History of Newton, Massachusetts : town and city, from its earliest settlement to the present time, 1630-1880, Part 56

Author: Smith, S. F. (Samuel Francis), 1808-1895. 4n
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Boston : American Logotype Co.
Number of Pages: 996

USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Newton > History of Newton, Massachusetts : town and city, from its earliest settlement to the present time, 1630-1880 > Part 56

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BURIAL OF A CHAPLAIN.

memory. Ministers of various denominations took part in the funeral services. The following hymn, written by the Rev. S. F. Smith for the occasion, was sung at the close :

Take from our hands, O faithful earth, This martyred form - a holy trust; While mourning hearts, submissive, bow, And tears bedew the sacred dust.

Slain in his prime by hands unclean, Peaceful shall be the martyr's rest;

Nor fears alarm, nor foes assail, Nor pains annoy, nor cares molest.

In joyful hope we build his tomb, Where, calm, the brave and holy sleep; And patriot faith and Christian love Around the shrine their watch shall keep.

O man of God, in patience wait, The morning redness streaks the gloom ; Thy dust shall rise,- and earth, redeemed, Proclaim its Great Deliverer come.

The whole number of representatives of the Institution, in the various branches of service in the war, was forty-four. Of these, twenty-seven were alumni of the Institution, and seventeen actual students within its walls, at the time when the summons came for active service in the field. The patriotic lessons, imbibed from the teachings of the Institution and from the Holy Scriptures, fitted them for the emergency. They were prepared to do valiant ser- vice for their country, as well as for the church of Christ. It is an interesting fact that, of the students who were members of the Institution when the necessity grew most urgent, about one in every four offered himself for the service, saying, "Here am I, send me." And of the entire number of the alumni to the close of the civil war,- omitting those who were not living and those who had gone as missionaries to other lands, the whole number engaged in the service of their country was not far from one in every ten,- a noble offering to the cause of patriotism, honorable alike to themselves, their training and the Institution where they were nurtured.

CHAPTER XLIV.

NORTH VILLAGE .- PAPER-MAKING .- CHEESE-CAKE BROOK .- COT-

TON WARP .- GAS MANUFACTURE .- "TIN HORN."- ÆTNA MILLS .- BOSTON MANUFACTURING COMPANY .- THE BRIDGE .- NORTH EVANGELICAL CHURCH.

THE history of the North Village of Newton, as connected with the establishment and growth of various original kinds of manu- factures, is full of interest. Some of the works first planted here were on the Watertown side of the river ; but, the village being one, the water-power being equally available on each side, and the enterprise of the owners having built up a business constantly expanding in each direction, the history of manufactures at this point belongs to the history of Newton, and the history of New- ton cannot be complete without it. The locality bore for many years the title of " Bemis's Factories."

An article in the Waltham Sentinel of April 29, 1864, supplies the requisite materials for the view which follows.

Through the energy, enterprise and perseverance of the Bemis family through two or three generations, water-power was first applied at this point for manufacturing and mechanical purposes.

David Bemis, the father of Captain Luke Bemis and Seth Bemis, Esq., more than a century since purchased thirty-nine acres of land on the Watertown side, and subsequently twenty-five acres additional, embracing all the land on which the buildings belong- ing to the village on that side of the river now stand. In 1778, David Bemis with Dr. Enos Sumner, who then owned the land on the Newton side, constructed the original dam across the river where the same now is. The next year Dr. Sumner sold out his interest in the concern to John D. McDougal, of Boston, Michael Carney, of Dorchester, and Nathaniel Patten, of Hartford, Conn., who erected a paper-mill in 1779. In 1780-1, David Bemis became

576

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NORTH VILLAGE.

owner of two-thirds of this business, and with his son, Captain Luke Bemis, carried it on till 1790, when the father, David Bemis, died. Shortly after that event, Luke Bemis and his brother Isaac became sole owners of the property, and continued together till 1794, when Isaac Bemis died. From that time till 1821, Luke Bemis, either alone or in partnership with his brother-in-law, Caleb Eddy, of Boston, carried on the business of paper-making. He then sold out to Seth Bemis, his brother, as will be more particu- larly noticed hereafter, in connection with the history of the Watertown side.

Captain Bemis may be regarded as the first successful manufac- turer of paper in this vicinity, and, perhaps, in Massachusetts, and who at the outset had to struggle against great difficulties, being obliged at the commencement to obtain most of his machinery and workmen from Europe, and afterwards suffering the loss of his mill, stock and machinery by fire. But so important was the enterprise considered, in a public point of view, that the Legisla- ture of Massachusetts made a special grant to enable him to rebuild his mill after the fire.

