USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, 1622-1918, vol 1 > Part 22
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shoulder shift." Upon the front of the pedestal in neat raised letters is the inscrip- tion : "This memorial is erected to honor those who offered their lives to gain and preserve the liberty of this nation." The monument was dedicated on May 30, 1917.
HOLBROOK TODAY
Holbrook is what might be termed an average town. In 1915 eleven of the twenty-eight towns in Norfolk County reported a smaller population, and seven showed a lower valuation of property. The population at that time was 2,948, a gain over the United States census of 1910 of 132, and the valuation of property was $1,990,337. The Boston & Middleboro division of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad passes through the town, and the transportation facilities are augmented by the electric line that runs from Quincy to Brockton. Holbrook has six public school buildings, churches of different denominations, some of the fraternal organizations are represented by lodges, there is a good public library, the streets are well kept and lighted by electricity, parks and playgrounds have been provided for recreation and the accommodation of the children, and there are postoffices at Holbrook and Brookville. Formerly there were several shoe fac- tories in the town, but only one concern of this character remains, the others having either been discontinued or removed to other locations.
Following is a list of the principal town officers at the beginning of the year 1917: George W. Porter, John King and Ira W. Paine, selectmen and overseers of the poor; Zenas A. French, clerk; Eugene Snell, treasurer; Frank W. Hol- brook, tax collector; George W. Porter, Charles H. McCarter and A. C. Belcher, assessors ; Frank L. Hayden, W. F. Bourbeau and Arthur W. Paine, water com- missioners ; Philip H. Fraher, George E. White and James A. Windle, park com- missioners ; Melvin Coulter, Ellis A. White and George A. Nason, fire engineers ; Herbert S. Child, auditor; S. B. Field, Frank T. White and Mrs. Sibyl Niles, school committee.
CHAPTER XX THE TOWN OF MEDFIELD
IN THE BEGINNING-AS A PART OF DEDHAM-NEW TOWN FIRST PROPOSED-PETI- TION TO GENERAL COURT-THE RESULT-OTHER TERRITORY SET ASIDE-THE NAME-AGREEMENT AND COMMITTEE-FIRST HOUSE LOTS-FURTHER SETTLE- MENTS-SURRENDER OF JURISDICTION-INCORPORATION-A DISCREPANCY IN DATES-FIRST YEARS OF EXISTENCE-DIVISION OF THE TOWN-DIVISION OF COUNTY-POPULATION-POSTOFFICE-THE TOWN HALL-PROMINENT EARLY CITIZENS-PUBLIC LIBRARY-PUBLIC UTILITIES-FIRST VITAL STATISTICS-FIRST VALUATIONS-MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS OF INTEREST.
The town of Medfield is located in the western portion of Norfolk County, Massachusetts. The town is of irregular form and is bounded as follows : on the north by the town of Dover; on the east by a portion of Dover and Walpole; on the south by Walpole and Norfolk; and on the west by the Charles River which separates Medfield from Millis and Middlesex County. The Charles River on the west is, of course, the most important stream of this town, with Stop River as a tributary flowing through the central and southern parts of the county.
IN THE BEGINNING
Although much detail concerning the Indian history of this territory is given in the chapter devoted to that subject, something of it must necessarily be given as an introduction to the settlement and organization of the town of Medfield. All the region to the southwest of Boston was occupied by several Indian tribes, among them the Natick, the Neponset and the Nipmuck ; the whole organization of Indian tribes in this section of the country bore the general name of Massachusett. They were at first friendly with the white men, but after the English had accorded them harsh treatment at different times, their friendship changed to open hostility.
The territory south and east of the Charles River was included in the domain of the Neponset. The sachem of this tribe, Chickatabot, was friendly with the English from the beginning, frequently making treaties with both the Plymouth and Bay colonies. About the year 1632 William Pynchon of Boston, afterwards of Springfield, purchased from Chickatabot all of the territory lying between the Charles River and the Neponset River. This land embraced what is now the town of Medfield, as well as several other Norfolk County towns as far south as the Rhode Island line. The boundaries of this purchase were very poorly defined at the time of the purchase, consequently in after years trouble arose between the Indians and whites over the exact boundary lines, particularly that of the south. In 1635 the colonial government asked for persons who were present at the time
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of the purchase and could place the boundary lines as they were laid down. How- ever, no one came forward with the information. Many of the Indians, including Chickatabot himself, had been stricken with death by the smallpox scourge of 1633 and there were few left to respond.
