Reminiscences of John Greenleaf Whittiers Life At Oak Knoll Danvers Mass
In the year eighteen hundred and seventy-five, John Greenleaf JIThittier expressed a desire to become a member of the household of Col. Edmund Johnson, and in the following year, in the month of April, he gave up his home in Amesbury, and, with many of his. most cherished personal effects, removed to Oak Knoll, in Danvers. He was remotely connected by kinship with Edmund Johnson both gentlemen were directly descended from ancient Quaker ancestors, Joseph Peaslee and his wife Mary Johnson and he was doubly a cousin to Col. Johnsons wife, Phebe Whittier their fathers mere brothers, and their mothers were cousins in the first degree. Edmund Johnson was Mr. Whittiers senior by several years, and survived but one year after Mr. Whittier came into his family, and Mr. Whittier, because of his age and chronic state of invalidism, soon came in many ways to occupy that place, in the careful regard of the daughters, made vacant by the death of their beloved father. The following summer, Mr. Whitt
...ier spent a week at the Isle of Shoals, where he met his friend and admirer, Mr. Nathaniel Thayer of Boston and Lancaster, Rfassachusetts. Mr. Thayer was but little acquainted with the localities of Danvers, and he asked Rlr. Whittier . if he would not prefer a residence nearer to the city of Salem, at the same time . remarking that the estate called Kernwood was then for sale, and that he would be to see Mr. Whittier permanently residing there. intimating the pleasure it would give him to purchase the estate for Mr. Whittier. Mr. Whittier made a somewhat evasive reply, not really appreciating Mr. Thayers generous intentions. A few days after Mr. Whittiers return to Oak Knoll, he received a letter from Mr. Thayer containing the offer of L Kernwood to him as a free gift, should he prefer to reside there rather than a t 4 Oak Iinoll. Mr. Whittier consulted the family in regard to it, and learning that they preferred to retain the independence of their own home, he gratefully declined his friends most generous offer. Although Mr. Whittier strongly desired to become a joint proprietor of 64 Oak Knoll, at the time of its purchase from Mr. IVilliam A. Lander, in the year eighteen hundred seventy-five, yet, in accordance with the wise counsels of Col. Johnson, he came to his home, in Danvers, untrammelled by any business complications, in order that he might be as free to go from our home, as he was always made free and welcome to its hospitalities. In the quiet atmosphere of c Oak Knoll, Mr. Whittier cast aside the cares of domestic life. The years of advancing age glided peacefully onward, past the limit of three score years and ten, and four score years brought to him no realizing sense of its prophecy of labor and of weakness. Aside from his correspondence, which was large and sometimes a little wearisome, he was free from annoying cares in the present, and bearing no apparent burdens of regret for that which might have been in the past, the peace of his protracted life was like unto the flow of a majestic river, which, past the shoals and narrows of its impetuous LIFE AT OAK KNOLL. 5 course, moves smoothly on beneath the shade of bending trees, by gently sloping banks of verdure, until it slowly 6 rounds into calm...
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