An 1870 steel engraved print titled “From Shore to Shore”, recently donated to the Hartland Historical Society, came with a bonus. It contained an intriguing clue suggesting the artist’s subjects were in real life the John Chamberlain family of Westmoreland, New Hampshire.

A faint pencil note on the cardboard backing was apparently written generations ago. Removed at one time and the piece saved, the note said:

“Taken from real life. Chamberlain family taken on the Conn. River. (3 unreadable words) country farm Westmoreland, N. H. Old man John Chamberlain. Mother had this before she was married.”

The artist, Clarence M. Dobell was born and died in England. No known record connects Dobell with New Hampshire or the Chamberlain family. Though entirely possible the artist traveled to the United States, evidence of such a visit is not available. The comment, “taken on the Conn. River”, however, seems to indicate that the artist’s inspiration came from a photograph.

1870 print “From Shore To Shore”

The first reproduction of a photograph occurred in 1880, and photography was not routinely published until 1919. Before that time, it was common practice for publishers to enlist artists to sketch and report on news.¹

E. C. Allen established a publishing company in Augusta Maine in 1869. His first venture was an eight page monthly sheet titled “The People’s Literary Companion”. He offered as a premium to subscribers, a fine steel engraving. Consequently, increase in circulation was so rapid it became necessary to engrave several copies of the steel plate to supply the demand. This was the beginning of E. C. Allen & Co. which made Augusta, Maine one of the leading publishing centers in the U. S. and Canada. His publications went to regular subscribers in every country in the world where English speaking people could by found.²

Allen was a patron of art. He purchased and then reproduced the works of the best artists in engravings and lithographs.³ The print “From Shore to Shore” from one of his steel engravings, included a reflective poem by artist and poet Clarence M. Dobell. Printed in 1870, it was one of the prints Allen used to promote his subscriptions.

The print captures the various moods of a family cramped together in a rowboat, which is being rowed by an older man. At left, an older couple sits in the boat, looking sullen. A man stands in the boat at center, a woman looking up at him, with a small child resting on her lap. A young girl, also at center, drags a rose in the water. A young man, attracted to the girl, sits behind her wearing a hat adorned with a flower. An older gentleman behind the young man is rowing the boat. On the right side of the boat, three children look forward toward their destination. There is a town in the distance on the left.⁴

At the bottom of the 1870 print centered and in bold capitals is the title “FROM SHORE TO SHORE”. To the left and to the right of the title are four lines of an eight line poem:

In CHILDHOOD’S hour with careless joy,
Upon the stream we glide;
With YOUTH’S bright hopes we gaily speed
To reach the other side,
MANHOOD looks forth with careful glance,
TIME steady plies the oar,
While OLD AGE calmly waits to hear
The keel upon the shore.

The Chamberlains of Westmoreland, NH

On April 10, 2019, Joanne Groth, a volunteer at the Hartland HIstorical Society, Hartland, Connecticut, messaged me about the donation of the print with the note. It was donated by the family of Jerry DeForest. Jerry was a community leader in Hartland for many years who had family roots tracing back to Keene, New Hampshire.

Joanne contacted me through my blog post Chapter 10- The Chamberlains of Westmoreland, NH. That chapter told of two different and unrelated Chamberlain families living in Westmoreland between about 1740 and 1795.

Thomas Chamberlain came from Billerica, Middlesex, Massachusetts and his family lived on the east side of Westmoreland. He is a descendant of the immigrant William Chamberlain. Thomas is my fifth great-grandfather.

Henry Chamberlain came from Bridgewater, Plymouth, MA and his family lived in Westmoreland on the west side of town. He is a descendant of the immigrant Henry Chamberlain.

Joanne asked if I knew anything about John Chamberlain, apparently a Westmoreland farmer in the 1800s.  Yes, after some quick research, there was indeed a farmer named John A Chamberlain in Westmoreland when the print was published in 1870.

Also, U. S. Census information shows clearly that in 1870  John A. Chamberlain’s mother and father were living in Keene, New Hampshire. His father, also named John, was age 69 in 1870. Could this be “Old man John Chamberlain”?

This John Chamberlain, married to Caroline Chamberlain, age 67, traces his ancestry back to the Henry Chamberlain family of Westmoreland, previously mentioned. His parents:

John Chamberlain and wife Lydia Brown 1773-1863. John born 13 August 1773 in Westmoreland, NH, died 16 August 1841. His parents:

John Chamberlain and wife Eunice Edson 1744-1814. John born 11 May 1742 in Bridgewater, MA, he died in Westmoreland 12 June 1822. And his parents:

Henry Chamberlain and wife Susanna Hinds. Henry born in 1716 in Bridgewater, Plymouth, MA, died 7 Dec. 1787. Two of Henry’s sons, Henry and Ebeneezer fought in the Battle of Bunker HIll.  They are descendants of Henry Chamberlain the immigrant.

1870 US Census identifies nine “Real Life” persons in the print

John Chamberlain, age 69, lived with his wife Caroline (Farrar) Chamberlain, age 67, in Keene, Cheshire, NH recorded in the U. S. Census of 1870. These two older people in the print seem to match the census description quite well.

John Adams Chamberlain, the son of the older John, was a Westmoreland farmer as described in the note. Incredibly, every member of his household in the 1870 census can be identified by age and gender in the print! Only the smallest child and the oars man remain unidentified. This fact makes a quite convincing case that the print is from real life and portrays the family of John Chamberlain of Westmorland.

The description of John A. Chamberlain, age 42 and his wife Almira (French) Chamberlain, age 41 in the census again matches the engraving. The small child on her lap, however, is not listed in the census and remains unidentified.

The beautiful young lady with the flower is Ella M. Chamberlain, age 16. Her apparent admirer is not a member of the family. However, he is listed as part of the household. He is Owen Fowler(?) a farm laborer, age 19.

The man rowing the boat represents “TIME” in the poem and is likely unrelated to the family. His identity also is unknown.

The three children at the front of the boat again perfectly reflect the census information in both age and gender. Twelve-year-old Arthur French Chamberlain points toward the future destination, showing the way to his young sister, eight-year-old Carrie B. Chamberlain. In the mean time, their eleven-year-old sister, Anna Cora Chamberlain gazes off to the side.

The hills in the background

The hills in the background resemble the hills of New Hampshire along the Connecticut River. However, the town in the distance could not be Westmoreland which is set back in a valley. The artist’s inspiration for this may have been from the Park Hill Meeting house and surrounding buildings which are near Westmoreland, on high ground over looking the river.

The Pine Hill Meeting House built in 1762, moved in 1779 to the present location, section by section, by ox cart.

Thomas Chamberlain (from the author’s Chamberlain family) signed the covenant of this Westmoreland Congregational Church on September 26, 1764. Thomas and all his family left Westmoreland by 1795.

If you got this far, please click Goodbye or Table of Contents. This will simply tell me that someone looked at this post. Thank you! Dennis Chamberlain

© Copyright Dennis D. Chamberlain, The Chamberlain Story, 2016. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of the written content of this site without express and written permission from the author and owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that credit is given to Dennis D. Chamberlain and direction to  www.thechamberlainstory.com.

References:

1- Library of Congress and Illustrated Guide, Prints and Photographs http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/guide/port-2.html

2- Illustrated History of Kennebec County Maine, 1799-1892. H. W. Blake & Co., NY 1892, pp. 351-352.

3- Ibid, p. 353

4- https://www.worldcat.org/wcidentities/