USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Dracut > History of Dracut, Massachusetts, called by the Indians Augumtoocooke and before incorporation, the wildernesse north of the Merrimac. First permanment settlement in 1669 and incorporated as a town in 1701 > Part 15
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Grants
laid
out on
the North side
Merrimack River
1659- 93. - connox-
1-Pawtucketville
4-Navy Yard Village 5-Kenwood
2-Collinsville
3-New Boston Village
6-East Draout
6
3
Batter Just
Billerica
Winthrop
5
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WAR WITH GERMANY AND HER ALLIES
mark created the German Empire and included all under one government.
In 1914, Germany declared war against France, having as allies, Austria, Turkey and Bulgaria. The allies of France were England, Russia and Belgium and before it closed on November 11, 1918, a large part of the countries of the world were in a state of war. The United States remained neutral until 1917, when repeated insults by Germany and the success of the Central Powers, as Germany and her allies were called, obliged the United States to declare war, April 6, 1917, and the arrival in Europe of the American soldiers was the cause of the defeat of the Central Powers and the overthrow of the German Empire.
NAMES OF SOLDIERS FROM DRACUT WHO SERVED IN THIS WAR
John F. Briscoe
Chester J. Canney
Antonio Bernier
James F. Costello
Ernest Boivineval
Forrest H. Calhoun
George E. Benoit
Charles F. Clevette
Isadore Boucher
William H. Cullinan, Jr.
Louis Bernier
Wesley Crosby .John Ciesla
Israel Boulet
Adelard H. Bourgeois
Robert C. Blakely Lawrence Brennan
George Decelle
Augustus L. Dutton
Paul L. Burden
Arthur Decelle
Frank S. Burden
Leander P. Davidson
Charles E. Bixby
Cecil P. Dodge
Arthur H. Cashin Ralph H. Coburn
Elie Dufour
Joseph E. Dufour Alfred Dufour Anthony Drouin
Rodney C. Coburn Everett O. Coburn Napoleon Cardinal Z. Prince Coburn Robert Campbell Leroy Caverly Daniel J. Collins Thomas Collins
Lynwood D. Foster Carminio Fascoine Ernest Firth Archie Fox Lester H. Fox
178
HISTORY OF DRACUT
George Garner
Armand J. Guenard
Saul Joseph Gordon
Henry J. Grenier
Edward Girard Edmund H. Gunther John T. Gorman John Gendreau
William Gendreau
Roderique Gendreau
Arthur C. Gunther
Raymond Gendreau
David A. Hanlon
Everett Hayward
Harvey R. Hayward
Herman L. Hodge
Royal K. Hayes
Roland Hill
Harold Hill
John Harrison
Harold F. Harrison
Samuel Newell Harris
Charles Harwood
Thomas Higgins
John J. Higgins
Frank Hobbs Clifford R. Harvey
Paul Lockhart Hutchinson
Stewart Frauk Hunt
Harold D. Hutchinson
Galen H. Harvey
Edward Irving Johnson Charles E. Jones
James P. Kiernan Florian J. King
Roy H. Linscott Jacob Lachut
Joseph N. Laflamme Walter E. Leslie
Joseph A. Lessard Alexander Lessard Arthur Levesque
Romeo Methot
Hugh Fred Maguire
Henry J. Murphy
Harry Mclellan
Howard V. McCoy
Harold McAnney
Joseph Francis McNamara Arthur C. Mitchell
Ernest Mooney
George Mozley
Charles Nelson Herbert O. Nichols
John Ouimmette George O'Malley
Theodore Perry
Hector Pilotte
Wilson H. Pollard
William Perreault
Waldo N. Pierce
Benoit Poirrer
Albert L. Pelton
Elzear Perry
Alfred Perreault
William Robertson
John J. Roughan Thomas B. Roughan
Caleb F. Rogers Jesse Richardson Roscoe Richardson
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WAR WITH GERMANY AND HER ALLIES
Asa Richardson Delmer E. Richardson Arthur Gilbert Richardson Leo Roth
Herbert Taylor William H. Taff
Edward H. Taff Joseph C. Taff Alfred J. Tremblay Harry W. Thomas
David Scott William W. Scott
Benno W. Shafter
Lionel Stewart
Richard E. Udell Percy R. Wilson
Manuel P. Sauris
Alexander M. Shanks
Edward Walsh
Michael F. Sullivan
Leo Sherlock
Frank R. Walters Alexander Wilson George Leo Wayne
Edgar Sykes
Hollis C. Simpson
Arthur L. Witherall
Daniel Sullivan
Benjamin Witherall
Raymond R. Stevens
Raymond A. Willett
Edwin Shore
Edgar A. Yates Richard Young
Franklin W. Thomas
George Touissaint Charles Therrien, Jr.
