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 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 1818-1904 
 
 I
 
 Of this book one hundred and fifty 
 
 copies have been printed for 
 
 private distribution
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 1818-1904 
 
 PERSONAL 
 REMINISCENCES 
 
 AND 
 MEMORIALS 
 
 PRIVATELY PRINTED 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 MCMV
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1905. BY 
 
 ARTHUR M. HATCH
 
 "Her children arise up and call her blessed" 
 
 20123'
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 INTRODUCTORY NOTE ... xi 
 
 REMINISCENCES .... i 
 
 PRESSNOTICES, LETTERS AND MINUTES 53 
 
 TESTIMONIALS .... 65 
 
 FUNERAL SERVICE AND ADDRESS . 81 
 
 MEMORIAL ADDRESS . . . 107
 
 LIST OF PLATES 
 
 MRS. WALTER T. HATCH, 1879 Frontispiece 
 
 From a miniature by Mildred Jordan 
 
 FACING PAGE 
 
 REV. DR. NATHANIEL W. TAYLOR 12 
 
 From a portrait by George A. Baker 
 
 MRS. WALTER T. HATCH, 1866 16 
 
 From a portrait by Rosalie Palmie 
 
 BIRTHPLACE OF REBECCA TAYLOR 35 
 
 New Haven, Conn. 
 
 Miss REBECCA TAYLOR, 1836 42 
 
 From a miniature by Miss Strobel 
 
 MRS. WALTER T. HATCH, 1879 81 
 
 From a photograph 
 
 "ADORING ANGELS" 106 
 
 From the Walter Tilden and Rebecca 
 Taylor Hatch Memorial Window 
 (lower half), Church of the Pilgrims.
 
 INTRODUCTORY NOTE 
 
 MRS. WALTER T. HATCH, the author 
 of the following reminiscences, has 
 been for many years an inspiring presence among 
 us. We recall her sincerity and sympathy as a 
 friend, her quick interest in all loyal and beau- 
 tiful service. We recall, too, her pleasing remi- 
 niscences of a period unique and representative, 
 and of which she stood as one of the last noble 
 exponents. 
 
 In her desk has been found a closely written 
 note-book, bearing the date 1886. In it she 
 goes far back, giving a graphic picture of that 
 old New Haven life, and of those master minds 
 that have done so much towards moulding the 
 intellectual thought of our own day. Then, 
 recalling her own early life and friendships, she
 
 INTRODUCTORY NOTE 
 
 touches on many subjects of literary and historic 
 interest. 
 
 From these goodly memories, preserved by 
 her clever pen, we make the following extracts :
 
 REMINISCENCES 
 
 MY parents came of a fine old lineage, 
 conspicuous for their intellect, pub- 
 lic spirit, genius for friendship, sim- 
 plicity, and modesty of living. My great-grand- 
 father, Rev. Nathanael Taylor, was the second 
 minister in New Milford, Conn. He had been 
 chaplain in the French and Indian war. When 
 the Revolutionary war broke out, being too old 
 to go, he gave a year's salary to the good cause. 
 In regard to this, I quote from " Sprague's An- 
 nals of the American Pulpit" : 
 
 " Rev. Nathanael Taylor, class of 1745 (Yale 
 College), was a zealous advocate of the Ameri- 
 can Revolution. One of the ways in which he 
 evinced this was by remitting to his people, 
 during the contest, an entire year's salary. This 
 fact the Parish Records show, under his hand, 
 bearing date April, 1779."
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 He died in 1800, at the age of eighty. He 
 left three sons, Nathaniel, William, and Augus- 
 tine, the last, the General Augustine Taylor who 
 served in the war of 1812. In Johnston's ad- 
 mirable history of " Yale and her Honor Roll 
 in the American Revolution," he introduces 
 General Augustine Taylor as follows: "Augus- 
 tine Taylor joined the Connecticut Continental 
 Line as Second Lieutenant or Ensign of the 
 Seventh Regiment, his commission dated Jan- 
 uary i, 1777. The Regiment joined Washing- 
 ton's army in Pennsylvania, taking part on Oc- 
 tober 4th, in the battle of Germantown. Doubt- 
 less Lieutenant Taylor was there, as he was at 
 Valley Forge during the following winter 
 17771778. He was also present at the battle 
 of Monmouth, June 28th, 1778 ; here he suf- 
 fered some permanent injury to his eyesight. 
 On June 2oth, 1779, he received promotion to 
 a first lieutenancy. During the following win- 
 ter the regiment encamped on Monmouth 
 Heights, and thereafter in the Highlands. Lieu- 
 tenant Taylor remained with it until his resig- 
 nation, June 25th, 1781. Returning to New 
 Milford, he became an influential resident. In 
 1812 he was appointed Major-General of State 
 Militia, with the command of the Posts at New 
 Haven and New London. He is described as
 
 PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 a martial and ' elegant-looking man.' The Gen- 
 eral was the uncle of Rev. Dr. Nathaniel Tay- 
 lor, the New Haven theologian." 
 
 My father was named for his grandfather. 
 The following extract from a letter written by 
 Judge Sherman Boardman gives a pleasant 
 glimpse of his childhood : 
 
 " He was a remarkably fine and fair-looking 
 boy. His appearance was aided by the very 
 neat and handsome attire in which his parents, 
 especially his mother, who idolized him, always 
 kept him dressed. His manners were good and 
 his conduct free from reproach. He was, I 
 believe, little, if at all, addicted to any of the 
 mischievous tricks which most boys are prone 
 to indulge and take pride in. At the common 
 schools he was said to be always at the head of 
 the classes in which he was successively placed, 
 and he gave his instructors no trouble. At an 
 early age he was sent to the school, then of high 
 repute, kept by Mr. Backus afterward Dr. 
 Backus at Bethlehem ; here he continued for 
 several years." 
 
 He was about fourteen years of age when 
 he entered Yale College ; until then he had 
 liked to sit on his mother's lap and be called 
 " Natty." After entering college he wrote to 
 his grandfather and signed his name William N.
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 ^Taylor. This brought such a reprimand from 
 the old gentleman that he always afterwards 
 signed his name as he had been baptized 
 Nathaniel William. 
 
 Twice he was forced to leave college on ac- 
 count of rheumatism and weak eyes, and he 
 finally resolved that he would never return to 
 Yale, to be set back a year. But his grand- 
 father knew well the promise that was in the 
 lad, and so arranged that he should twice return. 
 
 During his Junior or Senior year he was 
 " under months of depression," as it was then 
 termed, but after this deep conviction he became 
 a decided Christian. The depth of these con- 
 victions doubtless enabled him, when later he 
 became a preacher, to present with greater 
 power the exceeding sinfulness of sin and the 
 fulness and freeness of salvation by Jesus Christ. 
 The first ray of hope which came to him in his 
 distress was hearing Dr. Dwight, in one of his 
 prayers at college, repeat the text, "A bruised 
 reed shall he not break, the smoking flax shall 
 he not quench." 
 
 It was at about this time that a friend said 
 to him : " Now, Nat, you would better study 
 theology with Dr. Dwight and come back to 
 New Haven to live ; we will build you a new 
 church and the steeple shall reach the heavens."
 
 PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 The present Centre Church was later built for 
 my father. The steeple is the highest in New 
 Haven, and many a soul he led heavenward 
 from its pulpit from 1812-1822. 
 
 My great-grandfather Hine lived in the vil- 
 lage street of New Milford below the Taylors ; 
 the Town Hall now stands upon the site of his 
 home. My mother was named Rebecca for his 
 wife ; she passed much time at her grandfather's 
 home. He said to her one day : " Becky, get 
 up to the top drawer in that cupboard and you 
 will find a box which contains your dear grand- 
 mother's jewelry." She did so, and he gave it 
 all to her a string of gold beads, a gold watch, 
 earrings, and rings of gold. 
 
 When a little girl, my mother was sent to 
 New Haven to school, and boarded in the fam- 
 ily of Parson Hubbard, the Rector of Trinity 
 Church. At Miss Hall's school, then consid- 
 ered the best in Connecticut, she found many 
 congenial young friends, and later, when the 
 young minister, N. W. Taylor, and Rebecca 
 Maria Hine were settled at the Centre Church, 
 these friendships ripened into blessings that made 
 their life in New Haven lovely and valuable for 
 nearly fifty years. Among these friends was 
 Susan Dagget, daughter of Judge David Dag- 
 get ; she married the son of Dr. Dwight.
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 Then there were Maria and Caroline Lef- 
 fingwell ; the latter became the wife of Mr. 
 Street, who founded the Art School, and gave 
 the money for the Art building at Yale. 
 
 Also Henrietta Edwards, the great-grand- 
 daughter of President Edwards, the great New 
 England divine ; she became the wife of Eli 
 Whitney. And Louise Shipman, who married 
 the Rev. Edward Payson, of Portland, Maine. 
 
 My mother's most intimate friends, however, 
 were the daughters of Noah Webster. Julia, 
 the elder, became the wife of Professor C. A. 
 Goodrich, of New Haven ; they lived for fifty 
 years on one corner of Temple and Wall Streets, 
 while my parents lived on the other. Emily, 
 the younger, was the dearest of all. I have sixty 
 letters from Emily to Rebecca, embracing a pe- 
 riod from youth to old age, full of vivid pictures 
 of that time, sprightly, intellectual, religious, 
 worthy to be called letters. 
 
 Referring to a letter brought her by my 
 father, then a junior in the college, she writes : 
 " I have my dear Rebecca's letter ; hearing a 
 knock, I opened the door, and it was handed 
 me by Adonis himself." This refers to my 
 father's personal beauty, which was very great. 
 
 Old Dr. Storrs, of Braintree, once told me 
 that he entered Yale College with my father,
 
 PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 and that he never could forget the impression 
 that his beauty made upon him ; it was more 
 than he could describe. 
 
 Harriet Webster married Mr. Cobb, and 
 later became a beautiful young widow ; after- 
 wards she married again, this time Professor 
 Fowler of Amherst College. She was the mother 
 of Mrs. Emily Ellsworth Ford, of Brooklyn. 
 
 As sons and daughters grew up in both fam- 
 ilies, visits were exchanged, and the friendships 
 have been continued for three generations. 
 
 My mother being an only daughter, her 
 father was very particular in all things relating 
 to her appearance and manners. Her saddle- 
 horse was never ridden by anyone but herself; 
 her clothes and shoes were usually purchased in 
 New York. I have one chair which stood in 
 the house ; the back of it is very straight. Since 
 it came into my possession I have never won- 
 dered at the erect carriage of my mother. 
 
 She was visiting at Dr. Webster's when my 
 father graduated in 1807. On the evening of 
 that day there was a large party at Mrs. Lef- 
 fingwell's house. This, with the Whitney and 
 Hillhouse mansions, were all homes, where, in 
 my mother's childhood and youth, she was a 
 frequent visitor. President Dwight was present 
 at this party, kindly speaking to both ; he con-
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 gratulated my father on the success of the ora- 
 tion which he had that day delivered at his 
 graduation. 
 
 I said to my mother, when she was talking 
 to me of those days of her youth : " I suppose 
 you were engaged at that time ? " " Oh, yes," 
 she replied, " we were always engaged." 
 
 The following verse is taken from a poem 
 found among my mother's papers. The poem 
 was probably one of the little love-letters sent 
 by Nat to Becky during his Sophomore year : 
 
 " There is something in her air 
 
 That greatly hits my fancy ; 
 'Tis not her face, her shape, her hair, 
 But 'tis the whole of Nancy." 
 
 I also copy one from a set of verses descrip- 
 tive of the class of 1807 : 
 
 " Nat Taylor, fair beyond compare, 
 
 The pride of all Yale College O 
 He wins each heart and makes it smart, 
 And glories in his conquest O ! " 
 
 My father, when pursuing his theological 
 studies, was an inmate of Dr. Dwight's family. 
 He greatly revered and loved that eminent man, 
 then the President of Yale College ; he felt that 
 no other ever exerted so great an influence over
 
 PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 him ; even his very presence was an inspira- 
 tion. 
 
 After finishing his course he went to New 
 Milford, and was married there on October 15, 
 1 8 10. The wedding took place in my mother's 
 home ; it had, if I remember, a wide hall run- 
 ning through the centre, and a ball-room on the 
 third floor. 
 
 Then my father received an invitation to 
 preach as a candidate in the first church, known 
 as the Centre Church, New Haven. This Centre 
 Church had a reputation as high as any in New 
 England. He modestly declined. No wonder 
 that the young minister declined the call, for at 
 this time 1812 Dr. Noah Webster, the 
 American lexicographer, Seth P. Staples of the 
 legal profession, Eli Whitney, Mr. Leffingwell, 
 Judge White, and many other superior men 
 were parishioners there. Then Dr. Dwight 
 wrote to him : " Young man, you know not 
 what you do." Dr. Dwight's word was law ; 
 he went. In talking to me during his last ill- 
 ness of those early days, he said, " I came, I 
 stayed, and here I am ! " 
 
 My father occasionally supplied pulpits near 
 New Haven. One Sunday, on returning from 
 East Haven, where he had been preaching, he 
 said : " I have had a great compliment to-day.
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 I lingered after the service, and as I approached 
 the church-yard gate two young men were just 
 going out. They did not see me, and I heard 
 one say to the other, * That was a good ser- 
 mon.' * Yes,' replied the other, ' as good as 
 Old Hundred!'" 
 
 He was, as a preacher, so fervent that he 
 won all hearts. There was one sermon which 
 he loved to preach when there was any unusual 
 religious interest. It was called " The Rock Ser- 
 mon," and this was how he happened to write it: 
 
 It was at a time of special religious interest ; 
 extra services were being held during the week, 
 and the young people of the congregation were 
 asked to come on a Saturday afternoon for per- 
 sonal conversation. Some young ladies whom 
 my father had hoped would be there, had, in- 
 stead, arranged with some of the students for a 
 picnic to East Rock. When the absence of 
 these young women was discovered, and the 
 reason reported, my father was greatly disap- 
 pointed, and he exclaimed, " Oh ! their rock is 
 not as our rock." He went to his study, wrote 
 a sermon on this text, and preached it the next 
 morning. This sermon was greatly blessed, for 
 it not only became the instrument of bringing 
 all these young people into the fold, but also 
 many others.
 
 PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 His persuasive powers were very strong. 
 Once when making a defense in an Ecclesiasti- 
 cal council at Litchfield, and having won his 
 case Dr. Beecher being on the opposite side 
 Judge Roger Minot Sherman said to my father, 
 " Dr. Taylor, you have mistaken your calling ; 
 you ought to have been a lawyer." 
 
