History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 121

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 121

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Mumford River has its rise in Badluck Pond, runs in a northeast direction until its unites with the Wal- lis Brook, forming the waters of Reservoir Pond, thence continuing in a northeasterly course about one mile, where it was diverted from its natural bed, and carried by an artificial channel in a northerly direction into the town of Sutton, where, uniting with the Manchaug River, it forms the upper pond at Manchaug Village. After doing effectual service for the wonderfully progressive and thriving village of Manchaug it re-enters again the town of Douglas, and, passing through the east village, enters the town of Uxbridge by such a circuitous route that one pecu- liar bend in the river so nearly resembled an old in- strument our fathers used in making sausage that it was called the Fillbow, from which came the name, with a little variation of the high hills in the vicinity of "Gilboa."

The face of the country is uneven, beautifully diversified by hills and valleys, and contains some of the most lovely scenery in the county. None of the hills can hardly aspire to the name of mountain. Ball Hill is 711 feet high; Wallum Pond Hill is 778 feet ; Mount Daniel, about 750 feet, and Bald Hill, about 700 feet.

The westerly part of the town, comprising more than six thousand acres, extending the entire length

of the town from north to south, is rocky and very uneven, covered with a growth of wood and timber, over its whole extent, with now but three families living therein. The buildings are in a dilapidated condition, surrounded with only a very few acres of arable land, and this under poor cultivation. The remainder of the town is dotted over with farms of about one hundred acres or less, some of which are under a high state of cultivation ; many of them are held in the name or by the descendants of the original settlers. Fruit is raised in great abundance and of excellent quality. Vegetables, corn and other . grain are now raised in paying quantities, and quite an amount thereof is annually carried to adjoining towns to market.

The geological formation is chiefly granite, large quantities of which are used for building purposes not only in this town, but for shipment to other parts of the country. Gold, silver and lead are said to be found in some parts of the town, but not in pay- ing quantities. Boulders are found in all parts of the town, some of large size, and so numerous as to be a great detriment and inconvenience for the use of machinery in farming. Yet many of the farmers, by the free use of powder and dynamite, have so far cleared many of their lots as to successfully use machinery in the cultivation of their land and in harvesting their crops.

White oak, chestnut and white pine have been the predominating kinds of lumber grown, especially in the easterly part of the town; hemlock, black and red oak in the west, with small groves of hickory.

Many farms in different sections of the town that were once under a fair state of cultivation, where large stocks of cattle were kept, and barns well filled with hay, have been entirely abandoned for farming purposes,-the buildings torn down or gone to decay, and the best farming-lots covered, some of them, with heavy growths of wood and timber. More than forty such farms can be counted by persons now living, that within their remembrance were occupied by successful and intelligent farmers, many of whom reared large families of children.

From 1720 people began to settle on the new terri- tory sparsely to begin with, for a few years, but in 1740 the inhabitants had become quite numerous, so much so that they began to agitate the question of separate town government. Up to this time, and until 1746, when the town assumed an independent town government by act of the General Court under the name of Douglas, all the municipal affairs were managed by the town of Sherborn.

In 1721 the town of Sherborn, in town-meeting, voted to give Mr. Ephraim Hill twenty acres of land in the fourth range of the four thousand acre grant in consideration of his being the first white man to settle in the new territory. This tract was at or near what was, for many years, known as the old Tiffany place, now owned by Chandler Titus.

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HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

In 1725 and 1726 the town of Sherborn voted to make | the hardships of pioneer lite, and to brave the rigor an allotment of the last two grants of three thousand seven hundred acres and three thousand acres, accor- ding to the same rule by which the four thousand acres were divided.

In the division and allotment of these several tracts of land quite a good number of the people of Sher- born, to whom this land came by lot and assignment, settled on their several rights, but more of the settlers acquired their land by purchase, many of them from Holliston, Natick, Framingham and other surrounding towns.

The grant to the twenty proprietors of New Sher- born, afterward Douglas, was by deed, from a commit- tee of the General Court of which Samuel Watts, Esq., was chairman, and was dated 1742, and recorded in the Registry of Deeds three years later.

