THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR VOL. XII. MANCHESTER, N. H. MARCH, 1852. NO. 3. ROWELL, PRESCOTT & CO., PROPRIETORS.... C. E. POTTER, EDITOR. BIOGRAPHY OF DR. JEREMY BELKNAP. JEREMIAH BELKNAP, D. D. the distinguished author of the history of New Hampshire, was born at Boston, on the 4th of June, 1744. His great grand-father, Joseph Belknap, is the first of the name known to have resided in Boston. Joseph, a son of the latter, lived in Boston and was a man of substance. Joseph had nine children, the eldest of whom named Joseph, was born the 12th of Feb. 1717. He married Sarah Byles, a great grand-daughter of the celebrated Dr. Increase Mather. Jeremiah, or Jeremy Belknap, their eldest child, with his sister Abigail, were the only children of their parents, who lived to mature age, College, having read his preparatory course under the direction and instruction of the celebrated Mr. Lovell. His entire college course books. But close study produced in young was marked with the closest application to his Belknap no acetic austerity; but on the contrary, his conversation was so instructive, and his deportment so engaging, that he won the esteem of his fellow students, and the approbation of his instructors. His literary efforts at this time, were marked with taste and genius. In addition to his acquirements in classical literature, he at this age, had enriched his mind with a great variety of general knowledge. He received his bachelor's degree at the commencement in 1762. It was the inConnected with such a family, remarkable tention of his friends, that he should prepare for its religious bias, and which had produced for the ministry, and it is highly probable some of the most celebrated divines in New that his own intentions from boyhood, had England, it was not strange that the peculiar tallied with those of his friends. Accordingtraits of the family should early develop them-ly, soon after his graduation, he entered upon selves in the subject of this memoir. At an the study of theology; at the same time, as early age he was remarkably studious and was often the practice at that time, as at the sedate, and took pleasure in such studies and occupations as are often tasks, and irksome ones too, to those of riper years. At ten years of age, he was in the weekly practice of taking notes of the sermons of his pastor, and at fourteen, he kept a meteorological journal and noted down such events as were of interest and worthy of remembrance. Here was the germ of that system of observation, which fully developed, produced those historical and biographical works, which have placed the name of Belknap in the front rank of the historians of his age. This system he followed, with little interruption, through his whole life. At the age of fourteen, he entered Harvard present, he commenced keeping a school,-that he might obtain the means of support, while completing his studies for the ministry. His success as a teacher was flattering, and after leaving the grammar school at Milton during the winter of 1763, he returned to the same situation in the spring, at the earnest request of the selectmen and the people of the town. In December of 1764, Mr. Belknap removed to Portsmouth and took charge of the grammar school of that town. He boarded in the family of the Rev. Dr. Haven. Here he enjoyed the advantages of higher pay as a teacher, and better facilities as a student of theology. The following summer, he removed to Green |