History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 167

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 167

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St. Paul Street was laid out October 4th, and ac- cepted by the town November 10th.

Laban Bates was chosen Representative to the Gen- eral Court at the meeting, November 24th.

James Mason having mysteriously disappeared from Waterford, a town-meeting was held December 9tlı, and a reward of fifty dollars offered for the re- covery of his body, and five hundred dollars for evi- dence convicting any one for taking his life.

Napoleon J. Smith took down his shingle in Black- stone village as attorney-at-law, and William L. Southwick first put his out.

Rev. Nelson Goodrich succeeded the Rev. Mr. Fill- more as pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Millville.

1852 .- Town Clerk. James P. Hayward; Select- men, Laban Bates, Richard Battey, Henry S. Mans- field ; Assessnrs, Willard Wilson, Richard Battey, Welcome A. Thayer ; Overseers of the Poor, " Voted not to choose any Overseers of . the Poor;" School Committee, Martin J. Steere, Thomas Davis, Dan A. Comstock; Treasurer, Alexander Ballou, in place of James P. Hayward, excused.

At the April meeting Dr. Moses D. Southwick was chosen to the Board of School Committee in place of Dan. A. Comstock, excused, and to the Board of As- sessors in place of Willard Wilson, excused. Dan Hill and Aaron Burdon were chosen additional asses- sors. The County Commissioners had re-located the County road (Main Street) over the Blackstone Com- pany's mill trench and the Providence & Worcester Railroad, and the town opposed the re-location.

Rev. Martin J. Steere was chosen Representative to the General Court at the adjourned meeting, No- vember 22d.

Rev. Michael Burdett closed his connection with the Blackstone Congregational Church February 10th, and Rev. Joseph W. Backus was ordained as his suc- cessor September 29th.

Rev. John E. Gifford became pastor of the Method- ist Episcopal Society of Millville, and in the same, village Rev. Spencer M. Rice became rector of St. John's Protestant Episcopal Church, May 17th.

St. Paul's Church was completed in its original form and dedicated by Bishop Fitzpatrick.

1853 .- Town Clerk, James P. Hayward ; Selectmen, Millens Taft, John C. Scott, Lyman Paine ; Asses- sors, Willard Wilson, Ara Paine, Welcome A. Thayer ; Overseers of Poor, Richard Battey, John G. Gatchell, Albert Fairbanks ; School Committee, Spencer M. Rice, Rev. Joseph W. Backus, Dr. William M. Kim- ball; Treasurer, Andrew Comstock.

Willard Wilson was elected delegate to the State Constitutional Convention. Dr. William M. Kimball having declined to serve on School Committee, Fran- cis Kelly was elected.

With the increase of population came an increase in the number of grog-shops, and the constables were directed to prosecute those who violated the law. A lock-up was now first voted.

The Blackstone Manufacturing Company, February

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14th, gave a bond to the town to keep in repair the western abutment of the New City bridge for ten years, the town on its part withdrawing opposition to the re-location of the County road (Main Street) at that point.

On April 4th an article in reference to a map of the town was referred to the selectmen. This must refer to the map "Surveyed by Order of the Town, by H. F. Walling, 1854," a very accurate map.

After three separate attempts to elect a Representa- tive to the General Court there was no choice, and the town was not represented in the Legislature of 1854. The law requiring only a plurality for election was passed in 1854, and thereafter there was no fur- ther trouble on this score.

Darius Bennett was made postmaster of the Black- stone office and remained therein until 1861. Willard Wilson for the third time became postmaster at Millville.

The Blackstone River Bank, of Millville, was in- corporated March 30th by Edward S. Hall, Charles E. Hall and Spencer M. Rice, with a capital of one hundred thousand dollars, but it never materialized.

The Union Hotel was built and gas main laid from Woonsocket to Blackstone Village.

