History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 134

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 134

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At the same town-meeting, held on May 21, 1688, - the inhabitants of Groton-

" Deed then by the maior uoat grant for the incoregment of such men as will set up Ioran works at masabog pond ; that thay shall haue ye ues & improument of the woods and timbr yt is now common one the est sid of uncuttanaset brook and so to nashua riuer and groton line est ward & south ward to good man greens' masabog medow.

I give this extraet from the town records in order to show that the inhabitants at that period knew the pond by its present name; and if they had seen fit then to grant Adams any special privilege eonneeted with it, they would have ealled it " Massapoag," and would not have said "ye pond that lyes neare buek medow."

HILLS .- Barralock Hill-is mentioned in the record of Samuel Woods' lands ; but I am unable to identify it. Perhaps it is the hill due north of Baddacook Pond.

Brown Loaf Hill-commonly ealled Brown Loaf- is a handsome, symmetrical hill standing alone, more than a mile from the village, near the Lowell road. Brown Loaf Hill Meadow is mentioned in the descrip- tion of Joseph Parker's lands, December 2, 1664, which would imply that the hill was so named before that time. Brown Loaf Hill is also mentioned in the record of James Parker's lands made on July 6, 1666 ; and Brownloafe Playne and Brownloaf Hill are given in the record of James Fisk's lands in John Morse's handwriting, of which the date is absent, but which was certainly made at a very early period. The height of the hill is 448 feet above mean tide on the coast line.

Chestnut Hills-the range lying northerly of Mar- tin's Pond ; so ealled from the abundant growth of chestnut-trees on its sides. The highest hills in the town, their greatest elevation being 544 feet.

Clay-Pit Hill-the small hill at the corner of the East Pepperell road and Break Neek.

Gibbet Hill-a noted landmark overlooking the vil- lage on its easterly side. It is mentioned in the land- grant of Sergeant James Parker, which was entered in

the town records of Richard Sawtell, the first town clerk who filled the office from June, 1662, to Jan . uary, 1664-65. The tradition is that the hill was so called from the fact that once an Indian was gibbeted on its top. If this ever occurred, it must have hap- pened before Sawtell's term of office. The town was ineorporated by the General Court on May 25, 1655, but no public records are known to have been kept before June 23, 1662. Its height is 516 feet.

Horse Hill-in the eastern part of the town, near Massapoag Pond. It lies partly in Dunstable, and is covered with woods.

Indian Hill, or Hills-the range beginning near James's Brook, a mile south of the village, and run- ning in an easterly direction on the south side of the Great Road to Boston. The height is 524 feet above mean tide.

Naumox-a low hill or ridge a short distance west of the road to East Pepperell, near the Longley mon- ument, and running parallel with the road. The name is also used in eonneetion with the neighbor- hood.

Prospect Hill-very near Cady Pond, and east of it ; perhaps 250 feet or more above the Nashua, and 503 feet above mean tide.

Ridge Hill, or The Ridges-the name of a peculiar ridge, three miles southeasterly from the village, along which the Great Road runs. It also gave the name to a tavern formerly kept in the immediate neighborhood.

Rocky Hill-there are two hills of this name, one lying northeasterly of Baddaeook Pond, near the old Distriet Sehool- house No. VIII. (now the Trowbridge School), which is also known as the Rocky Hill Sehool, and the other situated in the southeast part of the town, between Long Pond and the Ridges. A visit to either of these hills will show why it was so ealled.

Sandy Hill-a small elevation on the road to East Pepperell, below the Longley monument, near the place where the Nashua road branches off.

Shepley Hill-lies west of the East Pepperell road, near Naumox. The name is rarely heard now, though it was in use as far baek as February 28, 1670,-evidently so called from the Shepley family.

Snake Hill-in the south part of the town, but lies mostly in Ayer. Rattlesnakes have been killed on it within the memory of the present generation. Its height is 497 feet.

The Throne-a high hill in the western part of the town, on the summit of which is a level field of perhaps sixty acres, containing a small pond,-near the Townsend line. A map of Groton resembles a tea-kettle, the portion west of the Nashua River forming the spout, and the Throne eomes in the spout. It is 484 feet high.

