USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Quincy > History of old Braintree and Quincy : with a sketch of Randolph and Holbrook > Part 9
USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Braintree > History of old Braintree and Quincy : with a sketch of Randolph and Holbrook > Part 9
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1. The Town Records appear to be wrong in reference to the Granite Hook and Ladder Company having been at Quincy, as it was located in Milton, although some of its members resided in West Quincy, which most probably caused the mistake, as it was the members in West Quincy who petitioned for abatement of taxes.
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INCORPORATION OF QUINCY.
proved to be a very efficient arm of the fire department, nearly equal to a first-class steam fire-engine within the range of two or three thousand feet from where she is located. She would be of still greater advantage in protecting the property of the town from fire, if the streets were piped and hydrants attached, both as to efficiency and economy.
In 1876, the town built a reservoir at Wollaston Heights, and also purchased a new chemical engine to protect this enterprising settlement from fires, which within a few years have occurred frequently. Large and ample reservoirs have been, from time to time, constructed in various parts of the town, for its better security in case of extensive conflagrations.
The fire department, as now organized, is as efficient and active as any can be under the old hand-engine system.
For two or three years past, the progressive citizens of the town have been very active in trying to have the town procure a steam fire engine, for the better protection of the town in case of a severe conflagration, but as yet have been unable to accom- plish this most desirable object.
A radical change always meets with strong, and, in most cases, unreasonable opposition ; fire departments are not an exception, for no class of people are more tenacious of their organization than fire associations. So much so is this the case, that when Boston, in 1825, endeavored to make some change in the system of extinguishing fires by utilizing and making more efficient the engines then in use, by placing them, in case of fire, in line, con- necting one with the other, for the purpose of throwing a contin- uous stream of water upon the fire,-this the department refused to do. When the city authorities insisted upon it the companies decided to disband, so strong were their prejudices against this change.
At this time Boston had fourteen fire engines, supplied with eight hundred feet of hose, being an allowance of about fifty feet to each engine. In 1825, the great fire on Doane, Central, Broad and State streets occurred, which clearly demonstrated to the citizens of Boston the inefficiency of the then existing sys- tem of extinguishing fires, as the following statement, made at the time, will illustrate :
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INCORPORATION OF QUINCY.
" The scene, on this occasion, was one of extreme embarrass- ment and confusion. The lines, formed by the firewards with great difficulty, were soon broken or deserted, and great depre- dations were committed on property brought forth indiscrimi- nately, and left unprotected in the streets. The engines were dragged one thousand feet to the docks, and half the water obtained was lost before they could be dragged back again, and put in operation."
Out of this disaster, after a long and severe struggle, grew a more efficient system ; for the city purchased two engines of approved power-one in New York and one in Philadelphia- and a Hydraulicon, which was a small engine with one chamber, used for forcing water through hose as a supply to the other engines. From this they passed to suction engines, and then to steam.
Steam engines were first used, in London, in 1830, at the fire of the Argyle Rooms.
At this period an engine was manufactured for the King of Prussia, that threw about 61 3-4 tons of water per minute.
The first seamless hose was woven in 1720, at Leipsic. After this they were made by Erka, a linen weaver of Weimar; and at a later period they were made of linen at Dresden.
Hose or pipes of a primitive kind for conveying water, were, however, not entirely unknown to the ancients. At least the architect Appollodorus says : "That to convey water to high places exposed to fiery darts, the gut of an ox, having a bag filled with water affixed to it, might be employed, for on com- pressing the bag, water would be forced up through the gut to the place of destination."
The first town clock ever owned by the town of Quincy, was presented by Mr. Daniel Greenleaf, in 1844. In consideration of this gift the town appropriated fifty-one dollars to defray the ex- pense of providing a place for it in the tower of the Stone Temple, where it remained until 1869, when the citizens of Quincy, desiring a more accurate time-keeper, voted to purchase the present one, at a cost of $581.49; painting, gilding and placing it in the tower, $200.54; making the total cost, $782.03.
The first Centennial, in commemoration of the organization of
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INCORPORATION OF QUINCY.
the First Church, was noticed by the delivery of two sermons by Rev. John Hancock, the pastor of the society, September 16th, 1739. They were published in 1739; also reprinted in 1811.
The second anniversary was commemorated in 1839 by two sermons, preached by Rev. William Parsons Lunt, D. D. These interesting sermons were published, and in the appendix a full historical account of the church was given.
