not I trust without success. 
 
 About this time, I was introduced to the Reverend Wil- 
 liam Evans, pastor of the united congregations of Kingsbridge 
 and Ford, where I had occasionally preached. When I had com- 
 pleted my theological studies, I accepted an invitation to assist 
 the above-named gentleman in the duties of the sanctuary. Im- 
 mediately after my settlement, I entered into a matrimonial 
 engagement with Miss Alicia Windeatt, my present wife. She 
 was the daughter of Thomas Windeatt, Esq., of Bridgetown, 
 Totness. Our marriage took place on the 25th of March, 1788. 
 This connection has ever been to me a source of happiness, for 
 which I cannot be sufficiently thankful to Him who is the great 
 disposer of all events. 
 
 Previously to our marriage, an invitation was presented to 
 me, through the Reverend Dr. Lake, of London, to accompany 
 Lord Dorchester to Canada, to the governorship of which he was 
 appointed. The design, which was originated by Charles James 
 Fox, was to establish, under the patronage of the British gov- 
 ernment, a Presbyterian Church, with privileges equal to those 
 2 
 
10 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 enjoyed by the Episcopal Church, in order to induce persons to 
 emigrate from the United States to Canada. The salary offered 
 was £300 sterling per annum, with other emoluments, and I 
 was to be returned at the expense of the government, if dissat- 
 isfied with the situation. This otfer was declined, on account 
 of the opposition of my intended wife's friends. After this, a 
 second proposition, of a similar nature, was made to me, but, 
 for similar reasons as before, I again declined, and Lord Dor- 
 chester sailed without me. The design of countenancing Pres- 
 byterianism in Canada, with equal privileges with those enjoyed 
 by Episcopalianism, has, I believe, from that time, been aban- 
 doned. 
 
 We commenced housekeeping immediately after our mar- 
 riage, in the village of Ford. At this place was born our eldest 
 son, Henry, on the 4th of December, 1788. The inhabitants 
 were mostly farmers, whose simple manners, sincerity, and readi- 
 ness to oblige, contributed much to our comfort ; but, as the 
 house in which we dwelt was about to be occupied by the owner, 
 we removed to Frogmore, a village about half way between my 
 two congregations at Ford and Kingsbridge. Circumstances 
 now having arisen, which made it appear desirable to the friends 
 of religion that I should be inducted into the pastoral office over 
 the church and congregation in Kingsbridge, I acted accord- 
 ingly. This, however, was not to interrupt the arrangement I 
 had made with Mr. Evans, for preaching alternately at Ford 
 and Kingsbridge. It was with a sincere desire to be instrumental 
 in promoting the interests of the cause of Christ, and with a 
 deep sense of responsibility, that I consented to this arrange- 
 ment. My ordination took place at Kingsbridge, according to 
 the following certificate : " Kingsbridge, November 1th, 1789. 
 This is to certify, to all whom it may concern, that the Reverend 
 Samuel Blatchford, who was educated at Homerton, (London,) 
 was this day solemnly set apart to the pastoral office, over the 
 Presbyterian church in Kingsbridge, (Devon,) with prayer and 
 laying on of hands by us. AVilliam Evans, C, Mends, H. 
 Mends, Jas. Stowal." 
 
 Of the Reverend Mr. Evans, my venerable and beloved col- 
 league, I could say much. He might be portrayed as eminently 
 pious and amiable ; and greatly am I indebted to him for the 
 
THE REVEREND SAMUEL BLATCHFORD, D.D. 11 
 
 kindness which he showed to me during the earlier years of my 
 ministry. I was with him as a child with a father ; and it may 
 please you, my children, to learn with what partiality and 
 strong regard he ever cultivated my memory. I will, therefore, 
 here insert a letter which I received from him in 1810. He has 
 long since gone to his rest, and, doubtless, has received that 
 crown of life promised unto them who are faithful unto death. 
 He was a faithful and laborious servant of our Lord and Saviour 
 Jesus Christ. The letter I referred to, commences thus : " Oh, 
 my dear Blatchford, whose memory is fresh in my mind, and 
 ever dear, we often speak of you, and scenes pleasant, scenes 
 past, which, alas, will never be experienced again in this world. 
 How short are the best comforts of this life ! When we have 
 our families, as olive branches, around our tables, and are 
 placed in the midst of a circle of select and valued friends, 
 how soon, alas, is our happiness interrupted, and we torn asun- 
 der from those whom we most regard and love, and a rent is 
 made which can never be closed. So it shall not be in the so- 
 ciety of the blessed in Heaven ; there separation shall never 
 take place, and joy shall never end. May our hearts be there 
 with our best friends, and, best of all, our dear, dear Immanuel." 
 
 The 24:th of January, 1790, gave birth to our beloved 
 daughter, Mary Milford Windeatt. 
 
 My continuance at Kingsbridge was but of short duration. 
 Having received an invitation from the church and congrega- 
 tion in Topsham, near the city of Exeter, in Devonshire, I re- 
 moved thither early in the year 1791. This was a long estab- 
 lished Presbyterian Church. In it the Arian and Sabellian 
 heresies had, for some years, prevailed. However, under all 
 the circumstances of the case, being particularly urged by some 
 of my orthodox brethren, whose judgment could not but be re- 
 spected, and resting upon the blessing of God, and depending 
 upon the promise of Christ, " Lo, I am with you always," &c, 
 I entered upon the duties of so important a station. 
 
 On the 11th of February, 1791, was born Alicia Windeatt ; 
 on the 23d of April, 1792, Sarah ; and, on the 3d of May, 1793, 
 Samuel. The latter two died at an early age and full of prom- 
 ise. He who gave them, and who alone had the sovereign 
 right of recalling them, was pleased to bereave us of these 
 
12 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 tender plants. Sarah died June 23d, 1T93, aged fourteen 
 months. Samuel died February 3d, 1794, aged twenty-one 
 months. They lie buried in a vault under the communion 
 table in the meeting-house at Topsham. These domestic sor- 
 rows were severely felt, as afflictions of Divine Providence, 
 which, whilst calculated to try our faith, cannot be endured 
 without bitterness, which parental fondness often mingles with 
 an unsparing hand in the cup of trial. 
 
 " The parent's heart, 
 Doubled in wedlock, multiplied in children, 
 Stands but the broader mark for all the mischiefs 
 That rove promiscuous o'er this mortal stage. 
 Children, those dear young lambs, those tender pieces 
 Of our own flesh, those little other selves, 
 How they dilate the heart to wide dimensions, 
 And soften every fibre, to improve 
 The parent's sad capacity for pain." 
 
 While in the midst of the enjoyment of a social visit at the 
 house of the Reverend Mr. Meggs of the Established Church, I 
 received a message from home, requesting my immediate re- 
 turn, on account of the dangerous illness of my daughter 
 Sarah. I arrived at home in the course of the night, but only 
 to embrace a dying child. Her funeral was appointed to take 
 place on the Saturday following. It was attended by the Rev- 
 erend Robert Winton, a very beloved brother, who was settled 
 at Exinouth, about six miles distant from me. Just previous 
 to this solemnity, I received a letter from my sister, informing 
 me that my son Henry was dangerously ill at Plymouth, and 
 requiring my immediate presence. This news overwhelmed 
 us with grief and consternation. Our little Samuel was at this 
 time unbaptized, and not knowing how far the visitation of the 
 Almighty might extend, the sacred duty of devoting him to 
 the Lord in baptism was immediately performed. After the 
 funeral of our beloved Sarah, the same brother who had pro- 
 nounced over our departed babe the decree of the Almighty, 
 "Dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return," now took the 
 little survivor in his arms, and baptized him " in the name of 
 the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." After the 
 performance of this duty, I started for Plymouth, without delay. 
 
THE REVEREND SAMUEL BLATCHFORD, D.D. 13 
 
 I was going as I supposed to the house of mourning. I arrived 
 at my mother's about six o'clock in the evening, and, the family 
 being engaged in another part of the house, I hastened to the 
 room in which I knew my son was accustomed to sleep, where, 
 to my inexpressible surprise mingled with feelings of thankful- 
 ness and gratitude to God, which His merciful interference so 
 emphatically demanded, I found the dear child in a sweet 
 slumber, and, as I conceived, entirely out of danger. So, indeed, 
 the event proved. This interference of God, so timely and 
 wonderfully displayed, completely assuaged my grief for the 
 loss of my beloved Sarah, so that I could do little else than 
 praise God and give thanks. The next day I was enabled to 
 preach with that composure and tranquillity, and grateful sense 
 of the goodness of God, which His providences were calculated 
 to produce. 
 
 I have mentioned the Reverend Robert Wmton. Of our 
 intimacy and brotherly attachment you may form some idea 
 from the following extract from a letter received from him 
 shortly after my arrival in America : " Exmouth, November 
 30th, 1795. My very dear brother : I received your letter on the 
 11th inst. It is impossible for me to express the pleasure it 
 gave me to hear that you and your dear family were all safely 
 arrived at your destined place of residence. With flowing eyes 
 and a feeling heart I bowed me down and returned thanks to 
 Him to whom thanks were due. I had long been looking for 
 a letter from you, and, ere it came, many from different parts 
 called upon me to know if I had heard from you, and when, at 
 last, I was able to say that I had, and that you were well, every 
 one expressed their joy and many wished themselves with 
 you." 
 
 On the 20th of July, 1794, we were blessed with another 
 son, whom we called Thomas Windeatt, after his maternal 
 grandfather. 
 
 About two years after my removal to Topsham, the subject 
 of Sabbath schools engaged the attention of many benevolent 
 persons. The success of Mr. Raikes, of Gloucester, in his at- 
 tempt to educate the ignorant and reclaim the vicious among 
 the poor and neglected youth, left no doubt as to the utility of 
 such efforts. After looking around, therefore, on the popula- 
 
14 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 tion of the town where Providence had placed me, and, with 
 the aid of some influential persons, obtaining, in some degree, 
 a knowledge of the wretched situation in which many of the 
 poor children lived — many of whom had never been taught to 
 read or write, and, from year to year, had never entered a place 
 of worship, they being during the week, chiefly occupied in 
 picking oakum, the profits arising from which contributed in a 
 very small degree to their support, and passing the Sabbath in 
 acts exceedingly offensive to good morals — we determined to at- 
 tempt the establishment of a Sabbath school. The friends of 
 this measure, however, were not without apprehensions of op- 
 position. Many of them were well known to be dissenters 
 from the Church of England, and this was asserted to be a 
 measure of theirs to draw away youth from the Establishment. 
 A public meeting was called, and the opposition came out in 
 its strength ; but (rod overruled all for good. He made the 
 wrath of man to praise Him, and restrained the remainder of 
 wrath. It was urged, that the Sabbath school would produce 
 injurious effects, by teaching children to read, but more particu- 
 larly to write. The Reverend Mr. C. declared it to be as pre- 
 posterous a measure, to attempt the reformation of society by 
 the instruction of youth, as to commence building a house at 
 the top of a chimney. These objections were easily answered, 
 and the friends of the measure felt themselves warranted in 
 commencing their operations. A sum of money sufficient for 
 this purpose was soon collected, and a Sabbath school was es- 
 tablished, with flattering prospects of success. Our plan was 
 entirely different from the one now in successful operation in 
 this country. Now, the instructions are administered by the 
 voluntary aid of individuals, who, as philanthropists, desire to 
 promote the best interests of their fellow creatures, by instill- 
 ing into the minds of the ignorant those principles of virtue 
 which will reclaim our wandering youth from ignorance and, 
 vice to intelligence and a fitting sense of their obligations, and 
 as Christians, estimating the value of the immortal soul and the 
 importance of the enlargement of the Redeemer's kingdom, 
 would lead these youth to a knowledge of the sacred Scriptures, 
 which reveal to man the way of salvation. But, in England, 
 and at that time, when those institutions were in their infancy, 
 
THE REVEREND SAMUEL BLATCHFORD, D.D. 15 
 
 we were under the necessity of hiring teachers at a stated 
 salary. We opened four distinct schools — two for boys and two 
 for girls. Thus our youth were taught the Scriptures and the 
 Catechism, and were furnished by the hand of charity with 
 decent clothing. I acted the part of a superintendent. My 
 custom was to spend the intervals of worship in these schools, 
 from eight to ten o'clock A. M. and from one to two and from 
 six to eight P. M. ; to commence with prayer ; to sit while the 
 instructors heard the lessons ; then to hear the Catechism which 
 had been committed through the week ; and to close the whole 
 with a brief exhortation, adapted, as far as was in my power, 
 to the capacities of my youthful auditors. Great care was taken 
 not to wound the feelings of persons of different denominations, 
 and the scholars attended the places of worship desired by their 
 parents. God was pleased to smile upon these labors, and I 
 trust they were blessed to the salvation of many of the chil- 
 dren. 
 
 About this time, my predisposition to remove to America 
 was much strengthened, and I began to take some measures 
 preparatory to emigrating. My wife, animated by that affec- 
 tion which has ever characterized her since her connection with 
 myself, assented cheerfully to my plans. An old and faithful 
 friend of the family, Capt. Furze, informed me that he was 
 soon to sail for America, where he had some acquaintance, and 
 where he intended to take up his own residence. I thought it 
 expedient to put into his hands a list of inquiries, which I 
 deemed of importance. At these you will probably smile. 
 I can only find an apology in the almost necessary ignorance of 
 an entire stranger to the habits and customs of Americans. 
 These were as follows : " What is the salary generally offered 
 to clergymen ? Is there generally a glebe attached to places of 
 worship % What is the price of provisions in different places ? 
 What is the price of labor ? What are the wages of servants ? 
 Would a school be likely to prosper, and where ? I do not 
 care in what part of America I settle, if the climate be healthy, 
 and I can enjoy Christian society, and be useful as a minister of 
 the gospel. I can obtain recommendations from all the min- 
 isters in Devonshire. Please to hand this to the ministers of 
 the places where you may be, and, though I am a stranger to 
 
16 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 them, I doubt not their readiness to give you satisfaction as to 
 the above questions, and I trust the time will soon come when 
 I shall greet the generous Americans on their own territory. 
 Topsham, May 3d, 1794. S. Blatchford." 
 
 Early in the year 1795, I received a letter from Capt. 
 Furze, which called for the following reply, addressed to the 
 Church of Christ, at Bedford, in Westchester county, New 
 York: "To the Church of Christ, at Bedford. Christian 
 friends and brethren : Having received a letter from Capt. 
 Furze, with the information of your being destitute of a min- 
 ister, and of your desire to communicate with me on the sub- 
 ject of my settling among you, I feel myself bound to address 
 you. I have long felt a desire to become an inhabitant of 
 America, and, with a wife and four children, partake of the 
 blessings of a country distinguished for its general piety, the 
 excellence of its government, and the free exercise of religious 
 opinions. Unlike to England, the principles of conscience are 
 not overawed by a bigoted clergy, but every Christian Society 
 can fully enjoy that liberty wherewith Christ has made them 
 free. I have often considered the decay of religion as keeping 
 pace with the extension of ecclesiastical authority, and, surely, 
 infidelity and profaneness never ran in a wider channel, never 
 rushed in a more impetuous torrent, than at present ; never 
 was religion more controverted, never was it less practised. 
 Mankind, to avoid preciseness, have fallen into licentiousness, 
 and, through an aversion to mysteries, have run away from god- 
 liness. I should have embarked last spring, but did not wish 
 to go on a plan altogether uncertain.' It may be necessary to 
 say, that my religious principles are Calvinistic, and that I have 
 been engaged in the ministry about eight years, have been or- 
 dained five, and was educated at the Dissenting College, at 
 Homerton, near London. Let me desire you, as soon as con- 
 venient, to answer the above. In expectation of which, I re- 
 main your friend and brother in the Gospel, S. Blatchford.' ' 
 To this letter I received an answer from Dr. Fleming and 
 Deacon Taylor, expressing an ardent desire that I should visit 
 them as soon as possible. After seeking direction from the 
 Father of Lights, we were led to the conclusion that it was our 
 duty to remove. We accordingly took measures for the accom- 
 
THE REVEREND SAMUEL BLATCHFORD, D.D. 17 
 
 plishment of our design. I determined, therefore, to make my 
 congregation acquainted with my purpose. After mature de- 
 liberation, they reluctantly assented to a separation. There is 
 a tie which unites a pastor to his people, which cannot be sun- 
 dered without feelings of regret. Letters were at this time 
 written to London, relative to a passage to New York. We 
 received an answer that there was a vessel bound for that port, 
 but her time of sailing was uncertain. The price of passage 
 was forty guineas per head for adults, and half that amount for 
 children and servants, together with freight for baggage, ac- 
 cording to admeasurement. On account of the extravagance of 
 these terms, and of the distance from Topsham to London, as 
 well as the uncertainty of the time when the vessel would sail, 
 we were obliged to seek some other conveyance. It was then 
 hoped that a passage might be obtained on more reasonable 
 terms at Bristol, but we were again disappointed. We had, at 
 the suggestion of Capt. Furze, laid out considerable property in 
 goods, which, he informed us, might be sold to considerable 
 advantage in America, and he kindly offered to furnish us with 
 what specie we wanted on our arrival. It was, and had been 
 for many years, a maxim by which I had been governed, that 
 if Almighty God had designed us to fill any particular station, 
 His Divine Providence would open the way. So it was in this 
 case. About three or four weeks previously to this time, a ves- 
 sel sustained considerable injury at no great distance from the 
 port of Topsham, and was brought in thither in order to under- 
 go repairs. It was given out that she was bound to America, 
 and I accordingly communicated with the captain, whose name 
 was Lyon, relative to my sailing with him. His terms were, 
 however, higher than those proffered either in London or Bris- 
 tol, which occasioned much hesitation in my mind about ac- 
 cepting them ; and, indeed, I was doubtful whether to under- 
 take the voyage at all. But I had gone so far as to obtain the 
 consent of my wife's family and of my congregation, and had 
 given notice of my intention to preach my farewell sermon on 
 a particular day, and I was unable to determine how to act. I 
 was led, however, to seek the direction of my Heavenly Father, 
 and with fervency to pray that He who was a cloud by day and 
 a pillar of fire by night to his ancient Israel, would condescend 
 3 
 
18 THE BLATCHFOBD MEMORIAL. 
 
 to be my guide, and that, if it was His will that I should leave 
 my native shores for a strange land, He would be graciously 
 pleased to direct me in the pursuit of my object. The Sabbath 
 at length arrived on which I was to take leave of the people of 
 my eharge. The place of worship was crowded, and a scene of 
 peculiar interest was presented by the children of the Sabbath 
 schools, all of whom attended on the occasion. My text was 
 found in 2 Corinthians, chapter 5, verses 9 and 10 : " Where- 
 fore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be ac- 
 cepted of Him. For, we must all appear before the judgment 
 seat of Christ." My own feelings on this occasion may be bet- 
 ter imagined than described. A weeping audience — a collec- 
 tion of about two hundred children — a separation about to take 
 place from those to whom I had preached for five years, and 
 from children whom I had been instrumental in gathering from 
 the highways and hedges, whose temporal and eternal welfare 
 I ardently desired and sedulously endeavored to ensure — 
 awakened within me feelings to which I had before been a 
 stranger. It was with difficulty I could leave the place of wor- 
 ship, owing to the anxiety of friends to exj>ress their sentiments 
 of affectionate regard. In the avenue which led from the 
 church to the street, I found the children of the Sabbath school, 
 many of them weeping aloud, and all desirous of expressing 
 their sorrow at the separation about to take place. Several of 
 my friends accompanied me to my dwelling-house, where we 
 were soon surprised by the sound of the voices of the Sabbath 
 school children, who, in front of the house, were singing the 
 following hymn : 
 
 " Blest be the charity divine, 
 Which tends to form the infant mind, 
 Which puts the youth in "virtue's road, 
 And points the path that leads to God. 
 
 Erewhile, in ignorance we lay, 
 Of folly and of vice the prey, 
 Not knowing what we ought to do, 
 How evil shun or good pursue. 
 
 Now taught to know God's holy will. 
 His just commands may we fulfil, 
 His Sabbath keep, his name adore, 
 His goodness love, and fear his j>ower. 
 
THE REVEREND SAMUEL BLATCHFORD, D.D- 19 
 
 Blest be the charity divine 
 That thus instructs the tender mind, 
 Places the youth in virtue's road 
 And leads him on the way to God." 
 
 The whole company was deeply affected. As yet no light 
 was shed on my future path ; but God soon manifested himself 
 to be a present help in time of need. In the evening I re- 
 ceived a message from Capt. Lyon, requesting that I would 
 call and see him immediately on business of importance. I re- 
 turned an answer, that I attended to no business on the Sab- 
 oath, except such as was connected with its sacred duties. The 
 messenger soon returned with an answer, that, from the nature 
 of the business, there could be no impropriety in my comply- 
 ing with Capt. Lyon's recpiest. I accordingly called upon him, 
 and found that his mind had been seriously impressed by the 
 exercises of the day. " Your first sentence," said he, " after 
 you pronounced your text, produced an indescribable effect 
 upon my mind." He immediately, even with tears, expressed 
 his desire to convey me and my family to America on any 
 terms. Truly I had reason to say : 
 
 " God moves in a mysterious way, 
 His wonders to perform." 
 
 It is impossible to describe the sensations which I experi- 
 enced at this interposition of Divine Providence, which so un- 
 expectedly rendered our plans feasible, and so wonderfully 
 spoke a language which could not be misunderstood. It 
 seemed to say — take courage and go forward. The proposal 
 of Capt. Lyon could not be thought of without gratitude to 
 God, who had disposed his mind to an act so truly generous. 
 On my return home, having communicated the circumstance 
 to my wife, we both, feeling the faithfulness of Him of whom 
 it is said, "In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall di- 
 rect thy paths," immediately called the family together, when, 
 kneeling down before the throne of Divine Grace, we en- 
 deavored humbly to acknowledge the goodness of God, and to 
 commit ourselves renewedly to his '.watchful care and merciful 
 Providence. 
 
 Capt. Lyon was anxious to convey me and my family to 
 
20 THE BLATOHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 America without receiving any remuneration, but, as I could 
 not consent to this, he requested me to name the price of pas- 
 sage. As I would not consent to this, he proposed twenty 
 guineas for myself and the same amount for Mrs. B. As for 
 the children, who were four in number, he said that he would 
 adopt them as his own during the voyage, and, of course, 
 would charge nothing for the servant, as she was necessary to 
 take care of the children. His vessel, he said, was large enough 
 to carry all my baggage, and he would make no charge for 
 that. At the sale of my furniture, Capt. Lyon bought to the 
 amount of the price of our passage, and distributed the articles 
 he purchased among his friends at Totness. A Sabbath in- 
 tervening between the time of which I have been speaking 
 and our embarkation, we concluded to spend it at Exmouth, 
 about six miles from Totness. Here I preached twice, and 
 was gratified by the presence of several members of my late 
 congregation. 
 
