USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Newton > History of Newton, Massachusetts : town and city, from its earliest settlement to the present time, 1630-1880 > Part 34
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Joseph Adams, John Seaver, William McIntosh, John Brown, jr.,
David Clark, Joseph Fuller, John Jarvis, Joshua Murdock, jr.,
Samuel Clark, Norman Clark, jr., Moses Craft,
Silas Chub,
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. HISTORY OF NEWTON.
examined as to his political views, was adjudged pure from tory sentiments, and a committee was appointed to draft a declaration for him to sign, which would be satisfactory to the town. The following votes of the citizens are both curious and interesting.
VOTED, that Alexander Shepard procure and lay before the Court the evi- dence that may be had of inimical disposition towards this or any of the United States, of any person belonging to the town, who shall be charged by any of the inhabitants of being a person whose residence in this State is dangerous to the public peace and safety.
VOTED, to accept the list now exhibited by the Selectmen of such persons, who they believe to have been endeavoring to counteract the united strug- gles of this and the other United States for the preservation of their liberties and privileges.
VOTED, that John Rogers and Joseph Bullough be added to the list aforesaid.
VOTED, that Alexander Shepard, Colonel Hammond and Deacon Bowles be a committee to draft a declaration for Mr. John Rogers to sign, to satisfy the town.
VOTED, that Mr. Rogers be no farther proceeded with, relative to his being charged with being inimical to the United States.
After debate on the fifth article in the Warrant, relative to petitioning the General Assembly for removing Morris Spillard and Captain McFall out of the town of Newton, - the vote passed in the affirmative; and Alexander Shepard, Aaron Richardson and Captain Jeremiah Wiswall were appointed a committee for that purpose.
The citizens were ready to contribute not only their services, but also their pecuniary means, as before stated, to promote the military glory of the town. Besides the gift of John Pigeon, who came into the place a few years before the commencement of the Revolution, and was a zealous, liberal and energetic friend of the independence of the colonies, several persons loaned the town larger or smaller amounts, according to their ability, to pay the soldiers in the army. Captain Jeremiah Wiswall led the East com- pany of infantry at the commencement and loaned the town £45; John Wiswall served in the army and loaned the town, in 1777, £20; Joseph White loaned £100; Deacon John Woodward was in the battle of Concord, and loaned £100 ; Samuel Woodward was likewise in the battle of Concord, and loaned for the same purpose £120,- bold and freedom-loving men, risking for their country's welfare both their treasure and their blood! Deacon Elhanan Winchester, father of the noted preacher, who gained
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SAVING IMPORTANT PAPERS.
his livelihood by the double occupation of agriculture and shoe- making, to which he added occasional preaching without pecuniary compensation, and amassed some property, exhibited true pa- triotism ; for he loaned the town £300 in March, 1777, to pay the soldiers.
Every item pertaining to our revolutionary history is precious. Especially is it a duty and a privilege to record every circumstance of that important period, in which the citizens or any citizen of Newton acted a prominent part. Dr. Homer, in recording the death of Abraham Fuller, Esq., who deceased April 20, 1794, after eulogizing his character, relates the following circumstance, which is a valuable contribution to the history of the revolution- ary conflict.
To Abraham Fuller, as principal of a committee of the Provincial Con- gress at Concord, were committed the papers containing the exact returns of the military stores in Massachusetts at the beginning of 1775. Upon the recess of the Congress, he first lodged these papers in a cabinet of the room which the committee occupied. But, thinking afterwards that the British troops might attempt to seize Concord in the absence of the Congress, and that these papers, discovering the public deficiency in every article of mili- tary apparatus, might fall into their hands, he withdrew them, and brought them to his house in Newton. That foresight and judgment for which he was ever distinguished and which he displayed in the present instance, was extremely fortunate for the country. The cabinet was broken open by a British officer on the day of the entrance of the troops into Concord, April 19, 1775, and great disappointment expressed at missing its expected con- tents. Had they fallen into their hands, it was his opinion that the knowl- edge of the public deficiency might have encouraged the enemy, at this early period of the struggle, to have made such a use of their military force as could not have been resisted by the small stock of powder and other articles of war which the province then contained. He considered the impulse upon his mind to secure those papers as one among many Providential interposi- tions for the support of the American cause.
