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Subject: [GENMASSACHUSETTS] Some Later Stearns Families of Massachusetts -Part 3 of 3 Parts
Date: Wed, 8 Aug 2007 18:51:07 EDT
Stearns Families
Source: Genealogical & Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of the State
of Massachusetts by William Richard Cutter & William Frederick Adams.
Part 3 of 3 Parts.
(VI) Rev. William Lawrence Stearns, third son of Rev. Charles2 Stearns &
Susanna
(Cowdry) Stearns, was born Oct. 30, 1793 at Lincoln, Mass. and was a twin
brother
of Daniel Mansfield Stearns. He graduated from Harvard Univ. in 1820; studied
divinity with his father, and was licensed to preach in 1823; ordained and
installed at Stoughton, November, 1827; dismissed from Stoughton in 1831, and
installed at Rowe, January, 1833. He was also pastor of the Unitarian church
at
Pembroke. After his health failed, he made his home with his son George M.
Stearns
in Chicopee, where he died May 28, 1857. George M. Stearns described his
father
as a "fine scholar and metaphysician. He was abstracted and mild in his
nature -
a man living much more in the world of his thoughts and studies than that of
the
life close about him." He m. June 5, 1828, Mary Monroe, b. Sept. 12, 1803,
dau. of
Isaac & Grace (Bigelow) Monroe, of Lincoln and the sister of his twin
brother's
wife. She d. March 23, 1900. She was a very worthy woman and also passed her
de-
clining years an honored and loved member of her son George's household, but
died
at the residence of her son Albert B. at Cambridge, Mass. Four childre were
born
of this marriage:
1. William Henry Stearns
2. George Monroe Stearns
3. Mary Monroe Stearns
4. Albert Bigelow Stearns.
(VII) The Honorable George Monroe Stearns, 2nd son of Rev. William L. & Mary
(Monroe) Stearns, was born April 18, 1831 at Stoughton, Mass. and died at
Brookline, Mass., Dec 31, 1894. While he was yet an infant, his father moved
to
Rowe. He was a wide-awake, active boy, full of fun and mischief, the
traditional
Minsiter's son, the delight and torment of his parents.
He was always a student in spite of his abounding spirits, for which his
splendid
health was largely responsible, and soon absorbed all that the schools of
Rowe
could teach him. He attended the academy at Shelburne Falls, Mass., then
attended
Harvard Law School and went from there about 1849, while considerably under
his
majority, to study law in the Chicopee office of John Wells, a young lawyer
only
fairly settled in practice, but afterward a Justice of the Massachusetts
Supreme
Court, and himself from Rowe. In April, 1852 when past his 21st birthday, Mr.
Stearns was admitted to the bar, and at once formed a partnership with Judge
Wells which lasted until Judge Wells moved his office to Springfield, Mass
some
years later. Mr. Stearns continued his office at Chicopee several years,
and then
also removed to Springfield, where he formed a partnership with the late E.
D.
Beach, and afterward was associated with Judge M. P. Knowlton for some years
and
p.141
with Charles L. Long. The office in Springfield was continued until 1878,
when it
was removed back to Chicopee, where it remained until Mr. Stearns
transferred his
home to Brookline, a few months before his death. With regard to Mr. Stearns'
characteristics as a lawyer, his standing at the bar, his method of preparing
cases and presenting them to courts and jury, his professional brethren and
inti-
mate associates, will be quoted farther on. It is agreed among them all that
he
was easily at the head of the local Bar, and that his methods were as
thorough as
they were original. No one could try a case as George Stearns could,
especially
before a jury, and attempts to imitate him usually ended in absurd and
disastrous
failures. He might have sat upon the Bench of either our higher courts had
he so
chosen, for he was offered a Judgeship more than once. Of the man himself,
his
home life at Chicopee, and the place he filled in the affection and regard
of his
friends and townsmen, there is a great deal that might be said. It is
within the
truth to say that since his marriage, May 17, 1855, to Emily C. Goodnow, who
was
his schoolmate at Shelburne Falls, in that year, his home life was almost an
ideal
one. She was born at Princeton, Mass., March 4, 1833, the dau. of Erasmus D.