 In 1822 he received a call to the Theolog- 
 ical chair in Yale College, just established by a 
 son of Dr. Dwight. There was much opposi- 
 tion expressed to his leaving the Centre Church. 
 Many meetings were held, and the matter was 
 much discussed. Finally Deacon Nathan Whiting 
 rose, and, renouncing his own opposition, called 
 on his brethren to do the same, saying, " The 
 Lord is in it ; we must let our young minister 
 
 go." 
 
 The new Professor of Theology at Yale 
 made a great impression and the " New Divin- 
 ity" great progress. Revivals had always fol- 
 lowed his preaching, and now they followed his 
 teachings. In regard to his work, we quote 
 from Professor Fisher's historical address, at the 
 semi-centennial anniversary of the establishment 
 of the Divinity School of Yale University : 
 
 " Unquestionably the central figure in the 
 Seminary was Dr. Taylor. This was not due 
 merely to his intellectual powers, or to his mag-
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 netic quality as a teacher, but it was owing in 
 some degree to the fact that the taste of the time 
 turned strongly in the direction of metaphysical 
 theology. I have not room for the attempt to 
 characterize at length this body of friends and 
 associates. Dr. Taylor blended the attributes 
 of a philosopher and an orator ; of a philosopher 
 subtle, logical and strong to deal with the most 
 intricate inquiries; of an orator whose concep- 
 tions were vivid as well as clear, and whose ear- 
 nest and impressive delivery enabled him to en- 
 chain the attention and sway the feelings of his 
 hearers. When he arose in any assembly, 
 
 " ' his look 
 Drew audience and attention still as night.' 
 
 "Many can look back in memory to his 
 lecture-room and see him in his chair discours- 
 ing upon the high themes of moral government ; 
 lifting his dark lustrous eyes as he closed a sen- 
 tence of peculiar point or weight ; then proceed- 
 ing in that deep-toned, modulated voice, and 
 rising at times to a strain of powerful and stir- 
 ring eloquence. You cannot know him from 
 his printed works. There was vastly more in 
 the man than can be transferred to paper. Every- 
 thing seemed different when it was warm from 
 his lips. His extemporaneous flashes often sur-
 
 PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 passed his most elaborate discussions. He had 
 a royal nature ; a weight of personality more 
 easily felt than analyzed; an intellectual fascin- 
 ation that cast a spell over all within the circle 
 of his influence. His heart was the fit associate 
 of such a mind. He had a soldier's courage, 
 that rose as dangers thickened ; but he was as 
 gentle as a child. His brief series of lectures 
 in Homiletics were considered at the time and 
 for the time to be unsurpassed in merit." 
 
 My father loved his students, but he was not 
 blind to their faults or to their stupidity. I have 
 heard him tell the following story of himself: 
 A very stupid young man entered the Seminary 
 so stupid that he could not see the point of 
 an argument. I felt it my duty to say to him 
 that perhaps he had mistaken his calling, but 
 neither hints nor advice would deter him from 
 being a minister. So he went on and was li- 
 censed, more because of his goodness than be- 
 cause of his ability or attainments in theology. 
 I once sent him to a neighboring town to sup- 
 ply the pulpit. One day some weeks later, meet- 
 ing one of the Deacons of the church, I in- 
 quired, "Well, how do you like Mr. Babit?" 
 " Oh, Doctor," was the reply, "some of us think 
 he is equal to the Doctor himself." Then, 
 laughing heartily, my father added, " This was
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 the first and last time that I ever ventured such 
 advice." 
 
 My father was a man of intense convictions 
 and of intense purposes, and the power of prop- 
 agating them. These qualities, combined with 
 a nature both sympathetic and courageous, en- 
 abled him to exert a wide influence in the the- 
 ological world and in the community where he 
 lived for nearly fifty years. Professor Silliman 
 said to me after his death that no death had oc- 
 curred since that of Dr. Dwight which had 
 been so deeply felt in all New England. 
 
 It is said that conversation is among the lost 
 arts, but I think it had not been lost, or else had 
 been revived, as I recall the society and conver- 
 sation in the old home in Temple Street. When 
 very young it was my delight to sit near my 
 father, and hear him talk with visitors and theo- 
 logical students. The moral government of God 
 was always a favorite theme ; one of his remarks 
 was that " The next best thing which God did 
 after He made the world was to govern it." I 
 laid this up in my mind and often pondered over 
 it. His lectures in two volumes on this subject 
 have been published, as well as two volumes of 
 essays and sermons. He used to like to convince 
 the intellect, as well as to touch the heart. He 
 told me in his last illness that twice he had de- 
 
 14
 
 PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 livered these lectures to the Academic students 
 by their request, and that both times their de- 
 livery was followed by powerful revivals in the 
 college. 
 
 My father sometimes went to New York to 
 attend and address anniversary meetings, but he 
 was most fond of his home, wife and children, 
 and always dreaded leaving them. I have often 
 heard my mother say that during the early years 
 of the theological controversy, in which my 
 father was engaged, he was so engrossed that she 
 often had to be satisfied with only a smile from 
 the opposite end of the table at meals. 
 
 Had he lived for two years longer, the golden 
 wedding would probably have been celebrated, 
 but he died on March 10, 1858. The funeral 
 services were held in Centre Church, which was 
 draped in black. They were attended by the 
 college students, both Academical and Theolog- 
 ical, and by a large number of friends, many 
 from neighboring towns and from New York. 
 Dr. Bacon, President Woolsey and Professor 
 Goodrich conducted the services, and later funeral 
 sermons were preached at the North Church and 
 at the College Chapel. 
 
 The family have placed to his memory a 
 bronze and marble tablet in Centre Church, and 
 a memorial window in the College chapel. The
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 simple epitaph on his monument is as follows : 
 " O how love I Thy law." 
 
 His death changed the whole face of the 
 world to me, his record of honor and sweetness 
 was an ennobling consolation. My mother sur- 
 vived him for ten years. Her deafness was a 
 great trial to a sensitive, cultivated woman ; some- 
 times regretting that she could not hear some 
 special thing, my father would say, " Ah, my 
 dear, you did not lose much, and you seldom do 
 lose one-half as much as you think you do. 
 There is a great deal of nonsense which you es- 
 cape." 
 
 My mother died in 1868, while we were in 
 Paris with the families Packer and Bellamy, and 
 with Alice Silliman. When asked by Professor 
 Porter what I thought would be a suitable epitaph 
 on her tablet on my father's monument, the pic- 
 ture which came to my mind of her in her ten 
 years of lonely widowhood, suggested the text, 
 " Thou Lord hath holpen me and comforted 
 me." It was accepted by the family as a proper 
 expression of the faith, confidence, and resigna- 
 tion which had characterized her life. 
 
 On one of my last visits to my mother in 
 1867, she gave me some things which she had 
 cherished. One was a large piece of embroidery 
 which she had worked on satin in the year 1 808. 
 
 16
 
 PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 It represents a young female, standing in mel- 
 ancholy attitude by a harp, " Malvina " being 
 the name on the frame. I have since discov- 
 ered her to be the Malvina of Ossian. She also 
 gave me the dress of light blue silk which she 
 had worn on the evening of the party at Mr. Lef- 
 fingwell's, after the Commencement day 1807, 
 when my father had graduated. A quaint little 
 dress, short-waisted, and scanty, with a train. 
 Also her wedding dress of white satin, made in 
 the same style. The low neck and short sleeves 
 of both had been trimmed with lace, and had 
 been robbed of their lace trimmings. These had 
 been very likely appropriated by one of the four 
 daughters. It did not then, as now, take twenty 
 yards of stuff for a dress. The little white kid 
 shoes and silk stockings were there also. When 
 I saw these articles I exclaimed, " Oh mamma ! 
 why have you never given or even shown me 
 these things before ? " She replied, " You would 
 all laugh at them, they are so quaint and old- 
 fashioned. And I am sure you will laugh, when 
 I tell you that the Sunday after I was married, 
 as was then the fashion, I went to church and 
 wore my wedding dress, with a pretty light silk 
 shawl, and a cottage straw bonnet, trimmed with 
 broad white satin ribbon." Then, waiting a mo- 
 ment, she added : " And your father preached and 
 
 17
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 I couldn't tell you how handsome he looked." 
 Among the other things which she then gave me, 
 was a small, square blue silk shawl, given her by 
 Mrs. Trumbull, wife of Governor Trumbull, and 
 a pretty embroidered shawl given her by Madame 
 Dwight. This had been embroidered by Mrs. 
 Eli Whitney. The brocaded vest in the box was 
 part of a dress belonging to Mrs. William Tay- 
 lor, wife of Colonel William Taylor, the " Aunt 
 Nabby " of New Milford. I have also two table- 
 spoons marked A. H. (Abel Hine), which my 
 mother gave me, saying, " These spoons belonged 
 to my grandfather, and are at least a hundred and 
 twenty years old." And this, as I have said, was 
 in the year 1867. I have two cups and a wine 
 glass which belonged to my great-grandfather, 
 Rev. Nathanael Taylor, also another most val- 
 uable relic, a powder horn bearing this inscrip- 
 tion : 
 
 " Nathanael Taylor, his horn. 
 Chaplain at Crown Point, 1762." 
 
 Also his tall standing clock. He had been 
 a member of the Corporation of Yale College 
 for twenty-five years, and my father remembered 
 his starting off for New Haven on his black 
 mare. I have also one of his books, " The Re- 
 ligion of Nature," by Mr. Wollaston, bearing the 
 
 if
 
 PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 date 1738. I have also a pair of silver decanter 
 stands, an oval mirror, and a table with leaves, 
 which belonged to my grandfather, Nathaniel 
 Taylor, and a portrait of his wife. I have a set 
 of spode, belonging to General Augustine Tay- 
 lor. This china is both rare and valuable, the 
 decorations being on each piece. 
 
 There are three portraits of my father, one 
 taken by Earle, a contemporary of Copley, and 
 representing him as a boy of ten or twelve years. 
 Another representing him when he was forty 
 years of age. This was by Jocelyn of New 
 Haven. The third was by George A. Baker of 
 New Yolk. It was painted when he was sixty- 
 seven years old, and it is now in my possession. 
 I have also a miniature on ivory, painted by Sam- 
 uel F. B. Morse, and presented to my mother 
 about 1807. The Morse family have been for 
 three generations the well beloved friends of the 
 Taylors. There is also a medallion, profile view, 
 by Miss Tyler of Amherst. This, also, is ex- 
 cellent. 
 
 The portrait bust in marble, by Ives of Rome, 
 is perfect as a likeness. It was ordered by the 
 Theological alumni for Yale College. Ives, the 
 sculptor, was a native of New Haven. When on 
 a visit to his early home, he modeled the head, 
 took it to Rome and there cut it. The vessel 
 
 19
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 in which it was sent over was lost, and a second 
 was ordered the following year by the alumni. 
 When in Rome, in 1871, I ordered, with my 
 husband's permission, a duplicate. 
 
 I have also a lovely portrait of my mother, 
 who, though not beautiful, was possessed of a 
 fine, well-proportioned form. She was a little 
 above the medium height, with small hands and 
 feet, bright dark eyes and hair, superlatively beau- 
 tiful teeth, a sweet expression, graceful, refined 
 manners, a cultivated mind, and a cautious tongue. 
 It was indeed " the whole of Nancy " which in 
 childhood had won and kept the heart of Na- 
 thaniel. The young and the old trusted her, 
 and to the day of her death she was loved and 
 revered by all in the community where she had 
 lived from early youth. 
 
 Recalling my parents' pictures brings to my 
 mind other old family portraits which have been 
 for over a hundred years in the old homes of the 
 Taylors and Boardmans at New Milford. When 
 eight or ten years old I went with my sister to 
 make a visit there. It was in the latter part of 
 winter, and my father took us in a sleigh. We 
 stayed in the house of my uncle John Taylor, 
 the house where my father was born. Near this 
 stood another spacious mansion, the home of my 
 great-grandfather, Rev. Nathanael Taylor, the
 
 PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 second minister in New Milford. His wife, 
 Tamar Boardman, was the daughter of the first 
 minister. She belonged to the Sherman family. 
 The three brothers now living are General Sher- 
 man, Senator Sherman and Judge Charles Sher- 
 
 j o 
 
 man, father of Mrs. Don Cameron of Pennsyl- 
 vania. In the study in this house is still to be 
 seen, between the front windows, a painted coat 
 of arms. A copy of this in copper I have, which 
 belonged to the Rev. Nathanael Taylor. 
 
 When I made this visit my father's uncle, 
 Col. William Taylor, and his wife, Abigail Starr, 
 of Danbury, always called Aunt Nabby, lived 
 here. His portrait and hers, in powdered hair 
 and quaint costume, were hanging in the parlor, 
 and in an opposite room the portraits of my great- 
 grandparents, parson and Mrs. Taylor. These 
 four portraits have been removed to a more mod- 
 ern dwelling, which has since been built. It is 
 occupied by a descendant, Dr. Charles Taylor. 
 
 In the homes of my uncle, Judge David 
 Sherman Boardman, and in that of Hon. Elijah 
 Boardman, were other most imposing and inter- 
 esting portraits. 
 
 My father had a cousin whom I never saw 
 would that I might once have laid my eyes 
 upon her. In our youth, and talking as girls will, 
 over the beauty of this or that one, he would
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 say : " Beautiful, oh, if you could have seen my 
 cousin Polly Northrup ! Such beauty never ex- 
 isted before or since!" We believed it to have 
 been superhuman ! Her dark brown eyes and 
 hair, her beautiful moulding, her brilliant color- 
 ing and pearly teeth have been my ideal ever 
 since. 
 
 My eldest sister, Mrs. Porter, and my cousin, 
 Charlotte Taylor, Mrs. Huntington, were both 
 settled in New Milford, one as the wife of the 
 Congregational, the other of the Episcopal min- 
 ister. I think that New Milford, Conn., must 
 always be a place of interest to my children and 
 grandchildren, for it was the birthplace of so 
 many of their ancestors. The old homes are still 
 there, the old portraits and many distant relatives, 
 and the cemetery where repose the remains of 
 both my father's and my mother's ancestors. 
 
 Neither will New Haven have less of inter- 
 est for them, having been for fifty years the home 
 of their distinguished grandfather, the birthplace 
 of their mother, and as they have better known 
 it, the home of their aunt and uncle, President 
 and Mrs. Porter. 
 
 Miss Betsy Whittlesey lived opposite us in 
 Temple Street. About 1 840 the house was sold 
 to the widow of Elbridge Gerry, formerly Vice- 
 President of the United States. There were four
 
 PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 daughters, only one of whom is now living. The 
 old family portraits by Gilbert Stuart were most 
 interesting, as well as other family relics. Among 
 them a collection of autograph letters of men 
 distinguished in our colonial history. I remem- 
 ber one of Benjamin Franklin, describing his 
 awkwardness when he attempted to leave the 
 presence of the King and Queen of France, the 
 difficulty he had in backing out. He was our 
 first minister to France after the Revolutionary 
 war. 
 
