USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Acton > History of the town of Acton > Part 12
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From the foregoing record it would appear that when Carlisle district was set off this particular building was to be owned jointly by Acton and Carlisle, each having half. Subsequently, although the record does not state specifically, friction must have arisen over the matter of up-keep and hence the action taken.
This meeting was adjourned to the following Thursday (March 9) . Among other items a vote was taken ordering the sale of the real estate of Joseph Reed to apply toward the support of his family. This man, ancestor of the author, served in Davis' company at Concord Fight, was at Bunker Hill and as a soldier of the Continental Army fought through most of the war. Despite this the town could not see its way clear to help support the family until his return. The full text of the vote is given herewith from the minutes of the said town meeting. There is no recorded similar drastic action in the case of any other soldier.
Excerpt from minutes of the town meeting of March 9, 1781 relative to Joseph Reed.
Acton, March ye 9th, 1781.
The town being met according to adjournment on the 8th article voted that the Real Estate of Joseph Reed be sold
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for the support of his family. In April the town convened for the annual state election with the following votes recorded:
For Governor, John Hancock 38,
For Lt. Governor, Azon Orne 31,
For Senators, Josiah Stone 27, Maj. Joseph Hosmer 27, Francis Faulkner 15, Oliver Baron 12, Nathaniel Gorham 12, James Prescott 11, Abraham Fuller 6, Dea. William Brown 10, Thomas Plinton 4, John Cuming 1, Eleazer Brooks 1.
An interesting item appears at this stage in the record whereby is reflected again the stringency of money. Because of the extreme difficulty experienced by the constables, George Robbins and Daniel Barker, in the collection of the taxes, they were awarded a bonus of eight silver dollars each for "their extraordinary trouble".
More light is thrown upon the same situation by the fact that in May Francis Faulkner and Simon Hunt were delegated to make representation to the General Court for the reduction of the town's valuation.
There were other items as well that were eloquent of the money stringency. For instance Capt. Simon Hunt and Dea. Samuel Hayward were chosen as a committee to consider and compute the salary of Rev. Moses Adams in view of the value of the necessities of life. In another instance the town voted to accept a sum of money due the town from Samuel Jones in "Bills of the New Emission" at the rate of forty to one. In December it was voted not to raise the salary of Rev. Adams.
It was some time during the year 1781 that Acton received its first resident physician from without the town. Dr. Abraham Skinner came from Woodstock, Connecticut, and continued in practice until his death on April 16, 1810, at the age of fifty three. At the time of his arrival he was a young bachelor of twenty four, a state which he proceeded to alter on March 18, 1788 when he married Sarah, the daughter of Francis Faulkner, then a damsel of eighteen. Dr. Skinner was the third physician to practice in the town having been preceded by Dr. Joseph Fletcher and Dr. John Swift, son of Rev. John Swift. . Dr. Skinner was the first occupant of the house on Nagog Hill Road now owned by the Thomas Snows, concerning which more will be said in another interesting connection later.
Early in the year 1782 (Jan. 29) the town considered the question of providing glazing and clapboards for the new house of Rev. Adams. It was finally decided to pay him the money still due on his settlement agreement and let him use it for that purpose.
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At the March meeting the annual elections to the committee of correspondence resulted in the selection of Lt. Thomas Noyes, Lt. David Furbush, Ephraim Hosmer, Capt. Joseph Robbins and Samuel Piper.
Apparently by this time the inflationary condition had decidedly abated since we find four shillings per day set as wages for work on the highway and three shillings additional for a pair of oxen and a cart. Additional evidence appears from the fact that the town voted only thirty five pounds for the support of schools for the year.
Two quaint items appearing at this time give a queer twist to the meaning of the word "distress". In 1782 the town appointed a committee to assist James Billings in prosecuting the persons sus- pected of taking from him the distress which he had taken for John Parlin's estate. In this connection the word "distress" meant the seizure of goods in lieu of taxes. It would appear that James Billings seized something from John Parlin and later had it stolen by relatives of said Parlin or sympathizers with him.
