USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Natick > History of the town of Natick, Mass., from the days of the apostolic Eliot, MDCL, to the present time, MDCCCXXX > Part 4
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1794 .- Septr. Ist. Voted to pay the soldiers one dollar as a bounty for inlisting, and two dollars more, .if they march out of the state. This vote has reference, it is supposed, to those who enlisted into the Oxford ar- my, as it was called. 1
1797 .- By an act of the General Court, passed this year, an alteration was made in the line between Need- ham and Natick, by which sixteen hundred and fifty six acres of land were set off from Needham to Natick, and in exchange, four hundred and four acres and an half, exclusive of pond, were set off from Natick to Needham ; leaving a balance in favour of Natick of twelve hundred fifty one and a half acres .- Palmer's Century Sermon.
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HISTORY OF NATICK.
ECLESIASTICAL HISTORY .- John Eliot, who is justly styled 'The Apostle to the Indians,' must be consider- ed as the founder of Natick both in church and state. 'Memoirs of his Life and Character' have been publish- ed by Revd. Martin Moore, minister of the first church in this place ; and as his book is, or ought to be, in eve- ry family in the town, and in every library, where there is any desire to be acquainted with the early history of our country, I refer the reader to that work for a par- ticular account of this great and good man. I shall give a brief and general biographical sketch of him, considering him as the first minister of the town, though not ordained over this particular church and congrega- tion.
He was born in England A. D. 1604. His parents gave him a liberal education, and were examplary for their piety ;- for this their memory is precious. 'I do see,' says this excellent man, ' that it was a favour from Gon to me that my first years were seasoned with the fear of GOD, the word and prayer.'
, In the year 1631, he arrived at Boston, and the suc- ceeding year, Nov. 5, 1632, was settled as teacher of the church in Roxbury. As was customory in those days, Roxbury had two ministers, one styled teacher the other pastor. The latter office was filled by other, persons, during Eliot's life, which enabled him to be ab- sent, as a missionary, without leaving his flock des- titute.
Being moved with compassion for the ignorant and degraded state of the Indians, he determined to devote a part of his time to their instruction. For this pur- pose he undertook the almost hopeless task of learning their language, by the assistance of a young native, who could speak English. The enormous length of
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HISTORY OF NATICK.
their words, the harshness of their pronunciation, which frequently could hardly be called articulation, would have discouraged any, but a mind of the most extraordinary zeal and perseverance.
'Our readers, will stand aghast,' says Cotton Mather, " at a few instances. The words ' our lusts' are expres- sed in Indian by a word of thirty two letters-Nummat- chekodtantamoonganunnonash. But this is still out. done by the word -- Kummogkodonattoottummooetiteaon- gannunnonash, where forty three letters are employed to express our question.' Some suppose that, in such in- stances'as these, Eliot has mistaken a circumlocution for a single word. Of this language he published a grammar, and into it translated catechisms and other tracts, and finally the whole Bible, which Mather says, he wrote with one pen.
As a further specimen af the Indian language, the reader is here presented with the title page of Eliot's Bible.
Mamusse
Wunneetupanatamwe
UP BIBLUM GOD
Naneeswe
NUKKONE TESTAMENT
Kah Wonk
WUSKU TESTAMENT.
The followingspecimen of the Lord's prayer, in the Natick dialect, with a German interlineary translation, and a grammatical analysis of the language, may be
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HISTORY OF NATICK.
found in the celebrated work of John Christopher Adel- reng of Dresden, entitled : 'Mithridates, oder allgemeine Sprachenkunde mit deur Vater Unser als Sprachprole in bey nnahe preuf hundert Sprahen und Mundanten.'
Mithridates, or general science of languages, with the Lord's prayer, as a specimen, in nearly five hundred languages and dialects .- Th. III. Ab. III. S. 385. Berlin. 1812.
The Translation of the Lord's prayer is from Eliot's translation of the Bible into the Indian language, print- ed at Cambridge, A. D. 1663; the title of which has been given above.
