USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Lexington > History of the town of Lexington, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, from its first settlement to 1868, with a genealogical register of Lexington families > Part 27
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intended, upon a pillion of her own furnishing. And at church, how could a lady mount her horse, behind her gentleman, unless she had a horse-block to ascend? These horse-blocks may be considered almost in the light of an institution ; and a sounding- board over the pulpit and a horse-block near the house, were almost as important as the house itself.
The house being finished was dedicated on the 15th of Janu- ary, 1795. About the same time, the pews were sold at auction. The size of the house appears not to be a matter of record. The number of pews below was fifty-four, and the number in the gallery was twenty-four. The aggregate sale amounted to $5,887. Besides these pews, there were seats in the body of the house ; and a seat reserved for the negroes.
This meeting-house was situated on the south-easterly end of the Common, near the present liberty pole.
When the Treaty of Amity, Commerce and Navigation between the United States and Great Britain, commonly called Jay's Treaty, was made known to the American people, it met with decided opposition. On the 13th of August, 1795, the inhabitants of Lexington met in town meeting for the purpose of considering that treaty. When the treaty was read, it was referred to a Committee, of which Rev. Jonas Clarke was Chairman. This drew from Mr. Clarke an able paper, in which he condemns the treaty, and shows the impolicy of many of its provisions. As the subject has long since passed by, and as our space is limited, we reluctantly exclude it from our pages. We will however say, that it fully sustains the character of its author for ability and watchful devotion to what he believed to be the true interest of his country, and his paper was unanimously adopted by the town. Nor was Lexington alone in opposing that treaty. It drew from many of our soundest men severe condemnation. It was assailed by argument and by wit - in prose and in verse. One scribbler vents his spleen thus :
" Grenville and Pitt with Jonney Jay, Have fairly bargained us away."
In the misunderstanding between France and the United States in 1797 and 1798, Congress had under consideration the subject of arming merchant vessels, that they might defend
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FROM THE PEACE OF 1783 TO THE YEAR 1830.
themselves against French depredations. The inhabitants of Lexington in town meeting assembled, adopted a memorial to Congress, expressing their apprehension that such a measure would be fraught with danger ; that it would be committing the peace of the nation into the hands of any and every master or commander of a vessel, so armed and commissioned ; who, through ignorance, prejudice, resentment or design, might commit acts of hostility, and so involve the nation in war, in contravention of the Constitution, which makes Congress the sole judge of the propriety of declaring war, after a full consid- eration of the subject.
This memorial is the last paper, found upon the town records, prepared by their faithful pastor and enlightened statesman, Mr. Clarke. Few towns are able to furnish from their records, papers so numerous, elaborate, and able as Lexington ; and if she has whereof to boast, nothing, save the heroic part she acted on the 19th of April, 1775, can stand in preference to the able state papers which emanated from her village clergyman.
The nineteenth century opens upon Lexington with a popula- tion of 1,006, being sixty-five more than in 1790. Nothing of importance occurred in the town for some years. Having re- covered in a good degree from the pecuniary embarrassments growing out of the Revolution, the people became more liberal in their appropriations for schools, highways, and other objects, which mark the progress of civilization. In 1805, the town experienced a severe loss in the death of their devoted and dis- tinguished pastor, Rev. Jonas Clarke. They manifested their regret, and respect for his memory by bearing the expense of his funeral, and caring for his family after his decease. Mr. Clarke died, November 15, 1805, being in the seventy-fifth year of his age, and in the fifty-first year of his ministry.1
In October, 1807, the church, acting separately from the town, as was then the custom in all the Congregational churches, voted to call Mr. Avery Williams, and submitted their action to the town, which voted unanimously to concur with the church. The town voted to offer him a salary of seven hundred dollars, and one thousand dollars as a settlement, - he relinquishing all
' For an account of his character and services, see "Ecclesiastical History," and for an account of his family, see " Genealogies of the Lexington Families."
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claim upon the ministerial lands and fund. Mr. Williams ac- cepted the call, and was ordained, December 30, 1807. The town made ample provision for the occasion, as appears by the fact that they paid Amos Muzzy, Jr., $139.78 for entertaining the Council.
