History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. III, Part 50

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 50

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Of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows there are two bodies: the Melrose Lodge, No. 157, organized in 1871, and has 140 members, and the Daughters of Rebekah, Golden Rule Degree Lodge, No. 23, in 1874, has forty members.

Of the social, musical and literary clubs, the oldest is the Roundabout Club, which was organized in 1873. It has a membership of nearly 100, and meets dur- ing the winter, fortnightly. The Centennial Club meets in the same manner, was organized in 1875, and has a membership of seventy. The Avon Club has a membership of sixty, and was organized in 1878. The Melrose Women's Club, organized in 1882, has 110

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members and meets semi-monthly. The Franklin Fraternity, in 1863, has twenty-eight members, and now meets but yearly. The Alpha Local Circle, Chau- tauqua Scientific Society, in 1884, eighteen members, meets twice a month. The Social Circle, in 1875, fifty- five members, meets twice a month. The Unity Club, in 1887, sixty-two members. Melrose Orchestral Club, in 1856, fifteen members. Melrose Choral Society, in 1888, sixty-four members.

Among the large number of insurance and benevo- lent societies that have lodges, are these: Bethlehem Council, No. 131, Royal Arcanum, established in 1876, and has 148 members; Guardian Lodge, No. 406, Knights of Honor, in 1876, thirty-three members; Washington Council, American Legion of Honor, No. 89, in 1880, forty-eight members ; Wonongo Tribe, No. 60, Independent Order of Red Men, in 1888, seventy members ; International Bencvolent and Fraternal So- ciety, in 1888, forty members ; Middlesex Council, No. 75, United Order of Friends, in 1883, seventy-five members ; Melrose Commandery, No. 99, United Order of the Golden Cross, in 1880, seventy-five members; Cotton Mather Colony, United Order of Pilgrim Fathers in 1887, seventy members; Melrose Council, No. 125, Home Circle, in 1888, thirty-seven members; Iron Hall, Branch No. 491, in 1887, eighteen members ; Sisterhood's Branch, Iron Hall, in 1887, twenty-five members; Garfield Lodge, No. 32, Associated Order of United Workmen, in 1881, ninety-five members ; Knights and Ladies of Honor, No. 1239, in 1887, four- teen members; Melrose Assembly, No. 164, Royal So- ciety Good Fellows, in 1888, twenty-one members.

The two great political parties are each represent- ed: The Republican Club has a membership of 150, and the Jefferson Club has 50 members. The Melrose Woman's Suffrage League was organized in 1885, and has 180 members.

U. S. Grant Post 4, G. A. R., was organized in 1867, and has 68 members ; William F. Barry Camp, No. 79, Sons of Veterans, in 1887, 45 members; U. S. Grant, No. 16, Women's Relief Corps, in 1882, 71 members.

The Melrose Improvement Society, organized in 1881, with a membership of 342, has done much in the way of setting out shade-trees and improvement of streets ; the Melrose Highlands Business Men's Associa- tion, organized in 1888, has 75 members.

The Melrose Athletic Club occupies a handsome suite of rooms in Eastman's Block, on Main Street, was organized in 1883, and has a membership of 150; The Pastime Athletic Club, in 1888, 27 members ; Mel- rose Club, in 1885, 145 members; Rifle Club, in 1884, 25 members; Lawn Tennis Club, in 1885, 40 members; Ashland Tennis and Social Club, in 1885, 30 members. There is a Melrose Basc Ball Association, with a capital stock of $2500, and a half dozen base- ball clubs. There are still other minor associations.

CHAPTER XVIII.

MELROSE-(Continued).

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND MISCELLANEOUS.

MELROSE is the home of many writers. Their works are of many kinds-historical, biographical, theological, political, scientific, electrical, educational, medicinal, musical, fiction, etc. It will be impossible to enumerate all, but some of the most important will be referred to, giving the authors' names alphabetic- ally.

