USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Framingham > History of Framingham, Massachusetts, early known as Danforth's Farms, 1640-1880; with a genealogical register > Part 17
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The important matter of schools and education will be treated of in a separate chapter.
POUND. - March 2, 1702, the town voted that there shall be a pound set up upon the west side of the river by the bridge. The next year the place was changed, and the pound was built on land of John Town, joining to Mr. Swift's land by the road.
The pound was kept in the same neighborhood till near the begin- ning of the present century, when it was set up on the north side of what is now Pleasant street, at the point where the Lowell railroad crosses said street.
TOWN BRAND. - March 2, 1702, voted " that there shall be a town brand made for the use of the town, which shall be made with the letter F."
STOCKS. - This essential safeguard to good order, as our fathers believed, and instrument of punishment for minor offences, was built in Framingham as early as 1703. They were probably placed near the meeting-house, though the location is never mentioned in the records, it being taken for granted that everybody interested knew where to find them. They were repaired at an expense of I s. 8 d. in 1716, and rebuilt at a cost of 5 s. in 1723.
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History of Framingham.
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. - " Jan. 5, 1703-4. The town voted that there shall be a rate made, one quarter part to be paid in Indian Corn at 2 s. per bushel, and Rye at 3 s. per bushel, or else to · be paid in money, for to procure Weights and Measures, as the law directs."
April 5, 1704, John Eames Sen. brought a wolf's head to Thomas Drury, a selectman, and John Pratt, constable, to be dealt with as the law directs.
PAY OF REPRESENTATIVES. - In early times, towns paid the charge for the services of their representative to the General Court. The pay was reckoned at so much per diem, and the amount was included in the taxes of the following year, and was collected and paid at convenience. Thomas Drury, the first representative from Framing- ham, received for his services f10. 0. 4.
In 1704, the town voted, "That they would pay John Haven for all the time he spent for the town in the General Court; only the Sabbath days are to be deducted out that were within that time that he was at Court."
STOCK OF AMMUNITION. - A prime duty incumbent on towns was the keeping on hand of a stock of ammunition, to be used in emergency. This town bought its first supply in 1704. It was kept in some central place except in time of war, when it was divided into two or more parcels, and each parcel put in charge of the several military captains, and kept in their dwelling-houses, or deposited in the garrisons. Samuel How was employed "to make 3 casks to put the Town's stock of ammunition in, for which he was paid 9 shillings."
" April 3, 1710. Voted, to raise the sum of £10 for to provide a town stock of ammunition; and that it be kept in four several places in the town." The tax list, under this vote, is preserved, and is valuable as giving the names of the taxable inhabitants of that date, and indicating the relative value of their estates. [See end of this chapter.]
" May 12, 1712. Voted £4 to procure an addition to our stock of ·ammunition."
"Mar. 5, 1715-6. Voted, that Sergt. John Gleason shall take the care of the town stock of ammunition, and turn it as often as is needful; and that it is his own offer to do it without charging the town any recompence for the same."
" Mar. 8, 1715-6. The selectmen weighed the stock of ammunition: the weight of barrel, bag and powder was 120 pounds; weight of bullets, flints and bags to put them in was 151 pounds."
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Garrison Houses.
"June 15, 1719. Ordered, that Capt. Drury and Ens. Bridges take care that the town's Stock of powder and other ammunition be brought to, and secured in the vault over the body of seats in the meeting house, and that Edw. Goddard provide a lock for the vault."
" May 28, 1733. Ordered, that Messrs Thomas Stone and Thomas Winch be desired to view the town's stock of powder and other ammunition, to see whether the same be duly preserved, and whether it needs to be changed."
" Sept. 9, 1774. Voted, that the selectmen are hereby directed to procure and purchase at the town's expense, 5 barrels of powder, and 5 hundred weight of lead or bullets, for addition to the town's stock." "Sept. 30, Voted, to purchase a chest of 25 Fire Arms, and two field pieces."
In 1788, the town stock consisted of nine firearms, 150 pounds of powder, 381 pounds of bullets, 275 flints. In 1805, a committee was chosen to build a magazine for keeping the town's ammunition. It was a wooden house, six feet square, and seven feet posts, and stood in the northwest part of the old cemetery.
