USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Canton > History of the town of Canton, Norfolk County, Massachusetts > Part 26
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They could not have been separated long, for Mary, their daughter, was born June 30, 1695, and was married to Thomas Blackman, March 23, 1714. In her old age Mrs. Houghton came to live with her daughter, and was so poor as to be assisted by the town. The house in which she lived has long since disappeared. It stood on the westerly side of Pearl Street, nearly opposite the old house now standing, which was visited by the Canton Historical So- ciety in 1881, and concerning the builder of which there was some question. An ancient record informs me that on the "ninth of April, 1767, the widow Mary Houghton died, aged one hundred and four years and eleven days;" and in an ancient diary kept by one of the fathers of the town I find this record : " April 10, 1767, Mrs. Mary Horton buried, aged one hundred and five years." The Boston "News Letter " says, "She had been very healthy, and retained her senses to the last." David Thompson, who married her daughter, had a son David, Jr., born Jan. 14, 1738. At the age of seventeen he was with General Winslow in Nova Scotia. Two years later, in 1757, he lost his left arm by a bomb at the storming of Fort William Henry by the French, under Montcalm. For his services he received a pension. He is well remembered by many now living, among others Mr. Ellis Ames, Mr. Jesse Holmes, Mr. Samuel Capen, Mr. William B. Trask, the latter of whom writes of him, -
"In our youthful days he used to make occasional visits at the home of one of his descendants in Dorchester. He had a form erect and commanding, and a firm and majestic step. His countenance was bright and expressive, and according to our impression he was one of the best specimens of an old soldier we ever saw. We used to look upon him with veneration, almost with awe, as a rare sight in those days, - a live soldier of the French War."
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THE NEUTRAL FRENCH.
He received, in 1760, from his father, the house still standing just north of the old Stoughton Cemetery, said to be the second oldest house in that town. In 1765 he was recommended by the selectmen as a fit person to sell spir- ituous liquors. He asserts that his house is "accomodated " for the retailing of such refreshment, and he received his license accordingly.
David, the "one armed," died in 1836. He had a brother Ebenezer, born in 1742, who died Nov. 16, 1760, in his Majesty's service, at "ye westward," only eighteen years of age.
There died in his Majesty's service at Lake George, Aug. 14, 1758, Isaac, son of Lieut. John and Kariah Holmes, aged nineteen; October 14, Jonas, son of Richard and Mary Stickney, aged eighteen; and July 30, Jeremiah, son of Richard and Sarah Hixson.
In 1759 John Spare and Jesse Tilson, both from the north part of Canton, were in the expedition to Halifax, of which they kept a diary. Jesse lived on Blue Hill Street, and died Jan. 9, 1769, aged fifty-six. Micah French was first lieutenant in Captain Carey's company, Abijah Wil- lard's regiment. He raised a number of men for the ex- pedition against Canada, served six months, and came home without leave.
The following soldiers from Stoughton were at Halifax this year, in Capt. Josiah Thacher's company, in Col. John Thomas's regiment : Ebenezer Allen, Ebenezer Dickerman, - discharged Nov. 8, 1759,- Solomon Stickney, at Pisquet, June 24, 1760. Lieut. Thomas Penniman was absent in his Majesty's service this year.
Thomas, son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Clough) Glover, was conscripted into the service in the French and Indian War of 1755-59. William Monk became his substitute, and was at the taking of Quebec, under General Wolfe, and also at the battle on the Plains of Abraham, 1759. He came to Stoughton in 1748.
Isaac, son of Samuel Copeland, was a soldier in Captain Phillips's company, Colonel Frey's regiment.
304
HISTORY OF CANTON.
