USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Berlin > History of the town of Berlin, Worcester county, Mass., from 1784 to 1895 > Part 5
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The rolls of the militia are wanting; not to be found in the state archives at Boston. With these at hand we would be glad to present the names of those who stood ready at their country's call. We can only premise that a goodly number enlisted in
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TOWN OF BERLIN.
the army or navy and did good service, as their fathers did in the War of the Revolution. At a town meeting held on the 5th of April, 1813, voted "to allow the soldiers one-quarter of a pound of powder . in addition to what the law gives them."
War was declared June 18, 1812, and intelligence of the same reached Boston five days later, and, as the General Court was then in session, the governor at once communicated it to the representatives of the people. Immediately the House prepared an address, which was adopted by a vote of nearly two to one, re- gretting the event and expressing their opinion of its impolicy and inexpediency. The action of the Senate was directly opposite, and that body adopted and pub- ·lished an address approving the war and declaring it, in their opinion, just and necessary. The fore- going resolutions, passed by the town, contain substantially the sentiments expressed by the House in their address, and these were in accordance with the views of a large majority of the people of the state. The political party opposed to the war was known at that time as the Federal party, and those in favor of prosecuting the war as the Democratic or Republican. The former of these received its death blow by the Hartford Convention, an assembly of Federalists convened at Hartford, Ct., Dec. 15, 1814, to oppose the further prosecution of the war. The Convention was accused of treasonable designs by their opponents. However this may have been, the war party became popular with the people through- out the country. The war was brought to a suc- cessful close by the treaty of Ghent, Dec. 24, 1814. The battle of New Orleans was fought Jan. 8, 1815,
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fifteen days after the treaty was signed. No sub- marine wire connected the two continents at that time. The victory at New Orleans, the crowning event, was everywhere applauded, and the Legisla- ture of Massachusetts, by a handsome majority, passed a vote of thanks to General Jackson and his brave associates for their defense of that place. The following lines, composed by the poet, Silas Ballou, are a part of a patriotic song published soon after the close of the war, and extensively circulated throughout the country at that time, and have oc- casionally appeared in the papers since :
What wonders did brave Jackson do, When aided by high Heaven ! Their leader and four thousand slew, And lost but only seven; Some interposing angel's hand Repelled their vile intrusion- The remnant of their broken band Fled off in sad confusion.
They passed through numerous trying scenes, In most of them defeated; Their grand defeat at New Orleans The bloody scene completed. Soon after this sweet peace arrived, Our armies were disbanded; Our scattered foes who had survived The war, were home commanded.
. What has our infant country gained By fighting that old nation ? Our liberties we have maintained, And raised our reputation. We've gained the freedom of the seas, Our seamen are released, Our mariners trade where they please, Impressments, too, have ceased.
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TOWN OF BERLIN.
Now, in ourselves we can confide; Abroad we are respected; We've checked the rage of British pride, Their haughtiness corrected. First, to the God of wondrous power, Be thanks and adoration;
Next, Madison, the wondrous flower And jewel of our nation.
Next, Congress does our thanks demand, To them our thanks we tender; Our heroes, next, by sea and land, To them our thanks we render. Let us be just, in union live, Then who will dare invade us?
If any should, our God will give His angels charge to aid us.
THE POWDER HOUSE BUILT.
At a town meeting held March 7, 1814, "voted to build a powder house." "Then voted to choose a committee of three persons to build said house, and chose Captain Henry Powers, Deacon Stephen Bai- ley, Captain Solomon Howe."
TITHINGMEN, 1815.
Who were tithingmen? And what were they for? These questions may be asked without creating any wonder or surprise. They long ago disappeared from the list of officers annually chosen, but why needed then and not now? They suddenly disappeared in 1841, and haven't shown their heads since. Was it possible they were infected with the Millerite craze, which raged about this time, thinking their services might not be longer needed, the great conflagration being so near at hand, or was it found that they were practically of no use whatever? The latter
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theory is probably correct. Their principal duties were to kcep order on the Sabbath, and especially to have an eye on roguish boys and sleepy heads at church. With long poles they were required to rap the craniums of such of the world's people (but more especially those of the younger ones) who were not paying due attention to the tenth, eleventh and twelfthly of the second sermon. The town usually had three; but occasionally six, when whistles and jewsharps were plenty.
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PASSED USEFULNESS.
