USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Marlborough > Historical reminiscences of the early times in Marlborough, Massachusetts : and prominent events from 1860 to 1910, including brief allusions to many individuals and an account of the celebration of the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the incorporation of the town > Part 20
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35
He had travelled to California before the railroads were built, a no easy journey. " Ha, ha, " he would chuckle, "I never had the blues in all my long life ; never fretted and believed that everything would come out all right, and it did. Take for instance when I walked into the old
251
Bigelow store where Sam Howe, Sam Gibbon, Mark Fay and Lambert Bigelow were talking together, and asked that time when I was hard up, who'd loan me enough to get me through my trouble. It was Lambert, and I shall never forget it if I live to be as old as Methusaleh, and when I borrowed the money I didn't borrow trouble and the clouds soon passed by. " His greatest enjoyment was cutting and sawing wood and climb- ing the trees with boyish glee. One time his daughter chided him for climbing. "I'm old enough to take care of myself, " laughed the old gentleman of 95 years and continued to climb even into the hearts of many. One day he went to sleep and passed on to meet the wife and children, leaving his two daughters, Mrs. Ellen Pratt and Mrs. John Howe, to miss, with many others, his cheery smile. Children of Lorenzo and Ellen Pratt ; Clifford, (who married Jessie Thomson), and Blanche.
The old time stories are still sought by the children of the present day of Marlborough, noted in time past for its apples and sweet cider, its beauty of hill and dale over and through which even today all love to roam. The pride of many a pasture has been destroyed. The beautiful bordering bush, with which Marlborough in ye olden days was overrun, has been nearly exterminated. Dwight, in his "Travels," speaks of the same and tells of its being " a serious annoyance to the farmers of New England." The two very early ministers at time of separation of the church are pictured elsewhere and an antiquarian exclaimed : " The old men rise in memory as plainly as though their faces had been taken by Luther Rice in the old daguerreotyping gallery that used, as time went on, to be anchored on the west meeting house common." The ministers of that day were looked upon with utmost respect, yea, reverence, and the preached word from their lips was treasured up as spoken by authority.
Rev. S. F. Bucklin was the good parson of the East Village. Standing in his high eminence, he discoursed to the people away down in the pews below, while above him hung the old bell-shaped sounding board which to all young minds seemed to hang upon so slender a thread as to endanger the parson's life. At that time there seemed to be a great gulf between the east and west parts of the town, politically, socially and religiously ; each part looking upon the other as Samaritans and desiring "no dealings with them." With what reverence and awe did the young look upon these men when either came as " committee " to visit the district school, and as he entered, every sound was hushed and the order would come from the master, " The school will rise ! " and all would stand
252
UNITARIAN CHURCH OF TO-DAY.
gazing and breathless until his hat, coat and muffler were duly placed by the master upon the desk, when at the order, " Be seated !" the scholars would again regain breath and resume their studies, manifesting great assiduity, though all the time keeping a sly eye on the dignitary and wondering that so much intelligence, wisdom and piety could be centered in one man.
Later on came the doctrine of Universal Salvation in the East Village which doctrine met with great opposition from the sturdy Calvanists. The idea that no punishment was to follow after death was
25.3
too shocking to be tolerated and one good old lady declared the doctrine might do for some folks, but as for her she believed in " better things. '
At the time the West Church was 55 feet long and 40 feet wide with a gallery running around three sides, the list of pew holders and the amount paid for same was as follows :
George Williams
$262.25
Lovewell aud Samuel How Jr. $132.75
Daniel Stevens Jr.
260.00
Joel Felton 135.50
Samuel Gibbon
265.00
Phineas How 138.00
Thomas Rice
251.25
Deacon William Barnes 109.50
William and John Boyd
205.75
Windsor Ward
II0.00
Abner Brigham
102.25
Benjamin How 83.75
Jabez and Martin Rice
70.00
Aaron How Jr.
