USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Athol > Home of the ancient dead restored; an address delivered at Athol, Mass. July 4, 1859; at the consecration of the ancient cemetery of Athol, and the erection of a monument thereon > Part 1
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Gc 974.402 At46n 1779121
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REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01104 4309
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THE HOME
OF THE
ANCIENT DEAD RESTORED.
AN ADDRESS
DELIVERED AT ATHOL, MASS., JULY 4, 1859, .,
BY
REV. JOHN F. NORTON,
AT THE
Re-consecration of the Ancient Cemetery of Athol, and the erection of a Monument thereon.
WITH A REPORT OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE DAY.
.
ATHOL DEPOT:
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY RUFUS PUTNAM. 1859.
1779121
J58322.6311
REV. JOHN F. NORTON :
DEAR SIR :
The citizens of Athol who had the pleasure of hearing your address at the re-consecration of the ancient Cemetery of the town, on the 4th inst., desire its publication ; and have instructed me by unanimous vote to request of you a copy for this pur- pose. They feel that a production which presents in attractive form so many interesting facts in our early history as a town-embracing vivid descriptions both of character and event-and connecting us so intimate- ly with the storied, yet scarcely remembered Past, cannot be too highly estimated. And concurring entirely in these sentiments of my fellow- townsmen, I beg leave to communicate to you their wishes in this re- gard, and respectfully solicit a compliance therewith.
Yours Truly,
CHAS. FIELD.
Athol, July 18, 1859.
HON. CHARLES FIELD :
MY DEAR SIR :
The Address, a copy of which you ask, in behalf of our fellow-townsmen for publication, was prepared amid an unusual pressure of other duties, but since it was received with so much favor by yourself and by those whom you represent, I place it at your disposal.
I may be permitted to suggest the propriety of publishing with my address a brief history of the enterprise which led to its preparation and a report of the other deeply interesting proceedings of the day.
Truly Yours, JOHN F. NORTON.
Athol, July 20, 1859.
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Norton, John Foote, 1809-1892.
F 844038 . 6 The home of the ancient dead restored. An address delivered at Athol, Mass., July 4, 1859 . . . at the re- consecration of the ancient cemetery of Athol, and the erection of a monument thereon. With a report of the proceedings of the day. Athol depot, R. Putnam, 1859.
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SHELF CARD 21 pp. 8ยบ. -F74 .- 19518
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The Town of Athol, Worcester County, Mass., which originally bore the Indian name of PEQUOIAG, was settled in the year 1735. The early dead of this settlement were in- terred in what is now known as the "Old Burying Ground," which is about sixty rods southeast of the present Railway Station. Nearly one hundred years having elapsed since interments ceased in that place, and a dense forest having covered it, the spot was known by comparatively few of the present generation, till the attention of the Town was direct- ed to the propriety of rescuing the place from utter forget- fulness.
At a Town Meeting holden Nov. 2, 1858, a committee of which MR. GEORGE SPRAGUE was chairman, was raised and instructed to ascertain upon what terms a lot embracing all the graves that can now be traced, might be procured ; and to report the same to the Town with estimates for fene- ing, crecting a suitable Monument, &c.
This Committee reported in April, 1859, that a lot of suitable dimensions would be given to the Town by its pres- ent owners, Mr. Ethan Lord and Mr. Amos L. Cheney, on condition that it should be properly fenced and a Monument erected thereon, and recommended that an appropriation be made for this purpose.
This Report was adopted and the requisite appropriation was made.
At the same meeting Col: Thomas Townsend, George Sprague and Amos L. Cheney were appointed a Committee to carry into effect the above named resolution. These gen-
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tlemen obtained, in behalf of the Town, the legal title to a lot eight rods long and four rods wide, which embraces all the graves that can now be distinguished, fenced the same and procured a granite Monument of suitable size and suit- ably inscribed, to be erected in the centre of the lot. They then proposed that the ground be re-consecrated and the Mon- ument be erected with appropriate religious services on the coming Anniversary of our National Independence, July 4, 1859.
This proposition was seconded by the citizens of Athol, and committees were appointed to co-operate with the Com- mittee of the Town in carrying into effect this wise proposal.
At subsequent meetings of the committees, the following individuals were chosen as officers of the day :
HON. CHARLES FIELD, President.