REV. JOHN GREENLEAF ADAMS, D.D .. was a Uni- versalist minister. Born in Portsmouth, New Hamp- shire, July 30, 1810; died at Melrose Highlands, May 4, 1887. He was a prolific writer. Among his most important works are "Memoir of Thomas Whitte- more," "Universalism of the Lord's Prayer," "Talks About the Bible," " Fifty Notable Years," and " The Inner Life." For many years he was editor of various Sabbath-school papers of the Universalist denomina- tion.

CAPTAIN GEORGE PICKERING BURNHAM was born in Boston, April 24, 1814. He came to Melrose in 1850, the year in which it was incorporated. 'His lit- erary career covers a period of over fifty years. In journalism he has been reporter, sub-editor, editor, and the writer of many sketches and stories. He has given much attention to a specialty in fowls and birds, and has written a dozen bonks connected with that subject, including his humorous treatment of " The History of the Hen Fever," published in 1855, and which had a very extensive sale. In this same year he also wrote an anti-slavery story, entitled “Tbe Rag-Picker ; or, Bound and Free." His other writings include " Memoirs of the United States Secret Ser- vice," " American Counterfeits," and " A Hundred Thousand Dollars in Gold."

COLONEL SAMUEL ADAMS DRAKE has written many works of an historical character. He was born in Boston, December 20, 1833. At the breaking out of the Great Rebellion he was a resident of Kansas, and was appointed colonel of the Seventeenth Regi- ment of Kansas Volunteer Infantry, serving through- out the war. His first book was "Old Land-marks and Historic Personages of Boston," issued in 1873. This was followed by " Historic Fields and Mansions of Middlesex," "Nooks and Corners of the New Eng- land Coast," " Bunker Hill," "General Israel Put- nam, the Commander at Bunker Hill," " History of Middlesex County," "The Heart of the White Moun- tains," " Around the Hub," " New England Legends and Folk Lore," "Our Great Benefactors," "The Old Boston Taverns and Tavern Clubs," "The Making of New England," "The Making of the Great West," " Burgoyne's Invasion of 1777," and " The Taking of Louisburg." He has written one historical novel, en- titled "Captain Nelson : a Romance of Colonial Days."

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Besides contributing articles to a number of the magazines, he has written the articles, "Florida," "Georgia" and "Sebastian Cabot," for the "Cyclo- pædia Britannica."

REV. RICHARD EDDY, D.D., was born in Provi- dence, R. I., June 21, 1828. For several years he was a pastor of the Universalist Church. Many of his sermons have been printed. His larger works are: " History of the Sixtieth Regiment, New York State Volunteers," of which be was chaplain ; " Uni- versalism in America," " Alcohol in History " and " Alcohol in Society." He has been editor of differ- ent newspapers and is now editor of the Universalist Quarterly and General Review.

HON. DANIEL WHEELWRIGHT GOOCH was born in Wells, Maine, January 8, 1820. Graduated at Dartmouth College in 1843, and admitted to the Suf- folk Bar in 1846. Came to Melrose (then North Malden) in 1848. Elected representative to the General Court in 1852, and a member of the Consti- tutional Convention in 1853. He was an adherent of the Free-Soil party until the formation of the Re- publican party, with which he has ever since acted. He has several times been elected a Representative to Congress ; was a member of the Thirty-fifth, Thirty-sixth, Thirty seventh and Thirty-eighth Con- gresses, in the latter serving as a member of the Congressional Committee on the Conduct of the War, and was chairman on the part of the House; its four years of investigations were printed in sev- eral volumes. Having been elected to the Thirty- ninth Congress, he resigned, September 1, 1865, to accept from President Johnson the appointment of naval officer for the port of Boston, which positiou he held for a year. In 1868 he was elected a del- egate to the Chicago Convention. In the Forty- third Congress he again served as Representative for the Fifth Massachusetts District. From 1875 to 1886 he was pension agent at Bostou, after which he resumed the practice of the law. A number of his legal arguments have been printed, notably those in the " Hoosac Tunnel," "Troy & Greenfield Rail- road " and " Joseph M. Day, Judge of Probate," cases. Many of his Congressional speeches were printed in pamphlet form; among them were "The Lecomp- ton Constitution and the Admission of Kansas into the Union," " Polygamy in Utah," "The Supreme Court and Dred Scott," "Organization of the Ter- ritories," " Any Compromise a Surrender," " Recog- nition of Hayti and Liberia " and "Secession and Reconstruction."

