USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : containing carefully prepared histories of every city and town in the county, Vol. I > Part 80
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The patriotism of the town manifested itself by the part its inhabitants took in the struggle for national independence. As early as 1771 they be- gan to collect military stores in anticipation of a possible war with England, and they set them- selves in opposition to the oppressive aets of the mother country. The first publie step taken by them looking towards independence was a reso- lution adopted in 1763, which was: " That this town will take all prudent and legal measures to encourage the produce and manufactures of this province, and to lessen the use of superfluities from abroad." On the 5th of March 1770, it was voted at a legal meeting of the town, " that we will not by ourselves, or any for or under us Directly or Indirectly, purchase any European Goods of those persons Termed Importers here- after named (viz) Jolin Bernard, James MeMas- ters, Patrick MeMasters, John Mein, Nath' Roger, Wm Jackson, Theophilus Little, John Tay- lor and Anne and Elizabeth Cummings, all of Boston, Israel Williams Esq and Son of llatfield, and Henry Barns of Marlborough. neither will we have the Least Dealings whatever with any Country Shop keeper, who shall purchase any Goods of Said Importers, and that we will use the utmost of our Endeavor to Encourage and assist those applauded Merchants of the Town of Boston in their non-importation agreement, to whom this Town Vote their sincere and hearty Thanks for these Late measures pursued by them for the
Good of their Country, and that the moderator of this Meeting Transmit a Copy hereof to the Com- mittee of Merchants in Boston."
" Voted that ye Town Clerk post up ye names of the above S'ª Importers at ye most public place in the Town."
This meeting was held on the same day of the Boston Massacre. One of the young men of IIol- liston, the son of the minister, Rev. Mr. Prentiss, was a spectator of the scene on State Street, and thus deseribes it and the events which followed, in a letter to his father. This letter was found among the sermons of Mr. Prentiss.
" BOSTON March 7th 1770.
Honored Sir. - I take this Opportunity to acquaiut you, of that most shocking & maloncolly Scene that was exhib- ited in this town last mouday Evening. A scene the most Tragical, of any that ever the Eyes of Americans beheld, (and I pray God, they may never see the like again) to see the blood of our fellow Citizens flowing down the gutters like water I think, must make every American, look with Detes- fatiou & Abhorrence, on these blood-thirsty wreiches, that were the exhibitors (The Soldiers [ mean). Military power has always been extremely disagreeable to a Free and loyal people, but uever so much as at this Day, when these mili- tary forces first came among us, they said, they came to restore peace and harmony, is this the way, to let us sce three or four of our dear fellow Countrymen, shot down dead in the streets, five or six more wounded and wallow- ing in their blood - no, this I think is the way, to bring on an open Eruption. but I will proceed to the particulars of this Affair, in the first place, about half past nine in the Evening the soldiers insulted several people that were walking in the Streets, upon this, the town was alarmed by the Ringing of Bells, and crying of fire, the people in a few minutes muster'd at & about the town House (I be- lieve I may say) several Thousands, the Captain of the Day whose name is Preston and who belongs to the 29th Reg. seeing the people gather round the Centinal at the Custom Ilouse, draw'd out Eight or Ten men & ordered them to load after which he march'd down to the Centinal, and took him of from his station, but instead of his return- ing to the Main Guard after he had relieved the Centinal, he holted his men, whereupon the people closed in upon them but offered no violence as I could sce & I was but about two yards distance from them, in this posture they stood, tho' but. a few minutes, before oue of the Soldiers rec'd a blow from a Cake of iee, that some of the people sent, upon this he tir'd & immediately upon his fircing, seaven or Eight Gunns more were discharg'd I stood my ground, looking and laughing to sce the people run ; thinking, they ouly fir'd cleer powder to scare them, but in less than a minute I was eonvinc'd to the Contrary, by seeing, two Men lay dead upon the Ground, one at my right Hand & the other at my left not above a Yard dis- tant from me, as soon as they seas'd fireing, the Cap. marchi'd his men back to the Mam Guard, then I went round to sce how many were killed & soon found three dead, two more mortally wounded, who have sinec died, four or five more wounded but not so badly but that the
