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CHARLES H. TRAIN 1817-1885

CharlesTrain.jpg

Junior Grand Warden, 1856
Deputy Grand Master, 1859

MEMORIAL

From Proceedings, Page 1885-120:

R.W. CHARLES R. TRAIN, born at Framingham, October 18, 1817, died at the Mt. Kearsarge House, North Conway, N.H., on Wednesday, July 29, 1885. Bro. Train was a graduate of Brown University, and the Law School of Harvard College, being admitted to the Suffolk Bar in 1841. By virtue of his ability and genial ways he became one of the popular men of the day, being honored by election to and adorning positions in town, state, and nation. A man of wide experience, of marked ability and social excellence, he received the confidence and esteem of a veiy large circle of friends. He. was made a Master Mason, in Middlesex Lodge, Framingham, November 19, 1841, in which he served as Senior Deacon, in 1842; Junior Warden, 1843-1844; Senior Warden, 1845; Worshipful Master, 1846, 1854, and 1855. In Grand Lodge he held the positions of Grand Steward, 1852-1853 ; Grand Marshal, 1855; Junior Grand Warden, 1856; Deputy Grand Master 1859. His obsequies took place at St. Paul's Church, Boston, the service being that prescribed by the Episcopal Church. A large assembly of eminent and distinguished friends,' representing this Grand Lodge and the various other societies and professions with which R.W. Brother Train was connected, was present, to pay the last tribute of respect and esteem to their Brother, companion, and associate.

From Proceedings, Page 1886-22:

"There is a choice in the time when one might wish to die. Even the gloom of the grave gets cheer and glory, as with music and eloquence and stately procession we lay within its keeping the mighty ones we love and honor. Years themselves are memorable, as out of their few short months the hero, the statesman, or the Christ has risen to the eternal life.

"When reverent nations linger round the pearly gate, with tearful eyes and. tender hearts, to bid their favored ones fare well, then to die is not to go alone, but to be borne away upon the flood of human sympathy. Then we feel, —

"There is no death! 'Tis but a change of life,
And ever near us, though unseen,
The dear immortal spirits tread.
There is no death! The stars go down
To rise upon some fairer shore."

"The year which now draws so near its close has been a marked one for the illustrious dead it chronicles. The world's greatest military commander, from the pains and visions of his lonely mountain, has been laid at rest upon the shores of the beautiful Hudson, in a sepulchre to be crowned with monumental splendors. The learned and gentle minister of- peace, whose life is woven by a thousand threads into the lives of his people, binding the young to virtue, and lighting for the aged the way to heaven, — he that seems to be the guide and strength of his fellows, passes suddenly away, and the, community unite to give him affectionate respect and honor. An honest Governor of the Commonwealth, with simpler rites and universal respect, has passed on to receive the larger trusts of another world.

"Our own Senior Past Grand Master, crowned with many years, after successful labors, with the love of all, was speeded on his journey by that solemn service and by the tender hands of those with whoni he had walked in unobserved and cheerful company. And to-day we are called upon to speak a tribute of love to another (eminent man and Mason, gone in this clustered array, and whose name is added to the dead of 1885.

"Our Right Worshipful Brother Charles Russell Train, in the early summer, after a year of anxious labor and watchful conflict, dismissed the witnesses, laid aside his briefs, set in order his booksdipon their shelves, bade good-by to clients and courts, and sought rest and restoration among the hills of New Hampshire, hoping not only to call his thoughts away from, the sharp study and contention of the lawyer, but bring vigor and health to his impaired body. Swiftly and sweetly passed the days, in the society of family and friends, in the enjo}*ment of rural sports,.and in the quiet of unobserved liberty. His hopes seemed to be having fulfilmentj and his future was as clear a prophecy of good as had ever dawned before him. But ere that future had opened, and while even the darkness of the natural day filled the horizon, there came to his bedside, a messenger who summoned him to appear at once before the Court of Heaven and hear the judgment of his Lord. To this summons of the Supreme tribunal there could'be no injunction, no demurrer for delay, and no appeal for a new hearing. On Wednesday, the 29th day of July, at three o'clock in the morning, all that was immortal of our friend and Brother passed with the messenger to the deeper rest, the diviner toils, and the grander victories of the spirit-world, — while his mortal remains on the following Saturday were committed to sepulchre, ashes to ashes and dust to dust, in his native town of Framingham, in this State.

