History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 21

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 21

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Printing was done previously to 1813, by Sewall Goodrich, in a building which stood near the residence of Mr. Tyler Waters, in the part of the town which became Millbury the above date.

The boot and shoe business was also quite exten- sively carried on at the centre of the town, and some- thing in the same line was done in several other places.

As early as 1837, according to statistics furnished for Barker's " Historical Collections," there were made 9314 pairs of boots and 51,968 pairs of shoes, of the value of $55,656.

The business was started not far from 1835, and car- ried on by various parties, the principal of whom were Simon J. Woodbury, N. G. King, W. C. Chase & F. F. Sibley, B. L. & Henry C. Batcheller, B. F. & D. A. Tenney, Loren C. Howard & E. A. Dudley, afterward L. C. Howard alone.

MARBLEVILLE .- Joseph Hathaway began the man- ufacture of shuttles at this place. He sold to Mr. Ezra S. Marble, who carried on the same business un- til his death, making from five thousand to seven thousand dollars' worth of shuttles per year. Since his death the business has been continued by his son, Ezra W. Marble, who suffered a heavy loss by the burning of the shop in 1874. He rebuilt in 1875, and resumed business in the spring of 1876. He has in- vented and patented an ingenious contrivance for holding the bobbin, which is attached to the spindle, making his shuttle one of the best, if not the best, now in use.

WOODBURY VILLAGE .- Where the Woodbury fac- tory now stands, there was, in the early settlement of the town a saw-mill, built and owned by Deacon Percival Hall, then owned by his son, Willis. Cap- tain Josiah Hall built a new saw and grist-mill there in 1797. The mill-work was done by Captain Fran- cis Putnam. Captain Hall sold to Captain David Dudley in 1813. Captain Dudley, Charles Hale, Luther Woodbury and Leonard Woodbury com- menced manufacturing scythes there the same year, continuing the business two or three years, when they sold to Captain Asa Woodbury, who continued the same business a few years.

The old building was repaired, enlarged and changed into a woolen-mill or factory ; burnt in 1835, rebuilt soon after, and operated by Captain Asa Wood- bury and Henry Boyden, under the name and firm

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HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

of Woodbury & Boyden. It was afterwards operated by Woodbury alone.

It was burnt in 1855 and rebuilt in 1856. The new mill was first operated by Woodbury, Brown & Cooper, owned by Woodbury, and afterwards run by him alone. Stockwell & Preseott run the mill for him awhile. Hall & Prescott hired the mill and run it for a year or so, making very nice jeans. After the death of Captain Woodbury it was sold at auction to Crawford & Fisher, and run from 1866 to 1871 by Crawford, and since that time rented to different parties, and at the present time doing a flourishing business under the management nf Geo. A. Bigelow, of Worcester.

PLEASANT VALLEY .- A card and fulling-mill was built at this place by Thomas Harback about 1776. His son, Thomas, Jr., built in 1822, near the site of the old fulling-quill, a factory for the manufacture of broadclotb, and here, first in town, was cloth woven by power-looms.

The factory was next owned by Mallalieu, Roberts & Graham, then by the Goodale Manufacturing Company. They sold in 1836 to Freeman & Sibley. In 1837 the company was incorporated as the Sut ton Woolen-Mills Company, and the property was mortaged to Francis Sibley. In 1841 the factory was burned, and Sibley took possession on his mortgage soon after. He sold to Stephen B. Holbrook and Sumner F. Sutton in August, 1845, who built, in 1846, the main building of the present factory.

Partridge & Wakefield rented and operated it from 1846 to 1849, manufacturing print- cloths. They also built the small house and saw-mill.

William Yearnshaw made bags there; Leander Lackey made bits, bit-stocks, etc.

William Nolan manufactured print-goods in 1850. Holbrook made cotton flannel.

John M. Daniels & Son made satinet warps from 1860 to 1864.

H. H. Chamberlain engaged in wool-cleansing and the manufacture of woolen warps and cotton yarn. Holbrook sold to James C. Southwick, and he to George C. Ripley, of New York ; he to E. B. Stod- dard, of Worcester, Stoddard to Holbrook and he to F. B. Smith, September, 1870.

Mr. Smith made many improvements in the mill ; built a picker-room of briek, fire-proof, forty feet by thirty feet; an engine-house, forty feet by fifteen feet, and put in a fine engine of thirty horse power.

