History of the town of Abington, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, from its first settlement, Part 3

Author: Hobart, Benjamin, 1781-1877
Publication date: 1866
Publisher: Boston, T. H. Carter and son
Number of Pages: 552


USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Abington > History of the town of Abington, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, from its first settlement > Part 3


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This was a very unwise location ; for the road varies from a straight line between the termini, nearly one mile ; from the top of the hill it runs south-easterly through low land, swampy, and unfit, a great portion of the way, for building lots, and a very bad way to make a road upon. This road, as now laid out and built, has been adjudged by two previous Boards of County Commissioners to be not required for public conveni- ence and necessity.


In 1819, over forty years ago, it appears from the town records that " Nathan Gurney, James Bates and Jared Whit- man, were chosen a committee to oppose a road petitioned for over Beech Hill to Hatchi's Corner, -the termini of the present road,-and on October 3, 1831, twelve years after, Benjamin Hobart and James Bates were chosen a committee to oppose a road over the same route, petitioned for by Cornelius Cobb and others."


Besides all this opposition, there is another one construc- tively to the same effect, of April 2, 1832, according to an article in the warrant for that purpose. A committee of three were chosen to "view a route for a new road across


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BEECH HILL ROADS.


Beech Hill, and to report to the town their opinion, and stake out a route that they may think proper, if any. Com- mittee : - William Torrey, Christopher Dyer, and Joshua King."


This committee never made any report, or at least there is no record of any. This is not strange, nor is it singular, that the two Boards of County Commissioners did not approve of the routes proposed. There are no termini for the road to commence and end at, that are favorable and feasible. The form of the hill is such that the road laid out as now, is a great injury to the town - particularly to South Abington. A great portion of it is to be made by this town, and there is no calculation how it is to be entered from South Abington Depot. It can only be entered by extending South Avenue from the dwelling-house of Isaiah Tillson to it.


But perhaps it may be said, let Abington make a new road from Mr. Hendley's house in Abington, to the top of the hill. But this is not feasible. Beech Hill is so precipitous on the westerly side, that a road cannot be made upon that side ; and if it could, you would have to make a very sharp angle to meet the east end of South Avenue ; or a new road, almost a mile long, would have to be made to make a straight line to Henry H. Brigham's house, to enter the road leading to the depot. All this ground has been viewed repeatedly, and no conclusion has ever been come to. The question then arises, where the road ought to be ? There are two ways, and one of them has already been alluded to - that is, to extend South Avenue from near Tillson's house to the new-built road over the hill, to meet it, and save two miles travel through Hanson ; but this is superseded now by another proposition, which is to make a road as petitioned for by Henry H. Brigham and several hundreds of others, inhabitants of eight towns in Plymouth County - about one hundred of them in South Abington - requesting the County Commissioners to lay out a road from the east end of South Avenue, near said Tillson's house, extending easterly to King Street, in Hanover, near the house of the late Samuel House, thence to the four corners


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BEECH HILL ROADS.


on Teague's Hill, so called, in said Hanover. This petition now lies in court, and has been continued from time to time, on account of the exigencies of the times, in consequence of the civil war. It will be called up at a proper time. The object of this petition is to open and straighten the road from Abington and other towns on the west, to Hanover and other towns to the cast of that town, particularly to Scituate, Pembroke, Duxbury and Marshfield. At the latter town there is a watering-place on the sea-board, and a village called South Abington, which has become of late years a place of great resort in the warm season of the year, not only for the inhabitants of South Abington, but for those of other towns west of it; and there will be a saving of two miles travel from those towns, if this route should be established as a public highway ; and it is confidently believed that it will be. By crossing the new road lately made over the hill, it will open a way to its summit for the inhabitants of South Abington village, and many of the inhabitants of Han- over.


This road is very much needed, not only for the settlers on the hill to go to the depot and post office in South Abington village, but for many of the inhabitants of the town of Han- over to get to the same place, and also for the people of South Abington to get to Hanover. In both these towns there are many individuals who are owners of large tracts of cultivated and wood lands on the hill. If this road, as contemplated, is made, it will open all the avenues to the hill that ought to be calculated upon, or opened, for many years. It is true that the distance from the hill to the depot, the post-office, and the village there, will be about one mile further than it would have been if the location had been changed, as referred to above, and come out at or near the east end of South Avenue, near Isaiah Tillson's house.


