History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. III, Part 173

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 173

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

In addition to his labors as leader of the society, Mr. Benjamiu Worcester has charge of the New Church School.

Ascension' Church .-- The Episcopalians were the first society to erect a church edifice on the South Side of the river, and much of the honor of this work belongs to Rev. Thomas F. Fales, pastor of Christ Church. In 1882 the society was organized and in 1882 the present edifice was erected. Rev. H. S. Nash was installed its first pastor, a position he occupied until 1885, when he resigned and the place was supplied by Rev. Carlton P. Mills. Mr. Mills was succeeded in 1888 by Rev. Mylton Maury, and he in 1889 by Rev. A. B. Shields, the present rector.

Banks .- In the spring of 1836 a petition by Luke Fiske, George Miller and Nathaniel Maynard, for an act of incorporation under the title of the Waltham Bank, was granted by the General Court, and the company was incorporated with a capital of $100,000. A meeting was held at the Massasoit House, then standing at the corner of Main and Linden Streets, to accept the act of incorporation. Ephraim Allen was elected moderator and Luke Fiske was chosen president of the corporation. The act was accepted and by-laws adopted. Luke Fiske, Ephraim Allen,

734

HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

Willard Adams, Nathaniel Stearns, William Hobbs and Jonas Clark, of Waltham, and Benjamin Dana, of Watertown, were chosen directors. At a meeting held May 30th, it was voted to add five directors to the list, and James Draper, of Wayland, Marshall Jones, of Weston, William Porter and George Miller, of Waltham, and William Brigham, of Boston were elected to the board. June 2d a committee was ap- pointed to consider the question of a banking-house. June 9th the committee recommended the erection of a brick building thirty-six feet by twenty-six feet and two stories high. July 5th it was determined to build on the lot where the bank building now stands. At the same meeting Nathaniel Maynard was elected cashier. The first meeting in the new building was held October 1, 1836, and the fact that stock had been paid for to the amount of $50,000 in gold and silver was sworn to. October 24, 1836, the first emission of bills, amounting to $64,500, was authorized, and No- vember 7th a further emisssion of $44,300 was di- rected. The capital was subsequently increased to $200,000, but in 1864-65, in consequence of losses, it was reduced to $150,000, at which point it now stands. In December, 1864, the bank was chartered as a national bank, and on April 1, 1865, commenced business under its new charter. The law passed by the Legislature, compelling the separation of deposit and savings banks, made it necessary to build a wing on the westerly side.

The Savings Bank was incorporated March 18, 1853, and the act was accepted April 15, 1853. On the acceptance of the act the following officers were elected : Horatio Moore, president ; Eliphalet Pear- son, vice-president; D. A. Kimball, secretary and treasurer ; Horatio Moore, Ebenezer Hobbs, E. Pear- son, J. H. Priest, R. P. Davis, Gillum Barnes, George Bigelow, Leonard P. Frost, Phineas Upham, Thomas Page, Samuel B. Whitney and D. A. Kimball, trus- tees. The other original members were: Nathan Hiagar and Nathaniel L. Sibley, of Weston; Jona- than S. Parker, of Lexington; Asahel Wheeler and Galen Merriam, of West Newton ; D. T. Huckins, T. Livermore, Seth Bemis and H. Cooper, of Watertown; Wm. F. Wheeler and Wm. Foster, of Lincoln ; Wm. Mills and Thos. Rice, Jr., of Newton Lower Falls; Horace Heard, of Wayland ; Thomas Barnes, George W. Frost, John Roberts, Amory Moore and Daniel C. Stratton, of Waltham.

The old building was demolished in 1888, the two banks occupying quarters temporarily in the J. W. Parmenter building on Moody Street. The new building was completed in September, 1889, at a cost of $50,000, and on September 30th of the same year was first occupied for business.

CHAPTER XLIX.

WALTHAM-(Continued).

SCHOOLS AND NEWSPAPERS.

BY ALEXANDER STARBUCK.

