USA > Massachusetts > Franklin County > Bernardston > History of the town of Bernardston, Franklin county, Massachusetts, 1736-1900, with genealogies > Part 19
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Another event of this kind none of us will ever attend. So far as we can learn, there is now no person living who was born in 'Fall Town,' one hun- dred years ago; and in all human probability the child is not yet born that
194
PREPARATIONS FOR CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION.
will be present at another Celebration of this kind a hundred years hence. It is then, a rare occasion,-a glorious era-an event of no common interest.
Let all who by consanguinity, by marriage or by residence are in any way connected with the towns of Bernardston and Leyden meet on that day in the Spirit of a Common Brotherhood and a Sympathizing Christian- ity; and with Music, with Prayer and Praises to the Giver of every good and perfect gift, with Speeches and Sentiments, and a Union at the festive board let the day be spent joyfully, and hopefully, in commemoration of the past, and in memory of the trials, the virtues, the piety and the intel- ligence of our Common Ancestry.
And although the present year may be clouded and rendered less auspi- cious by a rebellion of the slave holding States against the best government ever devised by man, and many of our brethren and friends may be engaged ยท in the patriotic duty of sustaining the Flag of our Union, its Constitution and Laws; yet while we do not forget our country and its brave Defenders in our prayers and by our contributions, let us also obey the injunctions of sacred writ: 'Remember the days of old, and consider the years of many generations.'
And while standing thus at this central point in the great Cycle of Ages, -
and looking back through the vista of a hundred years, we may draw les- sons of wisdom from the history of the past and form resolutions for a higher walk in the path of duty in the coming years. 1
All of a kindred birth and a kindred spirit are then cordially invited to join in this Centennial Celebration. Our Hearts and our Homes shall be wide open to receive and hospitably entertain all the sons and daughters of the 'Old Falls Fight Township.'"
Such was the cordially worded invitation issued by the commit- tee of arrangements, and according to the published reports, was readily accepted by 2500 to 3000 persons. At about ten in the morn -. ing a procession was formed near the town hall under the guid- ance of S. J. Lyons and F. W. Carlton, assisted by T. B. Carpenter, P. L. Cushman, E. S. Hurlbert, Marcus Cook, B. S. Burrows, C. W. Severance, Capt. F. E. H. Allen, Jason Brown, H. O. Root, J. N. Dewey, I. K. Brown, J. Buddington, Jr., R. H. Hoyt, R. F. New- comb, L. A. Slate, A. W. Carpenter, S. P. Chase, Asa Fisk, S. R. Hills, D. N. Carpenter and Charles Cushman. It consisted of chief marshals, band, committee of arrangements, President and .Vice- Presidents, orator and poet, toastmaster and reporter, invited speak-
195
ORDER OF EXERCISES.
ers, clergy, choir, selectmen and ex-selectmen of Bernardston and Leyden, people over 80 years in carriages, people over 70 years, sons and daughters of Bernardston who reside abroad, visitors from neighboring towns, district schools of Leyden, district schools of Bernardston and adjoining schools, teachers and scholars of Pow- ers Institute, Goodale Academy, citizens of Leyden, citizens of Ber- nardston.
Under the escort of a band from Hatfield the procession wended its way around the square near the depot, thence to the Institute grounds, where upon the north end of the lot a bower had been erected and seats provided for 1500 people. The seats were soon filled, and hundreds were obliged to stand throughout the exercises which followed. The choice of President of the day fell upon Hon. John Sanderson of Bernardston. For Vice-Presidents, upon Jon- athan Buddington, Dr. T. S. Vining, Daniel L. Morgan, Zadoc King, E. W. Packer, A. O. Buddington, Briggs Potter of Leyden ; Isaac Barton of Greenfield ; Dorus Bascom of Gill; Ralph Cushman, Simon Edwards, Isaac Burrows, Col. Aretas Ferry, John Nelson, Dr. Noyes Barstow, Seorim Cushman, Z. C. Newcomb, Capt. Jos- eph Slate, Dr. William Dwight of Bernardston. The exercises of the day then took place in the following order :
Ist. Music by the Hatfield Band.
2nd. Selections from the Scriptures, by Rev. T. J. Clark of Ashfield, (a former pastor in Bernardston. )
3rd. Prayer by the oldest Ex-Clergyman present.
4th. Original Hymn, by Rev. John B. Green.
5th. Historical Address, by Hon. Henry W. Cushman.
6th. Original Hymn, by Rev. George L. Ruberg.