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Doctors are in hopes they will survive it, the Governor and Councill were immediately called together, to eon- sider what was necessary to be done, at this Crisis, the first step was to send for Cole Dalrymple, who came in a few minutes after he was sent for, he told the people, that he had serv'd his Majesty twenty years & never had scen such a horrid crime before & was extreem sorry to see it now. he further said; that the Inhabitants should have all possible satisfaction & that he himself wou'd see that, both Officers and Soldiers were deliver'd into the hands of Justice, upon which the, Summons was made out against the Capf" & deliver'd to the Sheriff, together with Colo Dalrymple's letter to Colo Carr, in which Letter he ordered the Colo to see that the said Cap" Preston was deliver'd into the hands of the Sheriff immediately, which order was ohey'd and the Capt bro't before the Gov." & Councill, and examined, but several witnesses appearing against him & made Oath that they heard him Command his men to fire, they committed him to Goal. this was about four o'Clock in the Morning, at ten o'clock a Tuesday in the foornoon, the Eight Soldiers were also committed to Goal, at Eleven o'Clock there was a town Meeting call'd which I believe was the fidlest, that ever was known in America. in the first place they chose a committee of fifteen Gentle- men to wait upon the Gov & Councill with a petition, the purport of which was, that they would use all their Authority & Influence to get the Soldiers remov'd to the Castle. His Honor return'd an answer, which was that he had no command over the troops, but that he talked with the Commandiug Offieer concerning a Remov- all, the Officer said he would order the 29th Reg. to the Castle, and order his own Reg. to keep in Their Barracks, remove the main Guard, and have all parading stop'd, this answer was no ways Satisfactory to the enraged inhabi- tants, they therefore chose another Committee of Seaven Gente to wait upon the Governor & acquaint him that nothing short of a total removal of the troops from the town wou'd satisfy the injur'd Inhabitants. the Gov" said he could not give an immediate Answer, the Committee reply'd that they would retire into the other room till his Houor was ready. after waiting sometime he call'd them in & gave them his answer in writing, the purport of which was, that he had persuaded the Commanding Officer to send both Regiments to the Castle with all possible speed, this was voted Satisfactory to the Inhabitants who were then assembled, I suppose at leest three Thousand in the Old South Mecting House, after three Huzzas, the meeting was dissolved, the transactions of the 6th of March 1770 will shine bright in the Annals of America to the last ages of time.
As my time of Apprenticeship is expired I shou'd be glad you'd send me Mr. Wendell's Letter wherein he has mentioned what he was to give me when my time was up. my Duty to you and Mother & love to my Brothers and Sisters Concludes me your Duty full son.
HENRY PRENTISS.
P. S. The Names of those persons that were killed and their occupation. Jackson a Molatto fellow. Sailor. Gray a Rope maker. Covil mate of a vessell. Munk a Boat Builder. Maverick a Lad ahout fifteen years of age. Wounded viz., Edwa Payne Merch' in this town shot
thro his arm. Green a Taylor shot through his thigh. Patterson shot thro his arm. The Names of the Rest have slip'd my memory.
March 9th Friday Morning Yestaday Afternoon four of those unhappy persons that were shot last Monday Even- ing were inter'd, the procession was much the grandest of any ever seen in America. Gray's Corps went first then his Relations, then Covil and his Relations, then Maverick and his Relations & then Jackson & after Jackson the In- habitants walk'd four a brest. I imagine to the num- ber of three or four Thousand, & then a vast number of Carriges, they all four were buried in one grave & young Snider dug up & put with them.
severall company's of Soldiers are gone to the Castle and the Remainder embarking as fast as possible, to-mor- row Night the town will be Clear of them.
y" Dutifull Son H. PRENTISS.
Money and supplies were freely voted by the town for the Continental army, also money to pay the men who enlisted. The Declaration of Inde- pendence is written out in full in the town records. As early as March, 1778, the following report of a committee, chosen to consider the state of things as then existing was "Greatfully accepted and approved." The report says :-
" Having Duly Considered the Letter of Corrispondance to the Towns of this Province with a State of the Rights of the Colonies and this Provinee more especially, and a List of the Infringments of their Rights communicated to this Town from the town of Boston, whose Inhabitants have been unweeried in their Care and Endeavors to Pre- serve our Civil Constitution free from Innovations Not- withstanding the Policy of the British Ministry ; for we are Sure that Even the Law of Nature Teaches that if we make ourselves Slaves or Suffer others to do it when we can prevent it, We thereby act contrary to Reason and thereby violate that Law.