 On the 19th of June, 1795, we left our native shores, and 
 committed ourselves to the guardian care of Him whom the 
 winds and the seas obey. A large crowd of people assembled 
 on the hill which overlooked the sea, and long continued, by 
 the waving of hats and handkerchiefs, to manifest the affection- 
 ate interest which they took in our departure. As we receded, 
 objects on the shore became less and less distinct, until lost in 
 the distance. During the voyage my influence over the cap- 
 tain and crew constantly increased, and, on the Sabbath, I used 
 regularly to preach to them on deck. We enjoyed a good de- 
 gree of health, excepting that I had a slight attack of inflam- 
 mation in the face, and my wife received a severe wound 
 from the falling of my portable desk. We suffered considera- 
 bly from want of water, when about opposite Newfoundland, 
 and had just concluded to steer thither, when we were unex- 
 pectedly favored with a shower of rain, and, by means of the 
 sails, we caught enough to supply our wants. At length, on 
 the 1st day of August, 1795, the day on which I completed 
 my twenty-eighth year, we arrived within the Hook, at New 
 York. The night was dark, and the captain had concluded to 
 anchor outside the Hook, and wait for a pilot, but, before he 
 
THE REVEREND SAMUEL BLATCHFORD, D.D. 21 
 
 was aware, found himself abreast of Staten Island, having se- 
 curely, but unintentionally, passed in without a pilot.* 
 
 With my wife and family, I immediately went on shore, 
 accompanied by Capt. Lyon, and, having left my family at the 
 City Hotel, at that time in Water street, I set out in search of 
 Capt. Furze, who had given me his address, at Mr. William 
 Sing's, hardware merchant, whose store was in Hanover 
 Square. Mr. Sing was at his house in Brooklyn, but I saw a 
 young man of pleasing appearance, who expressed himself 
 much gratified at my arrival. I was much disappointed to 
 learn that Capt. Furze, on whom I depended both for resources 
 and direction, had left the city two days previously, for Albany, 
 and that his return was very uncertain. For my present ac- 
 commodation, however, I had been recommended for lodgings, 
 by Capt. Furze, to the house of Mrs. Stynetz, in Barclay street, 
 at the corner nearly opposite the Roman Catholic chapel. The 
 young gentleman above mentioned, together with Mr. Sing, 
 belonged to the Baptist denomination. I was introduced by 
 them to the Reverend Dr. Rodgers, of the University of Penn- 
 sylvania, who at that time was on a visit to New York and was 
 officiating that day in the duties of the Sanctuary. He kindly 
 bid me welcome, and urged me to preach for him, but I de- 
 clined. I consented, however, to assist him in the devotional 
 exercises of the evening ; and this I was enabled to do with a 
 feeling sense of God's goodness, in the preservation of myself 
 and my dear family, during a voyage which lasted forty-three 
 days. My feelings overwhelmed me, and the sensibility of the 
 audience awakened a sympathy which I cannot describe. Sev- 
 eral of them called the next day at Mr. Sing's store, in hopes 
 of seeing me, in order to proffer their services in enabling me 
 to reach the place of my destination — Bedford. Mr. Sing ac- 
 companied me to the Custom House, where the duties I had to 
 pay nearly exhausted my finances. I was, however, amply sup- 
 plied with money by a providential circumstance. As I was 
 walking down Wall street, I was accosted by R. A. Haim, 
 Esq., who had lately arrived from Totness, having married a 
 
 * The vessel — the schooner Alert — was lost on her return voyage and all hands 
 perished. 
 
22 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 young lady of that town. After some conversation respecting 
 my voyage, he asked how I was off for money. He then de- 
 sired me to name the sum of money I wanted, and, agreeably 
 to my request, lent me one hundred dollars. Thus supplied, 
 and with the advice of Mr. Sing, I engaged passage for my- 
 self and family to Sing Sing, about thirty miles up the Hud- 
 son, and about twelve distant from Bedford. We arrived safely 
 in the afternoon, and, after my baggage was landed and my 
 family safely lodged at a tavern, I started in pursuit of a Capt. 
 Hunter, who had been recommended as being able to render 
 me such services as might be necessary for my accommodation. 
 The regret which I felt at the absence of Capt. Furze produced 
 a perplexity and a dejection which I could scarcely overcome. 
 But God was still on my side. As I was walking toward 
 Capt. Hunter's house, I heard a voice distinctly pronounce my 
 name, and, looking in the direction from whence the voice 
 came, I saw Capt. Furze. He had returned from Albany the 
 evening before, not having been able to accomplish his busi- 
 ness there. This was truly a remarkable Providence. It re- 
 lieved my embarrassment and soothed my feelings. I imme- 
 diately returned to the tavern, accompanied by Capt. Furze, 
 and had the pleasure of introducing him to your dear mother, 
 the sensibility of whose mind was of no ordinary character, 
 arising from the delicacy of her education. The Providence 
 of God, in causing us to meet with Capt. Furze, led us to place 
 a stronger confidence in his covenant faithfulness, and we were 
 prepared to view it as a cup of consolation, on which was in 
 scribed " Jehovah-jireh," in characters too legible to be mis- 
 taken. It was presented by the hand of paternal and sovereign 
 goodness, and we were led to exclaim, " The Lord reigneth, 
 let the earth rejoice." It was determined that, in the morn- 
 ing, I should accompany Capt. Furze to the house of Dr. Flem- 
 ing, at Bedford, one of the gentlemen who wrote tome in behalf 
 of the congregation. He was a scholar and a gentleman, and 
 also a farmer who attended to the cultivation of his farm in 
 person. Bedford had been a frontier town during the Revolu- 
 tionary war, and had suffered from the depredations of both 
 parties. The church, built of wood, and unstained by a single 
 brush of paint, and unenclosed, presented an appearance of 
 
THE REVEREND SAMUEL BLATCHFORD, D.D. 23 
 
 desolation exceedingly affecting. Houses scattered here and 
 there, many of them in a decayed state, led me to apprehend 
 that the situation could not be very eligible to me or my fam- 
 ily. Suffice it to say, that we arrived at a decayed dwelling, 
 into which, after having fastened our horses under an old shed, 
 we entered. We were received with kindness and hospitality 
 by two young ladies, who were peculiarly neat in their ap- 
 pearance and graceful in their manners. It was Saturday, and 
 the custom of washing their floors had not been forgotten ; and 
 I was not without apprehension that the wet floor would pro- 
 duce some unpleasant effect upon my health. Capt. Furze 
 having left the room, I was left alone in conversation with the 
 ladies, whom I found to be the daughters of Dr. Fleming. Soon, 
 an individual entered the room, and, proffering me his hand, 
 " hoped," as he said, " for better acquaintance." It proved to 
 be Dr. Fleming, who had just returned from his labor, and 
 was dressed in a manner suited to his occupation. As I had not 
 been introduced to him, I considered him to be a common 
 workman. At this you will not be surprised, when you rec- 
 ollect the rank that English physicians sustain, and the ap- 
 pearance of the same class of individuals in the populous towns 
 and villages in this country. I was, of course, greatly sur- 
 prised, on the return of Capt. Furze, to learn that this person 
 was Dr. Fleming. It was upon him I was principally to depend 
 for introduction to the people, and I had anticipated finding 
 in him a person of an entirely different appearance. He told 
 me he was very sorry I had come, and that they already had 
 hired a minister between that congregation and the one at 
 Poundridge. I told him I was exceedingly surprised at so 
 premature an engagement, for it was in consequence of his in- 
 vitation that I had determined to remove from England. He 
 said he wished I had come earlier. I told him that if he 
 considered the rapidity with which I had hastened to comply 
 with the invitation, he would rather wonder that I had come 
 so early, than express regret that I had come so late. He then 
 asked if I had brought any testimonials. I replied that, after 
 what had passed, I was astonished that they considered these 
 necessary, but that I had them. He then asked if I had called 
 on Dr. Rodgers, in New York. I told him I had not, having 
 
24 THE BLATCHEORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 had no letters of introduction to him, and did not know such a 
 step was necessary. I then inquired the name of their clergy- 
 man. He told me it was Mr. Abner Benedict, a man of sound 
 principles and of fine character, and that his engagement was 
 for one year. Capt. Furze now taking his leave for the night, 
 I was left alone with strangers, to struggle with feelings to 
 which, until this time, I had been an entire stranger. Their 
 intensity was indescribable, and, if any expression moved upon 
 my affections from the prospect which I conceived to be before 
 me, it was this, " My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken 
 me? " Supper was now soon prepared and of a material gen- 
 erally admired as an evening repast in that part of the country. 
 It was samp. It was a food to which I was not accustomed, 
 and my head was soon out of the window. The hour being 
 come for retirement, we committed ourselves to the care of 
 Him whose eyes never sleep and whose eyelids never slumber. 
 In my private devotions, I endeavored to seek some token 
 for good, to enlighten the darkness of the prospect before me 
 and my family. I traced over what had occurred, and what 
 I had fondly considered as the indications of an approving 
 Providence, but I could not dissipate the gloom that hung 
 over my spirits. My eyes were held waking, and my imagina- 
 tion ran away with my judgment, so that I had not the under- 
 standing of a man, and my faith grew weak from my reflecting 
 upon the events which had crowded upon me, stranger as I 
 was, in a strange land. When thinking of my wife and tender 
 babes, I was overwhelmed with anticipations pregnant with 
 distress. I presume I suffered a partial delirium, from which 
 I was aroused by leaping from my bed and striking my head 
 against the wall. As the day had dawned, I dressed and 
 sought the open air. Well do I recollect a retreat, some dis- 
 tance from the house, where no eye saw me but the eye of 
 God, no ear heard me but His whose presence is everywhere, 
 and who heareth the young ravens when they cry. Here I en- 
 deavored to pom* out my heart to God, and assuage my grief 
 by the consolations of the gospel. Anxiously did I call to 
 mind, as the foundation of my hope, such passages as these : 
 "If ye, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto 
 your children, how much more shall your Father which is in 
 
THE REVEREND SAMUEL BLATCHFORD, D.D. 25 
 
 Heaven give good things to tliem that ask him." " Fear thou 
 not ; for I am with thee : be not dismayed ; for I am thy God." 
 But all was in vain. I was like a mariner at sea in a frail boat, 
 without compass and without chart. The mountain wave rose 
 higher and higher and well-nigh overwhelmed me. I perfectly 
 recollect uttering expressions of discontent toward God and 
 his Providence, so foolish, so sinful was I. I said to the Al- 
 mighty — if, for want of zeal in the cause of Christ I am 
 brought hither — if, for any thing Thy pure eyes have seen 
 amiss in me, I am brought into circumstances like these, no 
 congregation to bid me welcome, no pulpit from which to de- 
 clare the unsearchable riches of Christ — what have my beloved 
 family done, who must be sharers in those privations and dis- 
 appointments in which our voyage has resulted? On return- 
 ing to the house, I found myself weak and exhausted. It was 
 the Lord's day. In the exercise of family worship I had more 
 of the spirit of prayer, more encouragement to call God my 
 Father, and a greater range of thought than I could have dared 
 to hope for. It afforded a sweet relief to learn hereby, that 
 God did not treat me as a rebellious child, but still permitted 
 me to look upon Him, shedding upon my afflicted heart the 
 expression of His paternal kindness ; and, on rising from my 
 knees, methought I heard a voice say, " Stand still, and see the 
 salvation of the Lord." We were soon seated around the table 
 spread with the bounties of Providence. Dr. Fleming and his 
 family were neatly attired, and, howsoever forbidding his man- 
 ners had been on the previous evening, they this morning pre- 
 sented a perfect contrast. He recommended himself by a po- 
 liteness of which he was well capable, and a softness of expres- 
 sion which at that time was peculiarly gratifying. In about 
 an hour we were comfortably seated in a wagon on our road to 
 the church, which was about a mile and a half from the Doc- 
 tor's residence. When we arrived, we found a large collection 
 of people standing on the outside of the church. To the elders 
 and several others I was introduced. If I had been surprised, 
 at a passing glance, at the exterior of the building, I was much 
 more so on beholding its interior, where was neither plaster, 
 pew, nor gallery. The minister indeed was accommodated 
 with a pulpit, while his hearers sat on slabs, supported by two 
 4 
 
26 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 legs at each end, and two in the middle. Upon one of these 
 I sat down, awaiting the arrival of the clergyman. At length 
 he entered and passed into the pulpit, with an octavo Bible 
 under his arm. His countenance betokened much Christian 
 meekness and benevolence. In this estimate I was not after- 
 wards disappointed. As soon as he was seated in the pulpit, 
 my friend the Doctor ascended the stairs, to inform him, I pre- 
 sume, who the stranger was that sat on the slabs below, as he 
 arose, and, standing on the upper step, kindly invited me to 
 sit with him. For several reasons, however, I declined, but I 
 consented to make the last prayer and preach for him in the 
 afternoon. During the intermission between the services, 
 many of the congregation repaired to a neighboring house, 
 among whom were Mr. Benedict, Dr. Fleming, &c, &c. I was 
 invited to accompany them, and an excellent opportunity was 
 afforded me of laying before them a statement of my circum- 
 stances, my invitation, testimonials, &c, &c. Mr. Benedict 
 instantly said, that, in justice and propriety, he must consider 
 his engagement with them at an end, and that he could not in 
 conscience think of retaining a situation that so evidently be- 
 longed to his brother just arrived from across the Atlantic. A 
 consultation being held on the subject, it was agreed, that, if 
 the congregation at Poundridge would accede to the measure, 
 both the pulpits should be supplied by an alternation of 
 services by Mr. Benedict and myself. This was a pleasant re- 
 lief, and I looked at it as an intimation of the good Provi- 
 dence of God being still continued toward me. The exercises 
 of the afternoon were peculiarly acceptable. Esquire Mc- 
 Donald, who was present, kindly offered to accommodate me 
 and my family for the present. I accordingly returned in the 
 morning to Sing Sing landing for them. The awkward situa- 
 tion in which they were placed rendered my presence pecu- 
 liarly desirable. In compliance with Mr. McDonald's kind 
 invitation, I took my family to his house in Bedford. Several 
 of the members of the congregation at Poundridge had been 
 present at church the preceding Sabbath, and, through them 
 and Mr. Benedict, arrangements were made agreeably to my 
 wishes. These were completed before the close of the week. 
 We soon discovered among the people at Bedford and Pound- 
 
THE REVEREND SAMUEL BLATCHFOED, D.D. 27 
 
 ridge many affectionate and pious individuals, with whom we 
 could hold familiar and pleasant converse. Some inconveni- 
 ences as well as trials of feeling had to be encountered, yet 
 the constant assiduity of individuals, and their kind anticipa- 
 tions of our wants, will ever be remembered with sentiments 
 of sincere gratitude toward Him who led their hearts to such 
 acts of beneficence. Although the family of Mr. McDonald 
 were highly hospitable, we considered, it of importance, if pos- 
 sible, to obtain a dwelling of our own. But, where should one 
 be found, where all were occupied ? The parsonage had been 
 let out on a lease that would not expire till the spring, and, as 
 no better accommodations could be found than two rooms and 
 a kitchen in an old unfinished house, we concluded to remove 
 thither. I bless God that both your dear mother and myself 
 had determined to be content in such a state as God might be 
 pleased to place us in ; nor did I ever witness more Christian 
 fortitude than your mother displayed on that occasion. Our 
 servant girl, our faithful Molly,* was almost overcome, and, 
 knowing the comforts which your mother enjoyed before leav- 
 ing England, could, not help exclaiming, " Oh, Mem, how will 
 you ever endure it % " The rooms were unplastered and sided 
 by rough unjointed boards, nailed against the studs, not for the 
 purpose of keeping out the cold, but for the nailing on of the 
 laths when the owner should see fit to do so. "We pasted paper 
 over the crevices, and in this manner enclosed ourselves in 
 more comfortable apartments than we had anticipated. We 
 had to borrow some few articles of furniture which could not 
 be purchased, such as a table, two or three chairs, &c, &c. 
 Indeed I had. to exercise some of my own ingenuity. I made 
 a table, together with two settees, one of which last we still re- 
 tain as a memento of that period. 
 
 On the 25th of October following our removal, was born 
 Harriet Peacock ;f and your dear mother, for whom we had 
 felt so much anxiety, was mercifully supported, and made to 
 
 * In one corner of the family burial lot, at Oakwood Cemetery, Troy, New York, 
 is a white marble headstone, on which are these words : " Mary Smith, aged 47, 
 our faithful family nurse from 1*790 until her death October 3d, 1810." 
 
 f Dr. Peacock was the family physician at Totness, England. 
 
28 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 experience the truth of that promise, " As thy days, so shall 
 thy strength be." Surely, my dear children, the mercies of 
 God were new every morning and fresh every evening. Great 
 was His faithfulness. 
 
 At the first meeting of the Presbytery of Hudson, within 
 the bounds of which my congregations were, I attended, with 
 the view of laying my testimonials before its members, and en- 
 joying the counsel and countenance of that body. I there met 
 persons whom I shall ever remember with feelings of grateful 
 emotion. The kindness with which they received me, a 
 stranger, can never be forgotten by me. Among them were 
 the Reverend Messrs. King and Close. At this meeting the 
 following was entered on the books of the Presbytery : " The 
 church at Bedford requested the Presbytery to appoint the Rev- 
 erend Samuel Blatchford a stated supply among them, till the 
 next stated meeting of the Presbytery ; upon which, the Presby- 
 tery asked Mr. Blatchford whether he was acquainted with and 
 approved of the Confession of Faith, Form of Government, 
 Discipline and Directory tor the worship of God, of the Pres- 
 byterian Church in the United States, and, upon his answering 
 these questions in the affirmative, the Presbytery did appoint 
 him to supply at Bedford as many Sabbaths as would be con- 
 venient." 
 
 Early in the succeeding year, 1796, I received an invitation 
 to spend a Sabbath at Greenfield, Fairfield county, Connecticut, 
 where was settled the late Reverend Dr. Dwight, who, by a 
 display of talents of the very first order, diligence, a fine and 
 cultivated taste, and an untarnished character for piety and zeal 
 in his Master's cause, had secured to himself a high reputation. 
 My preaching in this place elicited from the church and con- 
 gregation an invitation to preach for them, and the following 
 communication was forwarded to me : " At a meeting legally 
 warned and held in the parish of Greenfield, the 1st day of April, 
 1796 — Daniel Sherwood, Moderator. Voted, unanimously, to 
 invite the Reverend Mr. Blatchford, for one year, to preach 
 for said parish. Voted, to give Mr. Blatchford £160 currency, 
 for his services for said year. Voted, to give Mr. Blatchford 
 $20, to defray his expenses in removing to Greenfield. Hezekiah 
 Bradley, Society's Clerk." After taking the advice of my 
 
THE REVEREND SAMUEL BLATCHFORD, D.D. 29 
 
 brethren, and spreading the whole affair before the throne of 
 Divine Grace, for direction in the path of duty, I came to the 
 resolution of accepting' their invitation, with the privilege of 
 being bound by this agreement no longer than six months, if 
 anv circumstance should occur to render my removal desirable. 
 During this period, I was introduced to my excellent friend, 
 Dr. Dwight, who requested me, whenever I came to New 
 Haven, to make his house my home. I was present at the 
 Commencement at Yale College next ensuing, and, at the re- 
 quest of gentlemen belonging to the United Society of White- 
 haven and Fairhaven, which pulpits were then vacant, I 
 preached for them a few Sabbaths, by exchange. An intimation 
 was then given that it would be desirable, if it might be done 
 consistently, that I should yield my engagement in Greenfield, 
 and take into consideration the wishes of the people thus in- 
 formally expressed. This request I thought it my duty not to 
 comply with. I accordingly continued at Greenfield, 
 
 Early in the year 1797, I received the following extracts 
 from the records of the proceedings of the Presbyterian Society 
 at Stratfield, Connecticut : " At a meeting of the members of 
 the Presbyterian Society at Stratfield, Conn., legally warned 
 and held at their meeting-house, February 15th, 1797, Joseph 
 Strong, Esq., Moderator, a motion is made, whether the society 
 wish to call a candidate for settlement in the ministry. Voted, 
 they do. Voted, that Richard Hubbell, Deacon Seth Seelye, 
 Stephen Summers, Aaron Hawley, Benjamin Wheeler, and 
 Lambert Lockwood be a committee to look out for a candidate 
 and make report. Voted, this meeting adjourn until Monday 
 next, at 4 o'clock, P. M." " February 20th, 1797. Met again, 
 agreeable to adjournment. Moderator being absent, voted, that 
 Capt. Amos Hubbell be Moderator pro tern. Motioned, that, 
 from specimens we have had, we admire the Reverend Mr. 
 Blatchford as a preacher, and wish for further opportunity to 
 determine whether it may not appear for mutual good that he 
 take charge of this church and society as pastor. Voted unan- 
 imously. Motioned, that our committee for the purpose of 
 looking out a candidate be, and they hereby are, recommended 
 to said Mr. Blatchford, with directions to offer him at the rate 
 of $500 for one year, commencing his labors with us next 
 
30 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 spring ; and, further, we agree, that if, after his being with us 
 six months, we do not mutually covenant with him on some 
 more permanent footing, he may either leave us then or con- 
 tinue through the year. Voted unanimously. Meeting ad- 
 journed without day. A true copy from the records. Lambert 
 Lockwood, Clerk." 
 
 In the course of a few weeks I received the following, pre- 
 sented by Mr. Jeremiah Atwater : " New Haven, March 29th, 
 1 707. Reverend Sir : The united society of Whitehaven and 
 Fairhaven yesterday had a meeting to consult on the expediency 
 of obtaining a permanent supply of the gospel ministry. On 
 a consideration of the subject, they expressed their approbation 
 of your past, and unanimously united in the desire of your fu- 
 ture, labors among them. As they wish, however, not to de- 
 viate from duty by interrupting any arrangements you may 
 have made with any other people, they consider it expedient to 
 express their wishes to obtain your ministrations for them six 
 or twelve months, at such future period as your arrangements 
 will admit, and this with a view to eventual settlement, in 
 case, on future acquaintance, duty shall dictate the measure. 
 Uncertain how far it would be proper to make proposals of a 
 more particular kind, until they know whether you have ac- 
 cepted or dismissed the application which you informed our 
 committee you had under consideration, the Society have in- 
 structed us, in connection with Mr. Jeremiah Atwater, to ex- 
 press to yon their wishes and sentiments, and to make enquiries 
 relative to your engagement. Should our enquiries and the 
 conference with Mr. Atwater enable us to represent to the 
 Society that you are not engaged to any people, and the time it 
 is probable you will be at leisure, the Society will address to 
 you the necessary stipulation for support. Wishing you the 
 Divine direction and extensive usefulness in the work of the 
 ministry, we are, Reverend sir, respectfully, your humble ser- 
 vants, Eleazar Goodrich, Ilezekiah Hotchkiss, William Austin." 
 
 The wishes of the people at New Haven were again urged 
 upon me, and, as the time of my engagement at Greenfield was 
 fast drawing to a close, it became necessary for me to decide. 
 Accordingly, after a mature consideration of the subject, I came 
 to the conclusion of accepting the invitation of the congregation 
 at Stratfield, and declining that from New Haven. 
 
THE REVEREND SAMUEL BLATCHFORD, D.D. 31 
 
 My residence at Greenfield was, for the most part, agreeable 
 to your mother's feelings and mine. We enjoyed a society there 
 which was truly delightful. It formed the basis of friendships 
 which have continued to the present time, although death, the 
 great destroyer, hath entered many a family, and torn from the 
 domestic circle friend after friend. Near Greenfield resided 
 Captain Smedley, who, on hearing of my arrival, hastened 
 thither to express his obligations to my family, and to recognize 
 in me the youth who was the agent, on the part of my uncle 
 and my mother, in affording him relief during his confinement 
 at the house of Mrs. Chenough. Captain Smedley, it will be 
 recollected, was one of those gentlemen who was assisted in his 
 escape to Holland. 
 
 At Greenfield, on the 5th of January, 1797, was born Samuel 
 Milforcl. 
 
 I had also succeeded the Reverend Dr. Day, the present 
 President of Yale College, as instructor in an academy at Green- 
 field, and, previous to my formal acceptance of the invitation 
 from Stratfield, I made some stipulations with the committee 
 from thence, other than those expressed in the call — such as, 
 building an edifice proper for an academy, as I was desirous 
 of instructing some youth in classical literature, as an addi- 
 tional means of support for my numerous family. These ar- 
 rangements being made, I removed to Stratfield. I succeeded 
 in my plans, and the school flourished. I was installed by the 
 Association of Fairfield East, and we all felt happy in our new 
 situation. We occupied a house situated in the western part 
 of the town, commonly called Stratfield or Pequonic. 
 