FORTS AND GARRISON HOUSES. - The war known as Queen Anne's War, came on soon after the incorporation of the town. It was declared in May, 1702, and terminated by the treaty of Utrecht, March 30, 1713. This was a period of general alarm, in which Framingham participated; though few of our men were drafted into the service. In the expedition to Port Royal, Sept. 16, 1710, Joseph Buckminster was captain of grenadiers, in Sir Charles Hobby's regiment, and sailed in the brigantine Henrietta. Others from Framingham in this expedition were David Rice, died April 20, 17II; Jonathan Provender ; Benjamin Provender, died Jan. 21, 1711; Joseph Adams.
Ample precautions were taken to meet hostile visits from the Indians, who scourged the frontiers. A sentry was posted on the top of Bare hill, during the time of public worship, on the Sabbath, to give alarm, in case of the appearance of the savages. Several forts or garrisons were built in different parts of the town, by neighbors clubbing together for mutual protection. From the vote of the town in 1710, for distributing the ammunition, it is probable that at that date there were not less than four such garrisons. The location of three of them is known. One stood near the then house of Joseph Buckminster, a little to the southeast of the present house of E. F. Bowditch; another at Salem End, between the present houses of James Fenton and Dr. Peter Parker, on the north side of the brook ; a third on Mellen's Neck, to the north of Joseph A. Merriam's. The
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fourth was probably located near the south end of Learned's pond. The Salem End fort was built of logs, with a watch-box above the roof at the gable end, and was surrounded by long pickets firmly set in the ground. This outer defence had a heavy plank gate, hung on wooden hinges. There was a stoned-up cellar underneath, where food could be stored, and a well just outside the gate. When an alarm was sounded, all the families within reach hurried to the fort. It is a current tradition, that on a dark night, when the neighboring families were collected here, with two watchmen in the sentry-box, the dogs gave warning that an enemy was near. The sentries fired in the direction whence the sounds came, and the alarm ceased. The next morning, blood was discovered near the gate, and tracked across the swale to near the Badger farm.
Mr. Barry gives the following: "An aged inhabitant of this town relates an instance of narrow escape from death, on a like occasion, which occurred to his grandmother. Having gone alone to the yard to milk, about two hours before sunset, she carefully looked around to see if there were Indians in the neighborhood. Supposing herself secure, she proceeded to her work, and while in the act of milking, an Indian (who, as was their custom, had disguised himself with brakes, and crawled along on his belly) suddenly struck her in the back with a knife. She instantly sprung, and by the effort twitched the knife from the Indian's grasp; and before he could rise, had advanced so far, that she succeeded in reaching the house, with the knife in her back. An alarm was immediately given, by three successive dis- charges of a musket, which soon brought a reinforcement from the neighborhood of what is now called the Silk Farm, where was a garrison well provided with powerful dogs and arms. On pursuing, . however, they found no traces of the Indian. The woman survived her injury."
The farmers went to their work in the fields, carrying with them firearms for protection. The husband would go with his wife to the barnyard, and watch while she milked the cows. "An aged woman of this town heard, from her grandmother, an account of this practice in her day ; the latter adding, that her husband's presence was, after all, of no great service, for instead of watching for Indians, he would throw himself upon his back, and sing loud enough to be heard through the neighborhood." [Barry.]
At this date, and for many years after, one or more dwelling- houses in every district was built so as to be arrow-proof and bullet- proof. A description of the Learned house, which stood where Mrs. Katherine Eames now lives, will answer for all. It was a two-story house without a leanto. The frame, i. e., the sills, posts, girths and
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plates, were of heavy timbers. Instead of studs in the lower story, logs split in half were set upright, face and back alternately, so as to match by overlapping the edges. The space under the windows on the back side was filled in with bricks ; on the front side and ends with two-inch planks. The lathing was nailed to the logs on the inside, and the boards were nailed in like manner on the outside. The doors were of planks, and the windows were provided with inside shutters.
Some of these garrison houses were lined with planks instead of split logs. The Dr. Stone house, which stood on Pratt's plain, near the arsenal ; the John Eames house, built where is now R. L. Day's house ; the Nathaniel Haven house, which stood west of Washakum pond (the Charles Morse place now in Ashland) ; the original Nathaniel Eames house, late Jonathan Eames', were plank-lined garrison houses. A similar house, built about 1730, by Nathaniel Haven for his son, and placed on the opposite side of the road from the father's, is still standing, as is the Nathaniel Eames house. The former is owned by Joseph Morse.
