USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Norton > History of the town of Norton, Bristol County, Massachusetts, from 1669 to 1859 > Part 29
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TAXES, AND OTHER FINANCIAL HISTORY.
It was then ordered, " that there be Proper coppies of the Report of the Committee of the Price of things in this town rote and set up at Every Publick-house and at Every Griss-Mill in this town." The " com- mittee of correspondence " were, empowered " to cary into Execution the resolves of the Convention at Concord ;" and Silas Cobb was chosen a committee " to correspond with other towns in the county." At an adjourned meeting, Aug. 30, " voted, that three of the committee that stated the price of things should attend the proposed Convention to be held at Taunton on the eighth of Sep. next."
Aug. 30, 1779, the town " voted to choose one man for the proposed convention at Concord, and that he be chosen by paper-votes."
From an article in the warrant for the above meet- ing, it seems that this convention was called " to take into consideration the prices of Marchandize and country Produce," and was " to be holden on the first Wednesday of October next." What was done at the convention, we know not. In the warrant for a meet- ing to be held Sept. 20, 1779, there was an article " to receive the report of the Committee chosen to meet in a County convention at Taunton, in order to regulate the Prices of such things as are commonly Bought and sold in sd. County." What the report was, or whether one was made, the records say not ; but what has been recorded serves to show us the expedients to which the people were obliged to resort, in order to meet the demands made upon their purses when they had nothing reliable in their purses.
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MANUFACTURES, ETC.
CHAPTER XXII.
WATER PRIVILEGES, MANUFACTURES, AND STATISTICS OF INDUSTRY.
" Ho! all who labor, all who strive; Ye wield a lofty power :
Do with your might; do with your strength ; Fill every golden hour. Oh! to your birthright and yourselves, To your own souls, be true :
A weary, wretched life is theirs Who have no work to do."
Miss C. F. ORNE.
IN the year 1695, Thomas and James Leonard, as we have already stated on page 12, &c., commenced the erection of an iron forge on Stony Brook, nearly in front of the old Leonard Mansion House, westerly of Wading River ; which, in a few years, passed into the hands of Major George Leonard (son of Thomas) ; and by him, his son George, and grandson George, the business of smelting the ore, and the manufacture of iron, was carried on at this place till near the close of the last century.
For many years, a great amount of business was done here by the enterprising family whose name is so honorably and permanently associated with the early ironworks of this continent. The late Judge Leonard built a gristmill, nearly on the site of the old forge, in 1805. It continued in operation till since the year 1825. George L. Barnes (a descendant of Major George Leonard), who, by the death of Mrs. Bowen, came into possession of the Leonard home- stead, erected in 1855, at great expense, a saw and shingle mill, &c., near the site of the old forge. He oc- cupied the mill about a year ; and since then, till Janu- ary, 1859, it stood idle, most of the machinery having been taken out. It has very recently been bought by Henry S. Freeman, who has set it in motion again.
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WATER PRIVILEGES, MANUFACTURES,
There was a sawmill on Mulberry-Meadow Brook, a short distance above where Thomas Copeland now resides, as early as 1710, owned by James Leonard, jun., and John (?) Austin ; and might have been the first sawmill erected in town. In 1746, and for some years subsequently, it was owned by Samuel Clapp, and afterwards by his son, Jonathan Clapp ; but, pre- vious to 1771, it passed into the hands of John Cook and Samuel Godfrey. About 1719, the mill was burned: it was then owned by James Godfrey, and was soon rebuilt by him. Its present owners are Benjamin and Moses Lincoln.
As early as 1714, there was a " cornmill " owned by George Leonard on Wading River, at what is now Barrowsville. It had then probably stood several years, and, no doubt, was the first gristmill erected in town ; and, we suppose, for many years it was the only one. On the death of Mr. Leonard in 1716, he devised this privilege to his son Nathaniel, afterwards minister at Plymouth ; and it remained in his posses- sion till his death in 1761. There was then a grist- mill and sawmill, which were given to his son George. They probably stood on the opposite side of the road, several rods above where the factory now stands. On the 12th of January, 1770, George Leonard deeded to Jonathan and John Amory a hundred and thirty- five acres of land, and "all the houses, mills, and other buildings, thereon erected." He also deeded to them one-half of the pot-ash house and utensils stand- ing on the land belonging to John White. When this pot-ash was built, or how long it remained, we have no information. In a little more than two months (or March 31, 1770), the Amorys sold the mills and land, and half of the potash standing thereon, to William Homes. June 13, 1783, he sold to Thomas Dawes, of Boston ; and he (Homes) soon returned to Boston, from which he was probably driven, in 1770, on ac- count of his hostility to the despotic acts of the British government. Dawes mortgaged these mills, &c., in 1788, to Josiah Waters and others, of Boston ; who,
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AND STATISTICS OF INDUSTRY.