Lyman W. Hapgood, Esq., Vice President.
Col. Thomas Townsend, Chief Marshal.
Rev. J. F. Norton was invited to deliver the Address.
On the morning of the day above named, a large con- course of citizens and strangers assembled on the grounds of the High School House, when a procession was formed head- ed by the pupils of the High School and led by the Athol Brass Band. The children of the other schools followed with distinctive badges ; then the Committees, Officers of the day, Clergy and citizens in general; and the whole pro- ceeded to the "Old Burying Ground." The assembly was called to order by the Chief Marshal, Col. Townsend, who called upon F. F. Fay, Esq., to read the proceedings of the meetings of the citizens of which he had been the Clerk, and of the Committees that had resulted in the present gather- ing. After this was done, Col. Townsend, as chairman of the committee of the town, spoke as follows :
THE MARSHAL'S SPEECH. One hundred and fifteen years after the landing of the
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Pilgrims upon Plymouth Rock, five men, viz : Richard Mor- ton, Ephraim Smith, Samuel Morton, John Smeed and Jo- seph Lord, with their wives and children, started from Hat- field for this region. All their furniture, clothing and pro- visions they carried upon their backs, and guided by marked trees, arrived in the wilderness of Pequoig one hundred and twenty-four years ago. They were then nearly fifteen miles from any other English settlement, but undismayed, they erected at once their log cabins which they shingled with hemlock bark, and laid the foundations for our prosperity. Where, O, where are they now? Go ask those head-stones the names of the pious sleepers, and they answer not. Go ask those tall, majestic pines* that witnessed the opening of these graves, the tears that were there shed, and the heart- rending sighs that were uttered, and the only response they give is the mournful dirge of the wind as it passes through their branches.
The Plymouth Rock has its Anniversary; this day which is the birth-day of our National freedom, is a glorious An- niversary, and certainly it is becoming and proper that we should assemble on this spot to-day to preserve and perpet- uate the noble virtues of the first settlers of Pequoig.
The boundaries of Pequoig were not the same as the boun- daries of Athol, for the northwest corner of the former was a few rods south of North Orange meeting-house, the north- cast corner was northeast of South Royalston meeting-house, while the southeast corner was south of Phillipston meeting house, the whole making a town six miles square. This was the first Burying Ground of Pequoig, and the dead were interred here from the four quarters of the settlement, being borne upon a rude bier which was carried upon the shoulders of men. These processions were guided by mark- ed trees ; and as unfriendly Indians abounded in this vicin- ity, all that could carried their muskets for protection. I
*Two of these pines measure eleven feet each in circumference.
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have these facts from my grandmother who received them from the pious actors in the drama.
I have now a promise to fulfil. A youth is present, who while participating in the labor of clearing the rubbish from this plot of ground, remarked he wished he could know the name of the child that slept in yonder little grave. I asked him if he should be present on the day of the re-consecra- tion ? He replied " Yes Sir," when I promised him, I would then tell him what children and parents were buried here.
North-west from this spot in the vicinity of Benj. Har- wood's, stands a tall elm tree, which you may regard as a monument to, perpetuate the memory of the Fort that was erected in that vicinity. There were two or three others within the bounds of the settlement, and in these the moth- ers and the children congregated when the Indians were abroad. In the day-time, hour after hour, these mothers would sit by the side of the Fort, with their small children in their arms and the larger children clinging to them for dear life, expecting every moment that the savages would assail them and carry away their scalps all reeking with blood. These were the mothers and these the children who were buried here. The fathers and the sons cleared away the forests and planted their corn, protected sometimes by their guns which were in the hands of their wives and mothers ; and it is one of the objects of this gathering to make, if possible, a lasting impression upon the minds of the youth and children of this assembly respecting the trials and perils of the young in the early days of Athol. Then it was necessary to build strong enclosures to keep the cattle from being stolen by the Indians or devoured by the cata- mounts, bears and wolves ; and the children then were oblig- ed to watch the cows, calves, sheep and lambs by day, and often to mourn over the destruction of some pet animal as they came out from their hiding places in the morning.
