USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Framingham > History of Framingham, Massachusetts, including the Plantation, from 1640 to the present time, with an appendix, containing a notice of Sudbury and its first proprietors > Part 11
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* The distribution of the members of the congregation, at this period, was a measure demanding great pru- dence and discretion. The action of the committee was over-ruled in the case of particular individuals, who were allowed, by special favor, to build pews, or hold a particular seat. Jno. Jaquish, 1702, was permitted to build a pew behind the men's seats, on condition of taking care of the meeting house for 7 years. Jeremi- ah Pike liad the same privilege, " pro- vided he cuts a door to come into it, through the end of the meeting house, and takes in two families more with him." In 1705, difficulties arose about the seating new comers. March 24, 1711-2, the town chose Thomas Pratt, Sen., Peter Cloyes, Simon Mellen, John Gleason, Phil. Pratt, Jerem. Pike, and Sam. Stone, " to regulate those disorders, in our pub- lique meeting house, which shall be
laid before them." Also " declared by the sign manual of the Inhabitants of Framingham, that the cutting off of seats, or any seat, in the meeting house, and, also, the cutting of Holes through the walls of the aforesaid meeting house, either for doors or win- dows, or on what pretence soever, without license for the same, obtained of the town; and also the Building or enlarging of Pews in the said meet- ing house, without the said Town's License, first for the same obtained, are disorders to be regulated by the aforesaid committee." The commit- tee were also empowered, on inspect- ing the house, " to take away all Pews or enlargements, for which there appears no Grant upon record ; and also to repair all breaches on the walls of the meeting honse, without the town's license, either cut or bro- ken."
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FIRST MEETING HOUSE.
by the Hon. Mr. Danforth, for the use of the town, for setting of a meeting house, and for a burial place, and training place.
April 6, 1715. Voted, that the meeting house be enlarged 10 feet in breadth, on the back side; and that the back part of the house be removed. Granted for the same £70 .* Voted, that Tho. Drury, Sen., Jona. Rice, Benj. Bridges, John Whetney, and Edward Goddard, be a committee to agree with Mr. John How for the above repairs, accordingly .;
July 19, 1715. Maj. Jos. Buckminster, John Stone, Jona. Rice, Jos. Pratt, Moses Haven, Jeams Clayce, Dan. Mexer, John Gleason, Jerem. Pike, were chosen the committee to seat the meeting house.
Voted, that their rule for seating be, according to every man's rate or proportion in the £70 granted for the repairing of the meeting house .¿
* Thomas Stone entered his dis- sent to paying any part of the £70. Mr. How demanded £85 when the work was completed, and in 1720, sued the town for the recovery of his full claim.
t The agreement with Mr. How is recorded as follows: " to remove the back part of the meeting house, with the pulpit and the posts on each side of the pulpit, ten foot backward ; thereby making the house square ; to place and put on a roof of the same form and workmanship as the Marl- boro' meeting house, &c. ; to inclose the sides and ends of the ten foot breadth, with good boards and clap- boards, the old stuff to be improved as far as it will go; to make and place a good floor, a table and body of seats below, &c. as in Sudbury meeting house ; to make galleries and gallery stairs, floors and seats, as the town or their committee shall ap- point ; to make and place a good floor of joists, for the vault overhead ; and to line the same with a good floor of planed boards under the joists; to whitewash the same; to lathe, plas- ter, and whitewash the walls; to provide glass to the value of 40 sh., in addition to what glass there al- ready is, &c ; and to make windows, frames and casements for the same ; to provide at his own cost all timber, boards, shingles, nails, &c,"- the
whole to be done " in every respect, strong, substantial, and workinan- like." Aug. 9, 1715, the town " vot- ed to have three doors to the meet- ing house, one at each end, and the great doors in the foreside, and the rest of the doors to be clapboarded up ; that so the house may be kept secure." Pews were allowed to be built by individuals ; the required di- mensions, in general, being six feet by four and a half or five.
# The committee were directed " to have respect but to one single poll in every man's rate, and that rate and age be the two things ob- served only ; and, as for the dignity of the seats, the table and the fore seats are accounted to be the two highest ; the front gallery is account- ed, in dignity, equal to the second and third seats in the body of the meeting house ; and the side gallery is accounted equal to the fourth and fifth seats in the body of the meet- ing house." Sept. 27th, the town approved " the committee's work " in the seating ; and as complaints had been made, voted " that the dea- cons, viz. Dea. Rice and Dea. Hem- enway, are desired to take special notice of all disorderly persons on the Lord's day, that do not keep to their own seats appointed for them, but keep others out of their seats, whereby the Sabbath is profaned :
9
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ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY.
