History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 198

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 198

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).

According to tradition, the first place of burial was on the southwest corner of the farm of Obadiah Mc- Intire, which is now owned by David O. Horn. The land is now covered by a growth of wood of consid- erable size, but the rough, unlettered stones, set to mark the graves, can readily be found. In 1762 it was voted " to lay out a burying-ground as near our meeting-house as the land will admit of, if the land may be had." In 1763 it was voted "to accept an acre of land, a little south of Ebenezer McIntire's barn, for a burying-ground for yº district to bury their dead."

A little later a burial-place was provided at the north part of the town, called the North Side Bury- ing-ground, and another in the south part, called the Dresser Hill Burying-ground. All these lots have been enlarged, and are still used as burial-places. Any family or person in town has had the privilege of selecting any unappropriated lot when needed, but no person has been allowed to select a lot until wanted. The town has an income from a legacy of five hundred dollars from Thomas J. Spurr, and also

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HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

from a legacy of two hundred dollars from Mrs. Ruth Twiss, which, according to the terms of the bequests, are used mainly for the improvement of the Centre Burying-ground.

In the war of the Revolution Charlton bore its share of burdens resolutely. There was no failure in furnishing the quotas of men required. Liberal bounties were paid the soldiers who served in the army, and they were, as far as possible, supplied by the town with clothing and blankets, and their fami- lies were provided for during their absence. A meet- ing was held August 19, 1773, to take into considera- tion a letter from the Committee of Correspondence of Boston. A committee was chosen, consisting of Deacon Jonas Hammond, Captain Richard Dresser and Captain Nathaniel Blood, "to draw up resolves relating to the unconstitutional burdens laid on the province." The report of the committee was as fol- lows :

Gentlemen, -We have taken into serious consideration the pamphlet sent us from Boston, whereiu the rights and privileges of this province are clearly stated, and the infringements made thereon justly pointed out. We return our sincere thanks to the town of Boston for the vigilance and firmness in support of the country, which has been very conspicuous in that metropolis, and will heartily join in all such measures as may appear most conducive to the restoration of our invaluable privileges from the hand of oppression.

The report of the committee was approved, and Jonas Hammond, Richard Dresser, Nathaniel Blood, Ebenezer Hammond, Stephen Fay, John Dresser and Ebenezer Foskett were chosen a Committee of Correspondence.

September 12, 1774, it was voted to provide one hundred and fifty pounds of powder, three hundred pounds of lead and fifty dozen flints, and eighteen pounds, lawful money, was voted to pay for the same. Ezra McIntire, constable, was instructed to make no return of jurors, according to the late order. October 10, 1774, Captain Jonathan Tucker was chosen dele- gate to attend the Provincial Congress to be held at Concord the second Tuesday of the month. At the same meeting it was voted to furnish the regular troops with no implements, labor, etc. December 22d the constables were directed to pay what prov- ince money they had collected, or might collect, to Henry Gardner, of Stow, for the use of the province, agreeable to the advice of the Provincial Congress. January 9, 1775, Captain Jonathan Tucker was chosen delegate to attend the Provincial Congress to be held at Cambridge the 1st day of February follow- ing. And at the same meeting Captain Samuel Curtis, Captain Richard Dresser, Lieutenant William Tuck- er, Ezra McIntire and Ebenezer Foskett were chosen a committee to see that the directions of the Conti- nental and Provincial Congresses were strictly ad- hered to. It was also voted to aid and assist and protect the constables in collecting the province tax. March 6th it was voted " to make the men in the dis- trict some allowance for disciplining themselves." May 22, 1775, Rev. Caleb Curtis was chosen a dele-

gate to attend the Provincial Congress to be held at Watertown. March 4, 1776, Nathaniel Jones, Eben- ezer Foskett and Thomas Parker were chosen a Com- mittee of Correspondence, Inspection and Safety, and in June following Ezra McIntire and Caleb Am- midown were added to the committee. At the meet- ing in March Daniel Streeter was allowed one pound and eight shillings for carrying blankets to the army. June 17, 1776, the town voted to support the Conti- Dental Congress in declaring independence of Great Britain.

March 18, 1777, the town voted to give their men who should eulist into the Continental service for the term of three years, or during the war, the sum of twenty pounds each, in addition to the bouuty given by the Continental Congress and the State, and that the money for the purpose should be raised by a gen- eral assessment, in order that all the inhabitants and estates should pay an equal proportion in defending civil and religious privileges. This vote was passed in accordance with the recommendation of a commit- tee chosen to devise means to raise the quota of men required of the town as speedily as possible.