John Spear (probably Spare) had a son John, who was a minor. He enlisted into the government service with Capt. Josiah Dunbar, in 1761, and was that fall drafted to Capt. Job Williams's company, to remain at Crown Point during the winter, the troops being enlisted on the Ist of July, 1762. At the expiration of this time, he re-enlisted with his captain until the ensuing fall, and returned home when the troops were dismissed from the service. He received about a quarter of his wages on Captain Dunbar's roll, and but a trifle on Captain Williams's. He was sick at Crown Point all the winter, which put him to a great expense, and continued sick after he was dismissed.
Robert Pritchard, formerly a member of the Second Battalion of Royal Scotch in North America, having been discharged as an invalid at Halifax, wandered in a poor and distressed condition to Stoughton, where his necessities were relieved by Mr. John Spare.
The process of bounty-jumping seems to have been un- derstood in ancient as well as in modern times. Ebenezer Nightingale, who is recorded as having absconded about 1760, enlisted some two years after in his Majesty's ser- vice under Captain Bent. He went to the castle, received his bounty, and was described as being thirty-nine years of age, by occupation a farmer, "fairish complection, blew eyes, brown hair, and five feet six inches in height." With him went Ebenezer Allen, who was then twenty-one years of age, a native of Norton. He was a husbandman, of "dark complection, with dark eyes and black hair." Also men by the name of Buffington and Lemuel Kingman received the king's bounty. They all deserted on the night of May 18, 1762, and returned to Stoughton, where for some time they were secreted in the woods, food being furnished them by Tural and George Allen. A reward of £6 for their ap- prehension was immediately offered by Lieutenant-Colonel Gay, then in command at the castle. A detachment from the garrison visited Stoughton, and surrounded Mr. Eben- ezer Stearns's old forge-house, where they were supposed to have taken refuge; but the birds had flown.
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THE NEUTRAL FRENCH.
On the 17th of June, the same notice appears in the Boston "News Letter," with the additional information -
"that Ebenezer Nightingale and Lemuel Kingman have been heard of in Johnston, Rhode Island Government, where they were suspected of stealing, but got away into Scituate, in said government, and are said to be at the house of James Pettigrew. The said Night- ingale calls himself John Spear."
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306
HISTORY OF CANTON.
CHAPTER XVIII.
MUSIC.
R' EV. THERON BROWN says "the ancient town of Stoughton, which included the present Canton, was the cradle of New England middle-age psalmody, - that strange, quaint, minor mode, with its 'down, up' time and its com- plicated fugues, whose most characteristic specimens are now presented and performed as musical curiosities. 'Port- land ' and ' Lenox ' and ' Windham,' ' Lebanon ' and ' Majesty,' ' New Jerusalem ' and the 'Easter Anthem,' were all born upon the soil; and the familiar Canton names of Capen, Tilden, Tolman, French, Dickerman, and Belcher appeared ninety years ago on the list of the singing class of William Billings." Long before the singing-school of Billings, a young man named Elijah Dunbar learned while going through Harvard College, in addition to his Greek and Latin, the art of reading music. On his graduation in 1760, he returned to his native town and at once organized a singing-school and gave to his neighbors the benefit of his knowledge.
In 1762 I learn from the " History of Dorchester " that " there was a singing meeting at Stoughton," and two years later I have evidence that there was an organization in working order for the purpose of practising in vocal music. This was the year the small-pox visited Canton, and it was deemed expe- dient to send word to the Bridgewater singers who were wont to attend not to come over. Singing meetings were held at the houses of neighbors ; sometimes it would appear that they had " prodigious jangling." On the 13th of December, 1764, when William Billings was married to Mary Leonard, there were more than forty persons at the wedding, and the singing
307
MUSIC.
