The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-01-29
HEIR TO NINE MILLIONS.


| The Young Man who Came Of Age
Last Christmas Day-The Grand.
! son OF an Honest Cape Cod Fisher
MANTLE Son offs Confirmed Bach.
! eIor Who Married at the Ripe Age
of Sixty-twO.
From New York sun.
BosToN, Jan. 2l.--It is recognized
, fact that in Massachusetts every fourth
person one meets is An old maid. You
may imagine, therefore, the sensation
which was produced in the Common
wealth, when the..S64,331 marriageabie
spinsters who lived between Cape Cod
and the Berkshire Hills read the follow
ing paragraph in the Boston papers a
fortnight ago:
! Joshua Montgomery Sears OF Boston, a
/ IN, III Der OF the Junior Glass Of Yale Col
] lege and the sole heir OF the large estate
! lett by his father, the late Joshua Sears oil
| Boston, attained his majority on Christ
| mas Day. He is a young man OF lnteill-
! gence, and is said 10 be possessed OF many
| Of the characteristics ofhis father. Wheth-
| eT the heir is 10 ever have the sole manage
| ment and disposal of the estate Is a ques-
| ton upon which the lawyers are in some
doubt. The valuation of the estate now Is
| about nine million dollars.
An account of the youthful heir him.
| self. and of the remarkable man who be-
queathed all this wealth, and who in his
day did much to promote the prosperity
of New England, and stay the falling for
tunes of Boston, will, 1 am sure, prove
interesting"
First, let me give sketch of the Sears
family, which in its various branches is
one Of the most prominent in Massachu-
sets. The branch of the family which
is best known in this country is the San
disfield branch, in which are two distn-
guished scholars and dlvines, the late
Prof. Barnas Sears. d. ID. LII d., al
one time President of Brown University
Providence, and now general agent Of the
Peabody Southern Educational Fund
and his brother, the Rev. Edmund Ham
iiton Sears an eminent clergyman, poet
and author. Another branch, which Ii
chiefly prominent Tor its wealth, socla
position, and old-fashioned Massachusetts
family pride, is the Boston Sears family
which has been one of the aristocratiC
families of Boston since early colonial
DAYS. and has never shown the slightest
interest in either of the other branches
The third branch is that to which Jos hus
Sears and the young heir, above men,
toned, belong. This branch, which oc'
cupies much humber sphere in life, has
been for many generations halt pastor
ial, half nautical family, at Yarmouth, on
Cape Cod It's members dividing their
time between farming and fishing, as Is
the custom of the honest, simple, we!l-to.
do inhabitants of the Cape. With the
exception of Joshua, who abandoned the
pursuits of his forefathers and went to
Boston to seek his fortune early in the
present century, the Yarmouth Searses
have faithfully remained at Cape Cod,
where they still occupy themselves with
their double calling by land and sea.
THE CAREER OF JOSHUA SEARS.
Joshua Montgomery Sears was born
on a Christmas Day with a golden spoon
| in his mouth-two facts which must be
very gratifying to himself and his family
His wealth did not descend to him
through a long line of plethoric ancestors
| His grandfather was an honest fisherman
AT Yarmouth, with several children,
whom he sought to bring up to habits OF
industry. frugality, Glial piety, and con-
tentment. They were all good children,
and proiited by their fathers precepts
all except the youngest boy. Joshua,
the father Of the present heir. Joshua
though in childhood the pride OF the fam
lily circle, developed, as he grew up an
impatient, disconnected disposition, which
WAS sore trial to his fathers heart In
common with Charles and Thomas, the
older sons, Joshua, was taught at an ear.
" age all the mysteries ofthe fisherman
calling. He learned to lure the unsus'
pecting lobster from his crusted Depths
TO bob for cells, to play the gsmeSome sal
mon, 20 take in the hungry blue nsh ano
gentle cod; but, though he was taught al
these arts, his father observed with pain
that Joshua practiced them in desuto
~ manner. which showed that his hear
was no, in the work. On one Day wher
Joshua reached the age of seventeen. the
honest fisherman, taking two hoes IN hi:
hand, and giving Joshua a basket, lnvit
ed him to an expedition in search Of
clans. As usual, Joshua showed little
enthusiasm in the game, but scratched
away with his hoe in so half-hearted 8
manner that the CLANS had no ditheult,
If evading his pursuit and his father hsc
half filled the basket before Joshua hsc
cap,ured single clam. Leaning upor
his hoe, the old man watched his son:
efforts for moment, and then SAID
"Josbua, l fear you will never make 8
crcst fisherman" IL am afraid not
father" said Joshua. "Iou have no en-
crgy, Joshua, and you have no patience,
said the old man. without energy ane
patience you can never expect to amount
to anything"
am thus particular in mentioning the
events of the claiming expedition, DE
cause it was the turning point in the lii'
OF the future millionaire. In the con
yerss,icn which followed, Joshua con
WINGED his father that he had aspiration
which might possibly lead to fruitlon IL
another field, though among the smphi
bious Cape Coddcrs he made so poor
figure.
One week from that day green, awk
ward lad. adorned in suit of homespun
and carrying long, marrow carpet has
in his hand, was conducted by his father
to Boston. and there "bound out Il
serve two years IN the employ of tirn
with whom the elder Sears had long ha'
dealings in sslted fish. Tho firm wer
Messrs. Price, Halves & Co, dealers IL
ropes, grindstones, warming pans, Or.
goods. and "W. l. goods, which last
the Boston name for groceries. 1t !
needless to follow the fortunes OF Joshui
through the ardious days Of apprentice