History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 125

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1534

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Roman Catholic .- The Parish of St. Francis Xavier was the first parish of this demonination, and embraced territorially the whole town. The first priests of the parish were Rev. Fathers Roddan and Lynch, who came to the town in 1851, and the first services were held in East Weymouth that same year, in private houses. After a few months the place of worship was changed and services were held in Tirrell's Hall, at Weymouth Landing. In 1854, Rev. Father | March, 1883. In November, of this year, Rev.

Roach took charge of the parish, but it was not until 1859 that the first church was erected, which was located upon Middle Street, not far below the town hall. : Father Roach was succeeded, in 1866, by Rev. Father Hennigan, who remained until 1869, and in the fall of that year the church was burned. Rev. Father Smyth followed Father Hennigan in 1869, and soon after the church on Pleasant Street was erected, in 1870. In 1873, the Parish of the Sacred Heart | was constituted at the Landing, the tavern property purchased and services held in the hall of the building. In 1876, a church of brick and stone was begun, which, when completed, will be the costliest church edifice in the vicinity. The basement was soon fin-

ished and occupied, and the audience-room of the church itself has been in use for a year or two.

The Parish of the Immaculate Conception, at East Weymouth, was formed, and a church built in 1879, dedicated November 23d. In 1881, a parish was constituted in Old Spain, called the Parish of Saint Jerome, and a church erected. Rev. Father Smyth had charge of all these parishes (with one or more assistants) until 1882, when Rev. Father Millrick was placed over the Parishes of the Immaculate Conception and Saint Jerome, Father Smyth retaining the other two until 1883, when he was succeeded by Rev. Father Murphy, the present incumbent.

Episcopalian-The Trinity Church at Wey- mouth Landing .- This parish was organized Nov. 11, 1867, at the time and in consequence of the trouble in the Union Congregational Church, in con- nection with the Rev. S. Dickerman. Services had been held in Williams' Hall, as early as July 7th of that year. On September 10th, the homestead of the late Atherton W. Tilden, on Front Street, was pur- chased, and the house reconstructed into a church. These changes were completed, and the first service held there Dec. 8, 1867, but the church was not con- secrated until May 21, 1874. From March 4th to July 1st of that year, 1867, Rev. S. R. Slack, of South Boston, was the officiating clergyman, when Rev. Mr. Burroughs was called to the rectorship, which he resigned Oct. 1, 1868, and was succeeded in December by Rev. T. W. Street, who in turn gave way to Rev. F. O. Barstow, December, 1869. He was followed in June, 1870, by Rev. W. F. Lhoyd, who resigned in 1873, and was succeeded by Rev. William C. Winslow, who remained but one year. | The next rector was Rev. Samuel R. Slack, in June, 1874, who retained that position until April 12, 1877, when he resigned, and was followed by Rev. John A. Jerome, who occupied the position until

Charles L. Wells became officiating clergyman.

CHAPTER LI.

WEYMOUTH-(Continued).

Educational Institutions-Public Schools-Weymouth and Braintree Academy-Newspapers-Weymouth Historical So- ciety-Social Libraries-Mutual Library Associations- Tufts' Library.

NEXT in importance to the ecclesiastical interests come those of education, of which the public schools form the prominent feature ; and for these the town

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has always taken special care. In the early days of and sweep the meeting-house." Probably this was its history the records are exceedingly brief, and only for want- of funds, as he was in office during the slight and incidental mention is made of many things | year 1689, and continued a town schoolmaster until of which now there is great need of fuller informa- 1696, when he removed to Abington. Mr. John Copp was appointed to succeed him at thirty pounds per year, and he was also chosen town clerk the same tion. The first notice of matters connected with schools occurs on March 10, 1651, when the town voted to pay Capt. Perkins ten pounds for six months ; year. Mr. Copp does not appear to have remained schooling. Capt. William Perkins was a prominent man in town in those days, being "townsman," and probably held other important offices. In subsequent history it was found that it was to men of this char- acter that the town intrusted the education of its children.