must have been very fine. Mr. John Stickney seems to have known something about the art, for when Jesse Billings came from Hatfield, and wanted some one to teach them to sing, Stickney went to their assistance. In 1766 “ our singers are at Mr. Adams's." John Kenney, a fine bass singer, went with Elijah Dunbar to Boston to buy new books the same year; and they on March 19 " draw books and sing the old 50th the first time." On Feb. 11, 1767, the Braintree singers came to Canton, but got into a religious discussion and had "a re- markable time; " subsequently they met at the old May tavern on March 9, all the differences were made up, and " there seems to be great love and harmony." On August 4, they have in the old gambrel-roofed house still standing at Ponkapoag " sweet singing at Elijah Crane's," and on the 24th " fine fidling." In 1770 new books were introduced; and on the 2 1st of December, they were used in the house of Samuel Capen for the first time. During the interval from the year 1764 to 1774, the principal persons belonging to this society, or the persons at whose houses they met, were: Elijah Dun- bar, Elijah Crane, Squire Dickerman, John Stickney, John Kenney, Samuel Capen, Enoch Leonard, John McKendry, Thomas Crane, Henry Stone, Theophilus Lyon, Robert Red- man, George Blackman, Philip Liscom, Asahel Smith, Sam- uel Tilden, Wadsworth Talbot, Abner Crane, William Patrick, Benjamin Gill, Jeremiah Ingraham, John Withington.
In 1774 William Billings, then twenty-eight years of age, gave instruction in music, or, as they would have said, taught a singing-school in the tavern of Robert Capen. He inter- ested the young people of Stoughton in his work, inspired them with his own enthusiasm, organized them into choirs, taught them to despise foreign music, especially that of Eng- land, and jumbled religion and patriotism into his stanzas with such a grace that he became the most successful organizer of music in America.
In Canton and vicinity the seed fell on good ground, and in due time she outranked all her sister towns.
It may be of interest to reproduce this list copied from the New England Historical and Genealogical Register.
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308
HISTORY OF CANTON.
"List of scholars at Wm. Billings' Sacred Music Singing School at Stoughton, Jan., 1774."
Singers of Tenor.
Singers of Treble.
George Monk.
Lucy Swan.
John Wadsworth, Jr.
Jerusha Pope.
Lazarus Pope.
Patience Drake.
Dr. Peter Adams.
Waitstill Capen.
Jacob French.
Hannah Holmes.
Robert Swan, Jr.
Bethiah Capen.
Joseph Wadsworth.
Eunice Holmes.
Andrew Capen.
Hannah Capen.
Ruth Tilden.
Chloe Bird.
Abigail Jones.
Hannah Briggs.
Elizabeth Tolman.
Keziah Bird.
Hannah Wadsworth.
Mary French.
Abigail Wadsworth.
Mindwell Bird.
Susanna Capen.
Elizabeth Cummings. Rachel Capen.
Jerusha Dickerman.
Elizabeth Dickerman.
Irene Briggs.
Mehitabel Talbot.
Sarah Tolman.
Esther Talbot.
Meltiah Swan.
The Fenno girls. Lydia Gay.
Singers of Counter.
Singers of Bass.
David Wadsworth.
Jonathan Belcher.
Theophilus Capen.
Samuel Tolman.
Thomas Tolman.
William Tilden.
Isaac Morton.
George Wadsworth.
Eliphalet Johnson.
John Capen.
.
It seems that again we have the old story of love between teacher and pupil; for William Billings, the master, fell in love with Lucy Swan, the pupil, and they were married July 26, 1774.
On the 7th of November, 1786, about twenty-five persons, who were fond of music and of having a good social time, met together for the purpose of consultation in regard to organizing a musical society. A committee was appointed to draw up a constitution which was accepted on the 22d, and
MUSIC. 309
adopted, with some amendments, on the 8th of December. The original members were residents of what is now Canton and Stoughton. The organizations in the Stoughton and Canton precincts uniting, they made choice of Hon. Elijah Dunbar for their first president, and for twenty-two years he was re-elected. He was passionately fond of music, and had one of the finest collections of books on this subject then in the country.1 He had a voice like that of many waters, and rendered the old Continental music to per- fection. The first singing-book used by the society was "The Worcester Collection." In 1828 the society published " The Stoughton Collection; " but " Ancient Harmony Re- vived " was subsequently adopted. From the beginning to the present day the "Old Stoughton Musical Society " has had among its members some of the finest singers in the State. Its meetings have always been attended with interest, the favorite times of meeting being artillery election days on the first Monday in June, and at Christmas-time. "It was," says John S. Dwight in the " Atlantic Monthly," 1882, " the earliest in New England, and the harbinger of the Boston Handel and Haydn Society."