AS A PART OF DEDHAM
The Town of Dedham was incorporated in 1636 and included "all the lands on the easterly and southerly side of Charles River not formerly granted to any town or particular person." Roxbury had been set off from the Pynchon pur- chase prior to this time, so Dedham, when formed, comprised all the remainder of the territory included in that purchase, including that now in Medfield. Med- field remained a part of Dedham for a period of fourteen or fifteen years.
The land now within the Town of Medfield was little used for many years, except as pasture and hay land. All of the territory of the Charles River valley between Medfield on the east and Medway and Sherborn on the west, with adja- cent lands, was called Boggestow by the Indians. The present Town of Dedham embraced but a small portion of this. The plain a mile east of the village was known as the "herd-house plain," proving beyond a doubt that citizens from Dedham, and possibly from other settlements utilized this vicinity as a pasture ground. As early as 1642 Dedham granted to one of her citizens a farm of 350 acres "to lie in or about that place called Boggestow, or not far from thence." This tract of land was on the east side of the river and was afterward bought in by the selectmen of Medfield, no settlement having been made on the site.
NEW TOWN FIRST PROPOSED
The first move for the formation of a new settlement and town was made by citizens of Dedham, principally because several of the men of Dedham found the town too small for them and, in addition, wished to gain good landed prop- erty for themselves. There is a well founded supposition that certain of these reactionaries desired a little more freedom in religious matters and in political discussions. Ralph Wheelock was the principal man in the "new territory" group. He had been educated in England and at first had been a preacher in the estab- lished church, later becoming a dissenter. It is thought that Dedham was not entirely agreeable to Wheelock at this time. Consequently, a number of citizens, led by Wheelock, proposed a scheme to make a new town out of a portion of Dedham, also a corresponding portion of land lying on the west side of the river, so including the river bed and the adjacent rich meadows.
PETITION TO GENERAL COURT
A petition was written, signed by the citizens interested, and presented to the General Court, asking for a grant of land on the west side of the river. This petition, unfortunately, has not been preserved, but the following order is in- scribed on the records of the court :
"In answer to a petition of the inhabitants of Dedham for a parcel of upland and meadow adjoining to their line, to make a village in quantity four miles south
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and north and three miles east and west, because they are 'streightned' at their doors by other towns and rocky lands, etc. Their request is granted so as they erect a distinct village thereupon within one year from this day, October 23, 1649, and Captain Keaine, Mr. Edward Jackson and the surveyor general are appointed to lay it out at any time, Dedham giving them a week's warning."
Thus, the date of this grant is fixed on October 23, 1649. The land described in the above has been called the "old grant," and embraced what was later East Medway and now the Town of Millis.
THE RESULT
The men appointed by the General Court to lay out the lands west of the river performed their specified duty. In the colonial record for May 22, 1650, appears the following :
"Whereas there was a grant made by the General Court at a session the 22d of the 8th month, 1649, unto the inhabitants of Dedham in answer to a petition of theirs for the enlargement of the village there, as by the said grant may more fully appear, this grant, so made, was laid out by Capt. Robert Keaine and Mr. Edward Jackson, who have subscribed it with their hands in manner and form following : beginning at a small hill, or island, in the meadow on the west side of the Charles River, and running from thence about full west three miles, and then, turning a south line, ended at the Charles River at three miles and a quarter, this line being there shorter than by the grant it was allowed to be, but accepted by grantee, the said river is appointed to be the bounds from that place to the place where the first line began. The court doth approve of this return of the persons above men- tioned concerning the bounds of the said village and in answer to the inhabitants of Dedham 'doe order that it shalbe called (Meadfield).'"
In the above the small hill, or island, mentioned is about one quarter mile north of the Boggestow pond; the line "about full west" nearly the present line between Medway and Sherborn and Holliston; the "south line" marks the indenta- tion in the north boundary of Medway and came to the river a little west of Medway village.
