USA > Massachusetts > Franklin County > Orange > History of North Orange, Massachusetts : including leading events from the first organization of Orange, 1781-1924. > Part 10
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Social Organizations
Orange Lodge of Masons was instituted in 1825*
The Village Lyceum .*
The Fire Engine Company has its headquarters at Tully where the engine and engine-house are located. After the purchase of a new engine in 1864, the old engine was placed in a building near the old ice-house. It was burned with the building in which it was housed in the fire of 1865.
Good Templars. Temperance agitation which started in the Washingtonian movement in Baltimore in 1840, was manifested in North Orange in 1842 and 1844 when temperance lectures were given by Mr. Frost and Mr. D. D. Baker to large audiences. Throughout the States, talks upon temperance were in- fluential in the formation of the Independent Order of Good Templars, founded in 1851 in Utica, New York. The Order spread rapidly all over the country. North Orange soon had a Lodge of 50 or more members who conducted meetings much after the manner of the old Lyceum. In its early days the Lodge met in Parish Hall. As the Lodge grew smaller by reason of the departure of a number of members from town, meetings were held in the Chapel for a year or two preceding 1881 when the Good Templars of North Orange gave up their charter to the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts.
Sovereigns of Industry. Founded February 19, 1875. During a time of lack of employment following the commercial crisis of 1873, there was formed an association similar in its aims and purpose to the Patrons of Husbandry or as it is commonly called, the Grange. This order, Sovereigns of Industry, promised
* For further mention, see article on the Green House.
THE OVERVIEW HAS A VIEW OVER ALL
FORTY-SEVEN
North Ortige, Mass Tully Mounta hand Porat
WHERE THE "TULLYS' TOUCH
laboring men material advantages by being able to purchase at wholesale and sell to members of the order at much lower prices than the ordinary retail prices. Each council was composed of persons 16 years of age and over, engaged in industrial pursuits. A council could be enabled to buy directly from wholesale dealers or in a town where there was a council, members could purchase goods of traders with whom arrangements had been made to sell to members of the order at reduced prices. Trading cards, the color of which was changed every quarter, were furnished the members and in order to be allowed a discount, the buyer had to show his card at the time of purchase.
The Furnace Village Council, No. 121, Sovereigns of Industry, North Orange, Massachusetts, was organized February 19, 1875. At first meetings were held in the Tully school-house; later in the Engine House hall, Tully. At these meetings, readings and declamations were given; also debates on different sub- jects. At one time there were over 60 members representing North Orange villages, West Royalston and other places. By 1880 there were about half as many members and in March of that year the association was given up.
The Grange, established March 3, 1875, did not have a very healthy growth at first and only occasional meetings were held at different houses. Since its reorganization in 1886 or '88 with A. Nelson Harrington as Master, the Grange has held regular meetings in Parish Hall and continued to exert its social, ethic- al and altruistic force upon the community.
North Orange Reunion Association
Inspired by the idea of a reunion at North Orange of its residents, former residents and their descendants, Mrs. Elvira B. G. Ballou, Mrs. Fannie Daniels, Rev. Mr. Blackford and Solon J. Oliver talked the matter over and, recognizing the desirability of such a meeting, became so enthusiastic over the idea, that they soon imbued others with like enthusiasm for the undertaking. Committees were appointed with Merrill D. Herrick, President, and Rev. Mr. Blackford, Secretary, and all worked with zealous ardor for the success of their plans.
August 16, 1900, brought fruition of their ideas,-the happy home-gathering of many sons and daughters of North Orange. How many remember that first Reunion Day twenty-four years ago! Its dismal morning with torrents of rain falling, the sudden clearing, the afternoon of glorious sunshine?
FORTY-EIGHT
The formal exereises of the day were held in Goddard Park after the merry lunch hour there. Prayer was offered by Rev. Mr. Blackford, pastor of the Universalist Church; Merrill D. Herrick, president of the day extended a cordial welcome to the company. The following original poem, "Old Home Coming" was readfby the writer, Mrs. E. B. G. Ballou :-
Dear friends we meet to-day,
Upon the Village Green:
To hear and to be heard,
To see and to be seen.
