USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Lancaster > History of the town of Lancaster, Massachusetts : from the first settlement to the present time, 1643-1879 > Part 38
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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
stable habits of his parish, which knew the value of a per- manent ministry ; yet much was due to his own especial pru- dence.
Dr. Thayer was a fine public speaker. He was large in person, and had an imposing presence. Though pleasant in speech, he was grave, dignified and impressive. He had a voice of great power and compass, which filled the largest hall or church with ease. He was thus fitted to speak on spe- cial occasions, as well as in his stated ministry. When La- fayette was passing through the country, on his triumphal tour, in 1826, he tarried for a night at the hospitable man- sion of Mr. Sampson V. S. Wilder, in Bolton, and in the morning gratified the citizens of Lancaster with a reception. It was assigned to Dr. Thayer to address him on that occa- sion. Standing on the Common, near the Brick church, and surrounded by an immense multitude from this and neighbor- ing towns, he spoke as follows :
" GENERAL LAFAYETTE .- In behalf of the inhabitants of Lancaster, I offer you their cordial congratulations on your arrival in a country whose wrongs you felt and resented ; whose liberties you valiantly defended ; and whose interests and prospects have been dear to your soul.
" We all unite with the few surviving veterans which were with, loved and respected you on the high places of the field, in giving you a welcome to this village, once the chosen res- idence of savages, and the scene of their boasted triumph ; and rejoice that you visit it under the improvements of civil- ized life, in prosperity and peace.
"It gladdens us that we and our children may behold the man, whom we have believed, and whom we have taught our children to believe, was second only to his and our friend, the immortal WASHINGTON. We participate in your joy, on be- holding our institutions in vigor, our population extended, so that since you left us, from a little one we have become mil- lions, and from a small band a strong nation ; that you see our glory rising, our Republic placed on an immovable basis,
475
ADDRESS TO LAFAYETTE.
all of which are in part, under Providence, to be ascribed to your sacrifices, dangers and toils.
" We wish you health and prosperity. We assure you that wherever you shall go, you will be greeted by our fellow- countrymen as one of the chief deliverers of America, and the friend of rational liberty and of man. It is especially our prayer, that in that day in which the acclamations and applauses of dying men shall cease to reach or affect you, you may re- ceive from the Judge of character and Dispenser of imper- ishable honors, as the reward of philanthropy and incorrupt- ible integrity, a crown of glory which shall never fade."
It is said that when these closing words were uttered, "the veteran Lafayette trembled with emotion," and that he was often afterwards " accustomed to refer with pleasure to the beautiful scenery of the banks of the Nashua, and the heart- thrilling address of the venerable minister of Lancaster." Aged men, now living, who were present, tell us that the words of the speaker were heard distinctly by all in the great throng, and that the tones of his voice were audible across the intervale, and half way up the side of George hill.
The funeral discourse already drawn from, speaks in warm terms of the hospitality of Dr. Thayer, and extols his char- acter in all his domestic relations. Living among his children as a companion as well as a father, he approached the close of life with scarcely any abatement of his natural force. Un- usual labors in the winter and spring of 1840, led him to seek recreation in extended travel. His last public service, as al- ready stated, was on the seventh of June, a day which he de- clared to be one of the happiest of his life, when he communed with his people at the Lord's table, received some into the church, and laid his hand, in baptism, on the heads of some of the lambs of his flock.
The next day, accompanied by a daughter, he started for Saratoga Springs. After spending a week there, he went on his way towards Niagara Falls, enjoying the scenery and the climate, in the most genial season of the year. Monday, June
476
HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
22, was spent in traveling, and it is said that " large portions of it had been occupied in most interesting conversations on religious subjects with fellow travelers." Having reached Rochester that evening, he retired to rest at the usual hour, and in wonted health. Nothing led his daughter or himself to apprehend the solemn event which was near. But the voice from Heaven came to him, at two o'clock in the morning, and he was ready to hear and to obey. " Without a murmur or a sigh of discontent, he yielded to the decisions of an uner- ring Providence, and serene and cheerful, awaited the final is- sue. His heart was with his family and his people. He said : Give them my dying love. Tell them I cheerfully submit. I die in the faith I have preached. - I die in peace, and in the hopes of the gospel.'"