OTHER TERRITORY SET ASIDE
On November 14th, shortly after the grant had been obtained from the General Court, a town meeting was held in Dedham and a portion of the original Dedham territory set apart for the new town. The town voted that there should be "granted for the accommodation of the village so much land within the west end of the bounds of Dedham next Boggestow as is or may be contained within the extent of three miles east and west and four miles north and south-the form and line to be varied and altered as in the judgment of such men as shall be deputed thereunto shall seem for the most convenient accomadation both of Dedham and the said village."
In the following January three men, Ensign Phillips, John Dwight and Daniel Fisher, were appointed to lay out this grant before the middle of April, 1650. The records show that they accomplished their mission satisfactorily. This made two separate actions taken by the citizens of Dedham for the formation of the
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new town of Medfield. The first was the petition to the General Court, the grant by that body and the appointment of Keaine and Jackson to lay out the said grant; the second action was the independent move of Dedham, severing a portion of its territory from the western side of the town and adding it to the land obtained by the General Court's grant, also the appointment of Phillips, Dwight and Fisher to lay it out.
THE NAME
The why and wherefore of the name Medfield has been described in several ways. In the report made by Captain Robert Keaine and Edward Jackson is the following: "doe order that it shalbe called (Meadfield)." The fact that the name is contained in brackets seems to be sufficient proof that it had not been decided upon, but was incorporated in the report later. In other of the earlier records the name is also spelled Meadfield and Medfield. Of the reasons advanced for the name the principal ones are: first, the open field where the village was afterward erected was called the "meadow field," hence the contraction into Med- field ; second, that there were open fields north and south of the town, which led to the name of "mid field;" and third, that many of the settlers near here came from the towns of Dedham and Medfield in Old England, which lay very close together. Tradition says that the town of Medfield in New England received as a present a bell from Medfield, England ; however, no confirmation of this inci- dent is available. The latter theory of the origin of the name is the most plaus- ible. It is true that Dedham received her name in this manner, which lends strength to the conjecture that Medfield also received a name similarly.
AGREEMENT AND COMMITTEE
At the town meeting held in Dedham, November 14, 1649, a committee was appointed to look after the affairs of the proposed town of Medfield. This com- mittee was composed of the following men: Ralph Wheelock, Thomas Wight, Robert Hinsdale, Henry Chickering, John Dwight, Peter Woodward and Eleazer Lusher. These men were chosen principally to superintend the various activities incident to the new territory prior to the time of incorporation.
At the same meeting in Dedham the question was proposed and discussed as to the conditions upon which the lands were to be granted. Some of those present desired that they be freely given, while others, in consideration of their town rights in the meadows, thought the grantees should pay the sum of £ 100 "to be divided among such of the inhabitants of Dedham as do not remove to the village." This latter view prevailed, but the amount the settler should pay was afterward reduced to £50.
Wheelock, Hinsdale and Thomas Wight were the first to go to the new settle- ment : Chickering, John Dwight and Woodward were named to remain in Ded- ham and act for that town ; while Eleazer Lusher was appointed clerk of the town until Medfield was officially recognized.
About this time the "agreement" was drawn up by the committee, in all prob- ability written by Ralph Wheelock himself, who was the foremost figure. Among the things provided for in this agreement were : that all persons receiving grants
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of land from the new town should become subject to the town government ; that all differences of opinion or discussions were to be settled by reference or arbitration, without resorting to the courts; that no one should be permitted to become a townsman, but such as were honest, peaceable and free from the burden of a bad reputation ; that grants of land were to be given to the settlers according to the extent of their wealth and the number of people in the family ; that no one was to receive in the first grant more than twelve acres of upland and twelve of meadow, nor less than six of each; and that none should receive lands except those who intended to become actual settlers, also that all settlements should be made before the end of May, 1651. Teachers and church officers were specially provided for and the probable town hall site set off for the minister, which in this case went to Rev. John Wilson. A tablet is now fixed to the town hall mark- ing this home of the first minister ; it was set in place by the Medfield Historical Society.