The first meeting of the proprietors was held at the house of Ensign Joseph Marsh, April, 1744, at which a committee was chosen to survey their land and divide it among the proprietors. The first meeting was called by John Harwood, Esq., a justice of the peace, and David White was chosen moderator, and Jeremiah Whiting, clerk, who was duly sworn, and their proceedings were conducted with all the formal- ity of a regular town-meeting. These meetings of the proprietors were kept up with a good deal of regularity until 1767, when the record of their meetings ceases. Captain Benjamin Taft, of Uxbridge, who was the ancestor of the fifth generation of Doctor Bridgam A. Taft, through whose generosity the an- cient plan and book of records came into my posses- sion, although not one of the original twenty proprie- tors, yet by purchase soon became the largest owner of the purchases, and until the close of the record maintained a controlling interest in its affairs.

The meetings of the proprietors were not always harmonious ; many times ill-feeling and jealousy, crimination and recrimination were indulged in to such an extent that, while they did not come to blows, yet their meetings were frequently dissolved without accomplishing anything.

Quite a number of men and families, besides those already mentioned, have been more or less promi. nent in the settlement of the town and in towu affairs that might be worthy of mention, but those already named make the list sufficiently extended to give a fair knowledge of the early settlers of the town.

CHAPTER CLXXVII.

DOUGLAS-(Continued.)

EARLY SETTLEMENTS.

THE early settlers of Douglas were a hardy and vigorous class of men and women, well fitted to endure

and privations of a New England winter. Located as they were in the wilderness, with a hard and sterile . soil, without roads, and at no inconsiderable distances apart, a long way from their base of supplies, it is no wonder that they became self-reliant and jealous of their individual rights, and looked well to the character of all new-comers. Any person attempting to settle among them whose character was not above reproach, was immediately warned out of the district, and was obliged to leave forthwith.

Without going into a genealogical history of the early settlers of the town, a brief mention of some of them and their descendants, where they lived, and other incidents connected with their lives, will here follow. We will begin with the road in the northeast part of the town, leading from South Sutton to East Douglas, now known as North Street. As a fair sample of accuracy and distinctive points adopted by the early settlers in laying out roads in town, I here give the laying out of this road. The report of the selectmen is dated February 19, 1765, and is found in the Town Records, Book 1, page 6+} :

Then laid out a road as follows : Beginning at Sutton line, at two white oak trees, with two chops on the south side, then running south- wardly 40 rods oo land of Isaac Martin to a white oak tree marked, then turning a little more to the west on land of Mathew Martin about 40 rods to said Martin's house, to trees standing on the east side of the road, tben rnoning about south oo said Martin's land about 30 rods to ye land of widow Sarah Brown, then on land of widow Sarah Brown to her dwelling-house standing on the west side of the road, thence from widow Brown's house southwardly by points 42 rods to a stake and heap of stones, then turning more to the east and bounding east on land of Ed- mood Rawson about 40 rods on said Widow Brown's land by trees marked with two chops on the south side, thence on land of Isaac Martin, Jr., 12 rods to bis house, thence from his house a south wardly course to the river by points, and across the river on land of Jonathan Foster a westerly course by said river about 50 rods, then turning southwardly by points, and ruoniog on land of Samnel Foster to his barn on the east side of the road, thence from said barn sonth wardly to the county road.

CALER HILL, 1 JOSEPH BALCOME, } Selectmen. ROBERT SMITH, -Selectmen .

The first house on this road south of Sutton line was built by Isaac Martin from 1730 to 1746. In 1770 it was owned by his son, Jacob Martin ; by him sold to William Batchellor, to Warren Batchellor, to Henry Howell, to Charles Fairfield and to E. Smith Johnson.

The house known as the Orison Hewett house was built for a wheelwright shop by Ellis Burt, about 1845. The house owned by Timothy Hewett was built by Ellis Burt in 1825, on land bought of Captain John Brown ; sold by him to Joseph Swasey, and by him to its present owner.

The Archelaus Stone place on the hill in 1745 was owned by Mathew Martin, who built and lived in a small one-story house between the present house and the road. It was afterwards owned by Abel Morse, and by him sold to Archelaus Stone for two thousand dollars. Mr. Stone was a skilled mechanic, and built the present house. He was master mechanic for the Congdon Company when the first factory at Man-

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DOUGLAS.

chaug village was built. He was afterwards for many years master mechanic for P. Whitin & Sons, After his death his large farm was divided among his large family of children, and within a few years passed entirely ont of the family name. The house and part of the farm is now owned by Robert Brown.

The house now owned by the Draper sisters was owned and occupied in 1760 hy John Thayer ; wheth- er it was built by him or not I am unable to say. It was afterwards owned and occupied for many years by Elisha Thayer, his son, whose second wife was Molly Keith.

