History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 97

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 97

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At this time they drew a solemn, patriotic obliga- tion ; the following is the last clause : " And as the law of self-preservation requires us at this time to prepare ourselves for repelling, Force by Force, in case we should be reduced to such a fatal necessity. Therefore we do hereby firmly covenant and engage

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with each other under the sacred Ties of Honor, Vir- tne and Love of Country, that we will endeavor forth- with to be equipped with arms, ammunition and accoutrements, according to Province Law, with the addition that each soldier shall have thirty bullets, instead of twenty. And furthermore, that we will each of us respectfully adhere, obey and conform to all the military orders, injunctions and penalties of said captain, or his successors in office, with his or their subalterns, in every respect consistent with the Law of the Province, in such case made and provided, to all intents and purposes as though the said officers were commissioned by a constitutional captain-gen- eral of the Province, until some other military regu- lations shall take place."

The town also mounted a "Field Piece," which was manned by Paul More, Eleazer Coller, George Clark, Joseph Hill, Jason Read, George Smith, Jr., Peter Newton, John Smith, Luke Moore, Timothy Munroe, Gideon Brown and Samuel Gates. In 1777 this town's quota to be raised for three years, or for the war was thirty-six men. The town voted to raise enough to give them twenty pounds each. The quota to recruit the Continental Army was fourteen. It was voted to give them ninety pounds each in hard money, or its equivalent in other property. It cost the town more than £1400 as a part of the expense of the war. The town furnished one hundred and three men of the following names : Daniel Adams, Adoni- jah Bartlett, Isaac Briant, William Bridge, Peter Bent, Jr., John Briant, Samuel Browning, William Brittan, Silas Bent, Thomas Ball, John Bruce, Moses Baxter, Levi Brown, Oliver Chickering, James Cow- den, Asa Church, Caleb Clap, Joshua Clap, John Cunningham, Ephraim Curtis, Eli Clark, George Clark, Abiather Childs, Samuel Dunlap, John Davis, Eliakim Davis, Alpheus Davis, Seth Duncan, Asa Davis, Thomas Eustis, Daniel Estabrook, Benjamin Estabrook, John Fesenden, John Forbes, James Forbes, Robert Forbes, Jonas Flint, Tilly Flint, Sam- uel Frink. Jacob Fisk, Jeduthan Green, Zadock Gates, Nathan Goodale, Joel Hubbard, Abraham Hagar, Noah Harrington, Daniel Henderson, Jesse Hackingson, David Howe, Micah Howe, Matthias Howe, Luther Johnson, Delitha Johnson, Joseph King, Nathaniel Laughton, Benjamin Meade, Wil- lard Moore, Timothy Monroe, Solomon Munroe, Rob- ert Munroe, Benjamin Munroe, Alexandra Murray, Timothy Medcalf, Benjamin Miles, Samuel Moor, Hezekiah Newton, John Powers, Jonathan Pollard, Aaron Phelps, Abel Parmenter, Jonas Parmenter, Benjamin Reed, Jr., Nathan Reed, Abiah Rice, John Rice, Josiah Rice, Jonas Stone, Samuel Stone, Jr., John Stone, Israel Skinner, George Smith, Enoch Smith, Elijah Stearns, John Stearns, Luther Stevens, Hugh Smith, Jeduthan Stone, Israel Stone, William Smith, Jonas Smith, James Smith, Elijah Stone, Isaac Smith, David Smith, David Un- derwood, Phineas Walker, Jonas Walker, Daniel

Walker, Abraham Wheeler, Isaac Wheeler, Joseph Wright, James Williams, Joseph Wood.

It was a time of danger, distress, hardship and privation. The contributions of money, clothing, food and other stores were a severe drain upon the resources of the inhabitants, but they cheerfully bore the burdens which were necessary for .the achieve- ment of national life and constitutional freedom. The average age of thirty-six who returned from the war, taken at the date of their death, is eighty-seven years, five months.

