USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Cohasset > Centennial anniversary of the town of Cohasset, May 7, 1870 > Part 1
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974.402 C66co 1774634
REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01067 4007
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015
https://archive.org/details/centennialannive1870coha
Y ENTENNIAL
A NNIVERSARY
OF THE TOWN OF COHASSET, MAIS.
MAY 7, 1870.
ORATION BY HON. THOMAS RUSSELL.
SPEECHES BY GOV. CLAFLIN, HIRAM REVELS, LORING LOTHROP, SOLOMON LINCOLN, GEORGE B. LORING, AND OTHERS.
Boston: WRIGHT & POTTER, PRINTERS, 79 MILK STREET. IS70.
37642
HOLAMIOT
1774634
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844178 .18
Cohasset, Mass.
. Centennial anniversary of the town of Cohasset, May 7, 1870. Oration by Hon. Thomas Russell. Speeches by Gov. Claflin, Hiram Revels, Loring Lothrop, Solomon Lincoln, George B. Loring, and others. Boston, Wright & Potter, printers, 1870.
69 p. 232cm.
"Muster-roll of Capt. Job Cushing's company, in the 36th regiment of foot infantry, continental army, encamped in Fort no. 2, October 5, 1775": p. 67.
1. Cohasset, Mass. - Hist. 2. U. S. - Hist. - Revolution - Regimental histories -- Mass. 3, Massachusetts infantry. 36th continental regt., 1775- I. Russell, Thomas, 1825-1887. II. Title.
374185 Library of Congress
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COMMITTEE OF ARRANGEMENTS.
J. Q. A. LOTIIROP. SOLOMON J. BEAL.
MARTIN LINCOLN. ZENAS D. LINCOLN.
LOUIS N. LINCOLN.
AARON PRATT.
A. H. TOWER, JR.
ZACCHEUS RICH.
ADNA BATES. EDWARD E. TOWER.
LORING BATES. THOMAS M. SMITH.
LEVI N. BATES. J. P. T. PERCIVAL.
CHIARLES A. COUSENS.
374185
CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION.
The One Hundredth Anniversary of the Organization of the Town of COHASSET took place, in accordance with pre- vious announcement, on SATURDAY, May 7. The weather was not what we call pleasant, although no rain fell until after four o'clock, P. M.
. The dwellings generally were liberally and tastefully decorated. The occasion was one of more than ordinary interest to Cohasset people. The residents of the neighbor- ing towns also participated in this enthusiasm to some . extent,-as did many others who dwell in more remote localities.
The programme of the day commenced with the ringing of bells, and the firing of cannon at sunrise ; and this was continued at noon and sunset.
At seven o'clock a concert was given on the Common by the Atlantic Musical Association.
The Governor and other State officials and distinguished guests arrived in an extra train at ten o'clock. A procession was then formed, as follows :-
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Town of Cohasset.
Aid, L. P. Cushing.
ORDER OF PROCESSION. Chief Marshal, Aid, William B. Johnson. J. M. Pieper.
Atlantic Musical Association.
Military escort, consisting of a company of returned veterans in uniform, under the command of Capt. John W. Tower.
President of the Day, Governor and Staff, Orator, and other invited guests in carriages. .
Carriage, with the following ladies: Lydia Bates, aged 90 years ; Hannah Stoddard, aged 89 years; Lucy Nichols, aged 85 years ; Lydia Pratt, aged St years.
Selectmen of Hingham, Scituate, and Cohasset, in carriage.
Committee of Arrangements in carriage.
Citizens and others on foot.
Children of the Public Schools, consisting of about two hundred and fifty in number, with sinall flags and bouquets.
Private carriages.
The two field-pieces which were used in firing the salutes upon the Common, and the gunners, joined in the line. One of the three large carriages was also filled with young Misses, cach bearing a small flag, representing the States of . the Union.
