USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Middleborough > History of the town of Middleboro, Massachusetts > Part 33
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Among the successful farmers in the middle of the last century was Paul Hathaway. He lived on Pleasant Street and owned a large tract of land near the schoolhouse, and in the early part of his life was engaged in making sewed shoes. His son, Dr. Joseph Hathaway, lived for a while on Bedford Street, and with Cephas Thompson painted many of the portraits which are to be found in town. In addition to his ability as a portrait painter, he was a skilful chemist, and discovered the refining of petroleum for use as a burning fluid. After leaving Middleboro, he settled in New Bedford and Boston.
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF MIDDLEBORO
[1858
In the middle of the last century Jacob Perkins, a black- smith, acquired a fortune of from seventy-five to eighty thou- sand dollars by careful savings and wise investments. He died in 1846 at the age of eighty years.
Abraham Perkins, brother of Elijah E. Perkins, was an able business man and a prosperous farmer.
Solomon White and his son, Solomon White, Jr., were re- spectively clerks of the Congregational Church from 1834 to 1894. Calvin, Ebenezer, and Zephaniah Shaw were among the early carpenters of this neighborhood, and lived on the west- erly side of Pleasant Street.
The Pratt Free School, founded by Enoch Pratt, is near the Green.1
Jared Pratt was born in Bridgewater, July 27, 1792. His parents were Josiah Pratt, a farmer, and Bethiah Keith Pratt. After receiving a good education in the JARED PRATT public as well as in private schools, he taught in Taunton when he was nineteen, and then went into business there. He was at first clerk in the nail factory of Crocker & Richmond, but later worked with other manufac- turers. On January 1, 1818, he was married to Jemima Wil- liams, daughter of Job King of Taunton. They made their home in North Middleboro, where he began business as pro- prietor of a general country store in partnership with Isaac Pratt. In 1819 this firm, I. & J. Pratt, carried on business 1 See chapter on Education.
1864]
TITICUT
417
in different lines at Wareham, where they owned a forge, a " bloomery." The business gradually outgrew its modest pro- portions, and became the large manufacturing establishment known as the Wareham Iron Company. The growth and ex- tent of this industry were due largely to the financial ability and shrewd business management of Mr. Pratt, who, as trea- surer, conducted the monetary affairs with great skill. In 1824 it was necessary for him to move to Wareham ; and in 1836 he went to Harrisburg, Pa., and established extensive iron works, where nails, bar-iron, plates, etc., were made. In 1842 his son Christopher was associated with him under the name of J. Pratt & Son.
In 1859 he retired from business and settled in his North Middleboro home. Aside from his remarkable business abil- ity, Mr. Pratt was a valued citizen of Middleboro, doing much to assist in the growth and improvement of the town. From his wide experience his advice on all mat- 'ters was much sought after. He served as sergeant in Captain Keith's Company of East Bridgewater in the War of 1812, and later held a commis- sion as captain of the militia, by which title he was well known. He died July 4, 1864. Isaac Pratt was born March 6, 1776. ISAAC PRATT His father, the sixth generation from Phineas Pratt, was a farmer of Titicut, who married Mary King of Wareham.
He was educated in the schools of Middleboro at a time
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[1864
when the schooling did not exceed two or three months in the year. He married Naomi Keith of Bridgewater, May 19, 1804. He early became interested in the manufacture of nails, and with his nephew, Jared Pratt, before mentioned, he carried on an extensive business. When the Reed nail machine was per- fected, this firm purchased the right to its use, gave up the store in Titicut, and moved to Wareham. Here they erected a mill, which was known as the "Parker Mills," for rolling iron into nail plates and then cutting the plates into nails. This firm was among the first in the United States to manu- facture cut nails upon a large scale. In 1829 their establish- ment was incorporated under the name of the Wareham Iron Company, with a capital of $100,000. Although this was a corporation, it continued under the name of the firm until 1834, when the partnership was dissolved and Mr. Pratt re- turned to his farm in North Middleboro. He died December 3, 1864, at the age of eighty-nine years.
The Boston " Evening Traveller," at the time of his death, said : -
"He was industrious, frugal, and unostentatious ; benevo- lent and hospitable ; a patron of educational interests, a kind neighbor, a devout Christian, and a public-spirited citizen. For more than seventy years he was an exemplary member of the Congregational Church. Although he adhered to the tenets of his faith with steadfastness characteristic of his Puri- tan ancestry, he was neither bigoted, dogmatical, nor ascetic. He was conservative, but liberal in his views. He will be remembered as a fine type of a class now rapidly passing away, - the sturdy, honest, liberty-loving farmers of the early days of the Republic."
