USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : containing carefully prepared histories of every city and town in the county, Vol. I > Part 43
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tenant Spaulding captured one of the British, and brought him to Billerica, where he was regarded for some time as a great curiosity. Fears for the safety of John Hancock and Samuel Adams, who were in Lexington, induced them to remove for the day, and they were hospitably entertained at the house of Mr. Amos Wyman, of this town, near the Burlington line.
The startling events of this day caused the great- est excitement throughout the town; and thence- forward, until the close of the war, the records teem with acts, orders and resolutions, charges and ac- counts, all relating to the great conflict. In May, Ebenezer Bridge, the first captain of the minute- men, was chosen colonel of the 27th regiment in the Massachusetts army.
In the ever-memorable battle of Bunker Hill, Asa Pollard of this town was killed by a cannon- ball from the ship Somerset, lying off Charlestown, and the manner of his death is thus described by Colonel William Prescott : " He was so near me that my clothes were besmeared with his blood and brains, which I wiped off in some degree with a handful of fresh earth. The sight was so shocking to many of the men, that they left their posts and ran to view him. I then ordered him to be buried instantly. A subaltern officer expressed surprise that I should allow him to be buried without hav- ing prayers said. I replied, 'This is the first man that has been killed, and the only one that will be buried to-day. God only knows who or how many of us will fall before it is over.'" Be- sides Asa Pollard, Samuel Hill, Benjamin Easty, Timothy Toothaker, and Benjamin Wilson were killed, -all of this town ; and Colonel Bridge was wounded, with many others, on this bloody day.
On the 23d of May, 1776, - six weeks before the Declaration of Independence, - the following bold and expressive resolution was unanimously passed by the citizens : " Resolved, That if the Honble Congress should, for the Safety of the Colo- nies, Declare them Independent of Great Britain, they, the said Inhabitants, will Engage with their lives and fortunes to support them." Such was the sentiment shown until victory and freedom were secured.
The outbreak known as Shays' Rebellion, in 1786, called out Captain Jonathan Stickney's com- . pany, which marched to guard the Court at Cam- bridge.
In 1779 the Rev. Mr. Cumings was chosen a delegate to attend the convention for forming a
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state constitution, and a few years later Colonel William Tompson represented the town in the convention that adopted the Constitution of the United States. From that time the arts of peace once more began to flourish, and the wasted farms and industries soon took on the vigor of a new existence.
In ecclesiastical matters the town has been well favored. Just before the new century came in the present handsome structure of the First Parish was erected. It was much improved in 1844, when it was turned partly around. The bell which was given to the town by Billericay in England was accidentally broken the previous year.
In 1814, the Rev. Dr. Cumings having become enfeebled by age, a colleague was given him, the Rev. Nathaniel Whitman being ordained to that position. The period of ten years following was one of great religious interest. The promulgation of the Unitarian belief then became more pro- nounced, and Dr. Cumings and Mr. Whitman both took ground with the new school. Since that time the church has been Unitarian in faith. Dr. Cum- ings died on the 5th of September, 1823, at the advanced age of eighty-four years. Mr. Whitman remained as pastor until 1835, when he was dis- missed at his own request, leaving many warm friends who yet remember his piety and virtne. He was followed by various clergymen of culture and ability, - the Rev. W. E. Abbot, the Rev. T. H. Dorr, the Rev. James Thurston, and others, until 1866, when the society secured the services of the Rev. C. C. Hussey, who continues the hon- ored pastor of this ancient and thoroughly vigorous parish.
In 1828 a Baptist society was formed, which worshipped for a few years in the "Fordway " school-house. At a later period the meeting-house, first erected near the "Great Bridge," was removed to its present beautiful location in the central vil- lage. The church has had a succession of excellent pastors since the first incumbent, Rev. J. W. Sar- geant. Rev. E. T. Lyford has accepted a call to this parish. In 1829 another church was organized on the Trinitarian Congregational crecd, and its house of worship, also at the Centre, was dedicated early the next year. It is at present without a pas- tor. Universalist and Methodist societies were formed in 1842 and in 1854 respectively. Their. existence was short, the Universalist soon uniting with the Unitarian. By the efforts of citizens of North Billerica, a second Baptist society was
formed there a few years ago, and, greatly by the aid of an esteemed resident, they were enabled to build their charming little church edifice. The Rev. Nathaniel L. Colby is the minister in charge of this enterprising parish.
