USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Lancaster > History of the town of Lancaster, Massachusetts : from the first settlement to the present time, 1643-1879 > Part 61
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One story relates to a pretended horse trade, in which one of the parties, on trial of the animal, was thrown. A horse had died, and the weather being cold, had frozen stiff. Know- ing this, one of the frequenters of the tavern, and a jockey, played a practical joke on a traveler. He told the company that he had a horse which he was ready to part with, and would like to have him tried. He was already saddled and bridled, and ready to show his paces. Finally a man agreed to try the horse, and see how he liked. It was evening. The company followed the bargainers to the drive-way, where the horse stood on his feet, as if alive. But as the buyer seized the bridle, placed his foot in the stirrup, and began to mount, the old carcass came over upon him, amid the jeer- ing shouts of the crowd.
At another time, when a large company of teamsters and others were having a lively time before a roaring fire, in the great, old-fashioned fire-place, a man came in and joined them. They called on him for a treat. He was not ready to gratify them. They pressed him, but being a temperance man, he refused. This roused their spirit of mischief, a raw- hide of an ox was brought in, the man was seized and laid upon it, when four stout fellows taking it by the corners, held it, man and all, over the blaze, till he roared in pain, begged for mercy, and promised to treat all round. Such anecdotes, whether true to the exact facts or not, are doubt- less characteristic of former times, which, in some respects, were not better than these.
767
FISHER. - NEWHALL.
We have already referred to a distinguished family which formerly lived at the house, -- No. 1-as we approach North Village from the Center, that is, the family of Gen. John Whiting. Here also lived Major Fisher, and it is supposed that some of his children were born and reared in this an- cient dwelling. He built and occupied the large brick house on the south side of the street. His sons, captains Jacob and Carter, had their homes in North Village, nearly opposite the house of their father, till a comparativly recent date. Times have changed since their prime, when the Village was brisk with the branches of business mentioned in a former chapter. The three taverns are reduced to one, and the owner has other resources for a living. The stores are all closed. The only shops are those of Mr. Rugg, the blacksmith, and the Messrs. Stowe, wagon makers. Yet there was a time when the Village seemed on the turning point of fortune. The parties who gave a start to Clinton, made advances to get control of the Ponakin water power, and of the intervale, but were not met in such a way as to encourage investment. " There is a tide in the affairs of men," whether singly or in villages, and if not "taken in the flood " it does not lead to fortune.
The policy which has prevented the growth of Lancaster. has forced away scores of enterprising boys who have done much to build up other places. Two or three cases bearing on this point are suggested by the locality which now is claim- ing our attention. On the east end of North Village lived the families of Newhall, Lyon and Bigelow. James New- hall's house was at or near No. 6, now owned by Miss Eliza Newhall, his daughter. He was a musician of consider- able prominence in his day, as preceding pages have shown. Several of his brothers were gifted with a taste and talent for music, and were much employed in singing-schools, and as leaders of church choirs. They sought other homes to better their fortunes. Miss Newhall owns a house here, but her ability as a teacher of music, as well as other branches of education, finds employment elsewhere.
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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
Farther east we come to the early home of the late John E. Lyon, who had in him enough of business talent to en- rich his native town, if it could have found scope and induce- ment. He became a man of fortune in connection with the railroad interests of New Hampshire, but with the exception of a small donation to a charity sustained by the ladies of the First Parish, left his large property to enrich other places.
About half way from Lane's crossing to the Whiting place, lived the four Bigelow boys, in their early days. As they grew up, the conviction that this was a poor place for boys with limited advantages, induced them to exert their energies in other towns and states. One or two of the four settled in Grafton, and became prosperous men. One of these was elected to the senate or the council. A third lives in Chicago, and is a highly respected gentleman. All have honored their birthplace.
On the eastern edge of North Village is a house,-No. 11- which has interesting associations. It was built by or for Dr. Calvin Carter. Certainly it was occupied by him, several years. He had lived in the large three story house, now the, almshouse, with his father, Dr. James Carter, where they had been partners in medical practice. Before the death of the father, Calvin left the home, but returned to it afterwards, and removed thence to the Stowell house. This house, No. 11, was purchased by Mr. John M. Washburn, a merchant of Boston, about forty years since. He carried on the farm, but was ever ready as well as competent to serve the public. His name is mentioned often, in preceding pages, in connection with town and parish affairs. He was also a friend of temper- ance, schools and libraries ; and he gave his time, influence and means to promote every good cause.
