USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Bedford > History of the town of Bedford, Middlesex county, Massachusetts, from its earliest settlement to the year of Our Lord 1891 > Part 19
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[Erected by Cyrus Page, in 1883.]
Cornet Nathaniel Page, March 2, 1755, aged 76 years.
[Ile was son of Nathaniel, 1st.]
Mrs. Susanna (Lane, daughter of Col. John, 2d), his wife, Sept. 2, 1746, aged 63 years.
Cornet Nathaniel Page, April 6, 1779, aged 76 years.
Death from all death has set us free,
And will our gain forever be;
Death loosed the rusty chain of woe,
To let the mournfnl captives go.
[He was a Minute Man in 1775, and an energetic pat- riot in the cause of freedom.]
Mr. Ebenezer Page, June 9, 1784, aged 47 years. Dorothy Page, wife of Mr. Ebenezer l'age, Feb. 6, 1779, aged 41 years.
March 26. 1754, Lucy l'age, aged 2 years.
March 28. 1754. Susanna Page. aged 3 years 2 months 20 days.
April 7, 1754, Job Page, aged 5 years 10 months 7 days.
Children of Mr. Christopher and Susanna Page.
[A triple stone suggests the ravages of throat distem- per in this family of the town.]
Widow Sarah Parker, formerly the wife of Mr. John Lane, March 5, 1814, aged 88 years.
Vain world, farewell to you, lleaven is my native air ; I bid my friends a short adien, Impatient to be there.
Pierce monument :
George Pierce, Aug. 24, 1870, aged 42 years.
George N. Pierce, March 24, 1848, aged 31 years. Augustus Pierce, May 6, 1846, aged 30.
Page monument :
Nathaniel Page. Aug. 30, 1858, aged 83 years. Lydia, wife of Nathaniel Page, Jan. 24, 1852, aged 79 years.
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BEDFORD.
In memory of Benjamin Page, Jan. 13, 1848, aged 34. Two children of Benjamin and Mary C. Page.
Mr. Samuel Page, member of the junior class of Dartmouth College, N.H., Jan. 31, 1839, aged 22 years.
Nathaniel, son of Mr. Nathaniel Page, Jr., and Mrs. Lucy Page, his wife, April 10, 1808, aged 11 months.
Mr. Nathaniel Page, July 31, 1819, aged 77.
Mrs. Sarah, wife of Mr. Nathaniel Page, Ang. 22, 1834, aged 92.
Isaac F. Page, Nov. 21, 1844, aged 39 years.
Capt. John Page, June 29, 1848, aged 81 years.
Esther, wife of Capt. John Page, Dec. 21, 1852, aged 81 years.
Mr. Christopher Page, son of Nathaniel, 2d, Nov. 11, 1786, aged 80 years.
Mrs. Susanna, relict of Mr. Christopher Page, July ye 20, 1792, in ye 83d year of her age.
The sweet remembrance of the just
Shall flourish when they sleep in dust.
[She was formerly the widow of Benjamin Webber, of Medford, and danghter of Whitmore.]
In memory of Mrs. Lydia, wife of Capt. Chris- topher Page, Feb. 20, 1808, aged 64.
Betsey B., wife of Silas W. Page, June 25, 1842, aged 37.
John H., Feb. 27, 1841, aged 18 months.
Susanna, May 4, 1841, aged 4 years 6 months. Children of Betsey B. and Silas W. Page.
Sacred to the memory of Mrs. Hannah, wife of Dr. Amariah Preston, Feb. 8, 1795, in the 26th year of her age.
Hark! hear my dear Redeemer's voice, My soul must hence remove ; Farewell to all those earthly joys, And haste away to realms above.
In memory of Hannah, daughter of Dr. Ama- riah Preston, Aug. S, 1810, aged 15 years.
Dea. Israel Putnam, Nov. ye 12, 1760, aged 62 years.
[He was one of the first deacons, foundation member of the church, and gave the land for the burial ground. ]
In memory of Mr. Jonas Putnam, March 10, 1818, aged 32.
Death with his dart has pierced my heart When I was in my prime.
Mr. Oliver Pollard, May 28, 1831, aged 94 years. Mrs. Oliver Pollard, Feb. 20, 1840, aged 91 years and 4 months.
To them the solemn hour has come, And life's short space is o'er; They both have reached their final home, Where they shall part no more.
Mr. Matthew Pollard, Nov. 15, 1801, aged 52 years.
Stranger, as this spot you tread,
And meditate upon the dead,
Improve the moments as they fly, For all who live must shortly die.
