USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Medford > History of the town of Medford, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, from its first settlement, in 1630, to the present time, 1855 > Part 31
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"5. Of a sweet and agreeable temper; for if he be owner of all the former good qualifications, and fails here, my life will be still uncomfortable."
These rules governed her in her choice. She had that elasticity of mind and buoyancy of heart which belonged to her nervous, bilious temperament. Capable of the tenderest emotions, and being a ready lover of beauty and virtue, it was not strange that she should be interested in a young gentleman whom she had seen so much at her father's house, and whom that father had taught her to respect. Her rolling black eye had often telegraphed to his heart ; and Mr. Turell was not so much surprised as delighted to receive the fol- lowing anonymous letter : - -
" Sir, - You are to me the most agreeable person in the world ; and I should think myself very happy if Providence should order it as I desire ; but, sir, I must conceal my name, fearing you should expose me ; and if you do not incline to find me out, I must submit to my hard fate; but if you comply with my desire, I am your obliged friend."
" Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." Love's polarity in this letter-missive was not to be mistaken ; and the consequence of it was the marriage above recorded ; and a happy marriage it was. She loved to love. The fol- lowing letter from Dr. Colman to his daughter is pleasant . proof of domestic joy : -
" BOSTON, Dec. 20, 1726.
" My Dear, - Your letter of the 9th of this month was exceed- ingly pleasant to me and to your mother, wherein you express your great contentment in the kind disposals of Providence respect- ing you. No worldly thing can rejoice us more than your happi- ness in Mr. Turell, and his in you. You will emulate his tender regards to you and his incomparable good temper; and, learning of
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him, return the same to him, that he may have as rich a blessing in you as you have in him. Mr. Turell will direct you in renewing your espousals to Christ at his table. Delay not this duty, but join yourself to that church and people of God who (you say) are so full of good-will and love to you. Give yourself first to the Lord, and then unto them by the will of God."
It was her custom, after her marriage, to study and write. She made poetry her recreation. Her husband says of her, -
" What greatly contributed to increase her knowledge in divinity, history, physic, controversy, as well as poetry, was her attentive hearing most that I read upon those heads through the long even- ings of the winters as we sat together."
Her letters to her father were full of that sweet, filial reve- rence which ancient manners promoted more than modern. She sends him a pressing invitation, in verse, to visit her in the happy manse at Medford. Her residence then was on the spot now occupied by the house of Misses Elizabeth and Lucy Ann Brooks, -the spot on which this history has been written. In imitation of Horace, she recounts the reasons for his coming. The poem is too long to be extracted here ; so we give only a part : -
" From the soft shades and from the balmy sweets Of Medford's flowery vales and green retreats, Your absent Delia to her father sends,
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And prays to see him ere the summer ends. Now, while the earth's with beauteous verdure dyed, And Flora paints the meads in all her pride ; While laden trees Pomonia's bounty own, And Ceres' treasures do the fields adorn ; From the thick smokes and noisy town, oh, come, And in these plains a while forget your home. But though rich dainties never spread my board, Nor my cool vaults Calabrian wines afford ; Yet what is neat and wholesome I can spread, - My good, fat bacon, and our homely bread, With which my healthful family is fed ; Milk from the cow, and butter newly churned ; And new, fresh cheese, with eurds and cream just turned. For a dessert, upon my table's seen
The golden apple and the melon green : The blushing peach and glossy plum there lies, And, with the mandrake, tempt your hands and eyes. This I can give ; and if you'll here repair, To slake your thirst, a cask of autumn beer, Reserved on purpose for your drinking here. No stately beds my humble roof adorn, Of costly purple, by carved panthers borne ; Nor can I boast Arabia's rich perfumes, Diffusing odors through our stately rooms.
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HISTORY OF MEDFORD.
For me no fair Egyptian plies the loom ; But my fine linen all is made at home. Though I no down or tapestry can spread, A clean, soft pillow shall suppport your head, Filled with the wool from off my tender sheep, On which with ease and safety you may sleep. The nightingale shall lull you to your rest, And all be calm and still as is your breast."