The only other religious organization in the town at present is that of the Roman Catholics, whose modest structure is pleasantly located near the same village.
In educational as in religious affairs, Billerica has ever held a position not unworthy of the gen- eral progress of the hour. Since the days of the venerable "schoole dames" and of Master Tompson, through the " squadrons " under Frye and Kidder, the children of the town have been well taught. In 1797 the celebrated Dr. Ebenezer Pemberton removed hither, and opened an academy for the instruction of youth, which continued ten years, greatly to the improvement of learning. Another institution was incorporated early in 1820, and for sixteen years the Billerica Academy flourished. These seminaries numbered among their students at different times many who have since become famous. The names of Rev. Joseph Richardson, Judge Henry C. Whitman, Hon. Thomas G. Cary, George Bruce Upton, George H. Preston, Abram R. Thompson, M. D., Hon. Josiah B. French, Joseph F. Hill, M. D., Hon. Onslow Stearns, and others will ever be held in esteem by the citizens of this town. In 1852 the now widely known Howe School was founded upon the bequest of the lamented physician, Dr. Zadock Howe. This institution, under the preceptorship of Mr. Samuel Tucker, A. M., is in a healthful and progressive state.
The public schools of the town are ten in num- ber, of which two are grammar schools. They are well tanglit, as a rule, - the teachers being young women of good education and social standing.
The town is yet wanting in one important de- partment of learning; there is no public library. It is to be hoped that there will be one in the near future. There are, however, six society or asso- ciation libraries in town, numbering more than two thousand volumes, with a yearly circulation of over twelve thousand.
It is an interesting fact that from the very first settlement of the place some attention has always been directed to industrial pursuits considered sep- arately from the general vocation of agriculture. Scarcely three years after the incorporation of the town the freemen allowed certain privileges to the " minerall company on fox hill, the south eande
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thereof," and it is known that John Sheldon soon had a " siller forge." The building of saw and grist mills has been mentioned. A fulling-mill was early in operation on the Concord, to which the farmers carried their homespun cloth to be made more serviecable.
In 170S a grant was made to Christopher Osgood of water privileges at the falls on the Concord. Years after the place was known as Carleton's mills, then as Richardson's. It became, in 1793, the property of the Middlesex Canal Company, who sold, in 1811, a portion of the water- power and some of the mill property to the late Francis Faulkner. He continued the business of dyeing and finishing cloth previously carried on, and also immediately began the manufacture of woollen cloth. Mr. Faulkner was one of the first woollen manufacturers in the country.
The property, greatly enlarged and improved, has been for many years owned by the firm of James R. Faulkner and Company. In 1851 the Canal Company sold the remainder of their rights and property to Messrs. Charles P. and Thomas Talbot, who had already begun the manufacture of dye- stuffs and chemicals in the vicinity. They have erected large and costly mills for the manufacture of woollen goods, besides vastly increasing and im- proving their old works. With the other promi- nent company they have had the pleasure of seeing the little hamlet of thirty years ago grow into the flourishing village of North Billerica.
At South Billerica, at the outlet of Nutting Pond, is the mill privilege of Messrs. Charles H. Hill and Company, who manufacture improved machinery, among the varieties being the celebrated machine for splitting leather, the invention of Major Samuel Parker, a native of this town. The glue-factory of Messrs. F. and J. Jaquith, and an- other for making fine cabinet furniture, of Messrs. A. H. Patten and Company, are the other distinct- ively manufacturing establishments in Billerica. The total capital invested in manufactures in Bil- lerica, according to the best advices, amounts to $ 516,910, and the estimated value of the annual production reaches $1,287,610.
Intimately associated with the development of manufactures and the growth of the town, which now numbers about 1,900 inhabitants, have been the means of communication with the metropolis, eighteen miles distant.
The Middlesex Canal Company began operations in 1804. The canal passed through the eastern
part of the town, the water being drawn from the Concord River at North Billerica. The opening of the Boston and Lowell Railroad in 1835 super- seded its use. There are now two stations on the road named, in the town ; one at East, and the other at North Billerica.
