_ Sketch of the Early History of Count Rumford. 23 
It has been my chief object in’ preparing this paper to correct 
some of those errors to which I have alluded, and in doing it, I will 
give a brief sketch of the early history of this distinguished person- 
age. His later history will be found in the works to which reference 
has already been made. 
Benjamin Thompson, better known by his German title of Count 
Rumford, was born at Woburn, Mass., sixteen miles from Boston, 
March 26th, 1753. His father and grandfather were farmers in 
moderate circumstances, and had long resided in Woburn. When 
he was about eight months old his father died, and in 1755, his 
mother married Mr. Josiah Pierce, grandfather of the gentleman 
whose name has already been introduced. A maternal uncle by the 
name of Joshua Simonds, who also resided in Woburn, was appointed 
young ‘Thompson’s guardian. He continued to live with his mother 
and father-in-law, from whom he appears to have received every 
necessary attention, and at the proper age was sent to the grammar 
school of his native town, then kept by Mr. John Fowle, a gentle- 
man of a liberal education and esteemed an excellent teacher. 
Here he acquired considerable knowledge of reading, writing, arith- 
metic, and the Latin language. Subsequently he attended school 
in Byfield, Mass., and in March, 1764, he removed to Medford to 
attend the school of a Mr. Hill, then a celebrated teacher. In this 
place he remained nearly two years, and it was while attending 
school here that he one day surprised his instructor,* by bringing 
him the calculations of an eclipse, which he had made without assist- 
ance, and which proved to be singularly accurate. 
_ Early in the year 1766, he left the school at Medford and went to 
live with a respectable druggist and apothecary of Salem, Mass., by 
the name of John Appleton, being then about thirteen years old. 
Here he was when the news of the repeal of the stamp act by the 
British parliament was received in this country, and produced such 
a sensation of joy throughout the colonies. Partaking largely of the 
same feeling himself, he undertook to prepare fireworks to be ex- 
hibited on the occasion; but in making a preparation of fulminating 
powder the composition accidentally took fire, and he was so badly 
burned and otherwise injured by the explosion, that his life was for 
* By some it is said his instructor in mathematics, to whom he brought his eal- 
culations of the eclipse, was the Rev. Mr. Bernard. I have no other information 
with reference to it than that found in the books referred to. 
