History of the town of Milford, Worcester county, Massachusetts, from its first settlement to 1881, Part 5

Author: Ballou, Adin, 1803-1890
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Boston : Rand, Avery, & co.
Number of Pages: 1328

USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Milford > History of the town of Milford, Worcester county, Massachusetts, from its first settlement to 1881 > Part 5

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FLORA AND FAUNA.

not far from what was called the Wild Cat neighborhood. I was somewhat astonished, and, as I had never seen one, had a strong curiosity to find a specimen. My friend Carmel Cheney said if I would go on a hunt with him he was sure we might kill some. So, toward the end of May, he took me along with himself and one or two others to their old dens in Rocky Woods, east of the now beautiful Pine-Grove Cemetery. There we succeeded in finding and despatching one. He then took us to a known resort of these reptiles, west of Deer Brook, and considerably north of the ancient Day place, - though perhaps on the farm, - to a thinly-wooded, ledgy hill, sloping southward. There we killed four or five more, and returned' satisfied. Now and then a wanderer has been killed, from time to time, since. Latterly I have heard of few. We have some hateful water-snakes, and considerable numbers of the garter and smaller harmless kinds. Of tortoises, lizards, frogs, toads, etc., we have the several varieties common in this general region.

Of fish, the principal kinds sought after -i.e., natives of our waters - are the black sucker, pickerel, pout, perch, and eel. These. have not multiplied in proportion to consumption, but still are of some importance.

The precious trout, I think, never abounded in our waters, and now is scarcely found at all. Our inferior and smaller kinds of fish are numerous enough, but of little account unless as bait for the larger species.

It is obvious that the contrast must be great between the present meagre show of wild-animal life, on our nineteen square miles, and that which presented itself to the Nipmucks two centuries and more ago. Then the dense and towering forest teemed with ferocious bears, wolves, panthers, and venomous reptiles, as well as the more harmless multitude ; and then fish and fowl abounded luxuriantly in their highest excellence. Let us indulge a momentary glance at the scenes of the aboriginal wilderness, only to rejoice the more grate- fully that we live amid the innumerable blessings of a hard-earned civilization. The old savage grandeur and wealth of vegetable and animal life presents but a beggarly exhibition, compared with the fruits of cultivation and our manifold domestic animal wealth.

INDIAN RELICS.

Whether the Indians ever occupied our territory, except as roving bands for hunting and fishing purposes, is doubtful. Probably not. No traces of continuous settlement have come to my knowledge ; though the first John Hero, who settled in the north-east corner,

HISTORY OF MILFORD.

formerly within the limits of Holliston, close upon Hopkinton, sus- pected, as his descendants say, that on his farm there had some time been at least a burial-place. Many arrow-heads, and perhaps a few rude implements of domestic use, were plonghed up there ; but no thorough research deeper into the ground was ever made. Arrow- heads, either whole or in pieces, and other unimportant relies, have been found, from time to time, in all parts of our vicinage. If these had been duly preserved, doubtless a very interesting collection might now be shown ; though I do not recollect ever having heard of any strikingly remarkable implement or utensil brought to light. It is not unlikely that the natives may have had planting-grounds for Indian corn, in small parcels, on our plains ; but even this is more a matter of conjecture than strong probability. As to travelled ways or paths, it seems, from the first Indian deed, that they had at least one of some distinction close on our southern border, running west- wardly from their eastern possessions into, and perhaps through, Mendon. It is possible they had a trail from Natick through our centre. Of this, however, I have found no sufficient indication. It is said that they knew all the fords and best crossing-places of our two rivers, and pointed them out to the first settlers. Of course, they had several minor trails here and there, along which they were accustomed to travel; but those paths were probably indistinct, and soon obliterated when abandoned.

How late, after King Philip's War (1676), any of the Nipmucks sojourned on our territory, is somewhat uncertain. They held re- served rights here, as elsewhere in our general neighborhood, to hunt, fish, and gather materials for their peculiar manufactures. Some- thing like this was stipulated in most of the ancient deeds ; and these rights were fully accorded to them, at least in respect to all common lands and waters. But they were so destroyed and thinned off by Philip's War, that only small bands, single families, and straggling individuals ever afterward made their appearance within our borders. Rev. Abner Morse, in his interesting history of Sherborn and Hollis- ton, published in 1856, says, p. 266, " A band of them resided in the unimproved part of Medway in 1698, and probably later." A por- tion of this band seem to have frequented Bear Hill ; and our elderly people have a tradition of one or two murders committed between them and the whites in that vicinity, perhaps a few years earlier or later than 1700. Of this tradition I may speak more definitely in another place. I conclude that very few Indians have trod our soil since that period, and such only as temporary sojourners or mere wanderers.

