USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Historical collections, Vol. II > Part 29
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The Greeks, while they had what they called their " sleeping fields," for the burial of their dead, the custom prevailed, to a considerable extent, to burn the bodies of deceased kindred, and to preserve their ashes carefully gathered up, and de- posited in ornamental jars, to be sacredly kept as mementoes of those loved ones passed away.
The enstom of burning the bodies of the dead prevailed also with the Romans and many of the less civilized people of that age.
All these ancient people had their cemeteries invariably lo- cated without the walls of their cities. Intermural interments were forbidden by special enactments. This course was adopted through a superstitious idea that the presence of the dead was a pollution to the living.
Both the Greeks and Romans, as also those of the ancient and wealthy Asiatic races, expended immense sums of treas- ure in erecting receptacles for the bodies of deceased relatives.
Many of these tombs are still preserved as interesting spec- imens of antiquity, to which thousands in modern times have made exenrsions to witness the labors of a former civilization.
Along the borders of those national highways constructed by the Romans during their imperial splendor, even now re- garded as among their greatest achievements in national glory, they buried their dead, and erected to their memory those monuments which, in some instances, yet remain, and in a dead language, engraved in marble, continue to repeat all that is known in most instances, that the ashes of one once living repose in silence beneathi.
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The more costly and magnificent tombs have taken the name " Mausoleum," derived from the very remarkable edi- fice erected to the memory of Mausolus, King of Halicarnas- sus, an ancient city of Asia Minor, by Artemisia, his wife, as a memorial of affection and honor for her deceased husband. This occurred about 353 years before the Christian era, and was ranked among the seven wonders of the world. On the top of this immense structure, surrounded by a lofty colon- nade, was a colossal statue of Mausolus. History refers to this magnificent building as standing in the twelfth century.
It is supposed to have been overthrown by the elements ; probably by an earthquake, or lightning.
Having remained in ruins about five or six centuries, and many works of skill and art transferred to ornament other more modern structures, its remains yet excited the curiosity of many travelers, until 1846, when Lord Stratford obtained permission of the Sultan to remove a number of slabs from this work to supply antique curiosities for the British museum.
Again, in 1856, a more effectual research was made here by the British vice-consul, at Mitylene, Mr. Charles F. Newton, who, after great expense in excavation, succeeded in discover- ing vast quantities of the original Mausoleum, including mo- saic pavements, vessels of terra cotta, figures, and statues ; many of these and other works of art were the labors of Grecian masters. He discovered the base of the tomb, which was thirty-seven feet in height. The circumference of the whole structure was 472 feet, and its foundation was cut into a solid rock.
The extent of Mr. Newton's excavations disclosed the en- tire wall which inclosed this immense pile, which measures 1,300 feet.
The total elevation of the whole structure was ascertained to be 140 feet, 3 inches.
Among the great quantity of the very interesting relies
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obtained here, once part of this wonderful edifice, were many that were part of the statue of Mausolus, formerly crowning its top. All these having been shipped to England, and placed in the British museum, those belonging to the statue have by much care been titted together, and now again ex- hibit complete in that institution that ancient work of art, after a period of over 2,000 years.
CHURCH BURIALS.
Interment in vaults under churches, and not unfrequently in chambers formed in the walls of cathedrals and church editices, near the altar, was first introduced at an early period in the history of Christianity. The parties who were first honored with burial in connection with places consecrated to religions devotion, were those who had suffered death for their belief and support of the cause of Christianity.
From this origin many pious persons were led to desire that their place of rest after death should be in these conse- crated places. This superstitious feeling at length became so general, that in densely populated districts the basements of places of religions worship became the receptacle of vast col- lections of human remains.
The incapacity of the vaults for all that desired this place of rest for their bodies after death, led to the consecration of grounds immediately surrounding their venerated places of worship, which took the name of church-yards. The custom of consecrating grounds for this purpose soon became general in all Christian countries. In this country may be seen in all the old States the meeting-house and grave-yard associated together. The prevalence of this custom continued down to quite a recent period.
The most remarkable of these places are the vaults beneath the church of St. Peter and the Pantheon at Rome; the Church of the Holy Cross, at Florence ; Campo Santo, of Naples ;
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the cathedrals of Toledo, Grenada, and the Pantheon of the Escurial, in Spain ; the St. Denis, Notre Dame, Church of the Innocents, and the Pantheon, in Paris; and Westminster Abbey, in England ; this latter, perhaps, among the most remarkable.
