NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
DELUCENA L. BINGHAM DEAD 
Aged Manchester Man Was Oldest Librarian 
in United States 
THE LATE DELUCENA L. BINGHAM 
Of Manchester, Who Was Oldest Librarian in the United States 
Delucena L. Bingham, often re- 
ferred to as Manchester’s Grand 
Old Man, passed away Tuesday 
morning at his home on Sehool 
street at the age of 97 years, two 
months. Ile was Manchester’s old- 
est resident. Though he had been 
in failing health all the winter, he 
had taken to his bed only a few 
days. Death was due to old age. 
Mr. Bingham was a man of won- 
derful literary attainments,  en- 
riched by personal contact with 
some of the country’s, most noted 
men and a life-long association with 
books, holding the position of  li- 
brarian of the Manchester Public 
Library from 1882 up to the 
time of his death, and bearing the 
distinction of being the oldest h- 
brarian in active service in the 
State, and probably in the United 
States. When the town established 
a public library the late Deacon 
John Price was appointed hbrarian. 
The late John H. Crombie followed 
him and Mr. Bingham was appoint- 
ed in 1882. 
Mr. Bingham was born in Man- 
chester November 7th, 1814, his 
father being Capt. D. L. Bingham, 
one of Manchester’s old-time ship- 
masters in the merchant service. 
His mother was Mary Burgess, 
daughter of Capt. Abiel and Jane 
Burgess, and died when the son was 
in infancy. At the age of seven he 
was sent to Philadelphia, his father 
having preceded him and taken an- 
other wife. As the South did not 
agree with the lad, he was sent 
home with his grandfather, D. L. 
Bingham. At the age of 16 he was 
apprenticed to John Perry Allen to 
learn the cabinet makers’ trade, 
where he remained five years. 
Young Bingham, however, had a de- 
sire to rise above his humdrum life. 
Stories were coming from the West 
of its vast resources and opportuni- 
ties, and accepting Horace Gree- 
ley’s advice, at the age of 23 he 
started for the great unknown coun- 
try beyond the Mississippi, which 
at that time was a wilderness. 
Traveling was slow and tedious, 
there being no railroad west of New 
York State. The journey was by 
rail and steamer to Philadelphia, 
then a trip over the mountains to 
Pittsburg, and thence by steamer 
via the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers 
to St. Louis. 
After many vicissitudes he finally 
landed in Alton, Il., and associated 
himself with a young man in the 
furniture business. This was in 
1838, a time of financial depression 
and after struggling four years he 
was obliged to give up and returned 
home. He worked at his trade here 
some fifteen years,'during which 
period dull times came on and 
wages went as low as thirty cents 
a day. About this time Horace 
Greeley conceived the idea of estab- 
lishing a colony in Colorado, after 
his own peculiar ideas, and glowing 
descriptions of its inducements were 
sent broadeast through the land. 
Mr. Bingham caught the spirit and 
started West again, buying a house 
lot and 10-aere tract for a farm in 
Greeley. The late Jeffrey T. Stan- 
ley accompanied him and _= others 
authorized him to invest for them. 
But sanitary conditions were bad 
and many of the homesteaders died 
and things looked so discouraging 
he gave up after two years and re- 
turned home again. 
He did not blame Mr. Greeley, 
however, for this failure, whom he 
characterized as a remarkable man, 
and said he had known him to 
write editorials for thirteen hours 
without cessation. 
Mr. Bingham’s library work com- 
menced with the founding of the 
old Manchester Lyceum in 1871, 
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