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 70
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And now, in conclusion, on this day sacred to liberty, to independ- ence, and to victory, let me congratulate my fellow-citizens that we are now free and independent in name, as well as otherwise ; that we now have a municipal appellation of our own, the reputation and good char- acter of which are committed to our keeping. Let us then resolve, at this auspicious hour, that all our future municipal acts shall be such as shall promote good order, intelligence, humanity, freedom, and right- eousness among this people, and shall make the town and the name of " Wakefield," " a joy, an honor, and a praise in the land."
I will improve this opportunity, in the name and behalf of this people, to thank Heaven for inspiring the heart of our munificent friend to be thus generous to his fellow-citizens, and to thank our friend sincerely for his most princely gift. We would likewise remember, in this con- nection, that our acknowledgments are also due to that other generous and respected friend, who, in addition to his former liberality, has prof- fered the sum of $1,000 for the purpose of furnishing and decorating the halls and other rooms of the new building. Our gratitude, there- fore, to both of them, we would express and tender, with our invoca- tions for their future welfare and happiness.
And may he whose name we this day adopt, amid these imposing ceremonies, and may we who have adopted it, - may we all remember that a new and mutual obligation has been assumed by us, never to per- form any act that shall demean either party in the eyes of the other, or bring a stain upon the now fair character of the name of Wakefield.
And as our town and future city shall go onward and upward, increas- ing in population, in resources, in intelligence, in virtue, and an honor- able fame, as we hope and pray that she may, let her never forget the illustrious citizen who has done so much to enrich and adorn the place of our abode. May he long live to enjoy the sweet reward of reflecting
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that he has performed a noble and a useful work. May our historians make fair and enduring record of his acts, and our poets, from this day forward,
" To all the world his deeds rehearse, And praise him in harmonious verse."
May the name he this day secures "be better to him than that of sons and daughters"; may he ever have " that good name that is better than great riches," and be found among those whose names are written on high ; and at length, " Serus in cœlum redeat."
At the close of the address, - which was finely delivered and highly enjoyed by the numerous assembly, - the band again played an appro- priate air ; after which Mr. John S. Eaton delivered the following
POEM.
With joyful voices join, to greet This birthday of the free ; Each glad return, more dear and sweet, --- The Nation's Jubilee !
On all the winds her banner plays, Star-gemmed, with folds of light ; A nation's hopes are in its rays - The red, the blue, the white.
Her brilliant flag, whose matchless hues Float 'neath the Southern Cross, And o'er the whaler's daring crews, On icy waters toss ;
Her sacred flag, whose azure field The lightest zephyr sways, And cheers, when flying squadrons yield, The hero's dying gaze.
The polished guns, from plain and peak Opening their brazen throats, A people's gladness grandly speak In all their echoing notes. '
Let the wild tones, unhindered, fly From North to Southern wave ; Our flag, unfolding, gem the sky, - Bright banner of the brave !
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Thrice blest this day, whose breath of balm Refreshing blows, and free : No slave-step 'neath the Southern palm, No slave-ship on the sea ;
Whose peaceful breath, o'er fragrant groves Where battling columns met, Only the orange blossom moves, And lifts the violet.
That sacred turf, as emerald bright, So rudely torn and red, Closing o'er leaders in the fight, Enshrines heroic dead.
Brave souls ! with martyrs' zeal endowed, 'Neath battle's fiery crest, With triumph flashing from the cloud, Secured the victor's rest.
Bright, starry wings adorn our sky, From out the war's eclipse, Blessed, as met the prophet's eye In the apocalypse.
As this fair angel sweeps the spheres, - Angel with spotless wing, - The glories of the coming years What prophet-bard will sing ?
Our brotherhood of mighty States ! Firm on a truer plan, - For them a clearer day awaits, With brotherhood of man.
Stretching afar their gleaming lines 'Neath Freedom's ample shields, Triumphal art above them shines, Achieved on bloodless fields.
Westward the star of empire leads With most enticing ray ; And all the Prairie's fruitful meads Are blossoming to-day.
Plains rolling boundless as the seas, Whose rich, uncultured sod Withholds broad harvests from the breeze, By the fierce Indian trod.
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APPENDIX.
Those flowery wilds - it is decreed - A mightier tread must feel ; The thunder of the fiery steed, Steam-winged and shod with steel.