SCHOOLS .- Waltham's separation from the parent town of Watertown appears to have been principally due to three causes : first, the early separation into military precincts ; second, the location of the church ; third, educational interests. As early as April 7, 1729, a meeting of the inhabitants of the West Pre- cinct was held to consider, among other things, a lo- cation for a school-house. Allen Flagg agreed to donate to the precinct a suitable strip of land at the north end of his orchard for the purpose, and it was voted to accept the offer. February 4, 1729-30, Zachariah Smith, Allen Flagg, Thomas Harrington, Thomas Bigelow, Jonas Smith, John Childs and John Cutting were delegated to see the selectmen and have inserted in the warrant for the next town-meeting an article providing for an appropriation to build on the land of Mr. Flagg a school-house. The town de- clined the gift and refused to grant the money, greatly to the disappointment of the petitioners. That action was taken in March. In May a com- mittee was appointed at a meeting of the people of the West Precinct to endeavor to have that district set off as a separate town, "and take Effectual care that the same may be Established that Learning may be Advanced among ns or some other proper methods whereby to obtain the same." A petition represent- ing the sentiment of the people of the precinct was forwarded to the General Court, which ordered the town served with a copy and cited it to show cause why the petition should not be granted. April 19, 1731, a committee was chosen by the town to oppose the division. Nevertheless the Court recommended, among other things, that the town provide two school- houses, with two duly qualified schoolmasters,-one for each precinct. The town (August 16, 1731) re- fused to accept the recommendations and the assess- ors of the West Precinct, - Nathaniel Harris and Deacon William Brown,-feeling that the East Pre- cinct was unjust to them, refused to assess the grant made by the town for the support of schools. Again, in March, 1732-33, an attempt was made for separa- tion and again it was unsuccessful.

June 28, 1736, Nathaniel Harris, William Brown and Daniel Benjamin, in behalf of the people of the West Precinct, and against the resolute opposition of the East Precinct people, obtained permission from the General Court to set off land from the com- mon lands devoted to highways, sufficient to raise a sum of £1500, which was to be invested and the interest used for the support of schools. So bitter was the feeling growing out of this act that it culmi- nated in a meeting of the inhabitants of the West

735

WALTHAM.

Precinct, December 7, 1737, at which a vote was passed to petition the General Court for separation. The prayer was granted, and January 4, 1737-38, the town of Waltham was incorporated.

In July, 1738, the selectmen appointed two of their number to secure a schoolmaster. In August they reported that they had agreed on Daniel Harrington, and he was employed. There were three school dis- tricts. The principal school at that time was in the location known as "Piety Corner." Salary of Mr. Harrington, £20 per quarter.

January, 1739-40, Adam Boardman was school- teacher. January 25, 1741-42, Joseph Roberts was engaged to teach at £5 per month, and on March 10th of the same year it was voted to have a "mov- ing " school. In May John Carns agreed to keep the school for two months in the district where John Dix lived, at the north part of the town, at £5 per month, with an allowance of 19s. per week if he boarded himself. In September the "movable" school was discontinued; £10 was appropriated to repair the school-house, and £80 to support the school.

In November the selectmen agreed with William Lawrence to teach the school for eight months, dating from the previous July, the pay to be £6, old tenor and his board. Mr. Lawrence was succeeded in 1745 by Elisha Harding. In March, 1746-47, a "moving " school was again established, and Deacon William Brown was chosen to teach the North District. March, 1747-48, Samuel Livermore, Jr., was appointed to teach the West, Centre and North Districts. Jan- uary, 1748-49, Caleb Upham was appointed a school- teacher. Iu September, 1751, a discussion arose as to whether the teacher should be a male or a female. It was finally decided in favor of the former; and in November of the same year it was voted to spend the town's money to support the school in the school- house, and that the teacher should be "a grammar- school master."

1752, Jonas Clark and Samuel Livermore, school- masters. Mr. Livermore continued to teach until 1756. He was succeeded by Isaac Livermore, who taught until some time in 1758. Leonard Williams taught in the latter part of 1758 and the early part of 1759. In March, 1760, the town appropriated £2 to carry on a children's reading-school in the southwest part of the town. Deacon Isaac Stearns was appoint- ed by the selectmen to engage a school-mistress for the northerly portion of the town, and it was agreed to have a grammar school-master teach one quarter in the school-house. Mrs. George Lawrence was se- lected by Deacon Stearns, and we may safely con- clude that she was the first female teacher regularly engaged by the town. In 1761 Jonathan Livermore, Samuel Williams and John Wyeth were paid for teaching school. In 1762 Samuel Williams and a Mrs. Clark performed the same service; in 1763 Mrs. Lawrence, a daughter of William Coolidge, a daugh- ter of Lois Fiske and Mr. Williams were selected. In

May, 1764, payment was ordered for the following- named school-teachers : Thomas Fisk's daughter, Jo- seph Hagar, Jr.'s wife, Joseph Bemis' wife, George Lawrence's wife, Hopestill Bent's daughter-in-law, Jonathan Sanderson, Jr.'s wife, John Dix's daughter, Ebenezer Brown's son and Samuel Williams. In March, 1765, it was voted that the grammar school should be a " moving " school during the remainder of the year. Leonard Williams and Elijah Brown were appointed to teach it. The town granted £41 for educational purposes in September, of which £12 were for the women's schools.

