USA > Massachusetts > Historical collections, being a general collection of interesting facts, traditions, biographical sketches, anecdotes, &c., relating to the history and antiquities of every town in Massachusetts, with geographical descriptions > Part 53
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SHIRLEY.
THIS town was incorporated in 1753. This town is well watered, and a large proportion of the township consists of low lands, and its pastures are not considered so good as those of more hilly towns. In the central part of the town are two Con- gregational churches, one of which is Unitarian. The largest
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SOUTH READING.
village in the town is in the southern part, near a stream which empties into Nashua river. There is a Universalist church in the village. A society of Shakers live on the southern borders of the town, and their lands extend into Lancaster, in Worcester county. The society consists of from 150 to 200 persons, and are distinguished for their neatness, industry, and the raising of garden seeds, &c. In 1837, there were 3 cotton mills, 2,568 spin- dles ; 474,364 yards of cotton goods were manufactured, valued at $52,100; males employed, 19; females, 39; one woollen mill; 20,000 yards of cloth were manufactured, valued at $12,000; two paper-mills; 300 tons of stock manufactured; value of paper, $20,000; twenty hands (10 males, 10 females) employed; 70,000 palm-leaf hats were manufactured, valued at $12,333. Popula- tion, 967. Distance, 16 miles from Concord, 18 from Lowell, and 32 from Boston.
SOUTH READING.
THE settlement of this place, now called South Reading, was first commenced by emigrants from Lynn. As early as the year 1639, a grant of land was made by the general court to the town of Lynn, as appears from the following extract from the records of the court : "Sept. 7, 1639. The petition of the inhabit- ants of Lynn for a place for an inland plantation at the head of their bounds is granted them of four miles square." After this grant, certain persons from Lynn and other places immediately commenced the settlement of the place; indeed, some had taken possession of certain spots of territory, and perhaps had removed hither, in 1638, the year before the grant. The settlement that commenced was called Lynn Village, being a part of the town of Lynn. The land was also purchased of the Indians for £10 16s., and the deeds signed, in 1640, by Sagamore George, his sister Abigail, and Quanapowitt. Lynn village was incorporated by the name of Reading about this time, being about five years since its first settlement. The following are the names of the first settlers, viz :
Nicholas Brown, Geo. Davis,
Boniface Burton,
Wm. Eaton,
Thomas Hartshorn, Thomas Kendall, Goodman Knight,
John Bacheller,
Jonas Eaton,
Zachariah Fitch, Wm. Marlin,
Goodman Barker, Goodman Blots, Isaac Barnup,
Benjamin Fitch,
Thomas Marshall, John Poole, Thomas Parker,
Henry Feltch, Jeremiah Fitch, John Fuller, Goodman Gould,
John Person,
Jeremiah Swaine,
Edward Taylor.
Wm. Cowdrey, Thomas Clark, Josiah Dustin, Thomas Dunton, Samuel Dunton, Richard Walker,
Thomas Hutchinson, Richard Sader, Wm. Hooper, Samuel Walker,
PP
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SOUTH READING.
The first Congregational church in this town (being the 12th in the colony) was gathered in 1645, and Rev. Henry Green was ordained its first minister. Mr. Green died in 1648, and was suc- ceeded by Rev. Samuel Haugh, in 1650.
Johnson, in his " Wonder Working Providence of Zion's Saviour in New England," published about this time, says : " Reading is well watered, and situate about a great pond ; besides, it hath two mills, the one a saw mill, the other a corn mill, which stand on two several streams. It hath not been so fruitful for children as her sister Woburn hath; her habitation is fuller in the very centre of the country; they are well stocked with cattle, for the number of people. They have gathered into a church and ordained a pastor from among themselves, at the same time a young man of good abilities to preach the word, and of a very humhle behaviour, named Mr. Green. He, having finished his course, departed this life not long after, whose labors are with the Lord : after him succeeded in the place one Mr. Hagh, a young man, one of the first fruits of New England, a man studious to promote the truths of Christ .- They are both remembered in the following verse, written by Johnson :
" On earth's bed thou at noon hast laid thy head, You that for Christ (as Green) here toiled have taken ; When nature fails, then rest it in earth's dead, Till Christ by 's word with glory thee awaken ; Young Hagh, thou must be second to this man In field encounter, with Christ foes shalt thou Stand up and take his bright sword in thy hand, Error cut down, and make stout stomacks bow. Green's gone before, thy warfare's now begun, And last it may to see Rome's Babel fall ; By weakest means Christ's mighty works hath done, Keep footing fast till Christ thee hence do call."