Here his sons, John, Edward and Francis, grew to man- hood, and from this spot went out into the great world to take a course which has brought honor to themselves, their parentage and the town. Col. John D. Washburn, of Wor-
769
COL. FRANCIS WASHBURN.
cester, is well known as a man of large capacity in business, and as a prominent member of the legislature. The honorable service of Edward R. Washburn, as captain of company I, fifty-third regiment, and his lamented death at the early age of twenty-eight, was recorded on page 711. It may be ad- ded here that he is always mentioned by his surviving com- rades, who followed him in the marches and combats through Louisiana, and in the furious assaults upon Port Hudson, in terms which indicate that he was esteemed as a friend, and respected as a brave, capable and efficient officer.
It was the fortune of the youngest brother to achieve a still more brilliant reputation. There came to Col. Francis Washburn, at the very last moment, one of those rare occa- sions, when a man may rise to distinction if he has the genius to seize it. But let us trace his brief career until fortune met and crowned him as one of the heroes of the war, though his life was the precious forfeit. The facts are taken from various sources, but chiefly from a biographical notice prepared by the Hon. A. H. Bullock.
Francis Washburn was in Germany, for the purpose of completing his education, when the rebellion broke out, but that event came to him as a summons, and he returned to offer his services in the field. He was commissioned as junior lieutenant in the First Massachusetts Cavalry. It was.sug- gested to him that his studies and practice in Germany ren- dered him fit for higher rank, but this he declined, preferring to rise by merit in actual service. His first promotion was to the captaincy of the Second Cavalry. At the organization of the fourth regiment of Cavalry, he was offered the lieut .- colonelcy, without solicitation. It was the act of Gov. An- drew in recognition of merit. When Col. Rand resigned, he was commissioned as colonel, and immediately secured the respect and confidence of his command, and the appro- bation of his superior officers. With the exception of a few days' absence, in 1864, to attend the funeral of his brother Edward, he was constantly on duty. He was in several
49
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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
actions in South Carolina and Virginia ; " led his men under Sheridan, in the presence of Ord and of Grant," and was recommended by the latter as deserving to be brevetted bri- gadier general, after his last battle, and while it was hoped that his wound was not mortal. A letter from Gen. Grant, received by his mother, soon after his death, speaks of him as "your noble son who fell so gallantly leading his men."
He was in many engagements and saw much hard service, during three and a half years, but never received a wound until he fell in the action at High Bridge, April 6, 1865. The soldiers of Lee fought for this bridge, that his army might have a passage in the effort to escape from Grant, and thus be enabled to prolong the war. The object of Col. Washburn was to destroy the bridge. In this contest he was surrounded by Rosser and F. H. Lee, and fought them, though followed by only one man to eight of the enemy. The infantry were behind him, but far inferior to the force of the rebels, yet it was necessary to impress them with the conviction that the Union forces were present in strength. In this supreme moment, Washburn formed his men, and dashed like a whirlwind through the opposing ranks. Then wheeling, he led them back with like impetuosity, making great gaps in the lines. He might now, having shown his mettle, and discovered the overwhelming force of the enemy, have withdrawn with honor, and escaped with safety; but that would have left the infantry to be attacked, with fearful odds against them. This he could not do, and therefore made another charge. Swinging his long sword, which few men could wield, he had nearly disarmed a rebel officer, when another shot him in the head. He fell from his horse, and according to the statement of the surgeon of the regi- ment, while he lay helpless on the ground, a rebel soldier began to plunder him, taking watch and purse, and attempt- ing to pull off his new cavalry boots. The colonel, coming to feeble consciousness, remarked that he would take care of them, when the brute struck him on the head with his
771
COL. FRANCIS WASHBURN.
