USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Abington > Celebration of the one hundred an fiftieth anniversary of the incorporation of Abington, Massachusetts, June 10, 1862, including the oration, poem and other exercises > Part 7
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7
1. Upon looking at the Province tax of 1726, the tax of Abington was only £35 1s. 8d., while that of Scituate, (then including Han- over,) was the sum of £317 6s. Abington was then the poorest town in the county of Plymouth, by all odds. There was not a town in the county but that was taxed considerably more than twice as much as Abington.
2. Twenty-five years later, viz., in 1751, out of fourteen towns in Plymouth County, it was the ninth in point of means. The Proy- ince tax for Bridgewater was the highest of any town in the county, viz. : £393 16s. ; Scituate tax was £383 10s. ; Abington tax was £111 1 4s. Halifax, $68 9s., Wareham, £70 38. 2d., Kingston, ES2 5%., being the lowest three.
3. In 1770, the year of the famous Resolves, the tax of Abington and Duxbury were alike-eight other towns being higher; that of Bridgewater exceeding that of Scituate.
4. In 1780, Abington was the eighth town in the county in valuation.
104
APPENDIX.
5. In 1800, Abington was again the eighth town in the county in the valuation.
6. In 1830, it was the sixth town-five other towns in the county being higher in the valuation.
7. In 1851, the valuation of Plymouth, of Middleborough, and of Hingham, only exceeded it.
8. In 1861, the valuation of Abington by the State greatly exceeds that of any town in the county-and while the whole State taxes of Seitnate, South Scituate, and Hanover, is $5,958, that of Abington is $7,578.
Examined and compared with the documents of the times.
ELLIS AMES. June 6, 1862.
[D.]
At a legal town meeting held at Abington, March 19, 1770-
" Upon a petition of a number of the inhabitants of said town rela- tive to trading with those that do import goods, or those that do trade with the importers, a committee was chosen to bring in Resolves, --- viz., Messrs. Daniel Noyes, Samuel Pool, Aaron Hobart, David Jones, Junr., James Hersey, Joseph Greenleaf, Esq., and Mr. Thomas Wilks,-which they unanimously agreed to, which the town voted as followeth as the opinion of this town.
" Istly. That all nations of men who dwell upon the face of the whole earth and each individual of them, are naturally free, and while in a state of nature have a right to do themselves justice when their natural rights are invaded.
" 2dly. Voted, as the opinion of this town, that mankind while in their natural state, always had and now have a right to enter into compact and form societies, and erect such kind of government as the majority of them shall judge most for the public good.
.
105
APPENDIX.
" Baly. Voted, as the opinion of this town, that Great Britain had an undoubted right to erect a monarchical government or any other mode of government had they thought proper, appoint a King and subject him to laws of their own ordaining, and always had and now have upon just occasion a right to alter the Royal succession.
" Athly. Voted, as the opinion of this town, that the right of sover- eignty over the inhabitants of this Province claimed by any former British King, or by his present Majesty by succession, was derived to them and is derived to him by recognition of the forefathers of this country, of his then Majesty as their sovereign, upon the plan of the British Constitution, who accordingly plighted his Royal faith that himself, his heirs and successors, had and would grant, establish, and ordain that all and every of his subjects which shall go to and inhabit this Province, and every of their children which should hap- pen to be born there, or on the seas in going thither, or in returning from thence, should have and enjoy all liberties and immunities of free and natural subjects, with any of their dominions, to all intents, constitutions and purposes whatsoever, as if they and every of them were born in the realm of England.
" 5thly. Voted, as the opinion of this town, that the late acts of the Parliament of Great Britain imposing duties on American sub- jects for the sole purpose of raising a revenue, are an infringement of our Natural and Constitutional liberty, and contrary to the spirit and letter of the above-mentioned Royal grant, ordination and establishment, of having and enjoying all liberties and immunities of free and natural born subjects.
" Gthly. Voted, as the opinion of this town, that no acts passed in either of the Parliaments of France, Spain or England, for the aforesaid purpose of raising a revenne, are binding to ns, and that the obedience due from us to his present Majesty in no other and kind or degree than such as he has a Constitutional right to from our fellow subjects in Great Britain.
" 7thly. Voted, as the opinion of this town, that therefore the above- mentioned acts are in themselves a mere nullity, and that he who
14
106
APPENDIX.
ri et armis seizes the property of an American subject for not paying the duties imposed on him by said acts ought to be deemed no better than a highwayman, and should be proceeded against in due course of law.
