History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 204

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 204

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" This thing was very offensive to the Council, that a private Captain should (without commission or some express order) do an act so contradictory to their former orders ; and the Governor and several others spake of it at a conference with the deputies at the General Court. . ..

"The Deputies seemed generally to agree to the reason of the Magistrates in this matter ; yet notwith- standing, the Captain (who appeared in the Court shortly after upon another occasion), met with no rebuke for this high irregularity and arbitrary action. To conclude this matter, those poor Indians, about fifty-eight of them of all sorts, were sent down to Deer Island, there to pass into the furnace of affliction with their brethren and countrymen. But all their corn and other provision sufficient to maintain them for six months, was lost at Concord ; and all their other necessaries, except what the soldiers had plundered. And the poor Indians got very little or nothing of what they lost, but it was squandered away, lost by the removal of Mr. Hoare and other means, so that they werc necessitated to live upon clams, as the others did, with some little corn provided at the charge of the 'Honorable Corporation for the Indians,' residing in London. Besides, Mr. Hoare lost all his building and other cost, which he had provided

for the entertainment and employment of those In- dians ; which was considerable." This was in Febru- ary, 1675-76.

In another place Gookin relates that fourteen armed incn of Chelmsford went to the Indian camp at Wamesct, near by, and called on them to come out of their wigwams, whereupon they fired on the unsus- pecting Indians, wounding five women and children and killing outright the only son of John Tahatta- wan, of Nashobah, a boy twelve years old, and wound- ing his mother, Sarah or Kehonowsquaw, then a widow, the daughter of Sagamore John, of Paw- tucket.

She was then a widow for the second time, having had as her second husband Oonamog, ruler of the Praying Indians at Marlborough.

William Nahaton, or Tahattawan, a· brother of John Tahattawan, was among the Indians at Deer Island, and was one of the six selected to serve as guides under Major Savage, in March, 1675-76.

Tom Dublet, or Nepanet, was another of the Na- shobah Indians who proved of great service to the English in treating with the hostile Indians and re- deeming prisoners. He it was who procured the re- lease of Mrs. Rowlandson and others.

For one of these expeditions, which was successful in ransoming prisoners, an order was passed by the General Court awarding him two coats.

His wigwam was near the present residence of Mr .. Joel Proctor, and his favorite " hole" for fishing is pointed out some distance down the brook.

There were white people living at this time in the part of the present town of Littleton which we designate as Nashoba, but which was not within the Indian plantation, but was part of Concord Village, so-called, and was sometimes designated as Powers' Farm and Nashoba Farm.

The Reed house, the ruins of which are still to be seen at the foot of Nashoba Hill, was built as a gar- rison, probably about this time, for protection against hostile Indians.

A family by the name of Shepard was living in the vicinity during King Philip's War, and in Febru- ary, 1675-76, Abraham and Isaac Shepard, two broth- ers, were killed by Indians as they were threshing in their barn. They had set their sister Mary, a girl of fifteen years, to watch on Quagana Hill, near by, but the Indians stole up behind, captured her before she could give an alarm and carried her away to Naslia- way (Lancaster), where they encamped for the night. While the Indians slept she escaped, mounted a horse, swam the river, and rode home.

There may have been more of a village at Na- shoba Farm than is now there. The ancient burying- ground, which was on the Reed Farm, was ploughed up several years since. Such desecration is shame- ful ; but in the absence of records to show that it was ever set aside for a public burying-place, and never having been under the town's care, nobody felt

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LITTLETON.

authorized to take action after the desecration took place ; the contemplation of which was known only to the perpetrator, who claimed the land.

The tombstones were used in building a wall, and some were taken away as relics, so that now, proba- bly, no vestige remains of the last resting-place of the earliest white settlers of this town.

East of where the burying-ground is said to have been may be seen a well-preserved dam, canal and mill- site beside the brook which runs through the woods.

Very few of the Nashobah Indians ever returned, but when released from Deer Island went to other places, the greater number to Natick. In the mean time white people moved into the deserted plantation, perhaps had done so to some extent before the In- dians were removed, and settled there with no real right, save that of possession ; for, though some bought land of the Indians, the latter had been expressly forbidden by the General Court to sell without its sanction.

Lieutenant Joseph Wheeler, of Concord, by trad- ing with the Nashobah Indians while they still lived on their plantation, became their creditor, and peti- tioned the General Court in 1662 for a grant of two hundred acres of land in the south part of Nashobah in payment, but it was refused.

