USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Lancaster > History of the town of Lancaster, Massachusetts : from the first settlement to the present time, 1643-1879 > Part 58
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The clergy were always welcome to his bountiful table. On one occasion the Rev. Mr. Emerson of Harvard, father of the "sage of Concord," was among the guests at dinner. Amid the profusion of viands was a little plate of pickerel put on as a side dish. Mr. Emerson was in the habit of going into particulars minutely in his prayers, and being call- ed upon to say grace, gave thanks for the fruits of the earth, and the fowls of the yard, and the birds of the air, and also for the fishes of the lake and stream. When he had closed, Mr. Ward pointed to the pickerel and with a twinkle of the eye said : "Very pretty little fish, but hardly worth praying about."
The following letter from the Hon. George Bancroft, sent with his " warmest wishes for the prosperity of the town of Lancaster," supersedes the necessity of all other notice of the subject of this sketch.
"You ask me to give you my recollections of the charac- ter and manners of Captain Samuel Ward of Lancaster.
" The trait that impressed itself most deeply on my memo- ry, was his moderation, which, indeed, is the truest test of a well-ordered mind. He was in easy circumstances ; but not rich, nor desiring to become rich. He lived within his in- come ; but being of a generous disposition, very hospitable, and having no surviving child, he was not anxious to accu- mulate property. Cases of private distress -which admit-
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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
ted of relief - were sure to be brought to his notice ; and in questions of importance in the parish he was always consult- ed. No one stood nearer than he to Dr. Thayer, the minis- ter of that day, whom he habitually visited on Sunday evenings, even in winter, no matter how deep might be the snow, nor how bitingly cold the winds.
" He was a man of thought and reflection, and of some reading ; though not enough to be called a scholar. In his political principles he was a Federalist of the old school, but to no one would he utter a harsh word of a political oppo- nent, or indeed of anybody else. He had an evenness of temper that I never once saw ruffled.
" He was always cheerful, serene and contented; and as he grew old, the nearer approach of death had no terrors for him. He never found fault with the doings of providence ; and never fretted at encountering waywardness in his fellow- men. His wife being a confirmed invalid, nothing could ex- ceed the never failing respect and regard and care for her, shown during the many long years of her infirmities ; and his own example formed the rule for his household.
" He was a keen observer, quick in his perceptions, and shrewd in his discernment; but he never seemed to take to heart, that there were faults and imperfections in those who were nearest to him. He accepted his friends just as they were ; and no one could perceive from his words or man- ner that the thought ever passed his mind, that they might be better than they were. He delighted in a pleasant story, had an endless fund of good-natured humor, and with a half suppressed smile on his lips, he could rally a friend on a . trait of character or an incident; but he never uttered a word that could wound.
" It was one of his rules of life, that it is better to pre- serve one old friend than to gain ten new ones. Another was : that confidence is never to be violated ; no, not even of any enemy.
731
NATHANIEL CHANDLER .- COL. FAY.
" He took an interest in all that was going on in the world, and when his newspaper came from the mail or the post rider, reeking with dampness, it went at once into the kitchen to be ironed on both sides by a hot flatiron, which gave smooth- ness to the page and clearness to the type. In the parlor, green hickory was burned ; and to my boyish wonder and ad- miration, he was a master in the art of building up the fire on the broadest foundation consistent with the power of the chimney to carry smoke, narrowing upward to the top; to be sure of a circulation of air between every stick of the lofty pile, an iron wedge would be inserted here and there ; and then the lambent flame curled through every part of the skilfully constructed fabric.
" I will mention one accomplishment, which perhaps no one alive remembers but myself. He was celebrated in early life for possessing a most exquisite tenor voice ; and in his later years I have heard him sing snatches of old songs in a manner that showed what must have been its quality, in the season of its perfection."
Mr. Nathaniel Chandler, the successor of Capt. Ward on the Prescott corner, was also a man of a pleasant humor, and many anecdotes and sayings of his are reported. But as the point of these depends much on tone of voice, and ges- ture, and surroundings, they lose their flavor in print. A single specimen may be hazarded. Lending his horse, one day, to some ladies, he went on in his pleasantry to specify the bad points of the animal; but, said one of the ladies : " how is he about stopping ?" Quick as a flash came the re- ply : "Oh, he shines at that !"