The first celebration of the incorporation of the town was held in 1840, in commemoration of its two hundredth anniver- sary. Considerable feeling and rivalry grew out of making arrangements for this public event, between the " Old Folks," so ยท called, and the young men. The inhabitants of Randolph and Braintree had been invited to take a part in making arrange- ments for this commemoration. They chose delegates for this purpose, but on their meeting they could not agree, some desir- ing that it should be held in Braintree, others considered it more appropriate to hold it in Quincy; the delegates not agreeing, the subject was given up, and Quincy had the honor of the cele- bration.
In 1839 several town meetings were held, for the purpose of making suitable preparation for the proposed Centennial. Those who undertook it at this time were called "Old Folks." After a long delay, they not being able to make any satisfactory arrangements for the success of it, concluded to give it up. Upon this, the young men were determined that such an impor- tant event in the history of the town should not be passed by without some observance, and immediately called a meeting, chose a committee, who in a short time made all suitable ar- rangements for the celebration of this public event.
The following extract, taken from the appendix of the printed address of Mr. Gregory, will more fully illustrate the spirit of the time :-
" The young men of Quincy, seeing that the ' Old Folks' had failed, and possessing more zeal and enterprise, resolved to take up the subject, and celebrate the approaching anniversary in a proper manner.
"In the spring of 1840, scarcely two months previous to the day, they commenced operations in the face of many obstacles
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INCORPORATION OF QUINCY.
and discouragements ; but to their praise, be it said, they suc- ceeded beyond all expectations. It was a glorious day for them, and long will it be remembered.
" The would-be conservators of everything of a public charac- ter in town (and who failed in getting up a celebration the fall before,) saw that the young men were likely to succeed and that it would place them in an unenviable light, in consequence of which many attempts were made to break up their arrangements.
"Seeing that the Hon. Josiah Quincy, Jr., had accepted an invitation to preside as President of the Day, and that a large company was expected from Boston and the regions roundabout, strong hints were thrown out that it would be well for the young . men to appoint some one of the older citizens of Quincy to re- ceive them and manage affairs, as it was presumed that the young men were not capable of transacting the important busi- ness of the day, thus robbing the young men of all the glory of the occasion, and making them merely hewers of wood and drawers of water.
" Secret caucuses were held in the village, to take into consid- eration the propriety of frustrating the arrangements of the young men, in relation to one of their speakers. An anonymous letter, signed ' G' and mailed at Boston, (supposed by many to have originated in this town some dark night,) was laid be- fore this august body, and a committee appointed to wait upon the young men then in session, with instructions that if they persisted in having the address 1 delivered by the one of their choice, they could not have the use of the Stone Meeting- house."
Notwithstanding all these threats and obstructions, the Stone Meeting-house was secured, and the oration delivered in accord- ance with the prescribed programme, without any further interference. But not so in relation to the publication of Mr. Gregory's address, as will be seen by the following letter from
1. The persons selected to deliver the commemorative discourses were Rev. George Whitney of Roxbury; Rev. John Gregory, pastor of the Universalist Society of this town; and a poem delivered by Christopher Pearse Cranch. These were all published, and an appendix giving a full account of the celebra- tion. This opposition to Mr. Gregory was not so much as to the matter of his address, as it was to his person.
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INCORPORATION OF QUINCY.
the Hon. Josiah Quincy, Jr., the President of the Day, to the Chairman of the Committee, on February 10th, 1841, nine months after its delivery. What still more increased and inten- sified the feeling of the young men, was the slight their orator had received in not having his address to the young men pub- lished at the time, with Mr. Whitney's address and Mr. Craneh's poem :-
" Boston, Feb. 10th, 1841.
" MR. GREEN :- Why has not the Centennial Address of Rev. John Gregory been bronght before the public ? Why has it been delayed so long? I understood it was to be published some time since. Has not a sufficient number subscribed for copies ? Please answer these queries.
"I had supposed the old affair was entirely forgotten, and that a lending hand, (as a matter of course,) would be given for the publishing of this address, but I understand that it is other- wise. This is not the right principle for mankind to manifest towards each other, neither is it for those who lay such strong claims on 'democracy.' 'I think, sir, in this case, instead of con- sulting the 'Golden Rule,' the question has been asked, Is he of our order ? I presume his copies will find acceptance here in Boston, and I hope it will soon be published.
" Respectfully, Q."
The convivial part of the celebration was held under a spa- cious pavilion, erected on the Hancock Lot for the purpose.
