History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 129

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 129

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And long since the healing influences of time have done their perfect work, and the descendants of loyalists and patriots are living in the towns of their * ancestors, side by side, on terms of amity and perfect equality.

1432

HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

CHAPTER CLXXX. WORCESTER-(Continued.)

CIVIC AND POLITICAL HISTORY.

BY FRANCIS A. GASKILL, A.B.

From the Close of the Revolution to the Present Time.

WORCESTER AT THE CLOSE OF THE REVOLUTION. -In 1783 the town of Worcester had a population of about 2000, devoted mainly to agriculture and slightly to trade. Its municipal expenses were al- most solely for the repair of its roads and the maintenance of its schools. The appropriation in the following year for the former purpose was £200, and for the latter, £100. Its means of communica- tion with the seaboard were restricted, although in that very year, on the 20th of October, the first regu- lar stage from Boston arrived in Worcester, and thus began an enlargement of facilities for travel. There was no necessity to divide the town into precincts to accommodate the voters, for the total vote cast in that year for Governor was only 57, of which John Hancock had 49 and James Bowdoin CƠ The right of way in its streets was contested by pe- destrians, cattle and swine; the only restriction on the swine being embodied in a vote of the town in that year that they "being yoked and ringed shall go at large."

The mornings and evenings were not melodions with the cry of the newsboy.

But one newspaper was published here, the Mas- sachusetts Spy, and its issue was weekly. Flax was spun on the spinning-wheel at almost every home. Wood was the only material used in building. The open fire-place was the only medium of warmth, and wood alone was burned. Stoves were unknown in- ventions and coal an unknown agent. Fires were lighted with the spark from the flint, and not with the then unimagined match.

The floors were in most instances carpeted with the bright sand, and not with warmer materials.

County conventions were not accommodated in any public hall, but were held at some house, that in 1784 being called at " the house of Sam Brown."

The town illustrated from time to time its paternal character, as in the case of Cato Walker, in 1784, to whom it voted an anvil, "he being unable to buy one,"-a wiser method, perhaps, of dealing with its poor than later years have developed, though the gift of a stock in trade to every pauper would be at- tended with rather grave embarrassments.

But the capacity of the people for self-govern- ment, and their ability to deal with questions of State and federal policy, had been attained by years of practice and thought. The Representative to the General Court was in fact, as well as in theory, their

servant, and his entrance upon his labors was through the passport of their instructions.

A stern sense of duty seems to have dominated them and made the expression of their views, solemnly re- corded in their records, a joy and a delight. No more instructive revelation of the customs then prevalent can be had than is contained in some of the reasons adopted January 25, 1782, why the town disapproved of a late act of the Legislature laying an excise on wine, rum, wheel carriages, &c .:

3d. That if it is necessary to lay duties for the support of Government and suppression of luxury and extravagance, said duties ought to he laid on such articles only as are merely luxuries, and not ou some of those men- tioned in said act, spirituons liquors heing absolutely necessary for our seafaring brethren coasting along our shores in Boats and Lighters at all seasons of the year to supply the market with wood, Lumber and Fish ; also for the Farmer, whose Fatigue is almost insupportable in hay time and harvest and other seasons of the year, and for the New Beginners in bringing forward new Townships when they have nothing to drink but water, and perhaps are exposed to more Hardships than any other per- sons; uor on Bohea Tea, which, in populous places, and in many places io the country is substituted by msny Poor People for their support and sustenance in the Room of milk, which is not to he had, and they find it to be a Cheap Diet.

* * * * 불 * * *

5th. That all Consumers of Spirituous Liquors at Taverns will pay about eight times as much as the Duties amouut to, for it is well known that the Tavern-keeper sells his mixt Liquors for two pence more in a mugg than before the Excise was laid, when, in fact, tho duties ou each mugg does not amount to more than a farthing, and so in proportion on other Liquors.

6th. That all Persons living upon the Borders of this Government will purchase Liquors for their own consumption of the neighboring Governments, and thereby avoid paying any of said Duties.

7th. The act exempts all persons from paying Duty who buys at one time 50 1hs. of hohea or 25 of other ludia Tea, which appears to be cal- culated to lay a Tax upon the Poor and exempt the Rich.