Mrs. Rebeccah Quimby, July 8, 1820, aged 25 years 5 months.
All earthly scenes are quickly o'er, For transient is their date ; 'Midst all our joys we oft deplore The crnel stroke of fate ;
But stop each fond parental tear, And each fraternal siglı,
She's freed from all her troubles here, To dwell with God on high.
John Reed. Esq., Nov. 20, 1805, aged 75 years.
Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord,
That they may rest from their labors, and their works do follow them.
[He was an influential man, a member of the Conti- mental Congress at Concord and Cambridge in 1775, and took an active part in the war of the Revolution. His name appears on a family memorial erected in Shaw- shine Cemetery in 1800.]
Jesse Robinson, Dec. 1, 1842, aged 76 years.
Rebecca, wife of Jesse Robinson, Aug. 3, 1863, aged 86 years 6 months.
Miss Mary Robinson, June 9, 1833, aged 20 years.
Draw near, my friends, and take a thought,
How soon the grave must be your lot; Make sure of Christ while life remain, And death shall be your eternal gain.
Miss Martha Robinson, Aug. 7, 1840, aged 21 years.
Stay, thou passing maiden, stay ! Learn how earthly joys decay! Here three lovely sisters sleep; Read their fate, and, reading, weep.
Eliza Robinson, born Dec. 27, 1809, died Sept. 16, 1871.
Life to thee was but a burden, Sister, thou art gone to rest ; Yes, we trust thou art in heaven, The place awaiting all the blest.
Mrs. Abi, wife of Mr. David Rice, Oct. 30, 1820, aged 31.
Oliver Reed. Aug. 15, 1837, aged 81.
Mary, second wife of Oliver Reed, May 31, 1812, aged 32. Mrs. Betsey, wife of Mr. Oliver Reed, Jr., Oct. 22, 1802, aged 45.
Stop, passenger, as you pass by; As you are now, so once was I. As I am now, so you will be: Prepare for death, and follow me.
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BEDFORD.
Mrs. Abigail, wife of Capt. David Reed, Sept. 1, 1803, aged 44 years.
She is fied, the loveliest mind, Faith, sweetness, wit, together joined : Dwell faith and wit and sweetness there; Oh, view the change, and drop a tear!
Erected in memory of Mrs. Hannah, wife of Capt. David Reed, April 29, 1790, aged 39 years. Martha S., wife of Nathan O. Reed, March 22, 1841. aged 24 years.
Eliot, daughter of John Reed, Esq., and Mrs. Ruhamah (Brown), his wife, Aug. 24, 1780, in the 16th year of her age.
How uncertain this life! How little did I expect to die so young ! Dear youth, remember my sudden death; for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Grace Page, daughter of John Reed, Esq., and Mrs. Ruhamah, his wife, Sept. 16, 1778, in the 19th year of her age.
From death's arrest no age is free, as beholders may see; and now, dear youth, brothers, sisters, and friends, all prepare to come, for sure you must, and mingle with me in the dust.
Mrs. Ruhamah (Brown) Reed, wife of John Reed, Esq., Jan. 9, 1798, in the 68th year of her age.
Roger Reed, June 8, 1844, aged 82.
Sarah, his wife, Feb. 8, 1849, aged 83.
Oliver Reed, Sept. 18, 1811, in the 83d year of his age.
Betsey, daughter of Mr. Reuben and Mrs. Mary Reed, May 3, 1813, aged 3 years and 8 months.
Amanda Reed, Sept. 15, 1846, aged 26.
Melvina Reed, July 18, 1844, aged 21.
Mrs. Sarah Randall, March 2, 1821, aged 44 years.
Elijah Skelton, Jan. 30, 1852, aged 68.
Remember that you, too, must die.
Mrs. Sarah, wife Elijah Skelton, Dec. 31, 1873, aged 87 years 11 months 1 day.
Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of his saints.
[She had been gone from this town many years, but remembered the Church of Christ in her last will.
Sarah, daughter of Elijah and Sarah Skelton, Feb. 4, 1852, aged 33 years.
Edwin, son of Elijah and Sarah Skelton, April 11, 1849, aged 28. In memory of five infant children of Elijah and Sarah Skelton.
Mrs. Louisa, wife of Mr. Elias Skelton, July 2, 1836, aged 24.
Samuel, their son, Oct. 18, 1832, aged 4 months. A wife and child have gone to their rest,
And why should the soul of the mourners be sad ? Faith tells they have gone where the weary are blest, And the spirit of hope looks up and is glad.
