USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Lancaster > History of the town of Lancaster, Massachusetts : from the first settlement to the present time, 1643-1879 > Part 10
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It is not possible to fix the date when the rebuilding of the town began. In the fifth volume of the Massachusetts Historical Collections, page 270, it appears that the Middle- sex county court, in October, 1679, by authority of a law then existing, appointed a committee to renew the settlement. The names of this committee were Capt. Thomas Prentice, distinguished as a cavalry officer in Philip's war, Dea. John Stone and William Bond. What service they rendered is not on record. A French traveler went through the town in 1679 and found a few families. It is certain that quite a number of the proprietors had returned, and begun to build as early as 1681, because we find in the Records at the State House, the following petition, dated February 28, 1682, which shows how many were on the ground at that time. It is headed : " Petition of the poor inhabitants of Lancaster," and goes on to show, "that whereas your poor petitioners, by the late Indian war, were much ruined, our houses and other buildings and fences burned, and most of our substance wasted, and some of our children slain and some carried into captivity by the enemy, and some never returned ; and we with the rest forced to fly for our lives, and to leave our places of living to seek shelter in other towns where we could, and have gone through many straits and difficulties upon that account, so that few towns in the country have suffered the like ; and now through the good hand of God about seventeen or eighteen families have again returned, with a desire to rebuild the plantation again; and through many difficulties by reason of our poverty, are about build-
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SECOND MEETING-HOUSE.
ing and fencing, that so they may provide for their families, and not be troublesome and burdensome to other towns, which of necessity must have done if we had continued where we were. And this year the Hon. Treasurer sent his warrant for a countries' rate ; and though it be but a little, yet to our grief we must say, we are not able to pay it. Therefore your poor petitioners humbly crave this honored court to remit this rate, and grant an exemption from countries' rate for the future for some years, - so many as this honored court may judge meet. And in so doing you will oblige your poor petitioners, as in duty we are bound for ever to pray for a blessing upon all the concerns of this honored court." This paper was drawn up and signed by Ralph Houghton, "by a general desire and vote." The rate was remitted for two years.
It is a matter of regret that the inhabitants did not sign the petition, and thus leave their names on record as the first planters of the resuscitated town.
The next definite date is June 8, 1684, when there was a move made towards building a new meeting-house. All historical accounts of the town which refer to the subject, affirm that the first meeting-house remained till the thirty- first of July, 1704, when in the words of Mr. Willard, "it was burned by the Indians." But this is a mistake. A new house was erected, probably in 1684-5, which continued till 1704. The action of the town in relation to the matter is reported in these words.
" June 11, 1684, the town being met together upon ad- journment of a public meeting, the town made choice of Josiah White, and gave him order to gather in all the rates due from all that live out of town to the meeting-house and ministry in this last year's rate. This was confirmed by a vote of the town." A petition was sent to the general court, dated September 21, praying for legislative interpo- sition. It reads : "Josiah White, in behalf of the town of Lancaster, now upon a resettlement, humbly prayeth this
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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
honored court's order, (if it may seem good,) for the con- firmation and strengthening of the order passed by the town as above written, that all those who are proprietors of lands lying within said town, although not dwelling there, may be assessed in proportion to the value of their estates as the said inhabitants are, towards the erecting of a meeting-house, maintenance of a minister, and other public charges; the rate for this year being made as above. And that you be pleased to grant the levying of the same." The petition was granted, and all " persons, their heirs, executors or adminis- trators " concerned, were levied upon to build the house, and support public worship. The papers contain the signa- tures of John Houghton and Josiah White. The names of the absentees show that many had not yet returned. Some of them never took up their abode here. Here follow the names : Henry Kimball, Thomas Swift, Stephen Waters, Edmund Parker, Archelos Corser, Daniel Gains, Simon Gates, Thomas Gates, Major Willard, Mr. Robinson, Will- iam Lewis, John Lewis, Christopher Lewis, Mordecai Mukload, John Divoll, Thomas Harris, .Jeremiah Rogers, Jonas Fairbank, George Adams, Ben Allen, Lawrence Waters.
This action of the town and of the general court does not prove that a meeting-house was built in 1685, or the next year ; but there is other proof. At the time when the house of worship was built on the Old Common, in 1704, there was a question whether it should not be built where a meeting-house had been built " twice before."