Delightful surprises, such as this, often appear in the records of the town, and the page is luminous with the light of forgotten views of life, or aflame with controversies long since buried. We get clearer notions of the shrewdness of our fathers and the plain honesty with which they announce their views. We see, too, at times specious reasoning applied to vexing problems, but also grave, earnest, scholarly and powerful presentation of thoughts which the ex- perience of later generations has proved to be pro- found.

The history of Worcester since the close of the Revolution seems appropriately to be divided into four periods, each having a distinctive feature and each illustrated by a progress peculiarly its own.

First. Covering the time to the opening of the . Blackstone Canal in 1828, heing the preparatory and formative period.

Second. From the beginning of traffic over the canal and covering the vast accession of trade inci- dent to the opening of railroad communication with Boston, Springfield, Providence and Nashua, to its in- corporation as a city-being the transition period.

Third. From the organization under its charter as a city to the introduction of water and the building of sewers and covering the great material advance occasioned by the variety of its industries and the

1433

WORCESTER.

opportunity for their development throngh the de- mands cansed by the war.

Fourth. To the present time, including the intro- duction of multiplied agencies for growth, comfort, elegance and education, being the period of its as- sured and vigorous manhood.

Within the limits of this article it is not proposed to give with any exhaustive fullness the details of the yearly progress or growth or to cover in any de- gree the history of the city's industries or deal with its military events, but to confine the treatment to civic matters and important political occurrences.

FIRST PERIOD.

The rejoicing over the final and assured separation from the mother country had hardly ceased, the vet- erans of the Continental army had scarcely changed the privations of war for the more peaceful scenes and employments of home, than new anxieties and new privations awaited them. The blessings of lib- erty seemed less prized when liberty apparently had resulted in poverty and almost in starvation.

As soon as the war closed English agents and fac- tors came in large numbers to this country and grad- ually controlled trade. Importations of foreign goods became frequent and numerous. The coin of the country was exported in payment, and thus money became scarce. English creditors, too, pressed with urgency their claims, and snits were bronght with alarming frequency.

Massachusetts suffered in an exceptional degree from these and other causes. It had no tobacco and no rice to export; its fisheries had decreased to an alarm- ing degree ; it had nothing with which to pay for its imported articles, except coin, and that was speedily exhausted. The private debts in the State amounted, it is estimated, to £1,300,000. In addition to this £250,000 were due its soldiers, besides £1,500,000 as the State's proportion of the Federal debt. One- third of the latter was required to be raised on the ratable polls, numbering less than 90,000. Taxes at least must be paid in coin ; so must debts, when the creditor insists. Without commerce, without manu- factured articles, without exportable products and without money, the people of Massachusetts were largely forced to the rude expedient of barter and exchange; but that, indeed, afforded no relief; the coveted money was not obtained by such methods. Hence creditors did insist, collection was enforced by suit and satisfaction by levy and sale. Property and homes were sacrificed, discontent became general and relief was vainly sought. Courts were crowded with actions and suitors ; lawyers alone were prosperous.

Such was the condition of Massachusetts in 1786, when the General Court met. The alluring remedies proposed in that body were to make real and personal estate legal tender; to emit paper money which should be irredeemable, and to permit free trade, so far as lawyers were concerned, admitting any person

of good character to practice in the conrts, bnt regu- lating the fees. These measures failed at that time.

Redress must be sought in other ways, therefore. Conventions were called in which to discuss grievances and formulate remedies.

In May, 1786, the town of Sutton invited the towns to send delegates to a general meeting.

WORCESTER'S ATTITUDE TOWARD SHAYS' RE- BELLION .- It would be a source of greater satisfaction for every citizen of Worcester if the part which that town took in the only serious revolt against the supremacy of law in Massachusetts had been one of absolnte and uninterrupted vindication of the rights of the Government. But, considering the force of opinion in almost every town in the county, the easy acquiescence with which most of the towns sent dele- gates to the County Convention of 1786, the corporate action of the town of Worcester, in the main, deserves our approbation and compels our admiration.