In 1769 Jonas Dix, Jr., was appointed teacher of the grammar school, and continued in the office uu- til 1772, when he resigned on account of ill health. The town voted in the same year to build a new school-house near the old one, but took no further action towards carrying out its vote. In 1770, how- ever, a committee was appointed to carry the vote into execution and to repair the old building.

In 1771 a son of Josiah Brown was one of the five teachers employed by the town. In 1772 William Fisk succeeded Jonas Dix, Jr. Miss Ruth Russell and a daughter of Jonathan Hammond were also teachers. In March, 1774, the town voted to build a new school- house near the meeting-housc. By the report of the committee having the matter in charge, made in September, it appears that the work was done at an expense of £81 5s. 3d. In November of the same year the town voted to take down the old school-house and build one in the northwest section of the town.

In 1777 Jonas Dix, Jr., and William Fisk are re- corded as teachers. In 1779 Samuel Kendall, Mr. Morse, Mr. Bridge and Eunice Mixer were paid for teaching. In June, 1780, the appropriation for schools was refused, probably because of the financial pressure of the Revolution. October 11th the town again refused an appropriation, but November 29th it granted £3360. The currency of the time was in a sad state, as may be inferred from the fact that £12,000 was appropriated for the purchase of 7200 pounds of beef. The teachers for that year were Eunice Mixer, Samuel Kendall, Mr. Boardman, Ru- hamah Wellington and Mr. Bridge.

In 1781 Jonas Dix, Jr., and Mr. Bridge appear to be the instructors. The selectmen voted in Deccm- ber of that year to engage Ebenezer Bowman to keep the school " near the meeting-house." Mr. Bowman continued to teach the following year. In 1782 Nathan- iel Bridge's name also appears on the list of teachers. In September, 1783, John Remington was hired to teach the school near the meeting-house, and Joseph Jackson that at the foot of the hill. In the following year Benjamin Green, Jr., was paid for teaching and he was again engaged to teach the grammar school in 1785. September 5, 1785, the town was divided into four school districts-Pond End, Trapclow, the southwest part of the town above Mixer's Lane (Bacon Street) and the Middle District, which included the balance.

736

HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

In February, 1786, Jonas Dix was engaged to teach the grammar school for one year. In March John Remington was paid for teaching and Abijah Bigelow was engaged to teach at the new school-house at the west end of the plain, as long as the appropriation lasted, he to keep " two schools a day " after April 1st. Mr. Jackson, Nathan Underwood and John Child also appear to have been teachers during the year. Capt. Samuel Bigelow appears to be one of four teachers employed in 1787. In 1790 Messrs. Bridge, Dix and Mead were paid for teaching. The school grant of December, 1790, was thus apportioned to the several school-houses : Upper end of Plain, £25 68. 8d .; Foot of Hills, £22 28 .; near the meeting-house, £30 58. 3d .; Trapelow, £18 38. 10d .; proprietors of new school-house (probably at the Lower Plain), £4 28 3d. In 1791 it was voted to buy the school-house at the Upper Plain and Trapelow, they having been pro- nounced suitable and the proprietors being willing to sell. An appropriation of £77 11s. was made for the one at the Upper Plain, the amount being divided among twenty one proprietors, all residing on upper Main and ou South Streets; £56 188. 10d. were paid for the one at Trapelow. The house near the Widow Barnard's was not accepted. In the selectmen's records for 1791 appears an order ap- propriating 38. 6d. to pay for a horse and chaise " to bring the school mistress from Framingham."

In April, 1792, a vote was passed to remove the school-house near the meeting-house to a point just below the present cemetery on Maiu Street. In Sep- tember, 1795, the town appropriated £50 to purchase stoves and shutters for the schools and make some repairs, and chose a special committee of three from each school district to attend to the expenditure of school appropriations. They probably acted as a school committee, and the organization was continued from year to year, as we lose sight of special appro- priations for teachers. In 1797 the schools taught by males are styled " men's " schools and those taught by females " women's " schools. Iu this year the town appropriated $25 to establish a singing-school. In 1801 a School Committee of ten was elected, and this arrangement appeared to work so satisfactorily that it was continned voluntarily uutil the statute law made it mandatory. In 1803 the town appropriated $120 for a teacher of music. In 1813 the Factory Village (Bleachery) was set off.as a separate school district. In 1817 the town voted to set off the Boston Manu- facturing Co.'s estates for a school district and to dis- continue the one at the Bleachery. In this connec- tion it is well to note that for many years the Boston Manufacturing Co. sustained schools of its own for the instruction of the children of its employees.