But the town has already been at great expense to make the present road over the hill; and as there are only two families on the hill at this time, it will not be necessary to make any other roads to that locality for many years.


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BEECHI HILL ROADS.


These calculations are based on the idea that the road petitioned for, as above stated, and now depending in court, is laid out and made. If this is not done, there will soon have to be built two roads - one from the top of the hill to come to the depot in South Abington village, and one to King Street in Hanover, at a much greater expense than the one petitioned for. But the road prayed for will answer all the purpose of the two other roads, and accomplish also a great many other purposes. And hereafter, when the settlements on the hill become extended, a road can be made from its top to meet this contemplated road near the east end of South Avenue, near said Tillson's house.


I had some thoughts of omitting this whole chapter ; but as all the doings, relating to roads over the hill, have much bearing on the petition now depending, and upon other roads which will be wanted hereafter, I have concluded not to omit, but to retain the chapter.


There are many other proceedings which have been had, such as petitions for roads over the hill, and several views of County Commissioners, which are not alluded to above, and need not be, because they are matters of record.


Efforts to make the lands on the sum nit of the hill. and its surroundings, more accessible, have been making for many years ; and no road has ever reached them but the one referred to above. This road is not without its convenience and utility, especially to East Abington and Hanson; but it has not accommodated South Abington, nor the hill, so far as getting to South Abington is concerned.


This part of the town, called Beech IIill, and its surround- ings, comprises a large tract of land, estimated, indeed, to contain over three thousand acres, capable of great improve- ments, and of sustaining a large population ; and it will, doubtless, in time, become a very important section of the town. This chapter, if it should ever reach such a population, will remind them of the great efforts made for their accommo- dation in preceding times.


CHAPTER IV.


Population, Valuation and Polls .- Their Increase and Amount.


THE population of Abington, according to the best means of ascertaining it, was, in 1726, (fourteen years after its incor- poration,) 371; but we have no reliable means of ascertaining it every ten years, that I know of, until the United States census in 1790. It was then 1,453; in 1800, 1,625; 1810, 1,704; 1820, 1,920; 1830, 2,423; 1840, 3,144; 1850, 5,269; 1855, (five years,) 6,936. From this it appears that for the sixty-four years from 1726 to 1790, the increase of the population of this town was 1,082; from 1790 to 1800, 176; 1800 to 1810, 81; 1810 to 1820, 216; 1820 to 1830, 503; 1830 to 1840, 721; 1840 to 1850, 2,125; 1850 to 1855, (five years,) 1,667 (this being the last census).


By the above, we see a very slow increase of the population of the town for sixty-four years-from 1726 to 1790, only 1,082 ; seventeen yearly, and 165 for every ten years; and also from 1790 to 1820, (thirty years,) 467-averaging 16 yearly, and 156 every ten years ;- less, yearly, than the sixty- four years previous. The increase the next ten years, from 1820 to 1830, was more than the thirty years previous; it being 503. The increase from 1830 to 1840 was truly sur- prising, it being 721; the increase from 1840 to 1850 was much more so, viz .: 2,125; but from 1850 to 1855, (five years,) it almost exceeded belief-being 1,667; and if this ratio of increase, for the other five years, up to 1860, should continue, (and no doubt it will,) the increase of population, in this town, for the ten years from 1850 to 1860, will amount to 3,334 ; and the whole population, then, to 8,605.


If we compare this increase of population with that of the other towns in the county of Plymouth, it will show an extra- ordinary result ; for this increase of 3,334, as above, in only


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POPULATION.


ten years, will probably, in 1860, exceed the whole population of any of the towns in the county, except five, viz. : Plymouth, Middleborough, Hingham, North Bridgewater, and Bridge- water. The whole increase of all the towns in the county, from 1850 to 1855, was 5,816. Deduct the increase, in Abington, (1667,) and the increase in all the other towns (twenty-three) would be 4,147 ; the increase in Abington, for this period, is more than one-third of the increase of all the other towns in the county. Deduct the increase in Abington and North Bridgewater for the same time, (five years,) viz. : 2,928, and the increase in all the other towns (2,886) would be less by about fifty, than in these two towns ; and there are now (1865) but three towns in the State, except incorporated cities, which stand higher in population than Abington, and these only by a small number.