The contest came solely npon the question of seud- ing delegates to the convention of 1786. In and of itself the mere approval of a convention to consider grievances and suggest legitimate remedies would not at any time merit censure. But when armed revolt against the peace of the Commonwealth was a possible issue, or later when it was an established fact, true patriotism was best shown by a determined refusal to have any part or lot in bodies or measures whose tendency was even remotely towards revolution. Worcester showed a sturdy and persistent opposition for many months, and even though a small majority was obtained once or twice in favor of participating in the convention, the results were disapproved.

The only petition to the General Court which Wor- cester adopted was in 1784, before public passion was excited. It recited as the grievances which should be remedied :

1st. "The giving into the hand of the honorable the Continental Con- gress the Imipost to be under their sole controle," and that the act to that effect onght to he repealed, "not but that we are free and willing that an Impost on all Imported Articles ought and should Imediately take place, but the Revenue thereof ought to be paid into our State Treasury, and iu a Constitutional way drawo out by a warrant from the Governor, and, if appropriated to Congress, it onght to be set to our credit, so that we may receive the hedefit of the same, which we con- ceive no State in the Union have any just right to."

2d. " Wee conceive that the expence of Days of Publick Rejoicing onght not to be paid out of the Public Treasury."

3d. "Making large grants to officers of the Continental Army, &c."

4th. "That the people of this State are greatly oppressed and dis- tressed for the want of a ballance of a Circulating Medium, and that the credit of the State greatly suffers from no other motive than the neces- sity of the people and by reason of the State's holding the property of Individuals binds one part of the people so that the other part makes necessity their opportunity, which much agrieves the good people of this State, and we pray that ways and measures may he found out for Relief."

The foregoing, adopted two years before Shays' Rebellion, was the only petition on the subject of grievances sent or adopted by Worcester.

At a town-meeting, held Jnne 8, 1782, the list of grievances, which the town supposed it had, was for-

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HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

mulated for the information of its Representative to the General Court as follows :

" We instruct you Relative to some maters of grevance which we think we labour under :

Ist. "That the Receiver-General of this extensive Commonwealth should be a Justice of the pleas in the County of Middlesex, by which he is rendered unable to attend his office as Treasurer of the Common- wealth during the Time he attends the Courte in said County, by which many persone have been, and others no doubt will be, put to considera- ble Expence, hesides loss of time and Disappointment, who have business with him as Treasurer."

2d. " As there is a Recommendation of Congress that such officers as have heen Deranged and not in actual service have half pay during life, if said recommendation hae or should take Place, we look upon it as a great greavance."

3d .. " That the Members of the General Court, when acting as Commit- tees of the same, have large wages over and above their pay as Repre- sentatives, is a greivance which we think we justly complain of."

4th. "That Representatives having nine shillings per day, Consider- ing the scarcity of money and the difficulty of obtaining thereof, being almost double what they formerly had when money was much plentier aod easier to be had, we think a greivance.",

5th. " It is a great greivance that there has not been a general Settle- ment with the Treasurer of this Commonwealth, and with all others who have been entrusted with the expenditure of puhlick moules and have not accounted for the same."

Gth. "That the State of the Treasury is not known to the Inhabit- ants," &c.

7th. " As the Siting of the General Court in the Town of Boston is attended with many inconveniences, we think said Courts siting in said Towo a greivance."

8th. "That the siting of the Court of Common Pleas and General Sessions of the Peice at the same time much interfear with each other, by which means the County is put to the coast of paying many Justices many days, when much less time would answer the purpose as well."

9th. Large grants of land to " Alexander Shepherd and others laying in the old Provence of main," &c.

Thus in 1782, by instructions to its Representative in the General Court, and in 1784 by petition to the Senate and House of Representatives, Worcester announced its grievances. No undue popular ex- citement existed at either of these times; but in 1786 the case was different. The supposed grievances had not been remedied by legislation or by changed conditions. Many of the people believed their bur- dens insupportable and saw no relief by constitutional means. Excitement ran high; demagogues caught the public eye ; unprincipled men sought to lead, and danger began to threaten. In such condition of things, Worcester sought to allay the impending storm.

In May, 1786, Sutton sent an invitation to the towns of the county to send delegates to a conven- tion. It was not considered by Worcester.

