The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-11-30
THE HUTCHINSON FAMILY.
RecoliectIons Of the Famous Band of
Concert ssngers.
Providence Journal.l


"The representations of Judson, John and
Asa Hutchinson at concert night before
last" remarked Samuel B. Spinning, an old
time minstrel and musician, yesterday, "were
cause for great mirth to the younger por-
ton of the audience, but to some adults who
were there, who have attended musical en-
tertainments for twenty-five or thirtylyears
back, and to myself especially, who knew
them we'll and used to sing with them, there
was more of sadness than of joy in the imi-
tatons. The whole history of the once-cele-
brated Hutchinson family of vocalists came
up before me afresh, their travels and i'm
mense success. They were all natural mu-
sicians. No quartet in the world was ever
so popular as that consisting of the original
Hutchinson brothers. Like no other vocal.
lists that ever appeared in public, they could
sing enthusiasm right into an audience The
family went into all the isms,' abOlitiouism,
temperance, woman suffrage, labor move
ment, campaigning, and did their share in
freeing the slave. They would sing boldly
wherever they were, although sometimes It
would appear dangerous for them to do So"
Then the concert singer, warming up with
interest over his "reminiscences. detailed facts
concerning the history of this wonderful
family of born singers.
"The original Hutchinson family, who ap-
peared widely in concerts in ante-belum
days." the speaker went on, consisted of
JudsOn, John, Henry, Asa, Abbie, Jessie,
Joshua, and Fannie, double quartet. Their
fathers name was Joshua, and they were all
born in Milford, N. III. They were very
peculiar family. A resident of Milford told
me that when their father died the sons got
into a dispute as to how much the old man
weighed. To settle the controversy they
ayr. ed to weigh the corpse, SO what did they
do but carry the body of their dead father to
a neighb0riDg grocery store, place it ON
platform scale, and settle the question of his
weight once for all.
We'll, they went all over the North and
West, and took everywhere. They made
lots of money and bought High Rock, in
Lynn, where nobody else would ever think
Of living, for their family home. The house
had to be bOlted down to prevent it from
blowing away. JudsOn's voice was q BARI
tone. Johns was high baritone, Henry's
high tenor, Joshua had splendid bass, Asa
was bass, Fannie and Jessie were con-
tralt0s, and Abbie soprano. Finally JudSon
who was always Of erratic disposition, be-
CAME moody and hanged himself in barn
on High Rock. The house that overlooked
the city and the sea Was left deserted ard
dllapidated. The boys of Lynn were told
that when the war should be over they might
time came it made bonfire that could be
seen for miles around. After the suicide of
Juds0n, about twenty-five years ago, the
Hutchlnsons divided forces and became
known as the Tribe of Asa and the Trite of
John. The Tribe of Asa. which, included
Lizzie, his wife, soprano; Katie, his
daughter, soprano, and Jessie, went West
and founded the town of Hutchinson. |
think 1t was In Minnesota. They sang for
fifteen or twenty years, and kept the Western
territory TO themselves, while John Travelled
throughout the East. The Tribe Of John,
besides the leader, consisted of Joshua,
Fannie, Henry, little Juddy.' as we used to
call him, although he is grown man now,
who was Judson's son; Viola, Johns
daughter, a contralto; Frank Benjamin,
tenor, ana myself, bass. The next year after
the South, where the Hutchinsons would
stand up and sing their old abolition songs
with just as much fearlessness as if at home.
Then we struck the New York City churches
and sang in them for weeks at a time. In
the summer time the Eastern and Western
tribes would unite, generally at Martha's
Vineyard, and then go upon a short tour to-
gether, making a strong double quartet, of
which Asa and myself were the BASES.
They are most all gone. John and Joshua
are still living, also little Jnddy, and
Benjamin after he left the Hutchinson
family joined the Alleghanians, concert
company, than the Swiss Bell. Ringers, and
finally died in California, / believe. The
Hutchinson's have not appeared in public
as family for nearly ten years, | think,
John is worth $4,000 today. He lives near
Boston, and often sings before some reform
convention, his voice retaining wonderfully
its former strength and purity of tone. J0hn
had great way of keeping his. hands folded
in front of him when he stood up TO sing,
but Asa was not in the habit of revolving
his thumbs, as recOllect. John would an
nounce the songs in a very deliberate and
impressive way, something as follows: I'VE
Good Old Days of Yore," words by Brother
Judson, music by Brother Henry, both now
IN the spirit land Then at the opening Of
a concert he would sometimes apologize for
MS company, saying that its members had
Just come together from the directions OF the
Tour winds of heaven. The great secret of