USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Groton > Historical address delivered at Groton, Massachusetts, July 12, 1905, by request of the citizens : on the celebration of the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the settlement of the town > Part 2
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By the same decision of the king our other adjoining neigh- bor, Townsend, - for at that time Pepperell had not as yet taken on a separate municipal existence, - was deprived of more than one quarter of her territory; and the present towns of Brookline, Mason, and New Ipswich in New Hampshire now are reaping the benefit of what she then lost.
Enough of the original Groton Plantation, however, was left to furnish other towns and parts of towns with ample material for their territory. On November 26, 1742, the west parish of Groton was set off as a precinct. It comprised all that part of the town lying on the west side of the Nashua River, north of the old road leading from Groton to Townsend, and now known as Pepperell. Its incorporation as a parish or pre- cinct allowed the inhabitants to manage their own ecclesias- tical affairs, while in all other matters they continued to act with the parent town. Its partial separation gave them the benefit of a settled minister in their neighborhood, which in those days was considered of great importance.
It is an interesting fact to note that in early times the main reason given in the petitions for dividing towns was the long distance to the meeting-house, by which the inhabitants were prevented from hearing the stated preaching of the gospel. At the present day I do not think that this argument is ever urged by those who favor the division of a township.
On April 12, 1753, when the Act was signed by the Gov- ernor, the west parish of Groton was made a district, - the second step toward its final and complete separation from the mother town. At this period the Crown authorities were jealous of the growth of the popular party in the House of Representatives, and for that reason they frowned on every attempt to increase the number of its members. This fact
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had some connection with the tendency, which began to crop out during Governor Shirley's administration, to form districts instead of towns, thereby withholding their representation. At this date the west parish, under its changed political con- ditions, took the name of Pepperrell, and was vested with still broader powers. It was so called after Sir William Pepperrell, who had successfully commanded the New England troops . against Louisburg; and the name was suggested, doubtless, by the Reverend Joseph Emerson, the first settled minister of the parish. He had accompanied that famous expedition in the capacity of chaplain, only the year before he had re- ceived a call for his settlement, and the associations with the commander were fresh in his memory. The hero of the cap- ture of Louisburg always wrote his surname with a double "r"; and for many years the district followed that custom, and spelled the name with two "r's," but gradually the town dropped one of these letters. It was near the beginning of the nineteenth century that the present orthographic form of the word became general.
In the session of the General Court which met at Watertown, on July 19, 1775, Pepperell was represented by a member, and at that time practically acquired the rights and privileges of a town without any special act of incorporation. Other similar districts were likewise represented, in accordance with the precept calling that body together, and thus they obtained municipal rights without the usual formality. The precedent seems to have been set by the First Provincial Congress of Massachusetts, which met in the autumn of 1774, and was made up of delegates from the districts as well as from the towns. It was a revolutionary step taken outside of the law ; and the informality led to a general Act, passed on August 23, 1775, which legalized the change.
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Shirley, unlike Pepperell, was never incorporated as a pre- cinct, but was set off as a district on January 5, 1753, three months before Pepperell was set off as one. In the Act of In- corporation the name was left blank, - as it was previously in the case of Harvard, and soon afterward in that of Pepperell, - and " Shirley " was filled in at the time of its
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engrossment. It was so named after William Shirley, the Governor of the Province at that period. It never was incor- porated specifically as a town, but became one by a general Act of the Legislature, passed on August 23, 1775. While a dis- trict it was represented in the session of the General Court which met at Watertown, on July 19, 1775, as well as repre- sented in the First Provincial Congress of Massachusetts, and thus tacitly acquired the dignity of a town, which was afterward confirmed by the Act, just mentioned.
These two townships, Pepperell and Shirley, were the first settlements to swarm from the original Plantation. With the benediction of the mother they left the parent hive, and on all occasions have proved to be dutiful daughters in whom the old town has always taken a deep pride. In former years, before the days of railroads, these two towns were closely iden- tified with Groton, and the social intercourse between them was very intimate. If the families of the three towns were not akin to one another, in a certain sense they were neighbors.
