Page:The librarians of Harvard College 1667-1877.djvu/15

  LIBRARIANS OF HARVARD COLLEGE. As the weekly News-Letter truly said, he was "worthy of very distinguishing regard in the New England histories."

AUTHORITIES : Samuel Sewall, Diary, (Mass. hist, soc., Collections, 5th ser., v. vi. vii. 1878-82). Colonial soc. of Mass., Transactions, 1895, i. 84-112 (portrait). Ellis, Ad- dress on the life and character of Samuel Sewall, 1885. pp. 28. Ewell, Judge Samuel Sewall in American soc. for church history, Papers, 1895, vii. 25-54. Salisbury, Family memorials, 1885, 145-148, 190-202. Sibley, Harvard gradu- ates, 1881, ii. 345-370. Winsor, Memorial hist, of Boston, 1880, i. 210, 540; ii. 148 (portrait), 417.

1674-1676, l679-l681.

Daniel Gookin, the son of Major-General Daniel Gookin and his wife Mary, was born at Cambridge, 12 July, 1650. At the age of 19 he graduated at Harvard with the class of 1669 and proceeded to his degree of Master of Arts. In May, 1673, he " was chosen probation 1, & is forth with to take y e charge of a Classis," and in the fall his fellowship was confirmed by the Corporation. He remained a tutor and resident fellow for eight years, meanwhile twice serving as Librarian. At a meeting of the Corporation, 11 December, 1674, it was "Ordered further that hencforth Mr Daniell Gookin be Library keeper : And that he enquire of persons formerly [con]cerned for finding out & restoring the book[s] found wanting in the last surveigh ma[de] by the Praesidt : himself and Mr Sewal as in the Li- brary book." In August, 1676, there was "paid m r Dan 1 Gookin, one of the Fellowes, money 50" in Satisfaction for his paines in removing the library to the new Colledge & placeiug them." This was evidently extra work, for some months previously Daniel Allin had been appointed Li- brarian ; perhaps in the removal of the books to the first Harvard Hall, then only partially com- pleted, the new Librarian was glad to have the aid of his predecessor. Gookin, however, in June, 1679, was again " chosen Librarie keeper." Two months later the account-books of the Col- lege have the entry, " Paid to Jn Palfrey 36s on the president's note for 1 doz. Stooles made for Colledge Library. " The following winter there is a record of payments of over 20 for freight on eleven boxes of books for the Library ; probably these were the library of the English philolo- gist and divine, Theophilus Gale, then recently bequeathed to the College. In 1681, resigning his positions at Cambridge, Mr. Gookin began his services as a minister. He seems to have assisted the Apostle Eliot in his work among the Indians at Natick, and is described by him as " a pious and worthy young man." In March, 1685, he was ordained pastor of the church at Sherborn, with an annual salary of "twenty pounds in money and twenty pounds in country pay." Here Mr. Gookin preached for many years, both to his parishioners and to the Indians, and here his death occurred, after a long illness, 8 January, 1717-18. William Rider of Natick wrote to the editor of the News-Letter as follows : " The Reverend, learned and pious Mr. Daniel Gookin deceased, aged about 67 years : who in his younger Time was a Fellow of Har- vard College about the space of seven years ; and since has been an Ordained Minister in said Town about 34 years ; who many years preached the Indian Lectures at Natick ; a Gentleman sound in his Doctrine, explaining the Scriptures to the weakest Capacity, and painfull in his Studies, tender of his Flock, and Exemplary in his Life, and Lamented of all Good Men that had Acquaint- ance with him, especially in his own Church and Town." And his friend Sewall notes in his Diary : "He was a good Scholar, and a solid Divine. We were Fellows together at College, and have sung many a Tune in Consort ; hope shall sing Halle- lujah together in Heaven." Gookin married, first in 1681, Elizabeth, daugh- ter of Edmund Quincy, and second, in 1692, Bethia, daughter of Edward Collicott. Savage credits him with another wife, name unknown, whom he is said to have married in 1682, but this is more than doubtful. He had seven children. Daniel Gookin never published anything, but there exists a printed catalogue of his library, which was sold, together with that of Joshua Moody, in 1718. AUTHORITIES : Biglow, History of Sherbume, 1830, pp. 49-56, 62. Harvard Corporation Records. Mass. hist. soc. Collections, 1st series, iii. 185, 5th series, v. vi. vii. passim (Sewall's Diary); Proceedings, 1862, p. 340. Morse, Geneal. register of Sherborn, 1856, p. 43. N. E. hist, and geneal. register, iv. 79. Quincy, Hist, of Harvard, 1840, i. 274. Salisbury, Family memorials, 1885, p. 445. Savage, Geneal. dictionary, ii. 279. Sibley, Harvard graduates, ii. 277-283.

1676-1679. Daniel Allin was the son of Rev. John Allin, the first minister of Dedham, and his second wife, Catherine, widow of Samuel Hackburne and of Governor Thomas Dudley. Sibley and Savage give the date of his birth as 5 August, 1656, but the following entry made by his father in the records of the First Church at Dedham shows that the actual date was a week earlier : "Daniell my sone being borne 31d 5m was baptised 3d 6m 1656"; and this date is confirmed by the Dedham town records. At college he was a scholar of the house, and not long after his graduation with the class of 1675, "at a Meeting of ye Corporatio at Cambridge 11.2.76. [it was] Ordered that Sr Allin be Librarie-keeper." He continued in that