John Zarnowski
These men served in the different organizations which com- posed the American army. They were found in the infantry, artillery, and batteries, and were in the navy, the quartermas- ter's department and the aviation corps. Their duties, while primarily those of fighting men, included clerical work, remov- ing the wounded in ambulances, placing in position telephone wires, police duty and serving as cooks and bakers. They were in the hardest battles and manifested the same spirit which animated our ancestors whenever called upon to defend our rights and liberties.
Among the many organizations, in which were Dracut men, mention may be made of the 319th Regt. Field Artillery, which was engaged in the section called the Argonne Meuse Forest. This battle was one in which the enemy was defeated and its influence was felt in the confidence which it gave to the allied forces and the depression which followed the defeat of the Cen-
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HISTORY OF DRACUT
tral Powers. At St. Mihiel the regiment was at the front and by skillful placing in position of the cannon rendered valuable assistance and contributed to the success of the engagement. The official history of the 82d divison refers in terms of praise to this 319th Regiment of Artillery. Dracut men were also mem- bers of Battery F, 102d Field Artillery, which composed a part of the 26th Division U. S. A. In a book entitled "Our Miracle Battery," written by George Mozley, a Dracut man and mem- ber of Battery F, incidents are recorded relating to the engage- ments at Chemin Des Dames, Seichprey-Xivray, St. Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne, Chateau Thierry, and other places. Mr. Mozley has given permission to the copying of extracts from this in- teresting book which will in a measure convey to the readers how the battles of the present day are fought.
"The next day, February 5th, as we rode along in the train we noticed old trenches, barbed wire, etc., and just about dark we arrived at Pommiers, where we unloaded. It was then very dark and we moved over the roads until we arrived at some old barracks, formerly German property, about seven miles from the front line. After taking care of our horses, we retired for a few hours' sleep with the exception of those who were given guard duty. The next morning we could hear the guns booming in the distance. We put branches, etc., on our guns, to camouflage them. We were ordered to keep out of sight for a number of planes were flying around and some of them might be Germans.
"On February 8th, while we were at the same place, we noticed some American Infantry-men coming up the road. They were Co. M of the 104th Infantry. As a large number of them were formerly of the 6th Regt. of Massachusetts, we found many acquaintances. On that afternoon we went to a nearby ruined village, where to test our gas masks, we put them on and went into a cave where there was gas.
"Early the next morning, February 9th, we left for the front. About noon we noticed some planes at which the French anti-aircraft guns were firing, so we knew that they were German planes. Suddenly we heard a shrill noise and then an explosion. What was it? We moved along quickly and then one of our
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WAR WITH GERMANY AND HER ALLIES
officers said that the noise we heard was a shell, no doubt di- rected at us by the German aviator.
"On Monday, February 11, 1918, the whole Battery fired its first shot at the enemy in the World War. We now had an opportunity of seeing what the enemy seemed to take pleasure in doing-destroying, for we noticed orchards everywhere where the trees had been sawed a few feet from the ground and toppled over. The churches, gravestones, etc., had been smashd to dust. * Enemy planes came flying around the Echelon as well as the position to get information. Guards were stationed at both places to notify in such cases and also to notify in case of gas. When the enemy was over at night, it was a wonderful sight to see the searchlights, of the French, cross each other in the sky, endeavoring to locate the plane, that shots might be directed at it. On certain nights a large number of planes would go over and we were told that this was one of the routes the enemy took to bomb Paris."
Of Seichprey we learn that "all night the shelling con- tinued and at 3.30, on the morning of the 20th, the enemy came over the top to get Seichprey. Gas was everywhere. The guns boomed on both sides and the Battery fired for ten solid hours. All the high explosives had to be used. Each piece fired 950 rounds, when the orders came to pile up all shrapnel, there being 50 left per gun. At '409' the guns had to be pushed out so as to cover the proper places. Consequently there was no protection. All the wires were cut and the Special Detail men were trying to repair them. The last report over the wires was 'Germans enter Seichprey-still coming.' * When communication was finally established all batteries of the regiment received orders to fire at one particular spot. We later heard that the reason for it was that two mobile batteries had been drawn up and were doing a great deal of damage. They were annihilated by our regimental fire."