sabre, and stunned him. Two days he remained in the enemy's hands, and in the confusion preceding Lee's surren- der, his wounds were not dressed, and little was done to mitigate the severity of his condition. But he had fulfilled his mission. His daring charges led the rebel officers to believe that he must be supported by a large force of in- fantry, and that the attempt to flank the advance of Sheri- dan was a failure. This hastened the surrender of Lee, and closed the war. When Lee surrendered, on the eighth of April, Colonel Washburn was recovered, and taken to the hospital at Point of Rocks. While there the Hon. E. B. Washburne of Illinois wrote the following lines. "I have seen Col. Washburn at the hospital. I cannot refrain from testifying to his unsurpassed gallantry and prowess in the action in which he was wounded, which challenged the ad- miration of both armies. Gen. Grant and Gen. Ord both bore testimony to his daring courage, and expressed to me the greatest anxiety for his speedy recovery." But the hope was fallacious. He was brought to the home of his brother, in Worcester, where he arrived on the twenty-first of April, but died the next day, having the satisfaction of greeting his dearest kindred before his spirit departed.
Thus fell one of the brightest and bravest of the heroic sons of Massachusetts ; but he died not in vain. The im- mediate benefit to the country was great, and the example of soldierly duty and dauntless courage will incite thousands of his young countrymen to like virtue and valor. It is said by one who had it from his own lips that he had a " presentiment that he should not survive the war. But that feeling in no wise hindered his fidelity to duty, or prevented him from exposing himself to danger." His remains were brought to Lancaster, and after funeral services at the house of his mother, were committed to the earth in the North Village cemetery, beside the grave of his soldier-brother, on the twenty-fifth of April, a large concourse of sympa- thizing friends and citizens attending. While surrounding the grave the following lines of Collins were sung.
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HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
How sleep the brave, who sink to rest, With all their country's wishes blessed ! When Spring, with dewy fingers cold, Returns to deck their hallowed mould, She there shall dress a sweeter sod Than Fancy's feet have ever trod.
By fairy hands their knell is rung ; By forms unseen their dirge is sung ; There Honor comes, a pilgrim gray, To bless the turf that wraps their clay ; And Freedom shall awhile repair, To dwell a weeping hermit there !
FROM DEER'S HORNS ROUND TO PONAKIN HILL.
This walk will include all of the town outside of the vil- lages. Because of the length of the way, our pace must be rapid, lingering for a moment only here and there, to retrace some fading records of the past.
The origin of the name, - Deer's Horns - is said to have been as follows. Between seventy-five and eighty years ago, a deer - some say a moose-deer - was shot just below the mill which stands near number nine school-house. The head was cut off and fixed upon a post by the roadside. Later, the skin and fleshy parts were removed, and the broad antlers were mounted in better shape. Several posts have decayed, but the horns have been mounted anew, and are still to be seen by all travelers, where they have been an object of curiosity to three generations.
The Deer's Horns district, as it has long been styled, is a section of good farming land, and has been well cultivated by several succeeding generations. In early times it was occupied by families of the name of Sawyer, Fairbank, Richardson, Thurston and Wilder. It has been sparsely settled till within a few years, but its proximity to Clinton has induced quite a number of men who find employment there, to locate their homes on the Lancaster side of the line. This process will probably continue. The number of scholars in the school has trebled within half a dozen years, rising from ten or twelve to more than thirty.
773
PARKER. - FLETCHER.
The families just mentioned have figured largely in our history, but their descendants are mostly scattered up and down the land. Coming northward to the Thurston corner, -No. 185-we are at the estate of George A. Parker, which was formerly in the hands of a Thurston. Mr. Parker's father, who came from New Hampshire, lived in the old house, which was enclosed in the west part of the new one, a few years since, and then taken down, piece by piece, till room was made for a new interior. The beauty of this situation and the historical interest connected with King's " trucking-house," at the north end of the home lot, were re- ferred to in the proper place. Mr. Parker, an eminent civil engineer, has done much to enhance the natural beauties of the place, consisting of upland, plain, valley and hillside. This was a favorite resort of the late Cornelius C. Felton, (a brother of Mrs. Parker, ) president of Harvard Univer- sity, and his brothers, one the president of the great railway line between Philadelphia and Washington, and the other a distinguished lawyer in California.