To grasp the friendly palm,
To meet the kindly eye;
To repeat the old, old story
Of happy days gone by. To be at feast together,
With merry chat and light;
Until all shall discover
A great loss of appetite.
This is just the place to get it,
As a pleasant luxury;
No need have we of banqueting,
We have that every day.
We enjoy the platform speeches,
The melody of song;
The ever welcome orchestra
We relish all day long.
There's not a land upon the earth
We cherish more than this;
We know each wanderer hither come,
Know well whom he will miss.
The sigh is in the heart as well For the long-absent ones;
All will, I trow, have secret thoughts
Of those who would but could not come.
The heavens above are just the same,
The earth beneath our feet,
The glorious hills and vales and mounts
Their perennial scenes repeat.
So now we bid you welcome back
To the land your young feet trod. May this be a pleasant memory As you journey on the road.
By your presence we imagine
Our summons did appear
For this general Home-coming
To close the nineteenth hundred year.
A new century soon will greet us None ever saw, or again will, So we thought to try and celebrate By a Home-coming on the Hill. August sixteenth was fixed upon By the agreement of our people; And the place as you comprehend, Is beneath our old church steeple. This has ever been a rallying point And we treasure it still with care For the dear old memories of long ago
When all hither came with praise and prayer,
From week to week to greet Each dear familiar face;
To hear the parson pray and preach
And pronounce departing grace. What flocks and flocks of people This church sheltered in the past! And most of its early devotees Were faithful to the last.
So welcome, ye gray-haired grandsires And all ye matrons fair, Ye sturdy men of busy life Who hither do repair With faithful wives and children, We greet you, one and all, So glad are we so many are Not passed beyond recall. The same old church stands in our midst The same old bell doth call, The same fair Hill in living green Doth greet you one and all. But change must come with passing years, For all once nurtured here, And many have passed to the far beyond And left their memories dear. We cannot call them back to us,
Vain regrets would do them wrong; But little longer shall we tarry here, Then we too, shall pass along. Alas! the most have passed away We oft were wont to greet, And strangers occupying their homes Their history to repeat. Now when this day is over And you depart from us in haste May you feel an admiration For our aesthetic rural taste. So, if in the not distant future, It may not give you pain, Just don your best bib and tucker, Pack grip and come again.
After Mrs. Ballou's reading, Mr. S. J. Oliver read "Soliloquy of the old church bell," an anonymous contribution from a former resident; Rev. Mr. Blackford read letters from former residents; and a number of speakers,-some, descendants of early settlers, others intimately associated with the life of North Orange,-entertained with anecdotes, reminiscences or historical facts. Among these speakers were Hosea S. Ballou who gave a short historical paper, A. Eddy Brooks of Grand Rapids, Michigan, who gave reminiscences of his early school days here in the fifties; and Benjamin Mayo of Turners Falls, who told of the soldier boys of 1861. Music by an orchestra under the leadership of George Oliver and singing by a chorus under the direction of Aral Kendall, added to the pleasure of the afternoon. The day was one to be long remembered in the annals of North Orange and was so heartily enjoyed that many expressed the wish that Old Home Day might be observed every year. Up to the present time that wish has been granted.
Looking back upon these 24 reunions, we trace the inevitable shadow that attends life, but it has not chilled affection nor lessened the warmth of friendly greeting, for memory keeps ever with us the loved and esteemed whom we cannot see, but who wait for us in just the other room of God's house.
In reviewing the programs, we find that, as a rule, they follow closely that of the first Old Home day. Memorable speakers who did not confine them- selves to local history for a theme, include Dr. James Oliver, Rev. L. L. Green, Rev. Charles Conklin, D. D., Rev. W. G. Cosgrove, Rev. Clifford Newton, Mrs. George L. Mason and Mr. Albee Smith.