On each side of the barouche containing Governors CLAF- LIN, of Massachusetts, and STEARNS, of New Hampshire, Judge RUSSELL, the Orator of the day, and J. Q. A. LOTH- ROP, Esq., the President of the day, were the following Assistant-Marshals :-
On the left, A. H. Tower, Jr., Frederick Nickerson, M. B. Stetson, N. H. Warren, Of Cohasset.
On the right, Col. Hawkes Fearing,
Capt. John Stephenson, Henry Stephenson, George Lincoln,
Of Hingham.
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Centennial Anniversary.
Assistant-Marshal J. L. BATTLES was detailed for services at the church.
. Among the novelties in the procession was a boat on wheels, manned by sailor-dressed boys, called the "Relief," and a wagon containing representative women of the past, wearing immense bonnets and calashes. A spinning-wheel was kept in motion in this wagon, which reminded us of the days when our grandmothers spun and wove their own cloth. A piano and a sewing machine were also exercised to repre- sent the pursuits of the present day.
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A lady and gentleman riding together upon the back of one horse-representing the ancient mode of riding on a pillion-was another noticeable feature in the column.
The procession moved through South Main street to the bridge. It then countermarched, passing through Summer and Elm streets to North Main street, Main street, and through Winter and Green streets, to the old meeting- house.
EXERCISES AT THE CHURCHI.
The procession reached the church shortly after twelve ยท o'clock, and the edifice was soon filled to overflowing, the galleries being occupied almost exclusively by ladies. The church was tastefully decorated for the occasion with flags and other memorials and devices. Over the clock, in the front gallery, were the original and present names, " CONO- HASSETT " and " COHASSET." On each side of the pulpit were floral displays. Flags were very prettily arranged in the centre of the platform in front of the pulpit, and also around . the galleries. On this platform were seated William B. Johnson, Esq., Chief Marshal, J. Q. A. Lothrop, Esq., Rev.
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Messrs. Osgood, Fitts and Smith, and Hon. Thomas Russell, orator of the day.
The exercises opened with a voluntary on the organ, which was followed by an anthem.
The Chief Marshal then said :-
Strangers and Fellow-Citizens,-Permit me to introduce to you our President of the Day, Mr. J. Q. A. LOTHROP.
ADDRESS OF MR. LOTHROP.
Mr. Marshal,-I will not say that this is an unexpected honor, for such is not the fact; but I thank you, and through you the Committee of Arrangements, for the honor conferred upon me in appointing me to preside over the deliberations of the day. I will endeavor faithfully to perform the duties. One hundred years ago to-day, (Mr. Lothrop continued, turning toward the andience,) our ancestors assembled in this church, under an act of incorporation, to elect the first officers, pass the . first votes, appropriate money to pay the necessary expenses, and to put in working order all matters pertaining to the then new town of Cohasset, and what is considered as a singular co- incidence, and may not be improper for me to mention, is that two out of the three selectmen then elected were named Lin- coln, and that two of the present selectmen bear the same . name, descendants and good representatives of the former. The first were noble men and patriots, good specimens of the citizens of their time; the present ones we believe are able men, and capable of following in their footsteps-one of them, the elder, having held all the offices in the gift of the town, and now serving for the twentieth time as one of the selectmen. As the time approached when the one hundred years of our exist- ence as a town would expire, it seemed fitting to the citizens that some appropriate notice should be taken of the same, and accordingly a town meeting was called last December, a Com- . mittee of Arrangements, consisting of fourteen, chosen to take the whole matter in charge, and to prepare for such a celebra- tion as they might deem necessary. That committee met, chose
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Centennial Anniversary.