After a sumptuous dinner, the celebration elosed with suitable speeches, and appropriate sentiments were given, to the great satisfaction of the assembly.
The one hundredth anniversary of the Episcopal Church was observed by a sermon preached in Christ Church on Christmas Day, 1827, by the Rector, Benjamin C. Cutler, and published by the society.
July 4th, 1876, the centennial of our nation's birth-day, was celebrated with great spirit. The day was ushered in by the ringing of all the church bells, and a salute of fifty guns. About six o'clock the large procession of Ancients and Horribles began to move through the public streets, as assigned in the pro- gramme, headed by a platoon of mounted police, and consisted
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INCORPORATION OF QUINCY.
of five divisions. Their burlesque representations were unique, grotesque, and to the point. The decorations of the buildings along the route of the procession were quite numerous.
At nine o'clock some twenty-five yachts engaged in a race at Quincy Point.
The children of the town had a pleasant, agreeable and inter- esting entertainment at the Town Hall.
On Granite street a large pavilion had been erected, where the commemorative exereises were held. The exercises commeneed with music by the Weymouth Band ; the singing was executed by a choir of one hundred voices ; and the Declaration of Inde- pendenee was read by six young ladies. The opening historieal address was delivered by Charles Francis Adams, Jr., and was followed by historical sketches of the several churches in town, given by their respective pastors. In the absence of a settled clergyman over the Unitarian Society, Mr. Edwin W. Marsh spoke for that church. Col. Parker,. Superintendent of the Schools, gave a brief history of the educational institutions. Mr. Charles H. Porter elosed with an account of the town's war record.
Fireworks in the evening elosed the peaceful commemoration of the first centennial of our nation's existence as a free and en- lightened republic. An extended and full account of this eele- bration ean be found in the Quincy Patriot issued July 8th, 1876.
There have been several annexations of territory and people to the town of Quiney, (principally from the old town of Dor- chester, now Ward twenty-four, of Boston,) but in small and detached portions, as many of these people were loath to leave their native town of Dorchester. The first was in 1792, at the time of the incorporation of the town, when the following fam- ilies and their estates were added to the town of Quincy, viz : Benjamin Beale, Jr., Joseph Beale, John Billings, Eben. Glover and Josiah Glover.
In 1819, February 12th, Mr. Caleb Faxon and his estate was annexed. This land was a part of the estate now owned by Madison Glover, near the new Catholic church at North Quiney.
In 1820, it will be seen by the following enactment, that another large portion of the Farms was added, viz :
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INCORPORATION OF QUINCY.
"SECTION 1. Be it enacted, that the Neponset river be and is now hereby established, as the boundary line between the towns of Dorchester and Quincy, in the County of Norfolk, and all that part of the town of Dorchester which lies on the southerly side of the river, called Squantum and the Farms, be and is hereby set off from the said town of Dorchester and annexed to the town of Quiney. Provided, nevertheless; that John Pope, Edmund Pope, Moses Billings and Oliver Billings, with their re- spective families, and all their lands and estates lying in said Squantum and the Farms, and also Thompson Island, so called, with the inhabitants thereon, shall remain annexed to the town of Dorchester, anything in this act to the contrary notwithstand- ing ; and provided, also, that all lots or parcels of Salt Marsh, lying in said Squantum and the Farms, now owned by the town of Dorchester in its corporate capacity, or by the several inhabi- tants of the said town, shall, so long as they remain the property of any of the inhabitants of said town, be exempted from taxa- tion by the town of Quiney, but may be taxed by the town of Dorchester in the same manner as though the act had never passed.
" SECT. 2. Be it enacted, that the town of Quincy shall main- tain and support all panpers, who now have or may hereafter acquire a settlement in each and every part of Squantum and the Farms, which by this act and all former acts have been set off from the town of Dorchester and annexed to the town of Quincy.
" SECT. 3. Be it further enacted, that the proprietors of lots of upland and marsh lying in that part of the town of Dorches- ter which is by this act-set off from the said town and annexed to Quincy, shall be holden to pay taxes which have been legally assessed on them by the said town of Dorchester, in the same manner as though this act had not passed.
" February 21st, 1820." 1
The final and last annexation of the Squantum lands from Dorchester to Quincy was in 1855, when " so much of the town of Dorchester, with the inhabitants thereon, as lies on the south- easterly side of Neponset river, near to and at the place called Squantum, and including the estates now owned and occupied by
1. Special Laws, Vol. V., p. 355.
.