1854 .- Town Clerk, James P. Hayward; Select- men, Millens Taft, Eleazer W. Barrows, Seth T. Aldrich ; Assessors, Dan. Hill, Emanuel N. Paine, Dan. A. Comstock ; Overseers of the Poor, James P. Hayward, Richard Battey, Asa Paine; School Com- mittee, Rev. Joseph W. Backus, William B. Rice, Rev. Edmund M. Tappan; Treasurer, Moses Farnum (2d).

In February the town voted a remonstrance against the Charles River Railroad (eventually Woonsocket Division, N. Y. & N. E.), and sent Dan. Hill to pre- sent it to the Legislature. Just at this time Welcome Farnum was making his last desperate endeavor to push through to New York City a western extension of his Norfolk County road. He succeeded-and failed ; not through lack of wisdom in making a wise plan, but through the business stringency now begin- ning, which culminated in 1857, and the failure of promised assistance from others at this critical june- ture.

Dan. Hill was excused from acting as assessor, and William Cook was elected. By a vote of 119 to 82 was adopted an act of the General Court of 1854 es- tablishing a Police Court.

Dr. J. C. Rutherford was appointed physician to the Board of Health (Overseers of the Poor) at a salary of five dollars per annum.

Silas A. Burgess, Esq., opened an office at Black- stone for the practice of law.

John S. Haradon was elected to the General Court as representative November 13th.

Blackstone No. 5 Mill, the last of the large addi- tions, was built this year.

Rev. Edmond M. Tappan succeeded Martin J.

Steere as pastor of the Waterford Free-Will Baptist Society.

By the failure of Mr. Farnum, the Millville manu- facturing interests on the Blackstone passed into the hands of Edward S. and Charles E. Hall.

The St. John's Episcopal Church was consecrated December 7th.

1855 .- Town Clerk, James P. Hayward; Select- men, John C. Scott, Rufus A. Benson. Lyman Paine; Assessors, William Cook, James B. Hall, Joseph G. Ray ; Overseers of the Poor, Willard Willson, John B. Salisbury, Welcome A. Thayer; Town Treasurer, Eleazer W. Barrows; School Committee, Rev. Ed- mund M. Tappan, Dr. George E. Bullard, Alexander Ballou, Jr. Dan. Hill was justice of the Police Court.

A war had now broken out against the Police Court, and at a meeting February 1st Lyman Legg was chosen agent to secure a repeal of the act establish- ing it.

It was voted to purchase five hundred of Mr. Walling's map and that each tax-payer might have one for sixty cents. This was all reversed at auother meeting on the 8th. It would appear that very few of Mr. Walling's maps were actually circulated in the town. After two more meetings the town voted Mr. Walling two hundred dollars for publishing the map.

John Cady was appointed liquor agent under the new law, and Dr. George E. Bullard another. The latter settled in town this year.

Henry S. Mansfield was chosen representative to General Court.

March 18th, Rev. Joseph W. Backus resigned his ministry at Blackstone, and was succeeded in Sep- tember by Rev. Thomas E. Bliss. Rev. John A. M. Chapman was assigned to the Millville Methodist Society, and Rev. Alfred B. Goodrich was called to the St. John's Society.

The Blackstone Library Association was organized October 4th at the house of Mr. Welcome Farnum, whose wife, sister to the historian, George Bancroft, took great interest in the matter, and secured many valuable donations from literary friends of her brother. The original list of officers was as follows: President, Thomas Dermot; Recording Secretary, James K. Comstock ; Librarian, George B. Allen.

A visit of a special committee of the Legislature sent out to examine and report upon the condition of the Boston and New York Central Railroad put up for dinner at the Union House April 17th, and scan- dalized the natives by bringing with them "36 bottles Extra Champagne Wine and 48 bottles of Brandy."

1856 .- Town Clerk, James P. Hayward; Selectmen, Lyman Paine, Joseph Southwick, Seth T. Aldrich ; Assessors, James B. Hall, Arthur Cook, Albert Gas- kill; Overseers of the Poor, Willard Wilson, John B. Salisbury, Welcome A. Thayer ; School Commit- tee, Rev. Edmund M. Tappan, Dr. George E. Bul- lard, Rev. Thos. E. Bliss ; Treasurer, Walter Thorpe.

