History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. III, Part 148

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

USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. III > Part 148

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After the 17th the several regiments went into camp at different points. Colonel David Brewer remained at Roxbury through the season, where he probably died late in the autumn. Colonel Jonathan Brewer's regiment was stationed at Prospect Hill. He re- mained here till November 16th, when, by some new arrangement of companies, he was requested to trans- fer the command of his regiment to Colonel Asa Whitcomb. For this graceful act he was thanked by the l'rovincial Congress; and General Washington issued an order the same day : "That Col, Jonathan Brewer be appointed Barrack Master untill something better worth his acceptance conld be provided." He held this appointment till the army moved to New York the next year. Colonel John Nixon and his regiment went into camp on Winter 1fill, where he remained until March, 1776, and probably held the post till the army moved to New York. He was com-

missioned brigadier-general August 9, 1776, and was put in command of Governor's Island. On the evac- nation of New York City his brigade moved up the North River and took a leading part in the campaign of 1777 against Burgoyne; was at Stillwater Septem- ber 19th, and at Saratoga October 11th. General Nixon was a member of the court-martial for the trial of General Schuyler October 1, 1778. Owing to ill- health, occasioned by his wonnds and his long-con- tinued service in camp and field, he felt compelled to resign his commission; and September 10, 1780, he received an honorable discharge.

On the promotion of Colonel John Nixon, his brother, Thomas Nixon, was put in command of the regiment. He took an active part in the campaign against Burgoyne, and was stationed at various im- portant points on the North River from 1777 to the close of the war, when he was honorably discharged. Captain Micajalı Gleason followed the fortunes of his colonel, and was killed at White Plains in the fall (October 28th), of 1776.

An order was issued by the Council of War, De- cember 1, 1775, for raising 5000 men "to defend the fortifications at Cambridge and Roxbury." In re- sponse Captain Simon Edgell raised a company of thirty-three men and reported for duty at Roxbury, where he was in service six weeks. Immediately on his return he raised a company of eighty-five men, and served at Cambridge till April 1st. In command of a company of seventy-eight men, he marched for Ticonderoga, August 15, 1776, and was in service till December 4th. The company was attached to Colonel Samuel Brewer's regiment. Captain Edgell was in. service in Rhode Island in 1778.

Sergeant Frederick Manson and a squad of ten Framingham men were in service at Noddle's Island from June 19 to December 2, 1776. As sergeant- major he and Drum-Major Joshna Eaton were in the battle of Stillwater, September 19, 1777.

Captain Joseph Winch raised a company of ninety men, and marched August 14, 1777, ria Bennington, for service in the Northern Department, and was out till December 10th. This company took part in the battles of Stillwater and Saratoga.

Lieutenant Jonathan Temple, of this town, enlisted in Captain John Walton's company, Colonel E. Brooks' regiment, and was in service on the North River through the year 1776.

Captain John Trowbridge was in service "in the Jersies " for three months, in 1777. Uriah Rice was a member of the company.

In the campaign of 1777 Framingham had, in the regular service (not including Colonel T. Nixon), nine commissioned officers, viz. : Captain John Gleason, Lieutenants Peter Clayes, Charles Dougherty, Micah Dougherty, Cornelius Claflin, Samuel Frost, Nathan Drury, Jonathan Maynard, Luther Trowbridge.

The First Three- Years' Men .- By a resolve of Janu- ury, 1777, the towns were required to furnish a quota

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of men, enlisted or drafted for three years, to be at- tached to the regular army. Framingham enlisted fifty-three men under this call.

In Colonel Abner Perry's regiment of militia, or- dered to Rhode Island on an alarm, July 27, 1780, were Lieutenant-Colonel John Trowbridge, Major John Gleason, Adjutant James Mellen, Jr., Quarter- master Frederick Manson, of this town. In addition, same service, were Captain Nathan Drury and thirty- six men, Captain David Brewer and twenty-three men, Captain Lawson Buckminster and forty-nine men. Lieutenant John Mayhew and thirteen men were in service in Rhode Island from June 3d to Sep- tember 30th.

