USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Ashburnham > History of Ashburnham, Massachusetts : from the grant of Dorchester Canada to the present time 1734-1886 with a genealogical register of Ashburnham families > Part 4
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HISTORY OF ASHBURNHAM.
Regulated by a Committee that may be hereafter for that Purpose appointed by the Court and further it is ordered that in case any of the Grantees shall neglect or delay to fullfill the Terms of this Grant such Person or Persons shall forfeit to the Province all his or their Right and Interest in the land hereby granted.
Sent up for Concurrence
J. QUINCY, Spkr.
In Council June 18 1735 : ---
Read & Concurred, and ordered that William Dudley Esq' be joyned to the Committee for laying out the first Township, Joseph Wilder Esq' for the second, Edward Goddard Esq' for the third and Thomas Berry Esq' for the fourth Township.
December 29 Consented to
J. WILLARD Secry J. BELCHER.
Immediately following the grant of these townships the General Court instructed the several committees charged with the distribution of the land to give " preference to the eldest male heir if such there be otherwise to the eldest female" and that the heir of any soldier deceased receiving a right or one-sixtieth part of a township, "shall pay the other descend- ants or heirs of the deceased soldier their proportionable part of ten pounds." These committees were further instructed to exercise "the Best Care they Can in Examining and Reg- ulating the Claims of all Persons that shall appear as Heirs, Descendants or Representatives to make and keepe fair Lists of the names and Places of Residence of the Respective Gran tees or Settlers of the said Towns in order to prevent Mistakes in settleing and Regulating the Claims and admission of the Grantees." At the same time it was ordered that if the expense of surveying and admitting settlers exceed fifty pounds the excess should be paid by the grantees. The for- mer vote to pay the whole expense had been in consideration that "the officers and soldiers in that expedition ware very
-
47
THE EARLY GRANTS.
great sufferers and underwent uncommon Hardships." In the amended vote .it is made reasonably certain that their esti- mate of the great suffering and uncommon hardship of every sixty soldiers and the heirs of those deceased did not exceed, when expressed in financial terms, the sum of fifty pounds.
Under the direction of the committee consisting of Joseph Wilder, Thomas Tilestone and William Royal, the township of Dorchester Canada was promptly surveyed by Jonas Houghton. The report of the survey dated January, 1736, the day of the month omitted, is substantially repeated in the act of confirmation which was passed June 1, 1736.
A Plat of a Tract of Six miles Square Granted to Thomas Tilestone Esq & others for a Township laid out by Jonas Hough- ton Survey and Chainmen on oath, Bounding Southerly on the Narragansett Township No two ; Westerly by a Township laid out for Tilton & others Northerly by a Township laid out for Ipswich and Easterly part on Townshend and part on Lunenburg. It begins at a Hemlock the North Easterly Corner of the said Narragansett Town & Runs West 18 deg. South seven Miles wanting twenty Rods from thence North 12 deg East Eight miles & two hundred Rods. and from East 12 deg South Seven miles and 100 pereh from thence Sontherly by said Townshend line One thousand One hundred & twenty & by Lunenburg line Six hun- dred & twenty Rods to where it first began.
In the House of Represent : Read and Ordered that the within plat be and hereby is accepted and the Lands therein Delin- cated & Described are accordingly Confirmed to the Grantees Mentioned in the Petition of Thomas Tilestone Esqr and others in behalf of the officers and Soldiers in the Canada Expedition Anno 1690 which passed this Court in their late Sittings and to their heirs and assigns and Lawfull Represent" Respectively for- ever : they Complying with the Conditions of the Grant. Pro- vided the Plat exceeds not the quantity of Six Miles Square with an addition of Three Thousand Eight hundred and Fifty Aere
48
HISTORY OF ASHBURNHAM.
formerly Granted and contained in the plat and three hundred acres allowed for Ponds and does not Interfere with any former Grant. .