"Our R.W. Brother was born on the 18th day of October, 1817. He was the son of parents with whom religion was not only a faith, but a life, a learning, and a profession ;— and who instilled into his youthful mind the principles of honesty and truth so deeply that under eveiy temptation and divergence of manhood they held him still loyal to their obedience. His father was a Baptist clergyman, for many years a settled pastor in the town of Framingham, — a man of marked ability, of unswerving integrity, and recognized as one of the strong pillars and supports of his denomination; one of our Grand Chaplains in 1830 and 1831, of whose life a brief sketch may be found in our Proceedings for 1873, p. 293. There were five children at the parsonage, — two sons and three daughters. The other son, Arthur, accepted the faith and wrought in the profession of his father, having been ordained and settled for many years as a Baptist clergyman in this Commonwealth.

"Two of the sisters deceased at an early age, unmarried. The third, Sarah, married Miss Moses Giddings, of Bangor, Maine, and survived to deeply mourn the loss of our friend. Our Brother Charles R. Train found his religion's comfort and culture, not under the forms of his father's faith, but in the more stately service and ritual of the Episcopal Church; having associated himself with St. Paul's Church and Society of this city, and serving for many years as one of its wardens. His excellent judgment and legal learning naturally secured to him great influence in their councils. His early life was the usual one of a country boy. He worked on the farm, and attended the town schools till the age of thirteen. He then entered upon his preparation for college at the Framingham Academy. At the early age of sixteen he was entered at Brown University, and graduated thence in the year 1837.

"Life at this time was for him rich only in hopes, and that strength of education and character which had come from parental instruction, the inheritance of a goodly nature, and the discipline of the classical culture which the school and the college had furnished. He was poor. Labor was his necessity. But poverty was neither a weight nor a sorrow. It fired him to enterprise; it gave nerve to his ambition. Labor was. not a burden, but an elastic joy. They proved to him, as they have proved to many another, better than ease, better than riches, for he found in them the key to inspiration, to wealth of character and worthy deed. For three years he engaged in teaching,.and then began the study of the law with Josiah Adams, Esq., of his native town. He completed his legal studies at the Dane Law School, Cambridge, under the tuition of Prof. Joseph Story, the eminent jurist, and Prof. Simon Greenleaf, the accomplished scholar and author, and was admitted a member of the Suffolk bar in August, 1841.

"For the practice of his profession he returned to his native town. There the remembrances of his family history, added to his own genial disposition and affable and unassuming manner, were well adapted to draw around him a host of friends, — and so it was. The honest farmers of the vicinity brought all their troubles to the young attorney, were attentively listened to, wisely counselled, and moderately charged, and the early professional clientage thus formed continued without interruption a source of business income and of personal friendship as long as life lasted. This early and enduring confidence is a proud testimonial to the soundness of judgment, the honesty of character, and the ability of the lawyer, which in all his long and public life were distinguishing characteristics of our deceased Brother.

"His fellow-citizens conferred upon him from time to time all the offices of the town that he was willing to accept, and from this early beginning to the vacation of the last summer he was eminently a busy, a popular, and an influential man, citizen, and lawyer. But no mere description will give us so good an estimate of our Brother Train as an enumeration of the various positions he has held in public and representative service. He represented the town of Framingham in the Legislature in 1847 and 1848, and in the summer of the latter year was appointed by Governor Briggs District Attorney for the Northern District, — a position which he held till 1851. In 1853 he was appointed by President Fillmore an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States in the Territory of Oregon. His commission bore the signature of Daniel Webster, Secretary of State. After mature deliberation he declined the appointment. In the same year, 1853, he was the delegate from Framingham to the Constitutional Convention of the State, and also in that year was reappointed by Governor Clifford District Attorney for the Northern District, and served in that position until the autumn of 1855.