Long lines of kings and princes, and those noted for their eminence in piety and virtue ; those illustrious in learn- ing, science, and the arts ; or great as military and naval heroes, or philanthropists,-have alike served to increase these collections, continuing through a period of more than a thousand years.
Finally, as superstition and traditionary custom began to give place to the spirit of intelligence, and the principles of sanitary protection for the living, these vast charnel-honses, by their near approximation to the assemblies of the living, be- came revolting to all reflecting minds that understood the effect of the noxions vapors issuing from this vast mass of decomposition of human bodies.
An important movement first took place, in opposition to this mode of interment, in the year 1773, in Paris, by an order from the government to close the Cemetery of the Innocents, in that city, against future interments. This act was soon followed by a law forbidding interments in most of the vaults of other churches there.
This movement led to the adoption of the rural cemetery, and a return to the wisdom of the ancient civilization, exclud- ing interments of the dead from the near abode of the living.
It is a verification of the maxim, that history is but the repetition of itself; one set of ideas and enstoms becoming ob- solete, and, for a time, remaining in disuse, are again revived as something new.
The cemetery of the ancients gave place to the saintly custom of church burial, which, in turn, is superseded by the necessity of a renewal of the custom of the ancients.
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The establishment of the cemetery on the high lands to the north-east of the city of Paris, known as Pere la Chaise, was the result of this change of custom. These grounds were formerly the residence of the confessor of Louis XIV, Pere la Chaise, and by him named Mont St. Louis. This Jesnit remained in the court of the king thirty-four years ; where his name became notorious through his influence over his master, in connection with the king's mistresses, Mesdames De Montespan and De Maintenon, particularly with the latter, in the severe persecutions of the French Protestants. It was their influence mainly which led to the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, and the consequences that followed.
This spot which was formerly the beautiful gardens of that favored but bigoted priest, has become a depository for the illustrious dead of that noted metropolis.
It is said that these high grounds, containing about eighty acres of land, were set apart for this purpose by order of the first Napoleon, through a motive of philanthropy ; but were given, by Louis XIV, through religious bigotry, to a favorite, whose chief notoriety was his rigid spirit of intolerance and persecution.
MARCY'S MILLS.
The first improvement of the water-power of the Quine- bang river, in this town, was the erection of a saw-mill, in 1732, by Moses Marcy, a native of Woodstock, who removed to this place with his wife and five children, and built hin- self a house near the west end of the present dam, now owned by the Central Manufacturing Company ; this saw-mill he erected at that end of said dam. At a meeting of the Med- field proprietors (of the grant of land now Sturbridge), held November 29, 1733, it was voted that Moses Marey have fifty acres of land granted him if he will build a grist-mill on the Quinebaug, where he hath built a saw-mill, to be com- pleted before the last of September, 1736.
24A
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This grist-mill was also located on the west side of the river, just below the saw-mill, between the west end of the present dam and the Central mill.
The west side of this river was in Sturbridge, and the east then in Oxford. It will be noticed, by referring to the deed of allotment of land in Oxford by the grantees and associates in 1688, that Joseph Dudley had 6,000 acres located at this south-west corner of that town, which not only included this Marcy tract, but much more than all that part of Charlton taken to aid in forming the town of Southbridge in 1816.
Moses Marey made his first purchase of land here of Cap- tain Peter Papillon, of Boston, who succeeded to the lands owned by Joseph Dudley, and deeded to Mr. Marcy lots, styled "Nos. 2 and 4," one hundred acres each, Angust 6, 1732, for £400 ; and his executor, John Wolcott, of Salem, deeded him another one hundred acre lot styled "Lot No. 6," March 25, 1736.
Besides the fifty-acre lot granted him by the proprietors of New Medfield, as an inducement for erecting a grist-mill here, Mr. Marey bought Lot No. 64, 73 acres, of Ezra Clark, one of said proprietors, October 27, 1738.