The latest legislation connected with the dismemberment of the original grant, - and perhaps the last for many years to come, - is the Act of February 14, 1871, by which the town of Ayer was incorporated. This enactment took from Groton a large section of territory lying near its southern borders, and from Shirley all that part of the town on the easterly side of the Nashua River which was annexed to it from Groton, on February 6, 1798.
Thus has the old Groton Plantation, during a period of two hundred and fifty years, been hewn and hacked down to less than one half of its original dimensions. Formerly it con- tained 40,960 acres, while now the amount of taxable land within the town is 19,850 acres. It has furnished, substantially, the entire territory of Pepperell, Shirley, and Ayer, more than one half of Dunstable, and has contributed more or less to form five other towns, - namely, Harvard, Littleton, and Westford, in Massachusetts, besides Nashua and Hollis, in New Hampshire.
The early settlers of Groton, like all other persons of that period of time or of any period, had their limitations. They
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were lovers of political freedom, and they gave the largest liberty to all, -so far as it related to their physical condition ; but in matters of religious belief it was quite otherwise. With them it was an accepted tradition, - perhaps with us not entirely outgrown, - that persons who held a different faith from themselves were likely to have a lower standard of mo- rality. They saw things by a dim light, they saw " through a glass darkly." They beheld theological objects by the help of dipped candles, and they interpreted religion and its rela- tions to life accordingly. We living two hundred and fifty years later can bring to bear the electric light of science and modern discovery. We have a great advantage over what they had, and let us use it fairly. Let us be just to them, as we hope for justice from those who will follow us. Let us remember that the standards of daily life change from one century to another. Perhaps in future generations, when we are judged, the verdict of posterity will be against us rather than against the early comers. More has been given to us than was given to them, and we shall be held responsible in a correspondingly larger measure. It is not the number of talents with which we have been entrusted that will tell in our favor, but the sacred use we make of them. In deciding this question, two centuries and a half hence, I am by no means sure of the judgment that history will render. Do we as a nation give all men a square deal ? The author of the Golden Rule was color-blind, and in its application he made no difference between the various races of mankind. This rule applied to the black man equally with the white man. . Do we now give our African brother a fair chance? It is enough for us to try to do right, and let the conse- quences be what they will. "Hew up to the chalk line, and let the chips fly where they may," once said Wendell Phillips. We hear much nowadays about the simple life, but that was the life lived by the settlers, and taught to their children, both by precept and example. Austere in their belief, they practised those homely virtues which lie at the base of all civilization ; and we of to-day owe much to their memory. They prayed for the wisdom that cometh from above, and
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for the righteousness that exalteth a nation; and they tried to square their conduct by their creed.
The early settlers were a plain folk, and they knew little of the pride and pomposity of later times. To sum up briefly their social qualities, I should say that they were neighborly to a superlative degree, which means much in country life. They looked after the welfare of their neighbors who were not so well off in this world's goods as they themselves, they watched with them when they were sick, and sympathized with them when death came into their families. In cold weather they hauled wood for the widows, and cut it up and split it for them; and when a beef " crittur" or a hog was killed, no one went hungry. When a man met with an ac- cident and had a leg broken, the neighbors saw that his crops were gathered, and that all needful work was done; and after a heavy snow-storm in winter, they turned to and broke out the roads and private ways with sleds drawn by many yoke of oxen belonging in the district. Happily all this order of things is not yet a lost art, but in former times the custom was more thoroughly observed, and spread over a much wider region than now prevails. When help was needed in private households, they never asked, like the lawyer of old, "And who is my neighbor? " They always stretched out their hands to the poor, and they reached forth their hands to the needy.