June 9, 1777, Lieutenant John Edwards was chosen "to procure and lay before the court the evidence that might be had of the inimical disposition of any inhabitant of the town towards this or any of the United States who might be charged by the freehold- ers, or other inhabitants, with being a person whose residence in the State was dangerous to the public peace and safety."

By a vote of the town, the names of Obadiah McIn- tire, Eleazer McIntire, Eleazer Mclntire, Jr., and Jesse McIntire were placed on the list of suspected persons. It is not known that any evidence was ever procured and laid before the court tending to prove that the residence of either in the State was danger- ons to the public peace and safety.

Jannary 20, 1778, it was voted to raise by tax the sum of eight hundred and eighty-nine pounds seven shillings and six pence, and to pay said sum into the treasury of the State by the 1st day of the next April, agreeable to an act of the General Court.

February 2, 1778, Captain Richard Dresser, Lieu- tenant Ebenezer Hammond and Daniel Williams were chosen a committe to receive subscriptions for the Continental soldiers enlisted for the town, and to convey to them, as soon as possible, such things as should be subscribed.

March 2, 1778, Nathaniel Jones, Ebenezer Foskett, Caleb Ammidown, Ezra McIntire and John Dresser were chosen a Committee of Correspondence, Inspec- tion and Safety, and Ebenezer Hammond, Nathaniel Blood and Nathaniel Goodell were chosen to provide for the families of the men from the town enlisted into the Continental army for three years, or during the war. April 2, 1778, Peter Sleeman, Reuben Davis and Benjamin Alton were chosen a committee to pro- vide shirts, stockings and shoes for the town's quota

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of men in the army, and to appraise said articles ac- cording to their quality. The committee valued the articles collected by them at one hundred and ninety- six pounds six shillings, and the town voted two hun- dred pounds to pay for the same.

March 1, 1779, John Dresser, John Edwards and Caleb Ammidown were chosen a Committee of Cor- respondence, etc., and Isaiah Blood, David Wheelock and Stephen Fay a committee to provide for the fami- lies of soldiers. In September following the town voted to raise nine hundred pounds to enable the committee to provide for said families.

March 6, 1780, Stephen Fay, David Hammond and Ezra McIntire were chosen to provide for the families of the Continental soldiers.

June 29th, the same year, the town voted six hun- dred and fifty pounds, old lawful money, to pay their soldiers for six months' service, and July 4th voted to pay such men as should enlist for three months forty shillings per month each, "to be paid iu capital, arti- cles of produce, or money equivalent thereto."

October 9, 1780, the town voted to raise three hun- dred and fifty pounds of the new or late emission, or other money equivalent thereto, to procure the town's proportion of beef, and Salem Town and David Rich were chosen to procure said beef, and in December following seven hundred pounds were voted for a like purpose, and a committee chosen to procure the beef.

June 3, 1781, it was voted to furnish each soldier that should enlist from the town for three years, or during the war, with forty hard dollars, or other money equivalent thereto.

July 16th, voted to give the men raised to go to Rhode Island forty shillings per month, and the men raised to go to headquarters for three months fifty shillings per month, and it was voted to raise three hun- dred and thirty pounds in silver and gold to provide the town's quota of beef, and Salem Town was chosen to purchase the beef. The pay-rolls, descriptive lists and other papers in the office of the Secretary of State, at Boston, contain the names of two hundred and fifty different soldiers from Charlton who were in service in the army. Of this number forty-one were in Colonel Larned's regiment at Roxbury from April, 1775, till December 26th following, and twenty-eight were in Colonel William Campbell's regiment for a shorter period. In December, 1775, thirty men were raised to reinforce the army. In 1776 forty men en- listed for one year. In March, 1777, forty-eight men were raised to complete the quota of the town. In August of the same year one-fourth of the militia (thirty-six men) were marched to Rhode Island under command of Captain Abijah Lamb.

There were enlistments of men for three years, or during the war, in 1780, and twenty-four men were drafted. Other drafts from the militia were made of men for short terms of service.

Jacob Davis, Reuben Davis, John Nichols, Samuel Curtis, and Abijah Lamb each held a captain's com- I

mission in the service, and Jonathan Tucker, William Tucker, David Rich and Robert Kelley were lieuten- ants.