Lieutenant Peter Clayes, promoted to be captain, and ten Framingham men served during the last years of the war in Colonel Thomas Nixon's regiment. Lieutenant James Mellen and thirty-four men were in Captain Staples Chamberlain's company, on a forty days' expedition to Tiverton, R. I., in the spring of 1781.

Lieutenant Joshua Trowbridge and seven Framing- ham men were iu service July 5th to November 30, 1781.

Under the call of December 2, 1780, for "the last three-years' men," this town raised forty-three men ; of these twenty-seven were re-enlistments, or those who originally enlisted for the war. The difficulty of raising these men is seen from the fact that the town voted to raise £50,000 to hire soldiers. The committee was authorized to agree to pay the men in money or cattle, and to pay the advance wages before they should march. The following receipt shows the large bounties paid :

" Wa the subscribers having enlisted ourselves into the Continental Army for the term of Three Years, and do hereby acknowledge to have received of the Town of Framingham for that aervice, the sum of one hundred dollars hard money per year-We say, Received by 118, " April 16, 1781.

" ABEL BENSON. "JOHN FREEMAN. "JAMES DOSE.

" SOLOMON NEWTON.

"EPHRAIM NEWTON. "NATHANIEL PRATT. "JOHN PRATT.

" EPHRAIM PRATT."

1780. Beef .- " October 16. Capt. Joseph Eames, Lieut. Samuel Gleason, Jr., and Lieut. Joseph Mixer were chosen a committee to purchase the Beef now called for to sapply the army ; and the town granted the sum of £17,000 to pay for the same, which sum was ordered to be put into the next town rate."

" November 27. Another order for Beef for the army was issued. The amount required of Framing- ham was thirty-one hundred weight. And December 4th, a further order required 21,431 pounds. And the town granted the sum of £35,000 to purchase the Beef now called for."

blankets for the use of the army. The bill was as follows :

" The Selectmen of Framingham Dr.

To 39 pairs of shoes @@ £40 old tenor £1560

To 39 pairs of hose 24 old tenor 936

To 39 paira of shirts 40 old tenor 1560

To 19 blankets

95 old tenor 1805

£5861

Chargea for collerting said clothing 261

Chargea for transporting the same 60

£6182

" Allowed £6182 old currency, which is equal to £154.11, new emia- sion billa."

In June an order was received requiring the town to furnish 8854 lbs. of Beef for the army; and the sum of £220, new emission, was granted to pay for the same.

DEATHS .- The following is a list of the men from this town who died in service during the Revolution- ary War. Probably it is not complete; for it is a singular fact that, with few exceptions, the company and regimental rolls, now preserved, contain no detailed record of casualties. The only reference to such is to give in figures the number of the dead, wounded and missing.

Cæsar Boston, died ; carved 21 montha and 2 daye.

Rev. Matthew Bridge, died of dysentery. Capt. Elijah Cleyes, died at White Plaina, 1776.

David Cutting, wounded, and perished in a burning barn.

Samuel Eames, died of disease.

Corniog Fairbanks, killed at Bunker Hill.

Francia Gallot, died at Stillwater.

John Gallot, died of disease.

Charles Gatea, died of disease.

Capt. Micajah Gleason, killed at White Plains, October 28, 1776.

David Haven, killad near Saratoga, October 8, 1777.

Isaac Hemenway, died January 31, 1778.

Job Houghton, died 1779.

Moses Learned, Jr., died September 17, 1782.

Daniel Maxwell, killed ; aerved 27 months and 17 days.

Nathan Mixer, killed in battle at Bennington.

Solomon Newton, Sr., died in 1782.

Josiah Nurse, d. at Seaconk, R. I., Septemiher, 1778.

Joho Pike, Jr., died of disease.