Crossing the road again towards the east and passing the site of the old store of Willard and Ward, and of the garrison- house, under the great elms, near the well and pump, we are in presence of the stately mansion of Mrs. Fay, widow of the late Col. Francis B. Fay. As this gentleman passed nearly the last twenty years of his busy and useful life in this town, it is fitting that a brief notice of him should find
732
HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
a place in this work. He was born in Southborough, June 12, 1793. As his parents were in limited circumstances, his means of education were only such as the schools of that early day could give one who only attended a few weeks in the winter months. Thirsting for knowledge, he borrowed books, and almost committed them to memory. He was employed in different families until his sixteenth year, when he became a clerk in a country store. At eighteen he " bought his time" of his father for $80, and when he " came of age," had saved $50. From this time he was engaged in different kinds of business in his native town, in Chelsea, and in Boston, until he had acquired a handsome property, and filled many places of public trust with honor. He was in the retail line part of the time, and then in wholesale business, being in the firm of Fay & Farwell, which for a number of years did the largest western produce commission business in Boston. Be- fore this he had been deputy sheriff of Worcester county, and postmaster of Southborough during the administrations of Monroe, Adams and Jackson. He also represented South- borough two years in the legislature. He was fond of military exercises and associations, and rose to the position of colonel. In the years 1834, 1835 and 1840 he represented Chelsea, of which he was the first mayor, in the general court. In 1843 and 1845 he was senator from Suffolk county, after which he declined the office. He was elected to Congress in 1852 to fill out the term of Hon. Robert Rantoul, jr., and after settling in Lancaster, was, in 1868, elected to the state sen- ate, being seventy-five years of age.
It is needless to state how many banks and other corpo- rations he was connected with as director or president, for which positions he was much sought, as a man of energy and discretion. He was an honest, unpretending man, of simple manners, and great kindness of heart. In 1851 he gave to the town of Southborough the sum of $500 for starting a public library for the young, on condition that the town should grant a like sum for the same purpose. The enter-
733
SITE OF SAWYER'S GARRISON.
prise which occupied his mind chiefly during the last two decades of his life, was the "State Industrial School for Girls," of which he has sometimes been styled the "father." In October, 1854, Gov. Emery Washburn appointed him one of the board of commissioners to select the site and super- intend the erection of the buildings. He was also appointed one of the trustees, and the treasurer. It was his deep in- terest in this institution which induced him to take up his residence in Lancaster. His official connection with the school closed in 1864, at the end of ten years of faithful and efficient service.
As Col. Fay was honest in business, always " paying one hundred cents for a dollar," so was he upright and independ- ent in politics. It is related of him that he was at one time, in public meeting, called on to give a pledge as the condition of his election to the general court. He refused positively, and said that he would not give up his convictions for the sake of office or honors ; that public life was not desirable unless the office sought the man, and left him free to serve the public as an honorable and self-respecting man. It was this course of action which secured Col. Fay universal re- spect and confidence.
It may be added that he was large-built and tall, with a commanding appearance. His features were those of a man of enterprise and energy, and expressive of vigilance, cau- tion and sincerity. His manner of speaking inspired confi- dence, and gave weight to his words, in town meeting and other public bodies.
Leaving the Prescott corner, and going down the west side of Main street, at No. 17 on the " Map of Villages," is the site of the house and garrison of Thomas Sawyer. The spot is marked E on the " Map of Central Lancaster," and is northwest of the barn of George A. Rice. The road, in early times, was behind the houses on the west side of the present street. This was probably one of the "five places " which were attacked by the Indians in 1676, when the town
734
HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
was destroyed. Willard could designate but three; but besides the garrisons at Prescott's place in Clinton, at Mr. Rowlandson's, and on Wattoquaddoc hill, there was another at Sawyer's and still another on the Neck, either near Dr. Thompson's, or at the John White place ; probably the lat- ter. It will be recollected that after the massacre, the remaining people, who had neither fled nor been killed, gathered into two garrisons, one on the north side of the river, and the other on the south. These garrisons were, in all probability, at the houses of John White and Thomas Sawyer. At all events, the Sawyer place is historical, and therefore has been designated on the maps. The Sawyer family has become numerous; it is widely scattered from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and has furnished many enter- prising and eminent men, in the walks of business and the professions. Their specialty seems to have been dams, mills and factories. Among the most distinguished of the name are Hon. E. H. Sawyer, of Easthampton, Mass. ; Rev. Lei- cester A. Sawyer, D. D., formerly of New Haven, Conn., and Hon. Lorenzo Sawyer, of San Francisco, judge of the United States circuit court. Others equally eminent bear the name, but their connection with the Lancaster stock has not been traced.