Rev. Mr. Ripley appears about 1819-20 to have caused considerable trouble in his flock by using a portion of his time in teaching school, and it was made a matter for town interference, an effort being made to appoint a committee to interview him and

induce him to quit teaching, but his friends were too numerous and the project was abandoned. In 1829 the town voted to exclude needle-work from the morning session of the summer schools, allowing it in the afternoon, and in 1830 a small sum was appro- priated to procure medals to be given the most de- serving scholars.

In spite of the law of 1789 in regard to the estab- lishment of grammar schools, no effort was made to comply with it until 1820. In 1821 the town was sued for non-compliance with the act, but little heed was paid to the suit. The attempt to establish such a school was unsuccessfully repeated year after year. In 1832, however, the town appropriated $1200 to build a grammar school-house and town-house on the old meeting·house common. Subsequently a vote was passed to erect the building on the "gore of land " owned by Mr. Lyman, that gentleman offering to give the land and $200 to assist the work. This did not seem to suit, and after vote upon vote the town purchased of Mr. T. R. Plympton the land now occupied by the North Grammar School, increased the appropriation somewhat and erected the building there. When the present structure was put up, the old building was sold and removed to the corner of School and Exchange Streets, where it was remodeled into a tenement-house. In 1833 the town appro- priated $300 to enable the School Committee to hire a school-master and establish a High School, and di- rected the committee to commence such a school at the earliest possible day. The first principal of this school was Franklin Hardy. After him came Josiah Rutter (1835), William H. Ropes (1838), E. A. W. Harlow (1841), Charles F. Simmons (1842), Daniel French (1842), William H. Ropes (1844), Leonard P. Frost (1847). During Mr. Frost's term of service the town gave up the hall in the upper story, changed it to make it suitable for school uses and established a High School there distinct from the grammar school, Mr. Frost taking charge of the former and his broth- er, George W., of the latter. In 1859 L. P. Frost suc- ceeded his brother George; after him came William E. Sheldon (1869), Alonzo Meserve (January, 1871), John I. Prince (September, 1871), John S. Hayes (1879), John I. Prince (1879), Bradford W. Drake (1879), who is now teaching. In 1868 the town es- tablished a grammar school on the south side of the river and Arthur P. Smith was elected principal, a position he still retains. In the High School the principals succeeding L. P. Frost are Timothy W. Bancroft (1859), Andrew J. Lathrop (1864), James C. Parsons (1865), Minton Warren (1874), William E. Bunten (1876), Ruel B. Clark (1877), Charles W. Parmenter (1878), Eugene D. Russell (1889). There are at present fourteen school buildings, about 2400 scholars and seventy teachers.

The present High and North Grammar School buildings were erected in 1867 ; the South Grammar building in 1876; the West, 1876; Heard Street,

737

WALTHAM

1880; Prospect Street, Orange Street and Bacon Street, 1883; Grove Street, 1887; the High Street Primary remodeled 1890. The Newton Street build- ing was erected in 1833, but bears no semblance to the original structure.

In 1864 the advocates of the New Church faith erected the school building used by them and have maintained a school there which receives pupils from all over the United States. Iu 1888 the St. Joseph Parochial (Roman Catholic) School was established and the building was completed for school purposes.

NEWSPAPERS .- The newspaper life of Waltham, so far as can be ascertained, commenced with the publication of The Hive, the first number of which appeared under date of March 2, 1833. It was an eight-page periodical, printed in magazine style with a page form eight and a half inches by five inches. It was edited and published by S. B. Emmons, who for many years kept an apothecary store on Main Street, in the building west of the Townsend Block. It was for many months printed at the office of James B. Dow, then located at No. 122 Washington Street, Boston. By its first editorial we learn that it was "de. voted to the publication of Original and Select Tales, Essays, Music, Biography, Travels, Original and Select Poetry, Amusing Miscellany, Humorous Anecdotes, etc., etc." It was published on alternate Saturdays, at one dollar per year. For some reason, which does not appear through a perusal of its columns, publication was suspended from May 25, 1833, until February 14, 1835, the numbering both in issues and pages proceeding at the latter time as though there had been no interregnum. When its publication was revived it was printed by " Dill and Sanborn, Music, Book and Job Printers, 43 Washington Street, Boston." September 5, 1835, it was printed in Waltham for the first time by W. C. George, who had just established himself in Waltham as a book and job printer. January 16, 1836, the last number of The Hive appeared. In his valedictory editor Emmons said : "This number of the Hive completes the present volume. It will be succeeded shortly by a paper ofa larger size, to be published every week."

