History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 168

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 168

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Night police were enjoyed by the village people from shortly after the March meeting until May 21st, when the police were ordered paid up and discharged by the town. At this meeting too, it was voted "that the clergymen, lawyers, doctors and selectmen of this town, irrespective of denomination, be appointed a committee to use to the utmost extent their powers of moral suasion to do away with the sale and consump- tion of intoxicating liquors."

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HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

July 14, 1864, the President called for more soldiers, and Blackstone's quota was fifty-six, of which only ten were already secured. The town voted, August 19th, $5750, in order to give each of the remaining forty-six a bounty of $125. H. K. Merrifield opened a law- office. John S. Needham was elected Representative to the General Court. Dr. Moses D. Southwick was also elected Senator for the Southeast Worcester District. Arthur Cook was appointed trial justice. Rev. E. W. Porter began his first ministry at Water- ford this year. The Kelly & Paine cotton-mill in East Blackstone, owned and run by Andrew Aldrich, was burned in March. Waterford No. 1 was burned this year, cansing great loss to the wage-workers of that village.

February 6th died Dr. Abel Wilder, for more than forty years engaged in the practice of his profession in this community. Dr. Wilder was born in Ash- burnham, Ma-s., June 24, 1786. He was the seventh son in a family of twelve children and was brought up to hard work on the farm until he was fifteen, when he was apprenticed to shoemaking. After he was twenty-one he set himself to acquire an educa- tion, and when twenty-four he began studying medi- cine, attending lectures at Dartmouth College, and supporting himself by teaching school. He began his practice in Winchendon and married there. He went to Swansey in 1815, removed to Walpole in 1819, and came to Blackstone in 1823, where he re- mained until within a few months of his death, which occurred at the home of his son in New York. He had a family of twelve children, eight of whom sur- vived him.

February 7th died Dr. Horatio Stockbridge, in the seventy-sixth year of his age. He was the son of Hon. David Stockbridge, of Hanover, Mass., where he was born. The family descends from John Stock- bridge, who came from England in the ship " Bless- ing" in June, 1635, and settled in Scituate, Mass. In 1804, at the age of sixteen, he was sent to Harvard, College and remained two years. He studied medi- cine with Dr. Freeman Foster, of Scituate, and Dr. James Mann, of Wrentham. He first practiced in Berwick, Maine, afterwards in Medway, Mass., and came to Blackstone in 1819. Here he remained until 1833, when he opened his long famous apothecary shop in Woonsocket. His son Horatio Stockbridge survives him.

April 16th died in Mendon, where he had but re- cently moved, Dan Hill, a native and, save a few months, always a resident of Blackstone, whose life for a long period of years was closely identified with the history of the town. As a member of both branches of the State Legislature, as justice of the Police Court, and in the various offices and agencies which the town could bestow, he always commanded respect, not only by his marked abilities, but his un- swerving integrity and uprightness of purpose.

1865 .- Town Clerk, James K. Comstock; Select-

men, Andrew Kelly, John S. Needham, Arthur Cook : Assessors, Arthur Cook, William A. Cole, Estus Bur. don; Overseers of Poor, Hiram Daniels, Chauning Smith, Clovis L. Southwick ; Treasurer, Richard K. Randolph ; School Committee, Ellis T. Haywood.

At a meeting January 21st the town voted $4,250 to be divided in bounties of $125 to each of the thirty-four men in the town's quota under the call of the President, December 19, 1864.

April 3d it was voted to establish a High School forthwith, and that the School Committee procure a suitable room for such school. That Henry C. Kim- ball, Laban Bates and Millens Taft be a committee on building a High School-house, and that it be located on or near the corner of Church and Mendon Streets, in Blackstone village, provided the Blackstone Manu- facturing Company will give the lot to the town for this purpose. The High School was begun in Septem- ber in the grammar school room of the New City building, with Daniel A. March, a graduate of Amherst College, as principal. It was also voted to redistrict the towu according to the plan submitted by the School Committee, which reduced the number to eight by dividing No. 4 between Nos. 5 and 3, and re-numbering so that Chestnut Hill was No. 1; Five Corners, No. 2; East Blackstone, No. 3; Pickering, No. 4; Waterford, No. 5; Blackstone, No. 6; Town House, No. 7; Millville, No. 8.