23
CHAPTER XXIX.
NEWTON IN THE REVOLUTION .- THE DIE CAST .- BOUNTIES .- THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE .- SOLDIERS' PAY .- SPIRIT OF THE PEOPLE.
THE mutterings of the distant thunder had now been heard for- more than ten years. Darkness had nearly overspread the politi- cal heavens, and a few heavy peals, with sharp flashes of lightning, had given indications of the approach of a heavy, if not a protracted storm. The reverberations continued to roll among all the hills, and' to sweep along through the peaceful valleys. Men talked seriously of the signs of the times, and prepared themselves for solemn and determined work. The heavens were not likely to be soon clear again, and the little band of patriots girded themselves anxiously, but with undaunted spirit, for whatever might come. They were. comparatively few in number and feeble in resources. . Struggling, from the beginning, against the infelicities of a rigorous climate, a stony soil, and an unsubdued wilderness, they had created as yet but few of the elements requisite to the conduct of a war. They had no army, no navy, no military equipments worthy of the name. The power they were to contend against was rich in every thing that constitutes national wealth, and entitled to be respected on sea and land. England had its trained armies, and skilful and. experienced generals ; and, above all, maintained, in this conflict, the justice of its own cause, and branded the Americans as rebels. The colonists had, at this time, no allies, and no cer- tainty, if they should strike for independence, that their independ- ence would be recognized by any nation upon earth. They were. obliged cautiously to feel their way, touching tentatively the public pulse, that they might ascertain how far it might be safe to pro- ceed towards extreme measures. The members of the Great and General Court were brave, and loyal to the interest of the colo-
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THE GREAT QUESTION.
nies. But, were not the common people likely to be timid in this emergency? Could they be relied on to furnish strong arms and iron hearts? The experiences of Lexington, Concord and Bunker Hill had been inspiring and hopeful. But if the war should be long and exhausting, if the fields should be left uncultivated and the armies without bread, if the country should be gradually bereft of its stalwart citizens, and poverty become the only portion of its widows and orphans, would the people, in view of such a possible prospect, stand firm to their convictions ? Were the merchants, the tradesmen, and the yeomen of America, in the face of such an alternative, sufficiently in earnest to be ready to pledge " their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor" to the cause which they had espoused? This was now the question to be determined.
Accordingly, on the tenth of May, 1776, the General Court passed the following resolution :
Resolved, as the opinion of this House, that the inhabitants of each town in the Colony ought, in full meeting, warned for that purpose, to advise the person or persons who shall be chosen to represent them in the next General Court, whether, that if the Honorable Congress should, for the safety of these Colonies, declare them independent of the kingdom of Great Britain, they, the said inhabitants, will solemnly engage with their lives and fortunes to support them in the measure.
In response to this proposition of the General Court, town meetings were held during the months of May, June, and the early part of July, in many, if not in all, of the towns of Massa- chusetts.
The meeting in Boston was held, it is reported, on the 23d of May. The meeting in Newton occurred on the 17th of June, the first anniversary of the day rendered memorable by the battle of Bunker Hill, and in which Newton had been honored by the. prowess of her citizens. Fitting celebration of such an event ! It was the busiest season of the year. The men could ill spare the time from their labors in the field. But the exigency was great. They felt that important interests were at stake. The rights of freemen, for centuries to come, were of more consequence, in their estimation, than the bread of the next harvest. They knew that posterity would hold them accountable for their action in such an emergency. Grave questions were to be debated, and every patriot was bound to be at his post. The 17th of June, 1776, was, to the citizens of Newton, a day pregnant with the fate of
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HISTORY OF NEWTON.'
coming centuries. In its balances hung quivering the destinies of posterity, perhaps to the latest generation. Shall the Americans be freemen? Or, shall they yield, weakly, to British aggression? This was the question.
Captain John Woodward was Moderator of the meeting. The following was the second article of the warrant calling the citizens together :
"THAT IN CASE THE HONORABLE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS SHOULD, FOR THE SAFETY OF THE AMERICAN COLONIES, DECLARE THEM INDEPENDENT OF THE KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN, WHETHER THE INHABITANTS OF THIS TOWN WILL SOLEMNLY ENGAGE WITH THEIR LIVES AND FORTUNES TO SUPPORT THEM IN THE MEASURE."
