History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 107

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1464

USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II > Part 107

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They subsequently went to Plymouth, and, accord- ing to Governor Bradford's account, received a more favorable reception there. In 1676 three Indians with Jackstraw for a surname were living in Hopkinton, probably descendants of the Jack Straw whose home was near that plantation. Whether they were with Netns in his attack on the Eames family, and subse- quently executed, is not now known. During King Philip's War that skillful and patriotic chief aroused so much race and national spirit among the red men, that quite a number of praying Indians from the vicinity joined the war against the whites.

Plan 191 in the State archives, with the memorandum attached, and the Court Records, give much informa- tion about this Jack Straw's Hill grant. The first white owners were the relict and children of "Capt. Richard Beers, who lost his life in the country's ser- vice, by the Indians, at Deerfield, in 1677." It was later owned by Thomas Rice, and known at times as Rice's Farm. The old name of Jack Straw is now ap- plied only to the hill, pasture and brook, and is now used as one word, "Jackstraw."

This grant of three hundred acres was located at ' the southwest corner of Marlborough, including the present town reservoir, and District No. 5 School- house, and farms in that vicinity. "Jack Straw's Hill" is near the centre of the map, while the course of the two brooks near the present dam is shown. At ' this time there were on its banks meadows, "about eight acres in all." The rest was grown up to wood. Soon after the incorporation of the town Deacon Jona- than Forbes, who lived where the present almshouse now is, deeded the saw-mill to his son, Jonathan Forbes, Jr. In fact, nearly all the available mill-sites were utilized by the early settlers for corn-mills and saw-mills, and somewhat later at Piccadilly to furnish power, in a small way, for tool-making and other small manufacturing.

The Beers' heirs sold this three hundred-aere farm for fifteen pounds to Samuel How, of Sudbury, who sold it May 24, 1698, for twenty-two pounds to Thomas Rice, of Marlborough. The Eli Whitney place is in part taken from the Jack Straw grant and in part from the Eaton or Fay Farm.

In January and February, 1715-16, several farms in the westerly part of the town were surveyed by Wm. Ward and annexed to Chauncy Village, before it was incorporated under the name of Westborough.

In 1728 John Graves, Jonathan Forbush (Forbes), Simon Taynter, Samuel Livermore, James Fay, James Miller, James Bowman, John Fay, Bariah Rice, Daniel Hardy and Samuel Harrington, inhabitants of the town of Sutton, presented a petition to the Gen- eral Court, saying that they lived ten miles from the church in their own town, and not over four miles from where they usually attended church (then in Wessonville), and asking that they and their farms might be annexed to the town of Westborongh.

The court ordered that their prayer be granted, and their petitioners and their estates and other lands, as shown on the plan annexed to the petition, be annexed to Westborough, according to the lines set forth in said plan. This plan cannot now be found among the State archives: The residence of some of the pe- titioners is known. The first three lived near Sandra Reservoir and occupied part of the Jack Straw grant. The Harrington place has been recently sold by James O'Shaughnessy to J. B. Walker. The Miller place was on high land on the opposite side of Ruggles Street from Jack Straw Hill. The Hardy place is in Distriet No. 6, and is now owned by Francis J. Adams. In fact, the greater part of District Nos. 5 and 6 were then annexed.

It was quite important to be near church in those days, not only for the convenience of the de- vout, but the most indifferent church-goers stood in awe of the fines imposed for absence from divine wor- ship without sufficient cause.

In 1762 several farms in the southwest part of the town were annexed from Shrewsbury. William Nurse, Widow Sarah Smith, Daniel Nurse and the heirs of Reuben Maynard, deceased, also the lands of Benjamin Fay and Moses Nurse, of Westborough, lying in the "Shoe," in Shrewsbury, were added to this town. The large farm of B. A. Nonrse, on the North Grafton Road, was then annexed. In their petition to " His Excellency, Francis Bernard, Esq., Captain- General and Governor-in-chief in and over his majeste's Province of the Massachusetts Bay of New England, and to the Hon. his Majeste's Council and House of Representatives in General Court, assembled in Boston," they describe themselves as "lying near unto and joyning upon the Town of Westborough, which Runeth almost around us, and where we al- ways attend the Publiek worship of God."