The road starting on the west side of the house, and ex- tending over George hill to school-house No. 7, was, during more than a hundred years, almost wholly occupied by the descendants of Nathaniel Wilder, youngest son of Thomas. The next road north, extending over the hill by Frank Tay- lor's, was taken up by the Carter tribe, who, however, were not confined to it. Their name and lineage have received due attention.
The Fletchers nearly monopolized the third road, going up by the Matthews place to the old Rugg and Osgood home. Pleasant notices of this family, as well as of the Carters, have already gratified the reader. A few lines in regard to the Fletcher genealogy will not be out of place in this connection.
John Fletcher, great grandson of Robert, who came from England, and who settled in Concord, in 1630, was born in Chelmsford, and in 1712 married Hannah Phelps, soon after
774
HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
his removal to Lancaster. His courtship and marriage have been described by one of his lineage. His home was direct- ly west of the Brick church, and the homestead remained in the family until 1868. His son Joshua married Mary, the daughter of Ebenezer and Sarah Allen, May 25, 1748. He was born, lived and died in the house erected by his father, the first house-No. 152-on the north side of the Fletcher road over George hill, and never traveled forty miles from home. He was on the committee of safety in the Revolu- tion. Though more than fifty years old when the news of the battle of Lexington came, he left the plough in the fur- row, mounted his horse, and hastened, with other volunteers, to Concord.
Timothy, second son of the last mentioned, was born, September 20, 1750. His wife was Hannah Fosdick. He was an ardent patriot like his father. In the winter when Washington and his army were suffering from cold and hun- ger at Valley Forge, and crimsoning the snow with the marks of bloody feet, he filled his sleigh with shoes and took them to the camp, leading his horse all the way. He seems to have lived in different places, as his first child was born in Grafton ; then several were born in Alstead, N. H., and the younger ones in Lancaster. . His son Joshua was one of the Alstead children, where he was born, May 8, 1783 ; he married Nabby Warren in Boston, November 20, 1811, and died in Lancaster, July 4, 1844. Among his children was Charles Thornton, one of the committee to whom the publication of this work was assigned by the town. The Fletchers of Lancaster have, in every genera- tion, been an intelligent, industrious and temperate race.
For example, William, brother of Timothy who led his horse to Valley Forge, and son of Joshua, who hastened to Concord, was, according to the "Fletcher Genealogy," one of the pioneers of the temperance cause, an honored man in the community, and a consistent Christian. He occupied the old homestead on George hill, where all his children
775
THE OSGOOD FAMILY.
were born. Among these was Otis, now a bookbinder in Clinton.
Ascending the hill we come to the house of David Mat- thews, built by one of the Carters, who stepped over from Carter to Fletcher street or road. This was "fiddling John," so called, not because he was addicted to the fiddle so as to neglect his trade, which was that of a rake maker, but be- cause he delighted in music, and often solaced his weariness by playing on the instrument. The grand old elms were of his planting. Long may they adorn the hillside.
Curving to the right, and going north, we come to the last homesteads on the road, now, sad to say, in ruins. Here lived the Osgoods, deacon Peter, and " uncle David." "The Lancaster Osgoods," says the late Ira Osgood, the compiler of a "Register of the Osgood family," "are very numerou's and widely dispersed. They appear to be a sober-minded, substantial, industrious and useful people. They have not entered so largely into the professions, nor held conspicuous positions so much as many other branches of the same family. I find among them a large number of deacons, some clergy- men, some physicians and teachers, but the body of them have been farmers and mechanics."
