History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 197

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 197

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IV.

" The Indians lie in ambush, in some place nigh at hand, In order to enrround us upon this neck of land ; Therefore we'll march in order, and each man leave his pack, That we may briskly fight them, when they shall us attack."

They come unto the Indiao who did them thus defy ; As soon as they come nigh him, two guas he did let fly, Which wounded Capt. Lovewell and likewise one maa more ; But when this rogue was running, they laid him in his gore.

VI.

Then, having scalped the Indian, they went back to the spot Where they had laid their packs down, but there they found them not ; For the Indians, having spied them when they them down did ley, Did seize them for their plunder, and carry them away.

VII.

These rebels lay in ambush, this very place near by, So that an English soldier did one of them espy, And cried out, " Here's an Indian !" With that they started ont As fiercely as old lions, and hideonsly did shout.

VIII.

With that our valiant English all gave a loud buzza, To show the rebel Indians they feared them not a straw. So now the night began as fiercely as conld be,

The Indians ran up to them, but soon were forced to flee.

IX.

Then spake up Captain Lovewell, when first the fight began, "Fight on, my valiant heroes, you see they fall like rain !" For, as we are informed, the Indians were so thick,

A man could scarcely fire a gun, and not some of them hit.

Then did the rebels try their best our soldiers to eurround, But they could not accomplish it, because there was a pond,

To which our meu retreated and covered all the rear. The rogues were forced to flee them, although they skulked for fear.

XI.

Two loge that were behind them so close together lay, Without being discovered they could not get away ;

Therefore, our valiant English, they travelled in a row, And at a handsome distance, us they were wont to go.

XII.

'Twas ten o'clock in the morning when first the fight begun, And fiercely did contiune till the setting of the sun, Excepting that the Indians, some hours before 'twas night, Drew off ioto the bushes and ceased awhile to fight.

XIII.

But soon again returned, in fierce and furious mood, Shouting as in the morning, but yet not half so loud ; For, as we are informed, so thick and fast they fell, Scarce twenty of their number at night did get home well.

XIV.

And that our valiant English till midnight there did stay, To see whether the rebels would have another fray ; But they no more returning, they made off to their home, And brought away their wounded as fer as they could come.

XV.

Of all onr valiant English there were but thirty-four, And of the rebel Indiaos there were about four-score. And sixteon of our English did safely home return ; The rest were killed and wounded, for which we all arust mourn.

XVI.

Our worthy Captain Lovewell among them then did die ; They killed Lieutenant Robbins and wounded good young Frye, Who was our English Chaplain ; he many Indiaos slew, And some of them he scalped, when bullets rouod him flew.

XVII.

Young Fullam, too, I'll mention, because he fought so well ; Endeavoring to save a inan, a sacrifice be fell. And yet our valiant Englishmen in fight were ne'er dismayed, But still they kept their motion, and Wyman captain made,-

XVIII.

Who shot the old chief Pangus, which did the foe defeat, Then set hie men in order and brought off the retreat ; Aad, braving many dangers and hardships by the way, They safe arrived at Dunstable the thirteenth day of May.

On the return of peace many families came to se- cure homesteads in a region so well stored with tim- ber and so rich in pasturage. Roads were laid ont to the distant settlements, fences were constructed and orchards planted. The church was the leading insti- tution. The meeting-house afforded the people a rallying-point ; but it was soon found inconvenient for those living in the remote parts of the town to assemble at the appointed place, and for this reason efforts were early made for a division of the terri- tory. An area of two hundred square miles was too great for the practical purposes of a church, and so there was but little opposition against setting off " certain sections for the better accommodation of certain people."

On the 4th of January, 1732-33, certain families, bearing the names of Blodgett, Cummings, Cross, Colburn, Greeley, Hill, Lovewell, Marsh, Merrill, Pollard and Winn, who had commenced a settlement on the easterly side of the Merrimac River as early

746

HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

as 1712, finding it inconvenient to attend church across the river, were incorporated into a town by the name of Nottingham. This town came into New Hampshire by the divisional line in 1741, and the name is now changed to Hudson.

In 1733 it was voted that the new meeting-house should be erected four rods west of where the old church was standing, but against this vote a number, living in the southerly part of the town, protested. A committee of three was chosen to determine a site for the new meeting-house.

The town derived considerable revenue from the preparation of pitch and turpentine, of which the primeval forests of pine furnished large quantities.