Peleg Lawrence and Robert Robbins, of Groton, were probably the first purchasers of Nashobah land from the Indians. A plan on file at the State-House, made by .Jonathan Danforth, surveyor, and bearing date January 2, 1686-87, shows the Robbins and Law- rence tract as laid out in the northeast corner of the plantation, one-half mile wide by about two miles long ; one side, the northerly, being just two miles, and the southerly a little longer.

It appears to have been supposed by these men and Groton people that the purchase of the land from the Indians brought it into Groton territory, and when, in later years, it was found that the jurisdiction over Nashobah lands was in question, and that other towns were preparing to annex it, Groton sought to strengthen her claim by getting possession of the Indian deeds. At a town-meeting in Groton, June 8, 1702, it was voted to give three acres of meadow land and ten acres of upland each to Robert Rob- bins and to the heirs of Peleg Lawrence, on condition that they give up their Indian titles to the town. G.oton people or others who desired to belong to Groton also settled within the bounds of Na-hobah, but outside of the Robbins and Lawrence purchase.

In the Middlesex County records I find that at court held at Charlestown, June 20, 1682, the follow- ing was entered :

" Captain Thomas Henchman, Lt. Jos. Wheeler & Lt. Jno. flynt surveyor, or any two of them are nominated & impowered a comit- tee to run the ancient bounds of Nashobah Plantation, & remark the linee, as it was returned to the general court by said Mr. flynt, at the charge of the Indians, giving notice to the selectmen of Grotton of time & place of meeting web ig referred to Mr. flynt, to appynt, & to make re- turn to next coun court at Camb). in order to a finall settlement."

The return is as follows :

" We whose names are underwritten being appointed by ye Honored County Court June 20th, 1682, To ruu the Ancient bounds of Nasho- bey, have accordingly run the said bounds, aud find that the Town of Groton by theire Secoud laying out of theire bounds have taken iuto theire bounds as we judge neer halfe Indian Plantation.

"Sevverall of the Select men and other inhabitants of Groton being there with us Did see theeree error therein & Do declire that laying out So far as they have Invaded the right of ye Indians.

" Also we find yt the Norwest Corner of Nashobey is run into ye first bounds of Groton to ye Quantity of 350 acres according as Grotou men did there Show us theire Said line which they Say was made before Nashobey was laid out, and which bounds they Do Challenge as theire Right.

" The Indians also have Declared them Selves willing to forego that Provided they may have it made up upon th ire West Line.

"And we Judge it may be there added to theire Conveniauce.

" 2 October 1682.

". JOSEPH WHEELER, "JOHN FLINT.

"Exhibited in Court & approved 3 : 8 : 82.

"T. D. R."

From a comparison of Jonathan Danforth's plan of Nashobah and the first plan of Groton, made by the same surveyor in 1668 and published by Dr. S. A. Green in his "Boundary Lines of Old Groton," with a modern county map, it will be seen where the 350 acres lay in which Nashobah and Groton over- lapped each other.

The northwest corner of Nashobah was undoubt- edly the same as the present northwest corner of Littleton, on the side of Brown Hill in Pingrey ville, and very nearly a right angle. It was formed by the present westerly line of the town and a line whose general direction from the corner was easterly, and is laid down on Danforth's plan of Nash- obah as a straight line, although records state that it ran by blazed trees which were not in a straight line.

The southeasterly line of Groton by Danforth's plan of that town ran from Forge Pond to a point near the Lactate factory, or between that and the "Newstate " railroad crossing; there it made an angle of about 150° and ran to a point at or near the pres- ent westerly corner of Littleton and northerly corner of Boxboro', from which point the Groton line ran northwesterly to what is now Shirley Village. It will be seen that the easterly end of Oak Hill and considerable land in the Pingreyville corner of the town must therefore have been included in the maps made by Danforth of both Nashobah and Groton.

To which plantation this 350 or more acres right- fully belonged is a question of great doubt.

The grant of the Indian plantation of Nashobah was in' 1654, and though no area nor bounds were given, it was stated by Gookin in 1674 and by others to be four iniles square ; in reality it was only three miles on the north side.

The original grant of Groton was in 1655, and was stated to be a tract eight miles square, but when first laid out by Danforth in 1668 it was on the average about seven miles wide by eleven long.

Groton neglected to get Danforth's plan con-

862

HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

firmed by the General Court until after Nashobah was incorporated for a second time as an English town in 1714, and then the overlapped territory had been confirmed to Nashobah.

