USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Framingham > History of Framingham, Massachusetts, early known as Danforth's Farms, 1640-1880; with a genealogical register > Part 44
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427
Rev. Charles Train.
Mr. Train's pastoral relations with his people in Framingham continued upwards of thirty years, during which time he baptized more than three hundred persons there, and more than double that number who joined other churches. He administered the Lord's Supper in July, 1811 (for the first time), to eighteen members, of whom six belonged to the Church in Weston -in 1839, when he resigned his pastoral charge, the number of communicants in the Framingham Church was about one hundred and thirty.
In March, 1833, Mr. Train was considerably injured by a fall, the effects of which he continued to feel for several weeks, though he was able, for the most part, to attend to his accustomed duties. In August following, he was prostrated by an attack of strangury, -one of the most painful of all maladies ; and this was protracted till the close of his life, - a period of sixteen years. From the resignation of his charge in 1839 to 1843, he continued to preach and perform other ministerial duties, as his health would permit. During a portion of this time he also filled the office of Secretary of the Massachusetts Baptist Convention, and visited different parts of the State in that service. From 1843 his disease took on a more aggravated form, rendering him incapable of any effort, and he continued gradually to decline until the 17th of September, 1849, when the terrible suffering of a long course of years was ended. His remains were deposited in the Edgell Grove Cemetery, a beautiful spot in the heart of Framingham, and in sight from the windows out of which, for several long and wearisome years, he looked upon his final resting place.
Mr. Train, during a part of his ministry, occupied a considerable space in public affairs. To say nothing of his services, through an entire gen- eration, as a member of the School Committee, his connection with the State Legislature was equally honorable to himself and useful to the com- munity. He was chosen by the town as a Representative to that Body, first in 1822, and was re-elected for the seven following years, with the exception of the year 1827, when, by way of rebuke, as he understood it, he was allowed to stay at home, for having preached two Sermons on the subject of Temperance, of a more stringent character than at that time suited the taste of the people. At the winter session of 1829, he was chosen by the two branches of the Legislature to fill a vacancy in the Senate, and in the year following he was chosen a Senator by the people. He had the honor of being the first to move in the plan of forming a Legislative Library, as well as in the yet more important matter of a revision of the laws relating to Common Schools. He had much to do also in obtaining the Charter of Amherst College. His whole influence in the Legislature was most benign and salutary ; while the proximity of his residence to the seat of Government enabled
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him, during the whole time, to continue his Sunday labors among the people.
In August, 1810, Mr. Train was married to Elizabeth, third daughter of Abraham Harrington, of Weston. She died on the 14th of September, 1814, leaving one child, - a son. She was a lady of fine moral qualities, of earnest piety, of a richly endowed and well cultivated mind, and for several years previous to her marriage had been a highly popular teacher. In October, 1815, Mr. Train married Hepzibah, the sister of his former wife, and the youngest daughter of her parents. She became the mother of four children, - one son and three daughters.
The following is, as far as can be ascertained, a list of Mr. Train's publications : - An Address at the Dedication of the Masonic Hall at Needham, 1811. An Oration delivered at Framingham, 1812. An Oration delivered at Worcester, 1815. A Discourse delivered at West Medway, 1817. An Oration delivered at Hopkinton on the Fourth of July, 1823. A Speech on Religious Freedom, delivered in the House of Representatives in Massachusetts, 1824. A Sermon at the Dedica- tion of the new Baptist Meeting House, Framingham, 1827. Circular Letter of the Boston Association, on the Duty of Sanctifying the Sabbath, 1830.
REV. ARTHUR SAVAGE TRAIN, D.D.
ARTHUR S. TRAIN was a native of Framingham, the son of Rev. Charles and Elizabeth (Harrington) Train ; b. Sept. 1, 1812 ; was grad- uated at Brown University 1833 ; tutor 1833 to '36 ; S.T.D. 1855 ; was ordained pastor of the Baptist Church, Haverhill, Mass. Oct. 20, 1836 ; resigned to take the chair of Sacred Rhetoric in Newton Theological Institution 1859; resigned, and installed pastor of the First Baptist Church, Framingham 1866 ; died in office Jan. 2, 1872.
