History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 163

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1576

USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I > Part 163

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Dr. Wheeler served through the war, came home and afterwards resumed his practice in Leominster, in this county, and still remains in that town.

Probably no soldier of the great Civil War was better or more widely known than Sergeant Thomas Plunkett. He came to this town when about twelve

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years of age and lived here until the commencement of the war. He enlisted from the town as a member of Company E of the Twenty-first Regiment, and saw much hard service and fighting previous to the battle of Fredericksburg, Va. In this battle he was the color-sergeant of his regiment and had hoth arms shot away by a fragment of a shell. Notwithstanding the great loss of blood and the delay before his wounds could be attended to, his indomitable will carried him through, and he survived his injuries and lived until March 8, 1885, receiving from every one love and respect for his patriotism, courage and great physical loss. He held positions of trust at the Custom House and State House in Boston several years before his death, and was at his post at the State House nearly up to the day of his death, although his friends urged him to retire. His death was an- nounced in the House of Representatives March 10th, when it was voted "to appoint a committee of eight to attend his funeral," and also "that a guard should be detailed by the Sergeant-at-arms to carry the colors which were borne by Sergeant Plunkett at the battle of Fredericksburg to the funeral," which was held in Mechanics' Hall in Worcester, and drew together a concourse of people large enough to twice fill that great hall. The Governor and staff, a large number of the State officials, many members of the General Court, many military companies, different Grand Army corps and citizens from all parts of the State came together to do this brave soldier honor. He left a wife and two sons.

After his recovery from his wounds his many friends raised for him such a sum of money as rendered him independent during his lifetime. He resided in this own several years after his return and marriage, but for the last few years he was a resident of Worcester, Mass.

At one time efforts were made to have him pro- moted, and an application was made to Governor Andrew to give him a commission. This would have been gladly done, but after much thought and delib- eration, that noble Governor says, "No! as sergeant he has achieved his wide reputation, aud as such he will be longer remembered, 80 let him be ever known as Sergeant Plunkett."

During the war the town paid for recruiting and other expenses, with the amount of State aid paid to families, about forty thousand dollars, besides which, the ladies of the town raised, in various ways, upward of twelve hundred dollars in money, and sent stores of clothing, etc., to the hospitals at several times during ;he great struggle.

The following-named soldiers were killed or died while connected with the army :

Charles F. Bigelow, Co. D, 24th Regt., came home sick from Charles- ton, S. C., and died soon after.

George L. Bigelow, of the 34th Regt., died in Andersonville Prison. William H. Blunt, Co. D, 2d Regt., was mortally wounded at Gettys- burg.

Amos W. Broad, Co. C, 15th Regt., supposed to have been lost at sea. Isaac Child, Co. D, 2d Regt., killed at Antietam, Md.

Benoni H. Colvin, Co. E, 42d Regt., came home sick and died soun after.

Frederick Colvin, Co. D, 2d Regt., killed at Winchester, Va.

Joseph E. Esterbrook, Co. K, 53d Regt., died at New York.

Patrick Fitzpatrick, Co. E, 42d Regt., died at New Orleans.

Harlow Getchell, Co. C, 15th Regt., wonnded at Antietam, and died in hospital.

John H. Horan, Co. E, 21st Regt., died at Newbern, N. C.

Leonard T. Hosmer, Co. E, 21st Regt., died at Washington, D. C.

Geo. B. J. Hosmer, Co. D, 2d Regt., transferred to Signal Corps ; died at Newbern, N. C.

Dr. Franklin L. Hunt, of the 27th Regt., killed by guerrillas, at Wash- ington, N. C.

Jonas C. Keyes, Co. G, 2d H. A., died in Andersonville Prison.

Charles H. Kidder, 7th Light Battery, died at Memphis, Tenn.

Thomas Lynch, Co. G, 2d H. A., died in Andersonville Prison.

Leonard F. Mahan, Co. E, 42d Regt., died at New Orleans.

Mercail Mallett, Co. G, 57th Regt., killed in the battles of the Wilder- ness, Va.

Lieut. Albert H. Murdock, 57th Regt., killed at Fort Steadman, Va. Geo. B. Newton, Co. D, 2d Regt., died at Baltimore, Md.