GLEANINGS FROM THE ANNALS-MORE TITHINGMEN NEEDED, 1815.
Chose John Larkin, Alvan Sawyer and Silas Moss- man in addition to Theophilus Nourse and Joseph Howe, already chosen.
1816.
Voted to give Captain Ephraim Howe leave to build two tombs in the burying ground.
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TOWN OF BERLIN.
Voted to remove the hearse house to land given by Hollis Johnson at the corner of the burying ground.
1816 is remembered by the older inhabitants as an exceptionally cold year. No corn ripened in New England, and to add to the discomforts of the people here, many suffered losses from the September gale, or great tornado, as it was more generally called. Many of the best timber lots in town were leveled with the ground. Nathan Johnson's wood lot was swept down. Many others in the line of the hurri- cane sustained severe losses in buildings and timber destroyed.
1817.
Voted to give certain persons leave to build stables on the Common, by agreeing with the Selectmen where said stables shall stand.
December 22. Voted to adjourn the meeting to Solomon Howe's Inn. The reason was probably "to warm up."
DIVISION OF THE SCHOOL MONEY, 1818.
May 4. "Voted to let the Friends in Berlin have their part of money which they pay for schooling and hire a master of their denomination and lay it out in any school-house in said Berlin, to be a free school."
1819.
February 8. Chose Ephraim Babcock as their agent to act against the Friends drawing their school money and carrying it to Bolton.
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March 1. Voted the Selectmen as a committee to settle with Solomon Howe on account of the late property left the town by Joseph Priest.
April 5. Granted $40 for a singing school and chose Thomas Brigham, Jr., Ephraim Goddard and . William Sawyer a committee to lay out the money.
1820.
March 6. Accepted a plan of the Common made by Nathaniel Longley, Esq.
May 1: Voted to sell a piece of land to Shepherd and Dwight, near the west school-house, to build on.
October 16. Voted to send Captain Amos Sawyer a delegate to the convention for the purpose of re- vising or altering the Constitution.
1821.
April 9. The votes cast in favor of fourteen arti- cles of amendment to the Constitution as made by the convention of November 15, 1820, and before the time for action, was 123 in the aggregate in favor and 1,020 against, or an average of nearly eight in favor of each article and nearly seventy-three against.
1823.
March 3. Granted by vote $50 in addition for a reading and writing school, probably the first select school in town,-where kept? In the Bullard house, probably.
June 3. Voted to petition the General Court to pass an act to enable the town to assess a tax on the pews for the repair of their meeting-house; chose Captain Amos Sawyer agent.
ORTHODOX CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
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TOWN OF BERLIN.
September 9. Chose Oliver Sawyer, Ephraim Babcock and William Jones to prepare for repairing their meeting-house.
Voted said committee to prepare the underpinning stones this fall and set them next winter.
1824.
April 5. Voted "to sell the town house and land where the Widow Bruce lives." (See article, "House for the Poor.")
NEW MEETING-HOUSE.
September 7. The first mention of the movement for the building of a new meeting-house was at this date. The question was whether they would build a new meeting-house or repair the old one. They voted to repair, but at a meeting held November 1 they tried the question again, and the result was thirty-four in favor of building and thirty-four against. At a meeting held December 8, 1824, they voted to build a new meeting-house, but at the adjourned meeting April 4, 1825, the above vote was modified: "Provided they can build said house for $4,000 above the underpinning stones."
NEW MEETING-HOUSE, 1825.
June 27. Voted to set the new meeting-house on or near where the old one now stands.
The committee chosen to appraise the old pews was: Colonel Jotham Bush, Lovat Peters, Esq., and Silas Felton, Esq. Chose Oliver Sawyer, Hollis Johnson and Joseph Parks a Building Committee, and nine others to act as counsel to the committee.
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Report of the committee chosen to present a plan :
May 2 "Berlin, June 27, 1825. To the inhabitants of the town of Berlin in public town meeting assembled : Your com- mittee appointed at a previous meeting to prepare a plan for a contemplated new meeting-house now present you with a plan, the dimensions and construction to be as follows, viz. : Fifty feet long and forty-seven feet wide, exclusive of the projec- tion, the pulpit to be at one end of the house, with three pews on the lower floor, the pews to be eight and one-half feet long and three feet wide. The aisles to' be three in number, the broad aisle to be five feet wide, the others to be three feet, and to be by the wall of the house, instead of having wall pews. Our reasons for having no wall pews are three :
"First. That in our opinion there will be a greater circula- tion of air through the house than if part of the congregation were sitting close by the windows.