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The Police Court was abolished April 1st.

The rapid growth of the three villages-Water- ford, Blackstone and Millville-had strained the old arrangements for schooling children, both in respect to rooms and the amount of money. The Blackstone Manufacturing Company had erected an elegant building with four school-rooms the year preced- ing, and given itsf use to the district. The rural dis- tricts had dwindled in population until several of them numbered scarcely more than a dozen children of school age. It cost as much for each of these schools as for one in the village with sixty to eighty pupils. To remedy this inequality, it was proposed to reduce the number of districts, and a committee was appointed to report upon the feasibility of doing so. .

Emanuel N. Paine was elected Representative to the General Court.

The Waterford stone dam, near the Union House, was built by Daniel F. Simmons. The dam, together with the abutments, is one hundred and sixty feet long, of solid masonry, faced and capped with wrought stone.

At the first anniversary meeting of the Blackstone Library Association the officers reported fifteen hun- dred volumes secured, "only about 100 volumes be- longing to the department of novels and tales." Lectures were given during the fall and winter under the auspices of the association, amongst the lecturers being Wendell Phillips, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Rev. Theodore Parker, Rev. Thomas Starr King and others.

The Blackstone Athenæum, a rival library associa- tion, was organized February 26th. Rev. Asa U. Swinerton was assigned to the Methodist Society, Millville.

The Blackstone River Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons organized under dispensation January 1st.

1857 .- Town Clerk, James P. Hayward; Selectmen, John C. Scott, Andrew Comstock, Caleb Colvin; As- sessors, Arthur Cook, Estus Lamb, Joseph Tucker ; Overseers of the Poor, Willard Wilson, John B. Salis- bury, William A. Dodge; School Committee, Rev. Edmund M. Tappan, Rev. Thomas E. Bliss, Dr. George E. Bullard ; Treasurer, Charles W. Baker.

Estus Lamb having declined to serve as assessor, David Brayton was chosen. The committee in charge of re-districting the town into school districts made a radical report, reducing the number of districts to five. This report was at first accepted, and then, at a subsequent meeting, reconsidered and rejected.

Samuel Thayer, Jr., was chosen Representative to the General Court. Rev. William N. Morrison was assigned to the Millville Methodist Church. Rev. Charles O'Reilly, of the St. Paul's Church, died in September, and was succeeded by Rev. Edward J. Sheridan.

1858 .- Town Clerk, James P. Hayward ; Select- men, Richard Battey, Welcome Thayer, John B.

White; Assessors, Arthur Cook, Daniel N. Chase, William Legg; Overseers of Poor, James P. Hay- ward, Caleb Taft, Channing Smith ; School Commit- tee, Arthur Cook, for one year, William L. South- wick, two years, Moses D. Southwick, three years ; Treasurer, Moses Farnum.

Channing Smith having declined to serve as over- seer, Ebenezer Chase was chosen. The Blackstone Manufacturing Company had brought suit against the town for over-assessment, and Dan Hill was ap- pointed general agent by the town to defend the suit. An article to see if the town would establish a high school was dismissed. John B. White was chosen Representative to General Court. Rev. Justus Er- skine succeeded Rev. E. M. Tappan at Waterford Baptist Church. Willard Wilson became trial justice.

About the middle of May Rev. B. G. Northup, agent of the State Board of Education, lectured in the New City School-house, afternoon and evening, to teachers. The afternoon lecture covered methods of instruction, dwelling especially upon President Dwight's advice to the young man to "open his eyes." The evening lecture was upon the subject of moral and intellectual culture.

Early in May occurred a great strike among the operatives of the Waterford woolen-mills. The Nos. 1 and 2 Mills were run at this time by Evans, Sea- grave & Co., and the No. 3 Mill hy Bradford & Taft. The two former had been stopped all winter, but the latter had run steadily, being the one bright spot in the hard times of the past year. The strike, which was general in the three mills, was caused by a reduc- tion of 20 per cent. in the rate of wages.

