John
Minot – The Man with Connections in High Places
John Minot was born November 16, 1783 in Dorchester
Massachusetts. He came from a long line
of Minot ancestors dating to the arrival of George Minot who arrived on May 30,
1630 in Plymouth. He married Calla Smith on November 27, 1806 and they had six
children only two of whom survived into adulthood.[1] As an eighth generation
American, John Minot had an extensive number of family and community
connections which served him well as he served as a United States customs
inspector for Boston and Charlestown (1825-1829)
and later as the Island Keeper for Rainsford Island serving the needs of the
Commonwealth.[2]
He lost his position as a customs inspector in 1829 when John Quincy Adams
stepped down from the Presidency. His loss of employment was a subject of
concern to the former president but being out of office he no longer could dole
out patronage. Nevertheless, his personal influence may have been a factor in
John Minot’s later appointment as Island Keeper for the Rainsford Island
Hospital. [3]
Minot was appointed Keeper of Rainsford Island
Hospital on March 18, 1833 and kept this position until July 31, 1841 when he
was replaced by George P. Tewksbury, formerly the Captain of the Quarantine
Boat. During his Island Keeper career he
worked closely with Dr. J.V.C. Smith, the city’s Port Physician. His services
were in demand during 1839 when the city experienced its first resurgence of
smallpox since 1800 when Benjamin Waterhouse promoted the use of cowpox as a
vaccine against this deadly disease.
This epidemic forced Boston’s politicians to reassess the value of
Rainsford Island and recommit resources to it island quarantine program. Soon
after the epidemic, the city fathers decided to streamline it quarantine
services as an economy measure and Minot’s post was eliminated. His career did
not end with this loss of city employment. He was soon reconnected with the
U.S. Customs Office with a special inspector assignment where he was paid $3
per day until his services are dispensed with.[4]
John Minot died at his home on Bradford Street in
Boston on March 5, 1861 after five days of severe pneumonia. He outlived his wife who died ten years
earlier.[5]
[1]
https://archive.org/stream/genealogicalreco00mino#page/n113/mode/2up/search/john+minot
[4]
Secretary of the Treasury, Letter from the Secretary of the Treasury, House Document No 173, 27th Congress, Third Session, February 22, 1843, p.7 contained in House Documents, Index to the Documents of the 27th Congress, Third Session, Volume 5, Compiled by Samuel Burche.;
Bay State Democrat, March 14, 1842, p. 1
[5] http://person.ancestry.com/tree/43797045/person/26081878916/story
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