From East to West, with tireless feet, Shall flaming coursers bear To dwellers 'neath the torrid heat, Products of Northern air ;
Through rocky tunnels, cold and grim, Marvels of modern skill, Along the steep Sierras' rim, Reach Californian hill ;
From West to East, 'neath giant pines, And mountain summits o'er, Bear golden treasure from her mines To the Atlantic shore ;
Along the firm and shining rails, The wealth of Orient seas, Above the Indian's fading trails, - Immense, shall roll to these.
So, Progress, with unfettered limb, And bold, adorning hand, Shall cities build in forests dim, With temples deck the land :
Her bands of steel surround the zone ; Her conscious wires, the seas ; To stainless triumph marching on, And grander destinies.
So, down the ages, as they sweep Unmarred by clashing sword, Swells the blest anthem, strong and deep, - Anthem of Earth's accord !
Here, on the bright, rejoicing day Such hopeful omens crown, We come, a pleasant word to say For our dear, native town.
Fair town, whose legends, strange and old, Wrought from her bending bowers, By nobler bard have been enrolled, In fairer lines than ours.
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APPENDIX.
His graceful pen, with wondrous skill, Traced those ancestral scenes, And showed where dwelt, on plain and hill, The ancient Browns and Greens.
Nor these alone : - with nicest tact Those hardy settlers limned ; Custom and form and word and act, In flowing numbers hymned.
For us, an easier task remains, Befitting humbler powers : We sing the beauty of her plains, The fragrance of her flowers.
No soft Italian scenes we boast, Our summer skies less clear ; But prized, the grandeur of our coast, Our rocky hillsides dear.
No notes of foreign praise we swell, Not, " Naples view, and rest !" Our invitation is, - " Come, dwell In Wakefield, and be blest !"
The native Indian, dull and rude, Threading the forest wild, Beside our lakes enchanted stood, Where the Great Spirit smiled.
His wigwam's shield along these streams In rustic beauty sprang : Here, in the twilight's shadowy gleams, His dusky daughters sang.
And later, here, our ancient sires, By the same waters cheered, Over the Indian's smouldering fires, Their scanty dwellings reared ;
Fought for their title to the soil With hungry wolf and bear ; And where the savage sought his spoil, Erected house of prayer.
All honor to those rugged men, The coming needs foresaw, And laid foundations firmly then, Of liberty and law.
APPENDIX.
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Their children here, and children's sons, O'erspreading hill and glen, Have crowned with grace the work begun By those uncultured men ;
With stately dwellings decked the slopes, With neat, attractive homes ; And crested the fair mountain-tops With Learning's ample domes.
Her classic sons, from thence sent forth, Superior place to claim, Attest their rich, unfailing worth, With ripe, scholastic fame.
!
Sons, absent long, this day returned To childhood's rural seat, Where kindling fires of genius burned, With welcome true, we greet.
From this smooth, academic ground, Whence streams of knowledge pour, On smiling valley look around, The waving heights explore !
Broad, fertile fields and greenest shores, With sparkling rim of light, To generous feast from Nature's stores, Our willing feet invite.
From rounded Cedar's airy crest, View lake, with leafy hem, Two fairy islands on its breast, Shining a crystal gem, -
The sparkling waters of Smith's Pond (As olden records say), While the green hillside steeps, beyond, In verdure stretch away.
Or climb to Castle's grander cone, Firm as the mountains be ; Around - the forest's swaying zone, Beyond -the restless sea.
Broad lines of woodland, bending down O'er smooth and yielding turf, Touch the bold headland, rough and brown, Swept by the ocean surf ;
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APPENDIX.
White sails, far o'er the spires of Lynn, In the blue distance melt ; On rocky coast, the waves roll in And clasp with shining belt.
Elate, our western mount ascend, Haloed with golden beams : Like silver shields the lakes extend, Like silver threads the streams.
Drink beauty there, at day's sweet close, While the bright vision waits, And the celestial splendor glows At sunset's purple gates !
Northward, the flowery meadows rest Soft in the summer air ; Beyond, with sunshine on her crest, Our mother, Reading, fair,
Calm and sedate, as mother may, Over the lake's clear tide,
Watches her daughter's prosperous way, Arrayed as blooming bride, -
Bride, on whose flower-encircled brow No mark of years we trace ; Clad in her youthful beauty now, With added lines of grace.
And when, complete, her bridal gift, Munificent and fair, Heavenward its massive towers shall lift In the caressing air
To greet the mornings, still and bright, Through many coming days, Shall all the people, with delight, Award its donor praise.
His gift, for whom, from burning plains, O'er stormy billows rolled,
Are sent those slender, magic canes, His touch transmutes to gold ;
His crowning gift, whose lavish hands, And fresh, persistent powers, With verdure vests our level lands, Our thorny wastes, with flowers ;
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APPENDIX.
