History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 73

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 73

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DRACUT.

COLORED PEOPLE OF DRACUT .- The first colored person of whom we have any account in this im- mediate vicinity, that I am aware of, lived in Dracut, and was here as early as 1720. He was called " Antony." The town then owned what was called "reserved land," and some of this land (by vote of the town) was occasionally set off to poor people, and Antony came in for a slice of it with others. He was called "Tony " for short, and his wife was called "Sary." They had several children; one named John was drowned in April, 1739. The birth of one of the children is thus mentioned in the town records : " Jonathan, negro, the son of Antony, negro, and Sary, negro, his wife, was born unto them August ye Sth, 1721."

Cæsar .- After the settlement of Rev. Thomas Par- ker in Dracut, as the "gospel minister," in 1720, he employed or owned, a negro of the name of " Cæsar," who was bright and witty, we judge from anecdotes related of him. A beautiful spring of water in the vicinity of the minister's home, on what is now called Varnum Avenue, in Lowell, is supposed to have been discovered by this humble colored individual with a great name, and it was called Cæsar's Spring, and still is known by that name.

Tradition furnishes the following anecdote;

Cæsar was in the habit of fishing through the ice in a brook near the house where they lived. One day he set his hook and went to the woods to procure fuel. While he was gone Mr. Parker caught a rat and for the purpose of having a little joke on the dig- nified Cæsar, put it on the fish-hook and sunk it as Cæsar left it. When Cæsar returned he discovered the rat caught by the mouth, as though it had been an inhabitant of the water ; he held it up, glancing up to the house occasionally to see if the minister saw him.

Finally he took off the rat, and set his hook as before. He made no mention of the circumstance, and for the purpose of bantering him a little, Mr. Parker inquired in the evening if he had caught anything. "Yes, sah." "What did you catch ?" "O, suthin' nudder." "A pickerel, of course." "No, sah." " A perch?" "No, sah." "What could it be then ?" "A minister, I reckon," replied Cæsar ; " he had a black coat on."

Sip .- Col. Louis Ansart, an educated Frenchman who came to this country in 1776, and was appointed colonel of artillery and inspector-general of foundries during the Revolutionary War, settled in Dracut after the war closed, on the farm formerly occupied by Rev. Thomas Parker, the place being known as the " Ministree." Colonel Ansart employed, or owned, two negro servants, one of whom he called "Sip." He was a very brave fellow and perhaps a namesake of the Scipios (the name of one of the most illustrious patrician families of ancient Rome). The following funny anecdote has been handed down as a specimen of the courage and prowess of the re-

doubtable Sip. In the winter of 1796, which was un- usually cold with a great depth of snow, some wild animal, as it appeared, visited the farm-yards in this vicinity in the night-time and killed many valuable sheep. At this time about all the farmers kept as many sheep as was convenient, because they manu- factured their own cloth for clothing, and all the girls were taught to card and spin and weave and knit and sew, much as girls are now taught music and drawing and fancy needle-work as accomplishments. The silk-worms had only just set up in business then, and cotton and woolen-mills were scarcely known in this country. Numerous efforts were made to discover the cause of the great destruction of "these valuable animals ; for although it was apparent that they were killed by some ferocious wild beast, it was for a long time impossible to tell what it was or where it came from. Some said it came from the woods, and large tracks could be traced upon the snow that covered the walls. The premises that were visited most fre- quently by this intruder were those of Parker Varnum, Col. Ansart and Thomas Varnum; and to prevent their destruction, the sheep were fastened in tight pens. But one morning several sheep were found dead in Col. Ansart's barn, though they were supposed to be safely enclosed, and there 'appearcd to be no way that an animal of sufficient size to kill so many sheep could enter from the outside. This fact led the people to think that the animal lived under the barn. Two young men accordingly volunteered to watch for him ; so armed with guns and plenty of ammunition, they sat in the colonel's sulky during the whole of one night, but nothing made its appearance. One morning, by appointment, the neighbors all assembled. Lieut. Timothy Coburn was there with a very large dog, which it was thought might drive the creature out. The dog indicated by his furious barking that the lair of the voracious marauder liad been dis- covered, and it was equally evident that the dog thought he had found a foe not to be trifled with, for he dare not make the attack. After much deliberation and several protracted consultations, a portion of the men were stationed at convenient points around the barn with their guns, while others proceedcd to take up the planks in the floor, at a certain place where, from the actions of the dog, it was thought the animal was crouching. It so happened that the first plank removed disclosed the monster, directly underneath it, and it was so intent upon watching the move- ments of the dog that it took no notice of what was going on above him. Indeed, he dare not turn his eyes to the right or left lest he might be seized by the huge mastiff. Now Sip appears upon the scene. Various plans had been suggested for killing the creature for he was now considered an easy prey, as he lay there, apparently unconscious of his perilous surroundings, excepting the threatening attitude of the dog. Some proposed that several men be selected to shoot him, all firing at the same time; others pro-