FREDERICK KIDDER was born in New Ipswich, N. H., April 16, 1804, and died at Melrose Decem- ber 19, 1885, in his eighty-second year. Went to Boston in 1822, and with his brother was several years in business in Wilmington, N. C.

In 1845 Messrs. Benjamin F. and Charles Copeland, together with Mr. Kidder, bought of the Barings, of London, a tract of land on the Schoodic Lakes, in

Eastern Maine, containing over a hundred thousand acres, being more than thirty miles in extent. This proved to be a very profitable investment, and would have been much more so had they continued to hold the land for a while longer than they did. He was one of the trustees of the Public Library from 1870 to 1882, most of the time chairman.

His first literary work was a history of his native town, New Ipswich, N. H., which was issued in 1852. In that early day of town histories, this was one of the most complete and thorough works that had appeared. His other volumes are: "The Expedition of Captain Lovewell, and his Encounters with the Indians," " Military Operations in Eastern Maine and Nova Scotia during the Revolution," " History of the First New Hampshire Regiment in the War of the Revolution," and " History of the Boston Massa- cre, March 5, 1770." His magazine articles reprinted in pamphlet were : "The Adventures of Captain Lovewell," "The Abenaki Indians," " The Swedes on the Delaware," and "The Discovery of North America by John Cabot. A First Chapter in the History of North America."

ROBERT FOWLER LEIGHTON, born in Durham, Maine, January 23, 1838, was for several years prin- cipal of the High School of Melrose, during which time he wrote several educational works: “Greek Lessons," " Latin Lessons," and "Harvard Examina- tion Papers." Since then he has given his attention to historical works, and has written a " History of Rome," "History of Greece," "Cicero's Select Let- ters," and " Historia Critica M. T. Ciceronis Epistu- larum ad Familiares ; " this was published in Latin, in Leipsic, Germany.

MARY ASHTON LIVERMORE was born in Boston, December 19, 1821; was a teacher in Charlestown and Duxbury, Mass. In 1857 her husband, Daniel P., established the New Covenant, a Universalist jour- nal of which she became associate editor for twelve years, during which time she frequently contributed to periodicals of her denomination and edited the Lily. When the Rebellion broke out she became connected with the United States Sanitary Commis- sion, headquarters at Chicago, performing a vast amount of labor of all kinds-organizing auxiliary societies, visiting hospitals and military posts, con- tributing to the press, answering correspondence, and the thousand and oue things incident to the wonder- ful work done by that institution. She was one that helped organize the great fair in 1863, at Chicago, when nearly $100,000 was raised, and for which she obtained the original draft of the Emancipation Proc- lamation from President Lincoln, which was sold for $3000. As she says in her extremely interesting vol- ume " My Story of the War": "Here were packed and shipped to the hospitals or battle-field 77,660 packages of sanitary supplies, whose cash value was $1,056,192.16. Here were written and mailed letters by the ten thousand, circulars by the hundred thou-

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sand, monthly bulletins and reports. Here were planned visits to the aid societies, trips to the army, methods of raising money and supplies, systems of relief for soldiers' families and white refugees, Homes and Rests for destitute and enfeebled soldiers, and the details of mammoth sanitary fairs."