The township of South Reading comprises a tract of 4,200 acres, and is about equidistant from Boston, Cambridge, and Andover, being about ten miles from each. It was originally the first parish in Reading. It was incorporated as a distinct town in 1812. About this period there was quite a political excitement in Read- ing, as well as in many other places ; the inhabitants of the south parish, being mostly on the Democratic side, were left in the minority of the town. Feeling themselves aggrieved by their townsmen who were on the Federal side, they petitioned the legislature for an act to incorporate them into a distinct town, which was accordingly granted.
The following shows the appearance of the central part of South Reading, as it is seen while descending the hill a little west of the village. On the left is seen the southern extremity of Reading Pond or lake, near which is the Congregational church; the spire of the Baptist church is seen further to the south. South of the Congregational church extends a handsome green, called the " com- mon," containing about 8 or 10 acres. The different parts of the town, when spoken of in reference to the residence of the people, are designated by the following terms :- "The Common," "Fitch's Hill," "Leather Street," "Side the Pond," "Cowdrey's Hill," " Lafayette Street," " Eaton Street," "Water Street," "Little World," "West Ward," "East Ward," and "South Ward."
The village called the "Common " contains about twenty dwelling-houses, the two churches represented in the engraving, a number of mercantile stores and mechanic shops, and a large
54
426
SOUTH READING.
nna ena
sim
Western view of the central part of South Reading.
hotel. This is the most thickly settled part of the town. That part called " Fitch's Hill" extends eastward of the north part of the Common, on the Salem road, about one fourth of a mile ; this spot received its name from Zachary Fitch, who removed from Lynn, in 1644, and probably erected the first house in this part of the town. It was formerly called " Fitch's Lane," on account of its narrowness at that period. In reference to this, one man rather unwittingly remarked, "that it was so narrow that two teams could not meet." "Leather Street" extends westerly from the Common, on the road to Woburn and Reading ; it is said to have derived its name from the fact that, many years since, a man lived in this street who was so much in the habit of stealing sole leather, that if any one lost this article it was said that it had gone to this street. That part designated "Side the Pond " extends about one mile on the Andover road, on the eastern verge of the Great Pond. "Cowdrey's Hill," in the western part of the town, received its name from the family of Cowdreys, who have long owned and still own a large portion of its territory. "Lafayette Street " was laid out for making building lots ; it is westerly from the Common, and is about one furlong in extent. "Eaton Street" is on the casterly side of the Common, and is a sort of court, extending about a furlong ; it was laid out in 1813, and received its name from L. Eaton, the proprietor of the land. Near this street is built the South Reading academy. "Water Street " extends easterly from the Common, about half a mile, towards Saugus; it derives its name from running alongside of a current of water which comes from Smith's Pond, in the south part of the town. "Little World" is in the south-easterly part of the town, and was so named from its peculiar location, being somewhat remote from the center of the town, and is a small extent of territory surrounded by bills on every side. This spot was originally cleared and culti- vated while all the land around was covered with trees, and thus
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SOUTH READING.
enclosing its inhabitants in what was called a "little world." " West Ward" includes that part of the town lying west of the Common. "East Ward" is applied to the, east and north-east part of the town ; "South Ward," to the southern part.
The territorial extent of this town being quite limited, and most of the inhabitants being engaged in manufactures, very little attention is paid to agriculture ; the great staple and settled busi- ness of the town is the manufacture of ladies' shoes. It is esti- mated that of the four hundred male polls in the town, 250 are engaged in this manufacture. In 1837, there were manufactured 175,000 pairs of shoes, valued at $142,000 ; males employed, 260; females, 186; value of tin ware manufactured, $24,000; hands employed, 28; value of block tin ware, $4,700; razor straps, $5,400; shoe tools, $3,000. Population, 1,488. Distance, 18 miles from Concord, 10 from Salem, and 10 to Boston.
The following is extracted from a manuscript History of South Reading, by Lilley Eaton, Esq., to which history the author is indebted for most of the facts relative to the history of this town :
[In 1649,] " Three married women were fined 5s. apiece for scolding.
1650. "The deputy to the general court was Richard Walker. The court ordered 400 acres of land to be laid out to Rev. Samuel Haugh.
" The majority of the court ordered a book lately imported from England, composed by Wm. Pynchon, of Springfield, on Redemption Justification, to be burnt in Boston, and its author called to an account. Deputy from Reading and 5 others dissented.