The good people of Rochester, without regard to denom- inational sympathies, showed the greatest respect to his re- mains, and the most delicate kindness to his bereaved daugh- ter. The lifeless form was brought to Lancaster, and by a singular felicity was placed under the same elms, where the venerable Harrington, nearly forty-five years before, had in- voked upon him the blessing of God. Here prayers were offered, and on Monday, June 29, the funeral solemnities were observed in the church where he had preached the word dur- ing a long and happy pastorate. A great multitude filled the house, below and in the galleries. After appropriate services of song, discourse and prayer, the remains of the venerable and lamented minister were borne from the house of God to the house appointed for all the living. They buried him, but his memory and influence remain. "Then shall the dust re- turn to the earth as it was ; and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it."
The chapter will be closed with an extract from a sermon delivered by Dr. Thayer, at an installation in 1828, when in the ripe maturity of his powers. It will serve as a favorable specimen of his style, and at the same time, express his views in relation to an important doctrine of the gospel. Speak-
477
CHRIST A SAVIOUR.
ing of Christ, he asks : " What did the world more need than an Instructor to enlighten them in all the will of God ; a Mod- el of undeviating and spotless virtue and holiness ; a Sav- iour from the present and distant evils of moral corruption ; a Redeemer from the power of the grave ; and a Guide to di- rect their upward course to Heaven and to God? Give me a Saviour who shall by his gospel impart light to my mind, purity to my heart, and tenderness to my conscience. Give me a Saviour who shall lead me by his instructions and per- fect example in obtaining a victory over my sinful propensi- ties, appetites and passions. Give me a Saviour who shall secure me in the possession of a sure and unfailing promise of the mercy of God, if I am penitent and obedient. Give me a Saviour who shall lead me in triumph, by faith in him, through the dark valley of the shadow of death. Give me a Saviour who by his resurrection from the grave has set be- fore me a proof of my own resurrection. Give me a Saviour in whom I can confide when he tells me that in his Father's house are many mansions, and that if I am faithful, where he is I shall be also. Give me a Saviour who can teach, practice, promise all this, and whose authority to reveal the promise is unquestionably established ; and I need nothing more to constrain me to acknowledge that I believe him to be all-suf- ficient, able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him."
CHAPTER XX.
TOWN AFFAIRS FROM 1842 TO 1878.
IN this chapter the continuous narrative of events, will be brought down to the present time, with the exception of the story of Lancaster in the war of the rebellion. The Acade- my and other private schools, the Library, the Cemeteries, the Churches, and miscellaneous matters not easily classified, will need separate treatment, but the town history, as gather- ed from the Records, is drawing to its close.
It is a curious and singular fact, that at the point of time when the town was two hundred years old from its first set- tlement, its history took, as it were, a new departure. Near that time Rev. Dr. Thayer died, by which event some of the cohesive power of the first church and society was removed. About this time the Evangelical church was formed, and the society connected with it erected a house of worship. The Universalist society, whose meeting-house was in South Lan- caster, or as then styled, New Boston, came into existence at the same period. In consequence, public sentiment was much divided, and the new societies were obliged to contend for recognition.
Then came a new element of discord, which caused the po- litical waters to ferment like a maelstrom. The Liberty party was formed in 1840, and soon began to have adherents in this town. The town was overwhelmingly whig, the democrats being few and helpless in all political contests. The Liberty men came from the whig party, and as they increased in num- bers, they incurred the most determined opposition. This went on for sixteen years, till 1856, when Lancaster fell into
478
479
THE TEMPERANCE REFORM.
line as a republican town. In 1848, when the county went for the Free Soil party, this town adhered to the whig organ- ization. This was a stronghold of the whigs, and the Liberty men, under different names, had to wage a strenuous warfare. But in time the hostile elements were quieted. The several religious bodies learned to respect each other's rights and con- victions, and the whole mass of citizens, with inconsiderable exceptions, were banded together in abolishing slavery, and putting down rebellion.
Returning to our narrative, we have first to string together various isolated matters, which interested the town during the period under review ; and then to continue the history of edu- cation, and of roads and bridges from year to year.
MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS.