Dr. Train's life was one of uninterrupted service, either in the chair of instruction or in the pulpit, from the date of his graduation at college, till his death, a period of almost 40 years. The only exception was a short trip to Europe made in 1855.
The great work of his life was done in Haverhill. He went there in the freshness and vigor of his early manhood. He found the church feeble ; and left it one of the foremost churches of the denomination. He found it meeting in an old and inconvenient house ; and left it worshipping in a large and beautiful sanctuary.
When he settled in H. the town had but 4,000 inhabitants. With the earnestness and foresight which were characteristic, he at once entered into all wise plans, and gave aid to every measure that would insure the
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Rev. Arthur Savage Train, D.D.
healthy growth of the town, in whatever relates to material, intellectual and religious development. Endowed with a liberal culture, a singularly refined taste, a strong will, positive convictions, and good executive ability, he was fitted to be a leader and builder. He was a man of public spirit, who took pride in his town, and identified its interests with his own. "To him," says a townsman, " we are largely indebted for the establishment of a system of public schools; and the high character attained by the female department of the High School in its early his- tory was due to his personal efforts." He was a careful student of Nature, and marked the characteristics of the river valley where the village stood, and sought to harmonize beauty and utility in its laying out and surroundings. He gave advice and personal supervision in the setting of shade trees on the line of the streets, and around the public grounds, and in the cemeteries. "One of the finest and most graceful of the elms on Winter Street, was planted by his own hand."
But it was as pastor and religious teacher, that his best work was done. He loved the Christian ministry ; he felt that its proper duties and responsibilities are enough to tax the time and strength of the strong man. He felt that success in unfolding the Gospel plan of salvation and leading men into a religious life, was the highest meed of honor, and the truest reward. With positive convictions, and a clear conception of truth, his pulpit ministrations could not but be effective. His sermons were natural in plan, thoughtful and instructive, and were delivered in a style peculiarly his own. His aim, both in writing and delivery, was, to so set forth the truth, that it should be seen, not himself ; and that the truth rather than himself, should appeal to men's conscience and reason.
Although strongly denominational in his religious preferences, Dr. Train always sustained the most cordial relations with ministers of other Evangelical churches. The friendship which subsisted between himself and Rev. B. F. Hosford, pastor of the Central Congregational Church in H. during their labors side by side for nearly twenty years, was beautiful to behold. Each recognized in the other a character clearly individu- alized, and widely diverse from his own ; but all the more to be appreci- ated and enjoyed.
Dr. Train was for many years the Moderator of the Salem Association, and in all its gatherings his influence was felt, and in many ways he left his impress upon the body.
After six years' service as Professor of Sacred Rhetoric in the Theo- logical Institution at Newton, he accepted the unanimous and very ur- gent invitation of the Church in Framingham - the same church in which his father so long ministered -to become their pastor. Here, amidst the familiar scenes and associations of his childhood, he per- formed his last eight years' work. They were years of faithful and fruit-
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ful labor to him, and of quietness and strength to the church. He brought his matured powers, all fitted by experience and trial for imme- diate effect, to this field ; and it can probably be said, without qualifica- tion, that he fully met the expectations of his people and the public. His time and strength were given to his parish. From Tuesday morn- ing to Sabbath evening, he worked for them. Monday was his Sabbath.
The love of Nature was to him a passion and an article of faith. And one of the ways in which he sought rest and refreshment on Mondays, after the exhaustive labors of the preceding day, was to ramble among the meadows and woodlands, or ride along the by-roads, to gather the rare plants and flowers of spring and summer, which the diverse soils and exposures of Framingham produce in great variety and abundance. A club, composed of friends of congenial tastes and culture, who gave the day to like excursions, came together at evening, bringing their accumulated treasures, for analysis and study. He was at his best, at these meetings ; entering with all the zest of boyhood into the glad sur- prises and satisfaction of finding a new species, or a perfect specimen of a known variety. He gave and received a full share of the pleasure and benefit.
He did not grow old. The lover of Nature and the true Christian never grows old. The years go round to him, as to other men. But - to borrow a figure from his favorite study - each returning spring-time brings back the same sun, and the same warmth and fulness of reviving forces ; and the restored life shows no marks of decay. It is only suc- cession and renewal.
