History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 108

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed. cn
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Philadelphia : J. W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1226

USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II > Part 108

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455 .

MAYNARD.

ber of employees has increased from one in 1846 to one thousand, one-fourth of whom are females. One- eighth of the whole number of employees are uuder sixteen years of age. Improvements in machinery have from time to time been made, resulting iu a marked increase in the productions of the mills or a reduction in the number of employees. There are now sixty-five sets of woolen machinery, embracing three hundred and thirty fancy broad looms. The value of the mill property, which in 1847 and 1848 amounted to $150,000 has increased to $1,500,000.

From 1777 to 1800, Abijah Brigham had a black- smith's shop in the easterly part of the district ; and nearly a century ago a tavern was kept at the Levi Smith place. One of the first establishments for the storage of ice was in the Maynard territory. The business was carried on by Nathaniel Wyeth. It was established about 1850, and modern machinery was used in the work. At one time there were two cider and vinegar manufactories, but this business has nearly ceased in the town of Maynard. A paper- mill was erected in the Maynard territory about 1820, by William May, for the manufacture of paper by hand. The mill subsequently passed into possession of John Sawyer, of Boston ; later, it became the prop- erty of William Parker, and more recently, of his son, William T. Parker. These paper-mills have several times been destroyed by fire. They are at the present time unemployed and owned by Hemenway & May- nard.

CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH .- September 23, 1852, an Orthodox Congregational Church was organized, and called the " Evangelical Union Church." The following are the names of original members : Amory Maynard, Mrs. Amory Maynard, Haman Smith, Mrs. Haman Smith, Silas Newton, Mrs. Silas Newton, Henry Wilder, Mrs. Henry Wilder, Sybil Smith and - Lydia Stone.

A meeting-house was erected in 1853, which in 1865 was enlarged.

The following are the names of those who have served as pastors with the date of service.

Mr. George W. Frost, stated supply, May, 1852, to May, 1854 ; Rev. J. K. Deering, acting pastor, May, 1854, to May, 1856 ; Rev. A. Morton, installed May, 1856, diemissed May, 1859; Rev. E. P. Tenney, acting pastor, Angust, 1859, to December, 1860; Rev. F. Wallace, acting pastor, December, 1860, to February, 1862 ; Rev. A. H. Fletcher, acting pastor, June, 1862, to January, 1864; Rev. Thomas Allender, acting pastor, March, 1864, to April, 1866; Rev. O. Hall, acting pastor, April, 1866, to Jane, 1867; Rev. T. D. P. Stone, installed October, 1867, dismissed June, ,1870; Rev. Webster Hazlewood, acting pastor, August, 1870, to July, 1872; Rev. Edward S. Huntress, acting pastor, December, 1872, to March, 1874; Rev. P. B. Sheire, acting pastor, September, 1874. to April, 1876; Rev. S. S. Mathews, acting pastor, May I, 1876; Rev. C. E. Milliken, January 1, 1879, to July I, 1882 : Rev. Edwin Smith, Sep- tember 15, 1882, to Auguet 1, 1886 ; Rev. David H. Brewer, October 15, 1886, to present time.

A Sunday-school was organized in 1851, with about thirty scholars. A. Maynard was its first superin- tendent. The following are the names of persons who have served as deacons :

Amory Maynard, chosen 1852 ; Lorenzo Maynard, 1862; Joseph Adams, 1866 ; Charles B. Stewart, 1868 ; Isaac Stott, 1871 ; William HI. Gutteridge, I877 ; Ezra S. Tarbell, 1888.

METHODIST CHURCH .- February 2, 1867, a meet- ing was held in the Nason Street School-house, at which a committee was appointed to solicit subscrip- tions for the support of public worship after the forums and order of the Methodist Church.

A liberal response was made to the call, and meas- ures were takeu which resulted in occasional preach- ing in the school-house by neighboring Methodist ministers.

A committee was appointed the following March to lease Union Hall for the ensuing year, and June 22d a Methodist Church was organized, consisting of seven members.

In 1870 Union Hall was purchased, and Sabbath services have been held there since. The society has been somewhat feeble and small, but has held on in spite of its small means of support. The following are the names of those who have served as pastors : J. A. De Forest, L. P. Frost, John S. Day, M. A. Evaus, A. Baylies, A. C. Godfrey, G. R. Best, G. W. Clark, B. Bigelow, W. Wignall, C. A. Merrell.