Government considering Rutland a suitable place for the safe encampment of Burgoyne's army, ap- pointed John Frink, Esq., Jonas Howe, Esq., and Colonel Daniel Clap a committee to build barracks. This committee contracted with Captain Thomas Reed and caused to be erected a building one hun- dred and twenty feet long, forty feet wide and two stories high, containing twenty-four rooms twenty feet square, with chimneys. The building was thor- oughly built, clapboarded and shingled and arranged with suitable bunks for the soldiers. The lot selected was at the junction of the Rutland and Barre road with the New Boston road, three hundred and seventy rods westerly from the meeting-house. It contained several acres of land and was enclosed by a piquet fence twelve feet high. The terms of the capitulation granted by General Gates to General Burgoyne con- templated the speedy passage of Bnegoyne's troops to Europe, they stipulating not to serve again in America during the war. Boston was agreed upon as the point of embarkation, and Burgoyne's troops were marched to Cambridge to be near the shipping point. Disputes and misunderstandings arising be- tween Burgoyne and the Continental Congress, the embarkation was deferred and finally the troops were left as prisoners of war, a part being removed from Cambridge to Rutland, and in November, 1778, all were removed to Virginia, where they remained till near the end of the war, when they were exchanged in 1781-82 and removed to New York, where they embarked for Europe. Lieutenant Aubury, a British officer under Burgoyne, who wrote a description of Burgoyne's campaign and the subsequent captivity of his army, in a work of two volumes entitled "Travels through the Interior Part of America in a Series of Letters by an Officer," published in London in 1789, gives the best accounts of the movements of Bur- goyne's troops after the capitulation, or convention, as they called it, and from him these facts are ob- tained. He says : "It was understood at the con- vention that the troops were to be stationed on Pros- pect and Winter Hill in Cambridge, and the officers were to be quartered in Boston and the neighboring towns. On this supposition some of the officers had- pushed forward and got into Boston, and were imme- diately ordered out. The English teoops were on Prospect and the German on Winter Hills. The offi- cers have Cambridge, Mystic and Watertown to quar-

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ter themselves, and a parole of about ten miles in circumference, but to preserve order and regularity among the troops three officers of each regiment re- side in the barracks. It is no little mortification that I cannot visit Boston, the second city in America, and the grand emporium of rebellion, but our parole ex- cludes us from it; what makes the mortification still greater, is, that we can go as far as the ferry at Charlestown and are debarred crossing it." The above letter was written from Cambridge on November 30, 1777. In a letter of May 20, 1778, from Mystic, he says : "The intention of congress is very apparent as to our detention as prisoners, no doubt as hostages, in case of failure to the southward the ensuing cam- paign, and the apprehensions that some division may be made near Boston so that our soldiers might be released, or escape to any army that may make a landing. The council of Boston, under pretense that the troops would fare better, removed the first brigade of the British, consisting of the artillery, advanced corps, and Ninth Regiment on the fifteenth of last month from Prospect Hill to a place called Rutland, fifty-five miles farther up the country, at which place they are to stay till further orders from congress. The rest of the British troops are soon to follow. As to the Ger- mans, the Americans look upon them as being so tame and submissive that they are to remain at their old quarters on Winter Hill. By an officer who came from Rutland we learn that the first brigade arrived there the 17th about two o'clock. The men were sent to the barracks that were picketed in with pickets near twenty feet high and had been treated with great severity, were very badly supplied with provis- ions, and denied to go out for anything among the inhabitants. The officers with great difficulty ob- tained quarters in the neighboring houses, and those at a considerable distance from each other. It hap- pened rather fortunately for the troops that a vessel under a flag of truce arrived with some necessaries just before they marched, otherwise the men would have been in a wretched state." Notwithstanding the intention of sending another detachment to Rutland, no other was sent, only the one sent in April, 1778.

These prisoners of war spent the summer of 1778 in Rutland. The commissioned officers by parole quartered themselves, as Lientenant Aubury says, "in private houses ; " they lived in style, had waiters, kept horses, paid their bills regularly, and conducted them- selves in accordance with the articles of conven- tion. Three of these officers won the affections and married three young ladies, whose names were Stone, McClennathan and Hall. While here they were guarded by Captain William Tucker, of Charlton, and Captain Peter Woodbury, of Royalston, with their companies. There were two sentinels at the gate, one at each corner of the stockade, one at the guard- house, and one at the store-house at the. parting of the Dublin road. The non-commissioned officers and soldiers, by obtaining a permit from the officers of