In Council Read & Concurred
Consented to
J. BELCHER.
Our new township now assumes the name of Dorchester Canada, which it retains until the incorporation of Ashburn- ham in 1765. As yet it is merely a defined portion of the wilderness. The rudest habitation of man has nowhere a place in the unbroken forest. The echoes from the bustle and activity of civilization have never answered back from the surrounding hills nor floated over the lakes. But now the compass and the chain, the heralds of the approach of man, hem the forests within the pale of the axe and the torch and the greed of gain fastens its despoiling hands upon the hills and the valleys which for centuries have been sleeping in the beauty and quietude of nature.
The influences which guided the committee to this locality can never be fully known. The assignment of any reason, at this late day, is speculative. If they came by the way of Lunenburg this was the first unappropriated land they had found. It is a fact, also, that one of the committee was not a stranger to the place. The summer preceding Joseph Wilder had been here as the surveyor of the Starr, the Converse and the Rolfe grants.
The attentive reader has observed that in the act of confir- mation, Dorchester Canada is bounded on all sides by town- ship lines. A literal construction of the terms employed would lead to the conclusion that the committee here found a tract of unappropriated land entirely surrounded by estab- lished towns, with an area so accommodating that an exact equivalent to six miles square was conveniently left for their
.
49
THE EARLY GRANTS.
acceptance. The terms defining the western and northern boundaries need explanation. At this time Tilton's town or Ipswich Canada had not been surveyed, but it is within rea- son to infer there was an understanding between the two committees that Ipswich Canada was to be located next west of Dorchester Canada. In fact, Ipswich Canada was not laid out until the summer following. New Ipswich bounding on the north had not been surveyed at this time, but it was located before Dorchester Canada was confirmed. The south and the east boundaries were already established. and now the surveyor runs the west line parallel to the old Lunenburg line and the north line at a right angle and locates them so as to include the required area.
The allowance of 3850 acres for former grants and 300 acres for ponds required the surveyor to lay out 27, 190 acres instead of 23,040 stipulated in the charter. The survey contained about 27,700 aeres which was not an unusual allowance for uneven ground.
In this account of the several grants an attempt has been made to discover where each was located and for what con- sideration it was bestowed. An outline sketch, at the close of this chapter, presents a summary view of the form and relative position of the township and the six smaller and earlier grants which were included within its boundaries. The lapse of time will add interest to these initial features of our local history. In these early grants, extending wider and wider from the centres of population, new fields were dedicated to the occupancy of man. To this portion of the wilderness which has now been located and outlined the succeeding chapters will welcome the arrival of the settlers, and attend them while they fell the forest, build houses for their families, establish churches and schools and wisely direct the civil affairs of the new settlement.
4
4
50
HISTORY OF ASHBURNHAM.
Many of the persons named in this chapter will appear again. Unless incidentally mentioned the names of others associated with these events will not be repeated in the fol- lowing chapters. Ebenezer Prescott, Jonas Houghton and David Farrar, the surveyors, were residents of Lancaster. Jonas Houghton was also employed in the original survey of New Ipswich. Ephraim Wetherbee and Hilkiah Boynton were of Lunenburg. Ephraim Wetherbee was chainman for Nathan Heywood in the first survey of Rindge. Colonel Josiah and Moses Willard were leading men in Lunenburg at the date of their mention in this chapter. They were among the grantees of Winchester, New Hampshire, and became prominent in the annals of Cheshire county. Their only interest in this town was in connection with the North- field road which extended through the township and opened a way to their lands in New Hampshire.
Colonel Benjamin Bellows was also of Lunenburg at this date. Subsequently he removed to Walpole, New Hamp- shire, which for a time was called Bellowstown. Combined with a remarkable business capacity were energy and deci- sion of character. It was his son Benjamin who was a general in the Revolution and through a long and useful life distinguished in civil affairs.
Major James Converse was of Woburn where he closed an active and eventful life July 8, 1706. He was a member of the General Court and three times elected speaker of the House. In military affairs he was equally distinguished and his gallant defence of Storer's garrison in 1688 is mentioned in complimentary terms in the histories of the time. His sons, Robert and Josiah, to whom the land in this town was granted on account of the service of their father, were inthu- ential citizens of Woburn, although for a short time Josiah is found residing in Leicester.
51
THIE EARLY GRANTS.