The papers in Massachusetts discussing large trees gave, after due inquiry, the precedence to Blackstone. The largest tree in the State at that time was supposed to be the elm standing near the Nicholas Thayer homestead. The trunk measured 22 feet about near the ground, and 20 feet around 10 feet above the ground. It spread from the trunk with seven large branches, giving a shade 125 feet in diameter.

1859 .- Town Clerk, James P. Hayward ; Select- men, Emanuel N. Paine, William Kelly, Mowry Lapham ; Assessors, Arthur Cook, Sylvanus H. Ben- son, Joseph G. Ray ; Overseers of Poor, John B. Salisbury, William Sargent, William A. Kelly ; Treasurer, Moses Farnum; School Committee, Jo- seph Thayer, for three years.

Silas A. Burgess was chosen selectman and Richard Battey assessor in place of William Kelly and Joseph G. Ray respectively, as the latter did not take the oath of office. District No. 2 was anuexed to No. 9. Joseph G. Ray was chosen Representative to the General Court. At this time Blackstone by itself formed the Twenty-first Worcester District.

About the middle of May occurred the sad casualty by which Miss Georgiana Brown, of Pawtucket, a teacher in the New City School, and Miss Frances Cady, only daughter of Mr. John Cady, formerly

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postmaster, were drowned by going over the Black- stone dam while out boating with Mr. Walter Thorpe.

Some time in March a rabid dog owned in Con- cord, Mass., passed through the village, biting numer- ous other dogs and two or three persons. About the 10th of April a boy named Thomas Quinlen, fourteen years old, one of those bitten, died with all the symptoms assigned to hydrophobia.

During the year Mr. Freeman Hurd was engaged in building the Edward Harris New Privilege dam across Mill River in the southeast corner of the town, flowing many acres of meadow land in Blackstone.

Rev. William H. Bowen became pastor at Water- ford Baptist Church, and Rev. Charles A. Merrill was assigned to the Methodist Episcopal Church at Millville.

1860 .- Town Clerk, Dr. George E. Bullard; Select- men, Richard Batty, Mowry Lapham, Joseph G. Ray; Assessors, Arthur Cook, David Brayton, Syl- vanus H. Benson ; Overseers of the Poor, William A. Kelly, Lyman Legg, Hiram Daniels ; Treasurer, Moses Farnum ; School Committee for three years, Henry C. Kimball. James P. Hayward was chosen assessor in place of David Brayton, who declined serving. Mr. Hayward also declining, and Arthur Cook failing to take the oath, the latter was re-elected and Marius H. Warfield was chosen. Mowry Lap- ham resigned in September and Millens Taft was chosen selectman for the unexpired term. Charles H. Fletcher was chosen Representative to the Gen- eral Court. February 22d, Rev. John V. Lewis be- came pastor of St. John's Society at Millville.

The Blackstone Block was built by Welcome Far- num in 1849. In planning a building for the Wor- cester County Bank, for which a charter had been procured, Mr. Farnum, with his characteristic enter- prise, concluded to put up this large block, containing stores, offices and a large hall for public meetings and entertainments. His original plan was to locate it on Main Street and to have a building just one hundred feet in length ; but failing to make satis- factory terms for the purchase of a lot, it was placed upon its present site, where the size of the lot limited the building to eighty-two feet. This block was subsequently mortgaged to Edward S. Hall, of Millville, and after Mr. Farnum's failure was trans- ferred to Joseph Almy, of Slatersville. In 1859 it was sold at auction and purchased by Dan Hill, who deeded it to Albert Gaskill in 1863, In 1870 he sold it to Charles A. Pierce, and the latter dis- posed of it in November, 1874, to Mr. William Keely, in whose possession it has since remained.

1861 .- Town Clerk, Dr. George C. Bullard ; Select- men, Emory Scott, John C. Scott, Daniel N. Chase; Assessors, Millens Taft, Libbeus L. Wood, Willard Wilson ; Overseers of the Poor, Rufus Hayward, John G. Gatchell, Lyman Legg; Treasurer, Richard K. Randolph; School Committee for three years, Henry S. Mansfield; for one year, William L. Southwick.