Mosee Pike, killed August 28, 1775.

Jonathan Rice, died of disease.

John Holbrook Rice, died at Danbury, Ct.

Petar Rice, Jr., died at Hackensack, September 15, 1780.

Joseph Tample, died of disease.

Josiah Waite, died of disease.

Ephraitu Whitney, k. by accident, September 16, 1775. Jonathan Whitney, killed in battle.

Captivity of Lieut. Jonathan Maynard .- Jonathan Maynard, of this town, then a student in Harvard College, enlisted in the eight months' service April 24, 1775, in Capt Thomas Drury's company. June 17th, he was with his company at the battle of Bunker Hill. The next year he went with the army to New York, and was in the campaign of '76 and'77 on the North River, and in the battles of Stillwater and Saratoga. In 1778, he was lieutenant in one of the companies in Col. Ichabod Alden's Seventh Mass. Regiment, Gen. J. Nixon's brigade. While Alden's regiment was stationed at or near West Point, viz., May

1781. February 1st. The town was called upon to furnish a quantity of shoes, stockings, shirts and [ 30, 1778, Lieut. Maynard with a small party went out

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HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

on a foraging excursion to a considerable distance from the camp, when they were set upon by a scout- ing band of Indians, and after a sharp skirmish taken prisoners. They were conducted for a distance of several miles away from the American lines, when a halt was made, and all but the lieutenant were toma- hawked and scalped. As he wore a sword, he was considered a great prize, and was conducted to the camp of Brant, their chieftain. The precise locality of this chief's camp at this date has not not been ascertained.

After a brief consultation, it was decided to burn the captive. The fagots were collected, and he was tied to a tree, and the fire was ready to be kindled. Though a stranger to all in the group, and ignorant of the fact that the Indian chief was a Free Mason, as his last hope, Lient. Maynard gave the Master Mason's sign of distress. The sign was recognized by Brant, who was standing hy ; and he ordered the execution to be postponed. Maynard was put under guard ; and in due time, with other prisoners, was sent to Quebec. He was held in captivity here till De- cember 26, 1780, when he was exchanged.

Lieut. Maynard rejoined his company at West Point, January 4, 1781. His old colonel, Allen, had been killed by the Indians at Cherry Valley, Novem- ber 11, 1778, and the regiment was in command of Col. John Brooks. Maynard received his lieuten- ant's pay of £8 per month for the full time of his captivity. A few weeks after his return, i. e., January 25, 1781, he was promoted to the captaincy of his company (his commission is dated February 22d), and continued in the service at various points on the North River, and as recruiting officer, till November 19, 1782, when he resigned and received an honorable discharge.

Peter Salem .- He is sometimes called Salem Mid- dlesex. lle was a slave, originally owned by Capt. Jeremiah Belknap. He was admitted to the church under the half-way covenant Aug. 16, 1760. He was sold by Capt. B. to Major Lawson Buckminster, be- fore the war. He served as a minute man in Capt. Edgell's company April 19, '75. April 24th he enlisted in Capt. Thomas Drury's company for the eight months' service. He enlisted for three years Jan. I, 1777; and re-enlisted April 16, 1782, for a like term.

As no slave could be mustered into the army, his enlistment by consent of his master worked a practi- cal emancipation. And there is no doubt, from the well-known patriotism of Major Buckminster, that he cheerfully assented to the enlistment.

Peter served faithfully as a soldier, during the war, most of the time in Col. Thomas Nixon's regiment, and as the colonel's body servant. Ile was in the battle of Bunker Hill June 17, 1775. During the action he, with others, was sent from Capt. Drury's company, as a support to Col. Prescott in the re- doubt. Hle reached the redoubt just as Prescott's men had spent their last powder ; and with a single

charge in his gun, and perhaps another in his powder- horn. Just then, in the language of Judge Maynard, " ] saw a British officer . . come up with some pomp, and he cried out, 'Surrender, you -- rebels !' But Prescott . made a little motion with his hand, and that was the last word the Briton spoke ; he fell at once." There is a concurrence of testi- mony which leaves no doubt that this shot was fired by Peter Salem. Major Pitcairn fell into the arms of his son, who bore him off to his boat, and thence to a house in Prince Street, Boston, where he died. The loss of so gallant an officer at this critical moment formed one of the most touching incidents of that eventful day.