The residents of the central and southern por- tions of the town, feeling the need of better accom- modations in travelling, organized, in 1877, the Billerica and Bedford Railroad Company. The road was opened for travel in the autumn of the same year. It is but two feet in gauge, yet well and handsomely equipped and very generally popular. Taken in all, - its length being only about eight miles, or from Bedford to North Billerica, - it is probably the smallest passenger railroad in the world, and has naturally excited considerable atten- tion. Unfortunately the company was obliged to enter bankruptcy ; but measures are taking to re- organize, and it is expected that the road will soon be in successful operation.
In its agricultural aspects the town has made some changes in the century. It is still, however, eminently a farming town, although much more attention is paid now than formerly to horticulture and market-gardening.
The citizens celebrated in 1855, with much pomp, the two hundredth anniversary of the incorporation of the town, and the address on the occasion was given by her honored son, Rev. Joseph Richardson, many years pastor at Hingham.
In 1876, on the Centennial Independence Day, Rev. Elias Nason, resident here, delivered an ora- tion before the assembled inhabitants, in which he vividly contrasted the social life of a century ago with that of to-day.
There stands in the beautiful village of Billerica, under the ever-changing shadows of mighty elms, a statue, carved in northern granite, - the figure of a Union soldier at rest.
Of one hundred and thirty-three brave men who left their homes in Billerica during the Rebellion, twenty fell in the sacred cause of liberty. Their names are : Albert E. Farmer, John C. Stewart, Edward A. Adams, Stephen H. Parker, William S. Collins, William Hayes, Charles A. Saunders, Pollard R. Shumway, Franklin Hannaford, Denis Buckley, George C. Gilman, James Shields, Reuben J. Gilman, James T. Edmunds, Asa John Patten, Joseph F. Richardson, Thomas H. Maxwell, Charles N. Fletcher, Ward Locke, and Edwin W. Huse.
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In reviewing the lengthy record of this town's existence, it would doubtless be interesting to narrate the story of the lives of some who must be passed over; but it perhaps will be sufficient to refer to the families of Parker, Crosby, Hill, Tompson, Kidder, Bowers, Stickney, Richardson, Abbot, Baldwin, Rogers, Whitman, Locke, Ben- nett, Preston, and Faulkner in order to understand what a shining roll could be made of names his- toric in religion, law, medicine, and literature, and in military, mechanical, and mercantile affairs.
First in point of time, the Rev. Samuel Whiting is eminent by his works and the beneficence of his career. He was the oldest son of the Rev. Samuel Whiting of Lynn, by a second marriage with Eliz- abeth, the daughter of the Rt. Hon. Oliver St. John, Lord Chief Justice of England in Cromwell's time. He was born about the year 1632, proba- bly at Skirbick, near Boston, in Lincolnshire, England, at that time his father's place of resi- dence.
The cause of the Puritans found an ardent supporter in the elder Whiting, who removed with his family at an early day to this country, where he became minister of the church of Lynn. His son Samnel soon entered Harvard, graduating in 1653. Three years later the young student of divinity was married to Dorcas Chester, at Water- town, on the 12th of November, 1656, and having completed his theological course, came to Billerica in 1659, where, as shown in the preceding article, he was solemnly ordained, November 11, 1663, pastor of the First Church of Christ. This holy office was filled by him " with great prudence, dili- gence, and circumspection," until his death, Feb- ruary 29, 1712, at the venerable age of eighty years. His faithful wife preceded him by only a few days, her death occurring the 16th of Feb- ruary, 1712. Their children were seven sons and four daughters.
The character of Mr. Whiting is described by Mather in his " Magnalia " as that of "a rever- end, holy, and faithful minister of the gospel; " and the annals of this town show that he was not only a spiritual guide but a brave leader and wise counsellor in the trials of the early fathers.
The following lines are from a poem written on his death : -
" Whiting, we here behield a starry light, Burning in Christ's right hand and shining bright ; Years seven times seven sent forth his precious rays, Unto the gospel's profit and Jehovah's praise."
Mr. Whiting was the founder of a family some of whose members - as the Rev. John Whiting, Captain Oliver Whiting, Deacon Samuel Whiting, Augustus Whiting, M. D., and others - have kept alive the esteem which was accorded to their revered ancestor.