61.00
Hezekiah Maynard
58.50
Levi Wilkins and Jonas Dar-
John Bond
116.00
ling 48.50
Peter Rice
208.50
M. R. Brigham
91.75
Silas Gates
249.50
Gershom Rice
127.25
Deacon Benjamin Rice
263.00
William Arnold
134.00
Joseph How Jr.
258.00
Ivory Bigelow
169.75
Society's pew or "deacon's seat "
David Temple
173.75
B. Rice
165.00
Gershom Bigelow Jr.
174.50
Daniel Stevens
205.00
A. S. Brigham
98.00
Stephen Felton
187.00
Gilbert How
60.25
Arch. How
132.75
Israel Goulding
62.50
Aaron Brigham
127.50
B. Rice Jr.
55.50
Warren Brigham
90.25
Henry How
56.00
Jotham Brigham
50.00
Eli Rice 56.00
Joseph Trowbridge
51.50
Seth Rice
45.25
Caleb Brigham
77.00
Josiah Brown
44.75
William Biglow
109.75
Joseph How Jr.
40.75
Eleazer How
108.50
William Gates
139.00
Moses How
138.75
Ithamer Brigham
52.25
Josiah Fay
131.75
Stephen How and others
65.25
Jabez Bent
173.00
Daniel Stevens and others
64.25
John Stevens
123.00
Ephraim Barber 52.50
Abraham How
123.50
Windsor How
42.75
Ephraim Brigham
131.75
Heirs of Elihu Maynard
33.40
Solomon Barnes
132.00
Sylvanus How
44.75
Ananias Cook
132.75
Francis Hudson and James Wright 46.00
Ithamar Brigham
129.75
John and Francis Gleason
122.25
Rev. A. Packard
126.00
Deacon Moses Ames and Joseph
Brigham
123.50
Col. Luke Drury
123.00
William Felton Jr. 63.00
Roger Phelps
177.25
Daniel Stevens Jr.
87.75
List of ministers to date : Revs. Asa Packard, Seth Alden, William
Abraham How
51.50
William Biglow
54.00
William Holyoke
51.25
Samuel Brown
65.50
Lucy Wyman and Fortunatus Brigham 44.25
254
Morse, Horatio Alger, William C. Tenney, Eugene De Normandie, Calvin Stebbins, James HI. Wiggin, Richard A. Griffin, Edward F. Haywood.
-
-
THE HOME OF LEWIS T. FRYE.
Passing up Pleasant street from the church where nearby stands the house which Abel Rice built from the timbers of the grand old trees blown down in the great gale of 1815 and sold it to John Holyoke who had married Susan Brigham. (They were neighbors to Joel Brigham, son of Jedediah, who married Lydia Dickinson from Northfield, and was in early times connected with the firm of L. & L. Bigelow. (Their child- ren are Fanny, married Oliver Hawes, a ranchman in California ; Julia, secretary of our Society of Natural History until she resigned to go to the Golden State, and Henrietta Marsh.)
Passing this last house we come to the one pictured above, which was the snug little home of Lewis T. Frye, who had married Levina Felton, granddaughter of Gershom Bigelow. Lewis was an energetic man of sterling character. He represented this town in Legislature in 1854 ; was the first captain of No. 2 Engine Co. and was a well known shoe manufacturer in Marlborough. Here in early times he lived with his family which included John Addison Frye who today is one of Marl- borough's most respected and prominent citizens, and one of the largest and most successful shoe manfacturers in the city. He markets his leather products himself, and his goods are first class, and known to the trade far
255
and wide. He was the first one in town to introduce electricity into his large factory on Pleasant street, for lighting purposes, owning his own plant. In his factory may be found all the latest and best of the many labor-saving machines, and 6,000 pairs per day of boots and shoes are yearly turned out from this place of business. In connection with the manufacture of shoes, he introduced a currying department to furnish leather for his own and export trade ; the capacity being three tons daily. He is probably the only manufacturer of shoes who runs his own currying department. John A. Frye cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln, and still remains a decided Republican. He married from the old Eli Rice homestead, Elvira, daughter of Otis Russell, and their children now living are : Walter P., who is connected in business with his father, and married Adeline Holyoke, (children, John, Robert and Russell.) Carrie L., who married Herbert M. Hazelton, (ch. Helen.) Della M., who married John W. Morse of the U. S. navy, (ch. Frances.) John A. Frye is one who, with public spirit donated to the town the land upon which the new Carnegie library stands. Generous hearted, outspoken, but honest, he has the esteem of all who truly know him. Being asked one day a question upon which he was in doubt, his answer came quickly : "I don't know about that question but try me on leather !" The reply was the key to his whole business career ; and on important knowledge of the boot and shoe business, this successful manufacturer has no peer. In late years he has entered so extensively into the building of blocks and dwelling houses in our city that he is now called Marlborough's King of Builders.
