History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 181

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 181

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March 17, 1787, twenty-two took the oath of allegiance. Some of the insurgents fled from the State, and among them Capt. Francis Stone, who, if not a citizen of the town at the time, was closely con- nected with some of its families. Hence we find the town, May 21st, instructing its representative to use his utmost exertions for a general pardon of the in- surgents, that the banished might return home. The town further instructed him that " In all free govern- ments that idea ought ever be kept in view that the rulers and ministers of state are the honorable ser- vants and uot the haughty masters of the people ;" that he should use his influence to restrict the num-

ber of lawyers in the commonwealth to a small num- ber of approved and upright character, to dismiss the Courts of Common Pleas, sheriffs and deputy-sheriffs of the county, empower the selectmen to do the busi- ness of judge of probate and have the General Court removed from Boston.

MISCELLANEOUS .- June, 1790, the town adopted an act to discourage unnecessary lawsuits, providing for a committee ofthree discreet freeholders, to whom should be submitted for settlement all demands whatsoever held by one citizen against another. The fees of the committee were two shillings each for each case. Any person refusing to submit his claim to the com- mittee for settlement should be deemed unfriendly to the peace of the town and bad members of society, and treated by the inhabitants with contempt and neglect as to dealings and intercourse, save in the bare offices of humanity, and should have no votes for any town office for three years.

March 20, 1792, the town became security to Maj. Joseph Bowman, Elias Hall, Moses Hamilton and John Joslyn in a contract to support the entire poor of the State for ten years. They in turn agreed to collect all taxes during that time free of expense, to take all kinds of produce in payment of taxes at a generons price, and to purchase at a generous price from said town all produce needed besides for the support of said poor. They were authorized to pro- cure immediately materials for and proceed to erect suitable buildings for their accommodation. The present residence of Wm. A. Felton was one of these buildings. The town was opposed to the War of 1812.

July 2, 1812, voted to co-operate with the town of Boston in using all constitutional means to avert it. July 24th memorialized the President of the United States disapproving of the war and abhorring an alli- ance with France.

In 1818 stoves were first introduced into the meet- ing-house at a cost of one hundred and seventy-five dollars.

Previous to 1826 the support of the poor had been put up at auction to the lowest bidder. In 1833 the town purchased the Little farm and supported its poor thereon. In 1835 rules were adopted for the regulation of its pauper establishment.

March 20, 1843, Congregational parish organized with a membership of seventy-nine. Until then re- ligious institutions had been supported by a town tax.

WAR OF REBELLION, 1861 .- The first town-meet- ing to act upon matters relating to the War of the Rebellion was held May 7th, at which the select- men were anthorized to pay each volunteer belonging to the town five dollars per month while in service, in addition to regular pay, and four dollars per month to his wife and two dollars to each child under twelve years of age.

July 21, 1862, voted to pay a bounty of one hundred

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NEW BRAINTREE.

dollars to each volunteer who enlists for three years and ten dollars additional to those who enlist within one week.

August 26th, the bounty for three years' volunteers was raised to two hundred dollars and the bounty for volunteers for nine months fixed at one hundred and fifty dollars, which, November 4th, was raised to two hundred dollars.

April 11, 1864, voted a bounty of one hundred and twenty-five dollars to volunteers for three years' ser- vice, and this bounty was continued to be paid until the end of the war. The town raised $9000.55 for the war and seventy-eight men-four beyond her quota- two-thirds of the men subject to military duty and one-tenth of her population. One only, Lieutenant George Davis, was a commissioned officer. The fol- lowing are the names of the volunteers on town records :

For Three Years .- Nahum H. Ayres, John Birming- ham, Henry H. Bush, Albert Barrett, Josiah C. Con- verse, George Cooley, Daniel W. Dean, Carlton DeLand, Richard T. Davis, George A. Davis, Joseph Goddard, Lyman A. Holmes, William Hunter, Wil- liam Jerome, Harrison Lamb, Peter McCue, Henry Mullett, David D. Pierce, Sidney Smith, Jr., Josiah Tuly, Oramel F. Thresher, Charles Q. Wetherell, Al- bert G. Wilder.

For Nine Months .- Rufus Boyden, Loring S. Bar- low, Frank D. Brigham, Alfred D. Barr, Michael Bowen, Benjamin Fagan, Theodore S. Pierce, Brig- ham Pierce, Elijah T. Randall, Albert A. Thresher, George Woods. The rest of the seventy-eight were furnished from the surplus in other towns, this town paying the bounties.

