History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. III, Part 59

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 59

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The early inhabitants of Marlborough seem to have been imbued with the spirit of bitterness and con- troversy,-a quality which has been duly transmitted, pure and unimpaired, to the present generations. They quarreled over their records, their grants and their ministers, and they selfishly intrigued for the Indian plantation. In 1677 they petitioned the Gen- eral Court that it should be taken from the Indians, because they "during the recent war had been per- fidious and had taken part with the enemy," and should be given to them. The General Court prompt- ly said " No."

In 1684 thirty-five of the inhabitants petitioned for authority from the General Court to buy it from

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the Indians, and again they said "No." Nothing daunted, they got a deed from the Indians that same year, which the General Court promptly declared "illegal and is consequently null and void," for in the original grant it was stipulated that it could not be sold "otherwise than by consent of this Honored Court."

But Marlborough was "bigger " than the General Court, and in 1686 proceeded to divide up the plan- tation, and from that time, in fact, if not in law, it became a part of the township. Persistency finally won, and in 1719 the title was made valid. As be- fore stated, the part of Hudson east of High Street belonged to this tract of land; the part west of said street was in the original grant.

After a settlement had been formed, and abont 1000 acres had been divided among the settlers, on February 10, 1662, the proprietors adopted the fol- lowing : "It is ordered that all the lands situate and lying within this town, that are not already granted " (the meadow lands lying along the brooks, and the Assabet valley) "are and shall remain a perpetual cow common, for the use of the town, never to be al- lotted without the consent of all the inhabitants and proprietors thereof, at full meeting." February 18, 1706, it was voted, "That the proprietors will divide the Cow Common," but previous to this a settlement had been begun on the river. How a legal title was obtained is unknown, but in 1698 John Barnes came to the Assabet, and took up one acre of land on both sides of the river ; on the north side sixteen rods long and six rods wide, and on the south side sixteen rods long and thirteen and one-half rods wide.

On the north side he built a grist-mill, and this is probably the secret of his obtaining the land, for there was no mill nearer than Sudbury, and this was the nearest water-power in the Marlborough town- ship. The town viewed the project favorably, as is seen from the fact that October 16, 1699, they laid out a road over Fort Meadow, by Joseph Howe's mill, four rods wide to Lancaster town line, and Oc- tober 25th, Lancaster completed the road. John Barnes was a member of the committee on the part of Marlborough. The road was formerly accepted by the town, April 1, 1700.

It would seem from this, taken from the old town records, that Barnes did not run the mill long after building, but in some way put it into the hands of Joseph Howe, as it seems to have been called by his name on the laying out of the road, but a formal deed was not given until January 13, 1701. This was prob- ably the first piece of real estate conveyed in the present town, as it was everywhere bonnded by the un- divided cow common. Barnes and Howe both lived in Marlborough; Howe dying in 1701, as his estate was settled that year.

On Howe's death the mill probably came into the hands of Jeremiah Barstow, as we find the mill in bis possession in 1712, when he marries Howe's oldest

danghter, Sarah. Until his marriage he did not live at the mill, for during Queen Anne's War, among the garrisons formed, was one called the " mill gar- rison," at which the families of Thomas Barrett and John Banister were to assemble. These were farmers, and seem to have been the only families in this vicinity, for the garrison was at or near the grist-mill. After his marriage Barstow built his house on the site where Solon Wood's store now stands, and proceeded to increase his possessions by purchase. Ten years later he sold out to Robert Bernard, of Andover. As this deed seems to have conveyed a large part of the present township, portions of it are worthy of preser- vation :