We have no record of the debate. We know not who spoke on the question, or how many,- nor how long the discussion con- tinued. We cannot tell whether there was timidity, to be inspired by courage ; or counter-opinions, to be overcome by argument ; or prudent men, counselling delay, whom the debates stimulated to advise immediate action. What would we not give, if stenography had preserved to us the burning eloquence of that solemn discus- sion ? What would we not give, if photography had copied for us the knit brows, the determined gait, the undaunted and defiant air of those bold spirits, as they adjourned at the close of that sum- mer afternoon, and went home to report to their families what " the inhabitants, in town meeting assembled," had agreed upon? The Record only enters, with the conciseness of true eloquence, these words :
" After debate, the question was put, and THE VOTE PASSED UNANIMOUSLY IN THE AFFIRMATIVE."
" Bold and memorable words," says Mr. Hyde, in his Centennial oration, " that meant even more than they expressed! They meant sacrifice of com- fort, fortune, home, friends, life, if need be. All these were laid upon the altar. Independence! the right to govern themselves, to make their own laws, to choose or appoint their own officers, and to pay them, representation or no taxation, in short to enjoy all the rights of freemen ;- for these things, which they so highly valued, they were ready to pledge their lives and for- tunes. That pledge, so solemnly given, was fully redeemed during the long and sanguinary struggle for the nation's independence. In winter's snows and summer's heats the men of Newton were found, old and young, able and disabled, filling the ranks of the little American army. They formed a part of nearly every expedition, and were found on nearly every field, from the opening battles of Lexington and Concord to the final surrender of Corn-
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CAUSES OF THE REVOLUTION.
wallis at Yorktown. All this the people of Newton did, to redeem the pledges they had given, and to drive back from these shores the armies of those who sought to deprive them of their God-given rights of freedom.
"Newton, then a little country town, with only about fourteen hundred inhabitants, in town meeting assembled, dared to adopt such a vote, at the early stages of the war, more than two weeks before the Declaration of In- dependence was given to the country by the Continental Congress at Phila- delphia,- when no human eye could foresee the results of the struggle upon which they had entered; when failure meant,-they knew not what, - suf- fering, hardship, imprisonment, banishment, possibly, death for treason.
"Notwithstanding all, there was no uncertain sound; the bugle blast for freedom had been sounded, the first gun fired, the first blood shed. The die was cast. Henceforth,- let come what would, - life or death, -liberty was the watchword."
"That solemn and ever memorable vote," says Mr. Jackson, "was not meant for show. Those lives and fortunes went along with it, honestly, earnestly and triumphantly, from the first hour to the last of that sanguinary struggle for independence. Newton men formed a part of every army and expedition, fought in almost every battle and skirmish throughout the con- test. Scarce a man in the town, old or young, able or unable, but volun- teered, enlisted or was drafted, and served in the ranks of the army from the hardest-fought battles, down to the more quiet duty of guarding Burgoyne's surrendered army, partly by aged men."
Undoubtedly, the Stamp duty and the duty on tea were far from being the principal causes of the American Revolution. These taxes, and kindred acts of oppression on the part of the mother country, only accelerated an event which was as certain to come to pass, as that the boy will become a man. Republican ideas had been instilled into the minds of the people by such men as Samuel Adams and his co-adjutors, for years previous to the signing of the Declaration. He had counselled separation from Great Britain and the independence of the United States as early as 1769, and would have gladly made the Declaration immediately after the battle of Lexington. "Taxation' and 'taxation without repre- sentation,'" says Mr. Endicott, "were the watchwords, to some considerable extent. But it was not simply the paltry taxes that were levied upon the colonies that led to independence. These words were but the terms used to signify a certain class of legis- lative acts, that were especially aimed at the industrial and mari- time interests of the colonies. Mr. Sabine tells us, 'there were no less than twenty-nine laws, which restricted and bound down colonial industry, hardly one of which, until the passage of the Stamp Act, imposed a direct tax. They forbade the use of water-
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HISTORY OF NEWTON.