To us it seems almost pathetic, certainly amusing, to see how closely they connected their daily life with the affairs of the church. As a specimen I will give an instance found in the note-book of the Reverend John Fiske, of Chelmsford. It seems that James Parker, James Fiske, and John Nutting wished to remove from Chelmsford and take up their abode in this town. The subject of their removal was brought before the church there in the autumn of 1661, when they desired the "loving leave " of their brethren so to do, as well as prayers that the blessing of God might accompany them to their new homes. The meeting was held on November 9, 1661, when some discussion took place and considerable feeling was shown. Mr. Fiske, the pastor, shrewdly declined to commit himself in the matter; or, according to the record,
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declined to speak on the question "one way or the other, but desired that the brethren might manifest themselves." At the conference one brother said that there was no necessity for the removal, and hoped that the three members would give up their intention to remove, and would remain in Chelms- ford. Reading between the lines it seems as if this town had invited the three men to settle here; and Brother Parker speaking for them ("in the plural number") said that God's hand was to be seen in the whole movement. The same hand which brought them to Chelmsford now pointed to Groton. Apparently the meeting was a protracted one, and "scarce a man in the Church but presently said the grounds, the grounds." This was another form of calling for the ques- tion, - in other words, for the reasons of the removal, whether valid or not. While the decision of the conference is not given in exact language, inferentially it was in favor of their going, - as they were here in December, 1662. James Parker was a deacon of the Chelmsford church; and perhaps there had been some slight disagreement between him and a few of the other members. Evidently he was one of the pillars of the body at Chelmsford; and at once he became a deacon at Groton. To us now it is amusing to see what a commotion in the church was raised because these three families purposed to remove to another town. "Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth." Fortunately for this town James Parker, James Fiske, and John Nutting with their households came hither to live, where they all became useful and influential citizens far above the average. In his day James 'Parker was the most prominent man in Groton, filling many civil and military positions; the next year after coming James Fiske was chosen selectman, and later town-clerk; and John Nutting was appointed surveyor of highways. There are in this audience, doubtless, at the present moment many descendants of these three pioneers who had so many obsta- cles thrown in their way before taking up their abode here. If these families had not removed hither at that early period, perhaps their descendants now would be celebrating anniver- saries elsewhere rather than here, and might never have known
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what they lost by the change in their respective birthplaces. Without being able to call them by name or to identify them in any way, to all such I offer the greetings of this gathering on the good judgment shown by their ancestors.
This town took its name from Groton, Co. Suffolk, England, which was the native place of Deane Winthrop, one of the original petitioners for Groton Plantation. His name stands at the head of the list of selectmen appointed in 1655 by the General Court; and to-day we should give him the title of Chairman of the Board. He was a son of John Winthrop who came to New England in 1630 as Governor of Massachu- setts; and it was in compliment to him that the name of his birthplace was given to the town. Without much doubt he was a resident here for a few years; and in this opinion I am supported by a distinguished member of that family, now deceased, who some time ago wrote me as follows :
BOSTON, 27 February, 1878.
MY DEAR DR. GREEN, - It would give me real pleasure to aid you in establishing the relations of Deane Winthrop to the Town of Groton in Massachusetts. But there are only three or four letters of Deane's among the family papers in my possession, and not one of them is dated Groton. Nor can I find in any of the family papers a distinct reference to his residence there.
There are, however, two brief notes of his, both dated "the 16 of December, 1662," which I cannot help thinking may have been written at Groton. One of them is addressed to his brother John, the Governor of Connecticut, who was then in London, on business connected with the Charter of Connecticut. In this note, Deane says as follows : -
" I have some thoughts of removing from the place that I now live in, into your Colony, if I could lit of a convenient place. The place that I now live in is too little for me, my children now growing up."
We know that Deane Winthrop was at the head of the first Board of Selectmen of Groton a few years earlier, and that he went to reside at Pullen Point, now called Winthrop, not many years after.
I am strongly inclined to think with you that this note of December, 1662, was written at Groton.
Yours very truly,
ROBT. C. WINTHROP. SAMUEL A. GREEN, M. D.