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posed to strike him down with an axe; but Sip pro- posed to seize him in his brawny arms and crush his bones in his powerful grip. His proposition of course was rejected with ridicule, and when told that the beast would tear him into picces in a moment, he said : "Now, gemmens, you all werry much mistaken ! Did young David, we read about in de Lord's book, when de lion an' de b'ar come to kill de sheep, run off to get his farder's ole gun ? No, sah ! He just seize de lion by de beard an' de b'ar by de nap of de neck an he break dere bones an' frow dere carcases to de eagles an' de crows an' de fowls of de air, an' he de- libered de little lamb out of dere moufs, an' he didn't hab no neighbors an' friends stannin' 'round behind him to help him; an 'Leftenant Tim Coburn's big dog wasn't dere neither. No, sah ! dere's no use in lafin'. I's sure I can hold him ; old Sip nebber let go till he break ebery bone in de beast's body." Sip's plan did not prevail, however, but a powerful man with more prudence struck a sharp axe into the creature's back, severing the spine, which despatched him almost instantly.

The animal was thought by some to be a wolverine, but probably it was a wolf. It was skinned and the skin stuffed or mounted, and was kept for many years. An old gentleman, who has many times re- lated the story to the writer, says that "It was, after being stuffed, placed at the head of the attic stairs at Col. Ansart's house to frighten the children and prevent them getting the ile-nuts." He had seen it frequently. It stood about two feet high, and was about the size of a large dog. For some time before it was killed, considerable excitement was experienced throughout the neighborhood, and the women and children were afraid to go out after dark.

It seemed that the place selected for the den of the animal lay within about ten or twelve feet of the young men who were watching for it in the sulky and could, probably, hear every movement they made and the noise of their conversation, even though made in whispers, and of course it remained quiet, though it lost its supper by doing so.

Phillis .- A colored woman called Phillis, who lived with a gentleman long since deceased, was formerly a slave and ran away from her master when a girl on account of cruel treatment. She came to this gentle- man, known everywhere for his kindness, and begged of him to protect her, as her master was in close pur- suit. He took her to his large granary, filled with hogsheads of grain, inverted an empty one, placed her underneath and strewed the top with rye. Her master soon appeared and made diligent search, but did not find her. Soon after (in 1780, by an amend- ment of the Constitution) all slaves in Massachusetts were made free, and Phillis, by her own choice, re- mained at her new home contentedly during life, an obedient and faithful servant. We have been inform- ed, however, that she had one prominent weakness. She was very fond of cider, and if she could get it

would frequently imbibe too freely ; so, for Phillis' good name and reputation, it became necessary to lock up the cellar where it was kept. She would then drink the vinegar, and, when nothing better could be pro- cured to drink from without attracting attention, she would draw the vinegar into her shoe and drink from that. She possessed a religious turn of mind, and if kept from her special temptation and delivered from its evil, she was quite as consistent as many who were socially her superiors; for in those times nearly all good people considered it proper to partake of stim- ulating drinks, not unfrequently imbibing too much.

Old Cuff .- Old Cuff was the colored servant of a gentleman in Dracut. He possessed none of the ad- vantages of an education, of course; but naturally of a bright and active turn of mind, he was a factor in his way in this community many years ago. It is re- lated of him, that on a certain occasion he attended an auction sale. While there, either before the sale or afterward, perhaps, he happened to be standing near two gentlemen whose names we will not mention now, but they were considered as belonging to the "upper-crust " in the community. It is understood that they were talking somewhat ostentatiously, and, as Cuff thought, rather magnifying the subject they were discussing, when he gave a most immoderate guffaw. One of the gentlemen, whose conversation had attracted Cuff's attention, said good-naturedly : "Cuff, what is the matter? Do you think I am tell- ing a lie ?" "No, sah," replied the negro, " but massa - talk jes' exactly as Cuff do when he lies mos' cussedly !- Yah, yah !"

