_The_ FRIENDLY CLUB & OTHER PORTRAITS FRANCIS PARSONS [Illustration: JOEL BARLOW From an Engraving by Durand After the Portrait by Robert Fulton] The FRIENDLY CLUB And OTHER PORTRAITS _By_ Francis Parsons "_Whose yesterdays look backwards with a smile._" --YOUNG'S _Night Thoughts_ [Illustration] Edwin Valentine Mitchell Hartford, Connecticut 1922 Copyright, 1922, By Edwin Valentine Mitchell _First Edition_ PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO THE MEMORY OF MY FATHER NOTE THE thanks of the author are due to Mr. Charles Hopkins Clark, Editor of "The Hartford Courant," in which most of the following essays originally appeared anonymously, for permission to republish them in the revised, enlarged and sometimes entirely re-written form in which they are here presented. "The Friendly Club," "The Mystery of the Bell Tavern" and "Our Battle Laureate" have not been previously printed. Citation of authorities, except so far as they appear in the text, has been considered inappropriate in the case of such informal articles as these. It would be ungracious, however, to omit mention of the writer's indebtedness in connection with the second essay to Mr. Charles Knowles Bolton's "The Elizabeth Whitman Mystery," which is the latest and most comprehensive document on this baffling incident of New England social history. F. P. CONTENTS PAGE I The Friendly Club 13 II The Mystery of the Bell Tavern 47 III The Hemans of America 69 IV Whom the Gods Love 83 V An Eccentric Visitor 95 VI Who Was Peter Parley? 107 VII A Preacher of the Gospel 121 VIII A Friend of Lincoln 135 IX Our Battle Laureate 147 X The Temple of the Muses 161 XI The Friend of Youth 181 XII The Christmas Party 191 XIII The Fabric of a Dream 201 XIV The Quiet Life 213 ILLUSTRATIONS JOEL BARLOW _Frontispiece_ From the engraving by Durand after the portrait by Robert Fulton LEXINGTON MONUMENT AND BELL TAVERN, DANVERS 64 From Barber's "Massachusetts Historical Collections" THE SIGOURNEY MANSION 75 From an old woodcut LYDIA HUNTLEY SIGOURNEY 78 From a miniature in the Colt Collection by permission of the Wadsworth Atheneum INSCRIPTION TO DANIEL WADSWORTH IN J. G. C. BRAINARD'S HAND 91 TITLE PAGE OF BRAINARD'S "OCCASIONAL PIECES OF POETRY" 92