USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Fitchburg > History of the town of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, comprising also a history of Lunenburg, from its first settlement to the year 1764 (1865) > Part 10
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
. He had bent little e'se beside his good looks to recommend him. Not being overburthened with medical knowledge or common sense, his " practice " was limited ; and he curtailed his expenses in proportion. He boarded with " landlord Upton." on condition that he should pay a certain sim for every meal at which he might be present, and that he should receive a certain sum whenever he should be absent. He contrived that his visits to his patients and neighbors should be at anch an hour as to secure a meal of virtuals without expense to himself. Consequently, when the time of "settling " came, it appeared that the landlord was in the doctor's debt.
100
HISTORY OF FITCHBURG.
part of the town not included in the limits of the proposed new town, set their faces against it. They could not see the propriety of setting off that flourishing part of the town, and taking upon themselves the whole burden of maintaining the minister, bridges, &c. So they promptly voted that the article should be dismissed.
But the petitioners, acting with that zeal which is not quenched by a single repulse, but rather gathers force from opposition, made another attempt in the following May, but in a different form. This was to see if the town would " receive about a mile or more in width of land, with the inhabitants thereon, of the northerly part of the town of Westminster, bounded on the northwesterly part of Fitchburg, to be annexed thereto, to be convened with others of the inhabitants of said town, for the public worship of God, and to be vested with all other privileges with said town in public matters, to join with the inhabitants of said Fitchburg to build a meeting house on Ezra Upton's land," &c. (A few rods to the southeast of the house of Daniel Works.) This was an essen- tial modification of the original plan; and instead of taking any thing from the territory of the town, would add consid- erable to it. Another point was conceded by proposing to place the meeting house on Ezra Upton's land, which, with the new territory, would not be far from the centre of the town. But the wise men of the east were not to be deceived by this artfully contrived plan. They well knew that if this point was conceded, it would throw so much power into the hands of the west, that they could, if they should choose, have it set off into a separate town. This article was accord- ingly dismissed.
These two defeats only made the people of the west more anxious to carry their point in some shape. They began to consider it an intolerable grievance to be compelled to travel over such hills and to such a distance, to attend public wor- ship ; and accordingly in March, 1786. they requested of the
110
HISTORY OF FITCHBURG.
town, " that Rev. Mr. Payson have liberty to preach some part of the time in the year, in the westerly part of the town." This modest request was also denied-the town prob- ably thinking that by yielding an inch, they would open a door through which they might unwillingly be thrust a mile.
In September of this year a more important movement was made. It was voted to build "a new meeting house in the centre of the town, or in the nearest convenient place" to the centre-all being aware that the old meeting house in the Old City was not in the centre. All seemed to acknowl- edge the necessity of building a new meeting house, although the old house had been standing but twenty years. It had never been thoroughly finished, and the winds and weather found their way into it in such a manner as to render it uncomfortable. It had rather a shabby appearance, and was too small to accommodate all the inhabitants.
It being voted to build a new meeting house, the grand difficulty now arose, to ascertain " the nearest convenient place to the centre." Strong feelings on this subject had been already excited; but before going further into this subject, it will be proper to consider what the people in the westerly part of the town, and the adjoining part of Westminster, were doing at this time. Jedediah Cooper and Jacob Upton, the two innkeepers, and of course men of great influence, together with some of their neighbors, determined to have a meeting house among themselves at any rate. Accordingly they bestirred themselves with sufficient effect to ereet a frame for such a building, opposite the road which leads from Flint MeIntire's to the county road, on a small plat of ground just within the limits of Fitchburg. It was subsequently covered, and public worship was occasionally held there, but it was never sufficiently finished to be worthy the name of a meeting house .*
"For several years previous to the building of the first parish meeting-house, in 1796, the people of the west had preaching here, in proportion to the amount of taxes which they paid towards the support of the minister. At other times it was indiscriminately used by Methodists, Baptists,
111
HISTORY OF FITCHBURG.
