USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Chelmsford > History of Chelmsford, Massachusetts > Part 4
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+Allen's Hist., p. 12.
#This is intimated in a letter from the late President Adams of Quincy to Wm. Adams, Esq., requesting to know who built the first meeting house and mills.
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THE BEGINNING
the present house. It was built in the year preceding the erection of Mr. Adams' saw-mill 1656 and in all probability was made of logs, hewed and locked together."
I do not agree with Allen's conclusions upon either of the three points just mentioned.
The vote of March 1, 1655, that future town meetings should be held at the meeting house plainly indicates an intention to have a meeting house, but there is reason to believe that their hopes were not realized that year.
In the record of the third town meeting, to which Allen refers, the place of meeting is not mentioned.
The best evidence obtainable would indicate that the meeting house was not built for several years, probably in 1659 or 60. The first mention of the meeting house in Mr. Fiske's record is, inci- dentally, in specifying the duties of church officers when Thos. Henchman and Henry Farwell were chosen deacons, at a church meeting "16 of 9 [16]60. * * So Br. Hinksman was to keep the box, booke & acconts of constitution. Br Kemp to pvide the bread & the wine, & Bro. Farwl. to take the charge of the linen & pewter &c.
this day Br. Abr. parkr was chosen in Br. Nuttings place, to take care of the clensing the meeting house that it be kept in a desent posture & of the hower [hour] glasse, Cushion &c. For a yeere. [In margin] He refusing attend Br. Bia [Geo. Byam] was chosen & acceptd" This would indicate that they now had a meeting house and proposed to have it decently cared for.
The only light which the town records shed upon this question is in the action taken to provide for the payment for the building. From the large sums, over £264, from 1659 to 1663, raised for that purpose, not including the sum of £46-8 raised to pay Saml. Adams in 1659-the tradition that one or two individuals were at the main expense of erecting the building would seem to be exploded. And, as there was a saw mill in town in aid of which a large tract of land had been granted, the people would not be likely to construct their meeting house of logs. The building was sufficiently substantial and commodious to answer the needs of the town for fifty years.
The town record showing the amounts that the town was assessing upon the inhabitants for various purposes during the years in which the meeting house was being paid for is sufficiently instructive to be given in full.
22
HISTORY OF CHELMSFORD
yeare :1 :6 [16]59 A List of the disbursements Leuied by rate in this Toune of Chelmsford from the first of the first month and the names of the persons to home they ware Comited:
It[em] A rate for the paiment for A drum to
Henry Farwell . 3-5-0
the Country rate for yt yeare was wth an addition of halfe 14-6-00를
A rate to pay mr Samuell Addams 46-8-0
to A County rate
2-7-4
to Joseph Parker Constable“
66-4-43
A rate for the Toune house to meet in .
22-2-6
ye yeare :60: A Country rate Colledg & Law books 14-1-0
A rate for a toune stock of amunition . A County rate and for A presentment
13-6-0
2-8-6
Roberd Proctor Constable 51-18-00
in ye yeare
:61: A Countery rate wth an addition & to ye
Colledg
17-17-8
A Toune rate for glass and other dues
from ye toune .
15-1-8
James Hilldereth Constable 32-19-4
8:62:
A Countery rate wth an addition and
Colledg
19-19-3
A rate for the meeting house for ye Toune 100-8-00
Thomas Chamberline Constable 120-7-3
8 63:
A rate for the meeting house . 100-00-00
to the Countery & Colledg 19-9-05号
A Toune rate for ye meeting house Carting & other dues
27-1-11
John Burge Constable* 146-11-4}
After the removal of Rev. Mr. Fiske and his brethren from Wenham to Chelmsford those members remaining in Wenham retained their connection with the church, now the church of Chelmsford, and still looked to Mr. Fiske for spiritual guidance. This appears from a letter written by Mr. Fiske to the Wenham *Second Book, Town Records, original, p. 190, Copy of 1882, p. 118.
23
THE BEGINNING
brethren, as copied from the Fiske record by the late David Pulsifer of Boston. Only so much of the letter is here given as shows the relation of the Wenham members to this church and the objects of the letter.
FROM FISKE RECORD.
"The Copy of ye Churchs Answer to ye Lrs. from or brethren of Wenham Dated 31 of 1. 59.
To our beloved Brethren of ye Church at Chelmsford resident in Wenham.
Grace mercy & Peace be multiplyed by Jesus Christ.