 Dr. Eli Ives was at this time professor in the 
 medical school, and the " Beloved Physician " 
 of both the rich and poor in New Haven and its 
 vicinity. His son and grandson are now leading 
 physicians in New Haven. 
 
 On the left of my father's house, when I was 
 a child, lived an aged couple who had spent their 
 earlier lives in Boston, but who had come, in 
 their old age, to reside in New Haven. They 
 were the Rev. Dr. Jedediah Morse and his wife. 
 He, the father of American geography, was a 
 tall, noble and venerable man. Mrs. Morse, with 
 tidy black gown, white kerchief crossed over 
 her bosom, and high mob cap, was the picture 
 of a matron of '76. She had more than once 
 called me in for a nice bit from her table. With 
 Susan and Charlie I was always allowed to run
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 through the garden and studio building. This 
 building was occupied by the son, Samuel Fin- 
 ley Morse, who was then an artist, and who af- 
 terwards became so celebrated. Sidney E. Morse, 
 editor of the New York Observer, was another 
 son ; although he lived in New York, he was a 
 frequent visitor, and there were no frolics like 
 those which he inspired ; once he built us a 
 church with a quantity of wood which had been 
 prepared for winter use a pulpit, pews, a tower 
 and a bell. My little brother Nat mounted the 
 pulpit, the preaching I do not recall. I think 
 that it was the only pulpit that he ever filled, 
 for he became a medical man. Professor Morse's 
 wife died at the birth of her third child. Pro- 
 fessor Benjamin Silliman, Sr., wrote a most re- 
 markable epitaph, which is on her tombstone in 
 New Haven. 
 
 Professor Morse later removed to New York, 
 to pursue his electrical experiments, and after- 
 wards to Washington. I went in 1840, with 
 my dear friend Susan, his eldest child, to her 
 father's rooms in New York. He took our da- 
 guerreotypes. In 1842, on the twenty-fourth 
 of May, he sent from the rooms of the Supreme 
 Court at Washington, to Baltimore, the first tel- 
 egraphic message. It was sent to Miss Annie 
 Ellsworth, daughter of Hon. Henry Ellsworth 
 
 24
 
 PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 of Washington, and it read as follows : " What 
 hath God wrought ! " Five days later the in- 
 telligence of the nomination of Mr. Polk was 
 wired from Baltimore to Washington. Thus 
 began the use of that invention which now 
 thrills the world as with a single pulse. 
 
 Susan Morse married a merchant of Porto 
 Rico, with large estates and numerous slaves ; 
 when slavery was no more, his riches decreased. 
 On returning to the States in 1885, h* s w ^ e 
 died on the passage a most sad event to her 
 only brother and to all who loved her. 
 
 The Morse house in New Haven was sold 
 to Mr. Arthur Tappan of New York, one of the 
 first American abolitionists. 
 
 The miniature, to which I have already re- 
 ferred, painted by Mr. Morse, of my father, 
 when they were in college, came into my pos- 
 session on my mother's death. 
 
 On Mr. Morse's eightieth birthday a large 
 reception was given him. He was then living 
 with his second wife and family in Twenty- 
 second Street, New York. I went with my hus- 
 band and took the miniature with me. It is set 
 in the form of a locket. When an opportunity 
 offered I handed it to Mr. Morse without a 
 word. In a moment he recognized it, and, turn- 
 ing to Mr. Bryant, the poet, he said in a gentle, 
 
 >5
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 pathetic tone, "Bryant, I painted that sixty 
 years ago." 
 
 Stephen Van Rensselaer, the eldest son of 
 the Patroon of Albany, was a classmate and 
 friend of my father. The Patroon encouraged 
 this intimacy, but it waned somewhat after 
 my father's decided religious turn in Senior 
 year. 
 
 My grandfather had agreed that his son should 
 go with Stephen Van Rensselaer to Montreal to 
 study French, after their graduation, and that the 
 following spring both young men should take a 
 trip to Europe. They were both introduced into 
 the best English society in Montreal ; but the 
 gay life became so irksome to my father, that 
 after a few months he returned to New Haven 
 and entered Dr. Dwight's family. 
 
 The Patroon sent his youngest son to Yale, 
 and as long as he lived he was my father's friend. 
 My parents visited at the Manor House in Al- 
 bany, and the Patroon and his daughter visited 
 our home. Courtland Van Rensselaer gradu- 
 ated at Yale and studied divinity there. I was a 
 little girl at the time. He would often seat me 
 on his knee and talk to me, and for three suc- 
 cessive years he sent me a poem on the Fourth 
 of July. He also gave me a little English Testa- 
 ment, which I still own. His daughter was 
 
 26
 
 PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 at Farmington with my daughter, and his son 
 crossed the ocean with us in 1872. 
 
 While pursuing his theological studies with 
 Dr. D wight, there commenced between Dr. 
 Lyman Beecher and my father that ardent and 
 lasting friendship which proved such an impor- 
 tant factor in the lives of both clergymen. And 
 this was the beginning : Dr. Dwight's eyes were 
 very weak, and going into the study one after- 
 noon to write for him, my father found waiting 
 there a rather small, plain-looking man ; he sup- 
 posed that he was a farmer from one of the 
 neighboring towns, and that he had come to ar- 
 range with the doctor for his winter supply of 
 potatoes ; he offered him a chair and began his 
 work. Presently Dr. Dwight appeared, greeted 
 the man with great cordiality, and introduced 
 him as Mr. Beecher of East Hampton, Long 
 Island. The famous duel between Aaron Burr 
 and Alexander Hamilton had inspired a Mr. 
 Beecher to write a most pronounced tract against 
 duelling. It had attracted much attention, and 
 my father concluded that this must be the author 
 of it, and he became much interested in the con- 
 versation. 
 
 Many years after Dr. Taylor reminded Dr. 
 Beecher of this interview. " Ah, yes," he re- 
 plied, " we took hold of hands in Dr. Dwight's 
 
 27
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 study, and we never let go ! " An acquaintance 
 so auspiciously begun soon ripened into a warm 
 friendship. 
 
 Mr. Beecher removed from East Hampton, 
 Long Island, to Litchfield, Conn., in 1812, and 
 my father becoming pastor of the Centre Church, 
 New Haven, visits and pulpits were frequently 
 exchanged, and long were the talks over the 
 " New Theology " which a few years later 
 shook New England to its centre ; it was char- 
 acterized as " Taylorism." 
 
 In 1863 Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe visited 
 us ; together we read over many letters relating 
 to that early struggle, when it required great 
 moral courage to present in the pulpit any mod- 
 ification of old Calvinism. 
 
 I do not remember Mr. Beecher's visits while 
 he lived at Litchfield, but I have heard my 
 mother describe one or two of them. Living 
 away from the sea he had a great craving for 
 sea food, so that when he appeared the town was 
 searched for clams, lobsters, and other fish. This 
 was all very well, but once her patience was ex- 
 hausted. My father was out of town at the 
 time ; Father Stebbins and his daughter Harriet, 
 who was afterwards Mrs. R. S. Storrs of Brain- 
 tree, had driven over from West Haven to take 
 tea. All three were seated in the front parlor,
 
 PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 when in walked Dr. Beecher holding on a string 
 a large shad. He had driven over from Litch- 
 field, seen the shad in Chapel Street market, and 
 had bought it for his supper. When my mother 
 saw the fish she inwardly resolved to have noth- 
 ing to do with it until the next morning, then 
 it should be cooked for the preacher's breakfast, 
 for the tea was already arranged, and the one 
 woman in the kitchen would be disconcerted by 
 any rearrangement. The children were happily 
 disposed of in the nursery with Mrs. Simons, our 
 dear old faithful nurse, so that my mother had 
 been anticipating an uninterrupted hour with 
 her dear friends. So, as Mr. Beecher walked 
 through the hall she said to him, " You shall 
 have that fish for your breakfast." 
 
 He made no reply, but passed on and out to 
 the woodshed. He cleaned the fish, washed the 
 fish, cooked the fish, and ate the fish for supper, 
 and probably with as great a relish as one might 
 have who had not for a year seen a fresh Con- 
 necticut shad ! 
 
 This I do not remember, but I do remember, 
 when I was a little girl, how he would rush 
 into the house, speak to no one, rush out and 
 promenade back and forth over the wide garden 
 walk, then in, and up the back stairs to my 
 father's study. > 
 
 *9
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 My parents frequently passed their summer 
 vacations at Saratoga. Once my mother went 
 alone, leaving as housekeeper my sister Susan, 
 then a girl of fifteen. One Saturday evening 
 Dr. Beecher arrived. Before tea he went to the 
 kitchen to see what he could find there to tempt 
 his appetite. An iron pot of clams stood on the 
 hearth, and the good man took a clam shell and 
 drank of the savory liquor. The little house- 
 keeper had prepared a dessert for that day and 
 also one for the following Sabbath, for there was 
 very little cooking in our home on the Sabbath 
 day. These desserts were standing on the white 
 ironing-table, covered by a napkin. As we sat 
 at the table custards were brought on for the 
 Saturday dessert ; the Doctor pushed away his 
 portion, remarking, " I thought you had some 
 whortleberry pie." He had peeped under the 
 napkin which had covered the two desserts. 
 Father called for the pastry, the custards went 
 begging," and poor Sue, our provident house- 
 keeper, had to make other arrangements for the 
 next day. 
 
 In 1826 Dr. Beecher removed to Boston, and 
 there was a strong fight against unitarianism in 
 that city after he arrived. My father went on 
 occasionally to fire some of his telling shot. 
 
 In 1830 Dr. Beecher was called to Lane 
 3
 
 PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 Seminary, and left Boston, to the great sorrow of 
 my father. During his first visit to the East he 
 came to our house. We were at dinner. My 
 father, hearing his voice at the door, rushed out. 
 We followed, and there were the two D. D.'s 
 hugging and kissing each other. Dr. Beecher 
 was at this time a widower. He went to Bos- 
 ton and returned in a few weeks. Again his 
 voice was heard at our front door. He rushed 
 into the dining-room, exclaiming : " Brother 
 Taylor ! Brother Taylor ! Come out and see my 
 new wife ! " My father proceeded to assist the 
 bride to alight from the stage coach. A few 
 moments of earnest, pleasant conversation fol- 
 lowed, and the newly married pair continued on 
 their way to New York. This lovely and beau- 
 tiful woman was Mrs. Jackson, of Boston, a for- 
 mer parishioner of Dr. Beecher. 
 
 On another visit he came down in the noon 
 train from Hartford, to deliver at Yale College his 
 famous lecture on " Edwards/' Mrs. Beecher 
 followed later in the day. On going to her room 
 she found the Doctor's best suit still tied up in 
 a red pocket handkerchief. She returned to the 
 parlor with a smile, saying : " As usual the Doc- 
 tor has gone off with his old clothes on." 
 
 One vacation Mr. Beecher spent several days 
 at our house, and he and my father read aloud 
 
 31
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 together. Once it was from Scott's novels, of 
 which my father was very fond. Again it was 
 from Burns. I well remember how eloquent 
 they were over the pathos of Jeanie Deans, and 
 the roars of laughter over the wit of Cuddy Hed- 
 
 "gg- 
 
 Mrs. Stowe once said to me : " My father was 
 
 twelve years your father's senior, but through 
 life he had an unbounded and romantic attach- 
 ment for him. His visits were always hailed with 
 delight by the Beecher family at Litchfield," 
 and, she added, " his beauty and his eloquence 
 were unsurpassed." 
 
 About three years before Dr. Beecher died, 
 he and his wife visited my mother at New Haven. 
 He asked my mother if she was willing that he 
 should be buried at the side of my father, who 
 died in 1858. Professor Goodrich, the lifelong 
 friend of both, being present, fearing that the 
 question should startle and worry my mother, 
 replied : " Brother Beecher, there is room in my 
 lot in the cemetery, if you wish to be laid in 
 New Haven." 
 
 " I wish to lie beside Brother Taylor and in 
 his lot," was Dr. Beecher's reply. My mother 
 gave him every assurance and he was satisfied. 
 The summer before he died another visit was 
 made. Before the good-bye came at the front 
 
 3*
 
 PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 door, he pointed toward the cemetery but did not 
 speak. Mrs. Beecher said : " Mrs. Taylor, he 
 wishes to know if you are still willing that he 
 should lie beside your husband." My mother 
 reassured him and he went down the steps 
 
 " 'Twixt smiles and tears." 
 
 Dr. Beecher's last years were spent in Brook- 
 lyn with his wife at the home of Mrs. White, her 
 daughter, in Willow Street. They often called 
 at our home in Clark Street, and he would in- 
 variably talk of my father. Seating himself be- 
 fore his portrait, Dr. Beecher would exclaim : 
 " Ah, why did Taylor die, and why do I live ? " 
 Again he would sit before it and weep, without 
 a word. And when his mind was weakened by 
 age, and other friends were forgotten, one would 
 say : " Surely you remember Dr. Taylor," and 
 he quickly replied : " Oh, yes, yes, Taylor, Tay- 
 lor, a part of me, a part of me." 
 
 Once when looking at his photograph, he 
 exclaimed : " Oh, Lord God, bring my soul to 
 see the man with whom I walked in sweet coun- 
 sel in this world." Again, his daughter, striv- 
 ing to cheer him, said : " You remember Dr. 
 Taylor," he replied : " Don't tell me of him now. 
 I cannot bear it." 
 
 These two great and good men lie side by 
 
 33
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 side in the cemetery at New Haven. They had 
 fought together for the " New Divinity," and 
 this had made them one. Their aims and pur- 
 poses were also one, in indicating God's ways to 
 man, and in winning souls to Christ. They were 
 noble and lovely in their lives, and in death they 
 were not long divided. Who can measure the 
 happiness of such souls in eternity? 
 
 Miss Catherine Beecher was often a guest at 
 our home when I was a child. I will not say 
 that her visits, which lasted sometimes for weeks, 
 wore out her welcome, but I will say that the 
 children were not very fond of her. It may not 
 have been that she never noticed us; but be- 
 cause she stole the hours from us which my father 
 had devoted to us at the table ; for during those 
 intense controversial days he had very little time 
 for his children. 
 
 Edward Beecher, then a student of theology, 
 was often with us ; also George, who was so gen- 
 ial, fervent, and sympathetic that he won all 
 hearts. 
 
 Every member of the Beecherfamily of whom 
 I had any knowledge were pronounced abolition- 
 ists. When Mrs. Stowe electrified all lands with 
 " Uncle Tom's Cabin," my mother said that she 
 had never wondered at the extremes to which 
 the family went on the subject of slavery, on ac- 
 
 34
 
 PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 count of the following circumstance : As a little 
 girl my mother went to New Haven to school, 
 and boarded in the family of Parson Hubbard, 
 Rector of Trinity Church. A son of the Parson 
 had married Mary Foote, sister of Dr. Beecher's 
 first wife. She had gone as a bride to Havana, 
 Cuba, where young Hubbard was engaged in 
 trade. She soon discovered that her husband 
 had another family there mulattoes and, as 
 soon as she could, she left him and returned to 
 New Haven. 
 