The process of rebuilding went forward from year to year, former settlers returning, and new settlers taking up new land, or purchasing of those who had found a perma- nent home elsewhere. It is not probable that the population increased very fast by migration, because the state of the country was still unsettled, the town was on the frontier, and the long-lived revenge of the baffled Indians might lead them back to inflict stealthy vengeance.
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WILLIAM AND MARY.
In the meantime great changes were occurring in the mother country, which affected deeply the welfare of the colony. The reign of Charles II., base in its progress, had come to a welcome end. James II. had succeeded him, in 1685, and by a course of arbitrary and cruel rule, had raised regrets that Charles was dead.
While the fathers of the new town were building a house in which to worship God, after the Puritan fashion, James was madly trying to revolutionize Great Britain, and restore the supremacy of Roman Catholicism. But his attempt failed. In the autumn of 1688 the Prince of Orange landed at Torbay, and marched towards London. James fled the country, and in the early part of the next year, William and Mary were firmly seated on the throne of England. The news was received in Boston with unbounded delight. The king and queen were proclaimed, and the news of their accession was hailed with joy throughout the colony.
Andros and Randolph, the minions of tyranny, were de- feated. They had used every art to subvert the liberties of the people, but their master was an exile, and the Rev. Increase Mather had returned from England with a new Charter. The new royal Governor, Sir William Phipps, by permission of the king, had been named by Mather. He was a native of the soil, and in perfect sympathy, politi- cally, religiously and socially with the people. While faith- ful to his sovereign, his only aim seemed to be how he might best promote the well-being of the colony.
The new charter was a great event in our history. This is not the place to narrate the means by which it was secured. It is only necessary to state that the chief agent in securing it, Dr. Mather, was the first man in the colony, as regards education, ability, and address, and that, while he failed to secure all he aimed at, and all which the people wished, he did obtain an instrument which guarded all the great and pri- mal rights and interests of the colonists. In one respect, the change was important. The king and queen were friends of
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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
religious liberty. Mary was a protestant and a member of the church of England. William was a protestant who con- formed to the national church, but at the same time, was a Calvinist with presbyterian affinities. In this state of things it was impossible to obtain a charter which would confine po- litical ascendency to a single sect or denomination. The ba- sis of suffrage was extended. The head of the church of England would not authorize the colonists to exclude its members from citizenship and office. And thus, in spite of the reluctance of the ruling influence in the colony, its char- ter was an advance on its predecessor, and the way was open- ed for the enfranchisement of all the people.
But while the colonists of Massachusetts Bay, and indeed all New England, the middle and the southern colonies, had occasion to welcome the accession of William and Mary, yet this event involved them in serious calamities. William was the head, heart and soul of the league of European powers at war with France. His accession was followed with hostili- ties, which extended to our shores. The French power menaced our fathers on the north and west, and could infest the trackless forests with sly and ruthless enemies. The effects were soon visible.
In the summer of 1689 the inhabitants of Lancaster were alarmed. Then began a course of hostilities which con- tinued, with intervals of peace, till 1759, when Wolfe broke the power of the French in America, on the heights of Abraham. On the fourteenth day of July, 1689, a town meeting was held, which took the following action. "Where- as we the inhabitants of Lancaster, being under some fears of being surprised by the Indians, we being by former expe- rience sensible of their malice and cruelty, and being at present destitute of any officers in power to order the military affairs of the town, they do mutually nominate Mr. Thomas Wilder for a lieutenant, and sergeant John Moore to be ensign, and do hereby address ourselves to our
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SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENCE.
honored council for allowance and confirmation of the same. By order of the town, John Houghton, clerk." The petition was granted.
This was the sequel to more significant action taken by the town on the seventeenth of the preceding May. The reader of our revolutionary history is often impressed by the sagacity and heroism of the people living in our country-towns as evinced by their votes and resolutions in support of the pro- vincial congress and the general congress of the United Colo- nies. They bade defiance to. the mother country, and pledged fortune and life for the defence of their liberties. But their action had been anticipated by their great-grandfathers one hundred years before. Thus when the news came of the revolution of 1688 in England, but before the settlement of William and Mary was known, the people of Lancaster joined with Boston, and the other towns in espousing the cause represented by the prince of Orange. The following extract from the town Records found in the Archives at the State House, reveals the free revolutionary spirit of our forefathers.
