CHAPTER XIII

philosopher. The mother in talent and worth is said to have been every way worthy of her illustrious son. Another member of this family was Charles J. Folger, former Secretary of the Treasury, who was born in Nantucket, in a house which stood on the site of the present Sherburne House, on Orange Street. The’ Coffins, famous in naval annals, are a numerous family on the island. Lucretia Mott was born at Nantucket in 1793. Phoebe A. Hanaford is a native of Siasconset, Gen. George N. Nacy, of the late war; the Rev. Dr. F. C. Ewer, of New York; the Mitchells, mathematicians and astronomers, and scores of other men and women who have gained honorable positions in the professions.

 In Olde Massachusetts

"The Starbucks have figured largely in our annals as merchants, ship owners, and sea captains," said my friend. They were Friends in religious belief. At the time of which I speak the family consisted of Grandpa and Grandma Starbuck, Nathaniel, their son, his wife Content, their son Nathaniel, Jr., absent on a voyage to China, Esther, a maiden sister, and Ruth Wentworth, a niece, whose parents had emigrated to Vermont a year before, leaving her in charge of her uncle and aunt Starbuck. Ruth Wentworth was a charming maiden of eighteen, petite in form, with deep-blue eyes and golden hair, attractions to which her Quaker simplicity and modesty gave additional charm. One day in December the household was thrown into confusion by a letter from the sailor son, dated at Boston, saying that his ship was in port, and that he should be home in time to see the New Year in. He added that he had sent his sea chest — containing a box of tea for his mother and some trinkets for Ruth

— by the vessel which bore his letter, and that₄he should bring as his guest a dear friend, Captain Morris, of Boston, owner of the vessel in which he had sailed. The chest came presently, and as appears from timestained letters still retained in the Starbuck family, created quite an excitement in the hamlet. It was the first tea ever known on the island. Rumors of a fragrant herb which had been introduced into Boston and had met with great favor there were rife, but no

one had seen the curiosity, and all the neighbors gathered in the great Starbuck kitchen to see the box opened, and taste and smell of its contents. The guests were expected on the last day of the year, and it was decided to have a New Year’s tea-party, and at the same time watch the Old Year out and the New Year in — a custom still observed in many country districts. Aunt Content and grandma, Aunt Esther and little Ruth were all busy. The pantry shelves fairly groaned with the load of goodies cooked for the occasion; the great parlor, which had not been used since Aunt Mehitabel’s wedding, was opened; the floor newly waxed and polished, and spread with beautiful mats and rugs, found in Cousin Nathaniel’s chest. Jude, the slave girl, rubbed the fender and great and-irons of the fireplace until they shone, while Ruth looped back the chintz curtains, placed a bouquet of autumn leaves and scarlet berries on the mantel, disposed the stiff wooden chairs a little less primly, and arranged the rugs and mats where their colors blended harmoniously, stopping at intervals with her head on one side and her hands in the pockets of her housekeeper’s apron to view the general effect. Aunt Esther did not look with favor on these proceedings. ‘Sho’, child,’ she admonished, ‘I fear thee is too much taken with these vanities; the bright things of this world are of short duration’; but grandma interposed with her voice of authority, and said it was natural and right for

the young to admire beauty. At length the day came. Uncle Edward Starbuck and his family, and Lieutenant Macy’s family, were invited to meet the distinguished guest. Ruth dressed early to receive the visitors. I have seen a letter in which she described her costume. a new blue gown, with lace in the neck that grandma had given her, her mother’s gold necklace, and her golden curls tied back with a blue ribbon that grandma had bought in London. Coming into the kitchen from her toilet, she found Aunt Content, Aunt Edward Star-buck, and Mrs. Lieutenant Macy, all at their wits’ end over the problem, how to cook and serve the tea. Mrs. Lieutenant Macy said she had heard it ought to be well cooked to be palatable, and Aunt Starbuck observed that a lady in Boston who had drunk tea said it needed a good quantity for steeping, which was the reason it was so expensive. The result was that Aunt Content hung the bright five-gallon bell-metal teapot on the crane, put in a two-quart bowlful of tea with plenty of water, and left Aunt Esther and Lydia Ann Macy to watch and see that it boiled. Presently Ruth, who happened into the hail, heard Lydia say:

Nantucket’s First Tea-Party