CHAPTER XI
CHURCH HISTORY
U NDER the Colonial law the inhabitants of every newly settled town were obliged to maintain a minister and have regular religious services as soon as their circumstances would permit. It was one of the conditions of the incorporation of Dracut "That the inhabitants of said land assist in the mainte- nance of the ministry at the town of Chelmsford as at present they do until they are provided with a minister as the law directs."
"A church officer of whatever degree was an officer only of his own church. According to the primitive doctrine and prac- tice of New England, no man was a clergyman in any sense either before his election by a particular church or after his relinquishment of the special trust so conferred. And even while in office he was a layman to all the world except his own con- gregation and was not competent to exercise any clerical func- tions elsewhere. In the earliest times, ministers were ordained, not by other ministers, but by officers of the church which elected him or, when it had no officers, then by some of its private members. No marriage by ministers was legal, but a civil con- tract was made before a magistrate."
THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
Among the earliest records of the town we find an attempt to provide a house of worship. Under date of March 6, 1711, is recorded, "At a general town meeting unanimously agreed by a generall vote for building of a meeting house. Also by a general town meeting voted and made choice of the West end of Flag meadow hill to be the yard to set the meeting house on." For some reason unrecorded the action was not completed, for we find the following on record :
"Dracut December ye 8th day in the year 1714. At a gen- eral Town meeting of the Inhabitants that was warned by the
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CHURCH HISTORY
selectmen of the town for to meet and to see in what manner to build a meeting house for our town and to begene it this year. And it was granted by the aforesaid town meeting that the meeting house should be 30 feet longe and 25 feet wide. Also it was granted six pounds of money to be paid towards the building of said house. 30 pounds in the next year in July insueing, 30 pounds in the month of July 1716. Also it is granted for four cattle and a man a day five shillings and so according, and two shillings one man a day for getting timber, also it is granted Thomas Coburn, Ezra Colburn, Joseph Colburn, Thomas Varnum, John Varnum should be trustees for the above. said town to hire and agree with men for to build said meeting house above named & give a true account to the town of their ex- penses to get the work done as cheap as they can. This is a true account done at a general Town meeting.
JOSEPH COLBURN SAMUEL COLBURN Selectmen."
The next year it was voted to build the house larger, two feet more in length, three feet in width and a shed twenty feet in length.
April 11, 1715: "Voted to purchase 1 Barrel of cider and such a quantity of rum as the trustees may see fit to be used while building the meeting house." As we read of the small amount of money which was appropriated we conclude that much of the labor would be contributed by the men who would be benefitted by a building in the vicinity. There was an abun- dance of lumber of little value, it was near John Varnum's saw mill at the Pawtucket falls, and but little money would be needed aside from that used to pay expert workmen to oversee the work. The next year it was again voted to set the building near Flag Meadow Hill and the boundaries of the lot defined. The location was on the south side of Varnum avenue and ad- joining on the east the homestead of the late Dea. Abel Coburn. This piece of land has been known as the meeting house lot.
An account of early customs relates: "An important and interesting adjunct of the meeting house, in some parts of the country was the Sabba' Day House. Comfort being carefully
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HISTORY OF DRACUT
shut out of the meeting house was only then rudely provided for in such subordinate structures. The Sabba' Day House was a family affair, generally comprising but a single apartment, perhaps fifteen feet square with windows and a fireplace. It was very plainly and sparsely furnished. Chairs for the old people and benches for the children stood around the walls and a table in the center might hold the Bible and a few religious books and pamphlets, while at one side shelves contained dishes for cooking and eating. Sometimes the Sabba' Day House was mounted above a shed in which the horse could be sheltered. A group of such cabins standing about the meeting house added not a little to the picturesqueness of the spot and their use con- duced greatly to the convenience and comfort of Sabbath wor- ship especially in winter."