It was from no failure of zeal, or mental insight, or power in the pul- pit, or interest and enjoyment in social intercourse, that his people and neighbors had intimation of the insidious and painful disease that was preying on his body. He was the faithful pastor, and the warm-hearted, unselfish friend, to the last. After a few weeks of great physical suffer- ing, he entered into rest, Jan. 2, 1872, not having quite rounded out his three-score years.
The influence of such a pastorate is a rich legacy left to his church. The loving sympathy and counsel of such a minister bring light and comfort to sorrowing and broken hearts in the sanctuaries of home, that do not die with him. The earnest utterances of such a preacher produce convictions in many a young man and woman, and shape purposes, and inspire hopes, and direct energies, that reach forward into eternity. The benediction of such a life rests permanently on the people to whom his service is given ; and his memory exhales sweet fragrance.
431
Col. Moses Edgell.
Moses Gazell
AT a meeting in March 1875, the town made an appropriation and appointed a committee, to procure a portrait of Col. Edgell, to be placed in Memorial Hall. The portrait was painted by Dr. Edgar Parker of Boston, who is a native of Framingham. The formal unveiling and pre- sentation of the artist's work took place May 1, 1876, on which occasion Hon. James W. Clark, chairman of the committee, said :
A good man has departed, and left in our trust sacred recollections of his life ; his reputation ; and his property, - for our example and emulation, and for our material benefit. And we have met together this day, to pre- sent, and to receive a memorial of his person, both for ourselves and for those who shall come after us, and who, knowing him through his portrait and his noble acts of beneficence, will never cease to venerate his good name and honor his memory.
For the more than eighty years during which his daily walk was with us, in this beautiful town, his quiet and unassuming manners merited and won the regards of all, and the probity of his character was acknowledged wherever he was known.
In the springtime of youth no blight stained his progress, or shadows cast a gloom over his way. He could have truly said :
" I would not waste my spring of youth in idle dalliance ;
" I would plant rich seeds, to blossom in my manhood and bear fruit when I am old."
In the summer of his manhood he performed the duties of private and public life without reproach, and he made the garments of office honorable.
In the autumn of his life he garnered up the ripe fruits of his toil for his own beloved, his family and his native town.
Some persons may wonder, how so large a property could have been accumulated by one who was never known to speculate, and whose business habits were so conservative and prudent.
I will tell you - He was methodical, prudent and honest. - He employed his time in useful pursuits and occupations. He did something every day - for he was industrious. He learned something every day, and his general knowledge was extensive. He saved something every day. And withal, he was a thankful man, and of course a happy man. He spent no money for that which "is not bread," and for all these, thrift and comfort made his house their home.
He had no unseemly habits. The indulgences that so commonly debase human life, he entirely avoided; profanity he detested ; and he kept himself
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free from the temptations and evils of social life ; yet in his condemnation of those evils, he was considerate and charitable, however severe his judg- ment may have been.
His personal demeanor and manners were modest and unassuming, and his presence always indicated the true gentleman, which indeed he was.
You will remember the lines of the Roman Satirist,
" Few are the righteous, their number is so small
"The mouths of Nile shall more than equal all : "
- and I believe he desired, and aimed to be a truly righteous man. If he had an enemy, that enemy could truly say,
" I've scanned the actions of his daily life
" With all the industrious malice of a foe,
" And nothing meets mine eyes but deeds of honor."
We shall see his manly form no more. His prudent counsels and admo- nitions, his kind social expressions we shall hear no more ; but the example of a good life he has set before us ; and the bounty that he has left in your reach - the learning, the wisdom, the knowledge, and the records of all the past, as these shall be gathered in our Library for our instruction and im- provement in all future time, entitle his memory to our most sacred regard.
MR. CHAIRMAN, AND GENTLEMEN OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE TOWN LIBRARY : -
The Committee appointed by the town to obtain a portrait of our late beloved friend, Col. Moses Edgell, to be placed in this Memorial Hall and Library, has attended to that duty and now formally present the result of their labors to you - hoping that it will be carefully protected and preserved, so that in future times when those of us who now remember his person shall have passed away, this representation of him shall remain to remind those who may look upon it of the gratitude due to one whose lasting benefits they enjoy.
