History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 125

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 125

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when from feeble health he resigned his charge. He died in Nashua, New Hampshire, on June 1, 1877, and buried at Ayer.

The Rev. Alfred Pinney, of Auburn, New York, was the second minister, aud had charge of the society from August, 1843, to August, 1844. He is a sou of Joshua Lasselle and Mary (Lake) Pinuey, and born at Middlefield, Otsego County, New York, on October 15, 1812. In early life he studied the profession of medicine, which he practised for a while, but soon afterward gave up in order to enter the ministry. He began a course of study in the academic department of Madison University at Ham- ilton, New York, with a view to graduate from the college and the Theological Seminary, but owing to trouble with his eyes he was compelled to abandon the plan. On June 8, 1841, Mr. Pinney was married in Troy, New York, to Olivia Marcia Brownell ; and he is now living at No. 95 Madison Street, Brooklyn.

The Rev. Lewis Holmes, a native of Plymouth, was the third minister. Born on April 12, 1813, he grad- uated at Waterville College (now Colby University) in the class of 1840. He was settled at Groton in May, 1845, and remained until May, 1849. Mr. Holmes was settled over various societies in Massachu- setts, and died at Plymouth on May 24, 1887.

The Rev. John Allen was the fourth minister, and his pastorate extended from June, 1849, to September, 1853. He was born at Mansfield on March 27, 1792, and died at East Providence Centre, Rhode Island, on November 28, 1882. He was married, first, in the year 1816, at Easton, to Sally Bonney ; and secondly, on April 22, 1856, in Boston, to Mrs. Anna (Carpenter) Carpenter, daughter of Caleb Carpenter, and a native of Rehoboth. His father's name was Joseph Allen.

The Rev. George Everett Tucker was the fifth min- ister, and his service began in November, 1853, and lasted until June, 1857. Born at Canton on February 29, 1820, he fitted for college at Pierce Academy, of Middleborough and graduated at Brown University in the class of 1842. He has held pastorates at var- ious places in Rhode Island and Maine, and died at Dedham on October 24, 1888, while on a visit, though his home was at Brunswick, Maine.

The Rev. Lucius Edwin Smith was the sixtli min. ister, and served the society from December, 1857 to September, 1865. Mr. Smith is a native of Williams- town, where lie was born on January 29, 1822, and a graduate of Williams College in the class of 1843. He first studied law in his native town and was ad- mitted to the bar in the year 1845 ; afterward studied divinity and graduated at the Newton Thcological Seminary in 1857. His editorial services have been extensive, and he is now associate editor of the Watchman (Boston). The degree of D.D. was con- ferred upon him by his Alma Mater in 1869.

The Rev. Oliver Ayer was the seventh minister, and had charge of the society from April, 1866, till March 29, 1874. He is a son of Daniel and Nancy (Day)

Ayers, and was born at Plaistow, New Hampshire, on August 2, 1810. He graduated at Brown University in the class of 1834, in the same class with the Rev. Crawford Nightingale, of Groton, and immediately after graduation became the principal of Rockingham Academy at Hampton Falls, New Hampshire. In the year 1837 he was ordained at Littleton, Massachu- setts, where he was the pastor of the Baptist Church until 1843, and then, after a settlement at Dover, Claremont and Deerfield, all in the State of New Hampshire, he came to Groton in the spring of 1866.

After leaving his town he was settled for six years over a society at Nortlı Oxford, since which time he has been living in Providence, with no pastoral charge. Mr. Ayer was married, first, on November 5, 1835, to Caroline Persis, daughter of William and Elizabeth (How) Garland, of Portsmouth, who died on Sep- tember 23, 1857; and, secondly, on September 16, 1862, to Susan French Sargent, of Lebanon, New Hampshire.

The Reverend Benjamin Franklin Lawrence was the eighth minister, and settled over the society from July, 1874, to August, 1880. He graduated at Colby University in the class of 1858, and studied at the Newton Theological Institution during the years 1859 and 1860. He has had charge of various parishes in New England, and is now at East Jeffcr- son, Maine.

The Reverend Herman Franklin Titus served the church from December, 1880, to February, 1881, with- out settlement. He is a son of Moses and Sophronia (Patch) Titus, former residents of the town.

The Reverend Thomas Herbert Goodwin was the ninth minister, and settled over the society from October, 1881, to January, 1884. He is a son of Benjamin and Lucy Adams (Mixer) Goodwin, and born in Manchester, New Hampshire, on July 4, 1847. He was married, on March 23, 1871, at New London, New Hampshire, to Arvilla Olive Pattee, and is now living at North Hanover.