 Parson Hubbard treated her as a daughter, 
 and while my mother was a member of the fam- 
 ily, Mary Hubbard was also living under the 
 same roof, lovely and beloved. The denouement 
 must have made a deep impression on the young 
 sons and daughters of Dr. Beecher." 
 
 The old New Haven home, at the corner of 
 Temple and Wall Streets, where Mrs. Hatch was 
 born and married, was, after her mother's death, 
 in 1868, sold to Centre Church for the parson- 
 age. This was a pleasant circumstance to all the 
 family. 
 
 In recalling this old home Mrs. Hatch quotes 
 Hood's poem : 
 
 " I remember, I remember, 
 The house where I was born." 
 
 35
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 Then she continues, as follows, with the memo- 
 ries of her own childhood days and married life : 
 
 "The garden of the Temple Street house 
 was highly cultivated. There never were such 
 cherries, raspberries, pears and apples as grew in 
 it. My father took great pains with everything 
 in the way of fruit and vegetables. High box 
 trees grew on either side of the garden walk, and 
 then came the borders of flowers, bearing among 
 others the sweetest roses and lilies. A small slid- 
 ing gate had been arranged by the Morse family 
 for the especial benefit of the children, and Sarah 
 and Eliza Tappan afterwards enjoyed this priv- 
 ilege with me, through our doll and baby-house 
 days. 
 
 I recall many old Connecticut clergymen, 
 visitors at our house. One of these was Mr. 
 Nettleton, a sort of traveling preacher. He af- 
 terwards, with others, denounced the Yale the- 
 ology. I was afraid of Mr. Nettleton. He would 
 sometimes catch me, seat me on his knee, and 
 then go on talking, entirely forgetting me. I 
 was thus robbed of my playtime. 
 
 I remember, as a very little girl, going with 
 my governess to the Centre Church, and invari- 
 ably going to sleep with my head in her lap. 
 
 3 6
 
 PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 My mother, seated in the corner of the pew, 
 sometimes giving me the large red morocco 
 hymn book of" Dwight's Psalms and Hymns." 
 Her name was on the cover in red letters, and I 
 would try to spell it Rebecca M. Taylor. 
 
 I greatly admired my father, and I can re- 
 member stopping to kiss certain articles which 
 exclusively belonged to him. 
 
 When, in 1 824, Lafayette visited New Haven, 
 the citizens assembled at the College to greet 
 him. I was carried in my father's arms, and, as 
 the procession moved by, the famous Frenchman 
 leaned over and kissed me. 
 
 A happy little girl, I went to Miss Hough- 
 ton's school on College Street, until I was ten 
 years old. My companions were the children 
 of my immediate neighbors, and with them I 
 hopped and skipped and romped away the after- 
 noon hours of each day, under the beautiful elms 
 in Temple Street. We often took our dolls and 
 played on the steps of the churches on the Green, 
 which was not then the trim and public place 
 it now is. Sometimes we would go to the Hill- 
 house woods. The treasures of nuts and red ap- 
 ples which we gathered were hid away in a 
 drawer, and afterward given to sister Sue and lit- 
 tle Nat. This only little brother sometimes ran 
 away from home. The only punishment that 
 
 37
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 produced any effect was dressing him in girl's 
 clothes. 
 
 One day I was mounted on a low bar fence, 
 under two cherry trees, when Professor Silliman 
 came along. He took both my hands and 
 gently jumped me down, saying, " That's not 
 a pretty thing for such a little lady as you 
 are to do." 
 
 His son Benjamin, always my dear friend, 
 also went to Miss Houghton's school, he used 
 to bring nuts to school, he would give Sue and 
 me the kernels and put the shells in a hole in 
 the floor. 
 
 Our week day occupations and play ended 
 at sundown on Saturday afternoon, our playthings 
 were then put away, and the Sabbath begun. 
 Church and Sabbath school kept us busy until 
 tea time on Sunday,. and at sundown on that day 
 we were allowed to quietly walk up and down 
 the garden. My mother then usually took out 
 her knitting work and neighbors would drop in. 
 Perhaps Professor Goodrich, Dr. Webster or 
 Judge Dagget. Later, when my sisters were 
 older, there were calls from Theologs and some- 
 times even Academics. 
 
 When ten years of age I went with some of 
 my Temple street friends to Grove Hall School. 
 Here my friendship with Lizzie Atwater, after- 
 
 38
 
 PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 wards Mrs. Charnley, and Susan Forbes, who 
 became Mrs. Benjamin Silliman, Jr., were friend- 
 ships which lasted as long as they lived. 
 
 Fanny Bristol, afterwards Mrs. Murdock, and 
 Lizzie Day, afterwards Mrs. Professor Thatcher, 
 Fanny and Elizabeth Whitney, and the daugh- 
 ters of Mrs. Street, were also among my chosen 
 friends in early youth, and though separated by 
 time and distance, there have been many pleas- 
 ant reunions in New Haven. 
 
 When about fifteen I went with Dr. Fitch, 
 then Professor at Yale, and his wife, and Susan 
 Forbes to Boston. We travelled in a stage- 
 coach. We stopped one night at Hartford, an- 
 other at Worcester, and on the third day arrived 
 in Boston. This was a great treat to me, I en- 
 joyed so much with my dear friend Susan. Then 
 we crossed by stage from Boston to Albany, came 
 down the Hudson by steamboat to New York, 
 and after a visit there returned by boat to New 
 Haven. 
 
 From this time on the friendship of Mrs. 
 Fitch was most valuable, and her influence most 
 salutary upon me. She gave new impulse to 
 my reading and studies, inspired me with new 
 aims in life and life's duties, deepening well laid 
 convictions, and inspiring new ones. 
 
 At the age of fifteen I left Grove Hall School 
 
 _ ' 39
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 with some regret, being much attached to Miss 
 Peters and Miss Dutton; the latter was my Latin 
 teacher, and she took me through Virgil's ./Eneid. 
 I had studied Dugald Stewart, Reid and Brown, 
 Geometry and Algebra. I now desired, with 
 my friends Lizzie Atwater and Susan Forbes, to 
 become a member of Miss Delia Bacon's class. 
 I enjoyed much going on with my studies in 
 Mental Philosophy, or rather, going back to 
 John Locke, and forward to Cousin and Cole- 
 ridge. Our studies in Art and Literature were 
 delightful, for our teacher was unbounded. This 
 lady was a sister of Dr. Leonard Bacon, my 
 father's successor as pastor of Centre Church, 
 where he remained for fifty years. She was a 
 gifted, refined and highly cultivated woman. For 
 about ten years she taught classes in New Haven 
 in Philosophy, Art, and Literature. She was 
 a deep and earnest student in the plays of Shake- 
 speare. Becoming convinced that they were not 
 written by Shakespeare, but by Lord Bacon, she 
 went to London to make researches on that sub- 
 ject. After this, one or two plausible articles 
 appeared from her pen in Putnam's Magazine. 
 Hawthorne and other literary celebrities were 
 kind and attentive to her in England. Miss 
 Bacon went to Stratford-on-Avon, and here her 
 infatuation increased. She would there spend 
 
 4-0
 
 PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 hours alone in the church before Shakespeare's 
 tomb. Illness at last overtaking her, one of Dr. 
 Bacon's sons brought her back to New Haven, 
 where in the cemetery her remains rest. Since 
 her day her " Shakespeare-Bacon Theory " has 
 been from time to time discussed. Her pupils 
 erected a monument to her memory. It bears 
 the following inscription: 
 
 " So he bringeth them unto their desired Haven." 
 
 "Tales of the Puritans," and " The Bride of 
 Fort Edward," are among her early publications; 
 the former written when she was sixteen years 
 old. 
 
 About this time I joined the Chapel church; 
 we were always privileged to hear the best preach- 
 ing of the day. Dr. Fitch at the College, and 
 during revivals, which often took place in those 
 days, Dr. Joel Parker and Dr. Thomas H. 
 Skinner were all prominent, as were also Dr. 
 Edward N. Kirk of Boston, and Professor Park 
 of Andover. 
 
 In 1836, my eldest sister, Mary Taylor, was 
 married to Rev. Noah Porter, of Farmington, 
 Conn. Mr. Porter later became Professor of 
 Mental and Moral Philosophy at Yale College. 
 This position he held for twenty years, and in 
 1870 was elected President of the College. In 
 
 4*
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 the year 1886 he resigned the Presidency, re- 
 taining the old Professorship. 
 
 My sisters Harriet and Susan were very beau- 
 tiful. Harriet was my ideal, and as beautiful as 
 ever Polly Northrup, my father's cousin, could 
 have been. Susan, brilliant, vivacious, sparkling, 
 won all hearts of both sexes ; she was the envy 
 of many of her companions, whose admirers 
 among the Yale boys were fewer than her own. 
 
 My sister Harriet married, on May loth, 
 1837, Rev. S. G. Buckingham of Lebanon, 
 Conn. He later succeeded Rev. Noah Porter 
 in the South Church in Springfield. This was 
 a great loss to me, as her sympathy and affec- 
 tion, as an elder sister, had always been constant. 
 It is not in my power to eulogize one so lovely. 
 
 In 1836 my friend Lizzie Atwater was mar- 
 ried and went to Philadelphia. Susan Forbes 
 and I officiated as bridesmaids. The bride was 
 in white satin, we in pink satin and blond lace. 
 My groomsman was one Walter T. Hatch, who 
 had made his appearance about a year previous 
 at the Temple street home, and with whom 
 there had gradually been made an arrangement 
 which arrangement, on account of the youth 
 of both parties, was not fully endorsed by my 
 parents. This was much wondered at, to be 
 sure, by Walter and Rebecca, when they con- 
 
 4*
 
 PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 sidered the example of Nathaniel and Rebecca 
 of thirty or forty years before. 
 
 Rebecca was told that she must not walk 
 with Walter, or allow him at the house, except 
 on Wednesday or Saturday afternoons, the Col- 
 lege half-holidays. His father had sent him to 
 New Haven for his education. The two were 
 grieved and obeyed for a time, but somehow or 
 other, the arrangement previously made by these 
 sixteen-year-old youngsters seemed to progress, 
 and, engaged or not engaged, there was no fur- 
 ther opposition, and in 1837 another dark-haired 
 handsome Senior was praised for his commence- 
 ment oration, and another Rebecca was happy 
 at his side ; I have the diploma which he then 
 received. 
 
 Some of his classmates, graduating with him 
 in the famous class of 1837, were Dr. A. B. 
 Robeson, William M. Evarts, since Secretary of 
 State, Dr. Andrew Stone, of Boston and Cali- 
 fornia ; President Chapin, of Beloit College ; 
 Benjamin Silliman, Jr., Morrison R. Waite, 
 Chief Justice of the United States, and Edwards 
 Pierrepont. 
 
 The college vacations had always seemed 
 very long. During the autumn vacation of 
 1837, I had visited my friend Mrs. Charnley 
 in Philadelphia ; stopping for a short visit at the 
 
 43
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 home of Walter's father in New York. This 
 was then at 5 1 6 Broadway, opposite Astor Place, 
 where Scribner's warehouse now stands. There 
 were three handsome houses in a row, Mr. 
 Hatch lived in one, his uncle, Mr. SpofFord, in 
 another, and old John Jacob Astor in the third. 
 It was " far up town " at that time. 
 
 The year 1838 was spent by Walter at New 
 Haven studying Hebrew and German prepara- 
 tory to the study of Theology, but it was deemed 
 best on account of his health, that he should go 
 to Charleston, South Carolina, where his elder 
 brother lived, and where the mercantile firm of 
 his father had established a branch. Walter's 
 father was Arouet Melvin Hatch, and his mother 
 Susan Prescott SpofFord. 
 
 My son, Arthur Melvin Hatch, is named for 
 his grandfather, for Mr. Hatch, as a child, was 
 called Arthur, but he was an orphan, and the aunt 
 with whom he lived changed his name to Arouet, 
 a historical character who figured in the French 
 Revolution. 
 
 My son, Henry Prescott Hatch, is named for 
 his grandmother and her youngest son, Henry 
 Prescott. Whittier, the Quaker poet was a friend 
 of Mrs. Susan P. Hatch, and he wrote in her 
 album some original verses, which Arthur, her 
 grandson has preserved. 
 
 44
 
 PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 Walter T. Hatch resolved to go into mer- 
 cantile life in Charleston, and for nearly two 
 years he was absent from New Haven. 
 
 November i oth, 1 840, was our wedding even- 
 ing. It was decided that we must have a very 
 quiet wedding, for if any were invited, the whole 
 town and college must be. So we compromised 
 urging that all married people should seat 
 themselves at their own firesides on that evening, 
 and that only the young people should come. 
 We had a very pretty company and a very pretty 
 wedding, and I think that my father tied the 
 knot with great care. 
 
 My sister Sue was my bridesmaid, and her 
 fiance, Abel Bellows Robeson, her groomsman ; 
 she looked very pretty in her white silk dress. 
 
 We spent our honeymoon at Uncle Spof- 
 ford's in New York. His wife was Susan Spring, 
 daughter of Dr. Samuel Spring of Old Brick 
 Church memory. 
 
 Next came the home in Brooklyn, first four 
 years in Washington Street, where my eldest 
 child was born ; then we removed to Clark 
 Street, where we lived for twenty-six years, and 
 in 1870 to Remsen Street, where we have al- 
 ready lived for over fifteen years. 
 
 Our silver wedding took place November 
 i oth, 1865. It was a pleasant gathering of 
 
 45
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 about two hundred relatives and friends. Our 
 four children stood beside us while Dr. Storrs 
 offered a short prayer. I wore a silver-colored 
 moire antique dress, a wreath of fine white 
 flowers, from which descended a short veil of 
 tulle. Congratulations were sincere and numer- 
 ous; we received letters from some aged 
 friends who could not be present. An ac- 
 count of guests, presents, etc., may be found 
 in my scrap-book. 
 
 My friend Augusta Street had married Ad- 
 miral Andrew H. Foote, and they lived at the 
 Brooklyn Navy Yard. Admiral Foote was a 
 Christian and devoted to the cause of temperance 
 in the American Navy. While stationed here 
 he often came on Sunday evenings to hear Dr. 
 Storrs preach. We once gave them a pleas- 
 ant dinner ; we invited to meet them Dr. and 
 Mrs. Henry Field ; Mrs. Field was a French 
 lady of some note; also Dr. and Mrs. Storrs and 
 Mr. and Mrs. Chittenden. We also dined with 
 the Footes at the Navy Yard, meeting there 
 Admiral and Mrs. Rowan. Admiral Foote once 
 invited me to a ball on board the North Caro- 
 lina, then the receiving ship at the Navy Yard. 
 I replied that I had never been to a ball and 
 declined. A note came from him that he would 
 not accept my declination, and, he added, " Do 
 
 4 6
 
 PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 come and wear the black velvet gown and the 
 white plumes which you wore at the party at Mrs. 
 