its officers, appointed sub-committees, and, having held numer- ous meetings, engaged an orator, appointed a chief marshal, and made all the preparations in order to fitly celebrate this day. And they believe the arrangements have been so far perfected that there can be no serious obstacle to a good and social gath- ering. And I, for and in behalf of the Committee of Arrange- ments, and of the citizens of the town, extend to your Excel- lency the Governor of Massachusetts, to your Excellency the Governor of New Hampshire, to the orator, to all Government and State officials, strangers, former citizens, and descendants of citizens and all others who have honored us with their presence, a most cordial and hearty welcome. It gives us pleasure to welcome you among us. We are happy to entertain you. We feel that you may have made some sacrifices to come here, but the joy your presence gives us we hope will in part repay you for your trouble. We feel honored by your coming, and we hope you may derive some benefit from your visit. This is an event in the history of the town which will not be forgotten by any one of its present inhabitants, and I have no doubt it will be published and handed down and mentioned at the two hun- dredth anniversary of its incorporation. When you depart from us at the close of this celebration, we hope you will leave with the impression that we are an industrious, happy, law- abiding and order-loving people, fit to take high rank with the towns of the good old Commonwealth of Massachusetts. (Ap- plause.)
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READING OF THE SCRIPTURES.
Rev. CALVIN R. FITTS, of Cohasset, read selections from the Scriptures, as follows :-
[Joshua, iv : 1-9; 19-24.]
And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the Lord spake unto Joshua, saying,
Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man.
And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood
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Town of Cohasset.
firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night.
Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man :
And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the num- ber of the tribes of the children of Israel :
That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones ?
Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel forever.
And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the Lord spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.
And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood : and they are there unto this day.
And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho.
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And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilgal.
And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones ?
Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.
For the Lord your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over :
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Centennial Anniversary.
That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty : that ye might fear the Lord your God forever.
[105th Ps .: 1, 15.]
Oh give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people.
Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him : talk ye of all his won- drous works.
Glory ye in his holy name : let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.
Seek the Lord, and his strength : seek his face evermore.
Remember his marvellous works that he hath done ; his won- ders, and the judgments of his mouth ;
O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen.
He is the Lord our God : his judgments are in all the earth.
He hath remembered his covenant forever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations.
Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac ;
And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant ;
Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance :
When they were but a few men in number; yea, very few, and strangers in it.
When they went from one nation to another, from one king- dom to another people ;
Ile suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes ;
Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.
[135th Ps .: 1-5; 19-21.]
Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the name of the Lord ; praise him, O ye servants of the Lord.
Y'e that stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God,
Praise the Lord ; for the Lord is good sing praises unto his name ; for it is pleasant.
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Town of Cohasset.
For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure.
For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.
Bless the Lord, O house of Israel : bless the Lord, O house of Aaron :
Bless the Lord, O house of Levi : ye that fear the Lord, bless the Lord.
Blessed be the Lord out of Zion, which dwelleth at Jerusalem. Praise ye the Lord.
PRAYER BY REV. JOSEPH OSGOOD.
Oh, thou infinite and eternal God, our fathers' God and our God, we would ask thy blessing upon us now. We have as- sembled to commemorate the inauguration of the civil organ- ization of our town, and we would ask thy blessing on these rejoicings ; we would ask thy blessing on these solemnities ; we would ask thy blessing on all the hallowed memories that rise in our hearts ; and we would ask thy blessing on all those who would seek to give expression to our thought, our feeling, our gratitude, this day.