B
C
1
IV
VII
III
D
II
VI
E
I
V
A
A B- Ipswich Canada Line - South part now in Gardner. B C- New Ipswich Line - now New Ipswich and Rindge. C D - Old Townsend Line - now in Ashby.
D E - Old Lunenburg Line - now Fitchburg.
A E - Westminster Line - West part now in Gardner. I - Starr Grant. II - Cambridge Grant.
III -- Lexington Grant.
IV - Bluefield Grant. V - Converse Grant.
VI - Rolfe Grant.
VII - Dorchester Canada.
CHAPTER II.
PROPRIETARY HISTORY.
THE TOWNSHIP AWARDED TO SIXTY PERSONS. - THEIR INFLUENCE OVER THE SETTLEMENT. - PROCEEDINGS OF THE FIRST MEETING. --- CHANGES IN MEM- BERSHIP OF THE PROPRIETORS. - HOUSE LOTS SURVEYED. - SITE FOR MEETING-HOUSE SELECTED. - T SAW-MILL PROPOSED. - SECOND DISTRIBU- TION OF LAND .- A FULLING-MILL SUGGESTED. - THE FIRST MEETING-HOUSE. - WAR WITH HEZEKIAH GATES. - THE PROVINCE LINE. - MOSSMAN'S INN. - FEAR OF INDIANS. - BLOCK-HOUSE BUILT. - THE SETTLEMENT TEMPO- RARILY ABANDONED. - THE SITUATION. - CHANGES IN MEMBERSHIP OF THE PROPRIETORS. - PERSONAL NOTICES. -- MOSSMAN'S PETITION.
DORCHESTER CANADA now falls into the possession of its new proprietors. Three shares of rights are reserved for public uses, and sixty are bestowed upon the persons con- templated by the charter. Thus each person to whom is allotted a right becomes the owner of one sixty-third part of the township. The committee promptly completed the ser- vice enjoined in the charter by naming the persons who were entitled to a share in the grant. Fifty-four rights were bestowed on account of service under Captain John Withing- ton of Dorchester, and six to the soldiers, or their legal rep- resentatives, in other companies. Fortunately the report of this committee has been preserved. It presents a sad record of mortality. Only one soldier, Philip Godding, comes for- ward and receives in person this late reward for service to the colony. It is certain, however, that a few others, repre-
52
.
53
PROPRIETARY HISTORY.
sented on this occasion by their relatives, were still living. The sixty rights in the township were assigned as follows :
1 -- Thomas Wilder of Lancaster in Right of His wife Susannah eldest Daughter to John Pope.
2 -- John Swift Jun' of Framingham in the Right of His Father M' John Swift cldest Brother to William Swift.
3 - Joseph Warren of Roxbury in the Right of Elias Monk of Stoughton.
4 - Benjamin Cheney of Dorchester in the Right of his Brother William Cheney.
5 -Joseph Triscott of Dorchester in the Right of His Father Joseph Triscott.
6 - Ilumphrey Atherton of Stoughton in the Right of His Father Consider Atherton.
7 -Jonathan Chandler of Dorchester in the Right of His Brother Samuel Chandler.
8 - Matathias Evens of Dorchester in the Right of His Brother Richard Evens at the Desire of his Eldest Brother Thomas Evens.
9 - John Toalman Jun' in the Right of His Father John Toal- man of Dorchester and at His Desire.
10 -- Seth Sumner of Milton in the Right of His Unele Josianiah Sumner at the Desire of His unele William Sumner.
11 -- John Robinson Jun' of Dorchester in Behalf of his Father John Robinson eldest Brother to James Robinson.
12 - Ebenezer Crane of Braintree in the Right of Ebenezer Crane.
13 - William Blake of Milton in the Right of James Morey in Behalf of his Mother Martha Blake eldest Daughter to said James Morey.
14 - John Andrews of Dorchester in the Right of His Brother Thomas Andrews.
15 - Josephi Leads of Dorchester in Behalf of Ilis Wife Mary eldest Sister to Joseph Weeks.
16 -Thomas Lyon Juu' of Dorchester in Behalf of His Father Thomas Lyon Eldest Brother to HIenry Lyon.