1662. "This year the town ordered that no woman, maid, nor boy, nor gall shall sit in the South Alley and East Alley of the M. House, upon penalty of twelvepence for every day they shall sit in the alley after the present day .- It was further ordered, ' That every dog that comes to the meeting after the present day, either of Lord's day or lecture days, except it be their dogs that pays for a dog whipper, the owner of those dogs shall pay sixpence for every time they come to the meeting, that doth not pay the dog whipper.' The names of 26 men are recorded as agreeing to pay to the dog whipper.
1664. " This year the town exchanged lands with Matthew Edwards, he paying 30s. and a gallon of liquor to boot.
1667. "This year the town contained 59 dwelling-houses. It was ordered, that every dog that comes into the meeting-house in time of service shall pay sixpence for every time he comes.
1741. "Collins, the Journalist remarks, ' that this year there were extraordinary commotions with respect to religion. The people meet often, especially at the East- ward.' This extract refers to an excitement on the subject of religion begun the past year through the preaching of George Whitefield. Mr. Whitefield preached upon our common in the open air ; Mr. Hobby, the minister, went with the multitude to hear him .- It is said that Mr. Hobby afterwards remarked that he came to pick a hole in Mr. Whitefield's coat, but that he (Whitefield) picked a hole in his heart. Mr. H. afterwards wrote and published a defence of Mr. Whitefield, in a letter to Mr. Hench- man, the minister of Lynn, who had written against him.
1799. " Twenty-three persons, members of the Baptist society, petitioned the parish for liberty to hold religious meetings in centre school house, when the same is not in use, and obligating themselves to pay all damages-this request was not granted.
1800. " The meeting-house of the Baptist society was built this year ... the dimen- sions of it were 34 by 38, with a porch. On the occasion of erecting the frame of this house, the society appointed a committee to provide for the hands good beef, well baked potatoes, brcad and cheese, cider and grog, and enough of each.
1813. "The Universalist society of this town was formed. The town soon after voted that the Universalists may use the centre school house for religious meetings one Sabbath in a month, preceding the full of the moon."
The following inscriptions are from monuments in the ancient burying-ground in the center of the town :
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STOW
Memento te esse mortalem-Fugit hora. Here lies the body of John Person. Aged 64 years. Died April 17, 1679-vive memor Læthi-fugit hora.
Sargent Thomas Kendall, died July 22, 1684. Aged 63 years.
Reader weep, prepare to die I say, For death by none will be said nay. One of the 7, of this church foundation, So to remain till the powerful voice say Rise in health, a glorious habitation. A pattern of piety and of peace, But now, alas ! how short his race. Here we mourn, and mourn we must, To see Zion's stones like gold laid in dust.
To the Memory of Capt. John Brown Esq., who, after he had served his generation by the will of God, fell asleep March 11, A. D. 1717, ÆE. about 83.
Witty, yet wise, grave, good, among the best, Was he. The memory of the just is blest. Prudent, a pattern, and more I say, A hearty mourner for the sins of the day ; Bless'd God, when dying, that he feared not death. His pious soul took wings, give up her breath, Dropp'd here her mantle in the silent dust, Which waits the resurrection of the just.
STONEHAM.
THIS town was incorporated in 1725. It is about four miles in length, and two in breadth. The surface of the township is rather rocky and uneven, and a considerable portion of it is wooded. There is a beautiful pond in the south part of the town, called Spot Pond, filled with pure water. The village, in the center of the town, consists of about 40 dwelling-houses. Distance, 15 miles from Concord, and 10 from Boston. Population, 932. The manufacture of shoes is the principal business of the town. In 1837, in the Statistical Tables published by the state, it is stated that in this town were "Shoes manufactured, 380,100 pairs; value of same, $184,717 ; males employed, 297 ; females, 180."
STOW.
THE Indian names of this place were Pompsiticut and Shabbukin, from "two notable hills." It appears that the first minister called to the pastoral office in this place was the Rev. John Eveleth ; this was in 1700. Mr. Eveleth was dismissed in 1717. Rev. John Gardner was ordained in 1718, as the next pastor; he died in 1774, and was succeeded by Rev. Jonathan Newell the next year. Stow is 8 miles south-westerly from Concord, and 24 westward from Boston. It contains 1 Congregational church and 1,134 in- habitants. The town is watered by Assabet river, on which is situated a broadcloth factory. Of late years the cultivation of hops has received considerable attention in this town. In 1837,
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SUDBURY.
there were in this town 2 woollen mills, 7 sets of machinery ; 55,000 yards of cloth were manufactured, valued at $210,000; males employed, 40; females, 45. There were 587 pairs of boots and 61,044 pairs of shoes manufactured, valued at $18,905 50 ; males employed, 32; females, 30.
