USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Spencer > History of Spencer, Massachusetts, from its earliest settlement to the year 1860: including a brief sketch of Leicester, to the year 1753 > Part 2
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HISTORY OF SPENCER.
DANIEL ALLEN, was a merchant of Boston.
SAMUEL SEWALL, was a gentleman belonging to Brooklinc.
WILLIAM DUDLEY, belonged to Roxbury, son of Governor Joseph Dudley, and younger brother of Hon. Paul Dudley, was speaker of the House of Representatives, an active officer at the taking of Port Royal, in Nova Scotia, Colonel of a reg- iment, and one of the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas. Died 1743, before his elder brother.
JOSEPH DUDLEY. Having thus given brief notices of all the original proprietors of the town of Spencer, it may not be improper to add a notice of Gov. Joseph Dudley, father of Paul and William, as he has been mentioned in the ancient Indian deed as owner of the South Gore of land, previously described. He was a younger son of Thomas Dudley, first Lieut. Governor of Massachusetts in 1630. He was ap- pointed Governor of Massachusetts by King William in 1701, which office he held until 1716. He had been pre- viously a member of Parliament in England, and Lieut. Governor of the Isle of Wight, and was appointed by King James, in 1686, President of the Council of Massachusetts. He was also appointed by King James Chief Justice of the Province of Massachusetts, and was appointed by King William, Chief Justice of New York : this last office, how- ever, he did not accept. He was graduated at Harvard College in 1665. He died in 1720, aged 73.
On the same date of the last deed, Feb. 23, 1713-4, the proprietors met at Boston and voted " that one-half of the Township of Leicester be disposed of, or sold to fifty fami- lies that shall settle and establish themselves there accord- ing to the injunction of the General Court. That the other half shall be divided to and among the twenty pro- prietors, into twenty thousand acre lots, to contain one thousand acres or less." " That Col. Dudley, Capt. Chandler,
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HISTORY OF SPENCER.
Capt. Lamb, Capt. Howe and Capt. Ruggles, be the com- mittee to determine the half for the proprietors and the half for the settlers of the said town."
The said committee concluded to appropriate the eastern half for the settlers part, and on the 15th of May, 1714, they repaired to the easterly half of Leicester for the | ur- pose of locating house lots, to such persons as chose to take them on the prescribed conditions. These conditions were, that one shilling per acre should be paid for each house lot, and that a family should be settled on each of them within three years, or else be forfeited and returned to the propri- etors. These house lots contained generally forty acres, but some lots contained fifty acres, and some only thirty, and every house lot was entitled to one hundred additional acres, to be taken up in some other part of the town, to every ten acres of house lots. Thus, by paying forty shillings, a settler was entitled to a house lot of forty acres, and four hundred acres in addition. Roads were located between the ranges of house lots, and two of those, one running north and the other south, from the present village, still remain substantially where first located.
The first house lot was granted to John Stebbings, of whom mention will hereafter be made. This was located on Strawberry Hill, the present site of Leicester village, and extended principally south of the present Main street.
Several failed to comply with the prescribed conditions, so that more than eight years expired before fifty families were permanently settled on the territory, when, at a meet- ing of the proprietors at the " Green Dragon tavern," in Bos- ton, on Monday the 23d day of July, 1722, it was voted, " That Col. Wiliam Dudley, Lieut. Col. Joshua Lamb, Nathaniel Kanney, (since written Kenney), Samuel Green, and Samuel Tyley, be a committee, and fully authorized and empowered to execute good and sufficient deed of convey- ance in law, by order and in the name of the proprietors of
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HISTORY OF SPENCER.
Leicester, for the one half of that township, viz. the easterly half, to the first grantors or settlers thereon."