" To all people to whom these presents shall come,

"Greeting : Know ye that I, Jeremiah Barstow, of the towne of Marl- borough, in ye County of Middlesex, in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, in New England, Miller, for & in consideration of six hundred and sixty pounds, good and currant Money of New England, or equivalent, to ma in hand, well and truly delivered & paid by Robert Bernard, of Andover, in the county of Essex, in the Province afforesaid, yeoman, the receipt wherenf 1, the said Jeremiah Barstow, do by these presence acknowledge & therewith to be fully satisfied & paid & therefore, thereof, & of every part thereof, do hereby acquitt, exonerate, and forever dis- charge him, ye said Robert Bernard, his heirs, executors, administra- tors & assigns, & for which consideration as aforesaid, I, the said Jere- miah Barstow, with the free consent of Sarah, my now married wife, have granted, bargained, sold & by these presents for myself, my heirs, executors and administrators, do freely, fully & absolutely grant, bar- gain, sell, ahen, enfeoffe, convey and confirm unto the above named Robert Bernard all that muy homestead messnage or tract of land lying and being in Marlborough afforesaid, containing by estimatiou forty-five acres, six score & fifteen rods, be it more or less as the same is butted & bonnded and described in ye towne records of Marlborough, together with my dwelling-house and barn or other housing, with all the fencing orcharding & gardens npon and belonging to said messuage," etc.

The deed then goes on and conveys eighteen other lots or parcels of land, amounting to some 310 acres. Among them is one, " lying near to ye corn-mill place which formerly belonged to Joseph Howe," and " also one acre more of land lying on both sides of said river upon part of which ye Corn-Mill and Mill-Dam standeth adjoined ; also the said Corn-Mill with all the accommodations & materials thereto belonging."

This deed is signed by Barstow and his wife Sarah, " this first Day of May in ye eight year of ye reign of our Sovereign Lord George of Great Britain & King, Anno Domini, 1722."

From this deed it seems there were few settlers in this portion of Marlborongh, for most of the lots con- veyed are bounded by other lots of Barstow's or by common land. Bernard took possession of his prop- 'erty abont 1724, and opened a public-house on the road from Marlborough to Lancaster, just above the mill. The site is now occupied by Solon Wood's store. From this time settlers gradually came within the present limits, but they were mostly farmers ; there was no central settlement. Among them were the Goodales, Wilkinses, Wheelers, Witts, Bruces, Howes, Hapgoods and Brighams, whose descendants still reside here, and in a few cases occupy the old homesteads.

Rev. Charles Hudson says of these families :

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"Among the earliest, perhaps, we may mention the Goodale family. Samuel Wheeler daeded land to John Witt and John Goodale, from Sa- lem ; and Witt conveyed his right to Goodale ; that prominent family Lave occupied the place where David B. Goodale resides, since 1702.

"Thobias Hapgood settled in the Indian Plantation before 1700, on what was afterwards called the Colonal Wassen or Spurr place. His de- ecendants have been numerous, and the early generations all resided within the present limits of Hudaon. Shadrach Hapgood, their original ancestor, came to this country in 1656, and settled in Sudbury. He was treacherously alaio by the lodians in Philip's War. The Wilkinaes came from Daovers, and settled ou the Indian Plantation about 1740, where a number of families of the name resided for several generations. Artemas Howe, a descendant of Abrabam Howe, married Mary Bigelow, 1767, and settled on the road leading from the Hapgooda to this centre of the town, north of Fort Meadow Brook. He was, probably, the first who settled and reared a family of Howes on the present territory of Hudson. Abiah Bush settled io the northern part of Marlborongh, as early, prob- ably, as 1690. John Bruce came to Marlborough about 1740, and set- tled on what has since been known as the Ezekiel Brnce place.

"Solomon Brigbam, a lineal descendant of Thomas Brigham, married Martha Boyd in 1754, and abont 1756 located himself on the road lead. ing from the 'mills' to the centre of the towo, on the place where Charlea Brigham now røgidea."

In 1794 Joel Cranston moved to the "mills," as it was then known, opened a store and public-house, and introduced a number of small industries. Five years later Silas Felton came and joined him. Both were energetic, public-spirited men, and they soon drew others to the village; its name was changed to Feltonville. Among the new arrivals were the famil- iar names of Peters, Pope, Witt and Wood.