 On the 23d of April, 1798, was born Richard Milford. 
 
 In this year we heard of my beloved mother's death. She 
 died in the hope of the gospel, and is doubtless in possession of 
 the inheritance of the saints in light. We soon purchased a 
 house and lot belonging to Stephen Boroughs, in a part of the 
 town called Newfield, afterwards, by act of the legislature, 
 called Bridgeport, belonging to the same Society. 
 
 On the 24th of May, 1799, was born John ; on the 21st of 
 August, 1800, Sophia ; on the 7th of December, 1801, Frederick; 
 and on the 7th of January, 1803, George Edgcumbe. 
 
 In January, 1804, 1 received an invitation to take charge of 
 
32 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 the Presbyterian churches at Lansingburgh and Waterford, in 
 the State of New York, which invitation I eventually accepted. 
 The field of usefulness here presented was more extended 
 than the one in which I was then laboring, and the means of 
 support offered were more ample, which, on account of my large 
 family, was exceedingly desirable. 
 
 I cannot leave this part of my narrative without making 
 mention of my gratitude for the many proofs of cordial friend- 
 ship with which I was eminently indulged by the ministers and 
 citizens of the State of Connecticut, as far as I was known. 
 The Association with which I was particularly connected, to- 
 gether with the Western Association of Fairfield county, were 
 ever ready to show to me those marks of regard which took 
 from me and my family the idea of being strangers, and greatly 
 compensated for the pain which I felt in being separated from 
 those I held clear in the land of my fathers. Drs. Edwards, 
 Trumbull, Ely and Ripley, (the last is still alive,) together 
 with Messrs. Eliot, Stebbins, Pinneo, Rexford and Hunting- 
 ton, (of Middletown,) also Drs. Perkins, Lewis, Burnet, and 
 many others, are among those toward whom the sense of obliga- 
 tion must remain, while kindness can make any impression 
 on my heart. Let the following be considered, among many 
 others, as tokens of that cordial confidence and kindness 
 with which I was regarded by my brethren : At the Com- 
 mencement at Yale College in the year 1798, I was presented 
 with the honorary degree of A. M. I was also twice ap- 
 pointed by the General Association of Connecticut a delegate 
 to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church. I was 
 unable to attend the Assembly when I was first appointed. 
 I considered the repetition of the honor in the year 1801 as a 
 mark of peculiar confidence, since, at that time, it was in the 
 charge of the delegate, if the Assembly should see fit, to consider 
 and digest a plan of government for the churches in the new 
 settlements. The Assembly, according to the plan suggested 
 by the Association, appointed a committee of conference, con- 
 sisting of the Reverend Drs. Edwards and Mclvnight, 
 Mr. Hutton, an elder from Albany, and myself. The re- 
 port, containing the wished-for plan, will be found at large in 
 the Assembly's proceedings for the year 1801. As it proved 
 
THE REVEREND SAMUEL BLATCHFORD, D.D. 33 
 
 satisfactory to the Association, it was adopted at the next meet- 
 ing of the Association, and, I believe, has ever been consid- 
 ered a distinguishing blessing to the churches of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ. It has promoted harmony and secured peace, removed 
 impediments in the way of missionary efforts, and exhibited a 
 fine specimen of Christian fellowship. Alas ! how often have 
 such lesser differences of church government divided Christians, 
 and torn the seamless robe of Christian charity, which should 
 ever remain untorn and uninjured. 
 
 The call presented by the churches at Lansingburgh and 
 Waterford was unanimous. I agreed also to take charge of 
 the Lansingburgh Academy, and the whole of my salary was 
 $1200. I was installed by the Presbytery of Columbia, on the 
 19th of July, 1804. The congregation at Waterford had 
 formerly been under the care of the Albany Presbytery ; but, 
 through the influence of the Dutch population, a Dutch Re- 
 formed church had been built, and, by way of compromise be- 
 tween the Presbyterians and the Dutch, Mr. Close, then of the 
 Presbytery of Hudson, was called to be their pastor. The 
 English population, however, increasing, and difficulties on that 
 account arising, Mr. Close, (who was an excellent man, and lived 
 to an advanced age,) resigned his pastoral office, and the church, 
 uniting with the Presbyterian church at Lansingburgh, pre- 
 sented me a call. 
 
 On the 6th of September, 1804, was born Charles Bayn- 
 ham ;* but He who gave and had a right to take away was 
 pleased to remove him from us to His own immediate keeping 
 on the 18th of November in the same year. 
 
 On the 23d of November, 1805, was born Ethelinda Jane ; 
 and, on the 1st of August, 1807, was born George Edgcumbe, 
 2d. 
 
 The foregoing narrative, thus left incomplete, was continued by Thomas W. 
 Blatchford, a son of the Reverend Dr. Blatchford, in the form of a letter, addressed 
 to his children, which he prefaced with the following note: " Troy, April 29th, 1848. 
 To T. Wickes Blatchford, Samuel T. Blatchford, John T. Blatchford, and Harriet 
 W. Blatchford. My clear children: Believing that it will be interesting to you, 
 
 * Charles Baynham, Esq., was a friend of the Reverend Dr. Blatchford's, in 
 Devonshire, England. He subsequently came to this country and resided in 
 Bridgeport, Connecticut. 
 
 5 
 
34 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 if not now, certainly at some future day, to know something more of your grand- 
 father than is contained in the foregoing most interesting narrative, I have con- 
 cluded to add a few particulars in the form of a letter addressed to you. If the 
 remembrance of those in whom piety and learning and enterprise unite is worth 
 cherishing, the virtues and excellences of your dear grandfather should not soon 
 be forgotten. Your affectionate father, Thomas W. Blatchford." 
 
 Tims far your sainted grandparent had proceeded in his auto- 
 biography, when death terminated his earthly engagements, by 
 summoning him to scenes of unmingled joy and heavenly activ- 
 ity. Your aunt Jane, now Mrs. P. M. Corbin, who acted as 
 his amanuensis upon this occasion, (for the above sketch was 
 dictated from the bed of death) states, that the closing sentence 
 recording the birth of his sixteenth child, George Edgcumbe, 
 2d, was the last sentence he ever dictated upon any subject. 
 She says, that she waited for him to finish the sentence, but he 
 seemed lost in thought. After a short time, he said he would 
 stop for the present, and go on again bye and bye. Although he 
 confidently calculated to resume and complete what, after much 
 entreaty from all his children, he had thus begun, his Heavenly 
 Father had determined otherwise, for, in less than thirty 
 hours from this period, his tongue was silent in death. This 
 circumstance renders the closing words the more remarkable. 
 It seems as if the dear Saviour, whom he had so long and faith- 
 fully served, condescended to favor him with a little foretaste — 
 a slight glimpse, as it were — of those joys He knew he was so 
 soon to realize, and thus enable him, in sweet anticipation, to 
 dwell upon the happy meeting about to take place with his own 
 dear ones who had preceded him to glory. 
 
 You will perceive that he brought his history down to the 
 period of his removal from Bridgeport and his entrance upon 
 the laborious duties connected with his settlement in Lansing, 
 burgh. Twenty-four years of his useful life are thus left un- 
 noticed, from his thirty-eighth to his sixty-second year. 
 
 The fact that some of the inhabitants of Lansingburgh were 
 natives of Bridgeport and Fairfield, and were already well ac- 
 quainted with his character, probably conduced to his removal to 
 Lansingburgh. The father of Mr. Seth Seelye, the present senior 
 elder of the church in Lansingburgh, was one the of deacons of 
 the church at Bridgeport. Mr. Eli Judson was from Fairfield, 
 
THE REVEREND SAMUEL BLATCHFORD, D.D. 35 
 
 and his brother, David Judson, Esq., was one of your grand- 
 father's warmest friends. But the gentleman most instrumental 
 in bringing it about was David Allen, Esq., also from Fairfield, 
 whose kindness and attention were always unremitting, and in 
 whose death, in 1825, your grandfather sustained a severe 
 loss. 
 
 The Academy at Lansingburgh, among the oldest endowed 
 by the Regents, had, for some time, been in a declining state, 
 and had now dwindled to almost nothing, chiefly from the 
 want of a competent head — a Principal whose talents and ac- 
 quirements could impart confidence to the public. The two 
 churches of Lansingburgh and Troy had, since their organiza- 
 tion in 1793, been united under the ministry of the Reverened 
 Jonas Coe, afterwards Dr. Coe. The congregation in Troy, in- 
 creasing in numbers and strength, proposed a separation, and, it 
 being concurred in by the congregation at Lansingburgh, in- 
 vited Mr. Coe, in 1803, to give them his undivided services, 
 which he did until his lamented death, in 1822. In a letter I 
 received from your grandfather, dated August 2d, 1822, he 
 says : " I presume you have heard of the death of Dr. Coe. His 
 departure is felt as a great loss by the congregation and his nu- 
 merous friends. I preached his funeral sermon by request. It 
 is supposed upwards of three thousand persons crowded into the 
 church and that there were nearly as many without. Twenty- 
 live ministers were present, to pay his memory respect." He 
 was a most estimable man, distinguished for his faithful, un- 
 wearied performance of pastoral visitation. This gave him 
 great influence among his people. Between Dr. Coe and your 
 grandfather there was always the closest bond of union and 
 friendship. They were truly brethren. Mr. Coe's withdrawal 
 from his charge at Lansingburgh left the church destitute of a 
 pastor. The trustees of the Academy and the officers of the 
 church and congregation determined mutually to improve this 
 period and seek for a gentleman whose literary and theological 
 attainments would enable him acceptably to discharge the duties 
 of Principal of the Academy and pastor of the congregation.* 
 
 * The church edifice of Lansingburgh was rebuilt on a different site, in 1844. 
 A marble tablet was inserted at the left side of the pulpit, in the new building, 
 
36 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 A Presbyterian church had been organized in Waterford, 
 but, from feebleness, was not sustained, and had long become, 
 as it were, amalgamated with a Dutch church previously or- 
 ganized under the direction of the Classis of Albany. The 
 Reverend John Close, of the Presbytery of Hudson, was the 
 pastor. The increasing infirmities of age compelled him to 
 resign his charge in part, at least, when the Presbyterian 
 church was again organized, occupying the Dutch edifice, and 
 receiving pecuniary aid from the Dutch members. It united 
 with the church and Academy at Lansingburgh, in extending a 
 call to your grandfather, who already enjoyed high reputation 
 as a preacher of the gospel and an instructor of youth. Thus, 
 in reality, three bodies united in the enterprise — the officers of 
 the Academy and the two congregations. The following are 
 the names of the gentlemen authorized to extend the invi- 
 tation : William Bell, Matthew Harrison, Thomas Bassle, elders ; 
 James Hick ok, David Allen, Elijah Janes, trustees. Not one 
 of them is now living. 
 
 Your grandfathers first visit to Lansingburgh was per- 
 formed in the winter of 1803-4, on horseback, in company with 
 Mr. Samuel Penny, then a merchant of Bridgeport, and his 
 nearest neighbor. The privations they endured on the road 
 were very trying, and long afterwards formed the subject of 
 many an interesting story in the family circle. They were four 
 days in reaching Lansingburgh. 
 
 George Edgcumbe, 2d, whose name occurs in the closing 
 sentence of the memoir, as having been born August 1st, 1807, 
 and whose death your dear grandfather seemed to be contem- 
 plating, when he so abruptly ceased to dictate, leaving the sen- 
 tence half finished, died August 24th, 1808, being a little over 
 a year old. But the family was called to pass through a much 
 severer trial just previous to this event, in the severe and pro- 
 tracted sickness of Alicia and her death. She died on the 21st 
 of April, 1808, of a peculiar disease of the throat, which pre- 
 vented her from taking food for the last six weeks of her life, 
 
 with the following inscription : " In memory of Samuel Blatchford, D. D., for 24 
 years pastor of this church — Born at Plymouth Dock, England, August 1, 1*767 — 
 Died in this village, March 17, 182S. The memory of the just is blessed." 
 
THE REVEREND SAMUEL BLATCHFORD, D.D. 37 
 
 her wasting frame being sustained by nourishing enemata. Her 
 sufferings were, for the most part, excruciating. 
 
 When I notice the birth of his Benjamin — as he loved to 
 call his youngest son — Edgcumbe Heath, on the 24th of March, 
 L811, the record of his seventeen children is complete. Eight 
 of them went before him, ready to welcome him to the abodes 
 of the blessed. Two of them died in England, five in Lansing- 
 burgh, and one in Maryland. Harriet Peacock died in her 
 24th year, and the Reverend Henry Blatchford in his 34th year. 
 The others died in early infancy, except Alicia, whose death I 
 have already noticed. 
 
 Having long observed the difficulties which beginners in 
 Greek experienced from the want of a good Greek grammar, 
 with an English instead of a Latin translation, he, soon after 
 his settlement in Lansingburgh, and after consulting with seve- 
 ral friends, especially the Reverend Dr. ISTott, of Union Col- 
 lege, undertook the task of rendering into English the Latin 
 of Dr. Moor's Greek grammar, deeming that, after examining 
 several others, the best of which he had any knowledge. Be- 
 sides translating it, he furnished notes to it, and added Dr. 
 Ewing's Syntax, in an appendix. A large edition, 2,000, I 
 think, was printed, on his account, in New York, by Collins & 
 Perkins, in 1807. This translation, in the time of it, was held 
 in considerable estimation, and several of our colleges adopted 
 it as their class-book, especially Union College. After a while, 
 however, it was superseded by others, but it is believed to have 
 been the first attempt to teach the Greek grammar in the Eng- 
 lish language. The fact that the grammar he selected, though 
 improved and honored by another translation, (that of the 
 Reverend Peter Bullions,) is still among the most approved 
 grammars now in use, and the further fact, that, in this country, 
 at least, Latin translations are nowhere put into the hands of 
 beginners, are an honorable tribute to the correctness of your 
 grandfather' s j udgment . * 
 
 * In addition to this Grammar, nine sermons and addresses of Rev. Samuel 
 Blatchford were published, as follows: 1. Sermon on "The Nature and Necessity 
 of the New Creation," in 1792. 2. Sermon on "The Great Duty of Universal 
 Love," in 1793. 3. Sermon, " The Validity of Presbyterian Ordination Maintained," 
 in 1798. 4. "Address to the Indians," in 1810. 5. Sermon preached before the 
 
38 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 In 1805 he was chosen one of the trustees of Union College, 
 in the prosperity of which institution he always took a very 
 deep interest. Soon after his election, he commenced acting as 
 one of the Board of Examiners, in company with the late Drs. 
 Coe and Proudfit. The duties of this position he continued to 
 discharge until a short time before his death, and he was sel- 
 dom, if ever, absent from his post. He took pleasure in these 
 semi-annual visitations, and, while he was faithful to his trust, 
 he was uniformly kind and courteous to the students under ex- 
 amination. These examinations afforded him the opportunity 
 of becoming acquainted with many gentlemen who, in after 
 life, distinguished themselves in their various professions, and 
 of forming acquaintances which were mutually pleasant and 
 profitable. 
 
 In 1824, he took a deep interest in the organization and 
 prosperity of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, of which he 
 was the first President. The acknowledgment of Mr. Van 
 Rensselaer's indebtedness to him, " not only for the constant 
 encouragement afforded, but for wise counsel concerning the 
 detail and execution of the plan itself," was handsomely ex- 
 pressed in a letter received from Mr. Tan Rensselaer, from 
 Washington, when he heard of his severe illness, in 1828. The 
 letter enclosed a munificent donation, " not as a remuneration 
 for services rendered, but as a small token of lasting indebted- 
 ness." I was present when the letter was received, and wit- 
 nessed the effect it had upon your grandfather's feelings. It 
 could not but be grateful to him, coming from such a source, 
 and accompanied by a proof of friendship so substantial. I re- 
 gret that the letter cannot now be found, or I would copy the 
 original entire, instead of drawing upon my memory for an ex- 
 tract. 
 
 In 1808 , Williams College, of which the late Dr. Fitch was 
 then President, conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of 
 Divinity. He felt highly honored by this unsought and unex- 
 
 Albany Bible Society, on "The Excellency of the Scriptures," in 1811. 6. Ad- 
 dress to Soldiers, in 1812. 7. Thanksgiving Sermon, in 1815. 8. Sermon 
 preached in Hudson, N. Y., at the ordination of Rev. Benjamin F. Stanton, in 
 1817. 9. Sermon, " The Sanctification of the Sabbath," in 1825. 
 
THE REVEREND SAMUEL BLATCHFORD, D.D. 39 
 
 pected mark of respect from those who were comparatively 
 strangers to him. 
 
 When speaking of his settlement in Lansingburgh, I ought 
 to have mentioned that, for four years, he continued unremit- 
 tingly to discharge the duties of Principal of the Academy and 
 pastor of the united congregations of Lansingburgh and Water- 
 ford — united only in ministry, not in government, the elder- 
 ships being distinct. Such constant employment, notwith- 
 standing the assistance of two faithful ushers, proved entirely 
 too arduous, and, besides, left him but little time for pastoral 
 visitation and attendance upon the sick. In 1809, at his earn- 
 est request, an arrangement was entered into, by which he was 
 to spend one-half of the usual amount of time in the Academy. 
 This arrangement continued for two years. By a subsequent 
 arrangement, he engaged to spend one day in the week in the 
 business of instruction, and selected Wednesday as the day 
 most convenient for him, his weekly lecture evening in Water- 
 ford being Tuesday, and in Lansingburgh Thursday. In 1811, 
 he withdrew entirely from the institution, except as a trustee. 
 He was elected a trustee some time before his withdrawal as 
 an instructor, and continued to act as President of the Board 
 until just before his death, ever maintaining a lively interest 
 in an institution which, mainly through his instrumentality, 
 had again assumed an honorable standing among kindred insti- 
 tutions. 
 
 When first settled over the united churches, he spent the 
 entire Sabbath alternately in each village, preaching twice. 
 After the relinquishment of half of his time in the Academy, 
 he divided the day between the two places, giving the morning 
 to one village and the afternoon and evening to the other, and 
 vice versa the next Sabbath. His practice was to write one ser- 
 mon a week, which he usually delivered in both places, and to 
 preach from short notes or extemporaneously at other times, 
 when he did not avail himself of previous preparation. Satur- 
 day was his study day. He must not then be interrupted, ex- 
 cept for some very important consideration. He usually went 
 into his study soon after breakfast, and spent the entire day in 
 looking over authors, &c, not commencing his sermon until he 
 had mastered his subject. When he began to write he con- 
 
40 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 tinned without any cessation until he reached the " improve- 
 ment." This he frequently left unfinished, except the "heads" 
 of remarks. It is rare that any one of the many sermons he 
 has left exhibits any marks of alteration, any interlining, or any 
 change of expression. It came at once finished from his hands, 
 and fit for the press, as far as it went. The most of Saturday 
 night he thus spent in writing, frequently not retiring to bed 
 until one or two o'clock. His rule was to finish his preparation 
 when he began. 
 
 His habits were very studious. He took but little exercise. 
 Most of his time was spent in study. History, especially an- 
 cient history, was his delight. His reading was never of a light 
 character. He abhorred the whole class of novels, and for 
 much of that which is called light literature he seemed to have 
 no taste. He could read fluently the Greek, Hebrew and Latin 
 languages, and understood, so as to translate, the Sanscrit and 
 the Arabic. Of the Italian, the French and the Spanish he had 
 but a slight knowledge. He could translate them, but not 
 without difficulty. He wrote a beautiful hand and always 
 prided himself on his penmanship. He could write sixteen 
 different hands. 
 
 His taste for the fine arts was above mediocrity. He was 
 very fond of drawing, and has left behind him several speci- 
 mens of his skill in this department, which are very well ex- 
 ecuted. This was his favorite recreation. 
 
 He was always punctual in his attendance upon the judicato- 
 ries of the church. Being a strict disciplinarian, he regarded it as 
 an imperative duty to attend all the meetings of Presbytery and 
 Synod, allowing nothing but providential interposition to inter- 
 fere. He was very seldom absent, no matter how considerable 
 the mere inconvenience or how great the distance. By his 
 Presbytery he was very frequently appointed as Commissioner to 
 the General Assembly. He was chosen Moderator of that body 
 in 1813; and the next year, according to usage, he preached be- 
 fore it. His text was Daniel, 12th chapter, 3d verse. In 1817, 
 the last Moderator not being present, he was selected to preach 
 the opening sermon, and took his text from Ephesians, 1st 
 chapter, 21st and 22d verses. His familiarity with church 
 government and his thorough acquaintance with the proceed- 
 
THE REVEREND SAMUEL BLATCHFORD, D.D. 41 
 
 ings of ecclesiastical courts, together with his acknowledged 
 judgment in all ecclesiastical matters, made him a sort of um- 
 pire father in church difficulties, great weight being always 
 attached to his opinions. 
 
 His general health was remarkably good. He had some 
 peculiarities of constitution, some idiosyncrasies, from which he 
 occasionally suffered inconvenience. He could not endure, 
 without sickness or fainting, the sight or smell of a cat, or the 
 taste or smell of cheese ; and the smell of vinegar was very of- 
 fensive to him. 
 
 His health began to fail about two years before his death. 
 He had a large tumor in the right side of his abdomen. Most 
 of the physicians whom he consulted pronounced it an enlarged 
 liver. A. post mortem examination proved it to be an enormous 
 expansion of the kidney, weighing, when removed, fourteen 
 pounds, and six pounds, after evacuating the fluid it contained, 
 which was a sort of bloody serum. The size of this tumor, in- 
 terfering with the healthy performance of the various functions 
 connected with the organs of digestion, rendered his sickness 
 very protracted. He was confined to his room for about six 
 months, and mostly to his easy chair or his bed. He suffered 
 greatly from the swelling of his legs and body. This rendered 
 him very helpless, and the sympathetic irritation of his stomach 
 was so great that he could retain next to nothing on it. I copy 
 the following from the last letter he wrote to me, and the last, 
 I believe, he ever dictated, with the exception of the one he 
 wrote to Mr. Peters, respecting the Home Missionary Society, 
 and which was published in the organ of that Society immedi- 
 ately after his death : " Lansingburgh, January 4th, 1828. My 
 dear Thomas : I have constituted your dear sister Jane my aman- 
 uensis, with a view of communicating a few matters relative to 
 myself. I still continue, as you may perceive, in the land of the 
 living, if this land may, indeed, deserve the appellation, where 
 sickness, sin, and death crowd the shores, and the earth is filled 
 with corruptible bodies. I still wait the command of Him in 
 whose hand are the destinies of man, and feel that I have abun- 
 dant cause to bless God that I am not exercised with acute 
 pain, and have long intervals of ease. Surely the means you 
 were led to adopt were under the direction of Him who does 
 6 
 
42 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 not willingly afflict nor grieve the children of men. The course 
 which yon prescribed I am still pursuing, and the nourishment 
 which I take agrees excellently well with my stomach, and my 
 inclination to it is as good as when you left us. My legs, in- 
 deed, continue to swell, but I am free from those distressing 
 spasms to which I was liable, and I am become a stranger to 
 those copious bilious discharges which you witnessed when here. 
 In affording me such relief, the Lord enables me to attend to 
 such services as have for their object the welfare of precious, im- 
 mortal souls and the glory of God. Sometimes, I am enabled, 
 with great enlargement of spirit, to speak of the wonders and 
 mysteries of grace to small classes of people, and, I trust, in 
 some instances, not without effect upon them, and with sensi- 
 ble refreshing to my own soul. It is delightful, as I approach 
 eternity, to have an evidence or two, brightened up by the 
 light of God's countenance, and the sweet influences of his spirit, 
 before I shall be brought to see Him face to face, and with 
 whom I shall be everlastingly satisfied, when I awake in his 
 likeness." He then gives an interesting account of the baptism 
 of Dr. Tucker's son, performed by him on his sick bed, giving 
 him his own name. This was the last time he administered 
 this ordinance, and the whole scene was described as one of sur- 
 passing solemnity. 
 