In their report Messrs. Whecler & Flint refer to a second laying out of Groton, by which, no doubt, was claimed the Robbins and Lawrence purchase and more too, as the amount of land within Nashobah claimed by Groton was stated in a legislative report by Jonathan Tyng, Thomas How and John Stearns in 1711 to be 7840 acres, and elsewhere that the line extended beyond Beaver Brook. It does not appear that Groton ever had any valid right to this tract, but after it was taken beyond their reach by the in- corporation of Nashobah in 1714, Groton men had sufficient influence in the Legislature to procure the grant, mainly in lieu of it, of Groton Gore, so ealled- a tract not then included in any town, but in what is now Greenville, Mason, Brookline, Milford and Wil- ton in New Hampshire.

The next purchase of land from the Indians, after the Robbins and Lawrenee tract, and the first one of which the deed is recorded, was made June 15, 1686, by Hon. Peter Bulkeley, of Concord, and Maj. Thomas Henehman, of Chelmsford, who bought the easterly half of the plantation for the sum of £70. The Indian grantors were :

"Kehonowsquaw alias Saralı, the daughter and sole heiress of John Tahattawan, Sachem and late of Nashobalı deceased ; Naanisbcow, alias John Thomas; Naanasquaw alias Rebeckab, wife to the said Naanishcow ; Naasbkinomenet, alias Solomon, eldest son of sd Naanish- cow and Naanasquaw, sister to the aforesaid Tahattawan ; Weegram- inominet alias Thomas Waban; Nackcominewock, relict of Crooked Robin ; Wunnuhhew alias Sarah, wife to Neepanum alias Tom Dube let."

The deseription of the land is as follows :

" And it contains one moyety or halfe part of said Nashobah planta- tion, & the easterly side of it ; It is bounded by Chelmsford plantation (about three miles & three-quarters) on the easterly side; by Concord village Land Sonthward, about two miles & three-quarters ; North ward it is bounded by Land sold by the aforesaid Indians to Robert Robbins and Peleg Lawrence, both of Groton Town, which land is part of the aforesaid Nashobah plantation, & this Line is exactly two miles in Length & runs East three degrees Northerly, or West three degrees southerly, & the South end runs parallell with this Line : On the West- erly side it is bounded by the remainder of said Nashobah plantation ; & that West Line runs (from two little maples marked with H for the Northwest corner) it runs South seven degrees & thirty minutes east, four miles & one-quarter ; the most Southerly corner is bounded by a little red oak marked H, the north east corner is a stake standing about four or five pole sonth ward of a very great Rock that Lyeth iu the line between said Nashobah & Chelmsford plantation."

The great rock is no doubt the one in the orehard on the farm of the late Barnabas Dodge, a short dis- tance south of the road, and that is now in the line be- tween Littleton and Westford.

I am forced to the conclusion that Jonathan Dan- fortlı, whose plan of 1686 appears to have been made for the purpose of locating the Bulkeley and Hench- man purchase, made his plan more in the interest of his elients than of aeeuracy, and suspect that he did not measure the north line of the plantation at all, but assumed that it was four miles long and so meas-

ured off two miles for Bulkeley and Henchman, and ran his other lines accordingly. My reasons for this belief are that the distance from the great rock men- tioned to the northwest corner of Littleton on the side of Brown Hill, which all authorities agree is the original northwest corner of Nashobalı, is only about three miles, and when it came to be surveyed under the direction of a legislative committee in 1711, the north line of the plantation is reported as three miles.

If the reader will look at a map of Littleton and note the following points, he will have the four cor- ners of the ancient Indian plantation Nashobah : the northwest corner of Littleton on the side of Brown Hill, near the road to Ayer, was one corner ; a point near the centre of Boxboro', found by prolonging the present west and south lines of Littleton until they meet, was another corner ; the westerly end of Nagog pond was a third corner, and a point on the Westford line, between the Dodge place and Forge Pond, was the fourth corner. It was uniformly spoken of as four miles square, but was not exactly that, being, as we have seen, only three miles on one side, and hav- ing corners which varied slightly from right angles.

The purchases of Robbins, Lawrence, Bulkeley and Henchman left in the hands of the Indians only that portion of the plantation which Danforth in his plan designates as "Nashobath the Indian part," being the westerly portion, four miles long on the west line two miles theoretically on the north line, but actually only about one, and 412 poles on the south line.

