Morison, Harvard Historian, Tells Story of College's First Class

The Class of 1942, although it will be only the 297th in number to graduate (since several years in the 17th century had no classes), is the first class of the fourth century of Harvard.

For it was exactly three centuries ago that the College opened, and the first Freshman Class matriculated. The College was founded by a vote of the General Court in the fall of 1636; but owing to an Indian war and a female agitator the actual opening was delayed almost two years. Early in 1638 the Board of Overseers purchased for the College a house and yard in "Cow-yard Row", where the natives of the "Newetown" parked their cattle at night. When the name of Newetown was changed to Cambridge, the citizens were so pleased that they granted the College a slice of the "Ox Pasture" that included the sites of Hollis, Stoughton, and Holworthy Halls.

First Freshman in Summer of 1638

Nathaniel Eaton, a Cambridge alumnus, was secured as Professor, and some time in the summer of 1638 he moved to Cambridge and received the first Freshmen. The site of this earliest college building, now covered by Massachusetts Avenue, is in front of the west end of Wigglesworth Hall. Its foundations were uncovered when the Cambridge subway was excavated, and their corners are marked in the street paving by two L-shaped rows of red brick. Behind the house, in the former cow-yard, which as early as 1638 was called the College Yard, Professor Eaton set out apple trees, and surrounded them by a high fence to exclude the neighbors' cows and keep the Freshmen in.

On Sept. 14 (24), 1638, John Harvard died at Charlestown, leaving half his estate and all his books to the College. As this was by far the largest gift yet received, the College was named Harvard College by order of the General Court.

We do not know how many Freshmen entered in the summer of 1638, but nine graduated in 1642. The most famous in this Class was Sir George Downing, who became English ambassador to the Netherlands, and after whom Downing Street, London, is named. A majority of the early Harvard classes returned to England for jobs; most of the rest became clergymen in New England.

Class of 1742 Had 24 Graduates

The Class of 1742, a century later, had only 24 graduates. Its most famous member was Samuel Auchmuty, a noted colonial lawyer and judge, who later received honorary degrees from Columbia and Oxford. Jumping another century, the Class of 1842 graduated 56 strong. This class lost several men in the Civil War. The best-known member was Stephen H. Phillips, who became foreign Minister of the old Kingdom of Hawaii.

It makes me feel old to reflect that I know one member of the Class of 1842 personally. Eleven of them lived into the present century, the last dying in 1911. So if the same average holds good, twenty percent of 1942 can hope to see New Year's Day 2001. Let's hope they will find that year a little more peaceful than this year of unemployment, war, and hurricanes!