The Lew Family .- In 1775, when the Revolution- ary War began, there was living in that part of Low- ell now known as Pawtucketville, a colored man of the name of Barzilla Lew. I am not familiar with his pedigree (if he had any) or how he came by his surname, but have thought that possibly he, or some

of his ancestors, may have taken their name from some master and is a contraction of the proper name Lewis or Lewin, both of which are names common and of some distinction in England. Barzilla was a free man and was always called " Zeal." He lived to a good old age and in later years was commonly known as " Old Zeal." He was a musician, and when the Revolutionary War began he joined Captain John Ford's company of the Twenty-seventh Regiment of Foot as fifer, and was with that company at the battle of Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775. Zeal lived on what is now called Totman Street, where he owned a farm, a part of which now belongs to Jonas Olson. This street for nearly a century was known as "The Old Zeal Road." He purchased his wife Dinah, of Maj. Abraham Blood, great-grandfather of Mr. O. R. Blood, now a member of the Common Council of Lowell. Barzilla was a cooper by trade, and was quite dark-colored ; but Dinah, liis wife, was a mulat- to and almost white-bleached out, as some of the slaves were in the South.

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Barzilla and Dinah had twelve children, viz .: Zadock, Barzilla, Peter, Rufus, Zimrye, Eli, Amny, Zurvia, Seba, Dinah, Phebe and Lucy. They all possessed a natural talent for music, and most of them could play any kind of wind or stringed instrument -- the girls as well as boys. They formed a complete band, and furnished music on all first-class occasions in this vi- cinity, and were called frequently to Boston and even as far away as Portland. After they became celebated their services were required so much at Boston that some of them made it their home during the winter months ; Barzilla, Jr., who was almost white, was well educated, and became a man of some property and con- sequence. I have been informed that he owned the largest library in the town and rode in his coach. He was tall and dignified in appearance, had a handsome face with fine features, possessed a commanding ap- pearance and was remarkably intelligent, refined and pleasing in his address. Had it not been for the social degradation to which the race to which he be- longed had been reduced, he would have been chos- en to the first offices in his town, if not in the State.

WILD ANIMALS .- In the early settlement of Dra- cut Mr. Jabesh Coburn, great-grandfather of the late Mr. George S. Coburn, killed a bear on a large stone in the field in front of his residence,-the same now owned by Mr. Enoch Mills. Mr. Coburn first caught the bear in a trap and then shot, him. Old Bruin had been making depredations in the corn-field, and was not the kind of pet that Mr. Coburn fancied. Many years ago, Mr. Jabesh Coburn, son of the above Ja- besh, went quite early in the morning to his barn to feed his cattle, and upon going up the ladder and passing under a high beam, his hat and also a hand- kerchief which he had bound over one of his eyes, which had been injured, were caught off very suddenly and unceremoniously. Looking up to see who or what could have so much audacity, he saw, looking down upon him, a huge wild-cat. Mr. Coburn procured a pitchfork and plunged it against the monster. The fork did not penetrate the skin of the animal, but forced him from the beam to the floor. A large dog which stood at the foot of the ladder seized the wild- cat and broke his back before he had time to recover himself; but even with the back broken, he beat the dog and got out at the door and crawled under the barn a short distance. The dog would look under and bark, but dared not attack him again. But Mr. Co- burn came again with his pitchfork and soon dis- patched his savage visitor. Upon making further in- vestigation he found that several hens had been killed, and, after eating what he desired, the intruder had taken the feathers for a nest. After the animal had been killed he reached, in length, from the ground to Mr. Coburn's chin. This occurred on the place above named.

A few years ago a raccoon was not an uncommon animal in New England; but at the present time they are rarely found here.