 , altho' it would not do for a gentleman to 
 
 ' show the white feather ' ! " Of course I ac- 
 cepted ; the dancing was on the deck, the lights 
 from chandeliers arranged with guns and arms, 
 each gun and sword holding a candle a very 
 unique and fine affair. 
 
 When later Admiral Rowan was commander 
 at the Yard I went to a beautiful luncheon given 
 by Mrs. Rowan. The dishes were all Japan- 
 ese ; there were at least a dozen courses, and 
 each set of dishes Admiral Rowan had brought 
 from Japan. 
 
 My nephew, now Admiral Henry Bellows 
 Robeson, was at that time on Admiral Rowan's 
 staff. When Captain Robeson was a young boy 
 Admiral Foote had persuaded my father to allow 
 him to go into the Navy. My sister had, in her 
 last illness, asked my husband to take him, a boy 
 of fourteen, to the Annapolis Naval Academy. 
 I went with him, too, and it was with many 
 pangs and misgivings that, in 1856, I left the 
 boy in that strange place. He has since seen 
 much service. He was at New Orleans and 
 Fort Fisher. He also commanded a monitor at 
 Charleston during the war of the Rebellion, 
 1861-1865. He has since commanded the Van- 
 
 47
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 dalia, the ship which took General Grant around 
 the world. 
 
 My acquaintance with the Lady Juliana 
 Walker commenced in London in 1873, through 
 a mutual acquaintance, Mr. Berkley. He found 
 that I was interested in her Bible Album work, 
 and she sent me an album which she had made. 
 It was a very taking thing, and many of these 
 albums were distributed in various hospitals in 
 New York. One was sent to India, and many in- 
 valids found pleasant occupation in making them 
 there. The treasures of the Bible seem to come 
 forth tenfold when this use is made of pictures. 
 I received a second album from the same source 
 in which pictures illustrated subjects, quite a re- 
 markable book. 
 
 In 1877, being in London with my son Ar- 
 thur, I saw Lady Juliana. Her husband, Lieu- 
 tenant-General Sir Walter Walker, called upon 
 me at Fenton's Hotel. I was invited to dine at 
 their house. Lady Elizabeth Knox, her sister, 
 also called. At her home I saw their invalid sister, 
 Lady Flora Knox. These three ladies, daughters 
 of the Earl of Ranfurly, are very religious and 
 devoted to every good work. Their grandmother, 
 Lady Juliana Penn, was the granddaughter of Sir 
 William Penn, the Quaker. I have corresponded 
 with Lady Juliana for twelve years.
 
 PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 When we first came to Brooklyn Dr. Cox, 
 a friend of my father's, was our first pastor. 
 The first time that he called upon me he said, 
 " My dear, I know exactly how old you are ; 
 you were twenty-two years old last September. 
 You wonder how I know. Well, just twenty- 
 two years ago, having heard much of the ' New 
 Theology ' or Taylorism ' at Yale, I resolved 
 to go and see for myself. So I went to New 
 Haven, and your father invited me to visit him. 
 You were a little baby, not a week old. Your 
 mother and you were in a bedroom on the first 
 floor, and your father and I occupied the two 
 front chambers above. We left the door open 
 between the rooms and talked theology all night. 
 I loved your father, and I am ready to love 
 you/' 
 
 Dr. Cox was the pastor of the First Presby- 
 terian Chuch. When, in 1 845, it was considered 
 best to establish a Congregational Church in 
 Brooklyn, we left Dr. Cox's church with about 
 sixty others and established the Church of the 
 Pilgrims. Before Dr. Storrs was called my father 
 often occupied the pulpit, and once when he did 
 my baby Rebecca and the baby Anna Battell 
 Humphrey were baptized by him. 
 
 It would not be possible for me to relate the 
 events of our lives in Brooklyn, nor to delineate 
 
 49
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 the pleasant social position we have ever occu- 
 pied, nor the valuable friendships formed here. 
 But the exceeding profit, mental and spiritual, 
 to ourselves and our children from the friend- 
 ship and teaching of our beloved pastor, Rev. 
 Dr. R. S. Storrs, deserves to be mentioned, and 
 will, I trust, be lasting as eternity. May a sweet 
 sense of this friendship, these teachings and 
 these influences, ever hover over our remaining 
 years and be ripened with those of our earlier 
 lives in a better world ! The lines have indeed 
 fallen to us in pleasant places. 
 
 Many changes, many bereavements, many 
 trials have come to us ; to whom do they not 
 come? May our few future years, if any re- 
 main, be blessed to us by our Heavenly Father, 
 by new obedience, new fortitude and a stronger 
 faith in his sure promises of love and forgive- 
 ness. And may we all be filled with the full- 
 ness of God forever ! 
 
 I once asked my father to give me his idea 
 of heaven. " If," he replied, " you will tell 
 me what the text means, * Ye shall be filled 
 with the fullness of God,' I will tell you what 
 heaven is.' 3 
 
 HERE the " Reminiscences " end, and we 
 take up the broken chain and reverently add a
 
 PERSONAL REMINISCENCES 
 
 few links of personal estimate of her rare wo- 
 manhood and worth. 
 
 Her memories, as we have read them, treat 
 largely of life and friendship in the early days 
 of the old college town, of the Temple Street 
 home, and of the Centre Church. 
 
 Ours must cluster about her later Brooklyn 
 home, and the Church of the Pilgrims. Both 
 are on Remsen Street, one of the few streets 
 that in all the changes in our city has best pre- 
 served its individuality. Here for many years she 
 has lived, presiding with grace and dignity over 
 her home, and making her personality strongly 
 felt in Dr. Storrs' church. In this church 
 Mr. Hatch was for thirty-eight years the hon- 
 ored Treasurer, and he was also many times a 
 Trustee. And Mrs. Hatch has given to it, 
 from its very beginning, her constant and affec- 
 tionate interest. And besides, with her winning 
 charm, her social tact and executive skill, she 
 has closely identified herself with many of the 
 noblest interests of our city. Truly " the best 
 memories of those that are gone are those which 
 they in their lifetime erect to themselves." 
 
 Even in her declining years she was a dili- 
 gent reader and always a ready conversationalist. 
 She never grew old in spirit. The intense real- 
 ity of her faith sustained her in her last illness.
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 Waking one day, after a long sleep, and looking 
 about her, she exclaimed in surprise, "Why, this 
 is not heaven." But she is in the open vision 
 now, in His presence, where " is fullness of 
 joy."
 
 PRESS NOTICES LETTERS- 
 MINUTES
 
 [FROM THE BROOKLYN DAILY EAGLE, DECEMBER 10, 1904.] 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH, widow 
 of Walter T. Hatch, died at her home, 
 1 24 Remsen Street, Brooklyn, yesterday 
 afternoon. 
 
 Mrs. Hatch was born in New Haven, Conn., 
 September 26, 1818. She was the daughter of 
 the Reverend Nathaniel William Taylor, D.D., 
 LL. D., and Rebecca Maria Hine. Mrs. Hatch 
 was the youngest of four daughters, all of whom 
 married men eminent in professional life, the 
 eldest daughter being the wife of Noah Porter, 
 president of Yale College from 1871 to 1886. 
 Another married the Rev. Dr. Samuel G. Buck- 
 ingham, for fifty years pastor of the South Con- 
 gregational Church of Springfield, Mass., while 
 another became the wife of Abel Bellows Robe- 
 son, M. D., of New York City. Doctor Taylor, 
 
 55
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 a graduate of Yale of the class of 1807, was an 
 eminent theologian, distinguished in the great 
 discussions that agitated the minds of Christian 
 men fifty years ago, and was also the pastor of 
 Centre Church fromi8i2 to 1822, when he was 
 called by the Corporation of Yale College to be- 
 come the head of the Theological Seminary 
 where he remained till 1858, the time of his 
 death. He was a man of commanding person- 
 ality, and much of his charm, beauty of person 
 and brilliancy of mind were inherited by his 
 daughter. While yet a school girl she met her 
 future husband, Walter T. Hatch, then a student 
 in the famous class of '37, of which William M. 
 Evarts, Chief Justice Waite, and Edwards Pierre- 
 pont were conspicuous members. Married in 
 1 840, she with her husband moved to Brooklyn. 
 For twenty-five years she resided in Clark Street, 
 where her seven children, excepting one, were 
 born. In 1870 she removed to her present 
 home in Remsen Street in which she died. Mrs. 
 Hatch came of distinguished New England and 
 Puritan ancestry. Her paternal ancestor, John 
 Taylor, settled in Windsor, Conn., in 1 639. Her 
 great-great-grandfather, Daniel Taylor, was a 
 graduate of Yale College of the class of 1707. 
 His son, the Reverend Nathanael Taylor, of New 
 Milford, born in 1720, was a member of Yale 
 
 56
 
 PRESS NOTICES 
 
 College, class of 1745, and is spoken of in 
 Sprague's "Annals of the Pulpit," as a "zealous 
 advocate of the American Revolution." " One 
 of the ways in which he evinced this was by 
 remitting to his people during the contest an en- 
 tire year's salary. This the parish records show, 
 under his hand, bearing date April, 1779." For 
 twenty-six years he was a fellow of Yale Col- 
 lege. The Reverend Nathanael Taylor also took 
 part in the colonial wars, and was chaplain of 
 Colonel Nathan Whiting's regiment at Ticon- 
 deroga and Crown Point, 1759. The powder 
 horn which he carried she greatly prized as an 
 heirloom. Mrs. Hatch was identified with all 
 that was best in the social life of Brooklyn and 
 in its benevolent interests. She and her hus- 
 band were among the seventy-one founders of 
 the Church of the Pilgrims, and was present at 
 the laying of the cornerstone of this historic land- 
 mark in 1 844. She was especially interested in 
 extending Christ's kingdom in the world, and 
 by means of translations of simple, religious Sun- 
 day-School books into foreign languages, she was 
 the means of circulating over 80,000 volumes 
 which have been distributed in foreign countries. 
 One touching story, " Christie's Old Organ," has 
 been translated into eighteen languages and dia- 
 lects, and by this means the message of Christ has 
 
 57
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 been carried to thousands of children. Three 
 children, Mrs. Rebecca M. Stuart, Henry P. 
 Hatch and Arthur M. Hatch, also six grand- 
 children and four great-grandchildren, survive 
 her. The funeral will take place Tuesday after- 
 noon in the Church of the Pilgrims, of which 
 she was a constituent member. Her death leaves 
 only two survivors. 
 
 [FROM BROOKLYN LIFE, DECEMBER 17, 1904.] 
 
 THOUGH tempered by the fact that she had 
 reached an advanced age and the knowledge that 
 she had long been an invalid, the death of Mrs. 
 Walter T. Hatch, on Friday of last week, was 
 another sad blow to the Heights community, of 
 which she had been an influential member for 
 more than fifty years. During all her life Mrs. 
 Hatch had been especially active in the interests 
 of the Church of the Pilgrims, of which she and 
 her late husband were two of the seventy-one 
 original founders. The Hatches were among 
 the New England families who, by their pre- 
 dominance on the Heights in the early part of 
 the last century, overcame the earlier Dutch in- 
 fluence and gave to the social life of Brooklyn 
 the New England stamp that has since charac- 
 terized it. Of the prominence of the family it 
 is scarcely necessary to speak. Mrs. Hatch, who
 
 PRESS NOTICES 
 
 before her marriage was Miss Rebecca Taylor, 
 was of exceptionally distinguished New England 
 ancestry, having been the youngest of the four 
 daughters of the Rev. Dr. Nathaniel William 
 Taylor, who at the time of his death was head 
 of the Theological Seminary of Yale University, 
 from which he had himself been graduated in 
 1 807. Her great-grandfather, the Rev. Nathan- 
 ael Taylor, and his father before him were also 
 graduates of Yale, and the former was conspicu- 
 ous as a Revolutionary patriot, having taken up 
 arms in the cause, as well as contributed a year's 
 income to it. Mrs. Hatch came to Brooklyn at 
 the time of her marriage in 1840, and until 
 1870, when they removed to their present 
 residence, 124 Remsen Street, the family lived 
 on Clark Street. Mr. Hatch was a member 
 of the famous class of '37 Yale, his classmates 
 including Chief Justice Waite, William M. 
 Evarts and Edwards Pierrepont. Mrs. Hatch's 
 three sisters all married men of distinction, 
 particularly the eldest, who was the wife of 
 Noah Porter, for fifteen years president of Yale 
 University. Mrs. Hatch is survived by three 
 children Mrs. Rebecca M. Stuart, Mr. Henry 
 Prescott Hatch and Mr. Arthur M. Hatch, 
 and by six grandchildren and four great-grand- 
 children. 
 
 59
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 [FROM THE BROOKLYN STANDARD-UNION, DECEMBER 13, 
 
 1904.] 
 
 FUNERAL SERVICES OF MRS. 
 REBECCA T. HATCH 
 
 THE funeral of Mrs. Rebecca Taylor Hatch, 
 widow of Walter Tilden Hatch, and long iden- 
 tified with the social and benevolent interests of 
 Brooklyn, who died on Friday last, took place 
 at 2 o'clock this afternoon from her late resi- 
 dence, 124 Remsen Street. 
 
 The list of honorary pall-bearers include the 
 Rev. Frank K. Sanders, dean of the Yale Theo- 
 logical Seminary ; Thomas E. Stillman, Joseph 
 E. Brown, George P. Stockwell, A. A. Low, 
 William A. Read, James M. Montgomery, and 
 Cyrus B. Davenport. 
 
 A large number of relatives and friends of 
 the deceased attended the funeral services in the 
 Church of the Pilgrims, Henry and Remsen 
 Streets, at which the Rev. Dr. H. P. Dewey 
 officiated. The interment was in the Green- 
 wood Cemetery. 
 
 YALE UNIVERSITY, New Haven, Conn. 
 December 12, 1904. 
 MY DEAR MRS. STUART : 
 
 Mrs. Hadley and I were both greatly pained 
 to hear that your mother was not to be with us 
 
 60
 
 LETTERS 
 
 any more. Little as we had seen of her, we 
 felt very strongly the force and charm of her 
 personality. It is not simply or chiefly on ac- 
 count of what she did for Yale that I am writing 
 this although she did so much that her name 
 will be gratefully remembered by many who did 
 not know her personally but still more now on 
 account of what she was. And to me in par- 
 ticular the remembrance of my own mother's 
 early affection for Dr. Taylor's family an affec- 
 tion to which she was constantly recurring in 
 the last years of her life makes your mother's 
 departure mean another break in the constantly 
 narrowing circle of those who connect us more 
 closely with the family life of the past. Pray 
 accept our most sincere sympathy, and believe me 
 ever 
 
 Faithfully yours, 
 
 (Signed) ARTHUR TWINING HADLEY. 
 Mrs. R. M. Stuart. 
 