In writing to her only sister, in 1728, she says, -
" You have now just passed your childhood, and are arrived at that stage of life which is most exposed to snares and temptations. Put away all childish things. Behave yourself womanly and like a Christian to all with whom you converse. Indulge not a passion- ate or fretful temper, much less a haughty or insulting carriage. towards the meanest servant in the family. Be obliging, and modest, and humble; so shall you deserve and have the esteem of everybody. Be thankful to, and pray for, them that are so kind as to admonish you. Be contented. Wish not yourself in another's place, or that you had another's liberty."
Before the birth of her first child, she was in low spirits, and wrote in sad tone to her father ; to which he made the following reply : -
" BOSTON, March 6, 1728.
"My Dear, -I thank you for your letter of yesterday, but am sorry you pine so after me, and seem so melancholy. You have reason to be glad and rejoice in the Lord. Fear not as to soul or body, but trust in his salvation.
" I find myself easier in hearing from you, though I see you not. You are always on my heart and mind ; and you are in the hand of a gracious and faithful God.
" I send you a fine present of two oranges, - all we have; and a piece of chocolate. Don't hanker after any thing. Get above that womanish fancy ; but yet speak, if you crave.
" When the ground is dry, and the weather warm, I shall hope to make a visit to you. The meanwhile, we must meet daily, as you say, which is the best meeting of all, before the throne of grace. Your loving father,
BENJAMIN COLMAN."
This letter shows, among other things, that a journey from Boston to Medford was an event which must be postponed till the "weather is warm, and the ground dry." Such a reason sounds strange now, when there are twenty separate opportunities in each day of going to and coming from Bos- ton in public conveyances.
After the birth of her first child (still-born), Mrs. Turell writes thus : --
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" Born to the grave ere it had seen the light, Or with one smile had cheered my longing sight."
The second child (Clark Thomas) lived only eleven days. She thus writes of him : -
"Ten days I hold him in my joyful arms, And feast my eyes upon his youthful charms ; But then the king of terrors does advance To pierce its bosom with his iron lance. Its soul released, upward it takes its flight, Oh, never more below to bless my sight ! Farewell, sweet babe! I hope to meet above, And there with you sing our Redeemer's love."
Sensibility, benevolence, and devotion were salient traits in Mrs. Turell's character. Her husband says of her, " Some unhappy affairs in Medford, in the years 1729-30, produced many prayers and tears from her." He says elsewhere, " It was her practice to read the Bible out in course once in a year ; the book of Psalms much oftener ; besides many chap- ters and a multitude of verses, which she kept turned down in a Bible which she had been the owner and reader of more than twenty years." Again he says, "When she appre- hended she received injuries, silence and tears were her highest resentments."
The Rev. John Adams writes, after her death, a long letter in verse to Mr. Turell. We give here a few lines : -
" Why hangs sueh sorrow on your pensive brow ? Say, Turell, why the tears so freely flow ? If you lament the lovely partner fled, In vain you heave the sigh, or rivers shed ; Nor eloquence can soothe, nor virtue awe, Nor force repel the power of Nature's law.
Nature had shed upon her ample mind Its various gifts, which Art had well refined. Few were her words, but close, and weighty too : We could not blame, but grieved they were so few. Nor was she vain, nor stained with those neglects In which too learned females lose their sex. The tender ties of nuptial life she graced, And all the mother to the child expressed. The best of daughters in her carriage shown, She felt the friend, and charmed the weeping town.
E'en now the flowing numbers left behind Reflect the features of her virtuous mind ; Nor yet, of all the nymphs that grace the plain, Has one appeared to sing so sweet a strain. But most Devotion did its power diffuse, - Soul of her soul, the spirit of her Muse."
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HISTORY OF MEDFORD.
This lady was certainly a polished stone in the temple of the Lord. She inherited a most fragile frame, an exquisite sensibility, and a poetic taste. Under peculiar circumstances, the ebbs and flows of feeling were uncontrollable; but the deep-laid principles of Christian faith and pious trust sus- tained and delivered her. There was in her a childlike transparency of soul, and a deep well of love, which made her the admiration and blessing of all with whom she lived. She was a model wife for a minister, as he was a model husband ; and the tribute he has left to her affection, usefulness, and piety, is alike honorable to both.
The death of Mrs. Turell brought deep and lasting sorrow to the heart of her aged father. He had lived in her life, and was now ready to die her death. Family afflictions had been few with him. He says, "For six and twenty years there had been no death in my family !" In speaking of the two sermons preached after the death of Mrs. Turell, he says, " I now make the dedication of both, -first, to the beloved children of my own flock and town ; and then to the beloved people of MEDFORD, to whom I gave away no small part of the light of my eyes in the day I married her to their pastor."