Mr. Solomon, son of Capt. Edward and Mrs. Lucy Stearns, May 18, 1775, aged 19 years.
[Ile was at Concord fight, April 19, 1775, and in the camp at Cambridge, where he contracted the disease from which he died.]
Mary Elizabeth, daughter of Elijah Stearns, Esq., and Elizabeth, his wife, July 12, 1818, aged 11 years.
Lieut. Edward Stearns, May 18, 1798, aged 30 years.
God my Redeemer lives, and often from the skies Looks down and watches all my dust,
Till he shall bid me rise.
Capt. Edward Stearns, June ye 11, 1793, aged G8 years.
Here in this grave, this silent cave, Lies our beloved friend, A husband near, a father dear, To lie till time shall end.
Then at the call of God he shall arise, no more to die, And, as we trust, among the just spend an eternity.
Mrs. Lucy, wife of Capt. Edward Stearns, Nov. 28, 1802, aged 69 years.
Here sleeps our mother in the dust; So we e'er long, her children, must, When God sees fit to call us hence, To leave this world of flesh and sense.
Here lies the bodies of two children of Capt. Edward Stearns and Mrs. Lucy, his wife :
Edward, May ye 24, 1768, in the Sth year of his age.
Here lies bones of Edward Stearns. His soul, I trust, rests in Christ's arms. Then he shall rise out of the ground.
Lucy, May ye 20, 1768, in the 13th year of her age.
The body of a lovely maid Lies buried in her silent grave; And in it doth take quiet rest, As if of beds it were the best.
Betsey D., relict of William Stearns, July 27, 1844, aged 61 years.
Betsey, wife of Noah Stearns, Sept. 17, 1842, aged 71.
Mr. John Sprague, March 4, 1810, aged 51.
John Sprague, Jr., eldest son of Mr. John and Mrs. Phebe Sprague, May 21, 1805, aged 16 years 6 months.
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BEDFORD.
Sally Sprague, second daughter of Mr. John and Mrs. Phebe Sprague, April 25, 1805, aged 18 years.
Mrs. Sophia, wife of Mr. Abel Shed, Feb. 20, 1824, aged 41 years.
Mrs. Jane (Pollard), widow of Thomas Smith, Feb. 29, 1868, aged 87 years.
Mrs. Eunice, wife of John Taylor, May 7, 1737, aged 81 years.
[She bequeathed the first legacy to the church, £5.]
Miss Elizabeth Thomas, April 6, 1839, aged 72.
[A row of sunken, moss-covered stones sug- gests the sorrow that befell the Whitmore fan- ily during the prevalence of throat distemper.]
Aug. 2, 1743, Ebenezer, aged 2 years 7 months 23 days.
Ang. 29, 1743, John, aged 5 years 10 months 7 days.
Sept. 11, 1745, William, 4 years 5 months 24 days.
Feb. 16, 1750, Lucy, aged 4 years 3 months S days.
Feb. 21, 1750, John, aged 8 months 8 days.
March 4, 1750, Susanna, aged 2 years 7 months 16 days.
April 17, 1750, Martha, aged 7 years 6 months 18 days.
Children of Mr. John and Mrs. Martha Whit- more.
Tento
me
In Memory of Cap: Jonathan Willfon, who was Killed in Concord = Fight April 19th D175. In the 41" year of his Age.
Jonathan Wilson, Sept. 25, 1797, in the 35th year of his age.
Betsey A., wife of George Wilson, Aug. 25, 1876, aged 40.
Mr. John Whitmore, Oct. 25, 1748, aged 37 years.
[He was town clerk from 1746 till death, and a man of great influence.]
Susanna, daughter of Benjamin and Susanna Webber, late of Medford, and granddaughter of Mary and John Whitmore, April 2, 1743, aged 15 years.
Mrs. Mary, relict of Mr. John Whitmore, of Medford, and daughter of John and Susanna Lane of Bedford, March 27, 1783, aged 96 years.
[She killed the Indian. See "Experience of Mary Lane."]
Capt. John Webber, April 29, 1868, aged 75 years.
Mrs. Sarah, his wife, May 9, 1782, aged 38 years.
Mrs. Susannah (Page), second wife, Feb. 5, 1825, aged 75 years.
Mr. William Webber, Sept. 25, 1833, aged 71 years.
An honest man, the noblest work of God.
Mrs. Mary (Abbott), wife of William Webber, March 24, 1817, aged 49 years.
Job Webber, Oct. 10, 1838, aged 69.