On the 11th of January, 1724, (Feb. 23, 1725, N. S.,) a deed of the easterly half of Leicester was executed by the committee, conveying it to the following persons, they having settled their own families, or placed others thereon, viz. John Stebbings, Joseph Stebbings, James Wilson, Sam- uel Green, Arthur Cary, Moses Stockbridge, Hezekiah Russ, John Peters, William Brown, Thomas Hopkins, Daniel Den- ney, John Smith, Ralf Earle, Nathaniel Kanney, Samuel Stimson, Benjamin Woodbridge, John Lynde, Josiah Wins- low, Josiah Langdon, Joshua Henshaw, Mr. Joseph Parsons, Nathaniel Richardson, John Menzies, Esq., Thomas Baker, Richard Southgate, Samuel Prince, Dorothy Friar, Thomas Dexter, William Keen, James Winslow, Stephen Winchester, Paul Dudley, Esq., Joseph Sargent, Daniel Livermore, James Southgate, Daniel Parker, Esq., and John King, being 37 persons, only ; but some of these settled two or three fami- lies in different parts of the town, making fifty families in the whole. Several of these families have left numerous descendants, such as the Greens, the Dennys, the Earles, the Henshaws, the Southgates, &c.
Nathaniel Kanney, Josiah Langdon, Josiah and James Winslow, Samuel Prince, Joseph Parsons, Thomas Baker and Paul Dudley, were never residents of Leicester, but set- tled other families there." John Stebbings, and James
Nathaniel Kanney and Josiah Langdon belonged to Boston, as did Mr. Joseph Parsons, and the name was sometimes written " Rev. Joseph Par- sons." Josiah and James Winslow were probably from Freetown, County of Bristol, as John Winslow of Freetown was a large landholder in Spencer, in the first settlement of the town. Thomas Baker was called " Capt. Thomas Baker, of Brookfield." Paul Dudley belonged to Roxbury as before mentioned. Samuel Prince, Esq., was from Middleborough, afterwards of Rochester. Died 1728, aged 80. He was the father of the Rev. Thomas Prince, Minister of the Old South Church, Boston, and a distinguished author ; in honor of whom, the town of Princeton took its name.
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HISTORY OF SPENCER.
Wilson soon removed from the eastern part of Leicester, and were some of the first settlers of Spencer.
In the meantime, the Proprietors having disposed of their interest in the eastern part of the township, turned their attention to the sale and settlement of the western part. Previous to this date, 1725, three families had settled in that part of the town, viz: Nathaniel Wood, Samuel Bemis and John Greaton. October 11, 1716, the proprietors met at Boston, and voted,
1st. That the western half of the township of Leicester, be divided among the proprietors in as speedy time as may be
2d. That all tracts of meadow of twenty acres and up- wards, be first surveyed and laid out in equal proportions to the proprietors.
3d. That the large pond called Moose pond, (now Whit- temore pond,) lie and be in common for all the proprietors, and convenient highways be laid out thereto.
4th. That all cedar swamps lie in common for the pres- ent, saving that no person be allowed to sell, dispose or destroy, any more than for his own use.
5th. That 10,000 acres of this western half, be laid out in two distinct divisions or allotments, of 5000 acres each division, and allotted out to and among the respective twenty proprietors, viz : 250 acres in each allotment or division, as soon as may be.
6th. That as soon as twenty-five families are settled within said township, the proprietors, as an encouragement to the settlement of religion among them, will advance and give the sum of forty pounds, towards the building a meet- ing house.
These 40 lots were surveyed, and an additional one for the use of schools and the ministry, under the direction of the committee, by Capt. William Ward, surveyor, being 500 acres for each share, in two lots of 250 acres each.
3
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HISTORY OF SPENCER.
The proprietors again met in Boston, June 6, 1717, to make the division among themselves. Having put two numbers on each piece of paper, each number representing 250 acres, they proceeded to draw lots, and the result was as follows :
Eliakim or William Hutchinson,
drew No. 15 & 16.
John Clark, Esq.,
" 20 & 22.
Addington Davenport, Esq.,
17 & 30.
Thomas Hutchinson, Esq.,
6 & 35.