Estus Lamb and Henry S. Mansfield were added to the committee on the High School building. C. G. Keyes, Esq., opened a law-office in the Arcade. Hiram Daniels was chosen Representative to the General Court. James K. Comstock was appointed post- master at Blackstone Post-Office. Jerome B. Bolster took an office at Blackstone as attorney-at-law.

May 23d, Bernard Creighton, of Waterford, brought home a sick daughter from Dedham, who proved to have the small-pox. From large exposure twenty- three cases resulted, with seven or eight deaths.

The Waterford No. 1 Mill was rebuilt three hundred and fifty feet long and fifty feet wide.

1866 .- Town Clerk, James K. Comstock ; Select- men, Estus Lamb, Henry C. Kimball, Silas A. Burgess; Assessors, E-tus Burdon, Hiram Daniels, Clovis L. Southwick ; the latter declined, and William A. Cole was chosen ; Overseers of the Poor, Clovis L. South- wick, Lewis W. Taft, Moses A. Daniels; Treasurer, Moses Farnum; School Committee, Jerome B. Bolster.

Voted to accept of the list of by-laws in relation to truancy offered by Silas A. Burgess, Esq. Estus Lamb and Henry C. Kimball having declined to serve as selectmen, Millens Taft and Libbeus L. Wood were chosen. The committee on building a High School- house reported a plan of building, and the proposal of the Blackstone Manufacturing Company to give the town a lot so long as certain conditions were fulfilled. The report and proposal were both accepted, and six thousand dollars was appropriated for the building, which was continued in the charge of the same com-

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mittee of five. Ellis T. Hayward having resigned from the School Committee, Dr. Moses D. Southwick was chosen. About three weeks later, April 21st, an attempt was made to reverse the town's previous action in regard to High School building, but without suc- cess. The "Harris Road " (the southern half of pres- ent Farm Street) first came under discussion at this meeting, and Francis Kelly, Millens Taft and William G. Hadley were appointed a committee on the part of the town to build the road. The order of the County Commissioners npon the road occupies the first twenty- one pages of Vol. 3, Town Records. May 19th, the town resolved vigorously against the road and in- structed its committee to fight for a reversal of the County Commissioners' decree.

Rev. William Kellen was appointed to the Method- ist Society at Millville.

John S. Needham was chosen Representative to the General Court.

By the lamented death of Jerome B. Bolster, Octo- ber 27th, there was a vacancy on the Board of School Committee, which was filled by the appointment of Rev. E. W. Porter.

In the month of March, Patrick Hughes disap- peared, and three weeks later his body was found in the Blackstone River. Foul play was suspected, but not proved.

. 1867 .- Town Clerk, James K. Comstock ; Selectmen, Henry K. Merrifield, Stephen S. Benson, Welcome A. Thayer; Assessors, Estes Burdon, Robert J. M. Chase, Lyman Paine ; Overseer of the Poor, Clovis L. South- wick, Edmund O. Bacon ; Treasurer, Moses Farnum ; School Committee, William A. Cole, 1 year, Henry C. Kimhall, 2 years, Sylvanus H. Benson, 3 years.

Voted to abolish the school districts. This vote led to a series of votes at the following meeting, April 6th ; the most important in the whole history of the town. It was ordered that the Blackstone Mannfacturing Company's school-honse at the New City be purchased, that steps be taken to build a new school-honse at Waterford, that all the school property of the districts be appraised and paid for by the town, and that $5000 more be appropriated to complete the High School- house.