The valuation of the town, its increase and amount, is equally as extraordinary as its population, as the following will show. Without going further back than 1825, (and I have no data beyond that to compare,) which was one hun- dred and eleven years after its incorporation, the town's valu- ation stood, $414,916 (omitting cents) ; in 1831, $453,289 ; 1835, $488,549 ; 1839, $529,714 ; 1845, $1,223,931; 1850, $1,767,163 ; 1855, $2,942,382 ; 1858, $3,186,579 ; and prob- ably it will stand, in 1860, $3,400,000.


Here we sce, as would be expected, a striking analogy between the increase of the population of the town and its valuation : the increase of valuation from 1825 to 1845, (twenty years,) was $809,015, but from 1845 to 1850, (five years,) it was $543,232, more than half as much for that time as in the twenty years previous. From 1850 to 1858 it was $1,419,416 ; and from the last date to 1860, (two years,) this increase will probably cxcecd $2,000,000. The valuation in 1858 stood higher than in any other town in the county of Plymouth ; and this, no doubt, will be the case in 1860. The increase of the number of polls, in Abington, was in accordance with the increase of population and val- uation. In 1825 there were 406; 1831, 578; 1835, 703 ;


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POPULATION.


1839, 789 ; 1845, 1,040; 1850, 1,489; 1855, 1,835; 1858, 2,097.


By the above we see a very great increase of popu- lation, valuation and polls, from about 1830 to 1858, and what they will probably be in 1860. We see, also, a very slow progress in their advances up to that time, being one hundred and sixteen years from the incorporation of the town, in 1810. To account for all these changes would require much time, patience and research. We can only glance at a few.


At the commencement of all the settlements in New Eng- land, the progress of improvements and the increase of popu- lation were slow. The start was from very limited numbers -a wilderness was before the few inhabitants to be subdued- they were almost without money and without tools-a savage foe was at their heels-a bare subsistence was first to be acquired. But to turn our attention to this town, as that is our subject : when the population had become considerable towards the close of the last century, (about 1,400,) it was very fluctuating and unsteady. The soil was hard of cultiva- tion, and many individuals and families left here for other parts, for cheaper and better lands. This continued until 1830. The emigration was to Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, and to the westerly part of this State; the towns of Cummington and Plainfield, in Hampshire County, in this " State, then being townships numbered 4 and 5, were greatly aided in their population by immigrants from this town. My wife's mother, Miss Mary Ford, with her father, Hezekiah Ford, emigrated from this town upwards of ninety years ago, to the township No. 4, now Cummington, at the age of fifteen years, and married there an emigrant from Bridgewater- Edmund Lazell-a brother of the late Gen. Sylvanus Lazell, of East Bridgewater. They raised up a numerous family, but not one of their descendants remains there now. Mrs. Lazell remarked to me, that " she had paid Abington for the loss of herself, by sending back her daughter."


There were but few immigrations to this town during the period named. There were no manufacturing establishments


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POPULATION.


to give employment to hands, and many of our young men sought employment in other sections. But in about 1830, things began to change for the better. The New Bedford and Bridgewater turnpike passing through this town, had been in operation some twenty years; stages began to run through the town, daily, from Plymouth and New Bedford, to Boston ; baggage wagons also started into operation. The tack business commenced a few years previous to this, which gave employment to many hands and teams. Marketing also commenced about this time, on quite a large scale, not only for the supply of this town and neighboring towns, but also that of Plymouth, New Bedford, and other towns at a dis- tance. The late Col. Brackley Cushing did an extensive business in this way, and also Mr. Bethuel Penniman, Jr., and some others. Mr. Penniman's business became so exten- sive in New Bedford, that he removed there, with his family, a few years before 1830. He supplied that market with the best of beef, and other meats, for many years. Thousands of heads of cattle, for beef and stores, has lie purchased at Brighton, and drove to that market. He has relinquished this business now, with ample means, and is at present interested in the whale fisheries-a worthy sample of an Abington go- ahead man.


About this time the weaving business commenced here, and became quite extensive. Yarn was furnished by the cotton factories, and wove into cloth by hand-looms ; this gave employment to a great many females. There was a cloth woven here of cotton and linen yarn-very thin and sleazy- called Farrar cloth, after the name of the person who carried on the making of it very extensively. This cloth was painted and glazed for covering of tables and trunks.