Paul Dudley, Esq.,
29 & 36.
Jeremiah Dummer, Esq.,
4 & 39.
William Dudley,
5 & 32.
Samuel Prince & Daniel Allen as one,
6€ 2 & 31.
John Chandler & Thos. Howe, Esqs., as one, "
8 & 9.
John White, Gent,
13 & 14.
Joshua Lamb,
10 & 18.
Benjamin Gamlin,
11 & 12.
Capt. Samuel Ruggles' heirs,
27 & 28.
Jonathan Curtis,
66
" 33 & 34.
Francis Wainwright,
37 & 38.
Benjamin Tucker's heirs,
7 & 19.
Andrew Gardner's assigns,
6€
1 & 25.
Richard Draper's assigns,
3 & 40.
Nathaniel Page's heirs,
24 & 26.
Ralf Bradhurst,
21 & 23.
These 10,000 acres comprise about one-half of Spencer, taking nearly all the land north of the great Post road, with only three or four lots south of it. The first settle- ments commenced on these lots. This was called the first division, and many of these lots were one mile in length, and 125 rods in width.
After the first division was made, but little had been done toward settling inhabitants thereon, when another meeting of the proprietors was held at the Green Dragon tavern in Boston, November 23, 1726, when it was voted that the re-
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HISTORY OF SPENCER.
mainder of the upland, together with all meadows not ex- ceeding twenty acres, be divided into 40 lots, and that all the meadows exceeding twenty acres, be divided into twenty lots, and the cedar swamps be left in common for the use of all the proprietors. And it was further voted, that " Capt. William Ward, surveyor, together with Thomas Green, Steward Southgate and Benjamin Tucker, Jr., be the commit- tee to survey and lay out the proprietors' uplands and mead- ows, according to the foregoing vote."
Said committee having performed the services assigned them, made their report of their doings, May 7, 1730. The result was, that the uplands were divided into 40 lots, each lot containing 240 acres, amounting to 9600 acres ; 20 lots of meadow, each lot 9 acres, being 180 acres ; the cedar swamp 77 acres, 20 acres of upland to be added to the meadow, one acre to each lot, all these together with the school and minis- try lot, containing 250 acres, made the whole of the second division according to these numbers, to be 10,127 acres. The upland lots were numbered from 41 to 80 inclusively, and the meadows from one to twenty. Two numbers of upland and one of meadow were placed together on twenty pieces of paper, one for each proprietor.
July 28, 1730, a meeting of the proprietors was held at the Widow Bayley's in Roxbury, " to draw lots for their re- spective shares in the second division." The result was as follows :
Proprietors.
Meadow lots. No. Upland lots. Nos.
. John Chandler & Thos. Howe, Esq., assigns, " 1, 41 77.
Mr. John White's heirs, " 2, 76 42.
Jeremiah Dummer, Esq., heirs, " 3, 66 43 44. Josiah Willard, Esq., " 4, 59 45.
Eliakim Hutchinson, Esqr's heirs, " 5, 80 75.
Paul Dudley, Esq.,
" 6, 66 47 46.
Benjamin Tucker's heirs,
" 7, 56 53.
Andrew Gardner's assigns,
" 8, 74 52.
.
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HISTORY O F SPENCER.
Proprietors.
Meadow lots. No. Upland lots. Nos.
Mr. Benjamin Gamlin,
" 9,
72 55
Ralf Bradhurst's heirs,
" 10,
50 68.
Richard Draper's assigns,
" 11,
73 64.
Jonathan Curtice's heirs,
" 12,
79 67.
William Dudley's assigns,
" 13,
49 65.
Capt. Samuel Ruggles' heirs,
" 14,
48 57.
Thomas Fitch, Esq.,
" 15,
69 66.
John Clark, Esqr's heirs,
" 16,
62 78.
Nathaniel Page's assigns,
" 17, " 60 54.
Addington Davenport, Esq.,
" 18, " 71 63.
