Annual Meeting
November, 1945
THE Annual Meeting of the Society was held at the Algonquin Club, No. 217 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, on Wednesday, November 28, 1945, at a quarter after seven o’clock in the evening, the President, Kenneth Ballard Murdock, in the chair.
With the consent of those present, the reading of the records of the last Stated Meeting was omitted.
The President, on behalf of the Corresponding Secretary, reported the death on June 5, 1945, of Arthur Howland Buffington, a Resident Member; that on June 17, 1945, of Max Farrand, a Corresponding Member; that on October 12, 1945, of James Atkins Noyes, a Resident Member; and that on October 28, 1945, of Edward Kennard Rand, an Honorary Member of the Society.
Mr. Ernest Stanley Dodge, of Danvers, was elected a Resident Member, Mr. Herbert Ross Brown, of Brunswick, Maine, was elected a Corresponding Member, and Mr. Oscar Handlin, of Cambridge, was elected an Associate Member of the Society.
The Annual Report of the Council was read by Mr. Richard Mott Gummere.
Report of the Council
SINCE the last Annual Meeting the Society has had its three customary stated meetings: those in December and February at the Club of Odd Volumes, that in April, by invitation of His Excellency, Most Reverend Richard J. Cushing, d.d., Archbishop of Boston, at his residence, 2201 Commonwealth Avenue. The annual dinner is always a notable affair for everyone who attends it. The Council would like, however, to voice its regret that there are so many members of the Society who limit their participation in its activities to that one occasion.
Government restrictions on the use of paper, which have even extended to the Society’s own supply purchased before the war, have necessitated the suspension of all publishing activities since 1943. Those restrictions have now been lifted, and it is hoped that work on several contemplated volumes will go ahead speedily. These include, in addition to a new volume of Transactions, a volume of the correspondence of David Cobb now being prepared under the editorship of our fellow member, Mr. Allis; a fourth volume of Harvard College records, of which our fellow member, Mr. Walton, will be the editor; and the first of a proposed series of volumes containing the hitherto unprinted journals of the Massachusetts House of Representatives for the period between the fall of the Andros regime and the year 1715, when the House for the first time printed its proceedings.
The Society has continued to be the chief supporter of the New England Quarterly and has now assumed the rôle of joint publisher. Funds have also been made available to enable our fellow member, Edmund S. Morgan, to prepare, with a view to subsequent publication, a transcript of the manuscript diary of Michael Wigglesworth. As a public gesture of another sort the Society has supplied the necessary funds for the badly needed repair of the Mather tomb in the Copp’s Hill Burying Ground.
The following members have been elected during the past year:
Resident:
- Charles Dyer Childs
- Norman Lewis Dodge
- Charles Ellis Mason, Jr.
Corresponding:
- Ralph Henry Gabriel
- Raymond Phineas Stearns
Honorary:
- Samuel Williston
The Society has lost by death the following members:
Julius Herbert Tuttle, Resident, 1908, died February 10, 1945. For fifty-six years he was in charge of the treasures of the Massachusetts Historical Society as Assistant Librarian, Acting Librarian, and Librarian. He spread the ancient records of Dedham on the printed page and lightened the labors of two generations of scholars.
Edmund Burke Delabarre, Corresponding, 1917, died March 16, 1945. Professor of Psychology in Brown University, author of many contributions on the inscribed rocks of Narragansett Bay; he knew more about Dighton Rock than any other man will ever know.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Honorary, 1934, died April 12, 1945. Impetuous, imperfect, impervious to fear; a pioneer of the breed of Sir Walter Raleigh, adventuring into strange regions sometimes rashly but always with undaunted hope; a leader whom during two great national dangers all followed gladly.
Arthur Howland Buffington, Resident, 1926, died June 5, 1945. Professor of History at Williams College, an earnest student of the seventeenth century in New England and the mind of the Puritan.
Max Farrand, Corresponding, 1932, died June 17, 1945. If there was ever a flawless historical work, it is his presentation of the proceedings of the Philadelphia Convention where fifty-five Americans reasoned together and brought forth a more perfect Union.
James Atkins Noyes, Resident, 1901, died October 12, 1945. The patient compiler of successive Quinquennial Catalogues of Harvard University.
Edward Kennard Rand, Resident, 1913–1941, Honorary, 1941 until his death on October 28, 1945. Now that he can no longer pour out the wine of his full-blooded learning for our delight, let us dream that tonight he dines with Horace and Virgil, exchanging wit and wisdom in racy Latin. Above the turmoil of past Dark Ages and ours he saw the vision of the Eternal City. “Only in ideals is firmness found—never in the shifting world of things, events and material inventions.”