Of these, Hudson says: "George Peters probably came from Medfield. He married Lydia Maynard, and had George, Ephraim, Luther, Adolphus and John H. Jedediah Wood was the son of Peter Wood, who came from Concord to Marlborough, and was a descendant of the third generation from William, the original emigrant. Jedediah married Betsey Wil- kins, and was the father of Col. William H., Eibridge and Alonzo. The Popes were from Salem, and for a time owned the principal land in the village; the family have been prominent in the place. Ebenezer Witt was a descendant of John Witt, who came to Marlborough in 1707. Ebenezer was son of Josiah and grandson of Samuel, who represented Marlbor- ough twenty-three years in the General Court. Ebe- nezer Witt had one son and three daughters, all of whom married in the town."

Still there was no extensive growth, for the land- owners were loath to sell; they believed in farms rather than in towns. The introduction of small but good manufacturing industries, however, gave it a healthy beginning, and from that time its growth was slow but steady, until in 1866 it numbered some 1800 inhabitants, who were desirous of a separate corporate existence. Individual thrift and enterprise and pub- lic spirit are the requisites for corporate growth. This is the secret of the marvelous growth of the West; it is also the secret of the growth of many of our New England manufacturing centres. It is the secret of Hudson's origin as a town.

The practical difficulties in the way of transacting town business and the great obstacle to the natural growth of the village of Feltonville, owing to its dis-

tance from the centre of Marlborough and the near- ness of the town line of Bolton, were the subject of frequent comment on the part of many and the care- ful thought of those who were most interested in the future growth and prosperity of the village.

It cannot be said that the citizens of Feltonville did not get their share of the town offices or failed in any other way to receive their proper share of considera- tion at the hands of the mother town, for, as circum- stances shaped affairs at that time, it happened that by a little management on the part of her citizens she was always able to balauce one part against the other and through their dissension to carry away the coveted prize. A glance at the lists of town officers for the years preceding the act of incorporation will show the names of many persons who have since been prominently connected with Hudson's growth and corporate existence. There was too, a feeling of attachment for the name and the town which was the native place of a large majority of those living in Feltonville. Sentimental reasons could not long stand in the way of every-day difficulties, and it is barely possible that a feeling was growing up in the mother town that it was perhaps as well to let the off-spring go as attempt longer to keep the lusty child in leading strings.

We can do no better at the present time than to quote extensively from an article in the Feltonville Pioneer which sets out many of the practical difficul- ties referred to above that could be in a large measure avoided by the incorporation of a new township.

Says the writer of the article referred to, which is dated May 13, 1865 :

"All are but too well aware that so long as we remain a constituent part of Marlborough, or of any of the other adjacent towna, in order to attend town-meetings, meetings above all othera which should be generally attended, because it is at these meetings that the rights, liabilities and privileges of citizens are debated and acted upon, we are obliged to travel a distance of four miles.

"The distance, moreover, to all who reside in that part of Feltooville within the limits of Marlborough, is over one of the hilliest roads in the vicinity. It would, ao far as esse and comfort of traveling by private conveyance is concerned, be easier for the inhabitants of thia section of Marlborough to go to aither Boltoo or Berlio than to climb the hills to Marlborough. And thia inconvenience caonot be removed except by bringing our municipal affairs to our own midst.

" The convenience by rail is next to nothing. The first train to Marl- horough does not reach there until after the annual town-meeting has commenced, at least, and then there is no conveyance back after one o'clock. At the very time when electors should remain, those who pat- ronize the railroad are obliged to leave and return home.

"Second : Town Records .- The records of every town most, of neces- sity, be deposited in the centre of the town. It is impossible that they should be kept anywhere else. These recorda are of constant reference and it is necessary that the towo clerk should reside where the records Bre, in order to render them serviceable to persons desiring to examine them. As inhabitants of this remote part of the town, whenever we wish to examine any of the town records we are obliged to travel four miles-no small inconvenience. Were we incorporated we should have our town records at hand.