Deeds from the Indians covering this portion are on record at Cambridge as follows: Under date of May 9, 1694, from Thomas Waban, of Natiek, to Walter Powers, of Coneord, in consideration of fif- teen pounds, and other things-

" A certain Tract of Land upland, Swamp, Meadow & Meadow Land, Containing one Quarter part of an Indian Plantation known by ye name of Nashoby within their Majesties Province of ye Massachusetts Bay. The easterly half of sd Plantation being formerly bought of ye Indians by Major Hinchman and ye Westerly Quarter part of ye l'lan- tation is yet in Possession of ye Indians being Challenged by Jolin Thomas Indian and this Quarter part of the plantation by one now sold as above lies between ye sd halfe that Major Hinchman bought of ye Indians and ye other Quarter part yt said Indian John Thomas claims from End to End both upland and Meadow, ye Souther End bonnds upon Pompasittaquitt, or ye Town Ship of Stow, and ye Northerly End runs [to] Groton Line."

And under date of May 10, 1701, from

" Solomon Thomas & John Thomas jr., both of Natick, to Josiah Whit- comb of Lancaster," "a certain parcell or Tract of Land lying and be- ing in a place Commonly Called and known by the name of Meshouah [Nashobah] and is a Quarter part of a Tract of Land four miles square, It being four milo in Length and one mile in breadith be it more or less as it is bounded with Stow Land on the South and West and Wilderness Land on the North and the Land of Walter Powers on the Enst, and all that is therein and thereupon, and all rights, privileges, ensements and appurtenances belonging to the thereby granted premises."

Solomon Thomas and John Thomas, Jr., were sons of John Thomas, and it is fair to assume that he had transferred his interest in this tract to them, as he was still living at the time.

863

LITTLETON.

A confirmatory deed of the Bulkeley and Hench- man purchase was given in 1714 by Thomas Waban, John Thomas and John Thomas, Jr., to Major Henchman and the heirs of Peter Bulkeley, and states that the consideration was passed twenty-eight years before.

This deed, old and yellow, but still legible, bearing the signature of Waban, and the marks of the other two, is still in existence, and in the possession of the writer, to whom it was presented by his father, Hon. Joseph A. Harwood. It is an extremely interesting document, and was formerly owned by Mr. Samuel Gardner Drake, author of " Drake's Book of Indians," from whose hands it passed through one other only to Mr. Harwood.

What disposition to make of Nashobah seems to have been a troublesome question for the General Court to decide, and the conflicting interests which sought possession of the very desirable farming lands there lying idle were powerful enough to keep the question in suspense for many years.

It appears to have been a contest between Major Henchman and others, who had bought of the Indians and wished to colonize the place and form a town, on one side, and the neighboring municipalities, which wished to annex the territory, on the other. In the end the colonization interest won.

Reference is made to a petition from Concord people, who desired a grant of the land for settling on it, but it was stated not to have been pressed, owing to the "publick troubles that hath happened," referring no doubt to the troubles in England at the time of the accession of William and Mary; but in 1698 it was renewed by a petition signed by twenty-one Concord men and seventeen Chelmsford men, stating: "And your petitioners, for themselves or children, stand in need of an inlargment & accommodations (who, if not accommodated neer home, must be necessitated to re- move out of the Province), having also obtained the Indian Title of ye one-halte of ye sd Tract, of ye Ad- ministrators of ye estate of Peter Bulkeley, Esq., de- ceased, and of Major Thomas Hinchman, .. . In order to the setting up of an English plantation."

Major Henchman endorsed the document to the effect that the petitioners had purchased the title to half the tract.

The matter was put in the hands of a committee to report to the next session, which again put it off in the same manner, and it seems to have come to noth- ing for' several years after. The signatures, however, to the petition include many Littleton names, from which it is fair to assume that this was in a measure the party which was finally successful in getting the grant. I give the names in full:

CONCORD .- Joseph Estabrook, Thomas Dackin, John Wheeler, Jno. Jones, Eliphelst Fox, Symon Davis, Senr., Thomas Browne, Sens., Samll How, Samuel Prescott, Jn. Meriam, Samuel Hartwell, Nath] Harwood, Moses Wheatt, Roger Chandler, Walter Power, Sen., Wma. Wilson, Samuel Jones, Jno. Hore, Jno. Wood, George Robins.

CHELMSFORD .- Jno. Hartwell, Senr., Jno. Hold, Sam11. Stratton, Jona-

than Prescott, Jnnr., Jacob Taylor, Tho. Wheller, James Snedly, Thomas Clark, Joseph Farwell, Edward Emerson, Joseph Adams, Jno. Kidder, Steven Pierce, Abraham Parker, John Perram, Moses Parker, Elezar Brown.