7th. Poem by Dr. John Brooks, the Octogenarian Poet of Bernardston.
8th. Anthem, Creation.
9th. Concluding Prayer by Rev. Mr. Brigham.
Ioth. Benediction.
Upon the conclusion of these exercises a procession was formed and marched to what is now known as Cushman Park, where all were entertained at dinner by E. C. Fox, proprietor of the hotel. The noon hour passed, the people again adjourned to the Institute grounds, where the after-dinner exercises were opened by brief and appropriate address of welcome by the President, Hon. John Sanderson. Mr. S. N. Brooks performed the duties of toastmaster,
196
TOASTS.
in a manner most appropriate and pleasing. The first toast an- nounced was
Leyden .- "Sixty-eight years ago, as our Daughter she left the parental hearth-stone. To-day, as our Sister, with a warm greeting, she returns to it."
Rev. Thomas Marcy of Framingham, a native of Leyden, replied to this sentiment, paying a noble tribute to his native town and her sons. He stated that Leyden had produced among her other noble children, 11 clergymen, four doctors and three lawyers.
Former residents of Bernardston .- "Scattered from Labrador to the Pacific Isles. Living, they honor their aged Mother, Dying, they bequeath her tokens of their life-long regard. We have gratitude for the dead-a welcome for the living."
Responded to by Justice Willard, Esq., of Springfield, in one of the most spirited and telling speeches of the day. Among the other old residents of Bernardston, he gave a biography of old Nat, the negro fiddler, who was present with his fiddle at all the merry- makings of his boyhood days, and whose proficiency upon that in- strument was superior to that of the Ole Bulls and other modern musicians.
Ex-Clergymen of Bernardston .- "In former years have they sown here the 'good seed which is the dread of life.' Though some may have fallen by the wayside, some been choked with them, still may the harvest pro- duce an hundred fold."
Rev. Erastus Andrews of Montague responded to this sentiment. He spoke of the early history of the Baptist society in Bernardston. He stated that Capt. Turner, the hero of the Falls Fight, was a Baptist, and that his services were at first refused by the Governor of Massachusetts on account of his religious belief. He also gave as an incident of the respect other denominations in Bernardston had felt for the Baptists of that time, that upon the occasion of the funeral of one of its early pastors, as the procession was passing the house of a good Orthodox deacon, he left his work in the field, stopped the procession and treated it to pailsfull of the best toddy of the day. This the speaker thought was at least true " Cogniac hospitality."
Rev. Charles Kendall also spoke in response to the sentiment,
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TOASTS.
referring to the ex-clergymen and the good feeling that generally existed in the town towards their religious teachers. He spoke of some of the ex-pastors as being "fast drivers," but could not drive fast enough, however, to get out of the town as soon as their pa- rishioners wanted to have them.
Rev. A. M. Bridge and Rev. Rufus Gerrish also replied to the toast. Mr. Gerrish gave as a sentiment :
The Growing Beauties of Bernardston .- " May their lustre never be dimmed."
Residents abroad who have married daughters of Bernardston-
"Our loss has been their gain; And never will we forget-
'Ev'n while we sigh for those blessings gone '- We've 'more of the same sort ' yet."
The American Antiquarian Society of Worcester .- "Located at the 'Heart of the Commonwealth,' and aided by the wealth and guided by the talent of an enterprising city, it is doing a great and good work in 'Con- sidering the days of old-The years of ancient times.'"
Responded to by Hon. Isaac Davis of Worcester.
Massachusetts Historical Society of Boston. - "Venerable for its age, for the ability of its members, and for the great amount of its historical col- lections. We honor it as the Pioneer in the domain of historic research."
Responded to by Hon. George T. Davis of Greenfield, who spoke of the sympathy the society felt with celebrations of this kind, of our former and present struggles for a national existence, and of the prominent part Bernardston had taken in the first and was now taking in the last. He gave as a sentiment :
Descendants of the First Settlers .- "All the more dutiful to the demands of the present, that they are not forgetful of the past."
Education-Our Common Schools and Powers Institute .- "Our children will well obtain the first, while over the second and last we keep strict watch and Ward."
This sentiment was responded to by Prof. L. F. Ward, who gave as a sentiment :
The Town of Bernardston, its Characteristics-Prosperous Educational Institute; Flourishing Christian Churches and Enterprising People .- "May the next Centennial anniversary find these characteristics none the less worthy, but increased and enlarged proportionately by time."
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TOASTS.