BUSINESS .- In 1791 Joseph Bowman, Jr., entered into trade in foreign goods in a small one-storied building, situated at the north end of the present line of horse-sheds. In 1793 Henry Penniman, Jr., he- came a partner with him and for twenty years the firm of Bowman & Penniman was a household word in many homes in towns in the west part of Worces- ter and east part of Hampshire Counties. Mr. Penni- man retired in 1813 and was succeeded by John Wetherell. In 1824 Mr. Wetherell removed to Peters- ham and Amory H. Bowman assumed the manage- ment of the business, his father furnishing the capi- tal. In 1835 he was succeeded by Benj. F. Hamilton, who remained till 1840, when Edwin A. Read (who had had charge of the currying business of Hiram Wadsworth, at Barre Plains), in company with Sam- uel Wadsworth, took the place until 1850. The firm was successively Read & Wadsworth, Read & Smith and Read & Anderson. In 1850 Wm. Bowdoin com- menced business and sold out in 1855 to Charles B. Frost. In 1858 Abijah Eddy succeeded Mr. Frost and remained until the spring of 1863, when a protective union store was opened with Mr. Frost as agent. In 1865 Mr. Frost bought out the stockholders and

December 1, 1886, sold out stock and store to George K. Tufts, who now occupies it.

In 1812 Elisha Mathews, in company with Deacon James Woods, induced by the high price of woolen goods incident upon the war, purchased a water privilege and erected a mill one-fourth mile below the saw-mill built by his father, Daniel, on the same stream, and commenced the manufacture of woolen cloths. Mr. Mathews was on his way to market with his first load of cloths when peace was declared and prices dropped. Deacon Woods soon sold out his interest, and Mr. Mathews continued for some years, but at a constant pecuniary loss. The enterprise ruined him financially. In 1839 Isaac Hunter, Jr., James Hunter and T. P. Anderson commenced the manufacture of shoes under contract with Clark Bates, of South Carolina, to furnish two thousand pairs per month. In March, 1840, Anderson with- drew and David Wetherell took his place. The en- terprise was a failure through the rascality and irresponsibility of the parties to whom the goods were sold. The business, which was carried on in a part of the store, closed in 1841. In 1848 a steam mill was erected by a stock company. This was sold to Joel Garfield, and then to Jos. P. Cheney, and finally to James Penniman, and burned in 1853; re- built in 1854 by a stock company and sold to Jos. M. Green, Wm. A. Mixter, Moses Pollard, Henry A. Hoyt and Hollis Tidd; burnt in 1863. Henry A. Delano made carriages and wagons from 1820-60, aud later Wm. T. Felton carried on the same kind of business.

The pursuits of the inhabitants have been almost wholly agricultural. Whitney writes of New Brain- tree, 1796: "For its bigness it exceeds any other town in the county in fine grazing land, as is evinced by the annual product of the dairy & Beef." Then the product of beef far exceeded that of the dairy. An inventory of that time shows that one man was taxed for twenty-eight oxen ; several years after the same farm maintained thirty cows. The increased profits of the dairy over those of beef changed the business from fatting cattle to making cheese, and the labor also from out-doors to in-doors. New Braintree cheese had acquired an enviable reputation in Boston as early as 1800, and many a dairy of cheese from other towns passed through the hands of Bowman & Penniman to be sold as New Braintree make. Pre- vious to 1865 cheese was made in private dairies ; during that year the New Braintree Cheese Manufac- turing Company was organized, with a capital of $4000, and erected and furnished a factory at a cost of $11,000. The greatest quantity of milk received for eight months was 3,021,000 lbs. The cheese factory in 1886 became a creamery, and was then abandoned. Making milk supplanted making cheese for Boston market. In 1888 not one dairy in town made cheese through the season, a thing that had not been before for a century.

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HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

There has been but little manufacturing. Samuel Harrington made, in a small way, shoe-shaves for several years.

Besides the mills already referred to, there was a grist-mill built by Solomon Mathews on the site of the present residence of Mrs. B. F. Hamilton, on the stream north of the road.

PHYSICIANS .- Dr. Percival Hall was probably the first physician in town and almost the only one for thirty years. He commenced practice about 1760 ; married a daughter of Deacon Samuel Ware, 1764; removed to Boston 1793. One of his children, Bet- sey, born February 29, 1780, died at the age of one hundred and four years. He was a very popular man, holding many town offices, and especially in demand as chairman of committees to draw up in- structions to Representatives. His productions are models in their clear, concise aud comprehensive statements of the points at issue, and would do credit to any statesman of to-day. Dr. John Frink practiced in 1786-87. In 1794 Dr. Benjamin Sever- ance succeeded Dr. Hall, and continued until his death, in 1832. During that time there were usually two physicians. Dr. Thomas Fletcher, .1789-91; Dr. John Blair, Jr., 1793-98; Dr. Increase Ma- thews, 1799; Dr. March, 1803; Dr. Fairfield, 1805; Dr. John Field, 1810-15 ; Dr. Luther Spaulding, 1816-20; Dr. Thomas Boutelle, 1820-24; Dr. Daniel McGregor, 1825-33; Dr. Oramel Martin, 1833-45; Dr. Julius Miner, 1847-52; Dr. A. A. Kendall, 1852- 55 ; Dr. Saxton Martin, 1857-66. Since that time there has been no resident physician.

