70 JUKES EDWARDS 



of their reverses two others were born, BO that 

 his large family had their preparation and start in 

 life in the years of struggle. Nevertheless they took 

 their places among the prosperous members of the 

 Edwards family. The eldest son, William W. Ed- 

 wards, was one of the eminently successful men of 

 New York. He lived to be 80 years old and his life 

 was fully occupied with good work. He was en- 

 gaged in the straw goods business in New York; 

 helped to develop the insurance business to large 

 proportions; organized the Dime Savings Bank of 

 Brooklyn, of which he was treasurer and cashier. 

 He was one of the founders of the American Tract 

 Society and of the New York Mercantile Library. 

 He was a member of the State legislature for sev- 

 eral terms. 



Henry Edwards was one of Boston's most eminent 

 merchants and a most useful man. He had the only 

 strictly wholesale silk house in Boston for nearly half 

 a century. He was born in Northampton, 1798. At 

 the age of fifteen he entered the employ of a promi- 

 nent Boston importing house and began by opening 

 the store, building the fires, and carrying out goods. 

 By the time he was twenty he was the most trusted 

 employee. He was a born trader. His brother in 

 New York knowing that twist buttons were scarce in 

 that city suggested that Henry buy up all there were 

 in Boston before the dealers discovered the fact that 

 they were scarce in New York and send them on to 

 him. They cleared $500 in a few weeks. He was 

 an earnest student. Not having had the advantages 



