shire," and " did more to keep up the steady course of the colony, the province, and the state, certainly till 1815, than any two or three other families together." He was the son of Nicholas Gilman, a leading spirit in political affairs during the Revo- lution, and fourth in descent from John Gilman, one of the earliest settlers of Exeter, N. II., who, when the state was separated from Massachusetts in 1680, was appointed one of the royal councillors. On the morning after the news of the battles of Lexington and Concord had been received, John Taylor marched with 100 other minute-men from Exeter to Cambridge, Mass., where he served in the provincial army. Soon afterward he became assist- ant to his father, who had been made treasurer of the state. In October, 1780, he sat as a delegate from New Hampshire in the convention at Hart- ford called to take measures for the defence of the country. After serving in the Continental con- gress in 1782-'3, he succeeded his father as treasurer of the state. This office he held until appointed one of three commissioners whose duty it was to settle the accounts of the states with the old confedera- tion. He resigned in 1791, and was again chosen state treasurer. In 1794 he was elected governor, re-elected annually until 1805, and again in 1813-'14 and 1815, but subsequently declined to be a candi- date for re-election. He was a member of tlie legis- lature in 1810-'ll. Although a zealous Federalist, so great was his popularity that he was frequently chosen governor when his party was in a minority. — His brother, Nicliolas, senator, b. in Exeter, N. H., 3 Aug., 1755 ; d. there, 2 May, 1814, early acquired scholarly tastes and methodical Iiabits, which were still more strongly emphasized under the careful instruction of his father. At the age of twenty-one Mr. Gilman entered the array, as adjutant in Col. Scammell's regiment, and served with distinction until the close of the war. For some time he was a member of Washington's military family, and upon him was devolved the duty of taking account of the prisoners surrendered by Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown. In 1780 Gen. Arnold urged Mr. Gilman to accept an appointment on his staff'. Mr. Gilman's reply was characteristic. Fearing that Arnold would not be engaged in active movements, he said: " If I should come into your family and be confined in the dreary wilderness of the highlands, while our operations are going on against the city, which possibly may be the case, my situation would be as distressing as that of Fabius M. when he had re- course to the flaming cattle." He was a member of the Continental congress from 1786 till 1788, and after the adoption of the constitution a representa- tive of New Hampshire from 1789 till 1797. In 1805 he became a member of the U. S. senate, which office he held till the close of his life. He was one of the presidential electors in 1793 and 1797, and he was also one of the state councillors. In September, 1787, Mr. Gilman was a member of the convention that met at Philadelphia to frame a constitution for the United States. On 18 Sept. the secre- tary of the convention took the report of the pro- ceedings to congress, and on the same day Mr. Gilman sent a copy of the new constitution to his cousin, Joseph Gilman, who during tlie war had been chairman of the committee of safety, with the following significant comment : [The plan] '• is the best that could meet the unanimous concur- rence of the states in convention. It was done by bargain and compromise, yet — notwithstanding its imperfections — on the adoption of it depends, in my feeble judgment, whether we shall become a respectable nation or a people torn to pieces by in- testine commotions and rendered contemptible for ages." Mr. Gilman was a man of deeds rather than words, and was personally very popular. He was of graceful figure and elegant carriage ; his manners were courtly and his charities were be- stowed with liberality and kindliness. These traits, united with his methodical habits and fidelity in the performance of duty, kept him long in public life.
GlLMAN, Samuel, author, b. in Gloucester,
Mass., 16 Feb., 1791 ; d. in Kingston. Mass.. 9 Feb.,
1858. He was graduated at Harvard in 1811, stud-
ied theology, and was mathematical tutor at Cam-
bridge from 1817 till 1819, when he was ordained
pastor of the Unitarian church in Charleston, S. C,
which relation was only terminated by his death.
He was an earnest advocate of temperance, and
active in every good work that tended to promote
the public welfare. Beyond the state where he
resided he was chiefly known as an author. He
received the degree of D. D. from his alma mater
in 1837. He wrote valuable articles for the
" North American Review " on the " Lectures of
Dr. Thomas Brown," translated several of the
satires of Boileau, and published other essays in
the Boston " Christian Examiner " and the London
"Monthly Repository," together with discourses,
biographies, essays, and translations, exhibiting a
wide range of knowledge. Many of these were re-
printed in " Contributions to Literature, Descrip-
tive, Critical, and Humorous, Biographical, Philo-
sophical, and Poetical " (1856). He also wrote
" Memoirs of a New England Village Choir "
(1829), and "Pleasures and Pains of a Student's
Life " (1852). Of his poetical writings, the " His-
tory of a Ray of Light " and a poem read before
the Phi Beta Kappa society, of Harvard, are best
known. — His wife, Caroline Howard, author, b.
in Boston, Mass., 8 Oct., 1794, wrote, at the age of
sixteen, a poem entitled " Jephtha's Rash Vow,"
which was followed by " Jairus's Daughter," print-
ed in the " North American Review." She was
married in 1819, went to Charleston, S. C, with
her husband, and resided there until about 1870,
when she removed to Cambridge, Mass. In 1830
she began the publication of " The Roso-Bud," a
magazine for children, which ultimately developed
(1833) into " The Rose." From this periodical,
which was discontinued in 1839, owing to the fail-
ing health of its editor, her writings have chiefly
been collected. They include " Recollections of a
New England Housekeeper" (New York, 1835);
" Recollections of a Southern Matron " (1836) ;
" Poetry of Travelling in the United States "
(1838) ; " Ladies' Annual Register " (Boston,
1838-'9); "Ruth Raymond" (New York, 1840):
" Oracles from the Poets " (1845) ; " Sibyl, or New
Oracles from the Poets " (1849) ; " Verses of a Ijife-
time " (Boston, 1849) ; " Oracles for Youth " (New
York, 1852) ; " Mrs. Gilman's Gift-Book," compris-
ing in one several volumes for the young previ-
ously published (1859) ; " Poems and Stories by a
Mother and Daughter," written in conjunction
with Mrs. Jervey (Boston, 1872) ; and " Letters of
Eliza Wilkinson during the Invasion of Charles-
ton," being personal memorials of the Revolution-
ary era. Mrs. Gilman is best known by the two
volumes of "Recollections" first mentioned, which
have passed through many editions. She is now
(1887) residing with a daughter in Washington,
D. C, and, at the age of ninety-two, declares that,
of all her writings, the two hymns beginning " Is
there a lone and dreary hour," and " We bless Thee
for this sacred day," have lingered longest in her
memory. Her most popular poem is the boat-
song "Trancadillo."— Their daughter, Caroline Howard, author, b. in Charleston, S. C., 1 June,