The prayer was granted, "provided that ye above sª petitioners be at ye cost and charge of Providing themselves a Road " (the present North Grafton road), " which they shall be contented with, from their Re- spective dwellings down into ye great Road, which leads from Westborough to Grafton, to come to meet- ing in, so that ye town of Westborough shall be at no cost or charge to provide sª petitioners any such Road."

In 1762 it was voted, on the petition of Elijah Rice, Roger Bruce and Barnabas Newton, "that they and their lands which are in Upton be annexed to ye

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town of Westborongh, there to do duty and enjoy Priviledge."

In 1793 Elijah Whitney's farm was absorbed by the town from Shrewsbury.

After strenuous exertions, at different town-meet- ings, John Belknap, who then lived at Rocklawn, secured the following action, May 2, 1778 : " Voted to choose a committee to meet with Southboro' and Marlborough, to settle the line between Framingham and Westborough, that Mr. John Belknap has ben a contending about so long." It was not until 1835, and after the " Fiddleneck " of three hundred acres had been annexed to Southboro', that the sixteen acres claimed by Belknap were added to Westborough.

Marlborough was originally too large in area for the convenient transaction of town business when settled, and a coming division was considered and provided for as early as 1688. There was not so great a desire to have a large town area for public reasons, as to secure more uplands, swamps and meadows to clear up and divide among themselves and their nu- merous children. The Old World land-hunger was still felt by the children and grandchildren of the first settlers, who came to this vicinity principally from the middle classes in England. "Chauncy " was well known geographically, and as an independent element in Marlborough town-meetings, before it was separated from the parent town. Farms and country- laud were constantly added, by the General Court, to the possessions of the proprietors and residents of Marlborough. The surveys made in those days were not very accurate. The General Court granted the Marlborough proprietors six miles square, and they induced the committee to include in their survey ten square miles more than that area, and their report was accepted.

John Brigham and thirty others from that town were endeavoring to secure all the land between Marlboro' and Lake Quinsigamond for a new town, and others were calling for large additions, on that side, to the old town, when the movement for the in- corporation of Westboro' was carried to a successful issue.

The petition for the division of the town, in 1702, had failed, probably because of an insufficient popu- lation in the new town. Since then, John and Sam- uel Fay, Thomas Forbush, James Bradish, and a number of other enterprising men had erected houses in Chauncy, while Thomas Rice still remained hon- ored and influential in the new town where he was the first settler.

November 18, 1717, the town of Westborough was incorporated, with a territory extending from Lan- caster, on the north, to Sutton, on the south, and from Marlborough (then including the principal part of Southborough) and Hopkinton, on the east, to Shrews- bury (a town but sixteen days old), on the west. The area was sixteen thousand one hundred and eighty-two acres ; the present area of Westborough varying from

eleven thousand five hundred to twelve thousand acres, according to the views of the different assessors who consider this question from year to year. It in- cluded more than two-thirds of the present towns of Westborough and Northborough.

The act of incorporation is as follows: " A plot of the Westerly Part of Marlborough, called Chauncy, prepared by the Committee appointed by the General Court to view and make Report of the said Land unto the said Court.

"In the House of Representatives, Nov. 15, Re- solved, that the Tract of Land contained and de- scribed in this Platt be erected into a Township and called by the name of Westborough. The Inhabitants to have and enjoy all Powers, Privileges and Immu- nities whatsoever as other Towns have and do enjoy. And that the ungranted Lands lying within the same (containing about Three Thousand Acres) be granted to the said Inhabitants, They paying for the same as the Committee appointed by the Court, this Ses- sion, for setting the lands of the new Township " (Shrewsbury) "that is contiguous shall Order, And that out of the said Lands there be reserved a suita- ble and convenient Lott for the first settled minister, Which Lott the said Committee shall set out. Sent up for concurrence. Read and concurred. Consented to-SAM'L SHUTE."

According to Rev. Ebenezer Parkman, the first settled minister, "the first inhabitants of Westbor- ough were Thomas Rice, Charles Rice, John Fay, Samuel Fay, Thomas Forbush, David Maynard, Ed- mund Rice, David Brigham, Capt. Joseph Byles, James Bradish, John Pratt, John Pratt, Jr., Thomas Newton, Josiah Newton, Hezekiah Howe, Daniel Warren, Increase Ward, Benjamin Townsend, Na- thaniel Oaks, Samuel Goodnow, Gershom Fay, Sim- eon Howard, Adam Holloway, Thomas Ward and Joseph Wheeler."