"In 1856 he represented the Eighth Congressional District as its delegate, in the National Convention at Philadelphia which nominated Gen. John C. Fremont for the Presidency. He was elected and served as a member of the Executive Council in 1857 under Governor Gardner, and again in 1858 under Governor Banks. In 1858 he was chosen representative of the Eighth Congressional District of Massachusetts in the Thirty-sixth Congress, and was reelected from the same district to the Thirty-seventh Congress. In both congresses he served as chairman of the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, and in the Thirty-sixth Congress was a member of the celebrated Covode Investigating Committee, and prepared the report of that committee.

"In September, 1862, immediately after the second battle of Bull Run, and while yet a member of Congress, he repaired to the head-quarters of his friend, Brig.-Gen. George H. Gordon, who was then commanding a division in Banks's Corps, and asked for some position of service. He was assigned a place upon the staff, and served as Assistant Adjutant-General, participating in that capacity in the battle of Antietam, resigning in season to resume his seat at the second session of the Thirty-seventh Congress. At the close of the session he resumed the practice of his profession, and established his residence in Boston; but he was unable to escape the demands of his fellow-citizens for further public service. He was a delegate to the National Republican Convention in Baltimore which nominated Abraham Lincoln for the Presidency, a second term, in 1864. In 1867 and 1868 he was a member of the Common Council of Boston from old Ward Three, and served on the Committee of Finance, and on the Harbor, and was, at the same time, a member of the Water Board.

"He represented the City of Boston in the Legislature during three years, and served as chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary, and as member.of various other important committees. In the annual election of 1871 he was elected Attorney-General of the Commonwealth, — a position which he held by annual election for seven-consecutive years, until 1879. The arduous duties of this responsible office he performed with distinguished ability, to the approbation of the courts and the profession, and to the satisfaction of the public. His responses to the interrogations propounded to him under the Constitution were conservative in policy and wise in conclusion, and his conduct of capital causes marked by exemplary learning and unvarying fairness. At the conclusion of his term as Attorney-General, in 1879, he retired to the private practice of his profession, to which he continued assiduously devoted to the time of his death.

"In all his legal and political relations our Brother Train was distinguished for unswerving integrity, diligent investigation, and commanding ability. Those most intimately acquainted with our deceased Brother in his seasons of withdrawal from public observation assure us of a peculiarity of his temperament and character which greatly redounds to the honor of the man, if it did not always make for the success of his cause. When, from an early examination of the evidence and the law, he had satisfied himself of the justice of the cause and the honesty of the client, his devotion to his cause was absolute and unqualified, and he watched its varying intricacies and changing promises with all the absorbing care that he would have given to his own dearest interests, or if its loss and gain were to be his own. But let a reasonable suspicion of the integrity of his client get possession of his mind, or the justice of the cause be clearly clouded, and at once the spontaneity of his efforts waned. He could not advocate with ingenuity an unrighteous cause, nor defend with his wonted ability a dishonest man.

"Right Worshipful Brother Train was more and other than these we have said. His forensic efforts gave evidence of another culture, which, though not classical or scholarly in the better sense, was quite considerable in degree and commendable in quality. He was an extensive reader of standard books in history, biography, and fiction, and had gathered a considerable library of that class of works.' His mind was not of that compact and logical type that could enjoy long hours of wrestling with the subtle and solid dialectics of either moral or psychical or legal philosophy; — and it was not thence his power, or his learning, or his argumentative skill, came. He had by nature a susceptible spirit, a good common-sense, and an instinct for reaching to the motives of human conduct, and these gifts, beautified by the fancies of his literature, in phrases felicitous and apt, and sometimes of singular grace, and enriched with the facts of memoir and observation, enabled him to reason not only pleasingly but convincingly to his hearers.