Apropos of the same use of the word appears an entry dated December 2, 1782 wherein the town voted that "Mr. James Billings make no distress for Mr. Joseph Perry's rates untill the selectmen inform him they think it proper".
At the March meeting of 1783 the town took up the matter of the minister's salary and decided in view of the depreciation of the currency to augment it by an additional eighty pounds. Apparently this matter had been considered by both parties at length previous to the meeting for during the session Rev. Mr. Adams presented the following letter to the town, which, in view of its unusual contents is given herewith in full as transcribed in the records.
"Gentlemen, the Select-men haveing inserted an Article in the warrant for this meeting to Se what the Town will Do Concerning the Rerages of my Sallary - I will make the following Proposals in order to the Peaceable Settlement of the matter (viz) as it Appears by the Scale of Deprecia- tion that the Town owes me 17:3:3 Sallery for the first year of my Ministry here and 50:2:6 for the Second year and Six Pound one Shilling & three Pence for the third year in whole 123:7:2 of which I will abate 43:7:2 which is some more than one third of the whole and reduces me to Something then the nominal Sum one year with another for the Remainder which is Eighty Pounds the y. I ex- ceeding need the Money I will Consent to take an Obli- gation upon Interest Bareing Date the first Day of this month and Payable in one year Provided it Does Not Sute the Town to pay me now - and as Silver money has been
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full one third Depreciate take one year with another ever Since I have been in the Town my Sufferings will be at Lest 40:0:0 pr year ByderLying1 out of what is now Due till this time which must be Supposed a Large Proportion of the Burden of the war upon the Towns Complying with these Proposals I will give a Receap in full for those three first years of my Ministry."
M. Adams.
The above document makes rather hard going for the modern reader. It would appear, however, that the eighty pounds voted above was not to be considered as a raise in salary to be effective year after year but was rather an adjustment made to cover arrears cited in the parson's letter of complaint.
Later on in the year 1783, at the meeting on May 2 in fact, another move was made to the benefit of the minister. It appears that there had been up to this time no pew for the particular and special use of the family of Mr. Adams. In consequence with respect to an article "to see if the town will build or purchase a pew for Rev. Moses Adams", it was voted "to build two pews adjoining the broad alley taking one half of the hind seats and no more".
Apparently all was not harmonious respecting this matter since it was twice reconsidered at subsequent meetings. Finally on Septem- ber 18th the decision was made to make four pews by taking the whole of the two rear seats on the lower floor and to move the seat one and one half inches forward to make more room.2 But even with all this community interest in the location of a pew to the nearest inch the business was not yet over. When the pews were built the carpenters either willfully or otherwise took more space than they ought and as a result a committee was chosen at the March meeting of 1784 "to settle with those men who took into said pews more than they purchased". But still the matter was not wholly consummated. On March 25th a meeting convened for the purpose voted to give clear title to Capt. Robbins and others "for the ground they took into their pews more than they agreed for".
It would almost appear in all this that the case of Rev. Mr. Adams had been lost in the excitement but before adjourning the meeting just mentioned above voted that "the pew on the right hand of the broad alley adjoining the pew of Mr. John Dexter be for the Rev. Moses Adams so long as he continues to be minister in this town".
Some mention has already been made respecting the building of horse sheds. In May of 1784 Simeon Hayward and certain others
1 Perhaps this should be the two words "by delaying" but it certainly is not so written in the record. As the product of a college graduate and a clergyman the whole letter seems to be amazingly prolix.
2 Town records, vol. 1, p. 352.
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were voted permission "to build horse stables in some convenient place near the meeting house on town land". The location speci- fied was on the road leading from Daniel Shepard's to the meeting house beginning at the corner of the Widow Catherine Brook's wall. Since the Widow Brooks lived in the old Brooks Tavern which was situated almost exactly on the site of the present residence of Mr. Norman Livermore these sheds must have stood a little south of Mr. Livermore's house on the east side of Nagog Hill Road as it is known today.
Another great innovation in the conduct of the church services took place when in July of 1784 the town voted to make provision for those who led in the singing. It was decided to cut the rearmost railed seats and the two benches back of them in the front gallery to make pews for the choir. In the meantime the singers were to have the second, third, and fourth seats in the front gallery until the next town meeting "provided they can agree to change with others that are seated there".