Brethren Beloved in our Lord
We received of late Letters from you by our Bro: Byam whereby you expresse yor desire of our present approbation counsell & prayers in Order to ye Erecting of a Church, amongst & of your selues, & to ye Calling an Officer to administer vnto you, ye things of Christ: manifesting yor hopes of Enjoying Mr Newman in that worke & function: & afterward (when you shalbe fully resolved of this) that accordingly we would condescend to yeeld you Letters of dismission to ye worke of God * * * * * * * * And though we cannot but greately * approue of yor prudence in not determining that matter, or desiring Letters of dismission from vs to that worke, before you haue received a full Answer from Mr Newman in ye case wch if we vnderstand be once giuen, according to your desire expressed, so as he shall both joyne wth you in gathering a Church, & vndertake office amongst you * * * you shall not need question a readiness & surenes on our parts to graunt you Letters of dismission, yea & our hearts & prayers shall goe along wth them for his gracious presence & blessing to be voutchsaffed in Jesus Christ. So desiring ye God of all Grace to make you perfect, stablish strengthen settle you in his owne holy Truthes & waies, we take our leave at present, & rest.
Chelmsford
24 of 2d 59
Yor Loueing Br.
in ye bonds of ye Gospel Jo: ffiske in ye name & with ye consent of ye Church
Rev. Antipas Newman was ordained at Wenham, Dec. 8, 1663, a new meeting house having been built that year.
Mr. Fiske prepared a Catechism for the instruction of the young people of his flock, which was printed at the expense of the church in 1657. Copies of this little work are now exceedingly rare, probably not more than one or two remain in existence. One specimen was contained in the library of the late George Livermore
24
HISTORY OF CHELMSFORD
of Cambridge, which was bought by the Lenox Library, of New York, for $106, at the auction sale of the Livermore collection. It was entitled "The Watering of the Olive Plant in Christs Garden or A Short Catechism for the first Entrance of our Chelmesford Children."
The address "To the Church & Congregation at Chelmsford, Grace & Peace, through Jesus Christ," is as follows *:-
"Beloved, What is here presented to Public view is yours: for looking to the poor-Penman, as Relating to you: to the external moving Cause, as arising firstly & freely from you, to the End & use as centering in you, to the reason of the Publishing thereof, as resting with you, and the care and costs, as to that end expended by you: It must not otherwise be determined but YOURS. Which being so, you have saved me the labour, of prefacing on behalfe, either of this so necessary & fruitfull an exercise of Catechising, or of this present draught: or of publishing it. The present encumbrances of our new-begining you know to have declined me till of late. from the former. and mine own inabilities much more from the latter, as being rather desirous to have made use of some others labours that way, or at least-wise to have acted mine own feeble apprehensions in a more private manner amongst our selves. But God hath moved your minds, first to see, and seeing to cause, as it must be as it is. I shall add only a word or two touching use; 1. The Scripture quotations in the margent, are so severed by those distinct marks as it is not hard to discern to which answer they pertayn. 2. They are orderly set down (for the generall) as they relate to the severall sentences or parts in the answers. 3. Where more than one, are mentioned to the same purpose, it is not without special cause, and may serve for help of memory, when we may have occasion to branch out such a subject, into its particulars. 4. Profitably you may reduce Promises to their proper heads in the Lords Prayer, and Dutyes or faylings to their proper places in the Decalogue. As for the annexing of these with the Doctrine of the Sacraments, by way of Appendix. It is because the same will more suit with such capacities as are allready entered, then such as are but in their enterance. I say no more but this. If now you & yours, (as is hoped) shall gain any Spiritual fruit by these poor weak Travells of mine. I have my desire: and no small encouragement, in the midst of many wilderness-discourage- ments.
To His Blessing therefore I commit both you & yours, who is the God of all Blessing: and Rest
Yours in the Lord John Fiske
Chelmesford this 25 of 1. mo: 1657."
*Early New England Catechisms by Wilberforce Eames.
25
THE BEGINNING
Mr. Allen says (p. 124), "This little work is moderate in its doctrines, catholic in its spirit." The conclusion, however, would not be warranted from this that it taught any milder Calvanistic doctrines than the generality of New England churches at that time.
The Puritan theocracy was still in force during Mr. Fiske's pastorate. Our Puritan ancestors who had escaped from religious persecution in England, proposed to avoid religious dissensions in their new home by founding a commonwealth to be composed of a united body of believers. The Cambridge Platform had been adopted in 1648, defining the creed and powers of the clergy. This was laid before the congregations and adopted by them. And the General Court had already in 1646 enacted a law for the banishment of heretics, prefaced by the declaration: "Although no Humane [human] power be Lord over the Faith and Consciences of men, yet because such as bring in damnable Heresies, tending to the subversion of the Christian Faith, and destruction of the Souls of men ought duely to be restrained from such notorious impieties"
["Laws and Liberties of Massachusetts Colony," 1672, p. 58.]
