History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 72

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 72

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1 General James M. Varnum, a native of Dracutt, and brother of Gen. Joseph Bradley Varnum.

304

HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

During this terrible winter some of the patriotic soldiers of Dracut werc suffering in common with hundreds of others from Massachusetts and other States. Tlic following record shows that those who remained at home were not unmindful of their trials :

" To the Treasurer of Dracut :

" Pay to Jonathan Jones 44£ 168. 8d for his going with a load of cloth- ing to Valley Forge."

DEFENCE OF BOSTON AND CAMBRIDOE.

"A town-meeting was holden in Dracut, May 7th, 1778, and adjourned to meet May 11th, and then voted-

"To choose a committeo of adjustment to adjust claims of soldiers for services in the army .

" Elisha Barron, Isaac Fox, Reuben Sawyer, Joshua Pillehury and Dr. James Abbott were chosen.

"Voted to hire the men now called for, by assessment on property. Voted to adjourn the meeting to 22nd May, 1778.

"On re-assembling a motion was made to throw up the warrant and all tho doings under it, hnt tho motion was defeated. Mr. Barron, Mr. Sawyer and Mr. Pillsbury refused to act on tho committee and Ephriam Curtis, Wm. Wood, and Lieut. David Jones were elected in their place. Then voted to raise 1535 pounds, ten shillings to pay the nine months, six months and six weeks men that went into the service. Voted to givo tlie men that went to the defence of Boston in l'eb., 1778, six £. for three months. Voted to pay the men that went on guard in April for three months, 8£. Voted to the men now on guard at Cambridge, 14.£."

The men who "went to the defence of Boston," and the "men on guard at Cambridge," "the nine months' men," "six months' men" and "six weeks' men," were those who were called out by the General Court for the defence of Boston, Cambridge and Watertown, where large military stores were kept, on account of the troops that had been stationed there having, at the request of Washington, joined in the expedition to capture Gen. Burgoyne at Saratoga.

ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION .- The Declaration of Independence, in 1776, was a resolute act, which set forth in unmistakable terms the determination of the people, butit did not, in fact, make them free. It was only one step in that direction. As yet, however, there was no proper bond of union between the sep- arate States and it was only the one common sentiment in regard to the war that kept them together. Some- thing more secmed necessary ; consequently Congress adopted " Articles of Confederation," Nov. 15, 1777, which had been for somc time under consideration.

These articles were then sent out to the several States, and were afterwards ratified by several of the State Legislatures. They authorized Congress to carry on the war, to make peace, to manage affairs with foreign nations, to decide upon the number of men and the amount of money to be raised, and to assign to cach State its proportion, etc.

The subject was referred to the various towns, and the following vote, by the citizens of Dracut, explains their attitude and shows their loyalty to the cause in which they were engaged :

On the 2d day of February, 1778, a town-meeting was called to see what instructiou should be given to their representative relating to the Articles of Con- federation and Perpetual Union proposed by the

Continental Congress to the Independent States. The following record was made of that meeting :

"At a legal mocting of freoholders of Town of Dracutt on Monday the 2d day of February, 1778, tho following Resolution passed. On tho arti- cles of Confederation and Perpetual Union between the United States having been lald before the town it was

" Resolved, That the said articles appear to be well adapted to tho es- tablishment of the Union of the said States, to confirm and promote their mntual friendship, establish freedom and independence, and promote their general welfaro, and the Representative of this town is instructed to givo his vote in tho General Assembly, that the delegates in this State may be authorized to ratify the said Articles of Confederation that the samo may becomo conclusive.

" JOHN VARNUM, Moderator. " WM. HILDRETH, Clerk."

At the same meeting it was "voted to send each soldier who enlisted in the service for three years, or during the war, one pair of shoes, one pair of stock- ings and two shirts. Voted to raise 600 dollars to purchase them and transport them to the said sol- diers in the army."

TROOPS ORDERED TO RHODE ISLAND .- History informs us that the British forces occupied Newport, Rhode Island, from December, 1776, to near the close of 1779. A secret expedition was planned by the Legislature of Massachusetts, in September, 1777, in the hope of forcing them to leave that place.

To carry out this purpose three thousand men were raised from the counties of Bristol, Plymouth and Barnstable, and the southern parts of Suffolk, Middle- sex and Worcester. Gen. Spencer, of Connecticut, had command of the expedition, but it was unsuc- cessful.

The plan was revived in August, 1778. Gen. Sul- livan was stationed in Rhode Island with a consider- able force, including a thousand of the militia of Massachusetts.