The first effective action of the town in relation to the tem- perance reform, was taken in 1843. Indeed, this phase of the temperance revival might have been noted as one of the divi- sive elements when the town reached its two hundredth birth- day. But since the movement began, as a moral reformation, ten or fifteen years before, it could not be referred to the time when this chapter opens. At the April meeting, 1843, the selectmen were instructed to prosecute all persons who should " sell spirituous liquors without license during the ensuing year." So far the record is good, but under the various changes of the laws in relation to liquor-selling, the town has not uni- formly voted in favor of prohibition. In 1848 it was voted not to prosecute ; and later in the year, in favor of prosecu- ting the violation of the law. Whether the question has been in regard to prohibiting or limiting the sale of spirituous li- quors, or the milder beverages which contain alcohol, as cider, ale, porter and lager beer, the vote has generally been in the negative. And when the matter has been left with the select- men, the action has frequently been in favor of license. More recently, licenses have been withheld, with partial approbation, and general acquiescence.
480
HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
In April, 1844, the town voted to purchase a " salamander safe " to keep the town Records and other books. The safe cost $139.99. At the same time measures were taken to ob- tain the Proprietors' Record Books, and place them in safe keeping. By this time the Proprietors had sold nearly all their property, and rarely met ; but as their records are a part of the history of the town, it was desirable to obtain them.
A memorial from Joseph Willard, Esq., whose writings have done so much to illustrate the early history of Lancaster, was presented to the town, in November, 1846, in relation to the town records, and specially in regard to the records of births, marriages and deaths. He represented that some of the books were very ancient, and by frequent examination, were liable to be defaced and worn out ; and as they were becoming more valuable by the lapse of time, it was important that copies should be taken, and the originals be preserved from wear and tear. In consequence, a committee of three was chosen "to superintend the copying of such of the town records that are ancient, as they may think expedient." The committee were John G. Thurston, (town clerk, ) Solon Whiting and Ezra Saw- yer. In 1860 Dr. J. L. S. Thompson, (town clerk, ) Joel Wil- der and Silas Thurston were chosen a committee "to super- intend the copying of the old tax books."
Previous to this, in June, 1853, when Francis Hussey was chosen clerk, a committee was appointed, - Henry Wilder and S. J. S. Vose, -"to receive the books and papers from former clerks, and pass them to the present." The committee understood the vote to mean that they should inspect the rec- ords, and report for correction any errors that might be found. Several clerical mistakes were noted, and the town voted to have them rectified. No intentional errors were charged upon former clerks, but the town showed a commendable purpose to have the records correct.
The enrolled militia numbered two hundred and fifty-eight in 1844. The number increased very fast until Clinton was set off as a new town, but the glories of the muster field were already among the things of the past.
481
NEW TOWN HALL.
None but those who know the fact would imagine that there ever was a mill on Cumberry brook, though at one time there were two small mills. In 1847, Levi Farwell obtained leave from the town to raise the road which runs east by the No. 1 school-house, and make it a dam, where the brook crosses. The mill was near the road, and in certain seasons of the year, did its quantum of work. The other mill was farther up stream.
The question in relation to building a new town-house came up in 1847, and was referred to Wilder S. Thurston, Charles Humphrey, H. N. Bigelow, Josiah Fay and Levi Farwell. This was at the March meeting. A month later the committee made an able and elaborate report, and recommended : "1, That the town proceed to the erection of a town-house the present year ; 2, that it be built of brick; and 3, that it be placed upon the open space between the academy and the brick meeting-house, provided they (the town) have or can obtain a title to the land."
The town accepted the report, and voted to " build in ac- cordance with plans drawn by Mr. J. C. Headley." The bor- rowing of $7,000 was authorized. The building committee were John G. Thurston, John C. Headley and Anthony Lane. In September, 1848, the committee were instructed to buy necessary furniture for the new hall. The committee were thanked for the " faithful and efficient manner " in which they had performed their duties.
On the seventh of November the meeting for the choice of presidential electors was warned to assemble in the old town- house. The meeting adjourned to the new town hall, when the citizens cast two hundred and eighty-six votes for the whig candidate, Gen. Zachary Taylor ; one hundred and eighty- nine votes for Hon. Martin Van Buren, the Free Soil candi- date, and sixty-five votes for the candidate of the democracy, Hon. Lewis Cass.