He died- and the mill has since been run by his son, F. S. Smith, agent Fred. B. Smith estate. It was burned 1885, and at once rebuilt, enlarged and im- proved, and is now doing a large and increasing busi- ness.

April, 1823. Mr. Wilkinson built the east part of the stone factory the same year, and in 1828 added the west end, and in 1832 the brick wing, twenty-four by twenty-five feet.

The main building is one hundred and eleven feet long by thirty-eight feet wide, four stories high, with attic.

During Mr. Wilkinson's administration the place was very much improved in the erection of the hotel buildings, the Episcopal Church and several dwelling- houses. In the year 1829, when the manufacturing interests throughout New England were in a depressed condition, the financial affairs of the proprietor of the village were such that the property passed into the hands of Samuel Slater & Sons. In 1832 an act of incorporation was obtained, under the name of Sutton Manufacturing Company. The capacity for manu- facturing purposes has increased from time to time, and is now ten thousand spindles and two hundred and forty-one looms.

The annual production is two million yards sixty- four square printing-cloths, which are sold at different printing establishments in New England, New York and Philadelphia.

H. N. Slater, of Providence, is treasurer of the cor- poration.

Shuttle Works of D. T. Dudley &. Son .- These works are situated in Wilkinsonville, on the road from the village to Millbury. They were built in the tall of 1866 by Warren Wilder.

January 1, 1867, D. T. & H. T. Dudley purchased a two-thirds interest in the business, and carried it on with Mr. Wilder until the fall of 1867, when the partnership was dissolved, the Dudleys purchasing the whole property and carrying on the business under the name of D. T. Dudley & Son.

At first they manufactured shuttles only, employ- ing six or seven hands. But the business was soon enlarged. Machinery was introduced for making shuttle-irons, and the business increased to such an extent that seventeen hands were employed.

The machinery is operated most of the year by water-power, furnished by streams from what are known as the Sutton and the Sibley reservoirs, unit- ing at Woodburyville. A steam-engine has been provided for running the machinery when water fails.

'There is a large demand for their goods, which are sent to all parts of the United States, the Canadas, South America and Mexico.

The buildings are wooden structures. In the main one, which is two and a half stories high, shuttles are made; in the low building adjoining this, the shuttle- irons are forged. About one hundred feet southeast of this is another building, two and one-half stories high, used for storage and drying purposes. The beautiful dwelling which stands upon the elevation easterly of the mill is occupied by the junior partner.

WILKINSONVILLE .- Asa Waters, of Millbury, pur- chased of Jeremiah Stone in 1815 what was known as the Dudley farm, including water-power, etc. Said Waters deeded the premises to David Wilkinson, of MANCHAUG. - The village of Manchaug derives North Providence, R. I., by deed bearing date of its name from a noted Indian chief who was drowned

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in the pond now known by that name. It is situated upon the north branch of Mumford River, a tributary of the Blackstone. Its hydraulic power is derived from this stream, which is, in reality, the outflow of a chain of ponds lying within a radius of four or five miles, and covering an area of one thousand acres, nearly. The extent of country drained is estimated at eleven thou- sand five hundred acres.

The quantity of power derived is attributed to the springs found in the surrounding country, and the great and rapid fall of the river, which in less than one-fourth of a mile is eighty-three feet. The remark- able advantages of this stream as a motive-power have been increased by building a dam at the outlet of each of these ponds or reservoirs, which give the water an additional fall of several feet.

It was about the beginning of the year 1826 that a number of gentlemen from Providence, R. I., on their way to Worcester and Boston, conceived the idea of utilizing this stream for the purpose of mann- facturing.

After many interviews with Mr. Elliot a sale was effected, and in January, 1826, the deed conveying forty-eight and one-half acres was passed from Aaron Elliot and his wife, Susan Elliot, to Jonathan Cong- don, Randall H. Green and Samuel Congdon (mer- chants), all of the city of Providence.

February 12, 1827, Welcome and Samuel Cong- don becoming members of the firm, the stauding was as follows: Jonathan Congdon, one-fourth ; Randall H. Green, three-eighths; Arnold Congdon, one-eighth ; Welcome Congdon, one-eighth ; Samuel Congdon, one-eightb.

