History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. III, Part 145

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & co
Number of Pages: 1278

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BUCKMINSTER'S LEASE .- Reserving the common lands at the southwesterly part of the town, and 600 acres on Nobscot and Doeskin Ilill (the former for the use of all his tenants, and the latter for the bene- fit of his heirs), and excepting the farms of Winch and Frost, and the Mellens, Mr. Danforth in May, 1693, executed a lease for 999 years of the balance of his Framingham lands, to Joseph White, of Roxbury, and Joseph Buckminster, of Muddy River. Owing to failure on the part of the lessees to pay the annual rental, this lease was canceled, and another lease to Buckminster alone, was executed March 25, 1699, running 999 years, the annual rental being twenty- two pounds current money.

Two CLASSES OF LAND TITLES .-- All the lands ly- ing easterly of Sudbury River were held by right of grant from the General Court, or purchase of the In- dians, and confirmation by the Court ; while the title to the west side lands included in Mr. Dauforth's grants, is derived from a lease running 999 years.

FIRST SETTLERS .- Only a part of the men who received grants of land within our territory became actual settlers. The first man to build upon our soil was John Stone, who removed from Sudbury (now Wayland), and put up a house at Otter Neck, on the west side of Sudbury river, in 1646 or 1647. By what right he held or claimed the land here is not known- probably that of squatter sovereignty,-but so far as appears, no one questioned his title.

The next settler was Henry Rice, who received a deed and built a house on his father's grant in 1659. John Bent bought land of llenry Rice, came on in 1662, and built near the fordway over Cochituate Brook, on the west side of the Okl Connecticut Patlı. Thomas Eames settled near Mt. Wayte in 1669. Joseph Bradish was here at this date, but his location is unknown. Two of John Stone's sons, Daniel and David, settled near their father as early as 1667. And these were probably all the inhabitants living within our limits when Philip's War broke out and put a

stop to settlements. These families were all fron Sudbury, and are denominated in deeds and other of- ficial documents, "Sudbury Out-Dwellers," or "Sud- bury Farmers."

The first recognition of the place by the colonial government as in a sense a distinct plantation, is in 1675, when Framingham was taxed a country rate of one pound, and was required to furnish one soldier for the country's service.

The death of King Philip in 1676, and the killing in battle or hanging of the principal hostile chiefs, and the destruction of the Indian villages and strong- holds, gave assurance of a permanent peace, and set- tiers began to come on in considerable numbers. But for twelve years the new-comers were Sudbury people, and (except the Stones) located on the east side of the river, and on the Fames, Rice, and Gookin and How grants. John Death bought one-half of the Benj. Rice land in 1673, but did not build till 1677. His house stood near the Beaver Dam. Thomas Gleason had bought the north half of the same land in 1673, and located near the pond which bears his name, in 1678. In 1676 or 1678 John Eames and Zachariah Paddleford took up lots on their father Eames' grant, and with their father became inhabit- ants. John Pratt aud Thomas Pratt, Jr., settled on Pratt's Plain at the same date; and in 1679 Isaac Learned settled south of Learned's Pond.

About 1687, when Mr. Danforth had matured and made known his plans for disposing of his lands by long leases, settlers began to locate on the west side of Farm Pond, and on the west side of Sudbury River. The Whitneys and the Mellens, from Water- town, settled on Danforth land in 1687 or 1688; George Walkup, Stephen Jennings and John Shears were in possession of lands near Nobscot in 1689 ; the Havens, from Lynn, came on in 1690; Samuel Winch was here at that date; Thomas Frost built south of Nobscot as early as 1693; the Nurse, Clayes,. Bridges, Elliot and Barton families settled at Salem End in the spring of the same year. All these lo- cated on Danforth land.

And these last named, as well as the settlers for the next ten years, came on mostly in groups. The Salem End families came from Salem Village (Dan- vers) ; the Pikes, Winches, Boutwells and Eatons came from Reading. Bowen, the llemenways, Sea- ver, Pepper, Heath, etc., came from Roxbury. John Town, the first to locate near the Centre Village, came from Essex County, and was allied by marriage to the Salem End families.

Settlers came on rapidly, particularly upon the west side lands, after 1690; so that at the date of Mr. Danforth's death, in November, 1699, there were in all about seventy families located in our territory, and a population of near 350 souls. Eleven houses had been built at Rice's End, fifteen on Pratt's Plain and Sherborn Row, ten on Mellen's Neck and southward, twelve at Salem End, seven on Pike Row and the

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road to Southborough, and twelve at North Framing- ham, including Stone's End.