Samuel E. Pratt, Co. A, 15th Regt., died at Yorktown, Va.

Joseph T. Smith, Co. K, 15th Regt., mortally wounded, and died at Antietam.

John B. Tallman, Co. C, 34th Regt., killed in Shenandoah Valley. Martin N. Trask, Co. I, 25th Regt., died at Fortress Monroe.

Thomas Watson, Co. K, 2d Regt., killed at Cedar Mountain, Va.

James Welsh, of the 34th Regi., died at Florence, S. C:

Newton Wellman, Co. E, 21st Regt., died at City Point, Va.

William F. Wilson, U. S. Engineer Corps, died in hospital at Point of Rocks, Md.

Alfred M. Whyte, Co. D, 2d Regt., died of wounds, at Antietam, Md. Nelson Wright, Co. E, 42d Regt., died at New Orleans.

FARMS .- There are in town about eighty farms of from thirty to two hundred acres each, on which the business of farming, in its various branches, is nearly the exclusive occupation of their owners; while there are about twenty smaller farms of fifteen to thirty acres each, which occupy the time of their owners only a part of the time, the business being combined with, usually, some mechanical work. A majority of the larger farmers make the production of milk their principal business. This is sold from door to door in town early each morning. Several routes are supplied daily in Worcester, while many of the large farmers at the north part of the town send their milk by rail- road to Boston. But little, comparatively, of butter and cheese are made. Considerable attention is given to raising vegetables and small fruits for home and Worcester markets. The great grain staples of corn, wheat, rye and oats are not raised to as great an extent as fifty years ago,

From old records we learn that during the period from 1760 to 1820 not less than three thousand bushels of rye were annually raised in the town, with about the same quantity of corn and oats, and during the winter season much of this was taken to Boston market, where the farmers could realize $1.25 per bushel for the corn and rye. Large quantities of cider, too, were made, every family feeling the necessity of "putting in " for home use several barrels. Large quantities of this, too, were taken to market, selling at from one to two dollars per barrel. Nearly every large farmer considered that a cider-mill was a necessary

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appendage to his farm. Sixty years ago there were not less than thirty of these mills in town ; now there is but one. Sixty years ago grafted fruit-trees were almost unknown ; now, but few apple-trees of natural fruit are allowed to grow.

HILLS .- Of the different hills in the town, " Mal- den Hill" is the most prominent and is much the largest and most elevated. This hill originally lay entirely in Holden, the line between Holden and Boylston running easterly of it. The early settlers of Holden gave it the name of " Mount Carmel," but in the memory of old people it has always been called by its present name. In changing the line between Hol- den and West Boylston, in the formation of the pre- cinct in 1787, and the town in 1808, the line was changed and fixed on the easterly side of this hill for its entire length. Just how this hill received its name seems to have been forgotten by all of our old people.

We now offer the following history of facts, be- lieving that it will show when and why it was done. In 1665 the Colonial authorities made a grant of a tract of one thousand acres to the town of Mal- den, to help support the Gospel, which is described and located as follows :

One thousand acres of upland and meadow, about two miles distant southwesterly from the southwest corner of Lancaster Bounds, as also about a mile distaut Southwesterly from the lands formerly granted and laid out unto Capt. Richard Davenport, beginning at the south end of a high, rocky, pine hill, at a little red oak marked M, and from thence a line upon an East South East point, 212 rods, uuto a pine marked M, and from thence a line upon a South point 640 rods; and from thence a line upon a West North West point 370 roda ; and from thence a line upon a North by East point, six degrees Easterly, 620 rods; and these four lines so run making up the full comphment of the aforesaid one thousand acres, as is more plainly described by a Plott.

In 1736 the location of this tract of land came into the courts of this county in a dispute between Mal- den and Shrewsbury parties, the latter contending that "Malden Hill" was the hill named, and that the tract lay southerly of its southerly point, while the Malden parties contended that it lay nearly two miles easterly of that point. In the long and somewhat bitter quarrel the name of Malden was given to the hill and also to the brook rising in Holden and flowing around its southerly end, then along its easterly side to the Quinnepoxet River, and these names have ever since attached to both hill and brook. The location of the Malden grant was decided, after the matter had been in the courts about two years, in favor of Malden. Said location will be found in another page of this history. Malden Hill is very rocky and uneven, with but little good grazing land. It contains some fine granite quarries.