"Second. That not so many of the assembly will sit under the galleries, which is generally considered not so agreeable as otherwise.
"Third. That the hearers will all sit facing the speaker. The galleries to be eight or nine feet wide and at the projection to be built over it for the accommodation of the choir of singers, the projection to be seven feet wide ; also that there be a well proportioned cupola, etc. This we respectfully submit to you, gentlemen, for your consideration, wishing that so solemn a transaction as the building a house for the worship of God may be conducted with prudence, wisdom and harmony." Major Oliver Sawyer, Dexter Fay, Joseph Parks, Ephraim Babcock, Edward Johnson, Amos Sawyer and Jonathan D. Meriam, Com- mittee.
1826.
March 16. "Voted that D. D. R. Puffer preach at the different school-houses the present season." "Then voted that the town meetings be held at the house of Solomon Howe the ensuing season."
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TOWN OF BERLIN.
August 28. Chose Oliver Sawyer, Hollis John- son and Joseph Parks a committee to purchase a bell and prepare apparatus to hang the bell.
November 3. The report of the Building Commit- tee accepted. Whole cost of the house, $4,516.52. Among the items which make up the above accounts was 898 for "entertainment" at the raising of the meeting-house. The house was dedicated Novem- ber 15, 1826.
RETURN THANKS, 1826.
December 4. Voted the thanks of the town to Mr. Levi Meriam and Mrs. Nancy Babcock of Boston for their generous offer of a furnace for the meeting- house.
1827.
March 5. Granted $400 to pay for the bell.
STRUGGLE FOR A SCHOOL IN THE CENTRE.
May, 1827. A petition was sent to the General Court by residents in the middle of the town for a school-house in the Centre. The town chose Daniel Wheeler to oppose it. He made a map of the town showing the location of every house. The petition- ers had leave to withdraw.
December 10. The following bill was laid before the town and acted on as follows: "To give the peti- tioners the privilege of drawing one-fifth part of the school money that is granted and expended in said town till said town shall agree to build a school-house for the convenience of the petitioners and other in- habitants of said town to expend said money in, on condition the petitioners will withdraw their petition
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and provide a place free of expense to said town and make it known to the Selectmen annually on or be- fore the day of holding their annual March meeting."
Votes taken on the bill by yeas and nays as fol- lows: Yeas 29, nays 45.
WHERE TOWN MEETINGS WERE HELD, 1828.
March 3. The town meetings for 1826-7 had been held at the house of Solomon Howe. The March meeting, 1828, was held at Samuel Spofford's hall, and it was there voted the town meetings be held at the school-houses in rotation; first at the south house. This continued till 1831, when the town house on the Common was built.
NEW COUNTY.
April 7, 1828. At south school-house; "required to bring in their votes by yeas and nays to the Se- lectmen by ballot for or against the formation of a new county from the following towns, viz .: Royal- ston, Winchendon, Athol, Templeton, Gardner, Westminster, Ashburnham, Fitchburg, Leominster, Lunenburg, Princeton, Hubbardston, Phillipston, Lancaster, Bolton and Harvard from the county of Worcester, and the towns of Groton, Shirley, Pep- perell, Ashby and Townsend from the county of Mid- dlesex, as prayed for in the petition of Ivers Jewett and others." "There were fifty-seven votes brought in by ballot against the formation of said county" and none for.
THE OLD TOWN HOUSE, 1830.
May 27. "Voted to build a town house to do pub- lic business in." Chose Ephraim Babcock, Timothy
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Bailey and Jonathan D. Meriam, committee. Di- mensions 28x33. posts twelve feet, cost $500. The house was first used for a town meeting October 24, IS31.
THE TOWN AND CHURCH DIVIDED, 1838.
After the death of Dr. Puffer, 1829, the question of his successor was agitated for some time, but finally the town made choice of Rev. Robert F. Wal- cott. The church protested against the action of the town : nearly all the members seceded, chose another minister and built a new meeting-house. (See arti- cle on " Ecclesiastical Affairs.")
1832.
November 17. "Voted that the Congregational Society be set off as a parish."
CHANGE TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT SYSTEM, 1835.
