History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 161

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton), ed
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & co
Number of Pages: 1034

USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I > Part 161

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

its central location in relation to a market for flour, grain and meal, has done the most business of any mill in town. Soon after Daniel Giles sold this prop- erty he built a steam mill on the west side of the Brookline road, about half a mile northerly from the Common, where the furniture factory now stands. This mill was not long in operation before it was burned, and he lost heavily by the fire. The citizens of the town and his friends, with much sympathy for the loser, contributed liberally to his relief, so that he rebuilt on the same spot and continued his business, using steam-power, in company with a partner until his death, in 1858, when Mr. Edwin A. Larkin went on with the mill in making coopering stock. In 1874 the furniture factory, now owned and operated by William P. Taylor and others, was put up here where the Giles and Larkin mill stood, that mill having been taken down. This establishment is operated by steam-power, employing ten or fifteen workmen and turns out about thirty thousand dollars' worth of goods annually.

In 1867 a large two-story and basement factory for the manufacture of coopering stock of all kinds, op- erated by steam, was built at the centre of the town by Walter Fessenden & Son. This mill gave em- ployment to about thirty workmen. The building, motive-power, machinery and every facility for the manufacture of this stock was first-class. Except the usual summer vacation of four or five weeks, it was kept running during the year. In August, 1874, this mill was burned, the fire being undoubtedly the work of an incendiary. This large structure was, at that time, full of combustible goods made from sea- soned pine lumber. There was no wind; the even- ing was dark, during which the fire which raged furiously when the roof fell in, sent a gleaming and hissing sheet of flame upward into the sky which was visible for a long distance around. Had the fire hap- pened when the wind blew, or any time except when the mill-yard and surrounding roofs were wet, the central village would have been reduced to ashes. The owners soon cleared away the debris and com- menced re-building, and on the 4th of the follow. ing February another building, similar in every par- ticular, and equally expensive, commenced running on the same location. This second mill of the Fes- sendens was also burned June 22, 1884.

In 1800 Benjamin Pierce started a tannery near the first little brook crossing the road leading from the depot at West Townsend to the post-office in that village. It stood on the north side of the road. Sev- eral proprietors followed him in the business, among whom were George Hartwell, Levi Stearns (about 1825), Alexander Lewis (about 1828) and Abram S. French, 1831.

In 1827 Curtis Stevens had a tannery on the spot where Stickney's mill now stands, which he operated for seven or eight years. He ground the bark in the mill, and his vats were on the north side of it.

In 1789 Captain Timothy Fessenden was engaged in the tanning business on land now owned by Har- riet Read, near the north end of the dam across the Squannicook, at the Harbor. John and Samuel Bil- lings, of Lunenburg, were interested in this property, but whether as. owners, mortgagees, or otherwise, is unknown. John Jewett followed Fessenden in this business until about 1808, when Oliver Read bought the place and worked at the same trade until about 1827.

John Orr, in 1854, erected quite a large two-story and attic building near the railroad track at West Townsend Depot for a tannery, which was operated by steam-power. He employed five or six workmen in the trade until 1858, when the property went into the hands of a firm doing business under the name of Freeman & Avery. These men increased the business, constantly employing fifteen or twenty operatives. The firm shipped a large amount of goods into the market, but the owners were not first-class financiers and did not succeed according to their expectations.

In 1864 George Taft bought this establishment, re- taining the foreman and some of the workmen under the firm which preceded him, and he went on with the business. The building and finished stock con- tained in it were burned in 1868, but in due time Mr. Taft built another structure of about the same di- mensions, on the same site, which remained about three years, when that also was burned. Since that time the ruins of this factory have remained undis- turbed. Within the last forty years this branch of industry has been concentrated into a few places and is carried on by combined capital and rich firms, with whom competition is next to impossible.

In 1833 Abram S. French built a morocco factory on the brook running northeasterly from Bayberry Hill, near its confluence with the river, and near where James Giles built his saw-mill described in this chap- ter. He erected a dam on this brook which kept back sufficient water to operate a fulling-mill during the largest part of the year. This establishment was in successful operation for twenty years, employing constantly ten or twelve workmen; and considering the length of time the business was prosecuted, it must have been a source of wealth to the proprietor.

From 1800 to 1840 many families in this town manufactured woolen goods-using the hand-loom- for their own clothing. A tailoress would be in at- tendauce with these families once a year, and cut the cloth and make these woolen goods into clothing for their members. So with boots and shoes. The farmers sent their hides-marked so as to be recog- nized-to the tanners, where they were made into leather. A boot and shoemaker would go around to each house and make these goods-sufficient for a year's stock for the family.