Who answers well that question old - " What is there in a name ? " An answer, clearly, grandly rolled, And mounts therewith to fame !
With smiles go forth the youthful brides, Circled with fairest flowers, Afar from home, to tempt life's tides : Not thus we offer ours ! .
Our town beloved, our cherished pet, Our darling and our pride, In golden ring her name is set, We keep ourselves the bride !
Our pine-clad hills and shadowy brakes, And flower-enamelled lawns, Our rocky peaks and rippled lakes, Bright in the rosy dawns ;
Our darkling dells and forest plumes, Our sprays of brilliant leaves, Our arching elms and garden-blooms, Fair in the golden eves ;
Our spotless blossoms, floating fair Upon the crystal waves, Our glitt'ring spires in sunlit air, Our fathers' hallowed graves,
And all the wealth our records bear Of old historic fame, - All these @we hold with strictest care, And yield, alone, our name !
'Neath the bright Future's glowing arch Of soft, unclouded skies, What grand processions gayly march ! What startling visions rise !
When fifty added years shall bring Their gifts of fair renown, A sweeter bard their praise shall sing, And nobler works shall crown !
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APPENDIX.
The city, from her triple hills, With ocean-girdle bound, Already looks towards mountain rills, Selecting ampler ground ;
Has gathered, now, rich highland farms, And, overcrowded thus, Northward may stretch embracing arms, And Boston come to us !
Within that shining circle bound, Whose polished " Hub" we boast, Our rustic charms no more be found, And our new name be lost !
From this clear summit, looking on Towards crowning heights of grace, Our thoughts revert to pleasures gone, - The vanished years retrace.
From out the shadowy haunts of eld, From ancient roofs, moss-grown, Arise the forms those years beheld, And swells aërial tone ;
Forms, lost to sight, to memory dear, Those mystic chambers fill ; Tones, lost to earth, from purer sphere Our waiting spirits thrill !
As the fond lovers linger long, Nor haste to say farewells, As the swan's sad, expiring song In sweetest cadence swells, -
So, on memories fond, intent, We linger with the past ; And the fair name, with childhood blent, Seems sweetest at the last !
Dear name, farewell ! Our task is o'er ; The coming glories see ! South Reading, henceforth, nevermore, - And Wakefield let it be !
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APPENDIX.
At the termination of the literary and musical exercises, on Academy Hill, a procession, consisting of those persons who were intending to participate in the Celebration Dinner, was formed, and marched to the dining tent which had been erected upon the Common.
At the same time the children belonging to the several schools of the town were furnished with a collation in the Town Hall.
The "Mammoth Tent," in which the dinner was served, covered sufficient space to accommodate, at table, two thousand guests ; and the dinner, furnished by Mr. A. A. Currier as caterer, proved to be an ample, satisfying, and enjoyable entertainment to its thousand par- ticipants.
Many of the former residents of South Reading, - now widely sepa- rated, and holding honorable positions in the various professions, - on this day revisiting the scenes of their boyhood as guests, surrounded the table, thereby adding as much to their own enjoyment, let us hope, as did their presence to the interest and success of the celebration.
N.
READING SOLDIERS' MONUMENT.
The Trustees of the Soldiers' Monument respectfully submit their doings to the town, with the action the town have taken in the matter ; also the clause of the Will of the late Abiel Holden, Esq., making a bequest for the same, and such other matter in relation to the Monu- ment as they thought might be of interest to the public.
It is well known to the citizens of Reading generally that Mr. Hol- den took a lively interest in our soldiers.
In the early stages of the Great Rebellion, he was very anxious to have a monument erected, while he lived, to the memory of those who were killed in battle or died of wounds received, or of disease con- tracted while in the line of their duty. He offered at that time to sub- scribe one hundred dollars for that purpose, but it being suggested to him that it would be better to wait till the close of the war, he reluc- tantly dropped the subject with the remark that he should not live to see a monument erected to the memory of our soldiers.
But he was so strongly impressed with the justice of having the monument at some future time, that he made in his will the generous gift of $500 for that purpose, in case of his death before the proper time arrived for erecting it.
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APPENDIX.
Mr. Holden did not live to see the monument erected. He died Nov. 4, 1863, aged 65 years, 7 months, and 25 days.