" The inhabitants of Lancaster, meeting together, - May 17, - according to advice from the honorable council, given at Boston, May 13, 1689, do accordingly choose and impower Mr. Ralph Houghton to serve with the council on the town's behalf, as occasion shall require ; which was confirmed by a vote of the town. 2. The town's desire and expectation is, that our honored governor and assistants that were elected by the freemen of this colony in May, 1686, or so many of them as by the said honored governor and company shall be judged meet, together with the deputies that shall be sent down from the several respective towns, shall resume and exercise the government as a general court, according to our charter, for the year ensuing, or until that orders from his highness, the Prince of Orange, appear for the settle- ment of our affairs ; which was declared by a vote of the town, as attests John Houghton, town clerk."
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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
This was the final farewell to the house of Stuart by the freemen of Lancaster. The town had already chosen mili- tary officers, in view of threatened hostilities, and on the twelfth of July, the general court sent up a "party of sol- diers to guard Lancaster, and places adjacent, and to dis- cover, surprise and destroy the enemy."
During these troublous times the people were not destitute of the " ministry of the word." Mr. Harrington states that " after the re-settlement, diverse gentlemen for the space of seven years supplied the pulpit." This covers the time from 1681 to 1688. The names of four ministers are given, viz., Rev. Messrs. Carter, Denison, Woodroffe and Oakes. Samuel Carter graduated at Harvard in 1660, and Edward Oakes in 1679. These men may have been temporary sup- plies in Lancaster. Mr. Woodroffe or Woodrop was one of the two thousand ministers turned out of their benefices, under the act of conformity in 1662, when Baxter, Howe, and other great lights of the English pulpit were put under the ban. Mr. Woodrop came to New England, in the words of Cotton Mather, "after the persecution which then hurri- caned such as were non-conformists." It is hard to imagine how the people in their poverty and hardships could support a minister ; but in February, 1688, they had the courage to invite Mr. John Whiting to " preach on probation." He continued to preach and perform pastoral duty until Novem- ber, 1690, when he was invited "to settle in the ministry." He accepted the invitation, and it is believed was ordained soon after. This is an instance of the caution of the ancient churches in settling ministers, and it goes far to account for the stability, influence, and usefulness of the clergy in those early days. It is also an illustration of that regard for a faithful ministry of the gospel which distinguished our pious ancestry. The formation of a church, and the services of a minister seemed to be the first public action of a settlement. According to Capt. Edward Johnson, in his book entitled, " Wonder-working Providence of Sion's Saviour, in New
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THE CANADA EXPEDITION.
England," it was as " unnatural for a right New England man to live without an able minister, as for a smith to work his iron without a fire ; therefore this people that went about placing down a town began the foundation-stone, with ear- nest seeking of the Lord's assistance, by humbling of their souls before him in daies of prayer."
The " Canada Expedition," under Gov. Phipps, fills a sad page in our early history. Many impediments concurred to make it a failure. By its casualties homes were made desolate in all the eastern colonies. One circumstance connected it with the origin of many towns forty or fifty years later. The soldiers were not fully paid, but their claims were acknowl- edged by the general court, when the survivors or their heirs, nearly fifty years afterwards, were made the grantees of large sections of land. In this way Ashburnham, Winchen- don and many other towns were settled. The soldiers from Dorchester had a tract called, "Dorchester Canada," now Ashburnham, and the soldiers from Ipswich had a tract styled, "Ipswich Canada," now Winchendon. Lancaster had been settled long before, but her soldiers in the expedition had claims which were . recognized by the general court. In 1738, a petition was sent to the general court in " behalf of those who went in the Canada Expedition of 1690, under Capt. John Withington." The names of the petitioners were as follows.
" Oliver Wilder, in right of his wife Mary, daughter of Jona. Fairbank, who went under Capt. Champney.
Thomas Wilder, in the right of John Pope, his wife's father.
Joseph Wilder, in right of his uncle, Samuel Wheeler, his mother's brother, who served under Major Wade.
Joseph Wheelock, in right of his uncle, Timothy Whee- lock, who served under Capt. Anderson."
These four men, viz., Jona. Fairbank, John Pope, Samuel Wheeler, and Timothy Wheelock, were the first soldiers of Lancaster who went on long expeditions. They had many successors in after years.
