History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 79

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 79

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For the next two years no public action was taken in regard to the new meeting-house, partly because the people became involved in a side issue concerning the manner of singing in church. The custom was for the minister to read the psalm or hymn, then the oldest deacon present would read the first line, which the congregation would then sing, and so on to the end, each line being read and sung separately. In the winter of 1786-87 an attempt was made to intro- duce something similar to our present mode of singing, together with some new tuoes. The veteran singers did not approve of these innovations, and many characterized them as irreligious and unscriptural. Quite a dispute occurred in which the whole town became interested, and in May, 1787, there was an article in the town-meeting warrant as follows : "To see if the town will vote to come into any general rule in regard to carrying on the singing part of the pub- lic worship of God, and whether the singers shall sing a part of the time without reading, and how the psalm shall be read, whether by line or verse, or act any thing thereon." A committee was chosen to consider the matter and report at the next meeting.

In accordance with the report of this committee rendered at a town-meeting soon afterward it was voted " to sing five times in the worshipping on the Lord's day, in the following manner,-the first sing- ing before prayer, without reading; after prayer, with reading line by line, and set such tunes as the Congregation can in general sing : first in the after- noon, before prayer, without reading ; after prayer, with reading ; after sermon, without reading." This

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HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

was a compromise which suited both parties, and the innovators had the satisfaction of carrying three out of five of their points.

During these two years considerable private con- troversy was going on in regard to the location of the new meeting-house. Meanwhile Jedediah Cooper and Jacob Upion, the two tavern-keepers in the westerly part of the town, despairing of getting any satisfaction out of the town, determined, together with some of their neighbors, to have a meeting-house among themselves at any rate. They accordingly erected a frame, which was covered after a time, and used occasionally for worship. It was just within the limits of the town, and was a desolate looking building. The proprietors did not take much care of it and its shabby and dilapidated appearance earned for it the name of "the Lord's Barn." It was sold and taken down about 1825, and the proceeds of the sale (about thirty-six dollars) were divided among the proprietors.

September 9, 1788, the subject was again brought before the town by means of an article in the war- rant,-" To see if the town will erect a meeting- house in the center of the town, or receive any part of Westminster that shall be willing to join with us, and then erect a meeting-house in the nearest conve- nient place to the center."

This article was inserted by the people of the west and no action was taken on it at this meeting; but at an adjourned meeting September 23d, a committee, consisting of Moses Hale, Daniel Putnam, Jacob Upton, Asa Perry and Oliver Stickney, was chosen " to examine and find out a place to erect a meeting- house in the most convenient place to accommodate the inhabitants of the town of Fitchburg." The re- solt of the investigation of these five gentlemen was that two of them found "the most convenient place " to be in the west, two in the east, while the remain- ing one was upon the fence. Their report was ren- dered to the town October 2d, and was rejected as soon as given, and the gentlemen were promptly dis- charged from further service in that direction. Im- mediately thereafter a motion was made to place the new house on the site of the old one; this was forth- with negatived. Then, "after some consideration on the matter," as the records state, it was voted " to erect the new meeting-house in the nearest con- venient place to the center." Such brilliant progress must have astonished the people, for a few minutes later it was voted " to reconsider all votes hitherto passed relating to this matter," after which the meet- ing was adjourned to the following day.

At nine o'clock the next morning the parties proceeded to business. The first thing done was to vote "not to erect the meeting-house where it now stands." It was then moved to place it " on the hill near Phineas Sawyer's house, on the land belonging to the heirs of Mr. Ezra Upton."

This location was in the westerly part of the town,

and the motion to place the house thereon was carried, thirty-two voting in favor of it and seventeen against. Thus, by a vote of nearly two to one, it was decided to build the new house in the west, and the people in that section were greatly rejoiced thereat. A committee was chosen, consisting of Reuben Smith, Asa Perry, Phineas Sawyer, Elijah Carter and Jacob Upton, to inform the inhabitants of the west part of the town of this action and consult with them. It was voted that this committee "be in- vested with power to agree with the owners of the new frame erecting for a meeting-house in the north- westerly part of the town, if that appears cheapest for the town, -- otherways be invested with power to provide materials and timber for building a new meeting-house in the prudentest manner for said town, ou said plat of ground." This committee was directed to report at the next meeting.

