PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS 133 



died in infancy. Our next door neighbor, Mr. Ed. Smith, had 

 twelve children and on the other side the family of Mr. James 

 Murchie, fourteen children, all of the latter save one, I believe, 

 living to-day, and no finer family was ever raised in any commu- 

 nity. Until the time of Mr. Murchie's death he was one of father's 

 warmest and most intimate friends. Speaking of large families, 

 1 attended my grandmother Boardman's golden wedding about my 

 sophomore year in college, at which if my recollection serves me, 

 there were seventy-two members of the family present, children, 

 grand children and great grand children, none of whom had ever 

 been accused of any wrong doing. And as I remember business 

 men on the St. Croix river, " captains of industry" as they are now 

 termed, I believe there were more men living on the St. Croix at 

 that time who were fitted to be President of the United States and 

 more women who were endowed with gifts entitling them to 

 reign, than in any community in which I have since lived. 



Mr. Boardman was one of the few men who possessed 

 the happy faculty of always remembering every one whom 

 he ever met and being able to call them by name. When 

 travelling he was always on the lookout for old acquaint- 

 ances and enjoyed shaking hands and having a few 

 words with them, generally ending with a hearty laugh. 

 It made no difference whether it was a millionaire or one 

 of his former workmen, a negro or a Chinaman — he 

 treated them all as gentlemen and they all seemed 

 equally pleased to see him. 



His excellent business judgment and always correct 

 decision regarding investments were prominent traits in 

 Mr. Boardman' s character. This was shown all through 

 his life but especially at the time the business revival 

 came to Milltown, N. B., when the present cotton mill 

 company located in that place. Beside his own home 

 he owned four other pieces of property and a saw mill, 

 including the water power and one-fourth interest in 