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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
Though the frontier towns had been alarmed from the opening of the war between England and France in 1689, no attack was made on the inhabitants of this town before 1692, when, on the twenty-ninth of July, the " Indians assaulted the house of Mr. Peter Joslin,' who was at his labor in the field, and knew nothing of it till entering the house, found his wife and three children and a woman, - the widow Whit- comb, -that lived in his family, barbarously butchered by their hatchets, and weltering in their gore." His wife's sister, Elizabeth How, continues Mr. Harrington, " with another of his children, were carried into captivity ; but that child was murdered in the wilderness. Thus was he stript naked, and called to bitter weeping and lamentation."
There are faint traditions connected with this massacre which have some human interest even to this day. The loca- tion is commonly supposed to be where Mr. McNeil now re- sides ; but in all probability it was on or near the site of Mr. Frederick Johnson. The former lives on the old lot of John Gates, and the latter on the lot of Nathaniel Joslin. Some- where between the houses of Mr. McNeil and Mr Johnson, and a little farther west of the road, was probably the scene of the bloody deed.
It has come down to us, on what authority is not given, that the Indians did not intend murder when they entered the house ; but that they were provoked by the sharp tongue, and the long oven-shovel of Mrs. Joslin, and in their rage, slew her and the other victims. This is quite credible, be- cause the Indians were accustomed to enter houses freely, and in an insolent and lordly way, demand food, drink and whatever they desired. Besides, they had no patience with scolding women or crying children. The proper resentment of a spirited woman might have been the occasion of a ruth- less massacre, by men who had no self-control.
The other tradition brings out an Indian trait. With all their saturnine gravity, the natives had a turn for boisterous mirth and jollity. It is related that two of the Indians, at
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INDIAN HOSTILITIES.
this time, mounted a horse with a boy between them, - per- haps the child taken captive, -and that, as they trotted along, feeling the pressure before and behind, he struck his elbows into them with great vigor. Pleased with the pluck of the boy, they rode along shouting with laughter. And so the whole scene vanishes from our view ; but fear rested on many homes, and grief in many hearts for many a year.
Three years passed, when, on a "Lord's day morning, Mr. Abraham Wheeler, going from garrison to his own house, on some occasion, was there shot by an enemy that had lain in ambush for him." Though mortally wounded, Wheeler wrested the gun from the Indian, and carried it to- wards the garrison till he was met by his friends. This was the only act of violence done at the time, and whether it was an outbreak of private revenge, or the single eruption of a general, but frustrated plan of attack, is not recorded. Wheeler's home is supposed to have been on the southwest slope of Watoquadoc, in Bolton.
In September, 1697, one of the greatest calamities that ever befel the town, was experienced. And the event seems doubly sad because peace had already been declared between the great belligerent parties in Europe. Before dawn, on the eleventh of September, the treaty had been signed. But in those days of slow communication, war, like a wound- ed serpent, though killed in the head, could continue to strike with its far-reaching extremities. The good news of peace was many weeks in coming to our shores.
On the twenty-second of September, eleven days after the signature of the treaty, and eight days after London had hailed the event with bon-fires, bell-ringings and general rejoicings, the Indians entered Lancaster under five leaders, but one chief. They had been lurking in the "woods for some time, sending in scouts by night to observe the posture of the town. Having done this, they determined to begin the attack on Mr. Thomas Sawyer's garrison." This was near the barn of John A. Rice, in South Lancaster. The
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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
firing there was to be a signal to all the other divisions " to fall on in their respective stations." When the inhabitants, on the morning of the twenty-second, " suspicious of no enemy," says Harrington, from whom we often quote, " were gone out to their labor, they came in several companies into the town, and were very near surprising said Sawyer's gar- rison, both the gates being left open ; but that Mr. Jabez Fairbank, who was at his own house half a mile's distance, and designing to bring his little son from said garrison, mounted his horse which came running to him in a fright, and rode full speed into the gate, but yet nothing suspicious of an enemy." The Indians, who were just ready to rush through the open gates into the garrison, supposing they were discovered, desisted from their design upon Sawyer's garrison, but in their retreat, fired upon the people working in the fields.