Young men : "John Maynard, James Maynard, Aaron Forbush, Jacob Amsden, Ebenezer Beaman and Jotham Brigham."

It was now sixty years since John How built his cabin and settled in Marlborough, yet there were but twenty-five families and six unmarried men in the part now made a separate town.

As early as 1635 the General Court passed a law that " Hereafter noe dwelling howse shalbe builte above halfe a myle from the Meeting House in any newe plantacon without leave from the Court, except myll howses and fferme (farm) howses of such as have their dwelling howses in some towne." Although soon repealed, the reason for its passage existed many year later in the town of Marlborough. Ten years after the first settlement of the town an old plan shows the houses of the first settlers all within a short distance of the meeting-house. In 1717 the whole population of Marlborough probably ex- ceeded one thousand, and of that number perhaps one hundred and sixty were living in the new town.

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HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

They promptly called a town-meeting and set in motion the municipal machinery. It is not known where the first town-meeting was held or who pre- sided. Captain John Fay was clerk.

WESTBOROUGH, Jan. 15th, 1717-18.

Porsuant to an order given Mr. Justice fullum, the Town met, Being dated the 15th day of December, 1717, tho sd Town meet and proceed forthwith ; firstly to Build a meetting-house forth with.

2ly. Voted the meeting-house to Be fourtty foot long" and thirty foot wid and eighteen foot Betwen Joints.

3ly. Voted to chouse a committee to proced to getting timbr as may Be necessary forthwith to Be provided.

4th. John Pratt, Sener, Thomas Newton and Daniel Warren waar chosen a Committee for the work a Bove sd. and to determine the wages for men whom they See meet to employ.

5ly. Voted to chuse Committee to wait on the Reyd, Mr. Elmer and to treat to continue to Be our minister and to proceed for his Comfortable subsistence as they shall see meet.

Gly. Isaac Tomblin, Thomas Newton, John Fay are chousen a Com- mete for the work of the fifth vote.

Tly. John fay was chosen Town Clark.

Sly. Thomas Rice, Sener, Chose the first Secelectman, John fay and Semeion Haywald, Sener, Chosen Seclectmen : lastly, Davied Manayald (David Maynard) Chosen Constable.

The early town records give glimpses, and only glimpses, of the life of the people. They built and seated the meeting-house and yearly discussed the question of "allowing the swin to goo at large," and of supplying the minister with fire-wood. Taxes were called "rates," and were assessed sepa- rately for raising the minister's salary, the care of the highways, the support of schools, etc. Constables were required to use every means, including imprison- ment, to secure the collection of the "rates " entrusted to them for collection, but cases of special hardship received the favorable attention of the inhabitants in town-meeting. Votes like the following, passed in 1756, were very common : " S'y the Town Voted and Sunk the Rats that was assessed on Samuel Fay, Jr., for his Sun's Head, that is in the King's Service, which rate is in Dea" Jonathan Forbush's, Jur, hand." They chose " dear Reeves " and "Hogg Reeves " and tythingmen. Public officials worked hard for small pay, and often received hard hits when called to ac- count at the annual town-meeting. March 25, 1729, "James Bradish, Edward Baker and Thomas Forbush, Jun., were voted a committee to Call all those men to an account which have not given an account of their several Betrustments into which they have been Chosen, and then voted that the Selectmen Take Care to provide a minister untill our Revend pastor is capable of Reeding." In 1730 it was " voted that the town will have Black Slaves for the Constables."

What a picture of hopeless misery is suggested by the votes providing for the "Neutral French family " in town !

In 1756 it was considered a military necessity to transport sixteen thousand simple, peaceful Acadians from their country to New England, and distribute them among the various towns. They were taken from the homes occupied by themselves and their ancestors for more than a century, and distributed

among those who hated their religion, their country and even their language.