Nathan Carlton had a wool-carding and cloth-col- oring and dressing-mill at the Harbor as early as 1790. His mill stood on the north side of the river, just above

591

TOWNSEND.

the bridge, and he took water from the Harbor Pond for his power. In 1821 Paul Gerrish took possession of this property and engaged quite extensively in the same trade with good success. This gentleman was one of the most prominent citizens of the town. He was a justice of the peace and one of the selectmen for a number of years. He represented Townsend in the Legislature in 1832, was an accurate town officer and an exemplary man. Died September 15, 1847, at Townsend.

About 1807 Jonathan Richardson came into posses- sion and ownership of the saw and grist-mill erected by Hezekiah Richardson & Sons, which stood a few rods easterly of the present leather-board factory. Connected with this building was an ell, or wing, which contained a wool-carding machine owned by Captain Josiah G. Heald, who continued in the clothier's trade here for more than twenty-five years. He was a much respected citizen, represented Town- send in the General Court in 1839, died at Mason Vil- lage, N. H., June 15, 1849.

Soon after the close of the Revolution the Warrens, and others, were engaged iu the manufacture of pot- ash, and this industry was followed in a profitable manner until about 1820, when wood became more valuable for other purposes.

Previous to the beginning of the present century the principal branch of industry of the town, from which was derived the greatest amount of money, was the manufacture of beef, pork and rum barrels, and, in fact, this trade continued until nearly 1830, when casks began to be made from sawed pine staves. These casks were drawn to Boston market by ox- teams, usually about four days being spent making the journey.

In 1787 Peter Manning commenced making sad- dles at the Harbor, his house and shop both being in the building where Charles Emery resides. This was in the days when equestrianism was practiced by both sexes, when pleasure wagons were unknown and the "one-horse shay" had not been introduced. A sad- dler was almost as indispensable in every town as a minister. He is represented as a very polite man, a skillful mechanic, and a good singer ; but he rebelled against the practice of alternate reading and singing the lines of the hymn, which was the custom in pub- lic service on the Sabbath, and it was through his in- fluence that fashion was laid aside. At that time Townsend Harbor was the only collection of houses in town which could be called a village. It had a tavern, the large, old house (now standing) at or near the south end of the dam at the river, kept by John Conant, a very popular landlord; a saw and grist- mill, a blacksmith shop, a clothier (1790), a tanner, a trader (Life Baldwin in 1788), who occupied the building now painted red, for a store, which stands on the north side of the road, nearly opposite of the spot where the first mill stood. This was the first siore iu Townsend, and its proprietor at that time,

Mr. Baldwin, was a man of good influence, was town clerk 1793, and one of the selectmen 1793 and 1794.

About 1830, Beriah Blood and Reuben Farrar came from Concord to the Harbor and bought the Conant mill. Soon after they moved a large barn, standing near by on the south side of the river, and set it up in their mill-yard, near the side of the road, and con- verted it into a foundry. Quite a sum of money was invested in the building and stock in trade. Albert S. Page commeuced the business, which afterwards was in possession of several different men and differ- ent firms. At one time the establishment turned out a large quantity of goods. The Wards, two brothers there for a while, were experienced workmen and gave character to their goods. There always appear- ed to be a lack of capital in the hands of the owners of this foundry to prosecute the business in a suc- cessful manner. In 1851 it was burned, while the Wood brothers (the railroad contractors) were the owners.

Soon after the old meeting-house was moved on to the Common (1804), a blacksmith, a tinsmith and a hatter set up their several trades near each other, just west of the Goss Bridge, at the centre of the town; but a large number of hatters were in Town- send twenty years after that date, scattered through- out the town in almost every farmer's house, where their wives and daughters braided thousands of dol- lars' worth of palm-leaf hats every year for more than twenty-five years after this industry was introduced here. David P. Livermore, a trader at the Harbor, introduced this business into Townsend, and he and John Suow, at the centre, put the leaf into the hands of the braiders, who received their pay for braiding in goods. The wives, in many families, earned enough to buy the groceries and store goods for their households through the year. The business waned about 1850, but between that year and 1860 Daniel Adams, a trader at Townsend Centre, had made and sold annually between twelve and fifteen thousand dozen of palm-leaf hats, a large part of which went to the Southern States and were worn by colored people, concerning whom President Lincoln issued a procla- mation.