CHAPTER XXV
LAKEVILLE
AKEVILLE, incorporated as a separate town in 1853, comprised originally about one third of the west- ern portion of Middleboro; it took its name from the number of ponds in this vicinity : Assawampsett, the largest body of fresh water in Massachusetts, Long Pond, Great Quittacus, Little Quittacus, Pocksha, Elder's, Loon, Clear, and Dunham. This region has always been noted for the natural beauty of meadow and forests, hills and valleys, about these inland lakes. Here was one of the settlements of the Indians, and here a few contin- ued to live long after Loon Pond their lands in other parts of the colony had been purchased Lakeville Assawompsett Pond or occupied by the whites; the last full- Pond blooded Indian died in 1852. Pocksha
We are, however, concerned only with its history before its separation from the town of Middleboro. As before stated, this was included in King Philip's domain, and was under the rule of a sub-chief, Pamanta- quash, or as he was
Long Pond
Great Quittacase Pond
0
Little Quittacas Pond
MAP OF THE PONDS
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF MIDDLEBORO
[1700
known to the whites, the pond sachem. His rule extended over all of the neighboring tribes, his seat being probably at King Philip's Lookout, Shockley Hill. At the close of King Philip's War, the General Court at Plymouth, in 1679, passed an act "that all lands formerly belonging to John Sassamon in our Collonie shalbe settled on Felix, his son-in-law." This land so conveyed has ever since been owned by Indians, and at the present time is occupied by two half-breed women, the last of the once powerful and numerous tribe which for so many centuries have had their homes about these picturesque ponds. It was not until other parts of Middleboro had been settled for more than a generation that the whites found their way to these Indian lands.
Thomas Nelson, son of John, perhaps the first white settler in Lakeville, purchased what is known as the Thomas Nelson homestead on Assawampsett
Thomas Nelson Neck, and moved there in 1717. He was born June 6,1 1675, and when an infant was taken by his mother from his father's house (the Bennett place) to Plymouth to escape the horrors of the Indian War.
After he became dissatisfied with the conduct and preaching of the Rev. Mr. Palmer, pastor of the church at Middleboro, and moved to Assawampsett, he joined the Swansea Baptist Church. Every Saturday he travelled the twenty miles with his family, and returned on Monday morning ; while there he occupied a small house which he had built for this purpose. He is said to have been the first member of a Baptist Church in Middleboro. His farm, portions of which have always been held by his descendants, was between Long Pond and Assa- wampsett, the land on the other two sides being owned and occupied by Indians. His house stood near an apple-tree, opposite that now owned by Sydney T. Nelson, near the Perry place.
Mr. Nelson married Hope Huckins, or Hutchins, of Barn-
1 The date is taken from the History of Plymouth Colony, but in the manu- script of descendants of William Nelson we find that he was born May 17.
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LAKEVILLE
1750]
stable, about the year 1698. She was a woman of strong charac- ter and great courage. There is a tradition that while they were living far distant from any white settlers, she heard a noise in the cellar one night when no man was about her prem- ises. Suspecting that an Indian had entered to steal, she went into the cellar in the dark and suddenly attacked him, so fiercely that he was surprised and made frantic efforts to release him- self from her grasp, succeeding only by the tearing of some of his garments.
She became a member of the Baptist Church in Swansea August 5, 1723, and with her husband continued her member- ship there until the formation of the Second Baptist Church in Middleboro. She attended the communion service of that church after she was one hundred years old. Mrs. Nelson died December 7, 1782, at the age of one hundred and four years. The Rev. Isaac Backus, in an account which he gives in the Massachusetts Historical Collections, states that at her death three hundred and thirty-seven descendants had been born (of whom three were Baptist ministers), and that two hundred and fifty-seven were living. Thomas Nelson died March 28, 1755.
Captain John Nelson, a grandson of the first settler, was born October 25, 1737, and died September 1I, 1803. He lived upon a farm, which is still owned by his descendants, about two miles south, adjoining the Washburn farm. In the year 1800 he built a new house, which is still standing. He was major and colonel in the Revolutionary War, and was on duty in Rhode Island and New Bedford. He was a man of wealth and influence, justice of the peace, and for several years selectman of Middleboro.