The New City School-house was appraised at $12,- 500; Chestnut Hill, $1400; Verry, $50; Five Corners, $300; Lower Canada, $1400; Pickering, $100; Town House, $150; Millville, $8000,-total, $23,900. The town books do not afford data for stating the cost of the Waterford school-house. This year the first iron bridge at the New City was built and the stone-arch bridge on Lincoln Street, over Fox Brook. The "Harris Road " was fought, but in vain. The town had to build it. The selectmen, contrary to custom, made no report of the indebtedness of the town March 1, 1868. It is probable these various undertakings were in such stages, that it was impossible. On March 1, 1867, it was $25,586; March 1, 1869, it was $68,316,- an increase of $42,730 in two years' time.

September 9th, Rev. E. W. Porter was appointed to the School Committee in place of Henry C. Kimball, resigned.

Moses Farnum was elected as Representative to the General Court.

Rev. Henry W. Conant was appointed to the Meth- odist Society, at Millville.

Henry K. Merrifield, Esq., succeeded Arthur Cook as trial justice, and held the position for six months, when he resigned to accept a position in an insurance office in Worcester. He was succeeded by Theodore S. Johnson, Esq., of Worcester.

Jeremiah Gatchell was appointed postmaster at Blackstone P. O.

1868 .- Town Clerk, James K. Comstock; Select- men, George E. Bullard, Millens A. Taft, Daniel S. Southwick ; Assessors, Lewis R. Daniels, Jeremiah Gatchell, Alexander Blanchard; Overseers of the Poor, Willard Wilson, Stephen Tucker, Lawrence Boylan ; Treasurer, Moses Farnum. Alexander Blan- chard declined to serve, and Willard Wilson was chosen. School Committee, William A. Cole for three years ; Samuel Thayer, Jr., for one year.

March 2d, when most of the above officers were chosen, was an extremely bleak and snowy day. Whether owing to the storm, or to dissatisfaction with the management of town affairs, the result was the placing in office of men for the most part of the oppo- site politics of those who had controlled the town for some years. The selectmen having, under a vote of the town, contracted with George M. Blanchard to build a stone lock-up, and the town having rescinded its vote, the lock-up was not built, but the town paid rather more than its cost would have been in the way of damages and costs to Mr. Blanchard. Forty-two thousand dollars of the town debt was funded with the State treasurer, under vote of November 4th.

Rev. M. E. Phetteplace was called to the Baptist Society at Waterford, and Rev. Frederick C. Newell was appointed to the Millville Methodist Society. A missionary effort for several months in East Black- stone, by Joseph Miett, of Woonsocket, led to the ap- pointment of Rev. Thomas B. Gurney to that field.

August 9th died Rufns Hayward, a native of Mendon but a resident of Blackstone the greater part of his life, and thoroughly identified with the political history of the town. For many years he was the leader of the Democratic party in the town. He was an active politician, a man of genial temperament and a kind neighbor. He had filled various town offices, and was once elected to the General Court as Representative. He was found dead in his bed at the Lincoln House, having probably died of apoplexy. During this year work was prosecuted on the road-bed of the Boston and New York Railroad, and there was an unusual number of fatal accidents on the tracks.

1869 .- Town Clerk, Jeremiah Gatchell ; Selectmen, George E. Bullard, Louis R. Daniels, Daniel O'Sulli- van ; Assessors, Jeremiah Gatchell, Willard Wilson,

624

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

John C. McCarthy ; Overseers of the Poor, John G Gatchell, Joseph Byrne, Samuel Verry ; Treasurer, Moses Farnum ; School Committee, for three years, Samuel Thayer, Jr. Willard Wilson having declined to serve as assessor, Americus Welch was chosen. Samuel Verry having declined to serve, and Joseph Byrne having removed from town, Millens A. Taft and Bezaleel Richardson were chosen overseers of the poor.

A new school-house was built at the Five Corners. May 24th the County Commissioners laid out that part of St. Paul Street extending from Canal Street to the Rhode Island line under the tracks of both rail- roads. Pearl Street, in Millville, was laid out at this time with mutual asseverations of interest on the part of town and railroad in its behalf. The "Hiram Daniels road " (section of Mendon Street from Milk Street to Asylum Street) first appeared in town affairs November 2d, when a committee was appointed to op- pose it before the County Commissioners.

