USA > Massachusetts > Franklin County > Orange > History of North Orange, Massachusetts : including leading events from the first organization of Orange, 1781-1924. > Part 7
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great amusement of the teacher and pupils. They used to say the names of the presidents, also in concert and sometimes used to sing, but never read from the Bible nor had any religious exercise, though at this time there were no laws excluding the Bible from the public schools of America.
All these things are a part and parcel of that old school-house; and what of the teachers? Are they not a part of it also, and a large part? My lady teachers, there were Ellin Davis, the late Mrs. Stowell, who was my first teacher, sixty years ago this month. I still have the large size enamel decorated card with her name written upon it by herself which she gave me at the close of the school; I was three years old. The only thing I remembered of the school was this kind- hearted lady raising my head from the seat upon which I had gone to sleep and placing her folded shawl under it for a pillow; for this act I have always remem- bered her and always loved her, though I only saw her once and at a distance, after this school closed, during her life. How far a little tenderness and kindness goes with a child! My next lady teacher was Louisa Blodgett whom every child delighted to be with; she was always pleasant and gracious. I also have her card given me at the close of her term with her name written upon it in pencil. The next, Abby Ward, who taught, I think, five consecutive summers; my next was Julia Putnam, who I have always thought, taught me more and helped me along with my studies better than did anyone else in that old school-house. My last lady teacher was Harriet Goddard (Mrs. John Lord, Athol) the only one of them all now living. The male teachers, of whom there were nine, were Warren Ellis, Adwell White, Horace Ward, Uzziel P. Smith, Alphonso A. Ballou, Daniel Harrington, Benjamin W. Mayo, James B. Smith and Ebenezer Proctor, -of these, eight were living at the time of the Civil war-five of whom were in and through that war; those were U. P. Smith, Ballou, Mayo, J. S. Smith and Proctor, as I believe, and all of whom are living save Horace Ward, who died soon after his term and Ellis, Mayo and Proctor, who died recently. I should be glad to speak of these men as I remember them and think of them now but this pleasure I will forego; they are held in the kindest remembrance, and occupy a warm place in my heart.
What class of people make more warm, lifelong friends than school teachers? They may forget their pupils, but their pupils do not forget them; our teachers grow with us nearer and nearer as we grow. How it delights us to entertain them at our table and talk over old times; with what freedom and abandon we enter into conversation with them-our confidence in their friendship, our faith in their honor, our assurance of their interest in us and remaining attach- ment for us, makes renewed associations with them charming and delightful; these beloved teachers, then, are a part of that old school-house.
Now, what of the pupils of my day? I will give their names by families, beginning at John Flagg's-Eunice, Mary, Martha and George,-all at rest save Eunice, now a resident of Orange; at the home of Lemuel Goddard at differ- ent times were Elsie Dresser, Asa and Ebenezer Kneeland, Virgil Goddard, now of Athol, Artemus Goddard, son of Edward Goddard, two daughters of Mr. Cleveland also from Athol. Mason Goddard sent his four daughters, Martha, Sophia, Harriet, and Emily, all of whom are still alive and reside in or near Orange. Quite in contrast with this family is the next family, that of Milton Bliss, whose first family consisting of seven-Stephen, Maria, Augustus, Aaron, Joseph, Christopher and Charles, the only one now living being Maria; Stephen died, aged eight, in 1849, his eoffin being the first one I ever saw; Augustus died in the hospital in the Potomac army, a member of the 36th Massachusetts Regi- ment; Aaron and his wife, Luella Goodale, also of North Orange-Joseph, Christopher, Charles, and Maria's oldest son, are all buried in Lakewood ceme- tery, Minneapolis, Minnesota, on the banks of the two lakes, Harriet and Calhoun
THIRTY-FOUR
THE NORTH ORANGE SCHOOLHOUSE BUILT IN 1831
