USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Concord > History of the town of Concord, Middlesex County, Massachusetts : from its earliest settlement to 1832; and of the adjoining towns, Bedford, Acton, Lincoln, and Carlisle; containing various notices of county and state history not before published. > Part 3
USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Concord > History of the town of Concord, Middlesex County, Massachusetts : from its earliest settlement to 1832 : and of the adjoining towns, Bedford, Acton, Lincoln, and Carlisle > Part 3
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This subject continued to be agitated for several years. Nov. 13, 1644, Herbert Pelham, Esq., of Cambridge, Mr. Thomas Flint and Lt. Simon Willard of Concord, and Mr. Peter Noyes of Sud- bury, were appointed commissioners " to set some order which may conduce to the better surveying, improving,' and draining of the meadows, and saving and preserving of the hay there gotten, either by draining the same, or otherwise, and to proportion the charges layed out about it as equally and justly (only upon them
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HISTORY OF CONCORD.
[1644.
that own land) as they in their wisdom shall see meete." All their efforts, however, were unavailing. Johnson says "the rocky falles causeth their meadowes to be much covered with water, the which these people, together with their neighbour towne [Sudbury] here several times essayed to cut through but cannot, yet it may be turned another way with an hundred pound charge." A canal across to Watertown or Cambridge was then considered practicable at a " hundred pound charge ! "
In addition to these difficulties, it is intimated by Mather, au- thor of the Magnalia, that others arose between the ministers and the people, which were settled by calling a council after the abdication of one of them. Some refused to bear their proportion of the public charges ; and the town continued to decrease in population. Some families returned to England, others removed to older, and others to newer settlements. In 1644, a large num- ber went to Connecticut with the Rev. John Jones. The griev- ances of the people were set forth in a petition to the General Court.
"To the Wor: Il Governor, Deputy Governor, with the rest of the Assistants and Deputies of the Court now assembled. The humble petition of the Inhabitants of Concord sheweth :
" That whereas we have lived most of us at Concord since our coming over into these parts, and are not conscious unto ourselves that we have been grosly negligent to imploy that talent God hath put into our hands to our best understanding ; Neither have wee found any special hand of God gone out against us, only the pov- ertie and meannesse of the place we live in not answering the labour bestowed on it, together with the badness and weetnes of the meadowes, hath consumed most of the estates of those who have hitherto borne the burden of charges amongst us, and there- with the bodily abilities of maney. This being soe eminent above what hath befallen other plantations, hath occasioned many at severall times to depart from us, and this last summer, in the end of it, a 7th or 8th part of the Towne went to the southward with Mr. Jones [the Rev. John Jones] and many more resolved to . goe after them, so that maney houses in the Towne stand voyde of Inhabitants, and more are likely to be ; and we are confident that if conscience had not restrained, fearing the dissolution of the Towne by their removeall, very many had departed to one
17
GENERAL HISTORY.
1645.]
place or other where Providence should have hopefully promised a livelihood.
" This our condition we thought it our duty to informe you of, fearing least if more go from us we shall neither remayne as a congregation nor a towne, and then such as are most unwilling to depart, whiles there remayne any hopes of ordinance amongst us, will be enforced to leave the place, which if it should come to pass, wee desire this may testify on the behalf of such, it was not a mynd unsatisfyed with what was convenient, which occa- sioned them to depart, but meerly to attaine a subsistence for themselves and such as depend on them, and to enjoy ordinances. If it be sayd, wee may go to other places and meete with as many difficulties as here, experience herein satisfies us against many reasons. Such as hardly subsisted with us, and were none of the ablest amongst us, either for labour or ordering their occasions, have much thriven in other places they have removed unto. Our humble request is you would be pleased to consider how unable we are to beare with our brethren the common charges, the prem- ises considered.
Richard Griffin
Robert Fletcher
Joseph Wheeler
Walter Edmonds
Timothy Wheeler
William Hunt
George Wheeler
William Wood
John Smedley
James Blood
Thomas Bateman
Joseph Middlebrooke
These in the name of the rest."
This petition was presented 14 May, 1645, and is attested by the proper authorities. It is endorsed ; - " We conceive the peti- tioners of Concord should (in consideration of the reasons alledged in this petition) be considered in their rates ; but how much, wee leave to those that are appoynted to assess the several towns when any levie is to be made." 1
1 A colony tax of £1,200 was assessed in 1640, £800 in 1642, £616 in 1645, and another tax in 1676. The following table shows the relative pro- portions which a few of the towns paid.