Elisha Thayer was a noted shoemaker and nail- maker, which business he followed until by age and infirmity he was unable to labor. He was also a famous skunk hunter, the oil of which was the only means of supply for his evening lamp. This shop was a place of general resort for boys and young men of the neighborhood, to be entertained by Uncle " Lisha's " stories. The next two houses in the street are both comparatively new houses, built abont 1860, one by Mr. Alvin Hall and the other by Mr. Asel Fitts, both built on a part of the old Brown farm.

The next place is the Brown farm, originally con- taining about four hundred and fifty acres. A part of it came to the wife of John Brown, Sr., and a part purchased of the twenty proprietors, being some of their " fragmentary lands," and a part purchased of John Harwood, Esq., and being north of the Brewer farm and west of the Draper farm. John Brown, the first who settled on this farm, came from Leicester between 1730 and 1740, lived a few years in North Uxbridge, and came to this place in 1740 or a year or two earlier.

He married Sarah Freeman in 1742. She was a daughter of Edmond Freeman, Esq., of Boston ; her mother was Ennice Williams, a daughter of Nathan- iel Williams, a schoolmaster of Boston, and his wife, Annie, who was a danghter of Doctor Samnel Brad- street, of the island of Jamaica, who was the oldest son of Governor Simon Bradstreet, Governor of the Province of Massachusetts. A part of this land was given by will of Governor Bradstreet to his grand- daughter, Annie Williams.

John Brown, Sr., died in 1764, leaving a widow, Sarah, and seven children,-Mary, born in 1744; John, born in 1747 ; Oliver, born in 1752; Samuel, born in 1753; Robert, born in 1754; Thankful, born in 1755; and Elihn, born in 1757. In 1766 his large farm was divided between his widow and seven children. The oldest son, John, by inheritance and acquisition, soon came into possession of the larger part of the original farm. He, the second John Brown, died in 1813, leaving a widow, Abigail (Reed), formerly of Rehoboth, and six children,-John, Hannah, Abi- gail, Eunice, Freeman and Eleanor. John Brown (3d), by inheritance and purchase, soon came into possession of most of his father's home farm. He

died in 1855, leaving a widow, Rebecca (Draper), and four children,-Eunice F., Emily F., Adolphus F. and Harriet N. The son now owns a good share of the old homestead.

In the first division of the Brown farm the widow's right was set on the west side of the road, with the buildings-the right to John Brown on the east side of the road, extending from the Thayer place, on the north, to the present road, opposite the house of Erwin F. Brown-the right to Mary south of the widow's thirds, now known as the Hale place-the right to Hannah, who married David Draper, was north of John's right-the right to Robert Brown was east of the north end of John's right-the right to Samnel was east of the sonth end of John's right, and was afterwards known as the Drake place-the right to Elihu was south of John's right; and the right to Oliver east of Robert and Samnel's rights ; each right contained about sixty acres.

The farm known as the Hall farm, a part of which is now owned by Hammond Metcalf, was a part of the original Brown farm, being the right set to Sam- uel Brown. His daughter, Abagail, married Stephen Drake, who built the first house and settled on this place. Two of his sons, William and Albee, built the house now owned by Henry Gould. It was orig- inally two stories high, with a flat roof, and was built and u-ed for a paint-shop. From its peculiar shape it was called the "Salt Box," by which name it has always been designated. William and Albee Drake were among the most skilled and artistic painters of their time. Among other specimens of their work, the older people will well remember the inside decorations of the old Baptist Church in Sonth Sutton,

The old Hale house, as it is called, now standing on land of Levi Darling, was built by Robert Hale, who married Mary Brown, and was built on land set to her out of her father's estate. His son, Robert, built the house now owned by Hugh Johnson. The houses of Levi Darling, John Collar, Mary B. Wil- liams and Alvin H. Brown are all standing on the old Hale farm, and only date back a few years.

The children of Robert Hale and Mary, his wife, were Sarah, who married Charles Rawson, of Uxbridge; Mary, who married Amos Morse, of Douglas; Rob- ert, who died in the Hugh Johnson house, leaving a widow and two children, Philander and Hannah (his widow married Benjamin Wilson, who lived for some time at the Hugh Johnson honse) ; Elisha Hale, who died in Sutton a few years ago; and Mason and Alpheus, who were both drowned when young men.