" Wellington Hill" was the name giveu to the long hill in the southerly part of the town, extending for a distance of about two miles north and south, over the ridge of which the line dividing this town from Boylston runs. The name of "Bond Hill " has for

many years been given to this hill by the people of both towns.

" Davenport Hill," in the northeastern part of the town, also lies partly in this town and partly in Boyls- ton. The high hill in the north part of the town has been sometimes called "Carter's Hill," but is not often spoken of as having any name. A new road has recently been built, nearly over its summit, from Oakdale, opening a beautiful prospect from its loca- tion, and it is suggested that "Prospect Hill" would be an appropriate name for it. Another high hill, extending southerly from the old Common, is usually spoken of as " Keyes' Hill."

All four of these last-named hills are considered to be some of the best farming and grazing lands in town. " Pine Hill " is located in the easterly part of the town, and is a small, rocky hill, only producing a stunted growth of pine and shrub oaks. "Eames Ledge" is the name given to another rocky hill, lying directly south of the Worcester and Nashua Railroad, where said railroad was cut through the " big ledge." This was really the " high, rocky pine hill " named in the old grant of " Malden farm," in 1665.

The views from many points on these hills, into and over the valleys of our rivers, present to the eye of the beholder some very pleasing and picturesque scenes. At some points there seems to be barely room for the streams and a narrow road ; then a wide expanse of beautiful intervale opens to the eye, with grand old trees here and there, and rows of buildings on their margins. These intervales are probably some of the best farming lands in the county, and in extent cover several hundred acres, the largest one being below the junction of the Stillwater and Quinnepoxel Rivers, and extending into the town of Boylston.

PLEASURE RESORT .- Pleasant Valley has been one of the most attractive and romantic places in the town to show to strangers. Situated in the south. easterly part of the town, and entirely surrounded by forests, is a small circular valley of about four acres, with hills on all sides, except at one end, where a carriage-road makes access easy ; it seems like a nat. ural amphitheatre, with a natural growth of short greer grass, on a surface seemingly as level as art could make it. In spring and summer it always presents to the eye a charming and beautiful spot. A singular fact ir relation to this ground is that no tree or shrub has ever sprung up and grown from it, and nothing bu the same short, wild grass has covered its surface. I has ever been the resort for parties of pleasure, com ing from far and near to spend a few hours in this pleasant retired spot. Many years since, when trave between Worcester and points north was done by stages, one of our genial old stage-drivers would ofter take his load of passengers the mile from his route to show them the beauties of Pleasant Valley. It was ud doubt once the bed of a pond, and, owing to some underground leakage, was drained. Iu the spring of the year, and in times of great rains, quite a stream

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of water runs towards it, but finds some underground passage, and never fills this basin. About a hundred rods from it, and seventy to one hundred feet lower, at the edge of the intervale, is a remarkable spring of water, nearly as cold as ice-water, and constantly flowing through quicksand at all times of the year, in a volume of force to fill a pipe of three to six inches. Whether there is auy connection between the two or not may be difficult to prove; but the theory has been suggested that the water going in from above finds icy chambers beneath, melting enough to pass off through the spring below. Both val- ley and spring have been, since the town was settled, places of attraction, both to old residents and visitors.

REMARKABLE LONGEVITY .- Mrs. Sarah Goodale was born in the town of Marlboro' in 1714, and married Edward Goodale, one of the early settlers of this town. They had five sons and one daughter-all born within twelve years of each other. The father died when about forty years of age, leaving his family in possession of a farm, with very little other property. Mrs. Goodale being a strong, robust woman, deter- mined to keep her family together, and succeeded so so well that she was enabled to pay to each one on coming to their majority their full proportion of the value of the estate, although she herself had become the bona fide owner of the homestead, She had become their legal guardian, and had assumed the control of the farm and business. These children all lived to old age, and in their turn manifested the same dutiful care and respect for their honored mother, during the latter portion of her life, which she had bestowed on them while in their childhood and early years. She died here in 1810, being in her ninety-seventh year, and at that time the oldest person who had died in the town. Herchildren all survived her and died as follows: Moses died in 1815, aged seventy- five years ; Elizabeth died in 1837, aged ninety-six years; Aaron died in 1817, aged seventy-four years ; Paul died in 1828, aged eighty-one years; David died in 1832, aged eighty-two years ; Peter died in 1834, aged eighty-two years. This mother and all of these children were professors of religion, and manifested through all their lives a due regard for its principles in their treatment of each other and the world at large.