It is a singular fact, and one which shows that the interest of the town in education was not confined to its own borders, that the second mention should be that of a subscription of ten pounds, sixteen shillings, and sixpence by Weymouth to Cambridge College, in 1652. After Capt. Perkins, the next school- master named is William Chard, who was also town clerk, and attended to the drawing up of such legal in- struments as the necessities of the people demanded. He is first mentioned in that capacity April 10, 1667, where the town voted him three pounds and ten shil- lings, the rent of the flats in addition to his other pay. On the 25th of August thirty shillings was also added. On Nov. 29, 1669, he was engaged at ten pounds per year, probably employed only a portion of the time. He was also sexton, and the pay of both offices was sometimes included in one vote. On Sept. 18, 1678, his pay had advanced to twenty-four pounds, and the town was to furnish a school-room. The se- lectmen with the elders were also " to rate each pay- scholar for his benefit." The next year a house and orchard were rented for him at forty-five shillings, and in 1680 the house of James Stewart was bought for forty pounds for the use of the schoolmaster; this was to be paid for by subscription, which failed, and a tax was laid for it. In the following year, 1681, a school-house was built on a part of the land bought of Capt. John Holbrook, the other part of which was afterwards occupied by the new meeting- house erected in 1682. The house with the furnishing cost thirty-six pounds. In 1684 Mr. Chard's salary was advanced to thirty-three pounds and fourteen shillings. His duties were "to keep a free-school and teach all children and servants sent to him to read, write, and cast accounts."

On Nov. 28, 1687, for some reason the town voted " not to continue Mr. Chard in the work of a public schoolmaster at the public charge, but he is at liberty to use the dwelling and school-house until next March meeting, for which he is to ring the bell

in his position quite two years. At the March meet- ing, 1697, the town voted that "parents shall pay three shillings for each child sent to school between the ages of eight and fourteen years." This was to pay in part the schoolmaster's salary, the remainder to be made up by a tax upon all who lived within two miles of the school-house. By this time the increase of scholars was so large that the town found it neces- sary to employ more teachers, and Joseph Dyer was employed to teach in the school-house, with John King as assistant, and Edward Bate was to teach in his own house. To follow the precedent, now well established, Edward Bate was elected town clerk. The pay of schoolmaster was to be not over thirty pounds, one-third of which was to be paid by those 1 who sent their children to school and the remainder by tax. The next year the whole was raised by tax, and John Torrey was employed, probably, in the place of John King, as Edward Bate still retained his position the following year, 1699, and later Torrey appears as Bate's assistant.

During the summer of 1700, five women were en- gaged to teach school for six months at twenty-five shillings each, besides the usual rate paid by those who sent children. On the 21st of October of that year Samuel Hunt, son of Col. Hunt, was hired as schoolmaster at £15 10s. in money for six months, or twenty-three pounds " as the rates run." In January, 1705, Ebenezer White, of Dorchester, was appointed schoolmaster for half a year at fifteen pounds, and on March 3, 1707, Thomas Thornton was engaged at twenty-five pounds, of fifteen pennyweights each (silver). To him, in 1709, succeeded John Torrey at fifty shillings per month. In 1717 school was kept in each school-house four months, and it seemed that now there was a school-house in the south part of the town. John Galt was teacher for a part of this year. In September, 1719, Ebenezer Rolie was hired for a year at £42 10s., and Mr. Calder in 1723, at the same price. And this year, 1723, a new school- house was built at a cost of £42 7s. 11d., between Joseph Lovell's and John Shaw's. Mr. Calder taught two months here, and two months in the North school-house. In 1729 it was voted that the South Precinct should have a school one-third of the year, and be at the charge of having a school-house, and

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HISTORY OF NORFOLK COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

the North two-thirds of the year. In May, 1730, Joseph Torrey was hired as schoolmaster at fifty pounds.