Respecting the building and locating the new meeting house, the town, like many other public bodies, moved slow. Private interests were enlisted on both sides, and all parties seemed inclined, if they could not gratify their own wishes, to defeat those of every one else. All seemed willing that a new meet- ing house should be erected, but when the discussion respecting its location commenced, a magazine was sprung, and the con- fusion of tongues in one of our town meetings bore some faint resemblance to that of Babel.
In September, 1788, the subject of the new meeting house was again brought before the town by means of an article in the warrant-"To see if the town will erect a meeting house in the centre of the town, or receive any part of Westminster that shall . be willing to join with us, and then erect a meeting house in the nearest convenient place to the centre." It appears that the people of the west were ever determined to weave into the ques- tion concerning the location of the new meeting house, the grand object of their desires, viz. the establishment of a new town: and the other inhabitants seemed equally determined that they should never accomplish their designs. At this meeting a committee was chosen to examine and find the most convenient place on which to erect the meeting house, so as to accommodate all the inhabitants. This committee consisted of Moses Hale, Dea. Daniel Putnam, Jacob Upton, Asa Perry, and Oliver Stickney. Two of these were in favor of having it in the west, two near its present location and one was neutral. At the next meeting their report was rejected. A motion was then made to place it on the site of the old one, which was also negatived. It was then voted, after much consideration, as the record says, to erect the new
Universalists, &c., &c. The proprietors suffered it to go to decay, and its shabby appearance obtained for it the appellation of the "Lord's Barn." It was sold and taken down about ten years since, and the proceeds of the sale (amounting to about $36) were divided among the pro- prietors, so near as they could be ascertained.
The designation of "barn " does not appear to have been very inappropriate. The naked walls and timbers, and the many swallows which made it their abiding place, rendered assembling in it sometimes quite unpleasant.
HISTORY OF FITCHBURG,
house on the nearest convenient place to the centre. It seems that this was the only point on which the town could agree. What the value of this " much consideration" was, appears by the next vote, which was to re-consider all votes hitherto passed, relating to this matter. At this point the meeting was adjourned to 9 o'clock A. M. of the next day, for the purpose probably of recruiting their bodily strength and their several forces.
On the next morning the parties came on, and again pro- ceeded to business. The first motion was to place the new house where the old one then stood. This was negatived. A motion was then made to place the new house on the land of Ezra Upton's heirs. ( Near to Daniel Works,' as already mentioned.) The house was divided in this motion " to find a true vote," as the record says. For the motion appeared 32, against it, 17. So it was determined by a vote of almost two to one, to place the house in the west. A committee was chosen to inform the people of the west of the proceedings of the town, in placing the meeting house so as to accommo- dlate them. The same committee was invested with power to purchase the new frame erecting for a meeting house in the northwest part of the town, if that should appear best for the town's interest-otherwise they had power " to provide timber and materials for building a new meeting house in the prudentest manner for said town on said plat of ground." They were instructed to. make a report of their proceedings at the next town meeting.
This was a sore discomfiture to the east, and so they considered it. They caused another town meeting to be called immediately " To see if the town will comply with a request of a number of the inhabitants of the town of Fitchburg, to grant that they, together with their respective estates and interests, may be set off from Fitchburg and annexed to Lunenburg." This shows that the people of the cast were determined never to travel over the bills to the place where the new meeting house was to be erected.
11%
HISTORY OF FITCHBURG.
Those honest people who had before voted with the west merely to preserve harmony and keep the town together, now became alarmed lest they should lose the east in their efforts to conciliate the west. They occupied an exceedingly unpleasant position. If they said the meeting house should be placed near the old one, the west threatened to make a new town. If they yielded to the west, the east showed symptoms of returning to the arms of their good parent, Lunenburg. The request of the east was promptly denied.
Meanwhile the committee above mentioned were busily employed in the duties assigned to them, notwithstanding the squally appear- ances in the east. They made a bargain for the frame which had been commenced in the northwest, and prepared a site on the land of Ezra Upton's heirs. Unluckily for the west, in 1788, a town meeting was called to hear the report of this industrious committee. They came forth with confidence, stating that they had purchased the aforesaid new frame, and done many excellent things-whereupon the town gravely voted not to accept their report, and, what was rather uncivil, discharged them from any further service. This was done by the peace- makers, who, becoming somewhat frightened, once more threw their influence into the eastern scale.