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH .- There is in Maynard a Roman Catholic Church called St. Bridget's, which is connected with quite an extensive parish, and has a fine house of worship.

Steps which resulted in the formation of this church were instituted not long after the place began to de- velop as a considerable factory village. For a time the Roman Catholic element in the town was admin- istered to by Reverends Maguire and Farrell, of Marlboro'. A little later Rev. John Conlon, then a resident of and pastor of the church in Marlboro', commenced service among the Catholic population of Maynard ; and by his effort a chapel was built there in 1864. He was succeeded by Rev. O'Reily, whose service continued from January, 1871, to March, 1872, when Rev. Brozuahau became his suc- cessor, and resided in the town from March, 1872, till March, 1873, at which time he moved to Con- cord, and St. Bridget's became an outlying mission of this latter place, Rev. Brozuahau having charge of both parishes until January, 1877. The present pastor is Rev. M. J. McCall, in connection with whose services the present church edifice was built. Work on the structure began as early as 1881, and was rapidly carried forward. It was dedicated in 1884 by Archbishop John J. Williams, of Boston. The buildiug is quite large and commodious, and at the time of its completion was considered one of the finest church edifices in the vicinity, and is at the present time the largest public building iu May- nard.

The territory of Maynard was set off, and by in- corporation became a new town April 19, 1871. It was named in honor of Amory Maynard, formerly of Marlboro', through whose energy and business ac-

456

HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

tivity the town has developed. The town of Stow made no special objeetion to giving up a part of the territory belonging to it for the formation of a new town, and an agreement was made by which Maynard was to pay into the treasury of Stow the sum of $6500 as a compensation.

The town of Sudbury opposed the separation, and, Jannary 23, 1871, appointed a committee of three to nominate a committee of three to oppose any peti- tion to the General Court to set off any part of the territory of Sudbury. Deacon Thomas Hurlbut, Charles Thompson, Esq., and James Moore, Esq., were nominated. The town accepted the nomina- tion and authorized the committee to use all hon- orable means to prevent the formation of a new town, including any part of the territory of the town of Sudbury.

The committee chosen Jan. 23, 1871, to oppose the in- corporation of any portion of the territory of Sudbury into a new town, reported April 7, 1872, that previous to any hearing before the committee of the Legisla- ture on the petition of Henry Fowler and others for an aet incorporating the town of Maynard, certain propositions were made by the petitioners as terms of separation and settlement between the town of Sud- bury and the proposed new town. These propositions having been laid before the town of Sudbury, Feb. 20, 1872, the committee were given discretionary power, provided they accept of no terms less advan- tageous to the town of Sudbury than those contained in the agreement. By mutual consent a bill was agreed upon and passed by the Legislature, by which the town of Maynard was incorporated.

Subsequently, the committee were authorized to settle with the authorities of the town of Maynard, according to the provisions of their charter. They reported that they had attended to that duty, also that the proportion of the town debt, together with the money to be paid by the town of Maynard to the town of Sudbury, or Maynard's share of the stock in the Framingham & Lowell Railroad Corporation, owned by the town of Sndbury, with interest on the same, amounted to $20,883.28, which sum was paid by them to the treasurer of the town of Sudbnry.

Oct. 6, 1871, they say "they have also attended to establishing the line between the said towns, and erected a stone monument at the angle in said line near the iron works causeway, which will also answer as a guide-board, and will be kept in repair by the town of Sudbury ; that they have also crected a stone monument marked S. and M., at such places as said line crosses the highway."

For years before the territory of Maynard beeame an independent town, there were strong reasons why it should become such. The people of Assabet Vil- lage and its near neighborhood made up a population nearly twice as large as that of either Sudbury or Stow, considered apart from this locality. It was quite a distance to the town-houses of Sudbury and

Stow, and there was no speedy means of conveyance to either place on the day of town-meeting.

The journey on election days was to be made over the rough country roads of these towns, and usually at such seasons as brought them into a poor condi- tion.

For about five hundred men to make a journey of miles to a polling-place which was several miles dis- tant, when a large portion of this company were living within about a half-unile of each other, was more than could reasonably be expected. A polling-place near by would allow them to attend to town business with- out much interference with their regular avoeation, and save expense of travel.