The writer only recollects of one being killed in this vicinity. About the year 1850 a boy of our ac- quaintance saw one on a large oak tree asleep in the high branches. The crows had discovered him and commenced an attack. The boy, being destitute of a gun or any means of killing him, secured the services of a colored man who came and shot the coon and carried him home for his dinner.

Some time about the year 1820 a young man was going through the woods in the early part of the evening, at "Flag Meadow," so called, lying north of the residence of Deacon Abel Coburn, accompa- nied by a dog famous for hunting. When in the middle of a large growth the dog gave an unusually sharp and terrified bark, not a great distance away. Very soon the young man concluded, by the running, that the game had started and the dog was in pursuit. Whatever the animal was it seemed to be making its course directly to the spot where he stood, and, as he had nothing to defend himself with, and the even- ing was "as dark as pitch," and 'he, judging from all the indications that the animal must be a wild-cat, his situation was not a pleasant one. The animal ran close past him, however, with the dog in pursuit, when it sprang up a large oak tree. The young mnan bade the dog watch by the tree, and he started home for a gun and lights. He informed his three brothers of what had happened, and they all started for the woods, thinking, of course, that the game was some- thing not commonly found. They surrounded the tree with pitch-lights, but could see nothing of the animal. They finally set themselves to the task of cutting the tree down; but it being about two feet through and tough, it required some energy. But at it they went, and about twelve o'clock the tree fell. Search was then made, when the animal was discov- ered to be only a large raccoon cuddled up in the branches and uninjured by the fall. The boys con- sidered it rather a joke that they had taken so much pains; but the 'coon never "laughed to hear the story told."

In the winter of 1871 David Ockington, Luke Mc- Farlin, A. O. Richardson, William Hapgood and others were out on a hunting expedition near "Bear Meadow," in Dracut, when they killed a wildcat. This was the only wildcat killed in this vicinity since about 1840, when one was killed by Milton Stanley in the woods west of the junction of the Nashua and Mammoth Roads, near the present residence of George A. H. Richardson.

OLD FERRY LANE AND CENTRAL BRIDGE .- Old Ferry Lane, in Dracut, led to Hunt's Ferry, after- wards called Bradley's Ferry, which was one of the means of crossing Merrimack River at the place where Central Bridge was afterwards built, and is still maintained.

Hunt's Ferry was, in later years, owned by Joseph Bradley, which fact gave it the name of Bradley's Ferry. Nehemiah Bradley, a brother of Joseph,

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who kept a shop where he made and repaircd boots and shoes, on the Dracut side of the river, at- tended to the ferry. The ferry-boat was kept on the Dracut side and when people from the Chclins- ford (now Lowell) side wished to cross, it was their custom to blow a horn, or attract the ferryman by calling.

As East Chelmsford increased her manufacturing and other business establishments the land on the Dracut side of the river, near the ferry, became available for building purposes, and better facilities for crossing the river were required. Several busi- ness enterprises had been established as early as 1820, among them Howe's Flannel-Mills, and the powder- mills of Oliver M. Whipple, on the Concord River. A line of stages was established from East Chelms- ford to Boston in 1822, and the Merrimack Manufac- turing Company, on the 5th of February, of the same year, with a capital of $600,000.

Travel had increased to such an extent that the old method of crossing the Merrimack by ferry-boat must give place to something better. Consequently, on the 24th of February, 1825, the Legislature of Mas- sachusetts passed an act making Joseph Bradley, Benjamin F. Varnum, Ezekiel Cheever, Abijah Fox, Ezekiel Fox, Peter Hazleton and others, a body corporate as the Central Bridge Corporation. The ferry was purchased by the new corporation, and the bridge was so far completed during this and the fol- lowing season that tolls corresponding to those at Pawtucket Bridge were collected before the close of the year 1826. The original cost of the bridge was about $21,000. The tolls for foot-travel were abol- ished in 1843. The bridge was rebuilt in 1844, and covered in 1849. The cost of rebuilding was $9000, and of covering, $4000.1

Lowell .was incorporated during the building of this bridge, i.e., March 1, 1826.

After the work of building the original bridge was nearly completed, the following account of it ap- peared in the Merrimack Journal, under date of De- cember 15, 1826.

"NEW BRIDGE.