One innovation that made Old Home day of 1914 one of the most successful ever held, was a street parade. This was a distinct feature of the day and was ahead of the expectations of all. It was very creditable in every detail and showed the result of considerable time and thought in preparation. Much of the credit is due the executive committee which looked after it as well as the
marshal, Emory Swan and Rollin White, who are always ready to contribute liberally toward any worthy project on the hill. The many floats and special vehicles were exceptionally well arranged and the parade passed off without a slip. The line of march formed at the home of John D. Holston and marched to the school house below the residence of Miss M. L. Blodgett and returned to its place of starting. The many features were liberally applauded by the large number of people who lined either side along the way. It was appropriate that the procession should be led by the "Spirit of '76," represented by Golan and Harry Miller and Arthur Ames. Following in the automobile of Rollin White, which he, dressed as Uncle Sam, was driving, came the Grand Army, represented by the following veterans dressed in their uniforms: A. C. White, Wellington White and Samuel Daniels. Following in a surrey cam> North Orange's oldest people, John C. Holston and Mrs. Alsameda Dudley. As many are aware both are 92 years old, the former being only four days oldler. Both live in the same house, Mr. Holston being the father of John D. Holston and Mrs. Dudley, the mother of Mrs. Holston. They are a very capable couple and quite rugged considering their advanced age. In the parade also was Mrs. E. B. G. Ballou, one of North Orange's most estimable women who is 79 years old. She was driven in a basket phaeton and enjoyed her ride fully as much as anybody. Mrs. Ballou was born and has always lived in North Orange and is a very keen and capable woman. In addition to those mentioned there were represented in the parade by floats, or decorated vehicles, the following: North Orange Grange, the women's society of the Universalist church, Willing Workers, Belles of North Orange, two wheeled cart drawn by two little boys representing Hill-Top farm, W. H. Blackmer, market gardener, Mrs. Cora Cummerford, Charles Richardson, Dwight Clement, Japanese girls, old fashioned team, Hervey Dexter, driving his pair of trained bulls, Everett Davis, and a get-up representing the well-known eomie picture, "Toot and be darned." Inaddition, Aubrey Turner, Jesse Worrick and E. A. Stafford drove their automobiles, which were prettily trimmed, while the Boy Scouts in charge of the Scout master, Rev. Paul Weller, the young men's club and the fire department were represented by their members in a body.
The American flag waving above the Park, the camp chairs, the eups from which we drink Old Home day coffee,-all remind us of the donors, Mr. and Mrs. A. E. Brooks who have also given sums of money at different times. Neither should we forget the gift (about $50) of the citizens of North Orange for the erection of a flag pole on the park; nor the patience with which the committee searchel woodlands north, south, eist anl west to find a tree wor- thy to become the flagstaff from which Old Glory should broadcast its message of freedom, justice and loving kindness. The flag-pole was broken off by the wind in the winter of 1923.
Presidents of Reunion Committee
1900. Merrill D. Herrick * 1909.
Miss Maria Blodgett
1901. Rev. A. N. Blackford* 1910.
Charles A. Peekham *
1902. Adriel C. White * 1911.
Miss Ada Worrick
1903. Henry P. Paul * 1912.
Mrs. Sara E. Rich
1904. Rollin O. White 1913.
1905. Alonzo W. Martin
1914.
Mrs. Grace Ward Lofberg
1906. Hoyt U. Wakefield 1915. Miss Blanche Moore
1907. Nelson Harrington *
1916. Golan Miller
1908. Rev. E. B. Barber
1917. Mrs. Eunice Davis
Deceased
Mrs. Grace Ward French
FORTY-NINE
1918. Floyd French. Became a sol- 1920. Floyd French
dier in the World War and
1921. True Rice
John Blackmer served as Pres-
1922. Miss Mary Blackmer
ident
1923. Kenneth White
1919. Miss Jessie Newton
1924. Kenneth White
* Deceased
It is worthy of notice that three Presidents,-Adriel C. White, Rollin O. White and Kenneth White represent three generations of the same family.
Secretaries of Reunion Committee
1900 and 1901, Rev. A. N. Blackford * 1902, 1903, & 1904, Solon J. Oliver 1905 and 1906, Miss Ada Worrick 1907-1924, Mrs. Fannie M. Daniels
* Deceased
Since 1907 MIrs. Fannie M. Daniels has been Secretary of the Reunion Committee. With good will that has never failed, Mrs. Daniels has served with faithfulness, efficiency and unbounded zeal. No duty has proved too arduous for her undertaking, no obstacle too great for her to overcome. Before her courage and optimism difficulties fade away and every Reunion becomes a red letter day in the calendar of North Orange.