RULES FOR PASTURAGE AND CUTTING WOOD ON THE COMMONS. - " In town meeting March 4, 1705-6, voted that in case any person shall bring or take in any neat cattle or horses, to feed or run at large upon any of our lands lying in Common, if such cattle or horses be known to have been brought into town for that end, that such cattle may be taken up and impounded by the field drivers."
" Voted, that in case any person shall fall down any wood or timber on any of our town commons, and shall not cut up such wood or timber within thirty days next after, then such wood or timber shall be liable to be cut up and taken away by any other person in said town, and that any person shall have free liberty so to do." " Voted, that in case any person shall fall down any trees for fire-wood on our Common lands, that are less than 20 inches through at the stub, and shall not cut up both body and top within six months after, every such person shall forfeit and pay 12 pence for every such tree, one-half to the informer, and one-half to the town."
" Voted, that in case any person of our town shall go upon our Common lands and fall down any trees on purpose for getting bark for tanners, and shall not cut up and improve such wood or timber so as it be beneficial to himself or some other person in said town, within 12 months after, every such person so offending and convicted of it, shall forfeit and pay for every such tree 5 shillings, one-half to go to the informer, and one-half to the town, and all forfeitures arising under this order to be recovered in such manner as the law provides."
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History of Framingham.
BRIDGES AND HIGHWAYS. - The record of its highways is the history of the material growth, the public spirit, and the relative importance of a town. When its roads radiate from a common centre to the circumference, and that centre is the meeting-house, you will commonly find an intelligent, moral and religious, as well as thriving community. The people have faith in God and faith in each other ; are social and helpful ; are mindful of individual prosperity, and the prosperity and position of the town. Where the roads mainly lead through or out of town, they give sufficient warning to strangers to continue their journey.
At first, as stated in a previous chapter, the streams were crossed at natural fordways. Before the incorporation of the town, bridges had been built on the Sudbury river, at the northeast corner of the town, known as the "New Bridge ;" another at Saxonville ; a third near the first meeting-house, known as the "Great Bridge ;" and one over Stoney brook on the path to Salem End, known as Ball's bridge. After this date, "foot bridges " and " cart bridges " were built wher- ever new roads were laid out.
Bridle paths had been blazed and cleared to accommodate each cluster of houses, and sometimes a single family, in going to the nearest mill and the nearest meeting, whenever the occasion required. And after 1700, till 1735, the same rule was followed in laying out town highways to the Framingham meeting-house and the new mills. The phrase, " as the way is now occupied," so often used in the return of the laying out of a highway, indicates that said highway followed the track of an earlier bridle-path ; and some of these bridle-paths were so convenient of location that they became public roads by common consent, without a formal survey and setting of bounds. This accounts for the fact that some well-known roads which were built upon and used for travel, are not recorded.
1700. A road was laid out from the meeting-house to Salem End, " as the road goes by Mr. John Swift's, and so to the south side of John Town's door by his house, and so over the new bridge over Stoney brook, and so over the plain to the corner of Benj. Nurse's land, and from thence running over a little spruce swamp on the south side of it, and so up to Peter Clayes Sen.'s house, and from thence to James Clayes' and so up to John Nurse's ; and a branch runs from James Travis' to Caleb Bridges' door, [now Wm. E. Temple's], and so to the further side of his land to the Common, said road to be two rods wide." This road ran from the Aaron Bullard place (now David Neary's) straight to Bullard's bridge ; and from F. C. Browne's to near J. Van Praag's, and so west on the north of James Fenton's to George Nurse's. The bridle-path from this point westward ran near the
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Luther Newton place and so to the north foot of Wildcat hill, and to the Richards place, and to the Nathan Bridges place. Benj. Bridges' house stood on a knoll northeast (across the little swamp) of the Obed Daniels house (now owned by the city of Boston), and a lane ran from the plain to his house, which lane was afterwards extended westerly and southwesterly to the present road. The cut-off, from the forks to Wm. G. Lewis', is of more modern date.