INDIAN NAMES AND RELICS.

INDIAN NAMES.

Of these, only two survive, and they have become almost obsolete. I should never have come to the knowledge of them but by search of the old land records. One of these is Maspenock, the aboriginal name of North Pond, of which I have said a mere fraction is properly ours. This name appears in the deed of North Purchase, as pre- sented in Chapter I. It would almost seem that our Mill River, issu- ing from Maspenock Pond, must have been called by the Indians Maspenock River ; but, as yet, I have found no proof of it. I should be glad to do so, as I take a liking to the name. Having some curi- osity to ascertain its original signification, I carefully examined the Indian vocabularies, reprinted from ancient editions for preservation. One of these was made by Roger Williams, with reference to the language of the Narragansetts and kindred tribes; the other by Josiah Cotton, chiefly with reference to the Nipmuck language, into which the great Indian apostle, Eliot, translated the Bible. If I have interpreted the Indian etymology correctly, Maspenock literally means choice fishing-place, or excellent fish-pond : from namas, fish, or re- lating to fish ; pepenam, to choose ; and ohke (pronounced gutturally, ooke, aug, auke, ock, uck, etc.), which signifies earth, land, ground, place, or some substantial object belonging to the earth. Thus I deduce Maspenock, choice or excellent fishing-place.

The other name is that of the highland which extends southwardly from the Cleveland place, through the Scammell place, east of Hope- dale, to the new highway called Adin Street, etc. The Indians named this highland Magomiscock. As nearly as I can deduce its meaning from the lingual roots, it may be rendered, ground afford- ing a grand show, or prospective view. Its components appear to come from, or be, magko, to afford, give, or grant ; misse, swollen, large, showy, grand, etc. ; and ohke, earth, ground, or place : liter- ally, a high swell of land affording a grand prospect of the surround- ing country. And such it really is. The Rev. Peter Whitney, in his History of Worcester County, 1793, says, " From the highest places there is a large and variegated prospect. From these heights may be seen the Wachusett and Monadnock Mountains, and also the hill sonth of Boston " (Milton Blue Hill). Whoever will visit these easily accessible heights, and survey the vast landscapes, can hardly fail thenceforth to admire the aboriginal name, Magomiscock. The old records spell this name rather barbarously in half a dozen differ- ent ways, but I believe I have given its best orthography.

Whether the name of our prominent eminence, called Bear Hill, is of Indian or English origin, is uncertain. It obviously indicates a

HISTORY OF MILFORD.

haunt for bears in olden times. Though I have found nothing in the records relating to the derivation of the name, it seems probable to me that it originated with the Indians. They called the bear, in their language, moshq. Therefore, if they gave name to this hill, it would be Moshcock. This would not be a bad exchange to make, if our people so choose. What other Indian namcs might be framed or conjectured, as applicable to natural objects within our territorial limits, I will not trouble myself to surmise.

Having been misled by the gazetteers to assume that Wapowage was the Indian name of our township, I took considerable pains to ascertain its signification. In doing so, I at length got the infor- mation stated in Chapter I., that it belonged to Milford, Conn. So that matter ended. I have since directed my attention to the mean- ing of Nipmuck, alias Nipmook, etc. I find that the Narragansett language, and perhaps, with some variation, that of the Nipmucks, gives nips for ponds. I infer that it may denote not only ponds, but other collections of water, including moving streams. Hence the Nipmuck name would signify a country abounding with ponds and streams of water, - a remarkably well-watered country or land. This agrees aptly with the geographical facts. Hence, also, the name would fitly apply to the inhabitants, or tribe of people, dwelling on such general territory. The Blackstone River was originally called the Nipmuck River, because it arose in and flowed through the Nip- muck country. So the Nipmuck Pond in Mendon got its name from its aboriginal owners, who long held it in high estimation.

Here I must close this chapter. That it will be as interesting to general readers as the collection and arrangement of its particulars have been to me, perhaps is more than I ought to expect. I have taken much pains to render it valuable to posterity, and can only hope that it will in some way repay its cost. At least, I seem to myself to have fairly prepared the way for a narration of the facts next in order.