Our father
heaven in
hallowed
Nushun
kesukqut ;
Quttianatamunach
thy name
come
thy kingdom
ktowesuonk ;
Peyaumuutch
kukketassutamoonk;
thy will
Kuttenantamoonk
nen
done earth on nach ohkeit
as heaven in
our food
neane
kesukqut ;
Nummeetsuongash
daily give us this this day
asekesukokish asamaiinean
yeuyeu kesukod;
and
forgive
us
our
Kah
ahquontamaunnean nummatch-
sins
as
wicked-doers
eseongash
neane
matchenekuk quengig
we forgive
them Also lead
nutahquontamounnonog ;
Ahque sagkom-
us
not
temptation in
pagunaiinnean Oh
en
qutchhuaonganit ;
deliver
us
evil
Wehe
pohquohwussinnean
wutch match
from
» for Newutche
thine
kingdom
itut ;
kutahtaun
ketassutamoonk
7
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HISTORY OF NATICK.
and
power and glory
kah
menuhkesuonk
kah sohsumoonk
forver
Amen.
micheme. Amen.
The situation and character of the Indians, in their savage state, have been so often described, that a repe- tition of the description here is unnecessary. October 28th, 1646, having given previous notice to Waban a principal man among them, and to some other Indians, who had pitched their wigwams, at a place called by them Nonantum, a hill in the northeast corner of New- ton, next to Brighton, he proceeded to their residence, with three friends. His first discourse was from Ezekiel xxxvii, 9. After a short prayer, he rehearsed and ex- plained the ten commandments. He then described the character of Christ, told them in what manner he appeared on earth, where he now is, and that he would come again to judgment, when the wicked would be . punished and the good rewarded. He spoke of the creation and fall of man ; then persuaded them to repent to pray to GoD, and own Christ as their Saviour.
Besides preaching to them frequently at Nonantum and other places, he framed two catechisms, one for chil- dren and one for adults. The questions in these he propounded on one lecture day to be answered on the next. "After catechising and preaching to them, he gave them liberty to propound questions and closed with prayer.
After having met with much opposition especially from the Sachems and Powows, and, in an eminent de- gree, 'endured hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ,' with no small success in convincing them of the advantages of civilization, a considerable body of
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HISTORY OF NATICK.
converts united together at Natick, under his direc- tion, in 1650. They continued several years under the character of catechumens ; and were visited during their probation by Eliot, or some other minister, every week, who preached on some article of faith and an- swered such questions as the Indians proposed to them.
One of his first objects was to teach them to read and write, and raise up schoolmasters and religious teachers of their own tribe to instruct others. He took Monequessun, an ingenious Indian, into his house; and having taught him to read and write, made him school master at Natick. He observes in one of his publica- tions, ' it hath pleased Gon to stir up the hearts of ma- ny of them to learn to read and write, wherein they do profit with little help, being very ingenious.'
Of those, whom he undertook to train up for reli- gious instructers, he observes, ' assuredly I find a good measure of ability in them, not only in prayer in which they exceed my expectation, but in the rehearsing such scriptures, as I have expounded, and in expounding and applying them, as they have heard me do.'
A day was at length appointed, which they called ' Natootomakteackesuk,' or the day of asking questions ; when many ministers and their friends, assisted by the best interpreters, met at Natick to judge of the fitness of the Indians to be admitted to church communion. This great assembly was held on the 13th. of Oc- tober, 1652, when about fifteen Indians made distinct and open confessions of their faith in Christ, and of the efficacy of the word upon their minds. A num- ber of them were baptized at this time, but they were kept in the state of catechumens until 1660, when the first Indian church was formed.
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HISTORY OF NATICK.
Of this church no records are to be found, and but few items respecting it in the early histories of our coun- try. We are not informed how many were first embod- ied. Some pious Indians from other places joined them ; and in 1670 the number of communicants was between forty and fifty.
To fully understand and duly appreciate the charac- ter of this truly reverend man, it is necessary to be tho- roughly acquainted with the history of his life and la- bours. The amiable qualities of the disciple that Jesus loved, and the zeal, fortitude and perseverance of the first apostle to the gentiles, have, perhaps, never been united to a greater degree in any one, since the first attempts to propagate our holy religion.
He died, May 20th. 1690, aged about 86 years. His last words were " welcome joy."
Daniel Takawombpait. This is the spelling of the name of this worthy Aboriginal on his grave stone. In a deed, dated April 8, 1692, and signed with his own hand, the spelling is Takawompbait. This deed, con- veying a meadow to John Sawin, was presented some years since to the Historical Library in Boston, by the late Capt. David Bacon. In witnessing the Marlbo- rough deed, it seems he wrote Takawompait. In the communication of Rawson and Danforth, in a former page, it is written Tokkowompait.