The Fiske Record gives some facts relative to the publication of the Catechism and the methods adopted by the church for catechising the children, viz .:
"& togethr heerewithal in the 4 place of the refusall (as we vnderstood). to disburse their pportion to the Catech. printing, wch the Ch: stands engaged to see satisfyed. * * [From a letter written to Esdras Read, under date of January 31, 1657-8, and copied into the Note-book.]
23 of 10 58 Voted by the Church that the 33 shs 9 d wch the Church stood engaged to see pd. to Br. James Parker for the Catechises should be for prsnt lent to him out of the Church stock. & if light app hrafte [appear hereafter] to the Church where it lies behind, to be taken in to the deacos hand on the accont of the catechizes in lew of this loan if not light, then this pte of the Church stock to be here levyed in his hands as assignd to the discharge of this debt of the Church. * *
6 of 12 64 A Church meeting Catechising. Agreed by the Church. that the sa course of catechizg of all undere 16. yeers old. be attended at the house of the pasto. viz. for mayds the day afte the Lecture, & for youths the 2d. day of the weeke following the lecture.
It [em] That for all yong men aboue 16. years old, vnmarryd. That it be moved, who will voluntarily app to giue in their Names to Answr in publick. & for such as shall decline: if Children of the Church. that the Church shall see that they attend to be
26
HISTORY OF CHELMSFORD
catechisd by the pasto in his House upon the 2d. day of the week monthly afte the lecture at the usual time, of meeting (viz. aboute 3 of the clock in aftrnoone & if they shall negl. to come on one day, to bring as much the next time, as may pportion the Time. This votd.
That we begin the worke in publ. aboute the begining of 2d. month
The Catechases to be dd out by Bro. Kemp at 6d. p peece. *
30 of 4. 69 The Church mett *
After this. It was pposed the way of Catechising fro house to house.
& the yong or vnmarried psos to meet at so one house of 4 or 5, the maryed to be visitd in their owne houses"
Of the six members of the church, who came with Mr. Fiske from Wenham, two of them, Richard Goldsmith and Austin Killam, soon returned to Wenham, where the former was killed by lightning in 1655 and the latter died in 1667. Esdras Read also withdrew from the church and went to Boston where he lived during the remainder of his life.
There were others, however, who came with, or very soon after, Mr. Fiske, but who presumably were not members of the church as their names do not appear in the Fiske record. One of these was John Shepley, who sold in 1655 to William Fiske (brother of the minister) a dwelling house in Wenham and land, "butting with a bound tree by the mill & so running up to the meeting-house *. " And in 1656 the names of "Sister Shipley's" children were recorded on the church book at Chelmsford.
Dea. Cornelius Waldo, who, Allen says, came with the Fiske company, did not come for ten years. He was from Ipswich, where there is evidence of his living till 1665.
In June, 1656, there were nine additional members received into the church. The record of the meeting is as follows:
Vpon 11. of 4. 56. a publick gnal [general] fast
In the close of the day was the Church Covt. renewed repeated & voted by the Brethren.
It [em] there were received into or covt. pfessing their willing- ness to owne that or covt. as had ben exprssed
11 William Fletcher dismissed
1 Bro: Adams his wife fro the church Mary Adams
2 Bro. Vndrwoods wife - of Concord Sara Vndrwood
3 Anna Butterfield the wife of Bro: Butterfeild
4 Mary Chamberlin the wife of Bro: Tho: Chamblin
5 Mary Lernett the wife of Bro: Isaack Lernet
*Essex Reg. Deeds, So. Dist., Vol. 1, Leaf 27.
-
27
THE BEGINNING
6 Mary Thompso the wife of Bro: Symo Thoson
7 Rose parker the wife of Bro: Abra Parker
8 Margaret Parker, the wife of Joseph parker
9 Mary Chamberlin, the wife of Edmond chamblin dismissed to us fro the Church of Ooburne.
Edmond Chamblin the so [son] of the 1. sd. Mary Chamblin baptised 29 of 4 56. This d. [ay] the Lo [rd's]: supp [er] & here coicated [communicated] with vs. Rob. Proctor of Concord
Rafe Hill & his wife of ooburn [Woburn]
Geo: Farly
Wm. Baker of the Church of charlestowne
The church was for some time exercised over the question as to the relation which the children of the church members should sustain to the church. At a meeting "1 of 11. 56 [Jan. 1. 1657]" a set of propositions were adopted determining such relations, the third clause of which was:
3 That the Children of Church members, vnder the age of 14 or 15. y. when there pnts [parents] tooke the Covt. are included in there pnts Covt. & to be reputed members, & conse- quently to be baptised, not haueing ben before Baptised.
