156 THE RETROSPECT OF THE YEAR. 



Inall his afterlife, his Salem church held his most loving 

 memories. He was frequently in the habit of spending 

 several weeks of his summer vacations in Salem, and if 

 any field meeting should be held during these visits, he 

 usually attended and was always a welcome visitor. 



James Needham Buffum died at his residence, 12 Her- 

 bert street, Lynn, on Sunday, June 12, 1887. He was the 

 son of Samuel and Hannah ( Varney) Buffum and was born 

 at North Berwick, Maine, May 16, 1807. At an early 

 age he came to Salem where he worked three years at or- 

 gan building with Messrs. Hook & Co., and then learned 

 the trade of a house carpenter. Associated with his 

 brother David, he continued steadily this occupation until 

 1827, when he suspended manual labor for a year, which 

 time he spent at the Friends' school in Providence, R. 1. 

 Returning, he went to Lynn and for the next twenty years 

 was employed in building houses and stores in that rapidly 

 growing town, and afterwards in the manufacture of pack- 

 ing boxes and shoe cases until the time of his decease. 



Mr. Buffum was interested in many public enterprises, 

 important to Lynn and its neighborhood. In 1868, he was 

 chosen presidential elector; in 1869, mayor of the city of 

 Lynn ; in 1872, re-elected to the same office ; and in 1873, 

 representative to Massachusetts legislature. 



The antislavery cause, early enlisted his sympathy and 

 active cooperation. He made the acquaintance of William 

 Lloyd Garrison in 1836, whose lifelong friendship and es- 

 teem he retained. The Liberator dates its existence from 

 that year and Mr. Buffum was a subscriber and constant 

 reader during its continuance of thirty years. He was a fore- 

 most leader in this movement, and was also an advocate of 

 woman suffrage and temperance reform. On account of its 