MEADOWS .- The early settlers of Groton, aceord- ing to the town records, had many pareels of meadow allotted to them in the assignment of land. Sergeant

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James Parker owned in twenty different meadows, and the other settlers also were large owners. It is probable that they did not attach the same significa- tion to the word " meadow" which now belongs to it in New England, where it means low, swampy land, without regard to the mowing. They called by this name all grass-land that was annually mown for hay, and especially that by the side of a river or brook ; and this meaning of the word was and still is the commou one in England, whence they brought their language. They sometimes spoke of a "swamp," meaning by it what we call a "bog;" but much of this kind of land has since been reclaimed, and is now known as "meadow." As a matter of fact, it happened that the lands which could be mown for the fodder were low lands; and it would require per- haps less than a generation to transfer the meaning of mowing lands to the low lands, which were nearly the only ones that could be mown in the early days of the Colony. This explanation will make clear the following vote of the town, passed ou February 18, 1680-81:

"At the same meeting it was agreed vpon and voted that Mr Hubberd should have all the comon which was capable to mak medow in swan pond medow vp to the vpland for seauen acre and a halfe for to mak vp his fifteen acres of medow."

The following names of meadows are found in the town records, and in a few instances I have indicated their locality :

Accident ; Angle, in the northerly part of the town; Big Spring, in the neighborhood of Hawtree Brook; Broad, immediately west of the village; Brook: Brown Loaf, east of the hill; Buck, now lying within the limits of Nashua, New Hampshire; Burnt, in the vicinity of Baddacook Pond; Cow Pond, near the pond of that name; East; Ferney, near Brown Loaf; Flaggy, to the southward of the Baddacook road, near the pond; Flax; Great Flaggy, presumably near Flaggy, and perhaps the same; Great Half-Moon, the same as Half-Moon, which lies east of the village ; Little Buck, probably a part of Buck Meadow ; Little Half-Moon, a part of Half-Moon, being an offshoot from it; Lodge; Long; Maple; Massapoag, evidently near Massapoag Pond; New Angle; Pine; Plain; Pretty; Provi- dence ; Quasoponagon, "on the other sid of the riuer," near the Red Bridge, through which Wrang- ling Brook runs; Reedy, known by this name to-day, lying north of the Reedy Meadow Road; Rock, south of Snake Hill ; Sallo, perhaps Sallow, a kind of willow; Sedge; Skull, through which Unqueten- assett Brook runs, near the Dunstable line ; Sledge, north of Reedy Meadow, near the Sledges ; South ; South Brook; Spang; Spot; Spring; Spruce; Swamp; Swan Pond; and Weavers.

In the record of Daniel Pearse's land, by William Longley, town clerk, on July 6, 1666, reference is made to the "iland lying within the meadow called Litle Halfe Moone Meadow." This land now be-

longs to Governor Boutwell, and there is upon it a small knoll which is always spoken of as the island, undoubtedly a survival of the expression applied to it when more or less surrounded by water.

BROOKS .- Cold Spring Brook-a small brook, rising in Cold Spring " on ye Left hand of the high way that goe to Reedy medow." It runs across the Nashua road, the East Pepperell road, through Hazen Swamp and Libby Lobby Moat, into the Nashua River.

Cow Pond Brook-has its source iu Cow Pond Meadows and Cow Pond, and empties into Massapoag Pond. Formerly there was a dam between the mead- ows and the pond, where there was a saw-mill ; and later ou the same site a paper-mill, which disappeared about thirty-five years ago.

Gift Brook-in the north part of the town, rises in Gift Meadow, crosses Chicopee Row, and empties into Unquetenassett Brook.

James's Brook-one of the longest brooks within the limits of the town. It takes its rise in Half-Moon Meadow, crosses Main Street in the village, and runs southerly and westerly for three or four miles iuto the Nashua River. At its mouth is the beginning of the line separating the town of Ayer from Groton. For- merly there was a tannery on the banks of the brook, near Indian Hill, known as Dix's tannery ; and a mile below, on laud of the late Benjamin Moors, east of the road, at oue time there was a mill,-but now no traces of either are left, except some remains of the mill- dam. The stream took its name from an Indian, who was a famous hunter and trapper in very early times. It empties into the Nashua River, nearly opposite to the mouth of the Squannacook.

Hawtree Brook-in the northerly part of the town, near Chicopee Row ; after it unites with Walnut Ruu and two or three other small streams, it forms Unque- tenassett Brook. In the early records of the town the Hawtrees are frequently spoken of, which refer to the neighborhood of this brook.

Nod Brook-rises near the Soapstone Quarry, crosses + the Nod road, and runs into the Nashua River.

Reedy Meadow Brook-rises in Reedy Meadow and flows northerly, emptying into the Nashua River below East Pepperell. It is sometimes called John- son's Brook.

Sedge Brook-a small brook from Sedge Meadow, running into Reedy Meadow Brook.