Another very great impetus given to the increase of popula- tion and wealth, was the opening of the Old Colony Railroad in 1845, passing through the whole length of the town-over six miles-and having three depots. The making of this road led to a large influx of foreigners, and many took uo their residences here, with their families. These were


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POPULATION.


principally emigrants from Ireland. Previous to this, many young girls, from the "Emerald Isle," were employed in families as domestics, and many laboring men of this sort found employment in farming and in our manufacturing estab- lishments, so that probably the population, from this source, was increased over one thousand; and without this aid the town would have lost much of its thrift.


But the greatest impetus given to the increase of population was the extraordinary start which the boot and shoe business took between 1820 and 1830. This business gave employ- ment to numerous hands, both male and female, and many from other towns sought employment here in this business ; but I will not enlarge on this subject now, as I shall probably take it up in another article, as also some of the other subjects alluded to above-the tack business, agricultural pursuits, &c.


As business increased, and employment was found at home, emigration from here became less-in fact the tide turned the other way: emigration from other towns was to this; and many, now, of our most thriving boot and shoe manufacturers came among us, took up their residence here, and have become some of our most enterprising citizens. Many single young men and women, from Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and the western part of this State, have come here and taken up their residence. The parents of many of them went from here formerly, and left many connections, as brothers and sis- ters ; so, in returning, they came among their friends. Many of these have formed connections here, and have families. This class numbers some hundreds. In our tack and other business we have employed, I should judge, in the thirty years past, over one hundred, and something like one-half of them have formed connections here, and settled down into families. This class of immigrants came with good morals and habits of industry, and have been quite an acquisition to the popula- tion of the town. The parents of many of them left here in quest of better lands, and when they multiplied beyond the wants of agricultural labor where they were, the surplus sought employment in other ways. At this particular time


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POPULATION.


there was an opening here for additional help, and the boot and shoe business, with other calls for laborers, furnished full employment. Here we see that those who emigrated from us formerly, sent back their sons and daughters, with many of their young acquaintances, and made up the loss which they occasioned us when they left, with compound interest.


Another cause of this increase of population was, the settle- ment, at about the time referred to, (1830,) and since, of quite a number of professional men. Six or seven additional min- isters were settled here, with families, and as many doctors, two or three lawyers, and quite a number of school teach- ers-with many tradesmen and mechanics. These several additions and classes will be referred to hereafter, in other sketches.


CHAPTER V.


School Districts .- Changes in them .- Money raised for Schooling .- School Committees .- System of Schooling in Past Times and at the Present Time.


IN 1732 the first school-house in town was built. It stood near the Centre Meeting-house, and was the only one in town until 1755, twenty-three years after the first was built. Pre- vious to this, in 1724, Mr. Samuel Porter was paid twenty dollars for keeping school. It must have been in some private room, and probably such a school was continued until the first school-house was built, and after that in the first school-house, and otherwise ; for it was frequently kept in different parts of the town, to equalize the travel, until the town was divided into five districts, in 1755. There was a law passed in 1789, requiring towns of two hundred families to keep a grammar- school twelve months in each year, in which the Latin and Greek languages should be taught by a master, qualified for that purpose. This school was kept alternately in each of the five districts, three months in each year. How the law was answered or evaded in keeping three months in a year instead of twelve, I am not aware. It was considered as an arbitrary law. Its object was to prepare students for entering college at the public expense. It was kept as the winter schools usually were, only the master must be qualified to teach the languages ; but few were prepared for entering college in this way ; but it helped the common schools, as it furnished better teachers.


In 1794, thirty-nine years after the first districting, (in 1755,) the districts were increased to eight, with some pro- vision to aid some families in the outskirts of the town, by granting to them a portion of the money raised for schooling. In 1822, eleven districts were made by bounds on the roads. In 1847, the eleven school districts were defined by lines, with metes and bounds, making some slight alterations from 1822.


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SCHOOLS.


This was done to make definite the bounds of districts for the convenience of local taxation. In 1853, the district system in this town was abolished ; the regulation and superintendence of all the schools were assumed by the town ; new school- houses were built, the district school-houses being paid for by the town.


