USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Quincy > History of old Braintree and Quincy : with a sketch of Randolph and Holbrook > Part 37
USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Braintree > History of old Braintree and Quincy : with a sketch of Randolph and Holbrook > Part 37
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Committee's Report, March 1st, 1773 :-
"Ist. That we apprehend the state of the right of the Colo- nists and of this Province in particular, together of the infringe- ments and violations of the right as stated in the pamphlet com- mitted to us, are in general fairly represented; and that the town of Boston be hereby thanked for this instance of their ex- traordinary care of the public welfare.
"2d. That as our Fathers left their native country and friends in order that they and their posterity might enjoy that civil and religious liberty here which they could not enjoy there,
" We further recommend the most clear and explicit assertion and vindica- tion of our rights and liberties to be entered on the public records, that the world may know, in the present and all future generations, that we have a clear knowledge and a just sense of them, and, with submission to Divine Provi- dence, that we never can be slaves.
" Nor can we think it advisable to agree to any steps for the protection of stamped papers or stamp officers. Good and wholesome laws we have already for the preservation of the peace; and we apprehend there is no further danger of tumult and disorder, to which we have a well-grounded aversion; and that any extraordinary and expensive exertions would tend to exasperate the people and endanger the publie tranquillity, rather than the contrary. Indeed, we can- not too often inculcate upon you our desires, that all extraordinary grants and expensive measures may, upon all occasions, as much as possible, be avoided.
" The public money of this country is the toil and labor of the people, who are under many uncommon difficulties and distresses at this time, so that all reasonable frugality ought to be observed. And we would recommend partien- larly, the strictest care and the utmost firmness to prevent all unconstitutional draughts upon the public treasury.
SAMUEL NILES, JOHN ADAMS, NORTON QUINCY, JAMES PENNIMAN, JOHN HAYWARD."
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we, their descendants, are determined, by the grace of God, that our consciences shall not accuse us with having acted unworthy such pions and venerable heroes, and that we will by all lawful ways and means, preserve at all events, all our civil and religious rights and privileges.
"4th. That by the divine constitution of things, there is such a connection between civil and religious liberty, that in what- ever nation or government the one is crushed, the other seldom if ever, survives long after; of this, history furnishes abundant evidence.
"5th. That all civil officers are, or ought to be, servants to the people, and dependant upon them for their official support, and every instance to the contrary, from the governor down- wards, tends to crush and destroy civil liberty.
"6th. That we bear true loyalty to our lawful King, George the III, and unfeigned affection to our brethren in Great Brit- tain and Ireland, and to all our sister Colonies, and so long as our mother country protects us in our Charter rights and privi- leges, so long will we, by Divine assistance, exert our utmost to promote the welfare of the whole British empire, which we earn- estly pray may flourish uninterruptedly in the paths of right- eousness till time shall be no more.
"7th. That Mr. Thayer, our representative, be hereby direct- ed to use his utmost endeavors that a day of Fasting and Prayer be appointed throughout the Province, for humbling ourselves before God in this day of darkness, and imploring Divine direc- tion and assistance.
"8th. That an attested copy of the town's proceedings in this matter be transmitted as soon as may be, by the town clerk, to the Boston committee.
JOSEPH PALMER, BENJAMIN BEAL, JONATHAN WILD."
- March 11th, 1774. Then the meeting proceeded to the con- sideration of public affairs.
" We have reason to be alarmed when all that is dear to us is at stake, and there can be nothing more influencing than the danger of losing our civil and religions Privileges, Benefits in
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themselves truly valuable and obtained at such expense of treas- ure and toil, attended with such Hazards and Hardships as not paralleled in History. The recovery of such as are abridged and preserving those that remain, will undoubtedly be judged objeets worthy the highest attention.
"The declarative rights of the British Parliament to tax the American Colonies without their consent, and to make laws binding on them in all cases whatsoever, is evidently repugnant to the views our Predecessors had of their Privilege, and should it take place, must leave us and our Posterity nothing to hope but everything to Fear, that a prejudiced or corrupted Minis- try should see good at any time to impose on us; and as the doctrine of Passive obedience and non-resistance is not less mis- chievous in Politieks than religion, and as we have an unques- tionable right to use every lawful means to ward off impending danger, we resolve :-
"1st. That the great end and design for which men first formed themselves into Governmental society and submitted to Government, was the greater good of the whole, and not to enrich or aggrandize one or a few.