The fiftieth anniversary of the organization of the society was held at Stoughton on Jan. 2, 1837, postponed for conven- ience from Nov. 7, 1836. The celebration consisted of an address by Ebenezer Alden, M. D., musical selections, and a banquet. Only five of the original members were present and took part in the celebration, -James and Jonathan Capen, of Stoughton, Andrew Capen, of Boston, Nathan Crane, of Canton, and Atherton Wales, of Lyme, N. H.
At the beginning of this century the hall in Carroll's tavern, Canton, resounded to the sounds of the old Conti- nental music, and the following ladies and gentlemen were then members of the Old Stoughton Musical Society : -
Gen. Nathan Crane, with his sons, Enos Crane, and Na- than Crane, Jr., Isaac Billings, the brothers Samuel and An- drew Capen, Samuel Canterbury, Friend Crane, the brothers Phineas, Samuel, and Uriah Leonard, the brothers Lemuel,
1 See Appendix XVIII.
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HISTORY OF CANTON.
Jason, Nathaniel, and Alexander French, Thomas Dunbar, James Beaumont, John Blackman, Betsy Crane, Hannah Dunbar, Mary Leonard, Katie McKendry, Avis French, and Nancy Leonard.
In the Stoughton Musical Society's Centennial Collection, published in 1878, appears the following reminiscence :
" In the year 1790 or thereabouts, - so the tradition runneth, - the art of singing was so well developed in Stoughton that the sing- ing in church attracted the attention of the ministers who indulged in the neighborly acts of exchanges. With the best intention to increase the efficiency of their own church service, these ministers reported that they heard better music at Stoughton than at any other place. Reports then took to themselves wings, as they do now, and they soon. reached the good people of Dorchester, even to the singers of the old First Parish, from whose broad limits have sprung so many other churches to bless the land. These well-trained singers of the old town so near the 'Bay,' from whose shores emanated then, as now from ' the Hub,' excellence in art, grace in scholarship, and refinement in living, could ill brook the judgment that Dorchester did not wear the honors in the art of singing as in many other accomplishments. Confident in their ability, and ready to test it, they challenged the Stoughton singers to a trial. The challenge was accepted ; a meeting arranged. It was held in a large hall in Dorchester, and, says the. narrator, who was one of the singers, 'the hall was filled with promi- nent singers far and near, including many notables from Boston.' The Dorchester contestants had a bass viol and female singers. The Stoughton party consisted of twenty selected male voices, without instruments, and led by Squire Elijah Dunbar, the President of the. Stoughton Musical Society, who was not only one of the most accom- plished singers of his day, but distinguished for his commanding. presence and dignified bearing. The Dorchester party sang first an anthem recently published, executing it with grace and precision. The Stoughton party followed with Jacob French's new anthem, 'The Heavenly Vision,' rendered without book or notes. The ap- plause was unbounded as they took their seats. Again the Dorchester choir sang ; then to close the tournament, the Stoughton choir without book Handel's grand Hallelujah chorus, recently published in this country by Isaiah Thomas. The Dorchester singers acknowledged defeat, and confirmed judgment of the ministry. So endeth this inci- dent of the olden time."
3II
MUSIC.
There were men belonging to this society who were no mean composers of music. "New Bethlehem " was composed by Edward French, who was born in Canton in 1761, and died in Sharon in 1845. A brother of his, Jacob French, born July 15, 1754, was even more distinguished. He published in early life the "New American Melody," in 1793 the " Psalmodist Companion," and " The Harmony of Harmo- nies " in 1802. " The Heavenly Vision," the most widely known of all his anthems, was published in the Worcester Collection, the copyright of which he sold to Isaiah Thomas.