Blackstone failed to secure the election of a Repre- sentative to General Court in the election this fall.

March 31st Junius Bates was appointed postmaster at the Blackstone office. April 24th the Methodist Episcopal Society of East Blackstone was organized, and a church, costing about 83500, was erected during the summer. The organization of the Quickstream Lodge of Good Templars on March 22d afforded a powerful auxiliary to the church continuing to the present time (January 1, 1889).

Edmund O. Bacon, late landlord of the Lincoln House, was appointed one of the deputy sheriff's of Worcester County at the beginning of January. The firm of Bates & Comstock (Laban Bates and James K. Comstock), who had been engaged in the grocery business in Blackstone Block for twenty years, sold out in May to John W. France.

A new depot was built at Waterford as a Union station for both railroads. In November the small- pox was again introduced into Blackstone and re- sulted in forty cases and eight deaths.

1870 .- Town Clerk, Jeremiah Gatchell; Selectmen, Darius Bennett, Owen Bradley, Micajah Fuller; As- sessors, Daniel N. Chase, Manrice Cary, Louis R. Daniels; Overseers of the Poor, John G. Gatchell, Samuel Thayer, Sr., James H. Boyle; Treasurer, Moses Farnum ; School Committee, for three years, Michael Fagan.

The new school-house at the Town House was built. This provided all the eight districts with good houses except No. 4,-" Pickerings." An arti- cle in the April warrant to repair or to rebuild in No. 4 simply secured a vote to repair,-an injustice which the town has not yet (1888) reversed in its treatment of this district.

April 30th the town resolved against the "Hiram Daniels Road," and appointed a committee to oppose it. It is difficult to understand why this road created so much opposition. The construction of five or six 1

miles more of such road, in certain lines, would ena- ble the town to close up nearly double that length of poor road difficult to keep in repair. August 2d, 20th, 30th, three town-meetings were held in regard to increasing the number of school-rooms at Black- stone and Waterford, and using the upper story of the High School-house as a library and reading- room. At the third meeting the whole scheme was negatived. Lyman Paine was chosen representative to the General Court.

The Blackstone River Lodge built the Masonic building on Main Street, at a cost of eight thousand dollars. It was dedicated Washington's Birthday by a fair and ball. The building is sixty feet deep by thirty-two feet wide, and two stories in height, the end fronting the street. The heavy stone arches on the Boston Road in Waterford village were com- pleted during the year after several intermissions in the work.

The Blackstone Valley Lodge of Good Templars became extinct in June. Rev. T. H. Bannon, of the St. Paul's Society, falling into poor health, he re- signed, and in October Rev. William A. Power was installed. Rev. James H. Cooley was assigned to the East Blackstone Methodist Episcopal Society, and Rev. Thomas S. Thomas to that of Millville. Rev. James Rand was called to Waterford Church.

A lock-up was finally instituted in August in the Union House basement.

1871 .- Town Clerk, Junius Bates; Selectmen, Da- rius Bennett, Micajah Fuller, Owen Bradley; Asses- sors, Jeremiah Gatchell, Louis R. Daniels, David M. Gaskill; Overseers of the Poor, John G. Gatchell, Samuel Thayer, Sr., Estes Burdon ; Treasurer, Moses Farnum; School Committee, for three years, William A. Cole. April 3d, Louis R. Daniels and David M. Gaskill having declined to serve as assessors, Patrick Kennedy and Americus Welch were chosen. John G. Gatchell and Samuel Thayer, Sr., having declined to serve as overseers, Stephen Tucker and James H. Boyle were chosen. It was voted to increase the School Committee to six, and John Worrall was chosen for three years, Welcome A. Thayer two years, and Horace H. Benson for one year. The lat- ter having declined, Samuel S. White was appointed.

Blackstone sent no representative to General Court this year. Silas A. Burgess, Exq., was appointed trial justice in August, T. S. Johnson having resigned to accept the position of clerk of the Municipal Court at Worcester.