According to a return made by the selectmen in 1788, in compliance with a resolve of the General Court, the town paid in bounties to soldiers who served in the war a sum equal to seven thousand nine hundred and twelve pounds silver money.

In May, 1782, the town voted to instruct their rep- resentative "to adhere strictly to the whole of the resolves and recommendations of the late county convention, held at Worcester, for the removal of divers grievances, which the good people of the com- monwealth labored under, and to take prudential care relative to the impost act, so-called, and also to use his best endeavor that there might be a more equal mode of taxation come into in the common- wealth, so that the laborer might not bear more than his just proportion of taxes." In 1783, and again in 1784, the representative was given similar instruc- tions. A towu-meeting was held August 10, 1786, to take into consideration a letter from the commit- tee of the convention held at Leicester June 26th. Caleb Curtis and Caleb Ammidown were chosen dele- gates to attend a convention to be held at Sutton, August 15th. The people of the town were earnest in their efforts to secure a removal of the grievances complained of, and there is no doubt that the men who organized the "Shays' Rebellion " had the sympathy of many of the prominent men of the town. Rev. Caleb Curtis, who had heen a delegate to the conventions held, and who was arrested and held in custody for a short time for alleged encour- agement of armed resistance of the State govern- ment, was elected a representative to the General Court in 1787.

In July, 1787, the town voted that "the se- lectmen, in the name and behalf of the town, should petition the Governor and Council to grant a full and free pardon to Capt. Henry Gale, of Princeton, who had been convicted of treason for his participation in the Rebellion, if it could be done consistent with the honor and dignity of the Government."

Interest was taken in the War of 1812, and pay in addition to what was received from government was voted men in service.

At a town-meeting held September 14, 1812, the following article was acted on : "To see what sum of money the town will raise to pay each non-commis- sioned officer and private soldier per month who has been, or may be, drafted or detached from the mili- tia of the commonwealth, who is a resident of Charl- ton while the present war with Great Britain contin- ues, provided they perform the duties of the field."

It was voted "to allow seven dollars per month in addition to the common pay to the militia that have been drafted, or that may be drafted in future to serve in the present war with Great Britain and her dependencies."

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HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

Dr. Ebenezer Borden, Dr. Dan Lamb, John Brown and John Spurr, Jr., were chosen a committee to take into consideration the measures of government. Committee of Safety was also chosen.

No action was taken by the town in regard to the war with Mexico.

During the War of the Rebellion the town was ever ready to respond to any call and to furnish men to fill any quota assigned it.

At a town-meeting held May 9, 1861, the sum of ten thousand dollars was appropriated for raising a military company and for aid to the families of those who entered the service. Volunteers were to be paid one dollar per day for time spent in preparatory drill and ten dollars per month in addition to government pay while in service, to commence when they left town. And one dollar and fifty cents per week was to be paid to the wife of any volunteer or to his family, and fifty cents per week to each child under twelve years of age. If any volunteer was killed, his pay was to be continued during the time his company was in the service. If the town failed to raise a company, volun- teers might join other companies on the same condi- tions, and any resident of the town who had joined a company of any other town and did not receive pay from said town was to be paid the same as persons joining a company of the town. R. B. Dodge, Erastus Winslow, Dexter Blood and Judson MeIntire were chosen a committee to take charge of the funds and to make payments. It was also voted to furnish such uniforms, equipments, etc., as the State did not provide.

July 28, 1862, the town voted to pay each volunteer one hundred and ten dollars when mustered into the United States service. R. B. Dodge, Levi Hammond and Jonas Bemis were chosen a committee to aid the selectmen in obtaining recruits. August 20, voted to pay one hundred and fifty dollars to volunteers and forty dollars to all who had previously enlisted, in addition to what they had previously been paid.

At a meeting held August 20, 1862, "to see what action the town would take relative to the call of the President for 300,000 additional volunteers for nine months," it was voted to pay each volunteer one hun- dred dollars when mustered into service, and that the first five to enlist should be a committee to assist the selectmen in procuring enlistments. In accordance with this vote, Rufus N. Moffit, Henry G. Lamb, Salem A. Spurr, Daniel S. Robbins and John A. Ward became the committee. The sum of four thou- sand dollars was appropriated to pay the bounties.