An interesting sidelight on the progress of the new nation in matters financial is contained in a memorandum relative to an article in the town warrant for March 7, 1785. It appears that Mr. George Robbins lost a portion of the tax money he had collected and had petitioned the town relief from payment of the same. His distress was further augmented by the fact that some of the bills he had collected proved to be counterfeit. The town displayed customary New England hardheadedness by voting a thumping "NAY" on both counts.
About the time of the Revolution the remoter residents on the out- skirts of Harvard, Littleton and Stow found themselves isolated from any place of worship so they purchased in 1775 the old Harvard meeting house and petitioned the General Court to be set off as a separate town. The act of incorporation was granted on February 24, 1783. The first mention of it in the Acton records appears as a memorandum dated April 25, 1785 wherein Samuel Hayward and Ephraim Forbush attest to the fact that they met Nehemiah Batchelor and Paul Hayward of Boxborough and perambulated the bounds beginning at the corner on Flag Hill.
On June 6th the matter of the church singers again came up for consideration and this time, without any apparent difficulty, it was voted to provide seats for the choir agreeable to the desire of the church.
Ever since the formation of the new nation the several states had stumbled along for better or for worse with such governamental mach- inery as had been put together by the active politicians. In some states it was well done and in others much was left to be desired. The
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Massachusetts practices were as good as the majority but by 1786 a bill of grievances had been drawn up by the citizenry and debated in a convention held at Concord. On October 2nd a town meeting was held in Acton to discuss the findings of the Concord convention and to discover the will of the town with reference to them. It was voted that
"the ten articles of grievance stated by the convention at Concord are agreeable to the sentiments of this town except the eighth article. Voted to choose a committee to make a draught of instructions to their members who are to sit in convention at Concord the 3rd day of October. Voted that Francis Faulkner, Joseph Robbins, Jonas Brooks, and Samuel ? ? ? (name not legible) to be a committee for that purpose".
The report was written and accepted and delivered to Lt. Noyes, one of the members. Then the meeting adjourned to the following Monday at which time the town would hear the report of the Acton member from the convention and act thereon.
Pursuant of the above the town met on October 9th. The petition from the convention to the General Court in behalf of twenty towns in the county was read and the question was put as to whether the town would join in the said petition with the other nineteen towns. The vote was negative. Then the question was put as to whether the town would petition the General Court on its own for a redress of grievances. Again the vote was negative. Finally the motion was made, forty eight voters being present, whether they would take under consideration the seven articles stated by the convention but never laid before the several towns for approbation and consider them as grievances and distresses. On this issue the decision was in the affirmative.
At the annual state election held on the 2nd of April 1787 the town cast sixty two votes for John Hancock for governor and seventeen for James Bowdoin. The vote for Lt. Governor was as follows; Nathaniel Gorham 52, Benjamin Lincoln 11, Thomas Cushing 11.
In September of 1787 the town voted not to make any addition to the sum allowed by the government for the support of John Kennedy and his wife. In this connection it was further voted that the selectmen arrange to "support the town poor in the most reasonable manner they can". This whole vexing problem has and ever will be a constant nag to the officers of every town so long as the indigent and the unfortunate exist. The matter of a poor house was first proposed at the beginning of the year 1774 at which time the question was put over from one meeting to another without action. According to the record it should have come to a final vote in the March meet-
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ing of 1775 but no mention of it appears either in the warrant or the minutes. Apparently there had been a tacit but unpublished agreement to settle it by default. But there are always those who insist on meeting troubles forthwith and so we find that in May of 1788 a vote was passed to build a poor house thirty feet square "with a chimney with four smoker, eight feet posts." A committee consisting of Francis Faulkner, Simon Tuttle, David Barnard, Daniel Davis, and Nathaniel Faulkner was chosen to determine the location of the said house.
In the state election of 1788 the town cast fifty five votes for John Hancock. The vote for Lt. Governor was as follows: Samuel Adams 36, James Warren 15, Benjamin Lincoln 1, Elbridge Gary 1.