The following is a copy of a letter addressed to him by his former commander : -
MIDDLEBORO, 17th Nov. 1781.
DEAR COL. : Last Thursdays Paper gives an Account from his Excellency Gen. G. Washington and Congress of the Com- pleat surrender of Cornwallis ; and the Troops under his Com- mand, a long wished for period ; now we have no reason to
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[1700
Doubt or suspect it. In Consequence of which this is to Desire you to come next Monday afternoon and see us ; that we may join our generous hearts in festivals of triumph and joy ; while we Usher on the scene with the Crack of thirteen Guns to the honour of the States and give a toast to our worthy Brethren who have with such a becoming Ardor pressed forward with undaunted bravery till they have Compleated the Glorious work whereby Peace may not only be restored to us but extended from Pole to Pole. (Monroe Doctrine) At the same time let all the Glory be given to That omnipotent being who Crowns our Arms with such signal success. Be kind enough to take Doct. Montgomery and Capt. Shaw or any other you shall Please to nominate with you. .
I am in haste with Sentiments of Esteem,
Yours Obsequiously [Signed] JAMES SPROUT.
The Spooner place, which borders on Elder's Pond, takes its name from Benjamin Spooner, Jr.,1 a soldier in the English army who served in the French and Indian War.
Isaac Peirce, Sr., was probably the first settler in Beech Woods. He was born about 1661, and died at an advanced age. He enlisted as a soldier in the Narragansett War at about the age of sixteen, and was in the fight near Warwick, R. I., which resulted in the capture of the Indian fort.
Mention of the services of Captain Job Peirce has been made previously in the chapter on the French and Indian War. As a boy, he was apprenticed to William Strobridge to learn the trade of blacksmith. As he was very desirous of going to war, he purchased his time, was enrolled as "ward of William Strobridge," and served for three campaigns in the French and Indian War. At the close of his second term of service, he embarked from Halifax with others in a transport for Boston, which, encountering a severe storm, became unmanageable and with great difficulty was kept afloat. It drifted for several weeks, the crew suffering great hardships from their scanty supply of food, until finally they came in sight of one of the West Indian Islands. Here they landed and remained during the winter, until they were discovered by a homeward bound
1 Peirce's Genealogy, p. 69.
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1700]
vessel and brought into the port of New Bedford. The crew and returning regiment of soldiers had been given up for lost, and much sorrow was manifested throughout the colony. Funeral exercises were held, and a monument was erected in memory of the services of Captain Peirce. In the early spring, after his landing in New Bedford, he hastened to his home, and arrived there one Sabbath morning to find the family at church. As he entered, great was the consternation of the congregation, who had not heard of his rescue, and Rev. Mr. Hinds, who was about to commence his sermon, changed his text and preached from the verse, " For this my son was dead and is alive again ; he was lost and is found."
Two years after, he enlisted in his Majesty's service in the company of Ephraim Holmes, and after his honorable discharge
he spent the remainder of his life upon the farm, honored and revered by all. His house stood on the site of the house recently occupied by Elbridge Cushman, but the time of its erection is unknown. Captain Peirce became the owner of it in the year 1767, when he added the CAPTAIN JOB PEIRCE HOUSE porches and a portion of the main body of the house. It was taken down in 1870.
A generation after its settlement Lakeville increased in population much more rapidly than other portions of Middle- boro, and before the Revolutionary War there were more people of wealth who occupied substantial houses of the colonial type than in any other section of the town.
Assawampsett is the largest pond, and the surrounding coun- try was known to the Indians under the name Assawamp- sett, from two Indian words, "assah," meaning a "stone," and " wamsah," meaning "white," with the termination "et,"
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF MIDDLEBORO
[1630
meaning "the place of," the whole word meaning " the place of the white stone." The Indian name was probably sug- gested by the white sands and pebbles about the shore. This pond seems to have attracted the attention of the General Court at Plymouth long before any whites had settled here.
