USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Dunstable > History of the town of Dunstable, Massachusetts, from its earliest settlement to the year of Our Lord 1873 > Part 24
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A DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.
Meanwhile the spirit of independence grew warmer and warmer, and the idea of American nationality filled the minds of the people of the town. The Declaration of Independence had not yet set forth the wrongs of the colonies, it is true, nor had it proclaimed to the world the intention and ultimate object of the American people in the great contest then raging ; but to the people of Dunstable, these wrongs were familiar, and their breasts were animated by those patriotic sentiments which had been uttered in such eloquent tones in Faneuil Hall, and had found such a warm response on the floor of the Continental Congress, and so this town spoke and made its record for the time. If you will turn to your town-books you will find the following entry : -
" At a meeting of ye Town of Dunstable on June 8th, 1776 [nearly a month before the Declaration of Independence], chose Mr. Joel Park- hurst, Moderator : - Then chose Major Ebenezer Bancroft, Capt. Reuben Butterfield, and Mr. Timothy Read, a committee to prepare ye Draught of a vote which is as follows : - At a time when ye most important Questions that ever were agitated Before ye Representative Body of this Colony, Touching its Liberties and privileges, will demand your attention, as we your constituents are called upon to instruct you in every Important Point of Duty you may be called to act upon, viz : of ye Colonyes being Declared Independent of Grate Brittan when we reflect upon the States of America, when our Forefathers first came over here, and ye cause for which they came, and The Treatment of Grate Brittan Towards us Ever since, But especially of Late when our Humble Petition to ye King of Grate Brittan for our just Rights Repeatdly Rejected with Disdain and fier and sword, Takeing place upon our Brethren of this Land. He and His Parliament not only Deceaving the People of Grate Brittan but attempting To hier y natives of this Land to Butcher us, and for what we know hath Hired all ye covitous, Bloodthirsty souls upon ye face of ye whole earth to come against us in order to rob us of Life and fortune, ye contemplation of which fills our brests [with] Abhorrence and Disdain against ye Power that is thus acting we then will joyn with our brethren of America, in Pressing such measures as the Hon'ble the Continental Congress shall adopt if it is that of Independence of Grate Brittan and you will Equip yourself as a member of Society and will use your utmost Indeavors in promoting the cause of America not in the least doubting your abilities.
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The above being Red to ye Town ye Question being put whether ye same Be given as advice to ye present Representative of this Town passed in the affirmative. Nem. Con.
" Entered by " JOSIAH BLODGETT JR., " Town Clerk."
I think I see them now, those earnest and manly sons of the Puritan warriors and teachers, who had filled the pulpits and town-houses and armies of our land during a century of protest and trial and self-sacrifice and defiance, rising higher and higher in their indignant sense of duty as the fierce periods which I have just read to you were launched forth upon an approving town-meeting here by that simple and sturdy chairman. And can you not feel with them the hot blood of the warrior Lovewell coursing through their veins as the ardent declaration went on ? The memory of long and weary trials in the cause of civilization there in that wilderness, of the precepts of those old teachers who were gone, of the bloody seas through which they had been brought to their great assertion, of the wrongs of the past, - this, and their glowing understanding of the promise of the present hour before them, and of the future, all inspired their minds with wisdom and their hearts with courage for that occasion.
From their humble homes they had stepped forth, not to follow but to lead, not to listen but to speak, not to be taught but to teach mankind to be true to the highest demands of a free and independent spirit. It was to the voice of such assemblies as this that our fathers of the Revolution listened ; it was the wisdom of such assemblies that guided their councils, and gave the American people their greatness.
WHAT TROOPS THEY RAISED.