About a month later on December 18th the town cast its first recorded vote for a representative for the district of Middlesex to represent the people of the Commonwealth in the Congress of the United States. Nathaniel Gorham received 27 votes, Elbridge Gary 16 votes and Joseph Varnum 2 votes.1
For some reason another vote was taken on the subsequent January 13th, 1789 with the following results: Elbridge Gary 37, James Winthrop 11, Eleazer Brooks 5, and General Hull 3. Since the name of Nathaniel Gorham does not apear as a candidate in the second election it may be that illness caused him to retire from the contest. He did not die since his name appears again in the election of April 6, 1789
In the April meeting of 1789 article four raised the question as to whether the town would "keep a Gramar school". This is the first time the term appears. No distinction had ever been made before in the type of school. The matter was held over to the next meeting. When the next meeting assembled on May 4th forty nine pounds was voted for the school support but no mention was made of the matter of a grammar school. Consequently it is difficult to know just what connotation the word "Grammar" had at that time.
At the March meeting of 1790 the town was divided into five school districts and this practice continued until 1800, then there were four districts for the next thirty years, at which time six districts were set aside and continued until the2 end of the century when the amalgamated school practice, with transportation provided, brought about the reduction to three districts as at present. This latter arrangement will be considered in more detail at the proper time.
On March 7, 1791 the question of the care of the poor once more came to an issue and it was voted "to build a workhouse to support the poor". A committee was appointed to determine the location
1 Due to an error by the clerk the name of Elbridge Gerry was recorded as as Elbridge Gary.
2 Fletcher, p. 278.
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and to let out the contract. At a subsequent meeting in May it was further specified that Capt. Joseph Brown together with the selectmen purchase from Reuben Brown the place called Blood's Farm for the purpose of supporting the poor thereon.
At the same meeting (May 9, 1791) a new note appears in the conduct and management of the schools. A committee consisting of Francis Faulkner, Jonas Brooks, Benjamin Hayward, Thomas Noyes, Moses Richardson, Seth Brooks and Jonas Heald was elected to "provide schoolmasters and to visit and inspect the schools agreeable to law". This obviously implies that the state had at last taken a hand in the conduct of the schools with the objective in mind of at least nominal effort looking toward some sort of standardization.
At the annual state election on April 2, 1792 Acton was once more found solidly intrenched in the patriot column. For governor John Hancock received 32 votes, Samuel Phillips 7, and Oliver Prescott 6. For Lt. governor Samuel Adams polled 37 and Samuel Phillips 6.
On September 4th the town took action to procure a pest house for the isolation of small-pox patients. The manner in which the term is used in the record makes it appear that inoculation implied isolation as well. It was further decided that the pest house should be under the direction of the resident physician, Dr. Abraham Skinner. The location of this building is no longer known but it is slightly ironical that Acton's last such institution (circa 1900) was Dr. Skinner's house, now the residence of the Thomas Snows.
At a meeting early in November of this same year it was voted to divide the town into four school districts instead of five and a committee of thirteen was chosen for the purpose.1 This was the onset of a long wrangle extending over many meetings. Thc re- duction was not really effectual until 1800.
It will be recalled that at the March meeting of 1781 the town voted to sell the real estate of Joseph Reed, soldier of the Continental Army, for taxes in arrears due to his service throughout the war. The conclusion of action upon this matter came on September 23, 1793, eight years after his demise, when the town passed the following action, which is given in detail because of its unusual nature:
"Voted on article 2 that the town will secure and defend harmless Lt. Thomas Noyes administrator of the estate of Joseph Reed late of Acton deceased from all cost, charge or demand that shall arise by reason of his selling the whole of the said deceased Reed's estate and paying into the treasurer of the said town of Acton for the use of the said town the whole of the money said estate shall sell for after deducting from the same the charges of settling
1 See Acton town records, vol. 1, p. 405.
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said estate and he is not to render said estate insolvent. Also voted that as Sibbel Reed, widow of the said Joseph Reed deceased, hath given to the inhabitants of the town of Acton a quitclaim deed of all her rights of dower or thirds in the estate aforesaid that she the said Sibbel Reed shall re- ceive annually from the treasurer of the said town of Acton the interest of one third part of the money that said estate shall sell for after paying the charges for settling the same during her natural life."
