The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-04-27
The Ancestry of Walter Wells.

The Ancestry of Walter Wells.
To the Editor Of the Press:
In the obituary of Walter Wells in the
PRESS of Saturday, he is called the
grandson of Gardiner Kellogg, "former-
ly Congregational clergyman OF
this State" Although I am almost alone
of those who were ever under Mr.. Kellogg's
pastoral care, feeling of generation prompts
me to point out the site of his dwelling, al
though it is marked only by two large elms. 1t
is about mile north of South Windham sta
ton. These lines of the poet seem written for
the locality:
''Near yonder copse where once the garden smiled,
And still where many garden flower grows WILD
There, where few torn shrubs the place disclose,
The village preachers modest mansion rose'
In the public burying ground adjoining the
church at Windham Hill, three miles from
this farm, stands square slate stone with this
inscription:
"Rev. Gardiner Kellogg
Died Nov. goth, 1896 aged 81.
The Church is his monument.
His eptaph is engraven in the hearts OF his people,
Rev. Mr.. Kellogg was settled over the an
cient Windham church in 1911. He found the
following pastors then in charge of the neigh
boring Congregational churches: Portland, I'd
Parish, Elijah Kellogg, Edward Payson;
Stroudwater, Caleb Bradley; Falmouth, VIM.
Whittimore; North Yarmouth, Francis Brown,
afterwards President of Dartmouth College,
Standsh, Daniel Marrett; Gorham, Asa Rand,
who in about 1920 established the christian
Mirror" Gray, Daniel Weston. Mr.. Kellogg's
letter of acceptance is what might have
been expected from "learned, pious and Or
thodox minister" of that time, and is spread at
length on the town records He was educated
under the old regime, before the mischievous
word Liberal had come to be used in ex-
pounding laws, divine or human. Mr.. Kellogg
believed in the "assembly's catechism," and
"hewed to the line"
In the summer of 1862, Governor John A.
Andrew left his many official cares in Massa-
chusetts, at the invitation of the citizens of his
native town, and came home to deliver the ad-
dress at the centennial of its Incorporation In
speaking of his boyhood and Mr. Kellogg, he
made use of this elegant and expressive Ian
guage:
81 could not, were ever so much to try, by
any form of labored or artistic speech, express
the emotions of gratitude with which l en-
brace this opportunity to make one of the fam
lily of this town, at this celebration Standing
here, in the midst of this vast concourse, in the
midst of old friends and new faces, although
i've and twenty years have gone into the past,
am no longer man, much less magistrate;
but am child once more. What reminis-
cences-what recollectionS of early boyhood,
of my father and mother, and friends cluster
here? How those arching elms remind me OF
the many groves of this, my native town,
where in childhood used to wander with my
playmates; some of whom have long since
tasted death, and some of whom ] now see
around me. How there comes up the little
square school house; the old meeting house on
the hill where my parents worshipped-the
venerable form of old Father Kellogg, not an
eloquent or renowned man, but what is more
than all that, good man."
Ii not ian eloquent or renowned man." as
the Governor said, according to my recollec-
ton and boyish preceptions Mr.. Kellogg was
fully up to the average of those ministers of
the neighboring towns, who frequently ex-
changed with him-going on Saturday, and re-
turning on Monday. He was always dignifed
and we'll dressed. His Sunday suit was of su-
perfine black cloth, with the regulation white
cravat and black silk gloves. He never enter
ed the pulpit with uncovered hands. 1 now
have the old pulpit Bible, and one of the large
tassels which hung from the corners of the
cushion which supported it in its elevated posi-
ton, under the canopy shaped sounding board.
But the meeting house, like the house of the
minister, has disappeared from its ancient Site
While Mr.. Kellogg was living on his farm
with large family, enjoying the confidence of
his people, his handsome daughter Lucy mar
ried and went to live in New Hampshire
Years went on and she came back bringing
thoughtful appearing orphan 10y with large
eyes. This was Walter Wells.
Windham, April "a. VIC.