History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 67

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 67

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At the first town-meeting, holden March 25, 1765, William Whitcomb was chosen town clerk, and Dea- con Samuel Fellows, Tristram Cheney, James Cole- man, John Rich and Jonathan Gates selectmen. A long list of minor town offices were selected with unanimity, and certainly with a rare measure of im- partiality, which bestowed an office upon nearly every citizen. From this date to the Revolution the town was prospered in its internal affairs and made considerable advance in population. The more prominent settlers who arrived immediately preced- ing and subsequent to the date of incorporation were: Jonathan Taylor, Jonathan Gates, Nathan Melvin, Stephen Ames, David Clark, John Conn, Samuel Salter, John Adams, William Benjamin, Joshna Bil- lings, Amos Dickinson, Jacob Harris, Joseph Met- calf, Abijah Joslin, Samuel Nichols, Ephraim Stone, Oliver Stone, Caleb Ward, Samuel Wilder, John Willard, Jacob Willard, Oliver Weatherbee and Phinehas Weatherbee.

ECCLESIASTICAL .- Very early in the proceedings of the proprietors a committee was selected to locate a tract of land for a burial-ground and the site of the

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future meeting-honse. The committee promptly re- ported November 10, 1736, that the meeting-house lot, containing ten acres, had been located "on a hill 180 rods sonth of a great pond (Upper Naukeag), and has a very fair prospect." To the present time the original boundaries on the southwest and north sides have suffered no change, while on the east side a nar- row strip has been severed from the public grounds and added to the farm now of Benjamin Cushing. The first meeting-honse, erected 1739 or 1740, was not injured during the years the settlement was aban doned, and it silently invited occupancy twenty years before the organization of a church and the settle- ment of a minister. During the later years of this period several sums of money were appropriated for the support of preaching, but the amount raised for this purpose clearly indicates that the meeting-house was occupied only a small part of the time. A con- siderable number of the settlers were members of the church in Lunenburg, and there many of the children born in Dorchester Canada previous to 1760 were baptized. In 1759 a more liberal appropriation was made, and Mr. Jonathan Winchester was here during a considerable part of the year. A call was extended November 27, 1759, and he was ordained April 23, 1760. The same day a church was organized. The covenant bears the signature of Mr. Winchester and of twelve male residents of the settlement, six of whom were Germans. The membership during the first eight years was above fifty. The peaceful and successful ministry of Mr. Winchester was abruptly ended by his death, after a brief illness, November 26, 1767. Rev. Jonathan Winchester was of the fourth generation of his family in this country. He was born in Brookline, April 21, 1717, and was graduated at Harvard University, 1737. He was a son of Henry and Frances (White) Winchester, grandson of John and great-grandson of John, the emigrant ancestor. He was a teacher in his native town twenty years, and entering the ministry late in life, his first and only settlement was at Ashburnham. The superior merit and character of the man are clearly reflected in the records and traditions of the town. In him firmness was softened with mercy, and the ministerial austerity of his time was tempered with mildness of manner and gentleness of heart. With these quali- ties of mind and of heart he secured the willing love and confidence of his parish. He married, May 5, 1748, Sarah Crofts, of Brookline, where six of their ten children were born. Mrs. Winchester died in this town July 27. 1794.

The second minister was Rev. John Cushing, D.D., who was ordained November 2, 1768, and who con- dneted a successful ministry until his death, April 27, 1823. These many years of service were crowned with the rewards of faithful labor and a peaceful ad- ministration of parochial affairs. From the " History of Ashburnham " the following lines are borrowed :

In stature, Mr. Cushing was tall and portly ; in bearing dignified and

erect. He moved with precision and with the incisive mark of strength and vigor. As the infirmity of age grew upon him, his step was slower but never faltering ; his form became slightly bowed but lost none of its original dignity and commanding presence. His mild blue eye and the serenity of his countenance were undimmed even when his whitened and flowing locks were counting the increasing furrows of age in bie face.