A romantic as well as tragic interest attaches to the colony that located at Salem End. As before stated, these families came from Danvers, then called Salem Village, where they were involved in the strange complications and sad results of the witcheraft delu- sion. Rebecca (Town) Nurse, the wife of Francis, and mother of Benjamin and Sarah (Town) Clayes, the wife of Peter, were sisters, and were among the earliest of the accused victims and sufferers. They were committed to the prison in Boston, March 1, 1692. Mrs. Nurse was the mother of eight children and was an honored member of the old church in

Salem. At her trial, the evidence against her was so weak that the jury twice failed to convict ; but on a third return to court, because she failed to give satisfactory answers to certain questions which they proposed, they brought her in guilty. It was after- wards shown that from deatness, she had failed to fully comprehend the proposed questions. She was executed July 19, 1692.

The wife of Peter Clayes was tried, and found guilty, and condemned to death. In August she was committed to the jail at Ipswich, to await execution. Her husband was allowed to visit her in prison, and spent much of his time there. And in some way she found means to escape, and was concealed by her friends till the removal to Framingham, the next spring. As the witchcraft frenzy abated in the fall of 1692, probably the authorities were not anxious to recapture the fugitive. Mrs. Clayes was the mother, by her first husband, Edmond Bridges, of Benjamin and Caleb Bridges, who were of the Salem End Colony. It should be said to his credit, that Gov. Danforth was largely instrumental in allaying the witchcraft excitement, and stopping convictions by the court.

INCORPORATION OF THE TOWN .- The first move- ment of the settlers, looking to incorporation into a township, was made March 2, 1692-93. The names attached to the petition are of men dwelling at Rice's End, South Framingham and Park's Corner, i.e., east side settlers. The intention evidently was to have the centre village of the new town on Pratt's Plain (now the State muster grounds), and attain, by grant. or otherwise, the "wilderness land," i.e., Danforth's farms, lying to the westward. But Mr. Danforth bad already conceived the plan of bringing his large landed estate under settlement and into town privi- leges, and the east side scheme failed.

That first petition has important historical value, and is here inserted :

"'I'be Petition of their Majties subjects now Dwelling upon sundry ffarines granted in those Remote lands scittuate and lyeing betweene Sudbury, Concord, Marlbury, Natick and Sherborne, and westerly is the willderness-

" Humbly Sheweth

" That your petitioners some of us have there dwelt neer fforty Yeares, And have from time to time lucreased our numbers, And more

especially of Late, Soe that now wee are about fforty ffamilies, Some haveing built and some building, And wee hope may sincerely say that wee bave endeavored to attend the Worship of God, Some of ns att one Towne & some att anotber as wee best might, butt by Reason of our remoteness, four flive and some six miles from any Meeting-honse, Are nacapable to carry our ffamilyes with us nor yett to sanctifie God's Sab- batbs as wee ought besides many other inconveniences (Inevitable) in our present circumstances. Aod there being Lands Adjacent that might well accommodate more ffamilyes lyeing partly in Natick bounds, the Indians to whome it belongs being mostly gone some by death and others removed elsewhere, and our westerly bounds being the wilder_ ness, Soe that wee have a prospect If this Honbl Conrt shall favour this our bumble address, That our numbers will be ffurther Increased, where- by wee may be enabled to carry on the worship ot God & have the bene- fitt of prudentiall order among ourselves

" The Premises Considered

" Yor petitioners doe therefore humbly request ye favour of yor exellency and this Honbl Court, That by the authority of this Court we may be made a Township & have the order and privileges that have beene accustomed to others in our circumstances i.e. Some Easement in our Taxes that wee may the better bee enabled to carry on our publick Town charges ; That some addition may bee grauted ns out of the wil- derness adjacent, And in case the Honbl Court shall see reason to Ly- cence Natick Indians to make sale of any part of their Large Plantation that wee may have liberty to purchase those Lands that will bee accom- modable to this place."

Signed by John Bent, Benjamin Whitney, John Eames, Thomas Gleason, Isaac Learned, John How, Thomas Pratt, David Stone, David Rice, Thomas Drury, Nathaniel Ilaven and twenty others.

The next move was made by west side settlers in 1694-95. This was checkmated by Sherborn, which started a plan looking to the annexation of Rice's End and Pratt's Plain to that town.

In 1697 a petition-largely signed by both east-side and west-side inhabitants-was blocked by the Sud- bury farmers living near Cochituate Pond.