"It accords with the other traits of his character that his tastes were simple, and his feelings domestic. He was companion everywhere, and welcome to the fellowship of all who knew him. Still, it was his pleasure, after the day in court, to ride thirty miles or more, and return the same before the morning session, for the sake of. the rest and unobtrusive comfort of his own household,, and perhaps also to escape the wastes of a residence at the court centre. With whatever motive he thus habitually sought his home, it is a praise to the wife and children he loved that the home they builded could be so dear, so sedative, and clarifying to his weary spirit, and could so fill him with restored and new vitality for his many labors. A life long acquaintance has said of him :- 'His relations to men of friendship and companionship were strong, affectionate, and enduring, flowing in deep currents, of which little was seen at the surface. Those who knew him best loved him most, and loved him to the iast. He can count ties lasting from his first entry into life, and they were not confined to those alone who seek association with the great that they may shine with reflected honors, but were found among the simple and lowly of earth, in many an humble home and by many a lonely fireside, where may be heard experiences of love and heartfelt sorrow at his loss.' He says further that 'In the brief and terse expressions of his opinions in a sometimes rough and laconic reply to a somewhat sentimental appeal, would be found an honest and kindly meant expression devoid of. sentimentalism or hypocrisy.'

"For his old home, his childhood's home, and the home of his children in Framingham, he had a very tender feeling. He loved to dwell upon the old and well-remembered farms and their occupants, upon the old Framingham Academy and his school-mates there, and he ever fondly believed that when the strife of life was over he might return to the playplace of his infancy, the home of the first triumphs of his profession. And now before his hope had come to realization, while he was yet in the height of professional fame and labor, he has been laid away by loving hands in the beautiful cemetery of his childhood's home, nestling among the farms and the memories that he loved. And now —

"His grave lies dark and deep
Between us evermore."

"Our R.W. Brother was twice married; first, to Miss Martha Jackson, of Ashland, by whom he had three sons and two daughters. Charles J. Train, his eldest son, is a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy, where-he has earned an excellent reputation, both as a gentleman and an officer. One son of great promise, Clifford, died at a very early age; so great was the loss of this beautiful boy that the mother's heart faded under the blow, till at last she went to meet him in a happier world. Henry J. Train was his remaining son. His daughters are both married, and well settled in the city or vicinity of Boston, one to Mr. Frank W. Lawrence, and the other to Mr. Gilbert R. Payson, a member of the mercantile house of White, Payson, & Co., of this city. His second wife was Miss Sarah M. Cheney, of South Boston, by whom he had one son, Arthur Cheney Train, a lad now of about ten years of age, who gives promise of all the friendly and virtuous excellences of his departed father.

"Charles Russell Train entered the Masonic Fraternity in 1841, and was an active Mason in Lodge, Chapter, Commandery, and Grand Lodge, till about the year 1868, when the cares and responsibilities of. his profession compelled him to withdraw from any special participancy in its affairs. He was made a Mason in Middlesex Lodge, Framingham, and received all the symbolic degrees on the 18th and 19th of November, 1841. He was immediately, in 1842, appointed Senior Deacon, and was elected Junior Warden in 1843 and 1844. He served as Senior Warden in 1845, and as Worshipful Master in 1846 and again in the years 1854 and 1855. For many years he served on various important committees, and took an active interest in the welfare of his Lodge. He was exalted to the degree of Royal Arch in St. Paul's Chapter, in Boston, October 3, 1854, under that famous ritualist and teacher, Stephen Lovell. He did not affiliate with this ancient Chapter, and it seems probable, in the light of subsequent events, that he took the Capitular degrees for the ulterior and more important purpose of restoring to active life Concord Royal Arch Chapter, whose charter had been slumbering in the Grand Archives for twenty-four years, and of transferring the same to his town of Framingham. For it appears by the records of the Grand Chapter that, on Dec. 12, 1854, he, with Paul Dean and other eminent Companions, did petition the Grand Chapter to be allowed to resume the charter of Concord Chapter, and for leave to locate it at the town of Framingham. The prayer of the petition was granted, the Chapter reorganized, our Companion Train being elected Excellent King. We have not succeeded in obtaining any further facts respecting the history of Companion Train in the Capitular Rite. He was created a Knight of the Temple and of Malta in DeMolay Commandery of Boston, receiving the Order of the Red Cross, January 23, 1856, the Order of the Temple, February 27, the Order of Malta, May 14, and membership, July 23, 1856. This membership, as we have already suggested, did not continue to the time of his decease.