This was a bitter pill for the east, and the people of that section, resolved on retaliation, called a town- meeting October 21st, "To see if the town will com- pły with a request of a number of the inhabitants of the town of Fitchburg, to grant that they, together with their respective estates and interests, may be set off from Fitchburg and annexed to Lunenburg." This was one alternative proposed by the east. The other was that the town allow the petitioners the old meeting-house, with Mr. Payson as their pastor, and let them be incorporated as a "poll parish." It was voted "to give those petitioners that called the meet- ing leave to withdraw."

The honest people, who, for the sake of peace and reconciliation, had favored the west at the meeting October 2d, were now very much alarmed. Holding the "balance of power" as they did, they were in rather an awkward predicament. If they favored the east, the west threatened to form a new parish; if they favored the west, the east evinced strong symp- toms of either forming a new parish, or returning to the parent town of Lunenburg.

Meanwhile, the gentlemen of the committee ap- pointed by the town October 2d, undannted by this blast from the east, were proseenting their labors with great zeal and confidence. They had bargained for the new frame belonging to Jacob Upton and others, prepared a site for the new house on the land of Ezra Upton's heirs and done sundry other wise things.

November 17, 1788, a town-meeting was held to hear their report, which was duly submitted, wherenpon it was voted not to accept the report, and insult was added to injury by summarily discharging the com- mittee from further service. This was done by the peacemakers, who were at their wits' ends, and this time threw their influence into the eastern scale. At this meeting a committee was chosen "to find the center of the town."

December 18, 1788, this committee reported in town- meeting that the centre of the township had been found, after a careful survey, to be on the land of one

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Thomas Boynton, about five hundred feet north of the pound. This report was accepted, and Thomas Cowdin, Phineas Hartwell, Oliver Stickney, Daniel Putnam and Paul Wetherbee were chosen a committee to bargain for a site in that locality. This committee bought of Mr. Boynton twenty-two and a half acres of land, a little south of the pound, paying therefor two dollars and thirty-three cents per acre, and the town approved this action.

This location did not suit the people in the west, and they forthwith resorted to their old scheme of forming a new town, and called two meetings for that purpose, thereby frightening the conscientious peace- makers nearly out of their wits. The petitioners, however, did not put in an appearance at either meeting, and in consequence these two meetings were uncommonly peaceable. The petition was of conrse dismissed each time. In fact, the whole thing was but a ruse on the part of the men of the west to keep the attention of the people from a deep-laid scheme which they proposed soon to spring npon the unsus- pecting public.

November 2, 1789, it was voted "to erect a new meeting-honse on the land purchased of Thomas Boynton," and a committee of seven was chosen to take charge of the matter. Two weeks later the town voted to reconsider all votes heretofore passed on this subject ; and thus, at the end of four years, the town was in the same position regarding this matter as when operations were first entered upon, with the exception of owning twenty-two and a half acres of real estate. The reason of this strange action was the culmination of the move on the part of the west, alluded to above. The people in that region, together with the inhabitants of adjoining portions of Ashby, Ashburnham and Westminster, had presented to the General Court a powerful petition for an act of incor- poration into a town.

This petition set forth in glowing colors the delightful situation of the contemplated town-how nature had lavished all her skill upon it-how admirably adapted for a township hy itself was the noble swell of land- and that nothing in nature or in art could exceed the grand and impos- iog spectacle of a meeting-house towering from its summit, while beneath the said swell was a region of low, sunken land, which alniost cut off the petitioners from intercourse with the rest of mankind.1

This meant business, and the inhabitants of Fitch- burg and the three adjoining towns not included in the proposed new town speedily drew up a spirited re- monstrance, in which every statement of the peti- tioners was denied, and the whole project denounced as visionary. During all of 1790 the attention of both parties was wholly engrossed with this matter, and the result was that the General Court refused to incorporate the new town.