"2d. That it is essential to this great end, the greater good of the whole, that all Laws be by the consent of the People, either Personally or by their Representatives, Since without this right, they must ever be exposed to oppression from their rulers.
"3d. That it necessarily follows that no British Law can justly be binding upon us who neither have, or (from our local situation) possibly can have, either personally or by Representatives, any equal share in enacting them. And we therefore resolve, in the spirit of the law of the late Colony of New Plymouth, above a hundred years ago ' That no act, imposition law or ordinance, be made or imposed upon us at present or to come, but such as (has or) shall be enacted by the consent of the body of Freemen or Associates, or their Representatives legally assembled, which is according to the free liberties of the free born people of Eng- land,' and of the same purport have been the resolves of our own Parliament or General Assembly, to the present day.
" 4th. That we have reason thereof to complain, that there are now in being sundry acts of the British Legislature, the
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professed design of which is to raise a revenne in America, and by which our property is by unconstitutional measures extorted from us, and applied, not to pay Brittain's debts, but to support Revenne Commissioners, etc., in idleness and luxury, to the waste of our property and danger of our morals, And in partic- ular the late act of the British Parliament, which, through artful ministerial contrivance, allows the East India cor. to export Teas to America, charged with a duty payable here, is craftily calculated to establish a revenne, which, if effected, will proba- bly render abortive all future opposition. And we must then be liable to all the variety of taxation which Brittain now pays upon a Number of articles most necessary for the convenience of life, besides a large tax upon our Land. For the preventing whereof, we resolve as far as in us lies, to put an end to the use of all East India teas and piece goods, and to consider every person among us who shall hereafter Buy, sell or use said teas or piece goods until our grievances are redressed, (if not intention- ally), yet practical enemies to our Rights and Liberties.
"5th. That the declarative right of the British Parliament, that they have a right to make laws, binding to the Colonies in all cases whatsoever, is very alarming; the universality of this declaration evinces that our Religions rights are in danger as well as our civil. For, as agreeable to this declaration, they have in fact deprived us of some of our civil rights, and imposed taxes upon us ; so, in conformity to the same declaration, by an act of uniformity or otherwise, they may impose any Religious Shackles upon us, and we know of no instance wherein a people have been deprived of their civil rights but that they have lost their religious rights also, and from the nature of things, they must, or fall together.
"6th. That at the same time we so freely resolve and deter- mine against submission to foreign taxation, and that we deter- mine, by the will of God, to stand fast in the liberty wherewith we are made free, and to hazard life itself rather than submit to foreign taxation. We also resolve to pay all obedience to our Provincial Laws, and that we will not use our liberty as a cloak of licentiousness.
" 7th. We greatly lament the want of a truly Patriotic spirit,
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and that private views and interests are so apparently the gov- erning motive of so great a part in this day of Distress and Danger, while every individual is interested, or can we have, notwithstanding all our resolves and Determinations, any pros- pect of a favorable issue unless our private interests give place to the general good, and we unitedly engage and use our utmost efforts to promote it, and to that end we shall readily join, not only with our Brethren in this Province but through this wide- extended continent, in every lawful, just and constitutional measure for recovering and preserving inviolate, all our civil and religious rights and privileges, against all opposition what- ever; and by this means, (to use the words of his Majesty's Council,) ' we hope to see happiness and tranquillity restored to the Colonies, and especially to see betwixt Great Brittain and them, a union established on such an equitable Basis as neither of them shall ever wish to destroy. We humbly supplicate the sovereign arbiter of human affairs for this happy event.'"