" The Central Bridge now erecting across the Merrimack at this place, is so nearly completed as to be passable. It is built on the principle of the brace and the arch ; is five hundred feet in length, and stands on the abutments and two piers. The span of the centre arch is one hundred and eighty feot ; of the two outer arches, one hundred and sixty feet each. The traveled way is divided into two parts, with the walks on each side. The timbers are all secured from water. The work appears to have beon judiciously planned by the architect, Luke S. Rand, Esq., and handsomely executed under his direction. The expense of erecting it will probably amount to $16,000, but the rapid growth of this place warrants the conclusion that the enterprising proprietors will find it a profitable investment of capital. Two stage-coaches cross it daily already, one to Haverhill and Dover, and one to Londonderry." 2

In 1885 the bridge was laid out as a public highway by the City Council of Lowell, and damages of one

dollar awarded. The Bridge Corporation made a firm and resolute resistance, and the result was an expen- sive lawsuit of some seven years duration. 3 At last a verdict was rendered by consent, in 1862, of $33,- 958.51 for the Bridge Company, which included inter- est and cost of suit. Dracut paid of this sum $7865, and Lowell the remainder. During the various trials, counsel for the city were A. P. Bonney, T. H. Sweet- ser and B. F. Butler ; for the Bridge Company, Rufus Choate, Daniel S. Richardson, J. G. Abbott and Ben- jamin Dean.

The bridge was again rebuilt in 1862, at an expense of $33,818.33, and this bridge was burned Aug. 5, 1882. It has been replaced by a fine bridge, the superstructure of which is iron, built by the Morse Bridge Company, of Youngstown, Ohio, for the sum of $51,590. This, with the piers, abutments, etc., built by W. H. Ward, of Lowell, for $59,000, amounts to $110,590. It is estimated that, with incidentals, the whole expense was not far from $115,000.

TEMPERANCE .- The subject of temperance began to be agitated in Dracut in 1828, and many of our best and most enterprising men joined in the move- ment in favor of temperance reform.

The American Temperance Society had been formed in Boston two years earlier (February, 1826), and a weekly paper called the National Philanthropist had been established there, but afterwards removed to New York, and another one was soon after started, called The Journal of Humanity, edited by Rev. Edward W. Hooker.

The temperance work was under the leadership of such men as Rev. Justin Edwards, of Andover ; Rev. Nathaniel Hewett, of Fairfield, Conn .; Rev. Lyman Beecher, of Litchfield, Conn .; Jeremiah Day, D.D., president of Yale College, and others; and in most towns throughout the State temperance societies had been formed as early as 1830. In 1831 there were re- ported nineteen State societies, comprising 3000 local societies, with more than 300,000 members. Maine, Alabama, Louisiana, Illinois and Missouri were the only States in which a State society had not been formed at that time.

The first temperance society in this vicinity was formed in Lowell in 1829. The late Hon. John A. Knowles was secretary of the first meeting called to organize it. Elisha Glidden was the first president, Elisha Huntington the second, John A. Kuowles the third, and William Austiu the fourth. The first tem - perance society in Dracut was formed in 1830, Joseph Butterfield Varnum president. In 1834 the young men formed a society. Timothy V. Coburn was president, Jesse Clement vice-president, George W. Coburn secretary and Abel Coburn treasurer. Soon after this society went into operation the young ladies formed one of which Miss Sarah Ann Blood was president. Each of these societics numbered about a

1Cowley's " Ilist. Lowell."

2 " Hist. Central Bridge," by Alfred Gilman, contrib. to Old Residents' Historical Ass'n. Vol. II, No. 3.

3 Gray Reports.

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hundred, and they were finally united as one organ- ization. Temperance addresses and essays were made at their meetings, and some effective tem- perance work was done. An influence was exerted which is felt to this day among our citizens. Before this movement began, in 1828, the use of distilled liquors was universal, and moderate drinking was considered no disgrace. Liquors were used on all public occasions, even at ordinations and funerals. A clergyman, settled in 1818, informs us that at his ordination, among more than twenty ministers present, only one refused to take his grog at the proper time, nor was it deemed inconsistent with Christian char- acter and experience, and it would have been con- sidered a serious breach of etiquette not to have it provided for all in attendance. Quite a change in sentiment has taken place since that time.

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History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 73

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