It is remarkable how soon a few years will sweep into oblivion the dates and events which were once of thrilling interest to the whole community. Not all the dates could be given in this chapter which are desirable. A friend when laid in the ground lias the time of his departure indented on the faithful marble that perpetuates his memory, but no monument is ever erected on the spot once cheered by happy in- dustry, where a mill has rotted down or been swept out of existence by fire or flood ; neither is there any record of the event, and, unless the searcher after the date can obtain an interview with some intelligent mother who rccollects that "it was the same year that my Mary was born," he can scarcely, with cer- tainty, fix the date.

592

HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

Anson D. Fessenden, Albert L. Fessenden, Union S. Adams and Clarence Stickney are the only persons, each operating separately, who are now extensively engaged in the coopering business in this town. They ship a good many thousand dollars' worth of pack- ages to market annually, and they employ in all parts of this business about seventy-five workmen.

E. W. Seaver & Co. are tub and pail-makers in a factory at Joslynville, built in 1849, and occupied since that time by - Potter, A. M. White, Law- rence Brothers and Charles Lawrence before the pres- ent firm took possession. The motive-power here is both steam and water, and the mill has first-class ma- chinery. The firm employs about eighteen men through the year in this trade, which produces about thirty thousand dollars' worth of goods annually.

"Spaulding Brothers," Jonas and Isaac W. Spauld- ing, are leather-board manufacturers. They have two large mills, one at the Harbor and one at West Townsend. The mill at the Harbor they built with much expense ; the main building at West Townsend is the same that has been used for different industries for a long time. This is a bulky business, producing many tons of goods each month.

THE REBELLION OF 1861-65 .- The great wrong of firing upon the national flag, and plotting treason against the government, must be held in everlasting remembrance, to the disgrace of the Southern leaders in the slave-holders' rebellion : but let no reader, for a moment, suppose that the South alone was respon- sible for this civil feud which sundered the ties of consanguinity and drenched the land with fraternal blood; which entailed an enormous debt on the na- tion, and swept away from their homes and into the grave nearly half a million of men, on both sides, who have fought their last battle.

It is hardly necessary to state here that Massachu- setts extended a vigorous and unqualified support to the government in its effort to preserve the Union by military force. The report of the adjutant-general of this State, in 1866, shows that this Commonwealth was represented in the army and navy, in the different terms of service during the war, by one hundred and fifty-nine thousand one hundred and fifteen (159,115) men ; and that with the exception of twelve small towns, every town and city in the State had furnished a surplus over all the demands from the War Depart- ment, which amounted in the aggregate to fifteen thousand one hundred and seventy-eight (15,178) men, of which the town of Townsend furnished thirty-three (33) men.

As on the 19th of April, 1775, the Middlesex County men were the first to yield their lives in the Revolu- tion, so on the 19th of April, 1861, just eighty-five years afterward, men from the same towns, belonging to the Sixth Massachusetts Regiment, were the first to give their lives for their country, in the mob fight at Baltimore, on which occasion three men were killed and thirty wounded.

In common with all the towns and municipalities of the State, Townsend was aroused to a great excite- ment by the treacherous shots, April 12, 1861, aimed at Fort Sumter. On the 20th of April a town- warrant was posted at the usual places, in Townsend, calling a town-meeting on the 27th day of said April, which contained the following article :

" To see if the town will take any measures to facilitate the enroll- ment or enlistment of volunteers, whose services shall be tendered to the Governor of the Commonwealth, or through him to the President of the United States.

"On this article voted and chose a committee of five citizens to report to the town a plan for its action. Chose for said committee, Henry Sceva, Walter Fessenden, Daniel L. Brown, Nathaniel F. Cummings and Samuel S. llaynes, who submitted the following preamble and res- olutions, which were accepted and adopted by a unanimous vote of the town :

" Whereas, a portion of the states of this confederacy are now in open rebellion against the government, and whereas the President of these United States has called upon the Loyal States for a military force enfli- cient to suppress the rebellion and maintain the laws of the land,

"Now, therefore, we, the citizens of Townsend in town-meeting assem- bled, hereby declare our undying love for liberty, and our sacred regard for the Constitution as submitted to us by its foundere.

" Resolved, that we tender to the Government our sympathy, and, if necessity requires, our lives and property.