54
HISTORY OF ASHBURNHAM.
17 - Richard Withington of Dorchester in the Right of His Father Capt John Withington.
18 - Joseph Weeks of Dorchester in the Right of His Brother Thomas Weeks.
19 -M William Cooper of Boston in the Right of Benjamin Hewins, at the Desire of Joseph Hewins eldest Brother of said Benjamin Hewins.
20 - Obadiah Swift of Dorchester in the Right of His Brother James Swift.
21 -- Hezekiah Barber of Dorchester in the Right of Yonnite Modsley at the Desire of His Brother Thomas Modsley. 22 - Ralph Pope of Dorchester in the Right of His Brother Ebenezer Pope.
23 - Samuel Butt of Dorchester in the Right of His Uncle Richard But.
24 -- David Joans of Wrentham in the Right of His Uncle John Joans.
25 -- Samuel Sumner of Taunton in the Right of His Father Samuel Sumner.
26 - Josiah Baker of Boston in the Right of His Uncle William Baker.
27 -- Mr. William Cooper of Boston in the Right of His Uncle George Menott.
28 -- Edward Kelton of Dorchester in the Right of His Father Thomas Kelton.
29 - Robert Redman of Stoughton in the Right of His Father Charles Redman.
30- Samuel Kneeland of Boston in the Right of Ammiel Weeks at the Desire of His son George Weeks.
31 - Neamiah Clap of Milton in the Right of His Brother Edward Clap.
32 -- Timothy Tilestone of Dorchester in the Right of His Brother Cornelius Tilestone.
33 - Samuel ITinshua of Milten in the Right of Daniel Hinshua His Uneles son.
55
PROPRIETARY HISTORY.
34 - Edward Sumner of Roxbury in the Right of Ilis Unele Samuel Sumner.
35 - Benjamin Sumner of Milten in the Right of Ilis Brother William Sumner.
36- Robert Cook of Needham in the Right of His Brother William Cook.
37 - Bartholame Gold of Boston in the Right of His Uncle Ebenezer Sumner.
38-John Charhore of Milten in the Right of His Uncle John Charhore.
39 - Benjamin Bird Jun' of Dorchester in the Right of His Unele Thomas Bird.
40 - Samuel Blake of Taunton in the Right of His uncle William Blake.
41 - Thomas Tilestone Esqr of Dorchester in the Right of Capt. John Galliver at the desire of Jonathan Galliver who was admitted a Settler.
42 -Timothy Mossman of Sudbury in the Right of His wive's Brother Samuel Hix.
43 - Joshna George of Attleborough in the Right of His Brother William George.
44- James Atherton of Harvard in the Right of His Uncle Joseph Atherton.
45 - William Sumner of Milton in the Right of William Sumner His Uncle Increase Sumners Son.
46 - Elizabeth Trescott of Milton in the Right of Her Brother Samuel Trescott.
47 - Joseph Chaplin of Roxbury in the Right of His Brother Moses Chaplin.
48 - IIezekiah Barber of Dorchester in the Right of Eliab Lyen at the Deseir of Zachariah Lyon Son of Nathaniel Lyon Eldest Brother to said Eliab Lyon.
49 - Waitestill Lyon of Dorchester in the Right of Her Uncle Edward Wiat.
50 - Benjamin Mansfield of Dorchester in the Right of His Neffue Peter Kelley.
56
HISTORY OF ASHBURNHAM.
51 - Samuel Burch of Dorchester in the Right of His Uncle Eliazer Wales.
52 -- Isaac Ilow of Dorchester in the Right of His Cussen Joseph Curtice.
53 -Thomas Tilestone Esq" of Dorchester in the Right of Hope- still Sanders in Behalf of John Sanders.
54 - William Royal of Stoughton in the Right of Samuel Sanders in Behalf of John Sanders.
55 - John Sheperd of Stoughton in the Right of His Uncle John Sheperd - Maj' Wade.
56 - Philip Gooding of Stoughton who sarved under Majr Wade. 57 - Joseph Wilder Esq' of Lancaster in the Right of His Unele Samuel Wheeler who sarved in the Expedition to Canada under Maj' Nathanel Wade.