The Reverend Frank Curtis Whitney was the tenth minister, and settled over the church from August 1, 1884, to October 1, 1889. When he left the society he went to Minnesota.

The Reverend Samuel Bastin Nobbs, the present pastor, is the eleventh minister, and took charge of the congregation on December 1, 1889. He is à son of James and Eliza (Haynes) Nobbs, and born at Charlton Kings, Gloucestershire, England, on July 1, 1862. After a short residence in Australia he joined his parents in their removal from England to New York in September, 1881. Receiving his preparatory educatiou at Gloucester, England, he entered the Theological Seminary at Hamilton, New York, in the year 1885, where lie graduated in 1888. His first pastorate was at Newport, Vermont. Mr. Nobbs was married, on July 1, 1886, to Loue Maud Richardson, of Hamilton, New York.

During the year 1885 a house of worship was built

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at West Groton, which was dedicated on October 7, according to the ritual of the Methodist Church. The Congregational, Baptist, and Episcopal Societies of the town were well represented on the occasion, and everybody scemed to fecl that the new building was a benediction to the village. In the "Life of John Todd " (page 181), written by his son, there is an early allusion to a chapel built during the winter of 1827, as follows : "My friends are preparing mc a pretty chapel over at this spot [West Groton], and as soon as it is finished I am to open a battery therc." All recollection of this building among the inhabitants of the village has now passed away.

During the first three years after the present church was built, services therein were conducted under the auspices of the Methodist denomination, but since that period the society has made arrangements with the Congregational minister at Groton to supply the pulpit, and he preaches on each Sunday afternoon.

Services of the Episcopal Church were begun in connection with the Groton School at its opening in October, 1884. The parish is called St. John's Chapel of Groton School, and the sittings in the church are free. The services are conducted by the head master, Reverend Endicott Peabody. The present chapel was built in the year 1887, and consecrated on January 8, 1888, by the Bishop of the Diocese.

LAWRENCE ACADEMY .- During the early part of the year 1792 a voluntary association was formed at Groton, by certain people of the town and neighbor- hood, in order to establish an academy where a higher education could be obtained than was given at the district schools of that period. A subscription paper was circulated for the purpose of procuring funds to erect a suitable building. A subscription of five pounds currency was the smallest sum : eceived from any person, and was denominated a share; ten pounds was called two shares; and so on. On April 27, 1792, the association organized by choosing trustees and the other customary officers; and from this as a beginning sprang the institution known formerly as Groton Academy, but now as Lawrence Academy. When it was first opened, in the spring of 1793, the exercises were held in the district school-house, on Farmers' Row. By a resolve of the Legislature, on Feb. 27, 1797, a grant of land was given to theacademy, which consisted of half a township situated in Wash- ington County, District of Maine. It comes now in Hodgdon, Aroostook County, and lies on the eastern frontier of the State, just south of Houlton.

Among the early friends and benefactors of the institution may be mentioncd,-Benjamin Bancroft, Timothy Bigelow, Jamcs Brazer, Aaron Brown, Fran- cis Champney, Daniel Chaplin, Samuel Dana, Na- than Davis, Zechariah Fitch, Samuel Hemenway, Samuel Lawrence, Joshua Longley, Joseph Moors, William and Oliver Prescott, Samuel Rockwood, William Swan and Samson Woods.

During the summer of 1841 the Academy building

was remodeled for the first time and somewhat en- larged by an addition to the rear, at a cost of $2000, generously given for the purpose by Amos Lawrence, Esq., of Boston. The grounds also were improved, and a fence, consisting of stone posts and chains, placed in front of the yard, as well as on the south side, separating it from the Brazer estate.

In the spring of 1844 William Lawrence, Esq., of Boston, an elder brother of Amos, gave the sum of $10,000 to be added to the permanent funds of the institution. In consequence of this liberal gift and other manifestations of their interest in the school, on the part of the two brothers, the trustees voted the annual meeting, on August 20, 1845, to petition the General Court to change the corporate name of the school to "The Lawrence Academy of Groton." At the next session of the Legislature the petition was duly presented and granted on February 28, 1846.