The process of paper-making in those days was slow and tedious, requiring as many months as it now requires days. Each sheet was made singly, by first dipping the mould into the pulp, and shaking it, much in the same manner as a person shakes the riddle in cleaning grain. When the pulp was sufficiently consolidated by this shaking process, the mould was turned over upon a woollen felt, to which the pulp adhered ; upon this, another felt was laid for the reception of another sheet, and thus the process was contin- ued. The moulds were all imported until the beginning of the present century. About that time, Mr. Jacob Mead, an ingen- ious citizen of Waltham, invented a machine for weaving copper wire for paper-moulds. This invention proved to be very remu- nerative to the inventor, and a great convenience to the public. No one, outside of the inventor's family, ever saw it until after the inventor's death. It was then sold at auction by the adminis- trator, boxed up and unseen, to the late Mr. Thomas Miller, of Waltham, for $550. The process of paper-making, however, soon became so essentially changed, after Mr. Miller's purchase, that the value of the invention was much diminished.

All the land bounded by the river, on the southerly, that is, the Newton side, extending from or near the Watertown line to a point

578

HISTORY OF NEWTON.

on Charles River near the north end of Morse Island, afterwards called Fox Island, belonged, during a century or more from the first settlement of Newton, to Richard Park and John Fuller, and their lineal descendants. The former owned six hundred acres of the easterly portion, and John Fuller the westerly portion, con- taining seven hundred and fifty acres. The division line between them commenced at a point on the river, near and perhaps identical with that which divided the land of the late Henry Craft from that which now belongs to Messrs. Seth and George Bemis. This line ran southerly to a white oak tree, the stump of which is now remaining at a point about twenty feet south of Watertown Street, opposite the house of the widow Monks. This original landmark still continues as an important one between different owners of land. John Fuller's south line ran westerly from said oak tree to the point near Fox Island, as before mentioned. John Fuller had seven sons, whose Christian names all began with the letter J. This very valuable tract of territory now belongs to Waltham ; during more than a century, it was called Fuller's Corner. The father, with some or all of his sons, while traversing the then wil- derness near the residence of the late Ezra Fuller, refreshed them- selves with cake and cheese and drank from the brook, and hence named it CHEESE-CAKE BROOK, by which name it is still known. At a later hour, they cooked some wild game on the small conical hill standing a little east of the residence of Mr. Conant, which they named Cook HILL. Fifty or sixty years ago it was so desig- nated ; but the name has now become obsolete.

The remains of the original house of John Fuller could be seen, until within a few years, near the river, on the farm of the late Ezra Fuller.

Richard Park died in 1665, and his only son Thomas inherited his estate, by the will of his father. Thomas Park erected a house near the barn, which was burned several years since, belonging to the late Seth Bemis, Esq. The house was standing until about 1808-9, although so dilapidated as to be untenantable. Thomas Park died August 11, 1690, aged sixty-two, and from him, his heirs and assigns, the title of all the land in the vicinity has been derived.

We will now turn our attention to the northerly or Watertown side of the river, which forms an integral part of this busy manu- facturing village.

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NORTH VILLAGE.

During the period while David Bemis with his son Luke was en- gaged in the manufacture of paper on the Newton side, he built and carried on a grist-mill and snuff-mill on the Watertown side, until his death in 1790, it being the first mill on that side of the river at that place. At his decease, the property on the Watertown side was inherited by his two sons, Luke and Seth, the latter of whom, in or about 1796, bought out the interest therein of his brother Luke, and became sole proprietor of the mill and its appurtenances. He soon made preparations for the manufacture of chocolate, and preparing dye-woods and medicinal woods and roots for use. These branches of business he carried on successfully until about 1803. Then, by making a small addition to the old mill, he com- menced spinning cotton by machinery ; and although the machinery was very limited in amount and imperfect in its construction, his profits were said to be almost fabulous on his " cotton warp," which was wholly consigned to a Mr. Bowers, of Boston, father of Mr. Charles E. Bowers, later of Newtonville. So great was the demand that it was impossible for Mr. Bemis, with his limited num- ber of spindles, to furnish the required supply.

