Excerpt from George Bancroft

George Bancroft was born at Worcester, October 3, 1800. He was the son of Aaron and Lucretia (Chandler) Bancroft. His father was the leading clergyman of the Unitarian denomination in Central Massachusetts, was honored with the degree of D.D. by his Alma Mater, Harvard College, was the author of a standard Life of Washington which has been republished in England and has also been recently reprinted in this country in popular form, was Vice-President of the American Antiquarian Society for many years, was President of the American Unitarian Association from its organization in 1825 to 1836, and was a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His mother was a daughter of Judge John Chandler, and was a recognized leader among the women of the little town in which her lot was cast. Her time during married life was engrossed in the care of a large family of children, who were reared in a manner suited to their social position, with no other income ordinarily at command than her husbands salary as a country clergyman, eked out by such increase as could be obtained from teaching the children of parishioners. The lesson of George Bancroft's boyhood was that he must rely for his future support upon himself alone.

A sister of Mr. Bancroft married John Davis, the greater part of whose life was spent in public service, as Governor of Massachusetts, Representative in Congress, or United States Senator. A nephew, J. C. Bancroft Davis, succeeded Mr. Bancroft at the German Embassy. The present Chief Justice of the United States finds a common ancestor with Mr. Bancroft, one generation back of the historian's father.

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