" Resolved, that our foreign-born citizens, for the promptness with which tbey havo rallied to the support of this their adopted country, have laid n8, the native-born citizens, under everlasting obligations, and that our gratitude for their support and sympathy sheuld be appropriately, cbeer- fully and promptly acknowledged.

"Voted, that Walter Fessenden, Daniel S. Brown, Nathaniel F. Cum- mings, Jamee N. Tucker and Alfred M. Adams be a committee to tako immediate measures for the enrollment of a company of able-bodied men, whose services sball forthwith be tendered to the government.

"Voted, to provide for the families of those who may need assistance during their actual service."

The gentlemen of this committee, and other men of wealth and influence, appealed to the patriotism of the citizens, assuring them that the families of married men should be cared for in case they should volunteer to fill the quota of the town. It appears that the seceding States had been making prepara- tions for a fight for some time, while the North, with the exception of a few regiments of volunteer militia in Massachusetts, and one or two other States, was unprepared for either an offensive or defensive war.

The President called for seventy-five thousand men, April 15, 1861, and the next day the Old Sixth Massa- chusetts Regiment, with General Butler, left for Boston, en route for Washington. June 19th follow- ing, seven Townsend men were enlisted and joined this regiment, viz. : Henry J. Parker, Frederick A. Jones, Robert F. Wehb, John Quigg, Ramson C. Watson, George N. Spaulding, Daniel Sidelinger. These men enlisted for three months, and were mus- tered out at expiratlor of term, but most of them re- enlisted and served in various regiments.

" The Old Sixth," which had a skirmish in Balti- more with Butler as commander, was reorganized in October, 1861, under the name of the Twenty-sixth Massachusetts Regiment, and sailed from Boston di- rectly for Ship Island. Mustered out August 26, 1865. Townsend had thirty-two men in Company G, in this regiment, whose names are as follows: Loren

593

TOWNSEND.

Hosley, George A. Adams, Charles W. Dix, James Willard, Ally B. Brown, Elijah T. Bates, Charles H. Brown, Warren B. Clark, Franklin F. Cross, William Davis, Russell O. Houghton, Alvah Richardson, Charles Willard, James A. Sanborn, Frederick A. Jones, Samuel W. Griffith, Merrick S. Gilson, Charles R. Shattuck, William Hunt, Charles L. Spaulding, Myron F. Going, Charles J. Hapgood, Charles L. Hall, Charles H. Martin, Aaron S. Petts, Ai H. Spaulding, Andrew H. Sloan, Frank Stevens, Francis W. Wood, Ramson C. Watson, Lysander P. Taylor and John Shattuck.

This regiment took part in the engagements at Winchester, Cedar Creek and Fisher's Hill in the Nineteenth Army Corps.

July 1, 1862, the President called for 300,000 men for three years, considering the reverses in the Shen- andoah Valley and the imminent danger of a success- ful attempt to take Washington. Under this call twenty-five men of this town volunteered for service, and joined the Thirty-third Massachusetts Regiment of Volunteers, Company E. The names of these men are as follows : George W. Bennett, Abijah W. Blood, James Buckley, George E. Clark, Thomas Dalrymple, Lewis Gonnier, Andrew D. Heselton, James King, Clarence W. Sylvester, Charles E. Mar- shall, Dominick May, Waldo T. Tower, Jonah Parker, Henry J. Parker, Charles W. Parker, Simeon K. Richards, Sylvester T. Wheeler, Charles W. Wether- bee, Jefferson Whitcomb, Evander W. Wright, Frank- lin S. Wright, Andrew L. Woodard, William H. Wright, Lewis T. Wright, Abram Clark and Oliver B. Osborn.

This . egiment took part in the battles of Freder- icksburg, Chancellorsville, Beverly Ford, Gettysburg, Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge and the several battles of Sherman's grand army. It used up two stands of colors, which were so torn and mutilated by wear and bullets that they would scarcely hang to- gether. They were sent home and deposited in the State-House with other mementos of the conflict, and a third stand of colors was sent to the regiment, on which were inscribed the names of the twenty-two bat- tles in which it was engaged.

Five Townsend men re-enlisted in the Sixth Regi- ment Massachusetts Volunteers in August, 1862, for nine months, and they were under Captain George F. Shattuck, of Groton. The names of these men are Richard Pierce, Albert D. Turner, Manson Withing- ton, Charles W. Hildreth and Charles A. Wright.