where I have two children buried; I acted as pall bearer for five of this family; from this same house came the daughter of Charles Goddard, Netty, whose mother, Mrs. Stratton, subsequently lived in Athol, then came the two sons of Calvin Woodward, Elbridge and Frank, both deceased, as I am informed,- then came the large family of Humphrey Smith, five sons and two daughters, who attended that school during this period,-Uzziel, Augusta, James, Dwight, Abner, myself and Caroline; Everette was not old enough to attend school when we moved to Middlebury, Vermont, in the spring of 1858,-of those attend- ing, all are now alive except Augusta, who died in Chicago in 1905 and is buried in the same lot with our parents in Oakwood cemetery, Chicago; her first husband, David D. Mellen, of the 52d Massachusetts Regiment, was killed at Port Hudson, Mississippi, in 1863; her second husband, who survives her, was Walter H. Lamb of the 25th Massachusetts Regiment of Templeton. She was the on y pupil to lose a husband in the Civil war; but Henry Goddard, who died in a hos- pital, Henry Mayo, who was killed in battle, and Nelson Smith, who received a wound from which he died,-all from North Orange and in the 36th Massachu- setts Regiment,- were each engaged to be married at the time of their deaths to young ladies whose names appear herein. Then we reach Israel Lamb, whose daughter, Frances attended, generally, then Chandler Collar, son of the widow of Artemus Collar, whose old home I have no doubt is entirely obliterated from view; returning to the main road the next family was that of Stephen Ward, and those attending from there were Preston, Abby and Edmund, all dead. Edmund fell in battle near Richmond, Virginia, in 1864, a member of the 36th Massachusetts Regiment, across the road at the old Sylvanus Ward homestead, when we lived there in 1849, Simon Harrington occupied a part of the house and his daughter, Josephine, was a pupil; we come now to the home of Joseph Putnam, ---- Jane, Julia, Angelia, and George,-the only surviving one is Angelia, your Mrs. Oliver; the Ellis family, though large, was not represented in my day. The Rev. Summer Ellis, their youngest child, went away to school about the time I began- but two grandsons of Seth Ellis were from that family-Cheney and Francis
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Temple-whom we always thought of as sons of Seth Ellis; in 1857 Otis Brooks occupied the Ellis place and his son, A. E. Brooks, became a pupil; on the opposite side of the road was the old home of John Ellis-"Old John Ellis," the grand- father of Seth,-and in this house lived in the days of which I speak, the Rev. Levi Ballou, whose two daughters, Mary and Cornelia, attended this school; Mary (Mrs. Emery, late of Orange), was one of the brightest pupils and was so recognized, that ever attended that school during those years; we now reach the end of this list. The family of Abraham Harrington, consisting of six, Ansel, Asa, Daniel, Nelson, Mary, deceased; Nelson, as I have said before, being the only person, young or old, pupil or not, during my residence in the district, who now resides within it.
Among all these pupils there have been but one marriage, that of Asa Harring- ton and Jane Putnam, and, furthermore, there have been but five intermarriages among the pupils in this district since the district was first occupied by white men, so far as I have been able to ascertain; Ashbel Ward, the oldest son of Sylvanus, the first settler, married a sister of Capt. Ebenezer Goddard, and his brother, Oliver Ward, married Olive, a daughter of Asa Albee, for his second wife. The other two were in the next generation; Milton Bliss married a sister of Charles Goddard and Charles Goddard married Lydia Bliss, Milton's sister.
The business carried on in those years there was exclusively farming, except Mr. Bliss had a saw-mill and did a general contraeting business, and Humphrey Smith had an outside business dealing in live stock; it was a quiet neighborhood, never had any startling events, nor had it any bright stars, but the stars it did have gave a steady and reliable glow. There was not a family nor a member of a family that was not a regular and habitual attendant at church; there was not a boy nor a girl who ever gave a teacher any trouble in the school, nor was there one who was not the equal socially of all the rest and welcome at any table in the district.
Those in our district known as "old people" were Lemuel Goddard and his wife, Zuba, Mrs. Bliss, Milton's mother, Capt. Ebenezer Goddard and his wife, Mrs. Collar, and Hannah Ward, my grandinother and widow of Sylvanus Ward. Those of the district who became soldiers were Edinund Ward, Augustus Bliss, Artemus Goldard, Asa and Ebenezer Kneeland, U. P., J. B. and H. Dwight Smith, and possibly some others who were temporarily connected with the district of whom I have no knowledge. It has often been attempted to frame language adequate to express what we owe those young men who went out from among us to maintain the government in '61, 2, and 3, but it is not within our power to do that; some of us remember them and know what they left behind and somewhat of their deprivations and sufferings that while we have been living our lives of vigor and prosperity, many of those boys have been in their graves, cut off in early life amidst the brightest prospects and highest hopes for their expected lives, surrounded by homes with every comfort and its many pleasures and friends. No man can do more for another than to offer his own life in the other's service; let us remember this whenever we remember the departed soldier, as well as whenever we see an old soldier entitled to wear the copper button of the Grand Army, whether he be rich or poor, strong or weak, drunk or sober, we are his debtor to an extent greater than we shall ever be able to pay.