At the close of the first half-century of this town's existence, in 1858, Miss Sarah Harthan was the oldest living person in the town. She was the eldest child of Micah Harthan, and was born in Lancaster in 1763, where she resided for eighteen years, then resided in Shrewsbury five years, afterwards in Boyls- ton twenty-two years, and during the remainder of her life her residence was in West Boylston. It is a remarkable circumstance that during the first sixty years of her life she was a resident of all the four towns named, and never changed her place of abode. She died in the fall of 1858, aged nearly ninety-six years.

" Anthony Taylor, son of Eleazer Taylor, of Boyls- ton, was born in 1749, came to West Boylston in 1808 and lived here until his death, in 1819. He was a large, stout-built man, and supposed by his cotempo- raries not to be surpassed in muscular strength by any man in New England. In early life he performed several extraordinary feats, the relation of which might seem to challenge the belief of the most credu- lous. Yet, the credibility of those persons who wit- nessed and have given an account of these wonderful exhibitions of power and strength manifested and put forth by this man, render it quite certain that noth- ing more than the truth has been related about his great strength. One instance of his extraordinary muscular power was given while he was serving with the army at Cambridge in 1775. Approaching a field-piece, he lifted it from the ground and would have put it on his shoulder had not others interfered, both to save himself and the cannon from injury. Other accounts relative to his uncommon physical force were often cited and believed by persons of in- disputable testimony." Had this great force of body been directed by a like force of mind, we should, no doubt, have now been able to record the history of a re- markable personage; but we find in the records of the town for the year 1809 that the town voted "to put up at auction the town's poor, to be taken by the lowest bidder," and " Anthony Taylor was bid off by Jonathan Plympton at one dollar and three cents per week." In 1818 the price paid to Aaron Goodale was two dol- lars per week. The last year of his life Anthony Taylor, with six other paupers, were all bid off by " Jacob Hinds, to be cared for, for the year ensuing, for the sum of two hundred and sixty dollars," which sum was " to include clothing and nursing," and was not " to be reduced if any of the number should die be- fore the year's end." This practice of "auctioning off" the town's poor was followed for several years later, but for the past fifty years other and less annoy- ing methods of arranging for their care has prevailed.

Samuel Whitney is believed by his descendants to have been the first white man that lived ou the terri- tory of what is now West Boylston. He certainly came here alone from Lexington, Mass., early in the last century, and made an opening in the northwest part of the town, on lands which, for several generations, have been owned and occupied by descendants of his, the Masons. He came here with only a dog for a companion, and using a great hollow log as the main part of his house, lived here alone for four years, ex- cepting in the winter seasons, when he returned to his family at Lexington. He was sometimes visited by Indian neighbors, but never had any trouble with them. After being here two years, early one fall morning he imagined he could hear a voice calling pig ! pig ! and was so impressed by it that he took his dog and gun and, crossing the Quinnepoxet River and following a southerly course about two miles, found another white man, a Lovell, who had been living

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there about six months. That morning his pig had strayed away and he had been using his voice, to its loudest extent, in calling it.

After living on his clearing alone four years, Mr. Whitney brought his family to the place and settled down for a permanent home. They had three daugh- ters to afterwards grow up and marry, the first one to a Thomas, the second to a Whittaker, the third to a Mason, the descendants of the last living on the same spot up to the present time.

