USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Spencer > Historical sketches relating to Spencer, Mass., Volume I > Part 9
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At a town meeting held March 17, 1777, "upon the question being put whether the town would come into the method that is
120
SKETCHER OF SPENCER HISTORY.
.
SPECIMENS OF COVER QUILTS
Made by granddaughters of Samuel Bemis Sr. The one in a square plaid design was made by Catherine (Bemis) Howland, and is now owned by Melinda Howland of Brookfield, the other by Sarah (Bemis) Newhall and owned by the wfe of Paul Sibley. Sarah Bemis was the daughter of Jonas Bemisi Sr. She married Reuben Newhall and was the mother of Otis Newhall. These quilts were all made from wool grown in Spencer, combed, dyed and spun by those women. and woven by then on hand looms. They are of most excellent workmanship. The father of George A. Craig, Esq., was a maker of spinning wheels, and it is presumed that in his day he made nearly all the wheels sold in this section. When the daughter of a well-to-do farmer was about to be married a "set of Craig's wheels," as they were called, was usually a part of the dowry.
I21
FRAGMENTS BEMIS HISTORY.
proposed for procuring men to engage in the Continental army for the term of three years or during the war it passed in the affirmative.
Voted that the sum of 20 pounds be given as a bounty to each person that should engage on behalf of the town. The committee by the town to have charge of the matter are Dea. John Muzzy, John Bisco, Capt. Wm. Bemis, Aaron Hunt an John White Jr.
March Ist, 1779. Town committee. Inspectors of the market: Maj. Asa Baldwin, Capt. Ebenezer Mason and Lieut. Benjamin Bemis.
March 1780, Jonas Bemis paid to the town a fine of 40 lbs. for refusing to serve as constable. The above sum probably represents the depreciated currency of the times. In Dec. 1779 one dollar in silver could be exchanged for $32.50 in Continental bills and this depreciation continued rapidly until the Continental currency was worthless. It is thought about five dollars in silver would represent the amount of the fine.
At a town meeting held March 18, 1780 the following com- mittee was chosen " to hire men if needed to go into the army:" Capt. David Prouty, Lieut. Benjamin Bemis, Lieut. John White, Lieut. Johnathan Rich, Capt. Joshua Draper.
1781 Lieut. Benjamin Bemis elected tithingman.
March 1782, town voted to allow Capt. Benjamin Bemis 3 lbs. for hiring men for the army.
March 1792, town paid Amasa Bemis 1 1b. 16s for "boarding school dame and house room." Paid William Bemis 8 shillings for flax seed to get oil with for the meeting house.
Amasa Bemis Sr. died Nov. 21, 1842, aged eighty-five, and his body was placed in the tomb at the old homestead as per his will, but Dexter and Amasa, his sons, concluding to remove to Wisconsin, removed the body to the old cemetery between 1853 and 1855. There was never any other occupant of the tomb except a child named Rawlings, who was placed there temporarily one winter.
Edmund Bemis entered one term service in the Colonial army, February 18, 1756, and served until Dec. 25, 1756, forty- four weeks, four days-thirty-eight days travel allowed.
Col. Benjamin Bemis commanded a regiment in the war of 1812, and was ordered to the Canadian frontier but did not have an engagement with the British.
I22
SKETCHES OF SPENCER HISTORY.
Edmund Bemis Renders a Bill for Services, Etc.
Massachusetts Province to Edmund Bemis, Dr.
To my subsistence 15 days, making up ye rate at 1-6, 7lb. 2s. 6d. To my expenses, 6 days from Spencer to Boston and back again to Spencer, Ilb. 4s.
To John Chamberlain, found his arm,
I2S.
Jonas Bemis,
I2S.
Deliverance Carpenter
I2S.
Reuben Clark
12S.
Thomas Wood
I2S.
Lt. Ephraim Howard
I2S.
Nathan Hambleton
I2S.
Eliphalet Hambleton
I2S.
Ebenezer Davis
I2S.
Solomon Flagg
66
I2S.