Both parties were much in need of a breathing spell after this vigorous contest, and it was not until September 7, 1791, that the battle was renewed. On that date it was voted, forty-one to twenty-three, "to

erect a new meeting-honse in the center of the town, or in the nearest convenientest place thereto." This double-barrelled superlativeness is proof postive that the spirit of the people was in no wise cast down by the fruitless struggle of the past five years. Though the people could not decide upon a location, they were bound to have plans drawn for a new meeting- house at all odds, and at this meeting a committee was chosen to plan a new house. October 10th, this committee reported to the town "to build a house sixty by forty-six feet, with a porch at each end twelve by eleven feet, with stairs into the galleries." There were to be forty-six pews on the ground floor and twenty-five in the galleries, to be sold to the highest bidders, and three years were to be allowed for the completion of the house. This report was ac- cepted November 14, 1791, and on the same date a committee was chosen to clear a spot on the land purchased of Thomas Boynton and build the house.

For as long a period as six weeks thereafter it really looked as if the matter was settled ; but every- thing was completely upset December 27, 1791, by a vote " to dismiss the committee chosen to build a new meeting-house from further service."

Almost three years then elapsed before any further action was taken by the town in this matter. The people, however, showed their dogged obstinacy by refusing, on several occasions, " to repair the meeting- house windows, and to paint the outside of the meet- ing-honse."

The town again renewed operations September 3, 1794, by voting "to erect a meeting-house in the center of the town, or in the nearest convenientest place thereto, to accommodate the inhabitants there- of for divine worship." Joseph Stearns and David Kilburn, of Lunenburg. and Benjamin Kimball, of Harvard, were chosen by ballot as a "committee of three disinterested persons out of town " to discover that much-to-be-desired spot, " the nearest conveni- entest place to the center." This committee found the centre to be about a quarter of a mile northeast of the pound, and decided that the most eligible location for the honse was about half a mile south of this point, which would have placed it not far from the present junction of Main and River Streets. Their report was rendered to the town October 21st, and re- jected, thirty-six to twenty-nine. So the opinions of interested and disinterested persons seem to have been considered of abont equal value-as good for nothing.

A month later a motion to place the house on the site selected by the ont-of-town committee was de- feated, forty-eight to forty-five. A committee was then chosen to select a suitable location, and Deceni- ber 1, 1794, reported in favor of "setting the meeting- house near the high bridge under the hill " (the same place the out-of-town committee selected). This report was accepted, strange to say, sixty-one to forty-seven. A town-meeting was called January 8, 1795, to choose a committee to purchase this site;

1 Torrey's "History of Fitchburg :" Fitchburg, 1836.

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HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

but, with its customary obstinacy, the town refused, at this meeting, to choose such a committee, and so ended the project of building the house there.

January 26, 1795, it was voted " to erect a meeting- - house on the town's land they purchased of Thomas Boynton, about five rods southwest from a large white oak tree, and to pattern it after the Leominster meeting-house," It was to be completed by De- cember 31, 1796.

February 16, 1795, it was voted to pattern it after the Ashburnham meeting-house. "Likewise voted to have the length of said house sixty-two feet by forty-eight feet, the posts to said house to be twenty- seven feet in length, and that the undertaker to build the house give bonds, with good bondsmen, to fulfil the contract." The contract was given to John Putnam, Jr. At subsequent town-meetings minor details in regard to the construction of the house were settled.

September 1, 1795, a committee of five was chosen "to stake out and oversee the clearing and levelling of the meeting-house spot for the underpinning on the town land," and also "that the Selectmen lay out a four-rod road in the best place to accommodate the travel to the new meeting-house spot."

There seemed at this time to be a very good pros- pect of building the new house on the town's land; but it was not so to be, for October 19, 1795, a town- meeting was called "to know the sense of the town, whether the former vote in placing said meeting- house should be altered." After considerable discus- sion it was decided, by a vote of forty-four to thirty, " to place the new meeting-house at the crotch of the roads, near Capt. William Brown's house " (where the Upper Common now is). This was a final de- cision, though why it should have been is rather difficult to see, because this location was a trifle east of the town's land. It was intended to have the house face directly "down street," but the opposi- tion mustered sufficient strength to change this plan so that it should face south and "stand cornerwise to the street."