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INCORPORATION OF QUINCY.
George B. Billings, Edmund Pope and George W. Billings, is hereby set off from said Dorchester and annexed to the town of Quincy.
" May 2d, 1855."
April 24th, 1856. Braintree Neck, formerly called Knight's Neck, was annexed to the town. Annexations to the town have been quite numerous, but not large in extent of territory.
CHAPTER OF ANNALS.
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The following is the first warrant issued for a town meeting, by Judge Richard Cranch, in 1792, in accordance with the Act of Incorporation :--
SUFFOLK, SS.
Lieut. Elijah Veazie :
You, one of the principal inhabitants of the town of Quincy, in the County of Suffolk, are hereby requested to issue and post . the following warrant :
In the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, you are hereby required forthwith to warn and give notice to all the inhabitants qualified to vote in town affairs, to assemble and meet at the meeting-house in said town, on Friday, the eighth day of March next ensuing, at ten o'clock in the forenoon, then and there to choose such town officers as towns are required to choose at the annual town meetings, in the month of March or April annually.
RICHARD CRANCH, Justice of the Peace.
At this meeting the following town officers were chosen :-
Town Clerk,-Eben. Vesey.
Treasurer,-Thomas B. Adams, Esq.
Selectmen and Assessors,-Ebenezer Miller, Esq., Capt. John Hall, Benjamin Beale, Jr., Esq.
Constable,-Joseph Neal Arnold.
Fence Viewers,-Lieutenant Peter Brackett, Lieut. Jonathan Baxter.
Surveyors of Highways,-Lieut. Peter Brackett, Ebenezer Nightingale, Lieut. Jonathan Baxter, Ensign Samuel Bass, Jon- athan Beale.
Hogreaves,-Peter Adams, 2d, John Sanders.
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CHAPTER OF ANNALS.
Tithingmen,-William Adams, William Sanders.
Surveyor of Boards and Stileworks,-Lieut. Thomas Pratt.
Surveyor of Hemp,-John Billings.
Packer of Beef,-Ebenezer Adams.
Culler of Fish,-Capt. Samuel Brown.
Bread Weigher,-Dea. Jonathan Webb.
Sealer of Leather,-Thomas Cleverly, Jr.
Hay Wards,-John Nightingale, Lemuel Billings.
Fire Wards,-Edward Willard Baxter, Samuel Nightingale.
The following is the first warrant issued under the town au- thority for the choice of State and County officers. It will be seen that a property qualification was required at this time to vote, and was not abolished until 1820, when a State Convention was convened for the purpose of altering and amending the constitution :-
SUFFOLK, SS. Joseph Arnold, Constable of the town of Quincy, in said County. GREETING :
You are hereby required, in the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, to notify and warn the male inhabitants of the said town of Quincy of 21 years of age, and upwards, having a frechold estate within the Commonwealth of the an- nual income of three pounds, or an estate to the value of sixty. pounds, to meet at the Meeting-house in said town, on Monday, the 2d day of April next, at one of the clock in the afternoon, to give their votes for a Governor, Lieut. Governor, Senators and Councillors, agreeable to the Constitution of said Commonwealth, also to give in their votes for County Treasurer.
Given under our hand, and seal of said town of Quincy, this 19th day of March, Anno Domini, 1792.
At this meeting the following was the result of their ballot :-
For Governor,-John Hancock, 51.
For Lieut. Governor,-Samuel Adams, 50.
For Senators,-James Bowdwin, 9; Thomas Dawes, 34; Hon. Oliver Wendall, 8; Wm. Phillips, 25; Stephen Metcalf, 28; Cotton Tufts, 33; Benjamin Austin, 10; Thomas Russell, 30; Wm. Heath, 33; John Reed, Esq., 1.
For County Treasurer,-Thomas Crafts, 29.
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CHAPTER OF ANNALS.
The first warrant issned for a town meeting1 for the transac- tion of town business, was in 1792.
At a meeting held May 14th, 1792 :- After an exciting debate on the article in the warrant, which was to see if the town would petition the General Court to have the name of the town altered . to some other, the question was decided in the negative.
Voted to raise three hundred and fifty pounds, to defray the town expenses the present year.
