Lt. Edward Wallace Wellington

Edward Wallace was born in Brookline, MA on September 20, 1840 to Timothy W. and Susan (Ray) Wellington. He was their oldest son. Timothy was a merchant, first selling milk in Shirley, MA and then coal in Worcester and the surrounding towns beginning in the 1850s. He was also very active in the State Guard.

In 1861 Edward and his brothers Frank and George enlisted to serve in the Union Army. Edward and Frank served together in the 25th Massachusetts, and George was in the 2nd Massachusetts Artillery. George died in Andersonville Prison in 1864 aged only 17. Frank survived the War but died in 1868 aged 25 from complications of malarial fever that he had contracted during his service. Edward was commissioned Lieutenant in the 2nd Massachusetts Cavalry in 1863 and served with distinction until malarial fever forced his discharge.

On September 13, 1864 Edward married Maria A. Harrington in Worcester. The couple had three children: Susie who was born and died in 1865, Timothy who was born in 1868 and died in 1870, and Frank who was born in 1874 and lived into adulthood.

Edward worked as a coal salesman with his father and half brother Frederick, and for a time all was well. His mental heath suffered from his wartime service and from the deaths of those close to him, and he turned to alcohol to cope. In 1879 Edward left home without telling anyone where he went. He returned his family in the summer of 1880 but would frequently visit Boston and drink.

On November 25, 1880 Edward entered a Boston bar after having been involved in a fight. He asked the owner for hot water and a rag to clean himself up, and sat down near a fireplace. The owner went back to the bar. A few minutes later a loud bang was heard—Edward had shot himself in the head with a pistol. He was taken to the city hospital where he succumbed to his wound. Edward’s body was brought home to Worcester and laid to rest in the family lot next to his children. They rest for eternity in Worcester's Rural Cemetery.