USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Lakeville > History of the town of Lakeville, Massachusetts, 1852-1952; one hundredth anniversary of the town of Lakeville > Part 4
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Joshua S. (7), son of Samuel (6), died August 17, 1831, in his seventeenth year.
William (7), another son of Samuel (6), died about 1845 at the age of 40 years. He married Kingsley. He owned the William Nelson (4) Farm, which afterwards was sold to Captain Elisha G. Cudworth, a whaling captain, of New Bedford.
Mary (5), daughter of William (4), was born in 1747 and died in 1772.
Lieut. Abner (5), son of William (4), was born in 1754 and died February 16, 1816.
Other children belonging to Samuel (6) and Sally Nelson were Mary and Sarah (7), twins, born about 1810; Hannah, who married Everett of Wareham, had no children; Sarah (7), who married James Holmes of Boonton, New Jersey, had a son Samuel Nelson (8). He graduated from West Point and later was married. He was accidentally burned to death in a hotel. Mary (7), who married Chandler Ward of Hartford, Conn., had no children.
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Isaac (6), the son of Deacon Amos (5) and his wife Eunice, was born about 1770 or 1772. He married Abigail Briggs of Middleboro.
Hannah (6), sister of Isaac (6), married Rev. Ebenezer Briggs of Middleboro and lived on the north side of the farm next to the Homestead.
Polly (6), sister of Hannah and Isaac (6), lived with her niece, Mrs. Ezra Thomas in Cleveland, Ohio. She was not married.
Amos (6) married Sampson of Fairhaven.
In these records we find that Eben Nelson and Sam Perkins accompanied Isaac on a trip to Plymouth to get his father's will approved. Amos Nelson (5), and his son Isaac (6), lived at Assawompsett Neck. It is not certain whether they lived at the Westgate place, the A. Cole place, or Briggs place, however.
Charles (7), son of Isaac (6), and his second wife, Elizabeth, died at the age of one year, four months and five days, on June 18, 1806. Cephas (7), another son, lived with Daniel Briggs of Lakeville.
Col. Nathaniel (6), of New Bedford, proprietor of the Mansion House, was either the son of Rev. William (5), or the son of Ebenezer (5), the brother of William (5). He married Hannah Smith, the niece of Anna Smith, who married Thomas Nelson (5). There were several children in the Col. Nathaniel Nelson family. The daughters were Charlotte (7), who was born May 3, 1812 and died September 15, 1891. She was unmarried. Abby S. (7), born in 1820, died July 29, 1868. She married George B. Richmond, who was later Mayor of New Bedford. They were childless. Sons born to Col. Nathaniel and wife were Albert (7), who married but had no children; George (7), an auctioneer, who married Mary A. Eastman. They had a daughter, Marianna, who married Major Garnett of the United States Army. Later he served with the Confederates. A third son, Nathaniel Francis (7), married Ruth Eastman and lived in Lockport, New York.
Rev. Ebenezer (6), son of William (5), married either Rebecca Childe or her sister Ruth. They had several children, both sons and daughters, and among these, twins. Rev. Ebenezer was
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pastor of the Baptist Church of Middleboro Center for many years, around 1840.
Lieut. Thomas (4) and Judith, his wife, of the Nelson Home- stead, were blessed with both sons and daughters.
Col. John (5), who served in the Revolution, was born Octo- ber 25, 1737, and died December 28, 1820. He married Hope Rounsville on November 5, 1760. They lived two miles north of the old homestead. Their house was located across from the present Assawompsett School.
Thomas (5) lived at the Homestead. He was born February 22, 1739, and died September 21, 1819. He married Anna Smith of Taunton. She died October 14, 1828. Their children were the following: Judith (6), who died at the age of 13 months on March 31, 176 ...; Job (6), born in 1766, died in 1850. Thomas (5) was called Uncle Tommy; he was rather short and worked hard himself and with others in laying a great stretch of stone wall on the farm. He wore a leather apron while working on the wall.
Dr. Thomas (6) was born in 1770 and died in 1814. He married Susan Shepherd, October 25, 1794. She died April 23, 1802. He re-married her sister, Nancy Shepherd, on December 12, 1802. Nancy was born April 5, 1779, and died October 9, 1850.
Rey. Stephen (6) was born October 5, 1773, and died at an old age.
Abiel (6) was born 1777 and died 1829. He married Sally Peirce, November 17, 1803. He died of consumption of which his two daughters, Elizabeth Peirce and Mary Harding, also died a few months later.