On the 1st day of August, 1862, the President called for 300,000 nine months' men. War-meetings during that month were frequently held at the town hall to devise means to fill the quota of the town. At one of these meetings Anson D. Fessenden was selected to recruit a company, if possible; if not, as many as he could. He enlisted forty Townsend men, and about the same number of recruits were enlisted in the town of Shirley and the neighboring towns. Mr.

Fessenden was chosen first lieutenant of this company, which made a part of the Fifty-third Regiment Mas- sachusetts Volunteers, which served in the Depart- ment of the Gulf, Nineteenth Army Corps, John W. Kimball, of Fitchburg, colonel. This regiment was in the battle of Port Hudson, and in other battles and skirmishes during the spring and summer of 1863. The following are the names of the Townsend men : Anson D. Fessenden, promoted to captain September 2, 1863, John Q. Adams, Isaac Allen, Wallis S. Arlin, John B. Blood, Daniel Brogan, John A. Brown, William Bush, Charles S. Champney, Edmund O. Day, Andrew Foster, Adams S. Graham, Harlan F. Green, John Haynes, John P. Hildreth, Webster Hoffses, Leander C. Jefts, Dennison S. Kimball, Francis A. Laws, William Ordway, Henry C. Nichols, Levi T. Parker, Shubell B. Pierce, Hiram F. Richards, John Richards, Edson A. Richardson, Dennis J. Shehan, George A. Sherwin, Alden W. Smith, Benjamin B. Spaulding, Augustus G. Stickney, William E. Sylves- ter, Levi Wares, Alson S. Warren, William H. Wood- ward and Thomas H. Warren.

The following are the names of Townsend men who enlisted at different times and served in various regi- ments : Patrick Murray, Charles C. Cobleigh, Henry O. Adams, James E. Brooks, Amos Pierce, Boyd Todd, Edward Potter, Lorenzo Bruce, James A. Wil- lard, George Spalding, William H. Lewis, Alden Adams, Leonard O. Bruce, William T. Barrett, Wil- liam T. Adams, Charles Searles, Julius C. Eastman, Henry H. Hosley, Joseph O. Hildreth, Oliver E. Hazard (colored), Horace Hazard (colored), Nahum G. Hazard (colored), John J. Hennessey (colored), William A. Champney, Edwin Adams, Thomas H. Welsh, Robert Webb, Daniel T. Goodwin, George F. French, Horace E. Lawrence.

The following is a list of the names of the men who enlisted in August, 1864, for one year, and were mus- tered in on the 25th of the same month. They are described in the records as belonging to the "Twenty- fourth Massachusetts Regiment Unattached Heavy Artillery." They were stationed at Fort Delaware and near the city of Washington : Vernal Barber, John A. Brown, William Coombs, George H. Ellis, Jonas L. Jennerson, Benjamin F. King, Augustus Lovejoy, Newell F. Putnam, Nathaniel A. Ripley, Benj. B. Spalding, Amos Webber, Elbridge A. Wright.

A roll of the men who enlisted July 7, 1864, for 100 days, and proceeded to Washington and performed guard duty at Arlington Heights. The men are repre- sented in the record as belonging to Company B, Sixth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers. No casualties happened to these men during their absence : Charles Adams, Joseph Barter, James Brogan, Rufus T. Brown, George H. Green, Samuel K. Gilson, George S. Graham, Charles W. Hildreth, James C. Moody, Ai Richards, Charles Spaulding, Marshall D. Spaul- ding, Henry Sturtevant, William R. Wright, John B. Spaulding.

594

HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

The foregoing rolls contain the names of all the Townsend men, as far as known, who volunteered to assist in suppressing the Rebellion. Only one Townsend man (Horace Hazard) was drafted. No mention of the substitutes has been made, as they were mere merchandise, used for a time to shield the men who chose to purchase them rather than to take the risks of war upon their own shoulders.

The town records, during the time the Rebellion was in progress, were not kept with the greatest ac- curacy ; but, as near as can be ascertained from all sources, Townsend sent to the field troops enlisted for three months, one hundred days, nine months and three years, or for the war, including substitutes, 270 men, of whom 161 were voters in this town at the time of their enlistment. Twelve Townsend men were killed in action and twenty-one lost their lives by starvation in rebel prisons, disease and the casualties of war. It has been a source of pleasure to the writer that, during the entire labor of examining muster-rolls, discharge-papers, diaries, adjutant-general's reports and town records, that the word "deserted" has never been found written or printed opposite the name of any Townsend man.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 161

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton), ed Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & co Number of Pages: 1034

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton), ed
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & co
Number of Pages: 1034