Nov. 18, 1790, conveyed the property to Ephraim Raymond, a very energetic business man, who soon after erected an iron-forge, and carried on that busi- ness for some years. In 1810, Mr. Raymond and his father-in-law (Josiah Dean, of Raynham) erected the cotton-factory now standing. Mr. Raymond probably owned three-fourths of the establishment. The firm was known as the "Norton Manufacturing Company." March 10, 1821, Raymond bought of the executors of Mr. Dean one-fourth of the factory ; and between the 6th of November, 1821, and the 26th of August, 1833, at four different times, he sold portions of it to Samuel Crocker and Charles Richmond, amounting to seven- eighths of the whole establishment. Albert Barrows bought one-fourth of the factory, Oct. 1, 1833; and owned it, with Crocker and Richmond, for several years. March 12, 1837, the "Norton Manufacturing Company," consisting of Crocker, Richmond, and Barrows, was incorporated by the General Court, with the privilege of holding capital to the amount of fifty thousand dollars. After the failure of Crocker and Richmond, the property was sold at auction. Feb. 3, 1844, the " Wheaton Manufacturing Company," con- sisting of " Albert Barrows, Samuel B. King, and Laban M. Wheaton, their associates and successors," was incorporated by the Legislature for the purpose of making "cotton and woollen goods," and were authorized to hold personal and real estate to the amount of fifty thousand dollars. The company or- ganized under the charter, March 12, 1844. Mr. Barrows died May 7, 1854; but, under the same corporate name, the business of making cotton cloth and batting is still carried on there. In the year 1849, a steam-engine was erected to propel the ma- chinery, when short of water in the summer; and, during the present year (1858), a gristmill has been started in the steam-engine building.
On the 18th of March, 1718, Benjamin Leonard, sen., of Taunton, deeded to John King two hundred acres of land, at a place called " buttomenummonthe," together with a dwelling-house partly finished ; a
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WATER PRIVILEGES, MANUFACTURES,
quarter part of a sawmill; and the forge, " cole- house," and appurtenances, &c. Leonard was to have the right to dig and carry off the iron ore from ten acres of land " near to drinkwater." This forge and sawmill stood on Rumford River, six or eight rods above the bridge, near where Daniel S. Cobb now lives. The forge was afterwards moved nearly half a mile down the river; and finally run down, and stopped work, about a hundred years ago. About 1792, Daniel Smith, Laban Smith, and William Story, built a mill, on the easterly side of the river, for cutting nails, a few rods below the bridge, near which the forge and sawmill were first erected. This nail- mill was burned ten or fifteen years after its erection. Daniel Smith rebuilt it for the same purpose. It has since been used for sawing shingles and for making cotton-batting. Mr. Smith erected a sawmill in 1822, some twenty rods below where the nailmill stood. This sawmill was repaired, and the dam rebuilt, in 1857, by Daniel S. Cobb, Esq .; who by the death of his uncle, Daniel Smith, has recently come into pos- session of the privilege. In 1817, a clothier's shop was built on the opposite side of the river from the sawmill, by Sampson Patten. It was afterwards oc- cupied by Pliny Puffer and Stillman Smith for the manufacture of shuttles, and subsequently of cotton- batting ; and was burned January, 1840.
About 1730, William Makepeace erected a grist and saw mill on Canoe River, near where Eddy Lincoln now lives. These mills were rebuilt, about 1751 or 2, by Peter Makepeace, son of William. Not far from 1770, George Makepeace built an iron-forge just below, and on the opposite side of the road from, where the grist and saw mill now stand. How long the forge was in operation, we know not. Peter Make- peace had a slitting-mill in a part of the forge-building, or else adjoining to it; and it is said to have been the first slitting-mill in the United States. But this is a mistake.1 This privilege passed into the ownership
1 See Genealogical Register, vol. xi. p. 258.
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AND STATISTICS OF INDUSTRY.
of Lysander Makepeace in 1792. On the 21st of January, 1811, he sold land for a bleachery, and water privilege for a factory, to Daniel Patten, Daniel Shepard, Benjamin Blanding, and Thomas W. T. Bicknell ; reserving to himself three-eighths of the privilege.