"Under the Grand Lodge Brother Train was appointed and acted as Grand Steward in the years 1852 and 1853, and as Grand Marshal for the year 1855. He was elected Junior Grand Warden in 1856, became thereby a permanent member of the Grand Lodge, and in 1859 was appointed by Grand Master John T. Heard to serve him in the important and confidential relations of Deputy Grand Master, to fill out the unexpired term of Dr. William Flint, of Greenfield, deceased. And now there remains for us only to place on permanent record the tribute of our fraternal love and respect, and to gather the lessons of wisdom his toilsome life and sudden death can teach us. From boy to man he stood by honor. From boy to man he kept fidelity of thought, and word, and work. From boy to man he loved his country, sustained her laws, revered the church, honored truth, and worshipped God. When such a Mason passes away from us to dwell in the world of angelic virtues, and in the presence of the God he reverenced here, who of us shall'not realize more clearly than before, that

"Birthless and deathless and changeless remaineth the spirit forever,
Death hath not touched it at all, dead though the house of it seems!"

Respectfully submitted,
EDWIN WRIGHT,
HENRY G. FAY,
WILLIAM C. WIGHT,
Committee.

BIOGRAPHY

From Proceedings, Page 1873-293; biography of Grand Chaplains, by John T. Heard:

CHARLES TRAIN, the third son of Deacon Samuel and Deborah (Savage) Train, was born in Weston, Mass., on the 7th of January, 1783. After having attended for some time the district school in the neighborhood of his father's where he studied the several elementary branches and commenced Latin, he went in the spring of 1800 to the Framingham Academy for one term, and finally completed his course preparatory to entering college, under the instruction of the Rev. Samuel Kendall, D.D., the Congregational minister of Weston. He entered the Freshman class in Harvard College in the autumn of 1801. As his father was a farmer in only moderate circumstances, he not only felt unable to meet the expenses of his son's education at Cambridge, but found it inconvenient to dispense altogether with his labors on the farm; and hence the son was ready to turn aside from his studies as often as there was occasion, and render the desired aid. It was somewhat doubtful, when he entered college, owing to his straitened circumstances, whether he would be able to proceed without interruption; but, by teaching a school in the winter, and occasionally writing in a probate office, he was enabled, with the assistance he received from his parents, to retain his place in his class, and, at his graduation, in 1805, he was honored with a Hebrew oration. His parents being exemplary members of the Baptist Church, he was favored with a religious education, and had, several times during his early years, been the subject of serious impressions; but it was not till the year 1803 that he entered decidedly upon the Christian life. In September, of that year, the Warren Association held its anniversary in Boston; and his father attended as a delegate from the church in Weston. It being his vacation, he accepted an invitation from his father to accompany him to the meeting. As there was an unusual attention to religion at that time in the Baptist Churches, and there were many young converts present who were rejoicing in the hope of their acceptance, he was very deeply impressed by the scene, and went home distressed that his cold heart could not sympathize with it. After a course of severe self-righteous struggles, he was brought, as he believed, to cast himself on the mercy of God through Christ; and thus his burdened spirit found relief. This happy change occurred some time in the month of October; though, owing to various circumstances, he did not make a profession of religion until two years afterwards.

Although he had been educated in the Baptist faith, he resolved that his own faith should be something more than a mere hereditary prejudice, and therefore set himself to examine the subject of baptism by the aid of all the lights that he could bring to bear upon it. What seems finally to have settled his mind in favor of Baptist principles was the reading of the Rev. Daniel Merrill's Seven Sermons on Baptism, and the Rev. Dr. Samuel Austin's Reply. In October, 1805, he was baptized by the Rev. Joseph Grafton, of Newton, and became a member of his ohurch. In coming to a determination to enter the ministry, especially in connection with the Baptist Church, Mr. Train found himself called to great worldly sacrifices. When he entered college it was with the expectation of being a lawyer; and the rare combination of talents he possessed for severe reasoning and extemporaneous discourse opened before him the brightest prospects in the legal profession. It was no small matter for him to relinquish these cherished expectations; but it was a still greater sacrifice to think of entering the ministry in a denomination then so greatly depressed as scarcely to afford a decent support to any of its ministers. Not doubting, however, that the providence of God called him to these sacrifices, he cheerfully obeyed the summons, and resolved to devote his life to preaching the gospel in the Baptist connection. In May, 1806, he preached his first sermon before the church in Newton, and received from that church a letter of license to preach the gospel. He spent about seven months in the family of Mr. Grafton, availing himself of his instructions and his library, which was a very good one for those days. While thus pursuing his theological studies he preached occasionally to several Baptist congregations in the neighborhood; and, as he felt a particular interest in the prosperity of the little church in his native place, he took a letter of dismission and recommendation from the church in Newton, and united with the Weston church, and for several years preached there every other Lord's day, teaching school during the winters of 1805 and 1806.