Memories of the Morton Home
I was greatly pleased to find upon the invitation this year that old historical landınark, the picture of the old home of the Morton family. It is a splendid picture and to those of us who lived here 50, 60, or 70 years ago and remember not only the home and its inmates, but the Old Shoe shop nestled snugly under the branches of that stately and graceful old Elm, it calls to mind and inemory much that interested every father and mother and every child in this part of the town.
Mr. Morton, the shoemaker, was known far and wide as a man of integrity, the soul of honor and people patronized him knowing that he used only the very best material and that the work was faultless in every respect, hence his boots and shoes were in a great demand. Some writer has said, "If a man can write a better book, preach a better sermon, or make a better mouse trap than his neighbor though he builds his house in the woods, the world will make a beaten path to his door."
There was certainly a beaten path to the door of that old shoe shop and often, very often was Mr. Morton obliged to work late at night, with only the light of a tallow candle or an oil lamp in order not to disappoint a customer and . the children were delighted to go there. Nothing pleases children more than to have a new pair of shoes and they would go early, so as to sit there and watch the work of waxing the thread and putting on the bristle for a needle which looked so easy to do but which in reality required skill and experience to do quickly and well.
Mr. Morton was an ideal man in his family, gentle but firm, quiet, modest, truthful and religious. Sunday always found him in the church, to which he was devoted and to which he gave liberally. His house was also a rendezvous for ministerial candidates, supply and exchange ministers, Mrs. Morton was also much interested in church work, constant in attendance and the children always brought up to go to Sunday school.
THE MORTON HOME
The oldest daughter married a young man born and brought up in North Orange, the Reverend Sumner Ellis who was a brilliant writer and noted for his ease and grace in the pulpit and was called to some of the largest and most influential societies in the denomination to which he belonged, viz, Boston, Newark, Cincinnati, Milwaukee and Chicago. He was also honored with the title D. D. Balance of the Morton family of which there were six children, all lived lives of usefulness and were highly respected and honored. Charles, the youngest son, enlisted early in the Civil war for three years and when his term expired if, I am not greatly mistaken, re-enlisted for another term and was mus- tered out at the close of the war. He was wounded in one of the battles and incapacitated at the time and physically affected through life in consequence.
Mrs. Daniels, the only surviving member of the family and secretary of this Old Hoine day association for the past 16 years, is noted not only at home but abroad for her sterling qualities of devotion and faithfulness to the church and the various offices of trust she has been called upon to fill, not forgetting her valiant services in sustaining this organization which is worthy of our highest esteem and gratitude.
I have written at length regarding the home of the Mortons and of the family purely from a personal motive, because I felt it not only a pleasure but a duty inasmuch as I was personally acquainted with every one of the family and a frequent and welcome visitor as well, and also especially intimate with Charles who was about my age, and because I regarded the whole family worthy of special mention and I surely am glad of the opportunity to present a partial history of a family so well thought of, so highly esteemed and respected and so valuable to the community in the last century.
I am indeed thankful for the suggestion that prompted the placing a view of the Morton home and surroundings on the invitation, as that alone led me to present this as my contribution at this time.