The house near the same spot, occupied by Mr. Rice, is ancient, but was built long after the massacre. In more re- cent times it was the home of the Hon. John G. Thurston, who kept the largest store in the county. He was a man of superior ability in business and in public affairs. Besides holding many town offices, he was, during several years, a member of the general court, either in the house or the sen- ate. His local influence was great. By his large fund of information, his intimacy with all the leading men of the town older than himself, and his hospitable spirit, he was very entertaining.
Benjamin Holt lived near the spot on which the house of Daniel Goss now stands. After long and successful service
735
THE LOCKE TAVERN.
as master of one of the best schools of Boston, he came here to spend his declining years. He was a friend of Lowell Mason and other composers, who did so much to elevate the science of sacred music in our country. As president of the Handel and Haydn society, his influence was extensive ; and this was increased by his own musical compositions.
At No. 21, now occupied by Mr. Cilley, Rev. Chandler Robbins, D. D., made his summer home, for quite a term of years. His land extended back to the road at the foot of George hill. Dr. Robbins was highly esteemed here by all classes of people. He might properly be enrolled among Lancaster authors.
The house at the corner, No. 39, on the Map of Villages, formerly stood on Sandy hill, about a third of the distance from the brow to the house of Mr. Parker. It was moved down to its present location, and made a tavern. Over the L was a dancing hall. For many years it has been owned by Mrs. Rice, and the hall, until recently, was the meeting place of the Second Advent church. At one time the Young Men's Christian Association held meetings here on Sunday afternoon.
Coming north again, and turning into the west road, at No. 16, the residence of W. A. Kilbourn, we find a site which was long occupied by a tavern. Here a Mr. Andrews, Tor- rey Fitch, James Wise, and how many others cannot be re- called, kept a much patronized hotel. Here also lived the Locke family a hundred and thirty years ago. Samuel Locke of Woburn, married Rebecca Richardson, in 1730 ; he moved into Lancaster in 1742, and bought the house and lands of John Buss for £1,000. He kept tavern many years, and his house, says the author of the "Book of the Lockes," was a " place of resort for the principal men of the town, and where the fathers of the town were accommodated with their wines and other beverages, if the old account books in my possession are true." He was a man of " great business qualifications, and was respected as an intelligent and honorable man," says
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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
the same authority. He died, April 13, 1775, aged 72, and his widow married Col. Joseph Wilder,-not the second judge Joseph, who died two years before - December 27, 1775. John and Joseph Locke, her sons, married two daughters of Col. Wilder. The most eminent son of Mr. Locke, was his son Samuel, whose early education was guided by Rev. Timo- thy Harrington. Here he fitted for Harvard college, of which he became president in. 1769. He resigned in 1773 on ac- count of alleged " domestic infelicities," and returned to Sher- born, where he had formerly been the minister. He was respected by his townsmen, and his memory is there held in honor to this day. From the reports of John Adams, his classmate, and Pres. Styles of Yale college, he was a man of great and varied abilities and of prodigious learning.
The ancient house occupied by the Locke family and their successors in the tavern, has been replaced by a new one, and now, with all the lands north to the river and west to the back road, belongs to the estate of Mr. Thayer.