The benefactions of the Lawrence brothers did not cease with the change of name in the school. During the month of July, 1846, Amos Lawrence, Esq., bought the Brazer estate (so called), adjoining the Academy lot on the south, and formerly belonging to James Brazer, Esq., for the sum of $4400, and soon afterward conveyed it by deed to the trustees of Lawrence Academy. He also requested that all the buildings and fences on the place should be put in complete repair at his expense, which was accord- ingly done at a cost of more than $1200. During the next month William Lawrence, Esq., wrote to the trustees, offering to give $5000 to be used for the enlargement of the Academy building, for the erec- tion of a substantial stone and iron fence in front of the grounds, including the Dana and Brazer estates, and for the purchase of another bell for the school. The Dana estate, adjoining the Academy lot on the north, had forinerly belonged to the Hon. Samuel Dana, and was bought by the trustees in the sum- iner of 1836. With this sum, thus generously placed in their hands, the trustees, during the ensuing au- tumn, enlarged the Academy by an extension on its north side, and very soon afterward carried out his wishes in the other matters. At Mr. Lawrence's deatlı, which occurred on October 14, 1848, he be- queatlied the sum of $20,000 to the institution.

Unfortunately, the main building of the Academy was burned to the ground on July 4, 1868, and a structure of brick and stone erected on the same site, which was dedicated June 29, 1871.

A celebration in connection with the history of Lawrence Academy took place on July 12, 1854, when an address was delivered by the Rev. James Mcans, a former principal of the institution. It was a distinguished gathering, and known at that time as the "Jubilee." A full account of the proceedings was afterward published, with a general catalogue of the school from its beginning. Another re-union was held on June 21, 1883, when a dinner was given in

GROTON SCHOOL, GROTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

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the Town Hall to the old pupils. The assemblage was not so large as the previous one, but quite as enthusiastic. The wish was generally expressed that the centennial anniversary of the school, which comes in the year 1893, should be duly celebrated. The proceedings on this occasion also were printed in a pamphlet form.

During the early days of New England there was no distinct class of men following the profession of medicine, but the practice was taken up in connec- tion with some other calling. In every community either the minister or the schoolmaster or somne skilled nurse was expected to act in cases of need, and, for the most part, such persons performed the duties now undertaken by the faculty. In the early part of 1672 the Rev. Samuel Willard wrote a long account of a case of witchcraft which befell Eliza- beth Knapp, of Groton, and he relates how the " Physitian" came to see her on November 5, 1671, when he gave his judgment on the case, or, in other words, made the diagnosis. It would be an interest- ing fact to know who was the doctor then practicing in the neighborhood, but this is now beyond the reach of historical inquiry.

The earliest physician in Groton, mentioned by name, of whom I have found any trace, is Dr. Henry Blasdell, who was impressed into the public service by Colonel Edmund Goffe. On May 28, 1725, he pe- titioned the General Court that an allowance be made him for his professional services and for medi- cines furnished during the campaign of the previous autumn, while he was surgeon to the western forces. The amount of his bill was £26 14s. and the General Court allowed him £17 98.

Dr. Ezekiel Chase, of Groton, was married at New- bury, on May 20, 1729, to Priscilla Merr.ll, of that 1own. She was a daughter of Nathan and Hannah (Kent) Merrill, and born at Newbury, on October 16, 1703.

Dr. Benjamin Morse was a son of Dr. Benjamin and Abigail (Dudley) Morse, and born at Sutton on March 20, 1740. He was married, on November 27, 1760, to Mary, daughter of Isaac and Sarah Barnard, also born at Sutton, on September 13, 1741; and while living in that town they had a family of six children.

Dr. Morse came to Groton probably during the Revolutionary period, and was a Representative to the General Court in the session of 1784, and several succeeding ones ; and he was also a delegate to the Convention for adopting the Constitution of the Uni- ted States, in the year 1788, where he opposed the adoption. He lived in the south part of the town, near the present village of Ayer; and the site of his house is laid down on the map of Groton, published in 1832. He died on May 31, 1833, aged ninety-three years, and his widow, on December 16, 1835, aged ninety-four years.

Dr. Ephraim Ware, a physician of Groton, was

married at Cambridge, on October 13, 1785, to Mrs. Abigail Gamage. He was a native of Necdham, and born on January 14, 1725. His first wife was Martha, daughter of Josiah and Elizabeth Parker, of Groton, where they were married on July 26, 1764. She was born on January 7, 1737, and died at Groton on April 4, 1776. After their marriage they went to Dedham to live, as the records of that town say : " The Selectmen on the 2d Day of Augt., 1765, gave Orders to Israel Everett, Constable, to warn Ephraim Ware, Martha Ware [and three others] to depart this Town in 14 Days, or give Security to indemnify the Town." Such orders were in accordance with an old practice, then common throughout the Province, which aimed to prevent the permanent settlement of families in towns where they might become a public burden. Their two eldest children, both boys, were born at Ded- ham ; and three other children-a daughter, Sarah, and two sons, who both died in infancy-were born at Groton. Sarah, born on September 18, 1769, was married to Richard Sawtell, of Groton, on March 10, 1796, and died on March 23, 1851, having been the mother of nine children.