A. E. Brooks, 1923.
FIFTY
MERRILL D. HERRICK FIRST PRESIDENT OF REUNION ASSOCIATION AND SELECTMAN OF ORANGE 25 YEARS
Selectmen
Saville Metcalf, 1783, '84,'85, '86, '87, '89; Elijah Ball, 1783; Nathan Goddard, 1783, '84; Hananiah Temple, 1784; John Davis, 1785, '86, '87, 1819, '20, 21; Benjamin Mayo, 1785; Jonathan Ward, 1786, '87; Edward Ward, 1788; Levi Cheney, 1788, '89, '90, 1803, '04, '05; John Ellis, 1788; Samuel Briggs, 1790, 91, '98, '99, 1800; Ebenezer Foskett, 1790, 91, '92 .; Benjamin Dexter, 1791, '92, '93, 1808; Joseph Metcalf, 1792, '93, '94, 1806; Jonathan Goddard, 1793, '94, '95, Nehemiah Ward, 1794, '95, '96; Nathaniel Cheney, 1795, '96, '97; Oliver Chapin, 1796, '97, '98, 1803, '04, '06; Ebenezer Atwood, 1797, '98, '99; Amos Woodward, 1789, '99, 1800, '01, '08, '09, '10, '11 '12, 17, '18, '19; Moses Cheney, 1800, '01, '02; Samuel Ruggles, 1801, '02; Oliver Estey, 1802; Zina Goodale, 1803, '04, '05, '29, '30; Josiah Cobb, 1805, '07, '08, '09, '13; Seth Ellis, 1806; Joseph Lord, 1807; Nathan Cheney, 1807; Perley Barton, 1809, '10, '11, '12; Thomas Cobb, 1810, '11, '22; David Cleaveland, 1812; Ebenezer Goddard, 1813, '14, '15, '16; David Cheney 1813, '14, '15; Nathan Ward, 1811, '15, '16, '20, '26, '27, '28; Peter Sibley, 1816; Seth Ellis, Jr., 1817, '18, '28; Lyman Harring- ton, 1817, '18; Calvin Mayo, 1819; Moses Johnson,1820, '21, '22, '30, '31; Allen Harrington, 1821, '22, '25, '26; George Wheelock, 1823, '24, '25; Moses Smith, 1823, '24, '25; Nathaniel Jenerson, 1823, '24; Stephen Bliss, 1826, '27; J. R. Whipple, 1827, '28, '29; Daniel Moore, 1829; Russell Barnes 1830; Sherman Bacon, 1831, '32; Hiram Woodward, 1831, '32, '33, '34, '35, '36; Moses Morton, 1832, '33, '34; Josiah Goddard, 1833, '40, '41, '46, '47, '49, '50; Otis Brooks, 1834, '35, '37; Salmon Howard, 1835, '37, '38; Willard Ward, 1836; Benjamin Mayo, (2nd) 1836; Pereival Blodgett, 1837, '38, '39; Hillel Baker, 1842, '43, '44, '45, '51; Asa A. Ward, 1847; Jonathan Kendall, 1847, '49; Peter Moore, 1849; John D.
Flagg, 1851, '55, '65, '66, '67, '68, '69, 1870, '74, '75; Daniel Mayo, 1852, '53; § Philbrook Worrick, 1854, '57, '71, '72, '73, '76, '78, 79; Admiral A. Ward, 1858, '59, '60, 61, '62, '63; H. Nelson Moore, 1864; Merrill D. Herrick, 1877, '80, '81, '82, '83, '84, '85, '86, '87, '88, '89 ,'90, '91, '92, '93, '94, '95, '96, '97, '98, '99, 1900, '01, '02, '03; Hoyt U. Wakefield, 1905, '06, '07, '08, '09, '10, '11, '12, '13, '11, '15.
Members of the Massachusetts Legislature
Josiah Cobb, Amos Woodward, Perley Barton, Thomas Cobb, Hiram Wood- ward, Jesse Worrick, Josiah Goddard, Benjamin Mayo, Joel Davis, Admiral A. Ward, (Served both as Senator and Representative), Percival Blodgett, (Served both as Senator and Representative) John D. Flagg.
Hillel Baker went as deldgate to the Constitutional Convention which met in Boston, May 4, 1853.
Doctors who practiced in North Orange are Doctor Perley Barton and Doctor Dean.
Military History
As North Orange was not incorporated until 1783 it did not share in the War of the Revolution as a town, but the muster rolls of Revolutionary soldiers bear the names of many who made Orange. Of the 117 heads of families in Orange in 1791, more than half had served in the War of the Revolution. They responded quiekly to the first alarm in 1775 and later were distributed through- out the Continental army, being found at Boston, Cambridge, Dorchester, White Plains, Ticonderoga, Tarrytown, Rhode Island, Bennington, Canada, Saratoga and other places. At the time of their enlistment they were inhabitants of those estates set off from Athol, Warwick and Royalston to form Orange and also of other towns more distant. Their time of service varied from a few days to the whole war period. North Orange would like to inseribe upon her records the names of all these men who helped to win liberty for our country, but owing to the difficulty of getting reliable statistics, only an incomplete record of names ean be given.