The following sums have been raised, at different times, for schooling, and divided among the districts. Sometimes each district had an equal part, and at other times a part according to the number of polls, or the taxes paid by the inhabitants of the districts ; sometimes by one-half being divided equally among the districts, and the other half according to the num- ber of scholars in each ; changing almost every year, and often very unequally divided. In 1755, when the town was divided into five districts, the sum raised for schooling was only $89 ; this, if divided equally among the districts, would give to each $17.80. This continued to be the amount raised, until 1765, (ten years,) when the amount was increased to $133.33, and this continued so for twenty years, -being $26.66 to each district. In 1785, the amount was $286.66; to each district, $57.35. This was the rate for ten years, until 1795, when it stood at $466.66. Without naming the division, it will only be necessary to name the sum raised at each change, for the same sum was continued to be raised from one change to another. In 1805, it was $833.33; 1810, $900; 1815, $850 ; 1818-19, $1,000 each year ; 1820, $800; 1822, $1,000; 1825, $1,200; 1833, $1,400; 1834, $1,600; 1839, $2,000; 1842, $2,500; 1848, $3,000; 1852, $5,000; 1854, $6,000; 1857, $7,500; 1858, $6,500; 1859, $7,000. It appears from the above statement that the sums raised for schooling, from 1755 to 1805, (fifty years,) were very small ; that there were five districts for thirty-nine years of that time, and eight for eleven years. The wages of teachers were much less then, than at the present time. Female teachers received from seventy-five cents to one dollar per week, and boarded themselves ; male teachers, eight to ten dollars per month, and boarded themselves. Schools were kept about


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SCHOOLS.


three months in summer, by females, and about two months in winter, by males. Private schools were frequently kept for small children.


The School Committees in Abington, as far as ascertained, are as follows : In 1807, ten were chosen to visit the schools, with the Rey. Samuel Niles, and to recommend a uniformity of school-books. The same was done in 1808. It does not appear from the records that any School Committee was chosen after that year, until 1825, (seventeen years,) when in each district three (thirty-three in all) were chosen to visit the schools, and advise with the teachers. In 1826, one in each district was chosen. This year, (1826,) a very full law was passed, concerning schools; requiring School Committees, examinations of teachers, visits to the schools, designation of books, giving to School Committees the power to select and hire teachers, and to regulate the order and discipline of the schools. The names of those who have served on the School Committee, with the years in which they served, are as follows, viz. :-


J. Whitman, Esq., 1826, 1827, 1835 and 1836 . 4 years. Dr. Ezekiel Thaxter, 1827, 1828, 1829, 1830, and


1834 5 years.


Rev. S. Colburn, 1827 1 year.


Benjamin Hobart, 1828, 1829 and 1830 .


3 years.


Elihu Hobart, 1829 and 1830


2


Capt. Daniel A. Ford, 1829 and 1831


Micah Pool, Esq., 1829 and 1830 . 2


2


Josiah Holbrook, 1830 and 1836 2 Rev. Daniel Thomas, 1837 to 1843 7 Rev. Lucius Alden, 1831 to 1843 13


Rev. Silas Hall, 1831, 1832, 1833 and 1834 4


Rev. M. G. Wheeler, 1832 and 1833 . 2


Rev. J. W. Ward, 1835 to 1846, 1852, 1853, 1855 and 1856 . . 16 Rev. Dennis Powers, 1844, 1845, 1846, 1848 and


1849 5


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SCHOOLS.


Rev. H. D. Walker, 1844, 1845, 1846, 1852, 1853,


1854 and 1857 . 7 years. J. Arnold, Jr., 1847, 1848, 1849, 1850, 1851, 1853, 1854, 1855 and 1856 . 9


Reuben Loud, 1847, 1857, 1858 and 1859 4


William A. Stone, 1848 and 1849 2


Dr. J. M. Underwood, 1850, 1851, 1853, 1856 and 1857 5 66


Dr. A. P. Chase, 1850 to 1854 . 5


Rev. Isaac C. White, 1853, 1854, 1855 and 1857 . 4


William E. Sheldon, 1855 and 1856 2


Dr. F. F. Forsaith, 1856 and 1857


2


Rev. Varnum Lincoln, 1857, 1858 and 1859 3


Samuel Dyer, 1858 and 1859


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