After the division of the town into two precincts, a large part of the school business was transacted at the precinct meeting, the town appropriating money and dividing it between them according to the amount paid by each. The appropriations commenc- ing in 1733, at seventy-five pounds, had risen, in 1800, to five hundred dollars. A new school-house was built by the North Precinct in 1730, where the old one stood near the meeting-house, and Ezra Whitemarsh was the schoolmaster. He was a gradu- ate of Harvard, also town clerk and selectman, one In 1810, the employment of " Latin and Greek" masters was authorized, and also " English masters who shall teach equivalent to twelve months in the year." In 1814 each district was ordered to report in detail to the town. In 1816, the " alewive money" was appropriated for school purposes. In 1821, a census reported four hundred and thirty-four families and eight hundred and ninety-five scholars. In 1827 the town chose a committee of seven under a new State law, to have the oversight of the schools, or the general charge and superintendency of them. This was called the High Committee. They examined and approved the teachers, and kept a close watch upon the schools to see that they were properly taught. This system was retained until the abolition of the district system, in 1869, when this committee became the school com- mittee, combining its former powers with those of the prudential committee. The High Committee reported of the fathers of the town. He continued his posi- tion as schoolmaster until 1760, teaching sometimes in one precinct and sometimes in the other, according to the various votes of the town. During this time the precincts maintained their separate woman's schools. In 1760 the name of David Wyre appears upon the record as schoolmaster, and in 1769 and 1770, Mr. Lemuel Cushing taught for about a year. Mr. James Blake, A.B., also taught a few months about this time. The necessities of the times during the Revolutionary war rendered the raising of money very difficult, and probably the school interest among others suffered in consequence. There is no other teacher mentioned by name until Dec. 11, 1780, when Samuel Reed was engaged to teach in the North Pre- cinct, " at his offer," six shillings per week in money, " or its equivalent in necessaries at prices before the war." Jan. 24, 1785, Nathaniel Bayley, Esq., was | to the town at its annual March meeting, and in 1839 appointed to answer to the General Court on behalf of the town for neglecting to keep a grammar school ; thus it appears that the town had become a delin- quent in this matter, but the lesson was a good one and did not need to be repeated.

After the close of the war prosperity began to dawn upon the town ; the schools soon felt the im- petus, and new houses were built and new schools established in various parts. Samuel Reed and James Humphrey (3d) were employed at two pounds per week, and the latter to have three shillings per week extra, " he. having been at the expense of fitting himself for a grammar-school teacher." Both of these were men of mark in town as well as schoolmasters, having been town clerks, selectmen, and also village no- taries. Both held long terms of service as school- teachers, with excellent reputation.

In 1796, the school system, which had been suffi- cient for the needs of the town in its earlier days, was found to be greatly wanting, and a committee was chosen to take the whole subject into consideration

and report a new plan. This was done, and in 1799 the town was divided into eight school dis- tricts, substantially as it remained for seventy years. Each district was to furnish its school-house and teacher, paying its expenses from its proportion of the school money raised by the town. The business was to be in the charge of a prudential committee-man selected by the district, but chosen by the town. The school money was divided, sometimes according to the number of families, sometimes according to the num- ber of scholars, and sometimes according to the amount of tax paid, but more generally, a part equally, and a part according to the number of scholars.

these reports began their publication. In 1842, a second enumeration of the children of school age showed ten hundred and ninety-nine, an increase of over two hundred and four in twenty-one years. In 1845 the Fourth District was divided, and the Ninth set off from it. In 1847 the Tenth District was set off from the Second, and several years later the Eleventh was taken from the Eighth. Various minor changes were made in process of time, but this arrangement was that substantially kept until 1869.

Attempts were made at various times looking to the establishment of a high school, but without success until about 1852, when the town hall was built, in which a room was fitted up for that purpose, but it was not until the next year that the town directed the school committee to go forward, appropriating one thousand dollars for the purpose. For several years it was a matter of some doubt whether or not the school would succeed on account of the exceeding in- convenience of its location, being far away from nearly all of the scholars. Experiments were made, trying

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WEYMOUTH.

one school at the town house for a time, and then changing to two schools, one at the North and one at the South, and it was not until 1865 that the present arrangement was permanently adopted, that of having one school in each of the two sections.

In 1859 the town voted to abolish the district sys- tem and appointed a committee to take the necessary measures to carry the vote into effect, but the follow- ing year a return to the old system was made. Again, in 1863 the same thing was voted, and in the next year rescinded. Thus the matter remained in un- certainty until 1869, when the old arrangement was set aside and the present town system finally adopted. The same indefinite attitude was taken by the town with respect to the employment of a school superin- tendent. The first one was hired in 1863, and from that time to the present, although a superintendent has been employed for the greater portion of the time, so many changes have been made and so uncertain the action that might be taken, that little benefit has been derived from the services of that officer.