The cotton-factory was built, and went into operation, in October of the same year. Mr. Bicknell was the first agent of the company. They made cotton-cloth and yarn about eighteen years. Then the factory passed into the hands of Daniel Patten and Mason Stone; and, in a few years, was owned by Mr. Stone alone. On the 3d of October, 1851, Mr. Stone sold to Eddy Lincoln and Hiram J. Hunt; and Mr. Hunt, in a short time, sold his right to Eddy Lincoln. Since then, the building has been used for a shingle-mill, box-factory, a planing-machine, and a wheelwright's shop; and is still owned by Mr. Lincoln. Aug. 28, 1824, Deacon Makepeace sold the sawmill and gristmill to the Norton Cotton Mills Company ; which, at that time, consisted of himself, Daniel Shepard, Lemuel Perry, Jacob Shepard, Simeon Blanding, Benjamin Blanding, Daniel Patten, and Ichabod Perry. With the factory, they passed into the hands of Mason Stone; and March 26, 1845, together with a shingle-mill that had been built a few years previous, they were purchased by Eddy Lincoln, who is the present owner.
It is supposed that a sawmill was built by Major Joseph Hodges, on Crooked Meadow Cedar-Swamp Brook, near where Jarvis Hodges now lives, previous to 1745. This mill seems to have been rebuilt or repaired, in 1753 or 4, by three of his sons and their cousin Ephraim, as appears by a paper which reads, " norton, March the 8, ye 1754, then reckned and Balanced all accounts About Bulding and reparing our mill till this day, as witness our Hands, -
" Joseph Hodges, Timothy Hodges, Ephraim Hodges, Isaac Hodges." In his will, dated May 1, 1756, Capt. Joseph Hodges speaks of his " third part of a saw- mill;" "it being in partnership with my brother Isaac
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WATER PRIVILEGES, MANUFACTURES,
Hodges, and Timothy Hodges." No one can now remember when a mill stood there, and the privilege has fallen into disuse.
From a deed given by Ebenezer Burt, July 12, 1744, to William Stone, of forty and a half acres of land, - which was a part of his then "dwelling-farm," -it appears that an iron-forge and a sawmill were at that time standing on Rumford River, near the residence of the late Deacon Daniel Lane. Burt seems to have owned the forge, and he and William Basset the saw- mill. The forge and sawmill are believed to have stood nearly opposite to the house where 'Deacon Lane lived, near the middle of the present factory-pond, where the remains of the old dam are still to be seen. On the 12th of February, 1776, the forge was still standing, as it appears from a deed given by Ebenezer, Joseph, Naomi, and Sarah Burt to Nathaniel Stone (son of William), of all the rights and privileges in the stream reserved by the deed of 1744. It is pre- sumed that Stone, father or son, had previously become owner of the sawmill, and thus had complete control of this water privilege ; which, for many years, was in the possession of the Stone family. It is believed that the forge and sawmill were both rebuilt about 1770. How long the forge stood is uncertain. Some time before 1800, a gristmill was erected, which stood a few feet easterly of where the factory now stands. More than fifty years ago, Deacon Lane, or rather the Lane Brothers, came into possession of this water privilege; and, in 1811 or 12, they rebuilt the sawmill on the site of the old one. In 1828, a com- pany was formed, and the cotton-factory, or "Centre Mills," were built by Daniel Patten, Lemuel Perry, John and David Arnold, Simeon Derry, Deacon Daniel Lane and sons; and the building of the factory de- stroyed the sawmill privilege. In the year 1846, the factory passed into the hands of Laban M. Wheaton, Esq., who is still the owner; and the mills have been running but little of the time since. The present gristmill was built in 1846 (?).
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331
AND STATISTICS OF INDUSTRY.
Previous to 1745, Jonathan Hodges erected a mill on Goose Brook, a few rods below the bridge, near where George H. Arnold now lives ; and carried on the business of "Fulling, Dyeing, and Dressing Cloth." This was the first mill for that business erected in Norton. Soon after it was erected, in consequence of some trouble with Judge Leonard, - whose land was flowed by the fulling-mill pond, - Mr. Hodges removed his mill about thirty-five rods further down the stream, where he fulled and dressed cloth until about 1784; when his son, Jonathan Hodges, jun., assumed the business, and carried it on alone (with the exception of one or two years when he had a partner) till 1814, - the time of his death. In the fall of 1846, David and George H. Arnold erected the building now standing by the bridge, and, for some years, made cotton-batting. It is now used for a shingle-mill, &c.