So at last this momentous question was settled, and early in the summer of 1796 occurred the raising. Great preparations were made for this important event. May 9, 1796, a town-meeting was called "to see if the town will make any provision for the re- freshment of the Raisers and also the Spectators that shall attend upon the raising of the new Meeting- honse." This was a most amicable meeting, and it was unanimously voted "that the town provide one barrill W. I. Rum and Loaf Sugar sufficient to make it into Toddy for refreshment for the Raisers and Spectators that shall attend the raising of the new Meeting-house." A committee was also appointed, consisting of Deacon Kendall Boutelle, Deacon Eph- raim Kimball, Deacon Daniel Putnam, Reuben Smith, Joseph Polley, Dr. Jonas Marshall and Asa Perry, "to deal out the Liquor to the Raisers and Spectators

on Raising Day." Any one would suppose that a bar- rel of rum ought to make an amount of "Toddy" suf- ficient to satisfy the cravings of those who would be present at the raising; but the people were bound to have a rousing time after waiting so long for it, and to prove conclusively to the country round about that there was nothing small about them; for, before this meeting adjourned, it was voted "that the com- mittee to deal out the Liquor and Sugar sufficient for the Raisers and Spectators, in case the barrill of W. I. Rum and Sugar already voted should be insufficient, procure more and bring in their account to the town for allowance."

This was the only meeting held to consider the sub- ject of the new house during the ten years, where there was no contention or exhibition of spleen. For once the good people of Fitchburg were all of the same mind, and a "barrill of W. I. Rum," which, at the present time causes so much controversy, in the presumably degenerate days of 1796, acted like oil upon the troubled waters.

A few days later the raising came off successfully, but there is no definite statement as to the amount of rum and sugar consumed thereat. The following copy of the order to reimburse Deacon Bontelle for the refreshment expenses may, however, throw some light on the subject :

FITCHBURG, May ye 12 : 1796.

To Ebenezer Thurston Town treasurer you are hereby Directed to pay De" Kendall Boutwell thirty eight Dollars and one Cent it being for providing rum and shugar for the Raising of the new Meeting house and this with his Rect shall be your discharge for the above sum.

D C

JOHN THURSTON -Selectmen. 38 1

PAUL WETHERBEE

On the back of this order is written the receipt and settlement as follows :

May ye 12 : 1796 Recd a Note in behalf of the Town of fitchburg of thirty Eight Dollers and one Sent in full of the within order.

KENDAL BOUTELL. April 19 : 1797 Order Settled with the Treasurer.

Such is the history of probably the most stubbornly fought and protracted meeting-house controversy on record. Zeal, obstinacy and bitterness on the part of both factions characterized the contest throughout, and so fierce was the strife that the people of neigh- boring towns for miles around were in the habit of coming in large numbers to attend the town-meetings held in Fitchburg during these ten years.

The edifice was dedicated Jannary 19, 1797, Rev. Zabdiel Adams, of Lunenburg, preaching the sermon.

The controversy produced a very serious effect upon the town's good minister, Rev. Mr. Payson, who, moreover, was much troubled by the inroads made upon his flock by the Methodists, Baptists and Uni- versalists. He became enfeebled in body and mind, but continued to preach most of the time until the autumn of 1793. By that time his mental infirmity had increased so much that the church and town united to call a council to consider the matter. This council met about the middle of November, 1793, but

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was unable to settle anything to the satisfaction of all concerned.

During the following winter and spring the town hired other ministers to preach, and April 7, 1794, all parties agreed to reassemble the council of the pre- vious year and abide by whatever decision it should arrive at. The council accordingly met April 29th, and decreed that the town should pay Mr. Payson a sum equivalent to about five hundred and thirty dol- lars and dismiss him from the pastorate. This propo- sition was accepted by the town May 2, 1794, and Mr. Payson's connection with the town, as its pastor, was finally dissolved.

Mr. Payson continued to live here without any im- provement in his mental condition, and on May 28, 1804, while visiting at the house of his brother-in-law in Leominster, committed suicide. He was buried in the town cemetery in Fitchburg, where the tombstone erected to his memory by his son can still be seen.