I first ask myself how much do I, personally, owe to that body of men and women whom I have herein mentioned; they gave character to the environments of my youth-they were those environments, -- their sober and steady habits, their faithful and neighborly conduct, their thrifty and modest sentiments, their high standard of personal honor, their Christian leanings, their love and regard for education and extended acquirements, their self-respect and keen appreciation of all good things, their clean and clevated speech and conver-
THIRTY-FIVE
sation, their noble example in all directions created the atmosphere in which I lived and which I breathed from day to day during these first nine years of my school days. Perhaps those who are familiar with the squalor and crime of the world, of the wretchedness, the depravity, the hardships, the poor,-extrav- agance, the gilded dissipations and the selfish strife of the rich, and who have at their command the statistics of child-life, and know the chances that come to those born under such surroundings, can answer this question; I cannot. All I can do is to feel a profound gratitude to that Divine Providence which sur- rounded my youth with such influences. Let us not forget that we are largely the creatures of influence and environments, especially those which temper and direet our early development. We see in the Bible several expressions emphasizing the moderate means and hidden powers made use of in the creation and development of the universe-such as "God's hidden power," "He buildeth his house upon foundations under the water," etc. Some of his wonderful works are seen only through the microscope, we will call them microscopie,- the starry heavens and movements of the planets and systems are telescopic and wonderful but the innumerable animalcula in a drop of impure water, the mechanism of the smallest insect as seen only through a microscope is far more wonderful, the proboscis of a fly when thus seen is far more wonderful than that of the elephant.
There are men who might be called "telescopic men," not so very often in evidence nor very many of them, and men who might be called "mieroscopic men," of which the world is full. It was these microscopie men who fired the gun at Lexington that sounded around the world, that established our indepen- denee, that directed our system of legislation, that met in convention at Phila- delphia and gave us our constitution, that built our school houses, that saved our union in the sixties,- they were God fearing men but not priest-ridden men, they were the "foundation under the water"-they were, and are the strength, the hope of our national life; it would be interesting to trace the growth and the decay of the nations of the world from and by the influence of these microscopic men. Briefly and finally I say, then, that the highest type of men, those to whom the world owes most, is that type to which this class of men and women of whom I am speaking today, belong. All that is permanent and healthy is found in them; they are sound to the core; they are the old guard which not only build but build, defend, and maintain that which gives stability and value to things; they are the power behind the throne; they are those who stand for good governinent, Christianity, law and order, deeeney in all things, the greatest good to the greatest number, peace and progress- and good will to men."
Albee Smith, 1909.
Mrs. Fuller who wrote the following poem was a daughter of Harvey God- dard and one of the teachers in District No. 5.
ORIGINAL POEM BY MRS. E. A. FULLER
Roll back the mists of time and space, And let sweet recollection trace Those days we all remember well- We see the school house painted red, The arch and entrance in the shed And hear again the old school bell.
We almost feel the fresh crisp breeze, And hear the birds sing in the trees, As to the dear old school we haste, Now entering see the old back seat With jack knife carvings, hard to beat, And many a name with pencil traced.
Now here's the slate we ciphered on-
The algebra we used to con;
For mathematics was the game.
And many the roots, both cube and square
We worked out on the blackboard there
While youthful knowledge was our aim.
And there's the line they used to toe,
The boys and girls of long ago Standing in life's fair morn And passing by as in review We see our teachers, tried and true,
Tho more than two score years have gone.
Ah! mingled with our joy today
Come thoughts of loved ones passed away Brothers and sisters long since gone. And while we face the sunset time With gladsome hope, and faith sublime
We'll wait to hear the word "School's done."
August 10, 1911.