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During my boyhood I always had a strong desire to visit Groton in England, which gave its name to this town and indirectly to six other towns in the United States. Strictly speaking, it is not a town, but a parish; and there are tech- nical distinctions between the two. More than fifty years ago I was staying in London, and as a stranger in that great metropolis, even after many inquiries I found much difficulty in learning the best way to reach the little village. All my previous knowledge in regard to the place was limited to the fact that it lay in the county of Suffolk, near its southern border. After a somewhat close study of a Railway Guide, I left London by rail for Sudbury, which is the only town of considerable size in the immediate neighborhood of Groton. After changing trains at a railway junction, of which the name has long since faded from my memory, I found myself in a carriage alone with a fellow-passenger, who was both courte- ous and communicative, and thoroughly acquainted with the country through which we were passing. On telling him the purpose of my visit, he seemed to be much interested, and told me in return that he was very familiar with the parish of Groton; and he had many questions to ask about our good old town, which I was both able and glad to answer. It soon turned out that my hitherto unknown friend was Sir Henry E. Austen, of Chelsworth, Hadleigh, who, on reaching Sud- bury, gave me a note of introduction to Richard Almack, Esq., of Long Melford, which I used a day or two afterward with excellent results. From Sudbury I drove in a dog-cart to Boxford, where I tarried over night at the White Horse Inn, and in the morning walked over to Groton, less than a mile distant. This place, - the object of my pilgrimage, - I found to be a typical English village of the olden time, very small both in territory and population, and utterly unlike any of its American namesakes. Its history goes back many genera- tions, even to a period before Domesday Book, which was ordered by William the Conqueror more than eight hundred years ago, and which registers a survey of the lands of Eng- land made at that early date. The text is in Latin, and the words are much shortened. The writing is peculiar and hard
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to read ; but it gives some interesting statistics in regard to the place.
On reaching the end of my trip I called at once on the rector, who received me very kindly and offered to go with me to the church, which invitation I readily accepted. He expressed much interest in the New England towns bear- ing the name of Groton, and spoke of a visit made to the English town, a few years previously, by the Honorable Robert C. Winthrop, of Boston, which gave him great pleasure. We walked over the grounds of the old manor, once belonging to John Winthrop, first Governor of Massachusetts ; and Groton Place, the residence of the lord of the manor at that time, was pointed out, as well as a solitary mulberry-tree, which stood in Winthrop's garden, and is now the last vestige of the spot. In strolling over the grounds I picked up some acorns under an oak, which were afterward sent home to my father and planted here, but unfortunately they did not come up. I remember with special pleasure the attentions of Mr. R. F. Swan, who took me to a small school of little children, where the teacher told the scholars that I had come from another Groton across the broad ocean. He also kindly made for me a rough tracing of the part of the parish in which I was more particularly interested; and as I had left the inn at Boxford when he called, he sent it by private hands to me at the Sudbury railway-station. All these little cour- tesies and many more I recollect with great distinctness, and they add much to the pleasant memories of my visit to the ancestral town, which has such a numerous progeny of municipal descendants in the United States.
Of this large family our town, now celebrating the two hun- dred and fiftieth anniversary of its birth, is the eldest; and as the " first-born, higher than the kings of the earth."
The next child in the order of descent is the town in Con- necticut, - younger than this town by just half a century, and during the Revolution the scene of the heroic Ledyard's death. It was so named in the year 1705, during the Gov- ernorship of Fitz-John Winthrop, out of respect to the Suffolk home of the family. In population this is the largest of the
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various towns bearing the name, and contains several thriving villages. It is situated on the east bank of the Thames River, in New London County.
