USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Douglas > History of the town of Douglas, (Massachusetts,) from the earliest period to the close of 1878 > Part 4
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25
The last paragraph in the record of this meeting is as follows, which we give precisely as it stands in the records :
" Voted that the town meetings shoud bee adarned for time to Com by a Notifycation and the anual meeting should bee on the second monday in march the swine to go at large."
--
JOSEPH LEE PLACE - RESIDENCE OF MRS. ADALINE STARRETT, EAST DOUGLAS.
PARSONAGE, DOUGLAS CENTER - RESIDENCE OF REV. W. W. DOW.
48
HISTORY OF EAST DOUGLAS.
At this date the meeting-house at the Center was in process of erection, and the expense was met by contributions of material and money from the public treasury, for at this period the fact of the indebtedness of the State to the Church was more palpable to the great body of the people than now, when the numerous depart- ments into which the religious element finds itself organized natu- rally complicates this whole question. The work had progressed so far that it was occupied for an adjourned meeting on the 11th of April, 1748, although floors, windows and doors were not put in until some time thereafter. At this meeting the sum of £140 was voted "for finishing the meeting house so far as it is done."
On the 11th of August another meeting was held, when Mr. Joseph Marsh, who, it appears, superintended the work of erecting the meeting-house, was allowed twenty-five shillings for his ex- penses. A committee was also appointed to furnish boards, and £54 were appropriated to pay for them.
At a subsequent meeting (date not given), Isaac Comings, Jer- emiah Whiting and William Davenport were chosen to call upon the Treasurer and Collector for an account of their receipts and ex- penditures. The reports showed that there had been collected from resident and non-resident tax-payers the sum total of £89 6s. 8d., besides a small amount which Joseph Marsh was allowed to re- tain in consideration of the fact that he furnished food and lodging for the carpenters employed on the meeting-house. More lumber being required to finish the edifice, Benjamin Wallis was instructed to provide one thousand feet of the best white pine boards.
The custom now in vogue, of jealously guarding the legal scope of the business transacted at the public meetings of the voters, and also by whom the business at these meetings is to be done, is not without an early precedent, for we find that at this meeting Caleb Hill filed a protest, setting forth that the warrant was not issued according to law. This was the forerunner of an extensive imbroglio, which became more fully developed after the annual meeting held on the 13th of March, 1749. The warrant, which was issued by the Selectmen, and served by Constable Jo- seph Balcom, contained an article to see whether the town would allow all freeholders, in other words, persons owning real es- tate in fee simple, to vote for the election of officers. Capt. Hill and others opposed this, on the ground that it was contrary to all
49
FROM 1735-1754.
the laws which had been enacted. After considerable discussion, however, the article was carried, and the regular business of the meeting proceeded with. Among the officers chosen were John Marsh, Town Clerk ; John Marsh, Thomas Cook and Isaac Cum- mings, Selectmen.
It was voted that whosoever should take or receive cattle from other towns should pay ten shillings per head, and four persons were designated to receive the money. The only other business of importance transacted was the acceptance of a new road, laid out by the Selectmen from the " south end of Douglas district to ye meeting house," and an appropriation of £150 for mending high- ways."
Capt. Hill, the leader in the opposition to freeholders having a voice in the election of officers, was so much dissatisfied with the course adopted that he circulated a petition to the General Court, then in session, asking that the proceedings of the meeting be an- nulled. This, of course, drew out the strength of the opposite party, and on the 29th of May following a meeting of freehold- ers was held in the meeting-house, at which it was voted to oppose the petition, and Isaac Comings, Samuel Parker, John Marsh and William Davenport were chosen to act in their behalf. Pending the presentation of this petition to the General Court, the following terms of settlement were proposed by the petitioners, and consid- ered in a meeting of the inhabitants on the 5th of June :
1st. That the petitioners shall drop their petition at the Great and General Court, and proceed no further therewith.
2d. That all the town officers which were chosen at the meeting in the mouth of March last past shall stand in their posts for the present year, and that all notes which were paid at said meeting shall be esteemed as good and valid by the town.
3d. That the town allow all freeholders to vote in town affairs for the present year.