The Knap place, as it is called, was owned in 1765 by Isaac Martin, Jr., who lived in a small honse on the west side of the road, which is now standing, but very much gone to decay. The farm was originally a part of the Brewer farm, and bought by Isaac Martin, Jr., who built the house and lived there until abont 1775, when the place was sold to Captain Job

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HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

Knap, who was for many years a prominent man in town affairs.

Captain Job Knap married Ruth Wilson, who lived many years after his death. Their children were,- Job, Jr., Benjamin, Sally, Moses and Nancy. Benja- min died young, Sally was never married, Nancy married Ellis Burt, Job and Moses both married Balcomes.

Captain Knap built the house now standing about 1790 to 1800. Moses inherited the home-place, and married Olla Balcome, who is still living. His children were,-William, Fanny (who married David Stern), Benjamin, Mary Ann (who married A. J. Thayer), Elmira (who married Kendall Whittemore, M.D.), Edward B., Moses M. and Henry.

Job, Jr., the oldest son of Captain Job Knap, mar- ried Sarah Balcome, and left three daughters,-Betsy, Laura and Sarah Ann. He lived on the farm now owned by Mowrey Prentice, who married Laura Knap. The house was occupied for several years by his father, Captain Job Knap. The house was built by Ebenezer Claflin about 1770, on land bought of Edmund Rawson, which was a part of the original Brewer farm. This place was occupied by him and his son Oliver, who lived here until the place was sold to Captain Job Knap. Oliver Claflin married, for his first wife, Rebecca Reed, of Taunton, sister of Abigail, wife of Captain John Brown. His children were,-Comfort, Harry, Lyman and Content. His second wife was Lydia Reed, half-sister of his first wife. The land across the river from the Knap farm was owned in 1740 by John Foster, and was reached by a ford a little below the present road.

In 1765 the land where the Lower Village now stands was owned by Jonathan Foster, and where the woolen-mill of W. B. Haywood & Co. now stands, and the Frank Taft house, now owned by Mrs. Isaac King, was owned by Samuel Foster.

About the year 1800 Jonathan and Samuel Foster sold their property to a company composed of Eze- kiel Preston, Welcome Whipple, Richard Olney, Benjamin Wallis aud others, afterwards known as the Douglas Company and the Douglas Manufactur- ing Company. They first built the dam across the river, afterwards built the Old Green factory, the four tenement houses, the Old Green store, the machine- shop, and afterwards the boarding-house, all of which were completed in 1808 or 1810. The wheel in the Old Green mill or factory was built by a Mr. Reed, of Northbridge. Building water-wheels is said to be very nice work, and it is proverbial of millwrights " that they make haste slowly." The work on this wheel dragged along at such a dilatory pace that Colonel Preston, the agent of the company, who was a very energetic man, and wanted to see business move at a rapid pace, became so disgusted with the delay that one morning there was found the follow- ing lines posted on the bridge, said to be in the familiar handwriting of Colonel Preston :

Old Mr. Reed, he worke with speed, Ilis head ie made of cotton, Before he gete the wheel half done, The Dam will be all rotten.

This indirect reprimand doubtless had its desired effect, for the wheel was finished in due time.

Col. Preston withdrew from the company in 1812, the company retaining the factory, privilege and tenements and about ten acres of land, and Col. Preston taking the rest of the real estate for his share in the company's property. He, with his wife's brother, Mr. Adolphus Taft, soon after built the grist and saw-mill, that was for many years known as the Preston Mill, afterwards known as the Taft and Eagle Mill. It was afterwards sold by Willard Taft to Deacon Warren Wait, and afterwards destroyed by fire. The privilege and property are now owned by W. E. Haywood & Co.

Adolphus Taft built the small house owned by W. E. Haywood & Co., now occupied by W. Schuster, and lived there until he died. Col. Preston built the large house on the opposite side of the road, now used for a tenement house, where he lived until he went West and died. He left his property to his three nephews, the sons of Adolphus Taft,-Dorris, Wil- lard and Frank, in the proportion of five, three and two.