Sybil Reed, great-great grandmother of the author, died on Nov- ember 27, 1824. Presumably the meagre stipend above mentioned, whatever it may have been, was paid to her during the thirty one ycars that remained to her after the passage of the vote.
It was sometime during the year 1793 that the practice of reading out the line of the hymn to be sung was discontinued. This tech- nique was called "lining out the hymn" and operated as follows, the minister read a line of the hymn and then the singers and the congregation, most of whom were thoroughly familiar with the tune, sang that one line, and thus the process continued alternately between the minister and the congregation.
During the year 1794 there was nothing of outstanding importance but several small items give evidence of the fact that the town was handling its affairs competently.
Fifty votes were cast for Samuel Adams for governor and one for William Cushing in the state election. Eighty pounds were voted for the support of the schools of which sum twenty five pounds was to go for the women's school. Pursuant to an act of Congress it was voted to pay seven dollars per month to those who should serve as minute men and to this was added a bonus of two dollars at the time of enlistment. In addition, pursuant to resolves of the General Court (enacted June 26, 1794) a vote was passed to procure a map of the town. Francis Faulkner, Jonas Brooks, and John Edwards were elected as a committee to attend to the matter.
At the town meeting on March 2, 1795 the question of apportioning the town into five school districts was debated at length and finally a committee of fourteen was chosen to report at the regular meeting in May.1 This meeting, when convened on May 6 voted to raise 80 pounds for school support, 20 pounds of which was to be expended for the women's school. The committee of school administration and inspection was made up of Aaron Jones, John Robbins, Job Brooks, Jonas Heald, Samuel Parlin, Abraham Hapgood, and John Adams. On the held-over question of the school districts it was decided to have five, each person to send his children to the district
1 See town records, vol. 1, p. 428.
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of his choice and to have his school levy spent in that district.
In March preceding the town had voted to sell the town farm but recinded the action at the May meeting above mentioned.
According to the church records the following action was taken on March 23, 1797, "It is the desire of the church that singing should be performed as a part of the public worship in the church and the congregation".1
2nd. It is the desire of the church that the selectmen insert an article in the warrant for the next meeting in May to see if the town will raise a sum of money to support a singing school in the town and that the pastor apply to the selectmen in the name of the church for that purpose.
3rd. Voted to choose five persons to lead the singing in the future.
4th. Voted to choose a committee of three to nominate five persons for the singers.
Deacon Joseph Brabrook, Deacon Simon Hunt and Thomas Noyes were chosen as the nominating committee. They selected Winthrop Faulkner, Nathaniel Edwards, Jr., Simon Hosmer, Josiah Noyes and Paul Brooks and these persons were elected by vote to lead the singing in the future.
Voted, "It is the desire of the church that the singers use a Bass viol in the public worship, if agreeable to them".
Voted, "It is the desire of the church that all the persons who are qualified would assist the singing in the public worship."
The further statement is made that Deacon Simon Hosmer played for thirty years (presumably the bass viol mentioned above) .
It is quite probable that the Acton choir at some period used the New England Psalm Singer written by the versatile and amazingly productive psalm tune composer William Billings of Stoughton. Several other publications as well as two hundred and sixty three tunes are credited to him.2
At the March meeting of 1797 an event took place which marked the close of an era. Francis Faulkner, after serving as town clerk since 1762 relinquished the office and Aaron Jones was elected in his place.
This eminent citizen of sterling worth was born in Andover, Massachusetts, on September 29, 1728 and died on August 5, 1805. He was the son of Ammiruhammah Faulkner, who moved to Acton from Andover in 1735 and erected the mills still in operation at South Acton. He early became active in town affairs and was a mem-
1 Fletcher, p. 245.
2 Hamilton McDougal; Early New England Psalmody, p. 48.
In 1802 the book in use was Columbian and European Harmony by Barthlo- mew Brown and others, printed by Thomas and Andrews in Boston. It con- tained 157 Psalm tunes in four parts. A copy in the town clerk's office was donated by Rev. F. P. Wood in 1893.
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