&
Caroline B. (Bullard) Goodnow, both natives of Massachusetts. Mr. Stearns'
home
was the most attractive place in the world to him, and the home side was the
richest and best side of his nature, and nothing else brought out the
choicest
treasures of his mind and heart as freely as contact with his family and
intimate
friends. He was always kindly, loyal and affectionate, and a courteous and
con-
siderate host. At once after their marriage, Mr. & Mrs. Stearns went to live
in
the house on Springfield Street in Chicopee, which was their home for so many
years. Two children were born to them:
1. Mary C. Stearns b. Dec 9, 1855 m. Oct 4, 1876, Frank E. Tuttle of Chicopee
and had one child, Emily Stearns Tuttle b. July 19, 1878,
2. An infant son who died.
Mary C. Stearns died Jan 20, 1883. Emily S. Stearns the 2nd daughter died at
the
age of twelve.
It was with the hope that a change of scene and surroundings would restore
his
health, or at least prolong his life and increase the comfort of its added
years,
that Mr. Stearns gave up his Chicopee house and removed to Brookline. The
event
proved to be vain, for he steadily lost rather than gained in strength,
until the
end came after months of suffering, borne with patience and courage, and
enlivened
by a hope that was never dimmed. Mr. Stearns was no lover of society in the
fashionable sense, and as much as he cared for his friends he preferred to
have
them come to his home rather than to go himself to theirs. His intimates
came
to respect this preference of his, and as a consequence the Stearns' house
be-
came a centre to which they were drawn by a strong attraction. These informal
gatherings were what Mr. Stearns delighted in. With guests in his house or at
his table, he was at his best. Then how the man would blossom out! No matter
if
there were perplexing law questions unanswered, or refractory witnesses
unsub-
dued, his guests never knew it, nor did he seem to realize it. He gave
himself
to the enjoyment of the hour, which meant making his friends enjoy it. His
wit
would sparkle, his humor flow, story would follow story, and once in a while,
when the company was suitable and the mood was on him, he would move it to
tears or laughter by the paraphrase of a story or novel he had been reading.
He was an omnivorous reader, but what he read was his to call to mind and
use in
a court case, to point an argument before the supreme bench, or to amuse and
entertain his friends. His well-known familiarity with the Bible was only in
part an inheritance, or a remembrance of compulsory study in boyhood, he
never
would have had that marvelous command of biblical lore had it not been for
his
delight in it as literature. Withal there was an undercurrent of reverence
and
religious sentiment in his nature, rarely given expression to, and sometimes
covered by a cloud of agnosticism, but never without its influence on his re-
lations to his fellowmen, and which accounts in part at least, for his love
for
the Bible. Such a brief sketch as there is room for in this book, would not
be
complete without a word of allusion to the ability Mr. Stearns always showed
as
a business man, and his love for horses. As a businessman he was cautious,
far-
sighted and honest. He could grasp the commercial bearings of a case, see at
once into the intricacies of the management of a large manufacturing concern
and deal intelligently with the ordinary problems, and some of the more
intricate
ones, of financial institutions. With all his caution, he had a liking for a
bit
of speculation now and then but never risking more than
p.143 STEARNS.
he could well afford to lose. This speculative tendency made him the owner
of all
sorts of things at various times in his life, as his love of horses made him
purchase animals of all bloods and values. It is proverbial that Mr. Stearns
loved
horses; he mad pets of them, and happy was the trotter that met his favor.
It was
a rare horse that was so lucky, for his requirements were high, but now and
then,
one, like old "Calamity," or like the gray mare "Maud" that he drove so
long, won
a permanent place in his affections.
Mr. Stearns was always a public man, although he held but few public
offices, re-
fusing over and again nominations to Congress which wer almost equivalent to
an
election, and several times declining to be his party's candidate for
Governor.
He was always a Democrat and was elected by that party to represent Chicopee
in the House of Representatives in 1859 and he was a member of the Committee
which revised the public statutes of 1860. In 1879 he was a member of the
Senate,
and the next year was chosen District Attorney for the western district, but
re-
signed at the end of two years. The same year, 1872, he sas a delegate to
the
National Democratic convention at Cinncinnati, where he favored the
nomination of
Horace Greeley, and he was repeatedly a delegate to National conventions
after-
wards.
