A trifecta here: a beard, great hair, an old
1885 portrait; there’s even amazingly bushy eyebrows—he’s got more hair than I
do, for crying out loud!
He is the Rev. Ebenezer Gay, born 1792 in Walpole , Massachusetts
He went to Harvard , graduated in 1814; was
ordained as a clergyman in Stoughton there
In 1823, “removed” (I love that
old term) to Bridgewater
He
was active in town affairs, served on the School Board for the town and was a
trustee of the academy
of Bridgewater
In
1888, he went on to Tomkin’s Cove, New York ,
to live with his oldest son, the Reverend Ebenezer Gay, Jr.; another son was
the Rev. Joshua Gay of South Wellfleet .
According
to his obituary in April 10, 1896 edition of The
Churchman, “Gay retained his mental vigor to the last and found special
satisfaction in reading the current literature of the day, and classical works.
Every day of his later years he was accustomed to read his Greek Testament, the
same copy he used at Harvard...”
A remarkable gentleman, to be sure.
When I was little, though, his photograph was
enough to scare the bejesus out of me – a little irreverence for the reverend.
Ah yes, actually just looking at him right now scares me a bit! Yikes!
ReplyDeleteGood; somebody else thinks he's a little scary -- we were terrified when we were little!
DeleteI agree, he might have been very compassionate, but it sure doesn't come through that portrait, so it's likely he was more into "fire and brimstone"
ReplyDeleteHe probably WAS a little on the "fire and brimstone" side of things, Barbara! And that coat he's wearing in the photo is amazing, isn't it?
DeleteI would have been scared of his picture too. If he lived until 1896, he would have been 104!
ReplyDeleteSorry about the typo -- 1886 is the correct date -- he was 94 when he died; the photo was when he turned 93.
DeleteNames started popping out at me! Mary (Gould) Chase, daughter of Moriah Gould, was my 3rd great grandmother. Unfortunately, I only have access to free genealogical sites, so it's hard to trace people. I couldn't make any connection to John Allen Gould or Rebecca Gay. Still - there is the name "Gould". Wouldn't it be funny . . . :)
ReplyDeleteIt would, indeed! Give me some dates for Mary Gould Chase, place of birth...I'll see what I can come up with!
DeleteSent to your email address - and thanks a bunch!
DeleteI agree that he does look somewhat scary and not calming like most Reverends.
ReplyDeleteI think that, back in the day, ministers were supposed to scare you into compliance...it would work for me, that's for sure!
DeleteHe looks like an Old Testament Prophet! All that hair (eyebrows as well) must have taken some maintenance.
ReplyDeleteOr none at all, which is what I sometimes think happened. Pretty awful-looking!
DeleteSomething about Shirley Temple curls and a beard that just doesn't feel right. But I love reading about old people whose minds were in tact right up to the end. Gives me hope!
ReplyDeleteShirley's rolling in her grave, Wendy -- to be compared to Ebenezer? Yikes! But his mind was definitely sharp until The End.
DeleteI imagine I'll look a little scary when I'm 93, too...
ReplyDeleteYou? Scary? I can't see it...
DeleteThat's a fantastic portrait to have in your family and certainly a treasure. It happens that I am reading a history on America in the era from 1790s to 1815, and the chapter I finished today is about the great change in religion at this time. Congregationalist were one denomination that split over the politics between evangelical and old school. I suspect that Reverend Gay chose his biblical look as part of this movement.
ReplyDeleteFrom notes and letters we have, Mike, we suspect he was a true sweetheart of a guy, despite his ferocious appearance; I'm not so sure I want to meet up with him in the afterlife, though...
DeleteHe Looks A Very Intelligent Chap.A Bit Stern?But,Then Again,That Was the Default Pose Then I Suppose.
ReplyDelete