He was ordained by Eliot, but at what time does not appear. Increase Mather, in a letter to Pro- fessor Leusden of Utrecht, dated 1687, writes as fol- lows; " The pastor of the church of Natick, is an Indian, his name is Daniel." He is said by Rawson and Dan- forth to have been " a person of good knowledge."
A handsome stone wall 'now crosses his grave by the road side, a few rods in front of the south meeting
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HISTORY OF NATICK.
house. A humble stone, probably erected soon after his interment, is preserved in a niche in this wall, marks the spot where his remains repose, and bears the fol- lowing inscription.
Here lyes the Body of Daniel Takawombpait Aged 64 years. Died September the 17th. 1716.
Oliver Peabody .- The following sketch is abridged from an article in the Panoplist, for July 1811, furnish- ed by Rev. Thomas Noyes of Needham, who married a grand daughter of the subject of it, and who has had the best opportunity of any person, now living, to be- come acquainted with facts illustrative of his life and character.
He was born of reputable parents, in Boxford, county of Essex, commonwealth of Massachusetts, in the year 1698. At the age of two years he was bereaved of his father, and the care of hisearly education devolved on his pious mother, who was not inattentive to the importance of her charge. The youth was early made sensible, that religion was the one thing needful. The deep in- terest he felt in the cause of the Redeemer led him to seek an education, that would best prepare him for fu- ture usefulness ; and accordingly he entered Harvard College in 1717, and was graduated in 1721, in the 23d. year of his age.
Immediately after he was graduated, the committee of the Board of Commissioners for propagating the Gos- pel in N. E. requested him to be ordained as an evan- gelist, and to carry the news of salvation to the hea- then. This was at a time when the French were ac-
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HISTORY OF NATICK.
tive in stimulating the Indians to commence hostilities against the English ; and for this purpose furnished them with provisions and warlike implements. The conse- quent apprehensions of an Indian war led many candi- dates, it is said not less than eleven, to whom the Com- missioners had made application, to decline the offer. But such was Mr. Peabody's zeal in the cause of his Master, that he did not hesitate to enter on a mission, though he was subject to the will of his employers, and knew not the place of his destination ; but expected to be sent to a remote distance into the wilderness.
As the commissioners concluded to send him to Na- tick, a place surrounded with settled ministers, and in the vicinity of the society that emloyed him, they did not immediately ordain him; but sent him to perform missionary service, till circumstances should render his ordination expedient. On the 6th. day of August, 1721, he preached here for the first time. At that time there were but two white families in the town, though several other families afterwards removed thither. John Sawin, who lived where his descendents Thomas and Baxter Sawin now reside, was the first white inhabit- ant; David Morse, who built on the site where the house of John Atkins, Esq. now stands, is believed to have been the second; Jonathan Carver erected the third English house, on the spot, which Isaac Biglow, jr. now occupies ; and Ebenezer Felch is supposed to have built the fourth in the north part of the town, near E. Sudbury line, where some of his descendents still have their place of abode.
Mr. P. remarks in the beginning of the records of the church, formed under his ministry ; 'It must be ob- served, that after my most diligent search, I can find no record of any thing referring to the former church in Na- tick.'
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HISTORY OF NATICK.
Mr. Peabody preached constantly at Natick, till the close of the year 1729, when a committee from the board of Commissioners, and from the Corporation of Harvard College were sent to Natick to consider the expediency of embodying a church and settling a minister. The result was that it would be best to embody a church, partly of English and partly of Indians, and set Mr. P. over them in the Lord. The 3d. of December was set apart for a day of fasting and prayer, when Mr. Baxter of Medfield preached and embodied a church, consisting of three Indians and five white persons. On the 17th. of the same month, Mr. P. was ordained at Cambridge, a missionary to take the pastoral care of the church and people at Natick.
About two years after Mr. Peabody came to Natick, he married Miss Hannah Baxter, daughter of Rev. Jo- seph Baxter of Medfield, a lady distinguished for her piety and good sense, by whom he had twelve children, eight of whom lived to years of discretion. The oldest son bore his father's name, and was ordained pastor over the first church in Roxbury, in November, 1750, and died in May 1752. The two other sons died, when they were about thirty ; but the five daughters all lived to a good old age.
Though it was his grand object to bring the Indians, by divine grace, to the knowledge, service and enjoy- ment of God ; yet he found it an object, worthy of great attention, to induce them to abandon their savage mode of living, and to make advances in husbandry and civil- ization ; and so great a change was effected in their pursuits and manners, that he lived to see many of the Indian families enjoying comfortable habitations, culti- vated fields, and flourishing orchards ; and their manners greatly improved.