Thus at this early day in the progress of settlements at this place, he was the principal owner of land in this vicinity upon both sides of the river. William Plimpton, who will be referred to in another part of this work, owned, adjoining on the west, at what is now the Globe village, from whom de- scended William Plimpton, Junior, Gershom, Senior, father of the late Captain Gershom and Oliver Plimpton, Esq .; and ad- joining on the east, below what is now the Columbian mills, was the land of Colonel Thomas Cheney, part of which soon after came into the possession of the Ammidowns. At that time Joseph Sabin owned the lands opposite Colonel Cheney, beyond the Red bridge, recently the David Putney place. Above the William Plimpton lands, along the Quine-
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baug, at Westville (as now known), was Colonel Daniel Plimp- ton, and further up this river, at the place lately known as Jephthah and Ziba Plimpton mills, was the land of James Plimpton ; these two latter were sons of Jolm Plimpton. Thus the original owners of the land along the Quinebaug river, who were the first settlers, were John Plimpton, at Westville and vicinity; William Plimpton, at Globe village ; Moses Marcy, at center village ; Colonel Thomas Cheney, ad- joining below and at Saundersdale ; and Joseph Sabin, Caleb, and Philip Ammidown, his father, opposite to Colonel Cheney, north and east of the Red bridge ; which included all the land bordering the Quinebaug within the limits of this town.
Moses Marcy, at this time, possessed 423 acres, covering all the center village ; at the time of purchase 300 acres were located in the south-west corner of Oxford. After the west part of that town was set off and incorporated as the town of Charlton, this 300 acres became a part of that town, but were finally a part of Southbridge, when this town received its incorporation in 1816.
Colonel Moses Marcy commenced life in quite moderate cireminstances, but soon rose to a position of distinction in Sturbridge and vicinity. He added other large tracts of land to his estate, but made no further improvement of this water- power during his lifetime, which terminated on October 9, 1779, at the age of 72. A large part of this real estate fell to his son, Jedediah Marcy, who was born in Woodstock on September 1, 1725, and was married in Dudley, to Mary Healey, where he located and continued a resident during his life ; and also where several of his children located.
His fourth child, a son, Jedediah Marcy, Junior, born July 26, 1757, married Ruth Learned, of Dudley, March, 1782, and moved to this estate, the homestead of his grandfather, and received from his father, Jedediah Marcy, of Dudley, a
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deed of this place, including the mills and 400 acres of land, for the consideration of £1,000 ; this deed bears date, " April 27, 1789." It was witnessed by, and acknowledged before, Caleb Ammidown, Esq., of Charlton.
There does not appear to have been any further improve- ment of this water-power beyond that of the saw mill and grist-mill, until the year after this estate became the property of Jedediah Marey, Junior. The owner, at this time, of this real estate, is familiarly known as the late Captain Marcy. The year following his purchase, as is believed, in 1790, there was introduced here, by John Gray, the clothier's business, includ- ing the carding of wool into rolls, as was formerly the custom for preparing wool to be spun in families upon the " hand- wheel," now out of use ; also the dyeing of yarn and domes- tic made cloth, the napping, fulling, and dressing of the same. This branch of business has, many years since, been brought into disuse by the introduction of machinery for the spinning of wool and weaving of cloth, operated by water-power. These clothier's works were introduced here several years after those by the Plimptons above.
Mr. Gray conducted these works abont eight years, and then sold his interest to Zebina Abbot, who continmed this business in connection with a small country variety store ; the first store opened in what is now the center village of Sonth . bridge, about the year 1799. Soon after he sold his interest here : his store to Oliver Plimpton, Luther Ammidown, and others; and his clothier's business to his brother-in-law, Mr. George Sumner, from Spencer. Mr. Sumner was an active and intelligent man, and soon became a prominent citizen in the affairs of the old parish. He was an efficient co-operator in proenring the incorporation of the parish territory as the town of Southbridge. According to the best evidence ob- tained, Major George Sumner, familiarly known for many years as Deacon Sumner, removed to this place about the year 1802.
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He continued this business about ten years, and removed to a building which he had erected near the cotton-mill, lately owned by Calvin A. Paige ; he purchased the surplus water of that cotton-mill about 1814, and carried on his business there until he sold out his interest and retired, about 1832.
When he left Marcy's mills about 1814, a new manufactur- ing company was formed for the manufacture of wool at this place. The following persons were stockholders: Jeremiah Shumway, Benjamin Freeman Shumway, Jacob Oaks, Joseph Marcy, Timothy Paige, Esq., and Dr. Reuben Harrington. These parties bought of the heirs of the late Captain Marcy one half of this water-power by contract, including the power on the west end of the dam, where stood the old mills of Colonel Moses Marcy ; they erected an addition to the old buildings, and introduced machinery for spinning and weav- ing-the latter by hand-looms.