Many families owned foot stoves which may be seen in museums. These were small perforated tin boxes enclosed in a square frame and carried in the hand like a dinner box, which would be filled with hardwood coals either at the Sabba' Day House or at a neighbor's fireplace. Besides furnishing coals, the Sabba' Day House provided a place where the cold dinners were eaten and where the housewives could exchange ideas relating to housekeeping and the men discuss farm topics and the politi- cal situation. The oldest women in the family were entitled to the use of the footstove while the children would rap their feet together to promote circulation. If there was only one footstove in the family the dog would be brought in and the younger members would receive some degree of warmth by holding their feet on him. At the annual town meeting one of the offices to be filled was that of dog thumper whose duty it was to keep the dogs from fighting during the services. The introduction of stoves for the purpose of warming the meeting house was strongly opposed but when once admitted the Sabba' Day Houses disappeared. The pews were square with seats on the four sides. A door was attached to each one and the seats, boards without cushions, were fastened to the side with hinges and raised when the people were standing. Only the aged or feeble were allowed to remain seated during the long prayer and at its close the children would replace the board seats, which had been raised, making as much noise as possible, much
185
CHURCH HISTORY
to the dismay of the elders. A flight of steps led to the pulpit. In front of the pulpit and facing the congregation could be seen the deacon's seat, while in the large galleries were seated the singers, the indigent and colored people and families who could not be seated in the audience room. Above the pulpit was the sounding board, bell shaped, and designed to deflect the sound of the minister's voice down to the congregation. Such, in brief, is the description of the meeting houses of a century ago and there was little variation from the barn-like appearance outwardly. When a minister was considered a proper man for the place he would be settled for life and pastorates extending over a period of sixty years were not unusual. Church attendance was obligatory and non-attendants were brought into court and fined.
The following is the record of the grand jury in 1730 re- lating to this matter :
"Middl ss At His Majestys Court of General Sessions of the Peace holden at Charlestown for and within the County of Middlx on the Second Tuesday of December being the eighth day of said month Anno Dom: Seventeen hundred and thirty In the fourth years of His Majestys Reign By His Majestys justices of said court, James Richardson of Dracut Husband- man as Principal in Five pounds and John Colburn of Dracut Husbandman Surety in the like Sum of Five pounds became indebted to the King to be levyed on their several Goods or Chattles Conditioned that he the said James Richardson & James Richardson Jun. his son Shall appear at the next court of General Sessions of the Peace for Middlx to answer to the Presentment of the Grand Jurors for not attending Publick Worship of God."
In 1711 a Mr. Hail or Hale conducted services for a time and received the sum of "43 shillings 4 pence." The same year a call was extended to Mr. Amos Cheever to become the pastor at an annual salary of fifty pounds with a promise of increased pay if the town was able to give it. He was to have eighty pounds allowed him for the purpose of erecting a dwelling house. The original letter in which this offer was made is in existence. A
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HISTORY OF DRACUT
similar offer was presented to Mr. Wigglesworth, who also de- clined to accept it. It is noticeable that no title was prefixed to these names.
October 15, 1718, the town "mad choise of Mr. Mackgger to settle in Dracut to prech the Gospel and to do the whole work of a settled minister; and likewise voted to give to Mr. MacGregor 65 pounds for his salary for the first four years."
Rev. James MacGregor, with several families of his parish in the north of Ireland, had arrived in America that year. While endeavoring to find a suitable place in which to settle, Rev. Mr. MacGregor came to Dracut and received the call to become their pastor. But his duties to his own people forbade his acceptance although he consented to perform the duties as pastor for a time and taught the town school in the winter of 1718-19. The fol- lowing May he removed, with his associates, to Londonderry, N. H., where they became the first settlers of the town. In 1720, a call was extended to Rev. Thomas Parker, at that time only 19 years of age, but who so strongly impressed the people with his ability and fitness to perform the duties of the office that his youth was not considered as unfitting him to become the pastor.
His reply was as follows:
"Chelmsford, Jan. 30, 1720.
To the inhabitants of the town of Dracut :
I received your vote the 3d of this instant January by the hands of Capt. Varnum and Lieut. Hildreth, wherein I under- stand you have unanimously made choice of me to be your set- tled minister. I have perused and considered your offer also understanding your earnest desire that I should settle amongst you. I can find no fault with what you have been pleased to offer and I do therefore accept the same provided you do pay me quarterly. As you have been unanimous in your choice so I hope you will always endeavor to live in peace and unanimity, that there be found a spirit of peace in each of you. I also beg your prayers to Almighty God for me, that I may prove a faithful minister of Christ and instrumental in saving many souls, that you may sit quietly and contentedly under my min- istry, that I may have a comfortable prospect of your being benefitted thereby, and that you and I may so believe and manage
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ourselves that we may meet with comfort in this life and with peace at death; and that we may lift up our heads with joy at the last day shall be the continual fervent prayer of me, one of the unworthiest of God's ministers.
THOMAS PARKER.