SECOND MEETING HOUSE.
Feb. 3, 1724-5. At a meeting called " to determine upon a place where, and the time when, to erect a new meeting house," the meeting was divided upon a motion to remove the place to the centre ; " and there appeared a great majority who were for con- tinuing the place." " The question being put whether the town desires to begin to build, the Summer now advancing, and to pro- ceed therein, so as to complete it in about three or four years, or sooner ; it passed in the affirmative by a great majority ;" twenty- five persons, chiefly from the N. and N.W. parts of the town, entered their dissent against both votes .*
April 19, 1725. " Col. Buckminster and others, proposed to have the exact centre of the town found, and to have the meeting house placed in the nearest convenient place thereto : " on which, the vote being taken, it was declared in the negative. A pro- posal was then made by Col. Buckminster, " to set the meeting house on the most accommodable place on the E. side of the great hill, which lies W. of the meeting house, &c .; and that himself would procure conveniency of land for a house and ways thereto, on his land lying near the place ;" and the vote thereon was in the negative.
Voted, that £100 be granted for and toward the building of a new meeting house. (Nov. 29th, the sum of £100 was added). Chose Caleb Johnson, James Clayes, and John Gleason, to agree with a workman, not being an inhabitant of the town, to build a house, in length 60 feet, and in breadth 50 feet, the height to be suitable to the length and breadth, and for one tier of galleries .;
and that they admonish for their mnis- behavior in that respect." The house was newly seated in 1722.
It may not be improper to observe here, that during the period of the Indian troubles, (as tradition informs us), it was customary to keep a sen- try upon Bear hill, during the hours of public worship, to give alarm upon the approach of Indians.
Their names were Jos. and Tho. Buckminster, Abr. Belknap, Sen., Eben. Winchester, Ralph Hemen- way, Edw. and James Wilson, Sam. Frost, Tompson Woods, Eben. and
Sam. Frissel, Amos and John Par- menter, Jonas Eaton, Uriah and Mat- thias Clark, Tho. and Daniel Winch, Moses and Jerem. Pike, John Trow- bridge, Jona. Jackson, Amos Wait, Timo. Stearns, Isaac How.
t Nov. 29, 1725, the committee, (others having been added), viz : John Whitney, Samuel How, Peter Clayes, John Gleason, James Clayes, Ichabod Hemenway, and Thomas Stone, agreed with Eph. Bigelow, of Holliston, to construct the frame of a house, 60 feet long, 50 feet broad, and 23 feet between the joints, the com-
99
SECOND MEETING HOUSE.
To give, in detail, the proceedings of the town, in relation to a controversy which was protracted during a period of more than eight years, would occupy a larger space than our limits permit. We shall accordingly condense in a note, the most important particulars .*
mittee to provide the timber; the contractor to receive £120 bills of credit. (The original is among the papers in the County Clerk's office, Boston).
* May 17, 1725. The town hav- ing adjourned to view the place, vot- ed to have the house at the spot indi- cated by Col. Buckminster, if the N. inhabitants will peaceably fall in; otherwise near the old house. No result following this vote, Col. Buck- minster, (probably claiming by his lease, or otherwise, the meeting house land), commenced a cellar, and drew timber upon the same ; and the town, Nov. 29, voted to warn him by a com- mittee, to fill the cellar, and remove the timber; and also authorized the use of the pine trees, upon the same land, for the meeting house. Apr. 4, 1726, a vote was passed, to place the house on the S. side of the road from the meeting house to Bear Hill, " near opposite to a place called the square." Col. Buckminster declared " that the land was his, and his reso- lution to obstruct the setting of a meet- ing house there." May 16, 1726, the last named place being thought by some " too flat and moist, and also so near the hill, that the shade of the trees would darken it, and another place being proposed and viewed by the town, it was voted that the house be erected there ; and that a commit- tee defend the town's title to the land." May 30th, Col. Buckminster proposed to place the house on the E. side of the river, near to Joseph Stone's. The N. inhabitants voted in the affirmative, but the majority in the negative ; and the town voted that the house be placed round the present meeting house, and to annul all former votes, and to supply new timber, in the room of that carried away by Col. Buckminster, unless returned at or before the 21st June. July 4th, the town adjourned to view another place; voted to place the
house at the W. end, as near the old house as may be.