It had been and was then the practice universally to manufac- ture all the cotton cloth for domestic use, in the family. All the families were furnished with spinning-wheels, and nearly all with looms. Hence the great demand for " Bemis' warp," which was much superior to that spun by hand. The woof or filling was still spun, and the cloth woven in families. At that period the women, old and young, knew how to spin and weave, as well as to sew. A writer of the age following says,-"They were the more respected for being competent and willing to earn their living by honest industry. Alas, the change ! that the spinning of street yarn and weaving webs of scandal should have so generally suc- ceeded the home manufacture of useful domestic textile fabrics."

The preparation of the cotton for carding was at that time a slow and expensive operation. It was carried out in small parcels, to be picked by hand in families living in the vicinity, at about four cents per pound, exclusive of carrying out and bringing back, which required most of the time of one man and horse. To facil- itate the process of picking, such families as were engaged in the occupation were mostly provided with a " whipping frame," the bottom of which was woven, or made of strong cords so loosely that the seeds and dirt could pass through ; the cotton, being

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HISTORY OF NEWTON.

placed thereon, and two sticks, one in each hand, being laid on smartly for two or three minutes, became very much loosened. For several years the business of cotton picking afforded employ- ment to a multitude of persons, enabling them to procure a com- fortable livelihood.

Mr. Bemis constantly improved and increased his machinery for spinning, etc., discarding the old and adopting that which was new and better. After a few years he caused a machine to be made for preparing the cotton for carding, which did not differ materially from the "cotton pickers" of the present day. This machine bore the grim title of "the devil ;" and, though not very attractive in appearance, particularly when in motion, performed in a very expeditious and satisfactory manner the service intended, much to the regret of the numerous laborers, who were obliged, in consequence of the invention, to seek their daily bread by other methods.

As early as 1808 or 1809, Mr. Bemis, with the aid of foreign weavers using hand-looms, began to manufacture somewhat exten- sively sheeting, shirting, bed-ticking, satinet, bagging for the Southern market and cotton duck, woven at that time principally by the State Prison convicts in Charlestown, a large number of whom were employed by Mr. Bemis until his power-looms were put in operation, taking precedence of any in New England. The cotton duck manufactured by Mr. Bemis was the first that was ever manufactured in the United States. Strong prejudice, having its birth in ignorance and interest, existed for some years against its use ; but Mr. Bemis had the satisfaction to outlive the prejudice against its adaptation to the uses for which it was intended, and to realize a handsome profit by its manufacture.

In the autumn of 1812, Mr. Bemis caused to be built, at the easterly end of the old mill, the small brick building,- demol- ished fifty years later,- for a gas-house. In this building gas from coal was made under the direction of an English expert, and the lighting of the factory by the same in 1812-13, was said at that time to have been the first attempt to illuminate with coal-gas in the United States. Many persons from considerable distances visited the factory to witness the brilliancy of the experiment. The gas being prepared in close proximity to the dwelling-house of Mr. Bemis, and the pipes, being of common tin, having many leakages, made its use objectionable, and it was abandoned after

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NORTH VILLAGE.

the second year ; but it is a fact worthy of record, that carburetted hydrogen for illuminating purposes gleamed out over the waters of the Charles and irradiated the intervales of Newton two years before it was in use in England.

At this time Mr. Bemis had, by several additions, alterations, divisions and sub-divisions under the same old roof, departments for carrying on, at the same time, the following branches of busi- ness,- viz., the manufacturing of cotton and wool into yarn, the weaving being done in another building, preparing for use the various kinds of medicinal preparations and dye-woods, glass grind- ing and cutting, polishing binnacle and other lights for light- houses, ships, etc., a shop for repairing and making machinery, a grist-mill, and, adjoining, the building for the manufacture of gas. In that hive of industry might be seen at that time the late Elisha Crehore, for many years a successful merchant in Waltham.

All the operatives employed in carrying on the foregoing branches of business for the first eighteen or twenty years were apprised of the time to commence operations by the blowing of a tin horn, which required the effort of strong lungs to make the blast long and loud. And, however ludicrous such a method may appear at this age of the world, the ringing of a bell at that time for such a purpose would undoubtedly then have appeared much more so, as no bell larger than a cow-bell was then in use in Watertown, Newton or Waltham. The name of "Tin Horn," applied to the village, has been coined in more recent times, no such term having been in use until subsequent to the employment of the tin horn for the purpose specified.

In 1821, Mr. Bemis, by purchasing of his brother Luke and Caleb Eddy, a brother-in-law of Luke Bemis, their interest on the Newton side, became sole owner of the whole water-power, mills, etc., and soon after sold to the Boston Manufacturing Company twelve inches of the power; that is, he lowered his dam one foot, and received the sum of $12,000 for so doing ; and, soon after, re-conveyed to his brother Luke and four or five others a joint interest in the establishment under the firm name of the Bemis Manufacturing Company, and during their corporate continuance carried on principally the manufacture of satinets and cotton ducks, until the dissolution of the Company in 1830.