The call for aid from Massachusetts by the Gover- nor of Rhode Island was so urgent that 2000 more men were ordered out, and enthusiasm ran so high that volunteer companies from Boston, Salem, Bev- erly, Gloucester, Newburyport and other places of- fered their services.

This town was well represented. A company from Dracut, under command of Capt. Joseph B. Varnum, at once volunteered. Dr. John Betty, of Chelmsford, went as a volunteer, and was chosen clerk of the com- pany.1 Col. Louis Ansart, of Dracut, was also aid- de-camp to Gen. Sullivan, who was in command of the American forces. The Marquis de la Fayette and Major-General Green came from the American camp to serve in this expedition, and.Gen. James M. Var- num, the second son of Samuel Varnum, of Dracut (who joined the Continental Army from Rhode Is- land, came from the main army with his brigade to assist in this great undertaking.2

In addition to the American troops, aid was also expected from a powerful French fleet, under Count. D'Estaing, that liad recently arrived on our coast.

I Allen's " Hist. Chelmsford."

2 Barry's " Hist. Mass."

305

DRACUT.

On account of a violent storm, which increased to a tempest, and raged so fiercely at sea and on land that the fleet was shattered, and the army suffered so se- verely that a number of the soldiers perished with the cold, this expedition was not a success, though some severe fighting was done, and many were killed on both sides. The Americans held their ground, but Gen. Sullivan, having been apprised by Washington that reinforcements for the British were on their way, the Americans withdrew.

Muster-roll of Capt. Joseph B. Varnum's company, Col. McIntosh's regiment, Gen. Lovell's brigade of militia, at Rhode Island, 1778:

Captain, Joseph B. Varnum; First Lieut., Temple Kindal ; Second Lieut. Abraham Stickney ; Sergeants, John Robins, Reuben Lewis, David Austin, S. Flagg Lanin ; Corporals, Asa Spaulding, Jno. Haywood, Oliver Bowers, Oliver Farmer; Privates, J. Betty, Eben. Hunt, Amos Bradley, J. Butterfield, J. Cohurn, S. Coburn, E. Crosby, B. Danforth, W. D. Forth, James Davis, Josiah Fletcher, Levi Fletcher, Edward Farmer, John Gardner, Jesse Haywood, Jonathan Hunt, James Hadley, Paul Hill, James Louis, Samuel Carey, Jno. Perham, William Parker, .Chester Parker, Jno. Shed, Jonathan Woodward, Timothy Bancroft, Oliver Co- barn. Nathl. Ingalls, Thompson Baron, Jno. Boman, Jesse Auger, Simeon Parker, John Wehber, Ebenr. Leman, Jonathan Foster, David Merrill, W'm. Spaulding, Jno. Dnnn, Andrew Hall, John Johnson, Thos. Good- win, Abraham Jaquith .- Dracut, October 6. 1778.

BEEF AND HORSES FOR THE ARMY .- It appears that on the 25th of September, 1780, the General Court passed a resolve requiring the towns to furnish beef for the army ; and on the 9th day of October a town-meeting was called, to see what method should be adopted for raising the proportion required from Dracut. At this meeting it was voted to appropriate " 40,000 continental dollars old money for the pur- pose of procuring beef." This would seem to be an enormous amount of money for so small a town to raise, and one might suppose it would furnish a con- siderable quantity of beef ; but we must consider that paper money had depreciated to an alarming extent. We find in the orders upon the town treasurer by the selectmen, that in the purchase of this beef they paid Deacon Amos Bradley £600 for one ox, and to Captain Peter Coburn £1400 for two oxen ; to Elisha Baron £660 for one ox.

It also appears that a quota of horses was required, and the following prices were paid : "To Jonas Var- num, 1000 pounds for one horse for the army ; to Deacon Thomas Hovey, 609 pounds for a horse ; " and to show the current prices of articles, and the depre- ciation of paper money, we also mention the fact that an order was drawn upon the town treasurer for £84 for a blank-book to be used as a town-book.

On the 28th of December following (1780), another town-meeting was called, and a vote passed "to raise 62,000 pounds of the old emission of Continental money, for the purpose of procuring said town's pro- portion of beef required by the General Court."