The first settlement in this town appears to have been made by two adventurers from Charlestown, with their families, about the year 1650. Their names were Kettle and Boon ; they settled upon land which they purchased of the natives. Upon the breaking out of Philip's war, in 1675, these two defenceless settlers were so alarmed as to induce them to remove their families; but the un- happy Boon, in attempting to remove his household goods, was ambushed and murdered by the Indians. The affairs of this vil- lage, as it was then called, were managed by a committee, under the appointment of the general court, until they were incorporated into a town in 1683, by the name of Stow. The first town officers were Sergeant Benjamin Bozworth, Thomas Stephens, Stephen Hall, Boaz Brown, and Joseph Freeman, selectmen ;- Thomas Gates, constable.
SUDBURY.
SUDBURY was first settled in 1638, and incorporated in 1639. The original number of sharers and settlers was 54. Mr. Edmund Brown, the first settled minister, was ordained Aug., 1640; died June 22, 1677. Mr. Sherman began to preach in Sudbury in 1677 ; in 1705, he was deposed from his pastoral office. Mr. Israel Loring was ordained pastor in 1706. Upon the division of the town, by the general court, the inhabitants of the west side of the river invited him to come over and settle with them, in 1722. In 1765, the number of houses on the west side of the river was 151; the number of families, 187; the number of inhabitants, 1,047; the number of church members, 203; of whom 76 were males and 127 females.
Sudbury is divided on the east from Wayland by Sudbury river, on which large tracts of low land are annually overflowed. There are 3 churches, 2 Congregational and 1 Methodist. There are about 30 houses in the central village. Distance, 7 miles south- west of Concord, 24 north-east from Worcester, and 19 miles westward from Boston. Population, 1,388. There is a paper-mill in this town. In 1837, there were 50 tons of stock manufactured; value of paper, $5,463.
The following is a western view of the monument of Captain Wadsworth and others, standing in an open field, about thirty rods eastward of the road, and a mile south of the Congregational church in old Sudbury, in the central part of the town. It stands near a growth of pines and oaks, and the soil on this spot is light and sandy. On the south and west there is a prospect of
ed
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TEWKSBURY.
2
Monument of Captain Wadsworth and others.
the meadows on Sudbury river. The following is the inscription on the monument :-
" Capt. Samuel Wadsworth of Milton, his Lieut. Sharp of Brooklin, Capt. Brocle- bank of Rowley, with about 26 other souldiers, fighting for the defence of their country, were slain by ye Indian enemy, April 18th, 1676, lye buried in this place."
The following account is taken from Holmes' Annals.
" This town was for some time a frontier settlement, and suffered much from the Indians during King Philip's war. On the 18th of April, 1676, the day after they had burned the few deserted houses at Marlborough, they violently attacked Sud- bury, burned several houses and barns, and killed ten or twelve of the English, who had come from Concord to the assistance of their neighbours. Captain Wads- worth, sent at this juncture from Boston with about fifty men, to relieve Marlborough, after having marched twenty-five miles, learning that the enemy had gone through the woods toward Sudbury, turned immediately back, in pursuit of them. When the troops were within a mile of the town, they espied, at no great distance, a party of Indians, apparently about one hundred ; who, by retreating, as if through fear, drew the English above a mile into the woods; when a large body of the enemy, supposed to be about five hundred, suddenly surrounded them, and precluded the possibility of their escape. The gallant leader and his brave soldiers fought with desperate valour ; but they fell a prey to the numbers, the artifice, and bravery of their enemy. The few who were taken alive were destined to tortures unknown to their companions, who had the happier lot to die in the field of battle.
"Some historians say that Captain Wadsworth's company was entirely cut off; others, that a few escaped. Some represent his company as consisting of 50; some, as consisting of 70 men. All agree that 50 at least were killed. Captain Broclebank and some others ' fell into his company as he marched along ;' and this accession may account for the difference in the narratives. President Wadsworth, (of Harvard College,) a son of Captain Wadsworth, who fell on this occasion, caused a decent monument to be afterward erected over the grave of these heroes."
TEWKSBURY.
