USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Duxbury > History of the town of Duxbury, Massachusetts, with genealogical registers > Part 12
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Samuel Alden, Jr.,
Joshua Thomas,
Abner Ripley,
James Glass,
Seth Weston,
Levi Delano,
Micah Weston,
Benj. Snow,
Benjamin Peterson,
1765. We have now come to a period in the history of New England of striking and peculiar importance. The infringement of the liberties and rights of the Colonies had been continued by the English parliament. The passage of the obnoxious STAMP ACT was more than they could endure. Spontaneous in all parts of the province were the protests against it. The towns assembled in meeting, deliberated, and nobly vindicated their rights. Sustained by the exam- ple of Boston, they loudly cried for repeal, and their humble voices, reaching the throne, effected their object.
A meeting of the Town was called Oct. 21st, and Major Briggs Alden was placed in the chair. Major Alden then arose, and in his usual dignified manner stated, that the object of the meeting was to see, if the Town " would willingly comply or unite with the late act of Parliament, and rest contented with the stamp act as it now stands with the English empire in America ; or else to show their resent- ments against said act, and to use any measures or means, that they shall think proper to prevent said act being imposed upon us, by giving their representative instructions to stop said act, or to use any other means they shall think proper." He then put the question, and they decided that they would not comply. Capt. Wait Wadsworth, Capt. John Wadsworth, Ebenezer Bartlett, Isaac Partridge and Ezra Arnold were then chosen "their Committee to prepare a draught, and to give their reasons why the town would not accept of said act, and to show as far as they were capable of it." The meeting was then adjourned to the 23d of Oct., when the Committee reported the following instructions :
119
THE STAMP ACT.
1765.]
"To Briggs Alden, Esq., Representative of the inhabitants of the Town of Duxbury, in the Great and General Court of the Province of Massachusetts Bay in New England -
"Sir, - Whilst all America is in a ferment, and every patriotic breast is glowing with resentment at the heavy and intolerable burthens imposed upon us, by the late act passed in the Parliament of Great Britain, - We, your constituents, the freeholders and other inhabitants of the ancient and first incorporated town of Duxbury, think it their incumbent duty to inform you of their sentiments upon this important and alarming affair, that you, Sir, may be able in the approaching session of the Great and General Court to act according to their declared mind. We esteem the said Stamp Act to be unconstitutional and subversive of the Rights and Privileges of His Majesty's American Subjects, contrary not only to the Royal Charter granted to our ancestors, and to the Great Charter of British Liberty ; but likewise to the grand preroga- tives of human nature, and to that Liberty, wherewith our Blessed hath made us free. We likewise think that if this act should take place in the Province in the present distressed condition, we should be involved in inevitable ruin. We do now therefore enjoin and instruct you, that you neither directly nor indirectly be aiding, favoring, countenancing, assisting, or any ways instrumental in promoting the putting the said act in existence; but that you oppose the same with all the eloquence and address you are master of, and that you use your utmost endeavors to vindicate our precious rights and privileges, - those privileges for which our forefathers bled; for which those heroic spirits bid adieu to the tyranni- cal, to the all-boding names of the Stuarts, traversed the vast Atlantic, and sat down in these then deserts of America ; and which, Sir, we their descendants esteem dearer to us than our lives. We likewise enjoin it upon you to oppose in the strongest terms any motion or motions, that may be made in the General Assembly, to make a relation or compensation for the riotous proceedings at Boston."
Thus did the inhabitants of Duxbury plainly and distinctly protest against the unwarrantable proceedings of the mother country. Thus did she proclaim to the world, in full defiance of England's power, that infringements of her Charter rights were not to be borne. A repeal of the Stamp Act passed the British Parliament, January 16th, 1766; and on the arrival of the news at Boston, great was the rejoicing. In Duxbury the excitement was of no ordinary nature, and even one half of the town's stock of powder was given' away to be used in expressing their unbounded joy for the blessing of a repeal. This was ordered at a meeting on the 31st of March.
120
THE STAMP ACT. [1765.