Sarah, wife of Job Webber, Jan. 31, 1861, aged 91 years 5 months 12 days.
Miss Eliza F. Webber, Jan. 21, 1839, aged 33.
Gently the passing spirit fled, Sustained by grace divine; Oh, may such in me be shed, And make my end like thine!
Hannah R., daughter of James and Hannah Webber, Sept. 18, 1844, aged 34.
Joseph Thompson. son of Joseph and Eliza Webber, June 1, 1844, aged 15 years 9 months.
Tell mother I am willing to die.
James Webber, May 21, 1852, aged 79.
Mrs. Hannah, wife of James Webber, Jan. 20, 1835, aged 63.
Hiram Webber, Jan. 18, 1857, aged 62 years.
Fidelia, wife of Hiram Webber, April 5, 1834.
Harriet, relict of Samuel Wyman, Nov. 11, 1843, aged 50.
Miss Elizabeth P. Whitford, June 1, 1843, aged 20.
Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord.
Ellen Adelia, infant of George W. and Adelia B. Woodward, Sept. 2, 1841, aged 3 weeks.
"It is well." 2 Kings, iv. 26.
Mr. James Wright, March 27, 1826, aged 51 years.
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BEDFORD.
Mrs. Dorcas Wright, his wife, Nov. 22, 1846, aged 71 years.
Mourn not, dear children, though we sleep Beneath this cold, damp sod ;
For soon the last, lond trump will sound To raise us up to God.
Timothy Page, son of Mr. James Wright and Mrs. Dorcas, his wife, Sept. 22, 1801, aged 20 months.
Miss Margaret, daughter of Mr. James and Mrs. Dorcas Wright, May 10. 1832, aged 20.
Her months of affliction are o'er, IFer days and nights of distress; We see her in anguish no more, She's gained a happy release.
Jonathan Woolley, July ye 22, 1766, in the 65th year of his age.
Samuel Woolley, Nov. 25, 1773, in the 70th year of his age.
Dea. James Wright, Dec. 24, 1818, aged 73.
Mrs. Ruth, wife of Dea. James Wright, Jan. 6, 1830, aged 82.
What though to stranger's unaccustomed hand
'Twas left to smoothi life's rough and toilsome road ? No cold friend's office she now demands,
A friend, the best of friends, sustains her, God.
Their children : Ruth, Sept. 15, 1775, aged 7. Sally, Sept. 1, 1775, aged 4.
The absence of head-stones to the memory of many prominent citizens may be accounted for by the erection of family tombs. John Reed and John Merriam, Esq., erected a tomb for their families in August, 1795, and Capt. Rob- ert l'ulsifer in 1824.
Thirteen tombs were built in 1826, and pur- chased by families as follows : -
No. 1. Eleazer Davis, Sampson Spaulding, and Amos Hartwell. The Davis family were removed to Shawshine Cemetery. The Spaulding family were deposited in one common grave in the Old Burial Ground, where a granite tablet may be seen, erected by Mrs. Martha R. S. Norris, of Iowa, on which is "Sampson Spaulding and Family."
No. 2. Josiah Hill.
No. 3. Mr. Jacob Gragg and Capt. Timothy Page.
No. 4. Mrs. Jonathan Lane and Mrs. Stephen Lane.
No. 5. Benjamin Simonds.
No. 6. Uriah and Thomas Goodwin.
No. 7. Mather Hayward and Joshua Page.
No. 8. Capt. David Reed.
No. 9. Dea. M. Crosby and Jeremiah Fitch.
No. 10. Job Lane, John Wheeler, and Simeon Blodgett.
No. 11. Samuel Sage, John B. Wilson, David Rice, and Francis Wilson.
No. 12. Rev. Samuel Stearns and E. Stearns, Esq.
No. 13. A. Preston. Esq., M. Cutler, and Ben- jamin Bacon.
The following are from "Shawsheen " Ceme- tery :-
1770, Rev. Samuel Stearns, 1834. Born in Epping, N.H .; graduated from Harvard College ; ordained over the Church of Christ in Bedford, April 27, 1796. Died Dec. 26, 1834, in the 65th year of his age and 39th of his ministry.
An earnest preacher, a faithful pastor, a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost.
Mrs. Abigail Stearns, wife of Rev. Samuel Stearns, daughter of Rev. Samuel French, of Andover. Born May 29, 1776; died Dec. 2, 1858, in the 83d year of her age.
Wise and good, respected and beloved, she sleeps in Jesus, and her memory is precious.