October 24, 1757, the town granted "Sixteen Pounds, Lawful money, for the subsistence of the Old French Man and his wife, which is now in this Town ... for Time past for their subsistence, and for the time to come, as far as it will go." The usual amount appropriated was five pounds a year. Sepa- rated from their friends and kindred, probably too old to learn the language of their captors, withont the religious services and rites of the Catholic Church, to which they were devoted, a burden on their hard- working, and probably unsympathetic neighbors, it is not strange that they disappeared from the pauper list a few years later. The people of the town be- came more straitened for money, even voting at one town-meeting, in 1760, not to keep a lawful school, nor support the "Neutral French family," although a few months later they appropriated twenty-six ponnds for the former purpose and three pounds for the latter. The "poor widders and ainchant men" were conveyed by the constables to the town bounds or warned out of town when it was thought they might become a public charge. The burdens of long wars with French and Indians, the hardships incident to frontier life and the bad financial condi- tion of the Provinces caused the expense of keeping the poor to exceed at times the grants for schools.

It was more common then than now to "present " towns at conrt for failing to perform their municipal duties, and it is not strange that this town was ar- raigned in 1721 at "Concord Corte " for lack of a town pound, nor in 1753, because the law requiring every town of one hundred families to support a grammar school was not observed.

The town stocks were provided by one Pratt (who owned a saw-mill), and charged eight shillings for them. Men and women were whipped at their re- quest by the constables for stealing and some of the lesser crimes, when too poor to pay fines, in prefer- ence to suffering imprisonment.

Including its original territory and later additions, Westborongh was now more than eight miles long, with an average width of less than four miles. The meeting-house at Wessonville was situated about two miles south of the geographical centre, making it necessary for many people in the north part of the town to walk four or five miles to church. The pros- perity of that section was retarded, and growing dis- content was the result.

In spite of the opposition of Rev. Ebenezer Park- man, who did not wish to have his parish divided, the North Precinct (now Northborough) was set off in 1744. Town-meetings were to be held alternately in the two precincts, and each had full control of church and parish matters within its own limits. At this time there were eighty-seven families in the South Precinct and thirty-eight families in the North Precinct.

In 1766 the North Precinct was made a township,

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and, except in the matter of representation in the General Court, became entirely separated from the parent town.

Four years after the formation of the two precincts the old church at Wessonville was demolished, and the new meeting-house, now known as the "Old Arcade," was erected near its present site.

The union of church and State still continued for many years, but the assessors' returns show a few dis- senters belonging to other than Congregational Churches, and their estates were not required to share in paying the ministerial rates. The church was frequently called upon to try charges against its members of lying, slander, drunkenness and other offenses, which now would be considered more appro- priate for a criminal court. The number of such cases, however, tried by both church and justices of the peace was exceedingly few, considering the tendency of the times to let no offence go unheard and un- punished.

In the early history of the town large areas of un- cleared land could be obtained at low prices. The uplands were frequently sold for less than one dollar an acre, in hard money. The meadows, now consid- ered of comparatively little value, were worth ten times as much per acre. These first settlers obtained large tracts of land, and as the boys became of age gave them farms to clear up and build upon. The records show that these pioneers in Westborough usually followed a somewhat similar career. They were nearly all large land-owners, whether profes- sional men, mechanics, merchants, inn-holders or farmers proper. The men usually married, between the ages of twenty and twenty-five years, wives a little younger than themselves. As death separated them, the widows and widowers married again until they reached advanced years-frequently marrying within a few months of the death of the former con- sort.

As the boys grew up to man's estate all but one moved from the parental roof and built houses for themselves. The favorite son or, at times, son-in-law had an addition made to the old house and took a deed of an undivided half of the farm and certain rooms and privileges in the house, cider-mill and barns.

As the patriarch of the household advanced in years he gradually gave up active duties at a time when now men would be still considered in their prime, and deeded the rest of the farm to the son, who remained at home and gave a bond to support his father and mother so long as they lived. The father retained, however, for life, certain portions of the buildings, and perhaps a small piece of land for a garden. How far this custom prevailed elsewhere I am unable to say, but in nearly every case, where examination has been made in Westborough, such was found to be the early custom.