As a preacher he adhered to the fundamental doctrines of his creed and supported them with frequent quotation from the Scriptures. The plan of his discoursa was Incid and his methods of reasoning direct and logical. If he was tenacious in the use of set terms and forms of epeech, he invariably applied them with aptness and precision. He did not rely on the abundance of words or the exhibition of emotion, but upon the weight and sequence of the central truthe which formed the theme of his discourse. His voice was clear, strong and plensing. He read his sermons closely end without gesture. In delivery he was moderate, earnest and impressive.

He was pre-eminently n minister of the olden time. His parish was his field of labor and no one was neglected. His charge was his con- stant thought and duty, and while he watched for the fruit of his labor, he toiled on with unfailing hope and courage. Even in the decline of life and under the weight of nearly eighty years his service was accept- able and his parish united in their love and respect for their venerable teacher. At every fireside the serenity of his conntenance, the wisdom of his speech and the purity of his life and example were continually deepening the impression and enforcing the influences of his public ministrations.

It seems that the affection of his perish increased as he paled and grew feeble in their service. And when death came and stilled the pulsations of his warm and generous heart, his people paid a fitting tribute in the lines of sorrow engraved on every countenance. From that hour the voice of tradition began to assert that his genius was solid ; his under- stending clear ; his judgment strong; his memory faithful ; his emo- tions cool and restrained, yet his sympathies tender and his affections warm ; that his resolution and perseverance were unusual, that he was faithful to every trust and that his heart was so honest, his friendship so sincere and his tongue nnder such control, that his smile was a benedic- tion and his speech a sermon.

Rev. John Cushing, D.D. (Harvard University, 1764), was born in Shrewsbury, August 22, 1744. He was the son of Rev. Job and Mary (Prentice) Cush- ing, and a lineal descendent of the Cushing fami- ly of Hingham. He received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Harvard University, 1822. He mar- ried, September 28, 1769, Sarah Parkman, daughter of Rev. Ebenezer and Hannah (Breck) Parkman, of Westborongh, who died in this town March 12, 1825. Until near the close of the pastorate of Rev. Dr. Cushing the churches, not only in this vicinity, but in a more extended circle, were closely allied in doc- trinal views and declarations of covenant. In many places there were dissenters and here and there inde- pendent churches, but a large majority assented to the doctrines of the " standing order." In the midst of more diversity of creed during the past half-century or more, the first church in Ashburnham has remained in full relations with the orthodox or Trinitarian Congregationalists. Since the death of Mr. Cushing nine ministers have been installed over the church, and six have supplied abont thirty years. The ministry has been continuous, and no serious contention has arisen between the pastor and the people. In present- ing the names of these many pastors the limits of this sketch will preclude extended notices.

The third minister was Rev. George Perkins, son of Dr. Elisha and Sarah (Douglas) Perkins, born in Plainfield, Conn., October 19, 1783; ordained at Ashburnham, February 25, 1824; dismissed at his re-