Goodale Academy .- "The memory of its usefullness as an educational institution is yet green in the hearts of its graduates."
Responded to in a pleasant three minutes speech by Pliny Fisk, Esq., of Shelburne, a former principal of the academy.
Soldiers of Bernardston and Leyden Who Have Fallen in Defence of Their Country's Honor and Their Country's Flag-Martyrs in the Noblest Cause ! -"While we weep with their friends who mourn their early loss, we rejoice in the thought that this sealing of their courage and their patriotism with their heart's blood is not in vain. By such sacrifices was our Liberty bought -by such shall it be preserved."
Responded to by the band.
Major Stephen Webster, Major Samuel Root, Capt. Joseph Slate, Capt. Stephen Buddington, Capt. Caleb Chapin, Sergt. Joseph Allen, Samuel Green and their numerous comrades who sustained the name and honor of Bernardston in the dark hour of our Revolutionary struggle .- "In the pres- ent dark hour may their descendants emulate their bright example with the same glorious results."
Responded to by the band.
The Ladies-Invariably toasted at every American gathering .- "The wonder is that they are not yet done brown, but are fairer than ever."
Responded to by Judge Tyler of Oswego, N. Y., in a pleasant and patriotic speech.
Three cheers were then given for the Bernardston and Leyden boys who have gone abroad and so ably represented their native towns.
Lieut. George Warner of Bernardston. - "One of whose limbs is now on Southern soil, on the battle-ground at Newbern, and who is present to-day -a fit representative of the old Puritan pluck."
Three cheers were then given for Lieut. Warner. The toast- master then proposed three cheers for the star spangled banner ; three more for the music the Yankees fight under, and three more for the band, which were heartily given.
The following volunteer sentiments were then given :-
"Long live the Republic. Death to secession and no resurrection. May the time of our redemption speedily arrive. We need some more effective weapon than administering the oath of allegiance. We call it not inhu-
199
TOASTS.
man to put every rebel and rebel sympathizer out of the United States. Put true men in office and not graven images. In the words of Benton, 'we have been bamboozled long enough!' "
Maintain Constitutional Liberty, Framed by Our Fathers. - "The storm which shakes the oak, only loosens the earth around its roots, and its vio- lence enables the tree to strike its roots deeper into the soil. So shall it be with the crisis of the Union."
The Town of Bernardston .- "Fortunate in having in its very few rich men those who are disposed to promote the cause of education."
The Past Century and That which is Coming .- "The one has seen our country materially prosperous, with slavery, and may the other see it both materially and morally prosperous without slavery."
His Excellency, Abraham Lincoln. - "A second Washington, sent of God, as we trust, to conduct the nation through a war which is to result in es- tablishing the truth of the declaration, that 'all men are equal,' in regard to 'certain inalienable rights.'"
Bernardston's Share of Soldiers in the Present War .-
" All trials, thus far, prove of courage no lack, For none who are wounded are hit in the back."
Hon. E. Kirkland of Brattleboro, Vt., who married his wife in Bernardston, but who was prevented from attending the celebra- tion by illness, sent the following sentiment ;-
The Town of Bernardston, whose Natal Day We Now Celebrate .- "May its next anniversary find it, not as now, a member of a nation torn with war, but of a free, united and happy people, with every evil and bitter thing re- moved from its borders."
Hon. William A. Prentiss, late mayor of the city of Milwaukee, Wis., a former resident of Bernardston, sent the following :-
Bernardston .- "Settled more than a century since by an intelligent and industrious class of people, noted for their independence of opinion on all political and religious matters-may its present and future inhabitants con- tinue to maintain a like independence on all questions, thereby manifesting to the world, that freedom of thought and speech is not dangerous to civil or religious institutions when reason is left free to combat it."
H. D. Newcomb, Esq., a distinguished merchant of Louisville, Ky., a native of Bernardston, sent the following :
"During the past ten years I have been interested in the manufacture of
200
HYMN BY REV. J. B. GREEN.
cotton, on the banks of the Ohio, which has suggested to my mind the fol- lowing sentiment which I beg leave to offer :- The Cotton Manufacturing Interests of New England-The splendid result of sixty years persistent labor and skill directed to that object-now periled by the loss of its trained operatives, increased burdens on its capital, and the prospective diminu- tion in the cultivation of raw material."