Josiah A. Stearns, A.M., Ph.D., son of Rev. Samuel Stearns. Born Sept. 1, 1812; died Sept. 8, 1883.
For thirty-nine years in the service of the city of Boston, as usher in the Adams and head-master of the Mather, Lawrence, and Norcross schools.
Peter, a Revolutionary soldier, freed slave of Rev. Josiah Stearns, Epping, N. H., faithful hired servant of Rev. Samuel Stearns. Born 1750, died 1807.
A good Christian.
[Peter " Freeman " served in the Revolution, was freed by his master, Rev. Josiah Stearns, of New Hampshire, whose son, Rev. Samuel, met him in Boxford, Mass., many years after, and took him to his home and cared for him till death. He was buried near the door of the tomb where the body of Rev. Samuel Stearns lay for inany years.]
Jonathan Lane, fifth generation from Job Lane, the head of the family in this country. Born in Bedford, Jan. 27, 1788. Removed to Boston in 1824. Returned to his native town in 1847, and dlied Nov. 12, 1860, aged 72.
[Simple, earnest, charitable; a genial friend, a liberal citizen, an humble Christian.
Ruhamah, wife of Jonathan Lane, daughter of Nathaniel and Sarah Page. Born in Bedford,
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BEDFORD.
May 1, 17SS ; married July 27. 1815, and sur- vived her beloved husband twenty-two years.
By her strong. attractive, and original character, be- came a conspicuous and honored representative of the two families. She died June 19, 1882, aged 94 years.
Samuel W., son of Jonathan and Ruhamah Lane. Died March 25, 1856, aged 35 years.
A dutiful son and affectionate brother, a faithful, gen- erous friend. Born in Bedford, early removed to Bos- ton. He was there known for uprightness, sincerity, and truth; for kindness to the poor, sympathy with the unfortunate and oppressed, and for a consistent Chris- tian life. The active service of which he has exchanged for the "Rest of the people of God."
CHAPTER XXXIV.
Homesteads.
[The author's purpose in this section is to locate the founders of the town in their respective homes, and show the subdivisions of farms. The estates are desiguated by the present or recent ownership, in order to accommodate the student.]
Each of these landlords walked amidst his farm, Saying, "'Tis mine, my children's, and my name's ; How sweet the west wind sounds in my own trees! How graceful climb those shadows on my hill ! I fancy these pure waters and the flags Know me, as does my dog : we sympathize ; And, I affirm, my actions smack of the soil."
Where are these men ? Asleep beneath their grounds ; And strangers, fond as they, their furrows plough. EMERSON.
How dear to this heart are the scenes of my childhood, When fond recollection presents them to view ! WOODWORTH.
MRS. LAWRENCE'S ESTATE, or Domine Manse. When the scattered settlers had secured the incorporation of the town of Bedford, in the autumn of 1729, they set abont building a meeting-house, and called a preacher. The act of incorporation required them, within three years, "to settle an Orthodox minister of good conversation, and provide for his support."
Rev. Nicholas Bowes was ordained as the first minister in June, 1730. The town gave him a
settlement fee of £200, agreeable to custom, besides his annual salary. He took sixteen acres of land, at &S per acre, in part for his "settlement." On this land he built his man- sion, and with his young bride, the beautiful and accomplished daughter of Rev. John Han- cock, of Lexington, began the work of a New England clergyman of one hundred and sixty years ago.
Dressed in powdered wig and short clothes, with silver knee and shoe buckles glistening in the sun, he moved among his people as the man of all, to be respected. Injudicious paro- chial work, however, brought an end to his usefulness. in 1754, and he entered the service of the colony as chaplain in the army during the French and Indian wars, and died at Brook- field on his way home.
His oldest daughter became the wife of Rev. Jonas Clark, of Lexington, and as such was the entertainer of John Hancock and Samuel Adams at the Lexington parsonage, when they were warned of their danger by the midnight call of Paul Revere.
The old manse was sold by the heirs of the deceased minister to John Reed, Esq., in 1767. Here he and his young wife, Ruhamah Brown, instituted the Reed family of Bedford. Seven children were born to them in this mansion, and reared after the true New England style. The principles of patriotism were faithfully incul- cated by parents who looked at the vital ques- tions of their day from the standpoint of supe- rior intellect and deep-seated principle.
The leading townsmen congregated here, and debated the great questions during the years preceding the Revolution. The owner of the place was made one of the committee of inspec- tion, and was the town's mouth-piece in the con- ventions and congresses that were often held by the dissenting colony. He represented the town in the convention to form the constitution of the state, and until his death, in 1805, was a prominent citizen, and his dwelling and farm formed the leading estate of the town.
