Harvard Student from Alaska Has Medfield Ancestors to Thank for Scholarship

Portions of the following were taken from Quiet Voices, the newsletter of The Vine Lake Preservation Trust. 

A freshman from Alaska who is attending Harvard University is the recipient of a scholarship tied to a Medfield family.

Dylan Hardenbergh recently visited Vine Lake Cemetery to see for the first time the memorials to his fourth great-grandparents, Seth and Mary (Fairbanks) Ellis. Being their direct descendant allowed him to apply for a scholarship funded by more recent relatives, Calvin Ellis and Lucy Ellis, brother and sister.

"The scholarship is available to a Ellis descendant who gains admission to Harvard and that makes an argument that they're connected to the Ellis family," said Rob Gregg, President of the Vine Lake Cemetery Trust who was at Sunday's event. 

Dylan also had his family's geneology researched by a professional "so he would have a legitimate geneology with which to submit his application." 

That certified genealogist, Ruy Cardoso of Newton, joined Dylan in Medfield last week.  

The Medfield Ellis connection is two-fold, first through Seth (1776-1853) and his wife Mary (1780-1837), and later their son Moses (1826-1910).  

In 1870, Moses, then a Framingham resident, gave funds to erect the Grand Army of the Republic building which still stands today at 476 Main Street, Medfield.  

The Vine Lake Preservation Trust is especially pleased for Dylan, first to recognize the philanthropic nature of his earlier family, and next, to gain admission to a prestigious university where many of Medfield's early and present citizens were educated. 

Gregg said he found Hardenbergh to be "a nice young man."  He said Hardenbergh enjoys being a freshman at Harvard but had remarked during his visit that Harvard is "quite noisy" which is different than his native, quiet Alaska.