May 17, 1828, Baxter Morse sold to the Manchaug Company, as constituted above, twenty-eight acres of land. This completed the purchase of real estate, as far as known, by the originators of this company. A successful business is supposed to have been done by the gentlemen composing the company until July 29, 1829, when they sold ont all their interest to Peter Pratt and William R. Staples, they in turn transferring it, May 1, 1830, to Samuel Shore, pre- vious purchases and improvements having augmented this estate to nearly two hundred acres improved and wood land, three cotton-mills, eleven dwelling- houses, etc. Unfortunately, February 1, 1834, after a somewhat checkered experience, Samuel Shore transferred all the above property by deed of assign- ment to John Whipple and Dexter Thurber for the benefit of his creditors. The assignees above named, on the 28th of May, 1835, sold to Olney Whipple, of North Providence, all the above property, and August 21st of the same year, Benoni Cook, Isaac Brown and Dexter Thurber (manufacturers), Earl Douglass Pierce (gentleman) and Lewis Baxter (yeoman), all of Providence, with the exception of Lewis Dexter, who was a resident of Smithfield, R. I., purchased the entire property, and Charles Thurber was appointed resident manager. Under his

management the business was materially improved, and quite successful until September 13, 1839, when he died, Mr. Dexter Thurber assuming the manage- ment, and continuing in that capacity until October I, 1841, when Messrs. Asahel Wall & Co., together with Stephen Randall as resident manager, leased the mills, agreeing to furnish eighty-seven and a half pounds of print cloth for every one hundred pounds of cotton and to receive two and three-fourths cents per yard for manufacturing the same; the owners keeping in repair all dams, flumes, permanent shaft- ing, wheels, etc., and furnishing all necessary supplies for the maintenance of the same. This they con- tinued to do until April 1, 1843, when the contract was annulled and the business was again conducted under the management of the old company, Mr. Randall continuing in the capacity as manager until 1846. Messrs. Thomas & Colt leased the mills for the manufacture of print cloths and continued from July 21, 1846, until March 29, 1847, when Mr. Colt took the lease and continued until May 8th to manu- facture by the yard on the same terms as A. Wall & Co. (two and three-fourth cents per yard) ; they, as in the case of Wall & Co., having the waste. Thread was manufactured at No. 2 Mill and woven into print cloths at the other mills.

September 1, 1853, James M. Cunliff, of Providence, was admitted as a partner, having been in 1848 ap- pointed resident manager, which position he held until April 1, 1870.

Scott W. Mowry was also admitted as a partner at the same time with Mr. Cunliff, Mr. Dexter Thurber retiring.

It was during the administration of Mr. Cunliff that several valuable improvements were made in connection with this property. An addition was made to the lower or No. I Mill in 1852, of granite, two stories high, of the style called " Rough Ashlar," fifty feet by one hundred and eighteen feet. It was built by Lafayette Reynolds, of Pascoag, Rhode Island.

In 1862 a further addition of four stories of granite, seventy feet by one hundred and forty-three feet, was built.

In 1868 the foundation of the new or No. 3 Mill was laid, and the building erected under the care of Nathan Staples & Sons, of Lowell.

It was constructed of granite obtained from the quarries of this village, and is of the style called " Rough Ashlar."

The dimensions of this mill are as follows: three hundred and ten feet long, fifty-two wide, four stories high, with two towers to connect the several stories, twenty feet square. A picker-house eighty-four feet long by forty feet wide, three stories high ; one boiler- house forty-eight feet long by thirty-six feet wide, one story high.

After the completion of this mill print cloths were manufactured until the summer of 1873, when there

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HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

was a change to what is known as "Fruit of the 1.001."

Mr. James M. Cunliff, after a successful manage- ment of twenty-two years, retired, leaving it in the hands of his son, Lemuel H. Cunlitl, under whose superintendence the interests of the company became somewhat clouded.

At this period Messrs. B. B. and R. Knight, of Providence, Rhode Island, purchased an interest, and the other parties retired, with the exception of Mr. Dexter, the firm then standing, as at the present time, "Lewis Dexter, B. B. & R. Knight."

With the increase of wealth and skill in manufac- ture, it was evident that none but a man of ability and strict business integrity could assume the respon- sibility of the large property and make it a success- ful and profitable business. Hence the owners were anxious to secure the services of a man who could meet the requirements of the time and place. After several interviews with different parties, Robert McArthur, at the time located at Millville, N. J., was induced to accept the management. Mr. McAr- thur assumed the entire control as resident manager and agent in the fall of 1873, and continued as such. It is but justice to Mr. McArthur to say that, through his untiring energy and careful discrimination, the business has been made successful. Constant im- provement marks the growth of this village, and within the last three years, under the efficient man- agement of the present superintendent, George H. Clark, Esq., three of the mills have been enlarged, new tenement houses have been erected and neatness and order are everywhere apparent.