" Dr. Martin was a Democrat in politics. When he came, that party in town numbered four; during his stay it increased to thirty-five. He was thoroughly Democratic (as that word was used then) in town, as well as in State and national affairs, and believed that the ability to govern existed in the many, not the few ; accordingly, he labored in all town elections for a more equal distribution of town offices."

The only resident lawyer there has ever been was Hon. Charles Allen, who came here from Worcester after being admitted to the bar in 1818; practiced six years and then returned to Worcester.

BUILDING .- A prominent feature of the Centre is the long row of horse-sheds. Previous to 1816 there were but three sheds to shelter the horses from heat, cold and storm on the Sabbath, owned by Elisha Ma- thews, Lieutenant Jonas Newell and Captain Abijah Bigelow. These, with the old school-house, built in 1774, that replaced the first, built in 1760, "twenty feet square with chimney in the middle," occupied the present site of the store. In 1816 Joseph Bow- man exchanged the land on which the sheds now stand with the town for a portion of the land on which the store is, and Bowman & Wetherell erected the brick store, sixty by thirty feet and thirty feet high, at a cost of thirty-five hundred dollars. The same year a wooden building, twenty-seven by forty-

three feet, and two storied, was built five hundred and fifty feet farther north, the lower part of which was used for a school-room and the upper for a hall. In 1865 the building was enlarged, the lower part converted into a cheese factory and the hall retained. In 1861, five school-houses were built; cost, $5,000.

In 1837 the New Braintree Temperance House was erected by a stock company (cost, six thousand dol- lars) to furnish a place of entertainment free from the sale of intoxicating liquors, and for thirty years it remained true to its name. It changed owners twice, and was hurned in 1880. Much of the stock, with a par value of oue hundred dollars, sold at eight dollars.

MISCELLANEOUS .- In 1810 the town was visited with the spotted fever, and two hundred and forty dollars paid for atteudance of physicians. In 1860 pleuro-pneumonia appeared among cattle ; two whole herds were slaughtered and five hundred dollars paid for relief of the owners. The greatest loss to the town, and one which badly defaced the looks of the Cen- tre, was hy fire, in 1880-one-third of an acre covered with buildings being hurned. The cheese factory, Tem- perance House and Bigelow House were destroyed, and but for the timely assistance of fire companies from North and West Brookfield, the church and other buildings must have shared the same fate. Loss, fifteen thousand dollars. A new cheese factory is on site of the old one. A reward of one thousand dollars offered failed to find the incendiary.

March 7, 1832, the New Braintree Thief Detect- ing Society was formed, with a membership of forty- eight. It has been chiefly a social organization, having observed for the last forty years, on the first Wednesday in Junuary, nearly every anniversary of its formation hy a hot turkey supper. Sometimes the attendance reaches one hundred. For many years a characteristic feature of society was the annual temperance supper, instituted for the encouragement of the Temperance House. It was thoroughly dem- ocratic. Everybody was expected to attend and re- spond to a toast. It was the occasion for much badinage, wit and some eloquence.

The Free Public Library was founded in 1878 on a gift of one hundred dollars by F. W. Delano, of Bos- ton, and was sustained for a few years by private contributions and the exertions of the Young Ladies' Literary Society. In 1884 it became the property of the town. It numbers eight hundred volumes, well selected.

The Third Regiment State Militia, including, with others, one company of militia from this town and one company of grenadiers from New Braintree and Oakham jointly, mustered every alternate year on the parade-ground granted by Heury Penniman. The commissioned colonels of the Third Regiment from New Braintree were Samuel Mixter, Louis Blackmer, Henry Penniman, Stephen Fay, Asa Barr, Roswell Converse and Amory H. Bowman.

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NEW BRAINTREE.

In politics the Federalists, Whigs and Republicans have in succession usually been in a majority. Not- able exceptions occurred in the reign of the Know- nothing party and in the Presidential election in 1884, when Blaine and Cleveland polled the same number of votes. The greater inequality was in 1803, when Gerry, the Democratic candidate for Gov- ernor, received only one vote against eighty for Strong, his opponent. There has been but little dis- position for frequent changes in office. Men once chosen to office, and proving themselves capable and faithful therein, have received the continued support of the people.