THE STEDMAN WHEELER HOUSE.
256
This picturesque little home spoken of in the following article was what was known in later days as the above. Stedman Wheeler was our expressman and well known for many years, who with his wife, Sophro- nia Howe, held the highest respect and regards of their townsmen. After Elbridge Howe had built and moved to his new house on Winthrop street, Stedman purchased the little house on Pleasant street, and here were born Fred, (a prominent druggist who married Orah N. Trull.) Frank, (who followed his father in business and married Hattie J. Estabrook, children, Leroy and Lloyd; ) and Hattie, who married George, son of Otis Russell. Their Children are Clifton, (he married Bertha R. Stevens, ch. William Thelma and Clifton) ; and Bertha, who m. Homer Hanscom.
THE OLD STEPHEN HOWE HOMESTEAD.
Returning to early days, to Jonathan " Ensign " son of Thomas Brig- ham 2d and Mary (Rice) Brigham, we read of the former marrying his cousin, Mary Brigham, daughter of John and Mary (Fay) Brigham ; and settling on a part of his father's homestead. Among their children was Ruth, born in 1704, who married Joseph Howe, she being his second wife. Among their large family of children was Artemus who married in 1767, Mary Bigelow, sister of lieutenant Ivory Bigelow. Artemus and his brothers Joseph, Thaddeus and Phineas, had an aggregate of 39 chil- dren who lived to the aggregate age of 301 years, and their wives to the aggregate of 332 years, a rare instance of fruitfulness and longevity. Among the children of Artemus Howe and Mary Bigelow, was Lydia,
257
who married Isaac Maynard, (whose son Amory became the father of the town of Maynard, where he was the founder of the well known woolen mills, and the town was named in his honor), and Stephen, who married in 1809, Susanna, or Sukey Brigham, daughter of Lewis Brigham. Stephen and Sukey lived here until their death. Their son, Elbridge, married Sabra Holman Howe and built the Stedman Wheeler house, which was the birthplace of their four children, Emily, the late vice-regent of the D. A. R. Chapter of Marlborough ; Sabra, who married W. C. Hazeltine, a retired jeweller; (they have one son, Holman, and daughter Ethel by first wife. ) Stephen, a prosperous merchant in New Haven, Conn., whose death was deplored by countless friends. ( He married Anna Wilder and had two sons, J. Wilder and Elbridge;) and the late George A. Howe, Marlborough's second Mayor, and the youngest member of John A. Rawlins Post 43, G. A. R., a man of high moral and social standing who married Emma Whittemore of Springfield. (They have three chil- dren, Evalita, Frances and Hester.) Elbridge Howe was for twenty years selectman, a member of the investigating board of Marlborough's Savings Bank and for ten years was its president, also president of the People's Bank until his death. He was an active member of the second parish, a man of integrity and decided conviction, believing that a man's word should be as good as his bond, and his son George (whose death was a sorrow to Marlborough) inherited his father's strong convictions ; honest and conscientious to a high degree.
THE LUKE WOOD HOUSE.