At a town-meeting held March 7, 1864, the following communication received by the Selectmen was read : -
To the Honorable Board of Selectmen, - In executing the Will of the late Abiel Holden, we hand you the following :-
"I appropriate of my funds, not especially bequeathed by my said will, the sum of five hundred dollars, and give the same to said town of Reading, in trust, and for the purpose of procuring and erecting upon that part of the cemetery in said Reading called Round Hill, a monu- ment to commemorate the deeds and perpetuate the memories of the soldiers of Reading who have been killed in battle or otherwise, or died from disease contracted, or wounds received, while in the service of the United States and in line of duty during this present War of Rebellion, provided that within two years next after my decease the said town of Reading, or the citizens thereof, shall raise the further sum of five hun- dred dollars, and with the said one thousand dollars shall procure a shaft of Italian marble, of suitable form and dimensions, and lay the foundations, and commence the erection of the same upon a pedestal of granite on said Round Hill, and shall without unnecessary delay finish the erection thereof, and cause the names of all said soldiers to be engraved thereon, with their ages and deaths, and also appropriate memorials of their military service, commencing at the lower part of the shaft and proceeding upwards. And I further appoint the select- men of said town of Reading trustees, to take charge of procuring and erecting the said monument, until said town shall, at a lawful town meeting called by a warrant, having a special article relating to this matter, by ballot, choose a Board of Trustees whose duty it shall be to complete said monument."
ARKAID T. HOLDEN, CLINTON B. HOLDEN, WILLIAM J. HOLDEN, Executors of the will of Abiel Holden.
On motion of William J. Wightman, -
Voted, That a Committee be raised to investigate the subject of the aforesaid proposition, and report to the town at a subsequent meeting, the best manner of fulfilling the requirements in said will, either by subscription or an appropriation by the town.
Thomas Sweetser, James S. Campbell, Jonathan Frost, Henry G. Richardson, and Joel M. Howard were chosen.
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APPENDIX.
At a town-meeting held March 6, 1865, the Committee presented the following report :-
The Committee chosen March 7, 1864, to investigate the subject of erecting a monument to commemorate the deeds and perpetuate the . memories of soldiers of Reading, respectfully recommend that the town accept the legacy of five hundred dollars, bequeathed by the late Abiel Holden, Esq., for that purpose, and would also recommend that the town appropriate a sum not less than five hundred dollars, nor exceed ing $1,000, for the purpose of complying with the provisions of the will of the said Abiel Holden, Esq., in relation thereto.
THOMAS SWEETSER, JAMES S. CAMPBELL, JONATHAN FROST, HENRY G. RICHARDSON,
Committee. .
On motion of William J. Wightman,-
Voted, That the town accept and adopt the report.
At a town-meeting held May 25, 1865, the following article was inserted in the warrant : -
ARTICLE 4. To see if the town will choose trustees to take charge of erecting the Monument to Soldiers, in accordance with the will of the late Abiel Holden, Esq., or what they will do in relation thereto.
On motion of William J. Wightman, - 1
Voted, To choose a Board of Trustees.
James S. Campbell, Solon A. Parker, and Joseph L. Pratt were chosen.
The Trustees visited several cemeteries for the purpose of seeing the monuments erected in them. And they also had a number of new designs presented to them.
After they had selected the design, the principal marble-workers in Boston and vicinity brought in proposals for building the monument The contract was given to William Johnson, of Malden, for the sum of $1,500, which included the lettering and putting the monument on the lot designated. There were forty-six names put on the monument, with appropriate inscriptions.
In justice to Mr. Johnson, the Trustees will state that he fulfilled his contract to their entire satisfaction.
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1
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APPENDIX.
The following notice was printed and circulated : -
The Soldiers' Monument will be dedicated on Thursday, October 5, 1865.
PROGRAMME FOR THE OCCASION.
A procession, accompanied by the band from Fort Warren, will be formed on the Common at 1.30 P. M , arranged as follows : President of the Day, Selectmen, Public Speakers, Committee of Arrangements, a Choir of Singers, Families"of deceased Soldiers, Returned Soldiers, Schools and Citizens, which will move at 2 o'clock.
ROUTE OF PROCESSION.
From the Common, through Woburn, Chute, High, Main, Pleasant, Manning, Salem, and Main Streets, through the Cemetery to the Mon- ument, where an original ode by Mrs. P. H. Hanaford will be sung, thence to the Old South Church, where the dedicating Services will commence by a voluntary on the organ, followed by singing an original hymn composed by Miss Eliza Evans ; other appropriate singing will be interspersed throughout the services. Reading of Scripture by Rev. W. W. Hayward, prayer by Rev. William Barrows, address by Rev. W. H. Willcox, concluding prayer by Rev. H. P. Guilford.