the guard, would go out and purchase of the inhabit- ants potatoes and such other provisions as were not supplied to them for rations by the government. It was said that "you could hardly turn your eyes in any direction without seeing Red Coates," which re- futes the statement of Lieutenant Aubury that they "were treated with great severity " and " denied to go out for anything among the inhabitants." These barracks were afterward used for dwellings, store, card-factory and tavern. Two-thirds -were taken down and the other third destroyed by fire about sixty years ago. The old "Guard House" was permitted to stand to become a "Centeniarian " it being taken down in 1888, just oue hundred and ten years from the time of its erection. The only thing left to mark this historic spot is a large well, nine or ten feet in diameter and nearly seventy-five feet deep. The masonry of this well remains intact to this day. The land upon which these barracks were erected is now owned by Mr. Miles Holden and Mrs. Amy S. Hunt. Although it cannot be said that Rutland was ever a permanent settlement of the Indians, yet they made frequent excursions to this town, as the names given to some of the hills, ponds and meadows indicate. In 1722 the Eastern Indians, exasperated by some sup- posed encroachments on their lands, again took the tomahawk. The war was carried on in a manner pe- culiarly bloody in the settlements within Maine and New Hampshire. Rutland, although removed from the scene of action, felt the fury of their vengeance. During the two succeeding years the inhabitants con- tinued to receive the most violent assaults from them Several were killed or captured. As late as 1747 the town petitioned the General Court to fortify this town from the Indians by building garrisons, and with a suitable number of men for its defense.

Among those killed by the Indians was the first minister of Rutland, Rev. Joseph Willard, and Sam- uel and Joseph Stevens, who were killed the same day, the 14th of August, 1723. On the morning of this day Deacon Joseph Stevens, with his four sons, left home to go to Meeting-house Meadow to make hay. While thus engaged they were surprised by five Indians. Mr. Stevens escaped to the bushes, two of his sons Samuel and Joseph, were killed and scalped, and the other two, Phinehas, the oldest, and Isaac, the youngest, were carried into captivity. They were taken to Canada, where they were held for more than a year, and were redeemed only after great trouble and expense. Deacon Stevens made two journeys to Canada in their behalf, which, it is said, with other expenses, so reduced his circumstances that he had to be assisted in his old age by the town he had done so much to build up. He lived on house- lot No. 15, where Mr. B. F. Browning now lives, about seventy-five rods west of the meeting-house. The older brother, Phinehas, would, while on that long and weary march to Canada, take his little brother Isaac upon his back and carry him till rested.

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Isaac was so young that he acquired Indian habits -was taught their warfare, and by fighting little In- dian boys with lances, etc., his body was punctured and scarified.

It is said that his squaw mother so won his affec- tions that he would willingly have stayed with the Indians. Phinehas was married in 1734, lived in Rutland several years and was an active and useful citizen. He removed to Charlestown, N. H., and was a prominent man in building up and defending that place. Isaac married Mercy, daughter of Captain John Hubbard, in 1743, and settled in Rutland.

After the circumstances ahove narrated two of this same party of Indians came upon Rev. Mr. Willard, who was supposed to have been at work making hay or hunting (for he had his gun with him) in " Min- istry " meadow, what is now flowed by Moulton Pond. One of their guns missed fire, the other did no execu- tion. Mr. Willard returned the fire and mortally wounded one of the Indians ; the other closed in with Mr. Willard, who would have been more than a match for him if the other three had not come to his assistance. It was a considerable time before they succeeded in killing Mr. Willard, however. Phinehas Stevens beheld a part of this tragedy. It must have been a painfully sad event in the early history of Rutland. Joseph Wood, Uriah Ward and James Clark were killed by the Indians August 3, 1724, the last known to have been killed by them in this town.

CHAPTER CLXIV.

RUTLAND-(Continued.)

Ecclesiastical History-Cemeteries-Physicians-Business Enterprise-Civil War-Grand Army-Dedication Soldiers' Monument-Eminent Men.

THE early settlers were people of strong religious conviction, and a year prior to the incorporation of the town, in 1722, they erected a house of worship and selected Rev. Joseph Willard to be their minister, who was murdered by the Indians a few days before the time set for his installation. Mr. Willard had been an ordained minister in Sunderland, this State. The town remained without a settled pastor until the ordination of Rev. Thomas Frink, November 1, 1727. A strong Presbyterian element developed in the church, and about forty withdrew and built a house for worship at or near the junction of the Paxton and Spencer roads, not far from the house owned by the late Summer Putnam. Having certain privileges granted them, the house was taken down and set up in Rut- land " West Wing," or what is now Oakham. In consequence of so many withdrawing from the church Mr. Frink tendered his resignation. At first the church did not grant his request. His request was renewed and laid before the town September 8, 1740, which "voted that the town is willing that the Rev.