81bs. 6s. 6d.
Boston, Feb'y 25, 1757. Errors excepted.
Edmond 3 emile 8
Extracts from Will of Amasa Bemis Sr.
By this will he says: "I further give and bequeath to my said wife, Nancy Bemis, good and sufficient meats, drinks, clothing, lodging, nursing and doctoring; also good and sufficient firewood furnished and brought into her house at all times suitable for her fire places as she may choose, and in fine to have and be pro- vided with everything she may need and her situation require both in sickness and health for her comfort and convenience so that she may be able to support her rank and standing in society as she has hitherto done while living with me and all this to be done and pro- vided for her by the said Dexter Bemis, my son, during her natural life."
He wills also that "my body is to be placed in the family tomb on my original home farm in Spencer, and I hereby express- ly reserve said tomb for a common family tomb with a strip of land two rods in width all around said tomb, and the privilege of passing and repassing thereto at all times. Said tomb to be the common property and for the common use as a burial place for myself and family and for said Foster and Dexter Bemis and their families if they should choose."
Moved By Oxen.
The old district No. 9 Red schoolhouse was moved by oxen to its present location at Westville, also the Hannah Green and
123
FRAGMENTS BEMIS HISTORY.
Danforth Bemis houses from the Samuel Bemis homestead lot. It is not known how many oxen were employed but some idea may be obtained by the fact that when the house now occupied by Daniel W. Adams on Pleasant street was moved about 1842 from near the Sugden block there were sixty yoke of oxen used, made up in two "strings" as they were then called, of thirty yoke each. About every farmer in town came without expense to help at this " moving bee."
Amasa Bemis inherited the estate of his father, Joshua, and grandfather, Samuel.
In 1798 the home farm contained
Detached land
15312 acres. 9534
Total
249 14 acres
The farm was valued by the assessors at
$2302 50
Other land
1495 75
House with 80 perch of land
320 00
Long barn 33 x 80
284 00
Square barn 30 x 30
90 00
Total $4492 25
There were at this time two sets of assessors, one called the principal assessors, the other called the assistant assessors, each set making independent estimates. They varied considerably on separate items in the above case, but on the total estimates of value, only $16.26
Questions and answers in history asked in 1833 at District No. 2 school:
"Who is President of the United States? Ans. Andrew
Jackson.
"Who is Governor of Massachusetts? Ans. Levi Lincoln. "Who commanded a Spencer company at Crown Point? Ans. Edmund Bemis.
"Who dug the first grave in Spencer? Ans. Edmund Bemis."
Nathaniel Sr., Joshua Sr. and William Bemis Sr. each served thirteen days as sentinels on the Western frontier in 1748.
Abijah Bemis, founder of what is known as the Paxton branch of the Bemis family, was a nephew of Samuel Bemnis Sr. of Spencer. Both had a common ancestor in Joseph Bemis of Wa- tertown.
124
SKETCHES OF SPENCER HISTORY.
Estate of Samuel Bemis Jr.
The following inventory doubtless shows the usual kinds of personal property owned by well-to-do farmers about the year 1 800.
Inventory of the estate of Samuel Bemis Jr. late of Spencer deceased.
lbs. s. d.
lbs. s. d.