Soon after the arrival of the news, it was proposed that there should be a meeting on Captain's hill. Accordingly great numbers assembled, formed themselves into a proces- sion, paraded around the town, and finally marched to the hill, whither they brought six carriage guns and fired a salute. They also carried to the summit effigies of Lords Grenville and Bute, and hung them upon a gallows, which they erected for the occasion. They now selected an orator in the person of Joseph Russell, whose simple wit, and unadorned lan- guage, as he addressed himself to the images before him, caused considerable merriment, and his untutored gestures with the exceedingly comic appearance of his figure, caused a forgetfulness of the true solemnity of their rejoicings. Turning to the effigies he began, "Gentlemen, you see now what you've come to. You remember Haman and Mordecai, do ye? You tried to make slaves of them that ought to be free, and you've come to the gallows yourself that built it for us, ye have ! Such men as you don't have any fear. And there ye are before the gallows for being so set in your own ways! It would ha' been just upon ye, if they had taken that paper ye sent over to us, and wrapped ye up in it and burnt ye up, it would ! But'twould have been too honorable a death for ye. The gallows was what ye deserved, and there ye are now hanging before us, ye are. You're spited at home and abroad, indeed ye are. Your own kith don't like a traitor, they don't I know." The effigies which had during this time been burning, now fell to the ground, and Russell continued, "There I thought your station was below. I didn't think it was above. If ye'd been now an honest old ditcher as I am, ye'd never come to this, ye would n't." * The remainder of the day was passed in pleasure, and at
* Rev. Benj. Kent's notes. Another story is told of Joe, equally humor- ous. It happened that there had been a " skimmington fooler," as it was called, in which a man had been ridden on a horse, followed by a crowd of men and boys dressed in the manner of negroes. The person had been cruel to his family. Some of the individuals were afterwards prosecuted by the king's attorney at Plymouth ; and, while the trial was going on, Joe was called as a witness. Taking the stand he began to relate several laughable stories, which vexed the attorney, who appealed to Gen. Winslow, the presiding judge, and said, " Is it sufferable that this man should stand here and talk so." The General however who was much amused suffered him to finish his talk. The attorney then asked him, if he could not think of any one, who was engaged in the affair, when Joe turning to the General, said, " Yes I do. May it please your honor 'twas you." "Me !" replied the Judge, "why did you think it was me ! " "O!" returned Joe "he was dressed up in a great surplice, and looked very like you, any how he did." The Court now joined heartily in a laugh, and the old General, laying aside the dignity of his office, engaged in it as loudly as any of them.
121
RESOLVES OF THE TOWN.
1773.]
night each returned home with a strong hope of future happiness for his country.
The flame which had been kindled by James, and which had enwrapped the destinies of Andros, had not died out from the hearts of the people. Before the return of another century, this fire was renewed, and the cries for freedom were no longer to be suppressed. They arose spontaneously from every part; from the humble cottage and the lordly mansion.
" One common right the great and lowly claim." Nor was it in vain, - action, forcible and impetuous, - resistance, powerful and effective, followed on the heels of oppression. Eloquence was not wanting in the language of her people, in support of their cherished wish. Relying on the examples set them in the annals of the past, they saw in the future the consummation of their most ardent aspirations. Their dependence on the parent country they knew and felt. Their attention was turned to the encouragement of their own manufactures. The town of Boston, ever foremost in their struggles for liberty, passed a vote for the support of home manufactures. Other towns soon followed, and among the number Duxbury resolved in concurrence with the orders of Boston. This occurred as early as Dec. 22d, 1762.
1773. Early in this year, the Town of Boston addressed a pamphlet to the inhabitants of Duxbury, on the wrongful subversion of the rights of the Provinces. To take into consideration the contents of this pamphlet, a town meeting was called (March 12th,) and a committee consisting of George Partridge, Capt. Wait Wadsworth, Dea. Peleg Wads- · worth, Dr. John Wadsworth, and Bildad Arnold, were appointed "to draw proper resolves or other remonstrances against the invasion of our charter rights and privileges." The meeting was then adjourned to the 29th, when the com- mittee reported the following reply, which was unanimously accepted. It was written, it is said, by the Chairman, Mr. Partridge.
"To the Committee of Correspondence of the Town of Boston, -
GENTLEMEN, - We, the freeholders and other inhabitants of the town of Duxbury, in said Town meeting legally assem- bled, upon due examination of the contents of a pamphlet from the town of Boston, directed to be laid before us, are truly of the opinion that the rights of the people are therein well stated, and that the list of infringements and violations of the same is just ; which gives us the distressing and very alarming apprehensions, that a plan is laid and prosecuted with unrelenting rigor, which will, if thoroughly completed,
16
122
REPLY TO THE COMMITTEE OF BOSTON. [1773.