This question having been disposed of the "Brethren prsented their childr, names & Ages," and then follow the names and ages of 75 children belonging to 17 families.
The action of the church in the case of Mr. Fiske's son, Moses, who had been prepared for college by his father at the age of sixteen years, shows the zealous care which the church exercised over its members.
"12 of 7 58. This day Moses Fiske, being suddenly to depte to the Colledge was called forth before the Church: & owned thr his followeth Covt. in the face of the Church, psonally in covt. engaging himself to the Church. & the Church to him, as in the forme as followes"
The covenant follows and also the copy of a long letter addressed to the Church of Cambridge commending the young man to their brotherly care and watchfulness.
The control exercised by the church over its members often affected their temporal interests. Personal interests must give way to those of the church, when they conflicted. This is shown in the case of James Parker, James Fiske, and John Nutting, who desired to withdraw from the church and remove to Groton. Before they could obtain their dismission from the church they were required to appear and present satisfactory reasons for their withdrawal. The meeting to consider the matter was held
28
HISTORY OF CHELMSFORD
"9 of 9 [16] 61 On this day, the 3 bre: Ja: parker, Ja: Fiske, Jon Nutting ppounded to the Church. That they haueing some thoughts and inclinations to a Remoue, desired to ppound it to the Church, that (as they may see God to make way for them) they may haue the Churches loueing leaue so to doe, & their prayers for them, for a blessing of God upo there vndertakeings.
Some discussion followed over the matter, brother Adams saying, "they saw a call of God leading them to this place & if they apprehended a call of God away, twas ney [necessary] they should giue an accont to the church of their call hence"
DISMISSED TO GROTON.
Being called upon by the pastor "to approue their grounds." Brother Parker "stepping up to speak, * *
* sd. that he for his pte [part] owned that God had a hand in bringing him hither: & he hoped he should see the sa [same] ouruling hand of his, in his Remoue & as to their grounds, tis not their desire to expresse them in ptic, [particular] vnlese it shall be pticularly desired & urged Onely in gnal [general] that it is bec. of sevral things prese upo their spits [pressing upon their spirits] as in refference to Church Administration, & so [some] uncomfortable differences, as they all know are wonted to arise abt the sa [sacrament]; & added, yt if he could enjoy all ordin: or Adminis- tration, as according to Rule, as he apprhended, he for his pte would not remoue
Br. Fiske ppsed his assent. & added, yt as his ends of coming were wel knowne to God, & in so measure to the church, so it would be no smale thing that should moue him to a Remoue"
More discussion followed in which the rules of church govern- ment were argued, and action was deferred to a future meeting, at which brother Nutting called attention to his situation as follows:
"Br. Nutting pposed one ground further in r of his one ptic. viz. the inconveniences of his prsent situation & that he could not help himself. for in remoueing to his remote accommodations, haueing sevral smale childr, he should much deprue himself or wife of the ordin: [ordinances] by that means, & sought rather the settling himself comfortably for the outward man nigh to the meeting house."
At this time no church had been organized at Groton, but in 1665 the families of James Parker, Joseph Parker, James Fiske, and John Nutting were dismissed to the church at Groton.
James Parker became the leading man of that town, where he lived to a good old age. Joseph, his brother, was a large
29
THE BEGINNING
landowner and "the ancestor of the most numerous branches of the Parker families in Groton and its vicinity." John Nutting was killed by the Indians when Groton was attacked and destroyed, March 13, 1676, and James Parker and family were obliged to seek an asylum among his old neighbors in Chelmsford, where he remained for several years.
EXTENSION.
Only the year following the incorporation of the town we find the people petitioning for an extension of their grant. They had found some parts of the land granted them stony and other parts barren, so that they had been constrained to set their habitations near the northeast corner of their town bounds as they alleged, "wheare wee haue no outlett for our Cattell to feed on"
To understand the situation as they represented it, it is necessary to consider the town lines as they then existed, including, as they did, the present town of Westford and a large part of Carlisle, and as the north line did not extend as far north as the present village of North Chelmsford, it will be seen that what is now the center of the town, where the meeting house stood, was the northeast section of the town.