THIS town was incorporated in 1734. The Indian settlement called Wamesit was formerly within the limits of this town, on the site now occupied by the flourishing village of Belvidere, re-
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TYNGSBOROUGH.
cently included within the limits of Lowell. " There were fifteen families of Christian Indians here in 1674. The Indian title was extinguished in 1686; but the settlement of the English was slow, so that more than forty years elapsed from the extinguishment of the Indian title to its incorporation. The soil here is light and thin ; the surface rather level, except the northern parts of the town, which is somewhat hilly, with a plenty of stones and a better soil." Large quantities of hops have been raised in this town. By the annexation of Belvidere to Lowell, this town was considerably reduced in its population and business. The popu- lation in 1830 was 1,527; in 1837, it was reduced to 907. Dis- tance, 12 miles from Concord, and 19 from Boston.
TOWNSEND.
THIS town was incorporated in 1732. The land in this town- ship is more level than the towns to the north and west; most of it is gently undulating, and some of it consists of level pine plains. The soil generally is not of the first quality; there are, however, some good farms in the town, and the soil is generally good for fruit-trees of all kinds which are common in this part of the country. In the central part of the town there is a village, containing two Congregational churches, one of which is Unita- rian. Several brooks unite in this town, and form Squanicook river, which discharges its waters into the Nashua. In the eastern part of the town there is a village called Townsend Harbor, where there are several mills, stores, &c. Population, 1,749. Distance, 22 miles from Concord, 8 from Fitchburg, and 38 from Boston. In 1837, there were manufactured here 159,700 palm-leaf hats, valued at $22,750; the value of fish barrels, nail kegs and dry casks manufactured, was $9,357; there were 40,050 hides tanned and curried, valued at $25,150.
TYNGSBOROUGH.
THIS was taken from Dunstable, in 1789, and incorporated as the district of Tyngsborough. It was so named in honor of Madam Sarah Winslow (the daughter of Eleazer 'Tyng) and her family. On the organization of the district, Mrs. Winslow agreed to fund a sum of money which should afford the annual income of £80 lawful money, to be devoted equally to support a Congregational minister and a grammar-school. In gratitude for this gift the district was named Tyngsborough. It was incorporated as a town in 1809. The first minister was Rev. Nathaniel Lawrence, who was ordained in 1790. This town lies on both sides of the Merri- mac, which is here a beautiful stream. Large quantities of excel-
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WALTHAM.
lent granite have been quarried on the banks of this river, and sent from this place to the Boston market by the Middlesex canal. This place is 16 miles N. of Concord, 8 N. W. of Lowell, and 29 N. W. of Boston. Population, 870.
" The name of the first white inhabitant" (says Mr. Lawrence, in his history of Tyngsborough, in the Collections of the Massa- chusetts Historical Society, 1815) "was Cromwell, originally from England, but last from Boston. It is about 150 years since he erected a hut in this place, on the bank of the Merrimac, for the purpose of trading with the Indians. This, at that time, was the only English settlement on the south to Woburn, and on the north between there and Canada. Cromwell, for some time, carried on a lucrative trade with the Indians, weighing their furs with his foot, till, enraged at his supposed or real deception, they formed the resolution to murder him. This intention was communicated to Cromwell, who buried his wealth and made his escape. Within a few hours after his flight a party of the Pennacook tribe arrived, and, not finding the object of their resentment, burnt his hut. Some time after, pewter was found in the well, and an iron pot and trammel in the sand; the latter are preserved. The present owner of the place was ploughing near the spot, and found his plough moving over a flat stone, which gave a hollow sound. On removing the earth and stone, he discovered a hole, stoned, about six inches in diameter, from which he took a sum of money."
WALTHAM.
THIS town was incorporated January 4th, 1737-38 ; previous to this time it was the western precinct of Watertown. It appears that there was considerable difficulty between the eastern and western parts of Watertown for a long period. As early as 1692 the town endeavored to select a place for a new meeting-house, which should be " most convenient for the bulk of the inhabit- ants." The same year, at the request of the selectmen, the gover- nor and council appointed a committee to consider and report upon the subject. This committee advised the town to settle the Rev. Henry Gibbs, who had preached to them for several years, and build a meeting-house between the house of widow Stearns and Whitney's Hill, in which the whole town should worship. This house was built here, and completed in February, 1696. It was not satisfactory to some parts of the town, and Mr. Gibbs refused to preach in it. In August, the same year, the church chose Rev. Samuel Angier to be their pastor, and a majority of the town con- curred in the choice. In 1697, Mr. Angier accepted of the call of the church and town, expressing his readiness to assume the duties of his office. At the same time, the church chose Rev. Mr. East- erbrook, of Concord, "to give the pastoral charge, and to be the mnouth and moderator of the church in the public management of
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