 Frecpiently during his protracted confinement, and when his 
 sufferings were not too great, he was in the habit of addressing 
 circles of from five to fifteen or twenty young persons, upon the 
 great object of their eternal concerns, accompanied by singing 
 and closing with prayer. It is known that these solemn and 
 interesting seasons were blessed to the conversion of several of 
 the young persons thus addressed. 
 
 He had no ear for music, and could scarcely distinguish one 
 tune from another, yet he greatly enjoyed the singing of others, 
 especially in the social circle. 
 
 Just before his death, your aunts determined, without his 
 knowledge, to note down on paper observations which fell 
 from him, from time to time, in his intercourse with those who 
 came to see him. We always regretted that this was not 
 earlier thought of, for, at times, he would give utterance to 
 sentiments of the most touching and sublime character. A few 
 
THE REVEREND SAMUEL BLATCHEORD, D.D. 43 
 
 only have been preserved, and I shall finish this letter by tran- 
 scribing these detached sentences. 
 
 To a brother in the ministry he remarked : " In the gar- 
 den of the Lord, his laborers are variously occupied. Some 
 busy themselves in planting trees, some in watering and culti- 
 vating the delicate and beautiful flowers, and some in pulling 
 up weeds ; and thus various is their employment in erecting 
 his glorious temple. The late John Flavel preached regularly, 
 once a year, to a congregation forty miles from his place of 
 residence. At an intermediate place, a minister asked to be 
 dismissed from his people, because his labors had not been 
 blessed to the conversion of sinners. Mr. Flavel visited this 
 congregation during one of his journeys, and, on the subse- 
 quent evening, requested them to state publicly the benefit 
 they had derived from their minister's instructions. One said, 
 he had been relieved in temptation; another had had his hopes 
 brightened ; a third was confirmed in the faith ; and all ex- 
 pressed some good done. The minister was overcome with 
 joy at this expression of satisfaction on the part of his people, 
 and said, with emotion, ' It is enough, it is enough.' Mr. 
 Flavel then inquired of his friend, which he thought the most 
 honorable employment — that of digging the rough stones out 
 of the quarry, or trimming and preparing them for the build- 
 ing." 
 
 To a company of young converts who had just been received 
 into the church, and who, by request, visited him a few days 
 before his death, he observed : " Let us all walk in a straight 
 way, like the beams of the sun. They turn neither to the 
 right hand nor to the left. The people of God have prayed for 
 a revival, and, when they saw you stand before the altar, a 
 thrill of joy went to their hearts. A large company have al- 
 ready gone to Heaven. Remember, you are a band following 
 after. Soon you shall meet together around the throne. Some 
 of you may have no earthly parent ; but, if you have a Father 
 in Heaven, all will be well. ' When my father and my mother 
 forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.' You see how 
 much I suffer. Bodily health is truly a great blessing, but it is 
 as dear Dr. Watts said, when dvinir — k All is now well with 
 me ;' and immediately he fell asleep in Jesus." 
 
44 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 To a valued member of his congregation lie said : " We 
 have long been looking for you to come out from the world. 
 In former times, men could not make a profession of religion, 
 without the risk of having their goods pillaged, and their bodies 
 burned ; but you, my dear sir, are not called upon to be a mar- 
 tyr. It is the tree of life that is before you, and all you have to 
 do is to reach forth your hand and partake freely of the fruit, 
 for there are none to molest or make you afraid." Soon after 
 this interview, the gentleman alluded to united with the church ; 
 and he has long been a ruling elder. 
 
 " I have always been a moderate man, or, at least, I have 
 tried to be so ; but, in some things, I have been vastly too 
 moderate. God has said, ' Thou shalt love the Lord thy Grod 
 with all thy heart ; ' but, oh ! how often have I suffered a little 
 bit of the creature to creep in, even in my best moments." 
 
 " Heaven grows brighter and brighter, as I approach its 
 portals." Then, smiling, he continued : "At times, it dazzles 
 my sight, by the brightness of its glory." 
 
 One of his elders observed to him, that his body was de- 
 caying fast. " Yes," said he, smiling, " let it decay, let it 
 waste, no matter how fast." Then, with an elevated voice, he 
 exclaimed : " I am ready. Oh ! the righteousness of Jesus 
 Christ ; 'tis the only way to the living temple." 
 
 To another of his elders he said : " Oh ! I am truly a great 
 sufferer ; but, if I can evince to my people that there is a con- 
 solation in religion, which the world can neither give nor take 
 away, I am willing to suffer anything. I am but one of the 
 little children in my Father's family ; but He attends as quickly 
 to the cry of the babe, as to the expressed wish of the older 
 ones, and is just as ready to fly to their relief, as a father pitiful 
 and kind." 
 
 When in great pain he said : " Oh ! that I could speak of 
 my mercies with as much energy as I speak of my distresses." 
 Again : " Oh ! what shall I do ? The Lord knows ; and should 
 not that be enough for me ? I do not know that it becomes me 
 much to enquire at all. That is nature, that is nature." Then, 
 with great firmness : " ' All the days of my appointed time 
 will I wait till my change come.'' Hush, my impatient 
 spirit." 
 
THE REVEREND SAMUEL BLATCHFORD, D.D. 45 
 
 At another time, when in great distress : " But it is all 
 mercy ; and what would I have more ? I am like a spoiled 
 child. If I am not dandled on the knee, I am continually cry- 
 ing out. "What must I do ? Not contented with the common 
 fare of the family, I must be cherished in the arms or patted on 
 the cheek." 
 
 When supposed to be near his end, he said : " I shall soon 
 forget everything relating to time, except that I was a great 
 sinner, and was made a monument of grace." 
 
 To Mrs. Bela Redfielcl, who expressed herself distressed by 
 the troubles of the church in Troy, he observed : " I have set 
 aside all the contentions and distractions of the church, and look 
 away to the general assembly and church of the first-born in 
 Heaven. You have got a new pastor," (referring to Dr. 
 Tucker) — " be careful and do not set your heart too much on the 
 creature. You need not so much regard the streams, while you 
 have free access to the fountain itself." 
 
 When feeling very languid, and thinking he was near his 
 end, he said : " Don't let me slip away without telling me of 
 it, for I want to see the little stream I have so soon to cross." 
 
 On waking, and appearing much agitated, we observed to 
 him that he had only been dreaming. " Yes," said he, 
 
 ' This world's a dream, an empty show, 
 But the bright world to which I go 
 Hath joys substantial and sincere ; 
 When shall I wake and find me there ? 
 Oh for some bright and peaceful bower, 
 Where sin hath neither place nor power.' 
 
 There, there will be none of these sufferings ; but the sweetest 
 thought is, that, in Heaven, not a shadow of imperfection or 
 frailty will pass over my sanctified spirit. Oh ! Eternity, 
 eternity ! Continually advancing from pure to purity itself — 
 from enjoyment to ecstacy." 
 
 The approaching Sabbath being Communion Sabbath, he 
 asked : " Where am I to pass my Communion Sabbath ?" Some 
 one said : " Perhaps in glory." " Yes, I hope so, and, more, 
 I expect it. Let us see, to-morrow is the preparation day, is it 
 not 8" He was told — no — it was Tuesday. " Ah, well ! that 
 is right. God does all things well." 
 
46 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 Speaking of the kind attentions of his friends, he remarked : 
 " ' What ! ' said our blessed Saviour, when in his agony — ' what ! 
 Could ye not watch with me one hour ? ' Now, I have more mer- 
 cies than my Divine Master had, since my friends give me no 
 opportunity to complain ; for they watch by me all the while, 
 every hour." 
 
 " Peter had never known the omnipresence of God, had he 
 not begun to sink ; so we never know the love, mercy, good- 
 ness, and power of God, until we are brought into some serious 
 difficulty." 
 
 " Oh ! what a fullness there is in the Lord Jesus Christ ! 
 Enough, enough, for all, and still more. I was forcibly struck 
 by a remark which I once heard the Reverend Mr. Reynolds, 
 of London, make, in a sermon : ' When I go through Leaden- 
 hall Market, 1 said he, ' and see the quantity and variety of the 
 provisions which are there exposed, I wonder how it can all be 
 consumed ; and then, when I walk through this vast city and 
 contemplate the numbers of its inhabitants, I wonder where 
 the provision is to come from to supply so many wants.' And, 
 now, for the application. Notwithstanding the immense num- 
 bers of His children and the extent and demands of His fam- 
 ily, there is provision enough in the Lord Jesus Christ for all ; 
 yea, and for ten thousand times ten thousand more, if He should 
 see fit to create them. The poor prodigal was right when he 
 said : ' How many hired servants of my father's have bread 
 enough and to spare.' Oh ! for a spiritual appetite." Then, 
 addressing himself to one of his sons, he continued: "He 
 will, by His own hand, lead me to his table. Yes, He has ; 
 and more than once too. Oh ! my son, what a book the Bible 
 is ! what a book the Bible is ! " 
 
 When the day was breaking, and the light began to make 
 its way through the crevices of the closed windows, he ob- 
 served : " How like the dark mist of early day are all our 
 views here, even the best of them ; but, when the sun is up, it 
 will quickly dispel them all, and we shall see things clearly. 
 My sun is rising now, and soon all mist will be vanished ; but 
 I must not be impatient." 
 
 While looking at his feet, which were very much swollen, 
 and which seemed about to mortify, he said : " The Lord doth 
 
THE REVEREND SAMUEL BLATCHFORD, D.D. 47 
 
 all things well. It is all just as it should be; but, to nature, 
 the waters of Jordan have an unpleasant chilliness." 
 
 " Under what obligations I am to sing the royalties ot 
 grace. I say ' royalties' because they all come from the hand 
 of a sovereign." 
 
 A female friend sent to him a request that he would pray 
 for her. After assenting, he continued : " My poor prayers ! 
 my poor prayers ! I hope she is a Christian and has an inter- 
 cessor before the throne. Tell her to go to Him." 
 
 To the Reverend Mr. Butler, Rector of St. Paul's church, 
 Troy, he said: "You know that delightful passage, 'The 
 foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal — the Lord 
 knoweth them that are His.' " " Then, your faith is strong," 
 said Mr. B. He replied, with great emphasis : " Yes ; yes." 
 " You believe you are His ?" " Yes, oh ! yes. I would not 
 relinquish my evidence for all this world." " You trust in the 
 merits of your Redeemer ? " " Yes, I trust alone in the right- 
 eousness of the Lord Jesus Christ." 
 
 "I have noticed, when passing up and down the North 
 river, in the steamboat, that there is always a great interest 
 manifested among the passengers to get a good view of the 
 house on Catskill Mountain, and each one wants the loan of 
 the telescope ; and, if there w r ere twenty glasses on board, they 
 would all be in requisition to examine more distinctly the dis- 
 tant edifice. So, we, who are sailing down the river of life, 
 have, as it were, a mountain house to contemplate — a building 
 of God — that house not made with hands, eternal in the 
 heavens ; and we, too, blessed be God, have a telescope of di- 
 vine origin — the word of God, through which* we may examine 
 the beautiful building, and view its foundations, and admire 
 its structure and its extent, and from which we have the privi- 
 lege of learning the qualifications necessary for admittance 
 there. Oh ! the Bible ! the Bible ! what a treasure is the 
 Bible ! " 
 
 To his youngest son, who, in an hour, expected to make a 
 public profession of religion, being seventeen years of age, he 
 observed: "This is a solemn day to you, my son; and, al- 
 though I am debarred the precious privilege of leading you to 
 the altar myself, yet I bless God you will have a standing 
 
48 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 there. Look through, I beseech you, look through the ele- 
 ments to the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Ever 
 remember that it is not a mere profession that constitutes the 
 hope of a Christian, but the blood of Christ. Then, give your- 
 self all away." After making a short and affecting prayer, he 
 threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. 
 
 "If any of the ransomed of the Lord will be permitted to 
 sing, ' Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name 
 give glory,' I shall be among that number." 
 
 To a very aged member of his congregation, a merchant, 
 who had never yet seen his way clear to make a profession of 
 religion, he remarked : " If you come in at the eleventh hour, 
 my word for it you shall not lose your penny. Life is short ; 
 death is sure ; it behooves you to be diligent. The light is 
 almost out; the wick is already in the socket; it will soon 
 nicker for the last time. It is a pearl of great price that is hid 
 in the gospel field, and that merchant is divinely wise who 
 makes that pearl his own." 
 
 " My flesh, you see," speaking to some of his children, " is 
 tailing fast, and I am fast going down to the grave ; but, blessed 
 be God, I can look beyond without one distressing fear. I 
 find myself on a rock, when trusting to the righteousness and 
 blood of Christ; and I think I can set my feet in Jordan, and 
 not be afraid. It is but a narrow stream and may soon be 
 crossed. Oh, what a sweet privilege to stand on gospel ground, 
 and look within the veil. If I did not do this, the very stones 
 would cry out. Yes, it is sweet ; and the higher we stand on 
 gospel ground, the richer are the beauties we behold. I can 
 mount a little, like the eagle ; and, like the lark, I can chirp, 
 though feebly. I have seen the lark rise from the green 
 meadow, singing as he rose, and mounting upward until he 
 appeared a mere mote in the sunbeam. I could not but think 
 he taught me that it was my own fault if I did not know more 
 of the sublimities of religion. Oh! for heavenward aspira- 
 tions ! " 
 
 " This is sometime sa privileged chamber. I must believe 
 that the Lord is here. Oh ! the goodness of God ! I see His 
 mercy in every thing — yes, even in the pain I suffer." 
 
 " Oh ! what a glorious plan is the plan of salvation ! Here 
 
THE REVEREND SAMUEL BLATCHFORD, D.D. 49 
 
 I am now, confined to this poor decaying body ; and soon I hope 
 to be as active and free as any seraph around the throne. Look 
 at the penalty : ' In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou 
 shalt surely die.' But the curse is made a blessing." 
 
 One morning, being very low, he appeared, for some min- 
 utes, lost in deep thought, and then, suddenly, broke out with 
 much energy of expression, and said : 
 
 " ' Jesus, my God, I know His name, 
 
 His name is all my trust, 
 Nor will He put my soul to shame, 
 
 Nor let my hope be lost.' 
 
 ISTo, I have a heavenly confidence in His faithfulness, His 
 ability, His love. Oh ! my children, be not too solicitous for 
 this poor, suffering, dying body. I have a glorious view — a 
 glorious anticipation — of what is in store for me. I now see 
 Him by faith. Soon, oh! soon, I shall see Him face to face." 
 After a few moments' silence, he added : " Oh ! I have had a 
 Pisgah's view." 
 
 Addressing a young man who had been thoughtful for some 
 time, but who seemed to be halting as to duty, and whom he 
 had before urged to immediate repentance, he said : " L— — , 
 my dear friend, religion is something or it is nothing. If it is 
 nothing, then let it float on the imagination, like a bubble on the 
 stream ; but if it is something, remember, it holds in its grasp 
 the keys of Heaven or of Hell. Embrace it, and you are a 
 child of glory. Reject it, and you are a fiend of Hell." 
 
 " O, thou, that dwelleth in the heavens, where Peter and 
 Paul, David and Manasseh, and all the redeemed, ascribe honor 
 and power and glory to the Lamb, shall I be permitted to bow 
 among them there ? O Lord, I am thine, do Thou take me to 
 thyself." 
 
 To Mr. Seelye, one of his elders, he said : " I have been 
 wonderfully supported hitherto, and I trust I shall be until I 
 get home to my Father's house. We may weep at our tempo- 
 rary separation, but we shall have abundant cause to rejoice 
 when we meet again. I am not ashamed of the gospel I have 
 preached. It is the plain gospel of Jesus Christ." He then 
 again repeated the lines, " Jesus, my God, I know His name," 
 &c. " I bless God now, that I have been kept from those va- 
 7 
 
50 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 garies in theology, which can never be reconciled nor explained, 
 in which the glory of God is hid. It is picking at the shell and 
 neglecting the kernel." 
 
 " ' As thy days, so shall thy strength be.' I am weak, very 
 weak, but the Lord, by his assistance, supports the very staff 
 he gives me ; else, it would drop from my hand." 
 
 One morning, when considered near his end, he thus ad- 
 dressed one of his kind physicians : " Doctor, I am waiting 
 my Father's will, I am watching for the messenger ; and now, 
 my dear sir, I embrace this opportunity of telling you, my hope 
 is fixed on the righteousness and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 That gospel I have so long preached I now find all sufficient 
 for my support. Permit me, sir, again to recommend the reli- 
 gion of the Lord Jesus Christ to your immediate acceptance. 
 Put your trust in Christ. He was the God of your departed 
 father, He is the God of your sainted mother, and His everlast- 
 ing arms are stretched out ready to receive you also ; and they 
 are embossed with the blood of the Redeemer. Reject and 
 perish; accept and you are a child of glory." 
 
 To two brethren in the ministry, who enquired of him his 
 feelings in view of death, he said : " I feel a rapture in my own 
 mind, and am led to exclaim, The Lord God of my salvation liv- 
 eth. I feel like a passenger waiting patiently for the hour of de- 
 parture to arrive. I always felt unpleasantly at the idea of leav- 
 ing my family and going from home ; but, somehow or other, I 
 look upon the journey of eternity, if I may so express myself, 
 with a holy delight. I feel like going home. Everything 
 here is polluted; hence, it cannot be the Christian's rest. 
 Faith and hope, as sister graces, accompany me all the way, 
 and direct my eye to the infinite rest above ; and soon, they 
 will beckon to me and say, Come up hither. The hope of 
 glory which Christ has formed within me, is by the glorious 
 administration of the spirit of grace." 
 
 Upon being told of the revivals with which God was so 
 extensively blessing His church, he said : " I bless God that 1 
 have been spared to see such a glorious day in the church. 
 The praise cannot be of man, or of one set of men. It 
 must be all of God, for the work is not confined to one part 
 more than another of the field ; but, in every portion we be- 
 hold the glorious triumphs of the Redeemer." 
 
THE REVEREND SAMUEL BLATCHFORD, D.D. 51 
 
 To some young ministerial brethren, who said they felt it 
 a privilege to visit him in his sick chamber, after telling them 
 something of his joys and anticipations, and most affection- 
 ately urging them to be faithful to their trust, and remind- 
 ing them of the solemnity of their ordination vows, he said : 
 " Go forth with the standard of the Cross. Hold it up, what- 
 ever may oppose. Some will turn away from its attractive 
 beauty ; but still go on — discharge your duties in the strength 
 of the God of Jacob, and He will bless you." 
 
 Towards the close of his life, he became subject to severe 
 paroxysms of pain and spasm. After one of these, which 
 seemed peculiarly severe, he said, with an inexpressible smile 
 upon his countenance : " As the wise men of the East were 
 travelling in pursuit of the babe Jesus of Nazareth, they were 
 guided in their course by the star of Bethlehem, which grew 
 brighter and brighter as they went, until it stood over the 
 place where the child lay. If I am permitted to have the 
 sight of that star, even in its glimmering state, how happy am 
 I. It is this star that strengthens, supports, and encourages 
 me as I go to be with Christ. But, oh ! how shall such a poor 
 sinner as I am bear the sight of the overwhelming glory of my 
 Divine Redeemer ? I cannot, surely, unless sanctified more 
 and more by the spirit of His grace." Then, with great 
 emphasis, he added : " But this shall be so, and it will be to 
 the praise of His rich and sovereign grace." 
 
 Feeling very languid, and perceiving his feet covered with 
 a cold sweat, he said : "As I feel the chilling drops of the 
 spray of Jordan gathering on my feet, how could I meet him 
 who is falsely called the king of terrors, as my friend, were it 
 not for the rich support afforded me by the sovereign grace of 
 Him who conquered death, hell, and the grave, when He rose 
 triumphant from their grasp." 
 
 When urged to take a little nourishment, having taken 
 nothing for some time, he remarked, cheerfully : " My eating 
 days are almost over, but my banquet days are all before me. 
 Oh ! Eternity, Eternity ! 
 
 ' When shall I pass the dreary night 
 In the bright realms of heavenly light.' " 
 
52 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 During a paroxysm of pain, and when he groaned out, 
 "Oh! what shall I do? what shall I do?" he suddenly 
 stopped, and then, composing himself, said : 
 
 " ' Does it behoove me much to know 
 What I'm to suffer here below, 
 While God directs my longing eyes 
 To the bright world beyond the skies.' " 
 
 To his family he remarked : " If I am not in the hands of 
 the arch-deceiver, P my hope in the covenant grows stronger 
 and the star of Bethlehem increases in brightness. Aye, and 
 it will continue to do so, until it becomes the sun of righteous- 
 ness to my enraptured soul." 
 
 When taking a little drink, and while holding the tumbler, 
 he said : " Oh ! how many cups of mercy have I, without any 
 thing offensive floating on the top. Shall I complain, then, if, 
 occasionally, a little bitter is mixed with it ? No, Lord, no. 
 Thy will be done." 
 
 " Prayer is a bank note drawn upon the great proprietor — 
 sure pay, no failure." 
 
 " We love to receive letters from absent friends. The 
 word of God is his book of letters to his absent chil- 
 dren." 
 
 After an interesting interview he had enjoyed with Dr. 
 Nott, he said to his family, when they returned to his room : 
 " Oh! was there ever so full a cup of mercy poured out at the 
 feet of a poor dying sinner as has now been administered to 
 me. 
 
 ' Lord, I am thine, but thou wilt prove,' " «fcc. 
 
 After recovering from one of his severe paroxysms, he 
 said : " It is harder crossing the stream than I had anticipated ; 
 but the beauties of Canaan are not in the least diminished by 
 the tediousness of the passage." 
 
 At another time, after a similar paroxysm, he looked up, 
 and, smiling, said, very deliberately : " ' He hath done all 
 things well,' was a label inscribed upon His crown when on 
 earth, and all the malignity of earth and hell combined has 
 never yet been able to pluck it hence." 
 
THE REVEREND SAMUEL BLATCHFORD, D.D. 53 
 
 The above is enough to show you how a Christian and a 
 Christian minister can die. For two or three weeks after he 
 was first seriously ill and when he began to realize the fatal 
 nature of the disease under which he was laboring, he suffered 
 a good deal of mental darkness and depression. He was 
 greatly troubled respecting the doctrine of the resurrection, 
 but it pleased his Heavenly Father to clear up all his doubts 
 upon every subject, and after this, for months, he had no 
 ground for dejection. His hope was always bright, his faith 
 always strong, but he loved to dwell on a " risen Jesus," as 
 he used to express himself; and few individuals were ever per- 
 mitted to enjoy richer foretastes of the rest remaining to the 
 people of God. For twelve hours before his death he was in 
 a lethargic state, and scarcely recognized any thing; but his 
 work was all done and well done. His evidences of a happy 
 change had already been so indelibly recorded upon the mem- 
 ory of friends, that no expression he could have made, had he 
 been favored with his senses, would have added any thing 
 to their assurances that his hopes of Heaven were well 
 founded. 
 
 It is the desire of my heart that you, my dear children, 
 may follow him as far as he followed Christ, and that, when 
 our earthly course is finished, we may meet him in his own 
 happy home in Heaven. 
 
 That this may be the case, is the sincere and constant prayer 
 of 
 
 Your affectionate father, 
 
 Thos. W. Blatchford. 
 
 From the Lansingburgh Gazette, of March 25th, 1828. 
 