Dr. Ephraim Woolson was practicing medicine at Groton in the year 1766. He was a son of Isaac and Sibyl Woolson, and born at Weston on April 11, 1740. He graduated at Harvard College in the class of 1760, and was married to Mary Richardson on July 29, 1765. Dr. Woolson appears to have been living at Weston just before his residence at Groton, and in the year 1767 he bought land at Princeton, where six of his children were born. He was a justice of the peace, and is said to have died in the year 1802.

Dr. Jonathan Gove was a son of John and Tabitha (Livermore) Gove, and born in that part of Weston which is now Lincoln, on August 22, 1746. He grad- uated at Harvard College in the class of 1768, and studied medicine under the instruction of Dr. Oliver Prescott, of Groton. About the year 1770 he was mar- ried to Mary, daughter of Nathan and Mary (Patter- son) Hubbard, of this town, and here John and Lu- cinda, their two eldest children, were born and baptized. This son graduated at Dartmouth College in the class of 1793, studied law and died at Chillicothe, Ohio, in the year 1802. From Groton Dr. Gove removed to New Boston, New Hampshire, where three more children were born. His wife was born at Groton on January 9, 1748, and died at New Boston. Hc was married, secondly, on January 6, 1791, to Polly Dow, who became the mother of three children. Dr. Gove subsequently removed to Goffstown, New Hampshire, and died there on March 24, 1818.

Dr. Samuel Farnsworth was the youngest child of Isaac and Anna (Green) Farnsworth, and born at Groton on September 29, 1767. He was married, on November 25, 1788, to Betsey, daughter of Captain Zachariah and Lydia (Tuck) Fitch, and they had a family of eight children, of whom two sons, Samuel and Benjamin Franklin, were graduates of Dartmouth

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College in the class of 1813. Dr. Farnsworth subse- quently removed to Bridgeton, Maine, where he had a successful career as a physician. His eldest child, Betsey, was born at Groton on July 2, 1789, and the next one, Samuel, at Bridgton on October 9, 1791 ; and the removal from this town took place in the year 1790. He died on November 4, 1817.

These several physicians practiced their profession in the neighborhood of Groton, though they had never taken medical degrees. Before the present century this was a common custom throughout the country ; and the instances were very exceptional where prac- titioners could rightfully append M.D. to their names. As a class they were men of shrewd sense and acute observers, and their practice was attended with suc- cess. Perhaps they made a better use of their oppor- tunities than we make to-day with our richly endowed medical schools and numerous hospitals.

During the last century Dr. Oliver Prescott was an eminent physician of Groton, and he took high professional rank throughout the Province. He was the youngest of three distinguished brothers, of whom the eldest was Judge James Prescott, who filled many important positions in civil life as well as in military circles; and the second was Colonel William Prescott, who commanded the American forces at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Both Dr. Oliver Prescott and his son, Dr. Oliver Prescott, Jr., occupied exceptional place among the physicians of Middlesex County.

Dr. Oliver Prescott was a son of the Honorable Benjamin and Abigail (Oliver) Prescott, and born at Groton on April 27, 1731. He graduated at Harvard College with the highest honors in 1750, and then studied medicine under the tuition of Dr. Ebenezer Robie, of Sudbury. On October 19, 1756, he was married to Lydia, daughter of David and Abigail (Jennison) Baldwin, of Sudbury, and they had eight children. His high standing in the profession gave him a place as a charter member of the Massachu- setts Medical Society in 1781, and at the commence- ment of 1791 Harvard College conferred upon him the honorary degree of M.D. He was also the president of the Middlesex Medical Society during the whole period of its existence. Apart from his professional laurels he likewise enjoyed many civil and military honors.

Dr. Prescott was town clerk during thirteen years, and selectman during thirty-two years. Before the Revolution he held the offices of major, lieutenant- colonel, colonel and general, respectively, in the militia. Subsequently, in the year 1778, he was ap- pointed third major-general of the militia, and in 1781 second major-general, but soon afterward, on ac- count of ill health, he resigned the position. He was a justice throughout the Commonwealth, a mem- ber of the Board of War, a member of the Council of Massachusetts, until he declined the office, and, in the year 1779, was appointed Judge of Probate, and con- tinued as such until his death. He took an active

part in suppressing Shays's Rebellion, which had many supporters in this neighborhood. Dr. Prescott was one of the original trustees of Groton Academy, and the first president of the board ; and he was also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He died on November 17, 1804, aged sev- cnty-three years. and his wife on September 27, 1798, aged sixty-two years.