At the close of the war, in 1783, Peter married Katy Benson, a granddaughter of Nero, and built a small house on land then owned by Peter Rice, on the exact spot where now stands the dwelling-house of Moses M. Fiske, near Sucker Pond. He lived here till 1792 or '93. But his marriage proved an unhappy one ; and Peter left his native town and settled in Leicester.

On his return to Framingham, Peter was not treated in all respects like the common poor ; but to the credit of his former masters be it recorded, that Maj. Lawson Buckminster and Capt. Jeremiah Belk- nap, together with Samuel Hemenway, gave a bond to the town " to support him during his natural life." He died at the house of William Walkup, Sen., Aug. 16, 1816, and was buried in the north central part of the old cemetery, where a suitable monument has lately beeu erected by the town to his memory.

It is a fact of interest, as illustrating the prevalent sentiment of the time, and as a contrast with the pres- ent, that the men who were trusted with the lead of public affairs at the opening of the Revolution had reached, or passed, the period commonly designated middle life. Thomas Temple, who was sent as a dele- gate of the town to attend the first general Convention in Faneuil Hall, to inaugurate resistance to the op- pressive measures of the British ministry, was 54 years old at the time of his election. Joseph Haven, chairman of the first Committee of Correspondence and delegate to the first Provincial Congress, was 76; Josiah Stone, his associate in hoth trusts, was 50; Dea. William Brown, also associated with them, was 51. Ebenezer Marshall, 53; Joseph Eames, 55 ; Benjamin Eaton, 51; John Farrar, 56; John Trow- bridge, 45; Dr. Ebenezer Hemenway, 65, were the active members of the more important committees. Joseph Nichols, the youngest of the political leaders, was 37. John Nixon was 48 when he led his minute- men to Concord in '75; Simon Edgell was 42; Thomas Drury was 40; Micajah Gleason, the junior among our military leaders that year, was 35.

Deaths by Lightning .- An incident occurred this year (1777) which made a lasting impression on the public mind. While Mr. Wheaton was supplying the pulpit, he negotiated for the purchase of a horse; and arranged with Mr. John Clayes, who lived at Salem

629

FRAMINGHAM.

End, where is now the L. O. Emerson house, to ex- amine and try the animal. June 3d, a little after noon, some of the neighbors came together to witness the trial. Besides Mr. Clayes, there were present Abraham Rice, Peter Parker, Simon Pratt and his son Ephraim. Mr. Parker mounted the horse, and had ridden to a considerable distance away, when a small cloud suddenly came up from the northwest. On his return, the company, who had been in the house during his absence, came out towards the road. A few drops of rain were at this moment falling. As Mr. Parker rode up, Mr. Clayes stepped outside the gate, leaving the others leaning against the fence within ; and just as he took the horse by the bridle, the lightning struck the party, and prostrated them all on the ground. Mr. Clayes, Mr. Rice and the horse were instantly killed. Mr. Parker lay as if dead, but gradually recovered consciousness, though a long time elapsed before he fully regained his health. The boy, who was standing a short distance from the rest, recovered immediately. Mr. Pratt came to slowly, and suffered from the stroke for a long time. Mr. Clayes was struck in the head, the fluid passing along the neck and breast and down both legs, leaving a well-defined mark, but not injuring his shoes. The horse was also struck in the head, and marks of the lightning were visible down both fore legs. The party all wore woolen clothes, and were all singed in body and dress. There was but this single flash of lightning from the cloud, and only a few drops of „rain. Mr. Rice was in his eightieth year, and Mr. Clayes was forty-one. The sad event was commemor- ated in an elegy written by Miss Lydia Learned, which was printed and widely circulated. Two stanzas are inscribed on the grave-stone, which may be found in the old cemetery.