258
A very restful little home is the preceding, a few steps from that of Ithamer Brigham. It was in 1850 that John Wood and his wife Eliza- beth landed in New York from the cotton manufacturing district, Lanca- shire, England. They settled in Fitchburg, where in 1827, Luke was born, whose parents moved to Northboro, in which place he was educated and became a favorite with all. In 1850 John moved to Marlborough with his family, having purchased the Gershom Bigelow place in the Robin Hill district. Luke engaged in shoe making while his father carried on the farm. In the following autumn Luke was overheard vehemently asserting that the time would come when shoes would be pegged by machines and that he himself could and would make a machine that would do it. This was probably the first mention of the pegging machine ever made. His hearers never heard or dreamed of such a thing and received the assertion with sneers of contemptuous unbelief, and his father treated it as a piece of youthful impudence and self-conceit.
In 1854 Luke married Lucy, eldest daughter of Louisa (Bigelow)and Eber Howe, Esq., son of Sylvanus and Sarah Gleason Howe. The young couple settled down to housekeeping in a home of their own where Julian, their only son was born. Shortly after, Luke was stricken with chronic rheumatism from which he remained an invalid to his death. Eight years later the first power pegging machine ever seen in these parts was placed in F. Brigham & Co.'s shop in Hudson. Luke at once resolved on putting his ideas into practice. He advanced his model- then an old soap box, with its awl bars and peg bars and its cams made of wood-the first successful foot power pegging machine ever invented ; beautiful and symmetrical in all its parts, destined as it afterwards proved, to do good service even in far distant Brazil. From this time, invention after invention followed from the active brain of Luke Wood whose genius was never at rest all through the infirmities of his painful disease. In 1877 he breathed his last, leaving his wife and son, Julian P. Wood, our city meter inspector, who has inherited his father's genius, and resides in the above home with his mother and wife, Mrs. Susie Christie.
Coming down from the Puritan, Thomas Brigham, we find Ithamar, son of Capt. Ithamar and Ruth ( Ward), who married Catherine Barnes, daughter of Solomon and Judith Barnes, and built a substantial house near Maplewood cemetery which was laid out in later years on some land belonging to the above estate. Here in 1783 Ithamar and Catherine
259
ITHAMAR BRIGHAM HOMESTEAD.
lived in peace and prosperity. The War of the Revolution had passed and Marlborough had regained her domestic life and had settled down to the prosperity which little by little had come to her. Seven children were born to Catherine and Ithamar, among whom were Moses and Eli. The former, six years older than his brother, soon set the matrimonial example by marrying Miss Susan Fosgate, of Berlin, setting up house- keeping in his new home at Crane Meadow. Moses seemed to be the favored nephew of his Uncle Silas, who married Persis Stowe of South- borough, and so all the personal property of the latter came to the Crane Meadow home-the old grandfather clock, the pewter plates, the lovely pink cups, the curtains patched and darned by Aunt Persis herself, the big pink dish which held the wedding cake for Moses and his bride ; the pillow-cases spun from the very flax Aunt Persis raised, and the wonderful old pewter tankard used at communion table in the old Southborough church-for Silas kept bees and the old tankard made a most convenient receptacle for the honey they made.
All these possessions came at last to the Crane Meadow home as did later on the two little girls Susan and Lucy. "Those were days when children were brought up to work and not to be mere butterflies, sipping unners made her the hard labar of their parents " cried sand Mer the how
260
THE CRANE MEADOW HOMESTEAD OF MOSES HOWE.
Bowman, while she-the little Lucy, of long years ago, exhibited with pride the blue and white cup, " To a Good Girl, " given her for throw- ing corn and dropping the seeds one by one which later on were to spring up to give sustenance to the whole family. " I also, " laughed old lady, Mrs. Abel Rice, " had to throw corn, but I didn't have a mug or any other present given to me." And we can well fancy that in that Gershom Bigelow little home of seventeen children there was not much to spare in the way of making gifts.