Towns.
1640, '42,
120
'45, 100
300
Watertown,
£90
55
41 45
Cambridge,
100
67
45
42
Concord,
50 25
15 34
Charlestown, 90
60
55
180
Sudbury,
15 11 20
'76.
Towns.
1640, '42, '45, '76.
Boston,
£179
-
3
18
HISTORY OF CONCORD.
[1645.
These difficulties hastened the settlement of other towns. About half of the original petitioners of Chelmsford were citizens of Concord. All of them, however, did not remove thither. Groton, Lancaster, and other towns, received some of the early inhabitants when they were settled. To restrain this spirit of emigration, the General Court passed the following order in 1645 :
" In regard of the great danger that Concord, Sudbury, and Dedham will be exposed unto, being inland Townes and but thinly peopled, it is ordered that no man now inhabiting & settled in any of the s'd Townes (whether married or single) shall remove to any other Towne without the allowance of the majistrates or the se- lect men of the towns, untill they shall obtain leave to settle again, or such other way of safety to the s'd townes whereupon this Court or the Council of this Commonwealth shall sett the In- habitants of such s'd towns at their former liberty." 1
Concord was probably less populous from 1645 to 1650 than at any other period. Johnson had that time in view, when speaking of the statistics of this town. "This Towne," says he, " was more populated once than now it is. Some faint-hearted souldiers among them, fearing the Land would prove barren, sold their pos- sessions for little, and removed to a new plantation, which have most commonly a great prize set on them. The number of fam- ilies at present are about 50. Their buildings are conveniently placed, chiefly in one straite street under a sunny-banke in a low levell. Their herd of great cattell are about 300; the church of Christ here consists of about 70 soules ; their teaching elders were Mr. Buckly, and Mr. Jones, who removed from them with that part of the people, who went away, so that onely the reverend grave and godly Mr. Buckly remaines." 2
The following chronological items, collected from the colony records and other sources, are given as matters worthy of preser- vation here, and as showing the care exercised by the General . Court over the towns. November 2, 1637, Robert Fletcher was chosen constable of Concord. Thomas Brooks was in the same office the next year. March 12, 1638, Lt. Willard was allowed " to sell wine and strong water "; and at the same Court an order
1 Colony Files.
2 2 Mass. Hist. Coll. vol. III. p. 154.
19
GENFRAL HISTORY.
1645.]
passed, that " the freemen of Concord, and those that were not free, which had hand in the undue election of Mr. Flint, should be fined 6s. 8d. a piece." In 1639, Mr. Flint, Lt. Willard, and Richard Griffin, were appointed "to have the ending of small matters this year." They were reappointed the two next years. June 4, 1639, William Fuller, " who kept the mill built by Mr. Bulkeley by the ' Mill-dam' was fined three pounds for gross abuse in over-tolling."' In 1640, Lt. Willard, Thomas Brooks, and William Wood, were appointed, under a law, " for valuing horses, mares, cows, oxen, goats, and hoggs," in Concord. The town paid its taxes this year in such property. The same year, Thomas Flint was allowed to marry in Concord and Sudbury. In 1641, George Fowle was appointed " for the breading of Salt-petre in some out-houses used for poultry and the like," under penalty of 12s. A company was incorporated this year "to carry on the beaver trade," of which Simon Willard was appointed superin- tendent. Mr. John Bulkeley was paid 40s. for services as a soldier.1
" At Concord a bullock was killed, which had in his maw a ten shilling piece of English gold, and yet it could not be known that any had lost it." 2 In April, 1641, a house and child were burnt in Concord ; fire having been put into a stack of hay standing near, by another child, while the people were at meeting on the Sabbath.3
Cattle then ran at large on " commons," as they were called ; and each town was required, by an act of the General Court, to have a mark placed upon its respective cattle.
· CHAPTER II. .
Efforts to civilize the Indians. - Eliot begins the Work. - Effects at Nonantum and at Concord. - Laws for the Indians. - Opposition. - Eliot's Labors and Petition. - Nashobah. - Notices of several Indians. - Account of the Pray- ing Indians. - Nashobah sold.
IT would be inconsistent with my design to portray at length the general character of the Indians, or give a full view of the
1 Colony Records. 2 Winthrop, vol. II. p. 310. 3 2 Hist. Coll.
20
HISTORY OF CONCORD.