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PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
CHAPTER IX.
PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
FIRST MEETING-HOUSE.
First Meeting-house, 1696.
DURING the first years of their residence in Medford, our pious ancestors were not sufficiently numerous and rich to support a minister of the gospel; hence they joined the churches of Cambridge, Charlestown, Watertown, Woburn, and Malden. That they had preaching in the town at fune- rals and baptisms, is most probable ; but the loss of our ear- liest records prevents our stating any specific action on the subject till about 1690, when the desire to build a meeting- house became strong and effectual. They worshipped in private rooms ; and we find a vote of the town to " pay Thomas Willis thirty shillings for the use of his rooms for one year."
January 17, 1693, we find the following record : -
" At a general town-meeting of the inhabitants of Medford, being fifteen days warned, voted that there shall be a meeting-house erected, to be finished the first of October following, on the land of Mr. Thomas Willis, near the gate by Marble Brook, on a rock on the north side of Woburn Road. It shall be seven and twenty feet long, four and twenty feet wide, and fifteen feet between joints."
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HISTORY OF MEDFORD.
The committee to whom was intrusted this important work, " with full power to act therein," were Caleb Brooks and Thomas Willis, " to be joined by the Selectmen, Joseph Hall and John Tufts." Owing to some obstacles, the house was not built at the time first specified ; and the next move- ment towards it we find in a vote passed Sept. 13, 1695. At this time " a subscription was opened, and one pound was subscribed by the following persons : Thomas Willis, Caleb Brooks, Stephen Francis, Stephen Willis, John Francis, John Whitmore, John Bradshoe, Jonathan Tufts, John Hall, jun., Nathaniel Hall, Stephen Hall, sen., John Willis, Ste- phen Hall, Percival Hall, Ebenezer Brooks. Twelve shillings were subscribed by Eleazer Wier and Nathaniel Waite, and six shillings by Samuel Brooks." At this meeting, the town voted, unanimously, that " every person who refused to sub- scribe should pay twelve pence per head, and one penny on · the pound, towards the building of the meeting-house."
September 23, 1695, it was voted "to give sixty pounds for the erection and finishing of the house ; " but, on Nov. 4, 1695, the town took a new step, as follows : " The inhabi- tants, being now met and assembled, have voted and agreed to have a pulpit and deacons'-seats made, and the body of seats and the walls plastered with lime." On account of these additions to the house, they agreed to give eighty pounds.
The meeting-house having been completed in May, 1696, five gentlemen - viz., Peter Tufts, John Hall, sen., Caleb Brooks, Stephen Francis, and Stephen Willis - were chosen " the committee to place the inhabitants in the meeting-house ; the Selectmen first to place the committee."
There is no account of any separate religious services at the laying of the corner-stone, or for the dedication of the house. Whether our Puritan fathers feared being too Jew- ish, or too Popish, or too Episcopal, we know not.
Thus our ancestors provided themselves with their first house for public worship ; and when we consider that at that time there were but thirty male inhabitants of the town who paid taxes on estates, we may see clearly the cause of delay- ing such an expenditure, without supposing any lack of interest in piety or the church.
The spot on which the first house stood is now occupied by a cottage, owned by Mr. Noah Johnson, in West Med- ford. The passage-way, which was closed by " the gate "
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mentioned in the vote, still exists as a way to another house in which Mr. Johnson now resides. This spot, consecrated by the prayers and worship of our ancestors, is about twenty rods east-north-east from the crotch of the two roads, - one leading to Woburn, the other to West Cambridge.
The meeting-houses of this period were generally square, or nearly so. Some had spires, and were of two stories, with galleries. The one in Medford was nearly square, of one story, and without spire or galleries, but its windows secured with outside shutters. The roof was very steep, and its humble appearance (twenty-seven by twenty-four) can be readily imagined ; and, if it had been made with walls unplastered, its cost probably would not have exceeded sixty pounds. Twelve shillings were annually paid " for keeping the meeting-house."
Instead of pulpits, many houses had tables, from which the sermon was preached, and around which certain privi- leged persons, besides the deacons, were permitted, by a vote of the town, to sit.