SOME COLLEGE GRADUATES
Jonathan Woodward, Samuel Temple, Grindall Ellis, Abner Cheney, Abner Morton, Alpheus Baker, Elijah Ball, Hyder Ali Ball, John Cheney, Harrison Lord, -Moore, Cyrus Chapin, Charles Chapin, Uzziel P. Smith, James B. Smith, Albee Smith, Abner Smith, Henry Dwight Smith, John Q. Ad- ams, Wallace Mayo, Clifford D. Newton.
Library
Supplementing the publie schools as an agency in the mental and moral training of the pupils, is the North Orange Branch Library. No trace has been found of the old tradition that a free public library existed in the northern part of the town before 1800. Most of the earliest libraries in America have disappeared. Orange library, if it ever did exist, may have been one of these. In this country the free public library came into favor very slowly, libraries maintained by shareholders and annual subscribers predominating until 1876. The distriet school library movement was the original impulse of the law passed in Massachusetts in 1851, allowing cities and towns to establish and maintain public libraries. Eight years later "the Hon. Davis Goddard presented the town of Orange $100 as a nucleus for the formation of a town library; the town by vote added $200" and "December 14, 1859 a library was opened to all residents of the town." Books were sent from the library to North Orange for the reading public there. In 1883 there was quite a collection of books in the house of Philbrook Worrick. Later the people of North Orange sent directly to the library for books; these were taken to North Orange at the ex- pense of the town. For transporting the 358 books drawn by North Orange people during the year ending February 2, 1895, M. D. Herrick was paid $40 and A. W. Martin, $6.
At this time the library trustees,-W. M. King, W. M. Pomeroy, A. E. Emery, Mrs. F. S. Ewing, G. P. Sherwin and A. W. Martin,-took under consideration the benefits and obligations which would result to the town if the bequest of the late Mrs. A. P. Goddard were accepted. The bequest reads :- Tenth. I give the town of Orange, the sum of three thousand dollars in money. And I direct that sum, or the income thereof, as the executors or executor of this will may in their or his discretion direct, shall be expended under the super-
THIRTY-SIX
FRANKLIN GODDARD
vision and advice of said executors or executor, in the purchase of books for the public library of said town, provided always and on the express condition that all books so purchased shall have their permanent place of deposit, and constitute a part of the public library and be forever located in that part of said town called North Orange. Hamilton S. Mayo, the executor of Mrs. Goddard's will "declared his purpose not to give any advice nor instruction as to the ex- penditure of the money should the bequest be accepted by the town." But the trustees were advised "that the probate court would appoint a trustee of the fund, with the same power and duties as an executor would have."
In order to find out what the duties of the town would be if the legacy were accepted, the trustees consulted District Attorney John A. Aiken at Greenfield. Reasoning that if the bequest be accepted, "the town is bound to provide at North Orange a suitable place for books purchased with the bequest to engage a custodian to care for them and is bound to do what else may be reasonably necessary to make the legacy available," Mr. Aiken concluded by saying, "I think the town better not accept the bequest," because he thought the town would get more for its money by buying books for the existing town library where they would be available to all residents of the town, than by expending the same sum in compliance with the conditions and requirements of the bequest.
In view of these facts, the trustees at a meeting held February 5, 1895, voted to recommend the town not to accept the legacy of Mrs. Goddard for the library, "its terms being considered too onerous to the town for the limited benefits conferred." The only dissenting vote was cast by Alonzo W. Martin, the member from North Orange, who wished the gift to be accepted. Two mem- bers of the Board, A. E. Emery and Mrs. Ewing, were absent from the meeting.
Later through the earnest efforts of Rev. Charles Conklin, the current of popular opinion turned in favor of acceptance of Mrs. Goddard's legacy and at its annual meeting the next month, (March), the town voted to accept the
bequest and in accordance with that vote, a branch library was opened at North Orange in October, 1895, with Mrs. Sara E. Rich, Librarian.
Failing health caused the closing of Alonzo W. Martin's connection with the library as trustee in 1923 and Mr. Floyd French was appointed as Mr. Martin's successor.
Fortunately the duty of a librarian is not now what James Russell Lowell said it was formerly,-"that of a watch dog to keep people as much as possible away from the books and to hand them over to his successor as little worn by use as he could." The library that supplements the school in teaching good reading and that stimulates improvement of the people must have not only good books, but a faithful librarian willing to help in the choice of reading.
Through the kindness of such a librarian we are able to give the accom- panying tribute to the late Mrs. A. P. Goddard who made it possible for North Orange, to have a free public library.