 YALE DIVINITY QUARTERLY. 
 New Haven, Conn., February 4, 1905. 
 
 MR. HENRY P. HATCH, 
 
 96 Broadway, N. Y. City. 
 
 MY DEAR MR. HATCH : 
 
 I am sending you under separate cover, a 
 copy of our December Quarterly which contains 
 
 61
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 an editorial notice of the death of your lamented 
 mother, Mrs. R. T. Hatch. Delay in securing 
 your address prevented me from doing this at the 
 time of issue. It is my personal hope, as also 
 that of the Board, that in these words of com- 
 memoration the family and friends of Mrs. Hatch 
 may see an expression of our true sympathy and 
 regard for those who mourn the passing beyond 
 of one whose interest and benefaction has meant 
 so much to Yale divinity school. May I ask 
 that other members of the family receive our 
 communication through your kindness. 
 Very sincerely and for the Board, 
 
 (Signed) GEORGE H. DRIVER. 
 
 [FROM YALE DIVINITY QUARTERLY, DECEMBER, 1904] 
 
 IN the death of Mrs. Rebecca Taylor Hatch, 
 of Brooklyn, the Divinity School loses one more 
 from that group of friends and benefactors which 
 links the new Yale to the old. A daughter of 
 Nathaniel W. Taylor, one of Yale's most famous 
 theological professors, Mrs. Hatch was interested 
 in 1902 to create by a gift of $5,000 the Na- 
 thaniel William Taylor Lectureship in Theology. 
 The incumbents of this lectureship have been 
 Professor Knox of Union in 1903, and President 
 Mackenzie of Hartford in 1904; this year the 
 
 6a
 
 MINUTE 
 
 series is to be given by Professor Clarke of Col- 
 gate. Our sympathy as a seminary is extended 
 to those with whom Yale shares bereavement in 
 the passing home of one beloved and " full of 
 good works." 
 
 " THE following minute was adopted by the 
 Foreign Sunday School Association at its meet- 
 ing, January 5th, 1905 : 
 
 ' THE Foreign Sunday School Association has 
 learned with profound sorrow of the decease of 
 Mrs. Walter T. Hatch. Mrs. Hatch has been 
 actively associated with us in the work of the 
 Society almost from its very beginning. She 
 began her work in 1876 with the publication 
 of one thousand copies of "Christie's Old Organ " 
 for the Sunday Schools of Germany, and not a 
 year has elapsed since without the publication in 
 some language of one to five works, until the 
 publications with which she has been identified 
 have reached an aggregate of more than ninety- 
 four thousand volumes, including thirteen dif- 
 ferent works, and extending in some cases to 
 from thirteen to nineteen languages. These 
 books have been so widely welcomed and richly 
 blessed, that they may be said in some cases to 
 have been almost the inauguration of this de- 
 partment of the national literature. Indeed just 
 
 63
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 before the decease of Mrs. Hatch, she had au- 
 thorized the publication of another work in the 
 Burmese, whose issue was awaited by those who 
 had the work in charge with high anticipation 
 and hearty acclaim. 
 
 * We wish to convey to the bereaved family 
 the assurance of our sincere sympathy with them 
 in their deep sense of loss, in which it may be 
 a sense of comfort to them to realize that it is 
 borne with them by so large a company in so 
 many and so distant lands.* 
 
 A copy of this minute shall be spread upon 
 the records of the Society, and a copy sent to 
 the family."
 
 TESTIMONIALS
 
 TESTIMONIALS 
 
 "X" FEEL most deeply for you all. I was 
 | much attached to your mother, and I can 
 never forget her uniform sweetness and 
 kindness to me and mine. I always looked up 
 to her as a noble gentlewoman of the old school, 
 whose exquisite breeding, clever mind and gen- 
 erous heart elevated all who came in contact 
 with her. To me she seemed the last of a 
 generation of gentlemen and ladies whom we 
 revered, and whom to emulate was our best 
 ambition, though we fell far short. She 
 seemed the last of a circle whom I loved so 
 dearly." 
 
 " I WAS so grieved to hear the sad news of 
 the death of your dear mother. How you will 
 miss her. I can indeed sympathize with you, 
 
 6 7
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR- HATCH 
 
 for it is only eighteen months since my own dear 
 mother passed away. It is a loss that nothing 
 can replace, yet we can rejoice in their joy and 
 look forward to the day when we shall see them 
 again. What a wonderful work for the dear 
 Master Mrs. Hatch has done a work which 
 goes on still, and will go on for years to come. 
 ' Her works do follow her,' and oh how she 
 will welcome one after another of those who 
 are safely gathered in through her efforts ; surely 
 a great multitude from North, South, East and 
 West, wherever her influence has spread." 
 
 " I FELT much grieved for you, to whom the 
 loss of such a mother is irreparable ; and you 
 must have enjoyed many years of close and heart- 
 felt intercourse with her. I felt that personally 
 I had lost a friend, though unknown to me. 
 But for her there can be no ground for sorrow. 
 A life so long, spent enthusiastically in the ser- 
 vice of our Lord, must have ended in an abun- 
 dant entrance into His joy. Of that future life 
 we can know nothing, but as our hymn writer 
 Baxter says, 
 
 " ' 'Tis enough that Christ knows all 
 And we shall be with Him.' 
 
 68
 
 TESTIMONIALS 
 
 " To His infinite love and wisdom we may safely 
 commit ourselves and our dear ones. Your 
 mother's letters showed so much life and vivac- 
 ity that I did not suppose her older than my- 
 self." 
 
 " DEAR Mrs. Hatch, what a noble, beautiful 
 and useful life was hers ! I count it a great 
 privilege to have known her, and that my chil- 
 dren should have seen the dignity and sweet- 
 ness of old age, as exemplified in your dear 
 mother's life." 
 
 " I MUST just say a word about how beauti- 
 ful the services for your blessed mother were. 
 It was all so uplifting; and one felt her own 
 sweet and gracious presence to be very near, 
 and that every word spoken was what she would 
 have loved. I am thankful to have had the 
 privilege of being there." 
 
 " How strange it is to think that now all 
 troubles have dropped away from her, all anxi- 
 ety for the future, all grief for the past, and only 
 the soul, purified and sanctified by this earthly 
 
 6 9
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 life, is ready to enter into the joy ' of the 
 Lord. Last winter we had some little talks 
 about the higher criticism, and agreed that we 
 both wished to hold to our early belief in the 
 gospel of John especially, and that we could 
 not do without the Psalms. Whether they are 
 David's or other people's they are ours, since 
 they express our feelings. If there are blessed 
 reunions in that other life that we hope for, 
 how happy they all are together she, with her 
 husband and her father and her children and 
 her sisters, and how glad they all are to see her 
 again. Surely it can do no harm to hope for 
 what we so long for, and I think she expected 
 to see them all again," 
 
 " MY own mother had a very great and sin- 
 cere admiration for yours, and I have always re- 
 membered her enthusiastic way of saying once, 
 oh, so many years ago ' When I am near Mrs. 
 Hatch I always feel as if I were near an angel.' 
 Grief is lonely and always grief. One must have 
 felt it in its real anguish to understand." 
 
 " I AM thankful to have known her, and to 
 have felt her beautiful influence, to have appre- 
 
 70
 
 TESTIMONIALS 
 
 ciated her nobility and loveliness, although I 
 never saw her as often as I should have loved 
 to have seen her. She will always be a beauti- 
 ful and abiding memory." 
 
 " WE have been for so many years accus- 
 tomed to see your mother's beautiful and gra- 
 cious presence every Sunday that her death seems 
 a personal loss." 
 
 " WHAT a heritage, to have had such a 
 Mother. She will live in her children who can 
 never forget her kind and loving acts and her 
 beautiful devotion to her family." 
 
 " ABOVE her interest in our history will al- 
 ways stand her Christian works." 
 
 " EARLY in my girlhood she gladdened my 
 life with her beauty, brightness, and kindness, 
 so I loved her dearly, and now sympathize with 
 you most deeply as you mourn her departure. 
 May we all meet again in the better land to be 
 with our Saviour."
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 " INDEED we all sorrow, for each feels he has 
 lost a friend. West Mt. Mission was ever helped 
 by her always ready purse, and I shall ever cher- 
 ish her gracious friendship toward myself." 
 
 " You have been signally blessed in your par- 
 entage, for a more pure and upright father and 
 mother does not fall to the lot of the generality 
 of men and women in these times. May the 
 memory of this dear lady be ever precious to you, 
 and her example guide you all in the journey of 
 life. To have a mother in Heaven is something 
 to be happy over, even though your earthly loss 
 seems very severe and hard to be reconciled to." 
 
 " YOUR father and mother will always stand 
 in my memory as figures shedding good influ- 
 ence, for I never looked at them in church as a 
 young girl without the feeling that they stood 
 in our community for all that was best. I am 
 sure their memory will become unceasingly pre- 
 cious to their children." 
 
 " BUT the comforting thought, that she has 
 found relief from all her pain, and has joined 
 
 72
 
 TESTIMONIALS 
 
 the blessed throng above, will lead you to for- 
 get your grief in her joy. Heaven will be a re- 
 ality to you now, as never before. I know that 
 she was the Queen of your household, and the 
 tie that has bound you all together." 
 
 " I NEVER had the honor of her acquaintance, 
 though from what I have heard and from what 
 I know, I am sure that she was all that a saintly 
 and devoted mother and companion could be to 
 her family and friends. Death has touched with 
 his hand and taken away a loved one whom it 
 was hard to give up. ' But, O, for the touch 
 of a vanished hand, and the sound of a voice 
 that is still.' Let me assure you of my profound 
 sorrow in your great bereavement. I have passed 
 through the same great sorrow and grief. We 
 must be strong and brave, for in a little while 
 we shall surely go to meet our loved ones who 
 have gone before." 
 
 " To no one outside of your family will the 
 death of Mrs. Hatch bring deeper sorrow than 
 to me. One thought is ever present with me 
 the many who will greet your Mother at the 
 Golden Gates, as the means, under God, of bring- 
 
 73
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 ing them to the knowledge of that Saviour whose 
 blood cleanseth from all sin. The news of her 
 death will bring sorrow to many in distant lands. 
 ' Her works will follow her.' To your family 
 I tend the assurance of my deepest sympathy in 
 your great sorrow." 
 
 " How entirely worthy of the past was your 
 mother's long and noble life, and what a heri- 
 tage, in the wealth of her character she leaves 
 to you. I feel that it is an honor to have known 
 your mother." 
 
 " I AM sending these few flowers to your be- 
 loved Mother, to carry to her my sincere sym- 
 pathy for her in her illness, and many earnest 
 wishes for her recovery. It has always been an 
 unusual pleasure to see and talk with Mrs. Hatch, 
 and I have often had a feeling of true satisfac- 
 tion, that so very near me, even on the other 
 side of the wall, lived one so beautiful in life and 
 character. May I also send you my true sym- 
 pathy, for I know what a discipline it is to have to 
 watch the suffering illness of a beloved Mother." 
 
 " DOCTOR and Mrs. S wish very much 
 
 to express their sadness in the loss of a familiar 
 
 74
 
 TESTIMONIALS 
 
 and gracious presence, and their sympathy with 
 a household that has to learn to go on without 
 its central care and blessing." 
 
 " You may be counted very fortunate to have 
 had such opportunities to do so much for your 
 mother, and I am sure that her greatest legacy 
 to you will be the memory of her sweet face and 
 her beautiful life." 
 
 " I AM glad that your dear mother has slipped 
 out and no longer is restless and suffering; but 
 to you who have watched the ebbing and the 
 pain, and now feel the loss of the mother, I can 
 only say that I am thinking of you with love." 
 
 " YOUR mother was such a superior and lov- 
 able woman that all with whom she came in 
 contact were won to her first in admiration 
 and later in affection, and for myself I feel that 
 I have lost a most dear and valued friend, and 
 mourn that we shall mingle together no more 
 in our accustomed places. To those who knew 
 her best and loved her most, her loss is indeed 
 beyond expression, and my heart goes out to you 
 
 75
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 and all her family in deepest sympathy. The 
 courage and cheerfulness with which she bore 
 her failing health were evidence of her great 
 faith and strong character, and my own experi- 
 ence has been, that it is easier to part with those 
 loved ones who have struggled long, when we 
 know they are now evermore at rest." 
 
 " No one could know Mrs. Hatch, ever so 
 slightly, without feeling the charm of her pleas- 
 antness and goodness, and feeling the better for 
 having known her." 
 
 " DEEPLY sympathizing with you, I am fully 
 persuaded you would not call your dear mother 
 back. She has preceded us but a little while. 
 May we, when we are summoned, be as well 
 prepared as she was." 
 
 " THE dear mother is gone. ' Many make 
 the household, only the mother makes the home.' 
 I can easily imagine the darkness and chilliness 
 of the shadow that has come over your house- 
 hold, the sadness enters mine. /, too, feel be- 
 reaved and all alone in one sense in the Church 
 
 7 6
 
 TESTIMONIALS 
 
 so dear to us all, having outlived all the seventy- 
 one enterprising, clever young men and women 
 who formed that goodly band, now we believe 
 beyond all earthly care in the Father's house, 
 no more to sin and sorrow." 
 
 " YOUR mother's lovely nature and beautiful 
 life will in time be a great consolation, and the 
 fact that she had so long been spared to you. 
 May God have you in his care and keeping, and 
 temper this great affliction with the sense of his 
 overshadowing love." 
 
