Public Institutions. 285 



WILDER MEMORIAL. 



Martin Wilder 1 was born in Hingham Nov. 16, 1790, and died 

 in Boston March 2(3, 1854. He was a descendant of Edward 

 Wilder, who settled in Hingham in 1637. Martin was one of that 

 remarkable family of twenty-one brothers and sisters, seventeen of 

 whom lived to maturity, fifteen of them being married. He was a 

 " carriage-smith by profession," as his will states, and early in life 

 he moved away from his native town, but always retained a strong 

 affection for it. In his will, which was admitted to probate in Suf- 

 folk County, April 24, 1854, are several legacies, among them one 

 giving to the " shareholders of the Third or Social Library, so called, 

 in Hingham, situated in the South Parish thereof, my library . . . 

 and book-case in which said books are deposited." The " residue " 

 of his property, both real and personal, he gave to Crocker Wilder, 

 James S. Beal, and Andrew Cushing, in trust, to form and estab- 

 lish a fund to be called " The Wilder Charitable Fund," for the 

 purpose of making loans of money from $100 to $300, to such 

 young men, residents of the South Parish, in Hingham, as had 

 served a regular apprenticeship at some mechanical business, with 

 which to purchase tools and stock, when they commenced business 

 for themselves ; to maintain an evening school for boys in said 

 South Parish ; and to purchase wood and coal for the comfort of 

 the poor and destitute in said South Parish, — all under certain 

 conditions imposed by the testator. 



The amount received by the trustees, according to the inventory, 

 Aug. 20, 1855, was $8,357.50, in real and personal property. 



The trustees, finding it undesirable and impracticable to carry 

 out all the wishes of Mr. Wilder in the manner prescribed by the 

 will, especially those relating to the maintenance of an evening 

 school, sought relief from the Supreme Judicial Court, and the 

 cause being heard, a decree was issued by Mr. Justice Endicott, 

 in 1878, which contains certain orders relating to the Fund, one 

 clause of which is the following : — 



'» 



Third. That this cause be referred to Jonathan White, of Brockton, 

 in the County of Plymouth, Counsellor at Law. as a special master, to hear 

 the parties and such evidence as may be offered and report to this Court a 

 scheme by which the residue of the income of said Trust property, includ- 

 ing one-half of the income of said fund of one thousand dollars, and the 

 surplus of income now in the hands of said Trustees not herein designated 

 to be applied to the poor, can be used for educational purposes under the 

 will aforesaid, in a manner most beneficial to the inhabitants within the 

 precincts named in the will. 



Testimony was taken, the matter was considered by Mr. White, 

 and his report was filed Nov. 20, 1878, whereupon the following- 

 decree was issued : — 



1 See Vol. m. p. 317. 