Tuity Brook-contracted from Gratuity-a very small stream which rises near the head of Farmers' Row and runs through Hazle Grove into the Nashua River below Fitch's Bridge.

Unquetenassett Brook - often called Unkety - A stream formed by the union of Walnut Run, Haw- tree Brook, and one or two small tributaries, and run- ning northerly through Skull Meadow and that part of Dunstable formerly Groton into the Nashua.

Walnut Run-a brook issuing from the sides of Chestnut Hills and uniting with Hawtree Brook and one or two other streams, forms the Unquetenassett.

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Also the name of a place-perhaps it was the mouth of a stream-on the Nashua River where in olden times there was a bridge. It stood farther up the river than Fitch's Bridge.

Wrangling Brook-in West Groton, a mile and a half in length-meanders through Quasoponagon Meadow, and then empties into the Nashua a short distance below the Red Bridge.

ROADS .- Baddacook Pond Road-a continuation of the Martin's Pond Road to the neighborhood of the pond.

Break Neck-the short strip of road from the East Pepperell road to Common Street, south of the soap- stone quarry.

Chicopee Row-running north for three miles from the Cemetery. The district to which it leads is known as Chicopee, a name given long ago.

Farmers' Row- applied to the road on the height of land west of the village. It begins at the west end of Pleasant Street, and runs in a southerly direction for two miles, passing by the Groton School.

Great Road-one of the principal thoroughfares between Boston and parts of New Hampshire and Vermont. The section of the road through the vil- lage is known as Main Street.

Hillside Road-the highway along the southern slope of the Indian Hills.

Love Lane-the highway from the Lowell Road, near the First Parish Meeting-house, to the Great Road near Cady Pond.

Martin's Pond Road-the highway from the site of the first meeting-house to the neighborhood of the pond, where it becomes the Baddacook Pond Road.

Reedy Meadow Road-from the Nashua road to Chicopee Row, immediately south of Reedy Meadow. Squash Path-through the woods from the East Pepperell road to the Nashua road-a short distance beyond Cold Spring Brook.

Tuity Road-a contraction of Gratuity Road-the road leading to Fitch's Bridge from the Great Road near the railroad bridge, half a mile north of the village. The name had its origin in the early history of the town, when grants of land were made to the inhabit- ants as gratuities. Tuity Brook, a very small stream, crosses this road and empties into the Nashua River, below Fitch's Bridge.

MISCELLANEOUS .- Brickyard-on the north side of the Great Road, about a mile from the First Parish Meeting-house. It was much used during the last century ; and probably was the place where the bricks were made for the parsonage, as mentioned in the town-records, June 20, 1706. Only a few traces of it are now left, though a clump of elms by the road- side is a good guide to the site.

Brown Loaf Plain-to the west of Brown Loaf.

Community-the name of a district or neighbor- hood beyond the Groton School, where many of the residents formerly held similar religious views. It had its origin nearly fifty years ago, when the Sec-

ond Adventists, or "Millerites," gave up their regu- lar services in the village.

Dead River-the old course of the Nashua River, around the island which was formed by the cutting through of the " neck."

Deep Soil-in the neighborhood of the race-course, in Hazle Grove; so-called on the lucus a non lucendo principle.

Fitch's Bridge-over the Nashua River, a mile and a quarter below the Red Bridge.

General Field-often mentioned in the early town, records, refers to land owned in severalty by the pro- prietors of Groton, who kept it as one field, for rea- sons not now understood. It was upland, and lay in the southwest part of the town, near the river. It appears to have been allotted to the proprietors, ac- cording to the number of aere-rights which each one owned. Perhaps it was land already cleared when the first settlers came.

The Gift-a parcel of land near Reedy Meadow, in the north part of the town.

The Hawtrees-mentioned several times in the early records, and referring, doubtless, to some native shrubs or trees; for instance, Zachery Sawtell had meadow-land "Neare the hawtrees " confirmed to him on November 18, 1670. It evidently became the name of a limited district or neighborhood in the north part of the town, and from it undoubtedly Hawtree Brook was named. The late Professor Asa Gray, the distin- guished botanist, wrote me that there are three or four species of wild hawthorn in Massachusetts. He says: " One of the forms of the Black or Pear Thorn ( Cra- tægus tomentosa) would be the likeliest for Groton, of perhaps the Cockspur Thorn. The former has the more edible fruit, and would be sure to attract atten- tion."

Hazen Swamp-near the mouth of Cold Spring Brook.

Hazle Grove-the neighborhood of the east bank of the Nashua River above Fitch's Bridge.