Mr. Frink should be dismissed from his pastoral relations to the church and do refer the manner of his dismission to the church." Thereupon the church " voted that the church do comply with the pastor's request, and accordingly dismiss him from his pastor- al relation to the church and town, and recommend him to the grace of God and holy church fellow- ship." At a church meeting, November 17, 1741, it was voted to extend a call to Rev. Joseph Buck- minster, in which the town concurred, December 9, 1741. He was ordained September 15, 1742. It was said at the close of his ministry that the town and the church were so well united in him that every person in town who paid any taxes, paid a part of his salary (which was sixty-five pounds in gold or silver and the use of the ministerial lands). He died November 3, 1792, in the seventy-third year of his age and the fifty- first year of his ministry. Mr. Buckminster came from Framingham to Rutland, having graduated at Harvard University in 1739. He bought and lived on the south side of the road, a hundred rods west of the meeting- house. It was said of him that " he had a dignified and ministerial appearance, wore a gray or white wig, cocked hat and white bands; was a man of talents and learning, and set his face like a flint against immorality of every kind." In 1793 the church in- vited the Rev. Hezekiah Goodrich to settle with them in the gospel ministry, in which the town concurred,. April 15th. Mr. Goodrich, in his answer, said : “ Per- mit me here to acknowledge my affectionate gratitude for the respect paid me in this act of yours. Permit me further to say that the several steps you have taken relative to this matter have not failed to gain my most serious attention. When I heard of the un- animity of the brethren of the church, and was pre- sented by their committee with a vote expressive, as they said, of their sincere desire and earnest request that I should consent to settle with them in the gospel ministry, and when I was informed of the general harmony of the society in concurring with the same, and the comfortable provisions made for my support (which was one hundred pounds per year), I could no longer remain indifferent to your wishes, etc." Mr. Goodrich's ordination occurred June 19, 1793, and he continued his pastoral relations with the church until his death, February 7, 1812. Mr. Good- rich was born in Wethersfield, Conn., and secured his education at Yale College. He bought and built an house-lot 62, which was originally laid out as the ministry lot, December 15, 1812. The church voted to invite Rev. Luke Baldwin Foster to take charge of the church. The town being legally warned and convened, voted "to coucur with the church in the choice of Mr. Foster for their pastor." Mr. Foster was duly ordained February 24, 1813, and lived only about four years to dispense the gospel to this people. He died May 23, 1817, at the age of forty-eight years. The church voted unanimously, March 30, 1818, to. invite the Rev. Josiah Clark to become their pastor,.

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and on April 14th the town unanimously concurred, and he was ordained on June 2d of that year. Mr. Clark died July 11, 1845, at the age of sixty years. During his pastorate of twenty-seven years he won the hearts of all his people, and his memory is still dear to many of the older citizens of the town, who so well remember his labors among them. His por- trait, life-size, is hung in the church at the rear of the pulpit, through the kindness of the Hon. J. W. Bigelow.

Rev. Daniel R. Cady was ordained October 29, 1845, and dismissed October 11, 1849. He afterwards settled at Arlington and Westboro', where his widow still resides. Rev. George E. Fisher was ordained February 27, 1850, and dismissed May 13, 1852. Rev. David Burt was installed January 10, 1856, and dismissed February 25, 1858. Rev. Clarendon Waite was ordained February 25, 1858, and dismissed March 13, 1866. Rev. Henry Cummings was installed September 5, 1866, and dismissed July 1, 1874. The five above-mentioned pastors were dismissed at their own requests. Rev. Geo. S. Dodge was installed December 27, 1877, and, after a successful pastorate of nearly twelve years, is still in great favor with the people. Although there have been long intervals between the dismission and settlement of pastors, yet the deficiencies have been filled for the most part by able and learned clergymen. The above record is something of the history of those pastors who have been ordained or installed over the First Congrega- tional Church in Rutland since 1721, who have, with- out exception, been able and eminent Christian men, under whose lead and direction the church and town have been greatly blessed. They have been able to " come in and go out before this people" in such a way as to rarely ever cause dissension or division in the church or community.