On the dissolution of the Bemis Manufacturing Company, Mr. Seth Bemis, in company with Thomas Cordis, one of the old

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HISTORY OF NEWTON.

company, bought out the entire property of said company, and continued the same business of the former company until 1839. When Thomas Cordis sold out his interest to Seth Bemis and his son, Seth Bemis, jr., they used the water-power on both sides, partly for the manufacture of cotton and wool, and partly for the manufacture of dye-woods and drugs, until 1847. Then they sold out their dye-wood business on the Newton side to William Free- man ; and Seth Bemis, senior, again became sole owner of the factory buildings and water-power on the Watertown side, and so continued till his death in 1850.

On the settlement of his estate in 1851, Seth Bemis, son of the deceased, became the sole proprietor of the Watertown mills and property, and retained the ownership till 1860, when he sold out to William Freeman & Co. By a subsequent transfer, Messrs. Freeman & Co. sold to the Ætna Mill Company, by whom the works were greatly enlarged, for the purpose of prosecuting the manufacture of woollen fabrics by both water and steam power.

It will thus be seen that, from the original purchase in 1753 by David Bemis, the property on the Watertown side of the river has been in the Bemis family more or less exclusively for more than a century and a quarter, and on the Newton side for nearly a century.

A bridge across the river was first built by the Messrs. Bemis at this part of the river, being private property, between 1790 and 1796. . For ten or twelve years it was without railing, and would now be regarded as dangerous. In 1807, the Watertown end was carried away by a freshet, and a foot-bridge only was substituted during two or three years. Subsequently, a bridge was built by subscription, suitable for teams, the people in the vicinity aiding. In 1818, the Watertown end of this bridge was again carried away. The next day, John Cowdry and Timothy Davis, many years a resident of Waltham, attempted to cross the river to the Newton side, above the dam, in a boat, which was upset, and they were carried over the dam. John Cowdry was drowned, but Mr. Davis, after being several times drawn back into the vortex under the dam, was by a mysterious Providence thrown out of the whirl, and floated to the portion of the bridge on the Newton side, and was rescued by the anxious spectators.

The road leading over the bridge was called California Street, and was laid out as a public highway. in 1816.

583

NORTH EVANGELICAL CHURCH.

THE NORTH EVANGELICAL CHURCH.

The Congregational church in the North Village of Newton had its origin in a Sabbath School, held at the Depot known as Bemis' Station, on the Watertown Branch Railroad,- not in Newton, but on the north side of the river. This school was commenced June 2, 1861. The first two Sabbaths the school met in the open air. The third Sabbath was stormy. On the fourth Sabbath, the school was held in a room that had been secured in the old Ritchie mansion, where it continued its sessions until July 27, 1862, when it was transferred to a small chapel, erected for its use, on Chapel Street. The street was then without a name, and open only on one end. The land on which it stood was given by Mr. Thomas Dally, and the cost of the building was $1,200, the amount being raised by subscription.

During the year 1865, considerable religious feeling was mani- fest among the people, and the chapel proved too small to contain the audiences. The Sabbath School had increased from eigh- teen,- the number at the beginning,- to one hundred and seventy- five. The chapel was enlarged by adding twenty feet to its length, and a vestry on one side,- $2,000 having been subscribed, to pay for this improvement.

July 11, 1866, a church was organized, composed of the follow- ing constituent members,-twenty-three in number,-of whom fifteen had been members of the Eliot church, eight were dismissed from other churches, and five joined by profession.

Samuel E. Lowry,

E. D. Dyer, Sarah Dyer, C. E. Holman, Julia Newton, Mehitable H. Mason,

Sarah Arnold, Mary A. Bates, Mrs. Joseph Turner,

Mary Mee,

Martha Simpson, Sarah A. Ballou,

Benjamin Turner,

James Brooks,

Eliza L. Turner,

Joseph Wain,

Mary A. McGuire, Sarah Hunt,

Mary Ann Brooks,

Addie A. Rumrell,

Elizabeth Scotton,

Hannah F. Rumrell.

Sarah H. Coburn,

At the public exercises connected with the recognition of the church, the sermon was by Rev. J. W. Wellman. Previous to this time, the only services held, in addition to the Sabbath School,

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HISTORY OF NEWTON.

were a prayer meeting every Sabbath evening the first year, and after that, preaching on Sabbath evenings. From this date, the regular services were maintained.