[1645.
early efforts to civilize and Christianize them. This is properly the province of the historian of the State or Country. So far, however, as they were made within our own territory, or in con- nexion with the native inhabitants, it will be proper that the local historian should describe them ; and, more especially, since erro- neous statements have been promulgated by writers whose au- thority is received with implicit faith.
One of the objects of the original settlers of the colony, as ex- pressed in their charter, was to " win the Indians, natives of the country, to the knowledge and obedience of the only true God and Saviour of mankind, and the Christian faith." When they were actually surrounded by the natives, this object was not for- gotten, though nothing effectual was done till nearly sixteen years after their arrival.
Squaw Sachem, at Concord, Kutshamikin, sachem at Dorchester, Musconomok, sachem at Ipswich, and Nashacowin and Wassa- mug, 1 two sachems near Wachusett, made a formal submission to the English government on the 8th of March, 1644, and put themselves and their subjects under its protection. In their exam- ination, as to their moral and religious views, they express their desire, " as opportunity will serve and English live among them," to learn " to read God's word, to know God aright, and to worship him in his own way." Two sachems (Pumham and Soconono- cho), near Providence, the preceding June, and Passaconaway, sachem at Merrimack, and his sons, on the 20th of the succeeding June, submitted in like manner. Though the motives of these Indians might have been selfish, these were considered encourag- ing circumstances by the friends of their civilization. And the government, 13 Nov., 1644, ordered the county courts "to take care of the Indians residing within their several shires, to have them civilized, and to take order from time to time to have them instructed in the knowledge of God." 2
These movements, and the disposition shown by particular In- dians,3 led some individuals specially to prepare themselves to instruct them. The Rev. John Eliot of Roxbury was the first
1 The Rev. Samuel Danforth, in his Almanack for 1647, spells these names as follows : Cutchamakin, Mascanomet, Wassamegen, Nathawanon. 2 Col. Rec.
3 See " New England's First Fruits."
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GENERAL HISTORY.
1646.]
and most distinguished in these Christian labors. He has justly been styled the " Apostle, not a whit behind the chiefest Apos- tles." He preached his first sermon Oct. 28, 1646, on the high grounds east of Newton corner, afterwards called Nonantum, - " a place of rejoicing," where he was joyfully received by Waban and several other Indians, who assembled to hear him. Four other meetings took place there, the 11th and 26th of November, and the 4th and 9th of December.
The Rev. Thomas Shepard of Cambridge, in his " Clear Sun- shine of the Gospel," informs us, that " the awakening of these Indians raised a great noyse amongst all the rest round about us, especially about Concord 1 side, where the Sachem [Tahattawan], as I remember, and one or two more of his men, hearing of these things, and of the preaching of the Word, and how it wrought among them here, came therefore hither to Noonanetum to the Indian Lecture ; and what the Lord spake to his heart wee know not, only it seems he was so farre affected, as that he desired to become more like to the English, and to cast off those Indian, wild, and sinfull courses they formerly lived in; but when divers of his men perceived their sachem's mind, they secretly opposed him herein : which opposition being known, he therefore called together his chiefe men about him, and made a speech to this ef- fect unto them, viz. ' That they had no reason at all to oppose those courses the English were now taking for their good, for (saith he) all the time you have lived after the Indian fashion un- der the power and protection of higher Indian sachems, what did they care for you ? They only sought their owne ends out of you, and therefore would exact upon you, and take away your skins and your kettles, and your wampum from you at their own pleasure, and this was all that they regarded : but you may evidently see that the English mind no such things, care for none of your goods, but only seeke your good and welfare, and instead of taking away, are ready to give to you :' with many other things I now forget,
1 The Rev. Dr. Holmes, in his valuable " Annals." Vol. I. p 284, errs in saying " the Indians at the place afterwards called Concord," &c. Con- cord was incorported and named eleven years before. Another expression " near to the place where Concord now stands " is equally erroneous. It was then in Concord.
22
HISTORY OF CONCORD.