July 25, Thomas Stone, Joseph Haven, and John Jones, of Hopkin- ton, were appointed a committee to sue those who had trespassed on the meeting house timber, cutting, car- rying it off, and mutilating it. Dec. 12, proposals of agreement were pre- sented to the town, as follows, viz :- "to have the town exactly measured, and the true centre deter- mined, by a skilful surveyor and chainmen, upon oath; and that a line be drawn from said centre to the meeting house, and the new meeting house be set up exactly half way be- tween," as near as the land shall per- mit, &c. This agreement being sat- isfactory, Jan. 25, 1726-7, Col. Wm. Dudley was made choice of for sur- veyor, and Mr. James Brewer and Deacon Fisk, of Sudbury, and Lieut. Samuel Brigham and Ensign Zorob- abel Ager, of Marlborough, for chain- men. A proposal, in March, to sus- pend the survey, was dismissed .- Meanwhile, a petition had been sent from the N. inhabitants, to the Gen- eral Court, Aug. 26, 1726, praying for a committee to view and report ; otherwise, to be set off as a separate precinct ; which was answered by a committee of the town : and Dec. 6, 1726, the articles of agreement were confirmed by the Court.
May 26, 1727, the Selectmen publicly notified the town, to give information of any engaged " in putting fire to, and cutting " the meeting house timber. Oct. 13, the Selectmen petitioned the General Court, complaining of " di- vers unwarrantable actions and pro- ceedings of Jos. Buckminster, Esq., and others, referring to the placing of a meeting house, &c. ; " and espe- cially of a warrant given out by Fran- cis Bowman, Esq., for the call of a town meeting clandestinely obtained, which, at their prayer, the Court "superseded." Nov. 17, the town
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ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY.
March 25, 1734. After debate, the meeting was adjourned for three quarters of an hour, to view several places in nomination to build a new meeting house on. After the people returned, the town voted, "to erect and build a new meeting house at an oak tree, marked, standing on Mr. Wm. Pike's land, at the N. end of Bare Hill. Mr. Pike declared in town meeting, that the town should have two acres of land there for £6 money. The town granted £400 for the object ; £200 to be paid in Dec. next, and the other £200 to be paid in April next after.
voted to proceed no further, " under their present difficult circumstan- ces ;" and granted £4 to repair win- dows, or set up fallen seats. Eight successive votes were passed by the town, between Sept. 1728 and March 1734, refusing to repair the old house. May 19, 1729, Matth. Gibbs was ap- pointed " to do what is needful to se- cure the galleries of the meeting house, by raising them, and fasten- ing the pillars." June 18, 1730, Col. Joseph Buckminster was forbidden, by the Selectmen, to dispose of the timber prepared for the new meeting house. June 29th, " Wmn. Ballord, Deacon Joshua Hemenway, Peter Clayes, John Whitney, Elkanah Ha- ven, and Thomas Mellen, were cho- sen to enquire as to the ground of complaint against the town, by Col. Buckminster, for claiming a right to the land, whereon the timber for a meeting house was laid."
Dec. 1, 1730, Col. Buckminster made a proposal to the town, to make good all the timber for the meeting house he has made use of, either in his barn frame, or any other way to his private use. The proposal was accepted ; after which it was moved to divide the town by the Constable Wards; which was negatived. Jan. 1, 1730-1, a "Petition of Moses Ha- ven, and a great number of the inhab- itants of Framingham, living on the E. and S. sides of the river," was pre- sented to the General Court, praying a division of the town. (Court files). Feb. 19, Samuel How and others pe- titioned the Court to divide the town into two precincts, by a line running S.E. and N.W .; and according to Col. Dudley's platt, to cross the cen- tre of said town. The House passed
an order of notice ; but the Council non-concurred. (State files). The town refused, Feb. 5, to decide upon a proposal to divide, by an E. and W. centre line. On the 1st of the same month, the town voted not to build at the half-way centre. March 15, the town chose Col. Buckminster, Lt. John Gleason, and Tho. Stone, to prefer a petition to the General Court, to send a committee, to hear all parties, and set out a particular spot for their meeting house. April 19, the town voted, 54 to 15, to build at the place called the square. June 29, voted, 58 to 41, not to build " at Capt. Ward's centre ;" also voted, 62 to 45, not to build at the " middle centre." Voted, 55 to 34, not to choose a committee of another town, to stake out a spot. Also voted, 45 to 12, not to ask for a commissioner from the General Court. Dec. 6, the town again voted, 56 to 46, to build on Tredway's land, (near Bear Hill) ; but refused, Dec, 27, to choose a committee to agree with a work- man. After other ineffectual at- tempts, the question was put, June 27, 1732, whether the town would build on the land of Mr. Wm. Pike, N. side of the road from Bare Hill to his house ; and it was negatived. May, 1733, Richard Haven was appointed to secure the galleries from hazard. Jan. 21, 1733-4, Ensign Micah Stone and Edw. Goddard, were chosen to answer the town's presentment res- pecting the meeting house.