4th. That there be a new valuation taken in the month of Au- gust next by the Assessors, and if the petitioners with the said town cannot agree who are qualified according to law to vote in town affairs by said valuation, then they, the petitioners and the agent of the town, will lay the valuation which the Assessors have taken, as aforesaid, some convenient time before the next annual town meeting, in the month of March, before John Harwood and 4
50
HISTORY OF DOUGLAS.
Robert Goddard, Esqs., for them to judge and determine who are- qualified according to law to vote in town meeting for time to come, and that we will make the list of qualified voters left by them with the town clerk our rule to proceed by for that year, and until another valuation is taken.
5th. That there be a town meeting called, and that the for- mer town clerks, Captain Hill and Esquire Cady, bring the min- utes of such town meetings which they have by them, which should have been put upon record by them when the town book was in their hands, and lay them before the town, to see if the town shall think proper to order them to be put upon record.
The first four articles of this agreement were adopted, and the fifth postponed for further consideration ; but the obnoxious peti- tion was nevertheless pressed upon the attention of the General Court. On the 20th of June the town voted to send in a counter petition, setting forth reasons why the " March meeting last past. should not be broken up ;" and in case the reasons were unheeded, it was decided further to petition for a nullification of all meetings. held contrary to law since the town was incorporated.
After mature consideration of the points involved in dispute, the court coincided with Captain Hill by ruling that the annual meeting was illegal, and appointed Samuel Davis of Oxford, Capt. Robert Taft of Mendon, and Capt. John Farnum of Ux- bridge, to make a list of valuation of all the real and personal effects belonging to the inhabitants of the town, that the qualified voters might be known, and lodge the same with Robert Goddard,. Esq., a justice of the peace for the county of Worcester. This; left the town without a government.
On the 22d of August, pursuant to a warrant issued by Robert Goddard, under authority of the court, another meeting was held, and the following officers chosen and qualified according to law : Town Clerk, John Marsh ; Selectmen, John Marsh, Isaac Comings, William Davenport ; Assessors, William Jepherson, William Dav- enport, Seth Marsh ; Treasurer, Jeremiah Whiting ; Tything-men, Joseph Robbins, Benjamin Titus, Thomas Cook ; Constables, Samuel Taft, Lorenzo Robbins. These gentlemen continued to serve the remainder of the year with unquestioned authority.
At the annual town meeting held March 12, " 1749-50," John Marsh was chosen Town Clerk. For "mending highways" £200
51
FROM 1735-1754.
(old tenor) was granted, a man to have £1 per day in June, July and August, and at all other times but 14s. A committee was also chosen to provide a school, which was to be continued for a period of six months, and Seth Marsh, Caleb Hill and Samuel Dudley were appointed to carry out this vote.
Aug. 13, 1750. - Voted, that " the committee chosen to glaze the meeting house should have their money as soon as it was re- ceived from the non-residents," and a proposition to " inquire into the reasons why Rev. Mr. Phipps had not received his last year's salary " was voted down. From the few brief hints given by these laconic records it is somewhat difficult to understand whether the real animus of these seeming opponents of the religious teacher of the town was of a merely personal or general character. It would seem that the fate attending the famous Captain Weston's colony at Wessagussett, as the town of Weymouth was then called, ought to have settled the scruples of any inclined to venture upon any similar experiment, for it is a notable fact that the ignoring of religion entirely by this offshoot of Plymouth Colony as a commu- nity, ended, after a fair trial, in such thorough demoralization as not only to render these colonists a by-word of reproach even among their Indian neighbors, but so abjectly destitute also as to make them objects of charity on the part of their white brethren.
In the month of September of this same year, at another legal meeting, the town voted not "to allow Rev. Mr. Phipps £50 in place of the same amount expected but not received from Dr. Doug- las." The failure of Doctor Douglas to fulfill his promises of finan- cial aid to the town seems never to have caused any special bitter- ness of feeling toward him on that account, so far as any reference is made to the subject on the town records. This has given rise to the suggestion that their non-fulfillment was caused by embarrass- ment, or from causes beyond his control. Possibly the libel suit in which he became involved after the publication of the first vol- ume of his Historical Summary, which is said to have been the reason why he put his property out of his own immediate posses- sion at one time, may have had something to do with his ultimate failure in this regard.
Dec. 27, 1750. - Voted to petition the General Court for the an- nexation of the farms of Mr. Draper and Mr. Murdock. Also to
52
HISTORY OF DOUGLAS.