Rev. Samuel E. Evans was appointed to the Meth- odist Society at Millville. In April the Blackstone Library Association and the Athenæum held a union meeting, and effected an organization under which their libraries, conjointly numbering nearly three thousand volumes, were united and placed together in the Arcade. The last week in July the house and barn of Mr. Bernard Hoye and the barn of Mr. L. S. Penniman were destroyed by fire, causing a loss of

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some five thousand dollars. The fire was checked by he powerful force-pump of Waterford No. 3 Mill, then run by Needham & Masoo. All these buildings vere promptly rebuilt.

The first week in August died Varnum Bartlett, a hative of Cumberland, R. I., but a resident of Black- stone for a quarter of a century, and his shoe-store on Main Street was one of the old landmarks of the own. His honest dealing secured a large patronage in trade, and he was a successful business man of the old school.

A lively interest in temperance work prevailed Juring the year among the several societies, religious and lay. In October the St. Paul's Temperance So- ciety celebrated the anniversary of the birth of Rev. Father Matthew, and by the interest aroused largely strengthened its membership.

1872 .- Town Clerk, Junius Bates ; Selectmen, Henry S. Mansfield, Samuel S. White, Augustine H. Rankin; Assessors, F. Myrick Thayer, Americus Welch, Robert J. M. Chase; Overseers of the Poor, Caleb S. Taft, Darius Bennett, Michael Rowan ; Treasurer, R. K. Randolph; School Committee, Henry C. Kimball, Louis A. Cook, for three years, John S. Needham, two years, Alvin C. Robbins, one year.

April 15th, F. M. Thayer and R. J. M. Chase having declined to serve as assessors, Jeremiah Gatchell and John S. Needham were elected. It was voted to choose Road Commissioners, and there were elected, Andrew Kelly, for three years, Samuel S. White, for two years, Henry S. Mansfield, for one year.

John C. Scott was elected representative to the General Court. The new Board of Road Commissioners laid out a continuation of Main Street from New City iron bridge over the Blackstone Dam to Millville, passing near the houses of George Hanney and James Pitts to Central Street. This was accepted and ordered built and then the acceptance was revoked.

Rev. Samuel D. Church was called to the pastorship of the Waterford Society. Rev. Walter J. Yates was appointed to the Methodist Society at Millville, and the Rev. E. N. Maynard at East Blackstone. Rev. Edward H. True became rector of St. John's Parish, Millville.

August 1st, the Second District Court of Southern Worcester, embracing the towns of Northbridge, Douglas, Uxbridge and Blackstone, took the place of the trial justice courts, with Arthur A. Putnam, Esq., as justice. It holds sessions every week-day alter- nately at Blackstone and Uxbridge-Mondays, Wed- nesdays and Fridays at Blackstone; Tuesdays, Thurs- days and Saturdays at Uxbridge. The court has juris- diction in all civil actions where the amount does not exceed three hundred dollars, and a trial by jury may be had on the demand, in writing, by either party.

1873 .- Town Clerk, Aaron S. Esty ; Selectmen, Jeremiah Gatchell, Lawrence Boylan, Albert Smith;

Assessors, Americus Welch, Millens Taft, Michael Rowan ; Overseers of the Poor, Micajah Fuller, Dan- iel Hefferman, F. Myrick Thayer ; Treasurer, Austin A. Wheelock; School Committee, Horace A. Ben- son, Dr. Robert Bootb, for three years, Welcome A. Thayer, one year. It was voted to abolish the Board of Road Commissioners. Millens Taft having declined to serve as assessor, Daniel Wheelock was chosen. Town by-laws, offered by A. A. Putnam, Esq., in re- gard to obstruction of sidewalks, disturbance in streets, fast driving, etc., were adopted and were subsequently approved by Judge Devens, of the Massachusetts Superior Court, as required by law. The sum of one hundred dollars was now first voted to be placed at the disposal of " Gatchell Post, G. A. R.," for the suitable observance of Memorial Day. The "Hiram Daniels road " first ordered by the county commis- sioners January 4, 1871, had been so far successfully resisted because the lay-out crossed the Town Asylum Cemetery. The commissioners now executed a flank movement and issued a decree, June 9, 1873, and the road was built by a contractor.

