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History of Hingham. 



ence like her own in this respect, might herself have conceived of 

 this charity. 



Dr. Hersey, by his last will, dated Nov. 29, 1770, gave his wife 

 all his estate on the condition of her paying one thousand pounds 

 to Harvard College, the income of which was to be appropriated 

 towards the support of a Professor of Anatomy and Physics, and 

 thirty-six pounds to the three daughters of Dr. Gay. He made 

 Ills wife sole executrix, but as no inventory was filed, there is no 

 means of ascertaining the amount of his property. He made no 

 provision for any school by this or any other will. In a prior 

 will, made in 1756, which was in existence many years after his 

 death, but which was revoked by his last will, he devised the lot 

 of land on which the Academy now stands to the town of Hing- 









THE DERBY ACADEMY, HINGHAM. 



ham, and directed that his executrix should pay to the town two 

 hundred and twenty pounds lawful money for the erection of a 

 workhouse or a house for the use of the poor of the town. This 

 perhaps gave the hint to Madam Derby to appropriate the same 

 lot for public use in another way ; but there is nothing else to 

 show cause for her doing it, so far as Dr. Hersey is concerned. 

 From a careful examination of Madam Derby's will it would seem 

 that she intended to leave so much of her property, at her death, 

 as was acquired from her second husband, to his family connec- 

 tions. It can therefore be repeated, with truth, that the Acad- 

 emy was established with property acquired from Dr. Hersey. 



The first formal act of Madam Derby for the establishment of 

 a school was the execution by her of a Deed of Bargain and Sale, 

 dated Oct. 20, 1784, and a Deed of Lease and Release, dated Oct. 

 21, 1784. 