These two eminent composers were the sons of Jacob, who is first seen in Canton in 1748, and Mariam (Downes) French ; their parents were married Nov. 22, 1751, and the children were baptized, Jacob on July 21, 1754, and Edward, Nov. I, 1761. The father was born March 8, 1728, and in 1756 was a corporal in the company of Captain Sturtevant, and is men- tioned in an old manuscript as one who went ashore at the " East Passage." On April 3, 1763, a contribution was taken up for him in the old meeting-house, because he was wounded, - whether in battle or not, there is no information. He re- sided near the old Stearns house on Chapman Street.
Samuel Capen was the author of " Norfolk Harmony," and at the ordination of Mr. Ritchie "he headed and conducted the music, both vocal and instrumental."
This marvellous attention to music of course had its effect upon the singing in the meeting-house. In very early days it was a simple affair. Soon after the precinct was formed, on the 16th of June, 1721, it was voted that Peter Lyon set the psalm. It was not a difficult matter for the congrega- tion to follow him; for it is asserted that for nearly a hundred years after the arrival of the Pilgrims, not more than five or six different tunes were used or known.
The Rev. Samuel Dunbar was a good singer, and as early as 1740 had the matter brought up in church meeting. Some of the brethren desired that new tunes be introduced, and on the next Lord's Day, in the evening, it was to be decided; but so intense was the excitement that when the 'time for tak- ing the vote arrived, it was deemed in the interest of harmony
312
HISTORY OF CANTON.
to postpone the balloting for another week, and when that time arrived, it was voted that some "new tunes be added to ye old ones," and that Mr. Dunbar set them.
The first book used by the singers in Canton was without doubt the one commonly in vogue at the earliest formation of the church, - a versification of dogmas and creeds turned into rhyme. But in 1765 Elijah Dunbar desired to have Dr. Watts's version of the Psalms adopted and sung by the con- gregation, which was accordingly done on the 21st of August. In 1778 it was voted that the tunes should be named by the chorister before they were set, and that the chorister pitch the tune by a pitch-pipe. This vote was said by the wicked ones to have been passed, because there was one tune with which the chorister was familiar, but with which Mr. Dunbar was not, and the chorister always struck up that tune; pitch- ing was done by the old-fashioned implement. A few years later one of our townsmen, the late Mr. James Bazin, invented a pitch-pipe that could be carried in the vest-pocket.
Some tunes were not relished. On the striking up of "Ailesbury" on Feb. 11, 1770, old William Wheeler got up and went out of meeting.
In 1783 it was voted to read a psalm to be sung; and three years later the position of the singers, which had been on the east side of the alley, was changed to a more conspicuous position in the middle of the gallery.
In 1798 so crystallized had become the dislike to the enor- mities of Watts that Elijah Dunbar was pleased when Dr. Belknap brought out his "Sacred Poetry." It was an index of the theological standing of any church at that time whether they retained Watts or adopted Belknap. If they retained Watts, they were Trinitarians; if they adopted Belknap, Uni- tarians. Belknap's book was adopted and continued in use until 1825. In 1794 musical instruments were introduced, - the bass viol and flute, - which to some gave great offence, for as soon as the tuning began, Mr. Adam Blackman would take his hat and walk out of meeting.
The hymn-book in use in 1826 bears not the name of the compiler; but the Preface is dated Cambridge, 1825. In
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MUSIC.
1830 Dr. Greenwood published his " Psalms and Hymns for Christian Worship," which was adopted and in use until 1869, when the " Hymn and Tune Book, with Liturgy," pub- lished by the American Unitarian Association, was adopted, and is still in use.