" sell the scool lot lying by the meeting house to the hiest bider, at £6 (old tenor) per acre."
March 11, 1751. - At the annual election of officers, Jeremiah Whiting was chosen Town Clerk, and William Davenport, John Leonard and Captain Hill, Selectmen.
May 6, 1751. -- Voted that the width of " contery roads " should be four rods, and town roads two rods. The letter "D" was adopted for a town brand. It was also voted to let out the school money upon interest, and to build a pound.
June 12, 1751. - The voters assembled at the house of Capt. Caleb Hill, inn-holder, chose Edward Aldrich surveyor of high- ways, and adjourned without transacting further business.
August 30, 1751. - Voted to petition the General Court for an omission of the Province tax, and Capt. Caleb Hill chosen to carry the petition to Boston.
March 9, 1752. - The record under this date shows " Caleb Hill chosen 'Destrict Clark,' and Jeremiah Whiting, Ralph Shepard, Capt. David White and Jedediah Phipps Selectmen. Refused to raise ye minister's salary to £50 per annum, also to remunerate Captain Stearns ' for ye trouble he have bin put to' concerning ye line between Douglas and Uxbridge, and to sell a tract of land given by ye proprietors of ' Shearbourn' for ye benefit of a school. It was voted to have a reading school kept six months in ye sev- eral parts of ye town, and £2 2s. 8d. appropriated for its support."
Oct. 11, 1752. - A committee was chosen " to confer with Rev. Mr. Phipps about ye price of Indian corn for ye present year, in order that ye minister's sallary rate may be made."
Nov. 3, 1752. - Voted to put seats into the meeting-house.
March 12, 1753. - Capt. David White and Capt. Caleb Hill were chosen a committee to secure to the district the donations of Dr. Wm. Douglas. Voted to sell the land given by the proprietors of Sherburn for the benefit of a school.
Aug. 20, 1753. - Voted to raise £8, lawful money, to provide a town stock of arms and ammunition, according to law. Dea. John Marsh was allowed six shillings for keeping the key and sweeping the meeting-house. The salary of the Town Treasurer was fixed at £1 per year. The town voted to provide a " funeral cloth."
Nov. 26, 1753. - The friction touching Rev. Mr. Phipps' clerical relation comes up again, as the record states that "propositions to
53
FROM 1735-1754.
readjust ye minister's salary, and to see what ye town would do about a school were passed over."
Feb. 11, 1754. - By vote of the town the price of Indian corn was set at 2s. 4d. per bushel for the year.
April 16, 1754. - The committee chosen to secure the donation of Doctor Douglas were directed to " demand, receive and recover the remainder of said donations, in behalf of the town"- the only reference to this matter, thus far, having the slightest caustic flavor.
Some of the older inhabitants will remember the time when tithing-men were chosen among the other officers of the town, as regularly as the annual town meeting came round, some of the most respectable and dignified men in the town being selected for this position. Their badge of office was a long staff, and it was their duty to be regularly present in the meeting-house on the Sabbath, and to note any disturbance in or around the premises. They took care that all should be in the meeting-house before the services commenced, and also had an eye on those who were among the ab- sentees from church ; and inasmuch as all labor and traveling on the Sabbath was forbidden by law, it became the duty of these officials to see the law enforced in this respect also, as well as that which prohibited all playing, amusement or unnecessary work on the Lord's Day.
CHAPTER V.
FROM 1754-1791.
MORE amiable relation between the peo- ple and the minister now begins to appear, as this record of the town meeting shows : May 20, 1754. - The following propo- sition was sent to Rev. William Phipps : " The District of Douglas do agree to give to our reverend pastor, Rev. Mr. William Phipps, for his suitable encour- agement and comfortable support, to preach the gospel among us during the term of seven years next to come, the sum of £53 6s. 8d., lawful money, for his yearly salary, one half of said salary to be paid to our said pastor in money, and the other half in labor, in the lieu of the contract made with our said pastor the twenty-third day of October, 1747."
The pastor signified his willingness to accept these terms, upon condition, however, that the amount to be paid in labor should be paid within the compass of each of the seven years, and in such husbandry work as he would be willing to accept, which was ac- ceded to by the town.
