USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Reading > Genealogical history of the town of Reading, Mass., including the present towns of Wakefield, Reading, and North Reading, with chronological and historical sketches, from 1639 to 1874 > Part 68
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inquired of him what was said of Gen. Arnold in the American camp. The soldier recognized him, and replied, 'Sir, they say in the American camp that, could they get Gen. Arnold, they would hang him till he was rotten ; but the leg which was wounded in their service, they would bury with all the honors of war.' The sacrifice of poor André was the result of Arnold's treason. Gen. Washington appointed forty-one Officers to attend his execution ; my father was one of them. I have heard him say, it was the most awful scene he ever witnessed. Major André de- sired to be shot. When the procession reached the gallows, and the truth flashed upon him, he said to the officer who had him in charge, ' You ought to have told me of this before.' After the rope was adjusted, he was asked if he wished to say anything ; he raised the cap, looked upon all with a pleasant smile, and said, 'Nothing more than this, gentlemen : in a few moments I shall know more than you all.' All present were affected to tears. He was a noble and accomplished young officer ; but this sacrifice of him was regarded as indispensable to the salvation of the American cause. I believe, my father participated in almost every important battle during the war ; and interesting incidents of many of them I have heard him relate. But they are the record of history with which your readers are familiar, and in this sketch I have designed to state only those which are not so generally known. He frequently remarked, that after the Battle of Monmouth, N. J., June 28, 1778, he suffered discomforts from high temperature that he never experienced before ; that the heat that day was intense; and that he saw many British soldiers lying dead at brooks and creeks from the severity of the heat and from unwisely satisfying intense thirst.
" On one occasion, Gen. Washington appointed my father to go to Boston, and bring to him three thousand dollars in Gold, which was deposited there for his special use. The journey was hazardous, and must necessarily be performed on horseback. He packed it in a valise, at every stopping-place took it into the house with him, every night put it under his pillow, piled chairs, &c., against the doors and windows of the room, cocked his pistols, laid them in a chair at the head of his bed, and his drawn sword beside them; slept soundly till morning ; and returned to the camp with it in safety. At what period of the war, or where the army was at this time encamped, I do not recollect to have heard him say. He enjoyed some intimacy with the Commander in Chief, and I have seen notes inviting him to Washington's table. In- deed, it was his habit to invite all the officers of the Army in turn to his table.
" At the close of the war in 1783, my father was appointed to a regi-
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ment under the command of Col. Henry Jackson, and was not dis- charged till July, 1784. Our family are in possession of many letters he wrote to my mother, dated at West Point, during this period, from which it seems he was the principal surgeon there, and which we highly prize.
"My Grandmother, a lady highly intellectual and social, and with whom my earliest recollections are associated, was very proud of her son ; and in my childhood often told me of his personal, manly beauty and gracefulness. She said, that when he first came to Ipswich, after he entered the army, he went to meeting and wore his military dress, (that an officer's uniform was then much more showy than when she re- lated it), and that this and his handsome person, it was said, captivated a great many young ladies' hearts. If this be so, it only proves that young ladies in those days, as truly as since, were attracted by a sword knot, a sash, and a feather. She died suddenly at my father's residence, in July, 1812, in the ninetieth year of her age.
" My father married Miss Mary Gould, only child and daughter of Capt. Abraham Gould, of Stoneham. I can find no record of its date, but presume it took place in the year 1777. She was born May I, 1753. Her father commanded a company in a body of troops raised for a limited period in the Revolutionary War, and at the close of this period retired from the army. When a boy, I often played with a cannon ball which was fired at him during his service in the army ; he was riding alone at a distance from a British encampment, and being discovered by his uniform to be an American officer, this ball was aimed at him, it passed him, and fell in the road ; onr eaching it he dismounted and put in his pocket. This ball, I regret to say, is now lost.
" This union was a long and happy one, extending to nearly or quite sixty years. They survived six of their nine children. My mother, of precious, blessed memory, was a kind, gentle, affectionate parent ; she faithfully trained us all up in the way we should go, daily led us all to the throne of grace, and we all have risen up and called her blessed. To others, she was kind and benevolent, and truly sought the good of all ; always diffident and retiring, a true follower of Him who went about doing good. She died Novemer 15, 1838.