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quest July 3, 1832 ; died at Norwich, Conn., Septem- ber 15, 1852. Rev. George Goodyear, born in Ham- den, Conn., December 9, 1801, son of Simeon and Hannah (Beadsley) Goodyear; installed October 10, 1832; dismissed November 16, 1841 ; died at Temple, N. H., November 18, 1884. Rev. Edward Jennison, son of William and Phebe (Field) Jennison, born in Walpole, N. H., August 26, 1805 ; installed May 12, 1842; dismissed May 12, 1846; died in Conway, Mass. Rev. Elnathan Davis, son of Ethan and Sarah (Hubbard) Davis, born in Holden, Mass., Au- gust 19, 1807; installed September 16, 1846; dis- missed May 21, 1851; died April 9, 1881. Rev. Frederick A. Fiske, son of Rev. Elisha and Margaret (Shepard) Fiske, born in Wrentham, Mass., April 15, 1816; installed December 30, 1851; dismissed April 17, 1854; died at North Attleborough, Mass., Decem- ber 15, 1878. Rev. Elbridge G. Little, son of Joseph and Rebecca (Webster) Little, born in Hampstead, N. H., November 11, 1817 ; installed August 22, 1855 ; dismissed May 13, 1857; died at Wesley, Mass., De- cember 29, 1869. Rev. Thomas Boutelle, son of James and Abigail (Fairbanks) Boutelle, born in Leominster, Mass., February 1, 1805 ; supplied from the spring of 1857 to January, 1863; died in Fitch- burg, Mass., November 28, 1866. Rev. George E. Fisher, son of Rev. George and Mary (Fiske) Fisher, born in Harvard, Mass., January 22, 1823 ; installed May 21, 1863 ; dismissed September 2, 1867. Rev. Moody A. Stevens, son of David and Elizabeth (Ryder) Stevens, born in Bedford, N. H., February 7, 1828 ; supplied from 1867 to 1870. Rev. Leonard S. Parker, son of William and Martha (Tenney) Parker, born in Dunbarton, N. H., December 6, 1812 ; supplied 1870 to 1876. Rev. Daniel E. Adams, son of Rev. Darwin and Catherine (Smith) Adams, born in Hollis, N. H., June 22, 1832; supplied from July 16, 1876, to July 5, 1885. The past three years has been an era of temporary supplies.

At intervals between the pastorates, Rev. Josiah D. Crosby has supplied a longer time than several of the pastors named. During the last forty years of a useful life, with brief interruptions, he resided in this town. He was a son of Fitch and Rebecca (Davis) Crosby, and was born in Ashburnham, March 1, 1807. He died June 8, 1888. The second meeting-house, built 1791, was located on the Old Common, and near the site of its primitive prede- cessor. The third and present church edifice was erected in Central Village, 1833, and dedicated Feb- ruary 19, 1834.

In the autumn of 1793 Rev. Jonathan Hill preached the first Methodist sermon in this town, and a society was gathered the following year. Rev. Lorenzo Dow, Rev. John Broadhead, a presiding elder, and Bishops Whatcoat and Asbury are in- cluded among the early preachers at the house of Silas Willard, Esq. In 1831 the Ashburnham and Westminster Societies were united, and constituted a

station. A meeting-house was built on Main Street, and dedicated July 4, 1832. This building is now owned and occupied by the Catholic Society. The present commodious edifice was built 1870. Previous to 1832 sixty-five preachers were assigned to the sta- tion to which the Methodist Church in Ashburnham belonged, and since that date thirty-six appoinments have been made by the Conference. From the first the organization has been perpetual, and a vigorous society has been maintained.

To accommodate families in that portion of the town, a meeting-house was erected at North Ashburnhan, 1842, and a church with Evangelical proclivities was embodied February 21, 1843. At no time has the membership been large, and public ministrations have not been continuously sustained. In 1860 the church was disbanded, and the "Second Congregational Church of Ashburnham," with an amended creed, was organized.

The Catholics of Ashburnham held services in the town hall several years, and since 1871 have owned and occupied the edifice erected by the Methodists in 1832. The church is under the spiritual direction of Father John Conway, who is also in charge of the church in Winchendon.

MILITARY HISTORY .- That the inhabitants of a typical New England town were patriotic during the Revolution can safely be assumed; that they met the trials of the times with heroism and uncomplainingly assented to the severest exactions of their country can be asserted without fear of contradiction. The Revo- lutionary sketches of towns which crowd the pages of the Gazetteer laboriously demonstrate that which never has been denied. Many of these local histories of the Revolution written upon the suggested plan are inter- changeable. Each possesses so many features common, to them all that the conventional sketch, with a change of local terms, with equal truth would apply to any other town. The repeated requisition of the govern- ment for men, for money, for food and for clothing were demands alike upon all the towns of the infant Commonwealth, and quotas were distributed with equal impartiality. The volume varied with the population of the several towns, yet the demand was applicable to them all. The scene and the players were new in every town, yet the drama was universal and every- where the same.