The following memorial address, prepared by request of the Library Trustees, was then read by Rev. J. H. Temple :
Moses Edgell spent his life in this his native town. He was the son of Aaron Pike and Eleanor (Trowbridge) Edgell, and was born Aug. 13, 1792, and died Feb. 8, 1875. His parents lived on what is known as the Luther Horne place, now owned by Samuel Hills. His boyhood was passed upon the farm, where he was inured to labor, and where as the eldest child and only son, he was required early to bear many of the household burdens ; and where from the early death of his father, he was obliged to assume the responsibilities of management.
Of his earlier years, one ' who was his playmate and schoolmate says : " Moses was a sedate and rather bashful boy, at home and at school.
I Miss Chloe Haven.
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Col. Moses Edgell.
He took no delight in childish trifling ; and never engaged in boisterous amusements. From childhood, life was a 'sober reality' to him, and had its duties and obligations, which could not be set aside for mere recreation.
" He was fond of books, and was a pretty good scholar. He never tried ' to show off.' Give him time to think, and the right answer was sure to come. He attended the district school with the rest of us of his own age ; and commenced going to the Academy when he was 12 years old ; and continued a student there during the winter terms till he was 17. He took some of the higher English branches ; but gave most attention in the last two years of his course to the Latin, in which he made good progress. He was never a brilliant scholar ; but was punctual and conscientious."
It was as a student at the Framingham Academy, under the instruc- tion of Messrs. William T. Torrey, John Brewer and Charles Train, that young Edgell acquired the habit of careful attention, and received the thorough training, and obtained the elementary knowledge, which served him so well in the several responsible posts in business and civil affairs, to which in later life he was called by his fellow citizens. And the same characteristics which were prominent in childhood were prominent in his manhood. He never tried to show off. He was always pains-taking and retiring ; and apt to wait till his opinion was called for before he gave it. He was apt to wait till others, who had as good or a better right to be heard than himself, had spoken. And some might say that he was in this respect timid and reticent to a fault. But all who were associated with him in responsible trusts, know full well that he formed opinions on all important questions on their merits, and whenever duty required it was frank to express those opinions, and firm in adhering to his convictions when deliberately adopted. His mind did not take the turn of opposition and dogmatism ; but rather of persuasion. He better liked to state his own impressions and reasons than to attack the opin- ions of others. And when in the presence of dogmatism, which is allied to ignorance and prejudice, he could administer the severest rebuke by turning his back in silence.
The reserve and sedateness which were natural to him, and which were fostered by his early home training, were carried through life, and well became the dignity of old age. His father dying when Moses was 24, the care of the farm and the family devolved upon him. The first year or more of his married life was spent under the paternal roof, where all the associations of parental authority and filial reverence were a part of the air he breathed, and served to perpetuate the habits and feelings of his minority. After a year or two he removed to his grandfather's - taking his mother with him - and here the same influence of the paren-
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History of Framingham.
tal presence, and of respect for the prerogatives of age, was the potent element of his home. Thus he was imbued with the spirit of deferential consideration. And the habit of listening attentively to the opinions of those whose position gave them a right to speak, and with whose good- will his own happiness and usefulness were identified, became a second nature to him.
With the lack of filial reverence and of regard for parental authority, which characterizes the present time, it is impossible to realize the place in the family and in society of the young man of 70 years ago. While he remained with his parents, he was the boy; and he expected to re- ceive the directions and advice of his seniors ; he expected, and they expected that the responsibility would rest on the old shoulders ; and the spirit of love and obedience was the charm alike of childhood and early manhood ; and respect for age was a prime element of self-respect. - The telegraph speed, and individuality, and rush of to-day, may re- quire that the youth shall say to his father or his mother, " It is a gift by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me "; but the fitness of things, and the true interests of society, and the well-being and happiness of the individual, require that filial reverence, which is the light and glory of home-life, shall be extinguished only by Death !