The convention, with delegates from a portion of the towns, met at Leicester, but adjourned to August 15th, and another attempt was made to obtain the presence of delegates from the remaining towns. A letter from the convention was received by Worcester, asking that it and Douglass and Northbridge might send delegates "to take under their consideration such matters as shall appear to them to be grievances, and for the towns to instruct their delegates concern- ing a circulating medium or such means of redress as they shall think proper."

A town-meeting was held in Worcester, August 10, 1786, to consider the invitation. Upon the proposi-

tion to send delegates, the record states that " it was passed in the negative."

Thus far through the increasing excitement Wor- cester had remained firm against becoming identified with the growing opposition to the government. But the movement, gaining force from the presence of delegates from nearly every town in the county and from the armed resistance at Worcester on September 5th, when the Court of Common Pleas was compelled to adjourn without transacting business, became too strong for successful opposition by the town of Wor- cester.

A petition for another town-meeting was presented, and in accordance with its prayer a meeting was held on September 25, 1786, at which, by a vote of 47 to 29, it was decided to send two delegates to the convention at its adjourned meeting at Paxton on the last Tues- day of September; but the town still retained the power to disapprove the action of the convention, for it voted that its delegates should report their doings at a later meeting.

The convention adopted a petition to the General Court. It was presented at a meeting of the inhab- itants of Worcester, held October 2, 1786, and was read, paragraph by paragraph, and it was voted not to adopt it. But another trial of strength was de- manded by the defeated party, and a petition, signed by Dr. Dix and others, was presented for another town-meeting. October 16, 1786, it was voted, by 62 affirmative to 53 negative, to choose a delegate to "meet in Convention at the house of Nathan Patch on the 2ª Tuesday of November next." Again, how- ever, the town proposed to be careful of its good name, and it voted that the " Delegate lay the doings of the Convention before the town for their approba- tion or disapprobation at the next town-meeting after the meeting of the Convention." At the same meet- ing it chose a committee, consisting of Dr. Dix and others, to prepare instructions for its Representative to the General Court.

Town-meetings were frequent in those days. At the next one, held October 23d, the party of order were in the majority, and the instructions prepared by Dr. Dix and others were refused adoption by a vote of 59 in favor of adoption to 67 against. Other instructions were then adopted, but it is a pleasure to read that a proposition to instruct the Representative to use his endeavor to have the law repealed which obliged each town to keep a grammar school was voted down.

Thus far the town, whenever it came to pass upon the acts of the convention, was uniformly found to disapprove. Its last action relative thereto was taken at the meeting held January 15, 1787, when the re- port of the delegates was made, and it was voted to dismiss the delegates.

On the very next day, January 16, 1787, the town voted to pay a bounty of twelve shillings and forty shillings per month compensation to each man who

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WORCESTER.

should enlist for the support of the government. It also chose a committee to give security to the sol- diers for their wages.

The Rebellion was soon to be overcome. General Lincoln, with his troops, arrived in Worcester on the 22d of January, where he was joined by the sol- diers from this county, including many from Wor- cester, and by the 3d of February the opposition to the established order had vanished. Only two or three from this town were included among the sol- diers of the insurgent forces.

It has not been our purpose to treat of the military events which happened in Worcester in connection with and as a part of Shays' Rebellion, but simply in a brief way to cover the corporate action of the town with reference to it.

The temper of such a loyal and law-abiding citi- zen as Isaiah Thomas, with reference to the Excise Act in its operation upon him, may be judged by an entry made by him in an old receipt-book, follow- ing the copy of a receipt, dated December 16, 1785, of three pounds from him in full for duty on adver- tisements, from the 1st of August to November 24th. It is as follows :

"N. B .- This is the first duty I ever paid Government for Liberty of Printing a news-paper-the first shackle laid on the Press since Inde- pendence, and laid on by the Legislature of Massachusetts only ! ! ! "

The original of the above is now in the possession of Charles A. Chase, Esq., treasurer of the Worcester County Institution for Savings. In consequence of the determination of Mr. Thomas not to be subject to an act so painfully suggestive to him of the Stamp Act, the publication of the Spy was suspended for the years 1787-88.