 Died, on Monday evening, the 17th inst., at his residence, 
 in this village, the Reverend Samuel Blatchfokd, D.D., in 
 the sixty-second year of his age, and the forty-first of his min- 
 istry. He was a scholar of brilliant acquirements, and a sound 
 divine. As a persuasive and eloquent preacher, he was sur- 
 passed by few, if any, in our country, and was in full posses- 
 sion of all those endearing virtues and Christian graces which 
 
54 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 adorn and beautify the human character. He was sincerely 
 beloved and esteemed by all who knew him. He died in the 
 bosom of his church, in the full faith and hope of a glorious 
 resurrection. 
 
 The following biographical sketch of this venerable divine, 
 furnished us by an esteemed correspondent, cannot be unin- 
 teresting to many of our readers : 
 
 Dr. Blatchford was a native of Plymouth, in England, re- 
 ceived his education at Homerton College, emigrated to this 
 country in 1795, and, in 1804, was installed pastor of the 
 united Presbyterian churches of Lansingburgh and Waterford. 
 This office he filled until his death — a period of twenty-four 
 years ; and it is no small testimony to his worth, to say, that 
 he retained, during that time, the attachment of his people un- 
 diminished, and has left behind him a name that will long be 
 cherished with affection and regard. He was a tender hus- 
 band, a kind father, and a warm friend. He was a patron of 
 learning and a zealous advocate of the charities of the day. 
 To decision of character he united the urbanity of a gentle- 
 man, the accomplishments of a scholar, and the virtues of a 
 Christian. He possessed sound judgment and an extensive 
 knowledge of human nature. These he employed in sub- 
 serviency to the peace and happiness of his people. As a the- 
 ologian, his knowledge was comprehensive, and, by merit 
 alone, he rose to distinction in the church. Whilst he 
 guarded against innovation, both in doctrine and preaching, 
 in the full belief of the fundamental truths of the gospel, with 
 persuasive force, he preached Christ crucified, as the sinner's 
 only hope. 
 
 During his illness, which was protracted and painful, he ex- 
 hibited Christian fortitude and resignation seldom equalled, 
 and to all who visited him he testified of a Saviour's love, and 
 exemplified the efficacy of a Christian's hope, until he breathed 
 his last, and his spirit passed into the immediate presence of 
 his Divine Saviour. 
 
 The funeral of the Rev. Dr. Blatchford was attended, on 
 Friday last, by a large number of both clergy and people, who 
 assembled to mingle their sympathies with the afflicted family 
 and bereaved people, and to pay their last sad tribute of re- 
 
THE REVEREND SAMUEL BLATCHFORD, D.D. 55 
 
 spect to their lamented pastor.* Upon this melancholy occa- 
 sion, a sermon was delivered by the Kev. Dr. Nott, of Union 
 College, which, for purity of diction and sublimity of senti- 
 ment, must have been one of his happiest efforts. The ser- 
 mon was such as funeral discourses ever ought to be, not mere- 
 ly an eulogium on the dead, but a plain and powerful appeal to 
 the living. It contained a sound and lucid exposition of the 
 doctrines of the gospel, in their practical application to the 
 future destiny and everlasting well-being of man. It breathed 
 forth the sentiments of evangelical religion, inculcated the 
 soundest morality, and the entire purity of the heart, admon- 
 ished us of the uncertainty of life, the dread certainty of an 
 hereafter, and pathetically urged us to a preparation for the 
 great and untried realities that eternity will unfold. 
 
 Sermon preached at the funeral of the Reverend Samuel Blatchford, D.D., 
 at Lansingburgh, March 21st, 1828, by Eliphalet Nott, D.D., President of Union 
 College. 
 
 John, 14th chapter, 28th verse. " If ye loved me, ye would 
 rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father." 
 
 "For to rne to live is Christ, and to die is gain," said that 
 venerable man, who has been styled, by way of eminence, the 
 great apostle to the Gentiles. His words bespeak the sub- 
 limest fortitude as well as the most fervent piety. Though 
 aware of the vanity of earth and the brevity of life, he neither 
 cherished despondency nor indulged repinings. On the con- 
 
 * The remains of the Reverend Samuel Blatchford, and of the members of his 
 family, were, at their deaths, interred in the old burying ground at Lansing- 
 burgh ; but, surveys having been made for a contemplated street, to run directly 
 through the graveyard, the remains were disinterred, in November, 1863, and re- 
 interred in the family lot, on Laurel Hill, in Oakwood Cemetery, Troy, N. Y., 
 at the expense of Richard M. Blatchford, but under the direction and personal 
 supervision of Thomas W. Blatchford, At that time, a leaden box, six inches by 
 four inches, and an inch and a half deep, containing an autograph letter from Dr. 
 Blatchford to his wife, one from her to him, the names of their children, copied 
 from the family Bible, a copy of the New Testament, and the silver plate from 
 Dr. Blatchford's coffin, was deposited in an excavation, cut in the foundation 
 stone of the monument. 
 
56 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 trary, he made the most of the earth in which he lived, and 
 gathered from the scenes which it unfolded, checkered and 
 fleeting as they were, the essential ingredients of celestial plea- 
 sure. And yet by Paul, though it was Christ to live, it was 
 accounted gain to die. 
 
 When death can be thus accounted, with respect to our- 
 selves, or with respect to others beloved by us, we acquiesce in 
 it, not only with that profound submission due to the sov- 
 ereignty of God, but we experience, also, a consolation of a dif- 
 ferent kind. To virtuous minds, there is a high and holy 
 source of consolation in the thought, that death is gain to 
 those friends who are wrested from us ; and this is the source 
 of consolation opened by Christ to his afflicted disciples, in 
 our text. 
 
 The mere announcement of the fact that he must go away 
 had filled their hearts with sorrow— a sorrow alleviated, in- 
 deed, by the promise of the Comforter, but a sorrow that could 
 only be transformed into joy by the exercise of that intense 
 affection in which all the activities of the bereaved soul are 
 concentrated and absorbed. " If 'ye loved me, ye would rejoice, 
 because I said, I go unto the Father." 
 
 To beings habitually under the influence of carnal and self- 
 ish sentiments, these words may seem to express a contradic- 
 tion. And ought not the strength of love to friends to be ac- 
 counted rather the measure of grief than of joy, at their re- 
 moval 2 Of a love purely mercenary, doubtless, it ought to be 
 so accounted. 
 
 But there is a love of a higher origin and of a holier na- 
 ture ; a love not selfish, but social ; a love that seeks, not its 
 own, but the felicity of its object. Such was the love of God. 
 Happy from eternity, He needed not the praises of His crea- 
 tures. Benevolence alone could have prompted him to people 
 either heaven with angels or earth with men. And, when the 
 latter fell from their first estate in Paradise, to the same be- 
 nevolence must be attributed that wondrous plan of mercy de- 
 vised for their recovery. 
 
 Neither creation nor redemption were intended to bring 
 any accession of felicity unto God. On the contrary, both 
 proceeded from that spontaneous, diffusive benignity that de- 
 
THE REVEREND SAMUEL BLATCHEORD, D.D. 57 
 
 lights itself in imparting existence, and in communicating hap- 
 piness in redeeming from misery. 
 
 In these distinctive acts of goodness, there is a transform- 
 ing influence. Beholding the glory of God in the face of 
 Jesus Christ, his redeemed people are changed into the same 
 likeness, and feel the kindlings of the same celestial charity. 
 
 I am aware there are those who cannot receive this doc- 
 trine. Selfish and mercenary themselves, they attribute to 
 the same sordid sentiment the seeming charities of others. 
 They have yet to learn that it is better to give than to receive ; 
 nor can they imagine how a being should be supremely devo- 
 ted to the interests of another from other motives than those 
 of personal reward. 
 
 You remember who it was that asked, in malignant tri- 
 umph : " Doth Job fear God for naught? " The peculiarity of 
 his condition, the elevation he had attained, the affluence he 
 enjoyed, and the splendor in which he lived, seemed to give 
 countenance to the imputation that he did not. To test this 
 question, he is doomed to meet a sudden and an utter reverse 
 of fortune. Stripped of his property, bereft of his children, 
 and rendered loathsome, even, by disease, you behold him 
 next an object of derision, habited in sackcloth and sitting in 
 the dust, and yet even there, and while communing with sighs 
 and tears and anguish, he utters only this one laconic sen- 
 tence : " Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and 
 naked shall I return thither. The Lord, gave and. the Lord 
 hath taken away / blessed be the name of the LordP 
 
 In that sentence, insidious adversary, there is contained an 
 answer to thine inquiry. The event has demonstrated, that, 
 in the sense that thou demandest, Job does fear God for 
 naught. 
 
 Gain constitutes the motive that prompts the covetous of 
 wealth and honor to serve the mammon of unrighteousness. 
 But the service of redeemed sinners is not mercenary. They 
 devote themselves to Christ because they love him, and they 
 love him because he is the One altogether lovely, the chief 
 among ten thousand. In the presence of the Infinite and Un- 
 created, created beings appear little and unimportant. His in- 
 terests swallow up every other interest, as His glory ab- 
 8 
 
58 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 sorbs all other glory. Self is forgotten ; personal benefits are 
 forgotten ; aud God becomes all in all. Hence, said Jesus 
 Christ to His disciples : " If ye loved m.e, ye would rejoice, he- 
 cause I said, I go unto the Father" 
 
 That they did love him, their very sorrow testified ; but it 
 testified, also, that that love was neither so unmixed in its na- 
 ture, nor so intense in its degree, as befitted, on such an occa- 
 sion, the disciples of such a Master. In that sorrow there 
 was a tincture of human weakness, and the repinings of na- 
 ture rendered less entire that resignation which grace had 
 otherwise produced. 
 
 The security the disciples felt in the presence, and the hap- 
 piness they derived from the society of Jesus, induced a per- 
 sonal desire that He should abide with them forever. Such 
 desire is consonant to nature, and many a desolate heart still 
 appropriates that language of the man of Uz : " Oh, that 1 
 hietv where I might find him ! that I might come even to his 
 seat ! " 
 
 What bosom in which grace has made a lodgment, does 
 not even now expand at the idea of abiding in His presence 
 and beholding His glory, who was wounded for our trans- 
 gressions, bruised for our iniquities, on whom was laid the chas- 
 tisement of our peace, and by whose stripes we are healed. 
 Still consoling to His church, as His personal presence would 
 be, during this earthly pilgrimage, they who truly love, in 
 place of sorrowing, must rejoice that He has gone unto the 
 Father. 
 
 This event, Christ's ascension, put an end forever to His 
 humiliation and his sufferings ; and, because it did so, it ought 
 to excite in redeemed bosoms sentiments of joy. 
 
 Up to the time of the final assembling upon Olivet, there 
 is, in the history of our Lord, much to depress the spirits and 
 sadden the heart. From the manger to the cross, the path He 
 trod was a path bedewed by tears and traced in blood. Every 
 indignity was offered to his person, every dishonor cast upon 
 his office, and those deeds of goodness which fixed in admira- 
 tion the eyes of angels, awakened only derision and contempt 
 in the breast of man. At length, amid the quakings of Cal- 
 vary, justice inflicted its last pang and the agony was finished. 
 
THE REVEREND SAMUEL BLATCHFORD, D.D. 59 
 
 Grateful event ! at the remembrance of which who that loves 
 the Eedeemer of the world does not rejoice — rejoice that His 
 days of humiliation are ended, and that He will hunger and 
 thirst and suffer in behalf of sinners no more — no more dwell 
 in obscurity or wander in exile — no more endure the curse of 
 the law, and mourn the hidings of the face of His Father no 
 more. 
 
 The same event that marked the termination of the Sa- 
 viour's humiliation, marked also the commencement of His 
 triumph — a double reason for rejoicing, to those who loved 
 Him. 
 
 Before the world was, man's great deliverer sat upon the 
 throne in glory, and Him the angels worshipped. To repair 
 the wastes of sin, and vindicate the sanctitude of justice, He 
 became an inhabitant of earth and even a tenant of the sepul- 
 chre. 
 
 This, however, was but the inceptive act of a vast and con- 
 tinuous plan of mercy, whose unfoldings were, through future 
 ages, to fix in wonder the eyes of angels. ]S"or were the suf- 
 ferings of this act gratuitous. On the contrary, they were 
 linked in with those new principles of government about to be 
 unfolded, and had a mighty bearing both on the administration 
 of God, and the destiny of moral agents. For, ere the Son 
 left the bosom of the Father, and went forth among the habita- 
 tions of apostacy, to seek and save those that were lost, it had 
 been stipulated, that, redemption accomplished, He should 
 rise and reign over an eternal Kingdom, into which His ran- 
 somed people should be introduced. 
 
 With a view to this result, His sufferings were commenced 
 and consummated, " who, for the joy that was set before him, 
 endured the cross, despising the shame" and who, therefore, " is 
 set down at the right hand of the throne of God" 
 
 And, having undertaken, and having executed, this amaz- 
 ing enterprise, ought not Jesus Christ to have received its 
 stipulated rewards? Why, then, should redeemed hearts be 
 filled with sorrow at the hastening of their Redeemer's tri- 
 umphs ? Would his own disciples have retained Him longer, 
 the man of sorrows, upon earth, whom the heavens were wait- 
 ing to receive again to glory ? Would they have postponed 
 
60 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 the time of His departure, and unstrung those harps, already 
 tuned to perform his ascension anthem % Ah ! weak affection ! 
 Had they truly loved Him, Him only, Him supremely, they 
 would have sympathized in the sentiments of angels, and sent 
 up from earth a response of joy, to that loud acclaim from 
 heaven : " Lift uj> your heads, ye gates ; and be ye lift up, 
 ye everlasting doors / and the King of glory shall come in." 
 
 But, if the ascension of Jesus Christ deserved to have 
 been regarded as an occasion of joy, why should the departure 
 of those who have gone to join 'Him in this triumph be 
 contemplated in a sadder light. 
 
 To mere nature, death is, indeed, terrible and gloomy — 
 the hour of final separation. At the outset of this journey 
 of life, we find ourselves surrounded by kindred. The rela- 
 tions of father and mother, of brother and sister, were among 
 the first relations our young hearts recognized ; and, amid 
 the early pleasures which their untiring assiduities occasioned, 
 we first learned to feel that existence was a blessing, and that 
 it was good for us to be here. To these endeared objects 
 presently were added other objects of endearment — those 
 selected as companions or beloved as friends — friends whose 
 characters are assimilated to our own, whose conversation and 
 whose smiles give zest to life, in whose presence we forget our 
 cares, and with whom affection covets to perpetuate the joy- 
 ous scene, and, vain as this world is, would deem it gain to 
 abide in it forever. 
 
 Beguiled by the prospect that seems to open on us, and in- 
 dulging the pleasing hope that life, though not perpetual, will 
 be the measure of a lengthened season of calm and rational en- 
 joyment, we look around upon our friends as the abiding com- 
 panions of our pilgrimage, and fondly calculate on the solace 
 of their company till our journey ends. 
 
 Fallacious calculation ! For, as onward we advance, one 
 after another of those on whose companionship we doted, 
 are smitten from our side, and disappear amid the wastes of 
 death. Then, alas ! a sudden loneliness comes, and our deso- 
 late hearts, like those of the disciples, are filled with sorrow. 
 
 Tears, indeed, befit that grief that they bespeak, and they 
 are the tribute that nature pays to the loss of friends. But 
 
THE REVEREND SAMUEL BLATCHFORD, D.D. 61 
 
 there are friends at whose departure from us, if we truly loved 
 them, we should rejoice, and for the reason assigned by Christ 
 to His disciples — they have gone unto the Father. 
 
 Since immortality has been brought to light, and the curse 
 of the violated law cancelled, death is no longer, to redeemed 
 sinners, the king of terrors ; nor is the grave the place of final 
 desolation. " Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord" was 
 a response from no fabled oracle. It has been verified by many 
 an exulting spirit, that has ascended, shouting victory, along 
 that path that Jesus Christ has traced out to glory ; and those 
 gates which opened to give Him ingress have remained open 
 to give ingress to His followers, to whom, blessed as it may 
 have been to live, it has been found gain to die. 
 
 At the moment of their departure, we, prompted by the 
 sympathies of nature, received their benediction in anguish ; 
 and, having left us, we bedewed their very ashes with our tears. 
 On this event, the translation of the just made perfect, what 
 an affecting contrast between the sentiment indulged by their 
 friends on earth, and their friends in heaven. The blest above 
 are no indifferent spectators of those events of Providence that 
 are developed below. They applaud the fortitude of the saints 
 when contending, and their patience when suffering, for Jesus. 
 They watch the weary pilgrim as life declines and those clouds 
 gather round him that overhang the vale of death. They sym- 
 pathize with him when wasting with disease, when struggling 
 with pain, and especially when sinking beneath that resistless 
 power that turns all to dust. But, when the struggle is over, 
 and the scene closes, in place of sorrowing, they rejoice. Yes, at 
 the very moment when sighs and groans only are heard on earth, 
 there are songs in heaven. Those angels who once rejoiced at 
 the introduction of a subject into the kingdom of grace, again 
 rejoice at his introduction into the kingdom of glory — rejoice 
 that his trial is completed, his probation finished, and his eter- 
 nal salvation made secure. With an accession to their number, 
 they experience an accession to their bliss, and repeat, with 
 additional fervor, their hymn of praise. For, one destined to 
 be their companion was dead, and is alive ; was lost, and is 
 found. 
 
 In the death of friends, Christian friends, selfish and short- 
 
62 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 sighted creatures that we are, we dwell upon our loss and for- 
 get their gain. As if the grave swallowed up forever that re- 
 deemed dust committed to it. As if death, which only crum- 
 bles down this tenement, crushed its deathless tenant, also, be- 
 neath his disastrous tread. We cling with a convulsive grasp 
 to the objects of our regard when summoned to glory, struggle 
 to delay their departing spirits, and sometimes, even, feel the 
 risings of unsubdued regrets that we cannot recall them when 
 they are finally and irrevocably gone. 
 
 Preposterous conduct ! Ah ! were the veil lifted, and could 
 they now address us from that hill of Zion to which they have 
 ascended, would not their language be, like the Master's lan- 
 guage : " Weep not for us, but weep for yourselms and for your 
 children. Ours is the vantage ground of victory, and, if ye 
 loved us, ye would rejoice that we have gone unto the Father." 
 Though not from them, is this rebuke not pertinent? Can 
 love, a love that seeketh not its own, refrain from gladness, 
 when friends and kindred are made blessed ? 
 
 What, then, mean these sighs, and tears, and lamentations, 
 disconsolate mourners in Zion, whom death has bereaved? 
 Would you bind the objects of your affection to sublunary 
 scenes forever? Would you protract the season of their suffer- 
 ings, and compel them, even after their task is finished, and 
 their passport granted, still to linger on this alien planet, far 
 from friends and country, and from sacred Home ? To assuage 
 our grief, must the dead in Christ return again to suffering 
 and to life ? Again must they feel infirmity, struggle against 
 temptation, and, measuring a longer term of vanity, sigh a 
 second time for rest, from their bed of languishment ? Ah ! 
 no ! By the illumination of faith we correct the decisions of 
 feeling, and, at the remembrance of their gain, our sorrow is 
 transformed into joy. The dead in Christ return to suffering 
 and life ? Ah ! no ! Remain departed spirits in those realms 
 to which you have ascended, mingle your praises with the 
 praises of the blessed, and rest undisturbed in the bosom of 
 your God. Presently, we shall go to you, but yon will not, 
 and we rejoice that you will not, return to us. 
 
 Infinite wisdom does all things well. Henceforth, let us 
 lean on God and comfort one another by His words of promise. 
 
THE REVEREND SAMUEL BLATCHFORD, D.D. 63 
 
 " In my Father's house are many mansions ; if it were not 
 so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 
 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and 
 receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." 
 
 O, with what power, when heard aright, this peace-speaking 
 voice falls upon the crushed orphan's ear, and comes home to 
 the widow's or the parent's sorrow-wounded heart! It is the 
 Master who said, " I will come again." And came he not, 
 when those loved ones whose absence we mourn were sum- 
 moned to glory? Thankful that our departed friends are safe, 
 let them be tears of joy, if, indeed, tears we shed, as we in- 
 scribe their epitaph and build their sepulchre. Death is but a' 
 momentary pang, and momentary the separation it occasions. 
 Cheered by the promise of the future, let us cease to brood 
 over the bereavements of the past. The redeemed on earth 
 will soon be joined to the redeemed in heaven, share their joys 
 and join their songs of triumph. 
 
 But there are other lights in which the rupture of those ties 
 which death occasions requires to be contemplated. 
 
 The pastor, as well as the husband and the father, has been 
 recalled. From the manner in which he sustained his office, 
 the patience with which he bore his sickness, and the resigna- 
 tion with which he met his death, there is reason to cherish the 
 consoling hope that he has gone unto the Father. And, be- 
 cause this is so, there is reason in his behalf to rejoice. But, 
 though for him we weep not, are there not those for whom it 
 were charity to weep ? 
 
 The Shepherd has been smitten, and his bereaved flock pre- 
 sents itself before us. Him God may have removed in mercy ; 
 but, whether in mercy or in judgment to others, is known only 
 to Himself. What means this afflictive providence? Why 
 have those lips that once published salvation been prematurely 
 sealed? Is the work finished, the sermon ended, and the har- 
 vest past, that the laborers are recalled ? Are there here no 
 more souls to be awakened, to be converted, to be edified and 
 trained up for glory ? By whom, Lord, shall they that remain, 
 and are ready to perish, be gathered ? Or hast Thou said, in 
 thine anger, because of our offences, " Ephraim is joined to his 
 idols ; let him alone." Sensible of our unworthiness, and re- 
 
64 THE BLATOHFOBD MEMORIAL. 
 
 membering how thine overtures of mercy have been treated, 
 we desire to bedew these desolate altars with the tears of con- 
 trition, and say, in behalf of all who worship around them — 
 spare thy people, and give not up thy heritage to destruction. 
 
 Has the pastor of this church gone unto the Father, re- 
 called ere he had numbered the days of the life of man, and 
 while in the midst of his usefulness ? In this act behold God's 
 sovereignty. He employs and He dispenses with human 
 agents at his pleasure. Neithor Aaron, nor Elijah, nor Paul, 
 nor Apollos, were any thing but instruments in the hand of the 
 Almighty — instruments which, though He uses them, He so 
 uses as to make it manifest to earth and heaven that He needs 
 them not. Nor does He need them. Powerless alike is he 
 that planteth and he that watereth. It is God, and He only, 
 that giveth the increase, who, baffling human calculation, and 
 crossing human hope, says, by an expressive providence, to 
 His church, " Trust not in man, nor make flesh thine armP 
 
 Has the pastor of this church gone unto the Father? 
 What greater zeal, what increased diligence, then, becomes 
 those, once his companions in office, who remain behind. On 
 us devolve additional cares and duties. There is the same 
 labor to be done, and fewer hands to do it. Thenceforth, 
 who will perform those services that our departed brother 
 heretofore performed ? Who shall execute his trusts, or guard 
 and feed his flock % Who shall stand in this breach which 
 death has made, and sound the trumpet of the watchman, that 
 the sinner here may be afraid and the hypocrite in Zion trem- 
 ble % Or shall the lips of the living as well as of the dead be 
 sealed, and no voice of warning disturb that illusive slumber 
 in which the carnally secure repose ? 
 
 To the teacher and the taught alike this providence of God 
 is replete with counsel. He who hath shortened our deceased 
 brother's term of service and of suffering says to us, Be ye 
 also faithful, and I will crown you with a crown of life. Ye 
 watchmen, whom God hath spared and still spares, receive and 
 lay to heart this admonition. That hearse on which the dead 
 shall be borne to his place of burial, shall soon be driven to 
 thy door. Soon thine eye shall be as dim, thine arm as nerve- 
 less, and thy lip as silent, as his whose limbs the shroud be- 
 girts, and on whose breast the clod presses. Bestir thyself, 
 
THE REVEREND SAMUEL BLATCHFORD, D.D. 65 
 
 therefore — exhort, rebuke, admonish, in season and out of sea- 
 son ; and, " whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy 
 might ; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor 
 wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." 
 
