Genealogical notes of Barnstable families - citizen hylbom blog

GENEALOGICAL NOTES OF BARNSTABLE FAMILIES. 239
Bank," at Yarmouth Port, and continued in that position, as
c-asliier of that institution and its successor, the "First National
Bank of Yarmouth," for nearly forty years.
He was also the first secretary and treasurer of the Barnstable
County Mutual Fire Insurance Co'., incorporated in March, 1833,
in which office he continued to the time of his last sickness.
Mr. Otis never held political office, the duties of his business
professions engrossing the greater part of his active life.
He, however, served for several years on the school committee of
Yarmouth, and was frequently appointed on committees of the
town, where familiarity with the ancient records and usages was
required.
He was also for several years one of the directors of the
Cape Cod Branch Railroad, and a trustee of the Yarmouth Public
Library at the time of his decease. His fidelity and industry in
these positions were remarkable. He investigated carefully every
question presented, and was never satisfied unless he had given
to them his personal attentipn and weighed their merits for him-
self.
He was a remarkably prolific writer as well as a diligent student.
He contributed hundreds of columns to the Cape Cod
newspapers, upon a great variety of subjects, the preponderance
being upon practical matters. Our local history he has made his
study for the last fifty
have been invaluable.
years, and in that department his labors
No man living or dead has done so much
to elucidate the character, motives and acts of the men who settled
on Cape Cod, and of their heroic successors; and no one ever had
a more just appreciation of their character and achievements. He
believed in them thoroughly, although not insensible to their faults.
His facts were largely drawn from original sources, and his studr
ies were pursued with a zeal and enthusiasm which were prompted
by a thorough love of his subject. He has left a vast accumulation
of material, which will be invaluable to futgre investigators
in this field of study. It had long been his desire to leave a com-
plete history of his native town, but other cares and the iuflrmitie3
of age prevented his accomplishing his purpose, beyond a series of
sketches of the families of the town, published some 15 years ago
—articles so full of Information and clothed in such an agreeable
style that our regret is deepened as we read them, that their author
should not have completed his work. Besides these he has
contributed to the various historical periodicals of the country articles
on his favorite subject.
Mr. Otis has also written much on agriculture, horticulture,
arboriculture, and kindred themes. To his industrious pen the
people of Barnstable county are largely indebted for the interest
first aroused there on the subject of railroad facilities. He compiled
column upon column of statistics, and never wearied until