El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-11-02
GrOcer's Boy Gives Millions
George Peabody Rises From Humble
Surroundings to One OF Greatest
OF Worlds PhiIaEthropfsts.
; BY Madison G. Peters


" HE pioneer Peabody in American
was Francis Peabody OF St Al
Il bans. Herfortshire, England,
settling at Hampton. Mass, IN 1885,
moving later to TOpfield- The Pea
bodys were OF Welsh extraction, the
name in Welsh siguified Man of the
Mountains" Before emigrarlDE Fran
els married the daughter OF Reginald
Foster, mentioned by Sir Walter Scott,
in the Lay OF the Last Minstrel
Francis had five sOns-three moved to
R0xfOrd IN Essex county, Mass, where
they titled the soil. The other two re-
manned at Topfield and from them
sprung the PeabOdys who counted
One fell with Wolfe on the Plains Of
Abraham, others took part in the cap
tUre Of TicOnderOga and IN the bat
tie Of Bunker Hill, while Nathaniel
OF Atkinson, New Hampshire COM
manded a regiment
The Peabody who amassed the FAM
Gus fortune who became one Of the
first American milliOnaires, and
also a London capitalist, was born OF
poor parents in Danvers, Mass, Feb
At II he was apprenticed to a Dan
VerS grocer, remaining four years and
doing the work OF a full grown man
He ran errands, carried bundles,
swept the floor, and sold goods He
began his labor at rive O'Clock in the
morning, and 1t was often midnight
when he quit Board, and lodging
tie money he received for carrying
packages
Tfring OF the hard life. he visited
his grandfather in Vermont, where he
stayed a year. In 1911 his brother
David started a small dry goods store
IN NewburyDOrt, Mass. and George
came to help his brother. Practically
the first money he ever got was by
writing ballots for the Federal party.
Works In UncIess store.
George next entered his uncles,
John Peabody's dry goods store at
Georgetown, ID. c. bis aptitude for
business led the uncle to make him a.
partner-which was the start OF
George Peabody. At - Peabody en-
tered into partnership with Elisha
Riggs and the dry goods business in
Georgetown became so PROSPEROUS
that they opened up in Baltimore IN
seven years branches were established
in New York and Philadelphia Riggs
mad furnished the money, but Pea
body did the hustling- He travelled
on horseback through New York,
Pennsylvania. Maryland, and Virginia,
lodging with farmers. Riggs retired
from the partnership IN 1879. Pea
body was now worth $4,000. His
money ball he kept rolling until it
gained huge proportions In 1887 Pea
body went to London and established
himself as merchant and money
lender holding deposits for customers,
discounting bills, negotiated loans,
bought and sold stocks.
NrANes commission TO state
, As one of the commissioners an
pointed by the state OF Maryland he
had in 1885 negotiated in London the
sale Of $4,000. 600 Of Maryland state
bonds, thus maintaining the credit OF
that state, and he RENTED his COM
missions amounting TO over S200, coo
for the use OF the state. for which he
gained public vote Of thanks from
the Maryland legislature.
Great prosperity came to him in
England and great popularity as well
In honor, faith. and public confidence
his firm stood second to one.
Gives Away SIe.COO.OOO.
He lavished enormous sums on pub
lie and philanthrODhic causes. He
gave away about S10.0O0,0O0 a princely
beneficence for the time.
In 1851 he advanced S15.000 to en-
able the products of American indus
try to be property displayed and eX-
plotted at the Crystal palace, London
The next year he equipped the ship
Advance" which had been chartered
by Henry Grinnen of New York, to go
to the Attic regions in search OF Sir
John Franklin a tract OF land in the
artic was named In his honor.
His greatest gifts were to the poor
and working classes of London. He
spent $4,000, 900 on lettering the hOus-
ing conditions Of the labOring classes.
For the promotion OF education inter-
ests in the southern states he con-
tributed in all 100000. For this
congress voted him a gold medal He
gave the Peabody Museum OF Natural
History to Yale university. and the
Peabody Museum and prOfessOrshiD OF
American Archaeology and EthnOlOgy
to Harvard The Peabody institute in
Danvers nov Peabody at a cost OF
$500. 600. The Peabody Academy OF
Science and Essex Institute at Salem
are other great monuments to his
generosity. He also contributed
largely to the Massachusetts Historical
society. Phillips Academy at AndOver
and KENYON college. cam bier. Ohio.
He erected a church I'm memory Of his
mother which cost S100. 000.
He died in London on Nov 4, 1889,
regretted by the whole world. HIS
funeral was held in Westminster Alb
hey and his remains were buried at
Danvers Peabody, Mass. being
brought over by the British ship-Of-
war, Monarch. accompanied by French
and American frigates. Victor Hugo
voiced the sentiments Of the world on
his passing; In the greatness OF his
benevOlence George Peabody stands
alone in history.