Moreover, there was but a small community of in- terests between the people of the Assabet District and those of the other parts of the two towns. The one element was given to agriculture, the other to manu- factures. The one element was scattered, the other eoneentrated. Assabet Village required street lights and sidewalks, a local police, and special school privileges. They needed town regulations adapted to their population and business.

The reasons against division were small, as these re- lated either to the Assabet territory or to the towns to which it belonged. The strip of territory asked for would impoverish neither Sudbury nor Stow. It was well situated for the proposed division, and that the territory asked for liad resourees amply sufficient to warrant the proposed new town's easy support may be indicated by the following "table of aggregates for the town of Maynard as assessed May 1, 1871 :"

Total number of Polls . 522

Tax on Polls .

$1,044.00

Value of Personal Estate 285,790.00

of Real Estate 716,210.00

Valuation 1,002,000.00

Tax for State, County and Town purposes, includ-

ing Highway Tax 11,392.84

Total number of dwelling houses 321

Land Taxes . 3,015 acres

With such eircumstances to favor it, it was only a matter of time when a separate town would be made of the territory ; and that the time had eomc when the effort for it was made may be indicated by the success of the movement.

The town appropriately celebrated the event of its incorporation, and an oration was delivered by Gen. John L. Swift.

In 1872 the following bill was reported to the town of expense incurred :

INCORPORATION AND CELEBRATION EXPENSES.

Paid G. A. Somerby $200.00

John Spakling 200.00

J. B. Smith, collation . 96.00

Bill for engraving map of town 40.00

Fitchburg Railroad, extra train 75.00

D. C. Osborn, for printing . 4.00

Team to Sudbury and Stow 3.00

Town Clerk of Stow, for copy of warrant .

Railroad tickets 13.50

Printing 1.50

Badges und expenses 2.65

457

MAYNARD.

Fireworks

34.13

L'se of cannon, etc.

32.65

W. F. Woods, for entertaining bands 30.00

Use of flags and telegraphiug . 10.00

B. Smith, transporting canuou

6.00

Three kegs powder

13.50

Surveying proposed towu lines

12.50

J. K. Harriman, for labor . :

5.00

J. Valley, for teaur to Concord

4.00

Joseph W. Reed, for bills paid

34.40

$818.33

As the new town started forth on its first year of iudependence, the indications are that it made gene- rous appropriations, and evinced a courage which gave promise of success. The following is its pub- lished " assessments for 1871 :"

For Support of Schools $2,000.00

Repairs of Highways

1,000.00

Incidental expenses 4,000.00

Alterations and Repairs of School-houses

2,000.00

State Tax payable to Sudbury

948.75

Stow .

525,00

Connty Tax payable to Sudbury

386,25

44 =

Stow 213,73

@11,073.73

Overlayings

319,11

Total

$11,392.84

A disadvantage which the new town met with was its small and defective school accommodations. The following from reports made to the town by the com- mittee for the years 1872 and 1873 may indicate the condition of things. In the report for the former year the committee state :

"THE HIGH SCHOOL .- At the commencement of last term, when the new rooms in the Acton Street School were finished, we determined to open a special school therein, requiring an examination for admis- sion, with the hope of ultimately forming it into a high school. We admitted, on examination, thirty-five pupiís, and obtained as teacher Mr. Theodore C. Gleason, of Westboro', a recent graduate of Harvard College. Mr. Gleason had had three months' exper- ience as a teacher in Bolton. He devoted himself heartily to the work of our school, and the scholars were generally very much improved by his instruction -especially in reading and in grammar-two things in which they had been previously sadly deficient. The examination of his school, although far from being what we could wish, fully convinced us that a good work had been done. At the annual town-meet- ing in March we brought the matter before the town, and with great unanimity they voted to authorize the committee to establish a high school, and granted an extra appropriation for that purpose. We feel sure that the people will not have cause to regret the measure, but that they will feel abundantly repaid by the higher tone of intelligence which a high school will, in time, give to the community.

" SCHOOL ACCOMMODATIONS .- We are inclined to include under this head the accommodations both of teachers and scholars, and we regret to say that in both we are lamentably deficient.

