Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-08-01
CHARLES DANA OF WOODSTOCK
An Apprcciitivc sketch of II Wcll-knowi
Nrrmontcr.

An Apprcciitivc sketch of II Wcll-known
N"rmontcr.
The following sketch of the late Charles
Dana of Woodstock appeared in a recent
number Of the Vermont SiunduH from
the pen of Hon Frederick Billings, be
tween whom and MIR Dana there was II
life long attachment. 1t possesses lntril-
sic interest and will he especially valued
10y those of our readers who knew Mr..
Dana or his wife who before her marriage
was an esteemed and popular teacher in
Burlington:
with indispensable sorrow we record the
death of Charles Dana in the early morn
ing of the 9Th instant. He died in the very
h Dusr where he was born and had always
lived Th" announcement of his death
was dreadful shock to all who had not
seen him in the last few weeks He had
only Just passed the thrcc-scurr and ten
years. for he was born on the 18th of
December ISIS Ills father had lived to
be scNcntyoiN and his mother seventy
five. and though of Il not sturdy ConStitu-
ton, he had taken such good care of his
health all his life no one thought he was
So soon to pass away He had no organic
disease. In the winter he was troubled
with the prevailing influenza. and when
spring came he did not respond To its re
ViNing influence. and later ON there was
!. ~
aNo, however, he walked about the streets.
but he said it seemed to him the springs
of his life were all drying up. ON Monday
forenoon, June 3Oth, he was down stairs
but the next day, as if knowing the end
was near, he desired his bed to be placed
in the room where his beloved wife died
three years ago. and which, with touching
tenderness, he had allowed no one to
occupy since then, and said i shall never
90 down stairs again. And there, ON the
following Saturday morning, July 18th. at
half past four O'clock his life went out
without pain.
1t would inquest ionably have lasted
longer in spite of the delicate constitutions
but for undermining forces which the
public could not appreciate Ills classic
face and hearing were always cheerful,
but his hold ON life had been weakened by
the summer of lSSl, of his wife. to whom
as Charlie LOOMS he was married Feb
rlIary III. 1878. and upon whom he was so
dependent with the death last year of the
bruther-in-law, Mr.. Raymond, who had
been his dear friend for So many years {:
with the death, less than year ago, of his
brother Edward, for whom there was an
attachment beyond even Il brothers love :;
with the death. many years ago,
of his only daughter, bearing the
traditional Dana name of Mary, II
death that left Il wound that never thor
coming to this Woodstock. which had
been his only home all his years. making
him feel almost a stranger here, what Won
der if the earthly life before him had lost
its Zc>t Iii, wish. no doubt. was rather
t 90 than To stay.
FOR what lies beyond the grave he had no
fear. Why should he have He had illus
tratc ms Christian faith lay uniting in
May $50. when he was IL little over
twenty one year, old. with the Congrcga-
tional church Of which his father and
mother were among the early members.
and h. WHlh and conversation since that
time ON made INN a pillar in that church.
No man could hr more faithful to his
Christian vows, no one more earnest in
burden bearing. no one more loving and
dutiful in seeking to keep alive the faith
of the fathers no one more sure that the
glory of the New England village is the
vigorous life of the Church of God; and
with and beyond all these things lac was
certain of the hlcSScdncss of the righteous
in the world To come. To that world he
was looking. 1t was growing dcarcr To
him than life here.
Besides his work in life was substantial
" donr. He was the third child in a fam
lily of eight but five had gone, and Henry
swan Dana and Mrs. Raymond were alone
here to keep him company. OF his own
six children, the five living sons
had grown NJ So he could say of them he
more than compensated by the character
of my SONS and the comfort they give me.
He had been faithful. dcVOutedlN faithful
to the church and To his family and ht
had been faithful to the community il
which he lived and in all his public rcla
tiOnS. In Il general way his life had beer
unubtruSiVc and somewhat uneNcntful
Whatever could COnduCc to building W
the interests of Woodstock always had hi
support, and for his devotion to the Wood
stock railroad, AN enterprise which saw
contamination only after an amount %
work few will ever appreciate, he was by
the town elected to represent her mteres
in it and was Il director from the organi
cation of the company, i'll 1861 until lNN2
when he declined further service, Fu
half score of years he was an active
director in the Ottaquechee Savings Bank
but he cared not for office, or the hOnors o
office, in spheres great or small. In gencr
al politics he was Il Whie in early years
and Republican in late1 ones, and whil
always faithful to hiscOTNctions, and out
spoken and earnest, dn their support, HI
them with honor
But the special thing to be noticed il
, Mr. Danas life was his faithfulness It
} himself and his opportunities. His father
Charles Dana, was ii merchant here il
Woodstock, and at twelve years of ag
, sixteen he found his way To kimbal
Union academy, Meriden, \, H., and re
, manned there Il year and one term 1t wa
then that the rare literary faculty wa
disclosed which, in spite of his mercantil
pursuits, marked and graced all his afte
ltc-SO much 50 that those who knew hin
well regretted Beyond measure that h
could not have devoted himself especial
, to scholarly work and IA scholarly profes
sion. But, with iilial devotion, he cam
back to his father, and again as clerk, am
! in 1880 us partner of his father and Charlie
i Richmond, kept ON At the store, and tn
name was Charles Dana x Co. \ yea
! later it was Charles Dana X Son. In 1881
the father retiring and Charles :. Ray
! muud coming in, il was Dana X Ray
= mond. And 50 it was until september
i 1871. when Charles Dana took the bus
u mes, to himself, and in that very sam
T. store where he began his work, at lively
y years Of age he kept ola to the close of hi
Il life without interruption.
: II is "A very simple business story Thc>
: country village stores were much more in