RULES OF DIVISION.

CHAPTER III.

EARLIEST LAYINGS-OUT OF LAND AND SETTLEMENTS.

Rules of Allotment and Division. - How Quinshipaug Plantation was originally gov- erned. - Rules for Division of Lands to the Proprietors explained. - House- Lots of Various Sizes at the Town-Seat, and their Belongings, etc.

The First Layings-out on our Territory. - The Rawson Farm, so called, set off, 1719, to Bellingham. - Benjamin Albee's One-Acre Mill-Lot. - John Sprague and his Son William, our Earliest Settlers. - Layings-out, 1670. - Several Mendon Proprietors, always resident at the Town-Seat, have Lands laid out here. - Names, Localities, and Dates specified.

Early Settlers down to 1710. - Concerning Capt. Setli Chapin and his Settlement in South Hopedale. - Elder John Jones and his Settlement in the "Dale," contemporaneously with Capt. Seth Chapin. - Ebenezer and Joseph Sumner's Settlement at the Dexter Walker Place. - William Cheney's Settlement on the Highland now owned by Charles F. Chapin, etc. - Benjamin Wheaton's Settlement easterly of the Joues Place. - Settlements of the Haywards in Howardtown Neighborhood. - Probable but not certain Settlements, during this Decade, of Thomas White, sen., John Green, Ohadiah Wheelock, Benjamin Alby's Descendants, Jonathan Thayer, John Rockwood, and Others. - Reflec- tions on the State of Things, and Circumstances of our First Settlers.

RULES OF ALLOTMENT AND DIVISION.

UINSHIPAUG PLANTATION, afterwards Mendon, was gov- erned by a committee, or hoard of commissioners, appointed by the General Court for that purpose. This committee was to con- sist of not less than three nor more than five men. For their names and powers see Chapter I. That committee agreed on certain arti- cles, according to which the affairs of the Plantation should be gov- erned. See those articles, as copied in full in Chapter I. The first article prescribes as follows : "1. That the Divisions of land there shall be by the ensuing Rules ; that to one hundred pounds Estate be granted one hundred and fifty acres of land, viz. : Thirty acres to the House Lot, and Ten acres of Meadow and Five acres of swampy or low land, being capable of being made Meadow, and more, one hundred and fifty acres for the Great Lot; and according to this proportion for all Estates be they more or less ; and this to be the Rule for the Division of all the lands of the Plantation that shall be divided before the place, or the people there, shall be allowed to be a Township," etc. This article is very obscure in its phraseology. Either some words in the original document were lost in transcribing

HISTORY OF MILFORD.

it, or the awkwardness of the draughtsman left it undesignedly am- biguous and equivocal. I have assured myself that my copyist has accurately followed the existing record. As it stands, quite different constructions may honestly, and perhaps plausibly, be put on some of its language. Without being entirely certain I am correct, I will attempt to define its meaning. It obviously presupposes a company of proprietors about to take possession of a newly-acquired wilder- ness tract of land (the eight-miles-square grant), for the purpose of settling thereon ; also, that they contemplated commencing with the settlement of a town-seat, or central village-site. This required a common fund to purchase the wild land, and meet the various ex- penses incident to incipient settlement. Afterwards, responsible assessable estates would be equally requisite, in order to support the young community in bearing its societary burdens. Of course, such a movement must start with individual subscriptions to the primary fund, or some sort of pledges of estate to be invested in the pro- posed Plantation. Just how the projectors arranged the details of proprietary subscription, or pledge, I have not learned. But we know that after purchase, and before settlement, the proprietors owned the whole eight miles square, as a company, in common.

Next, how was it to be divided among the proprietors wishing to settle at and near the town-seat? The prescribed rule sets forth that the proprietary settlers should have a certain quantity of land set off to their respective individual possession, and that this amount of land should be, in proportion to their several estates, invested in the Plan- tation, or in some way pledged to its maintenance ; whether as cash paid in, or to be paid in, or some equivalent, does not matter. What was this proportional quantity of land? Some have construed the above article to mean three hundred acres to £100 investment; others, one hundred and fifty acres to £100. On the whole, I judge that the latter must have been meant, taking into consideration the phraseology of the prescription, and the subsequent practical applica- tion given to it. I do not wish to be over positive of this, but must for myself interpret the language accordingly. The man, then, who invested £100 in the Plantation, would be entitled to a town-seat house-lot of thirty acres, ten acres of open natural meadow, and' five acres of swampy lowland capable of being made meadow. These meadow-lands would have to be found where nature afforded them, and, generally, at a greater or less distance from the house-lot. As to the first considerable >batch of house-lots, they were assigned by lot, so as to avoid all contention for the more eligible. Well, now our £100 proprietor has but forty-five acres of his one hundred and