The excision of a part of the town of Dunstable to form Nottingham was followed by a still greater one in 1734, when the wide tract called Nanticook was in- corporated under the name of Litchfield. Subse- quently the section of the town west of the Merri- mac River was incorporated under the name of Rum- ford; this was changed to Merrimac, the present name.

The number of families in Dunstable in 1730 was about fifty. The sum of £90 was raised for the salary of Mr. Prentice. A small sum was also raised for the support of a "writing school." Mr. Prentice, who was a good preacher, died February 27, 1737. He was much beloved by his people.

The Rev. Josiah Swan was ordained over the church December 27, 1738, and about this time a new church edifice was dedicated. Mr. Swan continued to preach in the new church until some time in 1746, when he resigned his pastorate. He afterwards be- came a noted school-teacher in Lancaster.

The westerly part of Dunstable, called by the In- dians Nissitisset, was incorporated with the title of " The West Parish of Dunstable," which afterwards became the town of Hollis. The town of Dunstable was thus gradually reduced in size until 1741, when, by the running of the divisional line between the States of New Hampshire and Massachusetts, the above-mentioned towns, together with the territory which has since become the city of Nashua, were set off to the former State, leaving Dunstable proper, which then included Tyngsborough, in the State of Massachusetts.

During the month of February, 1741, Richard Hazen surveyed and established the line between the Provinces of New Hampshire and Massachusetts. About two-thirds of the inhabitants of the old parish were thus brought into this State. It is probable that town officers were that year elected in Dunstable, Mass .; but the first few pages of the earliest book of records are unfortunately gone, and it is not possible to know who were the public officers of that and the following year.

On the 8th of February, 1743, Eleazer Tyng, . Joseph Eaton and Jonathan Taylor petitioned the General Court for permission to choose town officers,

since the preceding selectmen had neglected to issue a warrant for that purpose. The petition was granted, and the first recorded town-meeting was held in the house of Ebenezer Kendall, March 5, 1743.

At another meeting held about this time at the house of Simon Thompson, it was voted that three men be appointed to assist the town clerk in record- ing the town votes. Some specimens of spelling on the archives of the town indicate there was ample need of such aid. When, however, the work and ex- posure of those early settlers is considered, it can be easily seen how small a margin of time could be left for consulting the dictionary. The church was then the principal school, the minister the instructor, and these were steadily supported, as the next record in the old stained folio testifies :

"March ye 28, 1744, voted yt Twenty Pounds in Lawful money shall be Raised & assessed to Suporte ye gospel among us." Eleazer Tyng, Esq., John French, and Ebenezer Kendall were then chosen " to treate with the Reverend Mr. Swan, & to see if any Thing was due to him from ye Town of Dunstabell before ye Line was Run between ye said Province."

In November, 1746, the town "voted to raise 8 pounds lawful money to pay for preach the current year;" but who was the recipient of such a salary for proclaiming the gospel in " Decon Taylor's Hous " the records do not indicate.

About this time the "vexed question " of erecting a meeting-house arose, and continued for several years to agitate the people. The town extended from Dracut on the east, some ten miles to Groton on the west. The families, numbering fifty-four, were pretty evenly settled over the whole surface. A new church had been erected in 1738, on the New Hampshire side of the line, and was partly owned by the people on this side of it. Some preferred to worship there. Others were in favor of buying the edifice and re- moving it to their own town. Among this class again there were differences of opinion.' Some de- sired to locate it in the geographical centre, while others preferred the centre of population ; still another party thought it best to erect a new building and choose a committee from some neighboring town, who should select the location. The Rev. Joseph Emer- son, in his sermon at the dedication of the second meeting-house in Pepperell, doubtless had reference to the state of things in Dunstable when he said, "It hath been observed that some of the hottest conten- tions in this land hath been about settling of min- isters and building meeting-houses, and what is the reason ? The Devil is a great cnemy to settling min- isters and building meeting-houses ; wherefore he sets on his own children to work and make difficulties, and to the utmost of his power stirs up the corrup- tions of the children of God in some way to oppose or obstruct so good a work."

A map of the town made by Joseph Blanchard, and dated Oct. 17, 1748, was brought before the General

747

DUNSTABLE.