The order of services was much like that now prevalent in congregational churches, except that the Scriptures were not read, and there was no choir. The congregation sung ; and the deacon's pitch-pipe was the only instrumental music allowed.
Baptisms were always administered in the meeting-house ; and, if a child had been born on Sunday morning, it was thought a fit offering of piety to have it baptized in that afternoon.
As pews were not tolerated at first, the town chose a com- mittee " to seat the congregation." Although this committee was composed of the most judicious and popular men, their decisions were not always satisfactory. The rules laid down for seating the people were passed Nov. 30, 1713, and are as follows : " The rule to be observed by said committee, in seat- ing of persons in said meeting-house, is the quality of persons ; they who paid most for building the house, they who pay most for the minister's support, and the charges they have been at and now do pay to the public." In 1703, there was so much heartburning at the placing of the people, that, in the true spirit of republican congregationalism, they rebelled, and chose a new committee to do the work over again.
The origin of pews seems to have been in a petition of Major Wade for liberty to build one.
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HISTORY OF MEDFORD.
" May 25, 1696 : Major Nathaniel Wade shall have liberty to build a pew in the meeting-house when he shall see reason to do so." Nothing appears in the record to explain this " liberty ; " and therefore we are left to set it down to our forefathers' charity, or submission to wealth, or traditional toleration of rank. As the major was the richest citizen, he had probably done most for the building of the house. But, although this liberty was granted to build when he " saw reason," the town was nervously careful to define the form of his pew, and to fix its exact position. One vote, on another occasion, directed the committee to see that "it should not go beyond the first bar of the window."
A grant subsequently made to another gentleman was accompanied with this condition, - that " he must take into his pew one or two persons, not belonging to his family, whom the town may name."
March 6, 1699 : Thomas Willis presented to the town, as a gift, a deed of the piece of land on which the meeting- house was standing.
On the same day, the town voted " to build a fore-gallery in the meeting-house, with three seats ; said seats to be parted in the middle, one-half to be used by the men, and the other by the women." This custom of making the gallery- seats free, and of confining those on one side to the use of males, and the others to the use of females, continued in Med- ford until our day.
This " fore-gallery " became a cause of conflict between the two sexes ! By the vote of 1699, the " women " were to occupy one side, and the " men " the other. Of course this just decision satisfied the gentler sex ; and they enjoyed the boon till Jan. 31, 1701, when the town voted that men only should sit in the front gallery of the meeting-house! This unexplained outrage on female rights roused into ominous activity certain lively members, whose indignant eloquence procured the call of another town-meeting within five weeks, when it was voted to reconsider the decision of the 31st of January, and thus put the matter statu quo ante bellum. When the history of the " women movement " of our day shall be written, we commend the above fact to their bio- grapher.
At the same meeting, Lieut. Peter Tufts, Ebenezer Brooks, and Stephen Willis, had leave granted them to build each a pew. This vote was strangely modified, with respect to one
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of these gentlemen, on the 3d of January, 1715 : "Voted that the town will grant Mr. Ebenezer Brooks a pew in the part of their meeting-house joining to the minister's pew, and liberty to make a door into said pew on the outside of said meeting-house." This was the first grant of the kind, and we should hope it would be the last ; for to see the outside of a meeting-house thus sliced up into little private doors, surely could not add much to its beauty or its warmth.
July 28, 1702: " Voted to give Ensign John Bradshaw fifteen shillings for sweeping the meeting-house one year, cleaning the snow away from the front-door, and shutting the casements."
Nov. 25, 1712 : The town, for the first time, granted per- mission to one of their number to build a shed for his horse. " A merciful man is merciful to his beast." If horses think, what must they have thought of the early settlers ?
We have dwelt on these minute details, because they only can give the true history of our early ancestors. These little facts tell great truths. They show us how much our fathers did with the scantiest means ; and, better than all, they prove to us that the noble Anglo-Saxon Puritans who settled these shores could not be seduced by poverty to abate a tittle of their high-minded integrity, or their jealousy of power, or their Christian enthusiasm.
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SECOND MEETING-HOUSE.
Second Meeting-house, 1727.
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HISTORY OF MEDFORD.