The people living in the old Second School Dis- trict being aggrieved at the vote annexing them to No. 9, secured at a special meeting, February 9th, a re-division assigning three families to District No. 3.

The first evidence in the town records of the existence of Civil War occurs in the warrant drawn April 23d, in which occurs an article "To see if the town will vote to appropriate any money in aid of citizens of this town who may volunteer their services to the United States to suppress rebellion or invasion, and who shall be called into active ser- vice for said purpose and to aid the families if in destitute circumstances, or to act in any way relative to the same."

At the meeting held May 1st it was voted to adopt the following resolutions offered by Dan Hill, Esq. ;

The President of the United States having called upon all good citizens to aid him in his efforts to enforce the laws and suppress an insurrection which threatens to overthrow the Government : We, the citizens of Blackstone in Town Meeting assembled, deeply impressed by the perils that beset us, but with unfaltering confidence in God and the Right :--- Inspired by the cherished memory of the heroic deeds and manly sacri- fices of our patriotic Fathers, and impelled by a solemn sense of duty which we owe to our posterity, no less than to ourselves-declare our readiness to aid, to the full extent of our ability, in snstaining this Government and in crushing the rebels that assail it. And we hereby "pledge our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor," that, come weal or come woe, we will never prove recreant to the Government to which we justly owe allegiance, and from which we derive so many blessings- a Government which is the only formidable foe of Despotism and Tyranny, and the last hope of Civil and Religious Liberty in the World. In this "irrepressible conflict " between Freedom and Slavery, every pulsation of our hearts is for Freedom, and in her sacred cause we are ready to give battle-our watch-word " The Government and the enforce- ment of the laws,"-our banner the Stars and Stripes.

Upon the firing upon Fort Sumter immediate steps had been taken to raise a company, and after several exciting meetings, a company of ninety-six, afterward known as Company K, Fifteenth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers, was enlisted and drilled under command of Captain Moses W. Gatchell, with Edwin B. Staples, first Jientenant, and Caleb H. Arnold, first sergeant. The men were mustered in July 1st, the officers August 1st, and the regiment was sent to Maryland, where it was placed on the right wing of the Army of the Potomac. October 21st, at the battle of Ball's Bluff, Captain Gatchell and three privates in the company were killed. Lieutenant Staples resigned the following year to accept a posi- tion in the Fourth Regiment Massachusetts Cavalry, in which he gained the rank of major. Caleb H. Arnold became second lieuteoant of Company K, January 3, 1863, and died of wounds received at the battle of Gettysburg, July 20, 1863. Mellville How- land, acting as first sergeant and lieutenant, died in Maryland, August 28, 1862, and Thomas Furnald, succeeding him as first sergeant, was killed at the battle of Antietam, September 17, 1862, as were six others in the company. George W. Bolster became second lieutenant June 9th, and first lieutenant November 7, 1862, and resigned March 18, 1863.

A large number of Blackstone men enlisted in

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companies raised in Woonsocket, and served in various Rhode Island regiments as well as in other Massachusetts regiments than those named.

Owing to the change in administration, Darius Bennett, the postmaster at Blackstone, was supplanted by Sylvanus H. Benson, and Willard Wilson, at Mill- ville, by Preserved L. Thayer.

Rev. George M. Hamlin was appointed to the Methodist Society at Millville.

1862 .- Town Clerk, George E. Bullard ; Selectmen, John C. Scott, Emory Scott, Joseph G. Ray (this board also acted as Assessors and Overseers of the Poor); treasurer, Richard K. Randolph ; School Com- mittee, Frank Kelly, three years, John V. Lewis, two years, Dr. Wm. H. Kimball, one year.