Court, in order to show the centre of land, and also of population to that body, and the fittiug place for the location of the church. On this plan the farms of Col. Tyng and Mr. John Tyng embrace an area six miles and fifty-six rods in length, and one mile wide. Mr. Jeremiah Colburn's house is designated as in the northeast, and Mr. Robbins' house in the northwest angle of the town.

For the purpose of building the meeting-house, the town voted to raise £100, lawful money, and also, Nov. 15th, "to build ye said house 46 feet long, 36 feet wide, and 21 feet studes."

On the 27th of December, 1748, the town voted " to Raise thirty Pounds, old Tenor, for the Suporte of a school." This is the first mention of any action regarding a school on the records.

This was probably what was called a moving- school, that is, a school taught by the same person successively in various houses. The reading-books then used were the "New England Primer," with its plain cuts of Adam and Eve, Jonah and the whale, and simple rhymes, such as

"The idle fool Is whipt at school,"

the Psalter and the New Testament. The birchen twig was freely applied to offenders, and the Assem- bly's Catechism often repeated. The spiritual good of such mental exercise was, perhaps, in some cases, lessened by frequent association with the aforesaid twig.

The Court declared, June 26th, that the people of Nottingham and Joint Grass had forfeited the benefit of being incorporated with Dunstable, and that " the meeting-house should be erected on the east side of the road from Capt. Cummings' to Simon Thompson's house, where the timber lies for it." The Joint Grass families at this time were those of John Swallow, Jo- seph Spaulding, Jr., Timothy Read, Joseph Fletcher, Benjamin Robbins, John Spaulding and Samuel Cummings. In July following, the Nottingham and Joint Grass people, being dissatisfied with the place fixed upon for the church, petitioned the Court that they might be annexed to Dunstable, that they might thus vote on the question.

People at this time were very much troubled by wolves. Occasionally bears and catamounts were seen. It is related that one evening, while Deacon Joseph Fletcher, who owned a tract of six hundred acres in the Joint Grass District, was absent at the mill, his wife, Elizabeth, hearing something like the screaming of a child, went to the door, and saw the eyes of a catamount glaring at her from a tree. She fastened the door upon her visitor ; yet thinking he might gain an entrance through a window, she crept into a barrel, and in that constrained position spent the night.

The town voted, in 1749, to pay 12s. 6d. to any person from Dunstable, Groton, Littleton, Westford, Lunenburg, Harvard or Hollis, on condition that

these towns should do the same, " that shall kill any Grone Wolf within one year, within the bounds of any of these Respective towns, or shall tak the tracte in any of these townes & folow it till thay kill it where they will if ye hed be produced by way of evi- dence & ye Ears cut off as the Law directs."

March 5, 1749-50, it was voted "to alow a town way from David Taylor's to Nathaniel Parker's ; " and in July, following, £20 were to be raised for “ye supporte of the gospell."

On the 20th of May, 1752, it was voted that the meeting-house be erected " on a knowl by the Road that leads from David taylor's to Simon Tomson's, about five or six rods north where the road was lying ;" and at the next meeting, July 6th, it was " voted that Dea. Stickny, of billerica, Capt. Nickols, of Reading, & Deacon Stone, of groton, be a committee to fix a place for a meeting-house."

Thus it appears that some positive action was final- ly taken regarding the proposed meeting-house. The decision of the aforesaid committee satisfied the ma- jority of the town in respect to the long-contested point ; for, on the 2d of September, it was voted "to erect a meeting-house on the East corner of David Taylor's land," as the committee had determined. At the next meeting, Oct. 26th, it was voted to raise £53 6s. 8d. to pay for that part of the New Hampshire church which the committee, consisting of Col. Tyng, Samuel Taylor and Joseph Pike, had purchased, and for "taking down, removing & rebuilding sd meting house." On the 18th of December, following, a com- mittee was chosen to petition the General Court that " those living in the Northeast part of Groton, at a place called Joynt grass, be ennexed to this town of Dunstable, as they formerly were."

From the records it appears that these people were willing, if the meeting-house were built upon a spot that suited them, to become again citizens of Dun- stable.

This proposition found favor. "The General Court ordered that Joseph Fletcher, Joseph Spalding, Samuel Cummings, Benjamin Robins, Timothy Read, John Swallow, Joseph Parkhurst, & Ebenezer Park- hurst, Jr., with their families & Estates, etc., be an- nexed to the town of Dunstable, agreable to the vote of the Town of Groton on the 18th day of May, 1747." Thus those families added to the population of Dun- stable, and became a constituent part of the town. It was finally resolved to erect a meeting-house forty- two feet long, thirty-two feet wide and with posts twenty-one feet high "by ye Highway Side which Leads from ye house of Mr. Temple Kendall to Mr. Robert Blood's house."

