This is a long-ago tale about love for a Special Friend. The story relates to William Wells Thompson who was my great-great uncle.
William was born on 22 Mar 1831, the son of Lewis and Rosanna (Cormack) Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. He died on 4 Jan 1839, at age eight years, from dropsy of the brain aka hydrocephalus. In older children, it's usually caused by a fall or blow to the head, but it's possible that William was born with the condition. Nothing is known about him before his death, so we don't know for sure. No obituary has been found.
William's father was an editor/publisher in Philadelphia, PA., and in 1844, he published a book called Droppings of the Heart or Occasional Poems, by a Typographer/Poet named Thomas MacKeller. In the book is a beautiful poem about William. An amazing tribute to a special little boy who was loved and befriended by a man who knew him.
In Memory of My Little Friend William Wells Thompson
Who died in his eighth year.
The gentle William weeps no more;
His varied sorrows all are o'er;
No inward struggles mark his brow
With signs of bitter suffering now.
A little time on earth he spent,
Till God for him his angel sent;
And then on time he closed his eyes
To wake in glory in the skies.
Just like a bud in sunny spring,
That, spite of kindly fostering,
Is withered in it's early bloom,
He sank in beauty to the tomb.
He shines now brighter than a star,
In that sweet place where angels are;
And there no sin or care can come,
'Tis better than a mother's home.
Ah! Let his parents weep no more!
Their gentle boy has gone before;
And when they're laid beneath the sod,
He'll wait to welcome them to God.