 Has the pastor of this church gone unto the Father ? Then 
 what account of yon, ye elders, his constituted helpers, mast he 
 have rendered ? Faithful to your own souls and faithful to 
 the souls of those over whom the Holy Ghost hath made 
 you overseers, has he borne with him and presented in that 
 upper sanctuary, the memorial of your zeal and your fidelity ; 
 or has he presented a memorial the opposite of this — a me- 
 morial replete only with details of discipline neglected, of ordi- 
 nances profaned, and personal duties not performed ? Stranger 
 as I am, I affirm nothing, I decide nothing. I merely agitate 
 these questions, and, in the prospect of the judgment day, let 
 conscience answer them. 
 
 Ye members of this church, communicants at the table of 
 the Lord, to whom your deceased pastor once broke that bread, 
 and poured out that cup, which are the symbols of the body 
 and the blood of Christ — having gone unto the Father, what 
 account of you must he have rendered ? Has it been, think 
 you, an account of your blameless and exemplary lives ; of 
 your faith, your patience, your unanimity, your charity and 
 labors of love ? Or has the recital of pagan vices, rather than 
 Christian virtues, swelled its details ? Is the history of your 
 divisions and contentions, of your recriminations and censori- 
 ousness, so interwoven with the history of his ministry, that lie 
 must have testified on high, that, in the church he served, are 
 scandals not wiped away, apostates not debarred from the sacra- 
 ments, and wanderers not inquired after and brought back un- 
 to . the fold ; that discipline is no longer heard of, and, though 
 the forms of religion are preserved, its power and vitality are 
 fled ? Again, I affirm nothing, I decide nothing. I merely 
 agitate these questions, and, in the prospect of the judgment 
 day, let conscience answer them. 
 
 Ye sinners in this congregation ; heads of families ; mem- 
 bers of families ; parents living without prayer ; children with- 
 out obedience ; transgressors without repentance ; having so 
 long preached to you in public, and so often conversed with 
 9 
 
66 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 you in private, now that your pastor has been called to give 
 an account of his intercourse with each of you, man by man, 
 what account must that have been, think you, and how 
 must he have answered each solemn interrogatory concern- 
 ing the state of those souls of yours over which he had been 
 placed a watchman ? Must he not, returning his commission 
 to his Master, have said, in regard to this portion of his 
 charge — " Lord, who hath believed our report and to whom 
 hath the arm of the Lord been revealed ? Acting as thine 
 embassador, I have published to them thy gospel ; but I have 
 published it in vain. In vain I have told them of thy love, of 
 thy sufferings, and of thy death. I have told them of thy 
 resurrection and of thy ascension in vain. They would none 
 of thy counsels and slighted all thy reproofs." 
 
 Be his account what it may, it has been already rendered ; 
 and, so far as his own ministry is concerned, it is final. If 
 you have been deaf to his warnings, if you have disregarded 
 his invitations, and poured contempt upon those overtures of 
 mercy of which he was the bearer, the guilt thereof rests 
 upon your consciences and you shall answer it to God. 
 
 But, waiving further remark upon his labors, how has the 
 suspension of those labors been improved ? Has it produced 
 those effects that such a providence is calculated to produce ? 
 For a time, God addressed you by his voice, and you attended 
 not ; and has that expressive silence which ensued been more 
 attended to ? Has privation quickened desire for the restora- 
 tion of the service of the sanctuary ? On the Lord's day morn- 
 ing, as your families have dispersed, and your children wan- 
 dered from altar to altar, have you, like the exiled Israelite, 
 hung your harps upon the willows and sighed to return to this 
 house of God ? 
 
 Death, always impressive and instructive, is, in the instance 
 now before us, particularly so. Your pastor, enfeebled by dis- 
 ease, for a season withdrew, but returned hither. And why ? 
 Let the event answer. That he might die among 3^011. This 
 was his errand. His other work was already done. God had 
 no further public message to be communicated by him. Hence, 
 though he appeared in your public assemblies, he addressed 
 you not. But, though he was denied this privilege, those who 
 
THE BEVEREND SAMUEL BLATCHFORD, D.D. 67 
 
 visited his bed of sickness can bear him witness how tenderly 
 he felt for you, how affectionately he spoke of you, and with 
 what paternal care he dwelt upon your dangers and your 
 wants. 
 
 That paternal care death hath terminated. To you who 
 hear me, this, like his previous ministry, will be a dispensation 
 of mercy or of judgment. How you had improved his previ- 
 ous ministry, had already been apparent. How you will im- 
 prove his death remains to be determined. 
 
 Ah ! could he address you now, with what increased solem- 
 nity would he speak of death, of hell, of judgment. What 
 am I saying ? He does address you. In such a death there is 
 a tongue that speaks — in such a grave, there is a voice that is 
 audible. If you hear it not, it is because you will not hear it. 
 There are those that will. But, though there were not, God's 
 high purpose will be answered. Among you, His embassadors 
 have not only labored and lamented, they have also languished 
 and died. If ye repent not, their deaths shall abide as a 
 memorial, and their sepulchral monuments abide as a witness 
 for God. Another will now be added to their number, for, 
 the mortal remains of another who had been commissioned to 
 publish the glad tidings, is to be conveyed to the graveyard. 
 The mound that shall inclose his ashes, will rise beside your 
 pathway — a mound that shall oft obtrude itself on that unre- 
 pentant sinners eyes whom in life he warned, and whom he 
 still warns, though dead, and shall hereafter warn, till only the 
 feet of strangers pass that threshold and occupy this sanctuary. 
 Where, then, will be his former flock ? Where ? Assembled 
 in the charnel house ; a subterranean congregation ; laid one by 
 one beside their silent pastor. 
 
 What next ? For a season, oblivious time exerts its influ- 
 ence over those memorials that make the dead remembered. 
 The mound sinks, the monumental marble moulders, the house 
 of desolation becomes continually more desolate, till both the 
 pastor and his flock on earth are utterly forgotten. But not 
 in heaven are they forgotten. Among those ruins there is 
 redeemed dust. To God that dust is precious, and He will 
 raise it, nor it alone. At an appointed hour, the Archan- 
 gel's trump shall summon both the pastor and his flock to 
 
68 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 judgment. Both will obey it. For the sea shall deliver up 
 the dead that are in it, and death and hell shall deliver up the 
 dead that are in them. 
 
 Then, thou scoffer, and ye who, being warned, repented 
 not, then shall ye confront your pastor and answer for your- 
 selves, while he accounts for that stewardship of his, now 
 closed. Then shall it be known whether the blood of those 
 souls is on his head or on their own. 
 
 It is recorded that a dead body, on being cast into Elisha's 
 tomb, as it touched the bones of the prophet, revived and 
 stood upon its feet. There are other tombs, besides Elisha's, 
 if approached aright, that would impart a life-communicating 
 influence. Oh ! that the spiritually dead could be induced 
 mentally to frequent the graveyard, and attend in thought on 
 those quickening, edifying lessons which wisdom hears re- 
 peated from those chambers where the prophets of the Lord 
 repose. Never does the eye beam with such radiance, never 
 does the tongue utter such accents, or the hand move with 
 such expressive action, as when begirded with a shroud and 
 speaking with emphatic silence from a coffin. Such is the em- 
 bassador's final sermon ; and this to his auditors is the last 
 means of grace. And is there no hope that it may prove 
 effectual ? Ye who have heard no previous sermon, hear this. 
 'Tis the great preacher, Death, who warns you. Listen to that 
 warning and delay not. He holds the scimitar as well as the 
 clarion in his hand, and, standing beside the sepulchre, he 
 shakes the one while he sounds the other ; and his commission 
 is, (after having warned the living by the manner in which he 
 selects and strikes the dead), to cut down the cumberer of the 
 ground and gather, though unprepared, the wicked to the 
 sepulchre. 
 
 O Clod, stay the destroyer's avenging arm, and prevent, 
 by thy grace, that doom which we deserve but deprecate. 
 " He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith 
 unto the churches;" and, hearing, let him fly betimes from 
 that wrath which is to come. 
 
 O God, give this grace also, and to thy name shall be the 
 glory. 
 
MRS. ALICIA BLATCHFORD. 
 
 From the New York Observer. 
 
 Hope in Death. 
 
 Such is the title of a funeral discourse delivered at Lansing- 
 burgh, N. Y., by the Rev. V. D. Reed, on the occasion of 
 the death of Mrs. Alicia Blatchford on the 2d day of Decem- 
 ber, 1846. The deceased was the widow of the Rev. Samuel 
 Blatchford D.D., and was long and extensively known and 
 loved as a mother in Israel. She had attained her 80th year, 
 but was always remarkably active, and, until within eight days 
 of her death, enjoyed excellent health. 
 
 For the following sketch of this humble, devoted, and use- 
 ful Christian, we are indebted to the discourse above men- 
 tioned. It was delivered to a crowded audience, composed of 
 those who had long known the deceased, and whose broken 
 sobs testified their sense of her worth and their loss. 
 
 Mrs. Alicia Blatchford was born in Totness, County of De- 
 vonshire, England, in 1767. At an early age she consecrated 
 herself to that Saviour whose name she delighted to honor in 
 all her subsequent life. In 1788 she was married to the Rev. 
 Samuel Blatchford, then a dissenting minister in England. In 
 1795 he came, with his family, to this country, and, after 
 preaching in Bedford, in this State, and Greenfield and Bridge- 
 port, in Connecticut, he removed to Lansingburgh in 1804, 
 and assumed the pastoral charge of the united Presbyterian 
 churches of Lansingburgh and Waterford. Here he labored 
 with great ability and success until his death, in 1828. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was eminently happy and suc- 
 cessful in filling the station, at all times responsible, and often 
 difficult, of a pastor's wife. Characterized by great prudence, 
 and possessed of an uncommon acquaintance with human na- 
 ture, a capacity to adapt herself to every variety of condition 
 and circumstances, and kindness of feeling that sought the 
 good of all, she labored to promote the temporal and spiritual 
 welfare of the different members of her husband's flock. 
 
70 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 After the death of her husband, although conscious that she 
 no longer held the peculiar relation to his people which she had 
 previously sustained, her interest in their welfare, and her ef- 
 forts to do good continued, and were increased. 
 
 She was eminently conscientious in the discharge of her 
 duty. Seldom did she allow an opportunity to escape of drop- 
 ping a word of encouragement to Christians, or of admonition 
 to the impenitent. While she was pre-eminently meek and 
 gentle, she evinced great moral courage in rebuking sin. Some 
 who admired her character and esteemed her for her many ex- 
 cellences, shunned her presence for fear of her fidelity. 
 
 She cherished a marked reverence for the Sabbath and the 
 ordinances of God's house. She would never allow herself or 
 her family to secularize the day of rest, or appropriate holy 
 time to matters of worldly interest. The last Sabbath but one 
 of her life, she was twice present in the sanctuary. 
 
 She possessed great reverence and love for the word of God. 
 It was her uniform practice to read a portion from the Old and 
 New Testament every day. She received the teachings of in- 
 spiration with the docility of a child, and fed upon them as her 
 daily food. 
 
 She had clear views of sin. Her perfect horror of it and 
 loathing of herself as a sinner cannot be described. Her appre- 
 hension of the plan of salvation through the atoning blood of 
 Christ, and of the necessity of the atonement, was remarkably 
 distinct. She felt her entire dependence upon divine grace, 
 and that, if she were ever saved, it would be through the in- 
 finite, unmerited, sovereign mercy of God, in Jesus Christ. 
 
 She took great delight in prayer. Her life was emphatic- 
 ally a life of prayer. She suffered nothing to interfere with 
 her regular seasons of devotion. When unable to attend meet- 
 ings for social worship, she spent the time of the meeting in 
 prayer. 
 
 She was most faithful and thorough in self-examination. 
 She allowed herself no excuse for indulgence in sin or neglect 
 of duty. 
 
 Humility was one of her most prominent characteristics. 
 The more she enjoyed of divine goodness, the more humiliating 
 were her views of herself. 
 
MRS. ALICIA BLATCHFORD. 71 
 
 The last sickness of Mrs. Blatchford was short. She was at- 
 tacked severely on Wednesday morning, and died the Wednes - 
 day following. In the early part of her illness, she seemed 
 conscious she should not recover, and, with great composure, 
 made her arrangements to die. At first, her mind was not per- 
 fectly at rest. She hoped and prayed that some comfort might 
 be afforded to her in her dying hour ; but she had many 
 doubts — not of God's faithfulness — but in view of her own sin- 
 fulness. " If, ever," said she, " a poor sinner deserved to be 
 banished from the presence of God forever and ever, I am that 
 one — yet I know that Christ died to save sinners, and I cast 
 myself upon the mercy of God, in Christ." 
 
 At length, however, the cloud began to be removed. Her 
 hope became stronger. Gradually, her fears were all dissi- 
 pated, her darkness became the brightness of day, and her con- 
 flicts were all forgotten in transporting views of God's mercy 
 to her soul. " I can lean," at last she could say, " upon the 
 almighty arm of my Saviour. I feel that I have an anchor cast 
 within the veil, sure and steadfast. I know that my Redeemer 
 liveth. It is an awful thought that an immortal soul should be 
 banished from the presence of God forever. I know I deserve 
 this, but trust I have obtained mercy through the compassion- 
 ate Saviour." 
 
 On Monday, and thenceforward till her death, all was peace. 
 Not the shadow of a doubt was permitted to disturb the se- 
 renity of her soul. Her mind continued clear on the subject 
 of religion to the very last, and her happiness was unbounded. 
 " I did hope and pray," said she, "that the cloud might be re- 
 moved, and it has all passed away. I thought that if I could 
 get but one glimpse of my Saviour, it would satisfy me ; but now 
 I enjoy the full blaze of the divine glory, as revealed to me 
 through Christ. I dared to hope and pray only for jpeace, that 
 I might be delivered from darkness • but oh ! I have the 
 fullness of joy — the fullness of joy. And can it be that / am 
 so blessed. It is wonderful ! It is wonderful ! Matchless con- 
 descension ! Infinite grace !" 
 
 Her deep humility and earnest watchfulness, however, con- 
 tinued. She anxiously inquired if she might not be deceived. 
 " Oh ! tell me," again and again she imploringly said, " tell 
 
72 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 me, do you think I am deceived ?" She could hardly admit 
 that such displays of God's love could be made to such a sin- 
 ner as she felt herself to be. 
 
 She seemed to breathe the very atmosphere of heaven. 
 Her soul was filled with the presence of Christ. Once, while 
 her sufferings were most intense, a short season was spent in 
 prayer, after which she remarked : " I was completely carried 
 away from earth, and forgot entirely my sufferings, in the 
 consciousness of God's presence and of the glory to be re- 
 vealed." 
 
 Early on Wednesday morning a great change took place, 
 and it became evident that death was near. Her sufferings 
 were very severe, but not a murmur or the least whisper of 
 impatience escaped her. The dying conflict was long and 
 painful. For eighteen hours after she was struck with death, 
 she was held grappling with the king of terrors. Yet she 
 had no fear. She felt that her Saviour was with her, and 
 death could not alarm her. During this time, several scenes 
 of overpowering interest were witnessed, of which no ade- 
 quate description can be given. At one time, she seemed in 
 a perfect transport of joy in view of her departure. All pres- 
 ent were filled with awe, and thought her just about to burst 
 the chains of earth, as she raised her hands, and, with heaven 
 beaming in her countenance, exclaimed : " I'm mounting — 
 I'm mounting — Oh ! I'm mounting. Oh ! I desire to see the 
 whole world filled with the glory of God." 
 
 Her interest in her family was prominent to the very 
 last. It was remarked, by one of her children, " You will 
 soon be in heaven and see our dear father." " Yes, yes," 
 said she, " and what shall I tell him % " " Tell him we are all 
 following on to meet you there." She earnestly exclaimed : 
 "What — all?" and, directing a penetrating glance to her 
 children around her, she enquired, "Shall I tell him that 
 you are all coming to meet us ? Shall I tell him you will 
 all be there ? " With bursting hearts they responded, " Yes, 
 mother, allP As if every wish of earth were gratified in the 
 confident hope of meeting all her loved ones again, she clasped 
 her hands, and, raising her eyes to heaven, said, " Lord, now 
 lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have 
 
MRS. ALICIA BLATCHFORD. 73 
 
 seen thy salvation;" and, after a long pause, which seemed to 
 be spent in prayer, she continued : " My great desire is, that 
 my children may all be united to the God of their fathers. I 
 desire them all to be united to the visible church. It is not 
 the name, nor the form, but the power of godliness I pray for. 
 They must be clothed with the righteousness of Christ. The 
 righteousness of Christ, the righteousness of Christ alone, will 
 be sufficient in the great day. 1 ' It was said to her : " You will 
 exhaust yourself. Do take a little rest." " Oh ! " said she, 
 " I have done nothing during my whole life. Let me do 
 something in death." 
 
 She delighted in nothing so much as to exalt Christ. Re- 
 peatedly, she said: " I can do nothing, and I rejoice that I can 
 do nothing, without Christ." It was said : " Your contest will 
 soon be ended; you will soon obtain the victory." She added, 
 with great emphasis : " Thanks be unto God, through our Lord 
 Jesus Christ." The name of Jesus had a charm, and would 
 rouse her when her energies were almost spent. For some 
 time before she breathed her last, when conversation was very 
 difficult, we heard her exclaim, in broken expressions : " Jesus" 
 — Jesus " — "precious Saviour" — "lovely Redeemer" — "prom- 
 ises, promises" — " grace, grace " — " glorious home " — " heaven- 
 ly rest" — "wonderful plan of salvation" — "wonderful, won- 
 derful, wonderful " — "and that I, so unworthy, should be so 
 blessed ! "— " Lord, why is it I % why is it I % " 
 
 About an hour before she expired, it was said to her : " The 
 struggle will soon be over." She replied : " Jordan seems 
 short — Jordan seems very short." These were the last words 
 we could distinguish. She was almost across the river of 
 death, and her soul was enraptured with the sight of the 
 heavenly Canaan. Her labored respiration soon ceased. Her 
 sufferings seemed at an end. She lay perfectly quiet, breathed 
 shorter and shorter, and fell asleep, so gently, that it was diffi- 
 cult to say when the spirit was released. In the stillness of 
 that solemn midnight hour, as, with breathless interest, we 
 gazed upon the countenance of that dying saint, and, kneeling 
 by her couch, commended the departing spirit to Almighty 
 God, we felt that heaven was near, that we could almost look 
 within the veil, that we could almost see that Saviour in whose 
 10 
 
74 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 arms she quietly fell asleep, and almost hear the bursts of joy 
 and praise that rose from the lips of the Heavenly host as an- 
 other ransomed sinner was welcomed home to glory. Oh ! 
 that the infidel had been there ! Oh ! that the thoughtless 
 votaries of earth had been there ! Oh ! that cold hearted, 
 worldly-minded Christians could have witnessed the peace, the 
 joy, the triumph of that death scene. Them that sleep in 
 Jesus will God bring with him. 
 
THE BEVEEEND HENBY BLATCHFOED. 
 
 From " The Early History of the Presbyterian Church," by Spence. 
 
 The Eev. Henry Blatchford was a native of England. 
 His father, the late Eev. Samuel Blatchford, D.D., of Lan- 
 singburgh, 1ST. Y., removed, with his family, to this country, 
 when Henry was quite young. 
 
 He was liberally educated, being a graduate of Union Col- 
 lege, of the class of 1£1% and a member of the first class of 
 students that entered the Theological Seminary at Princeton, 
 !N". J. He was ordained and installed, November 27th, 1815, 
 over the Irish church, by which name it was then known, situ- 
 ated in Orange street, ~New York. It was subsequently re- 
 moved to Canal street, and destroyed by fire in 1861. In 1818 
 he removed to Salem, Massachusetts, and was installed pastor 
 there January 4th, 1819. Here he remained two years. In the 
 early part of the summer of 1822, the churches at Snow Hill, 
 Pitts' Creek, Eehoboth and Monokin, in Maryland, were with- 
 out a preacher, and invited Mr. Blatchford to visit them. His 
 preaching was most acceptable to Christians of all names ; and, 
 whilst he labored here, the people became increasingly inter- 
 ested in his public ministrations. His sermons were not 
 merely carefully but punctiliously elaborated, and he read 
 them, I believe, precisely as they had been written. I never 
 knew a minister who gained more rapidly upon the affections 
 of those whom he taught publicly, but especially of those 
 with whom he mingled in social intercourse. 
 
 On Sunday, the 25th day of August, 1822, he preached 
 three times in the church at Snow Hill. His public prayers, 
 at all times remarkable for their fluency, fervor, and humble 
 familiarity with God, were so remarkable for those qualities on 
 •that day, and especially in the evening, as to thrill the feelings 
 of those who in faith united with him. I remember distinctly 
 the expression of a female in very humble life, a member of 
 a church of a different name. " I never heard such prayers," 
 
76 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 said she, " they pierce through and through me." The text of 
 his third sermon, preached on the evening of that day, was 
 John 1, 41 : " Wejiave found the Messias ; which is, being in- 
 terpreted, the Christ." I know not that he had ever preached 
 with deeper feeling or greater power, and he concluded the 
 sermon by repeating that solemn hymn commencing : "Lo! 
 on a narrow neck of land," &c. It was his last sermon. But 
 one other earthly Sabbath dawned upon him ; for, on Saturday, 
 the 7th of September, at Princess Anne, whither he had gone 
 but a few days before, he fell asleep, and entered, I doubt not, 
 upon a Sabbath which will never end. 
 
 On the morning of Sunday I attended his funeral in the 
 church at Princess Anne. In the absence of a Presbyterian 
 minister, an Episcopal clergyman preached the sermon, and 
 was assisted in the other services by two brethren of the 
 Methodist Episcopal church. The death of Mr. Blatchford 
 was sudden and unexpected, and the removal of such a man to 
 his " long home," whilst far away from father, mother, wife, 
 children, and the friends of his early life, aroused all the sym- 
 pathies of the people, and bathed the faces of the speakers and 
 many of their hearers in tears. I remember the appearance 
 and manner of one of the clergymen who stood at the head of 
 the grave — his eyes red and swollen, his voice husky. Ele- 
 vating his right hand, he commenced an address to the con- 
 gregation, as follows : "It has been, and is, my prayer to die as 
 our brother has died — to be called home while busity engaged 
 doing my master's work." 
 
 On a neat white marble slab raised in front of the church at 
 Monokin is the following inscription : " In memory of the 
 Ttev. Henry Blatchford, A.M., the eldest son of the Rev. 
 Samuel Blatchford, D.D., of Lansingburgh, New York. He 
 died, September 7th, 1822, in the 34th year of his age. As a 
 man a brother, a husband, and a father, his virtues were emi- 
 nently conspicuous. As a Christian and a minister, he was dis- 
 tinguished for his humility, his piety, and his zeal. All who 
 knew him loved him. He was removed in the midst of his la- 
 bors in this vicinity, from the work of the vineyard to the re- 
 wards of the blessed ; and, as a pledge of tender Christian re- 
 gard, this monument is erected over his remains by the con- 
 
THE REVEREND HENRY BLATCHFORD. 77 
 
 gregatiotns of Monokin, Rehoboth, Pitts' Creek, and Snow 
 Hill."* 
 
 * At the time of the improvement of the Lot in Oakwood Cemetery, Troy, 
 N. Y., (see note page 55,) a plain marble slab, five feet ten inches high by two 
 feet five inches broad, was raised, with the .following inscription : " A Ceno- 
 taphic Memorial of Rev. Henry Blatchford, A. M., who died at Princess Anne, 
 Md., Sept. 7, 1822, aged 34 yrs — Also, Rev. John Blatchford, D.D., who died 
 at St. Louis, Mo., Apl. 8, 1855, aged 56 yrs., interred in Quincy,IU. — sons of Rev. 
 Saml. and Alicia Blatchford." 
 