The first roads were also designated about this time, but no record exists of their exact location. The main road from Dedham to Boggestow entered Med- field near Foundry Street. A bridge was constructed across the Charles River near the later town farm and a road run eastward through the town to Dedham. From this road, at the center of the town, a road ran northward, now North Street, and another south, near Pleasant Street. The meeting house lot and the cemetery were laid out about the same time.
FIRST HOUSE LOTS
The committee in charge of affairs held a meeting on May 10, 1650, when pro- visions were made for the laying out of house lots in Medfield. Thomas Wight, Robert Hinsdale, Timothy Dwight, Samuel Bullen and John Frairy were appointed to assist the surveyor, or "measurer," in this work. Also, every grantee was ordered to pay the sum of one shilling to the collector, Thomas Wight. On June 19, 1650, the committee named proceeded to lay out the first thirteen house lots in the new town.
Number One went to Ralph Wheelock; this consisted of twelve acres at the west corner of Main and North Streets. Number Two was taken by John Ellis; his lot later was known as the Upham Place. These two, with that of Rev. John Wilson, were the only lots then taken on Main Street. Each of three had what was known as a "home field" on the opposite side of the street, extending through as far as Oak Street. Lot Number Three was apportioned to Samuel Bullen. This site was on the lane leading out of Philip Street, near South Street. Number Four was given to Daniel Morse, consisting of twelve acres next to that of Samuel Bullen "to the southeast and brook southwest." Numbers Five, Six, Seven and Eight were assigned to James Allen, Joseph Clark, Francis Hamant and John Turner respectively, all on South Street from the Rhodes House to the corner of Curve Street. To John Frairy went Number Nine, comprising twelve acres on what is now Frairy Street. Timothy Dwight received twelve acres on the same street, his lot being Number Ten. Number Eleven consisted of three and a half acres on the later site of the Edmund Chenery home, from the brook to Green Street, and was granted to Robert Hinsdale. Number Twelve was granted to Thomas Wight and Number Thirteen to John Wight, his son. These latter two
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were located east of the Hinsdale grant, on the lane leading to their houses, now Green Street, but for many years called Wight's Lane.
FURTHER SETTLEMENTS
During the following year there was little or no building in the new town. Isaac Chenery and Henry Smith located on South Street beyond Oak Street. Joshua Fisher, George Barber and John Thurston obtained lots on East Main Street from Reverend Wilson's home to the Hewins Place. John Bullard, John Plimpton and John Metcalf located their homes on West Main Street from the railroad to the cemetery. Joseph Morse, with his aged father, Samuel, obtained grants on Pound Street. John Pratt, William Partridge, Thomas Ellis, Thomas Mason and John Partridge selected sites on North Street. Ten families came to the new town from Weymouth and Braintree. These consisted of Benjamin Alby, John Bowers, Nicholas Rockwood, Alexander Lovell, Abraham Harding, Henry Adams, John Fussell, Edward Adams, Peter Adams and Margaret Sheppard. All took lots on Bridge Street, in the order named, from the almshouse to the corner of Bridge and Main Streets. The above named persons, with the original thirteen grantees, constituted the first settlers of the town of Medfield. The first family to remove to their Medfield home was that of Samuel Bullen, whose house stood near Philip Street.
SURRENDER OF JURISDICTION
January II, 1651, a general meeting of the inhabitants of Dedham was held, at which time the following vote was passed: "It is by the town of Dedham con- sented unto and ordered that the power, right and privilege of town government that hath hitherto and is remaining in the township of Dedham, or any of their trustees or assigns, whereby they have and did act in and on behalf of the town of Medfield, shall be, or hereby is, wholly or totally transmitted and delivered into the hands, power and disposing of the township of Medfield in general and the selectmen thereof and their successors forever. And do also further agree with those of Medfield that are now present that such care as is necessary that due and seasonable payment be made of that debt due from Medfield to this town upon reasonable demand thereof. And further promise as much forbearance thereof as the public occasion of the town admit of."