58- Nathan Heywood of Lunenburg in the Right of John Willis Ilis Wives Father who sarved under Capt Savage.
59 - Oliver Wilder of Lancaster in the Right of Jonathan Fair- bank who sarved under Cap: Champney.
60 - Joseph Wheelock of Lancaster in the Right of His Uncle Timothy Wheelock who sarved under Capt Anderson.
Except Timothy Mossman, none of these original proprie- tors ever resided in the township, yet several of them, or their sons, retained their interest and attended the meetings of the propriety for many years. The Wilders, the Summers, Joseph Wheelock, Nathan Heywood and Hezekiah Barber became intimately associated with the fortunes of the settle- ment. The descendants of several of these proprietors were subsequently among the most useful and valued citizens of Ashburnham. Here is found the probable cause which led to a residence here of the Wilder, Kelton and Crehore fami- lies. And in the succeeding records, as the change of ownership introduces new names, will appear the first men- tion of other families which have been honorably associated with the annals of the town. A miniature town was con-
57
PROPRIETARY HISTORY.
coaled in this report of 1736. To sixty men and their suc- cessors was committed the destiny of a future Ashburnham. Had the decision of the committee passed by these names and bestowed the grant on sixty other persons, the drama would have proceeded with the scene unchanged, but the actors and all the incidents of the play would have been changed. A town with a parallel history would have suc- ceeded, but the name, the men, the order and color of the events would not be those which fill the pages of our annals.
While these proceedings were in progress, the General Court had passed an order empowering Timothy Tilestone to call the first meeting of the proprietors. This warrant is dated September 8, 1736, and the meeting was assembled in Dorchester fourteen days later. The proceedings of the first meeting outline plans and projects for the benefit of the proposed settlement which are not consummated for many years. The record of the meeting is as follows :
Att a Meeting of the Proprietors of a Township Granted to the Officers and Soldiers in the Expedition to Canada anno 1690 in the Company under the Command of Capt John Withington late Deceased on the 22 Day of Sept 1736 att the Turkshead in Dor- chester, Legally warned.
Voted That Thomas Tilestone Esqr be moderator.
Voted To Lay out the Land as Soon as may be.
Voted the first Division Lots to be fifty acres and the Com- mittee to ad thereto for badness of Land.
Voted That the Committee shall Consist of Six men and four of them to be a quorum.
Voted That Edward Hartwell Esq. Benjamin Bird Mr Samuel Sumner Mr Benjamin Sumner Mr Isaac Howe & Joseph Wilder Esqr be a Committee to Lay out the first Division Lots.
Voted That the Committee do agree with the Surveyors and Chain men.
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HISTORY OF ASHBURNHAM.
Voted That the Surveyors each Shall have fifteen shillings per Day, they to support them Selves.
Voted That the Chainmen each Shall have ten Shillings per Day they to support them Selves.
Voted That the Committee Shall have Twelve Shillings per Day they to Support them Selves.
Voted That when an so often as any five or more of the Pro- prietors shall judge a Proprietor's Meeting to be necessary they may make Application to the Proprietors Clerk for the Calling of a meeting Expressing the time and the place and the Occasion thereof and the said Clerk is hereby Impowered to Grant the same for such Meeting accordingly and to Notify the Proprietors of the Said Meeting and the time and place for the same, which Notification Shall be given in Writing Posted up in Some Public Place or Places in Dorchester, Milton, & Stoughton Fourteen Days before the Day appointed for the Meeting and the Notifica- tion to be put to the Public Prints.
Voted to have a Clerks Book.
Voted that evry Proprietor to have a Plan of his first Division Lot he Paying for the same.
Voted That evry Proprietor Come att the Next Meeting to Draw his first Division Lot, he to pay for the Laying of said Lot ont before he Draws said Lot.
Voted That the Committee Vew a Convenant Spot for the Meeting House and that the said Committee leve Convenant High ways.
Voted to leve Convenant Places for a Mill or Mills Common for the use of the Proprietors.