" Sthly. Voted, as the opinion of this town, that the troops (may they not more properly be called murderers) sent to Boston by Lord Hillsborough at the request of Gov. Bernard, to aid and to protect the commissioners of the customs in levying the taxes imposed on us by said acts, amount to an open declaration of war against the liber- ties of America, and are an unjust invasion of them ; and as we are refused any legal redress of grievances, we are in this instant reduced to a state of nature, whereby our natural right of opposing force is again devolved upon us.
"Oddly. Voted, as the opinion of this town, that the agreement of the merchants and traders of the town of Boston relative to non- importation has a natural and righteous tendency to frustrate the schemes of the enemies of the Constitution, and render ineffectual the said unconstitutional and unrighteous acts, and is a superlative instance of self-denial and public virtue which we hope will be handed down to posterity, even to the latest generation, to their immortal honor.
"10dily. Voted, that those persons who have always persisted in the scheme of importation, and those also who having acceded to the agreement of non-importation, have violated their promises, and as it. were stolen their own goods and sold them to purchase chains and fetters, ought to be by us held in the uttermost contempt, and that we will have no sort of commercial connection with them or with any that deal with them, and their names shall stand recorded in the town book and posted up in all public places in town as enemies to their country.
" Ilthly. Voted, that we are in duty bound not to use or consume any article from Great Britain subject to duties on the foregoing plan, and that we will not knowingly purchase of any person what- ever any such articles until said arts are repealed, neither will we
:
107
APPENDIX.
use or suffer willingly to be used in our families any Bohea Tea, cases of sickness only excepted.
" 12thdy. Voted, that a respectful letter of thanks be addressed to the merchants and traders of the town of Boston, for the noble and disinterested and very expensive opposition made by them to the late attempts to enslave America, and whereas it appears probable to ns that the goods of the infamous importers both in this and the neigh- boring governments are vended among us by pedlars, therefore,
" 13thly. Voted, we will not purchase any thing of them or suffer any person under us to trade with them, but that we will as much as in us lies discourage them and endeavor to have the laws executed against them, and all such Innholders as entertain them contrary to I:1w.
" Hthly. Voted, that a committee be chosen to inquire who among us act contrary to the foregoing votes, and return their names to the town clerk to be entered in the town books and published in Messrs. Edes & Gill's paper as persons confederating with the importers to ruin their country; and whereas the cars of our earthly Sovereign by the intervention of his wicked ministers are rendered deaf to the cries of his oppressed American subjects, and as we apprehend we have a righteous cause, and as we are assured that the ears of the King of kings are always open to the ories of the oppressed ; there- fore,
" 15thly. That we will unitedly petition the throne of grace for protection against encroaching power, whereby our civil liberties are so violently attacked, and our religious liberties endangered, and that Thursday, the 3d day of May next, be set apart by this town for said purposes. that the selectmen be a committee to wait upon our Rev'd Pastor, desiring him to lead in the exercises of said day, and that by an advertisement they invite the neighboring towns to join with us in similar exercises on said day.
" Next, Voted that the foregoing votes be recorded. and a copy thereof be forthwith transmitted to the committee of inspection in
108
APPENDIX.
Boston, together with our letter of thanks to the merchants and traders there.
" Recorded per WOODBRIDGE BROWN, Town Clerk.
" Nota Bena .- Messrs. William Reed, Aaron Hobart, and Thomas Blancker, were chosen a committee of inspection to examine who traded with the importers, and make a report to the Town Clerk, that their names may be entered in the town books by a vote of the town."
At a legal town meeting held at Abington, January 11, 1773-
"The town voted to make answer to the Committee of the town of Boston, and chose a Committee of nine persons for that purpose, viz .: Dr. David Jones, Messrs. James Hersey, Thomas Wilks, Micah Hunt, Deacon Samuel Pool, William Reed, Jr., Capt. Daniel Noyes, Poleg Stetson, and Samuel Brown.
"The Committee brought in the following report, viz., and voted : The inhabitants of the town of Abington being assembled in a legal town meeting, taking into consideration the many unhappy grievances this Province is laboring under, our rights and privileges being invaded and shamefully violated by many unconstitutional acts of arbitrary power, take this opportunity to testify our loyalty to our rightful sovereign, King George the Third, to whom we have never been wanting in duty and obedience. Whose reign is con- formable to the coronation oath, and is regulated by the British Constitution, must be mild and salutary, and be improved for the good and happiness of the people over whom he presides; moreover to testify our firm attachment and our invariable adherence to all our natural and Constitutional rights, stipulated and made over to us by the Royal Charter, which rights and privileges as we are men, Christians and subjects, we view ourselves as under indispensable obligations to use all our endeavors to uphold. maintain and defend. Furthermore, to give in our testimony against all those arbitrary
.