Bounty Lund .- By an act of the Massachusetts Legislature passed in 1801, 200 acres of land in the Pro- vince of Maine were granted to such officers and sol- diers as enlisted in this State and served through the war. A large number of our men were entitled to this bounty land ; and probably many of them received it. It is known that three men, then living in Fram- ingham, received a title to land under this aet, viz. : Cato Hart, John Harvey and Isaac How.

Cato Hart, a negro, enlisted for the war February, 1777, in the Framingham quota ; was attached to the Seventh Continental Regiment, aud was honorably discharged at the disbanding of the army. His resi- dence in 1805 was in Mendon. IIe received a deed, dated August 6, 1805, of 200 acres of land, being Lot No. 12, in Mars Hill, near the boundary between Maine and New Brunswick, "for patriotic services rendered in the Revolutionary War." He assigned the deed to Jona. Maynard, Esq. The grant was in- cluded in the tract which was surrendered to Great Britain by the Ashburton Treaty of August 20, 1842. This lot, and the other granted lots and townships in- cluded within the said surrendered territory, were

recently surveyed and located, and the titles obtained in some way, by a sharp claimant, who received from the United States Government large sums of money in payment for the same.

John Harvey, then of Southborough, afterwards of Framingham, enlisted among the First Three- Yeurs' Men, and served through the war. His deed of 200 aeres bears date August 6, 1805; was assigned to Esq. Maynard; and full payment for the land was recovered of the United States Government, by the claimant above referred to.

Isaac How (wife Lois) sold his 200 acres, being Lot No. 68 at Mars Hill, in 1833, to Lawson Buck- minster, for $100.

The population of the town at the close of the war was about 1500, and from the loss of many of its young men, and the unsettled habits of those who survived, the increase was slow for the next twenty years. The heavy drain of money, though cheerfully borne, for payment of bounties to soldiers, and cloth- ing and supplies for the army, in connection with the depreciation of the circulating currency, left most of our families in greatly reduced circumstances; and the main thought and anxiety was how to avoid ex- penses and repair damages, and get on one's feet again. The soldiers came home poor, many of them sick, most of them with plans of life deranged, and with discouraging prospects for the future. The State levied taxes ; and the town levied taxes; and real estate owners were ealled to bear the heaviest burden of this direct taxation. The farmer could not conceal his farm from the assessor, or the tax-gath- erer, or the sheriff. And this pressure upon the agricul- tural industry accounts for the distress, and disor- ders, and opposition to State taxes, which showed itself in the central and western counties, and ripened into open resistance. Demagogues and adventurers -always the product of " hard times" -- took advan- tage of these unsettled and irritating conditions to stir up strife, and gain notoriety and influence. The culmination of affairs was what is known in history as the "Shays' Rebellion."

Our town records furnish only the following items in relation to this uprising : January 15, 1787, upon summons issued by the commissioned officers, the three militia companies of this town met, and en- listed the number of men ealled for. They rendez- voused at Weston January 20th; were with the forces under command of Major-General Lincoln, and marched as far as Worcester. Our men returned home February 27th. Framingham was called upon to furnish stores for this expedition, and sent 2296 pounds of bread, 1120 pounds of beef, and five bush- els of beans, for which the State allowed the sum of £36 13s. 6d.

Among the losses suffered by this town in the war none was more seriously felt than that of the pastor of the church, Rev. Mr. Bridge. As before stated, he was ordained in 1746. Under his ministry religion

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HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

flourished, personal animosities were healed, sectional divisions were largely united, and all the best inter- ests of society were nurtured. He was considerate and conservative, and a true patriot. Duty to his country, and duty to the large number of his people then in the army, induced him to tender his services to the Government, and he was appointed a chaplain to the regiments stationed at Cambridge in the sum- mer of 1775. While in the discharge of his duty he was seized with an epidemic disease which prevailed in the camp, of which he died shortly after his return home, Sept. 2, 1775, in the fifty-fifth year of his age, and thirtieth of his ministry.