I farm containing 160
I grindstone and crank I5
acres of land with
I old plough 6
buildings thereon, 510
I shovel
3
5 COWS
16 10
2 scythes and tackling I2 6
I two-year old colt 8
Horse tackling 4
6
6 swine 4
I chain I do
4
I ox sled
3
I adds
5
2 dung forks
6
I hansaw
3
2 ox yokes and forms 7
12 bushil
I
6
3 rakes 3
2 sadles
2 16
4
Wearing apparil
4 9
6
I
6
Woolen yarn
I 6
I ax
4
6 Flax
9
2 augers
2
I sickle
I
4 One shugar box
6
I sieve
6 I cheap tub
6
I basket I
2 yards fulled cloth
8
I wooden dish
Sheeps wool
2
I
I meat tub
2
I lantern
3
I pickle tub
3
2 wooden bottles
2
8 I cheese hoop
I 9
I churn
I
6 I wool wheile
5
6
2 small tubs
I
I brass kittle 18
I salt morter
I
6 Iron ware I6
Salt meat I
I crane 2
8
12 old cider barrels
I7
I tosling iron
I
I cheese press
3
I puter 2
6
2 old cheese chests 2
Knives and forks
4
I flax comb
8
I table 6
3 milk pans
I
6 Other linnin
7
8
I brass skilet
I feather bed and bedding 40
I yoke oxen
14
2 wooden bottles 8
I iron box I
I mair and colt 9
I2
2 bushels of corn 6
3 calves 5 2
Corn in the barn 4
I cart and wheels 2
8 Barley 40
IO
I set of plough
I
Bull rings and wayes I hoe
6 chairs 6
I pail I 8 8
Combed wool
II
Old casks IO
I
4 yearlings 6
125
FRAGMENTS BEMIS HISTORY.
lbs. s. d.
Cheese on hand Hay in barn 32
19
I broad chisel
lbs. s d. f. 6 6
Corn in the field 9
6
5 sheep 33
Apples in the orchard 16
I looking glass I
Crockery ware I
2
I cass of draws
2
Table linnin
16
I feather bed and bedding 80
I
20
2 pitching forks
3
6661bs 12S 4$ 3f
Spencer, Sept. 14, 1793.
ABIJAH LAMB, DAVID ADAMS, AMOS ADAMS,
Appraisers.
To this account was afterwards added the following items:
lb. s. d.
lb. s. d.
Sole leather
9 55 lbs. cheese I IO
A calf skin IO 1 2 lbs. sole leather 14
I kid skin 6 A sheep skin 4
47 lbs. butter
39
The skins mentioned as being at the tannery were presuma- bly at the one operated at that time by Elliot and Joseph Mason and which stood near the site of the present residence of the Cut- ler Prouty house opposite Sugden block.
The old No. 9 school house not being well located to accom- modate the majority of the pupils who lived in the village it was sold, removed to Westville and made into the dwelling now owned by Orin D. Barr. A new No. 9 schoolhouse was built on lower Main street, which in later years was sold and made into a dwell- ing by the late Thomas Manion.
John and Sylvanus Bemis built about 1820 a small mill on a stream which flows through the meadow between the Joseph Bemis house and the Sprague place. Here they turned bobbins for woolen manufacturers. Sylvanus gained quite a local reputa- tion also as a maker of violins.
I hive and skins at tannery 19
Boards 7
6 Cash on hand 42
4 I note signed by Col. Benj. Bemis, princi- ple and interest 2
3
4
I26
SKETCHES OF SPENCER HISTORY.
Capt. Edmund Provides for His Old Age.
This Indenture made this twenty-fourth Day of May, A. D. 1796, between Enoch Knapp of Spencer, in the County of Worces- ter and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, yeomen, on the one part, and Edmund Bemis of Spencer in the County and Commonwealth aforesaid, Gentlemen, on the other part, witnesseth that the said Enoch Knapp in Consideration for a Deed of Sale given him by the said Edmund Bemis of his whole farm not deeded away to his son Joseph, bearing Date with these presents, Doth Lease and to farm let unto the said Edmund Bemis, his heirs, Executors and Adminis- trators, the whole of the farm which the said Edmund Bemis deeded to him May 25, 1796, together with Buildings thereon during the said Edmund's natural life.
To have and to hold from the Day of the Date unto the per- iod above mentioned.
The Conditions of the above Lease is such that if the said Enoch Knapp doth support the above said Edmund Bemis com- fortably both in food and clothing, doctoring and nursing in case of sickness, and doth provide all necessary articles for Comfort of the said Edmund Bemis from this Date to the End of his Natural Life, then this Instrument to be void and of none effect otherwise to remain in full force and virtue, in witness hereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this twenty-fourth Day of May, A. D. 1796, and in the Twenty-first year of the Independence of America.