109
APPENDIX.
measures and despotie innovations lately taken place in this Province, viz .: Such as the appointment of a Board of Commissioners invested with such exorbitant power, to force from us our property without our consent, on purpose for raising a revenue; the extension of the Admiralty Courts beyond all rational limits ; the quartering of a standing army of regular troops in our metropolis, over whom our Governor declared he had no control, without the consent and in opposition to the remonstrances of the people, which has been the unhappy occasion of bloodshed and murder; the making our Governor (and as we hear the judges of the superior court and others,) independent of the grants of the people; the restraining his majesty's council from meeting upon matters of publie concern, unless called by the Governor,-these with many other matters of great grievance justly pointed out to us by our metropolis, the town of Boston, we clearly apprehend are a violent infraction of our natural and Constitutional rights, and have a direct tendency to subvert and overthrow our happy Constitution. Moved by these considerations, we have a hearty freedom to unite with our capital town, and with every other town in the Province, in using our best endeavors by every just and Constitutional measure, to obtain redress, relying upon that God who has the heart of kings at his disposal, and governs all the nations of the earth in righteousness, to vouchsate his blessing. Being read and considered, the town voted their acceptance nemine contradicente, and ordered the Committee to transcribe a copy and send to the Committee of Correspondence in Boston. After which, the town chose a Standing Committee to join with the Committee of Boston, and of every other town that is disposed to adopt the same measures. The Committee of Corres- pondence that was chosen was Messrs. David Jenkins, Capt. Danich Noyes, Lieut. Nathaniel Pratt, Dr. David Jones, Edward Cobb, William Reed, Jr., and Thomas Wilks.
" Attest, WOODBRIDGE BROWN, Town Clerk."
110
APPENDIX.
At a legal town meeting held at Abington, January 18, 1771-
" The town voted to take under consideration the Parliament act granting licence to the East India Company to export their Teas into America with a duty thereon.
"The town chose Dr. David Jones, Lient. Nathaniel Pratt, Thomas Wilks, Capt. Daniel Noyes, David Jenkins, Edward Cobb, William Reed, Jr., Micah Hunt, James Hersey, Eleazer Whitman, and John Hobart, a Committee to draw up some Resolves relative to the said tras-
" And the Committee reported the following Resolves, viz. : The Committee of Correspondence in Abington having received an address, together with the votes of the town of Boston at their several meet- ings, relative to a late act of Parliament granting licence to the East India Company to export their Teas into the American Colonies, for sale subject to a duty to be paid by us ( Americans) for the sole pur- pose of raising a revenue for the support of government-the address and votes before mentioned being presented and read to the town of Abington at a meeting this day held for that purpose, after due consideration and debate thereon the inhabitants come into the following Resolves :-
. "First. That it is the opinion of this town that the East India Company's Tea being sent here (or any other commodity whatso- ever) for sale, subject to duty to be paid by ns ( Americans) for the sole purpose of raising a revenue for the support of government, is a new and unconstitutional hmovation, and so greatly injurious to the just rights of America.
" Second. 'That such measures continued and persisted in will have a direct tendeney to alienate the affections of the Americans from their parent state, and will be the most likely method to dissolve their Union and finally to break and destroy the British Empire.
" Third. That it is the duty of every individual in the community as a Christian, and a good and loyal subject to his King and as a freeman, to use all lawful endeavors to oppose such measures.
111
APPENDIX.
" Fourth. That all the contrivers, promoters and abettors of such schemes ought by all men to be viewed as being at heart inimical to their Country and treated as those who have a premeditated design against the national interest.
" Fifth. That it is the firm resolution of this town closely and strictly to adhere to their rights and privileges and as far as in their power lies to frustrate the designs of their enemies who attack them, and to that end we resolve carefully to avoid purchasing, expending or improving of the said East India Company's Tea or any other commodity whatsover brought to America by any person or party whatsoever on such an invidious and injurious plan.
