AmjJa°nTi8P79arm'}      Memoir  of  Thomas  H.  Powers.  43 
his  school,  to  make  a  cup  of  tea  in  an  infusion  mug,  and  this,  with  a 
few  crackers,  constituted  his  spare  and  hasty  dinner." 
On  the  decease  of  Hart  Grandom,  a  cousin  of  his  mother's,  Mr. 
Powers  inherited  a  legacy  of  two  thousand  dollars,  as  a  capital  to  com- 
mence business  with.1  This  tended  to  promote  his  confidence  in  the 
future,  as  he  felt  that  it  would  enable  him  at  a  proper  time  to  open  a 
retail  store  on  his  own  account,  if  no  better  opportunity  presented. 
The  house  in  which  his  aunts  resided,  on  North  Sixth  street,  was 
owned  by  their  cousin  John  Grandom,  who  had  intended  leaving  it  to 
them  ;  an  unexecuted  conveyance  to  that  effect  was  found  among  his 
papers.  His  will  made  no  mention  of  the  property,  and  it  passed,  as 
a  part  of  his  residuary  estate,  to  a  charitable  institution  in  this  city. 
The  sisters  were  generously  permitted  to  continue  their  occupation  of 
the  premises  for  a  nominal  rent.  After  Mr.  Powers  became  of  age 
he  invested  his  legacy  of  $2,ood,  with  $500  additional,  in  the  purchase 
of  this  property  for  his  aunts. 
In  1833  ne  graduated  at  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy,  and 
was  the  twenty-fifth  on  the  list  of  graduates  of  the  college.  His  thesis, 
"  Remarks  on  Extemporaneous  Pharmacy,"  was  published  in  the 
"American  Journal  of  Pharmacy." 
Before  his  graduation  Mr.  Powers  participated  in  the  proceedings  of 
the  Philadelphia  Chemical  Society,  instituted  in  February,  1828,  and 
continued  until  the  close  of  1830.  On  the  records  of  this  Society 
is  found  a  paper  read  by  Mr.  Powers,  in  1829,  "  On  Tartar  Emetic"; 
in  1830,  one  "  On  Barium  and  some  of  the  Salts  of  Protoxide  of 
Barium,"  and  in  the  same  year  an  essay  u  On  the  Preparation  of  Iodide 
of  Mercury." 
In  1835  he  was  elected  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  college,  and 
served  for  six  years.  From  November,  1835,  to  May,  1838,  he  filled 
the  position  of  Secretary  to  the  Board  of  Trustees.  The  cares 
attendant  upon  the  rapidly  increasing  business  of  the  firm  with  which 
he  was  soon  afterwards  connected  precluded  his  active  participation  in 
the  affairs  of  the  college  ;  we  have,  however,  abundant  evidence  that 
his  interest  in  the  work  in  which  the  college  was  engaged  remained 
unabated  during  his  life.    The  new  channel  into  which  his  energies 
1<{To  Thomas  H.  Powers  two  thousand  dollars.  I  hope  Thomas  will  not  enter 
largely  into  business  so  as  to  risk  and  lose  what  he  has  or  may  receive." — Will  of  Hart 
Grandom.    July  16,  1834. 