The Treasurer submitted his Annual Report as follows:
Report of the Treasurer
In accordance with the requirements of the By-laws, the Treasurer submits his Annual Report for the year ending November 14, 1945.
Statement of Assets and Funds, November 14, 1945
Investments as of November 14, 1945
Composition of Funds, November 14, 1945
Changes in Principal of Funds
Total Funds, November 14, 1944 |
$206,194.89 |
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Add—Additions to Special Funds: |
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Sarah Louisa Edes Fund: |
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Apportioned Balance of Trustee’s |
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Income |
$729.42 |
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Balance of Trustee’s Principal |
529.03 |
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Gains on Sales of Securities Sold by Trustee |
248.14 |
$1,506.59 |
|
Henry H. Edes Memorial Fund Income |
$351.56 |
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Sarah Louisa Edes Fund Income |
1,009.81 |
1,361.37 |
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Add—Additions to General Fund: |
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Admission Fees |
30.00 |
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Profit from Sale of Securities: |
|||
$2,000 Columbia Gas and Electric Corporation Debenture 5’s, 1952 |
134.69 |
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5,000 Community Public Service Company First 4’s, 1964 |
100.00 |
||
5,000 Continental Gas and Electric Corporation Debenture 5’s, Series A, 1958 |
495.51 |
||
5,000 Montana Power Company First and Refunding 3¾’s, 1966 |
124.13 |
||
5,000 Texas Electric Service Company First 5’s, 1960 |
712.50 |
||
9,000 United States of America Treasury Bonds 2¾’s, 1956/1959 |
172.00 |
||
1,000 Wilson and Company, Inc., First 3’s, 1958 |
6.08 |
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1 share First National Bank of the City of New York |
360.11 |
||
603.53 |
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5 shares Travelers Insurance Company |
389.60 |
3,098.15 |
5,996.11 |
$212,191.00 |
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Deduct—Charges to Special Funds: |
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Sarah Louisa Edes Fund: |
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Miscellaneous expenses in connection with settlement thereof |
$3,900.55 |
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Losses on Sale of Securities |
306.02 |
||
Audit Fee |
125.00 |
$4,331.57 |
|
Deduct—Charges to General Fund: |
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Loss from Sale of Securities: |
|||
$5,000 Consolidated Oil Corporation Debenture 3½’s, 1951 |
$69.92 |
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5,000 Eastern Gas and Fuel Associates First and Collateral 4’s, 1956 |
9.55 |
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3,000 United States of America Treasury Bonds 3’s, 1946/1948 |
60.50 |
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3,000 United States of America Treasury Bonds 2½’s, 1949/1953 |
2.06 |
141.73 |
4,473.30 |
Total Funds, November 14, 1945 |
$207,717.70 |
Income Cash Receipts and Disbursements
Balance, November 14, 1944 |
$10,325.86 |
|
RECEIPTS: | ||
---|---|---|
Interest |
$3,127.41 |
|
Dividends |
5,852.50 |
|
Annual Assessments |
740.00 |
|
Income from Sarah Louisa Edes Fund received from State Street Trust Company, Trustee |
257.33 |
|
Sale of Society’s Publications |
55.00 |
|
Return on Insurance Premium |
18.00 |
10,050.24 |
Total Receipts of Income |
$20,376.10 |
|
DISBURSEMENTS: | ||
New England Quarterly |
$2,600.00 |
|
Editor’s Salary |
1,000.00 |
|
Secretarial Expense |
650.00 |
|
Annual Dinner |
382.26 |
|
Storage |
300.76 |
|
Notices and Expenses of Meetings |
181.75 |
|
188.00 |
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Postage, Office Supplies and Miscellaneous |
251.22 |
|
Auditing Services |
125.00 |
|
Publications |
87.77 |
|
Safe Deposit Box |
24.00 |
|
Interest on Henry H. Edes Memorial Fund Added to Principal |
351.56 |
|
Interest on Sarah Louisa Edes Fund Added to Principal |
1,009.81 |
|
Total Disbursements of Income |
7,152.13 |
|
Balance of Income, November 14, 1945 |
$13,223.97 |
Principal Cash Receipts and Disbursements