In March, 1807, he received a letter from the Rev. Dr. Stillman, of Boston, whose health had then become very feeble, requesting that he would come and assist him in his pastoral duties. He gladly accepted the invitation, and wrote his answer accordingly; but, before the letter had had time to reach Boston, Dr. Stillman was no longer among the living. Being thus disappointed of enjoying the society and instructions of this eminent man, he remained at Newton during the summer of 1807, and in the autumn accepted an invitation to take charge of the academy at Framingham. As a curious fact, illustrative of bygone customs, it may be mentioned that Mr. Train's scholars paid one shilling each per week for tuition, and were taxed six cents weekly for fuel during the cold season; while the trustees contributed fifty cents per week towards his board. His services as preceptor were eminently acceptable, and the academy prospered under his direction. At the close of 1807 he commenced his ministerial labors in Framingham, preaching there and at Weston on alternate Sabbaths. He had calls to other congregations, with better prospects of support; but he felt it his duty to remain with these two feeble societies, and do what he could to enlarge and strengthen them. In Framingham there were but twenty families of Baptists, five professors of religion, but no church organization. Only sixty dollars could be raised, and that, on the terms arranged, would supply preaching for but fifteen weeks. The meeting-house was in a sadly dilapidated state, almost without windows, standing on a ledge of rocks, and quite inaccessible to carriages. He performed the part of both minister and chorister; and, though the prospect seemed most unpromising, he kept on laboring, hoping for better things. His connection with the academy terminated in 1809, but he continued to receive pupils, and to prepare them for college and for school-teachers until the year 1822.

On the 30th of January, 1811, he was ordained in Framingham, at the united request of the society there, and of the church and society in Weston; the sermon on the occasion being preached by his friend and theological instructor, the Rev. Joseph Grafton. On the 4th of July following he preached, and baptized six persons, — the first time that he ever administered the ordinance. These persons, and some who had been previously baptized by Mr. Grafton, united with the Weston church; and, at the next church meeting, it was unanimously voted that they would take the name of "the Baptist Church in Weston and Framingham," and that the Lord's Supper should be administered monthly in each place. The two branches continued to walk together harmoniously until November, 1826, when the connection was dissolved by mutual consent. At the time of the division the Weston branch consisted of about forty members, and the Framingham branch of about one hundred. For years persons from the neighboring towns listened to his preaching, and the churoh of Southborough was gathered from those who were of the number. From 1826 until 1839, a period of thirteen years, his ministrations were confined to the church and society in Framingham. Until the first-named year they continued to worship in the old meeting-house; but a new and handsome edifice was erected near the centre of the town in 1826, and was dedicated by appropriate services on the first day of 1827. The old house was built in the days of Whitefield, by those called New Lights; and when abandoned had witnessed to the lapse of nearly a century. It had been taken down and removed twice; sometimes it had been used for religious services, and sometimes as a depository for hay and grain. In 1780 it was purchased by the Baptists, who took it apart, reduced its size, and removed it to the spot already mentioned.