"After my father was relieved from the army in July, 1784, he settled in Reading, now South Reading, purchased his residence near the north end, and in front of Smith's Pond ; but which in these refined days is called, perhaps, by the more classic name, Crystal Lake. Well, be it so ; locomotive momentum is the watchword of our day. Here he resided some fifty years, until his death, May 27, 1836. Those lofty
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elms, one of which now stands, spreading its long branches over the spot where his dwelling once stood, were planted and reared by his own hands.
" He was the firm friend and liberal supporter of religious, educational, and benevolent institutions, and contributed freely to sustain them. He conscientiously embraced the faith of the Puritans, but was not sectarian in his opinions.
" He was warmly attached to the principles of the Revolution, and regarded the Society of the Cincinnati well suited to keep alive and perpetuate those principles. I believe he was never absent from one of its meetings, and filled some office in the Society from my earliest recol- lection, and until his death. As his only surviving son, I became his successor, and can well appreciate the reasons of his great attachment and interest in it. With this attachment and interest I perfectly har- monize.
" The active part he took in the revolutionary struggle gave him strong political opinions ; these were purely republican, and this interest in public affairs continued through life. He was elected eight times to the House of Representatives, and five times to the Senate of Massa- chusetts. He was a justice of the peace and of the quorum, and also of the Court of Sessions.
" I feel a delicacy in speaking of my father's professional life, but can- not well avoid such an allusion. He must have been a practising phy- sician some sixty-five years, and few medical men have lived, who have performed so large an amount of business as he has done. He was a close observer of disease, and the effects of remedial agents ; and pred- icated his treatment mainly upon his own observation and experience, though a constant reader of Medical Literature. My own experience corroborates their accuracy, and even at this period of my professional life, I, or rather my patients, derive essential benefit from them. He thought highly of medical associations, as adapted, by an interchange of experiences and observations among the members, to enlarge the sphere of knowledge, and increase their practical usefulness. He was a member of the Middlesex Association, which was organized in 1790, and a Fellow of the Massachusetts Medical Society, of which he was many years a Councillor. He regarded the Medical a Scientific pro- fession, as it truly is, and sternly frowned upon every thing dishonor- able or empirical.
"In this sketch I have said nothing of myself, or of my three broth- ers and five sisters ; you know their history, and for the most part my own. My life has been an active one ; it has ever been my aim to
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make my life practical and useful, and have received an ample share of professional patronage. I have never aspired to professional honors and distinctions, but have received a larger share of them than my humble merits deserved. I am a member of the American Medical Association, the Massachusetts and New York State Medical Socie- ties, of three other Medical Societies, and two other Medical Associa- tions ; have been honored with the Presidency of the Medical Societies of the Counties of Oswego and Kings, and a Curator of the Medical Department of the University of Buffalo.
" The great interests of the nation, the extending and elevating our educational institutions, have largely engaged my attention, with my best efforts for their welfare. My father's political opinions I have fully embraced, but political preferment has formed no part of my desires. Religion, inspiring and animating the pure motives of con- duct and affection, and elevating and sustaining above all earth's sor- rows, I have endeavored should incite and influence every act of my life, that I may honor Him who died for me, and fulfil the lot He has appointed me."
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M. PROCEEDINGS AT THE INAUGURATION OF THE TOWN OF WAKEFIELD, JULY 4, 1868. )
PRELIMINARY ACTION OF THE TOWN.
At a meeting of the qualified voters of the town of South Reading, in due form convened on the twentieth day of January, 1868, the fol- lowing report was submitted : -
REPORT.
To the Town of South Reading :
The Committee who were appointed to consider the matter of erect- ing a Soldiers' Monument or Memorial Hall, herewith submit a final report, as follows : -
It will be remembered that the Committee have already, at a former meeting of the town, submitted a partial report, and obtained leave longer to consider the subject ; that in said partial report the Commit- tee represented that a majority of their number was in favor of a Me- morial Hall, - first, as being cheaper, if, in the erection of a new Town
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House, provision should be made for such a hall therein ; and second, as being more useful, sentimental, and historic than a simple granite or marble monument ; that said Committee also represented that inti- mations had been given that liberal donations towards the expense of erecting a new Town House, sufficiently spacious to furnish, in addi- tion to other conveniences, a room for a Memorial Hall, might be ex- pected ; and further, that your Committee asked of the town more time to consider the matter, in order that such intimations might take shape and become definite realities.