Other things I might say did time permit. Go to the Town Clerk's office and read the votes passed by the first
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settlers of Pequoig and their descendants in the days of the American Revolution. They acted as if the cause of American Independence rested wholly upon their shoulders. . See them furnishing the necessaries of life to the families of those who had gone out to battle, for Athol did nobly to keep up and strengthen the spirit that pervaded every town and hamlet in New England.
But I must close. Had I the eloquence of an Everett, or the ability of a Webster, I could hardly do justice to the virtuous deeds of the first settlers of Pequoig and their children, and I leave the other duties of this occasion to abler hands than mine. I now call upon the officers of the day to conduct our future proceedings.
Prayer was then offered by Rev. Lysander Fay, when af- ter " The Plymouth Rock" had been sung by the Athol Glee Club, the President of the Day spoke as follows :
MR. FIELD'S REMARKS .*
We have come together to-day to perform a grateful duty ; to erect a monument to the memory of the first settlers of Pequoig, and to rescue from neglect and forgetfulness, the place where they repose. And we come to the performance of this duty as a town ; represented here by the inmates of its numerous and happy homes, whose presence on this oc- casion is itself a benediction.
More than a century has elapsed since this ground, con- secrated by the tears of mourners and by affections that nev- er die, was set apart as a burial place, and these " narrow cells" were opened to receive the forms of the loved; and although in our midst-scarcely an arrow's flight from our dwellings-and hallowed by all that is beautiful and endur- ing in association, it has lain for long years unenclosed, un- visited and almost unknown.
*It was with great reluctance and after much solicitation that Mr. Field consented to have his remarks published .- PUBLISHER.
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A few years more and we should have sought in vain for the place where
"The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep."
A few years more and all traces of this ancient cemetery would have been obliterated ; and the charm which still lin- gers around it, like the Angel at the Sepulchre, would have forsaken it forever! .
These old, sunken graves, and these rude unlettered head- stones-what tales they tell !- and how touchingly they speak of the dead! What memories they awaken-what histories call up! Every trec, and leaf, and flower, and the brook, whose shimmering light and murmuring song er .- trance the eye and car, whisper to us, in this secluded and beautiful spot, of the departed, of their sufferings, their trials, their virtues; while the tear rises unbidden to the eye, and the heart beats with responsive emotion ! And yet, we come here not altogether in sadness, but rather in joy, that we are permitted to pay this tribute of respect and af- fection, and participate in a commemoration, whose remem- brance will be more acceptable than sacrifice, and more grateful than incense.
As a fitting time for this commemoration and these ob- servances, the Committee has selected the Anniversary of our National Independence-a selection, it seems to me, of po- culiar propriety. For they, by whose graves we stand, and to whose memory we raise this mute but eloquent shaft, were of that race and mould of men, who proclaimed to tl.e world the sublime truth that "all men are created free and equal ;" kindred to the bold spirits of the Revolution who did all, and dared all, to lay broad and deep the corner- stone of Liberty; the blood of whose sons reddened the battle-fields of their country; and who themselves watched and prayed, and toiled and fasted with their guns by their side.
" And these were they who gave us birth, The Pilgrims of the sun-set wave ;
Who won for us this virgin earth,
And freedom with the soil they gave."
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The singing of the Hymn, "The Nameless Grave," fol- lowed.
" Walk gently o'er that nameless grave, No weeping eye hath blest ;
For he who sleeps within hath now A calm and holy rest. . Ye knew him not-he walked amid Your pressed and peopled way ; Unheralded and unacclaimed, Nor marked by proud array.
Ye saw him-yet he marveled not,
He was not decked in gold ;
That costly drapery did not throw, Round him its purple fold. Ye asked him not his name or race, Nor questioned whence he came ;
While proudly rose o'er distant hills His household altar flame.
Have ye not learned the Great One meek, And void of high pretense ? Go look upon that nameless grave, And learn the lesson thence ; For he who slumbers there, in life Than they was more caressed, Whom sculptured urn or towering shaft, And epitaph have blest.
The President now introduced Rev. Mr. Norton who gave the following address :
MR. NORTON'S ADDRESS.