MARY MILPOED WINDEATT BLATCHFORD. 
 
 The following Obituary was written by Dr. James C. Bliss, of New York, and 
 published in the New York Observer, in August, 184*7 
 
 Died, on the 17th inst., Mary Milford Windeatt Blatch- 
 ford, daughter of the late Rev. Samuel Blatchford, D.D., of 
 Lansingburgh, N. Y. 
 
 There was such a beautiful blending of those graces which 
 ennoble and adorn Christian character, in this estimable lady, 
 that something more than an ordinary obituary notice seems 
 proper ; and this, not so much to eulogize the departed, who is 
 beyond the influence of commendation or blame, or to gratify 
 the endearing recollections of surviving friends, but to excite 
 in the hearts of Christians, and especially of the young, a desire, 
 like our departed friend, to make the Lord Jesus Christ their 
 pattern, to endeavor to have his spirit, to grow into his like- 
 ness, and to tread in his footsteps. 
 
 Miss Blatchford, under faithful parental training and exam- 
 ple, and prayer, which took hold on the covenant faithfulness 
 of God, became, at an early age, a subject of divine grace. It 
 was at a period when grateful Christians were directed to the 
 fountain head of truth for instruction, and when, too, the old 
 practical evangelical writers, such as Baxter, Flavel, Owen, 
 Doddridge, and others, were, put into their hands, to guide 
 their footsteps heavenward. It was from the sacred Scriptures, 
 and writers like those named, that Miss B.'s Christian charac- 
 ter was moulded ; and, consequently, it had features which it 
 would have never derived from the light, trashy, sentimental, 
 religious literature current at the present day. 
 
 The recollections of the writer of this run back to the period 
 when she began her Christian course. He remembers her de- 
 votional habits, her spiritual-mindedness, her watchfulness over 
 her own heart, her self-distrust and deep sense of unworthiness, 
 and her reliance on the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus 
 Christ. With these characteristics, she was remarkable for her 
 
80 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 unruffled temper, meekness, humility, and deep sympathy for 
 all who were suffering. She had, likewise, an irrepressible de- 
 sire for the salvation of the impenitent, especially of her young 
 friends and companions. At that early age, she would single 
 out particular individuals, and make them the subjects of her 
 prayers and efforts, till they were hopefully brought into the 
 kingdom of Christ. The writer has a distinct recollection of her 
 having, when quite young, mentioned to him an instance of her 
 having her anxieties and solicitude fastened upon a young friend, 
 in whose behalf she wrestled with the angel of the Covenant 
 every time she bent her knee before the mercy seat, for more 
 than a year, till her faith was rewarded by the hopeful con- 
 version of her friend, who has lived to adorn her profession, 
 and fill a sphere of usefulness. 
 
 As Miss B. advanced to mature life, the character of her 
 piety became more fully developed and manifested in all the 
 relations of life. It was particularly exhibited in the family re- 
 lation, in her devotion to her honored parents, in the deep in- 
 terest she felt in her brothers and sisters, in her self-sacrificing 
 spirit, and in her perfect disinterestedness, in all which it 
 seemed she had no object for which to live but the good of 
 others. But her field of usefulness was not bounded by her 
 immediate family circle. She ardently engaged in the relig- 
 ious instruction of the young in the Sabbath School, and in 
 all the works of charity which are the appropriate province of 
 females. She was especially a ministering angel in the dwell- 
 ings of the sick and the sorrowing. So remarkably was this the 
 case, that, for many years, scarcely an instance of severe illness 
 occurred in the village, either among the rich or the poor, in 
 which she was not found at the bedside of the suffering, en- 
 deavoring to soothe their pains and minister to their wants. 
 She was equally prompt in her visits to the house of mourning, 
 and in attending to all those kind offices, and administering 
 those consolations, so grateful and so much needed by the be- 
 reaved heart, and which none can so well and so appropriately 
 bestow as a Christian female. She was a wise counsellor, and 
 accessible to all, and her advice was, perhaps, more frequently 
 sought than that of any female in the circle in which she 
 moved. 
 
MARY M. W. BLATCHFORD. 81 
 
 Few have spent a life of more unobtrusive usefulness, and 
 few will have their memory more richly embalmed in the hearts 
 of surviving friends. 
 
 Miss B. was subject, from early life, to attacks of violent 
 disease. In 1844, she had a severe and dangerous illness, from 
 the eifects of which she never fully recovered, and she was 
 never able afterwards to resume the active duties of life. 
 
ALICIA WINDEATT BLATCHFOBD. 
 
 The following notice, prepared by the Reverend Samuel Blatehford, D.D., was 
 published in the Lansivgburgh Gazelle, in April, 1 808. 
 
 Died, on Thursday, the 21st inst., in the 18th year of her 
 age, Miss Alicia Windeatt Blatchford, of this village. 
 The distinguished piety of this young lady was peculiarly 
 evidenced through a long and distressing sickness, and few 
 persons have left behind them so glorious a testimony of the 
 truth of Christianity and the power of divine grace. The 
 generous sympathy and assiduous attention of all descriptions 
 of persons during her illness, and the most affectionate offices 
 of friendship displayed by the young persons of the village, 
 whilst they were peculiarly serviceable to the deceased, and 
 highly grateful to her friends, reflected the highest credit upon 
 themselves. Her funeral was attended by an immense con- 
 course of people, and the solemn event was excellently im- 
 proved in a sermon delivered by the Rev. Mr. Coe, from 2d 
 Kings, 1th chap., 26th verse : " Is it well with the child ? 
 And she answered, It is well."* 
 
 *This event was also improved, on the following- Sabbath, in a very impres- 
 sive discourse from the Rev. Mr. Kendrick, minister of the Baptist Church, after- 
 wards the Rev. Dr. Kendrick, of Rochester University, from Eccl., 12, 5: "Man 
 goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets." 
 
 A procession of one hundred young ladies, dressed in white, followed the 
 corpse from the church to the graveyard. 
 
THOMAS WINDEATT BLATCHFORD, M. D. 
 
 Extracts from a sermon delivered in the Second Street Presbyterian Church, Troy, 
 N. Y., January 2%th, 1866, by the Reverend D. Kennedy, D.D., on the occasion of the 
 death of Thomas W. Blatchford, M. D. 
 
 Thomas Windeatt, son of the Reverend Samuel and Alicia 
 Blatchford, was born in Devonshire, England, in 1794. In 
 infancy he came, with his parents, to America, they residing 
 first in Bedford, New York, and shortly afterwards in Green- 
 field Hill, Connecticut, to which place his father was called to 
 fill the pulpit rendered vacant by Dr. Dwight's acceptance of 
 the Presidency of Yale College. We next find him preparing 
 for college in the Academy at Lansingburgh, N. Y., of which 
 his father had charge in connection with his labors as pastor 
 of the United Presbyterian Churches of Waterford and Lan- 
 singburgh. His education was subsequently continued at 
 Union College, where he enjoyed the special friendship and as- 
 sistance of the Professor of Chemistry, Thomas C. Brownell, 
 afterwards Bishop of Connecticut, and also of Thomas McAu- 
 ley, Professor of Mathematics. After prosecuting his medical 
 studies for a period in the city of New York, he went to Lon- 
 don, where he attended two courses of lectures at St. Thomas' 
 and Guy's Hospitals, under the charge of Professor Cline and 
 Sir Astley Cooper. Returning to New York, he continued his 
 studies at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, where he 
 was graduated in 1817. Soon after this he became established 
 in the practice of his profession in Jamaica, Long Island, where, 
 in 1819, he was married to Harriet, daughter of Thomas 
 Wickes, one of the original patentees of the town of Hunting- 
 ton, L. I. After a residence of ten years in Jamaica, he re- 
 moved to Troy, in 1828, which has been his permanent home 
 to the time of his decease. 
 
 In this city it may truly be said that Dr. Blatchford was ac- 
 tive and faithful in every good word and work, rising rapidly 
 in the confidence and respect of his fellow-citizens immediately 
 on coming hither, and subsequently filling many offices of trust 
 
86 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 and responsibility. The truth is, his influence in the city has 
 been a moral power for good, reaching to every department of 
 its material, sanitary, intellectual and Christian improvement. 
 Most men are apt to feel themselves overtaxed with the duties 
 of one or two public positions in addition to their ordinary en- 
 gagements, but he was adequate to the superintendence of a 
 large number ; nor has there ever been any complaint that he 
 was negligent in the discharge of responsibilities devolved upon 
 him. 
 
 He was an earnest advocate of the system of free schools, and, 
 for several years, rendered efficient service as trustee and school 
 commissioner, and, for seven years, acted as President of the 
 Board of Education, devoting much time to a personal visitation 
 of the schools. He was one of the most efficient of the Trus- 
 tees of the Polytechnic Institute, and also of the Troy Female 
 Seminary, in each of which he cherished a deep and lively in- 
 terest. He has been President of the Rensselaer County Tem- 
 perance Society, and the Rensselaer County Bible Society, and 
 .was deeply interested in the Young Men's Christian Associa- 
 tion, whose daily prayer-meetings he attended whenever his 
 duties would allow ; and all this amid the cares and responsi- 
 bilities of an extended professional practice. When we add 
 to this, his labors in the hospitals and asylums of the city, 
 with his duties of ruling elder in this Church, we are literally 
 amazed at the amount of work he performed. But more still, 
 his pen was frequently employed on important and abstruse 
 themes connected with medical science, and. he has published 
 much which has secured to him an enviable reputation in this 
 and other lands. 
 
 The mental capacities of Dr. Blatchford were originally of 
 a high order, and were constantly expanded and invigorated by 
 a continuous intellectual and professional training. With a 
 clear and ready perception of truth, an accurate judgment and 
 comprehensive views, were united a somewhat vivid imagina- 
 tion and a retentive memory. These attributes, disciplined 
 and strengthened by habits of patient reflection, enabled him 
 to grasp and analyze the various subjects that came before him, 
 with energy and success. Of this, his numerous contributions 
 to the leading medical journals of the country furnish the most 
 ample proof. 
 
THOMAS W. BLATCHFORD, M.D. 87 
 
 Dr. Blatcliford always cherished a high estimate of the dig- 
 nity of his profession, and evidently engaged in its duties from 
 higher motives than those of avarice and ambition. He appre- 
 ciated its claims, and conscientiously met its manifold obliga- 
 tions. So high a sense did he possess of the dignity of the 
 medical profession, that he abhorred empiricism in all its forms, 
 whether found in connection with ignorance or learning. When 
 associated with the latter, he could not always resist the convic- 
 tion that it was assumed for other than honorable and useful 
 purposes, and he treated it accordingly. Himself a thinker and 
 a student, he felt that no one was entitled to confidence in the 
 profession without possessing the same elements of devotion to 
 its high claims. In this respect he was honest and outspoken . 
 Any believed abuse of professional trust he resolutely opposed, 
 however strong the agency by which the wrong was attempted 
 to be consummated. Possessing an innate desire to relieve hu- 
 man sorrow, he never refused to answer the calls made upon 
 him, unless he was himself prostrated by disease. By night or 
 by day, however wearied and exhausted by previous service, 
 however severe the storm, debilitating the heat, or intense the 
 cold, however distant the patient or lowly his habitation, he 
 promptly responded to every call, and hastened, as a minister of 
 mercy, to the couch of the sick and the dying. Christian love, 
 united to a naturally humane and sympathizing disposition, in- 
 spired him with a sort of sacred enthusiasm in the duties of his 
 calling. The voluminous record of his professional charities to 
 the poor, can be read only by Him from whom he has received 
 the gracious benediction : " Inasmuch as ye have done it unto 
 one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 1 ' 
 
 To the high estimate which I have placed upon the character 
 of Dr. Blatcliford as a physician, I am sure I can adduce the 
 testimony of all his professional brethren in this city. They 
 knew him, valued him, and trusted him ; and they are ready 
 to bear witness to his skill, his urbanity, his unselfishness, his 
 high sense of honor, and his stainless integrity. This testi- 
 mony is fully corroborated by the honors conferred upon him 
 by different medical associations and institutions in this and 
 other States. He has been President of the New York State 
 Medical Society ; member of the American Association for the 
 
88 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 Advancement of Science ; Vice President of the American 
 Medical Association ; Corresponding Fellow of the Academy 
 of Sciences, St. Louis, Mo. ; Fellow of the College of Physi- 
 cians and Surgeons in New York, and subsequently President 
 of the Alumni of that Institution. He has also been Honor- 
 ary Member of the State Medical Societies of Connecticut and 
 New Jersey. 
 
 In contemplating the religious character and life of Dr. 
 Blatchford, we find much that is deeply interesting and in- 
 structive. Favored with the unspeakable blessing of a pious 
 parentage, special attention was given to his religious training. 
 The great truths of the gospel were kept constantly and 
 prayerfully in contact with his understanding and conscience, 
 not only in their intrinsic greatness and importance, but also 
 in their practical bearing upon his spiritual interests for time 
 and eternity. As might have been expected, deep religious 
 impressions were received by him in early life. But it was 
 not till 1812, while prosecuting his medical studies in the city 
 of New York, that he made a public profession of his faith in 
 the Son of God, by uniting with the Presbyterian church in 
 Rutgers street, then under the pastoral care of the Reverend 
 Dr. Milledollar. Several years after this, under the preaching 
 of the Reverend Dr. Nettleton, he experienced what he has 
 been accustomed to call a " reawakening," the salutary effects 
 of which were manifest during the whole of his subsequent 
 life. An interesting account of this event, written by himself, 
 has been published in the second edition of the Memoir of Dr. 
 Nettleton. In 1828, he removed to this city, and united with 
 the Second Presbyterian Church, from which, in 1842, he came 
 by letter to this Church, in which he sustained the office of 
 ruling elder till the time of his death — a period of more than 
 twenty years. 
 
 When I refer to the religious life of Dr. Blatchford, I feel 
 that I am speaking of something with ' which every one who 
 hears me is well acquainted. He was known every where, in 
 the highest style of character which any man can possess — 
 that of a true Christian. He was always in a mood for devo- 
 tional services, and never seemed more happy than when he 
 could turn his thoughts from business or social enjoyments to 
 
THOMAS W. BLATCHFORD, M.D. 89 
 
 spend with Christian friends a brief interval of communion 
 with God in prayer. With a disposition marked by natural 
 vivacity and cheerfulness, he was always welcome in every so- 
 cial circle ; and, while his piety was at an equal remove from 
 austerity and levity, few came in contact with him who felt 
 not the influence of his enlivening and instructive Christian 
 converse. There was no asceticism in his religion, which, 
 though it might not prevent him from entering into heaven, 
 would still unlit him for society on earth. His was a large, 
 loving, genial, sympathizing heart. As a friend, he was ever 
 ready to listen to the claims of those around him, and prompt 
 to assist with counsel, encouragement, and pecuniary aid. 
 Those who were younger could regard him as a loving father ; 
 his equals in age, as an affectionate and sympathizing brother. 
 It can be said of him, with confidence, that wherever he was, 
 at home or abroad, in public or in the family, he forgot not for 
 a moment that he was a disciple of Christ, nor failed to exem- 
 plify the pure and holy principles which he professed. What- 
 soever things were true, and honest, and just, and pure, and 
 lovely, and of good report, commended themselves to his judg- 
 ment and his taste. The exemplariness of his life was pro- 
 verbial ; and of his sincerity and honesty of purpose in all he 
 said and did, who entertains a doubt ? Such was the trans- 
 parency of the principle of integrity within him, that his very 
 presence was a rebuke to all dishonesty, dissimulation, and hy- 
 pocrisy. He loved righteousness in all its phases, and hated 
 iniquity in all its forms, however alluring the garb it might 
 assume. In his equanimity and self-possession, in his govern- 
 ment of temper, and in his spirit of forbearance, he made con- 
 spicuous attainments. Here the natural virtues of his charac- 
 ter were beautifully blended with his Christian graces, and re- 
 ceived from them their lovely and attractive features. So that, 
 as charity dwelt in his heart, the law of kindness was ever 
 upon his lips. Ready to forgive an injury, nothing but an ac- 
 knowledgment of the wrong was needed to restore the offender 
 to the fullest participation of his confidence and affection. 
 
 The many acts of beneficence he performed were prompted 
 by the combined influence of feeling and duty. The circle of 
 his benevolence embraced the whole family of man ; for, there 
 12 
 
90 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 are few, if any, of the great institutions of the land, which 
 contemplate the regeneration of the world, which did not find 
 in him a liberal supporter. But he did not stop with these. 
 There were innumerable rills of refreshing bounty which he 
 caused to circulate amid the habitations of the afflicted and 
 destitute around him. How many widows and orphans have 
 his angel ministrations gladdened and blessed, who spontane- 
 ously rise up this day to bear testimony to his unostentatious 
 and liberal benefactions ! But a small proportion of his chari- 
 ties can ever be known on earth, for they were performed in 
 imitation of Him whose life was one constant scene of benefi- 
 cence, and who taught his disciples to do good for its own sake, 
 and not to be seen of men. 
 
 To a life thus marked by consecration to the service of 
 God, and unceasing devotion to the welfare of his fellow men, 
 it is natural to anticipate a corresponding close. And in this 
 we are not disappointed. The first decided inroad made upon 
 his physical strength occurred in the spring of 1862, caused by 
 his incessant labors to relieve the wants of those who suffered 
 by the great fire, which, at that time, desolated so large a por- 
 tion of our city. But notwithstanding the gradual failure of 
 his powers from that time onward, his activity and energy 
 were such that he did not give up any of his duties, nor relax 
 his usual diligence and promptness in his professional services. 
 On the 23d of December last, he was prostrated by an attack 
 of intermittent fever, which resulted in typhoid pneumonia. 
 After lingering for fifteen days, the gentle spirit of the faithful 
 servant of God was released from the sphere of his earthly 
 labors. 
 
SAMUEL MILFORD BLATCHFORD. 
 
 The following address was delivered by the Reverend William Adams, D.D., Pas- 
 tor of the Madison Square Presbyterian Church, New York, on the occasion of the 
 funeral of Samuel M. Blatchford, Esq., who died in New York, June 'id, 1864.* 
 
 We are conscious of no abrupt and violent transition from 
 the Christian Communion to the funeral services. We can 
 conceive that it might have been otherwise. But now, this 
 Summer Sabbath, this blessed Sacrament, and the funeral of a 
 true Christian, all blend and harmonize together in one uni- 
 form impression. " 'Till he come " — are the words sounding 
 in our ears in connection with the observance of this ordinance. 
 And Christ has come to another of our number. But a short 
 time since, we were here assembled at the funeral of an officer 
 of the army ; now, at the interment of an officer of the Chris- 
 tian Church. Few words need to be said ; for this silent form 
 is the speaker. 
 
 Mr. Blatchford was one of a numerous family, descended 
 from a most excellent Christian parentage. I recall their ven- 
 erable forms and impressive manners. The father was an emi- 
 nent minister of the Presbyterian Church, and two of his sons 
 were also clergymen. Never was there a group of children 
 who could more truthfully appropriate to themselves the lines 
 of Cowper : 
 
 " My boast is not that I deduce my birth 
 From loins enthroned and rulers of the earth; 
 But higher far my proud pretensions rise, 
 The son of parents pass'd into the skies." 
 
 At fourteen years of age, Mr. Samuel M. Blatchford made 
 confession of his faith in Christ, in connection with the Church 
 of Rev. Dr. Romeyn, in this city. His personal experience 
 
 *Mr. Blatchford was buried from the Madison Square Presbyterian Church, on 
 the first Sabbath in June, 1864, immediately after the administration of the Lord's 
 Supper. The body was met at the door by the pastor and elders of the Church, 
 and was placed in front of the pulpit, where, a moment before, the communion 
 table had stood. 
 
92 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 always prompted him to a special interest in the early confir- 
 mation of the young on the Lord's side. 
 
 Qn my coming to this city, nearly thirty years ago, I found 
 him a member of the Central Church, and, in 1836, he was 
 elected, in that Church, a ruling elder. Of the Session to 
 which he was then united, but one now survives, and he at pres- 
 ent is a member of another church. What pleasant and fragrant 
 memories are associated with their names. Their faces come 
 back to me, and the tones of their voices in prayer. We took 
 sweet counsel together, with nothing which occasions pain, till 
 death divided us. 
 
 The private walk and conversation of Mr Blatchford were 
 such as to command confidence and respect. His children 
 revered, as well as loved him. He was modest, unobtrusive, 
 and sincere. Never demonstrative in his manners, he im- 
 pressed all who knew him with his real goodness. 
 
 My associations with him as an Elder were more than pleas- 
 ant. He was a wise counsellor. Independent in judgment, he 
 never made that independence an excuse for rudeness, nor did 
 he ever use it for purposes of self-will, offence and unkindness. 
 Rare opportunities has a minister to judge of character, in the 
 administration of ecclesiastical affairs. Some are known most 
 favorably where they are known superficially. By frequent 
 contact, the gilding wears off, and there is no basis for confi- 
 dence. With Mr. Blatchford, no one even suspected there was 
 anything in him 'to be found out which was not to his credit. 
 He had a good report of those who are without ; and the more 
 thoroughly he was known, the more solid his worth appeared. 
 
 It was in the house of God, in the midst of public worship, 
 that he was stricken with that disease which at length bore him 
 to the grave. Rallying from that sudden attack, he recovered 
 a good degree of vigor, and was uniformly cheerful, sustained 
 by the hopes of religion and his faith in Christ. His deportment 
 to the very last, till consciousness was clouded by the process 
 of dissolution, was in beautiful consistency with his whole 
 Christian life. He fell asleep, in the time of the Spring blos- 
 soms and flowers, leaving to his family the priceless legacy of 
 his pure and honorable name, and to the Church the memory 
 of his usefulness. 
 
THE REVEREND JOHN BLATOHFORD, D.D. 
 
 Obituary. 
 
 The Reverend John Blatchford, D.D., was born at New- 
 field, now Bridgeport, Connecticut, May 24th, 1799. His father 
 removed to Lansingburgh, New York, in 1804. Here, in 1816, 
 he united with the Church, and his attention was soon turned 
 to the ministry. His preparatory studies were first at Cam- 
 bridge Academy, and afterwards at Salem, New York. He 
 entered Union College in 1817, and graduated there in 1820. 
 His theological studies were pursued at the seminary at Prince- 
 ton, New Jersey. He was licensed to preach, by the Presby- 
 tery of Troy, in 1823. He was first settled at Pittstown, New 
 York, and was ordained and installed there in August, 1823. 
 The Reverend Dr. John B. Romeyn, of New York, preached 
 the sermon on the occasion, and the Reverend Mr. Beman made 
 the ordaining prayer. His father gave the charge to the pastor, 
 and the Reverend Ravaud K. Rodgers gave the charge to the 
 people. He remained at Pittstown till the Spring of 1825, 
 when he received and accepted a call to Still water, New York. 
 In 1829, he accepted a call to the Congregational Church in his 
 native place, where he labored with much acceptance till 1836, 
 when, on account of his wife's health, he removed to the West, 
 spending the Winter of 1836-7 in Jacksonville, Illinois. In 
 1837, he was called to Chicago, where he continued till 1840. 
 From 1841 to 1844 he was connected with Marion College, in 
 Missouri, first as Professor, and afterwards as President. His 
 health becoming impaired, he removed to Quincy, Illinois, 
 which place was his residence at the time of his death. He 
 died in Saint Louis, at the residence of his son-in-law, Morris 
 Collins, Esq., April 8th, 1855* 
 
 The following is an extract from the sermon preached at 
 his funeral, in Quincy, April 12th, 1855, by the Reverend Dr. 
 
