10 LEADING AMERICAN MEN OF SCIENCE 



Benjamin Thompson was born March 25, 1753, at Woburn, 

 Mass., in the farmhouse of his grandfather Ebenezer Thompson. 

 The house is still standing, preserved as a museum by the Rum- 

 ford Historical Association. He was a descendant of James 

 Thompson who came to New England with Governor Winthrop 

 in 1630, and was one of the first settlers of Woburn. 



A few months after his birth his father died at the age of 26, 

 thus leading ;hi?n to the care of his mother and grandfather. Just 

 three years after the birth of Benjamin his mother married Josiah 

 Pierce,; Jr., -of Woburn, who received from his guardian an allow- 

 ance of two shillings and fivepence per week until the boy was seven 

 years old. To the apparent misfortune of thus being deprived at 

 an early age of both paternal care and patrimony he owed his 

 European career. As he said in later years to his friend, Professor 

 Pictet of Geneva: 



"If the death of my father had not, contrary to the order of na- 

 ture, preceded that of my grandfather who gave all his property 

 to my uncle, his second son, I should have lived and died an Amer- 

 ican husbandman. It was a circumstance purely accidental, 

 which, while I was an infant, decided my destiny in attracting 

 my attention to the object of science. The father of one of my 

 companions, a very respectable minister, and, besides, very en- 

 lightened (by name Barnard), gave me his friendship, and of his 

 own prompting, undertook to instruct me. He taught me algebra, 

 geometry, astronomy and even the higher mathematics. Before 

 the age of fourteen, I had made sufficient progress in this class of 

 studies to be able, without his aid and even without his knowledge, 

 to calculate and trace correctly the elements of a solar eclipse. 

 We observed it together, and my computation was correct within 

 four seconds. I shall never forget the intense pleasure which this 

 success afforded me, nor the praises which it drew from him. I 

 had been destined for trade, but after a short trial, my thirst for 

 knowledge became inextinguishable, and I would not apply my- 

 self to anything but my favorite objects of study." 



This account of his early education confirms the legends of his 

 birthplace that the young Benjamin Thompson was somewhat 

 indifferent to the routine duties of the farm and the shop and in- 

 clined to devote a larger proportion of his time to scientific expert 