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HISTORY OF NATICK.
He embraced the religious principles of our puritanic fathers, and has left us abundant testimony in his publi- cations and manuscripts, that he had not so learned Christ, as to make the precepts of the Gospel bend to suit the vices of men. He was bold and zealous in the cause of truth ; but his zeal was not that of the enthusi- ast. It was an ardent desire to promote the glory of God, and the best good of his fellow men. By his ex- ertions many of them were taught to read and write, as well as to understand the English language. To such a pitch of refinement had some of them arrived, that when Mr Moody from York, Maine, preached to them in Natick, and used low expressions for the purpose of being understood by them; they observed that if Mr. Peabody should preach in such low language, they should think him crazy and leave the meeting house.
The Indians at the time of Mr. Peabody's coming to reside among them, were much addicted to intemper- ance ; and he took great pains to suppress this ruinous vice, and not without success. Guardians were placed over them, and they became more peaceable, industrious and attentive to religious order. Twenty two persons were added to the church, the first year after his ordi- nation, a number of whom were Indians. In a letter to a convention of ministers in July-1743, he observes ; ' Among my little people (I would mention it to the glory of the rich grace and the blessed spirit of God) there have been very apparent strivings and operations of the Holy Ghost among Indians and English, young and old, male and female. 'There have been added to our church of such as I hope shall be saved about fifty persons, of dif- ferent nations, since the beginning of last March was two years, whose lives in general witness to the sincer- ity of their profession.'
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HISTORY OF NATICK.
During his ministry 191 Indians and 422 English were baptized. During the same period 35 Indians and 130 white persons were admitted into his church. Two hundred and fifty six Indians died ; one of whom arrived at the age of 110 years.
Though naturally of a slender and delicate constitu- tion, he consented to go on a mission to the Mohegan tribe of Indians ; but the fatigues he endured in the un- dertaking, so impaired his health, that it was never per- fectly restored. He lived several years after ; but at length fell into a decline, in which he lingered till Lord's day, Feb. 21, 1752, in the 54th. year of his age. He died with Christian triumph, immediately after uttering the words of the heroic apostle, 'I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteous- ness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day.'
In his last sickness the Indians expressed great anxi- ety for his health and happiness, and tendered him every service in their power. At his death they mourn- ed as for a parent. His widow was afterwards married to Deacon Eliot of Boston. She died in 1796, aged 92.
The following inscription is copied from his grave stone.
Hic deposita Sunt Reliquia Domini Revdi: Oliveri Peabody, Uiri propter mentis Facultates et Literaturam necessariam maxima Ueneratione digni. Speculationes Theologicas optime delegit. Jn officio pastorali con- spicue effulsit. Per Annos triginta Populo apud NATICK ministrauit præcipue Aboriginum Eruditionis in Reli- gione Christiana Causa. Jn uita Sociali quoque fuit exemplar. Beneuolentia Integra et Hospitalitate Cath- olica Maxime Antecessit. 8 Retributionem Futuram
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HISTORY OF NATICK.
certissime Expectans Ministerium Reliquit Feb. 2do. A. D. 1752, ÆEtatis 54.
TRANSLATION.
Here are deposited the remains of the Rev Mr Oliver Peabody ; a man worthy of the highest estimation, on account of his native powers of mind and useful learn- ing. He took great delight in theological speculations. He shone conspicuously in the pastoral office. For thirty years he ministered to the people at NATICK, chiefly for the purpose of instructing the Indians in the Christian religion. He was exemplary also in social life. He greatly excelled in genuine benevolence and liberal hospitality. In sure and certain hope of a fu- ture reward, he left the ministry, Feb. 2d, 1752, in the 54th year of his age.
The phrase, ' he left the ministry,' may lead people in general, into an error. They may suppose that he left the pastoral office previous to his death. But one acquainted with the Latin language need not be in- formed, that, when the Romans would intimate that a person was dead, they frequently used the words, fuit he has existed, vixit, he has lived, e vivis cessit, he has retired from the living, or some similar expression, in- stead of a more direct and unpleasant mode of commu- nicating the disagreeable intelligence. Thus the above phrase is a proof of the classical knowledge and taste of the writer, who is said to have been Revd Mr Town- send of Needham, his contemporary and friend, and who survived him ten years.