The early settlers learned from the Indians that formerly there were two islands in Assawampsett Pond, one on the west side about half a mile from the Indian shore, where there are now three large rocks in water not more than knee-deep, occu- pying a space about three rods wide and ten or twelve rods long ; the other one on the opposite side of the lake and about the same depth under the surface of the water. These islands were probably washed away by some severe storm, and the sites are considered dangerous on account of the rocks and the shallowness of the water. The following is an Indian legend of the enchanted island (Man-i-to Me-nis) :-
On the first day of the Moon of Flowers (May), there was joy and hilarity in the village on the shores of the Assawamp- sett. The chief of the tribe had, that morning, sent forth a crier throughout all the village, saying, "To-morrow is the great feast of Me-ta-wa " (a festival, or dance of worship before the Great Spirit). " Come ye, all of you, to the feast !"
All that day, women might be seen coming in from the forest, bearing loads of evergreen on their shoulders, to build the Sacred Lodge for Worship. It was long and narrow, and open at the top; for they said, "The Great Spirit will want to look right down into the hearts of his children. He wants no covering to their Lodge of Worship."
Hunters were scattered, that day, through all the woods in the neighborhood of the lake, to procure game for the feast ; and fishers plied their canoes on the waters, in search of fish. The children were out, gathering wild flowers to deck the Sacred Lodge, among all the hills that overlook the beautiful sheet of water on which the village was situated.
Among the fishers on the lake were two brothers, named Kwah-sind (The Strong Man) and O-skin-a-wa (The Youthful). They were fishing by themselves in a distant part of the lake. O-skin-a-wa was successful in fishing, and soon had the bottom of his canoe covered with them, fluttering and shimmering in the sun. Kwah-sind, on the contrary, had not a single fish
-
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1630]
.
in the bottom of his canoe. He had offended the Nee-ba-naw- baigs (Water Spirits), and they had frightened away all the fishes that came near his canoe.
He was very angry. He said, " Here I have been fishing for hours, and have not had a single bite. It is the work of these hateful Nee-ba-naw-baigs. They are determined to be revenged. But I will be revenged. I will find out some way to repay them for all this injury."
Then, seeing that his brother's canoe was half filled with fishes, he said, "Give me a share of your own, that I may not return to the village empty-handed." But his brother said, "Not so. If you have offended the Water Spirits, it is no fault of mine. You, alone, must suffer the consequences. I must return and present my canoe load of fish to the chief, to be used for the festival."
On hearing this, Kwah-sind was pale with rage. He raised his paddle, and struck O-skin-a-wa across his head. The blood flowed down into the canoe. He reeled over and fell into the waters of the lake.
Then Kwah-sind, when he saw what he had done, was in a great strait, and set himself down in the bottom of his canoe, thinking of some way to escape the consequences of his crime. He said, "I must not return to the village with my brother's blood upon my head. Therefore, I will go and hide myself in that little island yonder, until nightfall; then I will escape to the country of the Pequods."
So he steered his canoe for the island, laid himself down on its shores, and, overcome with care and anxiety, was soon fast asleep.
Now the island was inhabited by a race of little people, called Puk-wudjees. They were smaller than the red men, and were, like them, subject to the rule of Ke-che Mani-to, the Great Spirit. They were sitting down to their simple feast of strawberries (O-da-me-non), which grew in abundance on the island ; also the wild gooseberries (Shah-bo-min). It was even- ing, and all was still. Soon they heard the plaintive cry of the Wah-won-a-sah (whip-poor-will) on a tree, directly overhead. They started up in alarm. They said, " What can this mean ? Never before was the voice of the Wah-won-a-sah heard on the island of the Puk-wudjees. He has come to us with a message from the Land of Souls. Some one has suddenly entered it. He must have been murdered, and the murderer must be con- cealed somewhere on our shores." So they started to search the island for the murderer. Soon they discovered Kwah-sind
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[1790
asleep in the shade of a willow. They said among themselves, " What shall we do with this man of blood ? He is not of our race ; but the Great Spirit will hold us guilty if we suffer him to escape. We will send for Wah-ba-no (magician), and he shall try his arts and incantations upon him. Perhaps he will put him into a deep sleep, that he will never awake again."
So they summoned Wah-ba-no. He tried his skill on the murderer. He cast him into a long and deep sleep, and left him there, sleeping in the shade of the willow.
When the villagers found that the two brothers did not return, they went, with their canoes, in search of them. They found the canoe of O-skin-a-wa half filled with fishes and covered with blood. They then searched the islands, far and near, for the murderer. Presently they approached the little island of the Puk-wudjees. They found Kwah-sind asleep on its shores. They tried to awaken him, but could not. They bore him home to the village, and many days he lay before them, in that deep and dreamless sleep. Then his spirit de- parted from him, and they buried him in the burial-place for murderers.