We have now approached the hap- py end of this prolonged controversy, which appears to have terminated in a disposition to unanimity, as reliev- ing to the reader, as it must have proved to the parties concerned.
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SECOND MEETING HOUSE.
May 20. Col. Buckminster, Ens. Pike, and Mr. Caleb Bridges were chosen to agree with a workman, agreeably to the town's instructions, - which were, to build a house, 55 feet long, and 30 feet between the joints, and 40 feet wide, or 42 feet, if the com- mittee shall see cause.
Nov. 11. Voted, to assess £ 14 to pay Mr. Wm. Pike for four acres of land, on which to place the meeting house.
May 19, 1735. Lt. Sam. Moore, Henry Eamms, Amos Gates, Ens. Jos. Stone, Michal Pike, Capt. Buckminster, and Uriah Drury, were chosen a committee, " to provide for the raising of the meeting house." *
July 21, 1735. Voted £ 150 towards the charge of finishing the meeting house.
Oct. 1, 1735. Voted to give the old meeting house frame to Mr. Swift .;
March 8, 1736. William Ballord, Rich. Haven, Henry Eames, John White, and Joshua Hemenway, were appointed to proportion the pews, and to find who the highest payers are; and report to the town .¿
March 10, 1737-8. Ens. Pike, Messrs. Benj. Treadway, Abr. Rice, Wm. Ballord, and William Pike, were appointed to seat the meeting house. §
* The directions by the town were "to procure one bbl. rum, three bbls. cider, six bbls. beer, with suitable provision of meat, bread, &c. for such, and only such, as labor in raising the meeting house; that the said provi- sions be dressed at a private house or houses, and that the same, (together with the drink), be so brought to the frame; and if a sufficiency of victual be brought in by particular persons, then that the town in general be not charged for the same; if otherwise, then the committee to procure and pay for the same. July 7, the town granted to this committee £68.19; to the committee for their service, 10s. each; and £2.05 more were ex- pended by the committee."
t Persons had volunteered to take down the old house "on 'l'uesday, the 12th Aug."; and the materials were to be sold, as far as not availa- ble in the new house.
# May 17, the town appointed the
ministerial pew as the first on the left hand of the pulpit ; and reserved a pew for the town's use, in the N. E. corner. They also designated the particular pews to be occupied by in- dividuals, respectively ; " the several persons to enjoy their pews, provided they build the same, and finish the meeting house as high as the lower range of girts, within the space of six months ; the backside of the pews to be cilled, by being double-boarded up to the lower part of the windows; and then up to the girts, to be board- ed, lathed and plastered, and white washed ; and at all times, keep the glass against the pews in good re- pair; and in case of neglect, to for- feit their pews to the town." Nov. 15, liberty was granted to such as de- sire it, " to make windows to their pews," under the inspection of the building committee ; they, (the own- ers of pews), to provide glass.
§ The town directed the seating
9*
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ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY.
May 21, 1739. Granted £ 50 for the better finishing of the meeting house.
The same year, several persons were fined £ 5 for cutting the posts of the meeting house, for the convenience of their pews ; and £ 20 penalty was ordered, for the like offence in future.
1771. Voted, that the meeting house be new shingled on the back side, and new elapboarded all round, with new doors and sash glass ; also that the outside be well painted. Granted £ 80 for the same .*
THIRD MEETING HOUSE.
May 6, 1805. Voted, that the town will build a meeting house at some future day. Voted, that Lt. Abner Wheeler, Lt. John Eames, Messrs. John Park, James Wilson, Josiah Clayes, and James Morse, Lt. Joshua Trowbridge, Capt. Sam. Frost, and Capt. Josiah Stone, be a committee to locate the ground where the said house shall be erected.
Voted, that Eli Bullard, Esq., Col. David Brewer, and Lt. Abner Wheeler, be a committee to consider when the house shall be built, its size, and the manner of erecting it, whether by individuals or the town ; to obtain plans, and receive proposals. The above committees reported in May. The first proposed to build near the gun house, on the town's land. The town ad- journed to view the spot, and accepted the recommendation.
