session of Elijah T. Sherman, Esq., of New York. The most frequent charges are for senna and rhubarb, manna, epsom salts, spirits of lavender, gentian and tumeric, galingal, palma ceti. sour drops, anodyne pills, " a vomit Sd.," "bleeding 10s."

Dr. Thomas Green is the first physician's name to be found on the town books. He was a resident of what is now Wales, and though a land owner was for several years supported by the town. Dr. James Lawrence came from Killingly, Conn., about 1746. He located in what is now Wales, rather than in the center of the town, as being the smarter place of the two, and continued in the practice of his profession, honored and successful, till he died of small-pox, 1778, May 14, aet. fiftyeight.

Dr. John Butler, who was a friend of General Eaton, and once a surgeon in the United States navy, was a practicing physician here until his death.

Dr. Israel Trask was a native of the town, born March 18, 1775. He lived at the turn of the Sturbridge road, where Mr. Wyles' house now is. He was an active, energetic man, and like Dr. Moffatt, prominent in town affairs. He married Dr. Lawrence's daughter Sarah.

Dr. Rufus Guthrie lived in the house recently bought by Alfred Lumbard, near what is called Guthrie's bridge, on the road to Danielson hill.

Dr. Joseph Moffatt was a physician for more than forty years in this his native town. He was highly esteemed by his fellow townsmen, was town clerk for several years, and held other public offices. He died, 1802, August 12. Rev. Clark Brown, at the time the pastor of the Brimfield church, married his daughter Tabbe. Dr. Moffatt was twice married; first to Margaret Bliss. Ch. Lewis, 1764, September 17; Tabitha, 1765, October 17 (died 1769); Joseph, 1769, August 8; Wyllis, 1770, October

12; his wife, Margaret, died 1771, November 4, aged 31; he married Lois Haynes, 1772, December 10. Ch. Chester, 1775, March 29; Lois, 1776, July 11; Tabbe, 1780, May 1; Alvin, 1785, October 24.

Dr. Martin Hersey was a practicing physician, who introduced Rev. Clark Brown to the Brimfield church. He came from Spencer, and was probably here but a short time. Franklin, son of Martin and Marcy Hersey, was born in Brimfield, 1797, August 23. Maria Eliza, daughter of Thomas and Marcy Hersey, was born here, 1797, August 20. No record has been found of the name even in any other connection, except in a deed of Zebadiah Abbott, 1796, March, which bounds a four-acre lot, "South on Hersey's land."

Dr. Justus Keyes moved about 1809 from Hodges' Corner to Brimfield Center, living till 1815, in the house now occupied by Mrs. Alfred E. Pierce. He was a man of ability. He took Dr. Ebenezer Knight for a partner for two years, and in 1815, sold to him his house and business, and for a time resided in Sturbridge. He returned to Brimfield, but after a few years died in the old Noah Hitchcock house, then owned by him, and standing where Mr. Spaulding's house now is. He married first Betsey Corey, May 11, 1806, and had three children; Marianne, born 1808, March 1; Erasmus Darwin, born 1810, May 29, now Major-General Keyes, United States Army; Elias, born 1812, August 3; (known as Edward L.,) once editor of the Dedham Gazette, and a prominent politican. Dr. Keyes' first wife died March 3, 1826, and he married Polly Wight, of Sturbridge, Dec. 2, 1828.

He

Asa Lincoln was born in Taunton, June-1782. was the oldest of nine children, three of whom are still living, aged respectively seventy-six, seventy-eight, and eighty years, no one of the family having died at a younger age than seventy-two. His father's name was

Asa, and there were nine also in that family, all of whom lived until the youngest was about seventy, a remarkable case of longevity. Their ancestry is traced to one of the three Thomas Lincolns, who were the first of the Lincolns in this country.

The family of Asa still hold the homestead in Taunton on which their ancestors settled, and Morris, nephew of Asa, is the ninth generation who have lived on and owned the same place. Asa's mother was a Morris of Sturbridge, of the same family as Judge O. B. Morris of Springfield. He received only such opportunities of early education as the schools of Taunton afforded, except to recite Latin to Marcus Morton, who was at that time a young lawyer of Taunton. The fact of his hearing the recitations of young men in Latin, shows either that the ability of the future Judge and Governor was not appreciated, or that the town afforded but little business in law at that date; and it is perhaps worthy of note, as showing the customs of the time, that young Lincoln used to carry on his back a quarter of mutton, to pay in part his tuition. Few young men of our day would feel that they could lug a leg of mutton a mile or more, for such a purpose, and perhaps it would be as difficult to find a professor who would receive such coin in payment for his

services.

Young Lincoln was anxious to study law, but his father had chosen medicine as the profession his son was to follow, and accordingly sent him when about twenty years of age to Sturbridge, where he commenced his studies with Doctor Corey. He remained with Corey two years, teaching during the winter time, when he went to Brookfield, (partly because they paid better wages for teaching there,) and completed his study of medicine with Doctor Babbitt. (Pliny Merrick, afterwards Judge of the Supreme Court, was one of the boys who attended Lincoln's