Loan to Principal, November 14, 1944 |
$6,453.47 |
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RECEIPTS: | ||
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Principal Cash of Sarah Louisa Edes Fund received from State Street Trust Company, Trustee |
$23,336.28 |
|
$2,000 Columbia Gas and Electric Corporation Debenture 5’s, 1952 |
2,040.00 |
|
5,000 Community Public Service Company First 3½’s, 1964 |
5,327.50 |
|
5,000 Consolidated Oil Corporation Debenture 3½’s, 1951 |
5,100.00 |
|
5,000 Continental Gas and Electric Corporation Debenture 5’s, Series A, 1958 |
5,158.79 |
|
5,000 Eastern Gas and Fuel Associates First and Collateral 4’s, 1956 |
5,075.00 |
|
5,000 Montana Power Company First and Refunding 3¾’s, 1966 |
5,250.00 |
|
5,000 Texas Electric Service Company First 5’s, 1960 |
5,150.00 |
|
3,000 United States of America Treasury Bonds 3’s, 1946/1948 |
3,067.94 |
|
3,000 United States of America Treasury Bonds 2¼’s, 1949/1953 |
3,207.94 |
|
9,000 United States of America Treasury Bonds 2¼’s, 1959/1962 |
10,198.56 |
|
1,000 Wilson and Company, Inc., First 3’s, 1958 |
1,015.00 |
|
1 share First National Bank of the City of New York |
1,904.92 |
|
40 shares General Electric Company |
1,556.77 |
|
5 shares Travelers Insurance Company |
30.00 |
|
Henry H. Edes Memorial Fund |
351.56 |
|
Sarah Louisa Edes Fund |
1,009.81 |
|
Total Receipts of Principal |
81,304.67 |
|
$74,851.20 |
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DISBURSEMENTS: | ||
$3,000 Eastern Gas and Fuel Associates First and Collateral 4’s, March 1, 1956 |
$3,064.55 |
|
10,000 United States of America Savings Bonds, Series F, June 1, 1957 |
7,400.00 |
|
5,000 Celotex Corporation Debenture 3¼’s, August 1, 1960 |
5,125.00 |
|
5,000 Eastern Gas and Fuel Associates First and Collateral 3½’s, July 1, 1965 |
5,108.50 |
|
5,000 Gatineau Power Company First 3¾’s, Series A, April 1, 1969 |
5,201.10 |
|
5,000 New York Water Service Corporation First 5’s, November 1, 1951 |
5,038.60 |
|
5,000 Tennessee Gas and Transmission Company First 3’s, May 1, 1965 |
5,126.10 |
|
5,000 American Tobacco Company Debenture 3’s, April 15, 1962 |
5,101.10 |
|
10,000 United States of America Treasury Bonds, 2¼’s, 1959/1962 |
10,000.00 |
|
50 shares First National Bank of Boston |
2,845.27 |
|
10 shares Guaranty Trust Company of New York |
3,565.27 |
|
25 shares Insurance Company of North America |
2,540.27 |
|
25 shares United Fruit Company |
2,213.53 |
|
20 shares Westinghouse Electric Corporation |
2,475.10 |
|
500 shares Lehman Corporation |
19,805.03 |
|
Auditing Fee Charged to Sarah Louisa Edes Fund Principal |
125.00 |
|
Total Disbursements of Principal |
84,734.42 |
|
Loan to Principal, November 14, 1945 |
$9,883.22 |
James M. Hunnewell
Treasurer
Report of the Auditing Committee
The undersigned, a committee appointed to examine the accounts of the Treasurer for the year ended November 14, 1945, have attended to their duty by employing Messrs. Stewart, Watts and Bollong, Public Accountants and Auditors, who have made an audit of the accounts and examined the securities on deposit in Box 91 in the New England Trust Company.
We herewith submit their report, which has been examined and accepted by the Committee.
Allston Burr
Hermann F. Clarke
Auditing Committee
The several reports were accepted and referred to the Committee of Publication.
On behalf of the committee appointed to nominate officers for the ensuing year the following, list was presented; and a ballot having been taken, these gentlemen were unanimously elected:
- President Charles Eliot Goodspeed
- Vice-Presidents Hon. Fred Tarbell Field
- Hon. Robert Walcott
- Recording Secretary Augustus Peabody Loring, Jr.
- Corresponding Secretary Zechariah Chafee, Jr.
- Treasurer James Melville Hunnewell
- Registrar Robert Dickson Weston
- Member of the Council for Three Years Robert Earl Moody
After the meeting was dissolved, dinner was served. Mr. David McCord was the guest of the Society, and Mr. Henry Joel Cadbury said grace.
Owing to illness, the announced speaker of the evening, President James Phinney Baxter, of Williams College, was unable to be present. The retiring President, Kenneth Ballard Murdock, and the newly elected President, Charles Eliot Goodspeed, spoke briefly, and Mr. Howard Mumford Jones addressed the Society. Mr. David McCord read several of his poems.