In 1796 Whitney wrote of the people of New Braintree, "They have the reputation of being good husbandmen, frugal and industrious, and they live much independent." This frugality and industry brought most of them a competence and many wealth. But this wealth was held in no miserly spirit. They could beautify their own homes and the Lord's house, erect and sustain a public house of entertainment in the interests of temperance, give liberally to promote education at home and abroad, and in support of all benevolent objects. They were liberal in appropriations for musical education. The "independent " spirit referred to increased with the increase of wealth and intelligence. There was a just pride in the relative position the town held among other towns and in the character of its men.

INDIVIDUALS .- Of the early settlers, Capt. Eleazer Warner was already a veteran soldier. He was born in 1686, and early entered the military service of his country during the French and Indian Wars. At twenty-seven, was an attendant of a commission sent by Governor Dudley to Canada to redeem prisoners in the hands of the French ; is on record, at forty, as teacher of the first school taught in Brookfield. In 1822 he married Prudence, sister of Comfort Barnes, who built the first house on Brookfield soil, that after- ward became New Braintree, and located on the south bank of Sucker Brook, opposite to the house of Jon- athan Nye; removed 1730 to the place known after- wards as the "Perez Cobb " place, near the North Cemetery, a portion of which house he built. In the " History of Hardwick" he is referred to as probably the first settler in Hardwick, and his son, Wareham, as the first white child born on New Braintree soil ; his nephew, Joseph Barnes, was the second. His farm included a part of the Indian fort before referred to.

Three brothers, active in the town's early history, were David, James and Jonathan Woods, who came from Marlboro' respectively in 1744, 1746 and 1752. David was town clerk (1750-78) and assessor ; Jona- thau, second representative to General Court; James, moderator, treasurer, delegate to Provincial Congress and first representative to General Court. Jacob Pepper was at least fifty times moderator of town- meetings. John Barr, who came from Ireland about 1730, became the owner of five hundred acres of land

in the southwestern part of the town, including a large part of present School District No. 5. Corne- lius Cannon came from Dartmouth in 1737, and set- tled on present residence of Mr. Graves. John Pea- cock, a native of Ireland, was a soldier in the French and Indian War, and his son, John, Jr., an adjutant in Col. Timothy Ruggles' regiment, 1757. Oliver Cobleigh was also a soldier in that war. The Abbots, Barneses, Gilberts and Cannons were all connected by marriage, as well as the Peppers, Woods and Barrs. Abraham Hunter, the father of all the Hunters ex- cept Robert, came in 1753, having purchased a large tract of land in the east part of Braintree grant, which he divided among his sons and daughters. Daniel Matthews, who erected the saw-mill in 1749 at Webb's Pond, married Huldah, sister of Gen. Rufus Putnam. To him the general was apprenticed at fifteen years of age. Mr. Matthews was a member of Committee of Correspondence and an inspector of tea-drinkers, 1774, Wm. Tufts came from Brook- field in 1758, purchased land of Richard Faxon, an original proprietor, and was for many years a mem- ber of the School Committee.

Joseph Bowman came from Lexington about 1765. He was an ensign of a company of fifty men from this town who marched to Boston on the report of the attack upon the company at Lexington on the 19th of April, 1775. He soon after joined the army, and commanded a battalion at the battle of Bennington and other battles, which resulted in the capture of Burgoyne. He was not only a leading man in New Braintree, but his family, uniting the blood of the Bowmans and Munroes of Lexington, became one of the most influential in this part of Worcester County. His daughters intermarried with the Delanos, Woods, Matthews, Fields, Hoyts, &c., in the town. His son, Hon. Joseph Bowman, born September 11, 1771, entered mercantile business in his minority in New Braintree without capital or expectation of any. His marriage with the sister of his partner, Col. Henry Penniman, materially aided him, but he was mainly indebted for his success to his untiring energy, industry and perseverance, his sagacity, judgment and unyielding integrity. He remained in trade thirty-five years, and accumulated a large fortune. He became the leading merchant in the region, and his store the principal place of resort for surrounding towns. For twenty-one years he was president of the Hampshire Manufacturers' Bank at Ware. In politics a Whig, but always reserving the right of individual action, independent of party. Office sought him, not he the office. He was elected representative to the General Court in 1806 and thirteen times thereafter ; Senator, 1828-29; member of Governor Lincoln's Council in 1832-34. He was a liberal supporter of religious and educational institutions. In private life most agreeable, hospitable, courteous and even- tempered. Few retain the confidence of the public as long as he. He died January 30, 1852.