Abigail (5), daughter of Thomas (4), was born July 1, 1742, and died July 11, 1830. She married Andrew Cole and lived on the second farm south of the Homestead. They had no children. Uncle Cole, in about 1840 in his last illness, was brought to the farm of Job Peirce Nelson (7) and there he died. He left his property for the "spread of the Gospel". It is thought that
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Andrew Cole married a second wife, Mary Harding, whom he also survived.
Judith (5), daughter of Thomas (4), was born March 5, 1743, and died March 23, 1806. She married Roger Haskell, February 25, 1765. They lived at Hay Hall, two miles south of her father's place. Their son was Elder Mark Haskell. Roger Haskell was drowned in Great Quittacus Pond, through the ice, on his way to church.
Elizabeth (5) was born in 1750. She married Lieut. Robert Strobridge, of the Strobridge neighborhood. He died in 1790, or about that time, leaving a son, Robert, and a daughter Anna, who married Job Peirce, Jr., of Middleboro and Assonet, on January 3, 1799. He was a very prominent and popular business man. They had no children. He died September 22, 1805. Later his widow married Lieut. John Hinds of Freetown.
Hiram (6), son of John (5), was born in 1765 and died Febru- ary 1, 1838.
Polly Nelson, wife of Hiram (6), was born in 1767 and died August 15, 1838.
Ezra (6), son of Col. John (5), was born in 1773 and died July 25, 1803. His wife, Abigail, was born in 1778 and died April 25, 1844.
John (6), son of Col. John (5), was born in 1771 and died August 10, 1828. His wife, Phebe, was born in 1766 and died August 27, 1844.
Judith (6), daughter of Col. John (5), was born September 6, 1769, and died December 31, 1858. She never married and always lived at her father's house.
Horatio (7), son of Ezra (6), lived and died in Lakeville, next house and farm, west and north of Col. John Nelson's, corner of Precinct and Pickens Streets. He was unmarried; lost a leg above the knee by an accident; was an ardent religious man and a Baptist deacon who often conducted religious services. He died about 1870, being between 60 to 70 years old.
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Cyrus (7), son of Hiram (6), was married twice and survived both wives. He was born about 1790 and died about 1870. He lived a mile east toward Middleboro from Col. John Nelson (5), at what later was known as the Nelson Sisters, Hannah and Mary.
John Hiram (8) was born February 7, 1829, and died Decem- ber 15, 1912. He lived on the same farm. He married Mary Dean Williams, January 1, 1857. She was born in 1836 and died in 1930. They had children: Chester W. (9). Hannah K. (9) was born September 9, 1860, and died May 4, 1949. Fannie E. (9) was born in 1863; in 1885, married Rueben A. Gibbs. Mary L. (9) was born July 26, 1870. Lucy A. (9).
Bethsheba (7), daughter of Ezra (6), married Abiel Sampson of Lakeville and lived at north limit of Assawompsett Lake, just south of Col. John Nelson's farm.
James married and lived in Middleboro.
Horatio and Angelina owned and occupied the house built by Col. John (5). They had a brother Abiel Sampson, who married and lived in Providence; a sister, Mrs. Abby Clark of Providence, and a sister, Mrs. James McDonald of Portland, Oregon.
Job Peirce Nelson (7) was born October 17, 1806, and died December 3, 1862. He married Fatima Baker, of Upton, October 3, 1834. She died February 12, 1871. He was chiefly instrumental in the setting off of the Town of Lakeville from Middleboro.
Abiel Ward Nelson (8) was born August 24, 1835, and he lived in New London, Conn. He was a graduate of the medical department of Harvard University and at one time attended Brown University. In 1862 he was assistant surgeon of the 18th Massachusetts Volunteers, in service in Virginia. He married Jeanie C. Salter, November 23, 1875. She was born October 1, 1849, and died September 9, 1893.
Elizabeth Peirce Nelson (8) was born December 8, 1836, and she, with her sister Caroline, were farmers owning and occupying the old homestead.
Thomas M. Nelson (8) was born July 28, 1840. He studied law but never practiced; lived in Chicago and was not married.
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Thomas M.
THE NELSON BROTHERS Dr. Abiel W. Sidney T.
Sidney T. Nelson (8) was born August 12, 1845, and died August 26, 1919. He married first Emma Parkhurst on June 13, 1872. They had the following children: Thomas S. Nelson (9), born January 14, 1874, who married Lillian M. Thomas of Mid- dleboro on October 31, 1898. She was born in 1874 and died in July, 1951. They lived in Boston and summered at Long Pond. Maude Nelson (9) was born February 19, 1875, and died January 1949. She married Dr. Harry Lee in 1898 and they had a daughter, Marjorie (10), who was born in August, 1901. Clifton W. Nelson (9) was born June 28, 1878. He married Mary Elliott, November 6, 1904.