On the 4th of July, 1809, the people of Lexington celebrated the Thirty-third Anniversary of our Independence. Benjamin Greene, Esq., delivered an oration, in which he made the following allusion to the town of Lexington and her martyred citizens :
" If there ever was a time when it might be more than ordinarily the duty of posterity to recount the wonderful achievements, and to call to mind the insurmountable fortitude and perseverance of their ancestors ; and if there ever was a place peculiarly appropriate to this important pur- pose, surely this is the time, this is the place. For here the thunders of British oppression, which had been accumulating for years, like the fulmi- nating bolt from the dark and condensed tempest, burst its barriers, dis- gorging its direful effects upon the innocent victims of its cruel and relent- less rage ; and here the soil of freedom was first moistened with the blood of her sons.
" That frail monument shall moulder to the dust, and be mingled with the corporeal of those whose names it is designed to perpetuate. But their names shall be remembered and repeated by the last of freedom's race. By their blood they have consecrated this place ; and on the wings of their fame have they borne the name of LEXINGTON through every region of the globe."
The health of Rev. Mr. Williams declining, and a journey South failing to restore him, the town, after supplying the pulpit for several months at their own expense, in September, 1815, came into an agreement with Mr. Williams, by which his con- nection with the parish should terminate- they paying him six hundred dollars.
The subject of the " Great Bridge " between the towns of Cambridge and Brighton, which had annoyed the people of Lex- ington for about a century, and which required of them an annual tax for repairs, appeared in 1815 in a form more oppressive. The bridge was rebuilt at a cost of $1,727, of which Lexington was required to pay $356.64-a tax sufficiently oppressive when it is considered that few if any of the inhabitants of the town ever passed over it.
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FROM THE PEACE OF 1783 TO THE YEAR 1830.
During the war of 1812 with Great Britain, party politics ran high in the State. Lexington was strongly Republican. In 1814, the 4th of July was celebrated in the town with great show and parade. By eleven o'clock, four or five thousand peo- ple had assembled. A procession was formed, which moved to the meeting-house, escorted by a detachment of Colonel Loring's Fourth Regiment. The services at the church were as follows : Prayer, by Rev. Edmund Foster ; reading of the Declaration of Independence, by Gen. Joseph B. Varnum ; Oration, by Hon. Timothy Fuller. The assembly was honored by the presence of Gen. Henry Dearborn, and several other officers of the army under his command. The presence of Hon. Elbridge Gerry, Vice President of the United States, added to the interest of the occasion. Gen. Varnum presided at the table. That the ladies might participate in the festivities of the occasion, a spacious marquee was erected on the Green, and a social tea party was formed. At least a thousand persons partook of the bounties of the table. In the evening a splendid ball was given in the marquee, which was tastefully fitted up for the purpose.
Many distinguished men of the Republican party, among whom were Hon. Judge Dana, Hon. Benjamin Austin, Hon. George Blake, and Hon. William Eustis, honored the occasion by their presence. It was truly a proud day for Lexington. The Orator of the day alludes to Lexington in this thrilling strain : "This glorious spot, the hallowed scene of this day's devotion ; this happy, favored spot, beheld the first precious, ruddy drops, shed to redeem our country. Yonder sacred pedestal, the faint emblem of our gratitude, declares the names of the first victims of British injustice. But long after that shall have crumbled to dust, the faithful page of history, the hearts of a grateful people shall engrave the deeds, and transmit the glorious record to remotest ages."
But Lexington did not confine her support of the government and of the war in which we were engaged, to mere words. She made provision for the soldiers who might volunteer, or be called out by the national or State government, voting them five dollars bounty, and a sum which would make up their pay to sixteen dollars a month, including the amount offered by the General Government.
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In 1821, in order to keep up with the times, and make a little more noise in the world, the town voted to exchange their church bell for a larger onc.
As Lafayette, the distinguished Frenchman, who had served us so faithfully in our Revolution, and by military and civil talents had contributed so much towards the establishment of our Independence, had consented to become the guest of a grateful eountry during his sojourn in America ; and as he would probably desire to visit all the places memorable in the great patriotic struggle in which he had so nobly participated, it was natural to suppose that he would delight to visit the spot which was distin- guished as the birth-place of American Liberty. And the good people of Lexington, true to the spirit of their fathers, extended to the hero and sage a cordial invitation to visit the place, and receive the congratulations of the admiring throng. To enable the whole people to participate as far as possible in paying a tribute of gratitude and heartfelt admiration, the subject was laid before the inhabitants in town meeting assembled. On the 30th of August, 1824, it was
" Voted, That the Board of Selectmen, together with Messrs. Abijah Harrington, John Muzzey, Elias Phinney, James Brown, Samuel Down- ing and Christopher Reed, be a Committee to make arrangements to give General Lafayette a suitable reception in this place.