These conflicting interests were hard to be adjusted. Sudbury had contributed some of her best men as settlers on these lands, and still exercised a quasi jurisdiction over the northeasterly portion, under the title of Sudbury Farms. Sherborn had naturally drawn the settlers who dwelt around Farm Pond towards her meeting-house, received them to her church and conferred civil and political privileges in consideration of taxes for the support of publie wor- ship. Her opposition to a new town here was most determined and persistent and potent. And when, after a struggle of seven years, it became evident that the new township was to be erected, she secured the insertion of a clause in the act of incorporation, " saving unto Sherborn all their rights of land granted by the General Court to the first inhabitants, and those since purchased by exchange with the Indians of Natick or otherwise." This clause gave rise to a legal contest of nine years' duration, the double tax- ing of several families, much bad feeling, and was only ended by the Legislature granting unto the town of Sherborn "4000 acres of wilderness country land where they can find it any way convenient for said town, in compensation for these seventeen fami- lies."

The act incorporating the town of Framingham bears date June 25, 1700.

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At this time there were thirty-three houses on the westerly, and thirty-one on the easterly side of the river. The number of inhabitants was " above three hundred and fifty souls."

NO CENTRAL VILLAGE-SITE .- A peculiarity of our town is, that there is no central point marked out by nature as the village-site, to which all material and social interests easily gravitate. The geographical centre was broken, swampy land, inconvenient for roads and uninviting for settlement. The original meeting-house site, in the old cemetery, was pitched upon, because it accommodated the more thickly set- tled ont-districts, viz., Rice's End, Pratt's Plain, Park's Corner and Salem End ; and because it was nearer to Sherborn Row (now South Framingham) than the Sherborn meeting-house was, and thus would bring these families within the statute which required all settlers to seek civil and religious privileges in the town to whose meeting-house their residence was nearest. The site of the present Central village was selected as a compromise of conflicting interests, with which nobody was quite satisfied. The lands most eligible for homesteads and for cultivation were dis- tant from this point, and were distant from each other. And what added to the difficulty of centralizing and uniting our early population was the fact that these detached clusters of settlers were each a little centre of its own in previous associations and social ties. The Stones were a power by themselves, and were given places of honor in Sudbury church and town, to which they were strongly attached. The same was true of the families at Rice's End. The Pratt's Plain settlers had received like favor from Sherborn church and town. The Bigelows, Learneds, Whitneys and Mellens had common associations formed while they lived in Watertown. The Havens were large land- holders, and were somewhat isolated. The Salem End families had been mutual sufferers from the witchcraft delusions and judicial trials at Danvers, and had taken refuge and found a peaceful home in this then wilderness land. The Reading and the Roxbury colonies, which located in the northerly part of the plantation, had each its separate interest and ties. The selection by Col. Buckminster of his homestead farm in the upper valley of Baiting Brook, naturally brought his old neighbors to locate near him, and to consult his wishes and follow his lead.

And the fact that the settlers on the east side of the river held their lands in fee simple, while the settlers on Danforth lands had only leases, was a cir- cumstance, perhaps trival in itself, but which had its influence in separating interests. The leased farms held several valuable riglits in common, from which the east-side settlers were debarred. Mr. Danforth was a man of large views and well-defined aims. He planned to build up a township of enterprising men by leasing the land on easy terms, and securing to each tenant a right of pasturage and fuel in the reserved commons, which embraced a tract of about

5000 acres. In addition, Mr. Danforth set apart a large tract "for the benefit of the ministry."

The diverse social elements were slow in assimilat- ing, were often agitated by disturbing influences, and once came perilously nearer a destructive ex - plosion. The ministerial lands were the subject of unchristian contention, and the commons, which were intended to be a band of nnion and mutual advantage, became a field for individual avarice and over-reaching.

FIRST MEETING-HOUSE .- To meet the needs of the many families who coukl not go to the neiglibor- ing towns to attend public Sabbath worship, and to strengthen their appeal to the Legislature for an act of incorporation, our settlers proceeded, in the sun- mer of 1698, to erect the frame of a meeting-house, and cover it in. This house stood on the high land in the east central part of the old cemetery. As originally built, it was in size thirty by forty feet, and two stories high, fronting the south. It was so far finished that Sabbath services were held in it the next year. It was boarded and clapboarded, but not painted. The windows on the front side were of uniform size, and in regular order; on the ends, and north side, they were put in where, and of such size, as individual pew-owners pleased-probably many of them without frames. Originally there was one large double door in front; but individuals were allowed, or took the liberty, to cut doors at the ends and north side, wherever most convenient to reach their re- spective pews.