March 7. Voted to sell the old school-houses and the proceeds appropriated for schooling in each of the five districts.
The bell on the meeting-house having been broken, the town voted to pay for recasting the same.
"The committee reported the west school-house is too small."
March 30. "Voted that Mr. Josiah Bride have the use of the town house to keep school in."
1836.
April 18. The town relinquished all right and in- terest in and to the meeting-house and all right to the bell and other appurtenances connected with said house, but an article relating to the meeting-house Common they voted to pass over.
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The year 1837 is remembered as one of financial distress throughout the country. Bankruptcy and ruin prevailed to an alarming extent, caused largely by over-speculation in wild-cat money. Similar dis- asters have overtaken the country nearly every twen- ty years since.
TOWN CENSUS.
The census of Berlin was taken by the Assessors May 1, 1837. Number of inhabitants, 724.
SURPLUS REVENUE, 1840.
The town voted "that their proportion of the surplus revenue be brought into town, taking it from the hands of the state treasurer." Voted not to divide the money according to population, but to loan it on real estate security. The money was used later for building the Clinton and other roads.
LAWSUIT, BERLIN AGAINST BOLTON, 1843.
October 23. Previous to date the town had been engaged, as plaintiff or defendant, in eight or more lawsuits, mostly pauper cases, but none assumed the importance of this, which was carried to the Supreme Court on points of law. Berlin brought an action against Bolton to recover expenses incurred for the support of Timothy Brooks Wheeler and his wife, paupers, whose settlement was alleged to be in Bol- ton. At the trial, in the Court of Common Pleas, before Wells, C. J., the only point in dispute was the settlement of the paupers. It was admitted by the defendants that Timothy B. Wheeler formerly had his settlement in Bolton, and that it still continued there, unless he had acquired one in Berlin. It was.
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TOWN OF BERLIN.
agreed that said Wheeler had resided in Berlin ever since the year 1826, and no taxes had been there assessed to or paid by him. But the defendants contended that, notwithstanding the omissions of the Assessors of Berlin, he had acquired a settlement there : and they offered evidence to prove that during more than five years, in ten successive years, said Wheeler was possessed of real and personal estate, and that the omission of said Assessors to tax him was not on account of his age, infirmity or poverty, or through mistake, but in order to prevent his ac- quiring a settlement in Berlin. The judge ruled that said evidence was inadmissible, and rejected it. A verdict was thereupon rendered for the plaintiffs, and defendants alleged exceptions to said ruling. The case was carried to the Supreme Court on the exceptions, and the ruling of Judge Wells was sus- tained and Bolton lost the case.
This Timothy Brooks Wheeler lived at Stone's corner, in the house later owned by Isaac Stone. The Assessors omitted to tax him, apprehending that he might become a pauper and the town have him to support. The agents on the part of the town to conduct the suit were Lewis Carter and Captain Samuel Spofford, and their lawyers were Rejoice Newton and B. F. Thomas. The attorney for the defendant was F. H. Dewey.
THE TOWN FURNISHED COFFINS.
A very singular proceeding on the part of the town occurred in 1843, in voting " that a contract be made with some person or persons to furnish coffins for the dead, at a price to be paid by the town not ex-
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ceeding $2.50 each for persons above the age of fif- teen years, and $1.50 each for persons below that age." In 1859 it was voted that the town furnish all its inhabitants with coffins who will accept of such as the town will furnish, and none should cost over $4.50, and later voted to pay $5. Voted, also, the services of the sexton be paid by the town. The practice of paying as above was abandoned a few years later.
The year 1843 was one of great religious excite- ment in many parts of the country, on account of a supposed catastrophe which was about to occur. Many in various places had espoused the doctrines of one William Miller of Vermont, who predicted, from prophetic ciphering, that the world would come to an end this year and that Christ would reappear. Some citizens in this vicinity were affected with this mania. The day was fixed, the ascension robes pre- pared, and, at the appointed time, the believers as- sembled on a high hill, robed in their saintly regalia, to ascend to mansions in the skies, but, after waiting all day long to hear the trumpet blow, they retired to their several terrestrial abodes, wondering, no doubt, why it was that the Lord had delayed His coming. One man, a native of this town, gave his farm to a man for his support up to the appointed time, reason- ing that it would be of no'use to him after his eleva- tion to a seat on high.
OWNERSHIP OF THE COMMON AND REMOVING TREES, 1846.