True to this spirit and inspired by this language, Dunstable continued to supply men to the army, voting, in 1777, "to raise men for the Conti- nental army," and also voting " not to allow those men that hired men into the Continental army for 1776, equal to others." It was also voted, March 5, 1781, " to allow the committee to procure beef for the army." Passing beyond this practical service, the town voted " to recommend the adoption of a state constitution," Oct. 3, 1776. In all these acts and declar- ations we cannot but be struck with the important position assumed by the towns in those early days, and the important part they performed: nor can we fail to look with profound interest on the intimate relations existing between the people and their representatives, and the power and persist- ency with which the popular voice was continually raised for the guidance and instruction of the rulers. In the war of 1812 the town voted "that each soldier in the town of Dunstable that shall be called into the actual service of the United States shall be allowed, out of the town treasury, a sum sufficient to make his pay fifteen dollars per month for such time as he shall be so actually engaged, including the pay allowed by government."
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HISTORY OF DUNSTABLE.
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THE CIVIL WAR.
And when the country, to the foundation and independence and honor of which Dunstable had devoted herself through the generations of two centuries, was threatened with disruption, the spirit which had responded so warmly for independence roused itself at once for its safety and protec- tion. To the repose of peace your people had long been accustomed, so long that the front of war was almost unknown, even when presented in your midst ; but rising with the occasion, this little community decimated itself for the loyal armies, furnishing forty-three men to the country's service and appropriating more than $10,000 out of the treasury of the town for the support and comfort of the soldiers. The votes recorded in your town-books, commencing in July, 1862, with the offer of a bounty of one hundred dollars to each volunteer, and ending April, 1864, with a a vote increasing the bounty to one hundred and twenty-five dollars, mani- fest a patriotic calmness and devotion in the most trying hour of the war.
CIVIL MATTERS IN THE TOWN.
Towards the close of the Revolutionary war, the question of a consti- tution for the State of Massachusetts was submitted to the voters of the several towns in the commonwealth. In Dunstable a town-meeting was called on May 15, 1780, and adjourned to Tuesday, May 30, to consider the several articles of the constitution reported by the convention which had prepared it. The objections are so remarkable and significant that I shall lay them before you, as an illustration of the positive views and sentiments of those times. Joel Parkhurst having been chosen moderator in the place of John Tyng, Esq., who was unavoidably absent, " the meet- ing proceeded to consider the second and third articles, wherein they engage full protection to all denominations of Christians ; which sentences are so general as to engage protection to the idolatrous worshippers of the Church of Rome. The questions being put, there appeared twenty- three for an amendment, none against it. 1
" The second objection was to the sixteenth article in said bill of right, as to the liberty of the press, as there being no restraint therein it may be made up to the dishonor of God, by printing heresy and so forth, and injurious to private character. The question being put, twenty-six ap- peared for an amendment, none for the article as it now stands.
" The third objection was to having so large a number of councillors and senators as forty, whereas twenty-eight, under the former constitution, they understood, answered every purpose required of that body ; upon the question there appeared twelve for an amendment."
"The fourth objection was relative to the governor's power of marching the militia to any part of the State, without the advice or consent of any. The amendment proposed was that when the governor should find it need- ful to march the militia from and about Boston more than one hundred
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miles, it should be by advice and consent of his council and not other- wise, and by the same advice and consent, to have full power to march them to the assistance of any neighboring State, in the recess of the General Court, when there appeared eleven for the amendment.
" The fifth objection was to the appointment of all judicial officers, the attorney-general, the solicitor-general, all sheriffs, coroners, and registers of probate resting in the hands of the governor and council, but held it a right of the people at large to choose them; upon this question, seven for an amendment and six against it.
" The sixth objection was to the declaration to be made and subscribed by the governor, lieutenant-governor, council, Senate and House of Representatives, before they proceed to execute the duties of their office, which is to declare themselves to be of the Christian religion, reasons offered for said objections were these, that thereby the government would be confined to Protestants ; upon the question there appeared nineteen for the amendment, and none in the negative.
"The seventh objection was to the form of oath prescribed ; the amend- ment proposed was this : to place the words 'by the Living God,' taken in said oath as is required in His word ; thirteen for amendment."
"The eighth objection was that the denomination of people called Quakers being admitted to office upon an affirmation without taking oath in manner and form as required of others; upon the question, there appeared twelve for the amendment and none against it.
" The ninth objection was to the time proposed for the revisal of the constitution if it should take place, but proposed to have this amendment, that precepts be issued by the General Court for a change of delegates for that purpose in seven years from this time ; the question was then put whether the town would approve of said constitution or form of government, if amended for substance as pointed out in this return, when there appeared thirteen in favor of it taking place, and not one to the contrary."