August 29th it was voted that the town clerk should make a record of all the soldiers that had enlisted or should enlist from the town, with the company and regiment of each, the time when mustered into service and term of enlistment.

September 24th, voted to pay the bounty to the wife or family of any volunteer who should go into camp and die before being mustered into service.

At a meeting held December 15, 1862, "to see what

measures the town would take relative to furnishing their quota of men," it was voted to pay two hundred and fifty dollars to volunteers who should enlist for three years, and four thousand dollars was appropriated to meet suchi payments.

January 15, 1864, the town voted to pay one hun- dred and fifty dollars for each volunteer to fill its quota under any call issued prior to March, 1865.

The following is from " A History of Massachusetts in the Civil War," by William Schouler: "Charlton furnished two hundred and thirteen men for the war, which was a surplus of eighteen over and above all demands. One was a commissioned officer. The whole amount of money appropriated and expended by the town on account of the war, exclusive of the State aid, was twenty-two thousand dollars. The amount of money raised and expended by the town during the war for State aid to soldiers' families and repaid by the Commonwealth was as follows: In 1861, $221.94; in 1862, $2455.99; in 1863, $4115.53 ; in 1864, $3153.22; in 1865, $1800. Total amount, $11,746.68. Population in 1860, 2047; in 1865, 1925. Valuation in 1860, 8872,454; in 1865, $909,729. The selectmen in 1861 were R. B. Dodge, Almon Samp- son, Hiram Willis; in 1862, J. H. Hathaway, Eras- tus Winslow, Alfred E. Fiske; in 1863, J. H. Hatha- way, R. B. Dodge, Gilbert Rich; in 1864, J. H. Hathaway, A. H. Marble, Andrus March; in 1865, J. H. Hathaway, Alfred E. Fiske, Reuben Rich. The town clerk and town treasurer, during all the years of the war, was Alfred E. Fiske.

J. H. Hathaway, who was chairman of the Board of Selectmen for four years, was an efficient agent in obtaining volunteers for the service.

Soldiers who were killed or who died from disease contracted in the service : Seymour Adams, Heze- kiah Aldrich, Elisha W. Buxton, Francis Clarke, Alvan B. Dugar, Henry W. Dunn, George P. Davis, Cornelius Davis, Calvin J. Darling, Manson Gould, Patrick Gil- lespie, Michael B. Hayes, William H. Kinney, George Knight, Nelson Harris, Chauncy Harris, Van Buren Mckinstry, Harry March, Andrew Moore, Living- ston Mower, Hartwell Newton, William O'Connell, Elbridge S. Perry, Elliott H. Robbins, Wilson D. Stone, Orman Stevens, Luther Spooner, Charles F. Sanger, Samuel Tourtellotte, Albert L. Williams, George W. Willard, Frederick E. Young, John A. Young, Juan Young, Charles H. Waite, Herbert Fuller, Henry S. Dealing.

William H. King, who enlisted as a private soldier at the commencement of the war and continued in service until its close, was commissioned captain be- fore his services ended.

Dr. George H. Taft was a surgeon in the army in 1862.

Mills for grinding grain and for sawing lumber were built at an early date. Before 1759 there was a mill owned by Jonathan Ballard on the place after- ward owned by Captain David Rich, and later by his

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son, John H. Rich. Other mills were in use soon after this time, and at a date not much later there were several places where potash was made.

In 1790 Thaddeus Marble and Aaron Marble com- menced the manufacture of scythes at the place now called Millward. In 1804 Aaron sold his interest to Thaddeus, who continued the business alone. Aaron afterwards with a son engaged iu the same business at the North Side.

At about the same time William Smith had a shop and manufactured scythes on the stream below what is now called Lelandville, in the southeast part of the town. The shop was afterward run by Joab May- nard and perhaps others.

A taunery had been established at the North Side before 1770 by Jonathan Wheelock. In that year Wheelock sold to Ebenezer Davis. It was afterwards owned by Israel Waters, who carried on the business of tanning and currying to a considerable extent for several years. It was afterwards owned and run by Colonel Asa Bacon and by his sons, Berthier Bacon, Alvin Bacon, and Fiske Bacon.

The business of distilling gin was quite extensively carried on at the North Side for a considerable time. Isaiah Rider and William P. Rider owned and run the first distillery there. Aaron Marble and Charles Marble commenced the business a little later, and Abner Wheelock was the last in the business at the place.