RULE OF ALLOTMENTS.

fifty ; what next? Here we come to the chief puzzle. The words of the rule, as it stands, are, [ "and more, one hundred and fifty acres for the Great Lot." I assume that the draughtsman must have meant, and enough more to make up one hundred and fifty acres, to be called the Great Lot. Thus he would get his full claim. Otherwise, the words "and more " would be utterly indefinite, and the "one hundred and fifty acres for the Great Lot" would be additional to the indefinite quantity. But, as nearly as I can under- stand subsequent proceedings, one hundred and fifty acres fulfilled the whole claimn.

Now, having the ratio of land to estate, -i.e., one hundred and fifty acres to every £100 estate, - we see that other-sized estates would have their proper proportion of land on the same scale. Accord- ingly, we find by the record that there were, at a certain early period, forty-two house-lots laid out; that thirteen of these were forty-acre lots ; four, thirty-five-acre lots; four, thirty-acre lots ; seventeen, twenty-acre lots ; and four, ten-acre lots ; and that other lands were laid out to the house-lot owners, or to their heirs and assigns, in due quantity. The proprietor whose invested estate gave him a forty- acre house-lot would be entitled to twelve of open meadow, and seven of swampy land, or thereabouts, and, in all, to two hundred acres. The proprietor having a twenty-acre house-lot would be entitled to seven of open meadow, three of swamp, or thereabouts, and, in all, to one hundred acres. So all others in proportion. Of course, persons able and so disposed could buy proprietary rights, or shares, larger or smaller, and share in subsequent divisions accord- ingly.

How nearly the proprietors, as such, adhered to the old rule of the committee, after the incorporation of the Plantation into a town, in 1667, I have not critically iuformed myself. They were then no longer bound by it, and varied from it to suit circumstances. They early adopted the usage of assigning to house-lot owners what they called " doublings ; " i.e., lots, mostly adjoining the house-lots, of equal size. Thus the proprietor of a forty-acre house-lot would have another forty-acre lot annexed to him; the thirty-acre house-lot holder, another thirty ; and so down to the ten-acre man. But if it so happened that any proprietor, under any division of lands, failed to take up the amount due to him, his rights remained valid, and went down to his heirs or assigns, to be claimed at their discretion. It would appear from the records, that, although the proprietors were sometimes blended in action with the townsmen in allotting and voting common lands, yet the former still continued to be a distinct

HISTORY OF MILFORD. .

body, with distinct franchises and distinct books, so long as there remained any common lands to dispose of. First and last, they made eleven divisions of land. It is not easy to specify and explain the peculiarities of these eleven divisions in their precise order. It is understood that they called their division of house-lots their first. Thenceforth they voted successive divisions, relating to " Meadows," "Doublings," "Great Lots," etc. These they numbered second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, etc., to the eleventh. Thus every parcel of land laid out is specified on their records as belonging to such or such a man's numerical division. It does not seem to be of much historical consequence to define the peculiarities of these several divisions. I therefore waive it. My readers cannot fail to under- stand that all our now Milford territory, in its wilderness state, was held primarily by the old Mendon proprietors as their common land. They will also clearly understand, from the foregoing exposition, under what rules and in what general way our lands got into the possession of their first individual owners.

THE FIRST LAYINGS-OUT ON OUR TERRITORY.