Inside, the walls were unfinished. The pulpit stood on the north side, opposite the great door. A gallery extended across the ends and front side-the east end and half the front was called the "women's gallery," and reached by the " women's stairs," at the southeast corner ; the west end and half the front was called the " men's gallery," and reached by the men's stairs," from the southwest corner. \ "bar" across the centre of the front gallery indicated the dividing line, which was not to be crossed by either sex. Long seats of the rudest construction ran around the galleries, next the walls, and in front.

On the lower floor were two bodies of seats, or benches, separated by an alley-the cast range al- lotted to the women, the west to the men. The dea- cons' seat was in front of the pulpit. Under the galleries were long seats, running parallel with the walls. By special vote of the town, individuals were allowed to take away portions of these long seats, and build pews, against the walls, six feet by four and one-half or five.

The site selected was "the most accommodable spot" on the ministerial land for the scattered popu- lation. It brought "the seventeen families " nearer to a place of worship than Sherborn meeting-house. The cast side settlers gravitated to the Great Bridge by easy paths from Rice's End and Sherborn Row. The people from Nobscot and Stone's End had paths

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HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

to Pike's Row, and thence by the Edgell place on nearly a straight line to the meeting-house. A road from the Hemenways through Temple Street, met the road from Salem End on the present R. W. Whiting place, which then ran east past the house of C. J. Frost, about twenty rods east of which it received the path from the Mellen and Haven neighborhoods, and then led direct to the meeting-house.

THE FIRST MINISTER .- August 21, 1700. The town made overtures to Mr. John Swift, of Milton, then supplying the pulpit, to continue their minister, offering him, in case he should be settled "one hundred acres of land and ten acres of meadow." [The land comprised the tract, whose boundaries extended from the bridge by the old cemetery, southwesterly to Duek Pond and the southern deelivity of Bare Hill ; thenee southerly to Sudbury River; thence as the river runs to the bridge aforesaid.]

May 22, 1701. The town " voted to give a call to Mr. John Swift to abide and settle with us, the in- habitants of Framingham, as our legal minister." Chose Abial Lamb, David Rice, Benjamin Bridges, John Town, John Haven, Peter Cloyee, Sen., Sam- uel Winch and Thomas Drury to give the eall in be- half of the inhabitants.

" Voted, To give Mr. Swift, in addition to the land and meadow, £60 in money yearly, and find him in his wood (thirty-five cords); to fence in twenty acres, with a good ditch where it is ditchable, and where it can't he ditched to set up a good five-rail fence ; and also to give £100 towards the building of a house, one-fifth of the same in money."

The church was organized, and a pastor ordained October 8, 1701.

Externally, the meeting-house was not attractive, nor was it very comfortable within. But all the peo- ple had helped to build it, and all loved it as their sanctuary, and as marking the "God's Acre" where their dead were buried. With a small enlargement in 1715, it met the wants of the first generation of settlers, but the second generation and the new eomers demanded something better, and with great unanimity in 1725 voted to build a new house on the old spot. Through the opposition of a minority, actuated by ideas of location, and in part by a purpose of land speculation, the building was delayed, and the question of location eame near splitting the town asunder, and actually rent the church in twain.

1733. A presentment was issued by the Superior Court against the town, for not having a decent meet- ing-house in said town.

build a pulpit, a body of long seats below, leaving an alley between the men's and women's seats, lay the floors, make seats in the lower gallery, and two pair of stairs (men's and women's) to said gallery. The space next the walls under the galleries was reserved for pews.

The new meeting-honse, though standing literally "in the woods," and surrounded by swamps, became a potent factor in town affairs, and as a converging point for the town highways ; and between 1735 and 1745 these were readjusted and laid out in the main as they exist at present.

The population had increased from 350 to 900. The appropriations for ordinary town expenses in 1745 were £735, old tenor-£200 for highways, £300 for preaching, £135 for schools, £100 for incidentals.

The first pastor, Mr. Swift, died April 25, 1745. Ilis successor, Mr. Matthew Bridge, was ordained February 19, 1746. The town granted him a settle- ment of £600, old tenor, and a yearly salary of £260. The expenses of his ordination were £109 88. 2d .; including £96 98. 4d. for keeping the ministers and messengers two days ; £3 18s. ; for chickens, £10 28. for beef and £6 3s. for tavern bills.