As illustrating the progress of this company, we give a list of the product each decade: 1840, 634,775 yards; 1850, 1,300,480 yards; 1860, 2,444,832 yards ; 1870, 4,065,320.

Add to this the increased value of the product from print cloths to "Fruit of the Loom " cottons, to realize the growth of this village.

CHAPTER CXXIX. SUTTON-(Continued.)

MISCELLANEOUS.

THE REVOLUTION .- On the breaking out of the Revolutionary War few towns in the Commonwealth rallied to the cause with such spirit and unanimity as the town of Sutton. The first gleaming ray from the torch of liberty kindled to a flame the whole sur- rounding region, and volunteers flocked to its stan- dard in great numbers. Long before the battle of Lexington they had formed a band of "minute-men," well mounted and armed, and under the command of Colonel Jonathan Holman, who had been a vet-

eran in the British service in Canada during the old French War.

As soon as the news of that fight reached them they sprang to their saddles, and, riding with all speed through the whole night, reached Concord just as the enemy were retreating to Boston.

It was not thirty days after that fight before Sutton and the neighboring towns had raised a full regiment of ten companies, all volunteers, and they were on the march to the field of action.

They were organized under the command of Colo- nel Ebenezer Larned, of Oxford; marched to Rox- bury, where they arrived more than two months before Washington came to take command of the army.

Another regiment was immediately formed of men coming from "Sutton, Oxford, Sturbridge, Charlton and Dudley, including adjacent lands," and placed under the command of Colonel Jonathan Hol- man, of' North Sutton.

The following entry is found in the journal of the Massachusetts Council :

MASSACHUSETTS COUNCIL, Feb. 7, 1776.

In the House of Representatives : The House made choice by ballot of the following gentlemen for Field Officers of the Fifth Regiment of Militia in the County of Worcester, viz. : Jouatban Holman of Sutton, Colonel ; Daniel Plympton, Lieut. Colonel ; William Larned, First Ma- jor ; Jacob Davis, 2d Major.

In Council : Read and Concurred.

This regiment, being composed largely of men from Sutton, and under the command of a Sutton officer, was usually known and styled as "The Sutton Regi- ment." It was destined to a very severe and long- continued service of nearly two years, during which it was engaged in many battles with the enemy, and finally, if we accept the evidence of a high British authority, in the great decisive battle of the war, the battle of Saratoga.

In the battle that ensued Colonel Holman's regi- ment was actively engaged, and that they acquitted themselves bravely may be justly inferred from the fact that after the battle this regiment was desig- nated " to take possession of Fort Edward, and to hold it, until the dispersion of Burgoyne's army," which they did.

The regiment was then honorably discharged, and the men returned to their homes.

This battle, followed by the surrender of Burgoyne and his whole army, virtually ended the war in New England. The British, after fighting the obstinate Yankees for two years and a half, became discouraged and moved the theatre of war down South.

January 19, 1776, there was a call for more men, and a levy was made upon all the towns in the State, the number to be raised being apportioned according to the size and strength of the towns.

For Worcester County the drafts were as follows :

Brookfield, forty-nine; Lancaster, forty-six ; Sutton, thirty-nine; Mendon, thirty-three; Worcester, thirty-

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two; Hardwick, twenty-nine; Shrewsbury, twenty- five; Bolton, twenty-three; Lunenburg, twenty ; Sturbridge, seventeen ; Westboro', seventeen ; Charl- ton, sixteen ; Douglas, fifteen ; Grafton, fifteen ; Dudley, twelve; Leicester, thirteen; Uxbridge, thirteen ; Oxford, eleven ; Northbridge, six; and so on.

In a levy made upon the towns for blankets, they were apportioned as follows: Lancaster, thirty-three; Sutton, thirty ; Brookfield, thirty ; Worcester, twenty- seven ; and so on in lesser numbers.

In the Provincial Congress held at Watertown, May 1, 1775, provision was made for the support of the people who had been driven from their homes in Boston by the entrance of the British army.

They were assigned to the several towns in the State, to be supported as far as necessary.

In Worcester County they were assigned as follows : Lancaster, one hundred and three persons ; Brookfield, ninety.

The evidence, therefore, appears to be conclusive, that in the great and arduous struggle to gain our independence, Sutton rauked among the forty-three towns in Worcester County as the third, Brookfield and Lancaster alone having a better record, they being larger towns.