ENOCH KNAPP.
Signed, Sealed and Delivered in presence of JOSEPH BEMIS, THOS. SPRAGUE.
Lyman Bemis owned and operated a wire mill at the Upper Wire Village from 1826 to 1831. He appears to have sold out to Austin Bemis to whom the property was taxed in 1832-33 when the latter died and Wm. Bemis was appointed administrator
DISTRICT NO. 9 SCHOOLHOUSE.
The old red schoolhouse of district No. 9 stood in the cor- ner of the pasture, across the road, west of where Theodore J. Bemis now lives. This was the place where many who have been leading citizens in Spencer were instructed in their youthful days. Men were usually employed as teachers for the Winter and women for the Summer terms. One teacher, Frank D. Lincoln of Brim- field, afterwards a captain in the War of the Rebellion, is particu- larly remembered as one of the best teachers of that time.
The following poem was written and published many years ago in the Oakdale Gleaner, a random Spencer publication, by one who was a leading girl in the old school days, and perfectly familiar with the scenes she so vividly portrays. The name of the farmer who owned the clover and rye fields was Dea. William Sumner.
The Old Red Schoolhouse.
That old red school house, well do I remenber, For there my youthful hours I whiled away Within its walls, with books and slate so busy, Without the door, with schoolmates dear at play.
Each spot within, to memory still how dear, The desk so large at which the teacher sat With rule and rod that made us quake with fear, With nail above for bonnet or for hat.
For largest scholars thirty desks were seen And ten low benches for the smaller fry, And windows eight, not always whole nor clean, But up so high, they kept out curious eye.
The stove, at which in winter I would linger, The black board, where my spirits oft did fail,
The shelf beside the door, for books and dinner, The place for dipper and the water pail.
And those long noonings I can ne'er forget, Or the stone houses, where I always played, Nor yet the pastures where for. flowers and berries With my lov'd schoolmates I so oft have strayed.
The spring so prized, with clearest water gushing, The hill down which I've had full many a slide, The brook through field and meadow ever rushing, The pond on which the skater used to slide.
I28
SKETCHES OF SPENCER HISTORY.
The saw mill, and the cottage standing near it, The worthy owner, oft I've heard him cry, As we through fields of grass and grain were scudding, To " leave my clover," or "get out that rye."
The old red schoolhouse, now it stands deserted, About its doors no children heard at play, The brook, the spring and play house, all neglected, The building now, fast passing to decay.
OLD DISTRICT NO. 9 RED SCHOOL HOUSE AS IT LOOKED IN 1841.
Yet still I love it, and I fain would linger O'er each familiar scene to memory dear, For those lov'd schoolmates, some, I'll wish all blessings, O'er graves of others shed the mourner's tear.
Interesting Letter.
The following very interesting letter was written to Miss Lucy Merrick of Sturbridge, by her sister who had come to Spen- cer to teach at this school the spring term of 1841. She evidently was homesick but would not confess it even to herself :
SPENCER, MAY 31st, 1841.
Dear Sister :-
It is but little more than one week since I left home and still it seems as though it was an age, but do not think I am homesick, for I am not really so, but have come very near it once or twice I have a school of fifty-three scholars which is quite as many as I
129
AN INTERESTING LETTER.
want, but I have not got them all yet, and when they are all in shall have fifty-five or sixty It was well for ine that I did not know much about the school or I should have never seen Spencer in the capacity of teacher. It is called the worst school in town and last winter their school was very poor. They caine very near turning away their teacher and it left their school in a very bad state. As for my boarding place it is not just such an one as I should like, but I will not complain. I board with a widow lady who is a very pleasant woman but has quite a family of children which I think is not quite so pleasant. As for our Sabbaths I know not what to say. Could you be here it would save me the trouble of describing as I cannot find words to express what I wish to say. There are three
MARIA I. MERRICK,
Daughter of Capt. Thomas Verrick, a prominent citizen of Stur- bridge and who taught the spring term at the old district No. 9, Red schoolhouse in 1841. Married Henry L Mellen, Nov. 28. 1846, and settled at Brookfield; mother of Sarah J., present wife of E. Harris howland. This picture was taken about the time Miss Merrick taught school in Spencer.