Hieks's Hole-a small piece of meadow, lying north of Reedy Meadow.

ITigh Plain-on the north side of the Baddacook road, in the neighborhood of the pond. It lies in the angle of the roads, west of the house of John John- son, Jr., as laid down on the map of Groton, made from a survey during the years 1828 and 1829.

Hog Swamp-lying between the westerly side of Martin's Pond and Martin's Pond Road. Governor Boutwell's private way to the Chestnut Hills passes through it.

Hoyt's Wharf-the name of a place on Cow Pond Brook where onc Hoyt formerly kept his boat. It was near the house of Samuel Hazen,-as laid down on the map of Groton, made from a survey during the years 1828 and 1829,-nearly a mile north of Cow Pond.

The Island-a small, though prominent, hill in the meadow south of Hillside Road ; undoubtedly once surrounded by water.

Аввогокалины

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GROTON.

Jamaica-the name of a small patch of meadow behind the hills on the west side of Chicopee Row.

Libby Lobby Moat-below the Ox Bow, opening into the Nashua River. This word is probably another form of Loblolly, in use at the South, and denoting wet land.

Lily Moat-on the east side of the Nashua aud south of the road, near the Red Bridge.

Madagascar-the name of the district where the paper-mill formerly stood on the brook, between Cow Pond and Knop's Pond.

Nod-the district lying in the neighborhood of the four corners, below the soapstone quarry. The road from the Hollingsworth Paper-mills to this place is called the Nod Road.

Ox Bow-the bend of the Nashua River, in the northerly part of the town, below the Lawrence pas- ture.

Paugus Hole-in Paugus Brook, on the west side of Brown Loaf, where, it is said, the body of Paugus's descendant, who came to kill Chamberlain, was sunk, after he himself was killed.

Pine Plain-probably near the Nashua River, and perhaps on the westerly side. In December, 1673, Joseph Morse had meadow-lands on the Pine Plain, " neare the fordway."

Punch Bowl-one of several natural depressions near the Lowell road, below Brown Loaf. The name is also applied to the neighborhood.

Red Bridge-over the Nashua River, on the road to West Groton.

Sledges-the name of a meadow northeast of Reedy Meadow, mentioned in the early records, where John Lakin owned land. Mr. Butler, in his History (page 273), says that "this word seems to signify strips of meadow or parcels of low lands abounding in iron ore." Bog-iron is found in that quarter of the town, and in old times was worked by a company formed for that purpose.

Sodom-the district in the northwest part of the town, near the Townsend line. The name refers to the quality of the soil, and not to the character of the inhabitants.

Squannacook-an Indian word-the old name of West Groton,-applied to the river passing by that village.

Stony Fordway, or Wading-Place-near the site of the Hollingsworth Paper-mills, on the Nashua River, a mile and a half northwesterly of the village.

Surill Bridge-was between the homesteads of Eber Woods, Jr., and Joel Davis, -as given on Mr. Butler's map of Groton, from a survey made in the years 1828 and 1829,-a short distance west of the present rail- road bridge. Originally it was a causeway, perhaps twenty rods in length, over the southerly end of Broad Meadow, though now it is a solid road.

Thomas Tarbell's Fordway-was between where the Red Bridge now stands and Fitch's Bridge, which is a mile and a quarter below.

Tobacco Pipe Piain-on both sides of the road from the Ridges to Sandy Pond, near Rocky Hill. It is mentioned in the "Bye-Laws of Groton relative to Schools; and Instruction of the School Committee, 1805," and iu old deeds.

REFLECTION OF LIGHT .- The reflection of the electric light in Boston and the surrounding towns can be seen from certain elevations at a great dis- tance. When the atmospheric conditions are favor- able, it is distinctly visible on particular nights from Indian Hill at Groton, in the neighborhood of Ma- jor Moses Poor Palmer's house, and from other places in the town. A slight haziness in the air is needed in order to receive the reflection. The dis- tance from Boston to Groton in a straight line is about thirty miles, though the illumination is helped by the electric systems of Newton and Waltham, which are somewhat nearer. From different points in the village of Groton the reflection of the circuits at Nashua, Lowell, Clinton and Fitchburg is often visible, which places are twelve or thirteen miles dis- tant as the crow flies.

The illumination of the heavens during the great fire that occurred in Boston on the night of Novem- ber 9, 1872, was distinctly seen by various persons in different parts of the town.

BIOGRAPHICAL.

ABBOTT LAWRENCE.