Returning to the main road, and coming towards the Sprague bridge, we pass the ancient house of Col. Oliver Wil- der, between Nos. 5 and 6, on the " Map of the Villages," and come to No. 2, the residence of Mr. Thayer. Between this house and the road, was the very ancient house of Rev. Mr. Harrington and Dr. Thayer. It was a fine old house, in the style of the early part of the last century, and its removal to make way for the new and more spacious residence was regretted by many ; but by none so much as the present owner. His purpose was to repair and preserve it, but examina- tion showed that it was decayed beyond repair, and it was reluctantly taken down. A good sketch of it, drawn and painted by Major Fabius Whiting, is kept in the new house, and would be an ornament to this work if all pictures of private houses had not been excluded. The house is in the general style of the residence of Judge Sprague, now oc- cupied by Mr. Vosc. It is supposed to have been built long before Mr. Harrington came to Lancaster, but by whom
737
THE OLD COMMON.
is unknown. The splendid elms were set out by Mr. Harring- ton. The walnut tree, near the old well, stood but a little way from the back door of the house. In this house was reared the late John Eliot Thayer, whose capacity for busi- ness placed him in the front rank of the solid men of Boston.
Half way from this locality to the river was the Rowland- son garrison-house. On the south bank of the river, just op- posite the house of Mr. Vose, was the house of Hooker Osgood, senior or junior, or both. Mr. Osgood was driven from the site by one of those occasional floods, like that on the eleventh of December last, which surpassed any remem- bered by the " oldest inhabitant." The cellar, some eight rods west of the bridge, is not yet entirely filled. At one time Hooker Osgood lived nearly opposite the Middle Cemetery, and perhaps in a house built on the Rowlandson or Kerley estate after the burning and massacre.
THE OLD COMMON.
Instead of coming over the Sprague bridge, and perambu- lating the Neck or Center, we will follow the people, who built their third meeting-house on the Old Common in 1705. This now became the center of the town, Harvard and Bol- ton still belonging to the township. Though there has never been a time when many families lived here, yet quite a num- ber of these have been above the average in education and respectability. One branch of the Wilder family had a seat here during several generations. The " Book of the Wil- ders" supersedes the need of going into the genealogy of the family at length, but a few items will be of general in- terest. Thomas and John, sons of the first Thomas Wilder, lived on the Old Common, and on the land now occupied by the Industrial School buildings. The sons of the second Thomas were Col. James and the first Judge Joseph. By Gardner, one of the sons of James, came many descendants in Leominster and other places.
47
738
HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
The sons of Joseph, chief justice of the Court of Common Pleas from 1731 to 1757, were Thomas, Andrew, Joseph and Caleb. Joseph was a judge of the same court as his father, from 1762 to 1773, when he died. He and Col. Caleb, bis brother, were the first who established pot and pearl ash works in America. Their place of manufacture was on the northern slope of the Old Common, descending towards the intervale. Aged willow trees still mark the place. They had another establishment in Leominster. Their brother Thomas settled in Leominster, and was captain of a com- pany. One of his descendants was the Hon. Abel Wilder of Winchendon, a model man.
Levi Wilder, a descendant of Thomas, began to build the Stillwell house, so called, now in ruins by fire, in 1776. He was the father of Sampson V. S. Wilder.
John Wilder's sons were John, Thomas and Ebenezer, whose descendants are settled in many towns and several states. David was a representative many years. Col. Wil- der of Sterling was another of his stock. Jonathan, the grandson of John, had eleven sons, of whom the following lived to man's estate, viz. : Jonathan, David, John, Luke, Cephas, Prescott, Lewis, Henry, lately deceased, and Fred- erick, who died much lamented, when young. Charles L. Wilder is of the family of John. The "Six Nations " of the south part of the town, in former times, were of the same family.
Nathaniel, third son of the first Thomas, lived on George hill. He was killed by the Indians in 1704, as was his son Jonathan in 1707. His son Ephraim represented Lancaster in the general court for a number of years, and died in 1769, aged 94 years. Col. Oliver, the owner of the South Lan- caster water power, was another son. Ephraim had a son of the same name, who died in 1770, aged 68. He also had a son Ephraim, who was one of the seven delegates from Worcester county who voted for the adoption of the Consti- tution of the United States. He lived in Sterling. His
739
WILDER .- HOUGHTON.
wife was sister of Pres. Locke. Deacon Joel Wilder of Lancaster, and father of the present aged citizen of the same name, was his son. Samuel Locke Wilder, Esq., of Rindge, N. H., was another son of Ephraim. The Hon. Marshall Pinckney Wilder, of Dorchester, whose honorable fame is as extensive as the country, is one of the sons of the aforesaid Samuel. The Rev. Moses Hale Wilder, author of the "Book of the Wilders," is a descendant of the Hon. Abel Wilder of Winchendon.