1703. Road from the meeting-house over Mellen's Neck to John Whitney's. "Upon complaint of Simon Mellen, John Haven and others, of their want of a way to meeting, an open road of two rods wide was laid out as followeth : beginning at the dwelling house of John Whitney (now Sturtevant's), and so as the way is laid to the norwest corner of John Haven's field which lyeth southward of his dwelling house, and from there to run northwardly as the way is occupied by the west end of Simon Mellen's dwelling house, and from thence northwardly to the river, and over the river (at the fordway) south of John Town's dwelling house (now David Neary's), and so northwardly to the road laid out from Salem End to the meeting house." This early way had little in common with the present road to Park's Corner. It ran on nearly a straight line from David Neary's to B. T. Manson's, and only from there followed the present road. In 1706 the location was changed so that the road ran from Charles J. Frost's to the bar at the mouth of Baiting brook, where it crossed the river, and turned to the east into the former road. The bridge at this point, known as Singletary's bridge, was built in 1712. In 1744 the travelled road turned to the west from the bridge, and went round the bluff, and so over the top of the hill by the new meeting-house, at the north of Joseph A. Merriam's, and so by the old Merriam house to Mr. Manson's. In 1804 the road was straightened " from John Fiske's house to Dr. Merriam's." In 1827 the road was established in its present course.
1703. "A road was laid out from the old South Path from Stone's mills to Marlborough, leaving said path a short distance west of Dadmun's brook, and running by the house of Michael Pike south- westerly, to the south side of the now dwelling-house of Jeremiah Pike, Sen. (near the Adam Hemenway place), and from thence to Dunsdell brook, bounded on the west side by land of Matthew Gibbs ; and from thence to run to the easterly corner of Abraham Belknap's field fence (now Samuel Hill's corner), and from thence to run to the horse bridge over Birch meadow brook (east of the Col. Edgell place) and from thence (just west of Mrs. Gordon's house) southeasterly to the east side of a spruce swamp nigh to the meeting house and north of the same." This was the "way to meeting " from Stone's End, till
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History of Framingham.
within the memory of men now living. From Michael Pike's to Abraham Belknap's corner, was the .easterly part of "Pike Row."
1703. A bridle path was opened "for Mr. Lamb and those families at the west end of the town to come to meeting." It ran from the north side of the Lamb hill, passing near John R. Rooke's, thence northeasterly, across the south foot of the Mountain, and over Stoney brook at a fordway at the northeast corner of J. H. Temple's farm, and thence followed the hard land on the left bank of the brook to Ball's bridge, where it struck the Salem End road. In 1706, a highway was laid out from Mr. Lamb's via Jona. Rugg's to the road near the house of Caleb Bridges, which is thus described : "From Samuel Lamb's land to John Singletary's ditch, said ditch being the northeasterly bound of the said way till it comes to Jona. Rugg's land, then through said Rugg's land as the way is now occupied, thence running between the land of said Rugg and the land of Jona. Brewer, each giving a like proportion of the land for said highway, as far as their lands join together; Then running upon the north of said Brewer's land joining upon his line, till it comes to his northeast corner; thence running upon a straight line to a tree standing in a ledge of rocks on the south side of the road; then as the way is now occupied till it comes to a great stump to a crooked black oak standing by a ledge of rocks on the south side of said highway, and so running to Caleb Bridges' fence."
1704-5. Col. Buckminster proposed to the town, "that whereas the ways from his house are very difficult passing along to meeting, and other places, he doth engage, if he is freed from working upon other highways for seven years, he will make and maintain all the ways in and through his own home farm, and that all the inhabitants of the town shall have free use of said ways." Accepted. The ways opened by him under this agreement were the road running eastward via R. Winch and J. W. Walkup, to Reginald Foster's ; and north- ward from George Trowbridge's to Peter B. Davis'.
1705-6. A road, following the earlier bridle-path to the Thomas Hastings place and the Old Connecticut Path, was laid out froin the meeting-house to Rice's End, and to Elnathan Allen's, at the north end of Cochituate pond : "beginning at the great Bridge, and to run straight from the bridge to a hollow commonly went up and down in by people when it is mirey and dirty riding, the way usually occupied over the Thorngutter, and so upon the north side of the Little Crambry place, and so over the Thorngutter about 8 or 10 rods above the way usually occupied, and so into the way usually occupied about 16 or 18 rods eastward of the Thorngutter, and then to run as the way is occupied till it comes up upon Pratt's plain, and then
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Highways.
to run upon the edge of the plain by the pond called Sucker pond, as near as will allow of a convenient way to lye upon the plain of two rods wide, till it comes to the way usually occupied, and then to bear a little upon the north side of the old way to the corner of John Pratt's field, and to run as the way is till it comes to the way that leads from Sherborn to Sudbury, and it follows said way to John How's house (now A. S. Furber's), and from John How's running through the land of Thomas Walker, and thence (via S. D. Hardy's) between the lands of Dea. David Rice and John Bent to the horse bridge over Cochituate brook, and so through the lands of Thomas Drury and Caleb Drury till we come to the land of Caleb Johnson Sen. - said way to be two rods wide."