The treatment of the schools by the town seems at last to have settled down upon a more permanent basis that bids fair to continue, and which will raise the schools to a much higher plane than they have ever occupied. The town system appears to have little if any opposition, and the superintendency seems also to have become an established fact. That this is the true course is very evident, from the fact that the town has now 48 schools in operation, under the charge of 54 teachers, with a school population of 2006, between the ages of five and fifteen years, ac- .cording to the report of the year 1883, necessitating an appropriation of not far from $32,000. Of the schools 2 are high, 12 grammar, 20 intermediate, and 14 primary.

and was succeeded by Samuel Thomas Worcester, afterwards judge, with Miss Mary F. R. Wales as assistant,-this was about the spring of 1830. These were soon married to each other and left the school together. Calvin E. Park, a brother of Professor Park, of Andover, followed Mr. Worcester, and Miss Lucy M. K. Brastow took the place of Miss Wales. Mr. Eldridge succeeded Mr. Park, and was probably the last that taught for the corporation. There were several who attempted private schools in the build- ing, but, like the academy, they were financial fail- ures, and in 1833 the building was sold and con- verted into a double tenement dwelling-house, having previously been used for a short time by the public schools. The building was burned in 1844.

Newspapers .- As far as information can be ob- tained, the first attempt at newspaper publishing in the town was made about fifty years ago, by Josiah White, of North Weymouth, an amateur printer with very limited facilities. Only a few numbers were published, and those at irregular intervals. It soon ceased to appear for want of sufficient encouragement. For many years succeeding this Weymouth was with- out a local press, although occasional attempts were made by publishers of neighboring towns to intro- duce their own papers here with a slight change in the form and with a local heading. In. 1867 the Weymouth Gazette, published by C. G. Easterbrook, made its first appearance, and it has since that time been issued regularly every week. It has made itself a local necessity, and bids fair to become permanent. During the existence of the Gazette, several attempts have been made to introduce rival sheets, the first of these being the Weymouth Courier, which began its publication, in 1876, in East Weymouth, under the charge of Jones & Co. It survived about one year. The Weymouth Advance was the next candidate for the position,-started, in 1877, at East Weymouth, by C. F. David, and had an existence of about two years. Spooner & Webster undertook to resuscitate the latter enterprise, but, after a few weeks, the at- tempt was abandoned, as was also the effort to revive the Weymouth Courier by Mr. Spooner.

Weymouth and Braintree Academy .- Feeling the need of a higher seminary of learning than any that had been sustained hitherto in the town, in the early part of the present century a project was under- taken by some of the prominent citizens of Weymouth Landing for the establishment of an academy of high grade, and an act of incorporation was obtained, dated 28th of February, 1828, in which Cotton Tufts, The Weymouth Historical Society .- This society was organized in the spring of 1879, by sev- eral gentlemen, for purposes indicated by its name. The growing interest in historical matters and the absence of any history of this ancient and important town encouraged the effort, and its object has been to collect and preserve historical material, mainly that connected with this town. Elias Richards, Esq., has been its president since its formation, and it has suc- Joseph Loud, Noah Fifield, and others, were named as corporators. A suitable building was erected the same year upon land donated for the purpose by Capt. Warren Weston, on the side of the hill a short distance above his dwelling, on the Weymouth and Braintree turnpike, and the institution was begun. | The first principal was Thomas or Samuel Gregg, and soon after a Mr. Goodell was furnished him as an assistant. Mr. Gregg remained but a short time, ' ceeded in collecting a valuable amount of historical

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HISTORY OF NORFOLK COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

matter. It has also a small but constantly increasing | library of historical works. Its meetings are of much interest and are held monthly in the Tufts' Library Rooms, where also are located its library and other collections.