A careless reader of our Town Records and Annals, will often confound Judge Joseph Wilder, the younger, and Col. Joseph Wilder. They were contemporaries, and their names occur in such a manner as to confuse the reader. Rarely are they mentioned at the same time. If they were, the distinction would be evident. But the evidence of their separate identity accumulates by degrees. Judge Joseph was the son of the first Judge Joseph. Col. Joseph is not mentioned in Willard's notes respecting the Wilders, and it is hard to trace his connections in the Book of the Wilders.' But he lived here, owned the Ponakin mills, had a son named Gardner, known as Major Gardner Wilder, who own- ed the large house on Ballard hill, now occupied by the family of the late Mr. Noah Worcester. Capt. John Maynard was son-in-law to the Major, and had the mills in right of his wife. It may be noted here that among the signers of the Church Covenant at the settlement of Mr. Prentice, in 1708, are the names of two Joseph Wilders. One of these is styled "jr." This junior could not have been the second judge Joseph, because he was born in the year 1708. Here is room for conjecture ; but it seems certain that there were two Josephs in the time of the first judge, and also in the time of the second judge. Col. Joseph carried on the mill business at Ponakin, while a distant relative, Col. Oliver, owned the mill or mills at South Lancaster.
Another family long seated on the Old Common, bears the name of Houghton. Ralph Houghton lived on the Neck ;
740
HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
but the property passed into other hands long ago. His cousin John seems to have first settled in the southwest sec- tion of Bolton, but not long after, he made his home on the south side of the Old Common. The house, supposed to have been a garrison at one period, was in the field, perhaps twenty rods south of the road, and half way between the two roads which run southward from the main street. This John is sometimes taken for John, son of Ralph. John Houghton was born in Lancaster, England ; came to this place in 1653, and died in 1684. The oldest inscribed stone in the first burying yard, bears his name. The name of his wife was Beatrix. His sons were Benjamin, William, Robert and John, jr. The latter was born a year or two before his parents left the old country. He held an elegant pen, like Ralph, his father's cousin. Between 1693 and 1724 he was a delegate to the general court fourteen years. He seems to have been the only magistrate in the town for many years after the rebuilding. During nearly a genera- tion he was a leading man, not only in the town, but in all the region. According to Mr. Willard, who, as a lawyer, had special means of knowing, he was a very skilful con- veyancer, and had much employment in that business. The land for the meeting-house, as stated in a former chapter, was given by him. He was the leader in the movement which took the place of meeting from the spot where the first and second houses stood, to the Old Common. Fifty years ago "three aged pear trees, planted by himself, stood in front of the site of his house." All traces of house and trees are gone. He was afflicted with blindness in his old age. His death occurred, February 3, 1737, when he was in his eighty-seventh year.
His son Jacob was born in 1674. Jacob, jr., in 1696. Abraham, son of the latter, was born in 1725, and died in 1815 in Leyden, Vt. His son William was born in Bolton, March 23, 1774, and died in 1863, aged eighty-nine. Seve- ral epitaphs of this family will be found in the chapter on
741
THE WILDER HOUSE.
cemeteries. Mr. H. O. Houghton, senior partner of the firm of Houghton & Osgood, is a son of the aforesaid William. Gen. J. F. Houghton, and the Hon. S. A. Houghton, who has represented California in congress, are of the Lancaster stock. The family has had but few representatives in this town, for several generations. Dea. Houghton and Benjamin Houghton, are found often in the Records, midway in our history.
The large wooden house belonging to the State school, No. 5,-marked No. 19, on the Map of Villages- which is the northeast building on the grounds, was built by the first Jonathan Wilder. His son Jonathan, father of the late Henry, was born there. It has been handed down, by word of mouth, that the elder Jonathan, in his early man- hood, sought the hand of a damsel who was averse to mar- riage at the time. He married another, had children, and lost his wife. His former suit was then renewed, but de- clined for the same reason as before. He married a second time, and again was bereaved. Then he turned again to his " first love," who was now past middle age. She consented, and to her surprise, was blessed with an heir. Then in due time, came twins, causing increased wonder. Finally she bore triplets, when she is said to have uttered the following prayer :
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