boys between the ages of six and ten and they are fighting continu- ally. They need a father's care and correction. I can bear it very well any day but Sunday and then when I am not obliged to be in school I do not wish for the noise of children. My accommoda- tions are not what I could wish. My sleeping room is the parlor and sitting room, and then I cannot have the room to myself but ant obliged to have one of the girls sleep with me. You probably recol- lect the day I left home I expected to have been examined in the afternoon, but Rev'd Mr. Levi Packard (although always 9
I30
SKETCHES OF SPENCER HISTORY.
preaching punctuality to others) forgot to be punctual himself and I was therefore obliged to defer it until Monday afternoon. I called at Dr. Aaron Green's and waited two hours for him, but he had for- gotten that he had an engagement and therefore did not call. I got along very well, did not miss one question, but when I began to parse did not get the sense of the piece and got somewhat puzzled and instead of helping me at all, sat and laughed at me, which I called rather provoking, but it is all over with and the most I dread now is the first visit to iny school I expected them this afternoon but they have not been1. I have two of Mrs Cheney Sumner's children, (she that was Mary Coy of Brimfield ), that attend school and they are as pretty as any scholars in school. I have called on Mrs Sum- ner and she seems like an old acquaintance although I do not recol- lect ever seeing her before
She wishes to be remembered to you all. My boarding place is so far from the schoolhouse that I can- not go there at noon and I find a very pleasant place to call at wid- ow William Sumner's the nearest house to the schoolhouse. She appears very glad to have nie call and invites me to come every day. I happened to meet a friend to-day very unexpectedly as I was com- ing to school not thinking of seeing any one that I knew. I saw a carriage and whom should be in it but Col Estabrook He ap- peared to be very glad to see me and thought I must have got lost to be so far from home. My health is very good excepting a very hard cough, and what to do for it I do not know, as I keep getting a little more cold and it keeps me coughing almost all the time. I shall begin to think it necessary to know how to dance if I stay in Spencer long as they are continually having "scrapes" as they call them There have been two since I came here and the widow's daughter attended them, so you see I have an opportunity to lend things to wear if I do not go myself. But it is now almost six o'clock and I have not been home to tea and my stomach begins to tell me it is tea time, but I dread starting. for after I have sat a few moments I can tell how tired I am when I get up I can find but little time to sit in school and when I get through am obliged to walk more than half a inile to my boarding place, all up hill. My schoolhouse is large and a very good one except it is very dirty. I think I shall wash it some day when school does not keep. I saw Miss Robinson at church yesterday. She is at work for Mr. Gerry Russ. One of the widow's daughters has gone to-day to commence learning the trade at his clothier's shop. I presume you have for- gotten to send me some papers but I have not. Do write as soon as
you get this and send as many papers as you can Tell Alfred a Philadelphia paper would be acceptable I get but very little to read here and what I do get is not worth much My best love to all who inquire and if any one asks how I like tell theni first rate, be- cause I should dislike to have it said I was homesick, you know. Tell mother I should like to step in and take tea with her to-night, but think I shall defer it till I get through with my school, as I should enjoy it better if I had not got to come back again. Tell Dexter to write to me as I wish to know how he is prospering in his worldly affairs Excuse this bad looking letter as I have written in great haste. I will write a better one next time.
From your affectionate sister,
MARIA L. MERRICK.
The postage on this letter from Spencer to Sturbridge was six cents. The postal rates at that time were not only much higher than now but prepayment was optional. The author re-
I31
LITERARY CURIOSITY.
members a story told by his father, who was a musician and fre- quently employed to play the clarinet at dances in the surround- ing towns by a teacher of dancing named "Tomson"-that was the way he spelled his name. Mr. Tomson was quite a penurious man and when he sent a mail order for an engagement never pre- paid the postage. At one time he sent an order, as usual, and not getting an immediate reply, thought the letter had miscarried and wrote again. In his last communication he said: "If you got my first letter all right you can save the postage on this one by not taking it out of the office."