 * See note, page *7l. 
 
94 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 Post : " The painful malady of which he died " (malignant 
 pustule) " was of two months' duration. Its course was marked 
 by the most intense suffering to which disease can expose man. 
 But, through all, his faith, his patience, his trust, and submis- 
 sion, through Christ, we believe, that strengthened him, never 
 failed. The Angel of the Covenant, ' one like to the Son of 
 God,' went through the furnace with him. His mind was per- 
 fectly tranquil, perfectly at rest. All was peace. On Sunday, 
 the last day of his life, a few hours before his death, he fol- 
 lowed through the reading of the 23d Psalm by his son, with 
 much manifest comfort, and, with frequent responses, indicated 
 his appreciation and enjoyment of it. A short time before he 
 died, the spirit that seemed to have gone far down the dark 
 valley, never to return, came back once more, and looked out 
 in clear intelligence from that eye which then was closing for 
 ever. In the stillness of that awful moment, I said to him, 
 ' Brother, do you not feel the Saviour near you ? Does he sus- 
 tain you % ' He answered, with a most meaning look of the 
 eye, a repeated pressure of the hand, and attempted murmurs 
 from his palsied mouth, ' Yes, yes.' This, friends, was the last 
 testimony of our beloved brother — the last words of John 
 Blatchford to this world, till the heavens and the earth be no 
 more. Ages shall not add thereto, nor can they subtract from 
 it." 
 
EDGCUMBE HEATH BLATCHFOED. 
 
 The following is taken from the Neiu York Evangelist of February 24th, 1853. 
 
 Died, at liis residence in this city, on Sunday night of last 
 week, Edgcumbe Heath Blatchford, Esq., for some ten years 
 a ruling elder in the Mercer Street Church, aged 42. 
 
 In the death of Mr. Blatchford, his family has been be- 
 reaved of an affectionate husband and father — numerous rela- 
 tions and friends of a bright ornament of their social circle — 
 the church to which he belonged of a devoted and efficient 
 officer — and the community of a useful citizen. He was a 
 man of eminent and warm-hearted piety, adorning his profes- 
 sion — liberal and large hearted in his benefactions — active and 
 faithful in his duties as Superintendent of the Sabbath School 
 — earnest and tender in his instructions and appeals to the 
 members of his Bible class, seeking their salvation. For a 
 number of years, an insidious consumption had been invading 
 his frame, and removing him, for successive winters, to a milder 
 climate. He had been steadily ripening for Heaven. He had 
 learned its language. He was breathing its atmosphere. He 
 was ready and willing to depart and enter on its glorious and 
 eternal companionship. He had been aware, for some time, of the 
 steady and stealthy and near approach of the pale messenger. 
 He was prepared to welcome his coining, having his loins girt, 
 and his lamp burning. A half hour before his departure, 
 having slept little for several days and nights, under the action 
 of intense suffering, he submissively observed to his wife, who 
 was watching over him : " How sweet it would be to fall asleep 
 and awake in Heaven ! " He soon sank apparently into a quiet 
 slumber, and, unobserved, his ransomed spirit took wings for 
 its flight to Heaven. His prayer was granted. He was gone. 
 His remains sleep in Greenwood. His spirit sings in Heaven. 
 
GENEALOGY. 
 
 Henry Blatchford, of Plymouth Dock, Devonshire, Eng- 
 land — married, in 1766, Mary Heath, of Totness, Devonshire 
 — died October 10th, 1781, aged 63 years. Their children 
 were : 
 
 1. Samuel — born at Plymouth Dock, August 1st, 1767 — 
 died at Lansingburgh, New York, March 17th, 1828. 
 
 2. Jane — married Christopher Burns, of Plymouth Dock. 
 
 3. Joseph — died at the age of five years. 
 
 4. William — died in infancy. 
 
 Mary, widow of Henry Blatchford, married James Howell. 
 
 Thomas Windeatt, of Totness, Devonshire — married Mary 
 Milford, of Exeter, Devonshire. Their children were : 
 
 1. Samuel Milford — married Sophia Read. 
 
 2. Eliza — married Lawrence Reeves, surgeon, of London. 
 
 3. Mary — married Thomas Edwards, merchant, of London. 
 
 4. Sarah. 
 
 5. Alicia — born at Bridgetown, Totness, November 19th, 
 1767 — died at Lansingburgh, December 2d, 1846. 
 
 Samuel Blatchford — married, March 25th, 1788, Alicia, 
 daughter of Thomas Windeatt, of Totness. Their children 
 were: 
 
 1. Henry — born at Ford, Devonshire, December 4th, 1788 
 — died at Princess Anne, Maryland, September 7th, 1822. 
 
 2. Mary Milford Windeatt — born at Frogmore, Devonshire, 
 January 21th, 1790 — died at Lansingburgh, August 17th, 
 1847. 
 
 3. Alicia Windeatt — born at Topsham, Devonshire, Feb- 
 ruary 14th, 1791 — died at Lansingburgh, April 21st, 1808. 
 
 4. Sarah — born at Topsham, April 23d, 1792 — died at Top- 
 sham, June 23d, 1793. 
 
 5. Samuel — born at Topsham, May 3d, 1793 — died at Top- 
 sham, February 3d, 1794. 
 
 13 
 
98 THE BLATCHFOED MEMORIAL. 
 
 6. Thomas Windeatt— born at Topsham, July 20th, 1794 — 
 died at Troy, New York, January 7th, 1866. 
 
 7. Harriet Peacock — born at Bedford, New York, October 
 25th, 1795— died at Lansingburgh, March 18th, 1819. 
 
 8. Samuel Mil ford — born at Greenfield, Connecticut, Jan- 
 uary 5th, 1797— died at New York, June 3d, 1864. 
 
 9. Richard Milford — born at Stratfield, Connecticut, April 
 23d, 1798. 
 
 10. John— born at Newfield, Connecticut, May 24th, 1799 
 — died at St. Louis, Missouri, April 8th, 1855. 
 
 11. Sophia — born at Newfield, August 21st, 1800. 
 
 12. Frederick — born at Bridgeport, Connecticut, Decem- 
 ber 7th, 1801. 
 
 13. George Edgcumbe — born at Bridgeport, January 7th, 
 1803— died at Lansingburgh, May 3d, 1805. 
 
 14. Charles Baynhain — born at Lansingburgh, September 
 6th, 1804— died at Lansingburgh, November 18th, 1804. 
 
 15. Ethelinda Jane — born at Lansingburgh, November 
 23d, 1805. 
 
 16. George Edgcumbe — born at Lansingburgh, August 1st, 
 1807— died at Lansingburgh, August 24th, 1808. 
 
 17. Edgcumbe Heath — born at Lansingburgh, March 24th, 
 1811— died at New York, February 14th, 1853. 
 
 Henry, eldest son and eldest child of the Reverend Sam- 
 uel Blatchford — born at Ford, Devonshire, December 4th, 
 1788 — married, September 10th, 1817, Mary Ann, (born at 
 New York, January 21st, 1798 — died at Liverpool, England, 
 July 25th, 1869,) daughter of Elisha Coit, Esq., of New York 
 — died at Princess Anne, Maryland, September 7th, 1822. 
 Their children were : 
 
 1st. Rebecca Coit— born at New York, July 26th, 1818— 
 married, July 24th, 1839, Marshall S. Scudder, (born at Bos- 
 ton, Massachusetts, May 31st, 1818,) son of Charles Scudder, 
 Esq. 
 
 2d. Harriet Alicia — born at Salem, Massachusetts, Feb- 
 ruary 26th, 1820— died at Salem, March 6th, 1820. 
 
 3d. Alicia Harriet — born at Lansingburgh, June 1st, 1821 
 — married, August 16th, 1841, Charles W. Scudder, (born at 
 
GENEALOGY. 99 
 
 Boston, January 4th, 1820,) son of Charles Scudder, Esq. 
 Their children were : 
 
 1. Francis Henry — born at Boston, March 30th, 1842 — married, June 11th 
 1867, Sarah Rollins, (born at Bath, Maine, September 7th, 1843,) daughter of Gil- 
 bert C. Trufant. Their child was : 
 
 (1.) Charles Marshall — born at Boston, March 16th, 1868. 
 
 2. Henry Blatchford — born at Brookline, Massachusetts, June 18th, 1844 — 
 married, April 20th, 1866, Julia Randolph, (born at Boston, April 29th, 1843,) 
 daughter of Oliver Hazard Perry. Their children were: 
 
 (1.] Mary Moseley — born at Needham, Massachusetts, April 21st, 1867. 
 (2.) Marshall Sears — born at Needham, May 9th, 1870. 
 
 3. Winthrop Saltonstall— born at Brookline, July 24th, 1847. 
 
 4. Mary Windeatt — born at Brookline, May 27th, 1851 — died at Westboro , 
 Massachusetts, September 14th, 1853. 
 
 5. Bessie Marshall — born at Brookline, October 1st, 1853. 
 
 Thomas Windeatt, third son and sixth child of the Rever- 
 end Samuel Blatchford — born at Topsham, Devonshire, July 
 20th, 1794 — married, February 3d, 1819, Harriet, (born at 
 Huntington, New York, May 25th, 1789,) daughter of Thomas 
 Wickes, Esq., of Jamaica, New York — died at Troy, New 
 York, January 7th, 1866. Their children were : 
 
 1st. Thomas Wickes — born at Jamaica, February 20th, 
 1820 — married, November 9th, 1847, Jane Bunce, (born at 
 Brooklyn, New York, April 12th, 1830— died at Smithtown, 
 New York, October 15th, 1865,) daughter of Jeffrey Smith, 
 Esq., of Brooklyn— died at Troy, August 23d, 1863. Their 
 child was : 
 
 1. Amy — born at Great Barrington, Massachusetts, September 4th, 1855. 
 
 2d. Samuel T., born at Jamaica, March 1th, 1822 — mar- 
 ried, December 27th, 1818, Agnes Euphemia, (born at Mount 
 ■Pleasant, New Jersey, October 2d, 1821,) daughter of Edward 
 Leadbeater, Esq., of New York. Their children were : 
 
 1. Thomas Windeatt — born at New York, September 3d, 1851 — died at Troy, 
 January 7th, 1856. 
 
 2. Kate — born at Federal Store, New York, October 3d, 1853 — died at Brook- 
 lyn, New York, July 29th, 1857. 
 
 3. Thomas Windeatt — born at New York, January 24th, 1857. 
 
 4. Richard Milford — born at Fort Hamilton, New York, August 7th, 1859. 
 
 3d. John T., born at Jamaica, June 18th, 1823. 
 1th. George Edgcumbe, born at Jamaica, January 26th, 
 1825— died at Troy, October 5th, 1828. 
 
100 THE BLATCHFOED MEMORIAL. 
 
 5th. Harriet Wickes — born at Jamaica, May 8th, 1828 — 
 died at Troy, August 18th, 1828. 
 
 6th. Harriet Wickes — born at Troy, February 21st, 1829. 
 
 Samuel Milford, fourth son and eighth child of the Eev- 
 erend Samuel Blatchford — born at Greenfield, Connecticut, 
 January 5th, 1797— married, April 19th, 1819, Betsey H., 
 (born at New Canaan, Connecticut, June 11th, 1799,) daugh- 
 ter of Samuel Kellogg, Esq., of New York — died at New York 
 June 3d, 1864. Their children were : 
 
 1st. Alicia Harriet — born at Utica, New York, January 
 31st, 1820— married, December 1st, 1841, Nathaniel Fuller 
 Hopkins, (born at Hanover, New Hampshire, July 2d, 1809 
 — died at Staten Island, New York, August 19th, 1851,) son of 
 Daniel Hopkins, Esq., of Salem, Massachusetts. Their chil- 
 dren were : 
 
 1. Samuel Milford Blatchford— born at New York, September 19th, 1842. 
 
 2. Susan Ten Brook — born at New York, January 14th, 1844. 
 
 3. Henry Coman — bora at New York, May 2d, 1845. 
 
 4. Mary Emerson — born at New York, February 24th, 184*7; 
 
 6. Sarah Lothrop — born at New York, December 28th, 1849 — died at Staten 
 Island, September 8th, 1850. 
 
 6. Nathaniel Fuller — born at New York, September 10th, 1851. 
 2d. Henry Samuel — born at Utica, June 3d, 1823 — mar- 
 ried, June 17th, 1844, Martha, (born at Cincinnati, Ohio, Jan- 
 uary 25th, 1826,) daughter of William Crossman, Esq., of Cin- 
 cinnati — died at New York, February 3d, 1869. Their chil- 
 dren were : 
 
 1. Richard Milford — born at Cincinnati, June 12th, 1845. 
 
 2. Helen Alicia Therese — born at Cincinnati, November 27th, 1849. 
 
 3d. James Wilson — born at New York, May 8th, 1825 — 
 married, June 12th, 1850, Emeline W., (born at New York, 
 May 26th, 1832— died at New York, July 22d, 1855,) daughter 
 of G. Washington Smith, Esq. Their children were : 
 
 1. Sarah L. — bora at New York, May 20th, 1852 — died at Long Branch, New 
 Jersey, July 24th, 1852. 
 
 2. William K. L.— bom at New York, October 20th, 1853— died at Staten 
 Island, New York, February 8th, 1857. 
 
 James Wilsou Blatchford married, April 6th, 1858, Rosina, 
 (born at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, January 27th, 1826,) daugh- 
 ter of William Jenkins, Esq., of Lancaster. Their children 
 were : 
 
GENEALOGY. 101 
 
 1. Pattie Lane — born at New York, January 27th, 1859. 
 
 2. Ellen Julia — born at New York, December 28th, 1866. 
 
 4th. Samuel Milford — born at New York, October 25th, 
 1835. 
 
 Richard Milford, fifth son and ninth child of the Reverend 
 Samuel Blatchford — born at Stratfield, Connecticut, April 23d, 
 1798 — married, May 17th, 1819, Julia Ann, (born at New 
 York, July 24th, 1798— died at New York, December 23d, 
 1857,) daughter of John P. Mumford, Esq., of New York. 
 Their children were : 
 
 1st. Samuel — born at New York, March 9th, 1820 — mar- 
 ried, December 17th, 1844, Caroline Frances, (born at London, 
 England, August 27th, 1817,) daughter of Eben Appleton, 
 Esq., of Lowell, Massachusetts. Their child was : 
 
 1. Samuel Appleton — born at Hell Gate, New York, September 9th, 1845 — 
 married, June 10th, 1869, Wilhelmina Bogart, (born at Grassy Point, New York, 
 April 11th, 184S,) daughter of Abraham B. Conger, Esq., of Waldberg, New 
 York. 
 
 2d. Mary Milford— born at New York, October 29th, 1823 
 — married, June 18th, 1851, Burr W. Griswold, (born at 
 Goshen, Connecticut, September 5th, 1823,) son of the Rever- 
 end Darius O. Griswold — died at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Feb- 
 ruary 14th, 1852. 
 
 3d. Julia Alicia — born at New York, August 9th, 1830 — 
 died at New York, November 25th, 1831. 
 
 4th. Julia Maria— born at New York, October 4th, 1834 — 
 married, March 3d, 1856, Edward Tuckerman Potter, (born at 
 Schenectady, New York, September 25th, 1831,) son of the 
 Right Reverend Alonzo Potter, D.D. Their children were : 
 
 1. Julian — born at New Rochelle, New York, August 10th, 1858. 
 
 2. Ethelinda Blatchford — born at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November 20th, 
 1860. 
 
 3. Edward Clarkson— born at New York, August 11th, 1862. 
 
 4. Robert Francis — born at New York, May 17th, 1864. 
 
 5. Richard Milford Blatchford — born at Paris, France, December 1st, 1869. 
 
 5th. Sophia Ethelinda — born at New York, May 25th, 
 1836. 
 
 Richard Milford Blatchford married, November 8th, 1860, 
 Angelica, (born at New York, November 13th, 1819 — died at 
 New York, November 10th, 1868,) daughter of James A. 
 Hamilton, Esq., of Nevis, Westchester county, New York. 
 
102 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 Richard Milford Blatchford married, January 18th, 1870, 
 Katharine, (born at New York, January 9th, 1819,) daughter 
 of Philip Hone, Esq., of New York. 
 
 John, sixth son and tenth child of the Reverend Samuel 
 Blatchford — born at Newfield, Connecticut, May 24th, 1799 — 
 married, May 18th, 1825, Frances, (born at Jamaica, New 
 York, May 12th, 1805,) daughter of Eliphalet Wickes, Esqr., of 
 Jamaica — died at St. Louis, Missouri, April 8th, 1855. Their 
 children were : 
 
 1st. Eliphalet Wickes — born at Stillwater, New York, May 
 31st, 1826— married, October 7th, 1858, Mary Emily, (born at 
 Hadley, Illinois, June 16th, 1834,) daughter of John C. Wil- 
 liams, Esq., of Chicago, Illinois. Their children were : 
 
 1. Paul— bora at Chicago, July 18th, 1859. 
 
 2. Amy— born at Chicago, May 20th, 1862. 
 
 3. Frances May — born at Chicago, May 25th, 1865. 
 
 4. Edward Williams — born at Chicago, July 13th, 1868. 
 
 2d. Richard Milford — born at Stillwater, August 20th, 
 1827— died at Bridgeport, Connecticut, February 20th, 1832. 
 
 3d. Martha Wickes— born at Stillwater, June 17th, 1829— 
 married, November 4th, 1852, Morris Collins, of St. Louis, Mis- 
 souri, (born at Blanford, Massachusetts, October 18th, 1813,) 
 son of Amos M. Collins, Esq., of Hartford, Connecticut — died 
 at Hartford, May 19th, 1S62. Their children were : 
 
 1. John Blatchford — born at Quincy, Illinois, September 7th, 1853. 
 
 2. Francis Wickes — born at St. Louis, December 25th, 1854 — died at St. Louis, 
 January 3d, 1859. 
 
 3. Mary Lyman — born at St. Louis, September 1st, 1856 — died at St. Louis, 
 December 22d, 1858. 
 
 4. Amos Morris— born at St. Louis, November 25th, 1857. 
 
 5. Martha Blatchford— born at St. Louis, July 12th, 1859. 
 
 6. Alice Blatchford— born at Hartford, November 30th, 1860. 
 
 7. Richard Ely— born at Hartford, May 9th, 1862— died at Wethersfield, 
 Connecticut, September 5th, 1862. 
 
 4th. John Samuel — born at Bridgeport, January 19th, 
 1831. 
 
 5th. Frances Alicia — born at Bridgeport, September 6th, 
 1832— died at West Ely, Missouri, June 6th, 1846. 
 
 6th. Eliza Allen — born at Bridgeport, September 22d, 1834 
 — died at Bridgeport, June 19th, 1835. 
 
GENEALOGY. 103 
 
 7th. Harriett Punnett — born at Jacksonville, Illinois, May 
 9th, 1837— died at Chicago, Illinois, August 7th, 1838. 
 
 8th. Eliza Harriet — born at Chicago, November 21st, 1838 
 —died at Chicago, March 3d, 1839. 
 
 9th. Alexander — born at Wheeling, Virginia, January 1st, 
 1810— died at Quincy, Illinois, October 9th, 1847, 
 
 1 0th. Mary Cebra — born at Marion College, Missouri, Oc- 
 tober 23d, 1843 — died at Quincy, December 27th, 1849. 
 
 11th. Alice Windeatt — born at Quincy, December 20th, 
 1847. 
 
 12th. Nathaniel Hopkins — born at Quincy, September 
 25th, 1849. 
 
 Frederick, seventh son and twelfth child of the Reverend 
 Samuel Blatchford — born at Bridgeport, Connecticut, Decem- 
 ber 7th, 1801 — married, January 6th, 1823, Almira, (born at 
 Great Barrington, Massachusetts, September 5th, 1803 — died 
 at West Ely, Missouri, May 23d, 1865,) daughter of Solomon 
 Jones, Esq. Their children were : 
 
 1st. George Edgcumbe — born at Oran, New York, No- 
 vember 5th, 1825 — married, December 4th, 1856, Lydia Mel- 
 vina, (born at Westfield, New York, December 4th, 1826,) 
 daughter of Luther Overton, of Mineral Point, Wisconsin. 
 
 2d. Sarah Jane — born at Brooklyn, New York, July 6th, 
 1837— died at Troy, New York, August 14th, 1838. 
 
 3d. Mary Jane — born at Brooklyn, August 23d, 1838 — mar- 
 ried, September 6th, 1865, William B. Watson, (born at New 
 York, August 23d, 1836,) son of John Watson, of West Ely, 
 Missouri. Their child was : 
 
 1. Harriet Almira — born at West Ely, September 2d, 1867. 
 
 4th. Frederick Anson — born at Brooklyn, October 6th, 
 1839 — died at Lansingburgh, New York, September 16th, 
 1840. 
 
 5th Almira — born at Little Unia, Missouri, May 27th, 1842 
 —married, May 18th, 1865, Thomas Wilbur, (born at Fall 
 River, Massachusetts, September 17th, 1839,) son of Thomas 
 Wilbur, M. D., of Fall River. There children were : 
 
 1. Kate S. — born at Ralls, Missouri, July 23d, 1866 — died at Ralls, September 
 4th, 1867. 
 
 2. Annie Morris — born at Ralls, May 21st, 1869. 
 
104 THE BLATCHFORD MEMORIAL. 
 
 6th. Sarah Julia — born at Little Unia, June 14th, 1845 — 
 married, May 4th, 1865, Will H. H. Morriss, (born at Philadel- 
 phia, Missouri, August 24th, 1840,) son of Henry Morriss, of 
 Lewis County, Missouri. Their child was : 
 
 1. Allie — born in Lewis County, Missouri, October 17th, 1868. 
 
 Frederick Blatchford married, November 23d, 1866, Har- 
 riet Hatch, (born at Coventry, Connecticut, April 12th, 1801,) 
 daughter of Daniel Hatch, and widow of the Reverend Joseph 
 Myers, of Syracuse, New York. 
 
 Ethelinda Jane, sixth daughter and fifteenth child of the 
 Reverend Samuel Blatchford — born at Lansingburgh, New 
 York, November 23d, 1805— married, May 18th, 1847, Pliny 
 M. Corbin, (born at Craftsbury, Vermont, December 8th, 1801,) 
 son of Royal Corbin, Esq. Their child was : 
 
 1st. Alicia Blatchford — born at Lansingburgh, September 
 27th, 1848. 
 
 Edgcumbe Heath, eleventh son and seventeenth child of 
 the Reverend Samuel Blatchford — born at Lansingburgh, New 
 York, March 24th, 1811— married, October 26th, 1837, Mary 
 Ann, (born at Brookline, Massachusetts, September 7th, 1820 — 
 died at Cambridge, Massachusetts, July 25th, 1864,) daughter 
 of the Honorable Samuel Hubbard, of Boston, Massachusetts — 
 died at New York, February 14th, 1853. Their children were : 
 
 1st. Mary Edgcumbe — born at New York, August 13th, 
 1838. 
 
 2d. Ethelinda Jane — born at New York, January 12th, 
 1841 — married, June 25th, 1867, Samuel H. Scudder, (born at 
 Boston, April 13th, 1837,) son of Charles Scudder, Esq., of 
 Boston. Their child was : 
 
 1. Gardiner Hubbard — born at Cambridge, September 3d, 1869. 
 
 3d. Alice Windeatt — born at New York, January 8th, 
 1843— died at New York, April 28th, 1845. 
 
 4th. Grace Vernon— born at New York, May 13th, 1845— 
 died at Cambridge, October 24th, 1861. 
 
 5th. Caroline Hubbard — born at New York, June 10th, 
 1851.