At the same meeting measures were taken to raise men " Required by a resolve of ye General Court ye 2d of December," and a committee of nine men was

elected, consisting of Captain Stephen Russell, Cap- tain J. B. Varnum, Lieutenant Ephraim Coburn, Lieutenant Miles Flint, Lieutenant Davis, William Hildreth, Reuben Sawyer, Deacon Thomas Hovey and Benjamin French, "To procure and agree with men for three years or during the war at the cost and charges of the town,"-leaving it discretionary with the committee what bounty should be paid. Some of these men who enlisted had to take the town treas- urer's notes ; some for specified sums of money and some took agreements for cattle and some for corn. In after years quite an effort had to be made to re- deem these " corn notes," and "cattle notes," as they were called. In 1784 two men, Joel Bowers and Amos Morse, asked the town to pay them in money $300 each, with interest, from the time of their entering the service, instead of cattle, as specified in the notes they had taken. But the town preferred to pay them in cattle. They then brought the matter up in town-meeting, requesting the town to take the cattle at fifteen dollars each ; but a vote passed in the negative, and they were paid in cattle according to agreement when they enlisted.

Probably a good many men held the same kind of notes, and to have paid these two men money instead of cattle, might have established a precedent which could not be consistently followed.

In 1781 (at a town-meeting held April 2d) a vote was passed to raise thirty-six hundred silver dollars for the purpose of paying men for three years, or dur- ing the war, to be assessed without delay.

So large an amount of silver money could not be raised at once, and a provision was made, " That the town treasurer be directed to take a promissory note of hand of such persons as cannot pay their propor- tion of the above sum, payable on demand with in- terest, in the same kind of money. The said treas- urer to be cautious about taking notes of any person whereby the town will be in danger of losing thereby, and to require a sufficient security."

On the 22d of June, 1781, another beef tax was laid by the General Court, and the town appropriated 150 pounds hard money for its purchase, and appoint- ed a committee for that purpose, consisting of Parker Varnum, Joseph B. Varnum and Peter Hazelton. (Three beef taxes, in all, were made.)

On the 8th day of March, 1782, another call for men was made, and the town voted to request Capt. Stephen Russell and Capt. J. B. Varnum to call out their companies and have a meeting, to see if any men could be procured, and all who belonged to the alarm list and training bands were requested to meet at Dea. Thomas Hovey's house, to see what could be done about filling the quota.

We insert, as a specimen, a few of the receipts and enlistment rolls found among the Revolutionary Records in the office of the Secretary of State, with names of men from Dracut, who had subscribed to them with their own hands:

20-ii

306

HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

" Dracut, July 17, 1780.

" Rec'd of tho Committee of Dracht, for hiring men, a note of hand of 60 bushels of Indian Corn, for our doing a throo months' Turn in tho Army for sd Town.

" Ebenozer Sawyer, Goorgo (his X mark) Kolley, Jonas Prescott Bar- rett, Jonathan Barker, Roubon Sawyor, Dudloy Davis, Jacob Atwood, Jolin Curtis, Asa Hall, Christopher Williams, Jonathan (his X mark) Parker, Jr., Joshua Thissoll, Jobn (his X mark) Hancock, Willian Clough."

" Dracut, Juno 26, 1780.

" We, tho subscribers, do heroby Acknowledge that we have each one of us respectively received of the Committee of Dracut to procure men for the war, in said Town, One Hundred Bushels of Indian Corn each, for our doing a six Months' Turn for sd Town in the Continental Army.

" Olivor Jones, David Harvey, Daniel Clement, Wm. Gould, Sam1. Abbott, Reuben Colburn, Reuhen Richardson, John(his Xmark) Massey, Thadeus Coburn, Joshua Bradley, Sam1. (his X mark) Ellioiott, Moses Davis."

" We, ye Subscribers, do hereby severally inlist ourselves into the service of the United States of America, to continue in that service for the term of three years, unless sooner discharged. We engage to be under the command of ye general officers of the United States of Amer- ica which are or may be appointed, and faithfully to ohserve and obey all such orders as we from time to time shall receive from our officers, and to be under such regulations in every respect as are or may he pro- vided for the Army of the United States.

" Dracut, Feh. ye 9th, 1781.

" Oliver (his X mark) McCan, John (his X mark) Mussey, Thomas Whitaker, Wm. Ahhott, Tony (his X mark) Clark, Reuben Cohurn, Samuel Coburn, Joel Bowers, Amos Morse.

" We, the Subscribers, do hereby voluntarily enlist ourselves into the service of the United States, of America, to continue in said service for the term of 3 years unless sooner regularly discharged, and to be under just regulations in every respect, as are or may he provided for the Army of the U. S.

" Dracut, March 28, 17

" Benj. Ditson, (bisX mark) David Blood, (his X mark) Benj. Griffin, (bis X mark)."

CHAPTER XXV.

DRACUT-(Continued).

SHAYS' REBELLION AND MISCELLANEOUS.

WHEN troops were ordered from the various coun- ties in Massachusetts, to suppress Shays' Rebellion in January, 1787, Col. James Varnum, who had been an officer and seen considerable service in the Revo- lutionary War, went from Dracut, in command of a company of volunteers.