The next town in age is the one in Grafton County, New Hampshire, which was originally granted by the Legislature of that State as early as July 3, 1761, under the name of Cockermouth, and re-granted on November 22, 1766; but the present name of Groton was not given until December 7, 1796. It was chosen by certain inhabitants of the place, who were connected either by birth or through kindred with this town. The population is small, and the principal pursuit of the people is farming, though there are eight or ten saw- mills within its limits. Mica is found in great abundance, and forms the basis of an important industry. There is a Spectacle Pond, lying partly within the town, of which the name may have gone from. this neighborhood. There are two villages in the township, the one known as North Groton, perhaps the more important, and the other situated near the southerly border, and known as Groton. Between these two villages, in the centre of the territory, are the town-house, and an old burying-ground where fifteen years ago I examined many of the epitaphs and found a few family names that are still common here in our burying. ground.
. The fourth child in the municipal family is the town of Groton, Caledonia County, Vermont, a pretty village lying in the Wells River valley, and chartered on October 20, 1789, though the earliest settlers were living there a few years before that date. The first child born in the town was Sally, daughter of Captain Edmund and Sally (Wesson) Morse, who began her earthly pilgrimage on September 2, 1787. The father was a native of our town, and principally through his influence the name of Groton was given to the home of his adoption among the foot-hills of the Green Mountains. Wells River runs through the township in a southeasterly direction, and with its tributaries affords some excellent water-power along its course. This stream rises in Groton Pond, a beautiful sheet of water, and empties into the
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Connecticut at Wells River Junction, a railway centre of some importance.
My visit to the town was made on July 26, 1890, and while there I called on the Honorable Isaac Newton Hall, one of the oldest and most prominent citizens of the place, who kindly took me in his buggy through the village, pointing out by the way the various objects of public interest. The Methodist Episcopal Church, situated at one end of the village street, had some memorial windows, of which two had inscriptions, as follows: -
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Capt . Edmund . Morse Born . Groton . Mass . 1764 Died . Groton . Vt . 1843
Sally . Morse . Hill Born . 1787 - Died . 1864 The . First . Person . Born . in . Groton
Before leaving the place I walked through the burying- ground and examined some of the epitaphs, but none of the names reminded me particularly of the parent town.
The next town of the name is Groton, Erie County, Ohio, which was settled about the year 1809. It was first called Wheatsborough, after a Mr. Wheats, who originally owned most of the township. It lies in the region known as the Fire Lands of Ohio, a tract of half a million acres given by the State of Connecticut in May, 1792, to those of her citizens who had suffered losses from the enemy during the Revolu- tion. Like many other places in the neighborhood, the town took its name from the one in Connecticut.
Late in the autumn of 1889 I happened to be in Nashville, Tennessee, as a member of a committee on business con- nected with the Peabody Normal College in that city, of which ex-President Hayes was chairman. On telling him incidentally that I purposed on my return homeward to stop for a short time at Groton, Erie County, Ohio, he kindly in- vited me to make him a visit at his home in Fremont, which
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was very near my objective point; and he said furthermore that he would accompany me on my trip to that town, which offer I readily accepted. On the morning of November 27 we left Fremont by rail for Norwalk, the shire town of Huron County, - a county in which the township of Groton formerly came, - where we alighted, and at once repaired to the rooms of the Firelands Historical Society. Here we were met by several gentlemen, prominent in the city as well as in the His- torical Society, who showed us many attentions. We had an opportunity there to examine various objects of interest con- nected with the early history of that part of the State. Then taking the cars again on our return, we proceeded as far as Bellevue, where we left the train. Here at a livery-stable we engaged a buggy and a pair of horses, without knowing ex- actly to what part of the township I wished to go, as I was then told that there was no village of Groton, but only scat- tered farms throughout the town. One man, however, said that there was a place called Groton Centre, which seemed to me both very natural and familiar, and so thither we directed our course. After driving over very muddy roads for five or six miles, we inquired at a farm-house the way to Groton Centre, where we were told that a school-house in sight, half a mile off, was the desired place. There was no village what- ever to be seen in any direction; and the building was the public voting-place, on which account the neighborhood re- ceived the name. The town is entirely agricultural in its character, and the land is largely prairie with a rich soil. It is small in population, and does not contain even a post-office. The inhabitants for their postal facilities depend on Bellevue and Sandusky, adjacent places.
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