The spot selected is a rocky knoll on the left-hand side of the road leading from the village of Dun- stable to that of Tyngsborough, and about one mile distant from the former place. There is here a fine . view of the west, with the summit of Wachusett Mountain in the distance. The land is now covered

748

HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

with more or less timber, and no trace whatever of the old church remains. The graveyard on the west- ern slope of the hill alone indicates the place where the people for many years gathered for the transac- tion of civil and political affairs, as well as for the service of public worship.

The committee appointed to build the meeting- house consisted of Ebenezer Sherwin, Ebenezer Ken- dall and Samuel Cummins, and they reported to the town, December 24, 1753, as follows: "We have built said house, and have erected it on ye north side of the road that leads from Ebenezer Butter- field's to Robert Blood's, about thirty-four poles from said centre and have finished it all saving the doors."

The raising of the edifice took place on the 18th of July, 1753. Most of the inhabitants of that region doubtless gathered together to assist in laying the massive sills, in erecting with long spike poles the heavy posts of oak, and in putting the rafters into place. Probably, in accordance with the custom of those days, they passed the flowing howl freely from lip to lip-a custom fortunately less approved in these days. The bountiful dinner was an important feature of such festivals. But a sad accident occur- red before the " raising" was completed, which filled every heart with anguish. When the frame was nearly up, two men suddenly fell from a spar, and one of them, Mr. Abiel Richardson, of Groton, strik- ing upon a rock, died immediately; the other man, more fortunate, escaped with very severe hruises and contusions.

The frame was soon covered and a floor laid, so that the house could be used for public services, but the seats were furnished gradually and the structure was not completed for several years.

The church soon became a central point. Several highways or bridle-paths, converging towards it, were made by permission of the town. At a town-meeting in May, 1754, it was voted " to build ye two bodys of seats and to Provide Boards for the Pulpit."

Jonathan Tyng, John Alford Tyng and Willard Hall, Jr., petitioned the General Court, this year, that three hundred acres of land in Chelmsford should be annexed to Dunstable, and although strongly opposed by that town, the petition was granted.

A meeting was held at Oliver Colburn's house March 21, 1755, when Benjamin Farwell, Timothy Bancroft, Joseph Danforth and John Steel were chosen selectmen, and Ebenezer Sherwin was elected " Culler of Staves."

This article afforded considerable income. Trade in hoop-poles, shingles, peltry and flax was also profit- able. The potato had been introduced and was be- ginning to take the place of the turnip at the table; fish and wild fowl were abundant. The people spun and wove their own flax and wool into good, service- able cloth, which they colored with vegetable dyes and made into garments. The women rode to church on horse-back, seated sometimes behind the men.

The tavern, the mill and the blacksmith-shop were the three several places where the men gathered to obtain the latest news or to discuss various questions. These subjects generally had reference to the build- ing of roads, the state of the crops, the husking party, the last matrimonial engagement, the latest success in hunting or the singing or the sermon at the church.

The inhabitants of the eastern part of the town were not pleased with the location of the church on Meeting-House Hill, and therefore formed themselves into a precinct, called the First Parish of Dunstable. They erected a small meeting-house, with two porches and a tall steeple, near the spot now occupied by the Unitarian Church in Tyngsborough Centre. The steeple was blown down in the great gale of 1815. The Hon. John Pitts gave expression to his views of this church by the following lines :

" A very emall meeting-house, A very tall steeple ; A very proud minister, A queer sort of people."

At a meeting of the members of this parish, Aug. 20,-1755, it was voted "that the place for a meeting- house in this precinct be on the west of Merrimack River, near Mr. James Gordon's Mills, where a fraim is erected for that purpose." It was also voted “to accept the fraim that is Now on the spot." It is also recorded " that John & Jonathan Tyng came into the Meeting & gave the Precinct-Glass for the Meeting- house." At a meeting of the precinct, held in 1756, Eleazer Tyng, Simon Thompson and Oliver Farwell were appointed a committee "to sett of the pew ground to those that have given & Payª most toward building Said house." In the ensning year this par- ish raised £14 " to hire preaching."