reduce the colonies, and this province in particular, to a state of vassalage and desperation. It would give us uneasiness, Gentleinen, should you imagine from our so long neglecting an answer, that we are in any degree careless, idle spectators of the calamities and oppression under which we groan. We inherit the very spot of soil, cultivated by some of the first comers to New England, and though we pretend not that we inherit their virtues also in perfection; yet hope we possess at least some remains of that Christian and heroic virtue and manly sense of liberty, in the exercise of which, they in the very face of danger emigrated from their native land to this then howling wilderness, to escape the iron yoke of oppression, and to transmit to posterity that fair, that amiable inheritance - Liberty, civil and sacred. And give us leave to add that we esteem it not only detracting from the virtue of their design; but an affront to their natural under- standing, should we adopt the sentiments lately expressed to the public, viz, - that our worthy ancestors, when they first took possession of this country, when they necessarily lost a voice in the British legislature, consented, at least tacitly, to be subject to the unlimited control and jurisdiction of that very government, the merciless oppression of which was intolerable by them, even when they had a voice in that legislature. We glory in a legal, loyal subjection to our sov- ereign ; but when we see the right to dispose of our property claimed and actually exercised by a legislature a thousand leagues off, and in which we have no voice; and ships and troops poured in upon us to support the growing, or rather overgrown power of crown officers in exercising that same power; the power of our Vice Admiralty courts enlarged beyond due bounds; our principal fortress, built and main- tained by us for our defence against a foreign enemy, taken out of our hands, as though we were not worthy to be trusted, and committed into the hands of the standing army; our Governor forbid signing any bill of our Assembly, subjecting a certain number of crown officers to pay any proportion of the charge of the government they live under; our Gover- nor's usual dependence on the people unnaturally and unconstitutionally cut off; the Judges of our Superior Courts, on whose determination life and property so much depend, made to the great danger of the people solely dependent on the crown; and many things of a like nature take place - shall it then be deemed disloyalty and even faction to complain ? By no means : we esteem it a virtue and a duty, which people of every rank owe to themselves and posterity, to use their utmost exertions in all reasonable ways, so far as their influence may extend, to oppose tyranny in all its forms, and to extricate themselves from every dangerous and oppres-
123
MINUTE COMPANIES.
1773.]
sive innovation. And it gives us the greatest pleasure to see so much unity of sentiment in the several towns of this province, and trust there is and will soon appear that una- nimity in the several colonies on the continent; and we look upon ourselves peculiarly obliged to the town of Boston for their care and vigilance in this day of darkness and danger, and shall be ever ready to co-operate with them, and our other brethren through the Province, in all reasonable and constitutional measures, for the vindication of our wounded Liberties, and the restoration of the same to their former estate. Imploring the divine benediction on our honest endeavors to maintain and promote constitutional liberties in our land, and hoping to see the time when liberty shall again flourish here, and harmony and concord betwixt Great Britain and the Colonies be restored and confirmed."
1773. This year the first minute company in the town was raised. Previous to this the towns people were in the habit of frequently assembling for military exercise, and were usually drilled by Maj. Judah Alden. The officers of the company now raised were as follows. Ichabod Alden, captain; Andrew Sampson, lieutenant, and Judah Alden, ensign. Among the other individuals, who composed the company, the following are remembered.
Samuel Loring, ?
Joshua Cushing, Corporals.
Peter Bradford,
James Shaw,
John Hanks,
Serg'ts.
Daniel Loring, J
John Drew, drummer, Amherst Alden, fifer.
Privates.
Saml. Alden,
Thaddeus Ripley,
Thomas Chandler, .
John Southworth,
Saml. Chandler,
Joshua Sprague,
Thomas Dawes,
Thomas Sprague,
Nathl. Delano,
Saml. Sprague,
Luther Delano,
Uriah Sprague,
Berzilla Delano,
Wm. Sampson, Ichabod Sampson,
Thomas Delano,
Seraiah Glass,
Joseph Wadsworth.
Peleg Gullifer, John Glass,
Prince Thomas,
John Oldham,
Consider Thomas,
John Osyer,
Wait Wadsworth,
Kimball Ripley,
Seneca Wadsworth,
Chas. Thomas,
Some time after this a regiment of minute men was formed out of Plymouth County, and Theophilus Cotton of Ply- mouth was chosen colonel; Ichabod Alden of Duxbury, It .- colonel ; and Ebenezer Sprout of Middleboro', major.
124
ADDRESS TO GEN. GAGE. [1774.
Mr. George Partridge was now chosen commander of the company.
The officers of the two companies of militia at this time were, of the first-Capt. Levi Loring, Lt. Bildad Arnold, Ens. Benjamin Freeman ; of the second - Capt. Calvin Par- tridge, Lt. Elijah Baker, Ens. Adam Fish. The next officers were, of the first - Capt. Samuel Loring, Lt. Benjamin Free- man, Ens. Nathaniel Sprague; of the second -Capt. Elijah Baker, Lt. Nathan Sampson, Ens. Cornelius Delano. Capt. Baker was next promoted to a Major.
