Governors Academy - Milestone Yearbook (Byfield, MA)

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Early View of Harvard College The above engraving, the earliest contemporary view of the Harvard buildings, was done bv XVilliam Burgis in 1726. Upon close examination it will be seen that the inscription reads: To the Honourable William Dummer Eiqr. Lieulenanl Governour qf yr Province qf the Masmrhusfltx Bay in New Eflgftlflfi Ihix view is most humiflv Dedimlefi By your Hon0ur'.v Mos! Obedient, mos! lzurnbff Servl. W: Burgix Harvard Hall Cat the leftj was burned in 1764, but Mzissachusetts frightl, only six years old at this time, still stands today.

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-- X x r X x s ' 1 1 f ' 1 f 1' 1' . 1' X- NN Xxxx XX XXX E 'N . ff' ,ff ' ' f' ff, X . S ' X N N X A X 914. ra :-- , X 1 1 ' 1' f - ' R 5 E s x -xxx i s 'WN 5 1, sigq Z 4, , f A. ff 5 ' 5 A .iff I -,114 1 1 ' ' ' X N S X ff' ' F B ' . - '- . fy 1, -x - . X -s ,Q , N, Qwlyi , - vis' - L 3 '-, I 7 O 8 ' 4 1 'N ' vs v I Governor Dummer Academy and Its Early Associations with Harvard College During their long histories Harvard College and Governor Dummer Academy have had much in common. To begin with, each was the first educational institution of its type in America. Although the life of the School has been little over half the span of the College, it is interesting in this year of I-Iarvard's three hundredth anni- versary to recall the associations which the two enjoyed in their earlier years which in part continue to this day. These relationships begin with the Dummer family. 1636 is a memorable year not alone in Harvard history, for it was then that Richard Dummer first settled in Newbury, held the first court in Ipswich as a magistrate, and was elected Treasurer of the Colony. Twenty years later one of his five sons, Shubael, received his degree from Harvard. Far more significant, however, was the graduation of Jeremy in 1699. He was the brother of Governor William Dummer, the Founder of the School. Not only was he listed at the head of his class in social ranking, but it is reported that President Increase Mather said he was by far the best scholar that had been at Harvard. What a pity that after he became agent from Massachusetts in London a graduate of Jeremy's promise should have been so misguided as to bend all his energies toward interesting one Elihu Yale in a struggling college in Connecticut! If this brother aided a sister institution, William, though not a graduate, was to serve Harvard. When Governor Shute abruptly sailed away to England in 1723, William found himself not only Acting Governor of Massachusetts but, ex-oFFicio, head of the Board of Overseers of the College. For seven years he presided over their meetings, and upon the induction of a new President it was he who delivered to the new incumbent the College keys, records, and seal. Probably his well-known tact more than once benefited the College during the unfortunate squabbles of that day among the Overseers, the Corporation, and the legislature. The inscription upon the early print on the following page bears witness to the respect with which Harvard regarded him. The compliment was returned when upon his death in 1761 the Gov- ernor left .566 for the purchase of books for the College Library and B133 to be added to the salaries of two of the professors. It was to the same will in this year, of course, that the School owes its origin, and through its provisions the Harvard ties became even stronger. The Trustees of the Governor's estate who were responsible for the establishment of the School- Foxcroft, Chauncy, and Nathaniel Dummer-were all Harvard men. CChauncy was a descendant of the third degree from Harvard's second President.j According to the terms of the will the Master of the School once chosen should remain Master . . . without any removal, unless thro' sickness, advanced years and inability, or by a profligate wicked Life, he shall be adjudg'd 81 sentenc'd by a majority of the over- ,ni de 40.3 iv 0 .'.a.- . -.. fd' f-fr'2'-1:--:ff-:.c.1v-',., ,, .. .... ,, ,..e.-- . ., , .,.,.y:.., .. ,. . ':1-'f':Ig f-T Ewa' '-'rick-.:,...?-T-23251 ' . ....,--:f:35??1'4'f1 ' I5:?ASig7-1 .fifs'31af,3?.5wli-ssslfiiai''E533' -'I' ,.,1,,.,.-..-.-,.,,..,.-5-.4.-1.1-,.,--,-.-,e-- .-..p-A-.-J. ..-:...- - -A ' -- - .5-1 may-,...f.,...,.,.. ,., 4..' -..,1,.1,,,,4J. 'sf-. .. 1f:-:- .' , -fr.gaqnf.-.21.:-.f-'.f4--fnszla:.f!1!f.re+2----ff: 7