He was appointed U.S. Attorney at Boston in 1886 but resigned in about two
years.
When John Quincy Adams was nominated Governor, Mr. Stearns was given the
second
place on the ticket, and later, when the Democrats nominated Charles Sumner,
was
nominated lieutenant-governor with him, also, but on Sumner's refusal, Mr.
Stearns
followed his example. He was an unflinching opponent of Butler, and refused
to aid
in any way the ambitions of the latter to become Governor. It was a most
unusual
thing for Mr. Stearns to do, to refuse to make at least a single speech for
the
candidates of his party in a campaign, but he felt that there was a
principle at
stake in the Butler matter that could be better vindicated by the apparent
defeat
of his party than by its success, and so he refused his help. He was a most
welcome
and effect stump speaker, his wit, clearness of thought, and thorough
grasp of his subject, with the mastery of the weak points of his opponent's
re-
cord, made him an antagonist to be respected and feared. His acquaintance
and
friendship with public men were extensive and his influence in the councils
of his
party was large. His advise in political matters was contantly sought and
most
highly valued by party leaders and men of position and influence, and it is
well
known that few men in the country were more cordially welcomed at the White
House
during the Cleveland administration than he.
He was a shrewd observer, careful student and an accurate judge of men and
events.
He had few axes to grind and his advise on public matters, when given, was
given
with the public good as its object, and so was always valuable and
influential.
George M. Stearns was a large minded, large hearted and lovable man. He was
strong,
positive and aggressive - a man to make his personality felt wherever he
swent and in whatever company he found himself. He was a full man, with a
mastery
over the lore and technique of his profession, an intelligent grasp of a
great
many subjects and a rich store of experiences gathered from close contact
with his
fellowmen of all conditions and under a wide variety of conditions. The
public
knew him as a man of most original qualities, an intense, brilliant and
success-
ful lawyer, a shrewd and astute political leader. His friends knew him as
one of
the most congenial and choicest sprits, full of wit and apt speech, and
withal
abounding in a tenderness and fine feeling that were genuine and full of
grace.
At a meeting of the Hampden Bar Association held January 1, 1895 to take
action
in regard to the death of Mr. Stearns, George D. Robinson, William H. Brooks,
Charles L. Garndner, James B. Carroll, and William W. McClench were
appointed a
committee to prepare resolutions to present to the Court and to make
necessary
arrangements regarding a memorial service. Memorial exercises in the Supreme
Judicial Court at Springfield were held April 15, 1895. Justice Knowlton
pres-
iding. The resolutions prepared by the above committee were presented to the
Court, and read by the Honorable George D. Robinson of the Bar Association,
as
follows:
"Whereas, by a decree of the all wise Judges, the Honorable George M. Stearns
of Chicopee has been called from his earthly labors - we, his associates of
the
Hampden County Bar desiring to place upon record our sense of the great loss
sustained by our association, do hereby adopt the following resolutions:
His sudden death, following so soon after his departure from our midst,
brought
deep and sincere sorrow to us all. The place he held in our regard and
affections
as the leader of this Bar was easily his, by reason of the years of honorable
service spent in the practice
p.143 George M. Stearns of Chicopee
of his profession, by his high sense of his relation to the Court, by the
ability
and fidelity with which he discharged his duties to his clients, and by the
genial
and kindly and helpful spirit he ever manifested towards his associates. Not
only
was he esteemed by the people of this community, for his fame as a lawyer
outran
city and county and state limits; his legal opinions commanded wide respect,
and
his services in the trial of jury causes were frequently and eagerly sought
by
people from afar.
In cousel wise and clear, in the preparation of causes careful and diligent,
and
in the trial of them, earnest, ingenious and eloquent, he early established
an
enviable reputation, in his chosen profession which he ever afterwards
maintained
with credit to himself and honor to our association.
This history of the Stearns families of Massachusetts continues - a full book
online with Google Books Online.
This segment transcribed by Janice Farnsworth.
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