When the war was over she instituted a paper called the Agitator, which was afterwards merged in the Woman's Journal. Of this she was editor for two years and has been a frequent contributor to it since. On the lecture platform she has had a remarkable career, speaking mostly in behalf of the woman suf- frage and the temperance movements. A few years ago she was "one of the four lecturers that were most in demand and that commanded the largest fees, the other three being men." Many years she has trav- eled 25,000 miles annually, speaking five nights each week for five months of the year.

Her printed volumes are : "Thirty Years Too Late," first published in 1847 as a prize temperance tale, and republished in 1878; " "Pen Pictures; or, Sketches from Domestic Life ; " " What Shall We Do with Our Daughters ? Superfluous Women, and Other Lectures; " and "My Story of the War. A Woman's Narrative of Four Years' Personal Experi- ence as Nurse in the Union Army, and in Relief Work at Home, in Hospitals, Camps and at the Front during the War of the Rebellion." Of this work one has well said : " Should every other book on the war be blotted out of existence, this one would completely reflect the spirit and work of the Women of the North."

For " Women of the Day " she wrote the sketch of the sculptress, Miss Anne Whitney; and for the "Centennial Celebration of the First Settlement of the Northwestern States, at Marietta, Ohio, July 15, 1788," she delivered the historical addresss.

REV. DANIEL PARKER LIVERMORE, born in Lei- cester, Mass., June 17, 1818, Universalist minister, besides editing the New Covenant for a dozen years and contributing to newspapers and magazines, has published several pamphlets of a denominational character, and a half-dozen on the subject of " Woman Suffrage," in favor of which he strongly argues.

THOMAS D. LOCKWOOD, born in England, Decem- ber 20, 1848, is an eminent electrician, an acknowl- edged authority iu all matters pertaining to electrical telephony. He is electrician in charge of all matters connected with patents, and the collection and colla- tion of electrical information for the American Bell Telephone Company. Besides very many articles contributed to the electrical press, he has had pub- lished three volumes : " Electricity, Magnetism and Electric Telegraphy," " Electrical Measurement and the Galvanometer," and " Practical Information for Telephonists."

GILBERT NASH was born in Weymouth, Mass., April 22, 1825, and died there April 13, 1888. He lived many years in Melrose. He wrote a history of

his native town, a "Memoir of General Solomon Lovell," and a volume of poems, entitled "Bay Leaves."

WILLIAM FREDERICK POOLE, A.M., LL.D., the eminent librarian and bibliophile, was born in Salem, Massachusetts, December 21, 1821. While in Yale College he became assistant librarian, which was the beginning of a life-long profession. He has been the librarian of the Mercantile Library Association of Boston, the Boston Athæneum, the Public Library of Cincinnati, the Public Library of Chicago, and is now in the Newberry Library of Chicago, founded by the munificence of the millionaire, Walter L. New- berry. For many years he lived in Melrose during which time his pen was ever busy. During the con- troversy between the Webster and Worcester Dic- tionaries, in 1855-56, he published three pamphlets championing Webster as being the best authority. He has issued several pamphlets connected with "Cotton Mather and Salem Witchcraft," and wrote the chapter on " Witchcraft in Boston," for the " Me- morial History of Boston," issued in 1880; and for Justin Winsor's "Narrative and Critical History of America," vol. 6, he wrote the chapter entitled "The West, From the Treaty of Peace with France, 1763, to the Treaty of Peace with England, 1783." In the discussion concerning the historical claims of "The Popham Colony," he wrote many articles and issued one pamphlet. In 1867, a new edition of Edward Johnson's "Wonder-working Providence of Zion's Saviour in New England," was published for which he wrote an introduction and numerous notes. In 1874-75, in Chicago 'he edited a monthly literary paper called The Owl, which was succeeded by The Dial, to which he has been a constant contributor, chiefly in historical criticism, in which he has few equals. "In this department his work has always been in the nature of a plea for judicial fairness and candor in historical writing, and his pen has con- stantly been on the alert to discover and expose the pet fallacies of the villifiers of the fathers of New England, and of all those with whom the demands of rhetoric seem louder than those of truth." His best. known work is "" Poole's Index to Periodical Litera- ture," which was first issued in 1848, as "Index to Subjects in the Reviews, and other Periodicals to which no Indexes have been published," enlarged as "An Index to Periodical Literature," in 1853, and again enlarged and issned in 1882. To this a supple- ment is to be published every five years. This "is a work of the times, for the times ; the vast and hitherto pathless continents of periodical literature are sur- veyed, systematized, and made accessible." Dr. Poole has been president of the " American Historical Association," and of the " American Library Associa- tion."