" Having taken these things into our Most Serious Con- sideration, Influenced as we Trust, by a Sense of the obli- gation we are under to God, our own Consciences, and with regard to Posterity, do think ourselves under the Greatest obligations to do all we can in a Lawful, Constitutional way to prevent that Bondage and Slavery we are threat- ened with; therefore we resolve, -
1 ** That the People of this Province have a Natural and Charter Right to all the Previlidges of the People of Great Brittian.
21 That they have a Right to Enjoy and Dispose of their own Property, that it Cannot Lawfully be Taken from them without Their Consent in Person or by their Representative
3'y That the British Parlament have unjustly Claimed the Power and Taken upon them to Raise a Revenue in the Colonies Contrary to the minds of the People, and Greatly Hurtful to the Peace, and Good order of ye Colonies.
417 That the Revenue So unconstitutionally Raised being used in paying Some of the Chief officers of the Province, is very hurtful, as it Renders them Independent of the Province for their Sallaries, which Tends Greatly to ob-
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HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY.
struct the Connection that ought to be Between them and the People of the Province, and thereby the Trust and Confidence of the people in them, as their Rulers, is greatly diminished, by these, and many other Infringmeuts on our Rights and Previlidges, as freemen. We are Greatly alarmed, Therefore we hope and Trust that the Great and General Assembly of this Province in their Great Wisdom will use Their utmost Efforts to obtain a spedy Redress of These Sore and Distressing Grevienees.
5' That the Sincere and Hearty Thanks of this Town be given to the Town of Boston for the care and attention of so many of its worthy Inhabitants, in so Clearly Stating the Rights and Previlidges of the Colonies and for their Care and attention, at this, as well as at other times to Preserve the Rights of the Colonies; and we do assure them, That what has been Transmitted to this, and the other Towns in this Province has Received the full appro- bation of this town."
In March, 1775, it was voted that no man shall serve in any town office who shall refuse or neglect to subscribe consent to and compliance with the advice of the late Continental Congress. At a town-meeting held one year later, it was voted " Not to chuse into office or Employ in any Business of the town, the Ensuing year, any person that Has appeered Enemical to this Coun- try in their Present struggle with Great Brittian, But to treet all such with Neglect."
May 20th, 1776, Major Abuer Perry was elected representative to the General Court, and the follow- ing instructions were given him : -
" S'r; as we have Now Chosen you to Repre- sent us in the Great and General Court, to be held at Watertown on the 29th of this instant May, we Do agreeable to a resolve of the Late general court at their last Sessions; which is as follows, (viz) that the Inhabitants of Each town in this Colony Ought in full meeting to advise the person or per- sons, who shall be chosen to Represent them in the next General Court, whether that, if the Honourable Congress should Declare them Independent of the Kingdom of Great Brittian, They, the said Inhabi- tants, will Solomly Engage with their Lives and fortunes to support them in the measure.
To which, the Inhabitants of the town of Hollis- ton, Being Legally assembled, would humbly Reply (viz) that the Said Honbl. Congress are (under God) the most Competent Judges of matters of such Vast Importance to these Colonies ; We would therefore Refer it to their wisdom, and do Solemnly Promise & Engage with our Lives and Fortunes to support them in the measure, if they, (whom we look upon as the Guardians of our Liberty) shall judge it to be best."
From year to year each representative was in- structed by vote of the town to stand by the Con- tinental Congress and the liberties and rights of the colony. On July 5, 1776, the day following the declaration of Independence at Philadelphia, the town voted to raise £1I to be paid to " Each man that shall Inlist to go as aforesaid, and do a turn for this Town as a hired man." The town voted January 5, 1778, their full approbation of the articles of confederation of the United States of America as " sent to said Town by the Gen12 Court of this State."
The patriotism of Holliston at the time of the nation's struggle for independence did not expend itself in words, but resulted in heroic deeds. Its inhabitants sacrificed of their property to help in bearing the pecuniary burdens of the war; and many of them risked, and some of them lost, their lives in the service of their country. How many enlisted in the army cannot be ascertained with cer- tainty. The names of Colonel Abner Perry, Major Jacob Miller, and Captain Daniel Eames are on the roll of officers, and they with others, their comrades, rendered efficient service. How little could they anticipate the glorious results which have followed their achievements, as they have been developed in the history of the nation !
