. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; his life, his works, his friendships . records arescant. He became a blacksmith, and probably livedalways in Newbury, where we may picture him, 1 According to Judge Sewall, William Longfellow went in 1687to England to obtain his patrimony in Yorkshire. It was probablyin this year that his father died. 2 Twas Tuesday, the IS^ of November, that I heard of thedeath of Capt. Stephen Greenleaf, Lieut. James Smith, and EnsignWi Longfellow, Serj Increase Pilsbury, who with Will Mitchell,Jabez Musgro, and four more were drownd at Cape Britoon [anerror] on Friday night the
. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; his life, his works, his friendships . records arescant. He became a blacksmith, and probably livedalways in Newbury, where we may picture him, 1 According to Judge Sewall, William Longfellow went in 1687to England to obtain his patrimony in Yorkshire. It was probablyin this year that his father died. 2 Twas Tuesday, the IS^ of November, that I heard of thedeath of Capt. Stephen Greenleaf, Lieut. James Smith, and EnsignWi Longfellow, Serj Increase Pilsbury, who with Will Mitchell,Jabez Musgro, and four more were drownd at Cape Britoon [anerror] on Friday night the last of October. — Judge Sewalls Diary,anno 1690. William Longfellows widow married Henry Short,May 11, 1692. 8 William Longfellow had two sons who bore the name of Ste-phen. The first of the name, born in 1681, died in early second, who afterwards became the blacksmith, was born, asstated above, on the 22(1 of September, 1685. He was named for hismothers grandfather, Steplien Dnmmer, and was the first of the sixgenerations of Stephen THE ANCESTIIY OF THE POET. 11 like the poets hero of the village smithy, with largeand sinewy hands, brawny arms, his brow wet withhonest sweat, as he swings his heavy sledge withmeasured beat and slow. Stephen the blacksmith married, March 25, 1714,Abigail Tompson, the daughter of Rev. EdwardTompson of Marshfield, by whom he had ten chil-dren.^ One of the sons, Stephen, jun., was born onFeb. 7, 1723, and quite early in life discovered signsof precocious talent. He was more foild of booksthan of the forge and the sledge-hammer, and gavesuch promise of intellectual strength that his fatherwas induced to bestow upon him the benefits of aneducation. At the proper time he was sent toHarvard College, where he received a diploma ofgraduation in 1742. 1 Mr. Ehvell of Portland writes as follows concerning the Long-fellow grant of land in the parish of Byfield, Newbury, Mass.: Itis a remarkable and interesting coincidence tha
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