Well, Susan and Lucy grew to womanhood and when the former married Mr. John Holyoke in 1838, they lived for a while at the old home and John helped his father-in-law carry on the farm until he bought of him some land, a step or two north, and built a home of his own. Three years did they live there, until one day, good Abel Rice, from the timbers of the grand old trees blown down in the great gale of 1815, built and sold this house (the second from Diamond F shoe shop) to
26[
John Holyoke where was born Helen and Etta, the latter marrying Mr. Joseph Hodgkins. They have one daughter, Helen, and live to cherish and preserve the heirlooms of mirrors and old china which was scarce at the time of marriage of Susan Brigham and John Holyoke, for 'twas war time again and duty was on everything, so one could not always obtain full sets of china, but had to take what they could. [This will somewhat explain the different shades we often see in sugar bowl, tea pot and cover, and the variation of pattern found in cup, plate or saucer, old wine glasses, old blue plates and dishes belonging to generations ago.]
They tell us in early days the neighbors were neighborly intimate and four couples particularly so. These were Moses Howe and Susan Brigham of Crane Meadow, Solomon Barnes and Sarah Howe, Israel Howe and wife, John Cotting and Sallie Brigham. This group of inti- mate friends would meet in turn at each other's home and no fashionable progressive whist parties of this day can compare in the enjoyment of those ancient time neighborly card parties, during which the big flip glass filled with the home-made toddy was passed around for each to sip, the ceremony being repeated at time of departure. John Holyoke after the death of his first wife married Mrs. Nancy Maria Darling who survived him until 1908 when she died at the age of 84 years.
THE DANA BIGELOW OR EMERSON HOWE HOME.
262
A short distance below the homestead of Ithamar Brigham still stands the preceding little house suggesting "the simple life" formerly the home of Emerson and Lydia (Bigelow) Howe, whose daughter Eunice Ann married Chas. Dana Bigelow, son of Gershom and Eunice Wilder Bigelow born in Marlborough in 1823.
Chas. Dana Bigelow was a man of great executive business ability. Learning the trade of shoe making of Thos. Holder of Berlin, he soon set up business for himself and with enterprise and energy he soon had the largest shoe shop-at that time-in the village, and was the first to employ Canadian Frenchmen as operatives, which resulted in planting a colony of enterprising citizens whose dwellings, stores and churches beautify and adorn the district known as French Hill.
In 1852 he met with his first serious misfortune, having his shop and all its contents destroyed by fire. After this he removed to New York city where he again started the manufacture of shoes and soon increased his business to immense proportions. He became the organizer of the Bay State Shoe and Leather Co. of New York city and the President of the same for many years. He died in Richmond, Va., in 1883, leaving his widow and five children : Chas. Emerson, born in Marlborough 1851, a prominent business man of New York who succeeded his father ; Anna; Jessie who married a son of Henry Ward Beecher ; Edmund Trask ; and Edwin Wilder.
263
CHAPTER XIV.
TTJITI
ST MARY'S CHURCH.
Here we would speak of the above church on Broad street. Previous to the formation of St. Mary's parish, the French residents of Marlborough attended Mass at the Church of the Immaculate Conception on Prospect
264
street but as the French people in this city increased in numbers, that church became too small, to accommodate all its parishioners and St. Mary's parish was established in 1870. Its attendance in 1910 is 4,000 souls. The first pastor was Father Gouesse, who built the above St. Mary's Church and parochial house, and established the parish on a firm foundation. Rev. Octave LePine was his successor. Following him, Rev. J. Z. Dumontier who labored here for a long period, and died 1889 lamented by every citizen in Marlborough. He established St. Ann's Academy and in many ways built up and strengthened the parish.
St. Ann's Academy, Marlboro, Mars.
-
.
"List, 'tis music stealing ; list to the convent bell."