I think it is evident that your ancestors believed in an economical gov- ernment, were opposed to military despotism and Cæsarism, did not ap- prove of a powerful executive, had strong Puritan faith and no great love for Quakers or Catholics, and meant to make an oath as binding as possible.
RELIGIOUS TEACHING.
I have already stated that in the settlement of New England, religion was at the very foundation, and I have depicted to you some of the early struggles in this community to provide for the preaching of the gospel. The first meeting-house was erected in 1678, and was probably built of logs. In May, 1679, Rev. Thomas Weld was employed here as minister. He married Hannah, daughter of Hon. Edward Tyng. In 1684 a new meeting-house was erected, and he was ordained in December, 1685. The name of Jonathan Tyng heads the list of church members, Mr. Weld
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died in 1702, at the age of fifty, leaving a high reputation as a scholar and preacher. He was succeeded by Rev. Samuel Hunt in 1705, by Rev. Samuel Parris, of witchcraft fame, in 1708, by Rev. Amos Cheever in 1713, on a salary of £40 per year, by the Rev. Jona. Peirpoint in 1717, by Rev. Nathaniel Prentice in 1720. These clergymen were, many of them, graduates of Harvard, were firm in the Calvinistic faith, and exerted a good influence on the community. They exercised an exemplary economy in their modes of living, and they cultivated those qualities of mind and heart in their children which made the families of the clergy of that early day nurseries of many of the most useful, substantial, and reliable char- acteristics of the New England colonies. From the time to which I have alluded until our own day, the condition of church affairs here has been generally peaceable, and the temper of pastor and people has not been controversial. In fact, I find but one notable event, to which I can call your attention, and that is so interesting, so full of instruction and sound suggestion, such an illustration of that honesty and fidelity which become a public servant, that I desire to state it fully here. As recorded in your town-books, it is as follows : -
" The committee chosen by the Town of Dunstable, at their last meet- ing, Sept. 2, 1811, to represent to and consult with the Rev'd Joshua Heywood respecting the state of public worship in the town, have attended to that service and offer the following statement of the Rev'd Mr. Hey- wood as their report.
" ZEBEDEE KENDALL MICAH ELDREDGE NATHANIEL CUMMINGS JOHN CHANEY
1 Committee.
" DUNSTABLE, Sept. 14, 1811."
"TO THE INHABITANTS OF THE TOWN OF DUNSTABLE :
" Gentlemen, - Whereas, your committee chosen by you in town meet- ing, the 2d of September, 1811, have represented to and consulted with me on the situation of the town respecting public worship, and having represented to me that there are in the minds of many, apprehensions of pecuniary embarrassment, in consequence of an Act passed at the last session of the General Court of this commonwealth, relating to religious freedom, I do, with their advice and concurrence, make the following statement to you : -
" As I did, in my answer to the call given me to settle as a gospel minister in this place, bring to your view the impropriety of making the stipulation between a people and their minister a matter of pecuniary speculation, and as you complied with it, I ever thought that we were bound on both sides never to do any such thing. I do, therefore, now most solemnly record my protest against it.
" But conceiving it to be the duty of a people and their minister to be
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always helpful to each other under all difficulties and embarrassments, to perform this duty, therefore, toward you, now laboring under apprehen- sions of embarrassments, I propose to you that provided the said Act of the General Court above mentioned, shall not be repealed, but be put in execution to your damage, so that your ministerial taxes shall be increased thereby upon the valuation of your estates, and provided there shall be a majority of the town, who will attend the public worship of God with the Congregational Church of Christ, as heretofore done in the house now built for that purpose, under the regular administration thereof, which, by Divine Providence, shall be provided, I will relinquish so much of my salary for the present year, as the increase upon their ministerial taxes shall be. The year to begin the Ist of March, 1811, and end the Ist of March, 1812. That no encouragement be taken herefrom to the damage of the town, I reserve the consideration of any relinquishment in future years, to my own judgment of the circumstances which may then exist.