"The action of the town is as follows:
At a general town meeting made choice of Rev. Thomas Parker as their minister and voted to give him a call to settle at eighty pounds yearly for his salary. Voted that Captain Var- num, Quartermaster Coburn and Ephraim Hildreth carry the vote to Mr. Parker and that Quartermaster Coburn be paid six pounds to provide for ye ordination."
His letter of acceptance shows the spirit in which he entered upon the work and which enabled him to render such satisfactory service that he remained with the Church until his death, which occurred March 18, 1765, his term of service being forty-four years. Before his burial the town voted "To buy Madame Parker a morning suite also to buy six Rings for the Baires for sd Desest." At the time of his death there was a small burial place between Varnum avenue and the river which is still in existence and here he was laid to rest by those whom he had served so many years. His grave was marked and after a cen- tury had elapsed his remains were removed to the Woodbine cemetery on Old Meadow road.
As the town increased in population and more families set- tled in the central and eastern portions the location of the meet- ing house became unsatisfactory, and in 1745 a town meeting was called for the purpose of selecting another site. There existed a great diversity of opinion as each section desired the location of the building in their vicinity. They finally decided "to build a meeting house for ye public worship of God, 45 feet in length and 35 feet in breadth and 23 feet between the plates and sills and that said meeting house shall be set on ye northwesterly side of ye Great road, on the easterly side of Mr. Nathan Simonds land near said road and near the easterly line of said Simonds land." Nathan Simonds was at that time the owner of one half of the 500 acres of the Indian Reservation, therefore the location must have been not far from Riverside street, then called the
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HISTORY OF DRACUT
Great road. The site was unsatisfactory and on December 16th of the same year it was voted "to build the meeting house 44 by 36 & 24 feet in the clear on the high land between Col. Var- nums house and the Old Meadow Path." This was Joseph Varnum who lived at the garrison house near the navy yard village and the location chosen seems to have been further north than the one chosen the preceding May.
Neither site was satisfactory to all parties and no further action was taken until February 10, 1747-8, when the town again voted to build a meeting house and "to sett it at the Southwest corner of John Bowers his homestead by a Great majority in writing." The Bowers homestead was at the northeast corner of Hovey square, opposite the Hovey house. This action caused the town to be divided into factions and a controversy com- menced which was so bitter that the inhabitants of the west part of the town appealed to the General Court by a petition in which they rehearsed the past actions of the town in building the first house, settling a minister, etc., and set forth the recent votes of the town in regard to the different sites selected. The situation will be better understood if the petition is recorded. Omitting the legal formalities the substance of the petition is:
"27 May 1745 the town did vote and agree upon a place for Rebuilding the said meeting house about a mile to the northward from the 1st meeting house. That notwithstanding said votes the Inhabits have called another meeting and on the 10th of Feb. last did by a majority of votes grant that a meeting house should be built at the Southwest corner of the John Bowers home- stead at least a mile eastward from ye place agreed upon ye 27 of May as aforesaid and further granted two hundred pounds of the last Emission [papermoney] to be laid out in building the same which last mentioned place is upward of two miles eastward from the first meeting house" and further prayed that a committee be appointed "to view and appoint the most reason- able place for a meeting house." The petitioners state that they believe by the action of the town that two meeting houses are to be built 'at the towns charge without separating the inhabitants and if so they request that they may be divided into two towns or parishes.
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CHURCH HISTORY
The petitioners were
John Varnum
John Littlehale Jr.
John Littlehale
Robert Lindsay
Abraham Varnum
James Richardson
Edward Coburn
John Williams
Josiah Coburn
Joseph Colburn
Thomas Varnum Ezra Littlehale
Samuel Winn
Ezekiel Richardson Jr.
Caleb Parker
Aaron Coburn
Ephraim Colburn
Abraham Coburn
Edward Coburn Jr.
Daniel Coburn
These signers can be identified as residents of the west part of the town. In answer to the petition the General Court ordered April 7, 1748, "that Col. Richards and Mr. Brewer with such as shall be joined by the Hon. Board be a Committee to view the Situation & Circumstances of the Town of Dracut at the charge of the petitioners & report what they judge proper for this Court to do in this Petition and all proceedings respect- ing building a meeting house are stayed in the meantime." A counter petition was presented April 15, 1748 by those citizens who favored the placing of the building on the Bowers' lot. It was signed by :
Jacob Coburn
Samuel Varnum
John Varnum Jr. Edward Taylor
Levi Hildreth
Stephen Kimball
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