Who Was Doctor Henry Gibson? (Part 2)
New Ipswich Historical Society
WHO WAS DR. HENRY GIBSON? A GRAVESTONE MYSTERY (Part 2)
by Kim Black, September 2022
PART II
In 1862, Mary Henrietta (age 19) married Alfred H. Hersey (age 21), a Boston merchant. They lived in Hingham, MA (southeast of Boston). The 1900 US Federal Census listed two servants living in their household which would suggest Alfred (age 59) and Mary (57) were comfortably well off. Interestingly, the same census also revealed "Mother of how many children - 2" and "Number of these children living -”0". Oh no! Not again! Yes, again.
Mary Henrietta had two boys; Alfred Cushing Hersey and Henry Gibson Hersey. Young Alfred was born 18 Sep 1862. Almost a year later, on 5 Aug 1863, little Henry was born. A month after Henry was born, baby Alfred died - 12 Sep 1863. During this grievous time, Mary Henrietta's grandparents had also died earlier that same year - Sarah Robinson Cragin (26 February 1863) and Joseph Cragin (27 April 1863). On 11 Feb 1865, Henry also died. Poor, poor Mary...she never really knew her parents. She lost her grandparents and first born in the span of seven months, only to lose her youngest baby before he reached 2 years of age. They were all gone.Mary's husband, Alfred, died in 1901 (age 60). Miraculously, a third Last Will & Testament was discovered and, as expected, Alfred left his estate to Mary. What is noteworthy, however, is what the will directed should Mary predecease Alfred. He planned to leave everything to his nephew, George B. Bullard, which included "household furniture, books, pictures, piano, silver-ware, wearing apparel, jewelry, and articles of personal and domestic use and consumption of every name and nature; Also my horses, carriages, harnesses, cattle, farm stock, produce, furniture, and other personal property of a like nature that may be in my barns and stables at the time of my death; also the sum of ten thousand dollars. I also give and devise to my said nephew the use, improvement and incomes of all my real estate, wherever situated, for and during the period of his natural life...".
Additionally, Alfred dedicated the following sums:
$2,000 - New England Historic Genealogical Society to be kept permanently invested and known as the "Alfred C. Hersey Fund".
$2,000 - Massachusetts Horticultural Society permanently invested ("Alfred C. Hersey Fund") with income to be used for prizes.
$1,000 - Hingham Cemetery to be invested and income applied to perpetual care of lots owned by Alfred C. Hersey and remainder for general cemetery care.
$500 - Hingham Public Library
$5,000 - Massachusetts General Hospital to support a free bed.
$5,000 - Massachusetts Homeopathic Hospital, East Concord St., Boston to support a free bed.
$2,000 - Carney Hospital, South Boston.
$1,000 - Free Hospital for Women, Brookline, MA.
$3,000 - Massachusetts Charitable Eye and Ear Infirmary, Charles St., Boston
$5,000 - Perkins Institution and Massachusetts School for the Blind, South Boston.
$2,000 - Perkins Institution and Massachusetts School for the Blind - Kindergarten for the Blind, Jamaica Plain.
$2,000 - Channing Home, Boston
$3,000 - Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
$2,000 - Boston Home for Incurable
$1,000 - The Pilgrim Society, Plymouth, MA.
$200 - New Ipswich Public Library, New Ipswich, NH
$5,000 - Radcliffe College, Cambridge, to establish a scholarship for the encouragement of the study of French, to be known as the "Mary H. Hersey Scholarship."
$11,000+ - to various relatives and persons, including New Ipswich residents - $200 to Alfred H. Chandler,
$1,000 to Caroline Jones, wife of Dr. Frederick H. Jones, $500 to Dr. Frederick Jones, $1,000 to Frances Jones Burton
Note: In 1900, the $55,000 that Alfred bequeathed to various persons and organizations would be the equivalent of nearly $2M in 2022!
Mary Henrietta lived to be 98 years old. She lived comfortably, albeit without her loved ones, and even travelled to Europe on at least one occasion. She passed away in 1941 and is buried in Hingham, MA beside her husband and two baby boys.
This is the end of Henry and Sarah Gibson's legacy. As a young couple, they never could have imagined what lay ahead for themselves nor their daughter, Mary Henrietta. As there are no descendants to carry on their story, it is only fitting that we do it for them. To Henry and Sarah.
Resources:
Ancestry.com
Findagrave.com
The History of New Ipswich, 1735-1914 by Charles Henry Chandler, published 1914 by Sentinel Printing Co., Fitchburg, MA
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James Roger diary entry
26th (Wednesday)
‘Rain, wind East. Miserable day for the 150th Anniversary at Temple. David at Club. I filled Hall lamps.