PREFACE. light, the characters of relatives so near in blood and so precious to memory, has been in some degree lessened by the years that have removed their beloved forms from my sight; but, as I have receded from them in time, I have been able to approach nearer to them in the true appreciation of their characters. As we look back upon the long past, the venerated forms of early life rise up again, and through the suffering of our own souls we come to an understanding of theirs, as the sun at last shines through the tears of a cloudy day, and, as it approaches its setting, reveals those who began life with us in all the rainbow beauty of the morning sky. MAY 15, 1849. E. B. L. CONTENT S. CHAPTER I. Ancestry of Dr. Joseph Buckminster in England and in PAGE 1 CHAPTER II. Joseph Buckminster.- Childhood.-Education and Residence, as Tutor, at Yale College. - Form of Religious Faith... 10 CHAPTER III. Mr. Buckminster's Settlement in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. - Reminiscences of the Piscataqua Association of Ministers. — Their Meetings. - Missionary Magazine. — Prayer-book for the Use of Families. . 28 CHAPTER IV. Portsmouth.-Peculiarity in its Early Settlement and its Society.Its Wealth. - Personal Recollections. - Mrs. Tappan, Dr. Buckminster's Sister. CHAPTER V. Marriage of Mr. Buckminster. - Character and Anecdotes of 37 Dr. Stevens. - Death of Mrs. Buckminster. - Depression of Spirits. Second Marriage. — Joys and Trials. . . - J. S. Buckminster. - Residence at Waltham. - Theological Studies. Correspondence with his Father upon his Reli- J. S. Buckminster. His Interest in Periodical Literature. - |