President of the Day. - Edward Appleton, Esq.
Chief Marshal. - William J. Wightman, Esq.
Aids. - Capt. John H. Jeffrey, Capt. J. Warren Cook, James McKay, Stillman E. Parker, J. Brooks Leathe, William M. Titus, Albert Nich- ols, B. M. Hartshorn, Oliver A. Swain, and Solon Bancroft.
COMMITTEE OF ARRANGEMENTS.
James S. Campbell, Solon A. Parker, Joseph L. Pratt, Capt. John H. Jeffrey, Capt. J. Warren Cook, Andrew Howes, William Proctor, and Daniel B. Lovejoy.
READING, Sept. 30, 1865.
The services were mainly conducted in accordance with the above programme.
Chaplain A. H. Quint, of the 2d Regt. Mass. Vols., and C. C. Coffin (Carleton) were present and took part in the services.
Address by Rev. William H. Willcox, delivered at the dedication of the Soldiers' Monument, in Reading, Oct. 5, 1865 : ---
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APPENDIX.
ADDRESS. 1
We are gathered here to-day, my friends, to dedicate, not merely a monument to the dead, but also a monitor to the living. That marble shaft is not simply the permanent embodiment of our admiration and gratitude for the forty-six patriots whose names it enshrines. It shall be also, through all coming years, a silent, but most impressive, preacher of patriotism to the successive generations of our town. Erected by the generous forethought of the late Abiel Holden, and the grateful co-operation of the citizens of Reading, -the gift of the dead and the living, to commemorate departed worth, -it shall ever stand between the living and the dead, not only to perpetuate the mem- ory of the fallen, but also to rouse and stimulate the living to whatever of achievement or endurance our country may demand.
But to-day it speaks to us emphatically of the past. It reminds us of the four years of strife and blood through which, at last, the God of our fathers has triumphantly brought us. It reminds us of the brave men who so nobly turned their backs, at their country's call, upon the safety and comfort of home, and exposed themselves so cheerfully to all' the toils and privations of the camp and the march, and to all the hazards of the battle-field. It reminds us of the untold sufferings they have endured in our behalf. It tells us of some wounded and dying upon the bloody field, with no sympathizing friend to alleviate their anguish, or bear their parting message ot the loved ones at home. It tells of some cast, by the fortunes of war, as prisoners into the hands of a merciless foe, by whom the simplest necessaries of life were denied them, until starvation freed them from their tormentors. It tells of some lingering long, through weary days and sleepless nights, in the soldiers' hospital ; and of some, returning at length to home and friends, in the fond hope of years of health and prosperity, sinking under the assaults of disease, which they had brought with them from the swamps of the South. Their bodies slumber in far distant fields, some around us amid the graves of their fathers, and some in the soil which they baptized and made sacred with their life-blood. And thus they have in common with the thousands of their comrades who sleep, upon every battle-field, consecrated to a new life the whole land for which they died. Those Southern States, that in their madness would
1 When this address was written, it was with the expectation that it was to be deliv- ered in the open air. The request was made that it should not exceed twenty minutes in length. This must account for the absence of historical and biographical facts which otherwise the writer would gladly have presented.
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have broken away from the nation, have not only failed in the suicidal attempt, - they are bound to us now more strongly and tenderly than ever before. Millions of Northern hearts feel to-day an interest in those States such as they never felt before the war, - such as they probably never would have felt had not the war arisen; for those States have become a vast cemetery, sacred with hallowed and tearful associations. Myriads of homes, all through the loyal States, have their choicest treasures deposited in the valleys of Virginia and Ten- nessee, and on the bloody plains of Georgia and Mississippi ; and thus North and South are henceforth bound together, not only by mountain chains and navigable rivers, not only by a common Constitution and a common flag, but also by such unseen but indissoluble ties as bind the sorrowing heart to the sacred spot where rest the bones of its honored and beloved.
But it is not of the dead alone that this monument speaks, but also of the mourning kindred, of the widows and the orphans they have left behind them. Some of these are with us still, some within the sound of my voice to-day. In the name of the citizens of Reading, for whom I speak, I tender them our sincerest condolence and sympathy over their loss and ours. They have been called to suffer more deeply than we ; for the war has entered their homes and their hearts, and inflicted wounds which no business prosperity, and no lapse of time, can ever wholly heal. To the loved care and blessing of Him who hath promised to be the widow's God and the Father of the fatherless, would we prayerfully commend them, with the fervent hope that their grief may be blended and softened with something of patriotic joy that they have been permitted to offer such precious sacrifices upon their country's altar.
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