A committee was now chosen to find the centre of the town. They made a survey for this purpose, and reported that they found the centre, which they designated by a monument of stones, to be about thirty rods northerly from the present pound. This report was accepted ; and at an adjourned meet- ing in December it was voted to build the meeting house in " the nearest convenientest place to the centre," as the record says. Thomas Cowdin Esqr., Phinehas Hartwell. Oliver Stickney, Daniel Putnam, and Paul Wetherbee were chosen to execute the difficult task of finding the " convenientest place." and to purchase the land of one Thomas Boynton. who then owned it. They selected a place a little below the present pound,
0
114
HISTORY OF FITCHBURG.
and purchased 221 acres of land, giving $2.33 per acre for it *- and the town approved of these proceedings.
Thus it appears that the west was now in a minority-the peace-makers having voted with the cast, to prevent the latter from carrying into execution their threat of joining Lunenburg. The men of the west immediately resorted to their old scheme of having a new town or parish among themselves. They called a town meeting, "to see if the town would set off the north- westerly part of said town, as a town, beginning on Westmin- ster line," &c. "Or, if the town should not see fit to comply with the above request, we would earnestly request of the town that they would set us off as a parish, upon honorable terms, as may be agreed upon with being annexed with adjacent parties." By reason of the rare attendance of the "requesters," this meet- ing was uncommonly peaceable, and the article was dismissed. July 2d, 1789, another town meeting was called, to act upon the following article-" To see if the town will set off the west- erly part of said town, as a parish, upon supposition that the north part of Westminster, the cast part of Ashburnham, and a small part of Ashby will consent to be annexed to this town." This was an old game and well understood. The request was answered with a prompt denial.
The east still holding the ascendancy, on the 2d day of November, 1789, the town voted to build a new meeting-house on the land purchased of Thomas Boynton, and chose a committee with full power, for this purpose. But on the 16th of the same month, the tables were turned. A vote was passed to reconsider all former votes-so that after four years of hard labor in endeavor- ing to ereet a new meeting-house, the town found itself precisely where it began, with the exception of owning 225 acres of real estate. This last decision was probably effected by the circum- stance that the people of the west, together with those of the
"The present owner of this land has been offered Sloo per acre for it, which he has promptly refused.
115
HISTORY OF FITCHBURG.
northerly part of Westminster, and a part of Ashburnham and Ashby, had laid before the General Court a powerful petition, for an act of incorporation into a town.
This petition set forth in glowing colors the delightful situation of the contemplated town -how nature had lavished all her skill upon it-how admirably adapted for a township by itself was the noble swell of land-and that nothing in nature or in art could exceed the grand and imposing spectacle of a meeting-house towering from its summit, while beneath the said swell was a region of low, sunken land, which almost cut off the petitioners from intercourse with the rest of mankind. All this looked exceedingly well on paper, and was presented to the General Court in 1790. An order of court was sent to this town, and to the others interested, to show cause, if any they had, why the prayer of said petition should not be granted.
The town now saw the necessity of going to work in carnest. After conferring with committees from Westminster, AAshburnham and Ashby, the people of Fitchburg drew up a spirited remon- strance. In this remonstrance they denied every statement set forth in the petition - alleging that the latter was entirely the work of fancy, and a specimen of outrageous poetical license. that the petitioners were actuated solely by interested views, that their object was to escape from the onerous burden of contribu- ting their just proportion towards the maintenance of some of the most expensive bridges that were ever created. They declared that if the petitioners should succeed in their object, the remain- ing portion of the town would be completely overwhelmed by that grievous nuisance, the North branch of the Nashua.
It will be perceived that both parties understood the art of using extravagant language ; and so equally balanced were matters when they came before the General Court, that it was finally decided to let them remain as they were-and so no new town was erected on that beautiful hill.