" Voted, That the Committee be authorized to draw upon the Town Treasurer for any sum of money that may be necessary to defray the expense of the preparation to receive the General."
. This vote of the town, giving their Committee the power to draw from the Treasury without limitation, shows the state of feeling which pervaded the country at that time. Lafayette was the guest of the nation, and the entire people were disposed to show him the greatest possible respect. The recollection of his patriotic and valuable services in the field, and the no less valuable services in procuring aid from the French government, endeared him to every American ; and wherever he went he was hailed with joy and admiration. His tour through the country was rapid, and was marked everywhere by the most heartfelt demonstrations of gratitude and admiration. Caval- cades moved forward to meet him, cannon announced his approach, bells rang out their merry peals of congratulation and
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FROM THE PEACE OF 1783 TO THE YEAR 1830.
welcome, triumphant arches were thrown across the streets on which he was to pass, flags tastefully entwined, or thrown openly to the breeze, testified to the universal joy which the community felt. Never did a conqueror, returning from his victorious exploits, receive such heartfelt adulation. The pageantry attend- ing the tour of monarchs through their dominions, escorted and protected by their hireling bands of armed men, of which history furnishes many examples, are mere empty show, ostentatious parade, or feigned adulation, at which the heart sickens, when compared with the sincere and voluntary homage paid to this illustrious man, by every friend of liberty throughout the land.
On the 2d of September, 1824, Lafayette honored Lexington with his presence. Attended by his voluntary suite, he left Boston for our peaceful village. At the line of the town he was received by a troop of horse, and a cavalcade of citizens, who escorted him to the Common. Here was a beautiful arch of evergreen and flowers, with a motto, - " Welcome, Friend of America, to the Birthplace of American Liberty." The Common was tastefully decorated with flags, and a large concourse of people had assembled to do honor to one who had done so much for our country. Among those thus assembled, were the children from the schools, and fourteen of the gallant men who had participated in the battle of the 19th of April, 1775. After entering the Common, under the arch before mentioned, the procession moved to the Monument, where the following patriotic and eloquent speech of welcome, was delivered by Major Elias Phinney, of Lexington :
" General : - In behalf of the Committee of Arrangements and the Inhabitants of Lexington, allow me to tender you the assurance of their most respectful and cordial welcome to this town. Impressed with a sense of the important services you have rendered this country, they meet you on this occasion, and upon this memorable spot, with hearts swelling with every emotion which a generous love for your exalted character, and a grateful remembrance of the distinguished lustre of your deeds can inspire.
" On this hallowed ground, consecrated by the blood of the first martyrs to liberty, was kindled that flame which roused the nation to arms, and conducted them through peril and blood to a glorious Independence. Here a small band of patriots hurled the first signal of defiance to a host in arms, and taught the enemies of their country the appalling truth, that Americans dared to die in defence of their rights.
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"These hardy and virtuous yeomanry of the country offer you the sincere tribute of their warmest affections. Among them your presence has awakened emotions too powerful for utterance. With the name of Lafayette is associated every comfort which sweetens the fruit of their toil, every charm which crowns the altar of domestic happiness. Under the shadow of that glorious fabric, which your hands have assisted in rearing, they repose in peace and security.
" Permit me, Sir, in common with grateful millions, to express our earnest solicitations that a life which has for so many years been stead- fastly devoted to the cause of national liberty - which has so long encoun- tered, without dismay, the frowns of arbitrary power, may be preserved for many years to come, a blessing and an lionor to mankind; and when you, Sir, and your brave associates in the war of the Revolution, shall have ceased from your carthly labors, instead of the fathers, may their children rise up to bless your memory, and emulate your virtues."