Detached parties seem to have made havoc in different parts of the town, to such an extent, that at no time, accord- ing to Willard, " excepting when the town was destroyed, was ever so much injury perpetrated, or so many lives lost." The Rev. John Whiting was met at a distance from his gar- rison, B, by the enemy, who surprised and killed him. He was offered quarter, but chose rather to "fight to the last than resign himself to those whose tender mercies are cruelty." At the same time, twenty others were killed; two were wounded, but not mortally, and six were carried away as captives, of whom five returned. Here follow the names of those who were killed. Rev. Mr. Whiting, Daniel Hudson, his wife and two daughters ; Ephraim Roper, wife and daugh- ter; John Skait and wife ; Joseph Rugg, his wife and three children ; the widow Rugg; Jonathan Fairbank and two children. The captured were the wife of Jonathan Fair- bank, widow Wheeler, Mary Glasier, and a son each of Eph- raim Roper, John Skait and Joseph Rugg. The names indi- cate that the larger part of those killed and captured belonged to South Lancaster. At the same time two garrison houses
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FASTING AND PRAYER.
and two barns were burned. "On this sorrowful occasion,". says Mr. Harrington, "the town set apart a day for prayer and fasting." There was mourning in many households, and sympathy in all; and doubtless as the people crowded their house of worship, on that day, and joined with some neighbor- ing minister who stood in their beloved pastor's place, lead- ing them in their devotions, their tears fell fast. Their only comfort was unfaltering faith in God.
The peace of Ryswick, signed in September, 1697, lasted until 1702, when war was renewed between England and France. About the same time, king William died, and was succeeded by queen Anne.
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CHAPTER VI.
INDIAN WAR IN THE REIGN OF QUEEN ANNE. TRAGICAL DEATH OF MR. GARDNER. THIRD MEETING-HOUSE. GARRISONS. NEW TERRITORY.
QUEEN ANNE came to the throne of England on the eighth of March, 1702, and reigned about twelve years. Joseph Dudley was governor of the colony. The queen inherited the war which had broken out just before the death of William III. The origin of the war was such as to unite all true English- men in its prosecution. It was this. William, after a severe contest, had been acknowledged by the court of France, as king of Great Britain and Ireland. At the decease of James II., Louis XIV., in a moment of foolish weakness, acknowledged the pretender, in violation of his treaty. William resented the perfidious act, recalled his ambassador from France, and ordered the French minister to leave London. The nation took up the quarrel with spirit and energy, and the king was about to enter on a campaign when death cut short his ca- reer. Marlborough became the general-in-chief of Anne and her allies, and waged the war till the pride of Louis was humbled. The great battles were fought on a narrow sec- tion of Europe, extending from the North Sea to the upper Danube, but the remotest dependencies of England and France were involved. The English colonists on the Atlantic coast, and the French settlers on the St. Lawrence, with their Indian allies, were forced into deadly collision.
But the flame of war did not reach this lovely valley till the summer of 1704. In the meantime matters of interest to the
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MAINTENANCE OF THE MINISTER.
community had taken place. After the murder of Rev. Mr. Whiting, several ministers had supplied the pulpit, viz., Rev. Messrs. Robinson, Jones and Whitman. Mr. Jones was in- vited to settle, but " difficulties arising, his ordination was prevented, and he removed." In May, 1701, Mr. Andrew Gardner came here to preach, and in the succeeding Septem- ber was invited to settle in the ministry. He remained, but for some unrecorded reason, was not ordained before his un- timely death prevented the consummation of the mutual wish of himself and his people.
In the spring of 1703, a portion of the tax-payers of the town sent the following petition to the general court, stating : " That in or about the year 1653 the inhabitants of the town did agree among themselves to pay to, and for the use of, the minister of the town, the sum of ten shillings a year, in con- sideration of their house lots ; and if that should fall short of a maintenance, then to make up the same by an equal rates upon their goods, and other improved lands, in such way and order as the country rates was raised ; which way and method was equal so long as the inhabitants of the town continued upon their home lots. But now so it is, may it please your excellency and honors, that some of the inhabit- ants are removed from their home-lots, (which are left des- titute and unimproved, and thereby disenabled to pay any rate at all,) to their second division of lots which pay no rate, and the charge of the maintenance of the minister wholly falls upon your petitioners, to their great wrong and damage ; and if not timely rectified by your honors, will be of standing and intolerable inconvenience, and matter of division in the said town, for that they are not able to bear the charge thereof. And forasmuch as the said town had never any settlement made by law, but such agreement as above, which is neither binding nor equal; and whereas said town cannot agree among themselves how to raise their minister's salary ; there- fore your petitioners humbly pray that your, etc. will be pleas- ed to take the premises into your serious consideration, and
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