Charles Edward Banks

Background

He was born on July 6, 1854 in Portland, Maine. Coming from old Colonial stock he was descended from the pioneer Richard Bankes who settled in York, Maine, in 1643, and from six of the Mayflower voyagers, including George Soule and Elder William Brewster.

Education

After a course in the public schools he was graduated with high honors from Dartmouth Medical School in 1878.

Career

In 1880, as an assistant surgeon, he entered upon a career of distinction in the United States Public Health Service that continued for forty years at stations in various parts of the country. Rising through the usual grades he became assistant surgeon-general and was retired in 1920 with the rank of lieutenant-colonel. Largely through his initiative, a new marine hospital was erected at Vineyard Haven, Massachussets, where he saw service from 1889 to 1892. In 1898 he represented the United States at the World Medical Congress in Madrid. In 1916 he was placed in charge of government measures at New York to combat the spread of infantile paralysis and administered the regulations governing interstate travel.

During the World War he was detailed to Camp Funston, Kan. , as chief sanitary officer of the cantonment zone. He also acted as deputy state health officer of Kansas in the interest of the enforcement of state sanitary laws relating to the troops. In 1918 he was appointed chief medical adviser to the War Risk Insurance Bureau at Washington, and his last active duty was in charge of the eighth district of the Public Health Service, which included three states. From his youth Banks occupied his leisure hours in historical and genealogical research, and following his government service he devoted his entire attention to those studies. He was a prodigious worker and was able to compile authoritative books as well as numerous articles for the publications of the Maine and Massachusetts historical societies, the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, and other kindred bodies.

In The English Ancestry and Homes of the Pilgrim Fathers (1929), based on researches in England, and in his "Identity of George Soule, the Pilgrim, " written for Ridlon's two-volume work, A Contribution to the History of the Families Named Sole, Solly, Soule, Sowle, Soulis (1926), he made important contributions to the literature of Plymouth Colony settlers. Two later studies, The Winthrop Fleet of 1630 (1930) and The Planters of the Commonwealth [of Massachusetts] (1930), had a place in the commemoration of the Massachusetts tercentenary. His History of Martha's Vineyard, Dukes County, Massachusetts (3 vols. , 1911 - 25), and History of York, Maine (2 vols. , 1931 - 35), set a standard in town histories. Both rank as outstanding works.

Ten of Banks's ancestors were among the earliest planters of York, and the narrative of the ancient town was to be his supreme effort. He died while the manuscript of the projected third volume, dealing with York genealogies, was in preparation. He was active to the last. Death took him suddenly during a visit to Hartford, Connecticut He was buried at Vineyard Haven, Massachussets, after services in Grace Episcopal Church.

Achievements

• Charles Edward Banks is remembered mostly for his work "Identity of George Soule, the Pilgrim".

Works

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  • The Winthrop Fleet of 1630: An Account of the Vessels, the Voyage, the Passengers and their English Homes from Original Authorities

    (Genealogical research and history combine in these pages ...)

  • The English Ancestry and Homes of the Pilgrim Fathers Who Came to Plymouth on the Mayflower in 1620, the Fortune in 1621, and the Anne and Little James in 1623

    (This critically acclaimed work has biographical sketches ...)

  • Planters of the Commonwealth: A Study of the Emigrants and Emigration in Colonial Times: to which are added Lists of Passengers to Boston and to the ... and the Places of their Settlement in Massac

    (The Planters of the Commonwealth came to the New World "t...)

  • The history of Martha's Vineyard, Dukes County, Massachusetts (VOLUME 1)

    (The history of Martha's Vineyard, Dukes County, Massachus...)

  • The history of Martha's Vineyard, Dukes County, Massachusetts (VOLUME 2)

    (The history of Martha's Vineyard, Dukes County, Massachus...)

Membership

At Vineyard Haven in 1892 he founded the Duodecimo Club, a cultural and social force for many years.

Personality

Modest, never self-seeking, possessed of a keen sense of humor, Banks was a delightful companion. His kindly spirit made him ready always to share with others his valuable historical and genealogical discoveries, no matter how laboriously achieved.

Connections

He was married at Portland, Maine, July 15, 1880, to Florence Margaret Root. Three children survived him: Philip Whitgift, Beatrice Bartol, and Constance Wooster.

Father:

Edward Prince

Mother:

Ellen (Soule) Banks

Wife:

Florence Margaret Root

Daughter:

Beatrice Bartol Banks

Daughter:

Constance Wooster

Son:

Philip Whitgift Banks