Until the Convent was completed the Sisters taught in the basement of the church. On June 13th the dedication by Archbishop Williams took place. He congratulated them on the generous help given them by the reverend pastor and Father Bruneau delivered an able discourse on " Education." This was the formal opening of the school which soon developed into a boarding school to satisfy the great demands of parents
265
desiring their children to attend. The building was soon over crowded. Father Dumontier died, but left the bulk of his property to the Sisters in behalf of the convent. In the year 1894 the new extension was completed and the academy of "St. Ann," started out with two hundred pupils. It is finely located and every facility is afforded here for a practical and highly finished education. Father J. Camille Caisse, successor to Father Dumontier is resident pastor. We are told the first French settlers were Messrs. Frank Archambault, Alexandre Grenier, Leon Bourgeois and Joseph Beaudreau. The first French burial was Mr. Xavier Morin in 1879. On his tombstone we read: " This monument was donated by the French congregation in remembrance of the first body interred in this cemetery."
BOYS COLLEGE.
This building was erected in 1896 at a cost of $27,000 by Rev.
266
J. C. Caisse, conducted by the Sisters of St. Ann. Here are eight school rooms. One large hall for parish reunions. The College is capable of holding four hundred pupils. Three hundred pupils in general attend school there.
THE HOMESTEAD OF EBER HOWE.
Returning to the left-hand road near the Ithamer Brigham home- stead, we journey on to the Eber Howe homestead in the Robin Hill district. He was a hard-working farmer who lived to be seventy-seven years old. He first built the wooden house now the rear of the brick front which he added as time went on. He was for many years one of Marlborough's Selectmen, and marrying Gershom Bigelow's daughter, he became father of Lucy, Silas, (m. Ann G. Snell of Northboro, ch. Gilman Bigelow, the Genealogist, Edward Porter, George Arthur and Lewis Alvin, ) Augusta, (m. Alanson S. Howe, ch. Austin Bartlett, who married Emily M. Holden ; ch. Edith, who married Robert Carter, ) Lydia, (m. Austin B. Lawrence,) Mary, (m. Austin B. Lawrence, ch. Eugene Parker, m. Agnes Nourse,) Cordelia, (m. Alanson S. Howe, ch. Walter H., Olivia Augusta, m. Edmund W. Wheeler, Ella L., m. Walter A. Wheeler and Chester, ) Annie L., (m. Lewis B. Wheeler, ch. Waldo L.)
267
THE WILLIAM C. ALLEN HOMESTEAD.
" Did you never hear of a pebble-stone house?" asked an old gentle- man. " Then go up to the Robin Hill district and see the picturesque little old home of the Allens, long years ago." William C. Allen was a farmer and after the death of his wife, Elizabeth Loring, from the old Loring homestead near Williams lake, he married Mrs. Emiline Jenks of Cumberland Hill, R. I. By Elizabeth he had Sophia, (m. A. K. Graves, ch. Harry, ) John (m. Amy Walcott, nine children. 1, Fred W., m. Amelia Sumpter ; he was Master Workman and Chaplain, A. O. U. W., and a member of the Masonic Lodge, three children, Abbie, Marjory and Amy. ) Edward E., chairman License Commissioners since 1901, P. M. Masonic Lodge, a member of Houghton R. A. Chapter, Trinity Com. K. T., and a zealous worker in the Second parish church. 3, Wil- liam A. Allen, a prosperous merchant of the firm of Boynton & Allen director of the First National Bank, trustee of the Marlborough Savings Bank, a member of the Masonic Lodge, Houghton R. A. Chapter and a popular club member; m. Emma Corey, granddaughter of Thomas Corey, one child, John G.) 4, Walter L., Registrar of Voters 1895 to 1904, Free Mason, Odd Fellow, Secretary Union Club. 5, Mary L. (m. William H. Osgood of Peabody, Mass. Tax Collector and Clerk of Com- mittees, President Common Council in 1901 and 1902, Free Mason and member of Houghton Chapter, R. A. M.) Elizabeth, m. Edwin War-
268
ner, two children, Arthur and Lottie.) Charlotte, (m. Horatio Cook, two children, Charles Allen Cook, ex-Councilman, Alderman, Water Commissioner, one of the organizers of the Co-operative Bank in 1890, and director since, member of Masonic Lodge and Commandery. Lizzie S. Cook, m. Harry J. Pratt of Winchendon, ex-Councilman and Water Commissioner of Marlborough.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.