More obituaries

new information derived from obituaries found in the Boston Globe, Boston Herald & Boston Journal. To summarize: Erastus, close to being a hermit, was living in a cottage with his two dogs, Dixie and Doctor, at the head of Daniel Websters dock on Green Harbor. On Tuesday January 5th, he was up and about and had his breakfast. At 11:00am a friend, Mr. Waterman visited and found him in a condition where medical aid was of no avail, and died at about noon of heart trouble. Although searches at the Registry of Deeds has not confirmed it, it is claimed that he owned the island above the Marshfield dyke where he settled,  farmed, fished and hunted from the island prior to moving to his final location. He was the Secretary and one of the original members of the Green Harbor Fishermens Association, which antagonized the dyke owners.

While in South Carolina, he was captured by the Klan, tried by a council, and ordered to be shot. Before the execution could be carried out, a southern soldier, one of the leaders of the band, recognized Erastus and stepped forward and said " Don't shoot him; he is a brave man, and is only doing what he was ordered to do by his superior officers .

He contributed to several South Carolina papers under the nom de plume of "Congaree".

Additional newspaper credits include the Cincinnatt Gazette and the Washington Chronicle.

He was a "power in local politics, though he never held office" (being an original member of the Marshfield Board of Health evidently didn't qualify as holding an office).

When the Cuban rebellion was taking place, Erastus, who was said to be "close to the heads of this government and knowing what was thought, if not said" was to have been in charge of a filibustering expedition of 20,000 men which was to sieze the island in preparation of annexing it to the USA, but political events prevented and the expedition never started.

Just how much of this is true, exagerated, or fabricated tall tales is difficult to judge (unless there was a secret marriage we never knew about, the claim that his wife had been Helen Monroe - he was married to Helens half-sister Harriet - is just plain inaccurate). but without doubt, the man left a lifelong string of fascinating stories and a long list of men who held him in high regard (and probably a few scoffers, too).