Social Libraries were formed in several of the villages in the town in the early part of the present century. The shares were owned by the members and the expenses paid by a small annual fee. These proved of great benefit, but the foundations upon which they rested were not calculated for permanence, and in a few years they gradually disappeared. The first permanent organization of the kind was the Mutual Library Association of South Weymouth, formed Nov. 13, 1863, with eighty members, holding about one hundred and thirty-five shares, and a library of four hundred volumes, which has now increased to fifteen hundred. Previous to Dec. 24, 1881, the library was supported by annual fees, fines, and occa- sional entertainments. Since that date it has been free to the public, depending upon private contribu- tions and extra entertainments for its support. It is well patronized and promises permanence.

be supplied with the books without expense to the

takers, thus making it available to all the people, although it is located in one of the villages. The in- come of a part of the fund was set apart by the devisee for free lectures upon educational matters, and two courses of these have already been provided. The library is in the control of a board of trustees, con- sisting of the selectmen of the town, ex officio, and others chosen by the town according to the terms of the legacy.

CHAPTER LII.

WEYMOUTH-(Continued).

Military Organizations : Early Companies, Company for the Castle, Weymouth Light-Horse, Weymouth Artillery, Wey- mouth Light Infantry, Franklin Guards-Grand Army of the Republic : Lincoln Post, No. 40, Reynolds Post, No. 58 -Societies and Associations : Masonic Orphans' Hope Lodge, Delta Lodge, South Shore Commandery, Pentalpa Royal Arch Chapter-Odd-Fellows : Crescent Lodge, Wildey Lodge, Wompatuck Encampment-Knights of Pythias : Delphi Lodge-Knights of Honor: Pilgrim Lodge-Weymouth Ag- ricultural and Industrial Society-Other Organizations.

The Tufts' Library .- This is a free, public library, located at Weymouth Landing, and was estab- Military Organizations .- Very early, in fact from the beginning of the settlement, the necessities of the times called the attention of the people to military matters. They were obliged to furnish themselves with arms, and to have some kind of organized associations to resist their savage enemies, who were ever on the alert to surprise them. Con- sequently, among the earliest movements recorded are the formation of military companies and the em- ployment of men " to trayne" them. The records of Weymouth show its interest and participation in these organizations in the first years of its existence. lished from a fund left by will, for this purpose, by the late Quincy Tufts, and his sister, Miss Susan Tufts, grandchildren of Dr. Cotton Tufts, one of Weymouth's most valuable citizens during the whole of the latter half of the eighteenth century. The estimated value of the fund is about twenty thousand dollars, and came into possession of the trustees of the Tufts' Library in 1879, who immediately proceeded to apply it to its intended purposes. A part of the fund consisted of two buildings at the Landing, the lower story of one being fitted up for the library, and the income derived from the re- 1 As the various wars began and ended this feeling became active or dormant, and new movements were made from time to time, as fresh occasions called for them. Of the earlier organizations nothing very definite is known. In the first century of the colony, Weymouth had its troop of horse, besides its regular enrollment of militia, covering all able-bodied men of military age, formed into companies and officered. mainder of the fund devoted to furnishing and sus- taining it. Books were purchased and arranged, a librarian engaged, and the library opened to the public the 1st of January of the year 1880, with about two thousand three hundred volumes. Since then the library has been rapidly increased from the income of its funds and from liberal appropria- tions by the town, until its volumes have reached the | This system, if the rude organizations can be dig- number of about seven thousand five hundred (Jan. 1, nified by such a term, continued for two hundred | years. 1884), and is one of the most valuable and best selected for its size of any in the land. It is highly appre- ciated and extensively used by almost the whole body of inhabitants of sufficient age ; and the call has been so large from the other villages of the town that the

Near the close of the first half of the eighteenth century an independent company was formed in Wey- mouth for service at Castle William, in Boston Har- bor, under command of Maj. Adam Cushing. Its trustees have made arrangements by which these can | officers were Ebenezer White, captain ; Ebenezer Porter, lieutenant ; and John Porter, ensign; with a

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WEYMOUTH.

roster numbering sixty-six persons, most of whom were young men, from eighteen to twenty-five years of age. A full list of its members is in existence at the present time.

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History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 125

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & Co. Number of Pages: 1534

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1534