Rev. Samuel E. Lowry was ordained the first pastor of the church February 21, 1867. On this occasion, the sermon was by Rev. H. J. Patrick ; ordaining prayer by Rev. J. W. Turner, Waverly ; hand of fellowship by Rev. James M. Bell, Water- town ; charge by Rev. D. L. Furber ; address to the people by Rev. J. W. Wellman.

The chapel in which the church had worshipped hitherto was destroyed by fire June 9, 1872. In its place an edifice of stone was erected on the same site, at a cost of $18,000, which was all subscribed and paid previous to the dedication, which occurred October 16, 1873. From June till December, 1872,- until the vestry was completed, Divine service was held in a neighboring shop, owned by Mr. Dally. The stone used in the construction of the building was taken from a quarry near Beacon Street, New- ton Centre, on land then owned by Samuel H. Gooch, Esq. The number of church members in 1878 was one hundred and ten. For the first sixteen years of the history of the Sabbath School, the pastor was also the Superintendent. The first and only pas- tor of the church is Rev. Samuel E. Lowry. The following mem- bers have served as Deacons :

E. D. Dyer,

1866-1877

Joseph Wain,

1866-1867

Henry Mason,

1867-1868

Artemas Rumrell,

1868-1874

Nathaniel Davidson,

1874-1878

W. R. Smith,

1876

Eugene Garlick.

1876

The enterprise and vigor of the North Village has steadily grown, from the beginning. Its business has never suffered any impor- tant check; and, under a succession of bold and honorable busi- ness men, its prosperity seems assured. The day is not distant when, reaching out towards Newton on the one hand and Newton- ville on the other, it will become continuous with them both.

NEWTON

NEWTON CEMETERY.

CHAPTER XLV.

THE NEWTON CEMETERY .- THE BEGINNING. - THE DEDICATION.

STATISTICS .- THE SOLDIERS' MONUMENT.

THE older cemeteries of the town having been long in use, and the growth of the population requiring new provision for the proper disposal of the dead, a movement was made for the estab- lishment of a rural place of sepulture, which, after mature con- sideration, resulted in the organization of the Newton Cemetery Corporation, April 5, 1855. A considerable tract of land, reserved, as it would seem, by Providence for this specific use, was of such character and so situated as to mark it as designed for a tranquil, tasteful and appropriate spot for the repose of the dead. This land was near the geographical centre of the town, diversi- fied in surface, covered with a charming growth of evergreen and deciduous trees, easily accessible from every quarter, and it had never been touched by the hand of cultivation. As a result of the peculiar circumstances, by which the business and population were planted mainly in other portions of the town, almost on the periphery of a circle,- the several villages, as it were, keeping watch and ward around the hallowed centre,- the shady groves, the solemn aisles, the tangled paths and the rich virgin mould had waited more than two hundred years for the determination of the use to which they were Divinely appointed. And now the time had come. Owing to its undulating surface, its freedom from rocks, its loose gravel as a subsoil, preventing standing water, a pleasant pond within its borders, and the Cold Spring Brook, run- ning through the premises, and capable of indefinite ornamenta- tion, when the resources of the Company shall be such as to allow an application to this work, the location was undoubtedly the best that could have been made within the limits of the town.

Seth Davis, Esq., was chairman of the first meeting, and J. W. Plympton, Esq., clerk, who was re-elected every successive year

585

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HISTORY OF NEWTON.

till 1863, and gave much time and valuable service in the establish- ment of the cemetery. The following constituted the first Board of Trustees :

Lemuel Crehore, Seth Davis, Marshall S. Rice, Dr. Henry Bigelow,

Rev. J. E. Woodbridge, Rev. Barnas Sears, J. D. Towle.

Dr. Henry Bigelow was elected President by the Trustees, and continued to hold the office, with great acceptance, until he was removed by death in 1865. He now sleeps amid the shadows of the cemetery, and a monument over his remains, erected by the contributions of the school children, testify to the estimation in which he was held.

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History of Newton, Massachusetts : town and city, from its earliest settlement to the present time, 1630-1880, Part 56

Author: Smith, S. F. (Samuel Francis), 1808-1895. 4n Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Boston : American Logotype Co. Number of Pages: 996

Author: Smith, S. F. (Samuel Francis), 1808-1895. 4n
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Boston : American Logotype Co.
Number of Pages: 996