" Third : Schools .- Under the present arrangement it is impossible, or next to impossible, for ns to avail ourselves of our jnet proportion of the higher schools in our several towos of which weare constituents. High schoola cannot, necessarily, be itinerant institutions. They must he located in the centre of the towns. Those living in the remote parta

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of the town are consequently deprived of much or all of their useful-

" To illustrate : In Marlborough the high school has been established at a great expense. The building alone cost nine thousand dollars, which war detrayed by the whole town. The current expense of the school is uot far from twelve hundred dollars per annum, which, of course, is levied upon the whole town. Now how does it stand with Feltonville ? The assessors' booky of Marlborough will show that there is io that part of Marlborough known as Feltooville over one-third of the whole tax. able property of the town Within the same limits there are not far from 2000 population. Feltonville capital, therefore, has paid, and still is pay- ing, one-third and more for the high school establishment. How about the benefit derivable therefrom ? We are credibly informed that for the past four years, at least, oot a single pupil from Feltonville has patron- ized this school. The sequence is clear. Feltonville capital is paying for a school some four hundred dollars annually and enjoys no conceivable equivalent therefor The schools in Feltonville are no better and enjoy no more privileges or advantages than the schools of the same grade in the villages in the centre of the town. The high school for the benefit of Feltonville is mere nominal, and while we are a part aod parcel of Marlboro' this thing must continue. The distance is so great that it is entirely impracticable for scholars to go to the high school from our vil- lage. Were we incorporated this evil could and would be remedied.

"In the management of our own municipal affairs we could provide a high school for the accommodation of our scholars. There would, in ad- dition to the considerations already presented, he a consequential rise in value of property by ao incorporation. Everything which tends to in- creuse the social, moral or educational advantages of a place necessarily carries with It au advance in the price of property. The expense of the goverumeot of a new towo would oot be greater than the outlay we are subjected to already, whereas our advantages would be increased two- fold."

This, as has been said, was but one of a series of letters which appeared in the local papers, and it is not left to the imagination to suppose that the facts thus brought out gave the citizens food for reflection which led them to believe that a change was de- sirable and must be had. As a natural result of the agitation, a notice was inserted in the columns of the paper from which we have just quoted, calling upon all of the citizens of Feltonville to meet in Union Hall, Tuesday evening, May 16, 1865, to take some organized action upon this all-important subject.

Pursuant to the call upon the evening in question, the citizens in the village assembled, and having elected James T. Joslin chairman, and Silas H. Stu- art secretary, a general discussion arose, participated in by many present, and a strong feeling was de- veloped in favor of separation-peaceable, if possible, but separation anyway.

It was made apparent also at this meeting that many citizens of Bolton and Berlin desired to be in- cluded within the proposed limits of the new town; this desire upon their part was favored upon the part of those most prominent in the movement living within the Marlborough limits.

Mr. Wilbur F. Brigham announced to the meeting that he had circulated a subscription paper, and that there was pledged thereon the sum of nine hundred and seven dollars with which to defray the ex- penses necessarily to be incurred in carrying out the work of separation.

Owing to some informality in calling the meeting, the nature of which does not clearly appear at this time, it was deemed advisable to dissolve and call another meeting for one week from that evening. This first

meeting had, however, served the purpose for which it was intended-to give direction and momentum to local feeling-and upon the evening of Tuesday, the 23d day of May, 1865, the citizens of Feltonville again assembled in Union Hall to take definite action in regard to a separation from Marlborough, whose original borders had already been reduced by similar successful movements.

At this meeting Mr. Francis Brigham was chosen chairman, and Silas H. Stuart secretary. The original memorandum book of records, kept by Mr. Stuart, is still fortunately in existence, and from its pages we are able to gather an abstract of its proceedings.

The following preamble and set of resolutions were presented to the meeting for its consideration, and, after some debate, were adopted ; how unanimously the records do not disclose :

" WHEREAS, We, the inhabitants of Feltonville and vicinity, believ- iog that the time has arrived when it will be for our best interests and welfare to withdraw from our respective municipal corporations and he incorporated into a oew town ; therefore,

"Resolved, That a committee of nine be appointed to take iuto con- sideratioo the subject of establishing the boundary lines of said new town and the most feasible way of drawing up the petition for that purpose, and that they be instructed to procure snch legal advice as they may deem necessary on the subject, and report at some future meeting, to he called by them."

It was then voted that the chair appoint a commit- tee of five to retire and nominate the committee of nine, and report as soon as may be.

