 Emory Washburn was born on February 14 , 1800 in Leicester , Massachusetts to Joseph and Ruth ( Davis ) Washburn , both of whom came from families with deep roots in New England . He was the sixth of seven children . His father died when he was seven years old , and the local pastor , Zephaniah Swift Moore , became a major influence in his early years . He first attended Leicester Academy , and then entered Dartmouth College , where Moore taught languages , at the age of thirteen . He accompanied Moore when the latter moved to Williams College in 1815 , graduating two years later in a class of seven ; he was influential in establishing an alumni association at Williams , serving as its first president . 