MEANS OF COMMUNICATION .- At the outset of the trips of the regular stage from Boston, through Wor- cester to Hartford, in 1783, one left Boston on Mon- day morning at six, remained in Northborough at night, reaching Worcester on Tuesday and arriving at Hartford on Thursday. Another left Hartford at the same honr on Monday and arrived in Boston in four days. Beginning in January, 1786, coaches left Boston in winter every Monday and Thursday morn- ings at five o'clock, arrived at Worcester the same day, and reached New York in five days more. The summer arrangement provided for coaches three times a week, in which the journey from Boston to New York was made in four days, which was claimed to be the most expeditions way of traveling that could be had in America. In July, 1788, the car- riages were hung upon springs, and the trips made with greater comfort. Increasing speed was con- stantly made, till the running time from Boston to Worcester was reduced to six hours at the close of this period. Increasing trips were made till stages run daily to Boston, Hartford and New York, and five different lines, three times a week to Boston. There were also lines to Oxford, to Providence, to Northampton, to Keene, to Southbridge, to Dudley,

to Athol, and to many other places. New roads and new turnpikes began to be built, connecting Wor- cester with other places by shorter routes and better roads.

By chapter 67, of the Acts of 1806, Aaron Davis and others were incorporated under the name of the Worcester Turnpike Corporation, to make, lay out and keep in repair a turnpike road from Roxbury to Worcester, "passing over Shrewsbury Pond, and to the north of Bladder Pond, to the street in Worcester near the Court House," and with authority to estab- lish four toll-gates. The turnpike crossed Lake Quinsigamond upon a floating bridge, which, on Sep- tember 19, 1817, sank, but was soon after replaced by a more substantial structure. Other turnpike cor- porations were established, intended to afford Wor- cester more ample means of travel and traffic.

POPULATION AND LOCAL CONDITIONS .- The popu- lation of Worcester increased at a slow rate from dec- ade to decade during this period. By the first cen- sus in 1790 it had 2,095; in 1800, 2,411 ; in 1810, 2,577 ; in 1820, 2,962; in 1825, 3,650.

Its ratable polls were for the several years as follows : 1790, about 450; 1800, 530; 1805, 540; 1810, 518 ; 1815, 641 ; 1820, 626 ; 1825, 881.

The vote for Representative to the First Congress under the Constitution, in 1788, was as follows :

Timothy Paiue

Jona Grout

Abel Wilson.

A. Ward

Total

It is exceedingly interesting, in connection with the subsequent history of the towns of the county, to compare their condition so far as polls are concerned, in 1786. They follow in order :

Brookfield

666

Douglas 231

Sutton.

640

Oxford.

228

Shrewsbury

421

Grafton. 225

Charlton. 392

Westhoro'

222

Barre. 373

Dudley 220

Leominster

359

Bolton.

216

Worcester. .357

Fitchburg

207

Petershamn 349

New Braintree

203

Sturbridge

347

Princeton

198

Hardwick

340

Ashburnbam.

197

Sterling

339

Royalston

196

Mendon

310

Milford

195

Spencer. 308

Athol

193

Harvard

306

Weston

192

Lancaster

304

Southboro'

186

Lunenburg. 297

Uptou.

184

Westminster. 291

Hubbardston,

163

Uxbridge 281

Oakham

I61

Templeton

274

Northboro'

J56

Rutland

268

Paxton

145

Leicester 240

Berlin

118

Holden

233

Ward

108

Winchendon

231

Northbridge.

Thus it is seen that in number of polls Worcester was, in 1786, the seventh town in the county. It may well be a subject of thoughtful consideration as to the operative causes which have secured for it the position of the second city in the Commonwealth.

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HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

Within the period of present consideration the conditions were favorable, not for rapid development, but for careful, thoughtful action. Its foundations were not laid in mortar and cement only, but in edu- cation, intelligence, taste, a due degree of political wisdom, business sagacity and prudent foresight. It possessed natural advantages in location. As the shire-town of the county it attracted attention, immi- gration and business. Its area was ample ; its adap- tability for trade and manufactures was noticeable. The wealth of the town was in excess of its propor- tion, according to population ; its income in 1786 was third among the towns of the county. Its inhabit- ants did not secure foreign capital and foreign cor- porations for business ventures. Its wealth was localized, its capital was a home capital and every iuhabitant had a local pride and local interest. The profits of its trade went into the pockets of its own citizens and not to non-resident stockholders.

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History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 129

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