Emma Nelson, first wife of Sidney, died August 1, 1881. On November 9, 1886, he married Elizabeth Parkhurst, sister of Emma. There were no children by his second wife.
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Caroline B. Nelson (8), daughter of Job B. Nelson (7), was born June 25, 1849, and died April 9, 1894, at the old home- stead, rather suddenly, though she had been long an invalid.
Mary Harding (7), daughter of Abiel (6), was born April 23, 1809, and died of consumption May 12, 1831, and was not married.
Abiel S. (7), son of Abiel (6), was born July 28, 1810, and died November 24, 1811.
Sarah (7), daughter of Abiel (6), was born December 29, 1812. She married Sidney Tucker of Lakeville, then Middleboro. She died August 2, 1889. Sarah and Sidney Tucker were the donors of the land on which Grove Chapel now stands.
Mary (8), daughter of Sarah, was born June 21, 1842. She married Benjamin Baker of Brewster. They had one son, Sidney T. Baker, who was born September 15, 1873.
Thomas Sidney, Jr. (10) was born December 16, 1900, and he married Doris Williams. They had two sons: Thomas Wil- liam (11) was born August 18, 1943. Richard Tucker (11), who died December 23, 1950, at the age of 31/2 years. Sidney (10) was born in 1906 and he married Gladys B. Ball on April 14, 1934. C. Elliott (10) was born June 2, 1908, and is not married. He lives with his father and mother near the old homestead.
The story of house-building in the early days is very interesting and the accounts of these structures present a striking contrast with the methods of today. In the olden days, when the Nelson families built their first homes, all that was required were co- operative neighbors and plenty of refreshments to encourage the workers. In the old family records pertaining to the cost of building a house, the price of lumber does not appear, the lumber being cut off the farm and prepared for use with the help of the neighbors. The only expense recorded was for en- tertainment and the record of this expenditure was carefully kept.
The old house, which has sheltered the family for over two centuries, is without doubt one of the most interesting, and its treasures constitute a complete museum of colonial relics.
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SIDNEY T. NELSON HOMESTEAD
On entering the house, one is impressed with the striking style of architecture peculiar to the earlier residences. The hall appears spacious, though it is not large. From it leads a pair of winding stairs, the balustrade being made of wood carved by hand from trees grown on the farm.
The Nelsons had many interesting and valuable relics and took considerable pride in them. Included in the collection were articles of every sort, some pieces of which are rarely seen today. A large collection of English delft occupied a position of honor in the house. Some of the specimens were among the first brought to this country. There were also two pewter salvers, which were the property of Col. John Nelson, and bore the in- scription: "J. N. 1760". A massive grandfather clock ticked the hours away from its position in the dining room, having warned the family of the passing hours for years. A mirror was a family treasure for more than two centuries.
It is known that porridge was a favorite dish with the early settlers and a pewter set, with lead spoons, made from colonial bullets, complete a collection of tableware used in serving it. There was also a pewter cider tankard similar to the one now on exhibition at Pilgrim Hall in Plymouth.
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There was also a fine collection of mahogany furniture, in- cluding highboys, sofas, and other articles of furniture. Though not made of mahogany there was an old desk, a written history of which was found in a secret drawer.
Occupying an attractive place in the parlor was a shingle, which was placed on the latest addition to the house in 1795. It was taken off in 1890, after having shed the rain and snow for ninety-five years and was still in good condition. The shingle, gotten out by hand, was taken off and attractively painted.
The remains of a family custom of the Nelsons is seen in a silver marriage token, which was used at marriages. It is a diagram of a large heart, made by the intersection of two smaller ones and cut out in the center, showing a single heart, made from the two and bearing the inscription: "We Are One". Its significance is apparent, bespeaking the unity and dignity of the family.
The Nelsons were a very religious and industrious family, for we find among the records that there were several ministers, a lawyer, and two or three doctors. Many of them also held offices of trust in the town.
An early industry of this family was taking the iron ore from Assawompsett Lake; the ore being fished up from the bottom of the pond with tongs and taken to the shore in boats. Then it was carted to the furnace to be melted into various articles, such as cannon and ball, during the Revolutionary War, and for other purposes later.
At the Homestead, farming was carried on extensively. Straw- berries and other vegetables were shipped to Boston by stage- coach. Later they were carried daily to the Lakeville Station to be shipped by train to Boston. Hundreds of quarts of milk, as well as cream, were shipped to New Bedford by the electric cars. Vegetables from the farm were likewise taken to New Bedford by horse and wagon and peddled from store to store.