Three brothers Osgood came from Andover, England, to this country between 1634 and 1638. John was the ances- tor of the Lancaster branch. His son Stephen married Mary Hooker, hence the name so often used as a Christian name in the Lancaster family. Their son Hooker was born in Andover, learned the trade of a saddler, and married Mary Wood. In 1711 he removed to Lancaster, with his entire family of seven sons and two daughters. The sons had large families. The first house of this family was near the river side, whence they were driven by a great freshet, as said before, leaving a cellar hole as a memento. The next house was in the same field, farther south, and nearly opposite the Middle cemetery. One of the sons was Hooker, jr. ; another was Moses, the sixth son, who married Martha
776
HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
Powers, and settled in the west part of the town on a farm. Moses had seven children, of whom the fifth was Joel, born in 1746. He married, in 1774, Lois Rugg, whose ancestral home was the Osgood place on George hill, above mentioned, now owned by William G. Wilder. The view from this place is one of the most extensive and pleasant in the Nashua valley. Joel Osgood's home was the last house in Lancaster beyond the mill of Barney Phelps, where he owned large tracts of land. "Here eight children were born, and his wife died. After settling some of his children on portions of his land, he moved to the Rugg estate, before mentioned, married Mrs. Lucretia Rugg Thayer, a sister of his former wife, and resided there until his death, in 1821." His sons Peter and David were born on George hill, where the former lived till 1849, having bought out the homestead. He mar- ried Mary N. Bridge, in 1825, and had four daughters, the youngest of whom was Martha Sophia, now Mrs. Edward Houghton. His wife having died in 1847, he was married, two years later, to Mrs. Elizabeth G., widow of Dea. Samuel F. White, and having purchased the White estate, remained upon it until his decease in 1864. Peter Osgood was a dea- con of the First church until he united with the Evangelical church many years before his death. His brother David married Eliza Bridge, and resided some years in Medford, but in 1849 returned to Lancaster, where he died in 1874. He was a man of gentle and devotional spirit, upright in all his ways, and noted as one of the "sweet singers " of our Israel.
The old road from the top of George hill, down the west side to Phelps' mill, was formerly named after a family by the name of Greenway, which lived at the present Brockel- mann place. We find the name of Osgood, Webb, Sawyer, etc., in the old records, but cannot linger. Coming over Ballard hill, the Ballard neighborhood is reached at the house of Thomas Lawton. Those bearing the name were numer- ous, the families were respectable, and many of the men
777
WILDER. - CARTER.
were prominent in the town, the church, and the military companies. The place which once knew them, knows them no more, as they are dispersed abroad from east to west.
Coming down the road, the Wilder house, with its old- fashioned Mansard roof, rises in large proportions. Here lived Col. Joseph Wilder, a very prominent man in his day. He was the father of Major Gardner Wilder, who succeeded him in the house, and in the management of the mill or mills at Ponakin. They were men of enterprise. The only daughter of the son married Capt. John Maynard, who took an active part in town affairs, and carried on considerable business at and near Ponakin, sixty years since. In the Wilder house, now owned by the Worcester family, lived Mr. William Townsend to the great age of eighty-nine, a hale and hearty old man to the last. He died in 1876, and thus a link that bound us to the distant past was broken. Next down the road we come to " Repose Cottage," the sum- mer home of Miss Sophia Maynard, granddaughter of Major Wilder.
Dr. James Carter, who built and occupied the present almshouse, cannot be passed without notice. The anecdotes of him are numerous and humorous, but some of them are mixed up with his son, Dr. Calvin, and many of them will not shine in print. Like his son, he was a man of superior natural gifts, and he had an extensive practice. His house is one of the largest in Lancaster, and standing on the hill, looks over a magnificent prospect. The first house was burned. He built anew, in the same style as before. Here he alone, or in company with his son, attended to patients, managed a fine farm, kept tavern, started a medical school, and during several years, took care of the poor of the town, as the lowest bidder. He was gentle or rough, as the mood took him, or according to the company about him. The story is told how he opened a boil for a man, by the road- side, with the toe of his boot, vigorously applied. Before the patient could gather himself up, the doctor had mounted
778
HISTORY OF LANCASTER.
his horse, and galloped beyond the reach of stick or stone. In relation to this mode of practice it was aptly said of him, that he was a " free lance."
About half way from his house to the Joslyn place, now the estate of John Cunningham, is the site of a house which once stood on the hillside, and belonged to Nathan Puffer. His son, Nathan, jr., married Nabby Joslyn, who, after his death, became the second wife of Gardner Wilder. The Joslyns, were one of the first families of the town, and lived at different times, on both sides of the river. They, and Daniel Stearns, living next south, are familiar to all readers of this work. The daughter of the latter, Miss Deborah Stearns, lived till January 24, 1879, to connect the past with the present, and to merit the kindly regards of many, by her cheerful spirit and liberal gifts. From her and Miss Lucy Puffer, daughter of the above Nathan, the author has derived many facts of local interest.
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