" We would not say, as a well-known clergyman said, at one of our examinations, ' this is the worst town in the Commonwealth for a teacher to come to,' both because it is not true, and because we would not lightly give our town such a poor recommendation. We could name many towns in the Commonwealth which are worse than ours, worse in matter of salary, worse in accommodations, worse in the treatment they receive. But our town is bad enough, we confess. We are surprised that it is so difficult to find proper boarding-places for our teachers. In most towns some of the first families are open to receive the teachers, but in our town, which Mr. Elias Nason would have to be 'the model town,' a teacher can scarcely find shelter for the night; and one of our teachers has not succeeded to this day in finding a place, but is com- pelled to travel twenty-five miles every evening to pass the night in Cambridge. We hope in some way to see this remedied.

"Our school-houses are beginning to be too small again, notwithstanding the enlargement of last year. Our high school-room will doubtless next term be full, our grammar school is full already, and all our pri- mary schools are a great deal more than full. When it is remembered that last term wc opened two new schools, and that the increase of school attendance is likely to be greater this year than it was last year, it will be readily seen how much we are likely to be troubled for want of room. We shall be obliged to engage one, at least, and perhaps two extra teachers at the beginning of next term ; and we have no room to put them in except a small recitation room.

" Before the close of another year we shall probably require all the rooms in both the centre school-houses for the classes of the primary schools ; and then the grammar and high schools will be set afloat. What we evidently require is a building of commodious ar- rangement, situated as nearly as it conveniently can be in the centre of the town, in a healthy location, and sufficient in size and in the number of its rooms to meet the demands of our growing population, for the use of the grammar and high schools. We hope the people will consider this matter, for it is of the highest importance and will soon demand attention."

COST OF INSTRUCTION FOR THE YEAR ENDING MARCH 31, 1872.

High School, for each pupil, $15.43, . $180.00

Main Street Grammar, for each pupil, $9.63 366.00

Main Street Primary, for each pupil, $5.70 342.00 Acton Street Primary, for each pupil, $5.14 342.00

Turnpike School, for each pupil, $15.43 324.00

Brick School, for each pupil, $6.11 216.00

Total paid for tuition during the year, $1770.00

For fuel and incidental expenses, 230.00

Average cost of tuition per scholar, in all the schools, for the year, . 6.12

In the report of the committee for 1873 they state thus: " The law of the State declares that no more than fifty pupils shall be placed in charge of one teacher. Wc have been constantly compelled to break this law by giving one teacher charge of sixty,

458

HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

seventy and even seventy-five pupils. Three of our schools have now sixty or sixty-five pupils each- fifteen more than the number allowed by law, and the difficulties in this respect arc constantly increasing.

" The committee have now no remedy, for our school- rooms are all crowded, the last available room having been recently fitted up for a small class of twenty-five -being all that could be crowded into it. It is be- coming more and more apparent that we must soon have a new building. We would not urge such an expensive matter upon the town one moment sooner than we think it becomes absolutely necessary, but it will not do to ignore the fact that, at the beginning of next term, or next fall, at the farthest, we shall doubtless be obliged to form another school, and shall have no place in which to put it, except by the costly arrangement of hiring and furnishing some public or private hall.

"Perhaps the most difficult problem to be solved, in relation to our schools, is what shall we do with the

"FACTORY SCHOLARS? who throng the schools at the commencement of every term, barely remain the full twelve weeks required by law, and then, as they have just begun to know their duties as scholars, and to make some progress in knowledge and behavior, they are taken away and their places are filled by another fresh company, to require of the teacher the same hard task of smoothing, polishing and civilizing as before. It is easy to see how injurious this must be, what an obstacle to the success of any scheme for im- provement. This is particularly noticeable in the Grammar school. From carefully prepared statistics of this school, we find that it has had 133 regularly acknowledged pupils, actually belonging to it during the whole year, whereas, the largest number who have attended at any one time was sixty-four,-less than one-half. Of these 133 pupils, there are only nine- teen who have attended more than twenty-four weeks; only nineteen in addition have attended more than twelve weeks, and there are ninety-five of them who have attended only twelve weeks, or less. No one can appreciate the difficulties of making any real, thorough progress in that school, without considering these facts, and whoever will carefully consider them will be inclined to wonder how the school can make any progress at all.

" The High and the Primary schools, also, suffer from the same cause. It would seem that it ought not to be so in the Primary schools, which are calculated only for three years of the child's life, but, it is aston- ishing how eagerly parents press their young and tender children into the service of the factory ; they give the agents and overseers no rest until they admit them, and then they are in for life. We cannot think it absolutely necessary that these parents should force their children into the hard struggle of the world so very young.