Deacon Thomas Dunbar was a famous singer, and often led the concerts of the Stoughton Musical Society. He up- held the fame of his father and his grandfather, and on his sons fell the duty of maintaining the singing in the old parish. Thomas Dunbar was born July 25, 1775, and died Dec. 8, 1855. He married, May 21, 1804, Chloe, daughter of Wil- liam and Chloe (Blackman) Bent. She was born March 9, 1781, and died May 4, 1852. He resided at the Hardware, in a house which stands almost on the site of the house in which General Gridley lived and died. He was a worthy citizen, a zealous Christian, an honest man.
Samuel Leonard, commonly known as "Major Sam," is described to me by one who knew him well as "a heavenly singer." He was the son of Enoch and Mary (Wentworth) Leonard; married Avis, daughter of Thomas and Salome (Babcock) French, Feb. 11, 1813, and died Oct. 19, 1854, aged seventy-nine years. His wife, Avis French, belonged to a musical family. Her mother was a Babcock, sister to old Master Lemuel, - a famous singer in old times; and her grandmother was Abigail Pitcher, a name also famous in musical annals. Her brothers, Lemuel, Jason, Thomas, Alex- ander, and Nathaniel, were all good singers, and were second cousins to the famous composers, Jacob and Edward.
Friend Crane and Nathan Kenney were also noted for their fine voices.
314
HISTORY OF CANTON.
CHAPTER XIX.
MILITIA.
IN the early days of the settlement the officers of the 4 militia were men chosen for their standing and worth. To be an officer was to be a gentleman, to be regarded with respect; and the title lasted long after withdrawal from active service. "Once a captain always a captain," was an old and true saying ; and the ancient deeds append the title of "gentleman " to all who had held commissions in the service of his Majesty. It was an ill-bred person who addressed such a one without his proper title; and we often see in our ancient records the titles of ensign, sergeant, corporal, and cornet. As time wore on, this custom changed, and no man claimed the honor of a title below the rank of captain. Later we seldom hear of the "leftenant." From the town records but slight information is to be obtained in regard to the militia, as they were under control of the State. The mil- itary system which was kept up after the Revolution did much to encourage the growth of rum-drinking; and the May and fall trainings were occasions of general intoxica- tion. It was the custom of a man who wanted to rise in office to drench his commission in rum; universal custom rendered it necessary ; and the officer who wanted popularity must treat his men. Those who in ordinary circumstances would have remained at home and attended to their business were obliged to go to muster, and must treat their friends and be in turn treated. The ancient custom of the officers wetting their commissions was in vogue from the settlement of the town, as the following extracts from an ancient diary will show: -
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MILITIA.
" 1764, December 5th, Ensign Bob Capen makes his treat to-day. - 1766, October 6, Go to Capt. Tisdales treat. - Dec. 18, Withing- ton treats. - Oct. 12, 1773, Capt. Atherton lays down his commission and makes a good treat."
The officers were not always able to afford a treat, for their expenses were of some consideration; aside from their uni- forms, they must have gold-laced hats, and fancy swords. The result of this was that after inspection, and sometimes be- fore, the soldier of the period was often drunk, and small boys used to take him by the heels and drag him around the parade-ground. The musters were also occasions for the assembling of all the vagrants in the vicinity ; volleys of oaths mixed with cries of "giner-bread " and "lemonade " assailed the ears of the multitude, and one could scarcely move without stumbling over the form of some drunken man.
In early days it would appear that our companies were joined with Milton, and to that town our young men were forced to go for drill. That they did not always obey the summons is clearly shown by an ancient, faded, and torn docu- ment now before me, bearing no date, but probably belong- ing between 1740 and 1750, for the following were absent from military duty : Corporal Consider Atherton, Zebediah Wentworth, Abner Crane, Silas Crane, Timothy Kenney, William Wheeler, John Davenport, Jonathan Farrington, Isaac Fenno, Aaron Wentworth, Joseph Esty, Jr., John Sum- ner, John Hartwell, Samuel Payson, James Endicott, Sion . Morse, Benjamin Tilson, William Billings, Henry Stone.
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