On the evening of October 16th occurred the great fire in Wilder's Laue, which destroyed eight dwelling- houses and several barns. The Woonsocket steam fire-engine prevented a more extensive conflagration by its opportune arrival. Several meetings were now held to secure fire apparatus, but there was no result. Eighteen families were rendered homeless, and alto- gether some fifty families moved their household goods at considerable loss, so that this fire caused a widespread feeling of insecurity.

Albert Smith was elected Representative and Jere- miah Gatchell Senator to the General Court. Lyman Legg was appointed postmaster at Millville. Rev. Albert W. Moore was called to the vacant pulpit at Blackstone, January 22d. Deacon Daniel Gunn died February 21st, aged sixty-five years. He was born February 6, 1808, at Swanzy, Vermont, and came to Black-tone in 1833, where he resided until his death. He was an ardent and devoted member of the Waterford Church. The Worcester County National Bank removed to Franklin in August.

1874 .- Town Clerk, Aaron S. Esty ; Selectmen, Jere- miah Gatchell, Matthew Faulkner, Albert Smith ; Assessors, Americus Welch, Philip Nulty, Millens Taft ; Overseers of the Poor, Micajah Fuller, Rich- ard Newsome, William G. Miller; Treasurer, Austin A. Wheelock ; School Committee, Welcome A. Thayer, John P. Needham, three years each.

There was considerable agitation during the year for a new town hall, to be located at the village. One proposition was to purchase "Block Hall." Nothing was accomplished, however, in this direc- tion, the committee reporting through its chairman, John S. Needham, "in view of the present depressed state of business the committee recommend a post- ponement, but not an indefinite postponement of the subject."

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HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

The town having paid no attention to the decree of the County Commissioners in relation to the " Hiram Daniels Road," they had built the road, and now served notice upon the town to pay the expenses and charges of completing, amounting to $5505, into the county treasury. This the town voted to do, October 3; then also voted "that a committee of three be appointed to take into consideration the matter of inducing capitalists or mechanics to locate in this town." The committee was Jeremiah Gat- chell, Daniel Simmons, John C. Scott.

Albert Smith and Jeremiah Gatchell were again elected Representative and Senator respectively, to the General Court.

Thanksgiving morning, November 26th, a fire destroyed the barn, paint, wheelwright and black- smith shops, and the dwelling-house of Micajah Fuller, the barn and greater part of the Lincoln House, owned by Martin Jenckes. As in the preced- ing year, the Woonsocket steam fire-engines came to the rescue. At a meeting, December 9th, it was voted to have a steam fire-engine, and five thousand dollars was appropriated for its purchase.

In February a disastrous fire in Millville destroyed the large stone woolen-mill. The satinet-mill at Upper Canada, run by John C. Scott, was burned this year.

1875 .- Town Clerk, Junius Bates; Selectmen, Henry S. Mansfield, Patrick Kennedy, Samuel S. White; Assessors, Americus Welch, William A. Cole, John Gallagher; Overseers of the Poor, Micajah Fuller, Alonzo W. Southwick, Dennis McMullen ; Treasurer, John S. Needham ; School Committee (for three years), Alvin C. Robbins, Andrew Kelly.

Jobn S. Needham having declined to serve as treasurer, Daniel Wheelock was chosen. The steam fire-engine company of the town was organized. The town accepted the selectmen's lay-out of Farnum Street, September 18th. Patrick Kennedy was chosen Representative. Rev. Edwin G. Babcock was as- signed to the Methodist Society at Millville, and Rev. William R. Mays to East Blackstone. Under the kindly influence of Rev. William A. Power was formed, in St. Paul's Society, the Young Men's Catho- lic Union, a literary society, which long held weekly meetings, and collected a considerable library.

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History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 168

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