The population of Ashburnham in 1776 was five hundred and fifty-one. On account of the immigra- tion from the older and more exposed towns near the seaboard, there was a considerable increase in popu- lation in this and other towns in this vicinity during the war, yet probably the number of inhabitants did not exceed eight hundred during the years of the Revo- lution. The records of Ashburnham do not contain the names of any who were in the army. The record of service presented in the following paragraphs has been compiled from the archives of the State, from papers filed in the Department of Pensions and from

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papers in the possession of societies and individuals. As early as 1773 the under-current of public sentiment found expression in a warrant for a town-meeting, "To see if the town will consider the general griev- ances that are laid upon us by acts of Parliament, and disposing of our monies without onr consent." What- ever debate ensued, there is no record of a vote at this time; but in July, 1774, the town was again assembled, and it was then voted, "that the Covenant sent from Boston be read, and accordingly it was read ; then a motion was made for an alteration and that Doctor Senter, George Dana, Elisha Coolidge, Samuel Nichols and Jonathan Samson be a committee to alter said Covenant, and adjourned said meeting for half an hour, and then said Covenant was altered to the acceptance of the town. Voted that Elisha Coolidge and Samuel Nichols be a committee to keep the Cove- nant after it is signed." The covenant which was sent to all the towns for signature was a solemn pledge that those who subscribed would abstain from the purchase and use of specified articles of British mer- chandise, and that at the risk of life and fortune they would resist the officers holding commissions under the oppressive acts of Parliament. About this time the town was represented by Jonathan Taylor at the memorable Worcester Convention, which recom- mended the several towns within its influence to im- mediately appoint military officers, to organize minute- men, to procure arms and ammunition, and to provide for any emergency that may arise. In September of this year, and in harmony with the vote of the sur- rounding towns, it was voted to indemnify the officers in the event they were harmed for not returning a list of jurors, as required by Parliament. At the same meeting Jonathan Taylor was chosen a representative to the Provincial Congress, which assembled October 11th, at Concord.

Following the recommendations of the Worcester Convention the town, September 3, 1774, voted "to buy half a hundred of powder, one hundred of lead and ten dozen of flints as a town stock." At this meeting Abijah Joslin was chosen captain, Deliverance Davis lieutenant and Ebenezer Conant, Jr., ensign, of the minute-men. A committee of Safety and Corre- spondence was also chosen; they were Samuel Nichols, Jonathan Samson, Deliverance Davis, Abijah Joslin and Jonathan Taylor. With these preparations for the future, the town awaits the events of another and a more eventful year. Early the following spring Deliverance Davis and Jonathan Gates were captains of the companies in this town, but there is no record of their election or appointment. A prominent, and subsequently an honored, citizen is not named in these initial proceedings, and there is a tradition that Samuel Wilder was a little tardy in espousing the cause of American independence, and that he was waited upon by a self-constituted committee. His hesitation, if any existed, was of brief duration, and his subsequent opinions and conduct were approved

by his townsmen, who frequently elected him to office during the war and many succeeding years. Swiftly following these measures of preparation, the sudden intelligence that a detachment of British troops had left Boston and were marching inland, was brought to Ashburnham in the afternoon of April 19th, and an alarm was immediately sounded. A company of thirty-eight men quickly assembled, and marched that afternoon under the command of Captain Jonathan Gates. Other men from the remoter parts of the town continued to assemble on the old Common, and with hasty preparations awaited the dawn of another day. In the gray of the morning a second company, con- taining thirty-three men, and commanded by Captain Deliverance Davis, hastened forward to scenes of anticipated danger. These companies, in connection with many others simultaneously summoned to the field, marched to Cambridge and remained there with the gathering army about two weeks, and until they were discharged. When these companies were dis- handed, nineteen by re-enlistment continued with the army and the remainder returned to their homes. The rolls of the two companies contain the following names :