On the 7th of May, 1836, the first number of the Waltham Star, the paper probably alluded to by Mr. Emmons, appeared. It was published by Willard C. George. The second number appeared under date of June 4, 1836, and the third June 11th. Its life was a brief one and its publication was soon suspended for want of patronage. The Middlesex Reporter was published in Waltham about one year commencing in 1841. Nathaniel P. Banks, Jr., was its editor. It appears that two other attempts were made to establish newspapers in Waltham between 1836 and 1848, but names and dates are not at hand. The Waltham Mirror made its opening bow on July 6th of the latter year. It was a quarto, with a page form twelve and one-half inches by nine and one-half inches. It was published semi-monthly by V. S. Williams, who kept I ship dissolved, Mr. Somers assuming the job-print-

47-iii

a periodical and general goods store in Wellington's building, just west of the bank, and was edited by H. B. Skinner, M.D., who had a Boston office at 60} Cornhill. The Mirror lived about a year and then went the way of its predecessors.

Between 1849 and 1856 two more unsuccessful attempts were made to convince the people of Wal- tham that they needed a newspaper. May 18, 1850, D. Farnham commenced the publication of the Rum- ford Journal. Like its predecessors its life was brief. In April, 1852, appeared the first number of the Massasoit Balance and Waltham Advocate, published in Rumford Building by Kelley & Co. It also soon died.

Apparently undismayed by the failures of the pre- ceding twenty-three years, Josiah Hastings, in 1856, launched the Waltham Sentinel on the sea of journal- ism. Mr. Hastings had previously published a two- page advertising sheet which was distributed free. On the 15th of February, 1856, he issued the first number of Waltham's first successful newspaper. The currents and the winds seemed propitious, and for twenty years the Sentinel paid its weekly visits to hundreds of Waltham firesides. It was edited by " an association of gentlemen." Its end was mel- ancholy, even to the verge of the tragic. In 1876 the elder Mr. Hastings, his son William, who for many years had assisted his father in the conduct of the paper, and three grandchildren, the son and two daughters of William, died within the brief period of a few weeks. There was no one of the family left whose training was in the direction of newspaper work, and in 1877, the Sentinel was sold. It was purchased by George Phinney, proprietor of the Waltham Free Press, and became merged in that paper.

In February, 1863, George Phinney, who had had previous journalistic experience in Bridgewater, com- menced the publication of the Waltham Free I'ress. At that time there was no distinctively Republican paper in Waltham. The Free Press early became the Waltham organ of that party, and has contin- ued the exponent of Republican ideas to the pres- ent time. In the fall of 1884 Mr. Phinney dis- posed of the paper to Robert B. Somers, at that time a compositor in the office of the Waltham Daily Tribune. Alexander Starbuck was requested to take the position of editor, and did so. In the fall of 1885 Mr. Starbuck purchased a half-interest in the paper, and in November of that year the office, whiel up to that time had been located on the north side of the river, was removed' to its pres- ent location, on the south side. March, 1888, Som- ers & Starbuck commenced the publication of a daily edition, which continues in successful operation at the present time. October 1, 1889, the newspaper and job-printing business, which, up to that time, had been run jointly, were divided, and the partner-

738

HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

ing and Mr. Starbuck taking the newspapers. In its early life the Free Press passed through a varied experience. It was started in the second story of a building in the rear of Central (then Miller's) Block, which was previously used for sleeping apart- ments for the hotel in the upper stories of the block, but which has since been turned quarter round and moved to the line of Lexington Street. While located here it passed the ordeal of fire. It was then moved to a stone building back of Town- send's Block, and for a second time encountered fire. No serious accident, however, has since be- fallen it.

The next newspaper to be established in Wal- tham was the Waltham Record, which was started in 1876 by Barry & Berry. After a few months, experience Mr. Berry retired from the firm, and Mr. Barry carried on the business until 1885, when he disposed of the Record to Pratt Brothers, of Marlboro'. The paper was transferred to that town and merged with a large number of publications issued from the Marlboro' office. While in Mr. Barry's charge it was exceedingly well conducted. During the latter portion of its publication in Waltham it was issued semi-weekly.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. III, Part 173

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