It now being half past four, the rest of the day was given to the students of Powers Institute. Aaron W. Field of Bernardston, a student of Williams College, delivered an address, and M. D. Col- lister of Sullivan, N. H., a student of Middlebury College, deliv- ered a poem, and thus closed the exercises of a day which was des- tined to become by reason of the pleasant associations revived, and the valuable and interesting commemorative exercises, not to speak of the attendant gift of one of her most noble and best be- loved sons, a red-letter day in the town's history.
ORIGINAL HYMN.
(By Rev. John B. Green, Pastor of the Unitarian Society )
We mcet, the sons of honored sires, Around one altar here, To sing and venerate their deeds And shed a passing tear.
We sing those deeds of daring bold, Where, joyous, leaps yon wave, They fought-some crowned with glory, fell And filled a warrior's grave.
And surely we can ne'er forget The debt we truly owe - While clothed in green, these hills are seen, Or wrapt in spotless snow.
A place and home their deeds have won To us, their children, here; And while we emulate their lives, What foe have we to fear?
Their first desire, to worship God And aet His holy will; For, ere themselves a shelter found, A church was on the hill.
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HISTORICAL ADDRESS.
And now we meet with grateful hearts
For what they did forego, Who planted here the seeds of truth A hundred years ago.
And when the sun forgets to rise, And stars their place resign,
Will we forget the debt we owe The sires of "Auld Lang Syne."
Now may the God our Fathers loved Grant us the gift divine, To guide us in the better way As He did THEM, lang syne.
Then welcome, welcome, one and all, To this our festal day; We open wide our hearts and homes, Let care be far away.
Lt. Gov. Cushman's address was a most excellent one, of an histor- ical nature, covering the more important happenings of the past. To repeat it in full would be but to repeat much which has already been given in the earlier pages of this work; hence it has been deemed best that the incidents and early records stand in their re- spective places. Indeed they are so closely interwoven with the daily lives and deeds of our forefathers, as to render a separation out of the question only by breaking the thread of the narrative. And because of this, is given extracts, rather than the address in the form delivered.
"Fellow Citizens and Friends :- We are assembled to-day in accordance with some of the purest and noblest impulses and principles of humanity. The love of 'home sweet home,' and of kindred and friends, is, not merely an innate desire of our natures; it is more than that; it is an indication of a cultivated and refined sentiment,-it is obedience to 'the higher law' of the Christian life.
And connected with this principle is the feeling of regard and veneration for the place of our birth ;- for the home of our childhood or our maturer years; for the spot where our eyes first saw the blessed light of heaven and the glorious works of God; for'the scenes that were familiar to us 'in days of Auld lang syne "-for the old oaken bucket which hangs in the well, from which we have often quenched our thirst in years long since
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HISTORICAL ADDRESS.
passed and for the graves of our ancestors, who years ago, finished their work on earth and have gone to their eternal reward.
' Lives there a man with soul so dead,
Who never to himself hath said,
This is my own, my native land?'
Such views are common to all in a greater or less degree; but they are, in a particular manner, the feelings and guiding sentiments of the educated and thoughtful, of those who have seen many years come and go and whose heads are whitened with the frost of three-score years.
Animated by such sentiments, we have met to-day, a band of brothers and friends, -not to plan schemes for our material wealth; not to select candidates for political promotion; not even to celebrate the independence or victories of our country; but we meet to review the past ; 'to consider the years of many generations '; to attend to the neglected and remember the forgotten; to renew the recollections of our early days and bring to mind the toils, the sufferings and the virtues of our fathers. We have come together on this one hundredth anniversary of the incorporation of . this little municipality, not to celebrate the great things of earth; but with deep feelings of veneration for the past, to take old friends by the hand once more, perhaps never again; to look back on our journey of life, and thus, by the contemplation of the good or the evil we have done to be guided in the future of our mortal course. Says another, 'it is a privilege to learn what shall be from what has been, to turn experience into proph- ecy ;- to view in the mirror of the Past, the vision of the Future.'
And you will permit me, Ladies and Gentlemen, on this pleasant occa- sion-tinged as I know it must be with sadness when we remember many dear friends who have passed the dark waters before us ;- permit me to extend to you all a most cordial and hearty welcome. As a true son of the old 'Falls Fight Township,' I offer you all the salutations of this anniver- sary. It gladdens the heart to meet so many cheerful countenances on the one hundredth jubilee of the independent municipal existence of our town.