[1646.
which were related to me by an eminent man [Rev. P. Bulkeley ?] of that town. What the effect of this speech was, we can tell no otherwise than as the effects shewed it: the first thing was, the making of certain laws for their more religious and civill govern- ment and behaviour, to the making of which they craved the as- sistance of one of the chief Indians in Noonanetum [Waban ?], a very active Indian, to bring in others to the knowledge of God; desiring withall an able and faithful man in Concord [Simon Willard] to record and keep in writing what they had generally agreed upon. Another effect was, their desire of Mr. Eliot's coming up to them to preach, as he could find time, among them : and the last effect was, their desire of having a town given them within the bounds of Concord near unto the English. This latter, when it was propounded by the sachem of the place [Tahattawan], he was demanded why he desired a towne so neare, whereas there was more roome for them up in the country. To which the sachem replyed, that he therefore desired it because he knew that if the Indians dwelt far from the English, that they would not so much care to pray, nor could they be so ready to heare the word of God, but they would be all one Indians still ; but, dwelling neare the English, he hoped it might be otherwise with them then. The towne therefore was granted them."
The following are the orders agreed on at Concord, which Mr. Shepard assures us were drawn up by " two faithful witnesses," and " their own copy with their own hands to it."
" Conclusions and orders made and agreed upon by divers Sa- chems and other principal men amongst the Indians at Concord in the end of the eleventh Month (called January) An. 1646.
"1. That every one that shall abuse themselves with wine or strong liquors, shall pay, for every time so abusing themselves, twenty shillings.
"2. That there shall be no more Powwawing amongst the In- dians. And if any shall hereafter powwaw, both he that shall powwaw, and he that shall procure him to powwaw, shall pay twenty shillings a piece. .
"3. They do desire that they may be stirred up to seek after God.
" 4. They desire they may understand the wiles of Satan, and grow out of love with his suggestions and temtations.
23
GENERAL HISTORY.
1646.]
" 5. That they may fall upon some better course to improve their time than formerly.
"6. That they may be brought to the sight of the sinne of ly- ing, and whosoever shall be found faulty herein, shall pay for the first offence five shillings, and the second ten shillings, and the third twenty shillings.
"7. Whosoever shall steal any thing from another shall return fourfold.
" 8. They desire that no Indian hereafter shall have any more but one wife.
"9. They desire to prevent falling out of Indians one with an- other, and that they may live quietly by one another.
" 10. That they may labour after humilitie and not be proud.
" 11. That when Indians doe wrong one to another, they may be 'lyable to censure, or fine, or the like, as the English are.
" 12. That they pay their debts to the English.
" 13. That they do observe the Lord's day, and whosoever shall prophane it shall pay twenty shillings.
" 14. That there shall not be allowance to pick lice as for- merly, and eat them, and whosoever shall offend in this case shall pay for every louse a penny.
" 15. They will weare their haire comely as the English do, and whosoever shall offend herein shall pay four shillings.
" 16. They intend to reform themselves in their former greas- ing themselves, under the penalty of five shillings for every de- fault.
" 17. They do resolve to set up praying in their wigwams, and to seek to God both before and after meate.
"18. If any commit the sinne of fornication, being single per- sons, the man shall pay twenty shillings, and the woman ten shillings.
" 19.
" 20. Whosoever shall play at their former games shall pay ten shillings.
" 21. Whosoever shall commit adultery shall be put to death.
" 22. Wilful murder shall be punished with death.
"23. They shall not disguise themselves in their mournings as formerly, nor shall they keep a great noyse by howling.
"24. The old ceremony of the maide walking alone and liv- ing apart so many days twenty shillings.
24
HISTORY OF CONCORD. [1646.
" 25. No Indian shall take an English man's canooe without leave under penaltie of five shillings.
" 26. No Indian shall come into an English man's house ex- cept he first knock : and this they may expect from the English.
" 27. Whosoever beats his wife shall pay twenty shillings.
" 28. If any Indian shall fall out with and beat another Indian, he shall pay twenty shillings.
"29. They desire they may be a towne, and either dwell on this side of Beaver Swamp,1 or at the East side of Mr. Flint's Pond.
" Immediately after these things were agreed upon, most of the Indians of these parts set up prayer morning and evening in their families, and before and after meate. They also generally cut their haire short, and were more civil in their carriage to the English than formerly. And they do manifest a great willingness to conforme themselves to the civil fashions of the English. The Lord's day they keepe a day of rest, and minister what edification they can to one another. These former orders were put into this forme by Captaine Simon Willard of Concord, whom the Indians, with unanimous consent, intreated to bee their Recorder, being very solicitous that what they did agree upon myght be faithfully preserved without alteration.
" THOMAS FLINT. SIMON WILLARD."