In 1792, the town first established hospitals for the purpose of inoculation for the small pox.2 September 3d, 1792, the town
1. SUFFOLK, SS. Joseph Neal Arnold, Constable of the town of Quincy, in said County,
Greeting:
You are hereby requested, in the name of the Commonwealth of Massachu- setts, to notify and warn the freeholders and other inhabitants of said town qualified by law to vote in town meeting, viz :- Such as pay the one single tax, besides the poll or polls, a sum equal to two-thirds of a single poll tax, to meet and assemble at the Meeting-house, on Monday, the second day of April next, at three o'clock in the afternoon, to act on the following articles :-
ARTICLE 1. To choose a Moderator.
ART. 2. To choose such officers as may be necessary.
ART. 3. To raise such sum or sums of money for defraying the necessary charges of said town, as they may think proper.
ART. 4. To see if the town will direct the Selectmen to let the school lands, or divide the same with the town of Braintree, as the leases are out this spring, or choose a committee for that purpose.
ART. 5. To see what the town will do respecting the poor.
ART. 6. To see what the town will do respecting the schools, and wood for the same.
ART. 7. To see what manner the town will have the highways repaired.
ART. 8. To see if the town will purchase a Pall or Burying cloth.
ART. 9. To see if the town will sell four pews, formerly the singers'.
ART. 10. To see whether the town will do anything respecting a number of notes lying in the hands of Deacon Jonathan Webb.
ART. 11. To see if the town will allow any of the inhabitants to build stables near the Meeting-house.
ART. 12. To see what the town will do in respect to building a Pound.
ART. 13. To choose a committee to settle all accounts and matters whatever between this town and the town of Braintree, and any other committee the town may think proper.
EBENEZER MILLER, JOHN HALL, Selectmen.
BENJAMIN BEALE,
2. It was the custom at this time to inoculate people for the small pox from small pox matter, which custom (according to Dr. Collison's history of the small pox) the Chinese had practiced from the sixth century, and the Brahmins
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CHAPTER OF ANNALS.
instructed the Selectmen to open the following houses for the inoculation for the small pox, viz: Jesse Beale's, Benjamin Beale, Jr.'s, on Squantum ; that any and all houses on German- town be made use of, as suitable places for those who are inocu- lated for the small pox; that Samuel Badcock's and Lemuel
from a remote antiquity. It was not, however, till Lady Mary Wortley Monta- gue, in 1721, introduced this custom into England from Turkey, that her people became interested in the subject. It met with great opposition, both from the medical profession and the clergy. In 1722, Rev. Edward Massey of England, preached a powerful sermon in opposition to its use, in which he asserted that Job's distemper was confluent small pox, and that he had been inoculated by the devil.
In 1721, Dr. Cotton Mather, a minister of Boston, had, by reading several philosophical transactions on the inoculation for the small pox, become con- vinced that this was a safe and sure preventative from having this loathsome disease, and he recommended a trial of it to the physicians of Boston. They all declined except Dr. Boylston, who by this means made himself quite obnoxious to the people. The doctor was so strong in the faith that he began the experi- ment upon his own children, which proved successful. The people declared that if any of his patients should die he ought to be condemned as a murderer, and the opposition became so enraged that his family were quite unsafe in his house, and he was frequently insulted in the streets. The excitement was so great that the Justices of the Peace and Selectmen of Boston called a meeting of all the doctors, who, after considerable deliberation, arrived at the following conclusions : ----
"That it appears by numerous instances that inoculation has proved the death of many persons soon after the operation, and brought distemper upon many others, which in the end have proved deadly to them. That the natural tenden- cy of infusing such malignant filth in the mass of blood is to corrupt and putrify it, and if there be not sufficient discharge of that malignity, by the place of incision or elsewhere, it lays a foundation for many dangerous diseases. That the continuing the operation among us is likely to prove of the most dan- gerous consequences."
Hutchinson, in his history, relates the following opposition to Cotton Mather:
"Doctor Mather, the first mover, after having been reproached and villified in pamphlets and newspapers, was at length attacked in a more violent way. His nephew, Mr. Walter, one of the ministers of Roxbury, having been pri- vately inoculated in the Doctor's house, in Boston, a villain, about three o'clock in the morning, set fire to the fuse of a granado shell filled with combustible stuff, and threw it into the chamber where the sick man was lodged. The fuse was fortunately beat off by the passing of the shell through the window, and the wild fire spent itself upon the floor. It was generally supposed that the bursting of the shell was by that means prevented. A scurrilous, menacing writing was fastened to the shell or fuse."
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