Voted that the Committee leve out thouse peices of Medow they think Proper to be left out for the use of the Proprietors.
Voted that Benjamin Bird be the Proprietor's Clerk and the said Bird tuck the following oath :
Whereas you Benjamin Bird are Chosen by a Majority of the Voters to be Clerk to the Proprietors of the Township Granted by
59
PROPRIETARY HISTORY.
the General Court to the Company under Capt. Withington in the Expedition to Canada You do Swear by the true and ever- living God that you will Duly and faithfully Discharge that Trust according to your best Skill and Knowledge. So Help you God.
PROVINCE OF THE MASSACHUSETTS BAY S S.
Sept. the 22th 1736.
Then the above Named Benjamin Bird Parsonally appearing made Oath as above. Before me
JOSEPH WILDER Justice of the Peace through the Province.
Thus ends the record of the first meeting of the propri- etors. An organization had been effected and the clerk had been sworn in solemn form. It is worthy of note that after taking the oath Mr. Bird seldom again spelled at with two ts while he held the office. His best skill and judgment had been invoked. At this meeting appears for the first time Edward Hartwell of Lunenburg. He was not an orig- inal proprietor but had purchased a right of Joseph Leads and became an active and leading member of the organiza- tion. Thomas Tilestone, to whom in the admission of pro- prietors was assigned two rights, now owns the former rights of John Chandler and Samuel Burch ; the four rights were probably acquired by purchase. Although the figure head of the petition to the General Court it does not appear that Mr. Tilestone was entitled by inheritance to any interest in the grant which had been secured mainly through his influ- ence. William White now owns the right of David Jones and the right of Waitstill Lyon is held by Thomas Stearns. Jonathan Dwight of Boston takes the place of Joseph Chap- lin, and Andrew Wilder, Jr., of Lancaster, is the owner of one of the rights of Hezekiah Barber, while James Mears and Timothy Green represent the rights formerly of Ben- jamin Cheney and Elizabeth Triscott.
60
HISTORY OF ASHBURNHAM.
A spirit of activity pervades the record of the first meet- ing. Hardly had a moderator been chosen before a vote was passed to lay out a house lot for each proprietor "as soon as may be." Five days after the meeting, the six members of the committee, in full sympathy with the zeal- ous enthusiasm of their associates, attended by two surveyors and nine chaimen and assistants, are upon the ground. For fifteen days the stillness of the woods is broken by the sound of the axe and the strong voices of sturdy men. In their dying echoes is heard the doom of the primeval forest. The sleep of centuries is ended. The entire expanse of foliage warmed in an autumn sun will never again present its varied hues in an unbroken picture of grandeur and beauty. The despoiling agency of man has been invoked and soon the flame and smoke from the clearing of the settler will announce the preparation for his habitation. Under the direction of the committee sixty-three house lots are laid out by Andrew Wilder, Jr., and Joseph Wilder, Jr. The chainmen and assistants were nearly all proprietors who had come hither to view their new possessions. These lots were located on the west, south and east shores of Upper Naukeag lake, then extending south through the Centre Village and east to Cam- bridge farm, then westerly on the north lines of the Rolfe, Starr and Converse farms and on the west line of the latter farm to the line of Westminster, covering the site of the South Village, but not so far west as the line of the Cheshire and Vermont and Massachusetts railroads. Two lots were detached and located in the present limits of Ashby. The remaining lots were in one continuous tract of irregular form. In these lots were included three thousand one hundred and fifty acres, exelusive of any allowance that might have been made for inequality of land. The remainder of the grant, or above three hundred acres for each right, was still owned
: 1
61
PROPRIETARY HISTORY
in common by the proprietors. These surveys were com- pleted October 11. Meanwhile the committee had selected a site for the meeting-house and had laid out roads leading to it. For this service the committee and those employed by them were paid £152-16-6. The sum of £2 was "Paid Sundry People at Sundry times for Bringing the Horses out of the woods," while £2-19 was paid for pasturing horses, which possibly indicates that some of the horses were past- ured at expense on improved lands in Lunenburg, being more highly favored than those let loose in the woods.
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