I have not been able to find, after a careful examination of the Colony Records, that land was then definitely granted, either to the Concord Indians or to those at Newton ; and I have been led to doubt whether any grants were made, as has been mentioned by many writers. The first order was passed 26 May, 1647, four months after the Concord Indians had adopted their code of laws, and seven months after Eliot first preached to Waban ; and this did not relate to grants of land, but to the civil regulations of the Indians generally, " where they assembled to hear the word of God." It is probable they lived by sufferance on lands claimed by the English, prior to their gathering at Natick.2
1 This was in the Southerly part of Lincoln.
2 Historians speak rather indefinitely, as appears to me, on this subject. Mention is frequently made of the Natick Indians as a distinct tribe, whereas none were known by that name till a place was settled in 1650, and then named Natick, granted like other tracts of land in which to form
25
1
GENERAL HISTORY.
1647.]
As has been already intimated, these benevolent efforts were opposed by some of the natives. This opposition arose princi- pally from the powwaws or priests. The Indians universally be- lieved in " the existence and agency " of invisible spirits. "They worshipped Kitan, their good God, or Hobbamocco, their evil god." Johnson speaks of them generally, as being "in very great sub- jection to the Divel," and of the powwaws, as " more conversant with him than any other." As his agents they pretended to per- form cures by enchantment and witchcraft. So long as the pecu- liar sanctity of their office was recognised by their brethren, their influence was very great ; and, to say the least, they were " back friends to religion." Whenever civilization and Christianity were introduced, these erroneous notions were corrected, and their power ceased. Of this they seemed to be aware.
In the discussions produced by the occurrences that have been described, Wibbacowitts, already mentioned, took an active part. He asked the English, why some of them had been twenty-seven years in the land, and never taught them to know God till then. " Had you done it sooner," said he, " wee might have known much of God by this time, and much sin might have been prevented ; but now some of us are grown old in sin, &c." To whom the English answered, " We doe repent that we did not long agoe, as now we doe. Yet withal," they added, " we told them that they were never willing to hear till now, and that seeing God hath turned their hearts to be willing to hear, we are desirous to take all pains we can to teach them."
This opposition prevented their immediate settlement in civil order, and was considered, says Shepard, " a special finger of Sa- tan resisting these budding beginnings ;" though it did not prevent the gradual progress of Christianity. The influence of the Rev. Mr. Bulkeley and other citizens of Concord, as well as of the native
a civil community. The Christian Indians, gathered there from various tribes, were afterwards called Natick Indians, as the inhabitants of a town are called by the name of the town. And in regard to Indian titles, when the claims of Mason were asserted, and the charter forfeited in 1684, the set- tlers in various places endeavoured to get confirmatory deeds and titles to their land; and obtained such deeds from the Christian Indians, not because they were in all cases legal heirs, but probably because they could give as good titles as any in their power to obtain.
4
26
HISTORY OF CONCORD.
1 [1650.
Indians, hereafter to be noticed, was great in this Christian enter- prise.
Eliot preached about three years at Nonantum and Neponset ; and also occasionally at Concord and other places. About the beginning of the year 1648, he " went with Mr. Flint, and Capt. Willard of Concord, and sundry others, towards Merimack river unto the Indian sachem Passaconaway, that old witch and powwaw, who, together with both his sons, fled the presence of the light for fear of being killed." In 1651, he made another visit there with considerable success. In 1650, a township was granted to the Indians, and called Natick, to which those in the vicinity were gathered, and denominated Praying Indians. Many of these were originally inhabitants of Concord, and had taken up a tem- porary residence at Nonantum and other places.
Those who had endeavoured to unite in civil order at Concord had been frequently disturbed in the places where they settled, as will appear from the following petition to the General Court.
" The humble petition of John Eliot of Roxbury, in behalfe of some Indians, sheweth, - That whereas the Praying Indians have their dwellings in sundry places, and in many respects cannot be all brought to any one place, and, in particular, not to that of Na- tik ; it seemeth therefore very necessary to further theire civile cohabitation, in sundry fitting places, that so the Saboths may be sanctified by them, and other poynts of religion and civility may be promoted among them. And wheras there hath bene and is much trouble by some of theire sittings downe upon such lands as are, some way or other, taken into the bounds of grants made to the English by the honord Gen : Court: These desire as much as may bee, to fix themselves in such places, as (so far as we know) are free from any just challenge of any English interest.
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