The earlier meetings of this year were mainly taken up with discussions of the manner in which aid should be given the families of soldiers now in the service. July 17th was held a meeting to take measures to raise forty-two volunteers under the call of President Lincoln. This was just after the failure of General Mcclellan on the Virginia Peninsula, and extra inducements were needed. The town voted to call in and place on deposit in the Worcester County Bank three thousand one hundred and fifty dollars of the " surplus revenue," and that every man volun- teering before August 10th should be paid a bounty of seventy-five dollars. The matter was the subject of two more meetings, the bounty for men enlisting for three years being made three hundred dollars, and for those enlisting under the new call for nine months a bounty of one hundred dollars was voted.

Joseph G. Ray having moved out of town, Estus Lamb was elected August 30th to the Board of Selectmen. Channing Smith was chosen Representa- tive to the General Court.

Captain Daniel W. Kimball, Company K, Fifty- first Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers, had enlisted sixty men, and wanted overcoats for them, which the town voted November 5th, appropriating ten dollars apiece, and John S. Needham to furnish them. The Fifty-first was a nine months' regiment.

August 23d, Rev. George M. Hamlin and Dan Hill were appointed to the Board of School Committee in place of Rev. John V. Lewis resigned, and Dr. Wm. M. Kimball declined to serve.

Rev. J. A. Howe was called to the pastorship at Waterford, aud Rev. George Rumney to St. John's Society at Millville, in place of Mr. Lewis. In June Rev. John E. Edwards was called to the Blackstone Society.

1863 .- Town Clerk, James K. Comstock ; Selectmen, James P. Hayward, Lewis W. Taft, Sylvanus H. Benson; Assessors, William A. Northup, Lyman Paine, John C. Hobbs ; Overseers of the Poor, Hiram Daniels, Andrew Kelly, Channing Smith ; Treasurer, Moses Farnum ; School Committee, Le Roy Chilson, three years, Edwin Jenckes, oue year.

James P. Hayward declined to serve, and William

A. Northup was elected selectman. Lyman Paine declining to serve as assessor, Arthur Cook was chosen. Charles A. Wright became trial justice.

Early this year broke out the " Hickey Hall" school war, waged by Dan Hill of the General School Com- mittee against the Blackstone Manufacturing Com- pany. The bitter conflict ended with the company still in possession of their own school-house, and the committee letting their wrath coruscate in a most unique annual report.

The subject of State aid to the families of soldiers and sailors came up from time to time, and was settled on the liberal side. Limited at first to families of volunteers, residents of the town, in the army, it was extended to volunteers in the navy, to the families of drafted men, to those not residents in the town, and was made perpetual to the families of those killed, or who died in the Union service.

James K. Comstock was chosen Representative to the General Court. Rev. Lewis B. Bates was appointed to the Methodist Church, Millville. The Kelly cotton- mill at Upper Canada (East Blackstone), hitherto used to manufacture bagging, was converted into a woolen-mill.

Tuesday, July 2Ist, arrived home Company K, Fifty-first Massachusetts Volunteers, Captain Daniel W. Kimball, and they were given an ovation. They had served at Newbern, N. C., on the Virginian Peninsula and, during their last month, with the Army of the Potomac in Maryland. On Wednesday, July 22d, the company re-assembled to attend the funeral of Lieutenant Caleb Arnold, Company K, Fifteenth Regiment, who had died of a wound received at the battle of Gettysburg.

1864 .- Town Clerk, James K. Comstock ; Select- men, Sylvanus H. Benson, John S. Needham, Andrew Kelly ; Assessors, Arthur Cook, Silas A. Burgess, Estes Burdon ; Overseers of the Poor, Hiram Daniels, Channing Smith, Clovis L. Southwick ; Treasurer, Moses Farnum ; School Committee, Rev. J. Erskine Edwards.

April 16th the town voted to borrow $7500 to be applied by the selectmen as bounties of $125 apiece to the men volunteering to fill the town's quota under the calls of the President, dated October 17, 1863, and February 1, 1864. Sylvanus H. Benson had been made recruiting officer for the town at $3 per day, and his energetic labors kept the town's credit pretty well up with the various calls, and earned him the sincere gratitude, in this respect, of his fellow-townsmen.

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History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 167

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