Page:The librarians of Harvard College 1667-1877.djvu/39

LIBRARIANS OF HARVARD COLLEGE. 33 have access to the Library." He acted as Librarian until his death, 16 April, 1800. By his will he bequeathed nearly the whole of his property to the College, the income to "be sacredly appro- priated to the purchase of such modern publica- tions as the Corporation, Professors, and Tutors shall judge most proper to improve the students in polite literature ; the books to be deposited in the library of the University, and to consist of poetry and prose, but neither in Greek nor Latin." This fund now amounts to about $4000. His epitaph in the old Cambridge burying ground describes him as " a virtuous son, faithful li- brarian, and liberal benefactor of Harvard Col- lege," and President Quincy wrote of him : " His disposition was amiable, modest, and unobtrusive ; his manners gentle and singularly polite and con- ciliatory, winning the affections of all. His dili- gence, kind demeanor, and zeal for the improve- ment of the library, were acknowledged during his life, and are gratefully remembered."

AUTHORITIES : Harris, Epitaphs, p. 154. Harvard cor- poration records. Quincy, Hist, of Harvard, 1840, i. 410-411.

1800-1805.

Sidney Willard, son of President Joseph and Mary ( Sheaf e) Willard and great-grandnephew of Josiah Willard (Librarian, 1702-3), was born at Beverly, 19 September, 1780. Entering college at the age of fourteen, he graduated in 1798. In addition to the A.M. granted him in course, he received in 1810 from Dartmouth College an honorary A.M. In 1800 he was put in charge of the Library, which then contained, including pamphlets, from twelve to thirteen thousand vol- umes. By a vote of the Corporation in 1804, he was allowed $76 " for ninety days' services in the Library in making out a Catalogue of references to all the books in the Library and inserting the titles of books which had been omitted," this apparently being in addition to his regular salary. He resigned in 1806, and during the next two years preached in various places, but declined two calls to a regular settlement. In 1807 he was inaugurated as Hancock Professor of He- brew and other Oriental languages, a chair which he held for twenty-four years. During part of his term of service, in addition to teaching Hebrew he gave instruction in English grammar and composition, and in 1827 the Latin instruc- tion was added to his duties. This he found so burdensome that in 1831 he handed in his resignation. Relieved from his academic cares, Willard started in 1832 the American Monthly Review. This peri- odical, of which he was both editor and proprietor, lasted only two years, dying, says Dr. Peabody, " solely because it was too good to live." He had previously contributed many articles to other peri- odicals ; the Monthly Anthology, the Christian Examiner, the North American Review, the Gen- eral Repository, all had frequent papers from his pen. In 1817 he published an excellent Hebrew grammar and in 1855 issued two volumes entitled "Memories of Youth and Manhood," which give an interesting account of the College in the first quarter of this century. His Dudleian lecture (1827) was never printed. He entered public life to some extent after leaving the College, and was three years (1848-50) mayor of Cambridge, and several years a member of the legislature and of the executive council. He died suddenly in Cam- bridge 6 December, 1856, aged seventy-six. Mr. Willard was twice married and had four children. His first wife, Elizabeth Ann Andrews, of Ipswich, whom he married 28 December, 1815, died 17 September, 1817. He married second 27 January, 1819, Hannah S. Heard, also of Ipswich. She died in June, 1824. "His life was one of unceasing industry and usefulness, and was enriched and adorned not only by the cardinal virtues, but equally by those traits of peculiarly Christian excellence which make home happy, and win the affection- ate regard of all within the sphere of their in- fluence."

AUTHORITIES: Appleton, Cyclop, of Amer. biog. Paige, Hist, of Cambridge, 1877, p. 692. Palrner, Necrology Alumni Hare. Col., 1864, p. 113. Peabody, Harvard reminiscences, 1888, pp. 60-67. Willard, Memories, 1855. 2 v.

1805-1808.

Peter Nourse, born 10 October, 1774, at Bol- ton, Mass., was the son of Jonathan and Ruth (Barret) Nourse. He graduated in 1802, received the A.M. in course, and was Librarian for three years from 1805 to 1808. Four years after leav- ing the College he and his wife Polly, daughter of Rev. Caleb Barnum of Taunton, moved to Ells- worth, Maine, where, 9 September, 1812, he was ordained over the newly established Congrega- tional church. The ordination sermon was by Rev. Samuel Kendal and the charge by Ezra Ripley. Here he lived as pastor and at least part of the time as schoolmaster, until his dis- missal from the church in November, 1835. His wife had died previously to this, and, as he had no children, he went to live, first with his brother, Dr. Amos Nourse, at Bath, and then with his nephew, Dr. Thomas Childs, at Phippsburg, Maine. At this place he died at the age of sixty-five, 25 March, 1840. He was buried at Ellsworth. " Reverend Peter Nourse," wrote one who as a boy years before had been in his parish, "was a