Thomas Hutchinson, Esq.,
" 19, "
61 70.
Lieut. Col. Joshua Lamb,
" 20, " 58 51.
It will thus be seen, that of the twenty-two original pro- prietors, five only retained their shares, nine had assigned to others, and eight deceased, even while their shares re- mained in common and undivided.
The 180 acres of meadows in the division, comprised sev- eral detached pieces, being seven-mile river meadow, com- monly called the "Great meadow ;" Branch meadow in the north-east part of the town ; Cranberry meadow in the south part, now overflowed, and the meadow north of and adjoin- ing Cedar swamp.
BOUNDARIES OF LEICESTER AND SPENCER.
In 1714, John Chandler, Esq., by order of the General Court, made a survey of the whole town. His return, ac- companied with a plan, was made June 19 of the same year, and established by the court as the legal bounds of the town. According to his survey, the east line on Worcester, was north and by west, 8 miles and 20 rods; north on Rut- land, west 7 deg. north, 7 miles and 100 rods; west on Brookfield, due north and south, 8 miles ; south on the gore, east 4 deg. south, 9 miles and twenty rods, containing " forty thousand nine hundred and sixty acres, being the quantity of eight miles square."
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HISTORY OF SPENCER.
This was, without doubt, an incorrect survey, and the inhabitants of Brookfield were dissatisfied with the line against their town, and the selectmen notified the selectmen of Leicester to unite with them in running a new line between the two towns, claiming to extend the line several rods further East. This claim caused no little alarm with the owners of the soil ; because, if admitted, they would not only lose a portion of land which they supposed was honestly theirs, but would entirely unsettle the whole divi- sion and location of their lots, as they were surveyed accord- ing to the line made by Col. Chandler.
The selectmen, or rather others more interested, of the town of Leicester, instead of courteously responding to this notification, appealed to higher authority. At a session of the Legislature, June 2, 1727, the proprietors and inhabi- tants of Leicester presented a petition praying that the proceedings of the selectmen of Brookfield might be stayed for the present, as " they apprehended that the proceedings of the selectmen of Brookfield design, under pretence of a line run and marks lately made by them, to encroach very much upon the Township of Leicester." The prayer of the petition was granted.
This petition from the proprietors, was substantially, a peti- tion to themselves, so far as the highest branch of the legis- lature consisted, being the Governor and council, who sat in one room and resembled the Senate in these days. It may perhaps, be pardoned, if a digression be made, to give the names of a part of those who composed this branch of the legislature when this petition was presented.
Present, William Dummer, Lieut. Governor.
Penn Townsend, Addington Davenport,
Thomas Fitch, Paul Dudley,
Meletiah Bourne, John Clark,
Thos. Palmer, Edward Hutchinson,
John Chandler, and others of the Council. 3*
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HISTORY OF SPENCER.
Every one of these gentlemen, including the Lieut. Gov- ernor, were either owners of land or otherwise interested at this time, in the westerly part of Leicester. But their de- cision was honorable and disinterested, nevertheless, as the sequel will show.
At the next session, John Chandler again, with two other gentlemen, were appointed a committee, who together with Capt. William Ward as Surveyor, repaired to the scene of contention in order to set the matter right. There was no dispute as to the northern bound, as this had been fixed by a " Capt. Hawley," when he ran the line for Brookfield in 1701, and was acquiesced in by Brookfield, Rutland, (now Oakham,) Leicester, (now Spencer,) and Braintree Farms, as New Braintree was then called, and still remains the true bound. Capt. Hawley in 1701 commenced here and ran the line south, but it was found to be incorrect. Col. Chandler in 1714, run the line, as he pretended, due north and south, but he was undoubtedly an incorrect surveyor. Capt. Wil- liam Ward, when he protracted the lots for the proprietors in 1715, admitted this to be the true line. But the select- men of Brookfield procured Capt. Timothy Dwight, in 1719, to run the line anew, and his course was south 2 deg. east. By this course, a triangular piece of land, 40 rods wide at the south, running to a point at the north, was taken from what was supposed to be Leicester, being 22 rods at the great post-road, and taking seventeen acres from the farm of Nathaniel Wood, though he was allowed still to keep pos- session of the dissevered tract.
