Plate LXIX.—Chambers in the Saltonstall House.
Chambers open off the hallway, each of which contains a great deal of rare furniture. There are the Field beds with their drapings of white, some showing testers of 1800. Modern wall-paper and frieze, as well as the draperies, have been introduced within the last few years, but are in harmony with the old-fashioned furniture, many pieces of which were inherited from the maternal side of the family, being the property, originally, of Middleton Cooke and also of Mary Cooke, third daughter of Judge Saltonstall and great-granddaughter of Governor Leverett.
The Cookes were a noted family and eminent politicians. Elisha Cooke, before mentioned, was an assistant under the old government, holding for forty years many positions of public trust; he was also a noted orator and politician, a member of the General Court and of the Council, and a leader of the Public Party.
The Saltonstalls also were a distinguished family, Dudley being in command of the Continental navy and captain of the Alfred in Hopkin's fleet in February, 1776, while Gurdon Saltonstall, a governor of Connecticut from 1707 until his death, was distinguished as an orator and statesman, and bequeathed to Harvard University one thousand pounds to students studying for the ministry.
Singularly enough, since the first class graduated from Harvard, there has always been a Saltonstall connected with the college. This covers a period of over two hundred and fifty years, and during this time not one of these men has ever done anything to disgrace his Alma Mater.
Pieces of furniture associated with all three of these distinguished families are to be found in this house, many of them belonging to the old governor and handed down in direct line to the present owner.
Perhaps the most interesting piece of all is an old desk which was once owned by Daniel Webster, who at one time was a law partner of the late Mr. Gurdon Howe's grandfather. It is filled with valuable papers, almost all bearing upon different business transactions in the great statesman's life.
This was brought from Boston at the time that Mr. Howe removed his law office from that city. One of these documents, a note characteristic of Daniel Webster, is still treasured.