In the general disturbance and uncertainty of the times the pastorate remained vacant for several years. The town was ready to offer a minister a fair salary in the then currency, or in farm products; but the values of both currency and products were constantly changing ; what was a fair salary to-day might be of little marketable value to-morrow. Mr. David Kel- logg began his labors as candidate and pulpit supply in April, 1778, his pay for each Sabbath heing " the price of eight bushels of Indian corn at market." He received a call to settle in the fall of that year, on a salary of 100 pounds per annum, a fifth part of which was to be paid in pork, and a large portion of the balance in beef, cider, sheep's wool and flax. In July, 1780, the call was renewed, 100 pounds being the stipulated salary, "to be paid in Indian coru at 3 shillings per bushel, and rye at 4 shillings." He was ordained January 10, 1781.

The peculiar terms of payment of Mr. Kellogg's salary made it a matter of nice calculation how much he should annually receive. IIence it was customary each year, at the annual town-meeting, to choose a committee to confer with the pastor, and determine the present prices of corn and rye, and how much more or less than £100 is equivalent to the original agreement. In April, 1809, such a committee re- ported : " That 250 bushels of rye at 68. per bushel produced $250, and 3333 bushels of corn at 58. amount to $277.78, making $527.78, which quantities of grain are agreeable to the original contract, and with which sum Mr. Kellogg will be content." In 1821 a simi- lar committee reported as follows: "That estimating rye at 75 cts. per bushel, and corn at 50 cts., Mr. K.'s salary, according to the terms of his contract, amounts to $375.17. And in consideration that he, during a considerable part of the late war, when corn and rye were worth from one to two dollars per bushel, con- sented to receive a much less sum than was due by his contract, your committee have thought it reason- able to recommend a grant of $450,"-which sum the town voted to appropriate.

The ministry was a power in society at that day ; and one of the important influences which counter- acted the attendant evils of war, and helped to tide over its effects, was the broad conservatism and high character and Christian labors of Mr. Bridge and his

successor. Always, but especially in the time of so- cial crises and convulsions, the great facts and truths of our holy religion lift a man's thoughts above his earthly environments, and the godly life of its ministers points and leads the way to the better realities of heaven. Mr. Kellogg continued the only settled minister in town till 1807, when Mr. Charles Train commenced preaching for the Baptists, from which date the two held contemporary pastorates for about a quarter of a century. To these two men Framingham owes directly, in a large degree, her present high standing in intelligence, morals, and that general thrift which is not found except in con- nection with culture and virtue.

SINGING .- This part of religious worship had an important place in the Sabbath services in our fa- thers' time. In Mr. Swift's day few, except the pastor and deacons, had psalm-books; and it was custom- ary for the minister to read the psalm in full, when the senior deacon wonld rise, face the audience, and repeat the first line, which would be sung by the con- gregation ; and so on to the end of the six or eight stanzas. Before Mr. Bridge's day, an edition of the Psalms and Hymns was printed, containing a collec- tion of thirty-seven tunes inserted at the end. Mr. Bridge was a good singer, and was accustomed to meet such of his people as chose to come for instruc- tion and practice in music. July, 1754, a vote was passed by the church, "desiring seven brethren, viz., John Cloyes, Benjamin Pepper, John Farrar, Beza- leel and David Rice, Samuel Dedman and Daniel Adams, together with Mr. Ebenezer Marshall, to take immediate care to qualify themselves to set the psalm in public ; and as soon as they are properly qualified, to lead the assembly in that part of Divine Wor- ship."

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History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. III, Part 148

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