"Sixth. That it is the united determination of this town as good and loyal subjects to yield all that obedience to rightful sovereigns the King which the Gospel requires, and as a means conducive to that end to stand by, maintain and uphold the good and wholesome laws of the land by which we are governed in opposition to all these arbitrary tyrants, and oppressive measures lately entered into which so shamefully eclipses the glory of the British Crown, and in a very awful manner destroys the peace, happiness, and tranquillity, of the Nation, humbly relying on the God of providence who governs all events in the natural and moral world for safety and protection.
" Voted, that a copy of the foregoing Resolves be transmitted to the Committee of Correspondence of the Town of Boston."
[R.]
Among other votes showing the military ardor of the town in the Revolution, the following are found on the town records :-
In 1771. The town voted £10 to purchase amunition and fire- arms for every man above sixteen years, t pound of powder, 20 bullets, and 12 tints.
112
APPENDIX.
July 24th, 1776 .- The town voted to raise a sum of money sufli- cient to pay each man that shall enlist into the present expedition to New York, the sum of £5 10s.
July 29th, 1776 .- The town voted a bounty additional to that granted by Congress to procure soldiers to enlist in the present expedition to Canada.
March 23d, 1778 .- The town voted to provide shirts, shoes and stockings for forty-six soldiers.
June 26th, 1780,-The town voted to raise " £30,000" to hire soldiers for six months to join General Washington. Soldiers who enlisted as minute men, were allowed three-quarters of a pound of powder cach, and bullets and flints in proportion.
Among the votes of the town at a period which "tried men's souls," there are recorded two which, though apparently less military, may be noticed here :-
February 11, 1776 .- The town voted to fix prices for various commodities, as corn, rye, beef, good men's shoes, hay, horse-keeping, milk, good West India rum, good New England rum, &c.
This was probably designed to protect articles deemed indispensa- ble, from reaching exorbitant prices in war time.
June 1st, 1778 .- The town voted to warn out all who moved into this town for the future. This vote was probably designed to protect the town from liability to support any persons. thus warned out, should they become a town charge. I find no record of the reconsideration of this vote.
APPENDIX. 113
[F.]
The following is a list of the soldiers of 1812 living at the time of the celebration.
The list contains the names of a few persons who were not living in Abington in 1812, but who have since become residents of the town. The ages are as near as could be ascertained.
AGE.
AGE.
Daniel Alden,
7-1
Samuel Norton,
4
Ezra Alden, .
72
Alvah Noyes,
63
Daniel Alger,
Benjamin Noyes, . 65
Jonathan Arnold, .
68
Jacob Noyes, 67
Thomas Blanchard,
77
James Noyes,
72
Samuel N. Brown,
6t
Moses Noyes,
71
Daniel Burrill,
68
Zileon Packard,
66
John Curti -. .
Samuel Porter,
St
Joshua Curtis,
71
Noah Pratt, .
71
Rufus Curtis,
69
Martin Ramsdell,
70
Joseph Damon,
70
Abel R. Reed,
71
James Dyer, .
80
Abiah Reed, .
70
Daniel A. Ford,
71
David Reed, .
72
Saunders Gardner,
69
Goddard Reed,
74
Jonas Gilson,
73
Jonathan L. Reed,
71
Chandler R. Gurney,
70
Brackley Shaw,
80
John C. Harden, .
72
Charles Shaw,
68
Nehemiah Hobart,
70
Nathaniel Shaw,
71
Richard Holbrook,
70
John Stet-on,
73
David Humble,
73
Gridley Thaxter,
78
Isaiah Lane, .
75
Ammiel Thompson,
70
Aaron Leavitt,
71
Jesse Torrey,
72
Leonard Nash,
71
Samuel Wales,
72
Benjamin Norton,
Eleazer Whiting,
80
John Smith, .
Daniel Holbrook, .
75
1
15
114
APPENDIX.
[G.]
POPULATION.
The following figures will show the progress of the town in Population for the last eighty years :--
In 1790, the population of Abington was
. 1,453
1800,
..
..
..
1,623
1810,
..
٠،
..
1,706
1820,
.6
..
1,920
1830,
..
..
2.123
1810,
..
.6
..
3,211
1850,
..
5.269
1860,
..
..
..
8,527
VALUATION.
The following table shows the Valuation of Abington, compared with that of the County of Plymouth and of the State, at the several periods mentioned :-
YEAR.
Town.
County.
State.
1810,
$191,876 00 $10,691,719 00
$299,880,250 00
1
.
1850,
1,466,878 00
19,200,668 00
597,936,995 46
1860,
3,279,165 00
29,160,937 00
897,795,326 00
L
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.