Governors Academy - Milestone Yearbook (Byfield, MA)

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ln 1671 Jeremiah Dummer married Anna, the daughter of Joshua Atwater, a mercer formerly of New Haven. Jeremiah received as a marriage portion from his father-in-law a house, garden and warehouse on King CStateJ Street at the corner of Klackrell Lane Cliilby Streetl, which became his Boston home. Their, children that grew to maturity were William, Jeremiah Jr., Ann, and Samuel. Jeremiah held a number of minor public offices, was a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artil- lery Company, and a deacon of the First Church of Boston. He died If May 1718 in his seventy-third year, and was buried in the Dummer tomb CNo. 1689 in the Gran- ary Burying Ground. Ann, the only daughter of Jeremiah Dummer, married John Powell on I2 May 1714, soon after he came to New England from Edenhope, Parish of Mainstone, Co. Montgomery, Wales. They had four children, John Jr., Ann, W'illiam and Jeremiah, Ann's eldest brother William with others formed a company to settle territory they owned at North Yarmouth, Nlaine. John Powell was made clerk of this company, and went to North Yarmouth where he died in 1741, Ann's portrait was painted by Copley in 1764, the year ofher death. Jeremiah Dummer Jr. was usually called Jeremy, and as such signed his will. He was born in Boston in 1681. He was graduated from Harvard College in 1699, and according to President Increase Mather was by far the best scholar of his time. He remained in residence there until April 1701 , and in July 1702 arrived in Holland where he entered the Cniversity of Leyden. On 3 Feb. 1703 Professor Hermann Witsius of the Cniversity of Leyden signed a certificate to the effect that Jeremias Dummer Anglus Americanusn had under him completed the philosophical and theological studies which he had so happily begun 'in his own country. He emigrated to the neighboring Cniversity of Ctrecht, where after examinations he was granted the degrees of AAI. and Ph.D. on I3 Feb. 1703. About a year later he returned to Boston and preached for a few months. He published in 1704, A Discourse on the Holiness of the Sabbath Day, with an admiring preface by the elder Mather. Jeremy was not popular as a preacher, and in the fall of 1708 he returned to England to study law and politics. On II Nov. 1710 he was appointed agent of the Massa- chusetts Bay Colony thru the aid of Sir William Ashurst. He served the Colony well for eleven years, and in 1715 wrote his famous pamphlet The Defense of the New England Charters, that won for him the gratitude of that and later generations. Jeremy Dummer was also agent for the Connecticut Colony at London, and in 1713 was active in securing gifts for the Collegiate School that had been organized at Saybrook in 1701. As a result of his efforts nearly IOOO volumes of considerable value were sent from England in 1714-15, and Elihu Yale was among a notable list of donors. In Jan. ITIS Cotton Mather wrote Elihu Yale urging his financial support of the College that was now building in New Haven. As a result of this application, and further urging from Jeremy, there arrived at Boston in Aug. 1718 a large box of books, a portrait of the King, and East India goods that were sold for more than IO