The committee of five thus appointed retired, and, after due consultation, brought in the following list of names of nine gentlemen upon whom mainly should devolve the labor of fixing the limits of the new town and of arranging the necessary details leading to the consummation of their purpose and hopes : Francis Brigham, George Houghton, E. M. Stowe, S. H. Stuart, J. T. Joslin, of Feltonville ; Albert Goodrich, Caleb E. Nourse, J. P. Nourse, of Bolton ; and Ira H. Brown, of Berlin.

The citizens at large having thus provided the " sinews of war," and made a selection of their active agents, no longer appear to have taken an organized part in the movement, and in following out the fu- ture movements in this interesting effort for a new town, we shall have to do only with the doings of the committee of nine named above.

Again, referring to the records of Clerk Stuart, we find that this committee convened on the evening of the 26th, and, with Francis Brigham in the chair, proceeded to discuss the question of the boundary line for the new town. "After a thorough investiga- tion of the subject," says the record, "it was voted to make the boundary line as follows : Commencing at a point above the house of Daniel Stratton, in Bolton, and striking across to a point near the house of Octa Danforth ; thence to a point near the house of Rufus Coolidge; thence across Berlin to the Marlborough line, near the house of Stephen Fay ; thence following the town line to the bound on the Northborough

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Road; thence to a point about sixty rods south of Simeon Cunningham's house; thence to a point be- tween the houses of Lewis Hapgood and Aaron May- nard; thence to Stow line, near what is called ' Mos- quito Hole ;' thence by the town line to the point first mentioned."

This line was changed slightly at the next meet- ing, so as to take in the E. Maynard and Lewis Hap- good places.

The committee, through two of its members, having taken legal counsel of Tappan Wentworth, Esq., of Low- ell, and Charles Hudson, of Lexington, recommended that three petitions be drawn up and presented to the next Legislature, one from citizens of Marlborough for a division of the town, with the citizens of Bolton and Berlin on the same in aid, and from each of the last two asking to have portions of Bolton and Berlin annexed to the new town; and at the meeting of June 2d the committee voted to recommend the name, Hudson as the name of the new town.

Upon the evening of June 13, 1865, the citizens again convened in Union Hall to hear the report of their committee of nine upon the question of the boundary line. At this meeting the line was again changed slightly in the vicinity of the house of Dan- iel Stratton, so as to take in a piece of Stow territory. It was then moved that a new committee of five mem- bers be formed to make all the necessary arrangements for the purpose of incorporating the new town, and this committee, as made up by the meeting, was as fol- lows : Francis Brigham, George Houghton and James T. Joslin, of Feltonville, Mr. Daniel Stratton, of Bol- ton, and Mr. Ira H. Brown, of Berlin, in whose hands finally the management and labor of obtaining an act of incorporation now vested.

At this same meeting an attempt was made to select the name of the new town, due undoubtedly to the energy of those who are always desirous of counting their chickens before they are hatched. It was wisely voted down, as will appear later, for when this ques- tion finally came up for settlement it engendered an amount of feeling that would have probably wrecked the whole movement at this period.

At a meeting held two months later it was voted to allow Lyman Perry and others who resided in what is now commonly called the "Goodale District," to pe- tition the Legislature at their own expense to be in- cluded within the limits of the new town, and so fa- vorably had everything progressed in the work of the committee of five that the question of a name could not longer be postponed. It was therefore voted to mark for a name. Prior to a settlement of the ques- tion it was stated by citizens of excellent financial standing that if the new town should be called " Fel- ton," after Silas Felton, who owned a large store and operated a grist-mill, he would make the town a present of one thousand dollars, and it was understood also that Mr. Charles Hudson would donate $500 to the use of a public library, should the citizens decide

in favor of calling the new town Hudson, in his honor.

Under these highly interesting circumstances the vote taken at once arouses our curiosity and we can easily imagine the excitement and various arguments for and against the one man and the other, made use of that evening to influence the minds of the voters.

As the village had always been called Feltonville and Mr. Felton offered the larger sum of money it would be natural to suppose that the citizens wonld favor the name "Felton," but the secretary's record shows that the argument in favor of Hudson was too strong to be resisted by a majority, and so Hudson it was and ever will be. The exact vote is worth preservation and is as follows :

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History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. III, Part 59

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