INCORPORATION
The sanction of the General Court was given on May 22, 1651, by an act en- titled "Medfield's Power," which read as follows :
"There being a town lately erected beyond Dedham, in the county of Suffolk, upon the Charles River, called by the name of Meadfeild, upon their request made to this General Court, this court hath granted them all the powers and privileges which other towns do enjoy according to law." Medfield was the forty-third town in the colony in the order of incorporation. The first board of selectmen for Med- field consisted of Ralph Wheelock, Timothy Dwight, Robert Hinsdale, John Frairy and Benjamin Alby, with Henry Adams as clerk.
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A DISCREPANCY IN DATES
In the above account of the incorporation of the town of Medfield the year 1651 is given as the time of this occurrence. To this statement there may be a difference of opinion. The date is that used by W. S. Tilden in his various his- torical descriptions of the town. Mr. Tilden, while living, was known as a care- ful student and writer of history and his works bear a reputation of accuracy and veracity. However, there are other authorities which place the date of incor- poration in the year 1650. The Manual for the General Court, 1917, also the New England Historic Genealogical Society's publication known as the Medfield Vital Records, place the date of incorporation as May 22, 1650.
FIRST YEARS OF EXISTENCE
It has been stated before that the first family to move to Medfield to take up residence was that of Samuel Bullen, whose house stood near Philip Street. The meadows surrounding the village proper were laid out into grants in the year 1652 and given to the owners of house lots. The following year the lands easily accessible to cultivation were divided, according to persons and estates, each mem- ber of the household being appraised at ten pounds. The same year the town clerk began the vital records-births, deaths and marriages-which have been continued until the present time.
The custom of burning over all the waste lands in November of each year, which custom was learned from the Indians, was continued in Medfield for many years. The purpose was to clear the land of underbrush and so provide good pasturage for the live stock.
For many years, or prior to 1660, the granting of house lots to new settlers, the division of wood lands, laying out town roads, making provisions for fences and bounds, and adopting other ordinances for the good of the community gave the settlers plenty to do. A pair of stocks for the punishment of the unruly were also placed upon a public spot.
The territory west of the river was enlarged in the year 1659 by what was known as the "new grant." This land covered an area of two miles east and west and four miles north and south. All the owners of house lots in Medfield shared in the division of this territory, the same being laid out in portions of fifty to one hundred and fifty acres. Very soon afterward families began to settle on the west side of the river.
The first emigration from the town occurred about the year 1670, when the Hinsdales, Plimptons and Frairys removed to the Connecticut Valley. Near the same time a post road was established from Boston to Hartford and a road laid out from Medfield to Mendon. In 1672 John Awashamog, an Indian of Natick, laid claim to the territory west of the Charles River. The Natick tribe had been the original holders of this territory and it would seem that the Indian's claim bore some weight, for it was compromised by the payment of twenty-one pounds. The year 1676 was a memorable one in the history of Medfield, for in this year occurred King Philip's war and the burning of Medfield. Details of this disastrous event may be found in Chapter III of this volume.
Again, in 1685, Josias, a son of Chickatabot, made a claim to the lands within
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the town of Medfield. Mr. Pynchon had already purchased the land and paid for it, but as no deed could be discovered the town was forced to compromise with the Indian for ten pounds four shillings.
The Black Swamp lands were laid out in the year 1702 to the proprietors, num- bering one hundred and twenty-three. About twenty-seven of these lived west of the Charles River.
DIVISION OF THE TOWN
In 1712 the question of dividing the town of Medfield was seriously discussed by the citizens. In 1713 the people on the west side of the river sent a petition to the General Court, a committee was appointed and instructed to visit the land in question and make a report. This they did and advised a division of the town. By an act of the Legislature, October 25, 1713, the town of Medway was set off and the Charles River became the western boundary of Medfield. This division is treated more at length in Chapter XXI on the Town of Medway.
DIVISION OF COUNTY
The first moves for the division of the county of Suffolk occurred in the year 1726, but not until over a half century later did they materialize. The town of Medfield took great interest throughout this long stretch of years and frequently the discussion occupied most of the time at the town meetings. The result, as stated before, was the formation of Norfolk County in 1793. At one time the proposition was advanced to make Medfield the shire-town, but the objections of certain citizens prevented this. They said that the temptation of the citizens to visit the court room during the time of trials would be prejudicial to industrial activities.
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