Payson, as he was called, was an American born in England to an American father and an English mother. The family returned to America when Payson was a few years old. He graduated from Hyde Park High School, Hyde Park, MA, and began his lifetime career in the banking business by advancing through the ranks from bank messenger to vice-president in Boston banks and in the Harvard Trust Co. (formerly the Concord National Bank, Concord, MA) from which he retired in 1955. He followed this by working on a daily basis with shorter working hours as an accountant at the Concord Academy in Concord, MA, until 1968 when he took the position of treasurer of the Concord-Carlisle Regional School District until his final retirement at the end of 1970.
Payson sang as a boy soprano in his church choir until his voice changed. Later, he returned as a tenor. Still later, he tried out and was accepted to sing with the Handel and Haydn Society in Boston, and sang with them for several years particularly enjoying the performances of The Messiah at Christmas time.
He was active in what was called "dramatics" when he was in High School. As a young man, he composed the music for a few musical comedies which were played locally. A newspaper article of 8 December 1911, reviewing the performance of his musical comedy "The Farmer's Daughter," refers to him as, "dramatic author, musical composer, actor, and vocal soloist."
Payson played the piano, flute, and cello for several small orchestras and was the accompanist for the Hyde Park Glee Club for several years. However, the piano and the organ were his instruments of choice. He first played the organ for a church service at age fourteen in the church where his ancestors worshipped in Hope, ME. He was a church organist all of his adult life until his retirement, thus following a long line of musical ancestors in his mother's family who were organists in many cathedrals in England.
Payson played a good game of golf and enjoyed the sport throughout his life. He kept records which added to the family genealogy, several of which we have used here. He wrote his memoirs over a period of four years when he was eighty-eight to ninety-two years old which were assembled into a book, Remembrances of E. Payson True, to celebrate his ninety-fifth birthday and which give a wonderful glimpse into life as it was during his lifetime.
Payson and his wife, Laura (Darling) True lived in Hyde Park, Concord, and Littleton, MA. After Laura's death, Payson moved back to Concord for the rest of his life.
In Concord, Payson was a charter member of the Rotary Club, honorary member of the Concord Country Club, a Past Master of Corinthian Lodge, served on the Town Finanace Committee for ten years, three as chairman, treasurer of the Community Chest, trustee of the First Parish Church Funds, and member for a term of the First Parish Church Standing Committee.
Laura graduated from Smith College in Northhampton, MA, in 1909 and taught school before her marriage. She elected to stay at home taking care of their chidren as was the custom, and did volunteer work for her church and was a member of the Literary Club in Hyde Park. In Concord, she was a member of the Woman's Parish Association, and was a member of several women's organizations. She braided beautiful rugs and the family is fortunate to have several of them still in use.
Payson and Laura (Darling) True had four children:
* Edward Keene, b. Dorchester, MA, 12 July
1915; m. Roslindale, MA, 31 Aug. 1940, Mildred Louise Richenburg.
* Robert Payson, b. Hyde Park, MA, 26 Oct, 1916; d. Hyde Park, June 1917;
buried in Hope Grove Cemetery, Hope, ME.
* Anna Milnes, b. Hyde Park, MA, 23 March 1919; d. Concord, MA, 31 March
1972; m. (1) Concord, MA 26 Oct. 1941, John Edward Holt, by whom she had
two sons, William Payson and John Wayne; m. (2) Nashua, NH, Oct. 1959, David
Leo Bell.
* Thelma Darling, b. Boston, MA, 28 Aug. 1925; m. Concord, MA, 23 Nov. 1947,
John Buchanan Nims, Jr., by whom she has two daughters, Judith Ann and Janet
Andrea.