After Mr. Prentiss was dismissed, four years passed before his successor was chosen. A call was given November 13, 1788, to Mr. Timothy Dickinson, and he was .ordained and installed pastor of the church February 18, 1789. Not far from this time a change began in the raising of the rates for the support of the minister and for church expenses. As early as 1748 a number of families were set off from the congregation at Holliston, by an act of the General Court, and joined to the West Parish in Medway. The legal voters in these families still attended the meetings of the town, and voted in all business excepting that which pertained to the support of preaching. May 1, 1782, a vote was passed that " Persons worshiping and paying elsewhere, by showing a certificate to that effect, could have so much de- ducted from their ministerial rate," that is, as much as they paid elsewhere. In 1785 protests were made against supporting the minister by a general tax, and the records show that ministerial rates were abated almost every town-meeting. January 15, 1787, it was "voted to accept the Petition of Moses Cutler and others, and Grant the Prayer thereof," which petition is as follows :
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HOLLISTON.
" Gentlemen and Friends :
" Whereas there is a Number of Ministerial Rates against us in the Collector's Hands, We Humbly request that the Town would Consider that We have been of another Persuasion for a Number of Years, and would be glad to live in peace among you.
"Our Friends ; the Harmonious Consequencies & train of Blessings that naturally attend a Peace- able Settlement is so great, it naturally calls for our attention, Therefore We Humbly request that the Town would abate the Ministerial Rates that are now against us; also that the Town, by their vote, would recommend to the General Court, our being set off, according to our Petitiou, bear- ing date December 4th 1756, and that the same might be Confirmed by their Act."
This petition was dated Holliston, January 3, 1787, and had ten signers.
By and by there began to be a distinction in the calls for town-meetings ; all legal voters were summoned to the meetings in which the general business of the town was transacted, while only those who paid a ministerial tax were called to the parochial town-meeting. All the records were kept by the town-clerk, and in the same record- book. This method of managing the affairs connected with the support of public worship continued till 1836, when a separate parish was organized.
In 1790 the town first cast its votes for a repre- sentative to congress. In 1791 nineteen persons and their families were warned to leave town be- cause they had moved into town without having obtained the town's consent. In 1795 the minis- ter's salary was first voted in the Federal currency, and it was $266.67.
Respecting the industries of the people of Hol- liston in its earlier history, Rev. Mr. Dowse, in his centennial address delivered July 4, 1876, says : " They," the inhabitants, " were plain and simple in their manners and habits, but they were enter- prising and efficient workers. They naturally, in the first instance, endeavored to provide homes aud sustenance for their families. Their houses were usually small-often rude in their struct- ure - and roughly furnished, and their furniture, dress, equipage, and general style of living were correspondingly simple and inexpensive. They were all farmers and looked of course to their lands for their support. The men cleared away the forests, broke up the fallow ground, tilled the
fields, gathered the harvests, tended the flocks and herds, and performed the outdoor work of the settlement. In the wild and unsubdued state of the soil at that time, and with the tools and imple- ments then in use, this must have been a difficult and tedious process. The women of that day not only performed the work that is now regarded as the part of the neat and tidy housewife, but they carded and spun the wool, and wove most of the cloth worn by the family. Not only so, but they often assisted in the work of the farm, and more especially in the sale of its products, The means of intercommunication and transportation were very scanty and imperfect. There were few lead- ing highways, but the roads were mostly narrow foot-pathis, made at first by the Indian's trail on the track of wild beasts, and sufficient only for one or at the most for two persons to travel. The men, women, and children rode along these paths on horseback, often two, and sometimes three on a single animal. They travelled in this way from house to house, to church on the Sabbath, and often performed long journeys to other towns and settlements. They transported the products of the farms to the mill and to the market-town on horse- back. This was often the work of the women. Two or more, sometimes a company of half a dozen, good dames from Holliston and Sherborn would start with their horses loaded down with eggs and butter, and ride all night to Boston, and having disposed of their loads return the succeeding day, not as much fatigned as many now are who go to town in the morning in the cars, spend the day in shopping and return at evening. This condition of things in the homes and business continued essentially the same for a long period. The people were engaged as a whole in reclaiming and tilling the lands. The shoemaker, blacksmith, carpenter, and storekeeper were regarded ouly as adjuncts to society. It was convenient to have just enough mechanics aud tradesmen to meet the wants of the people, and they desired no more. Even these did not pretend to live by their trades, but in addition cultivated their lands. Under these conditions the population continued to increase slowly from year to year, and the outward circumstances of the people to improve. At the end of the first century the population had grown from one hundred to thirteen hundred."