THE EARTHQUAKE .- The Great Earthquake, as it has been termed, happened late in the evening of No- vember 18, 1755, and as it left its only traces within the limits of this town, it can be claimed as exclusively local, even although at the time of its occurrence the territory where its effects are, and long will be visible, was within the limits of Holden, and before that town's incorporation, of Worcester. "At the time of its occurrence it produced great commotion, alarm and consternation, Dwelling-houses were shaken so severely as to cause kettles and other things to rattle and make much noise, plates and other arti- cles were thrown from shelves, and people who had retired found their beds rocking like cradles." Soon afterwards it was discovered that a large piece of land of some acres in extent, situated in the northwest part of this town (then Holden), had sunk several feet ; an acre or more seems to have sunk from forty to seventy-five feet. Some accounts of the occurrence, which have been heretofore given, say "that trees and stumps were split, parts of which were found at oppo- site sides of the opening." A visit to the spot at the present day will give the visitor a good idea of what happened, with the extent of the convulsion. The location is on the banks of the Quinnepoxet River, about forty rods above the mills of S. R. Warfield, and near to Holden line. At this point there was a high bluff of from fifty to eighty feet high rising from the river's bank. The opening, as now seen, is but a few feet above the river's bed, but on its other side, being somewhat oval in shape, it rises abruptly in many places at least seventy feet, being as steep as the earth would naturally fall. These banks are now covered by a growth of trees of large size. A road has been made down one side of this opening, and a good growth of grass is cut in the pit each year. This earthquake was felt over a large extent of territory, from Chesapeake Bay to Halifax, but this was the only location where any of its effects were so fully manifested. It happened in the same month and year with the terrible convulsion which destroyed a large portion of the city of Lisbon in Portugal. The year following this earthquake a terrible sickness raged in this vicinity, which, at the time, was attrib- uted to this convulsion. It was confined mostly to young people and children, a large number of whom died.

THE HARD WINTER .- The winter of 1780 has ever been spoken of as " the hard winter " by those whom

some of our present citizens remember as recalling its severity. It was remarkable for the great depth of snow, and the severe cold which continued for several months, or from November until near the 1st of April. Snow had fallen early in November be- fore the ground had frozen, and all the succeeding storms were of snow, no rain falling for a period of over five months, Towards the last of December a snow-storm commenced and lasted several days, cov- ering rocks, fences and buildings to such an extent that no roads were opened for several weeks. No teams were used, wood for fires was cut from day to day and transported on hand-sleds, by men and boys wearing snow-shoes. This, too, was the only mode of communication between neighbors, when aoy heavy articles were moved ; all grain to and from the mills was taken in this way -- in fact, all travel was limited to snow-shoes and hand-sleds as the means of pass- ing from one point to another.

This great accumulation of snow remained about two months, when, the weather moderating some- what, it began to settle and eventually all vanished without any fall of rain, leaving the ground warm and dry, ready for cultivation. No records appear that give any indication that the season following was in any way a remarkable one, but, on the 19th of the following May, we have an account of a re- markable phenomenon recalled as "The Dark Day." Early in the morning of that day the atmosphere had the appearance of being filled with a dense fog of yellowish hue, rolling about in large masses, con- stantly rising and moving along. It was so dark at midday that it was necessary to use lighted candles while people ate their dinners. So strange and novel was the appearance on that day that many were struck with consternation, and nearly all work and business came to a standstill. The night follow- ing was an uncommonly dark one, but nothing un- usual followed this phenomenon, after that one day and night.

On September 23, 1815, occurred what has been termed the "Great Blow," which proved very destruc- tive in this vicinity, causing great damage to fruit and forest trees, buildings and fences. Fruit of all kinds was nearly all blown from the trees, while large num- bers of fruit and forest trees were uprooted and de- stroyed. Traces of this tempest are to be seen to this day, where large trees were uprooted. It was undoubt- edly the most des. ructive tornado which has occurred in New England since its settlement by white men, as it extended over a large portion of it.

About fourteen years since a whirlwind or tornado, starting in the southwest part of this county, swept through this town with great force, leaving a path of only a few feet in width, tearing up, twisting and breaking all trees in its course, several of which were of large size. Fortunately, no persons and only two buildings were in its path, and the buildings were only struck on one side. After passing through this

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town it appeared to have spent its force, but traces of it were seen for eight or ten miles beyond the limits of the town to the northwest.

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History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 163

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) Publication date: 1889 Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co. Number of Pages: 1576

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1576