Thus real and rational was the life of young Edgell, in its opening and forming period. And then, and ever after to the close of his life, he was noted for truthfulness. An incident to show the impression which, as a lad, he made on men, his seniors by 20 years, should be here recorded, as illustrative of the point in question. When Luther Belknap, Esq. reached old age, his mind as well as his body became weakened, and for a considerable time before his death, he imagined that he was away from home. The declarations of his daughter could not shake the hal- lucination. As a last resource, his neighbor, Col. Edgell was asked to come in, and make effort to break the spell. He calmly assured the sick man that he was lying on his own bed in his own house. "Do you say, Colonel, that I am at home?" "Yes, you are at home." "Well - you always spoke the truth when you was a boy, and I believe you won't lie to me now ! "
The only element of romance which was developed in his character, was his taste for military distinction. And this can be traced naturally to the associations of his childhood.
His uncle Moses, for whom he was named, was a fifer, and served in several campaigns of the Revolutionary War.
His grandfather (known as Capt. Simon Edgell) had had a large and varied military experience. He enlisted as a private, in the spring of 1755, when 21 years old, for an expedition to Crown Point ; and as sergeant and lieutenant, he served under Capt. John Nixon in the various
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Col. Moses Edgell.
campaigns of that French and Indian war, and could relate the exciting incidents of camp life on the frontiers, and tell of Indian surprises and stratagems, and the wild adventures of the Ranging service. When war with Great Britain was imminent, he raised and was chosen captain of a company of Framingham Minute Men, and marched with his company to Concord and to Lexington on the morning of April 19, '75. He was in service again at Roxbury in the autumn of '75 ; was in command of a large body of Militia stationed at Cambridge in the spring of '76 ; and in the fall of that year went with his company to Ticonderoga, where he served from August to December. In the summer of '78 he was sent with a detachment of 28 men to Rhode Island, and was out four months. He was thus familiar with the different campaigns of the Revolution, and the men and means, the trials and hardships of the service in this struggle with the mother country. He was again called out to aid in suppressing the Shays' Rebellion of 1786-7. Thus a military career of over 30 years must have been fruitful of experiences which furnished an inexhaustible fund of interesting fireside talk. And the stories of these campaigns, heard from the lips of a venerated grand-parent, could not fail to make and leave a deep impression on the mind of young Edgell.
Besides, the adventures of his kinsman John Edgell, who while serv- ing an apprenticeship with Jacob Pike of this town, was "impressed " into the army, in the Old French and Indian war in 1748 ; was surprised by the Indians near Fort Dummer, July 14, of that year, taken, stripped, and marched through the wilderness to Canada ; - and when redeemed, returned to his employer, broken down in health from the cruelties of his captivity ; - these personal events, often repeated as family reminis- cences, had an important influence in giving the tone of thoughtfulness and wariness which were characteristic of the man. And he thus in- herited a martial spirit, which led him to take an active part in military affairs.
As the law required, he was enrolled in the militia at the proper age ; and with his predilections and determination, and habit of doing well whatever he undertook, he rose from the ranks, and passed rapidly through the grades of promotion. He received a commission as lieuten- ant Aug. 12, 1816 ; was promoted to the captaincy Aug. 28, 1820; was chosen major of the Fourth Regiment, First Brigade, Third Division, Jan. 2, 1823 ; was commissioned colonel of the same regiment Mar. 26, 1824. After holding this commission nearly three years, he was honor- ably discharged Dec. 12, 1826. A few now living will recall the annual musters of the regiment under Col. Edgell, which were held near Sanger's Tavern -the field covering a large part of what is now the busy village of South Framingham.
But his military experience was the episode rather than the Æneid of his life.
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History of Framingham.
Col. Edgell became when quite a young man, identified with the edu- cational affairs of the Town, and kept up his interest and his acquaint- ance with the condition of our schools till the close of his active life. He often alluded, with great satisfaction, to the advantages himself enjoyed at the Academy ; and was wont to point with pride to the list of names of its graduates, many of whom had become well known in our local municipal and mercantile affairs ; and many others who had achieved greater or less success and reputation in the broader field of civil, judicial, or professional life. He regarded the Academy as a prime agent in promoting the true refinement which has been an acknowledged characteristic of society, as well as of the higher culture which is gener- ally diffused among our families ; so that the sons and daughters of the producing class have taken rank with the children of affluence, as teachers in our schools and leaders in every noble enterprise ; so that the dis- tinctions which often obtain between the poor and the rich are practi- cally unknown in all things that constitute the real well-being and independence of life.
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