As early as 1731 the town appropriated money for the support of a public school ; and in 1738 it was divided into three districts, and it was voted
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HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY.
to build a school-house in each district. May 27, 1754, the following vote was passed, as recorded in the town records : Voted, Ten pounds For a Reading and Righting School This Present Year." Iu 1765, £ 25 were appropriated for public schools, and were divided among the three districts. The first school-houses were not magnificent in their dimensions or appointments. Those in the north and west were fourteen by eighteen feet, witlı " seven-foot posts," and the one in the centre six- teen by twenty feet. They were doubtless large enough to accommodate the scholars of those days, and being warmed in winter by fires in large open fire-places, the ventilation must have been good, with little danger of a too high temperature.
In 1801 the town was again divided for school purposes, and eight school districts were formed. Three hundred and thirty-four dollars were appro- priated the same year for the support of schools, and divided among the eight school districts.
About this time there began to be opposition to Mr. Dickinson. " At one period of it there was much uneasiness, animosity, and disturbance, which continued in a greater or less degree through sev- eral years; so that the parish twice refused to grant his salary. But in each of these instances the people were wise enough to discover their mis- take and rescind their votes. The origin and oc- casion of the difficulties do not appear from any record, either of the town or the church, but are commonly understood to be found in the offensive- mess of the doctrines upon which he insisted. They, however, resulted in the calling of a council by the church June 4, 1804, which advised the dissolution of the pastoral connection subsisting between him and the people of his charge, in the August following, should not an amicable adjust- ment of difficulties previously take place. Hap- pily, those difficulties were so far settled that on the 25th of the same month in which the council sat, the parish passed a resolution in favor of the continuance of the connection." 1 These difficulties being overcome, Mr. Dickinson remained pastor of the church till his death, which occurred July 6, 1813.
At a town-meeting held March 2, 1807, a com- mittee was chosen to have the general care of the schools. The appropriation for school purposes continued to increase with the increasing number of scholars. In 1830 it was $700, and in 1875 it had increased to $6,000. In 1846 the town
1 Rev. Mr. Fitch's Century Sermon.
took possession of the property of the school districts.
Nothing appears in the town records respecting the part Holliston took in the war of 1812 - 15. That it was represented, is evident from the fact that the graves of some who fell in battle are found in the burying-ground, and one soldier of that war still lives, in extreme old age.
Mr. Dickinson's successor in the pulpit was Mr. Josephus Wheaton, who received a unanimous call to the pastorate October 16, 1815, and was ordained December 6 of the same year. During Mr. Wheaton's ministry it was decided to build a new meeting-house. The vote was passed No- vember 2, 1819, and the house was dedicated November 5, 1823, a little more than one year before the close of the first century of the town's history. Mr. Wheaton preached on the occasion from Psalms 84: 1, -- " How amiable are thy Tab- ernacles, O Lord of Hosts !" This sermon was printed in 1824. It cost less than one hundred dollars to build the first meeting-house ; the sec- ond, when completed, cost $7,353,37. " Mr. Wheaton has left in print a work on school educa- tion ; together with several sermons, one of which, ' On the Equality of Mankind and the Evils of Slavery,' is particularly celebrated." Mr. Wheaton died February 4, 1825, having nearly completed the thirty-seventh year of his age, and a little more than commenced the eleventh of his ministry.
At the beginning of the second century of the town's existence, at the close of 1824, the number of its inhabitants had so increased that it contained two hundred and twenty-one families ; of these, in their church connection, twenty-three belonged to the West Parish in Medway, one to the East Parish, one to the Congregational Parish in Mil- ford, ten to the Baptists, nine to the Methodists, and twenty-one to the Universalists. One of the inhabitants of the town during its first century, a Mrs. Winchester, attained the good old age of one hundred and four years.
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