Another body of men was organized about this time, consisting of all the men over 50 years of age, who were styled the "alarm list," and were under the same officers as the militia. Sentries were also stationed at different points in time of danger, and at Captain's Hill.
1774. These were appointed a Committee of Correspond- ence, (May 30th) : Capt. W. Wadsworth, Dea. P. Wadsworth, Geo. Partridge, Capt. Samuel Bradford and Micah Soule, to unite with the Committee in general for the Province. They also chose (Sept. 19th) Geo. Partridge, Capt. W. Wadsworth, and Dea. P. Wadsworth, a Committee, to join the County Committee, in order to act upon the political affairs of the Province.
On the 6th of July, the justices of Plymouth county ad- dressed a letter to General Gage, and after congratulating him on his appointment to the office of Governor-General, and his safe arrival, continue in substance as follows : - " We con- sider you a person in whom are centred all the qualifications necessary for the discharge of that important trust ; and though sensible that the endeavors of your predecessors were met with bad success, yet we think that your Excellency has power to check every disorder, and to secure for us our constitutional privileges. We have seen with serious concern the influences of those persons calling themselves Committees of Correspond- ence, and against these and their abettors we promise our in- cessant aid." To this Gen. Gage returned an answer, dated July 12th, assuring them that he would " take every step in his power to secure to them the peaceable enjoyment of all their constitutional privileges, and to give that free course to the laws, on which every State depends for its support, and without which no government can subsist." Among the sign- ers of the address of Plymouth, were Major Briggs Alden and Capt. Gamaliel Bradford of Duxbury. These, however, after- wards at a town meeting (Sept. 19th,) made each a public recantation, and craved the forgiveness of the town. Their declarations were nearly as follows : - " The Address to Tho- mas Gage, Esq., Captain General and Governor, &c., of the Massachusetts Bay in New England, of the General Sessions
125
1
REVOLUTIONARY ANNALS.
1774.]
of the Peace, and Justices of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas for the county of Plymouth, published in Draper's & Byles' papers [Boston Newsletter] of the 14th of July, 1774, I acknowledge I voted for. For which I am sorry from my heart and humbly ask the forgiveness of the town of Duxbury and all the inhabitants of the Province; and I likewise pro- mise and declare upon the true faith of a Christian, that I will not take a commission, nor act upon any under this new plan of government, if offered to me."
Beside Maj. Alden and Capt. Bradford, the following Jus- tices also subscribed the above Address : Thomas Foster, Joseph Josselyn, Abijah White, Edward Winslow, Pelham Winslow and Gideon Bradford.
The political affairs of the province were now fast drawing to a crisis. On the arrival of Gen. Gage, this year, the Gen- eral Court assembled at Boston, of which Mr. Partridge was a member from Duxbury. This was soon adjourned to Salem. Here they met, and a secret caucus was proposed, and many of the leading whigs accordingly met in the night, a short dis- tance from the town. Mr. Partridge was present, and took, with others of those noble spirits, those decisive and determin- ed positions, which could not be mistaken, and which much conduced to the completion of that efficient organization of opposition, which was then in embryo. We have the words of Mr. Partridge relative to the occasion of this conclave, - " Gen. Gage (said he) had come over with his troops and pro- clamations, to frighten us rebels into submission ! We soon had his mandate, dissolving the Court, and directing us to meet at Salem, in order, as he said, to 'remove us from the baneful influences - the baneful influences of Boston !' So we met there. And in a short time one began to ask another, ' What can we do? the worst must come to the worst !' ' Why, we will have a caucus and see what can be done.' Then, when we met a member in whose eye we saw one true to the cause, we touched him on the shoulder - ' Be silent - meet with us to-night - at such an hour - in such a place - and bring your man.' All were prompt to the hour. The meeting was full. Order was called. 'Shall we submit to Great Britain, and make the best terms in our power, or shall we resist her encroachments to the point of the sword ?' - There was a pause. We looked at each other ; and the unan- imous answer was given, 'We will resist her encroachments to the point of the sword !' Now came the question -- ' What shall be done ? The gulf is passed !' ' We will have a Con- gress at Concord. We will send letters to all the colonies, and urge them to send delegates to meet at Philadelphia. We will have committees of safety. We will take care of our arms. We will go to our homes, and wake every one that sleeps.' " [Rev. Benj. Kent's Address. ]
126
REVOLUTIONARY ANNALS. [1775.