The schoolmaster usually taught from eighttotwenty

weeks in the year and received from two to three times as much pay as the school-mistress. The person board- ing the teacher received about one dollar a week and the female teacher from one dollar to one dollar and a half per week. The numerous doctors in town charged according to the amount of medicines fur- nished and travel occasioned by their visits. One shilling was generally the minimum fee. They usu- ally succeeded in charging one shilling and six pence for "venesection " at some point in the case, as blood- letting was considered nearly indispensable when the patient was seriously ill. The justice of the peace, who made the deeds, received from one to two shill- ings, according to their length, and somewhat larger fees for services as magistrate in bringing persons to justice for petty offences. Uttering profane oaths and " cusses " appear to have been the most common offences punished by one of our earlier magistrates, although Sunday violations and assaults were not in- frequent. A good horse-whipping was too serious an offence for his court, and the party was bound over to the higher tribunal.

WESTBOROUGH IN THE REVOLUTION .- The terri- tory of Westborough fortunately escaped the ravages of war. The coast of New England for years was in constant danger of pillage and invasion. The peo- ple of Central Massachusetts, who had suffered most severely the hardships of the French and Indian Wars, were now spared the presence of British troops burning, sacking and destroying in their midst. Worcester County, however, responded promptly when the struggle for independence began. As early as October 28, 1765, "the freeholders and other in- habitants " held an indignation meeting over the pas- sage of the Stamp Act. They declared that " the in- habitance of this Province have a legal clame to all the Natural Inherent rights of Englishmen, notwith- standing their Great Distance from grate Britton, and that the Stamp Act is an Infringement upon these Rights, therefore we cannot be active in puting our necks under Such a Grevios Yoke." They then pro- ceeded to instruct their representative to labor for the repeal of the act and to suppress unlawful acts of violence.

In response to a communication from the selectmen of the town of Boston, the inhabitants of this town, regularly assembled in town meeting this 2d of De- cember, 1767, "voted to promote what in us lies, In- dustry, Occonomy and Manufactures among our- selves, and by these means prevent the unnecessary importation of European commodities, the eccessive- ness of which threatens the country with poverty and Ruin."

Westborough was tenth in population of the towns of the county at the outbreak of war, being exceeded by Brookfield, Lancaster, Sutton, Mendon, Worcester, Hardwick, Shrewsbury, Boston, Lunenburg and Stur- bridge, in the above order.

In the call for troops made January 19, 1776, West-

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HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

borough was to furnish seventeen men, Worcester thirty-two, and Brookfield forty-nine.

The people had been preparing for years to resist further oppression and misrule. Volunteers went to the front immediately after the fight at Lexington.

In November, 1774, these two votes appear on the town records : "Voted to pay those men the money which they advanced for the town to purchase a can- non, £7 17s. 6d."

" Voted and granted to provide powder and ball and a carriage for the cannon, £50."

Three years before the Concord fight they answered the letter sent by the Committee of Correspondence in Boston with these vigorous words: "We are of opinion that the rights of ye Colonists and of this Province in particular, as men and as subjects, are well stated in said list, as ye same are fully supported and warranted by ye laws of God and Nature, and ye Royal Charter of this province. Under ye present critical and alarming state of our publick affairs there is a loud call to every one to awake from Security, and in Earnest strive to secure his Liberty, lest he politically perish. .. . For no Dought ware tyranny is Exercised, Opposition becomes a duty ; as our fathers could, so can we plead our loyalty ; we have been and now are ready to Spill our dearest blood in Defense of our King, Religion and Consti- tutional Laws; we cannot but look upon it as a hard trial, yea, greater than we can bear, if we cannot be said to give full proof of our Loyalty Otherwise than by sacrificing those Rights and Liberties which we prize beyond Life itself; therefore ye Inbabitants of this town do Declare to the world that they are far from being easy under ye many Infringements and Intolerable violations of these Rights and privileges." They proceed to instruct their representative in the General Court that he should "exert himself at all times with ye other members of sd Court in such measures as may have a tendency in ye obtaining a Redress of all such Grevences as are justly com- plained of, and the procuring to this Loyal people ye peaceful enjoyments of their just Rights."

At a meeting held December 30, 1774, relative to the impending troubles, the town was generally in accord with the recommendations and resolves of the American Continental Congress, held at Philadel- phia, and the first two resolves of the Provincial Congress at Cambridge were adopted. It was voted not to grant money "to Incourage the Minit-Men to Train and Exercise themselves," and "the Question was put to See if the Town expected anything more of the Minit-men than they did of other men," and it passed in the negative.

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History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 107

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) Publication date: 1889 Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co. Number of Pages: 1464

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1464