George Sanger Poole -- Sunday Obituary

George Sanger Poole was my 2nd great-granduncle. His brother's, Henry Ward Poole and William Frederick Poole had their obituaries previously posted.

"BOSTON EVENING TRANSCRIPT

MAY 27, 1907

GEORGE SANGER POOLE

Mining Engineer, Librarian and Banker

Mr. George Sanger Poole, connected with the Warren Institution of Savings, Charlestown, for forty-two years, and president until his final sickness, died at his residence, 46 Mount Vernon street, Somerville, today. He was born at Worcester, July 28, 1830, and his boyhood was spent in Peabody, the family home for several generations. He was educated in the Peabody High School and Phillips Andover Academy, class of '58. He was a mining engineer at Pottsville, Pa., assistant librarian of Peabody and Charlestown public libraries, and the Congressional library at Washington (1863-4), until he went to the Warren Institution of Savings in 1865.

Mr. Poole was closely identified with banking interests, where his judgment was uniformly respected. He was for many years an officer in the Boston Banking Officers' Association. He was a member of the Phillips Alumni Association, a member of the Charlestown School Board, and for many years of the Somerville board. He was treasurer of the Winthrop Church in Charlestown for the past twenty-five years, and was for many years an active member of the Congregational Club of Boston and vicinity. He was a member of the Henry Price Lodge of Masons, of the Royal Arcanum and other organizations. He was a member of the Corinthian Yacht Club and other associations.

He was married to Sarah Poor Osborne of Peabody in 1871, who survives, as do their three children.

Mr. Poole was of noted ancestry. He was of the seventh generation of John Poole, who came from Reading, England, in 1632, and was among the first settlers of Reading, which was named in honor of their home town. He was the youngest and last of a distinguished family, among who were William F. Poole, LLD., Yale '49, founder of the Poole "Index," and librarian of the famous Newberry Library of Chicago, at the time of his death in 1899; Henry Ward, a doctor of music, honored by Yale College for his achievements in the improvement of musical instruments. He was one of the eminent Americans in the City of Mexico for thirty-five years, and his death in 1890 was a matter of comment in the press of Europe and America."

A Google search for George Sanger Poole provided additional information, but no where near as much as for his brothers.

From the book, Somerville, past and present: an Illustrated Historical Souvenir edited by 

Edward Augustus Samuels, Henry Hastings Kimball:  P

age 610.

"Poole, George S., was born in Worcester, the youngest of a family of six children. His parents were Eliza (Wilder) and Ward Poole, the latter a descendant of the seventh generation of John Poole, who came from Reading, England, and settled first in Cambridge (1632) and later at Reading (1639), where he was one of the leading proprietors. George S. Poole attended school at Worcester and at Peabody (formerly South Danvers), and while at the Peabody High School was assistant librarian of the Peabody Library, before graduating at the High School, he spent nearly two years with a brother, a mining engineer at Pottsville, Pa. Coming home, he went to the Phillips Academy at Andover. In 1861 he became the first librarian of the Charlestown Public Library, which position he held for two years, when he accepted a position of assistant librarian of the Library of Congress at Washington. In 1865 he resigned, having been appointed the secretary of the Warren Institution for Savings, which position he still holds. He has been the treasurer of the Winthrop Church, Charlestown, for over twenty years. He was on the School Board of Charlestown, and is at present one of the School Committee of Somerville, is also on the board of managers of the Winchester Home for Aged Women at Charlestown, the Congregational Church Union, and the City Missionary Society of Boston. He is auditor of the Boston Congregational Club, a member of the Boston Bank Officers' Association, Henry Price Lodge, F. A. A. M., Royal Arcanum, Corinthian Yacht Club of Marblehead, is the secretary of the Marblehead-Neck Hall Association, a member of the Alumni Association of Phillips Academy and the Bunker Hill Monument Association. He married, in 1871, Sarah Poor Osborne, the daughter of Franklin and Nancy Poor (Jacobs) of Peabody; and his children are Franklin Osborne (H. C, 1895), Edith Wilder, and Irving."

The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol. 61: 406 had the following Death Notice: "George Sanger Poole, mining engineer, librarian, banker, born July 28, 1839, in Worcester, Mass., died May 27, 1907, in Somerville, Mass."

The Best Blog Hints

During the past year, I have been reading many articles about blogging. And, as a result, have saved good hints and decided to share. (Check out the comments for more great suggestions.)

Careful research

Known When to Redesign your Blog

If it is being talked about, it is being Googled

Choose a simple, clean, and mostly white theme (bold is good too)

The title and content should mesh

Deliver your best value in each article

Use photos or images

Add links and supporting material

Write for you

One idea per post

Henry Ward Poole -- Sunday Obituary

Henry Ward Poole, my 2nd great-granduncle.

The obituary below is for the brother of William Frederick Poole of The Longest Obituary I've Ever Seen (June 2010) blog post. The obituary of his other brother, George Sanger Poole will be posted next.  Their partial Poole Ancestry was shown yesterday, February 19, 2011.

Henry's accomplishments include:

Was a civil engineer and surveyor

Invented the Harmonic organ

Became a student at Yale at age 14

Teacher in Mexico

Collector of Mexicana

"FROM BOSTON EVENING TRANSCRIPT

October 23, 1890

Mr. Henry Ward Poole died in the City of Mexico on Tuesday. He was born in Salem, now Peabody, in 1826. He was a civil engineer by profession, and was sent out to locate coal lands on the Pacific coast in 1856. His report was exhaustive, and showed great intelligence and application. He soon after went to Mexico, and was there through the Maximilian period. During that time he wrote letters to the Transcript, and contributed a series of interesting scientific articles to various magazines. His local reputation was made in the invention of the harmonic organ, by which it was possible to produce complete harmony, and one of which was used in Rev. James Freeman Clarke's church for many years. He collected a large lot of books, pictures, crucifixes and other curios, which were sent to Boston and disposed of. He was recognized in all schools at the Mexican capitol, and was honored with the degree of master of arts by Yale College, in which he became a student at the age of only fourteen years. He had a valuable library at his home in the City of Mexico. His death was the result of a protracted illness, and occurred at the American Hospital. Mr. Poole is survived by three brothers and one sister. One of the former is William F. Poole of the Newberry Library of Chicago, another is George S. Poole of the Warren Institution for Savings, and the third is Lucius Poole living in this city. The sister is Mrs. Eliza W. Jacobs, widow of Edward W. Jacobs of Peabody."

A quick Google search provided a wealth of information, including the above photo. Wikipedia is always my friend, especially when there is new data on Henry Ward Poole. Even though the birth date is incorrect, there was much I didn't know. Wikipedia shows a number of locations where his manuscripts / collections were donated, such as The American Antiquarian Society, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, New York Public Library and other locations.

Henry's name is on a family stone located at

Harmony Grove Cemetery, Salem, Massachusetts.