One of the most prominent and best-known citizens was Hon. Samuel Edmund Sewall, who was born in Boston November 9, 1799, and died, in Boston De-

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cember 20, 1888. He graduated from Harvard Col- lege in 1817. He came to North Malden in 1846, when it had but two or three hundred inhabitants. He was elected State Senator from Stoneham in 1852, as his house was just over the line from Melrose ; but this territory was detached from Stoneham and joined to Melrose in 1853. He was identified with the anti- slavery movement from its beginnings, being one of the few who joined William Lloyd Garrison when he came to Boston in 1830. He was an active member of the Massachusetts Anti-slavery Society and the National Anti-slavery Society. Upon the organiza- tion of the Liberty party he was for two years its can- didate for Governor. He acted with that and the Free-Soil party until they were merged in the Repub- lican party. He was ever foremost in advocating the passage of laws for the benefit of women, and while in the Senate he drafted a bill which became a law, giving married women the right to hold property. His only printed work is a pamphlet entitled "Legal Condition of Women in Massachusetts," which was first issued in 1868; then revised in 1870, again in 1875 and again in 1886. Many years ago he was editor for two years of the American Jurist and Law Magazine (a quarterly). He also edited, in connee- tion with Willard Phillips, two editions of Sir John Bayley's Summary of the Law of Bills of Exchange, Cash Bills and Promissory Notes.

Many other books and pamphlets have been issued by Melrose writers, which cannot here be enumer- ated.

Melrose has two weekly newspapers: The Melrose Journal and The Melrose Reporter. The former es- tablished in 1870, the latter in 1887. In 1856, a small monthly paper, called the Melrose Advertiser, was published by Me-srs. Severy & Co., for about a year when it was merged in a Malden paper.

The bibliography of writings pertaining particularly to Melrose is brief:

" The Melrose Memorial, The Annals of Melrose, County of Middlesex, Massachusetts, in the Great Rebellion of 1861-65, By Elbridge H. Goss, Privately Printed by Subscription 1868."

"The Centennial Fourth. Historical Address De- livered in Towo Hall, Melrose, Mass., July 4, 1876, by Elbridge II. Goss. Also, The Proceedings of the Day. Privately Printed, Melrose, 1876."

" History of Melrose, by Elbridge H. Goss," for the "History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts," Ed- ited by Samuel Adams Drake, who wrote for it the " General History of the County," 1880.

Various communications to the " Malden Messenger" during 1868, and since then to our local papers, con- taining copies of original documents and "Historical Notes " by Artemas Barrett.

"The Origin and Present Condition of Free-Ma- sonry in Melrose. Prepared by direction of the Waverly Masonic Association, for the purpose of be- ing deposited in the Corner-Stone of their new edifice,

at Melrose, June 25, A.D. 1866. By Levi S. Gould, Past Master of Wyoming Lodge, 1866.

In 1832, the Rev. S. Osgood Wright preached " An Ilistorical Discourse," at Malden on Thanksgiving Day, which contained " A Sketch of the History of that Town from the Settlement to the Present Time," in which two or three pages are devoted to "that part of the town, called the North End."