The first division of lots only had been made at this time, so that the south part of the town was not affected much by this new line, but it created difficulty in the lots of the first division. Steward Southgate, unauthorized it is said, protracted these lots anew. But the owners would not all agree to the alterations thus made, much difficulty ensued, and some expensive law-suits were the consequence. It will
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HISTORY OF SPENCER.
be perceived that the report of the committee was in favor of the line made by Mr. Dwight, and was accepted by the General Court.
It is not strange that such discrepancy should result in the doings of the several surveyors, in trying to find or make a divisional line between the towns, as they were obliged to carry on their operations with no sure guides. The loose and indefinite boundaries in the Indian deed to Leicester have been given, but the boundaries given in the Indian deed to Brookfield, in 1665, are still more obscure and unin- telligible.
In 1830, the town of Spencer was surveyed by William Baldwin, Esq., and the following are the lines and courses of his survey : Beginning at a stone monument, it being the south-west corner of Spencer on Brookfield line, from thence running on Charlton south 8 deg. east, four miles and forty-three rods to a stone monument on Leicester line ; thence on Leicester, north 2 1-2 deg. west, six miles and one hundred and forty rods to a stone monument, being the south-west corner of Paxton ; thence same course two miles and ten rods to a stone monument on the Rutland line ; thence on Rutland (now Paxton) line south 85 deg. west, one mile and forty-one rods to a stone monument, being the south-east corner of Oakham, thence same course on Oakham two miles and two hundred and ten rods to a stone monu- ment, being the north-west corner of Spencer, the south- west corner of Oakham, the south-east corner of New Braintree and the north-east corner of North Brookfield ; thence south 1-2 deg. east on North Brookfield, four miles and one hundred and twenty rods to a stone monument, be- ing the dividing point between North Brookfield and Brook- field; thence same course on Brookfield four miles and sixty- six rods to the place of beginning, containing 21,594 acres.
In tracing the lines between towns, owing either to the imperfection of the instruments, the blunders of surveyors,
7
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HISTORY OF SPENCER.
the variation of the needles, or the misplacements of the intermediate monuments, scarcely any two surveys agree, so that at last, we obtain only an approximation of the true course. For instance, the line between the towns of Spen- cer and Leicester on the north, and Charlton and Oxford on the south, is one continued straight course. Col. Chandler's line in 1714, makes this course east 4 deg. south, or what is the same, south 86 deg. east. The line of Wm. Baldwin in 1830, is south 88 1-2 deg. east, the same line made by the surveyors of Leicester in 1855, is south 87 deg. east.
SETTLEMENT OF LEICESTER AND SPENCER.
The first town-meeting on record, was held March 6, 1721, for the choice of town officers. It is known, however, that there must have been a town-meeting, the year previ- ous, and town officers chosen, for at a meeting in May, 1721, a vote was passed choosing " the present selectmen a com- mittee to reckon with the last year's treasurer for monies already raised, &c." I have lately ascertained, not only that a town-meeting was held previous to the one on record, but the very day on which it was held, as the following doc- ument, copied entire from the records of the Governor and Council, will show.
" July 21, 1720.
" A petition of Wm. Dudley, Esqr., for and in behalf of the town of Leicester, shewing that said town on the 9th day of March last, being legally warned to raise money to defray town charges, which are arisen or may arise in fin- ishing the Meeting-house, and doing what is necessary to be done. Voted, that the sum of 5 shillings be raised and levied on each poll or head in the town, and the sum of two pence on each acre of land, both divided and undivided, in the said town of Leicester, be levied by the selectmen, and both these rates to be made as soon as may be, in order to
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HISTORY OF SPENCER.
pay the debts, &c. Praying that the said vote may be rat- ified, &c. The town at present not having the power to put it into execution.