Contemporary with Mr. Whiting as one of the founders of this town was Jonathan Danforth, who was also of high and ancient lineage, and shares in the veneration of posterity. He was born at Framingham, Suffolk, England, on the 29th of Feb- ruary, 1628, his father, the Rev. Nicholas Danforth, being a gentleman of such fortune and position " that it cost him a considerable sumn to escape the knighthood which King Charles imposed " on all of a certain estate. The family came to New Eng- land in 1634, and settled at Cambridge, where the father died four years later. The sons, Thomas, Samuel, and Jonathan, all attained positions of trust and consideration. Jonathan was educated for a surveyor, and followed the profession through life, becoming distinguished in it.
His nephew, the Rev. John Danforth of Dor- chester, wrote of him in a poem published on his death, -
" He rode the circuit, chain'd great towns and farms To good behavior; and by well marked stations He fixed their bounds for many generations. His art ne'er fail'd him, though the loadstone fail'd, When oft by mines and streams it was assail'd."
He was twice married, his first wife, by whom he had a large family, being Elizabeth, the dauglı- ter of John Poulter of Raleigh, in Essex, England. Of his many children but two sons, Samuel and Jonathan, left descendants. His second wife was Esther Converse, to whom he was married on the 17th of November, 1690. Her death, April 5, 1711, was not many mouths prior to that of her venerable consort, which occurred on the 7th of September, in the succeeding year. In the old South Burial-Ground their moss-covered stones are still standing.
Eminent by his intellect and learning, of com- manding presence and high moral character, the Rev. Henry Cumings, D. D., was not merely " con- sidered by his contemporaries as one of the most distinguished divines of New England," but also as one of the firmest patriots and wisest leaders in the civil and political life of his time. He was born September 28, 1739, at Hollis, New Hamp- shire, and was educated at Harvard University. In 1763 lie was ordained as pastor - the fourth in the
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order of succession - of the church of Billerica. For fifty years he sustained the sacred charge un- assisted.
Dr. Cumings was often called upon to preach on public occasions, and his discourses, some fourteen of which were printed, " afford evidence of superior talents, united with a sound judgment and great vigor of intellect." Dr. Cumings was thrice mar- ried. His first wife, Ann Lambert of Reading, to whom he was united May 19, 1763, was the mother of his five children, three daughters and two sons. She died January 5, 1784, and in 1786, November 14, Dr. Cumings married her sister, Mrs. Margaret Briggs. Her death occurred June 2, 1790. His third marriage was with Miss Sarah Bridge, daughter of his venerable contemporary of Chelmsford, the Rev. Ebenezer Bridge. Her death occurred the 25th of Feb- ruary, 1812.
Dr. Cumings finished his earthly labors Septem- ber 5, 1823, in the eighty-fourth year of his age and the sixty-first of his ministry.
Zadock Howe was born in the town of Bolton, Connecticut, on the 15th of February, 1777, of humble parentage. He received only the advan- tages of country schools, and began life as a simple workingman. Native genius, an unconquerable desire for knowledge, and a spirit of great endur- ance at length placed him in a higher walk. The practice of medicine became the profession of liis life, and in it he obtained eminence, fortune, and friends.
He died on the 8th of March, 1851, leaving, as a testimonial of his interest in humanity and its education, a noble bequest for the founding of an institution for the instruction of youth. The academy thus established by his wisdom and mu- nificence was incorporated February 27, 1852, as the " Howe School."
As a mark of its high appreciation, the town of Billerica erected a solid shaft of granite to his memory. " IIenceforthi let every man speak, with mingled emotions of gratitude and reverence, the name of Zadock Howe."
Few men have gone from Billerica who have brought more honor to the home of their birth than the clergyman and legislator, the Rev. Joseph Richardson.
Born on the 1st of February, 1778, the son of Joseph and Patty (Chapman) Richardson, he was educated at Dartmouth, where he graduated in 1802. Four years after he was ordained pastor of
the first parish of Hingham, in this state, a position which he held for sixty-five years.
Mr. Richardson was married on the 23d of May, 1807, to Ann, the daughter of Mr. Benjamin Bow- ers, who was also a native of Billerica. Mr. Rich- ardson repeatedly served in the state senate and house of representatives. He was chosen a mem- ber of the State Constitutional Convention of 1820, and was twice elected to the National House of Representatives, where he served from March 4, 1827, to March 4, 1831.
" At the close of his Congressional terms he re- sumed and attended to his parochial duties without interruption, except from ill health," until 1855, when he was partially relieved of the responsibili- ties of his charge by the appointment, with liis approbation, of the Rev. Calvin Lincoln, as col- league.