MR. PRESIDENT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN :
There are times, places and circumstances that speak with more than mortal power, that plead with more than human eloquence, that are invested under God's over-ruling provi- dence, with a degree of seriousness and interest that stir the deepest fountains of feeling in our bosoms. Is not the present such a moment ? Is not the spot upon which we have assembled such a place ? And are not all the facts con- nected with this gathering so many circumstances of intense interest, that cannot be contemplated without touching the chords of sympathy in every heart, without awakening in every pious and philanthropic soul the profoundest emotions ?
Impressed with the belief that whatever may be true of
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it at other times, the moral pulse of this vast assemblage beats at this moment in unison with my own, I could wish to reverently uncover and bow my head with yours on this solemn occasion and listen with you to the teachings of this ground upon which we tread, of these trees that wave in glory their branches over us, of this beautiful stream that has been for generations one of the guardians of this sacred spot, of these mounds and yough stones that mark the nar- row homes of the dead, and of this day of days that greets us with its smiles and carries us back to the modest virtues, bitter trials and stern conflicts of our fathers. And these shall be our instructors on this occasion ; for all I shall at- tempt will be to express in words a few of the great truths that they silently but impressively proclaim.
As already intimated,
THE PLACE OF ASSEMBLING
Is remarkable, and in itself, a teacher of profound wisdom. Never before in this part of our Commonwealth and proba- bly in no other part did a multitude like this meet together upon such a spot, for the ground upon which we tread to- day has peculiar attractions, associations and lessons of its own, that render it unusually sacred.
This is the burial place not wholly of the Unknown, but of the Undistinguished Dead. These mounds and stones over which this forest waves, mark the receptacle of the mortal remains of men, women and children ; but we nev- er saw them; few of our fathers and mothers ever saw them ; and with the exception of a small number their names are lost, for these rough stones bear no inscrip- tion, and here the tongue of tradition is silent. A man or a woman, probably a father or a mother or else a young man or a maiden was buried here, for you see the grave is full six feet in length, but upon all beyond oblivion rests ; and we stand to-day among the Undistinguished Dead. And yet this spot has its history, and each of these graves has its his-
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tory. 'Tradition and carly records give us some correct idea of the former, while our own experience aided by imagina- tion is able to unroll before our wondering eyes the sacred leaves of the latter. In 1741, eight acres of ground including the spot upon which we are now assembled, were set apart by the Proprietors of Pequoig "To Lyee in common, for a Bur- ing Place and a meeting house place, if the Proprietors shall think proper to put them too." . There is a tradition that a part of this lot was set apart for a parade ground.
Who was first buried here we know not, as we know not when the first grave was opened, but since the settlement commenced in 1735, the probability is, that it was sacred ground prior to the action just alluded to in 1741.
How many were buried here is also uncertain. Only forty graves can now be distinctly traced, but the probability is that more than this number have been obliterated by the ploughshare and harrow.
Records are in existence which assert that Robert Oliver and William Oliver were buried here, while here was the resting place of five children of Mr. Ephraim Stockwell aged nine years ; six months ; four months; four years ; two years. These were buried between 1769 and 1776, and yonder are five graves of children answering in length to the ages just given ; so that it is nearly certain that there repose the mortal remains of the children of Mr. Stockwell who was the grandfather of our townsman Mr. Geo. Sprague. Our townsman, Capt. Benj. Twichell, assures me that two of his uncles, Joseph and David Twichell were likewise buried here. Tradition also asserts that of the carly settlers, the Mortons, the Graves and the Nutts were interred in this ground. When one of a family was buried here, this ground seems to have been used as a family burying ground for a considerable time after other cemeteries were opened.
Tradition also asserts that the last person whose mortal re- mains were committed to this ground was Samuel Fairbanks, who died June 3, 1777.
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Such is the history of the spot, that now, by the generosi- ty of Ethan Lord and Amos L. Cheney, its late owners, has been secured forever as the quiet resting place of the re- mains of the ancient dead of Athol.