From that day the Indians would never approach the little island after nightfall, or lie down to rest on its shores ; for they said, " Although we have done no murder, who knows but that Wah-ba-no may also put us into a deep sleep, that knows no waking, as he did the murderer of his brother, the strong man, Kwah-sind." 1
In the latter part of the eighteenth century abundant iron ore, much better than bog iron, was discovered in the bottom of these ponds ; that in Assawampsett was by far the best, and as much as five hundred tons a year was taken from this one pond. From a mine about one third of a mile from the shore, opposite the house now owned by Mr. Parkhurst or directly east of the old Pond meeting-house, a large quantity of ore was taken for many years ; the dredging and carting to the many furnaces in this and in the surrounding towns was a great source of income. It was taken from the bed of the pond with tongs, such as are used for oysters, lifted into boats, and carried ashore. For many years a man could easily pro- cure two tons in a day, but it was worked so extensively
1 Middleboro Gazette.
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1816]
that the amount was reduced to half a ton ; ere long, even this became exhausted, and the mine ceased to be worked. There was plenty of ore in the adjoining ponds, but it was raised to the surface with some difficulty, as the water was about twenty feet deep. Stephen Nelson, a lineal descendant of William Nelson, a man of note in his time, mentions in his diary the work done by himself and neighbors in taking out ore from the pond and carting it to the different furnaces. This indus- try was attended with not a little danger, and one or two men lost their lives while engaged in it.
It was in this pond in Sampson's Cove, about opposite where the Pond meeting-house stood, that the murderers of John Sassamon concealed his body under the ice.
From the top of Philip's Lookout is one of the most beauti- ful prospects to be found in the whole region. On the eastern side of this pond, at Betty's Neck, there are two rocks, on which are the imprint of a man's hand and a number of other marks supposed to be the work of the Indians. It is said that the impression of the foot is that of Betty, the wife of Felix and daughter of Sassamon. The date of this is 1747, and the name "Felix" is cut into the rock, but these are probably more recent than the marks.
In 1816 " Abiel Washburn, Thomas Weston, Levi Peirce, and Horatio G. Wood, their associates and successors, were incorporated under the name of the Middleboro Canal Com- pany, to operate, maintain, and manage a canal from the north- erly part of Assawampsett Pond to unite with Nemasket River between said pond and Vaughan's Bridge." It was their pur- pose to supply a larger body of water for their cotton mill and other manufacturing establishments recently built at the new works at Middleboro. A large amount of money was expended, but it was not a success, and was soon after abandoned. The river now runs through a portion of this canal, and its site can still be traced through the remaining distance.
In recent years a large number of summer cottages have been built on the shore of this delightful and historic lake.
One of the hostelries for many generations was Sampson's
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF MIDDLEBORO
[1800
Tavern, now a private house owned by Arthur E. Perry of New Bedford. The house was built and first occupied by a Mr. Foster, who was succeeded by Mr. Sampson. From Re- volutionary times to within the memory of many now living, it was celebrated for its good cheer and for the number of guests who were entertained at all seasons of the year. The stages to and from Boston and New Bed- ford stopped here. Some time during the latter part of the eighteenth century a very serious accident occurred in the vicin- ity of this tavern, on account of the great SAMPSON'S TAVERN drifts of snow. The stage passed for some distance on the ice on the edge of the pond. Unexpectedly the ice had worn away, and it fell through. The driver was drowned and one of the passengers ; the others were more or less injured by the great fright and exposure. At this tavern some of Hezekiah Butterworth's best stories were written.
Just beyond where the stream connects Assawampsett with Long Pond, on the western side of the road, occurred the battle in the Indian War, the details of which are given in the chapter relating to King Philip's War.
A little further on the eastern side of the road, at Betty's Neck, Captain Church with his men pursued the Indians, and fearing an ambush, retreated in the night to Dartmouth.
Long Pond is the next in size in this group, the southern portion of which extends a little way into Freetown. There are here two picturesque islands, known as Nelson's Island and Lewis Island. The water is considerably deeper than that of Assawampsett Pond, and at the bottom iron ore has been found, but the water is too deep to make the mining of it profitable. Upon the eastern shore, on the road leading to
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