1708. On petition of George Walkup and Jonas Eaton, a road was laid out "from the south line of the Half Mile Square: 1, through the land of John Winch; 2, through the land of John and Joseph Gibbs ; 3, through the land of Samuel Winch (the Elisha Frost place), as the way is now occupied; 4, (then turning southwesterly) through the land of Nathaniel Stone; 5, through the land of Jeremiah Pike to Abraham Belknap's land where it meets the Pike Row."
1709. Dadmun's lane. A way was laid out " from Benjamin Ball's house, just south of Ball's bridge, across the plain to a brook, and so over the brook between lands of John Provender, Sen., and lands of Philip Pratt, till it comes to Nathaniel Pratt's land, and so through his land and John Provender's land till it comes to the Common - which way is to be convenient for horse carts and the drift of cattle."
April, 1709. A road from Mr. Simpson's farm to the meeting-house was laid out, "beginning at the river at the southerly corner of the land that the said Simpson bought of Joseph Buckminster, and so to run easterly, so as to come into that way formerly occupied a little before it comes to a pine tree standing on the south side of said way, and then to run as the way lyes till it comes near the river, and then to run as near the river as will allow of a good cart-way, till it comes to the upper end of James Coller's meadow (near Mrs. Cutler's house), and then to cross the river (over Coller's bridge), and to run as the way lyes till it comes into the highway (at Park's corner) that leads from the Havens to the meeting-house." (This became a county road when it was extended west from Simpson's farm to Hopkinton.)
Sept. 6, 1709, John Death, Moses Haven and Thomas Gleason were appointed a committee "to lay out such highways as are needful for the 17 families to go to meeting, and to mill, and to market." John Jaques anticipated in part the work of this committee, as appears from the following paper : " March 6, 1709-10, John Jaques doth give unto the Sherborn Row an highway through his land, as it is marked
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out, for their convenient coming to the meeting house, - beginning at the most northerly corner of Zacheriah Paddleford's field, and so to run to the most southerly corner of Isaac Learned's meadow, and so to continue the easterly side of his land next the meadow, untill it comes to the Stone's Dam (the Giant's Grave) and so on while it comes into the highway that comes from the Pratt's plain to the Great Bridge by the meeting house." The original bridle-path from Sher- born Row to the first meeting-house, ran between Learned's and Gleason's ponds, and so north to the Giant's Grave, and to the Dr. Kittridge land. A lane ran from the John Eames house (R. L. Day's) easterly to meet this path. Probably the new road was laid on the west side of Learned's pond, till it struck this lane, which it then followed to the old bridle-way.
The road for these families to go to mill and market was laid out, but not recorded till May 27, 1713; "beginning at the corner west of the South cemetery, and keeping in the old way to the dwelling house of Richard Haven, thence via Nathaniel Eanes' and Pratt's plain and John How's old place and the Albert G. Gibbs place, to land of John Adams, and through his land to his dwelling house (northeast of Dr. H. Cowles') as the old way did lye, and so round to Daniel Stone's mill. Also a way to market, turning over the cart bridge over Cochituate brook in front of the house of John Adams, and to run as the way now does until it comes to the road that comes down from Rice's End. And at the same date, a public road was laid out, following the early bridle way from Daniel Stone's mill over the old bridge to the house of John Adams aforesaid."
Jan. 10, 1709-10. "Laid out a highway beginning at a path north of Amos Waite's house, running on the west side of a hill unto Samuel How's land, and from thence a straight line upon the west side of said How's land to the old road that leads from said How's to Marlborough."
Jan. 10, 1709-10. Return of a highway from John Shears' (now George E. Slate's) down to the meeting-house. "Beginning at the land of John Shears, and from thence running down to the land of Jona. Lamb and Joseph Wetherbee as the way is now occupied, and so running between the lands of the aforesaid Lamb and Wetherbee so far as their lands extend, and from there to run as the path now is till it comes to Abraham Belknap's land and the land of Jeremiah Pike, and between their lands down to Jeremiah Pike's shop, on Pike Row, and so to the road that leads from Samuel Winch's to the meeting-house."
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