I have said that each of these graves has its history. Every grave has this and usually it is written in tears. Go back with me one hundred and twenty years, and let us visit to- gether this spot. Death two days since entered the ranks of the first settlers of Pequoig, and the beloved wife and fond mother was the victim. Long and resolutely did she struggle against the conviction of danger, and all was done that could be done to save her. The sympathy of every in- dividual in the settlement was aroused, and daily prayer went up from every log house for her recovery ; but she is dead ; and to-day a new grave is to receive its sacred deposit. It is opened there, and you stand with me by its side waiting for the arrival of the corpse and the band of mourners. Pres- ently they approach through the thicket yonder, four strong men bearing the rude coffin. An armed escort precedes them for there is no safety in traversing the region around, even with the remains of the dead for burial, unless a company of men with loaded muskets lead the way. The husband fol- lows and then the children. Next comes the remaining men with the women and children of the settlement, for all are mourners. A few wild flowers have been plucked by the hands of kindness, and they rest npon the quiet bosom of the sleeper. The last look is taken by the fond husband and loving children, and all weep, as the precious dust descends into its narrow house. O the agony of that moment when the conviction comes that all is done, that she is dead and buried ! But God is near to strengthen and comfort, and you see the mourning band retire, to weep indeed but still to gird them- selves anew for duty.
" Arrived at home how now they gaze around In every place where she no more is found.
The seat at table she was wont to fill,
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The fire-side chair still set, but vacant still, The garden walks, a labor all her own, The lattice bower, with trailing shrubs o'ergrown, The Sunday seat, she filled with all her race, Each place of hers is now a sacred place."
The precious remains rest here in hope : and often does the sad husband and father, often do the loving children re- pair to this spot to mingle together their tears, and to form new and high resolutions for the future. Especially between the services of the Lord's Day in his House, this ground is visited by the serious and thoughtful, for meditation here is the Sabbath School instruction of the first settlers of Pequoig. And then these graves of children around which you assem- ble to-day, cach has a touching history ; you, fathers and mothers, know how touching, if God has bereaved you of your little ones. Who stood in tears over these we know not, but cach was closed with grief not unlike in intensity, though not in origin, that of David when he cried ,, O Ab- salom, my son, my son ! Would God I had died for thee!" And can we tread this holy ground to-day without recalling in imagination the deeply affecting scenes that have here been witnessed ? Every humane heart beats in sympathy with human sorrow wherever it is experienced ; and Heav- en will not frown if we wecp to-day for the dead of past gen- erations.
THE DAY OF OUR ASSEMBLING
Increases the interest of this occasion. This is the birth- day of our countrys' liberties, Freedom's Anniversary ; and I have not a particle of sympathy with the piety or the philanthropy that cannot greet its dawning light with rejoic- ing. The work of our fathers which this day commemo- rates was indeed imperfect, and it would not have been hu- man had it been otherwise ; but it was, after all, one of the grandest works that was ever accomplished; and may my right hand forget her cunning before I shall cease to remember with gratitude, the toils, the sacrifices, the sorrows and the tri-
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umphs of the American Revolution. But did you ever think how much we owe to causes that were set in operation long before 1776? Did you ever consider how that struggle would have been fruitless had it not been for the peculiar character of some of the events that preceded it? The foundation stones of the Temple of Freedom were laid very early, yes, generations before the yoke of oppression was broken, and the birth of human liberty was proclaimed and borne on the wings of the wind to gladden the hearts of the down trodden nations. The Puritan movements in England and Holland ; the perilous voyage of the May Flower; the toils and privations, the dangers, the faith and deliverances of the Pilgrims ; the opening upon these hills and along these valleys of the ancient forests ; the founding of schools and churches and the cultivation here of the noblest virtues that adorn and bless humanity, and this, under circumstances the most unpropitious; these things, and such as these prepar- ed the way for Freedom; indeed they are the corner stones of this glorious edifice. The spirit of the men and women that entered this wilderness and converted it into a fruitful field, their honesty of purpose, their firm resolve, their en larged views, their sound judgment, their readiness to sacri- fice self for the common good, their high moral courage, their faith in God, these, these made the Declaration of July 4, 1776, the Charter of Freedom; these saved our land from being, in that day of darkness, the prey of civil fac- tions and the victim of foreign oppression. All history sa- cred and profane, and all true philosophy warrant this as- sertion and therefore render it suitable and proper for me to connect this ancient home of the dead with the day upon which we have assembled. The men and women who were buried here, were patriots, intelligent, courageous and warm friends of their country. Those were perilous days when the first settlers of Pequoig began to cut away the ancient forests and open this virgin soil to the light of heaven ; for the meadows along our noble river were frequented by
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