And in a particular manner would I extend the hand of friendship and fraternal regard, to those who have come from distant States, to join with us in the services of this joyous day. Welcome all, from the prairies and the cities of the great west; from the Green mountains of Vermont, and from States and homes more or less distant from us-welcome to this gath- ering of the descendants of a common ancestry, welcome all who by birth or residence, by ties of consanguinity or marriage, all who have come here
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HISTORICAL ADDRESS.
to-day because you cared for Bernardston and Leyden for what they con- tain or have contained. In behalf of my fellow-citizens, I bid you all a hearty welcome. And I would, also, with a like cordiality welcome those, who by a love of historic studies and who feel a deep interest in genealog- ical researches are attracted to commemorations of this kind. Sympathiz- ing with us in the sentiments of antiquity, we are most happy to meet you all on this historic era-this one-hundredth standpoint in the cycle of ages !
And I must not forget to receive with an open hand and heart this large concourse of children and youth who have assembled to join in the services of this anniversary occasion. I see before me, a numerous band of teach- ers and pupils of Powers Institute, of every school district in Bernardston and Leyden and several schools from the adjoining towns. Most happy am I to greet you with joyful salutations on an anniversary which none of you, in any probability, can ever attend again. Your smiling faces, your gay dresses, your beautiful bouquets and waving banners, all show me how much you enjoy and how long you will remember the services of this day. Welcome, my young friends to the instructive events of the passing hour.
One hundred years ago! Who can understand the mighty past? Who can fathom the years of a century! What immense changes in the condi- tion of the human race; what vast results have come from the progress of civilization by the Anglo-Saxon race in America, during that period ! Think for a moment of the condition of things in Europe, in America, on this spot, even, in 1762 and in 1862. Then-and now. One hundred years ago the people who had settled along these pleasant valleys and on these hillsides, were few and far between. Now, a pleasant village is near us where the arts and amenities of civilized life are cultivated and where the school houses and the church are among the most prominent institutions of the place. And more than all the railroad and telegraph, the most strik - ing indications of the mechanical inventions of this epoch with their im- mense power to promote the comfort and facilitate the business of man, are both of them in our midst.
One hundred years ago and not one of us had seen the cheering light of day; not one of this large assemblage were then among the living. And so far as we know there is now no person alive who was born in Fall Town a hundred years ago. And but one person is living who was born within 13 years after the incorporation of Bernardston. And that one-Mr. Dan- iel Hale-the oldest living person who was born in the Falls Fight Town- ship is not here to-day. Another venerable form sits by my side-Mr.
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HISTORICAL ADDRESS.
Edward Nelson, now in his 98th year, who made Leyden his adopted town, more than 60 years ago. We rejoice that by the blessing of God he is with us to-day, a living memorial of the year 1765, the year of his birth; the senior by more than ten years of any person in Bernardston or Leyden. His trembling form shows the decaying influence of almost a hundred win- ters; and the solemn fact, that though many years may be granted us, yet the time of departure to another and better life, must come to all !
With these introductory remarks I now propose to take a topic which has engaged my attention more or less for many years and which seems peculiarly pertinent to the object for which the day is set apart-A com- memoration of the beginning and the history of this town, including Ley- den.
And here perhaps, a word of apology may be proper. It was with much reluctance that I took the place of the distinguished gentleman who was expected to address you at this time. Residing in a distant, foreign State, of eminent abilities and official position, connected by consanguinity with many of this audience, we were of course much disappointed that Hon. Elisha H. Allen could not have been here as the principal speaker to-day. The short time I have had to prepare what I have to say, must be an apol- ogy for any shortcomings of this address.
The history of this town, unlike that of many other towns, who were off- shoots from a mother town, runs back to and is connected with the early events and wars in New England. If our origin is not as romantic and apocry phal as that of Romulus and Remus, the founders of ancient Rome, we are nevertheless, indebted to some of the important and startling events of the early Indian wars for the first idea of the settlement of this town. In order therefore that we may understand the origin of the grant of this territory by the Legislature of the province of Massachusetts bay in New England, in 1734, it is necessary to cast our minds back to prior events.
In the first settlement of New England at Plymouth in 1620 our Pilgrim fathers were influenced in no small degree, in connection with other great principles, with a strong desire to carry the gospel to the heathen. Ani- mated by that high and God-like motive, they brought with them and car- ried into practice, in their intercourse with the aborigines of this country, the noble principles of justice and integrity; granting to them their origi- nal right to the soil, and taking nothing from them except by a fair bar- gain and equivalent. Hence it was that, for more than 50 years after the first Puritan had stepped on Plymouth Rock, to a great extent, peace and harmony existed between them and the Indians.
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