The following are the names of a part of his com- pany :

First Lient., Dan1. Proctor ; Second Lieut., Ahel Adams ; Benj. Butter- field, Jr., Orvilla Perham, Silas Parker, Oliver Carey, Joremiah War- ren, Zehulon Spalding, Jr., Oliver Adams, Reuben Gould, Jr., John Mc- Clenny, Aaron Spalding, Joseph Butterfield, Joseph Emerson, Jr., Tim- othy Howard, Jesse Stevens, Henry Spalding, Jr., Thos. Chamberlin, Sain1. Stevens, James Parkburst, John Farmor, Willard Marshall, Abel Marshall, Amos Prescott, Lovi Spalding. 1

The principal causes of this Rebellion were the de- preciation of the currency on account of the Revo- lutionary War, the heavy taxation, the public and private indebtedness, and the legal efforts made for

the collection of claims. The story of this disturb- ance, which may be found in any of the histories of Massachusetts, is briefly as follows :

In the latter part of June, 1786, in Western Massa- chusetts, some 1500 or 2000 men, exasperated beyond control by the showers of writs to which they could not respond, and executions which they had no means of satisfying, undertook to relieve themselves from the intolerable annoyance by dispersing the courts and arresting the enforcement of legal process alto- gether. The idea that the people were laboring under unjust and excessive burdens to some extent pervaded the whole Commonwealth; and the same feeling existed in other States. On the 22d of Aug., 1786, a convention of delegates from fifty towns met at Hatfield, in the county of Hampshire, and passed resolutions, and made recommendations con- cerning measures to be taken for the relief which they sought.

Soon after this a number of insurgents, supposed to number about 1500, re-assembled under arms at North Hampton, took possession of the Court-House, and effectually prevented the sitting of the Courts at that place as prescribed by law. Gov. James Bow- doin issued a proclamation, calling upon the officers and citizens to suppress such treasonable proceed- ings; but little attention was paid to it by the rioters.

The counties of Worcester, Middlesex, Bristol and Berkshire were set in commotion, and the tumult threatened to be general. Armed bodies of men ap- peared wherever the Courts attempted to sit at their regular sessions. The militia were called out under Major-General Benjamin Lincoln, as it really be- came necessary to raise an army to suppress these outrageous proceedings.

It was recommended by the Council that 700 men should be raised from the county of Suffolk, 500 from Essex, 800 from Middlesex, 1200 from Hampshire and 1200 from Worcester, the whole amounting to 4500 rank and file.

The insurgents, under Daniel Shays, numbered some 2000 men, or more, who were terribly in earnest in their cause, which they felt was a just one. And it was only by the prompt and energetic action of the Governor in calling for troops, and their prompt re- sponse, that this rebellion was suppressed without much bloodshed. All the towns in this vicinity fur- nished more or less men to fill the quota of Middlesex County. Daniel Shays was a son of Patrick Shays, and was born on "Saddle Hill," in Hopkinton, Mass., in 1747. He was at the battle of Bunker Hill and served in the Revolutionary War, a part of the time as captain. He died at Sparta, N. Y., September 29, 1825.

The Federal Constitution of the United States was adopted by the Convention of Massachusetts in 1788. The convention met at the State-house in Boston, on the second Wednesday in January, 1688, and Joseph B. Varnum was chosen by the town of Dracut to rep-

1 Allen, " Hist. Chelmsford. "

307

DRACUT.

resent them in this convention. December 18, 1778, the voters of Dracut assembled to elect a representa- tion to Congress, agreeable to a resolve of the General Court on the 20th of November, of the same year. The Congressional District then comprised the entire county of Middlesex. Joseph B. Varnum received fifty-one votes.

In 1790 the town voted to "iustruct their treasurer to sell the old paper money that was then lying dead on hand, whenever he could get one dollar per hun- dred."

In the year 178S an oath of allegiance was drawn up and signed, of which a fac-simile will be found on the succeeding page.

ROADS .- The road from Pawtucket Falls, called the Mammoth Road, was laid out in March, 1792, and on Nov. 2, 1792, a town-meeting was called, to see how the road should be graded and put into condition for travel, and also to appoint some person to look after the interests of the town in case of a suit for damages. At this town-meeting the following vote passed :

" Voted that any man that will work at the road that was laid out last March from Pawtucket Falls, through Col. James Varnum's land and Parker Varnum's land to Mr. Solomon Osgood's blacksmith shop, should be allowed in the next year's highway tax."

" Voted that Parker Varnum, Esq., be appointed to defend the town against any cost that may accrue by a reason of a road being laid out by the court's com- mittee in said town."