Jonathan Gates, captain ; Amos Dickinson, lieutenant ; Ezra Atherton, lieutenant ; George Dana, William Wilder, Joseph Metcalf and Ebenezer Burgess, sergeants ; Daniel Hobart, Peter Joslin and Francis Lane, cor- porals ; Joseph Stone, drummer ; Amos Lawrence, Phinebas Wetherbee, Moses Russell, Nathaniel Parker, Henry Gates, Samuel Joslin, Jonathan W. Smith, David Robinson, Jacob Kiblinger, Henry Hall, Amos Kendall, Henry Winchester, Samuel Willard, Philip Locke, Aaron Samson, Samuel Salter, John Gates, Jonathan Winchester, Daniel Edson, Joseph Wilder, Nathaniel Harris, John Whitney, Joshua 1Tolt, Ebenezer Wood, Philip Winter, David Clark, Jr. Deliverance Davis, captain ; Ebenezer Conant, Jr., lieutenant; John Conn, lieutenant; Oliver Stone, John Adams and Samuel Cutting, sergeants ; Shubael Hobart, Timothy Wood and Oliver Whitcomb, corporals ; Elijah Edson, drummer ; Isaac Mer- riam, Oliver Willard, Uriab Holt, William Whitcomb, William Benja- min, Jacob Constantine, Caleb Ward, Enos Jones, Nathan Melvin, Na- thaniel Hastings, Sammuel Mason, Ephraim Wetherbee, David Clark, Isaac Blodgett, Joshua Hemenway, Jobn Hall, John Kiblinger, John Putnam, Jacob Willard, Joshna Holden, Jonathan Taylor, Jonathan Taylor, Jr., Joseph Perry.

In the organization of an army from the companies at Cambridge, a company was recruited from the men from this vicinity. They were under the command of Capt. David Wilder in Col. Whitcomb's regiment. In this company Jonathan Gates was lieutenant, Francis Lane and Peter Joslin were sergeants. The other men from Ashburnham were:

Joshua Holt, Jacob Kiblinger, Philip Locke, David Robinson, Samuel Salter, Aaron Samson, Henry Hall, Henry Winchester, Samuel Willard, John Whitney, Ebenezer Wood, Philip Winter, David Clark, Jr., Joshua Hemenway, John Farmer, Joseph Smith, Jr., Jonathan Gates, Jr., Isaac Blodgett, Jobn Locke, Jacob Winter, Daniel Edson.

Other Ashburnham men who enlisted at this time were David Clark, Uriah Holt and Thomas Dutton. These men participated in the siege of Boston, and remained in the service until the close of the year. It is probable that the whole of Colonel Whitcomb's regiment was not called into action at the battle of Bunker Hill, but it is certain that Captain Wilder's company of that regiment was warmly engaged on

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that memorable day. Clark, Holt and Dutton were also in the battle, and several others who subsequently removed to Ashburnham, but at the time were resi- dents of other towns, shared the danger aud glory of the engagement. Upon the discharge of Captain Wilder's company, after a service of eight months, there was a call for men to serve a short term, while recruits for a longer term of service were being en- listed. Among these recruits appear the names of Jonathan Gates, Jr., Jonathan Samson, Jr., Joseph Metcalf, his son, Ezekiel Shattuck Metcalf, and David Merriam. At the annual March meeting, 1776, Jona- than Taylor, John Willard, Jonathan Samson, Abijah Joslin and Ebenezer Conant, Jr., were chosen a Committee of Correspondence, The selectmen who were active agents in the prosecution of the war were William Whitcomb, John Kiblinger and Oliver Wil- lard. In May, 1776, the General Court adopted an order calling upon the people to express an opinion concerning a formal separation from Great Britain. The citizens of this town were promptly assembled in town-meeting. The article in the warrant and the vote of the town are transcribed from the records :

Article 2. To see if the Inhabitants of said Towo are willing to stand by the Honorable Congress in declaring the Colonies Independent of the Kingdom of Great Britain with their lives and fortunes to Support them in the measure.