SPOT POND WATER .- Nestled amid the higher lands of Stoneham and Medford lies Spot Pond; so named by good old Governor Winthrop, in February, 1632, when he, with others, traversed its surface on an exploring expedition, because "the pond had divers small rocks standing up here and there in it." Originally, it was much smaller than now, but was largely increased by the building of a dam by the Sprague family, which had possession of it for over a hundred years, many of which were spent in litigation in maintaining these rights. "Still this old hero, Timothy Sprague, at great cost and sacrifice of time, always came off victorious. He was greatly annoyed and harassed through his life, which was frequently in danger. But for this unflinching old veteran the dam would long ago have been removed, and the pond have been worthless for the purposes for which it is now used. To the several towns now enjoying this luxury he proved to be a great benefactor; for, in fighting these battles for himself he was laboring to bless future generations, and is deserving of their gratitude." 1

The high-water mark of the pond is one hundred and forty-three feet above marsh level, and its area, when full, is two hundred and ninety-six acres. The purity of its water having been proven by analyzation caused Boston to cast wistful eyes toward it, previous to the introduction of Cochituate water in 1848.

Not until 1867 was any action taken to secure this natural reservoir of water to the inhabitants of the surrounding towns. In that year an act was passed by the Legislature incorporating the "Spot Pond Water Company for the purpose of supplying the inhabitants of said Melrose, Malden and Medford with pure water." More than two years passed away before any action was taken by either of these three towns toward purchasing the franchise of this com- pany -- according to one of the provisions in this act- and then almost simultaneous action was taken. At a town-meeting held September 24, 1869, Melrose voted to join with Malden and Medford, and pur- chased the franchise, and elected the following gen- tlemen to act as Water Commissioners: Wingate P. Sargent, Jeremiah Martin, Dexter Bryant, Elbridge Green and Joel Snow. A contract to build the water- works was made with Mr. George H. Norman, and on the 25th of August, 1870, the town was supplied with water; and from that day to this our citizens

1 " Timothy Sprague and Spot Pond," by Artemas Barrett, in Melrose Journal, Jan, 31, 1885.

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have been blessed with an abundance of water for domestic and manufacturing purposes. The first cost of the water-works was $100,000. Since then the pipes and hydrants have been extended through many additional street-, a new reservoir and pumping station for the high-service system introduced in 1886, at a cost of about $39,000, which makes a total net cost of the water-works, January 1, 1890, of $268,- 785.77. $100,000 worth of the water bonds first is- sued, mature July 1, 1890. The Water Loan Sinking Fund Commissioners will then have in hand $50,000. The total length of main and distributing pipes is now nearly forty miles, and there are over seventeen hun- dred water-takers.

MELROSE PUBLIC LIBRARY .- At a town-meeting, held in Concert Hall, March 27, 1871, the following vote was passed : That the money now in the treas- ury, refunded to the town by the county treasurer, pursuant to Chapter 250 of the acts of the Legislature in 1869, and all that shall hereafter accrue to the town under said act, be appropriated for a "Public Library and Reading Room." This is what is known as the "dog-tax." Three trustees were also chosen, viz. : Mesers. Frederic Kidder, E. H. Goss and Charles C. Barry. The library was opened November 1st, with 1400 volumes. It was first located in the Waverly Block, near the centre depot, but was removed to its present location in town-hall building, upon its com- pletion, in 1874. A reading room was opened in connection with the library, December 16, 1885. A small annual appropriation, together with the dog- tax, has maintained the institution, and January 1, 1890, there were 8195 volumes and 1143 pamphlets in the library, besides a large number of Congressional Records and United States Government volumes, do- nated by Hon. D. W. Gooch, not yet catalogued. Number of persons using the library January 1, 1890, 3454. Whole number of volumes issued during the past year, 33,052. Number of persons using the read- ing-100m during the same time, 11,701. Present trustees, Elbridge H. Goss, Charles C. Barry, Ruby F. Farwell, Mary L. Charles and Charles A. Patch.

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History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. III, Part 50

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