The two councils assembled here in November, 1793, and April, 1794, were provided with board and lodging at the expense of the town. The members thereof were cared for at the. tavern of Mrs. Cowdin, the widow of Thomas Cowdin. The bill for their en- tertainment is somewhat of a curiosity in its way and is as follows :

FITCHBURG, Nov. 11th, 1794.

The Venerable Council's Bill.

28 meals of victuals at 18. 6d. $7 00

17 suppers at 18.

2 83

17 breakfasts at 18.

2 83

34 dinners at 18. 6d.

8 50

9 suppers at 1s.

1 50

2 breakfasts at 18.

10 lodgings at 4d. 54

Horse keeping 10 00

Liquor ..

7 50

Total

.$41 03

Rec'd Pay't Hannah Cowdin.

For about a year after Mr. Payson's dismissal Revi John Kimball preached for the people. The church voted to give him a call and November 21, 1794, the town concurred. His salary was fixed at £90 per year, with a settlement of £200, to be paid as follows : £25 at the ordination, £75 one year therefrom, and £100 seven years after ordination. Mr. Kimball de- layed his answer, and April 6, 1795, the town voted to give him an annual salary of £112. May 6, 1795, Mr. Kimball declined the call.

November 26, 1795, the town voted to concur with the church in extending to Rev. John Miles an invi- tation to become their pastor at a salary of four hun- dred dollars per year. Mr. Miles declined.

Various ministers then preached here, among them the Rev. Thomas Noyes, whom the church, early in 1787, voted to call. The town was notified of this action at a meeting April 3, 1797, and voted not to concur. Then, by a vote of forty-three to twenty- four, the town signified its willingness to extend a call to Rev. Samuel Worcester. During a brief ad- journment of the town-meeting, the church met and

voted to call Rev. Mr. Worcester, agreeably to the preference of the town; and the town, reassembled after the adjournment, then voted to concur with the church. The title of the church to precedence in calling the pastor was thus distinctly recognized.

Mr. Worcester's salary was fixed at four hundred dollars per year, with the privilege of taking his sup- ply of wood from about twenty acres of the town's land. June 20, 1797, this was changed by voting to deduct twenty pounds from his annual salary (making it $333.33), and give him a " settlement " in addition of two hundred pounds ($666.66), one-half to be paid one year after ordination, and the remainder two years after, with interest. Mr. Worcester accepted the call July 22, 1797, and the last Wednesday of the following September was selected as the day for his ordination, and on that day, September 27th, he was duly ordained, Rev. Dr. Samuel Austin, of Worcester, preaching the sermon.

In the month of October, after his ordination, Mr. Worcester was united in marriage with Miss Zervia Fox, of Hollis, N. H., which was Mr. Worcester's na- tive town. He then "settled down" in Fitchburg and entered with zeal on the work of the ministry, and for a time everything went on prosperously ; but new beliefs and doctrines were fast gaining ground, which led, in 1801, to the division of the town into three societies and a year later to Mr. Worcester's dismissal.

In March, 1798, the town voted that "the Select- men try and see what market they can make of the old meeting-house." June 21st, following, it was voted that it be sold at public auction, the pew-hold- ers having liberty to take out their pews before the sale, if they desired. Benjamin Fuller bonght it at the auction and proposed to move it away, but Mrs. Cowdin, the widow of Thomas Cowdin, to whom the land, on which the house was, belonged, threatened to proceed against him if he did so. September 17, 1798, the matter was brought before the town, and it was voted "to give up Mr. Fuller's obligation for the old meeting-house and give him three dollars for his trouble." The matter was finally settled by giving the underpinning to Mrs. Cowdin and selling the house ; and in May, 1799, the proceeds of the sale were equally divided between the town, the pew- holders and Mrs. Cowdin.

At this time considerable attention was paid in town-meeting to the request of the Methodists and Baptists in town to have their "minister tax " abated; and a little later the town actively opposed a petition to the General Court made by the people in the northwest part of Fitchburg and in adjoining parts of Ashby, Ashburnham and Westminster, to form a "pool parish " among themselves. The "Fitchburg Universal Christian Society " had been formed and rapidly gained power in town affairs. The result of all this dissension was that in 1801 the majority of the people became dissatisfied with Mr. Worcester

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History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 79

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