Strangers – Today

Memucan Hunt, Jr., August 7, 1807 — June 5, 1856

Memucan Hunt, Jr. was the first Minister of Texas to the United States, before Texas was annexed and admitted as a state. Hunt also served as Secretary of the Texas Navy, and was a candidate for Vice-President of the Republic of Texas. The Record of Strangers indicates that Hunt visited the Athenaeum with a number of other politicians from Texas.

Portrait courtesy of the Library of Congress — Source — Source

James Pinckney Henderson, March 31, 1808 - June 4, 1858

James Pinckney Henderson was an American lawyer and politician. He studied law and was admitted to the Bar before serving in the North Carolina militia and the Texas army during the Texas Revolution. He rose through the ranks and was appointed attorney general of the Texas Republic under Sam Houston, and later served as Secretary of State. In 1837, Henderson was decreed Texas minister to England and France, and was charged with establishing their recognition of Texan independence. He returned to Texas in 1840, and following its annexation, was elected the state's first governor in 1845. Henderson's wife, Frances Cox, was from Philadelphia. The Record of Strangers indicates that Henderson visited on this occasion with a delegation of other Texan politicians.

Portrait courtesy of Wikimedia Commons — Source

Moses Marcus

Moses Marcus was an English clergyman. He worked as a minister in the Church of England and as a schoolmaster before arriving in North America by way of New York in 1834. Marcus visited Nantucket in 1837 and delivered sermons before establishing a formal congregation and erecting an Episcopal church there in 1839.

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George S. McIntosh, — c. 1851

George S. McIntosh was a Texan diplomat. While Texas was a republic, he served as secretary of the Texan legation to Great Britain and France. He was appointed on June 20, 1837, serving until his promotion to charge d'affaires in 1839. He served in that position in Europe until he was relieved and returned to Texas in 1842. He is shown in the Record of Strangers visiting on this occasion with a number of other Texan diplomats.

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Joseph Peace Hazard, February 17, 1807 — January 18, 1892

Joseph Peace Hazard was an American businessman. He was educated in Quaker schools in Pennsylvania before settling in Rhode Island, where he became involved in the operation of his family's textile mill. The mill developed into a successful manufacturing enterprise, though Hazard wrote in his diary that he did not have a talent for business. Nevertheless, he enjoyed the benefits of success, and devoted his later life to travel and the building and development of three properties in Rhode Island, including his "Castle" and a stone house called "Druidsdream". Hazard was a spiritualist, detailing his encounters with the spiritual realm and his belief that spirits wanted to communicate with the living in his diaries, a collection of which are held by the Rhode Island Historical Society. In particular, Hazard believed that his pocket watch served as a conduit of communication for spirits. The Record of Strangers indicates that both Joseph and his brother Isaac visited the Athenaeum multiple times over the years.

Portrait courtesy of Rhode Island College — Source —  Source — Source