In 1945 Mr. and Mrs. Edward DeMello of New Bedford, Mass., purchased the Nelson Homestead which they have restored to its original beauty, making it one of the most attractive homes in Lakeville.
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DID YOU KNOW -
According to a story handed down, Gabriel was due to sound his trumpet near Lake Assawompsett. This would be the signal to his followers to assemble on the high point of Shockley's Hill, that their time was at hand. This was in 1849. Followers of the belief were garbed in the flowing robes they had spent much time in preparing. Some of the people had disposed of their property. Others had neglected their farms. They waited on the hill all night but nothing happened, so the next morning the company dispersed and went back to their various duties.
For a short time Job Peirce Nelson, the father of Sidney T. Nel- son and grandfather of Clifton W. and Thomas Nelson, was asso- ciated with Eben Briggs in the manufacture of straw goods.
The stagecoach from New Bedford to Boston also stopped at the Old Henry Pratt House at the corner of Taunton Road and the Turnpike.
Horatio G. Wood, Abiel Washburn, Thomas Weston and Levi Peirce were promoters of a scheme to build a canal from the northern part of Assawompsett Pond to connect with the Nemasket River near Vaughan's bridge, for a water supply for their cotton mill. This was called the Middleboro Canal Com- pany. It was not successful.
CHAPTER IV TAVERNS
JUG TAVERN
J
UG Tavern (so-called) was a small shack, located in the woods off County Road, on land formerly owned by Len Canedy. Traditionally, this tavern received its name because its keeper, Alden Booth, went to Taunton with two jugs for his supply of rum. Upon his return, this rum would be sold. When he had no money with which to buy more, he is supposed to have placed wet sponges in the bottom of his jugs. The Taunton store keepers would fill the jugs with rum. When they discovered he could not pay for it, they emptied it out, not realizing a small amount was left. The owner of the tavern would then return home, break the jugs, and catch the rum.
THE SAMPSON TAVERN ON COUNTY ROAD
This Sampson Tavern was not so famous as the Sampson Tavern at the foot of Highland Road, therefore little information is available. Like most of the old taverns and inns, this Samp- son Tavern was a way station for the stagecoaches that once ran between New Bedford and Boston by way of Taunton. The tavern was kept many years by Charles H. Sampson, a member of the family which included Elias, Eben and Uriah Sampson. These men and their ancestors were pioneers in the hotel busi- ness. This old tavern was a gathering place for New Bedford society folks a century ago. They would come out for a dance or a supper. The hospitality of the resort was widely known. It is said that the bar was located beside the office, and that the well worn floor attested to its popularity. The windows were painted so that the curious might not gaze in too freely.
In 1909, A. Davis Ashley of New Bedford bought it and kept it as a country home. The general arrangement as it existed
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF LAKEVILLE
years ago was retained by Mr. Ashley. In recent years it has been owned by several different people, who have not been interested in it as a landmark. Some of the owners of later years have taken down the back portion.
THE JEWETT PLACE
The Jewett Place was a Colonial mansion on the Turnpike in the southeastern part of town. This tavern was approached by a circular driveway with large yew and fir trees in front. There were broad verandas in front and on one side. A short distance from the house, and shut off by a hedge, was the lodge. Down the avenue by the shore of that beautiful lake, "Big Quit- tacus," were the ruins of a bowling alley.
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THE JEWETT PLACE
We are told that years ago the younger son of a rich English family by the name of Roberts, because of a family quarrel, came to this country and built a house, afterwards known as the Jewett Place. Roberts had the yew trees sent to him from England, and he set them out. It is said that one night he drove down the avenue to the lake to water his horse, the horse became
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mired, the carriage tipped over, and the man and horse were both drowned. From information gathered about this family it would appear that after the death of this quarrelsome Roberts, more of his family came from England to live at the mansion.
In the records of the first town meeting held in 1853, an Austin Roberts was present and voted on the name for the town. Miss Mary Cudworth says that the father, Mr. Roberts, was a minister and at one time held Sunday School classes in his home. She also tells that her mother, Abby Nye Cudworth, attended Sun- day School there. Later it was a private school for girls for a short while.
In time the Thomas G. Jewetts came to live here. Mr. and Mrs. Jewett had a daughter, Caroline M. Jewett, who married John C. Rhodes of New Bedford on February 1, 1894. Also, a son, Thomas Green Jewett, Jr., was born October 26, 1893, at the Jewett Płace.