This tract of Jand of the Factory Company and Col. Preston, bought of the Fosters, was a part of a tract of one thousand acres sold by the General Court, in 1721, to William Douglas and others, being south of the Brewer farm. This one thousand acre tract was divided by William Douglas and his associates in 1727, and this tract, being a triangular piece of one hundred and fifty-two acres, was set to John Binning for his share. It was bounded easterly by the Brewer and Brown farm. Starting from a point on the road to Killingly, between the towns of Uxbridge and Douglas, thence north twenty-nine degrees west three hundred and sixty rods to a heap of stones on the four thousand acre grant, thence bounded west by the four thousand acre grant, south six degrees east three hundred and five rods to the Killingly road, thence bounded south by the Killingly or county road one hundred and sixty-six rods to the place of beginning. The old Forge School-house, now the Long School-house, stood on the southwest corner of this tract, and the old Noah Taft place, now owned by Mrs. Fanny Thayer, stands near the southeast corner of this tract. The old house that many years ago stood where the Frank Taft house stands, was built and occupied by Mr. Samuel Foster-was built as early as 1740. It was a large house, two stories in front and one back, and is remembered by many peo- ple now living as the old Preston house.

A house that stood near where the brick house now owned by Mr. Collins Keith stands, was built and oc- cupied by John Harwood, Esq., who was a very prominent man in the early history of the town. The place was afterwards owned by the Spragues, and

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DOUGLAS.

Parley Brown, Noah Taft and the present owner. John Harwood's widow lived there many years after his death. The house owned by Charles A. Whipple was built by his father, Justin B. Whipple.

The Whipple family was a very remarkable fam- ily, and prominent in the early history of the town. For inventive genius, the Whipple family, sons of Welcome Whipple, Esq., who was agent of and clerk for the Douglas Manufacturing Company for many years, were very remarkable. Milton D., Virgil, Cul- len, Justin B. and Homer B. were all possessed of remarkable mechanical genius. Some of the most important inventions of the last fifty years were the product of their inventive brain.

Welcome Whipple was born 1772, and was a son of Deacon John Whipple, who lived in South Sutton and died in 1845, aged ninety-seven years.

John Whipple, son of John and brother of Wel- come, was born 1783 and was the father of Amanda, Rachel, Dexter and McDonough. The Noah Taft place now owned by Mrs. Thayer, being at the foot of the hill, and on the north side of the road to Killing- ly, as it was called, and the northeast corner of this Binning tract, was one of the first settled places in town. A partition of the one thousand acre grant, called the Doctor William Douglas grant, was made in 1727. This tract falling to John Binning, a mer- chant of Boston, he soon after built the house burned a few years ago on the Whipple place. He sold to the Spragues, who built a blacksmith shop near the brook. The place was afterwards sold to Mr. Paul White, Sr., father of Paul, Silas and Chloe. Paul White, Sr., died in 1794 or '95, leaving a widow whose name was Chloe, who was his second wife, and a daughter and son of the last wife. The widow lived many years after the death of her hus- band, and dying, left the old homestead to her daugh- ter Chloe, who married Joseph Whipple and lived there until her death, a few years ago. The west part of the Paul White farm was sold by his administra- tor at auction after his death to Benjamin Cragin, Esq., and was by him sold to Mr. Sprague and by him to Noah Taft.

That part of the Doctor William Douglas grant which is on the south side of the road from the Bin- ning farm was set to William Tyler, Andrew Tyler and Doctor William Douglas. The Tylers both set- tled on their rights ; William on the old place now occupied by Mr. Wellington Young, and must have built the old house that stood there a few years ago. Joseph and Jeremiah Batcheller lived there for many years before Mr. Young bought it.

Andrew Tyler's farm was west of William's, and ex- tended as far west as the land of the old Methodist Church. The Mannahan house, as it is called, stands on the Andrew Tyler farm. The original Andrew Tyler house stood near the brook south of the S. S. Davis place. It was afterwards owned by Micah Stearns and by his son, Nathan Stearns; afterwards by Job

Bartlet, whose wife was a Stearns, and by Amos C. Gould ("Old Knot-head," as he called himself). In 1770 Aaron Hill, who married a Tyler, lived in the Mannahan house, and lived there for many years after. He or his heirs afterwards sold the place to Theo- dore Stone, he to Leaver, Leaver to Jasper Rawson, and Rawson to Mannahan.

The Dr. William Douglas farm was west of An- drew Tyler's, and extended from the east side of the old Methodist meeting-house lot to the east side of the four thousand acre grant, which was a little west of the Heath store. It was bounded west on the four thousand acre grant, and extended south from the road three hundred rods to the three thousand acre grant, and was bounded south on the three thou- sand acre grant, and contained one hundred and fifty acres. Dr. Douglas sold this farm in about 1770. It was afterwards sold to the Sprague family, and by them sold to Mr. Samuel Legg, father of Nahum Legg and grandfather of Mr. E. H. Leaver.

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History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 121

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