The total outlay for the new hall was $7,023 ; and the old town-house was still the property of the town. It was
31
482
HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
occasionally used for town meetings andother gatherings, when a full meeting was not expected. Fiually it was sold and re- moved to its present location near the station of the Worces- ter and Nashua railroad. It will be remembered that this was the old meeting-house, built in 1743 ; and that it was reduced in size, and made into a town-house in 1816. The timbers of the original house, cut down, are still the main-stay of the building. It may be a matter of interest to some to know that the three porches of the meeting-house were sold sepa- rate from the main building. Two of them joined together, now make the house of Benjamin Morse, in the North Village, and the third was for a long time, the L part of the present L part of the house of Wright S. Keyes, before the new house was built in front, a few years since.
At the November meeting, 1848, a movement was begun, looking to a division of the town, by the separation of Clin- tonville. The subject was referred to the following gentle- men, living in both sections, as a committee. Elias M. Still- well, James G. Carter, John H. Shaw, H. N. Bigelow, Ezra Sawyer, Sidney Harris, Charles G. Stevens, J. T. Otterson and Jacob Fisher. The committee, as might have been ex- pected, were divided in opinion, and at a meeting held in November of the next year, presented majority and minority reports. Both reports were laid on the table.
At the same time another committee made a report in re- gard to the land under and near the old town-house. It seems that a Mr. Danforth had built where Mr. Royce now resides, in 1832, and Capt. Shaw was then living in the house. By some means the town had six hundred and fifty-two feet of Capt. Shaw's land, and he had two thousand five hundred and seventy-two feet of the town's land. How the matter was settled, the records do not inform us ; but probably all that belonged to the town is now in the highway between the houses of Mrs. Abby Lane and Mr. Royce.
The dividing of the town was a matter that could not rest, as Clintonville was rapidly increasing in population and busi-
483
CLINTON.
ness. Therefore a special meeting was held on the fifteenth of February, 1850, with Solon Whiting, Esq., in the chair. Charles G. Stevens, Esq., then a young lawyer, recently set- tled in Clintonville, submitted a preamble and resolve to the meeting in favor of a new town.
The subject was discussed, but before any action was taken, a committee was appointed to confer with a like committee, chosen by the people of Clintonville, and " report as soon as may be, what terms, in their opinion, ought to satisfy the town of Lancaster to consent not to oppose a division of the town." The committee chosen by the town were John G. Thurston, Jacob Fisher, Silas Thurston, Henry Lincoln and Nathaniel Warner. The meeting then adjourned, fortv minutes. On reassembling, the committees unanimously reported as follows.
"1. That all the property, both real and personal, owned by the town of Lancaster, at the present time, shall belong to, and be owned by the town of Lancaster, after the divi- sion shall take place.
" 2. That the inhabitants of Clintonville shall support and forever maintain those persons who now receive relief and support from the town of Lancaster as paupers, who origi- nated from the territory proposed to be set off; and also for- ever support all persons who may hereafter become paupers, who derive their settlement from this territory.
"3. That Clintonville, or the town of Clinton, if so in- corporated, shall pay to the town of Lancaster, the sum of ten thousand dollars in consideration of the large number of river bridges and paupers that will remain within the limits of the old town. The same to be paid in ten equal annual payments of one thousand dollars, with interest semi-annu- ally on the sum due, the first payment of one thousand dol- lars to be made in one year after the separation shall take place. And the amount shall be in full for all the town debt which Lancaster owes."
The fourth article fixed the bounds as they now stand.
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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
Henry Wilder, Benjamin Whittemore and John G. Thurs- ton were chosen a committee to see the substance of the fore- going articles put into the act of incorporation.
The report was adopted by the town ; Clinton was incor- porated by the legislature at its next session, and in due time, paid for its freedom, according to agreement, and went on its way prospering, with the good-will of its venerable, but still growing and comely mother. Comparing the two, and reversing the words of Horace, we may write-
O filia pulchra mater pulchrior.
The number of families in the town previous to the divi- sion, was six hundred and ninety-two. Supposing the fami- lies averaged five persons, the population was three thousand four hundred and sixty. Now the population of Clinton is probably double the latter number, while that of Lancaster is less than two thousand. But the old town has time and room for growing.