" My design and intent in this proposal and engagement, is to relieve the town from their present apprehensions and embarrassment, and to have them attend on the public worship of God in as orderly and regular a manner as they can under the present difficulties, and to prevent the introduction of such irregularities as would be to the damage of the town and church. If this proposal gives satisfaction to your minds and meets your approbation, and you use your endeavors to carry the things pro- posed into effect, then this instrument, by me signed, shall be in full force, otherwise it shall be void and of no effect.
" JOSHUA HEYWOOD.
" DUNSTABLE, Sept. 11, 1811."
Although I find no recorded words of the clergy of Dunstable, no vig- orous appeals in great public crises, no contributions of theirs to the controversial literature of their day, I can still read in the popular charac- teristics of this town, in the unflinching courage and energy of your early ancestors, in the steady and long-continued rectitude of the public men here engaged in the councils of both town and State, in the constant recognition of the value of religion and education, - I can read in all this the salutary influence of a high-toned and pious succession of Christian ministers within your borders. But of none, either here or elsewhere, can higher praise be uttered than of Joshua Heywood, who, recognizing the burdens which pressed upon his people, declined to avail himself of any statute for his pecuniary advantage, refusing to make "the stipulation between a people and their minister a matter of pecuniary speculation," and appealing to their sense of honor to stand by that contract which he made with them, and they with him, in the beginning, even though it might be to his own loss. If the theology and ethics of this town have furnished this and this alone as their contribution to the best guiding principle of the land, then has it not been built in vain. I commend the conscience and temper and spirit of Mr. Heywood to all the public ser-
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vants of our land, high and low, to all who feel and know that a virtuous and honorable republic is the highest glory of man, and that a corrupt republic is his deepest shame.
DISTINGUISHED MEN.
I should not be doing justice to this town, and discharging my duty on this occasion in accordance with your best sentiments, did I fail to remind you of some, a few at least, of those men of mark whose names are inti- mately connected with your history. In all my recital of the important events in your earlier annals you must have noticed the prominence and importance attached to the name of Tyng. The founder of the family here was Hon. Edward Tyng, who died Dec. 28, 1681, aged eighty-one years. Col. Tyng was born in Dunstable, England, in 1600, settled in Boston as a merchant in 1639, was representative in 1661 and 1662, assist- ant from 1668 to 1681, and colonel of the Suffolk regiment. He left six children, two sons and four daughters. His sons were prominent in their day, and his daughters will be remembered as among the foremost women of their time ; Hannah having married Rev. Thomas Weld, a leading clergyman of this town and of the colony; Eunice being the wife of President Willard, of Harvard College; and Rebecca having married Gov. Dudley. Col. Tyng had the strength, energy, and courage of a leading and successful colonist, had enterprise enough to leave the Old World for the opportunities of the New, sagacity enough to become a dis- tinguished and prosperous merchant, and strength of character sufficient to found a family. He became possessed of lands in this town by early grants, and having acquired a fortune by commercial enterprise in his manhood, he had the wisdom to retire to the country to enjoy there the evening of his day. He gave the name to a town in his own honor, and in that town his ashes repose. Hon. Jonathan Tyng, the son of Col. Edward Tyng, was born Dec. 15, 1642, and died Jan. 19, 1724, aged eighty-one. It is said of him, " He was one of the original proprietors of the town, and the earliest permanent settler, having remained here alone during Philip's War, when every other person had deserted the settlement for fear of the Indians." He was a man of great energy and decision of character, and of probity and honor. He was one of the council of Sir Edward Andros, a royal commissioner under James II, a representative of this town and one of its selectmen. It was he to whom the garrisons of the town were intrusted during the Indian wars. Two of his sons, John and Eleazer, were graduates of Harvard College, and his daughter Mary followed the example of many of the attractive and accomplished young women of that day, and married the parish minister, Rev. Nathaniel Holden. Col. Tyng married Sarah, daughter of Hezekiah Usher, who died in 1714. Rev. Thomas Weld, the first minister of the town, died June 9, 1702, aged fifty years. He was born in Roxbury, and was a grandson of Rev. Thomas Weld, the first minister of that town, who
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came from England in 1632. Mr. Weld, the subject of this notice, grad- uated at Harvard in 1671, and studied divinity with Rev. Samuel Danforth, and settled in Dunstable in 1678. He married for his first wife Elizabeth, daughter of Rev. John Wilson, of Medfield; and for his second wife Hannah Savage, daughter of Hon. Edward Tyng. He was a man of great piety, and exerted an elevating influence on the community during his long ministry. He was a good representative of that class of men who in those days were educated at Harvard, stood by the church, and encouraged the schools, and who did so much to give New England that character of intelligence and integrity which she has not yet lost, and which has been carried by her sons into every corner of our land.