Mr. Train's pastoral relations with his people in Framingham continued upwards of thirty years, during which time he baptized more than three hundred persons there, and more than double that number who joined other churches. He administered the Lord's Supper in July, 1811 (for the first time), to eighteen members, of whom six belonged to the church in Weston; in 1839, when he resigned his pastoral charge, the number of communicants in the Framingham church was about one hundred and thirty. In March, 1833, Mr. Train was considerably injured by a fall, the effects of which he continued to feel for several weeks, though he was able, for the most part, to attend to his accustomed duties. In August following he was prostrated by an attack of strangury, one of the most painful of all maladies; and this was protracted till the close of his life, — a period of sixteen years. From the resignation of his charge, in 1839 to 1843, he continued to preach and perform other ministerial duties, as his health would permit. During a portion of this time he also filled the office of Secretary of the Massachusetts Baptist Convention, and visited different parts of the State in that service. From 1843 his disease took on a more aggravated form, rendering him incapable of any effort; and he continued gradually to decline until the 17th of September, 1849, when the terrible suffering of a long course of years was ended. The Boston North Baptist Association was in session in Framingham at the moment of his decease, and did not fail to adopt resolutions expressive of their high regard for his memory. Several of the members remained to join in the funeral solemnities which were conducted by the Rev. Mr. Aldrich, of Framingham, and the Rev. Mr. Crane, of Weston. His remains were deposited in the Edgell Grove Cemetery, a beautiful spot in the heart of Framingham, and in sight from the windows out of which, for several long and wearisome years, he looked upon his final resting-plaoe.

Mr. Train, during a part of his ministry, occupied a considerable space in public affairs. To say nothing of his services, through an entire generation, as a member of the School Committee, his connection with the State Legislature was equally honorable to himself and useful to the community. He was chosen by the town as a representative to that body, first in 1822, and was re-elected for the seven following years, with the exception of the year 1827, when, by way of rebuke, as he understood it, he was allowed to stay at home, for having preached two sermons on the subject of temperance, of a more stringent character than at that time suited the taste of the people. At the winter session of 1829 he was chosen by the two branches of the Legislature to fill a vacancy in the Senate, and in the year following he was chosen a Senator by the people. He had the honor of being the first to move in the plan of forming a Legislative Library, as well as in the yet more important matter of a revision of the laws relating to common schools. He had much to do also in obtaining the Charter of Amherst College. His whole influence in the Legislature was most benign and salutary; while the proximity of his residence to the seat of government enabled him, during the whole time, to continue his Sunday labors among his people. In August, 1810, Mr. Train was married to Elizabeth, third daughter of Abraham Harrington, of Weston. She died on the 14th of September, 1814, leaving one child (a son), now, the Rev. Dr. Arthur Savage Train, of Haverhill, Mass. She was a lady of fine moral qualities, of earnest piety, of a richly endowed and well-cultivated mind, and for several years previous to her marriage had been a highly popular teacher. In October, 1815, Mr. Train married Hepzibah, the sister of his former wife, and the youngest daughter of her parents. She became the mother of four children, — one son and three daughters. Two of the daughters, young ladies of great promise, died, — one at the age of eighteen, the other at the age of twenty-four. The son, Charles Russell, entered the legal profession, was, for some years, District Attorney for ,the County of Middlesex, and is now (1858) a member of the Governor's Council. The following is, as far as can be ascertained, a list of Mr. Train's publications:

  • An Address at the Dedication of the Masonic Hall at Needham, 1811.
  • An Oration delivered at Framingham, 1812.
  • An Oration delivered at Worcester, 1815.
  • A Discourse delivered at West Medway, 1817.
  • An Oration delivered at Hopkinton on the Fourth of July, 1823.
  • A Speech on Religious Freedom delivered in the House of Representatives in Massachusetts, 1824.
  • A Sermon at the Dedication of the New Baptist Meeting-house, Framingham, 1827.
  • Circular Letter of the Boston Association, on the Duty of Sanctifying the Sabbath, 1830.

— Sprague's Annals of American Pulpits.

Charles Russell Train, referred to in the foregoing biography, was Junior Grand Warden in 1856; and was appointed, June 8, 1859, to fill the office of Deputy Grand Master, made vacant by the decease of R.W. Brother, the Rev. William Flint, of Greenfield, who died on the 12th of April, 1859. Brother Train is the present Attorney General of Massachusetts.


Distinguished Brothers