The people of the westerly part of the town were also organized into a precinct or parish, about the time of the erection of the meeting-house. The act granting the authority for this precinct received the signature of Gov. William Shirley June 14, 1755. The first meeting of this Second Parish, or precinct, in Dunstable, was held at "ye meeting house " on the 27th of October following, when Ebenezer Sherwin was chosen moderator, and John Steel parish clerk. John Cummings, John Steel and Joseph Fletcher were chosen as " committeemen and assessors of said parish." Joseph Danforth was chosen treasurer, and Benjamin Pike collector. These officers were then sworn "to ye faithful Discharge of their Respective Trusts," and thus the Second or West Parish of Dun- stable was fairly organized and started on its eventful way.

According to custom in those days, a few persons held slaves, and the following paper relating to the sale of one of them is still preserved :

" DUNSTABLE, September yo 10th, 1756.

" Received of Mr. John Abbott, Junior, of Andover, Fourteen pounds, Thirteen shillings and Two pence. It being the full value of a Negrow Garl, oumed Dinah, about five years of Age, of a Healthy, Sound Con-

749

DUNSTABLE.

stitution, free of any disease of Body and I Do hereby Deliver the Same Garl to the said Abbott aud Promise to Defend him in the Improvement of hear, as his Serran forever.

" Witness my hand,

" ROBERT BLOOD,

"JOHN KENDALL,

"TEMPLE KENDALL."

Robert Blood lived on the place now occupied by Dexter Butterfield, and there are many stories of his peculiarities. He is said to have called an Indian doctor to prescribe for him when sick ; but fearing lest the medicine might be poisouous, he gave it to his negro boy, who died from the effects. The place of his burial is still called " Negro Hill." A sheriff once came into church to arrest Mr. Blood, who, see- ing his pursuer, placed his handkerchief to his nose, as if it were bleeding, and quietly left the meeting.

On being asked afterwards why he left the church so suddenly, he said: "The sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, aud Satan came aiso among them." (Job 1 : 6.)

At a meeting of the Second Parish, held Nov. 20, 1755, it was voted that £20 be assessed " for ye suport of se Gospel for ye present year ;" also, that a com- mittee, consisting of Ensign Ebenezer Parkhurst, John Steel and Joseph Fletcher, " search into ye ac- counts of how much Preaching we have Had in said meeting-house ;" and John Steel, Samuel Taylor and Adforth Jaquith were appointed a committee to take a deed of Lieut. John Kendall and Ebenezer Butter- field, "of ye land ye meeting-house stands on."

The account for building the church edifice was £74 4s. 11d., and the committee reported that "the preaching we have had in Said Meeting-house and ye Entertaining ye Ministers " amounts to £44 1s. Who these ministers were appears from various orders of the parish:

Of the several candidates, who received for their Sabbath services about £1, together with their "Intertainments," Mr. Josiah Goodhue was the favored one. It was voted to give him " a call to ye Work of ye Ministry with us in This Second Precinct of y' town of Dunstable."

Mr. Goodhue presented his acceptance of the invi- tation under the following conditions :

" 1. That you give nie £100 for settlement, to be paid in ye manner you voted the settlement.

" 2. Fifty pounds as salary yearly, as long as I stand in ye Relation of a pastor to this people.

"3. Twenty-five corda of wood yearly Brought cord wood Leogth to my Door.

"4. That if Providence should order it, that you should consist of Eighty Rateable families, then ye Salary to be Sixty Pounds.

" JOSIAN GOODHUE.

" March ye 15, 1757."

The parish voted to comply with these conditions. On the 12th day of May, 1757, a church was organ- ized, consisting of thirty-eight members, nineteen of whom were males and nineteen females.

The covenant was probably drawn up by the Rev. Daniel Emerson, of Hollis, N. H., and was formally accepted in his presence.

"A Chh Covenant, Dunstable, May ye 12th, 1757.

" Then ye uoderwritten Brethren Solemnly Covenanted before God, & one with another by owning this Covenant before me, & accordingly were declared a Chh of our Lord Jesus Christ, regularly incorporated pr Me, Daniel Emerson.

" We, whose Names are underwritten, do covenant with the Lord & one with another, & do Solemnly bind ourselves before the Lord & his People that we will, by the Strength of Christ, walk after the Lord In all his ways, as He hath revealed them to us in his Word.

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History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 197

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