This company conducted its business about two years as the Charlton Manufacturing Company ; but after the parish was incorporated in the month of February, 1816, as the town of Southbridge, they applied to the Legislature, and, on the 15th of June following, were incorporated as the Southbridge Factory Company, for the purpose of manufac- turing wool in the town of Southbridge. All the foregoing members of the Charlton Manufacturing Company were named in the act of incorporation, except Jacob Oaks. They continued this business until Angust, 1818, when the com- pany failed, and the property passed back to the heirs of the Marcy estate.
Soon after this failure the manufacture of wool was com- menced here, and continued about two years by Jedediah Marcy and his father-in-law, Colonel Moses Healey, of Dudley, under the charge of Adolphus Bartholomew (father of A. J. Bartholomew, Esq., now of this town), as superintendent. After this business was closed, Mr. Jedediah Marcy leased
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this manufacturing property to John Dawson and his son, John F. Dawson, who continued the business until about 1824, when these parties failed and relinquished their interest here. Soon after the Dawsons left, the mill and machinery was leased to John Shaw and William Chisholm ; they proving unsuc- cessful in this business, in 1825, Mr. Jedediah Marcy having bought the interest here of Colonel Healey and the other heirs, the whole property in these mills and the real estate connected with them, extending south to the rear of the stores and dwellings on Main street, became his undivided interest on both sides of the river.
This estate, known as Marcy's mills, had, up to the year 1827, continued in the name of the family, since the first pur- chase by Moses Marcy in 1732, a period of 95 years, when on May 1, 1827, it passed by deed from the Hon. Jedediah Marcy to Deacon Elisha Cole, for the consideration of $10,000. This deed included the mills and five acres on the north side of the river, and about twenty acres the south side of the river. Deacon Cole conveyed by deed, December 26, 1832, to Royal Smith-consideration $6,000-the mills and the five acres as aforesaid, and about 84 acres on the south side of the Quinebang .*
Mr. Royal Smith held this property and operated the grist and saw mills up to January 10, 1836 (the old woolen-mill and machinery, which for several years had been known as the Cow-Tail Factory, had been destroyed by fire soon after Shaw and Chisholm left the premises), and then conveyed by deed his interest to Hon. Ebenezer D. Ammidown, for the consideration of $9,000, including the saw-mill, grist-mill, all the water- power here, and about 12 acres of land.t
Mr. Ammidown soon after organized the Central Cotton Mills Company, and conveyed this estate to that corporation.
* For Marcy's deed see Worcester Records, book 254, pp. 562 and 563 ; and for Cole's deed see same, book 290, p. 459.
+ Sce Records of Deeds at Worcester, book 312, p. 478.
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For all further information relating to this water-power, many years known as Marcy's mills, on Quinebaug river, see the history of the origin and progress of the Central Cotton Mills Company, in Southbridge, now under the part proprie- torship and management of Chester A. Dresser, Esq.
DRESSER MILL OR COTTON-MILL OF CALVIN A. PAIGE.
This mill is located on land formerly a part of the Marey estate. The original purchase was twelve and one-half acres of land, March 26, 1814, made by John Green of Warwick, Rhode Island, and William Summer of Sturbridge, of Jacob Edwards and wife. The consideration was $516.87-five eighths were conveyed to John Green, and three eighthis to William Sumner.
The condition in the deed gave the right to build a dam to flow all they may need, and to build any mill, except a grist- · mill or saw-mill.
The deed was signed in presence of Rensselaer Child, of Woodstock, and Oliver Plimpton, Esq., and acknowledged before.Oliver Plimpton, justice of the peace, the same day. Recorded, Worcester Records, April 6, 1814, book 189, p. 538.
The undisputed water-power is 14,282 feet, with a claim by Mr. Paige of two feet in addition.
Mr. Sumner soon became the principal owner, but, by his decease in 1822, the property became for sale, when it was bought of the heirs of the Sunmer estate, by Colonel William Foster, in 1823. Mr. Foster becoming involved in debt, and failing, conveyed the estate to Samuel H. Babcock, of Boston .*
On the 28th of June, 1831, Mr. Babcock conveyed the same by deed to Harvey Dresser, for $12,500, including real estate and machinery.
This cotton-mill, with all the real estate and machinery was
* See Records of Deeds at Worcester, book 265, p. 63.