In September, 1791, the town, having recovered breath after
110
HISTORY OF FITCHBURG.
this valorous contest, began to adopt measures for building a new meeting house. The old favorite motion-to erect a meeting house in the centre of the town, or " in the nearest convenientest place thereto"- was made in town meeting, and carried-yeas 41, nays 23. A committee was chosen to report to the town the plan of such a house as it might be thought advisable to build. The report of this committee recommending three years to be allowed in which to buikl the house, and that individuals might have an - opportunity to pay for their pews with materials and labor upon it, was accepted. A committee was chosen in October to clear a place for its situation near the pound, and had full power to pro- ceed and finish it. At another meeting in December, the town, acting with its usual consistency, disinissed this committee from any further service. So they were again as in the beginning.
In May, 1793, an attempt was made to repair the old meet- ing house ; but the town would not listen to such a proposition.
The inhabitants commenced operations anew in September, 1794, by voting "to erect a meeting house in the centre of said town, or in the nearest convenientest place thereto, to accommo- date the inhabitants thereof for divine worship." Three disinter- ested individuals not belonging to the town-viz. Josiah Stearns, Esqr. and David Kilburn of Lunenburg, and Benjamin Kimball, Esqr. of Harvard, were chosen "to centre the town," as the record says, and to ascertain that hitherto undiscovered point, "the nearest convenientest place" to said centre. They found the centre of the town to be not far from the summit of the hill, nearly seventy rods to the northeast of the present town pound. But taking all things into consideration, they decided that the house should stand a little to the rear of Messrs. Thurston & Battis' present bellows shop. The town rejected this report, yeas 29, nays 36. So the opinions of interested and dis- interested persons were treated precisely alike-as good for nothing.
. In the following May, another attempt was made to creet a
117
HISTORY OF FITCHBURG.
house upon the site recommended by this committee. The vote stood yeas 45, nays 48. At - this meeting a committee of twenty-one of the inhabitants was chosen to select and report to the town a suitable place, on which to build a meeting house. This committee reported in favor of the place selected by the committee of "disinterested persons." The town then voted tu build a meeting house on that place, yeas 61, nays 47. 1 town meeting was accordingly called on the 8th of January, 1795, for the purpose of choosing a committee to purchase the groundl selected. But at this meeting the town refused to choose any such committee -- and so ended the project of building a meeting house there.
But the subject was not suffered to remain long at rest; for on the 26th of the same month, it was voted to erect a meeting house on the land purchased of Thomas Boynton, and to molel it after the one in Leominster. It was to be completed on the last day of December, 1796. At an adjournment of this meeting, in the following July, it was voted to model the meeting house after the one (on the hill) at Ashburnham. A road, four rods wide, beginning nearly opposite to the red cotton factory, was laid out, passing up the valley in the rear of Widow Sawyer's dwelling house, to accommodate the people of the east. John Putnam Jr. entered into a contract with the town to build the meeting house.
In September, a committee was chosen to prepare the ground for the reception of the house, and to level a common before it.
In October a motion was made in town meeting to locate the meeting house "at the crotch of the roads near Capt. William Brown's." This motion was carried, yeas 44, nays 30. So it was then decided to place the house where the First Parish meeting house now stands. I have been informed that it was designed to have the house face directly "down street." and that the underpinning was laid for that purpose, but that the opposing faction mustered sufficient strength to get it faced directly to the south, and consequently cornerwise to the street.
11×
HISTORY OF FITCHBURG.
Thus ended a contest of full ten years' duration, respecting the location of a meeting house. It was carried on with much more than the usual degree of zeal, obstinacy and bitterness of feeling which too often characterize difficulties of this nature. Passion got the control of judgment, and men seemed willing to sacrifice everything to a desire of carrying their point. So fiercely was the contest carried on, that people from the neighboring towns frequently flocked in to attend a town meeting in Fitchburg. .