In the house of Representatives, ordered that the prayer of the petition be granted.
In Council, read and concurred.
Consented to SAMUEL SHUTE."
By this document it is made to appear, that a previous meeting had been held, and town officers chosen ; that a meeting house was already erected, though unfinished. That the proprietors assessed the inhabitants towards the expense of building the house, (as they afterwards did the people of Spencer for the same object,) and other "debts," and that although they had so far exercised elective franchise as to choose municipal officers, and even elect a representative, yet they were destitute of the power to assess and collect a tax. Accordingly, June 14, 1722, John Minzies, with the other selectmen, presented a petition to the General Court, " praying that the town may be confirmed in the enjoyment of the powers and privileges of a town, and be enabled to collect a tax, &c." " Granted, and Daniel Denny author- ized to collect taxes as constable, &c."
Judge Minzies represented the town in 1721, although there is no record of it, but at a town-meeting, May 5, 1722, the town voted " to pay his honor, Judge Minzies, Esq., for his serving us in the General Court the year 1721." But Judge Minzies declared himself satisfied without any pay, whereupon it was voted " that Judge Minzies be our repre- sentative for the year 1722."
The same year, the town voted, that if Joseph Parsons, Esq., would build a corn mill for the use of the town, it should be free from taxes. It was accordingly built, and stood, as tradition says, about half a mile west of the meeting house, near the site of the brick card factory.
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HISTORY OF SPENCER.
In 1723, Judge Minzies was again elected a representa- tive, and again refused to receive any remuneration for his services, declaring he was " fully satisfied and paid." The next year, 1724, being again assembled for the choice of a representative, they passed a vote of thanks to Judge Minzies " for his good service as a representative the year past, and whoever should be chosen this year, should be paid the same as Judge Minzies, and no other." They then made choice of Lieut. Thomas Newhall " to serve on the above conditions."
It has been mentioned, that after the peace between the English and French, in 1713, the incursions of the Indians and their murderous attacks upon the inhabitants of New England ceased, except upon the extreme border towns, and the town of Leicester not being settled until after that period, escaped any actual hostile incursions from these sav- ages; the earlier settlers of the town were frequently alarmed and disturbed by small parties or individual Indians prowling about the neighborhood or through the town. Garrisons for the safe-guard and protection of families were established in various parts of the town, and one around the house of the Rev. Mr. Parsons, near the meeting-house. The following document will show the situation and feelings of the people at this time.
" Leicester, April 30, 1725.
" To his Honour the Lieutenant Governor.
" With all dutiful respect, these are to acquaint your Honour, that just now there came news to us of two com- panies of Indians between us and the Wachusetts, which is very surprising considering our inability for our own safe- guard. As to the truth of the report, with the circum- stances, we are altogether at a loss : but we hear there is a Post gone down to your Honour about it. Your Honour hav- ing always been ready to keep us, and we having had some encouragement upon our late petition, we are encouraged to beseech your Honour, if it may be that we have some speedy
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HISTORY 0 F SPENCER.
assistance of Soldiers to defend us. Our number of inhabi- tants is very small, and several were much discouraged. It was so late the last summer before we had Soldiers that we were exceedingly behind with our business. So wishing your Honour all happiness, and confiding in your Honour, and rather from our experience ; we are your Honours in all gratitude and obedience,
Thomas Newhall, John Smith,
Richd. Southgate,
James Southgate,
Benjamin Johnson,
William Brown
Ralf Earle, Nathl. Richardson.
John Lynde,
" To the Honourable William Dummer, Lieutenant Gov- ernor, dwelling in Boston, for his majesty's service."
In 1722, scouts were posted in Leicester, under the com- mand of Major John Chandler, and in 1724, twenty-nine soldiers from Capt. William Chandler's company, were posted there as a guard for the protection of the inhab- itants. º
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