Henry B. Atherton

Henry Bridges Atherton was a soldier in the American Civil War from Vermont, a lawyer and state legislator for New Hampshire during the late 19th century. [1]

Early life

Atherton was born in Cavendish, Vermont on September 21, 1835. The son of Jonathan Atherton (1787-1875) and Roxanna Ives (1797-1891).

His paternal great-great-great-great-grandfather James Atherton, was born c. 1625 in Lancashire, England, and emigrated to America, and founder of Lancaster, Massachusetts. He was buried in Sherborn, Massachusetts in 1710.

Education

He was educated at Duttonsville School, until he entered Dartmouth College [2], graduating in 1858, followed by Albany Law School where he graduated in 1860.

Civil War service

Atherton entered the service of the Union Army in the American Civil War as Captain of Company C, 4th Vermont Volunteer Infantry Regiment in 1861.[3] He was severely wounded in the Peninsular campaign, by a bullet in the groin.

Career

Atherton was discharged from serving in the Union Army due to his life changing injury disability. He settled in Nashua, New Hampshire, and accepted the editorial management of The Telegraph of Nashua.

Returning to law practice, Atherton went on to serve in the state legislature (1867-1878) and (1885-1886) and was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1884 which took place in Chicago. [4] In 1890, he was elected member of the New Hampshire Board of Education, becoming its president in 1893.

Among the many positions of trust and honor that he held were those of treasurer of Hillsborough County; and the postmaster of Nashua (1872 to 1876). He was also a director of the Provident Mutual Relief Association of Concord, New Hampshire. [5]

He was land commissioner, under President William Henry Harrison, for American Samoa, under the Treaty of Berlin (1889) [6][7], where Germany ceded this territory to the United States of America. [8]

The Samoan Archipelago (1900–1914)

Atherton was also offered the governorship of Alaska by President William Henry Harrison.

He resided in Nashua the remainder of his life.

Literary works

Written in 1853, at the age of 16, “The Widow,” which would take on a very sad and tragic meaning ten years later, when so many wives lost their husbands in the U.S. Civil War...

“The Widow

The widow is a dangerous thing. With soft, black shinning curls, And looketh more bewitching Than an host of romping girls;

Her laugh is so delicious- So, knowing, clear, beside. You’d never dream she’s thinking Soon to become a bride.

Her dress, though made of sables, Gives roundness to her form- A touch of something thoughtful, A witching, winning charm.

And when she sits down by you, With quiet, easy grace- A tear may fall unbidden, Or a smile light up her face.

Her voice is soft melodious- And lute-like in its tone.

She sometimes sighs: “it’s dreadful To pass through life alone.” And she’d tell you, you remind her Of the loved one dead and gone.

Your step, your form, your features; Thus the widow will run on.

Oh! Listen, yet be careful, For well she plays her part-

Her lips distill the nectar That doth enslave the heart.

Be barded or she’ll win you, With smiles, and sighs, and tears;

I’l saith she’ll wear the breeches, too,

And box your silly ears!“

He continued to write, including an article “The Old Indian Road,” covering the history of Vermont and the Crown Point Military Road and the captivity of Mrs. Johns, mother of the first European child born in Vermont. Atherton died of pneumonia at the age of 71. “He was fulfilling a speaking engagement at the Tremont Temple in Boston, and stepped onto an outside balcony for a breath of fresh air. He suffered a chill, and within ten days he was dead.”

Personal life

Atherton married Abbie L. Armington (1840-1896) of Ludlow, Vermont in 1861 and they had four children.

He was the husband of Lancashire born, Ella Blaylock Atherton M. D. (1860-1933) [9], an American physician who was the first woman to perform abdominal surgery in New Hampshire. They married in 1898 and had two children.

Death

Atherton died in Nashua, New Hampshire on February 6, 1906, aged 71. He is buried at Edgewood Cemetery, Nashua, New Hampshire. [10]

Legacy

His papers form part of a collection held by Dartmouth College. [11]

Notable descendants

Henry Francis Atherton (1883-1949) [12]. Lawyer and Harvard Alumni. Chairman of the board of Allied Chemical and Dye and Secretary of the National Aniline and Chemical Company.
Blaycock Atherton (1900-1963) of Nashua. Republican member of New Hampshire State House of Representatives: Nashua 1st Ward (1937-43) and (1945-1948); member of New Hampshire State Senate (1943-1945). Married on September 6, 1924 to Katherine E. Bremner. [13]

External Links

Cavendish Historical Society

References

Attribution

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Browne, George Waldo (1906). Granite State Magazine. 1 (Public domain ed.). Granite State Publishing Company.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] "Henry B Atherton entry in the Atherton One Name Study".

[2] "Atherton at Dartmouth College".

[3] "Captain Henry B. Atherton entry Vermont Civil War".

[4] "Proceedings of the Eighth Republican National Convention Held at Chicago".

[5] "Provident Relief Association".

[6] "Henry B Atherton Nomination as Land Commissioner Samoa".

[7] US Congress: Nomination of the Land Commissioner for Samoa. "Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate of the United States, Volume 27".

[8] "Bio with reference to role in the Samoa agreement".

[9] "Ella Blaycock article".

[10] "Henry B Atherton findagrave entry".

[11] "H B Atherton biography at Dartmouth; and reference to his collection of manuscripts".

[12] "Henry F Atherton biography".

[13] "Newspaper article on the Estate of Blaycock Atherton".

[14] "H B Atherton Bio from 1897 whilst he was still living".