falls, the erecting of machinery, of looms and spindles and the working of wood and iron. They set the king's arrows upon trees that rotted in the forests.' It was not so much 'direct taxation,' as it was this restrictive policy and legislation, the end and pur- pose of which was to keep the colonies as mere tributaries and market-places for the trade and manufactures of the mother country, and to prevent our merchants from carrying on trade with any nation other than Great Britain."*
The frequency of the town meetings at this period is an indi- cation of the feeling of unrest which pervaded the community. The citizens were anxious to meet often and discuss the affairs of the country, and to be ready for every sudden emergency. At a meeting held July 5, 1775, we find this record :
The question was put whether the town would grant an additional sum to the bounty granted by the General Court to each person who shall enlist and pass muster as one of Newton's quota for the Canada expedition + ;- and the vote passed in the affirmative.
VOTED, that the sum of £6 6s. 8d. be paid out of the town treasury to each person who passeth muster and goeth into the service.
VOTED, that the Treasurer be directed, and is hereby empowered, in be- half of the town, to borrow the money to pay the bounty of the soldiers aforesaid.
VOTED, that the Selectmen give orders on the Treasury for the payment of £6 6s. Sd. to each person that shall be one of Newton's quota in the expedi- tion towards Canada, that are already ordered by the General Court.
The DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE was adopted by the Con- gress in Philadelphia July 4, 1776. The Massachusetts Council immediately took the requisite measures to give publicity to the Document by passing the following order :
In Council, July 17, 1776.
Ordered, that the Declaration of Independence be printed, and a copy sent to the Minister of each Parish, of every Denomination, within this State, and that they severally be required to read the same to their respective Congre- gations, as soon as Divine service is ended in the afternoon on the first Lord's day after they shall have received it; and after such publication thereof, to
* Centennial Oration at Canton, by Hon. Charles Endicott, July 4, 1876.
1 In 1775 Canada was invaded by a body of provincial troops, under General Mont- gomery. Montreal was taken, and a gallant, but unsuccessful attempt was made on Quebec, in which the brave Montgomery was killed. Only one shot was fired by the British, but by that single shot General Montgomery and two of his aides-de-camp lost their lives.
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WOMEN IN THE REVOLUTION.
deliver the said Declaration to the Clerks of their several towns or districts, who are hereby required to record the same in their respective Town or Dis- trict Books, there to remain as a perpetual Memorial thereof.
In the name and by order of the Council,
A true copy : Attest
R. DERBY, JR., President. JOHN AVERY, Dep. Secretary.
In obedience to the above Order, the Declaration of Independ- ence was copied into the Town Records, by vote of the town, the citizens thus adopting it as their own.
That Newton may receive its due share of honor for the part performed by her citizens in the events of that sublime but trying period of our history, when these United States were passing from a condition of dependence to the condition of a free republic, be it remembered that one of the fifty-six signers of the Declaration of Independence, who was also one of the committee which reported it to the Congress, was Roger Sherman, a native of Newton.
The evacuation of Boston by the British troops on the 17th of March, 1776, gave great joy to the Americans. Soon afterwards, the American army commenced its march for New York, where they arrived on the 14th of April, 1776, and from thence Captain Nathan Fuller's company marched with the expedition to Canada. In this service, Captain Fuller was promoted to the office of major, and much praise is awarded to him for his judgment and bravery in that expedition.
In the hardships and perils of the Revolution, and in patriotic spirit, not the men of Newton only, but the women also shared. They bore their full proportion in the toils and sufferings by which the freedom and prosperity of the republic was so nobly and so dearly purchased. In the words of another,-
While a grateful nation recalls the deeds of the Revolutionary soldiers, who a hundred years ago joined a more than doubtful cause, let us not forget the women, who bore their share of the toil and suffering. They could not follow the soldiers into the field, and become hospital nurses, and members of the Sanitary Commission, as their descendants did in the civil war; but they stayed at home and cultivated the land; and, when the men returned, sick and disabled, tenderly nursed them back to health and strength, or laid them sadly away under the blue slate-stones, now weather-beaten and moss- grown, in neglected burying grounds.