" By the kind co-operation of the factory agents and overseers, we have been enabled to inaugurate a

system of certificates, whereby we can perform our duty, in secing that all children, between twelve and fifteen years of age, attend school, at least, the twelve weeks required by law. But, the law still further requires that all those between ten and twelve years shall attend at least, eighteen wecks, and that those under fen shall not be employed in the factory at all. We hope, with the same kind assistance, to be able to extend our arrangements so as to include these latter cases, and thus obey all the law, as all good citizens ought. At that age they will generally have se- cured a Primary school education, and Christian char- ity should dictate that they have so much, at least, to fit them for the struggle for life.

" These considerations should impress upon us, more and more, the importance of more perfectly sys- temizing and improving our Primary schools, since they are the only ones, the benefits of which, there is any hope that a large class of the children of our town will ever reap."

As the years advanced improvements in the schools went forward, and at the present time Maynard has very good schools, consisting of the usual grades from the High School to the Primary Department. The total school expenditures for 1889 were $6270.42.

An evening school has recently been established, which has been well attended, having at the outset nearly one hundred scholars. This is an important institution for a manufacturing community like that of Maynard.

The amount paid in teachers' wages for the year 1890 was $4820.20. This was distributed among twelve teachers. The principal of the High School receives a salary of $1000 per annum; the highest paid to others is a little less than half this sum.

PUBLIC LIBRARY .- There is in Maynard a Public Library containing 3120 volumes, the most of which are in good condition. In 1889 the sum of $300 was appropriated for its support, and $559.07 were ex- pended for it; the excess in expenditure being made up of the dog-tax, fines and a balance of the previous year. The place has two hotels, various stores and the usual accompaniments of a thriving manufactur- ing village of New England. The population is about 3000. It is mostly made up of Irish, English and Scotch, the American element being in a minority.

The thrift of the town is largely dependent upon the prosperity of the Assabet Manufacturing Com- pany. A large share of the houses are the property of it, and occupied by its employees. Many of the homes, however, are owned by the industrious, eco- nomical inhabitants, who, from their daily earnings, have in process of time laid by sufficient to pur- chase for themselves a home. The prosperity of the place since it was set apart as a town has been grad- ually progressive, and improvements for the public good have from time to time been made. The popu- lation is nearly a third more than it was twenty years ago.

459

MAYNARD.

In 1SSS there were registered iu town fifty deaths, seventy-eight births and thirty marriages. Of those who died, eight were at the time of death seventy years old or upwards, the oldest being seventy-eight, while ten were less than ten years of age.

CEMETERIES .- The town has a well-kept cemetery, called Glenwood Cemetery. It is situated at the junction of the Acton and Fitchburg highways. The first burial was of the body of Thomas H. Brooks in 1871, in which year the ground was laid out. At var- ious times the place has been beautified by the plaut- ing of trees and shubbery.

Adjoining the cemetery, at the northerly corner, is a substantial tomb owned by A. Maynard. . It is situ- ated upon a piece of land of about one-half acre in extent, which is surrounded with an iron fence.

A little easterly of the town's cemetery is the Cath- olic burying-ground. It is situated on the Fitchburg highway, and contains many substantial mouuments and stones.

The Marlboro' Branch of the Fitchburg Railroad passes through the town, and affords good facilities for travelling and the conveyance of freight.

In Maynard are the following organizations: Ma- sonic Lodge, Good Templars' Lodge, Grand Army Post, I. O. O. F. American, I. O. O. F. Manchester Unity, Royal Society of Good Fellows, Iron Hall, Royal Arcanum, and Royal Arc.

BIOGRAPHICAL .- Amory Maynard, from whom the town took its name, was a son of Isaac and Lydia (Howe) Maynard, and was born in the northeasterly part of Marlboro' Feb. 28, 1804. The education which he obtained in the public schools was quite limited, he having ceased attendance upon them at the age of fourteen.

For a time in early life he worked on his father's farm, but was more largely occupied in his saw-mill, which was situated on a stream that it is said " forms the channel of that basin of water known as Fort Meadow, in Marlboro', at a point where the road from Rockbottom to said town crosses the stream."

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History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 108

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed. cn Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Philadelphia : J. W. Lewis & Co. Number of Pages: 1226

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed. cn
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Philadelphia : J. W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1226