 ' Friend after friend departs, 
 Who hath not lost a friend ? ' 
 
 "I AM one among many who are to-day 
 thinking of your lovely , honored mother who has 
 taken her last look upon those whom in her life 
 she loved, and whose devoted affection was man- 
 ifested to the end. The memories that crowd 
 upon me are sweet as I bring the events of our 
 mutual lives in the Church of the Pilgrims, and 
 in society, when she and your dear father were 
 in the foreground of everything good and beau- 
 tiful. Be assured, my dear friend, of my sincere 
 sympathy in this your second great sorrow. My 
 
 77
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 own heart grieves with yours, but we may both 
 be comforted by the reflection that God has called 
 her when the duties on earth were finished, and 
 she was ready for her final rest in Heaven. And 
 we are also comforted in the thought that the 
 ' Gates are ajar,' and those of her friends and dear 
 ones in her own family, will, in the Father's own 
 time and way, find the door and enter in to be 
 ' forever with the Lord.' " 
 
 " MY heart is so sorrowful and filled with 
 deepest sympathy for you all, it is difficult to put 
 it into words, and what do they avail ; but I 
 must stretch out my hand and try to tell you how 
 sincerely we mourn the loss of your dear and 
 saintly mother, and oh, how sadly we realize 
 what it is to her family. If to us she was a most 
 admirable Christian character, with an unusually 
 lovable personality, what must she have been to 
 those, whose hearts were knitted to hers by the 
 tenderest ties of our nature, and strengthened by 
 years of innumerable acts of devoted love. May 
 He who has called her pure spirit from Earth, yet 
 * does not afflict willingly,' give you all abund- 
 antly of His priceless comfort, and help you to 
 think of her at rest with her Saviour, in whom 
 she so devotedly trusted, and the loved ones ' gone 
 before.' " 
 
 7*
 
 TESTIMONIALS 
 
 " YOUR Mother has left to her children the 
 memory of an unselfish life, beautiful in its ab- 
 solute devotion to those she loved. She is now 
 at rest and at peace. Do not wish her back to 
 this world of care and sorrow. I too have passed 
 through the deep waters, but I know that God 
 helps and comforts those who trust him. My 
 Mother is in heaven and Christ leads her by the 
 hand. I am here and Christ leads me by the 
 hand, so there's only Christ between us."
 
 FUNERAL SERVICES 
 
 THE FUNERAL OF MRS. WALTER TILDEN 
 HATCH TOOK PLACE ON TUESDAY AF- 
 TERNOON, DECEMBER 13, 1904, AT THE 
 CHURCH OF THE PILGRIMS, BROOKLYN, N.Y.
 
 THE half light that entered through the 
 stained glass windows of the church, and 
 the solemn notes of the chanting of the 
 choir were fitting accompaniments for the fu- 
 neral procession. This was preceded by the 
 pastor of the church ; behind him walked the 
 pall-bearers : 
 
 REV. FRANK K. SANDERS, D.D., 
 Dean of the Yale Theological Seminary, 
 THOMAS E. STILLMAN, 
 JOSEPH E. BROWN, 
 GEORGE P. STOCKWELL, 
 A. A. Low, 
 WILLIAM A. READ, 
 JAMES M. MONTGOMERY, and 
 CYRUS B. DAVENPORT.
 
 T 
 
 ORDER OF SERVICE 
 
 HE funeral services were conducted by 
 the Rev. H. P. Dewey, D.D., pastor 
 of the church, and were as follows : 
 
 OPENING SENTENCE 
 By the Pastor 
 
 " I AM the resurrection and the life, saith 
 the Lord. He that believeth in Me, though 
 he were dead, yet shall he live : and whosoever 
 liveth and believeth in Me shall never die." 
 
 CHANT 
 By the Choir 
 
 BLESSED are the dead, who die in the Lord from 
 
 henceforth ; 
 
 Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from 
 their labors, and their works do follow 
 them. 
 
 83
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 OUR days on earth are as a shadow, and there 
 
 is none abiding ; 
 
 We are but of yesterday ; there is but a step 
 between us and death. 
 
 MAN'S days are as grass; as a flower of the field 
 
 so he flourisheth ; 
 
 He appeareth for a little time, then vanisheth 
 away. 
 
 WATCH : for ye know not what hour your Lord 
 
 doth come ; 
 
 Be ye also ready ; for in such an hour as ye 
 think not, the Son of Man cometh. 
 
 IT is the Lord ; let Him do what seemeth Him 
 
 good; 
 
 The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken 
 away, and blessed be the name of the Lord. 
 
 BLESSED are the dead, who die in the Lord from 
 
 henceforth ; 
 
 Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from 
 their labors, and their works do follow 
 them. 
 
 INVOCATION 
 
 FATHER of light, with whom is no varia- 
 bleness neither shadow of turning ; illuminate 
 our minds, that we may know Thy truth; touch
 
 FUNERAL SERVICE 
 
 our hearts, that we may feel Thy love ; bring 
 our wills into subjection to Thy leading, that 
 we may have the peace which passeth under- 
 standing : through Jesus Christ. Amen. 
 
 RESPONSE 
 By the Choir 
 
 BLEST are the departed who in the Lord are 
 sleeping, from henceforth evermore. 
 
 HYMN 
 
 ROCK of ages, cleft for me, 
 
 Let me hide myself in Thee ; 
 
 Let the water and the blood, 
 
 From Thy side, a healing flood, 
 
 Be of sin the double cure, 
 
 Save from wrath, and make me pure. 
 
 Should my tears forever flow, 
 Should my zeal no languor know, 
 All for sin could not atone, 
 Thou must save, and Thou alone 
 In my hand no price I bring, 
 Simply to Thy cross I cling. 
 
 While I draw this fleeting breath, 
 When mine eyelids close in death,
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 When I rise to worlds unknown, 
 And behold Thee on Thy throne, 
 Rock of ages, cleft for me, 
 Let me hide myself in Thee. 
 
 SELECTIONS FROM SCRIPTURE 
 
 LORD, make me to know mine end, and the 
 measure of my days, what it is ; let me know 
 how frail I am. 
 
 Behold, thou hast made my days as hand- 
 breadths ; and mine age is as nothing before 
 Thee. 
 
 We bring our years to an end, as a tale that 
 is told. The days of our years are threescore 
 years and ten : or even by reason of strength 
 fourscore years; yet is their pride but labor 
 and sorrow ; for it is soon gone, and we fly 
 away. 
 
 But thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace ; 
 thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 
 
 Cast me not off in the time of old age ; for- 
 sake me not when my strength faileth. O God ! 
 be not far from me : O my God, make haste to 
 help me. 
 
 Yea, even when I am old and gray-headed, 
 O God, forsake me not, until I have declared 
 Thy strength unto the next generation. 
 
 And even to old age I am He, and even to 
 
 86
 
 FUNERAL SERVICE 
 
 hoar hairs will I carry you ; I have made, and I 
 will bear ; yea, I will carry, and will deliver. 
 
 SHE girdeth her loins with strength, and 
 maketh strong her arms. 
 
 She spreadeth out her hands to the poor ; 
 yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. 
 
 Her clothing is fine linen and purple. Her 
 husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth 
 among the elders of the land. 
 
 Strength and dignity are her clothing ; and 
 she laugheth at the time to come. 
 
 She openeth her mouth with wisdom ; and 
 the law of kindness is on her tongue. 
 
 She looketh well to the ways of her house- 
 hold, her children rise up and call her blessed ; 
 her husband also, and he praiseth her. 
 
 Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let 
 her works praise her in the gates. 
 
 HE that dwelleth in the secret place of the 
 Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the 
 Almighty. 
 
 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and 
 my fortress; my God, in whom I trust. 
 
 He shall cover Thee with His pinions, and 
 87
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 under His wings shalt thou take refuge ; His 
 truth is a shield and a buckler. 
 
 In all their affliction He was afflicted, and 
 the Angel of His presence saved them; in 
 His love and His pity He redeemed them; 
 and He bare them, and carried them all the 
 days of old. 
 
 LET not your heart be troubled ; ye believe 
 in God, believe also in me. In my Father's 
 house are many mansions ; if it were not so, I 
 would have told you ; for I go to prepare a 
 place for you. And if I go and prepare a place 
 for you, I come again, and will receive you un- 
 to myself; that where I am, there ye may be 
 also. 
 
 And I will pray the Father, and He shall 
 give you another Comforter, that he may be 
 with you forever, even the Spirit of truth. 
 
 LET your loins be girded about, and your 
 lamps burning ; and be yourselves like unto men 
 looking for their Lord, when he shall return 
 from the marriage feast ; that when he cometh 
 and knocketh, they may straightway open unto 
 him. 
 
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 FUNERAL SERVICE 
 
 AFTER these things I saw, and behold, a great 
 multitude, which no man could number, out of 
 every nation, and of all tribes, and peoples and 
 tongues, standing before the throne, and before 
 the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in 
 their hands. And they cry with a great voice, 
 saying, Salvation unto our God which sitteth on 
 the throne, and unto the Lamb. 
 
 And one of the elders answered, saying unto 
 me, These which are arrayed in the white robes, 
 who are they, and whence came they ? And I 
 say unto him, My Lord, Thou knowest. And 
 He said to me, These are they which have come 
 out of great tribulation, and they washed their 
 robes, and made them white in the blood of the 
 Lamb. 
 
 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst 
 any more ; neither shall the sun strike upon 
 them, nor any heat: for the Lamb which is in 
 the midst of the throne, shall be their Shepherd, 
 and shall guide them unto fountains of waters of 
 life : and God shall wipe away every tear from 
 their eyes. 
 
 And death shall be no more, neither shall 
 there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any 
 more : the first things are passed away. 
 
 And His servants shall do Him service ; and 
 they shall see His face ; and His name shall be
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 on their foreheads. And there shall be night 
 no more ; and they need no light of lamp, neither 
 light of sun, for the Lord God shall give them 
 light : and they shall reign forever and forever. 
 And He said unto me, These words are 
 faithful and true. 
 
 SOLO (Baritone}. 
 
 "CALVARY." 
 
 THE pilgrims throng thro' the city gates 
 While the night is falling fast ; 
 They go to watch on Calv'ry's hill 
 Ere the twilight hours are past ; 
 
 Though dark be the way, with eyes of faith 
 
 They gaze on His Cross above ; 
 
 And, lo ! from each heart the shadows depart, 
 
 As they list to His words of love, 
 
 As they list to His words of love. 
 
 Rest, rest to the weary, 
 Peace, peace to the soul ; 
 Though life may be dreary, 
 Earth is not thy goal 
 
 O lay down thy burden, 
 
 come unto Me, 
 
 1 will not forsake thee, 
 I will not forsake thee,
 
 FUNERAL SERVICE 
 
 I will not forsake thee, 
 Though all else should flee. 
 
 Far, far away, o'er the dream of years 
 They hear the voice of the King. 
 Where, O Grave, where is thy victory, 
 And where, O Death, is thy sting ? 
 
 Captive He leads them for evermore, 
 While weary pilgrims rejoice; 
 For looking on high to the Cross He bore, 
 The faithful shall hear His Voice. 
 
 Rest, rest to the weary, 
 Peace, peace to the soul ; 
 Though life may be dreary, 
 Earth is not thy goal 
 
 O lay down thy burden, 
 
 come unto Me, 
 
 1 will not forsake thee, 
 Though all else should flee. 
 
 ADDRESS 
 By the Pastor 
 
 WHEN we have resided a long time in a 
 community such as this, and especially if the 
 
 9
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 stay has been broken by occasional and pro- 
 tracted absences, we are often constrained, while 
 in a reflective mood, to remark upon the indica- 
 tions of change. We see those signs in the 
 architectural transformations. We see them in 
 altered habits and customs and standards. We 
 see them most strikingly in the presence of 
 strangers, who have come to live in the houses 
 where once we knew and claimed friends and 
 companions. These observations are very likely 
 to provoke a mood of depression ; to make us 
 feel that all the dear objects of human interest 
 are slowly but surely slipping from the grasp 
 "with thoughtless drift of the deciduous years," 
 and that the ties which bind the present to the 
 cherished past are being hopelessly severed. 
 
 But again we are lifted from our depression ; 
 for, amid the indications of change, we detect 
 also the marks of permanence. By the side of 
 the more modern, pretentious structure is the 
 old building, wearing the same look it has al- 
 ways assumed. Along with the customs and 
 habits and standards more recently established 
 are some of the old customs, the old habits, the 
 old standards, honored by us and by our fathers 
 before us, still in vogue. And while there are 
 faces that are strange, there are faces, also, that 
 are familiar faces of those who share with us
 
 FUNERAL SERVICE 
 
 in memories and associations which stretch far 
 back into the years that are gone. Yes, and 
 now and then, among that blessed number, is a 
 friend who seems to be a link with the past, by 
 being in himself or herself the embodiment of 
 what was best and most treasured in the former 
 time, and expressing it now in the newer con- 
 ditions; like a scribe instructed unto the King- 
 dom of Heaven, who takes out of his treasures 
 things new and old ; like a tree, which carries 
 up all that is most essential in its roots into other 
 forms into the trunk, into the branches, into 
 the furthermost trembling leaf. 
 
 Such a one, I think, is she who is the ob- 
 ject of our affection and esteem in this funeral 
 hour. She had length of days. Sixteen times 
 over and above the Scriptural allotment a 
 twelfthmonth had been given her. She recalled 
 a time that had become history when many of 
 us who are here to-day first saw the light ; and 
 she was very fond of recurring to that earlier 
 period to the rich, effulgent experience of 
 childhood and youth. With enthusiasm and 
 zest she would relate the incidents of that far-off 
 time, until it became exceedingly vivid and real, 
 and we could almost fancy that we were borne 
 back to it in person, and were living the scenes 
 over again with her. Yet now and then, as we 
 
 93
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 listened, we were lifted out of the story and 
 were constrained to think of the narrator, and 
 then it seemed that she was not so much con- 
 veying us back to the past as bringing the past 
 forward to us ; for, in her unique and charming 
 personality, in her ideals of faith and duty and 
 life, she was the personification of what was best 
 in the olden time, preserving and expressing it 
 under the present-day conditions. I think we 
 may say that there have been few finer examples 
 of the true Puritan womanhood. She came of 
 a rare ancestry, of a parentage that stood for high 
 thinking upon the highest themes, and, at the 
 same time, for simple refinement of living. She 
 was reared in a home and amid social surround- 
 ings wherein the chief aim was the quest for 
 truth and it was never forgotten that education 
 means that the beginning of wisdom is the fear 
 of the Lord. She took the spirit, nourished and 
 cultivated within the academic and tneologic 
 environment, and brought it to the more com- 
 plex life of the metropolis. There it never lost 
 its original quality, and dominant in it, always, 
 was the accent of the New England conscience. 
 She had in full measure the pride of blood. 
 If ever child revered a father, she revered her 
 father. He was a distinguished man at a time 
 when theological controversies were sharp and 
 
 94
 
 FUNERAL SERVICE 
 
 intense, and she seemed to be imbued with his 
 spirit and purpose. He once said to her (a state- 
 ment which she was fond of recalling), " If you 
 had been a son, you not only would have ap- 
 preciated my theology, but would have defended 
 it." Her great-grandfather was both theologian 
 and soldier. When the call came to arms against 
 the French and Indians, he donned the uniform 
 of a chaplain, and she greatly cherished a pow- 
 der-horn which this valorous sire had carried 
 at Ticonderoga and Crown Point. Perhaps 
 the militant ancestry accounts a little for the 
 independence of thought which she exhibited 
 at times, and for her readiness and courage in 
 accepting the path of appointed duty when 
 it was made plain to her. But blended with 
 this pride of blood was a singular humility and 
 self-depreciation ; and along with this spirit of 
 independence was the spirit of sweet depend- 
 ence upon those nearest to her, upon whom she 
 ever wished to lean. 
 