Perhaps this is the proper place to state, that previons to the incor- poration of Bellingham, in 1719, the north-westerly portion belonged to Mendon. This section of land adjoined what is now Milford on the south-east. It was designated " The Farm," and after subdivis- ion " The Farms." Its early inhabitants were governed by Mendon municipal authorities, -just as were ours at that period. It got its designation, " The Farm," I presume, from the fact that the whole, or certainly a large part of it, belonged, by grant of General Court, to Hon. Edward Rawson, Secretary of the Province of Massachusetts. He was the father of Rev. Grindall Rawson, second settled pastor of Mendon. Secretary Rawson served the Province many years on what was deemed small compensation. To make up the lack the General Court made him several grants of land, first and last, some or all of which were called Farms. Among these grants was one of two thou- sand acres, to be located adjacent to Mendon, and south-westerly of Sherborn. Rawson extinguished the Indian title to this land by a deed from one or more of the chiefs during the year 1685. Sherborn, under its first grant, claimed jurisdiction over this Rawson Farm and certain contiguous lands. This may have given rise to the contro- versy with Mendon about the "Great Meadow," and perhaps some other parcels of meadow, to which I referred in Chapter II. But the General Court terminated all controversy by declaring Sherborn terri- tory to be legitimately restricted within narrower limits in the disputed

FIRST LAYINGS-OUT.

quarter. Whether Rawson's grant, when located and defined, ran over our present boundary in the south-east somewhat, as has been supposed, I am not accurately informed. Be this as it may, "The Farm" was assigned to, and remained under the jurisdiction of, Mendon, until set off to Bellingham, in 1719. And from the recorded layings-out of land east of Charles, alias "Second Bridge," River, in that neighborhood, I doubt if the Rawson grant crossed the old Mendon line westward at all.

The very oldest parcel of land on our territory assigned to indi- vidual possession was one acre for a corn-mill seat. This was at the present Lewis B. Gaskill place, aforetime known as the Alvin Allen place. There, on Mill River, just north of the highway, where the ancient dam still remains, the old Committee of Quinshipaug Planta- tion gave Benjamin Alby (Albee) a one-acre mill-lot or seat. They did so in a written contract, made between him and themselves at Roxbury in the year 1664 ; he binding himself, heirs, and assigns, to erect and maintain a corn-mill thereon for the accommodation of the Plantation settlers. For at that time there was no corn-mill nearer than Medfield, and the inhabitants suffered very great inconvenience in that respect. Benjamin Albee, originally of Braintree, appears to have been a man of more than ordinary genius and enterprise. He was a trusted land-surveyor, had been conspicuous at Medfield, as- sisted the Sherborn people to start their Plantation, and was now devoted to the success of Quinshipaug. Under this contract with the committee, it is probable that he built his dam, and set up the corn- mill, as soon as he conveniently could. But it must not be under- stood that he took up his house-lot on the same side of the road. He did that on the south side, near the present residence of Willis Gould. The agreement between the committee and Albee was not entered on the Mendon records till Sept. 10, 1672. At that date his acre mill-lot was formally laid out ; and a bounty grant of fifty acres more was laid out to him east of the river, south of the highway, as his encouragement to maintain the corn-mill. He never resided within our limits, and must not be accounted our earliest settler. But his mill-seat and mill were the first marks of civilization on our territory. His dwelling-house and mill were destroyed with the original Mendon Village, in King Philip's War. He was one of the fugitives from that calamity, and never returned to reside here. (See Part II. of this work : my Genealogical Register of the Albees.)

The next earliest laying-out of land within our borders was made to John Sprague, in 1670. It was a twenty-acre house-lot which he bought of John Bartlett, one of the original proprietors, and was

HISTORY OF MILFORD.

situated north-westerly of Albee's mill-lot, in the most south-westerly corner of our territory. It included what, a few years ago, was called the Wing Kelley place, situated on the highway (at one time, turn- pike) from Mendon town over Neck Hill to South Milford, etc. There was already a way there, from the town to Albee's corn-mill, when this twenty-acre lot was laid out ; and it was bounded " easterly by a line of marked trees, a little distant from the mill-pond, north- erly by marked trees on Common, westerly on Common in part and partly upon a way leading from the Town to the mill, and southerly upon Common." There John Sprague built the first dwelling-house in what is now Milford, perhaps on the very spot where the existing one stands, but certainly thereabouts. There he lived and died, also his son William after him, and probably still later descendants. Very likely his first rude domicile was burnt by Philip's Indians. This, however, is not certain, as possibly he may not have built till after the return of the fugitives. Anyhow, there was built and inhab- ited our first dwelling-house.

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History of the town of Milford, Worcester county, Massachusetts, from its first settlement to 1881, Part 5

Author: Ballou, Adin, 1803-1890 Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Boston : Rand, Avery, & co. Number of Pages: 1328

Author: Ballou, Adin, 1803-1890
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Boston : Rand, Avery, & co.
Number of Pages: 1328