Aug. 13, 1754. - A settlement of accounts between Mr. Phipps and the town took place, when the treasurer and minister signed the following document, which certainly evinces anything but an unamiable relation between him and his parishioners :
" Upon a careful adjustment of all accounts and Demands this Day made, between the Treasurer of the District of Douglas and in behalf of the District, and the Pastor or Lawful Congregational minister of the same, it appears that said Destrict and minister
55
FROM 1754-1791.
upon a balance are cleare and Each of said parties cleare : of all Dues unto or Demands of money upon Each other Relaiting to said minister's sallary : of any Name or Tenor whatsoever : viz., from the begining of the world to the first Day of march Last past.
W. PHIPS, Congrega'l minister. JERE. WHITING, Treas."
Nov. 4, 1754. - The town granted £6, lawful money, for the support of a school, and authorized the Selectmen to determine its location.
Dec. 27, 1755. - In obedience to an act imposing a tax upon distilled spirits, the town clerk reported that the amount of rum consumed by families in town, bought out of the Province, was twenty-nine gallons and three quarts. It wouldn't appear from this that intemperance prevailed to any very great extent at this date, though a query arises about the reliableness of this "return."
Oct. 6, 1757. - The sum of £10 was appropriated for the sup- port of schools, to be set up in five parts of the town. .
Dec. 10, 1759. - Voted to petition the General Court for license to set up a lottery, to repair the road in Douglas from John Marsh's to the Connecticut line, the benefit from said lottery to amount to $1,000, exclusive of charges. Capt. Caleb Hill, Capt. David White and Ensign Jedediah Phipps were appointed to present the petition.
March 10, 1760. - Voted to build a fence around the burying- ground, at an expense of $6.
In 1769, " inasmuch as the Proprietors' original plans are much impaired and grown dull, and hardly legible, it was voted to desire Joseph Twitchell to new draught them, agreeable to the Proprie- tors' Records."
In February, 1773, the old school-house near the church was turned into a work-house - a sort of penitentiary, where people were confined and put to hard labor for the crime of poverty. Its use for such a purpose made it an object of special aversion to all whom necessity had made the subjects of public charity.
The depreciation of currency operated to largely increase the obligations of the town, and the treasurer's account exhibited a debt of £2,500, which was paid off in November, 1780. The early inhabitants had a horror of debt, and their management of finan-
VING
WM.A.EMERSON ENGRAVER ON WOOD.
NGRA
TINTIN CICHAS.J. BATCHELLER | GEO.H.WALKER
IHHH
THAYER'S BLOCK, MAIN STREET, EAST DOUGLAS.
57
FROM 1754-1791.
cial matters was in striking contrast with that of the present day. If a person innocently came in possession of counterfeit money, of which there was a considerable quantity in circulation, it would be redeemed at the expense of the town, and many instances may be found on record where this was done. When the Revolution was ended, the Continental money on hand was sent to a Boston broker for disposal. There was considerable of it in the treasury, but its value was very uncertain, and a committee was chosen to count it, and to see that it was disposed of to the best advantage. " Cornering the market " was practiced by speculators then as well as now, but the people had an effectual way of stopping it. Com- mittees were chosen to " take care of those persons who buy and sell articles to raise the extraordinary price." Such an item as this last one makes us wish now and then that the same sort of " care " were in order to-day.
The following description of the appearance presented by our town long ago will be read with interest :
Main street was originally a turnpike, owned and controlled by a stock company, and was the most important thoroughfare be- tween Boston and New York. An immense amount of staging and teaming was done over this road, particularly during the war of 1812, when large quantities of stores and thousands of passen- gers were conveyed between the principal eastern towns. There was a toll-gate at Badluck Pond (afterwards removed to near- where V. M. Aldrich now lives), one in Mendon, and another at Bellingham. Twelve and a half cents was the amount which each person on horseback or with chaise was required to pay at these- gates. Large quantities of flour were transported from New York to Boston over this route, requiring the employment of many horses and men. Usually a number of teamsters would club together and employ a separate team to carry food and fodder to the places of rendezvous. Collins Thayer, a brother of our present townsman, Mr. Asa Thayer, was largely engaged in teaming over this turn -.. pike, and generally drove a tandem team of four horses.