With Mr. William Lord's permission we give from his list of Revolutionary soldiers, those living in that part of Athol which is now Orange: Ephraim Cady, Ephraim Cheney of Warwiek, who served in Captain Thomas Lord's company, also in Captain Iehabod Dexter's company, John Cutting, Jotham Death, Ben- jamin Dexter, Captain Tehabod Dexter, William Lord, Asa Lord, Silas Marble, Abner Morton, Thomas Stow, Moses Goddard.
From Warwick, went Ebenezer Cheney, Jr., a musician," a bugler in the band, but a musket in action," Moses Cheney, Joseph French, William Gould, Asa Heminway, Job Maeomber, Samuel Pitts, Benjamin Porter, Daniel Thayer. From that part of Royalston now North Orange, David Bullock, John Ellis. From more distant towns went Asa Albee, Sherebiah Baker, Elijah Ball, John Beal, Amos Boyden, Samuel Briggs, Oliver Chapin, one of Washington's body- guard; Daniel Cheney, Levi Chapin, Samuel Coller, Uriah Coller, Uriah Coller, Jr., Daniel Davison, Joseph Downe, Jacob French, Solomon Gates, Phineas Hammond, Daniel Harrington, Jason Harrington, Samuel Heminway, Zahath Higgins, John Hill, Jeduthan Holden, Jonathan Houghton, Elisha Johnson, Solomon Johnson, David Legg, William Legg, Joseph Metcalf, Silas Metcalf, , William Mills, Tyler Perry, Ebenezer Petty, Perez Richmond, Abiel Saddler, Zephaniah Smith, Nathaniel Stearns, John Stowe, Joel Thayer, William Tolley, Alexander Wheelock, Elisha White, Nathaniel Woodcock.
North Orange holds them in grateful remembrance.
FIFTY-ONE
THE FISH PLACE "
WAR OF 1812-1814
Samuel Albee, (Alber), Ebenezer Atwood, Josiah Ball, Elkanah Briggs, John Davis, Aseph Foskett, Joel Johnson, John Lewis, Luther Lord, Vashni Lord, Philip Martin, Stephen Mayo, Jason Phinney, Savel Thayer, Jonas Ward, Joseph Washburn, Zaccheus Wheeler, Jr., (perhaps of Athol), Josiah Wheelock, Abner Whitney, Paul Whittaker, David Wilmarth, (Wilmouth), Benjamin Wood, Jr.
MEXICAN WAR
Daniel Baker,
George Flagg,
Russell Ward.
CIVIL WAR 1861-1865
The Selectmen of Orange in 1861, '62 and '63 were Admiral A. Ward, North Orange, with Darwin Merriam and Davis Goddard of Orange; in 1864, Davis Goddard; Darwin Merriam, Orange and H. Nelson Moore, North Orange; in 1865, A. J. Clark and Thomas E. Bridge, Orange and John D, Flagg, North Orange. John W. Wheeler was Town Clerk and W. S. Ballou, Treasurer, during these years. To these men those years of Civil War brought new and heavy responsibilities, namely, filling the town's contingents of men and appropriating money for bounties and other military purposes.
1861, May 6, the town voted "to raise $5000 to arm and equip a company of volunteers and to support their families. One dollar a day was allowed each man for drilling for 30 days under a drill-master and ten dollars a month while in active service, in addition to the Government pay." Davis Goddard, Rodney Hunt, Levi Kilburn, Orange, with Hillel Baker and Admiral A. Ward, North Orange, were appointed a committee to carry this vote of the town into effect and to see that the families of the volunteers were properly cared for. The reso- lution adopted, reads, "Resolved. That in the present crisis of our national affairs (ignoring all political party divisions) it is the duty of all good citizens to come boldly forward and vindicate before the world the justice of our cause, and show our patriotism to the Union and its free institutions by contributing liberally from the means we possess in aid of a common cause."
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