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We thank thee, heavenly Father, for the organization of this town, one hundred years ago, and for all the precious privileges that have been secured by that organization, and for the civil order and harmony that have resulted. We thank Thee for the support of our institutions of religion, by which the Christian faith and hope and love of the people have been cherished, and in which they have found expression. We thank Thee for our institutions of learning, in which the young have been educated in heart and in intellect, and have been fitted to become useful citizens and members of the community. We thank Thee for all the noble sons and daughters who have been born in this town, who have lived and labored within its borders, or who have gone forth to discharge the various offices for which they were fitted in other towns and other lands. We thank Thee for those who have gone forth to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, thy Son. We thank Thee for those who have gone forth as beloved physicians, to work in another field of the Master's service. We thank Thee for those who have gone forth as leaders in commerce; who
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have done business on the great waters, and have helped to carry the blessings of commercial intercourse and modern civi- lization round the world. We thank Thee for all who have labored with their hands or with their hearts, for all who have shown their faithfulness to Thee and to duty, in whatever posi- tion thou hast placed them, whether engaged in cultivating the soil, in ploughing the deep, in mechanical occupations, or in trade and commerce. And we would thank thee, heavenly Father, for the order and harmony that have characterized the proceedings of this town. We thank Thee for the warm hearts of the inhabitants, who have been ready to rescue and to re- ceive to their homes the shipwrecked mariners who have been cast on our shores. We thank Thee for those who went forth in. the early wars to defend the rights of their country and to redeem the land from oppression ; and we thank Thee for . those who, in the later struggles of our common country, have shown their patriotism, their self-sacrifice, their willingness to do service, and to shed their blood in defence of their common country. And especially at this time would we remember those who have borne arms in the late war, and who are here with us. We would remember those who are absent from us, . and especially him who was a noble leader of our forces in our great struggle, and who received a severe wound in our cause. And we would remember those brave young men whose forms repose in distant parts of our country, or which were brought . to their home for burial, who have died so nobly in defence of all that was most precious to us.
And while we thank Thee for all these blessings, while we thank thee for our sons and our daughters, while we thank Thee for all the prosperity with which thou hast favored us, we would sup- plicate a continuance of thy favors, and pray Thee to enable us, in the future, to be more true, more devoted, more faithful, more loyal, more patriotic, than in the past. And while we supplicate thy blessing upon us as a town, we would remember the mother town, our ancient neighbor, to whom we bear the relation of daughter, thanking Thee for the pleasant relations that have subsisted between the daughter and the mother, and praying Thee to bless that ancient mother more and more. And we would remember the other contiguous towns, which have shared
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Town of Cohasset.
in all our interests, in our prosperity and in our adversity, pray- ing Thee to shower down thy rich blessings upon them.
We would, Almighty God, remember our ancient Common- wealth, of which this town has always been a loyal member, besecching Thee to bless her; give to her increased prosperity, and grant that all the institutions that ennoble and bless our State may flourish more and more from year to year.
We would commend to Thee the chief magistrate of our Com- monwealth, the lieutenant-governor, the members of the coun- cil, and all who are associated with them in civil authority, praying Thee to send down thy blessings upon them. May they feel the greatness of the trust committed to them; may they feel that "righteousness alone exalteth a nation," and that as they promote the righteousness, honor and dignity of the State, they make this ancient Commonwealth more and more glorious.
Almighty God, we commend to Thee our common country. We thank Thee that thou hast delivered our country from all its perils ; that thou hast subdued its enemies ; that thou hast over- thrown those evil institutions that were a curse to it, and that, while we commenced our life as a town subject to a foreign nation, we are now permitted to rejoice in belonging to a country where freedom universally prevails, and all distinc- tions of class and of color have ceased.
We thank Thee that we have been enabled to welcome to our . shores strangers from over the deep, and those who have come to us from the islands of the sea ;- to welcome them to our civil privileges, to welcome them to our schools, to welcome them to all the rights and opportunities which we ourselves enjoy.
And now, heavenly Father, again we supplicate thy blessing upon us, praying thee that as this day ends the first century of our existence as a town, crowned with so many rich blessings, and leaving us surrounded with so many tokens of thy love and providential care, it may be the beginning of a new century of increased nobleness, prosperity, glory and harmony, of higher culture, and of a more Christian and elevated civilization.
Wilt thou send down thy blessing, heavenly Father, upon him who is to speak to us at this time. Send down thy blessing upon all the officers engaged in the exercises of this day. Send down thy blessing upon those who have sung to thy praise.
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And unto Thee, in the name and as the disciples of Jesus Christ, we would ascribe the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Then followed a song by the choir.
The PRESIDENT. Ladies and Gentlemen,-I have the honor and pleasure of introducing to you the Hon. THOMAS RUSSELL, of Boston, the orator of the day.