The Committee have the pleasure to report that the expectations based upon the intimations aforesaid have been abundantly realized. The Committee are now in the possession of the assurance, ample and satisfactory : First, that a lot of land and a cash contribution of $30,000 to $35,000 (as may be needed) for a new Town House (and such fur- ther sum of money as may be necessary in order to build a house satis- factory to the town), the same being the gift of CYRUS WAKEFIELD, Esq. ; and, secondly, that $1,000 for furnishing and adorning the rooms in said proposed Town House, the gift of SOLON O. RICHARDSON, Esq., now await the town's acceptance.
Your Committee would therefore recommend the acceptance by the town of the aforesaid offers, and that in accepting them, the town tender their hearty thanks and lively congratulations to Cyrus Wake- field, Esq., for his princely proposal, and to Solon O. Richardson, Esq., for his munificent offer, and proffer to both these gentlemen the assur- ance that the town most highly appreciates these splendid gifts, and will hold the donors of them in honorable and perpetual remembrance.
The Committee would also unanimously recommend the passage of the following votes : -
First, That instead of building a granite or marble monument to the memory of those gallant soldiers from South Reading who gave their lives for their country, whenever a new Town House shall be built, provision shall be made for a suitable room therein that shall be set apart for a " Soldiers' Memorial Hall," and which shall be furnished and adorned, and supplied with portraits, relics, and other memorials of the lives and services of the living, and especially of the departed brave.
Second, That a Building Committee of seven persons be now ap- pointed (to serve gratuitously), who shall have authority to erect in behalf of the town, during the present year, upon such part of the " Noah Smith House Lot," on Main Street, in South Reading, as said Committee shall agree upon, a new Town House of sufficient capacity
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to furnish a suitable Hall for Town Meetings and Public Lectures, a Soldiers' Memorial Hall, rooms for the Town Library, Town Officers' rooms, and rooms for Military and other Municipal purposes, to cost, in addition to the land for a site, not less than $30,000 ; the size, plan, materials, and all the details and surroundings to be left to the discre- tion of said Committee, provided that a deed conveying to said town a site of suitable size, and located on said "Smith Lot," shall be se- cured ; and provided also, that a sum not. less than $30,000 shall be gratuitously furnished.
Third, That the Building Committee aforesaid shall be also author- ized to appropriate and expend, at their discretion, in furnishing and adorning the rooms in said Town House, such sums of money as are or shall be given for such specific purpose.
All which is respectfully submitted by order, and in behalf of, the Committee.
LILLEY EATON, Chairman.
SOUTH READING, January 20, 1868.
At the same meeting, Daniel Allen, from Committee on Change of Town's Name, submitted the following
REPORT :
The Committee, chosen by the town to take into consideration the subject of changing the name of the town, and also to designate a new name for adoption, would respectfully report : -
In consequence of the action of the town, at their meeting in No- vember last, upon this subject, -then voting, unanimously, to change the name, - the Committee do not deem it necessary to go into any argument, or to present facts upon that subject ; still, we are happy to state, that in all our investigations, and in all our consultations with our fellow-citizens, and in all that has come to the knowledge of the Committee, all are in confirmation of the action of the town upon the subject.
One of the most prominent objections to our present position is, that, outside of our immediate vicinity, we have no personal identity as an independent and separate town, which leads to constant inconvenience.
The First, or South Parish, of Reading, was incorporated as the Town of South Reading, in 1812, containing then a population of eight hundred, and a valuation of $100,000.
From 1850 to 1855, the town of Old Reading lost in population
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17700 per cent, while in the same period, South Reading gained 27 180% per cent.
In 1860 Old Reading contained 2,662 inhabitants, and South Read- ing, 3,207.
It is also worthy of remark, that in the settlement of the town of what is now Reading, North Reading, and South Reading, the first settlements were in South Reading, near our present Common.
The Committee, therefore, are of the opinion that we are old enough and large enough to be independent, and to have an identity as an active and independent town.