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incoporated as the " Dresser Manufacturing Company," Febru- ary 14, 1834 ; the corporators were Harvey Dresser, and his wife's brother, Jerry Merritt, of Charlton, Samuel Stafford, of Providence, and Benjamin W. Kimball, and their associates ; with a corporate capital of $75,000 real estate, and $150,000 personal estate.
Mr. Dresser deceased soon after the property was incor- porated, and Mr. Stafford, of Providence, having failed in his private business, the trustees and administrators of Mr. Dres- ser's estate, in adjusting its affairs, formed a new company, under the same act, which was organized, July 20, 1835 ; the stock having been subscribed for at a previous meeting.
The proceedings for organization were as follows, to wit :
"1st. Voted to accept the act of incorporation.
"2d. Chose Linus Child, Esq., moderator.
"3d. Chose Ebenezer D. Ammidown, clerk.
"4th. Chose Linus Child, Esq., treasurer.
"5th. Chose Linus Child, Esq., and Ebenezer D. Ammidown, directors. "6th. Chose Ebenezer D. Ammidown, agent."
Mr. Ammidown continued the agent of the corporation to January 1, 1845, when he was succeeded by Colonel Alexan- der De Witt, of Oxford, who held the office to the year 1850, at which time Calvin A. Paige was chosen, and held that office till the mill was destroyed by fire. The paid capital was $36,000.
The manufacturing capacity was 50 looms, and the prepa- ration needful for operating the same, for making light weight sheeting from No. 14 yarn.
GLOBE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, GLOBE VILLAGE.
The Globe village takes its name from the Globe Manufac- turing Company, which was incorporated by an act of the Legislature, October 17, 1814. The corporators were Thomas Upham, David Fiske, Samuel Newell, James Wolcott, Jr., Perez B. Wolcott, Josiah J. Fiske, and Francis Wheelock.
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The act of incorporation styles the parties "The Globe Man- ufacturing Company," for the purpose of manufacturing cotton and woolen cloth and yarn in the town of Sturbridge, with all the privileges and liabilities of manufacturing companies, under the act passed, March 3, 1809. Their authorized cap- ital was not to exceed $30,000, in real estate, nor over $50,000 in personal estate .*
When the poll parish was incorporated in 1801, the resi- dents of what is now known as the Globe village were Oliver Plimpton, who possessed a farm of 244 acres, valued in 1798, three years before, at $3,115; Gershom Plimpton, Senior, 173 acres, valued at $2,704 ; the late Captain Gershom Plimpton, then Gershom, Junior, lived with his father ; Jonathan Perry, 100 acres, valued at $1,550 ; Samuel Fiske, 46 acres, valued at $437; and Samuel Newell, 10 acres, valued at $85; this valuation was exclusive of buildings. The only improve- ment of the water-power at the time of the first survey of the parish territory, preparatory for obtaining a town grant, in the year 1812, was a grist-mill, and a mill for making linseed-oil, located on the west side of the Quinebang river, on the south side of the road leading to Sturbridge, near the bridge ; and a saw-mill near the bridge on the same side of the river, north of said road.
The first improvements here were made by William Plimp- ton, of Medfield, one of the original proprietors of the grant for a town, which is now Sturbridge.
He was born at Medfield, May 26, 1700; married Kesiah Dwight at Medfield, November 3, 1725 ; died, April 27, 1770 ; this William was son of Joseph, who was born at Medfield, November 15, 1677, and who died, October 21, 1740.
One son of this William was Gershom, born at Medfield, January 14, 1733, who subsequently became a man of enter- prise at this place ; but the clearing up of the lands and
* See Massachusetts Special Laws, vol. v, p. 35.
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commencing operations here was by his father, who probably located here about the time Moses Marcy commenced below on the Quinebang, in 1732. He, it appears, was a clothier, and learned his sons that trade, which he and they estab- lished here at an early period-the exact time when has not been ascertained; but it is known that this business was in operation here before 1758, as his son Gershom, who was married to Martha, daughter of Moses Marcy, that year, began housekeeping in the lofts over the clothier works at that time. Thus, the old canal and dam running along the west side of the river, forming a pond, where one is now seen, west of the present print-works, were no doubt constructed before 1750. To show that the son Gershom was active here at this period, it appears that his father deeded to him, as of Sturbridge, a portion of this estate, April 24, 1749 ; the first conveyance of land at this place by deed that has been seen ; which shows that this William probably came here with a family of young children ; having been married in 1725.
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