The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-06-18
BRANFORD'S GALA DAY
DEDICATION OF THE SPLENDID
 NEV LIBRIRY.

The Princely Gift of the Famous President of the Chicago and Alton Railroad in Honor of His Father-A Grand Building The Days Exercses-EX-Judge liar rison's Commemorative Historical Ad- dress--A Short Speech by Professor Hadley.
 Branford, June 17.-To-day was a great day for Branford and the whole town was awake, despite the rain of forenoon. The occasion was the dedi- cation of the James Blackstone Library building, the princely gift to the town of Timothy B, Blackstone of Chicago in honor of the memory of his father, the late James Blackstone of Branford who born in 179S, died ten years ago at the age of ninety-three. The donor was born in Branford, but went west when young, Is now a resident of Chicago, and president of the Chicago and Alton railroad.
 The building is of Tennessee marble, and cost about $300000. In addition MT. Blackstone has given $10O,00O for the support of the institution. The latter gift consists of $50 shares of the Joliet and Chicago railroad, bearing per cent. interest, and $50 shares preferred stock of the Kansas City, St. Louis and Chicago railroad.
 The library will be under the man. agement of a board of incorporators consisting of Edward r. Jones, presi- dent; Edmund Zacher, secretary; T. F.. Hammer, treasurer, Dr. c. w. Gay lord, Henry Hubbard, William Reagen and Addison VanName, librarian of the Yale college library, trustees. A. w. Taylor of Wilmington, Del, has been appointed librarian, and Miss Susie Hutchinson of BranfOrd assistant lib- rarian.
 The dedication exercises began at 9:S0 a. m., when the school children of the town assembled in the building. Prayer was followed by song by the children and then the dedication ode, written by Miss Margaret Callahan, a fourteen year-old Branford school girl, was read The forenoon exercises closed with an address by Rev. Melville K. Bailey of New York, former Branford rector.
 From 11:30 until 12:30 the building was open to the inspection of visitors. At the latter hour the afternoon exercises opened with prayer by President Dwight of Yale college, followed by an address by President Jones of the lib rary association. The Carol club of Branford then sang Their Sun Shall Ne'er Go Down. Ex-Judge Lynde Harrt@on, whose first wife was a niece of James Blackstone, was then intro duced. He said:
 MT. President, Ladies and Gentlemen:
 While the primary purpose of the generous donor of this building, and its endowment fund, is to benefit the peo- pie of the town of Branford, it will never be forgotten that it serves also as a memorial to Hon. James Black stone, who spent his long life of ninety three years in this town, where he was born, and to the welfare of which he devoted so much time during the years of his young and mature manhood. For nearly two centuries the Blackstone family has occupied conspicuous place in this community, and for the same length of time representativ of the family have been tillers of the soil, the title to which has always been in 8 " Blackstone.
 We cannot properly dedicate this building to the purpose for which it is intended without calling your attention briefly to James Blackstone his life, his family and his ancestors. He was born in Branford in 1793, in house located nearly opposite that home which was during nearly his whole life his resi- nd yyh bn iaI 6 February, 1896. His first ancestor in this country was the Rev. William Blackstone, graduate in 1917 of Eman- uel college, Cambridge. He received Episcopal ordination in England after graduation, but like John Davenport of New Haven, he soon became of the Puritan persuasion, left his native country on account of his n-conform- ity, and became the first white settler upon that famous neck of land opposite CharlestoWn, which is now the city of Boston. When the Massachusetts con- pany came to New England they found William Blackstone settled on that pe- rinsula. He had been there long enough to have planted an orchard of apple trees. Upon his invitation, the principal part of the Massachusetts colony removed from Charlestown and founded the town of Boston, on land which MT. Blackstone desired them to occupy. He was the first inhabitant of the town, and the colony records of May IS, 1631, show that he was the first person admitted a freeman of Boston. His house and orchard were located upon a spot about half way between Boston Common and the Charles river. A few years passed by, and the peculiar notions the Puritans of Boston had on the subject of church organization and government satisfied William Black stone that while he could not conform to the church of Archbishop Laud, neither could he conform to the Puritan church of Boston, and when they invit- ed him to join them he constantly de- clined, using this language: q came from England because I did not like the lord bishops; but cannot join you because I would not be under the lord brethren"
 In 1633 an agreement was entered into between himself and the other old set tiers, in the division of the lands, that he should have fifty acres allotted to him near his house forever. In 1885 he sold forty-four of those acres to the company for G20, retaining the six acres upon which was his orchard, and soon afterwards he removed to Rhode