September, 1774. For some time it had been surmised by the inhabitants of the Middle and South Precincts, that the North (which is now Quincy), sympathized with the parent gov- ernment, and was by them considered the Tory end of the town, which fact will be illustrated by the following attempt of the Provincial government to secure the powder belonging to the Province :- In Sept., 1774, William Battle, Esq., who had been frequently chosen counsellor under the charter, suggested to Governor Gage that it might be a stroke of policy to secure the Provincial ammunition. Upon this suggestion the governor acted, and ordered two companies of soldiers to Charlestown to secure the powder stored in the arsenal; which they did. This act of the British soldiers so enraged the people, that next morn- ing several thousand of them, mostly in arms, assembled at Cambridge and proceeded to Lieutenant - Governor "Oliver's house, and they also visited the houses of some of the recently elected Counsellors, who, on their demand, resigned, declaring that they would not act under such unjust and arbitrary stat- ute." The report of this transaction reached Braintree on Fri- day. On Sunday, an English soldier was seen lurking about the north commons where the powder-house was located. (The
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powder-house for Braintree was located in the North Precinct, which is now Quincy, near Scotch pond.) This fact was imme- diately, with lightning speed, conveyed to the Middle and South Precincts, who, on receiving the news, sent a force of about two hundred men to secure the ammunition stored in the pow- der-house. Mrs. John Adams gives the following graphic ac- count of this episode, who at that time resided on Franklin street, in the old Adams mansion :-
" Intelligence of it was communiated to the other parishes, and about eight o'clock, Sunday evening, there passed by here about two hundred men, preceded by a horse cart, and marched down to the powder-house, from whence they took the powder, and carried it into the other parish, and there secreted it. I opened the window upon their return. They passed without any noise ; not a word among them till they come against this house, when some of them, perceiving me, asked me if I wanted any powder. I replied, No, since it was in so good hands. The reason they gave for taking it was, that we had so many Tories here they dared not trust us with it; they had taken Vinton in their train (Vinton was Sherreff under the Provincial Govern- ment), and upon their return they stopped between Cleverly's and Etter's and called upon him to deliver two warrants, (which were probably for them, as they were susposed to have been royalists). Upon his producing them, they put it to vote whether they should burn them, and it passed in the affirma- tive. They then made a circle and burnt them. They then called a vote whether they should huzza, but it being Sunday evening, it passed in the negative. They called upon Vinton to swear that he would never be instrumental in carrying into execution any of these new acts. They were not satisfied with his an- swers ; however, they let him rest. A few days afterwards, upon making some foolish speeches, they assembled to the amount of two or three hundred, and swore vengeance upon him unless he took a solemn oath. Accordingly, they chose a committee and sent it with him to Major Miller's, to see that he complied; and they waited his return, which proving satis- factory, they then dispersed."
Oct. 3d, 1774. " Whereas, a report has been spread in the
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town of Boston and other places, that a considerable Number of People in this town had entered into a combination to Disturbe and harass the Rev. Mr. Winslow and other members of the Church of England, with a letter obliging them to leave the town. And no evidence appearing to support the charge, therefore Voted, 'That said report is malicious, false and injurious, and calculated to defame this Town, and that we Protest against all such combinations as being Subversive of good Government We being as ready to allow that right of private judgment to others which we claim for ourselves.'
" The relation Mr. Peter Etter made respecting his conduct is satisfactory to the town. The resolves of the Committee of Correspondence of the several Towns in the County of Suffolk, respecting the withholding material from the Soldiers, &c., be adopted by this town. Voted, 'that the Committee of Observa- tion and Prevention be raised in this town to carefully observe and Prevent any person or Persons acting contrary to the true intent of the aforesaid Committee of Correspondence.' A Com- mittee of Observation of fifteen was then separately chosen for that purpose, five from each Precinet, viz :- Mr. Edmund Bil- lings, Dea. Daniel Arnold, Mr. James Brackett, Jr., Mr. James Clark, Mr. Peter B. Adams, Mr. Thomas Newcomb, Mr. William Penniman, Mr. Moses French, Mr. Edmund Soper, Capt. Nath. Wales, Capt. Thomas Penniman, Mr. Moses Spear, Mr. Nath. Niles, Mr. Nathaniel Belcher, Jr., and Mr. Jonathan Bass, and that the committee serve gratis.