In 1828 Charles Preston and Stephen Bartlett bought land and water-power in the southeast part of the town and built a stone mill for the manufacture of cotton thread. Before the mill was put in opera- tion Preston became the sole owner, and for a time carried on the business alone. Afterward Asa Bald- win and James Boutwell were associated with him in business, which was continued until the decease of Preston, in 1839. After the death of Preston the property was purchased by Philip Potter, who con- tinued the manufacture of thread until the mill was destroyed by fire in 1849. It was never rebuilt.

For many years there was in the easterly part of. the town a mill where " home-made cloth," such as used to be made in almost every house, was dressed or finished. The last person who owned and run the mill was Amos Williams. There was a mill at Charl- ton City used for the same purpose owned by Henry Puffer. The property was at a later date purchased by Caleb Torry, who built a mill for the manufacture of woolen goods. In 1848 Michael Coogan bought the mill and run it until 1856, when Andrus March purchased the property and leased it to Baker & Bot- tomly, who run the mill about three years, mak- ing a cheap grade of satinets. In 1860 Baker and March entered into partnership and run the mill about six years, when Baker withdrew from the firni. March continued the business alone until 1875, and then rented the mill to Edward Akers and Nathan Norris, who manufactured a grade of goods that ' but of late no use has been made of them.

could be sold at a low price and afford the manufac- turers a profit. In 1878 Mr. Akers withdrew from the firm. Mr. Norris purchased the mill and continued the business alone until the mill was burned in 1885. MIe rebuilt the mill and commenced manufacturing again, but continued in the business but a short time.

In 1877 Mr Akers purchased the Thayer privilege on the stream above the March Mill and built a fac- tory with a capacity for two sets of machinery, and when the firm of Akers & Norris was dissolved, in 1878, he commenced business alone. In 1882 Fred. S. Taylor was taken as a partner in the business. The firm commenced making a better grade of goods, the buildings were enlarged and the machinery increased. Substantial picker and store-houses have been erected on the Berry privilege below. Eighty hands are em- ployed. The monthly pay-roll is two thousand dol- lars, and forty thousand yards of satinet are manu- factured monthly.

In the spring of 1888 Akers & Taylor and William B. Carpenter purchased the Norris Mill and com- menced business under the firm-name of the Cady Brook Manufacturing Company, making the same kind of goods that are made by Akers & Taylor, Thirty-five hands are employed, and thirty thousand yards of cloth made monthly. In 1880 M. D. Aldrich fitted up a mill for the manufacture of satinets a short distance west of the city. In 1882 the mill was leased to Nathaniel Taft and J. O. Copp. In 1886 Taft withdrew from the firm, since which time Copp has continued the business alone. His business affords employment to forty hands, and twenty-eight thou- sand yards of satinets are made monthly.

Joel A. Chapman, at Charlton City, runs a satinet- mill, employing twelve hands and making twelve thousand yards of cloth monthly.

George Pike commenced the manufacture of satinet at Millward in 1887. He runs one set of machinery and makes about twelve thousand yards of cloth monthly, employing twelve hands.

About 1815 Harvey Dresser, a young man of great enterprise and capacity for business, engaged exten- sively in the manufacture of furniture, carriages, har- nesses and farming implements on Dresser Hill. He continued the business until his death in 1835.

In 1843, John P. & Samuel J. Leland commenced the manufacture of augers and bits in the southeast part of the town, at the place since called Leland- ville. They continued in this business until 1861, when they engaged in making ramrods for the gov- ernment. This government contract lasted about three years, in which time they manufactured three hundred thousand ramrods. While the Lelands were in business, quite a village was built up. In 1865 they sold their shops and buildings to Henry H. Stevens, at that time the owner of the Dudley Linen Works. For several years some part of the work connected with his business was done in the shops,

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HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

Granite of good quality for working is abundant on "Rockey Hill," in the southeast part of the town. Before 1800, Rufus Wakefield and Sylvanus Wake- field commenced working the quarries. Since that time the business has been continued and has been carried on by Gibbs Dodge, Joseph Woodbury, Hor- ace Lamson and others. At the present time, W. Y. Woodbury, J. L. Woodbury and Horace L. Lamson, who carry on business under the firm-name of Wood- bury Bros. & Co., are the only persons working the quarries. Their business affords employment to about twenty men.

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History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 198

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