At a town meeting held March 24, 1767, it was "voted to Nathaniel Bemis, late constable, six shillings on account of a counterfeit dollar which he took accidentally in collecting the Province tax."
Literary Curiosity.
The following is inserted simply as a curiosity. Some years ago a New York paper offered six equal prizes to those who should write the best contributions on the weather, containing two hundred words without the letter a. The author was one of some four hundred competitors and won a prize.
"The Tempest."
"¡It is dusk upon the bluffs of the little hillside town which overlooks the rocky, precipitous shores of the mighty deep below. The storm king is enthroned. The spirit of violence is running riot. Every soul is hushed with feelings of the deepest solicitude for the elements portend sudden destruction. The fierce tempes- tuous wind ;sweeps swiftly through the deserted streets or speeds wildly over the surging billows, shrieking weird solemn requiems over the perishing. Everywhere dense, ominous clouds moving with tremendous energy, writhing in endless contortions, betoken the coming cyclone. The condensed moisture of worlds seems to be suspended over the defenceless town. Like the deluge of old it is poured forth in furious floods. It rushes down the steep de- clivities in impetuous torrents uprooting huge trees or undermin- ing immense boulders in its resistless course. Shooting through the skies on their mission of destruction, the vivid lightnings, in quick succession, pierce the gloom with flickering light. The booming, bursting thunder, with its grumbling, grinding, noise, seems to be ushering in the knell of doom, while the universe like some tiny reed before the wind seems to be on the very brink of dissolution."
I32
SKETCHES OF SPENCER HISTORY.
Frank W Harry F. Fred A. Albert L.
Arthur C. Dr. Alonzo Amasa Edgar W.
Walter C. Mrs. Ella M. Jones
Edwin Amasa Mrs. Julia D. W. Bemis
Anna J. Wallace L. FAMILY OF EDWIN AMASA AND JULIA DRAPER WATSON BEMIS. An old time New England family as to size. (Taken in 1886.)
HISTORY OF THE SPENCER BOOT AND SHOE PEG INDUSTRY.
Between the years 1825 and 1840, there were four peg facto- ries in Spencer run by water power and another one contem- plated by Napoleon B. Prouty for erection near the Horace Baldwin place. Mr. Prouty had the dam partially built but for some unknown reason abandoned the enterprise. Peg making at its inception was a very primitive industry, the birch log first being sawed into blocks the right length for the pegs, then marked with a pencil into squares of the right dimensions and then with a long, straight knife and a mallet, split to size. All that was now needed to complete the peg was to point one end and this was usually done with a jackknife. In those days about every boot maker, or cobbler as we would now call them, made his own pegs and when, in 1812, Josiah Green commenced making pegged boots on the wholesale plan he made what pegs he used, chiefly evenings after his regular day's work was done. By 1825 there had been developed in this section quite a demand for pegs to supply Mr. Green, Isaac Prouty and the Batchellers of North Brookfield, who had, for the times, become quite extensive manufacturers of boots. A more rapid way of producing the pegs was sought and found, by the use of a hand plane with a V cutter attached, which making one groove at a time on the block of wood and one groove following another there was soon made a succession of them covering the entire sur- face; then the block was grooved again at right angles and when completed presented rows of peg points which by the use of a knife and chisel were quickly split into a merchant- able product. This was the method in use when Alpha Be- mis about 1825 built the first peg factory in Spencer on what was then known as Pigeon Brook and later as Cranberry Meadow Brook, a stream flowing from Cranberry Meadow Pond by Howe's Mills and into the Seven Mile river near the present filter beds. The Alpha Bemis mill pond was on the stream southwest of the railroad and two hundred and twenty rods from Cranberry Meadow Pond. There had been a dam built and a grist mill erected here as early as 1813, and a wire mill in operation as early as 1816, since on Jan. 10, 1817, "Elijah Howe, carpenter, of
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