Two printed sermons of Rev Mr Peabody are extant, viz .-
' An Artillery Election Sermon ;' and one entitled,
' The Foundations, Effects, and distinguishing Proper-
--
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HISTORY OF NATICK.
ties of a good and bad hope of Salvation; with mo- tives to excite all to labour and pray that they may ob- tain a well grounded Hope, and some directions how to obtain it. Considered in a Sermon, the substance of which was delivered at the Evening Lecture at the New North Church in Boston, on Tuesday, June 8th, 1742, where a copy of it was desired for the Press. Boston, printed by D. Fowle, for S. Eliot, in Corn- hill, 1742.'
A few introductory passages from this Sermon will exhibit a fair specimen of the author's style.
PSALM, cxix, 116 .- Let me not be ashamed of my hope.
As hope and fear are the two governing passions of the soul ; which excite us to action : so it is of concern to us, to know how to improve them so as to promote our happiness. And as we should improve our fears of the wrath of God and eternal torment, so as to quicken us to flee from the wrath to come, and to fly to the Refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us in Christ Jesus ; so we should use our hope, with a view to this great end.
It is greatly to be feared, that many have such a slender and sandy foundation of their hope, that when they shall expect, that they are just entring into the possession and enjoyment of what they hoped for ; they shall find themselves mistaken and disappointed : which is what the Psalmist deprecates in our Text.
Although he may, in this, have some reference to his hopes of outward good things agreeable to the promise of God to him; yet it appears to me, that he has re- spect especially to future and eternal things in this pa- thetick prayer ; ' Let me not be ashamed of my hope."
Stephen Badger was born in Charlestown, A. D. 1725,
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HISTORY OF NATICK.
of humble parentage, as is indicated in the College Catalogue, by his name being placed last in his class, at a time when the scholars were arranged according to the real or supposed dignity of their parents. He was graduated at Harvard College in 1747. On the 27th of March, 1753, he was ordained by the Commissioners for propagating the Gospel in N. E. as a missionary over the Indians in Natick. The English inhabitants united with the Indians, and added to his salary 191. 6s. 8d. about $64 44. He closed his public services in Ju- ly, 1799, and died, August 28, 1803, aged 78.
During his ministry Mr B. encountered many difficul- ties. A large portion of the white people of his day had adopted as many of the Indian manners and habits, as the Indians had of theirs ; so that a considerable num- ber of both nations were but half civilized, and their pastor experienced such treatment, as must naturally be expected from such a flock. The contentions respect- ing the location of the meeting house have been already mentioned. These continued through the whole of his ministry, and rose to such a height, that many families entirely abandoned public worship in that house, and seldom attended in any other.
During all these difficulties, however, several of the most respectable families were constant attendants on his ministry, and continued so as long as he remain- ed in it.
In stature Mr B. did not exceed the middle height ; his person was firm and well formed ; his manners dignifi- and polished ; and his countenance intelligent and pleasing. His conversation in mixed company was en- tertaining and instructive. His public performances gave ample proof of a mind, vigorous, acute and well informed. His sermons were mostly practical, free
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HISTORY OF NATICK.
from the pedantick, technical terms of school divinity, written at full length, and read without any attempts at oratory. His prayers did not contain so great a variety of expressions, as those of many others ; but they were pertinent, and clothed chiefly in the language of scrip- ture. He observed that " for whatever of correctness, or purity of style he was master of, he was indebted to the Spectator of Addison ;" and his performances proved that he had profited not a little by " giving his days and his nights" to that immortal production. Had he been set on a more conspicuous candlestick, his light would undoubtedly have shown extensively, brilliantly and powerfully.
Like many of his distinguished contemporaries in the ministry, the names of a few of whom the first president Adams has given in his letter to the Rev Dr Morse, he was a Unitarian ; but, like the rest, with the excep- tion of Dr Mayhew of Boston and Dr Howard his suc- cessor, he thought that, though it was lawful for them to avow this sentiment, it was not expedient. They be- lieved that, in omitting to mention this opinion they kept back nothing that would be profitable for their hearers. They had read " Clarke's Scripture Doctrine of the Trinity," and believed it to be true ; but they had also read the bitter controversial writings, which were pub- lished in consequence of it; and they wished not to witness such a contest in this country ; such a one as is now unhappily raging in it, to the disgrace of the violent combatants on both sides, if not to the detriment of the cause of Christianity itself.
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