At this time, and during subsequent years the town took special pains to have the accounts of the selectmen and other officers carefully audited. Samuel J. S. Vose was chosen auditing committee in 1850; and with others at different dates, did much to effect a careful keeping and rendering of accounts. It has now become a settled thing to have an audit- ing committee annually chosen.
A division of the county of Worcester has been agitated, every few years, for nearly a century. The attempt always comes from the same source, but has hitherto failed. From the first Lancaster has been solid in her allegiance to the old county. The question was brought before the town in 1851, March 19, when the vote was unanimous against division. Again and again the measure has been pressed down to the present time, but always with the same result. At one time, a single citizen was in favor of the new county. At another time four voted for it. The highest number of votes on that side was seven. The feelings of the town in favor of pre-
485
LANCASTER CHARITABLE FUND.
serving old county lines and associations have been emphati- cally expressed. Whether a direct line of railway between Lancaster and Fitchburg, would effect a change in public opinion, is a matter of conjecture.
The home or asylum for the poor was, at the first, on the road not far from the Slate Mine. In a few years, the house of B. W. Willard, where Levi P. Wood, jr., now lives, was bought. A large addition was made, when needed, by erect- ing what is now the main building, of two stories. In 1851 the selectmen were authorized to sell a small part of the poor farm to neighbors. Other inconsiderable changes were made, but nothing which demands notice, until the new farm was purchased, at a later date.
April 7, 1851, the town accepted the Act incorporating the " Lancaster Charitable Fund." Sometimes this is called the " Poor Widow's Fund." The minister of the First Congre- gational Church and his successors, is one of the trustees. Rev. George M. Bartol has held that position since the Fund was established. The first board of trustees elected by the town was composed of the following citizens, viz., John M. Wash- burn, Charles Humphrey, Henry Lincoln, Levi Farwell, John Bennett.
The origin of the Fund dates farther back. The late Sam- uel Ward, Esq., who died August 14, 1826, gave and be- queathed to the " settled Congregational minister and select- men of the town of Lancaster for the time being, and their respective, successors in said office, five hundred dollars, in trust, to be placed at interest by them, and the interest an- nually arising therefrom to be by them distributed to those who are unfortunate and in indigent circumstances, in said Lancaster, but not to the poor actually maintained by said town."
According to the terms of the will, the minister and the selectmen administered the Fund until 1851.
Capt. Josiah Bowers, who lived on the summit of George hill, made a bequest to the Fund, as appears by the follow-
486
HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
ing extract from his will, proved November 15, 1836, in these words : "As to the residue and remainder of my estate, it is my will and order that one hundred dollars be put out on in- terest under the care and trust of the selectmen of the town of Lancaster, for the benefit of poor widows belonging to said town, of good moral character, and who are not sup- ported by the town."
A much larger addition was made to the Fund by the will of Joel Wilder, dated August 2, 1847. This Mr. Wilder was Joel Wilder, 2d, as Dea. Joel Wilder was first, and the latter's son was Joel Wilder, jr. Joel Wilder lived near the George hill school-house, where A. D. Howe recently resided. He left one-third of his estate to one of his sons, but it was to remain in the hands of his executor, for the benefit of his son, and the residue, after his son's decease, was to go to the " poor wid- ow's fund of said Lancaster." Mr. Wilder's gift, with $28.51 interest, amounted to $1,701.51.
A clause of the will of Mr. John Laughton, proved June 4, 1850, provides that after his wife's decease, all the remain- der of his property " be paid to the widow's fund, so called, a fund established for the benefit of the poor widows in said Lancaster." This has not yet come into the custody of the trustees.
The Act of incorporation above referred to authorizes the town to "elect five persons, who, with their successors, and the minister for the time being, of the First Congregational Society in said town, duly settled over the same, and his suc- cessors in office shall thereafter be constituted a body corpo- rate by the name of the Trustees of the Charitable Fund in the town of Lancaster." In case of a vacancy by death, res- ignation, removal or otherwise, the town was to fill the vacan- cy. The trustees are required to elect a clerk and treasurer, to keep a record of their doings, and to administer the fund, " regard being had to the wishes of the donors when known."
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