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children, W'illiam, Jeremiah, Nathaniel, Hannah and Richard. He and his wife lie buried near the trayneing green in Newbury. Their gravestones bear the follow- ing inscriptions: Richard Dummer, Esq. Died December ye' 14th 1679 in his 880' year, and Mrs. Francis Dummer died in the jon' year of her Age being the 19th day of November 1631 Of Richard Dummer's live children by his second wife, W'illiam and Nathaniel died without marrying. The youngest son, Richard, Jr., married Flizabeth Appleton, and is the ancestor of Joseph N. Dummer, Secretary of the Board of Trustees of Governor Dummer Academy. The daughter, Hannah, married Rev. James Allen, pastor ofthe First Church of Boston lFounded I63Ol. Later ministers ofthis Church, Thomas Foxcroft and Charles Chauncy, were named as the first Trustees of Govern- or Dummer Academy, along with Nathaniel Dummer, a son of Richard Jr. Jeremiah, the second son of Richard Dummer by his second wife, was born at Newbury on 14 Sept. 1645. Shortly before he was fourteen he was sent to Boston for an eight-years' apprenticeship to John Hull the Silversmith and Master of the Klint. Hull lived on the south-west corner of the present Washington Street and Temple Place, and his silver shop and mint were probably near by. After his apprenticeship Jeremiah set up business for himself, and became a notable silversmith whose pieces are highly valued by collectors. He made five standing cups and a tankard for the communion table of the First Church of Boston. These pieces were given by various people, as was the custom in those days, and are now on exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Of most interest is a cup inscribed as follows: Hx dono A D se: Testm J A The initials are for Anna Dummer, wife of Jeremiah, and Joshua Atwater, her father. On 9 June ITOQ the Connecticut .Assembly enacted a bill providing for the print- ing of bills ofcredit on the Colony, because of the great scarcity of money. Jeremiah Dummer was commissioned to print this money in suitable sums from two shillings to five pounds to the value of I0,000 pounds, from plates presumably engraved by himself. The colonists, however, had the custom of raising the amounts stated on these bills, and on Il June 1713 the General Assembly instructed Jeremiah to alter the plates, adding to each a creature to represent the amount, i.e., 2 shillings a dove, 5 shillings a fox, io shillings a lamb, etc. This was done and an additional 1o,ooo pounds taken off. Evidence has come to light in the last decade making it probable that Jeremiah Dummer was the first native-born Massachusetts painter. His interest in art may have come through the portraits of his sons, W'illiam and Jeremiah Jr., by the popular Fnglish court painter Sir Godfrey Kneller. He apparently taught himself how to paint, copying Kneller's style, and in this must have been aided by his long experience in the design and engraving of his silver. He is said to have painted por- traits of himself and his wife, and of his brother and sister-in-law Mr. and Mrs. John Coney. He may have painted the portraits of his son W'illiam and his wife Katherine now in the Mansion House at Governor Dummer Academy. 9

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562 pounds. At the fall commencement in 1718 the grateful trustees gave the name of Yale College to the School. Jeremy Dummer died in England on IQ May 1739. He was buried in West Ham in Essex, and the following inscription is on his gravestone: The Remains of jere- miah Dummer of New England, Esq'., distinguished for his excellent life of probity and humanity. His age 58, 173g. His will dated 7 June 1738 describes himself as Jeremy Dummer land so signed itl late Agent of His bIa'iestie's Provinces of Massa- chusetts and Connecticut in New England and now resident in Plaistow in Essex. In the opening paragraph he asks that God won't aliiict me in another world for some folly I have committed in this in common with the rest of mankind, but rather that he will graciously consider the frail and weak frame which he gave me, and remember that I was but dust. After making various gifts he states: To my brother Dummer of Newberry, 20 pounds, New England money, to distribute among the poor Indian squaws that may come a begging at his door. William Dummer was born in Boston in 1677, presumably in his father's house on State Street. Little is known about his early life and education. He was a Con- stable in Boston in 1713. On 26 April 1714 he married Katherine, the twelfth child of Governor Joseph Dudley. William went to England, and was at Plymouth acting as Commissioner for the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 1716 he was appointed I.ieut. Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony thru the interest of Sir William Ashurst. He returned to take part in the government of his native Colony at a time of high political excitement. His father-in-law Governor Joseph Dudley had just retired from ofhce after an uneasy administration of fourteen years. The party spirit that sprang up in Massachusetts with the advent of the new charter was daily get- ting stronger. Samuel Shute had just been appointed as Dudley's successor. He was nominally a Puritan in his religious views, and was not unwelcome in the Colony. But he was a military man, believing in strict obeyance of orders. His instructions from the crown required that he should insist upon a fixed annual salary. To this the sturdy colonists objected, saying it would make the Governor too independent. There were other causes of disagreement mainly from financial questions, and legis- lation on the currency. The Governor and the House battled for seven years, during which time he had not gained one inch. Finally on 1 jan. 1723 the discomiited Colonel suddenly sailed for England, and although nominally governor for six years longer, he never came back. Such were the circumstances under which William Dummer was called to act as Chief Magistrate of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. His alliance with the power- ful but unpopular Dudleys, his friendly intimacy with Shute, his acknowledged loyalty to the Crown, were not likely to gain him favor with the colonists. On the other hand he had the advantage of being a New England man of great ability and purest character. He succeeded where his immediate predecessors had failed, and gained the approval and esteem of a people jealous of their rights and liberties, yet without forfeiting the favor ofthe Crown. II