Tribute to Mrs. Asula P. Goddard
At the home gathering of North Orange, our thoughts, naturally go out to those who, either by their words or works, live in the hearts of the people and while we speak with pride of Sumner Ellis and Jonathan Forrester and many others, we cannot forget the plain, unassuming, rather eccentric lady who pro- vided for a library generously and who has given better than she herself could have realized.
Our North Orange branch library is a lasting monument to the memory of Mrs. Goddard. By her will $3,000 was to be expended as the executors of the will should advise. It was determined that $1.000 should be taken for the purchase of books and the interest of the $2,000 to be taken annually for the purchase of new books. A room was hired by the town, also a librarian and carefully and wisely the library committee of Orange expended a little over the $1,000. Ten hundred and seventy-six books formed the nucleus of the
MRS. ASULA P. GODDARD
THIRTY-SEVEN
library which was opened to the public October 3, 1895. Since that time over two hundred books have been added, the library now, (1900), numbering nearly 1,300 volumes .*
The town of Orange has been very generous to its branch library, providing all the furniture, giving time and thought to the careful selection of books, and we have, as the result, what is pronounced by every one a fine, well-chosen library. The people take much pride in it, as is evidenced by the care taken of the books, and when we are asked if the library is well patronized, if the interest in it continues, if the people read much and various other questions, we reply, "Our regret is that Mrs. Goddard did not provide for a library during her life- time, that she might have had the satisfaction of seeing how her gift was appre- ciated."
Another gift, not to be forgotten, is that of $1,000, the interest of which is to be annually expended to maintain in perpetual good condition and repair, to provide flowers, seats and ornaments in the public park known as Goddard Park.
The income of $1000 was also to be used in earing for the Goddard burial lot at Tully and the income of $5,000 to aid the deserving poor of the town, making in all the sum of $10,000 given to the town of Orange.
Surely we have reason at this time to remember gratefully and lovingly the name of Asula P. Goddard.
The people of North Orange hope that sometime a way may be provided to furnish a library building, as at no far-distant day it will have outgrown its present quarters.
Mrs. Sara E. Rich. August 16, 1900.
* January 1, 1924 the number of volumes had increased to 3,169.
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TIK
THE PERRY HOUSE
The Perry House
Note worthy among the old-time houses are four taverns, three of whichi are still standing. Of the fourth which was burned about 1880, Mr. A. E. Brooks has given a faithful picture. One of these taverns, the Perry house, so-called, is the center of much historical interest. Not only was it a notable tavern for many years, kept successively by Nathan Goddard, Tyler Perry and David Perry, but in it were held parish meetings and town meetings to which people came from South Orange to vote. Since 1895 the North Orange Library has been located there.
The site of the Perry House is part of a tract of 200 acres of land which the state Archives inform us, was in 1742 granted to Thomas Hapgood of Marl- borough "in consideration of his services and sufferings in war against the Eastern Indians." The land was purchased later by Nathan Goddard, grandson of Thomas Hapgood, who, according to Royalston history built a public house, tannery and saw-mill and carried on an extensive business. "Nathan Goddard, long prominent in town affairs, was living here in 1760", writes Mr. H. S. Ballou. This 200-acre tract of land was originally in Royalston, but was set off to Orange when Orange district was formed. After the death of Nathan Goddard in 1806, the farm was bought by Tyler Perry of Sherborn. Tyler Perry, inn- holder, was followed by his son David Perry, last of the landlords of the Perry Inn. Succeeding the Perrys as owners of the farm, have been Eli Forrester, Nathaniel Forrester and Clarence Rich.
Only one descendant of Tyler Perry, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Moses Morton, now remains in North Orange. Some records of the life of her great- grandfather, are given here by a granddaughter, of Tyler Perry, Mrs. D. P. Hudson of Peabody.
Tyler Perry-Revolutionary Soldier
An unusual event of local historical interest that took place in North Orange on May 30th, 1918, seems worthy of mention.
On that day, the Memorial Day for the soldiers of the Civil war and other wars of our country, an old grave of more than eighty years was decorated for the first time, by the Veterans of the Grand Army. It was the grave of Tyler Perry, a Revolutionary sollier, who died in 1836 and was buried in the old burying ground at North Orange.
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