The following description of a party at the Jewett Place was written by Harry C. Atwood of Taunton, who often visited at the Jewetts: "In my fancy I again see Carpenter's 'Tally-Ho', filled with the girls and boys of my youth, ready to start for the Lakeville Ponds and a supper at the Jewetts on Big Quittacus. We are there in due season, ready for one of their delicious turkey suppers that the Jewetts knew so well how to serve. Mrs. Jewett and her daughter sat at the long table with the rest of us, while Mr. Jewett always sat at a small table in the corner of the room, where he could have plenty of elbow room, and carved the turkey. After the sumptuous repast was finished, some retired to the verandas and sang to the music of guitars. Others strolled down the avenue at the rear of the house, lined with yew trees imported from England."
About 1900 the Jewett Place was moved across the field to Long Point Road.
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THE SAMPSON TAVERN
The Sampson Tavern which stood on the Old Turnpike, now Bedford Street, was one of the most famous and historical taverns in Lakeville, a part of Middleboro at that time. The first build- ing was erected in the eighteenth century, and was used as a tavern for many years. It was first known as the Forster Tavern and later as the Eagle Tavern. For many years the iron standard which held a golden eagle was on one of the elm trees in front of the tavern. The eagle was for years in the possession of Mrs. Josephine Perry of New Bedford.
The land on which the tavern stood was sold to Uriah Samp- son by Thomas Forster, by deed, July 8, 1768. In 1798, thirty years after his father purchased the land, Elias Sampson enlarged and re-opened the tavern.
Elias senior continued as its keeper for 23 years, and then was followed by his brothers, Charles and Uriah Sampson. (This Uriah was Carrie and Abby Pickens' grandfather).
THE SAMPSON TAVERN
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After remaining in the family for more than fifty years, the business was sold to Levi Newcomb, Jr., in 1852. He was followed later by Abner Barrows, and then by Samuel Briggs, and Henry G. Carpenter.
The opening of the Inn in 1798 was an event in the neighbor- hood. The stagecoaches had started to run between New Bed- ford and Boston. Friends and neighbors of the Sampsons looked forward to the long winter evenings with games of checkers, and to neighborhood gossip over their pipes and cider. Sampson's was always a sportsmen's tavern. Daniel Webster was an occa- sional guest at the tavern, and fished many times on Assawompsett Lake.
The first building of the tavern was the central portion, and later it was extended to the south and the rear. In 1835 the largest north part was added. When completed it had two dining rooms, which together would seat one hundred guests. There was a summer and a winter kitchen. Part of the lower floor was used for entertaining large parties and for dancing. The second story had nine sleeping rooms. There were three barns on the prem- ises. One barn on the shore side of the road contained stalls for thirty horses.
In the cool evenings, through the smoke of the corn-cob pipes, the tired hunting dogs stretched out before the fireplace, and the mugs of cider were placed in a row upon the hearth. The number of quail and rabbits, the results of the day's sport, were counted over and over. After the mugs of mulled cider were emptied, the perch and pickerel caught during the day increased greatly in size and somewhat in number. One tremendous fish, the largest in the pond, was hooked but it got away!
In 1807 a road was opened which insured the success of the tavern for more than a half century. It was the Turnpike from New Bedford to Boston. It is believed that Mr. Sampson, with a vision of prosperous days ahead, celebrated the opening of the Turnpike by giving a dinner for his friends and neighbors, and some of the officials and stockholders of the corporation. Among the guests were General Ephraim Ward, Captain Amos Wash-
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burn, and Major Levi Peirce. In the early days, in order to obtain a license for a tavern, it must be located near a meeting house. Elder Ebenezer Briggs, pastor of the Pond Meeting House, of course, was there. The tables were loaded with fish caught by the Indians of Betty's Neck, venison from Plymouth woods, quail and partridges, and wild cranberries for sauce. The bread was made from white wheat, used only on festive occasions or when the minister was coming for tea. There was plenty of apple butter. The light of the candles from the sconces on the walls shone down upon the ruddy faces of the farmers, who in their homespun best, with keen appetites, joined with the officials of the road in drinking to the long life of the host and to the suc- cess of the Turnpike venture.
What stories the stage drivers told in the barn and in the bar- room. A book written by Hezekiah Butterworth, A Zig Zag Journey, tells of the story telling on the piazza of the Old Samp- son Tavern. A group of guests, calling themselves the "Assa- wompsett Club," would meet every evening, after supper, on the piazza for story telling. The first guest would tell a story of the South, and the next guest would tell one of the North.
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