As has been stated before, Groton attempted to annex a large part of Nashobah, but was not success- ful. Stow also made an attempt to get the whole, and in 1702 petitioned the General Court, reciting the facts that Nashobah, a tract of land four miles square, was deserted by the Indian proprietors, who wished to sell ; that certain English claimed it by purchase, and that Groton had of late extended their town bounds to take in a large part, especially of meadow, but that Stow, being small, stood in the greatest need of it, and praying for leave to purchase and join the land to Stow. The petition was granted on the part of the House, but negatived in the Council.

This left the matter still open, and people continued to settle in Nashobah, some by right of purchase and others without right. Of course they had no town government, though no doubt most of them associated themselves with the neighboring towns, where they attended church and paid minister's rates, and per- haps other taxes, as towns were allowed to tax out- lying settlers not in other towns.

Jonathan Whitcomb, nephew of Josiah Whit- comb, who purchased of the Indians, settled where his descendant, Jonathan Hartwell Whitcomb, now lives, the farm having been handed down in the family ever since, and as he was a shoemaker, or "cordwainer':' and kept accounts with his neighbors as early as 1708, I have been able to gather from them the names of many of the first settlers. Among them are the names of Robbins, Lawrence, Parker, Willard, Farns- worth, Pearce, Powers, Wheeler, Wetherbee, Stone, Davis, Whitney, Jewett, Woods, Gilson, and many others not now familiar. The next move for a grant of Nashobah, of which I find record, was in 1711, when twenty-three, who styled themselves " Inhabit- ants of Concord, Chelmsford, Lancaster & Stow, &c.," petitioned for a grant of Nashobah, "In a regular manner to settle a township," reciting that sundry persons had made entry upon the land without appli- cation to the government, and that others were in- tending to do the same.

The petitioners were :

Gershom Procter, Sam" Procter, John Procter, Joseph Fletcher, John Miles, John Parlin, Robert Robins, John Darby, John Barker, Saml Stratton, Hezekialı Fleteber, Josiah Wbitcomb, John Buttrick, Willm Powers, Jonatban Hubburd, Wm. Keen, John Heald, John Bateman, John Heywood, Thomas Wheeler, Sam" Hartwell, junr., Sau" Jones, John Miriam.

Acting thereon the General Court, on June 7, 1711, "Ordered that Joª. Tyng. Esqr., Thoms. Howe, Esqr., & Mr. John Sternes, be a Committee to view the Land mentioned in the Petition, & Represent the Lines or Bounds of the Severall adjacent Towns bounding on the Sd Lands, and to have Speciall Regard to the Land granted to the Indians, & to make report of the quantity & Circumstances thereof."

The report of this committee gives the best descrip- tion to be found of the plantation, and the state of things at that time, and I therefore copy it in full :

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HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

" The report of tho Comitty of the Honble Court upon the petition of Concord, Chelmsford, Lancaster & Stow, for a grant of Part of Nashobe lands.

"Pursuant to the directions given by this Honble Court barcing Date the 36th of May, 1711, The Comity Reports as followeth that is to Suy, &cc.

" That on the second day of October, 1711, the sd comitty went upon the premises with an Artis and veved (viewed) and servaied the Land mentioned in the Peticon, and find that the most Southerly line of the plantation of Na-hobe is bounded partly on Concord & partly on Stow, and this line contains by Estimation upon the servey a bonght three niles and 50 polle. The Westerly line Runs partly on Stow & partly on land claimed by Groton and contaiues four miles and 20 poll, extending to a place called Brown hill. The North line Runs a long curtain lands claimed by Groton and contains three miles, the Easterle line Runs partly on Chelmsford, and partly on a farm cald Powersis farm, in Cou- cord ; this line coutains a bought fouer miles and twenty-five pole.

" The lands a boue mentioned wer shewed to vs for Nashobe Planta- tion, and there were ancient marks in the Seuerall lines fairly marked, And Sd comite find vpon the Servey, that Groton hath Run into Nashobe (as it was Showed to vs), So as to to take out nere one-half'Sd plantation and the bigest part of the medows, it appears to vs to Agree well with the report of Mr. John Flint & Mr. Josephi Wheeler, who were a Commetty imployed by the County Court in midlesexs, to Run the bounds of said plantation. (June ye 20th, '82), The plat will demonstrate how the plantation lyeth & bow Groton coms iu vpon it, as aleso the quaintete which is a bought 7840 acres.

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History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 204

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