It only remains for the Committee to suggest a name for the consid- eration of the town.
Under ordinary circumstances the proposition to change the name of the town might be met with a variety of opinions ; but under the circumstances of to-day, and in view of the Report of the Committee just presented, and the general expressions made to the Committee, we take great pleasure in recommending that the name of the Town of South Reading be changed to WAKEFIELD.
All of which is respectfully submitted.
DANIEL ALLEN, S. O. RICHARDSON, J. D. MANSFIELD,
Committee.
Both these reports were, with great unanimity and enthusiasm, ac- cepted and adopted ; and Cyrus Wakefield, S. O. Richardson, P. H. Sweetser, Lilley Eaton, Daniel Allen, J. D. Mansfield, and Thomas Emerson, Jr., were chosen a Building Committee, with authority to superintend the erection and furnishing of the proposed new Town House.
In accordance with a vote of the town, the Selectmen prepared and presented to the Legislature, then in session, a petition requesting the passage of an Act in conformity with the above expression of the town.
Said petition received prompt attention, and no person appearing in opposition thereto, the following act was approved by the Governor, Feb. 25, 1868 : -
Be it enacted, etc.
SECTION I. The Town of South Reading, in the County of Middle- sex, shall take the name of Wakefield.
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SECTION 2. This Act shall take effect from and after the thirtieth day of June, in the year one thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Subsequently, it was decided to make the occasion of the assump- tion of the new title a day of general festivity and enjoyment, and to mark its advent with appropriate public ceremonies.
The town having selected the anniversary of American Independ- ence as the day for the proposed celebration, and having voted, also, a generous appropriation to defray its expenses, intrusted the arrangement and superintendence of the exercises of the occasion to the following
Committee.
CYRUS WAKEFIELD,
S. O. RICHARDSON,
DANIEL ALLEN,
LILLEY EATON,
P. H. SWEETSER,
J. D. MANSFIELD,
JAMES F. EMERSON,
LUCIUS BEEBE,
JOHN S. EATON,
JAMES OLIVER,
P. C. WHEELER,
J. F. MANSFIELD,
N. S. DEARBORN,
JOHN WINSHIP,
WM. H. ATWELL,
THOMAS WINSHIP,
EDWARD MANSFIELD,
WALDO E. COWDREY,
J. C. HARTSHORN,
CHESTER W. EATON,
JOHN F. HARTSHORN,
JOHN G. ABORN,
E. H. WALTON,
T. J. SKINNER,
M. P. WHEELER,
J. WHITTEMORE,
JOHN WILEY, 2D,
RICHARD BRITTON.
This Committee labored with diligence and faithfulness in the arrangement of the various details, - and very successfully, also, as the smoothness with which the programme was executed abundantly testi- fied. Especial credit is due to DANIEL ALLEN, Chairman ; EDWARD MANSFIELD, Treasurer ; T. J. SKINNER, Secretary ; and to CYRUS WAKEFIELD and SOLON O. RICHARDSON, for their liberality and labors in aid of the celebration.
THE DAY
Opened brilliantly, to the music of pealing bells, and through all its shining hours from a cloudless sky was poured a perfect blaze of sun- light, rendering the shadows of the graceful elms peculiarly grateful and refreshing.
A national salute, at sunrise and at sunset, awoke the hillside echoes, and helped to swell the mighty anthem of rejoicing which, on that day, rose heavenward from a free and peaceful republic.
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The town of Wakefield, always beautiful, on this day presented unusual attractions, the brilliant hues of fluttering flags and decorated arches mingling charmingly with its emerald lawns and leafy avenues, which throughout the day were filled with a happy and perspiring com- pany.
The Committee secured the services of Col. William Beals, of Bos- ton, who furnished the various arches, mottoes, and flags, for decorating the streets and public buildings ; while many of the citizens placed upon their dwellings beautiful and appropriate embellishments, and extended to their thronging visitors a welcome, - warm, cordial, and refreshing.
At eight o'clock, the regular exercises of the day commenced with a morning concert, on the Common, by the Boston Brigade Band, which performed a selection of popular airs.
The concert assembled a large collection of people, and the beauti- ful music of the band was heartily applauded.