We have a specimen of what the women could do in the Revolutionary war, in the history of Timothy Jackson, the only son of a widow. When he joined the Revolutionary army, he was more than fifty years old. She had
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HISTORY OF NEWTON.
four daughters at home, the eldest being twenty-two, and the youngest twelve years of age. The farm then contained about thirty acres, which they must cultivate, or starve. They worked on the land, like men and boys. Lucy, the eldest, was a noble, vigorous, energetic woman. She could plough and mow, and she followed these avocations, leaving the lighter labors of the farm to the young and less robust sisters. In this way the family, like many another in New England, in those days of suffering, privation and hardship, continued to labor on, until Timothy, after experiencing the horrors of prison ships, privateering and impressment, reached home, after the battle of Mon- mouth, in 1777.
It is evident that the inhabitants of Newton regarded the Declaration of Independence, as the act of the whole people, and as expressing the opinions and the determinations of each and every individual in the town. The copy of it, standing entire on the Town Records, is a perpetual memorial of the wisdom and patriot- ism of the fathers of the town, and an immortal testimony to their enlightened faith.
How wise was the action of the signers of the Declaration, who in this way secured a place for it on the Record Book of every town, where it would often meet the eye of every citizen, and stimulate the sense of responsibility.
On the sixth of January, 1777, a committee was appointed to adjust matters in reference to the soldiers' pay, and to consider and report how the war should be supported for the future. The exigency required men of calm heads and wise decision. Patriot- ism was not merely a quality to be boasted of by ambitious politi- cians. It was not to be sung about on a gala day, in melodious pæans. It demanded iron nerves and will. It called for wise, steady, patient, self-denying action.
The report of the committee was as follows :
January 6, 1777 .- We the subscribers being a committee chosen by the in- habitants of the town of Newton at their meeting legally assembled on the 18th of December, 1776, to adjust matters relative to an allowance to soldiers: for services done in the war since the 19th of April, 1775, - and also to con- sider in what manner the war shall be supported by the inhabitants for the future,-
Having attentively attended to the service, and, after the most mature de- liberation, the majority of us are of opinion and humbly conceive it to be just and equitable that there be paid out of the public treasury of this town the several and respective sums to such persons belonging to the town as. were in the service of their country in the expedition or tours of duty which are hereinafter particularly expressed,- excluding such as we think the pay was adequate to the service, proportionally with those to which we have thought it just to add to their pay, viz. :
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PAY OF SOLDIERS.
To such as enlisted' in the first eight months' service, and attended their duty therein, forty shillings each.
To those who were in the two months' service, in the winter last past, twenty shillings each.
To those who enlisted for the whole year last past, and were ordered to march to New York, and from thence to Canada, and attended their duty, twenty pounds each.
To those who enlisted for the year last past, and marched to New York, ten pounds each.
To those who enlisted for the said year, and marched to New York in the summer, eight pounds each.
To those who enlisted for the said year, and marched for Ticonderoga in the summer, eight pounds each.
To those who enlisted in Colonel Craft's and Colonel Whitney's regiments, to man the lines, three pounds each.
To those who were drafted and marched to New York for two months, four pounds each.
To those who marched for fourteen weeks, to man the lines, forty shillings each.
To those who were drafted for New York for three months, and are now at Providence, five pounds each.
That there be also paid out of the Treasury aforesaid to each and every person who has paid money to hire, or encourage soldiers to enlist in any of the services, since the 19th of April, 1775, aforesaid, the several and respec- tive sums by them disbursed; excepting such a part, if any, that have been paid more than the fine required by law. And that such inhabitants as were called forth upon any emergency, and were omitted in the Muster Rolls, and have not received any pay for their service, they shall be paid in proportion to what others have received who were in the same service; and that the charge of hiring soldiers that shall from time to time be required of this town, as their quota or proportion of men, during the present war, shall be paid out of the Treasury aforesaid, and grants made from time to time and assessed on the polls and estates belonging to the town, for the payment of all and every sum that shall be paid for any of the purposes herein before mentioned.
We also humbly conceive that it would be most expedient for the town to choose a committee, to be joined with the commissioned officers of the town for the time being, to hire such number of soldiers as shall from time to time be required of the town during the present war.
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