AMOS KENDALL, an eminent lawyer and statesman, was born in Dun- stable, Aug. 16, 1789, son of Zebedee [Kendall] and his wife. He was occupied during his early life, until sixteen years of age, in work on his father's farm. His advantages for education were small, and it was not until he entered Dartmouth College, in 1807, where he was graduated with the highest honors of his class, in 1811, that he was in any way enabled to gratify his love of knowledge. Having taught school in various parts of Massachusetts, in order to defray the expenses of his education, and having studied law with William B. Richardson, Esq., of Groton, afterwards chief justice of New Hampshire; he removed to Kentucky, was tutor in the family of Henry Clay, afterwards postmaster of Lexing- ton, Ky., and finally editor of the Argus of Western America. While living in Kentucky, he did much to develop the common schools of that State, and established the school fund now in existence there. His ability as an editor and writer attracted the attention of President Jack- son, who, in 1829, called him to Washington, where he was successively fourth auditor of the treasury department and postmaster general. He remained in public life until 1840, when he retired to the duties of his profession.
Mr. Kendall was one of the clearest and most forcible writers of his day. His mind was directed by the warmest instincts for the people, and by a keen understanding of those doctrines of government which are based on popular rights and tend to preserve the popular virtue. His words were well known throughout our country, and to him was accorded the distinction of clothing the administration of President Jackson with many of its finest utterances and many of its noblest appeals. The character of Mr. Kendall was pure and admirable. Towards the close of his life he formed one of the attractions of Washington, where his mild, blue eye, his long, snowy hair, his delicate and slender form, his placid expression, were familiar to all, and where his charming conversation was one of the great delights of the circle in which he moved. It was this delicacy of his moral and physical structure which prevented his being one of the most conspicuous, as he was one of the ablest and purest, personages in our history.
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CONCLUSION.
And now, friends and fellow-citizens, this brief story of your town is told. I have not explored the remotest recesses of your annals for marks of your eccentricity, or for those personal details which, while they amuse for the hour, make no appeal to those sentiments of pride and satisfaction which should fill the breast of every man who muses by the graves and studies the high qualities of his ancestors. I have not forgotten your errors, - the local controversies, the existence of slavery here when slavery existed everywhere, the shortcomings and the temporary irrita- tions ; but I have passed them by, and have endeavored so to deal with your history as to fill your minds with respect for your ancestors and with a determination to transmit, in more radiant form, the blessed institu- tions which you have inherited, to those whose duty it shall be to preserve them, and to celebrate them at the next centennial anniversary of the settlement of this town.
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INDEX OF SUBJECTS, NAMES, AND PLACES.
A
Abbot, Amos, page 181 ; John, 91. Acadians, 99.
Accident, painful, 57, 86, 129, 166, 175, 176, 199, 180, 183, 184, 188, 197-199. Account book, 144.
Account of men in service, 138-142. Acres, John, 17, 27, 28. Act of incorporation, 10. Action against the town, 109. Action of the town after division, 286. Adams, Daniel, 183 ; Darwin, 171, 183,
186, 187 ; Ephraim, 75; Henry, 82 ; Judah, 234 ; J. Q., 198 ; Phineas, 234 ; Ruth, 95; Samuel, 32, 63, 64 ; Solomon, 22 ; Stephen, 74, 75, 78, 94 ; Thomas, 75, 95, 234 ; Zachariah, 75.
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