The General, with great sensibility, expressed his warmest thanks for the flattering attention he had received from the people of Lexington, and the satisfaction and pleasure he felt in stand- ing upon the soil consecrated by the blood of patriots to the glorious cause of freedom throughout the world; and the high gratification he experienced in beholding the surviving remnant of that heroic band, which here inaugurated that resistance to tyrants, which is obedience to God.
After these ceremonies were over, the General was introduced to fourteen of the Spartan band who had rallied under the gallant Parker, on the memorable 19th of April, half a century before, to assert the rights of freemen in the face of a haughty foc. After exchanging cordial greetings with the citizens assembled on the Green, they partook of a collation prepared for the occa- sion. Every thing went off agreeably, and the day will long be remembered by those who were present.
At a meeting of the inhabitants of Lexington, held December 13, 1824, a committe was appointed, consisting of Hon. Nathan Chandler, Rev. Charles Briggs, Elias Phinney, Amos Muzzy, Abijah Harrington, Benjamin O. Wellington, Charles Reed, John Muzzy, and Francis Bowman, Jr., Esquires, to collect and present to the public a statement of such facts relative to the affair at Lexington on the morning of the 19th of April, 1775, as may be supported by undoubted testimony, and which may be calculated to place the transactions of that day, before the public, in their true light.
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FROM THE PEACE OF 1783 TO THE YEAR 1830.
This measure was adopted in consequence of publications which claimed for Coneord the leading honors of the 19th of April, 1775. These writers elaimed that " at Concord the first blood was shed between the British and the armed Americans," and " that the first forcible resistance " was made at the North Bridge in Coneord. Elias Phinney, Esq., acting for the com- mittee, of which he was a member, prepared and published in 1825, a succinct and well digested history of the events of that day, so far at least as Lexington was concerned, - showing conelusively that the first blood on both sides was shed at Lexing- ton, and that though the British at Lexington as at Coneord fired first, several of Captain Parker's men returned the fire. These statements were fully substantiated by the affidavits of several persons who were present and acting on that occasion. The pamphlet of Major Phinney, written with ability and can- ·dor, went far towards settling that controversy. The lists of the casualties of that day decide most conclusively who were at posts of danger, and who were in the forefront of the battle. While Lexington with a single company had ten killed and ten wounded, Concord with two companies had no one killed and only four or five wounded, and one of them a citizen pursuing his ordinary occupation.
Coneord, rather unfortunately for her fame, subsequently engaged in a controversy with Aeton, relative to the events of that day. Josiah Adams, Esq., a native of Aeton, delivered a Centennial Address in his native town in 1835, in which he defended Captain Davis, who fell gallantly leading the column to the Bridge occupied by the British troops ; and in doing this he called in question the elaims of Concord, relative to the honors of the day. This defence of Captain Davis gave offence to the citizens of Concord, and a controversy ensued which drew from Mr. Adams a spicy letter to Lemuel Shattuck, Esq., the . author of the History of Concord, in which he showed conclu- sively that to Captain Davis and his Aeton company belonged the principal honor of the affair at the North Bridge.1
' Mr. Adams, in his publications, maintains with great force that on the hill where the Provincials were assembled, the Concord companies both ranked the Acton company ; that they were paraded on the right near the road leading to the Bridge; that both seniority of rank, and position on the field, would
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HISTORY OF LEXINGTON.
In 1825, the citizens of Lexington celebrated the Fourth of July in a becoming manner. Rev. Caleb Stetson delivered the Oration, which was replete with patriotic sentiments. After paying a general tribute to the heroic, self-sacrificing spirit of our fathers who achieved our independence, the speaker alludes to Lexington in the following peroration : " But there are local associations coming home to our hearts, awakening an intense and absorbing interest. We can never forget that in this village, in the little band that stood in fearless array with the gallant Parker, the spirit of resistance to British oppression was first roused to action. Here was shed that blood in which the Declaration of Independence was written."