Mr. Richardson died September 25, 1871, at the venerable age of ninety-three years. His wife had died the preceding year, at the age of eighty-five. Mr. Richardson always kept alive an affectionate interest in his native town, and on the occasion of the celebration of the two-hundredth anniversary of its settlement, May 29, 1855, he delivered the oration of the day.
Josiah Bowers French was the son of Luther French, and was born in this town December 13, 1799. His education was derived from the com- mon district schools of the day, the humble advan- tages of which were obtained at intervals. Yet luis keen intellect, his observing habits, and his strong determination to rise served, in spite of such meagre opportunities, to win success.
In his early business career he was interested in stage and railway operations, and later on showed great energy and prudence in the construction and development of the railroad system of the country. In enterprises of this nature he was eminently for- tunate, and amassed a large property. During the latter part of his life he was interested in many mannfactures and kindred industries.
In 1824 he was appointed a deputy sheriff for Middlesex County, when he removed to Lowell, which was afterwards his residence. In 1835, and again in later life, in 1861, he represented that city in the legislature. He was honored by the elec- tion to the mayoralty of Lowell for the year 1849, and was re-elected the following year ; his efficient and careful conduct of municipal affairs, espe- cially of finances, is still proverbial. In 1851, Mr. French was chosen president of the Northern
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Railroad Company of New Hampshire, but soon resigned the office. The death of Mr. French oc- curred on the 21st of Angnst, 1876.
Closely identified with the interests of Billerica from the beginning of the settlement, when John Stearns was one of the primitive inhabitants, the family of Stearns has furnished to the country its due proportion of divines, statesmen, and soldiers ; but no one has occupied a more distinguished posi- tion than the late Hon. Onslow Stearns, whose high character and services have ever been regarded with pride by his fellow-citizens. He was born in Billerica, August 30, 1810, the son of John Stearns, and grandson of the Hon. Isaac Stearns, a man of much prominence in civil and military affairs in the latter part of the preceding century.
The education of Onslow Stearns was obtained in the common and academical schools of his native town. At about the age of seventeen he left his home and entered business in Boston. Becoming desirons of more active employment, he soon went to Georgetown, D. C., and was engaged in the engineers' department of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. In the performance of this work he was associated with an older brother, the late John O. Stearns, who had already attained considerable prominence in railroad affairs, and afterwards be- came widely known by the variety and extent of his railway interests. Upon the completion of the canal the brothers were for several years associated in constructing a number of the leading railroads of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
In 1837 Mr. Stearns returned to New England, and undertook the building and superintendence of the Nashua and Lowell Railroad. The manage- ment of this road was relinquished by him in 1845, when he began the construction of the Northern Railroad, which was built wholly under his super- vision. From this time the rapid increase of rail- way facilities found an earnest supporter in Mr. Stearns, and before many years had passed he was intimately connected with many of the most im- portant roads of New England. Thus he at one time held the offices of president and manager of the Northern Railroad Company, - positions which he occupied for twenty-seven years, -and was also president of the Sullivan, the Contoocook Valley, and the Concord and Claremont Railroad companies, which were connected in interest with the Northern. He was also president and active manager of the Old Colony Railroad, of several tributary roads, and of the Old Colony Steamboat
Company, which, with the road of that name, forms the Fall River Line to New York from Bos- ton. He held also the presidency of the Con- cord Railroad Company, which, with its branches and dependencies, is the centre of the railway system of New Hampshire.
As a patriot and legislator the carcer of Mr. Stearns was not less successful. In the early days of 1861, one of the first men in New Hampshire to uphold the National Union by his wealth and influence was Onslow Stearns. In politics he was a firm and conscientious Republican, and devoted his energies to the maintenance of the loyal senti- ment and the protection of the government. He initiated the movement which resulted in the for- mation of the Soldiers' Aid Society of New Hamp- shire, to which he largely contributed from his abundant means.
In 1862, and again in 1863, he was elected to the state senate, in the latter year serving as presi- dent of that body. On the occasion of his taking the presidential chair he delivered an address to the senate filled with patriotism and sterling good sense. In 1864 he was a delegate to the National Republican Convention at Baltimorc. The Repub- licans of New Hampshire in 1869, by a large ma- jority, elected him governor of the state. He was re-elected in the following year, and "his two administrations as governor stand on record as among the brightest pages in the gubernatorial history of that state."
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