A new house was first proposed May 28, 1716, because the enlargement of the old would cost nearly as much as the building of a new one. The committee reported that its size should be " fifty feet long, thirty-eight broad, and twenty-seven feet stud." It was to have diamond glass and window-shutters, and was to cost four hundred and fifty pounds. In 1719, the subject again came up for more decisive action ; and, in Feb. 9 of that year, they put the question in this form : " Put to vote, whether the town will build a new meeting-house forthwith. Voted in the nega- tive."
A movement so full of interest to every family would natu- rally bring out some diversity of opinion in a widely scat- tered population. In order, therefore, to secure harmony in the best plan, they were willing to accede to what judicious and disinterested men might say was best. Accordingly, March 7, 1720, in a full town-meeting, they put the ques- tion thus : -
" Whether the town will choose a committee of five gentlemen, from some of our neighboring towns, to give their advice, whether it will be most convenient for the town, at present, to build a new meeting-house, or to enlarge the old. And, in case said committee do advise to build a new meeting-house, then said committee to state a place, as near the centre of the town as can be, which shall best accommodate the whole town for setting of said house."
This was " voted in the affirmative," and the meeting was then adjourned one week to March 14; but the time was too short for so much business. When, however, the meeting of the 14th took place, the town passed a vote supplementary to that of the 7th inst .; and in these words are the record : -
" At said meeting, put to vote, whether the town will abide by, and rest satisfied with, the advice and determination of the above- „said committee, which shall be according to the vote above written, referring to building a new meeting-house or enlarging of the old, and also as to stating a place for said house. Voted in the affirma- tive."
This vote was passed after the town had chosen the com- mittee, and had probably learned something of their views. The committee make their report; whereupon the town, Feb. 20, 1721, after nearly a year's delay and various inde- finite activities, come to the question of this report of the committee. The record is as follows : -
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" Put to vote, whether the town doth accept of the result of the committee, referring to a meeting-house in Medford, as a perfect result according to the votes of said town. Voted in the nega- tive."
It does not appear what were the grounds of objection to the result of the committee ; but the vote above, of Feb. 20, drew forth the following protest from the Westenders : -
"We, the subscribers, do enter our dissent against the town's proceedings in the above-written vote (of the 20th of February), for the following reasons ; to wit :-
"1. That, at a meeting legally convened, March 14, 1720, the town did make choice of a committee of five gentlemen, to advise and determine the affair of the meeting-house in said town, as may at large appear by said votes referring thereto; and did also bind themselves, by a vote, to abide by, and rest satisfied with, the advice and determination of said committee.
"2. The gentlemen chosen by the town as a committee, being met at Medford, April 2, 1720, after consultation upon said affair, drew up a result, under all their hands, and publicly read and declared the same to the town, or those of them then present.
"3. That'said committee, by their result, did oblige the inhabi- tants of the West End of the town to procure the land for erecting a new meeting-house upon, at their own cost and charge; and also to remove all encumbrances, as expressed in said result.
" 4. That we, the subscribers, have, in obedience to said result, procured the land and removed the encumbrances, as above said, at our own cost and charge; and, for these and the like reasons, we enter against said vote as being illegal and unjust.
" JOHN WHITMORE. CALEB BROOKS. NATHANIEL FRANCIS. JOHN WINSHIP. WILLIAM WILLIS. STEPHEN HALL. JONATHAN HALL. STEPHEN WILLIS. OLIVER ATTWOOD. ABNER HARRIS.
JOHN FRANCIS. SAMUEL FRANCIS.
THOMAS WILLIS. JOHN WHITMORE. JOHN FRANCIS. EBENEZER BROOKS.
FRANCIS WHITMORE. SAMUEL BROOKS.
WILLIAM POTTONY.
THOMAS HALL."
As this subject created local or territorial interests, it was prudently thought best not to force any measure relating to it. More than a year elapsed before any decisive action was taken. July 19, 1722, voted "to build a meeting-house ac- cording to the advice and determination of the honored com- mittee chosen and empowered by the town to state that affair, and in the same place which said committee stated and ordered in the result."
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HISTORY OF MEDFORD.
This vote immediately called forth a protest from the East- enders, in the following words : -
"We, the subscribers, do enter our dissent against the vote abovesaid, referring to the building of a new meeting-house, for the reasons following ; to wit: first, it is wholly contrary to the war- rant granted for said meeting; and also, it being contrary to a former vote of the town.
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