The name of Lawrence is one of the earliest to bc found among the Puritan settlers of Massachusetts. John Lawrence, the first emigrant of the name, was established in Watertown as early as 1635.

Abbott Lawrence was the fifth son of Samucl and Susanna Lawrence. He was born in Groton on the 16th day of December, 1792. He received the family name of his paternal grandmother, Abigail Abbott, daugliter of Nehemiah Abbott, of Lexington. His education, begun at the district school, was completed at the academy of the town, of which his father had been a trustee for many years. He enjoyed nothing in the way of educational advantages beyond this, but be evidently improved the time and turned all that he received to the best account. In 1808 he was sent to Boston and placed as an apprentice to his elder brother, Amos Lawrence, who had been for some years established there as an importer of English goods. By steady application and fidelity he pre- pared himself in this subordinate position for the re- sponsibilities which were soon to come upon him as a principal .. In 1814 he was admitted to partnership with his brother. The times were by no means encour- aging, as we were in the midst of our war with Eng- land, and after a few months the prospect seemed so unpromising that Mr. Lawrence proposed to withdraw from the business and enter the army. He had pre-

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HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

viously been an active member of the New England Guards. He applied to the War Department for a commission, but before an answer could be received the news of peace arrived, and he abandoned all thought of a military life. He embarked in the first vessel that left Boston for England after the procla- mation of peace to purchase goods for the market. "The passage was a short one. With characteristic ardor, he was the first to leap on shorc, being thus, perhaps, the first American who touched his fatherland after the war was ended." He remained abroad for some time, on the occasion of this his first voyage to Europe, visiting the Continent, where hesaw the allied armies immediately after the battle of Waterloo.

Messrs. A. & A. Lawrence soon engaged largely in the sale of cotton and woolen goods of domestic man- ufacture, and devoted all their energies to foster this great branch of the national industry. Mr. Lawrence's interest in the work of railroad construction in New England was hardly less than in the establishment and extension of the manufacturing system. He was a large subscriber to the various railroads projected for the concentration of trade in Boston, and this from a feeling of patriotism rather than the expecta- tion of profit. Mr. Lawrence was chosen to represent Massachusetts at the Harrisburg Convention in 1827 and took a prominent part in its proceedings. In 1831 he was elected to the Common Council of Boston, but declined a re-election. In 1834 he was elected to Congress. On taking his place he was at once put on the Committee of Ways and Means. On the expira- tion of his term his constituents testified their sense of his services by inviting him to a public dinner. This he declined in a letter in which he touches on the great questions of the day. He de- clined a re-election to Congress, although the mem- bers of the opposite party gave him the remarkable assurance that, if he would consent to stand, no can- didate should be brought out against him. Two years later he consented to accept a second nomina- tion and again took his seat in the House. Shortly after his arrival he was attacked by typhus fever, so that for some time small hopes were entertained of his recovery. He resigned in the following autumn.

In the Presidential campaign of 1840, Mr. Law- rence took an active part in favor of the election of General Harrison. In September, 1842, he was pres- ident of the Whig Convention which nominated Henry Clay for President on the part of Massachusetts.

In 1842 Mr. Lawrence was appointed by the Gov- ernor one of the commissioners on the part of Mas- sachusetts to negotiate a settlement of our northeast- ern boundary, which had been a source of irritation for many years between the United States and Eng- land. Quoting Mr. Prescott's language : "It is not too much to say that but for the influence exerted by Mr. Lawrence on this occasion the treaty, if it had been arranged at all, would never have been brought into the shape which it now wears." Mr. Nathan

Appleton in his memoir confirms this statement in the following words : " It is the belief of the writer, who was then in Congress, that to Mr. Lawrence more than to any other individual is due the successful accom- plishment of the negotiation which resulted in the important Treaty of Washington,"

In July, 1843, Mr. Lawrence, accompanied by his wife and daughter, embarked from Boston for England in the steamer "Columbia." The following day they were wrecked on Black Ledge, near Seal Island. After a week's detention on the island, they were transported to Halifax wlience they proceeded on their voyage.

Mr. Lawrence's reputation had preceded him. He was received in England with marked attention, and the hospitality of many distinguished and influential pcople was extended to him.

In 1844 he was a delegate to the Whig National Convention and one of the electors at large for the State of Massachusetts. He was an ardent sup- porter of Henry Clay for the Presidency and deeply disappointed on his defeat.

In 1845 the Essex Company was organized and Mr. Lawrence was its president and the first and largest subscriber to its stock. The city of Lawrence, incor- porated as a town in 1847, was named for him.

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History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 134

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