At nine o'clock a procession was formed under the marshalship of Major John Wiley, 2d, and moved in the following order : -
Aid.
Detachment of Police. Chief Marshal. Aid. Brown's Brigade Band. Richardson Light Guard, Capt. J. F. Emerson. Yale Engine Co., No. I, Capt. Richard Britton. Carriages, containing the President of the Day and CYRUS WAKEFIELD, Esq. ; The Historian and Poet ; Chaplain of the Day ; Reader and Toast-Master ; Committee of Arrangements ; Invited Guests ; Aid.
Aid.
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Town Officers and Clergymen of Reading, North Reading, and Wakefield. Employees of Wakefield Rattan Works. Employees of Emerson's Sons Shoe Manufactory. Citizens. Children of the Public Schools, in Carriages.
The procession commenced to move at about ten o'clock, passing over the designated route through the principal streets, and reaching the High School Grounds soon after noon.
The streets along the route, at many points crowded with spectators from this and the surrounding towns, were exceedingly dusty, and the march in the intense heat was relieved by halts, frequent and refreshing.
The procession presented a fine appearance, and the presence of the
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school-children, in large numbers and in appropriately decorated car- riages, added much attractiveness to this portion of the ceremonies.
The exercises on the hill were conducted in a large tent, erected for the purpose, where seats had been prepared for the invited guests, aged citizens, etc., and under the guidance of Daniel Allen, Esq., President of the Day.
Rev. Charles R. Bliss opened the exercises with prayer ; after which, the President said : -
It becomes my pleasant duty, in behalf of the Committee of Arrange- ments and the town of Wakefield, to bid you to our new relations a cheerful welcome. In the order of exercises I shall be followed by those who will give you the interesting facts and details in regard to our town, and the relation which we have this day assumed.
We heartily bid you welcome to our new town, and to the new rela- tions we assume to-day among the towns of the Commonwealth. Wel- come to our beautiful hills and valleys. Welcome home, -those of you who were former residents of this town. To all of you, welcome again, not to South Reading, but to the Town of Wakefield. We bid you welcome, on this national holiday, to the scenes of your early daysa and hope the exercises of this occasion will bring no discredit to the time-honored town of South Reading.
In conclusion the President introduced Mr. B. P. Snow, Principal of the High School, of Wakefield, who read, in a very acceptable manner, the Declaration of Independence.
The band played "Hail Columbia," when Hon. Lilley Eaton was introduced, who read the following
HISTORICAL ADDRESS,
Mr. President, and Ladies and Gentlemen :
On this most interesting and joyful occasion, this national birthday anniversary, this new and memorable era in our municipal history, - the stirring memories of other days, the gallant deeds of our ancestors, in the acquisition and defence of freedom and independence, and more recently, of our brothers and sisters, and sons and daughters, for the preservation of that freedom and independence ; the interesting story of our town's early settlement, its progress in population, resources, knowledge, and refinement, its present bright and auspicious prospects, all the exciting considerations to which this twofold celebration of our national freedom and local prosperity gives rise, come thronging before
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the mental vision in such profusion as to be wellnigh overwhelming. As I look around upon this numerous and expectant assembly, com- posed of the strength and beauty and élite of the vicinity. and find my- self standing among the venerable and hoary fathers of the ancient town of Reading, in the presence of the professional talent and official dignity of the town, of the neighboring towns, and of other States, I would fain preserve that golden silence which is far more precious than any language of mine, and I would be silent, not for the want of thoughts, kindling thoughts, for of such I am full, but for the want of burning words and animating sentences with which suitably to express the sentiments and emotions of this eventful opportunity.
But a duty has been assigned me as the historiographer of the occa- sion, that I must proceed to perform as I may be best able. The half hour allotted for this service will permit me to do scarcely more than simply to glance at a few of the more striking events and incidents of our national or municipal story.
It is natural, honorable, and appropriate that at this advanced date and prosperous condition of our village life, we should first revert to our day of small things, -to the early settlement of our village ; seek acquaintance with those men who first located upon these pleasant plains and swelling hills, and around these lovely lakes, in the midst of what was then a lonely, howling wilderness, - those men
"- who did, for conscience' sake, Their native land forego, And sought a home and freedom here Two hundred years ago."
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