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��Barnabas Bradt David.
��on foot, reached his destination at night, and securing the signature of his brother returned the next day.
Such pluck insured success. The business became profitable, the firm had a reputation for promptitude, and were soon able to command capital. Retaining the store in Dock Square as a salesroom, the young men adopted a more comfortable style of living. They were unlike in their tastes and tempera- ments, the staid, cautious and steadfast c,^nservatism of the older partner, mak- ing an admirable combination with the enterprising and hopeful spirit of the younger. Mr. David was sagacious and ready to employ every advantage that would enlarge the manufacture, or per- fect the workmanship, or promote the sale of whips; while his associate had a practical oversight of the shop and materials which prevented any waste. The demand for their goods increased rapidly, and with a view to larger facil- ities for the manufacture, and dimin- ished expenses, Mr. Melendy came to Amherst and commenced work in the Manning Shop, so called, about a mile south of the village, and a larger num- ber of hands were employed. In the course of three years, a salesman was placed in Boston, an agency started in New York, and the business of manu- facturing wholly transfered to this town. There was an element of romance leav- ening these various transactions, as in December on the twenty-second, 1825, Mr. Melendy was married to Miss Eve- line Boutelle of Amherst, and on the twenty-fifth of the same month, Mr. David was married to Elizabeth Welch Melendy, a sister of his partner. These were fortunate marriages. The parties were not only happy in each other, but what is worthy special notice, a few years later in 1831, very eligible houses were bought, one for each family, at joint ex-
��pense, which were occupied without in- terruption till both couples had com- memorated the fiftieth anniversary of their marriage. During all this period, the property was held in common, and the expenses of each family, however enlarged, were paid from the common fund.
In 1830, stimulated by a desire to perfect his knowledge of the business and secure any improvements in meth- ods or machinery to be found in Eng- land, Mr. David sailed for Liverpool.
As might be anticipated, in subordi- nation to this main interest Mr. David sought to enlarge his knowledge of Eng- lish men and English institutions. He became familiar with their commercial habits, visiting public buildings and places of historical importance, so that fifty years afterwards he could speak of parks, streets, and sections of the city of London in which any recent event oc- cured as if he had been an eye witness. He was present at the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway when Lord Huskinson was killed, being crushed by the wheels of the locomotive. At this time he saw the Duke of Wel- lington, with other distinguished men, members of Parliament, and nobility. On his return to America, he brought a machine for winding whip-stocks, the first ever used in this country. The machine was subsequently duplicated, and proved a valuable accession to the trade. He also introduced some new materials, and enlarged the variety of fashions. In other respects the manu- facture was unchanged. The prosperity of the firm had no serious checks; they had agencies for the sale of goods in Boston, New York, Nev/ Orleans, and large orders came from other cities. They bought materials for cash, so that when the commercial crash of 1837 carried disaster to multitudes, they sur-
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