The other committee reported, that the house should be 76 by 68 feet, with a tower at one end and a porch at the other; and that it should be built by the town, in 1807. The whole expense was estimated at $ 13.000, and they proposed to raise the sum of
according to each one's proportion of all the taxes assessed for the meeting house ; that to those arriving at sixty years of age, should be added 4d. per year to each one's rates; and that the seats be dignified as in the old meeting house, till they come to the fifth seat below ; and the rest to fall in successively. May 22, 1738, voted that Mr. Thos. Mellen and Mr. Benj. Nurse be seated in the deacons' seats ; Mr. James Clayes, in the sec- ond seat in the body of seats; and Mr. Tho, Eames in the fore seat in
the side gallery. May 20, 1754, and March 1, 1762, committees were ap- pointed to new seat the house, upon similar rules as before. Dec. 18, 1788, the assessors were chosen to seat the meeting house anew. After this period, all notice of this ancient practice ceases.
* The second meeting house was three stories high, with double galler- ies ; and was placed a few rods to the S. (a little E.), of the third meeting house, just replaced by a new one, on the same site.
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THIRD MEETING HOUSE.
$ 2000. The report was accepted, excepting the part relating to the size and form.
May, 1806. The town directed, that the dimensions of the building should be 65 feet square ; and voted to have a tower only, (and not a porch).
Nov. 18. A committee was appointed to estimate the differ- ence of cost between brick and wood ; and upon their report, the town voted to build of wood.
May 6, 1805. Col. David Brewer, Lt. Abner Wheeler, and Eli Bullard, Esq., were chosen agents of the town, with full powers to carry their votes into effect.
March 2, 1807. The town reconsidered their vote as to the location, and voted to purchase a certain tract of land of Messrs. Martin and Nathan Stone, and also of Capt. Simon Edgel, and to set said new meeting house thereon ; and chose a committee to procure deeds of the same.
May 4, 1807. Voted, that the selectmen dispose of the privi- lege of selling liquors on the common during the time of raising the new meeting house.
May 26, 1807. Began to raise the meeting house. 1 June, finished raising it .*
1807. The town authorized a committee to purchase of Capt. Edgell sufficient land for stable ground, and to mark out a plan.
In 1810 the following correspondence, (on record), accompa- nied an act of liberality which deserves honorable notice, and commends the piety and public spirit of the generous donor.
FRAMINGHAM, MAY 7, 1810. To the Inhabitants of the Town of Framingham, assembled in Town Meeting :-
GENTLEMEN :- Having arrived at an advanced period of life, and being sensible that I must soon be numbered with the dead, [ often think of the place in which my existence was begun, and which has been my home, through infancy, manhood and age. In reviewing the
* The Meeting House was dedicat- ed Feb. 24, 1808 ; on which occasion a discourse was preached by the Pas- tor, the Rev. David Kellogg, from Haggai ii. 7. " And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come ; and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of Hosts." The Discourse was appropriate to the
occasion, and contained several for- cible passages. The pews, which had been appraised at $12,300, (the aggregate expense of the house, in- cluding the bell, having been $12,- 913 01), were sold at auction, Jan. 11, 1808, by John Fiske, for $14,884. The contractors for building the house were David Brooks of Prince-
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ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY.
progress of my past years, a thousand incidents unite to endear to my heart the spot of my nativity, and the Town of Framingham ; and while I express my affection for my fellow townsmen, I recollect with the deepest gratitude, the bounties of an all-kind God, who, by giving me something more than a competency, has put it in my power to prove the sincerity of my professions, by a small donation. Among the numerous blessings of life, I have ever considered as one of the greatest, that the preaching of the Gospel, and the public worship of our Maker, have been continued among us, with regularity and order. To encourage the continuance of this laudable practice, and to add dignity and solemnity thereto, it was my intention to have furnished the Meeting House, which has lately been erected, with a public Bell ; and although I have delayed to execute the intention, until a Bell has been otherwise procured, yet I am still desirous it should be consid- ered a present from me. For which purpose, I request you to accept the sum of four hundred and thirty-seven dollars, and sixty-four cents, which I have deposited in your Treasury, being the original cost of the bell.
Permit me, Gentlemen, to express my earnest wishes for the peace and prosperity of my native Town, and to add my most ardent hope, that the weekly knell which shall call us to devotion, may have a hap- py agency, in preparing us for a joyful meeting in the eternal world.
MICAH STONE.
Which being read, voted, unanimously, that the Inhabitants of Fra- mingham highly value, and sincerely reciprocate, the friendly and af- fectionate sentiments expressed in the letter of Micah Stone, Esq., this day received, and request him to accept their thanks for his generous donation ; and while they lament the probability, that the life and use- fulness of their much respected and beloved fellow townsman, will soon be at an end, they have the satisfaction to believe, as they most ardent- ly hope, that the evening of his days will be unclouded, and afford him a joyful prospect of a brighter day, in the eternal world : and they can- not but anticipate with pleasure, that the weekly knell which shall call them to devotion, will also remind them of the virtues and example of a departed friend.
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