The question of the ownership of the Common was raised this year and a committee was chosen " to
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ascertain the rights of any in the Common." The town and the parish both laid claim to it. So sure was the town of its being the rightful owner that they voted " that the persons who set out trees on the town's Common remove the same free from ex- pense to the town," and chose a committee to fix the bounds of the Common, Esquire J. D. Meriam chair- man. The sequel of this tree business was that during a night soon after the above action, most of the trees were sawed off near the ground. Luther Babcock, of Berlin, was convicted of the crime and served a term in jail for the offense. One other tree of larger dimensions, near the Common, was con- sidered a public nuisance by Esquire Meriam, and he removed it. For this act he was subjected to ex- pense and costs in defending himself, which was re- funded to him by the town, as appears by the follow- ing, March 1, 1847 : " Voted to instruct the Select- men to indemnify Jona. D. Meriam, by giving him an order on the treasurer for his expenses and trouble in defending himself from a suit brought against him from the state, for removing a tree from the county road near the meeting house Common." The young trees now on the Common were set out 1881. The contention about the ownership of the Common was finally settled 1868, by a decision of Judge Mellen, substantially in favor of the parish.
ROADS.
Berlin has ever been noted for the excellency of its roads. The main thoroughfares, when well trodden, present a hard, smooth surface like unto adamant. This is due largely to the material used.
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In various parts of the town are found gravel beds, the material of which, mixed with loam, forms a concrete not readily affected by frost or rain. It will be noted by the observer that most of the roads run in a northerly and southerly direction, owing, in part, to the fact that the hills, valleys and water courses extend the same way, and owing, also, to the fact that most of the very first settlements were made from the north, from Lancaster and Bolton, hence roads were extended into this territory as settlements were made and extended further south as farms were taken up. The earliest of these was the road in the northwest part from Lancaster, where some of the Houghtons settled. Soon after, the road by Rich- ard Wheeler's was laid out, and the road over Wheeler hill, by Isaac Moore's. Again, about the same time, the Hog swamp road, on to Sawyer hill, but not over it, together with the road into the Holder neighborhood, was built. In 1795, as appears by the map made at that time, the main thoroughfare through town was the road over Wheeler hill and Barnes' hill by the meeting-house. None of these, or any others known, were built before about 1720, but four or five families were in town at that time, includ- ing those on the Assabet belonging to Marlboro. Not many settlements antedate the separation from Lan- caster, 1738, hence the demand for roads was limited to the wants of very few. After the excision from Lancaster, and while a part of Bolton, the bulk of our territory was settled and nearly all of the old roads were built during this period, and these were made where people were obliged to travel,-to go to mill, to go to meeting, to go to the County Court at
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TOWN OF BERLIN.
Worcester and to the General Court at Boston, the latter being the market place, then as now, for their products. To meet their milling necessities, they must needs first have roads to Lancaster and then to Feltonville, before Goddard's and Pollard's mills were built. The old Boylston road was the way most used to Worcester. To go to Boston, they connected with the old Bay road through Hog swamp, by Avery Newton's and " Spectacle hill," or else the road by the Holder and Brigham's bridge to Marlboro (bridge built 1699). The Car-lys, and others in the south part, went by way of Robbin hill to Marlboro, and thence Sudbury and Boston. Our space does not admit of an extended record of the roads laid out before we became a town, nor shall we trespass on the time of the reader in pre- senting all the dry details of laying out, altering, ex- tending and discontinuing most of the roads since that date, but brief mention will be made of the more important thoroughfares laid out by the Com- missioners and Selectmen from time to time. The road south of Rufus Wheeler's was laid out 1784, as also were the roads north and northeast of Francis Babcock's, to take the place of other old roads.
In 1798 the old county road was laid out, extend- ing from "Beaman's bridge to Berlin meeting- house." The same was extended eastward to Stone's corner. The mail stage ran over this road from Barre to Boston.
In 1801 the old Boylston road by the James God- dard place was built, or changed in location in some parts. From this date onward, for some years, no important roads were laid out or changes made,
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except that we note that certain bridle ways were converted into open ways. For instance, the road from Sanderson Carter's to Henry Powers' was opened 1837, also the Asa Bride bridle way in 1853, and some short pieces made.
In 1841 the road from the Aaron Morse farm to Hudson was laid out in place of the older way.
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