Mr. President,-It is a natural and praiseworthy feeling that leads the good men and women of New England to celebrate the day that marks the birth of each town; to repeat the names of their fathers, and to trace the steps by which each little independent community has risen from the poverty and weakness of former times to the wealth, prosperity and comfort of the present. The town government is the foundation of the State; attendance on town meeting and performance of town duties are precious training to the people ; and the New Eng- land youth, who has wandered to the ends of the earth in search of fame or fortune, looks forward to the day when he shall cast anchor near the old homestead, and hopes that, at last, his dust shall mingle with the dust of his kindred.
One hundred years ago your fathers met within these walls to receive the charter, and to organize the town of Cohasset. The careful antiquarian may remind me that the word " dis- "trict," instead of "town," was used in the act of the General Court, for the reason that Cohasset was still joined with Hing- ham in the choice of representative. But in performing muni- cipal duties and in bearing municipal burdens, in the care of roads, of the poor and of schools, in sharing the counsels of the State, and in upholding the arm of the nation, Cohasset has always shown herself to be every inch a town. And if any lingering doubts remain in your minds as to the style of your loved municipality, you will be glad to know, that in 1786 it was enacted, that all districts incorporated before 1777 should be, to all intents and purposes, towns.
The history of the founders of Cohasset begins long before this date. For they were also among the founders of Hingham.
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Town of Cohasset.
On September 18, (O. S.) 1635, Peter Hobart and twenty-nine others drew lots for homesteads, and thus organized that settle- ment, which had been begun two years before by a few of Mr. Hobart's townsmen from England. These earliest settlers bore the names of Hobart, Jacobs, Smith and Cushing. Peter Ho- bart came, with his friends, from Hingham, in Norfolk County, and, like many of the early settlers, they gave to the new town the name of their old home. In his diary we read this record : " 1635, June 8 .- I, with my wife & 4 children came safely to New England June ye 8, 1635, forever prazed be the God of Heaven, my God & King." Mr. Hobart was a man of learn- ing, of ability and of zeal-a good specimen of the strong men, who, in poverty and in danger, laid the foundations of the American Empire.
In the early annals of your parent town we find much to re- mind us of their hardships. We read of bounties given for wolf scalps; of the meeting-house surrounded by palisades as a protection against sudden attack ; of John Jacob slain by In- dians in his wheat-field, in April, 1676; of five dwelling-houses burned during King Philip's war. Such was the welcome of your fathers to these shores. Such were the perils which they gladly bore for their faith.
The horrors of King Philip's war have often been sketched. The flames that were kindled at Swanzey and Dartmouth rolled all over the land; the best blood of the youth was poured out in the meadows of Deerfield ; by Turner's Falls; in the swamps .of Rhode Island. No town, no home, no man, was safe. Won- derful was the devotion that, unaided and alone, endured the fearful conflict.
As an illustration of the sacrifices of our ancestors, we read that the public debt of the neighboring colony of Plymouth far exceeded the whole amount of personal property in that colony. Well may the historian feel pride in recording the fact that this debt was paid, principal and interest,-paid just as it had been agreed to be paid. Our fathers never dreamed of re- pudiation. And this contract-keeping people found favor with a covenant-keeping God.
This flourishing town was greatly disturbed by the question of militia elections, and by a quarrel about the location of the
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Centennial Anniversary.
second meeting-house. This quarrel I pass by as more interesting to the people of that day than to this generation. What inter- ests us most is, that the meeting-house was finally built in 1681, and that it now stands,-the oldest church edifice in the United States, containing beams which were in the first meeting-house,- fragrant with old memories. We love to believe that some of the earliest comers to Massachusetts Bay have worshipped in this venerable structure, and to know that the first-born of the Pilgrims may have sat within its walls. Such thoughts bring us into the more immediate presence of our fathers. Well for us if we could act as in that presence and be animated by their spirit.
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