Sutton may well be proud of her contribution to the grand resnlt ; and, in common with all the towns of the Commonwealth, her glory is still more enhanced by the fact brought out by Charles Sumner, in his celebrated debate with Senator Butler, of South Carolina, in which he proved by documentary evidence from the War and Treasury Departments, that, in the Revolutionary War, Massachusetts alone furnished more men, and more money, than all the Southern States combined.

CIVIL WAR .- April 1Ith. Fort Sumter was fired upon, and the War of the Rebellion inaugurated.

April 15th. The President issues his proclamation calling for seventy-five thousand of the militia of the several States to "re-possess the forts, places and property " which had been seized, "to maintain the perpetuity of popular government, and to redress wrongs long enough endured."

These men were called for three months' service.

April 29th. An impromptu meeting of citizens of the town was held for the purpose of discussing the situation, and a committee appointed to draft a series of resolutions for the action of a meeting of the town called for the day following.

April 30th. At the meeting of this date the feeling of indignation at the atrocity of the act of firing on the national flag, of patriotic devotion, and of determined purpose to crush rebellion, was in full harmony with that which prevailed throughout all the loyal States. In view of the peril of the hour, and the necessity of wise actiou, it was proposed that the proceedings be opened with prayer ; and it is recorded that the Rev. Mr. Hawkins, being called upon "to address the

Throne of Grace, responded in a fervent and appro- priate prayer."

On motion of E. J. Mills, it was " voted that a Com- mittee chosen at a meeting held last evening to pre- sent the subject for action to-day be invited to do so now, and the Hon. J. D. McCrate, Chairman of said Committee, responded in the following resolutions :

Resolved, That in this most unnatural contest, waged against our Country by a band of traitors in the Southern States, we, the inhabitants of Sutton, believing that the whole strength of the coumry should be exerted in an official manner to put down rebellion, call upon the Gov- ernment of the United States to make no terms or compromises with traitors, but to carry on the war in such a manner, and with such force as will strengthen the union sentiment which we believe still exists in portions of the rebellious States, and intimidate and overwhelm those who, regardless of all obligations, seek a division of our beloved Country.

Resolved, That we are neither advocates of nor believers in the right of Secession, That we regard the course taken by the self-styled Seced- ing States as Revolution without justifiable cause, and that the Gov- ernment of the Country is therefore bound to put it down by the strong arm of force.

Resolved, That we appropriate the sum of six thousand ($6000) dollars for the specific object of taking care of the families and of umforming such of the inhabitants of this Town as shall enlist either for the war or for three years or more, and shall be called out to serve for that period, and be accepted by the regularly constituted authorities of the Country.

Resolved, That the above sum, or whatever portion thereof be neces- sary, shall be expended under the direction of a Committee of three, to be chosen at this meeting.

Resolved, That Col. John D. McCrate, A. Dudley Chase and James Tay- lor be a Committee for the purpose above mentioned.

August 2d. The town "Voted to offer a bounty of one hundred and fifty ($150.00) dollars to any person who, on or before the eighteenth day of August, will enlist as a Volunteer in the Army of the United States as one of quota of twenty-eight men from Sut- ton, the same to be paid as soon as such person shall have been accepted and mustered."

August 23d. The call for nine months' men was promptly responded to by the town, which "voted to take measures to procure by enlistment our quota of troops, and to pay to each person enlisting as one of said quota a bounty of one hundred and fifty ($150.00) dollars."

The town furnished two hundred and twenty-three men for the war, which was a surplus of eight over and above all demands.

Two were commissioned officers. The whole amount of money appropriated aud expended on account of the war, exclusive of State aid, was twenty-five thou- sand one hundred and eighty dollars and fourteen cents ($25,180.14). The amount of money paid by the town for State aid to soldiers' families during the war, and afterward repaid by the State was as follows: In 1861, $501.91; 1862, $2,410.71; 1863, $3,212.70; 1864, $1,725.76; 1865, $1,901.26. Total amount, $9,752.34.

The ladies of Sutton furnished a great many articles for the soldiers during the war, to the money value of about one thousand dollars. Among the articles were shirts, drawers, socks, lint, bandages and other useful stores. They were forwarded to the front generally through the Sanitary aud Christian Commissions.

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HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

CENTENNIAL .- 1876, March 20th. The town made an appropriation for a centennial celebration.

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History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 21

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