June 28, 1776. Pursuant to the above warrant the town being met made choice of Mr. Elisha Coolidge, moderator.

Voted. We the Inhabitants of the Town of Ashburnham, in Town meeting assembled being sensible of the disadvantage of having any further connections with the Kingdom of Great Britain and are will- ing to break off all connections with them and it is our Resolution that if the Honorable Congress shall declare the Colonies Independent of the Kingdom of Great Britain that we the said Inhabitants will stand by them with our lives and fortunes to support them in the measure.

The foregoing motion being put was voted unanimously.

In due course of time the Declaration of Indepen- dence, which was foreshabowed by similar votes in other towns, was received in printed form by the patriots of this town. It was formally read from the pulpit by Rev. Dr. Cushing, and subsequently tran- scribed upon the records of the town. Other men who were called into the service during the year 1776 were Ebenezer Bennett Davis, Daniel Putnam, Uriah Holt, Thomas Ross, David Taylor, John Kiblinger, Jacob Kiblinger, John Hall, William Ward, Jacob Rodiman, David Stedman, Nicholas Whiteman, Peter Joslin, Philip Winter, Daniel Ho- bart. Of these, Peter Joslin died while returning from the army, Philip Winter died in the service, and Daniel Hobart was killed at the battle of White Plains, October 28, 1776. For the year 1777, the selectmen were Samnel Wilder, John Willard, Jona- than Samson, Jonathan Taylor and Abijah Joslin ; and the Committee of Safety and Correspondence were Samnel Foster, William Wilder, Enos Jones, Joseph Metcalf and Francis Lane. In the rolls of the Massachusetts Regiment, raised for the defence of Rhode Island, appear the names of John Kiblin-

ger, Jacob Rodiman, Samnel Metcalf, Jonathan Coolidge and William Ward.

To avoid the inconvenience experienced during the preceding two years, on account of the short term of enlistment, and to create a more stable and a better disciplined army, orders were given early in 1777 to establish the regiments on the Continental plan, and recruit their decimated ranks with men, enlisted for three years, or during the war. For this purpose the quota of Ashburnham was sixteen, and an earnest effort was made to supply the required number. Thirteen men enlisted and were mustered into service May 26, 1777, for three years, as follows : Ebenezer Bennett Davis, David Clark, David Clark, Jr., John Winter, Thomas Pratt, Samnel Mason, John White, Paul Sawyer, Jacob Lock, Thomas Ross, Joshna Holden, Timothy Johnson and Adam Rodi- man.

The town hired Francis Lee, of Pepperell, Andrew Foster, of Andover, and Josialı Fessenden, of Boston, to complete the quota. The summer of this year was a season of unusual excitement and alarm. The intelligence of the loss of Crown Point and Ticonderoga, and the uninterrupted advance of General Burgoyne created a widespread sentiment of the most painful apprehension. There was an im- perative call for troops, and immediately followed the startling tidings that the enemy were invading Vermont and threatening the western counties of Massachusetts. The town was promptly in arms, and Captain Jonathan Gates with a company of men marched to Charlemont. Other companies from the neighboring towns had manifested equal diligence and were in the immediate vicinity. In the mean time the American army opposing Burgoyne had retreated into New York, and the theatre of war had been removed. These hastily-formed companies were then dismissed, and returned home after an absence of three weeks. It was an unorganized expedition, and no rolls of the companies are found. Scarcely had tbese men returned to their homes and the labor of their fields, before a renewed and equally imperative call was heard. An engagement was imminent, and the militia was ordered to the support of the American army. Again Captain Gates called out his company, and, hurriedly equipped, they marched again to Charlemont and to Williamstown, and thence to Bennington, Vt., arriving there the second day after the victory of General Stark. Thence they marched to Fort Edward, N. Y .; here a part of them remained until discharged, while others were engaged in the battles of Stillwater and Sara- toga.

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History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 67

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