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34.1 .WW . . ,N . , , . . Xi xNXNxXXXXxx XXXXXXN la th- I iff, ,',,f Xxx' i,,f f f X' XX N X 7 X x -'XPFFH ti33'+.- f ff 1 , ' 1 ,-' X NT -X , 5 'x,X , .,, X f ,gr . f 4- - , .- I , X s X X ff' - X B - ' : . f- ... f 'N ' ' I 'g -Q. 1 X. -WI? f 'T ' ' 708 'Q ' ff v W Y seers of Harvard Colledge to be displaced and that in such a case the Master and freeholders of Byfield should appoint another person to be Master to all intents 81 purposes as if ye former was naturally dead. The Harvard Overseers had this awesome responsibility for less than twenty years, and never had to exercise their prerogative, for in 1792 it was decided to take the management of the School out of the hands of the local parish and establish a corporation. If Harvard lost one right by this change, however, she gained another. By the Act of Incorporation it was provided that if for a period of two years to- gether the School should cease to exist, then all rents, profits, and issues of the original Dummer estate should revert to the rightful heirs. The rents, profits, issues, and interests of any other property or endowment which the School may have acquired since the original bequest, unless willed otherwise, shall enure to the use and benefit of the Corporation of Harvard College and their successors forever. Although at one time some of the Trustees asked Harvard to relax this right, Presi- dent Eliot refused to do so. It is still in existence today, and as late as 1908 when a mortgage was placed upon the School property the Harvard Corporation was asked for its assent. It was officially granted on October I2 of that year and duly noted in the College records. If Harvard thus has certain claims upon the School it is interesting to note that for many years the School had a very definite claim upon Harvard. It appears from a study of the accounts of the College Treasurers that shortly after the founding of the School Samuel Moody, the Master, began receiving from private individuals a fund which was to be invested by the Treasurer of Harvard, the interest of which was to be used for the support of a writing master for the scholars. The fund gradually accumulated but, unfortunately, during that time it was in the hands of John Hancock whose Treasurership of Harvard College is a story of gross neglect. When Hancock left Cambridge to serve this country at Philadelphia, he carried the College accounts with him, and try as the Corporation did, even after his resignation, they failed to make a complete settlement with him. In 1778 Moody himself ad- dressed a letter to the new Treasurer requesting that he do everything in his power towards investigating the loss of this money, and enclosed receipts he had received from Hancock for money which had been deposited with him. Although a large part of the debt which Hancock owed to Harvard College was never paid even after his death, we find in the accounts ofTreasurer Storer that in 1786 the debt to the School was finally paid off. A note from Hancock for 5288 and IQS. was turned over in that year to Jon'a Greenleaf, Esq., one of the Trustees, who by virtue ofa power given him for that purpose gave a full discharge to the College from all demands from said Academy. H At the time of the School's incorporation Harvard College and Phillips Acad- emy were the only other such institutions in Massachusetts. Nine of the fifteen charter Trustees were Harvard men including the Master, Samuel Moody, of the Class of 1746, and Joseph Willard, of the Class of 1765, a former pupil of Moody's ll 0 fifi'-r'r5g-'-Zh-I--1'-- . . - .. , . , .. ..M.. . , .: :'.-.1sg::.-:fzijf-xv ' 6119--525-1TlT.Pg7Hi'I'-FJ', , ark-1-.'f-:g.-e . .. . - .,,-L-::.,::g5Q1x i'.':gk.f'.EjE1,.:',' :fff-i.'2',':p11:'.--- ,,,,,4.-::-:.g.rm-g,.g3g:z,- wwf rf- 1-7:1'.-.-wa' --C '-11.111-1-fra :' . -.,.-r. -.f--4-i1'1-'-PP' ' P5155 'E'z+13?-1?.E :.':1.-'f1fS ::'. f1 . 4 QQ9w:.'1,,1- 53:3-gg:.,,-,-'-1'g'9-31,-,.,-gg' Qfgfggfgzqr:j5Qff7,g3:5g:.j,:3:1-all-9afhg-f?'-,1i1',5i,i 9