A provincial congress was convened at Salem on the 7th of October; but adjourned on the same day. It was again con- vened at Concord, on Tuesday the 11th. A meeting of the town was held (Oct. 3d,) and Geo. Partridge was chosen to attend in their behalf at the adjourned meeting of the congress, with these instructions : "To Mr. George Partridge,-As it is unlikely, in the present situation of our public affairs, that the House of Representatives should sit to do business, we instruct and require you to join with the intended Provincial Congress to be holden at Concord, in order to deliberate and determine on the most wise and prudent measures to be adopted for the true interest, happiness and freedom of the Province."
Previous to this, a congress of Plymouth county had been held on the 26th of September, at Plympton, when it adjourn- ed on the next day to the Plymouth court-house, when a committee reported some resolves; and of this number Mr. Partridge of Duxbury was one. The congress at Concord adjourned on the 15th ; again assembled at Cambridge on the 17th, and adjourned on the 29th ; it met again at Cambridge on the 23d of November, and dissolved on the 10th of De- cember.
1775. The town chose (Jan. 16th) Mr. George Partridge to attend as their representative to the Second Provincial Con- gress at Cambridge on the 1st of February; and also voted £32 8s. 4d. in aid of the same. This congress adjourned on the 16th ; met again at Concord on the 22d of March, adjourn- ed on the 15th of April; again met at Concord, on the 22d, and adjourned the same day ; then at Watertown on the 24th, and finally dissolved on the 29th of May .*
At the same meeting, (Jan. 16th, ) these were appointed a Committee of Inspection, to see the resolves of the Provincial Congress duly executed : Capt. Saml. Bradford, Joshua Hall, Maj. Gamalial Bradford, Jr., Dea. Perez Loring, Capt. Benja. Wadsworth, Jacob Weston, and Peleg Wadsworth. The town afterwards (Jan. 30th) voted to procure thirty fire-arms with bayonets, for the use of the town ; and Geo. Partridge, Ichabod Alden and Wm. Thomas were appointed to obtain them, and £60 were furnished them. A meeting had been called previously, to see " if ye town will provide proper fire- arms and all other warlike instruments, and amunition suita- ble for to defend ye town and country as need may require."
Some time before the open rupture of hostilities, Gen. Gage, at the solicitation of the tories, had stationed at Marshfield a body of the British troops, the Queen's Guards, for their pro-
* Mr. Partridge was, this year, a member of the General Court from Duxbury, and was one of the Committee ordered to wait upon General Washington, on his arrival.
127
MARSHFIELD LOYALISTS.
1775.]
tection. An address, dated at Pembroke Feb. 7th, 1775, was sent to Gen. Gage by the selectmen of Plymouth, Kingston, Duxbury, Pembroke, Hanson and Scituate, protesting against placing an armed force among them in time of peace, assuring him that there was no truth in the statements of those of Marshfield and Scituate, who declared that this was necessary to protect them from the exasperated fury of the whigs. They declared that no plan of attack had been formed, and begged that his Excellency would examine the case, before he com- plied. On the 15th of the same month, the Massachusetts Provincial Congress voted that these six towns are highly ap- proved of in finding out the malicious designs of their enemies in requesting Gen. Gage to station there a body of troops. They recommended them to continue "steadily to persevere in the same line of conduct, which has in this instance so justly entitled them to the esteem of their fellow-countrymen; and to keep a watchful eye upon the behavior of those who are aiming at the destruction of our liberties." Gen. Gage, how- ever, thought fit to comply. The following letter, from a tory in Marshfield, to a gentleman in Boston, gives some of the cir- cumstances of the case; which must be read, however, as a loyalist's account. It is dated Jan. 24th, 1775.
"Two hundred of the principal inhabitants of this loyal town, insulted and intimidated by the licentious spirit, that unhappily has been prevalent among the lower ranks of people in the Massachusetts Government, having applied to the Gov- ernor for a detachment of his Majesty's troops to assist in pre- serving the peace, and to check the insupportable insolence of the disaffected and turbulent, were happily relieved by the appearance of Capt. Balfour's party, consisting of one hundred soldiers, who were joyfully received by the Loyalists. Upon their arrival, the valor of the minute men was called forth by Adams' crew; they were accordingly mustered, and to the unspeakable confusion of the enemies of our happy constitu- tion, no more than twelve persons presented themselves to bear arms against the Lord's annointed. It was necessary that some apology should be made for the scanty appearance of their volunteers; and they colored it over with a declara- tion, that, 'had the party sent to Marshfield consisted of half a dozen battalions, it might have been worth their attention to meet and engage them ; but a day would come when the cour- age of their minute host would be able to clear the country of all their enemies, howsoever formidable in numbers.' The King's troops are very comfortably accommodated, and pre- serve the most exact discipline ; and now every faithful sub- ject to his King dare fully utter his thoughts, drink his tea, and kill his sheep as profusely as he pleases."
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