682

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

Henry Penniman came from Mendon, 1785, and was for many years the largest landholder in value, if not in acreage. His gifts to the town were, in 1795, six acres of land for a training-field (value, $333.33), east of Centre, and $300 for a new bell in 1800. His son, Colonel Henry Pennimau, and Joseph Bowman gave a new town clock in 1802; was partner in trade with Mr. Bowman 1793-1813; also gave an organ for the church, and his family supplied it with players for more than thirty years, one daughter commencing at nine years of age. Colonel Penniman was a trustee and a liberal donor to the funds of Amherst College; was much in town affairs and twice Representative, but declined more honors.

Lieutenant Samuel Mixter came from Brookfield, 1775, and reared a large family, who became con- nected by marriage with the Tidds, Popes and Greens. His son, Honorable Samuel Mixter, was in nearly every town office, and settled estates, etc .; Repre- sentative, 1818-19; Senator, 1833-35; Councillor, 1837-38. A man of great native sagacity and in- fluence.

The three brothers Tidd came from Lexington (Ebenezer and Joseph, 1768), the former receiving by his father a large portion of the farm formerly occu- pied by Hollis Tidd, the latter the farm now occupied by Mr. Mahan. Benjamin came in 1790, and located where Frank Roch now lives. He was a member of the company under Parker that took part in the struggle at Lexington, April 19th, at Cambridge, June 17th, and served Dorchester the following year. Ebenezer, as well as his sou Hollis, were prominent men ; the latter was an aid to General Crawford, School Committee over thirty years ; Representative, and filled other offices. The limited space allotted to New Braintree in this history of the county forbids mentiou, as they deserve, of many others equally prominent and influential, such as Captain Benjamin Joslyn, Gideon and Philip Delano (the latter a model town clerk for thirty-four years), Elisha Mathews, Colonel Roswell Converse (who, in compliance with Dr. Fiske's wish, bought and fitted a parsouage, run- ning the risk of returns for the investment), Josiah Gleason, Amasa Bigelow, James Bowdoin and scores of others (not omitting the women), some of whose names are on record and more not, all of whom con- tributed equally, by private virtues as well as public services, to make the town in a peculiar sense a representative New England town.

Of the original settlers the following are, with one or two exceptions, resident descendants :

David Woods. [ Hon. Bonum Nye.

Mrs. Wm. Bowdoin.

James Woods.

Mrs. D. G. Barr.

John Barr

and D. G. Barr.

Jona. Woods

Moses Thompson.

James Thompson. C. B. Thompson.

Miss E. A. Hoyt.

Eleazer Warner. R. P. Warner.

Wm. Anderson. Wm. E. Anderson.

Jacob Nichols. H. L. Pollard.

Sam'l Harrington. Nath'l Harrington.

Abraham Hunter. John Hunter. Mary Hunter. Hon. Washington Tufts, who, a life- long Democrat, was sent, 1875, to Wm. Tufts. the State Senate from a Republican district. Geo. K. Tufts.

Adam Homes. S Mrs. C. Wilcox. ( Mrs. D. Wetherill.

John Barr.

J. H. Barr.

George Woods. Mrs. J. H. Barr.

Jona. Woods. and Geo. D. Woods.

Jacob Pepper.

Joseph Pepper. All of that name.

Ebenezer Tidd. - Mrs. J. P. Gleason.

Benjamin Tidd. - Mrs. Charles Burt.

H. A. Hoyt.

Geo. K. Tufts.

Joseph Bowman. Miss E. A. Hoyt.

Mrs. H. M. Tufts.

Daniel Mathews.

Geo. K. Tufts.

LOCATION .- So far as known, the original settlers located themselves as follows, the secoud column indicating present occupants of their farms, with due allowance for additions and subtractions incidental to a century and a half:

Former. Present.

James Robinson Col. Robinson Place, Hardwick

John Wilson. Thomas Loring

James Thompson, .Est. M. H. Fay

Jona. Cobleigh E. of Geo. Needham

John Blair .. Josiah Bush, near Poud

Jacob Nichols H. L. Pollard

John Barr. .John Cooney, where house was burned

Abram Joslyn Edwin Hoar

Joseph Little .C. P. and H. I. Howard

Eleazer Warver .. L. Crawford, " Perez Cobb house"

Beriab Hawes, Dennis Healey, on discontinued road to Hardwick Edward Blair .. Jerry Mara

David Woods Alfred Boyden

James Woods Horatio Moore

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History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 181

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