Simon Greenleaf's Autobiographical Statement--Essay III

Greenleaf has given us precious information about his first 18 years, information that is really available to us nowhere else. This essay "finishes" his Jan. 5, 1838 autobiographical letter to his son, which ended much too abruptly for our interests and, as far as I know, was probably "finished" but does not survive. Let's pick up where we left off.

"In a very short time after this [the trip to the West Indies with Mr. Giddings, in the late 1790s], my grandfather (or grandmother) expressed a strong desire that I should return to them & go to school, or some employment by way of calling, being now nearly 17 years old [he would have turned 17 on Dec. 5, 1800]. Accordingly I was sent, in Sept. 1800, to Newburyport; & after a few weeks delay & debate, it was settled that I should go for one of the learned professions; & I commenced Latin at the grammar school kept by Mr. Walsh--alias Paddy Walsh, a warm hearted son of Erin--& most thorough instructor. In debating which of the professions I should study, medicine was rejected only because my father's friend & crony, Dr. Swett, was dead; & of course there was no one with whom I could study; & as law was the only alternative, Judge Whitman's office was selected, because board was cheap in N. Gloucester [My comment: Did he ever consider the ministry?; there is also a chronology issue here which I take up below] & being near home my mouther could take care of my clothes! My grandfather was to bear # 700 of the expense [Greenleaf's actual symbol was the octothorpe without one of the crossbars], if he lived; & as I had no other resources, & he was quite aged, I feared to be left without friends in the mist of college life, & therefore yielded to the advice of erring (?) friends, & commenced the study of law April 20, 1802, with what Latin & English I had, & a light heart.

"The first year of my professional studies passed away in commendable diligence. I devoted the morning, till breakfast, & the evening, after tea, till late bedtime, to such college-studies as I had the means of pursuing without an instructor & the day time to law. My amusements in fishing, shooting & rambling; with a "sprinkling" of huskings & sleigh rides, with the young people of the place. In June 1803 I first saw your mother. She was on the way to spend some months her her sister in Turner. I first learned of her from my fellow student J.W. Mitchell, who had been down to June Court & saw her out at Broad's, with Dr. Barker's daughters, where she beat the young Portlander's (sic) at ninepins. She was not quite 16, had just escaped from Bridgewater Academy, as full of life & gaiety & archness as ever child of nature was. She spent two or three days at Judge W's where I boarded, & I accompanied her & her brother Howard to Turner but did not see her again till the following winter, when we were engaged. She returned to Bridgewater the next spring. Between that time & 1806 we exchanged some letters, & met three or four times.

I was admitted to the bar in June 1806, settled in Standish, & on the 18th Sept of that year was married. In December following I "bought out" Asa King of Gray for # 3000 at ten annual payments with interest, & removed to Gray. This debt [was] most injudiciously contracted, being like a millstone about my neck many years, & cause me infinite difficulty & trouble.

But here I leave the subject for the present--"to be continued"

Feb. 16--I have written the latter part, as you see, at this sitting. It is now near 9 p.m. & Capt. Elwell is to call tomorrow; so that I must now close. I wrote you night before last, by express mail, which you will have received before this & shall add no news, as this will be an old letter before you receive this. Good night.

your affectionate father."

Comments

This remarkable document corrects our understanding of Greenleaf's early life, as reflected in the Wikipedia article and elsewhere, in several ways. Chief among them is the notion that he didn't begin his study of Latin and the classics until he returned to his grandparents in Newburyport in Sept. 1800. Thus, he was no enfante terrible, with classical education dripping from every pore at an early age, as suggested by the Wikipedia article. He emphasized that he only learned "English grammar" at an earlier age. Another error, reflected in the Wikipedia article, is that he stayed with grandparents from 1790 until 1799 or 1800, studying the classics. What actually happened, if we can trust Greenleaf's own story, is that he actually stayed in Newburyport until 1795 and then joined his parents in Maine so that he could help the family, primarily in agricultural pursuits. His education in those Maine days was only about three months a year. It was only when his grandfather was quite old and promised to support his study (late in 1800), that he returned to Newburyport to study Latin with Paddy Walsh.

Then, with uncharacteristic unclarity, he says he returned to Maine, either in 1801 or 1802 (he doesn't specify in the letter) to begin his study of law under the tutelage of Ezekiel Whitman. He says he began his study of law in 1802, but he may have removed to Maine in 1801 or 1802. He says he was studying both college and legal subjects at the same time. The Wikipedia article is correct that he was admitted to the bar and married in 1806.

Conclusion

Several things emerge from the autobiographical picture we get of Greenleaf's early life. First, we see that was a bit of a prankster, which he almost gleefully admitted in 1838, at age 54. Second, he considered his schooling important but was only afforded a chance to select one of the 'professions' when it appeared that he wouldn't be any good at farming and that other 'trades' were closed off to him. You wonder who was ultimately responsible for deciding that he should go into law and by what process his family decided for him (that is apparently how it was) that law would be his "best bet." In any case, by the time he was 23 in 1806, he had finished his college/legal education, without a degree in either, however, and was on his way to being a lawyer in Maine. Finally, we see his precision of memory and sympathetic telling of his life story to his son. We can't infer a lot from the latter, other than he seemed to consider his past an advantage for him, and that he didn't obviously bear grudges towards his family for his past.

The last lines of the letter are arresting. Had he "finished" the "rest" of his autobiography and sent it to his son in Natchez along with this installment, dated Jan. 5, 1838? If he did so, it isn't available to us anymore, at least in the Harvard materials or the papers with me. I will continue searching...

Another interesting document discovered in the box of stuff sent me by Simon Greenleaf's descendant is Greenleaf's school exercise book from 1792--when he was eight years old. The next essay tells you about this book/booklet.

3654