" Voted, ' that whereas, by the present embarrassment of our Civil Liberty, the People's minds are easily effected with every appearance of Danger, and in some cases may be ready to allow their resentment to rise to an undue pitch, Therefore all Persons within this town that are or may be aggrieved by the conduct of others respecting our public affairs, are directed to apply to the Committee of Observation, who are desired, if possible, to remove the grounds of such uneasiness (if real), and direct all inquiries respecting their duty under the Present circumstances of things.'
"The town then proceeded to the consideration of appointing one or more Persons to attend a Provincial Congress at Con -.
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cord, the Second Tuesday of this inst., and it was decided to send two persons to said Congress. Mr. Eben. Thayer and Jos. Palmer were selected for that purpose."
Nov. 14th, 1774. "The Moderator of the meeting was de- sired to request such Military Commissioned Officers as are present, to resign their respective Commissions, and the follow- ing Gentlemen made a Declaration to the town of their free resignation of their office, viz :- Col. Ebenezer Thayer, Nathan- iel Wales, Joseph Hayward, Benjamin Hayden, Capts. Peter B. Adams, Jonathan Thayer, John Vinton, Eben. Thayer, 3d, Lieut. Thomas White, John Hall, Jr., Isaac Spear, Ensigns. Also, Capt. Benjamin Bass.
" The Assessors of the North and Middle Precincts within the said town, are desired to call a meeting in their respective Pre- cincts, to regulate the Militia agreeable to the recommendations of the Provincial Congress. The Committee of Observation, &c., are desired to inform themselves relating to the conduct of such Persons within the town, (if any there be), who do not strictly conform to the non-importation and non-consumption agreement. And if there be any of the Members of the town who continue to Practice in violation of said agreement, by sell- ing or consuming Teas or otherwise, and persist therein, that in such cases they publish his, her or their Names, that they may be known and esteemed as Practical enemies to our rights and privileges."
Nov. 28th, 1774. "John Adams, Esq., to be joined to the members of the Provincial Congress as a member from this town."
Jan. 23d, 1775. " It was decided to send but one Delegate to the Provincial Congress, the first of February next. Deacon Joseph Palmer was chosen. The following are the instructions to the said Delegate :-
"As you have been appointed as a delegate to Represent us in the Provincial Congress to be held at Cambridge the first of February next, and as our duty and interest lies in carefully and strictly adhering to the recommendation and resolves of the Continental Congress, We, your constituents, direct and instruct you to attend to the spirit and letter of said resolves, particu-
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larly where they recommend to us to submit to a Suspension of the Administration of justice when it cannot be procured in a legal and peacable manner, under the rules of the Charter and the law founded thereon, until the effect of their application for a repeal of the Act, by which our Charter rights are infringed, is known. Also, their direction respecting General Gage and his Majesty's troops, Stationed in Boston, and that we peacably and firmly persevere in the Line in which we were then Conducting on the Defensive. And that you in no wise strain their sense and act as may be construed repugnant to their meaning, which must have a tendency to involve us in remediless ruin, which would inevitably be our case should we lose their support. James Pen- niman, in the Name of the Committee."
Dea. Palmer, Mr. Peter B. Adams, Mr. Edmund Soper, Capt. Hayden, Mr. Sawen, Capt. Penniman and Aziriah Faxon, as a military committee, made the following statement to the town, for the reorganization of the militia :-
" Whereas, much time is generally spent by the Militia of the Town in perfecting themselves in necessary Military exercises, many of whom cannot well afford it, and it being wisdom at all times, especially at this, to put ourselves in a good state of Defence, and being desirous to encourage a Military spirit in the most equitable manner, do vote, 'That from and after the last day of this month untill the last day of March next, every person in the Militia who shall attend said exercises shall be paid out of the town treasury for every half day's attendance, Provide such persons shall be paid for no more than for one half day in a week, and Provided, also, that the Captain and Clerk of each and every Militia Company do certify to the Selectmen for the time being, that such person has faithfully attended to his duty at said exercises, from three to six o'clock in the after- noon of such days at which hour the Roll shall be called, and no person paid who has not attended and answered to both calls on each and every day, and the parents, Masters or Guardians of such as are under age shall be paid for such Minors, and Pro- vided also, that all such as may not be sufficiently equipt with arms and ammunition, in the judgment of the field officers, shall have his wages laid out for such equiptments, and such as are
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sufficiently equipt shall receive their wages in money when the treasury is in cash. The equiptment intended is a good Fire- lock, Bayonet and Cartouch box, one pound of powder, Twenty- four balls to fit their Gun, twelve flints and a Knapsack. The town shall allow the Militia that attend exercises agreeable to the above report, one shilling for each and every half day.'"