Alluding to those who fell on the 19th of April, he said : " Their memory is the legacy of mankind. It will descend with power and pathos to the bosoms of distant posterity. Yonder Monument is but an inadequate and perishing memorial of their ·
glory - but the seal of immortality is already stamped upon it. We carry forward our vision through the shadowy range of coming generations, and see it grow brighter and brighter in the dimness of the distance. And it shall live in every heart that beats in freedom's cause, when the mausoleums of departed greatness, and the monuments of pride and power shall have mouldered to oblivion."
naturally devolve upon the Concord companies the duty of leading the column down the narrow causeway to the Bridge; but that in faet Captain Davis, occupying a central position in the line, wheeled his company out of the line, and marched in front of the Coneord companies, and at the head of the column, to dislodge the British from the Bridge; and that this must have been done with the approbation of Major Buttriek, who commanded at the time. He also asserts that on the retreat of the British from Concord, the Acton men joined in the pursuit, and followed them as far at least as Lexington, where one of their number was killed ; but that there is not the least evidence, that the Coneord companies ever left their own town during that day ; that the asser- tion that the first foreible resistance was made at Concord is untrue ; that there was foreible resistance at Lexington several hours before; and that the resist- ance at Concord was made by the Aeton and not by the Concord men. He also confutes the assertion that when they marched down to the Bridge and returned the British fire, they had not heard that the enemy had fired upon Captain Parker's men at Lexington several hours before. Any one who wishes to understand the transaction at Concord, and to honor those to whom honor is due, will do well to read the publications of Mr. Adams.
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CHAPTER XI.
FROM THE YEAR 1830 TO 1867.
The Nineteenth of April celebrated by the Town - The Remains of the Mar- tyrs of 1775 removed - Controversy relative to the Ministerial Fund - The Town Hall - Kossuth visits Lexington - Death of Jonathan Harrington - Breaking out of the Rebellion - Lexington sends her Quota of Men - Bounty to the Soldiers.
No one day in the annals of Lexington, save the 19th of April, 1775, stands out so prominent as April 20, 1835. On that day, the remains of the heroes who fell on Lexington Green, in 1775, which had been interred in the grave-yard, were removed and deposited in a vault, prepared for the purpose, near the base of the Monument, with appropriate ceremonies, which will long be remembered. On the 28th of April, the year preceding, at a legal town meeting, it was
" Voted unanimously, To have the remains of those who were killed by the British, on the morning of the 19th of April, 1775, removed and re-entombed near the Monument, (with the consent of their surviving relations. )"
" Voted, To choose a Committee to carry the foregoing vote into effect."
The following gentlemen were chosen, viz :
ELIAS PHINNEY, Esq., Chairman. CHARLES REED, Esq.
Gen. SAMUEL CHANDLER, WILLIAM CHANDLER, Esq.
Maj. B. O. WELLINGTON, AMBROSE MORRELL, Esq.
BENJAMIN MUZZY, Esq. Col. PHILIP RUSSELL.
. The Committee, impressed with the solemnity and importance of the subject, wisely selected the Anniversary of their fall, as the day to remove their remains ; and as the event was one of historic and national importance, with equal wisdom, chose one of the nation's most distinguished orators, Hon. Edward Everett, to
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deliver an Address on the occasion. The names of the persons whose remains were inclosed in the sarcophagus were, Jonas Parker, Robert Munroe, Samuel Hadley, Jonathan Harring- ton, Jr., Isaac Muzzy, Caleb Harrington, and John Brown. These persons belonged to Lexington and were killed in the morning. Three other citizens of Lexington were killed on the return of the British in the afternoon, viz., Jedediah Munroe, John Raymond, and Nathaniel Wyman.
The bodies of the seven individuals belonging to Lexington were, at the time of their death, inclosed in long wooden boxes, made of rough boards, and buried in one common grave, in the ' burying-ground, separate and apart from all other graves. A few days prior to the celebration, their remains were disinterred under the direction of the Committee, placed in a wooden coffin, which was inclosed in lead and made air-tight, and the whole in a ma- hogany sarcophagus, on the sides and ends of which were eight urns, bearing the names and emblematical of the individuals whose remains were contained therein. A deposit was made in the sarcophagus of a thick leaden box, hermetically sealed, con- taining the following articles, viz. :- A copy of the History of the Battle of Lexington, by Elias Phinney, Esq., a sketch of the exercises and orders of the day, a copy of the Bunker Hill Aurora, and a copy of the Concord Whig ; the names of the President of the United States, of the Lieutenant Acting Gov- ernor of Massachusetts, and the clergymen of Lexington. To receive the sarcophagus, a tomb had been prepared in the rear of the foundation of the Monument.
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