For the accommodation of all this travel and business, numerous hotels were kept in every town, and there were then more public houses in Douglas than will probably ever be again. The principal one was kept at the Center by Paul Dudley, on the site of the present one kept by James H. Dudley. We believe there has been
58
HISTORY OF DOUGLAS.
a hotel kept on this spot for a century, uninterruptedly, always bearing a good character, and never passing out of the hands of the Dudleys. Being " to the manor born," Mr. Dudley ought to know how to " keep a hotel," and evidently does know. The character of the house has, of course, been greatly changed since those days, as time has wrought changes in everything. When night came on the yard was generally filled with vehicles of travelers, who par- took of the hospitality of the wayside inn while their horses were comfortably provided for in the adjoining stables. The lumbering stage-coach, carrying the mails and passengers, would roll by at regular intervals, then the only vehicle of public conveyance. The construction of railroads has diverted all this travel and business into new channels, and, instead of being the busy scene of com- merce and activity, the Center is now a quiet but industrious community of farmers and artisans ; and the hotel, though losing none of its respectability, is no longer the scene of bustle and commotion, and has become a quiet, retired resort for summer boarders, and a favorite stopping place for those who delight in eating good dinners and sleeping in clean, comfortable beds.
A public house was also kept on the Asa Thayer place, about a mile east of the village of East Douglas, in Uxbridge ; and Israel Thayer also kept a hotel near the lower village factory, although the inn-holder's license was in the name of Benjamin Wallis, 3d. In 1818 the " Gale House " was open to the public, and was kept for a short time by Beniah Morse.
The two-story brick building now standing on the Caleb Hill place was originally built of wood, before the Revolution, and was used for many years as a hotel by Capt. Caleb Hill. The house has been kept in good repair, no material changes having been made in its interior arrangement. It will, no doubt, outlast many of the more modern houses. The large, old-fashioned stone chim- ney, with its oven and smoke-hole for smoking hams, and the beaufet, with its shelves for decanters, glasses and loaf sugar, still remains ; and the old tavern sign which, a century ago, welcomed the traveler seeking rest and refreshment, is now carefully pre- served by the Hill family. This sign has been painted three times, the last time in 1800, and bears the coat of arms of the State of Massachusetts on one side, and the national eagle and motto on the other. Underlying this last painting that of a for-
!
59
FROM 1754-1791.
mer one is distinctly visible, and so perfect that the accompanying accurate copy of it has been engraved. The sign presents the same figure and inscription on both sides.
Over the fire-place, in what was once the waiting-room of the hotel, is a panel painted in oil - a view of the City of Boston in
its infancy. This was preserved until within a few years, when, in making some repairs, it received a coat of white paint.
The fine common in front of the house has been cut through in making subsequent im- provements in Main street, and its beauty was greatly impaired thereby. It was once the favorite village training ground. The house, although origi- nally built of wood, Mofes Hill's Inn .~ was transformed into one of brick by con- structing the walls out- side of the original frame, about the year 1795 1817. Captain Hill, the first proprietor, was one of the prin- cipal men of Douglas, MOSES HILL TAVERN SIGN. and occupied many public positions. He was the progenitor of a numerous family, many of the descendants of whom are still residents of the town. He was succeeded in the office of landlord by his son Moses. At his death. Caleb, father of the present owner, came into its pos- session, but it was closed as a public house, and has since remained a private dwelling. Away back in the history of the town, we
DR.
KEMP
RESIDENCE OF DR. A. E. KEMP, EAST DOUGLAS,
61
FROM 1754-1791.
find that it was a common thing for the voters to assemble at this hotel to shape the destinies of the town, and to devise measures for supporting the Continental armies in the struggle with Great Britain. Here, too, in later years, during the Shay insurrection, the incident recorded in another chapter took place.
The " Douglas and Providence turnpike " was built about the year 1808, through what was almost a dense forest. Another turnpike, which was a continuation of the Providence road, ex- tended from Douglas to Oxford, and for many years it was the most direct route for travel between Providence and the towns in this vicinity. It passed through the meadows now flowed by the Whitin reservoir, and by the house of Joseph Wallis, which stood in about the centre of the submerged territory. Benjamin Adams was the owner of a large tract of land in Douglas Woods, includ- ing the Streeter farm, so-called. The " Gore turnpike," through these woods, was built in 1826, through the exertions of Benjamin Adams and Paul Dudley. It led from Dudley's tavern to Webster. Previous to the construction of this road, the only way to get to Webster was through East Thompson, or around through Oxford.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.