I have mentioned only a few of these town meetings at which this subject was the principal topic. The town records for these ten years are principally filled with accounts of them. The num- ber of these meetings I have not taken the trouble to count, but I have been credibly informed that the town was called together ninety-nine times on the subject. Indeed, if any one will take the trouble to examine the records, he will find nearly an average number of ten meetings yearly. The matter was finally compromised. The people of the west were allowed to have preaching in their neighborhood in proportion to the amount of taxes which they contributed towards the support of the minister.
The meeting house, on its present location, was built during the summer of 1796. At the "raising," the inhabitants conclu- del-not to bury their griefs beneath the altar -but to drown them in deep potations of West India run. For, on this occasion the town voted-and it appears to have been the only vote on this subject which did not give rise to bitter contention-to pur- chase a barrel of West India rum, with a sufficient quantity of loaf sugar wherewith to regale and refresh all those who might be present. So gravely and systematically did they conduct this part of the ceremonies, that they chose a committee consisting of Deacon Daniel Putnam, Deacon Kendall Bontelle, Deacon Ephraim Kimball, Renben Smith, Joseph Polley, Dr. Jonas Marshall, and Asa Perry, to deal ont the " grog," with instructions if that bar- rdl was not sufficient, to procure more at the town's expense.
The meeting house was finished, and dedicated on the 19th day
119
HISTORY OF FITCHBURG.
of January, 1797. The dedication sermon was preached by Res. Zabdiel Adams, of Lunenburg, there being no settled minister in this town at that time .*
In December, 1797, Dea. Daniel Putnam was chosen to repre- sent the town in the State Convention held in Boston in the fol- lowing January, to take into consideration " the subject matter of the new proposed Federal Constitution." Objections to the Con- stitution were reported to the town, and unanimously adopted. The representative was instructed to report these objections to the Convention, if needful. A large majority of the town after- wards voted in favor of the Constitution.
When the troubles with France broke out, in 1793, the town promptly voted to pay the soldiers that might be drafted from this place 50s. in addition to the pay they might receive from the United States.
But few incidents worthy of note, disconnected with ecclesias- tical affairs, have occurred since the year 1800. Those few will be briefly alluded to.
It seems always to have been a favorite object with the people of this town to have the County of Worcester divided, so that the towns in the northern part, together with some of those in Middlesex County, might be erected into a new county. In 1798, they sent a remonstrance to the General Court against building a new Court House in Worcester, and petitioned to have the county divided. The several towns of the county voted on the question in April, 1798, by order of the General Court. In this town the vote was unanimous (77) in favor of a division. The attempt was again renewed in 1800, by conventions in Templeton and Gardner, which delegates from this town attended. The last attempt was made in 1828, when the petitions of Ivers Jewett and others were sent to the General Court. When the question was referred to the County, the votes in Fitchburg were 117 in favor of a division, and 2 against it.
*This house is now (autumn of 1836) about to be removed and a new and more elegant structure to be erected nearly on the same site.
120
HISTORY OF FITCHBURG.
It appears from a remonstrance sent to the General Court in 1804, that the number of legal voters at that time was 181.
In 1820, a large majority of the inhabitants were in favor of a convention for revising the Constitution of the State. To this con- vention Calvin Willard and John Shepley Esqrs., were appointed delegates. A majority of the voters appeared to be in favor of . most of the amendments proposed by the convention.
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. The history of the ecclesiastical affairs of Lunenburg, previous to the incorporation of Fitchburg, has not been kept distinct from the other affairs of the town. It will be recollected that Fitchburg was incorporated after the death of Rev. Samuel Payson, and previous to the settlement of Rev. Zabdiel Adams. While the people of Fitchburg were unable " to provide preaching among themselves," they attended meeting at Lunenburg.
In the winter of 1764-5, they had preaching for six weeks. Having no meeting-house, they were wont to assemble in the tavern of Samuel Hunt, where they listened to the teachings of Rev. Peter Whitney. Mr. Whitney, author of "The History of Worcester County," was a graduate of Harvard University, 1762, and was for a long period minister of Northboro', Mass. Rev. Peter Whitney, of Quiuey, is his son, and Rev. George Whitney, of Boxbury, his grandson.
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.