History has informed us about Hudson’s first public library, the Greeley Public Library. This week, we look at the man behind this library, Adoniram Judson “AJ” Greeley, MD.

A Hudson native, he was the oldest son of Joanna (Merrill) and Reuben Greeley. Reuben owned a farm in Hudson Center, adjacent to the Town Common; a prominent leader in town he served as postmaster, town clerk, selectman, representative to the Legislature and an early members of the First Baptist Church. AJ’s mother, Joanna, was born in Sedgwick, Maine, where her father, Rev. Daniel Merrill, was the pastor of the local church. Rev. Merrill served in the Revolution and graduated from Dartmouth College. He first served as a Congregational pastor, but converted to Baptist and became a leader in the Baptist movement in New England. Rev. Merrill and his family moved to Hudson, then Nottingham West, in 1814, when he accepted the call to be the pastor of the Baptist Church here in Hudson. One could say the rest is history as Reuben, a prominent young man, and Joanna, the pastor’s daughter, were married in Hudson in November 1817.

In September of the following year, their first child was born and named Adoniram Judson Greeley, in honor of the first protestant missionary sent from North America to serve in Burma. He was a New Englander and a Baptist, so it was natural that Reuben and Joanna named their first son in his honor.

AJ’s childhood home exists today at 234 Central St., the parsonage of the First Baptist Church with the church located next door at the corner of Greeley and Central streets. Much of the land surrounding 234 Central was Reuben’s farm, including the site of the church, and extending up Greeley Street and west along Central Street. During these early years, the Baptists met in the north meetinghouse located near the site of the present Wattannick Hall. The Baptist meetinghouse was not built until 1842 when AJ was 24 years old. Neither did the church have a parsonage. Rev. Merrill and his family occupied a home on Kimball Hill Road.

AJ’s early education was from his parents and a local one-room district school; most likely District No. 4, located on Kimball Hill Road. His high school education was at the Academy and Theological Institution in New-Hampton. Following high school, he attended Brown University in Rhode Island, graduating in 1841. He then did medical studies at Harvard, and received his MD in 1845. He practiced medicine in Searsmount, Maine, for about 10 years, moving to Clinton, Massachusetts, for a short period and then settled in or near the Providence, Rhode Island, area where he practiced nearly 40 years until his sudden and unexpected death in 1893.

In addition to medicine, he had an advocation for antiquity. He traveled to various countries and was particularly knowledgeable about Europe and Egypt. He was known to have a sizeable estate, which included his personal library of nearly 3,000 books. In his will, he bequeathed some 500 volumes to the town of Hudson for a library.

Dr. A. J. Greeley died unexpectedly at the age of 74. He was found unconscious in his office and passed away the next morning at a local hospital. A local police officer was doing rounds and noticed a trail of blood outside in his doorway. He followed the bloody trail to the doctor’s office, where he was found unconscious. At first, his passing was considered an accident, suffering head injuries as the result of a fall. Dr. Greeley did leave a blood-stained note instructing whoever found it to get in touch with his brother, H.C. Greeley, the executor of his will. Following his death and an examination of his body, the medical examiner declared his injuries were not consistent with an accident and his death was considered a homicide. The theory being he was attacked during a robbery as he was known to carry money on his person. It is unclear if anyone was prosecuted for this crime.

The rest is history. His brother was the executor of his estate. Through A.J.’s generosity and the generosity of his heirs, nearly 2,000 volumes of his books came to Hudson over the next few months to form the nucleus of the Greeley Public Library. A.J. himself was returned to his hometown, where he was laid to rest in the family lot in Westview Cemetery, along with his parents and four of his siblings. Our first photo is of the book plate of the Greeley Public Library, showing the early method for cataloging books. The second photo shows Dr. A. J. Greeley’s memorial in Westview Cemetery.

Ruth Parker is a lifelong resident of Hudson with family ties that date back to the colonial days. Her work, shared via the Hudson Historical Society, will be featured bi-weekly in The Sunday Telegraph.