That they found scanty pasturage over such a large tract while it was occupied by only twenty or thirty families was owing, of course, to the condition of the wilderness as they had found it and before they had cleared up land for cultivation. The land being covered by forest except on the meadows which skirted the streams or where Indian fires had destroyed the timber, it required a long range over which the cattle must roam to find sustenance.
Their petition is as follows:
"7th 3 mo., 1656.
"The humbell petition of the inhabitants of Chemsford sheweth that wheareas this honoured Courtt hath fformerly giuen them a sertayn tractt of land which we thankefuly acsept of, and wee thought it to haue binn sofitient and Conuenient for a plantatyon, but by reason of the stonines of sum part and the barones of another part there of, we weare Constrained to set off our habitatyons on one corner of our bounds which was only Conuenient for that vse, and so wee have vnauoidably put our selues vp on straights because now our setuation is neare vpon our north east line, wheare wee haue no outlett for our Cattell
30
HISTORY OF CHELMSFORD
to feed on, may it please, therefore, this honoured Courtt to take this our Condityon in to Consideratyon, and to graunt a small parsill of land from our north east line downe to merimack Rieur, and so bownd us by the sayd Riuer aboutt three mills, and so to run vp on a south west line so as that wee woold nott bee any hindrance to grauton plantatyon: May it please this honoured Courtt to graunt this our petytion how euer your petisionors will Continualy Remayne praying for a blesing vpon all your waity affaires.
"Jo ffiske:
"Isack lerned, "Thomas Addams,
"Simon Tompson,
"Edward Spaulding, "Beniamin buterfild, "William fletcher "william vnderwood,
"in the name & on the Behalfe of ye Towne.
[Massachusetts Archives, Vol. 112, p. 80.]
The Apostle Eliot, with an ever watchful care for the interests of his Indian charges, had petitioned the court for an extension of their grant. The court granted both petitions but not in a manner calculated to promote harmony between the Indians and their white neighbors. They gave to the Indians a tract a mile in length lying between the Merrimack river and Chelmsford (Chelmsford did not then extend to the river at any point). It corresponded to what is now Middlesex village, from Black brook westward. The Indian name of this tract was Neahambeak as appears from a deed of land upon Black brook, from "Wanalanset the only Sonne surviving of old Passaconaway, deceased, who was the great and chiefe Sachem upon Merimack River" to Thomas Henchman in 1685. And a much larger tract was given to Chelmsford and the Indians jointly. This tract took in what is now North Chelmsford and the northern section of Westford. Both these grants are indicated on the plan by dotted lines, the smaller one marked "Joe Sagamore" being the Indian grant.
[See Vol. III, p. 406, printed Records Massachusetts Bay.]
The following is the answer of the Court:
"In Answer to this Peticon and Allso that part of mr. Eliot's Peticon respecting An Jnlargement of land, vpon Conference with the Comittee who layd out the bounds of Chelmsford and perusal of a descripcon of A plott of the sayd plantacons and Allso of the Track of land now by both parts Peticoned for: Wee Apprehend it requisite that the Indian grant be extended A mile from the North East Angle or corner bound of Chelmsford Abutting on Merrimack and Patucket Eastward, taking in John
31
THE BEGINNING
Sagamor's planting ground. And the end of the said mile to determine the Indain plantacon. And for the rest of the land on behalf of both towns-Peticoned for, that Chelmsford South and North line Abutting on Tadmuck, be extended from the North- weast Angle or Corner three Miles north: so as it pass not Merrimack riuer. And from thence to run A parralell line, with the East and west line of Chelmsford, vntill it meete with Meri- mack Riuer. And that the whole Track of land so taken in, be and remayne in Comunitie vnto the Towns of Chelmsford and the Indian Town called Patuckett for all vses.
"21th 3 mo 1656. "DANIEL GOOKIN, "JOSEPH HILLS, "JOHN WISWALL.
"The Deputyes approve of the returne of the Comittee in answer to this petition desiringe the consent of or honord magists hereto,
"WILLIAM TORREY, Cleric.
"Consented to by ye magists, EDWARD RAWSON, Secrety."
[Massachusetts Archives, Vol. 112, p. 80.]
This joint ownership plan did not prove satisfactory, and we find the Court again appealed to in 1660, and it confirmed an agreement between the whites and Indians, by which Chelmsford got that large section that had been given to them and the Indians jointly, and the Indians were given a small strip of land bordering their grant, which had belonged to Chelmsford.
As was usual in such transactions, the whites got a good deal and the Indians got a little.
The line as then established between the Indians and Chelms- ford, would appear from the description to correspond very nearly to the line of the old Middlesex canal as far, perhaps, as where the canal crossed the River Meadow brook.
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