Dr. Oliver Prescott, Jr., was the eldest son of Dr. Oliver Prescott, and born at Groton on April 4, 1762. He pursued his preparatory studies under Master Moody at Dummer Academy, and graduated at Har- vard College in the class of 1783. He studied medi- cine under the direction of his father and Dr. James Lloyd, of Boston, and established himself in practice in his native town. With every social advantage in his favor he at once took high rank as a physician, and soon enjoyed a wide reputation. On Feb. 22, 1791, he was married to Nancy, daughter of Captain Leonard and Ann (Hall) Whiting, of Hollis, N. H., and they had nine children. His wife died on Sept. 13, 1821, aged fifty-eight years; and he was married, secondly, on Nov. 6, 1823, to Mrs. Elizabeth (Atkins) Oliver, who was born on Dec. 30, 1762, and died on May 21, 1835. Dr. Prescott was the town clerk and chairman of the selectmen from the year 1804 to 1811, and represented the town in the General Court dur- ing the sessions of 1809 and 1810. He was a trustee of Groton Academy from the time of its incorpora- tion until 1811, when he removed to Newburyport, where he died on September 26, 1827.

Dr. Joseph Mansfield was a son of Richard and Elizabeth (Whittemore) Mansfield, and born in Lynn on December 17, 1770. He graduated at Harvard College in the class of 1801, aud among his class- mates were Tyler Bigelow, Thomas Bond, James Ab- bot Cummings, Timothy Fuller, Luther Lawrence, Stephen Minot and William Bant Sullivan, either na- tives or at some time residents ofGroton. Both while an undergraduate, and while studying his profession, he kept the district school on Farmer's Row, and even after he had acquired his profession he taught the same school with the understanding that his hours of instruction should conform somewhat to the needs of his practice. While in college he took high rank as a scholar, and, at an exhibition near the end of his junior year, he delivered a poem which at- tracted some attention in literary circles, and subse- quently was printed. He studied medicine with Dr. Oliver Prescott, Jr., and, on June 11, 1805, was mar- ried to Abi, daughter of Benjamin and Meriel (Nich- ols) Hartwell. About the year 1810 he built the large dwelling, with brick ends, near the Baptist meeting-house, where he resided until his death, which took place on April 23, 1830.

His sou, Dr. George Mansfield, born at Groton ou October 8, 1807, studied medicine and graduated at the Harvard Medical School in the class of 1832. Hc was married, on November 15, 1832, to Hannah Maria

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Curtis, of Boston, and died at Janesville, Wisconsin, on July 25, 1869.

Dr. Amos Bancroft was a son of Edward and Rach- el (Howard-Barron) Bancroft, of Pepperell, where he was born on May 23, 1767. He graduated at Harvard College in the class of 1791, and from the same institution took the degree of Bachelor of Med- icine in the year 1794. He began the practice of his profession at Westford, but soon afterwards removed to Weston, where he remained until the year 1811. He was married-first, on Angust 29, 1796, to Abigail, danghter of Captain Leonard and Ann (Hall) Whit- ing, of Hollis, New Hampshire, who was born on March 25, 1772, and died at Weston, on December 4, 1799 ; secondly, on October 7, 1800, to Sarah, daugh- ter of Henry and Faith (Savage) Bass, of Boston, who was born on April 21, 1768, and died on April 30, 1837 ; thirdly, on October 17, 1839, to Eliza Doane, of Boston, who died on November 11, 1840; and fourthly, on October 31, 1841, to Mary, daughter of Richard and Martha (Hall) Kneeland, of Westford, who was born on February 25, 1789, and died on April 22, 1862.

Dr. Bancroft had a large practice and, at various times, a considerable number of medical students under his tuition, including among them the brothers James Freeman Dana and Samuel Luther Dana, who were grandsons of the Reverend Samuel Dana, a former minister of the town, and graduates of Harvard Col- lege in the class of 1813. He was frequently called in consultation by other physicians, and often at a long distance from home. In those days there were no railroads, and traveling was attended with many difficulties. During the winter, when the roads were blocked up with snow, he was obliged, sometimes, to travel on snow-shoes; and, as his patients lived inany miles apart, he was often absent from home for sever- al successive days. To add to his discomfort on such occasions it was difficult to obtain proper food, though there were at that period but few dwellings where he could not obtain some New England rum or other spirit to help restore exhausted naturc. In the year 1811 nis Alma Mater conferred upon him the honor- ary degree of M.D.

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History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 125

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