About 1840 the Methodists began to hold meetings. They soon formed a church and society, and had stated preaching in the Town Hall till 1844, at which time they built a house of worship on the south side of Main Street, nearly opposite the Congregational Church. The society flourished for some time, but after about fifteen years, when many of the ablest members had died or left town, the society was given up and the church building allowed to run down. In 1865 the house was purchased by James G. Read, of this town, who purposed to fit it up for tenements, but, owing to some dispute in the title, he never car- ried his plans into execution. In 1881 the Catholics, having held services at intervals in a house at the junction of the "Irish Lane" with the Barre and Paxton road, in looking about for a site to build a church, finally bought this old building and put it in excellent repair, where they hold services every alternate Sunday. The Adventists in 1874 built a chapel at North Rutland, where they have held ser- vices regularly. The society, being poor, have not been able to employ a pastor, but have had to depend

upon pastors and laymen from other churches and places.

The first church edifice that was built in Rutland was erected in 1720, and occupied in 1721, a year before the incorporation of the town. It was located near the southeast corner of the old burying-ground, and was forty and one-half feet long by thirty feet in width, with galleries. In 1759 a second house was built in front of the first, which was much larger, being sixty feet long by fifty feet wide, with posts. twenty-four feet, and said to have been a well-finished house. The town in 1760 chose a committee to sell the old church. There is no record to be found of their report ; but, as the treasurer's report shows a credit to Colonel Murry, who was one of the committee, for £13 10s. it is to be supposed that he purchased and removed the building for a tenement on one of his estates. The second church was burned February 28, 1830, supposed to have taken fire from the stove, as it was discovered to be on fire about half an hour after the services ended on that Sunday.

About two-fifths of the society at this time signed off. Those that remained rebuilt during the same year a house seventy-seven feet long by forty-eight. feet wide and twenty-feet posts, with a tower. On October 11th of the same year the pews were sold within a few hours for enough to pay for the house and land it stood upon, after reserving a pew for the minister and six others for strangers. This house was burned January 7, 1849. The present house was built that year on the same spot, and dedicated February 15, 1850. The dimensions of the building are seventy-two feet long by fifty wide and twenty-four- feet posts, with a handsome spire one hundred and twenty feet high. The house is quite an imposing looking structure. It was built at a cost of eight thou- sand dollars, and considered at that time one of the finest country churches iu the country. The basement remained unfinished until 1876, when the Ladies' Be- nevolent Society, aided by contributions from friends, finished a very pleasant and commodious vestry, with ladies' parlor and kitchen adjoining, which is much enjoyed by the church and society. A clock was placed on the spire in 1885, the gift of former residents of the town.

The old burying-ground, lying west of the town hall, was laid out and given to the town by the Grand Committee, in 1743, containing about four acres. It was used for a public burying-place about one hun- dred years. In 1842, June 30th, Colonel C. G. Howe, with sixteen others, formed themselves into a corporation, under authority of the General Statute, with the title of the "Rural Cemetery Association of Rutland."

The first purchase of land contained about three and one-half acres, and a subsequent purchase was made of two acres and one-fourth-in all, five and three-fourths acres. Roads were built, lots located and the ground publicly consecrated October 8, 1842.

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Rev. Josiah Clark delivered the address. The spot selected was one-half mile east of the Centre, opposite the residence of O. C. Fairbank. The location is naturally adapted for this purpose, the soil being sandy and the surface diversified by gentle depressions and elevations. More than three hundred lots have been fitted up, and the many mouuments, tablets and headstones evince that the living honor the memory of the dead. At New Boston (so called) is a cemetery still used for burial purposes. There is also a well-kept cemetery in West Rutland.

Rutland has been favored with educated and skilled physicians. The first doctor we have any rec- ords of was Dr. Hezekiah Fletcher, who lived fifty- six rods east of the meeting-house, and died in 1754. His son, Dr. Alpheus Fletcher, succeeded him, but died, after practicing twelve years, in 1766. Dr. John Frink, son of Rev. Thomas Frink, next suc- ceeded to the practice, who, together with his son of the same name, practiced in town for more than eighty years. They lived on the Paxton Road, about one hundred rods south of the centre of the town, on the place now owned by R. C. Prescott. The fol- lowing named gentlemen have practiced in town since 1836 : Drs. Clapp, Saltmarsh, Ordway, Safford, Warren, Tripp, Newell, Rood, Herbert, Slocum, Fel- lows, Shannon and W. E. Chamberlin, the present physician.

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History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 97

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