 She had an alert, well-furnished mind ; and 
 the glow of the mental was intensified by the 
 fires of generosity and love. By grace of person, 
 by beauty and strength of character, she was in 
 truth, as one has said of her, the gentlewoman ; 
 and not only of the old school, but also of the 
 new school. By the heritage of birth, by her 
 
 95
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 social connections, she took enviable position in 
 the selected circles ; but those who came to 
 know her understood that her best credential 
 was in herself. 
 
 One place she loved above all others the 
 home. She was a faithful wife to a devoted 
 and honored husband ; she was a faithful mother 
 to children and grandchildren, over whom she 
 spread the wings of her tender care, and they 
 rise up to-day and call her blessed. 
 
 Next to the home in her affection was this 
 place. She loved the house of the Lord's abode ; 
 its very building, its memorials and emblems, 
 its ceremonies, all its ordinances and works, 
 were to her the dearly cherished expression of 
 the faith to which she was born. 
 
 She had the missionary spirit ; and we shall 
 always remember the munificence with which 
 she stretched out her hands to the Foreign Sun- 
 day-School Association, and so dispensed her 
 gifts in literature that went far and wide telling 
 the simple story of the cross. It seems strange 
 that just as we are about to celebrate the Sixtieth 
 Anniversary of the founding of this Church she 
 should slip away from us she who in these later 
 days was one of the three survivors of the orig- 
 inal group of members. But we remember that 
 the pillar in the House of God goeth no more 
 
 9 6
 
 FUNERAL SERVICE 
 
 
 
 out ; and therefore, when we celebrate, we shall 
 believe that she is still in our communion, a min- 
 istering spirit sent to minister to us who also 
 would be heirs of salvation. 
 
 She believed in the goodness of God. Per- 
 haps she inherited her conception of the Divine 
 One in some measure from her father ; for we 
 remember that when there was a certain school 
 of thought which declared that a man ought to 
 be willing to be damned for the glory of God, 
 Nathaniel Taylor stood up in earnest protest, 
 and argued that one never could be resigned to 
 the glory of God if the resignation involved 
 one's own destruction. 
 
 She believed in the goodness of God, and 
 that the goodness of God is our salvation. Fre- 
 quently during her illness she repeated the verse, 
 "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us 
 from all sin " ; and when one of the family said 
 to her, " You always knew that, did you not ? " 
 she replied, " Yes, but I know it now as I never 
 knew it before." 
 
 She lived a long time, but the taint of age 
 was not upon her spirit. She kept the dews of 
 her youth until the last. When eventide came, 
 the sky was radiant with hues of the dawn 
 presaging the perfect day. The beauty of 
 the autumn leaf, turning not to russet, but 
 
 97
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 to red and gold, was the harbinger of the eter- 
 nal spring. 
 
 In a little book which she treasured there 
 was found between the leaves the following 
 poem. The gracious spirit which it portrays 
 she beautifully exhibited as the years of her pil- 
 grimage unfolded : 
 
 SOFTLY, oh softly, the years have swept by thee, 
 Touching thee lightly with tenderest care ; 
 
 Sorrow and death they have often brought nigh 
 
 thee, 
 Yet they have left thee but beauty to wear 
 
 Growing old gracefully, 
 Gracefully fair. 
 
 Far from the storms that are lashing the ocean, 
 Nearer each day to the pleasant home life ; 
 
 Far from the waves that are big with commotion, 
 Under full sail and the harbor in sight 
 
 Growing old gracefully, 
 Cheerful and bright. 
 
 Past all the winds that were adverse and chilling, 
 Past all the islands that lured thee to rest, 
 
 Past all the currents that lured thee, unwilling, 
 Far from thy course to the land of the blest 
 
 Growing old gracefully, 
 Peaceful and blest.
 
 FUNERAL SERVICE 
 
 Never a feeling of envy or sorrow, 
 
 When the bright faces of children are seen ; 
 
 Never a year from the young wouldst thou bor- 
 row 
 Thou dost remember what lieth between 
 
 Growing old willingly, 
 Thankful, serene. 
 
 Rich in experience that angels might covet, 
 Rich in a faith that hath grown with the 
 years ; 
 
 Rich in a love that grew from and above it, 
 Soothing thy sorrows and hushing thy fears 
 
 Growing old wealthily, 
 Loving and dear. 
 
 Hearts at the sound of thy coming are lightened, 
 Ready and willing thy hand to relieve ; 
 
 Many a face at thy kind word hath brightened, 
 " It is more blessed to give than receive 
 
 Growing old happily, 
 Ceasing to grieve. 
 
 Eyes that grow dim to earth and its glory 
 Have a sweet radiance youth cannot know ; 
 
 Ears that grow dull to the world and its story, 
 Drink in the songs that from Paradise flow 
 
 Growing old graciously, 
 Purer than snow. 
 
 99
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 HYMN 
 
 LEAD, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom, 
 
 Lead Thou me on ! 
 The night is dark, and I am far from home, 
 
 Lead Thou me on ! 
 
 Keep Thou my feet ! I do not ask to see 
 The distant scene ; one step enough for me. 
 
 I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou 
 
 Shouldst lead me on ; 
 I loved to choose and see my path ; but now 
 
 Lead Thou me on ! 
 
 I loved the garish day ; and, spite of fears, 
 Pride ruled my will; remember not past years. 
 
 So long Thy power has blest me, sure it still 
 
 Will lead me on 
 O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till 
 
 The night is gone ; 
 
 And with the morn those angel faces smile, 
 Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile. 
 
 PRAYER 
 
 O GOD, Who dwellest in the light, with Whom 
 there is no darkness at all, Who peerest into the 
 deep and secret things and seest the end from the 
 beginning, we thank Thee that whatsoever con-
 
 FUNERAL SERVICE 
 
 fuses and perplexes us is entirely plain to Thee. 
 We came into this world and Thou didst appoint 
 our coming : all along the winding way we have 
 been attended by Thy providence; when the 
 summons comes for us to go hence, it is by Thy 
 will that we depart ; and leaving this world we 
 go unto Thee. In this hour, as we realize that 
 though our life be long upon the earth, it is yet 
 swifter than the post or the weaver's shuttle ; as 
 we feel the instability and transitoriness of all 
 things human, help us, O God, to lay hold upon 
 Thee. Help us to grasp those eternal things 
 which abide in this world and in the next. 
 Grant unto us the faith which is the evidence 
 of things not seen and the substance of things 
 hoped for ; the faith which shall enable us, 
 whether we walk on rocky steeps or in shaded 
 valleys, whether we be in the sunshine or in 
 the darkness, to rest implicitly in Thee. Grant 
 unto us the love which is the bond of perfect- 
 ness, which makes our lives sweet and sancti- 
 fies every experience, be it of pain or of pleas- 
 ure, when shining through it is the love of 
 our God, and without which life is bitterness. 
 Grant us hope, that we may never be discour- 
 aged ; that we may turn to the future with an un- 
 daunted heart ; that we may believe that there is 
 more good in the days to come, if we will only
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 seek for it, than we have ever received ; a hope 
 which shall be an anchor of the soul to us, and 
 which shall penetrate into that which is beyond 
 the veil. We thank Thee, our God, for the 
 life of Thy servant for its sweetness, for its 
 strength. We thank thee that she lived so long 
 and lived so well. But Thou knowest, O God, 
 that, though we recognize the naturalness of 
 death when the shock of corn is ripened in its 
 season, we cannot part from our beloved one 
 and not be left sad and desolate. Therefore, we 
 implore Thee, give Thy rich consolations to 
 these mourning ones ; enter thou into the circle 
 of this family bereaved, and bind up the broken 
 hearts and comfort those that mourn. Draw nigh 
 to them through the sweet and sacred memory ; 
 draw nigh to them through human sympathy ex- 
 tended by friends and neighbors and make it seem 
 to them as a witness of the compassion of God. 
 Draw nigh to them by Thy more immediate 
 presence ; enter into the secret place of grief, 
 where no friend, however near and dear, may 
 come, and fill up the loneliness with Thy pres- 
 ence. Help the members of this family to in- 
 terpret, one unto another, the sorrow which 
 they share. 
 
 Bestow Thy blessing upon this church which 
 Thy servant loved, and may the influence of her
 
 FUNERAL SERVICE 
 
 life bring forth fruit in this vineyard of God for 
 many days to come. 
 
 Let Thy blessing be upon these friends and 
 neighbors. Sanctify unto them the memories 
 and associations of the years ; and, looking into 
 others' sorrows, as we see reflected our own 
 troubles, may we retreat into Thy secret place 
 and rest more completely in Thy love and power. 
 By all the discipline of life show us, O God, 
 how the unseen things are the real things, and 
 help us to lay up our treasures in heaven ; help 
 us to bear one another's burdens and to rejoice 
 in one another's joys, and so to fulfil the law of 
 Christ. 
 
 Transfigure our crosses; shed light upon 
 sorrow ; convert loss into gain ; make Thy power 
 perfect in our weakness ; and may we live so in 
 Thy company that when, at last, the word comes 
 to us to leave our joys and labors here the tran- 
 sition may be nothing strange to us, but simply 
 the fulfilment and completion of the life we have 
 been living. Serenely and calmly and trustfully 
 may we be able to say, with the Master, " Father, 
 into Thy hands I commend my Spirit." 
 
 And may the Grace of our Lord and Sa- 
 viour Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and 
 the communion and fellowship of the Holy 
 Spirit be and remain with us evermore. 
 
 103
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 RESPONSE 
 BY THE CHOIR 
 
 AMEN, AMEN, AMEN. 
 
 As the procession passed out of the church, 
 the following hymn was sung : 
 O PARADISE, O Paradise, 
 Who doth not crave for rest ? 
 Who would not seek the happy land 
 Where they that loved are blest ; 
 Where loyal hearts and true, 
 Stand ever in the light, 
 All rapture, through and through, 
 In God's most holy sight ? 
 
 O Paradise, O Paradise, 
 
 The world is growing old ; 
 
 Who would not be at rest and free 
 
 Where love is never cold ? 
 
 Where loyal hearts and true, 
 
 Stand ever in the light, 
 
 All rapture, through and through, 
 
 In God's most holy sight ? 
 
 O Paradise, O Paradise, 
 We long to sin no more ; 
 We long to be as pure on earth 
 As on thy spotless shore ; 
 
 104
 
 FUNERAL SERVICE 
 
 Where loyal hearts and true, 
 Stand ever in the light, 
 All rapture, through and through, 
 In God's most holy sight. 
 
 O Paradise, O Paradise, 
 
 We shall not wait for long ; 
 
 E'en now the loving ear may catch 
 
 Faint fragments of thy song ; 
 
 Where loyal hearts and true, 
 
 Stand ever in the light, 
 
 All rapture, through and through, 
 
 In God's most holy sight. 
 
 Lord Jesus, King of Paradise, 
 
 Oh, keep us in Thy love, 
 
 And guide us to that happy land 
 
 Of perfect rest above ; 
 
 Where loyal hearts and true, 
 
 Stand ever in the light, 
 
 All rapture, through and through, 
 
 In God's most holy sight. 
 
 All that was mortal of the beloved Mother 
 was taken to the beautiful slope at Greenwood, 
 and by the hand of affection laid tenderly in its 
 final home. 
 
 The snow had fallen steadily during the 
 105
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 previous night, and the heavens were overcast, 
 but at noon the sky cleared. When the ceme- 
 tery was reached, the sun was casting a golden 
 glow over the snow-mantled earth. It was a 
 fitting symbol of the brightness and glory already 
 revealed to her.
 
 MEMORIAL ADDRESS
 
 MEMORIAL ADDRESS 
 
 THE following remarks were made by 
 Joseph E. Brown at the mid-week ser- 
 vice held in the Church of the Pilgrims 
 on March 8, 1905, three months after the 
 death of Mrs. Hatch : 
 
 " As I sit at my library window, I look out 
 upon the ' House opposite,' from which the cen- 
 tre and light of its home has been taken. 
 
 " Never more shall our mortal eyes look 
 upon that queenly and gracious presence ! Never 
 more in the home, the social circle, the church, 
 shall we receive that greeting from her which 
 was always welcome because it was genuine, 
 cordial, kindly, and to many of us affectionate. 
 Lift up the heart, for we shall meet again ! 
 
 " Mrs. Hatch was the last, save one, of that 
 valiant band who in 1844 laid the foundation of 
 this Church of the Pilgrims. Her labors of love 
 
 109
 
 REBECCA TAYLOR HATCH 
 
 in the Lord should ever be borne in grateful 
 remembrance by this people. For more than 
 sixty years she has been a power that worked 
 for righteousness in our midst. How faithfully 
 she served her God, her day and her generation, 
 we can all testify. As a disciple of the Master, 
 as a mother and as friend she witnessed a good 
 confession. 
 
 "All that the ministrations of love and mate- 
 rial resource could supply were laid at her feet. 
 Yet again and again was she called upon to 
 drink of the cup of sorrow of the waters of 
 Marah and full well she knew the bitterness 
 thereof. 
 
 " These trials did not weaken her faith in 
 God, nor did they embitter her life ; her faith 
 had more of humility her life a more chas- 
 tened sweetness. Restricted from many forms 
 of Christian activity by the limitations of her 
 health, she was enabled by her translations into 
 many tongues of simple stories of the power of 
 God's love to men, to carry on that singularly 
 beautiful undertaking of scattering among the 
 peoples who sit in darkness the light of the 
 gospel. 
 
 " And so we bring the offering of flowers to 
 lay upon her casket roses, to tell of a life fra- 
 grant with good works, and of a memory which 
 
 no
 
 MEMORIAL ADDRESS 
 
 shall outlive their transient bloom ; the palm, 
 of her victory ; violets, emblem expressing our 
 grief at our loss, which is her gain. 
 
 "To those in this church militant who are 
 advanced in years these losses which the arch 
 enemy has made in our ranks come with start- 
 ling significance. We stand, as it were, in the 
 van of the army upon the firing line ; and with 
 tearful eyes and with anxious hearts we look 
 about for those who will fill these vacant places. 
 
 " In the day of battle, when in close order the 
 battalions move upon the enemy, as one and 
 another falls in the line, the command comes 
 from the Leader, in tones strong but grave, 
 ' Close up ! Close up ! Close up, ye people,' 
 till shoulder touches shoulder, hands touch 
 hands, till hearts beat in the unison of a com- 
 mon determination as we move forward, to the 
 end that the standard which these departed 
 ones upheld so long and so well may not be 
 lowered before our enemies."
 
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