The manse then became the property of his son, John, whose widow, Hannah Reed, was in full possession of the estate for several years. At her decease it went to the daughter of her son, Otis, he having died before his mother. Annie Reed, wife of Thomas Stiles, Esq., was of the fourth generation in possession. At lier death it became the property of her sister, Mrs. Melvina Reed Lawrence.
The spreading elms that shelter the croquet ground of the sixth generation shaded the moth- er of the first generation when giving her daugh-
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BEDFORD.
ter lessons at the spinning-wheel one. hundred and twenty-three years earlier, and the old wheel stands dumb in the spacious drawing-room where the notes of the piano are substituted for its once busy hum.
The well-kept wainscoting makes an excellent background for the faces in oil that have kept their silent vigil there for more than a century, while in every nook may be seen precious heir- looms of the family.
The old Bible is open at the favorite morning lesson of the hero of the Revolution,-"Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil."
The foot-stove, carried by the young hands of the present owner for her venerable grand- mother to the cold meeting-house, is a well kept relic, decked in ribbons ; and the warming-pan stands on the broad staircase as of yore, when it was used to remove the chill from the homespun sheets of a hundred years ago. The traveller of to-day drinks at the " dominie well," and receives a cordial welcome at this house, as have the hin- dreds who have gone before him across the same threshold.
CYRUS PAGE. - The Page farm in Bedford has been in the family and name two hundred and four years, and been owned by eight sue- cessive generations. It was part of a grant from the Colonial Court to Edward Oakes, and sold by him in 1661 to George Farley and others. Farley sold to Timothy Brooks, who at the opening of King Philip's War was directed by the town to secure his family in garrison No. 10, that was near by. Brooks sold to George Grimes, of whom the estate was bought in 1687 by Nathaniel Page, 1st. He had come from Eng- land three years before, and early received an appointment from Gov. Joseph Dudley as sheriff or marshal of Suffolk County. Nathaniel Page, 1st, died April 12, 1692, and was succeeded on his farm by his son, Nathaniel, 2d, who was folowed by Christopher, John, Nathaniel, 3d, Nathaniel, 4th, and Cyrus, each in his genera- tion. They have all been known in the com- munity as " well-to-do farmers."
Cyrus, of the seventh generation, and last farmer in possession, died in 1887, and the homestead is now in possession of his heirs. Cyrus Andrew Page, of the Beaeon Publishing Company, Boston, is the only living son and male representative of the eighth generation, in present possession. Yet there are members of the ninth generation who have great reverence for their ancestral estate.
tion, and a modern dwelling marks the identical spot where more than fifty of the name of Page have begun life. An elm tree that has sheltered eight generations seems ready to serve several more.
The original farm has been shorn of its acres from time to time. Several farms have been taken from it, and yet there are more than onc hundred acres left.
The name of Page was prominent in the his- tory of Billerica, and foremost in the business . of incorporating the town of Bedford in 1729. The occupants of this farm have always held important offices in town, and been noted for their candor, stability, and straightforward deal- ing. The spirit of patriotism was cradled in that dwelling as in but few others. The love of country, town, and home has led the Pages to sacrifice much for public interest. One of the family was a colonel in the French and Indian War, and several were in the ranks. A messen- ger sent out by Paul Revere alarmed the inmates of that house on the night of April 18, 1775, and aroused Nathaniel, 3d, who left his young wife and babe of a few hours, to serve the col- ony. Four of the name were in the battle of Concord. Christopher was sergeant of the Min- ute Men. and the name is seen in various can- paigns until the close of the struggle for inde- pendence. Timothy was killed at White Plains, N.Y., Oet. 28, 1776.
Seven of the family were in the company of militia when they marched to the defence of Boston in 1812. When Sumter was fired upon in 1861. Cyrus, who had served as captain of the militia, then past sixty years of age, followed in the footsteps of his ancestors from that dwell- ing, and enlisted for three years or the war. Cyrus Page was the town's oracle in local his- tory for more than a half century; he had a wonderful memory, and the towns-people turned to this old mansion for the one who seemed to embody the wisdom of seven generations of Pages.
The old house had sheltered for more than two centuries the colonial banner. In Nathan- iel's haste at early dawn of April 19, 1775, he did not fail to carry the standard, which he bore from his home at the head of the Minute Men and in the heat of the struggle of that memora- ble day. (See military chapter.)
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