There was laid out by the selectman, and accepted by the town, a road from the common in front of the house of Parker Varnum's dwelling-house to the river past Col. Louis Ansart's house, in the westerly part of Dracut in May, 1797. The house where Parker Varnum lived is now owued and occupied by the heirs of Dea. Theodore Hamblet. The old An- sart house was taken down many years ago, and an- other built on the same spot by Daniel Varnum. The road to the river was called the Ferry Road, leading to Clark's Ferry, and it served its purpose, as people used to cross the river to "Middlesex village" in Chelmsford to trade before Lowell began, but the road was discontinued as a town road probably more than forty years ago.

THE DAM AT PAWTUCKET FALLS .- In the year 1801, May ye 25th, at a town-meeting, it was voted unanimously " That the erection of a dam across Merrimack River at Pawtucket falls, in the manner proposed by petitioners to the General Court at the last session, will, in the opinion of this town, totally destroy the fish in the said river and deprive the people of the important privilege which they for a long time, even from time immemorial, have enjoyed without molestation ; of taking neare theire doors the most delicate food and much of the real necessaries of Life, and no other purpose can be answered thro' a gratification of the averitious feelings of a few in- dividuals who must be unacquainted with the real

effect of the measures or regardless of the publick good."

POOR FARM .- During the year 1782 the town built a poor-house. Ebenezer Coburn, Parker Varnum and Dr. Thomas Hovey were elected a committee with instructions to build the house as cheaply as they could consistently, and to locate it in the most con- venient place.

In 1806 an effort was made to purchase a poor farm and an article inserted into the warrant to that effect, but the article was dismissed and no action taken.

BODWELL's FALLS .- Voted, unanimously, to send a petition to the General Court, against narrowing the passage-way for rafts at Bodwell's Falls, by building a bridge across the said falls in 1807.

NARROW ESCAPE FROM DROWNING .- About the year 1806 Moses Hale, who lived near what is called "Hale's Brook" or "River Meadow Brook," in Chelmsford (now Lowell), in company with Mr. Philip Bowers, of Billerica, had been on a Sabbath evening to Middlesex Village, in Chelmsford, in a sleigh ; and when about to return, the sleighing being poor, they essayed to drive down on the ice of Merrimack River. They drove upon the river at Black Brook, and after proceeding a short distance, came to what they sup- posed to be black ice ; but what was, really an open- ing. The horse refused to go; but without investi- gating the cause, they urged him and drove him into the water, and were immediately plunged in themselves. They shouted for help, but it was late in the evening and the night was very cold. It so happened, how- ever, that there had been a singing meeting at the Toll-House, at Pawtucket Bridge, and several young men were returning home. Among them were Col- burn Blood, Thomas Varnum, Samuel and Jeremiah Varnum. The accident occurred in the vicinity of land now owned by Mr. W. H. Hull, and it was quite a distance from the road to the river ; but these young men when they heard the call for help, started at full speed down over the fields, to the assistance of the drowning men. When they arrived Mr. Bowers, who was a heavy man, and was clinging to the ice at the lower part of the opening, told them to make all possible haste to save him, for he could not hold on much longer. Mr. Blood lay down on the ice, and the others behind him in the same position, taking hold of each other's heels, and thus approached Mr. Bowers and succeeded in pulling him out. Two other young men, Jonathan Hildreth and Peter Hazelton, had also heard the cry for help, and running to their relief, they rescued Mr. Hale in the same manner as that in which Mr. Bowers had been saved. The horse and sleigh had gone down under the ice, but were found the next day near Pawtucket Falls, the ice being so clear that they could be seen through it. The unfortunate men were at once taken to the house of Parker Varnum, where such faithful attention was given them during the night that they were able to return to their homes the next day.

2017 Riovation Whatsoever ._

Marmur William Harth The Hovey Frael Hildretti

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arnum Bradley Varnum

Joseph Norman

Peter Parker Hapton Russell Johahn Wett Brun Heweres

Thomas Coburn Games Harvey Richard effet Janinel Barton Middlefre igt. April 2 787 Sworn before one Parker Jamun gratin Seven Barnum The Honey William Hildreth yol Millefer for Manch 4thr Brad Swom before me Further Varium future of Fine Puh --

206

He the Subscribers do truely and Fineearly Reknowledge

profess, testify and aware that the Commonwealth of Anfewhuset is , and of right ought to be a free , Sovereign and independent thate ; and I do Swear that will bear true faith and allegiance to the faid Commonwealth, & that I will defend the Same against traiterand conffinances and all Hostile attempts whats ower: this and that I do anounce and abjure all allegiance fibjust

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History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 72

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