The following committee, selected by the town on the 6th of March, to prepare a covenant agreeable to the desires of the Continental Congress, made a report of a covenant which was adopted by the town :- Joseph Palmer, Norton Quincy, John Adams, Ebenezer Thayer, Elisha Niles, Esq., Mr. Thomas New- comb, Mr. Jonathan Bass, Mr. Isaac Spear and Mr. Eliphalet Sawen.1
1775. This year the schools were closed and general business was at a stand-still. The whole attention of the people was
1. The following is an abstract of their report :-
" We the inhabitants of the town of Braintree in the Province of Massa- chusetts Bay, having taken into most serious consideration the subject matter of the association entered into by the Continental Congress on October 20th, 1774, and being determined to do everything in our power to confirm and estab- lish that union which at this time so happily subsists among ourselves, not only in this town and Colony but also throughout the continent, and which we humbly hope may be blessed by heaven as the peaceable means of securing and establishing our rights and Liberties in such a manner as to hand them entire to Generations yet unborn, have freely and voluntarily entered into the following association :- Avowing our allegiance to the King, our affection and regard for Britton in all parts of the world, affected with the deepest anxiety, and the most alarming apprehension, at those grievances and distress with which British Americans are oppressed, and having taken under our most serious Deliberations the state of the whole British Continent, so far as our abilities and opportunities permitted, find that the present unhappy situation of our affairs is occasioned by a ruinous system of Colony administration adopted by the British ministry about the year 1763, evidently calculated for enslaving these Colonies, and with them the whole British empire. In prosecu- tion of which system various acts of Parliament have been passed for raising & revenue in America, for depriving American subjects in many instances of the constitutional tryal by jury ; exposing their lives to danger, by creating a new and illegal tryal beyond the sea for crimes alleged to have been committed in America, and in the prosecution of the same system several late cruel and oppressive acts have been passed respecting the Town of Boston and Province of Massachusetts Bay, and also an act for extending the Province of Quebec, so as to border on the Western frontier of these Colonies and establishing an arbitrary government therein and discouraging the settlement of British subjects
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engaged in making preparations to preserve their town and property from the ravages of the enemy.
Sunday morning, May 24th, 1775, the alarm guns were fired, bells rung and drums beat. The cause of this consternation was the anchoring of three British sloops of war and one cutter, below Great Hill. It was supposed by the inhabitants that they designed an attack on Germantown or Weymouth. So great was the alarm, that men, women and children came flying into Braintree for safety, and others went to Bridgewater. In a short time, two thousand armed men arrived from Weymouth, Hingham and other towns within a radius of thirty and forty miles. It was then found that this expedition was for the pur- pose of plundering hay from Grape Island. In a short time a lighter and a sloop were procured by the Americans from Hing- ham, with six port holes. Captain Elihu Adams,1 the younger brother of John Adams, with his company, was among the first to go on board. They immediately put oft for the island; the enemy, on the approach of this impromptu naval force, de- camped, after having secured about three tons of hay. The Americans set fire to the barn and remaining hay; eighty tons were consumed. After this encounter Captain Turner's com- pany was stationed at Germantown and Captain Vinton's at Squantum, for the protection of this coast.
in that wide and extended country. Thus by the influence of civil principles and ancient prejudices to dispose the inhabitants to act with hostility against the free Protestant Colony whenever a wicked Ministry shall choose to direct.
"To obtain redress of these grievances which threaten destruction to the lives, liberties and property of his. Majesty's subjects in North America, We are of opinion that non-importation, non-consumption and non-exportation agree- ments faithfully adhered to, will prove the most speedy, effectual and peaceable measure. Therefore we do for ourselves in particular, as well as being members of said town of Braintree firmly agree and associate under the sacred ties of virtue, honor and love of our country, as follows :-
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