As a result of the contest about the ministerial land, growing out of the elaim and seizure of said lands by the lessee of Mr. Danforth, a divided sentiment had obtained in the church, aggravated by difficulties with the first pastor. The settlement of a new minis- ter was the occasion of the culmination of the alienated feeling. The majority was uncompromising, and the minority seceded and took steps which led to the organization of a second Congregational Church in October, 1746. A small meeting-house was built, and Mr. Solomon Reed was ordained pastor of the new church in January, 1747. The new organization numbered over eighty members, and maintained a separate existence about ten years, when a part re- turned to the old church and a part united in forming the First Baptist Society in Framingham.

EMIGRATIONS .- Framingham contributed largely of her enterprising inhabitants towards the planting of colonies at several new centres. A considerable number of our citizens became grantees of Oxford in 1713. Among them were Town, Barton, Elliott, Larned, Gleason, Lamb and Stone. Some Mellen, How and Haven families removed to Hopkinton be- tween 1715 and 1720. The Bents, Stevenses, Stones and Howes were among the early settlers of Rutland. Others become incorporated with Holliston in 1724, with Shrewsbury in 1727, with Grafton near the same date and with Templeton a few years later.

THE SECOND MEETING-HOUSE Was built in 1735. It stood at the northeast corner of the centre Common, (just inside the present fenee), fronting south. Size fifty-five by forty-two feet, thirty feet between joints. Had three stories. Doors on south, east and west IN THE WARS .- The following Framingham names are found on the rolls of the expedition to Canada in 1690: John Jones, Francis Moquet, Daniel Maek Clafelin, Joseph Trinnbull, Caleb Bridges, Daniel Mixer, Daniel Stone, Jr., Samuel Wesson, Jacob Gibbs. They enlisted in the Sudbury company, and sides. £550 was granted to build the house, and finish [the outside-though it was not painted till 1772. £350 was granted, at different times, for finish- ing the inside of the house. The pulpit was on the north side, and double galleries extended around the other three sides. The committee was instructed to 1 were sharers in the grant known as the Sudbury-

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Canada Grant of 1741, which was located in Maine, embracing the present towns of Canton and Jay. The survivors of this company, while prosecuting their claim in 1741, met several times at Mr. Moqnet's tavern in Framingham.

FORTS AND GARRISON-HOUSES .- The war known as Queen Anne's War came on soon after the incor- poration of the town. It was declared in May, 1702, and terminated by the treaty of Utrecht, March 30, 1713. This was a period of general alarm, in which Framingham participated; though few of our men were drafted into the service. In the expedition to Port Royal, September 16, 1710, Joseph Buckminister was captain of grenadiers in sir Charles Hobby's regiment, and sailed in the brigantine " Henrietta." Others from Framingham in this expedition were David Rice, died April 20, 1711; Jonathan Proven- der ; Benjamin Provender, died January 21, 1711; Joseph Adams.

Ample precautions were taken to meet hostile visits from the Indians, who scourged the frontiers. A sentry was posted on the top of Bare hill, during the time of public worship, on the Sabbath, to give alarm, in case of the appearance of the savages. Several forts or garrisons were built in different parts of the town, by neighbors clubbing together for mutual pro- tection. From the vote of the town in 1710, for dis- tributing the ammunition, it is probable that at that date there were not less than four such garrisons. The location of three of them is known. One stood near the then house of Joseph Buckminster, a little to the southeast of the present house of E. F. Bowditch; another at Salem End, between the present houses of James Fenton and Dr. Peter Parker, on the north side of the brook; a third on Mellen's Neck, to the north of Joseph A. Merriam's. The fourth was prob- ably located near the south end of Learned's l'ond. The Salem End fort was built of logs, with a watch- box above the roof at the gable end, and was sur- rounded by long pickets firmly set in the ground. This outer defence had a heavy plank gate, hung on wooden hinges. There was a stoned-np cellar under- neath, where food could be stored, and a well just outside the gate. When an alarm was sounded, all the families within reach hurried to the fort. It is a current tradition, that on a dark night, when the neighboring families were collected here, with two watchmen in the sentry-box, the dogs gave warning that an enemy was near. The sentries fired in the direction whence the sounds came, and the alarm ceased. The next morning, blood was discovered near the gate, and tracked across the swale to near the Badger farm.

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History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. III, Part 145

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & co Number of Pages: 1278

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & co
Number of Pages: 1278