More than a hundred years ago, a sawmill was built by Deacon John Andrews (?) on Burt's Brook, about eighty rods above the site of the present mill. This old mill was fast going to ruin eighty years ago. The present sawmill near the furnace, on Burt's Brook, was built in the fall of 1800 by Luther Lin- coln. A carding-mill was started there in 1814. The present building below the road, used as a shingle- mill, &c., was erected in 1817, and, for some years, used for the carding of wool, &c. A machine for sawing shingles was put into it in 1826. The furnace for casting iron, &c., was built by Annes A. Lincoln in the fall of 1825. It is now occupied by Annes A. Lincoln, jun., and Company, for the same purpose.
About a hundred years ago, a sawmill was built on Dora's Brook, some fifty rods above where Charles H. Briggs's wheelwright-shop now stands, by Samuel Hunt. It was in ruins more than fifty years since. Hiram J. Hunt built a shop on the same spot about 1843, where he had a turning-lathe, and sawed wagon- felloes. It was occupied only six or seven years.
About the year 1807, Terry Crane erected a sawmill
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WATER PRIVILEGES, MANUFACTURES,
where Mr. Briggs's shop now stands. It was taken down in 1841 or 42. Mr. Briggs's shop was built in 1849. Some twelve years previously, he moved the shop - wherein his father, Daniel Briggs, made ploughs, which stood nearly in front of Don P. Makepeace's house - to the little brook westerly of where Warren Adams lives, and carried on the wheel- wright business there.
Previous to 1761, a grist and saw mill were erected on Wading River, near where Allen and Augustus Lane now live, by Rev. Nathaniel Leonard, and his brother, Col. George Leonard: At his death, Rev. Nathaniel gave his half part of these " new mills," as he called them, to his son Thomas, together with all his land there, on the west side of the river, up to the road by Goose Bridge. Thomas Leonard died in a few years, and his part of this property passed into the hands of the late Judge George Leonard. Col. George Leonard, at his death in 1778, devised his part of the estate to his daughter, Mrs. Anna Chan- dler ; who, Dec. 25, 1792, sold her half of the mills, and two hundred and thirty-two acres of land, &c., to Josiah Dean, of Raynham, and Ephraim Raymond, of Norton. These mills finally run down, and stood idle several years. Nov. 18, 1820, the Lane Brothers (Ephraim, William, Daniel, Allen, Calvin, and George) bought of Raymond and the executors of Mr. Dean their share of the mills, and rebuilt them; giving Mrs. Bowen - who had, by the recent death of her father (Judge Leonard), come into the possession of the other half - one-fourth the income till the mills were paid for. In May, 1835, the entire privilege and appur- tenances were sold to William A. and Samuel L. Crocker, who wanted the water to carry by canal to their copperworks establishments, about three-fourths of a mile below. About 1845, the mill-buildings were taken down; and the water still goes to the copperworks by canal.
Previous to the Revolution, Benjamin Braman built a sawmill on Goose Brook, back of where Allen D.
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AND STATISTICS OF INDUSTRY.
Lane now lives; but, being absent in the war, it run down. William Braman and Seneca Sanford built a sawmill near the same spot about 1814. It was used till the death of Mr. Braman in 1839, and then went to decay. Another building was erected by Augustus and Allen D. Lane in 1845. It is now used by them for sawing shingles and box-boards.
On the 30th of August, 1783, Nathan and Edward Babbit of one party, and Annes Newcomb of the other, entered into an agreement to build a dam for a grist- mill and fulling-mill, - the Babbits to build each one- fourth of the dam and one-half of the gristmill, and Newcomb to build the other half of the dam and the whole of the fulling-mill ; 1 and the buildings were soon after erected on Canoe River, on opposite sides of the stream, a short distance from Easton line, between where Nathaniel Newcomb's factory now stands and the sawmill. On the 18th of November, 1794, Nathan Babbit being dead, his son Edward deeded to Levi
Babbit one-half of the gristmill; the other half being then owned by Asa Newcomb.1 Previous to Jan. 5, 1795, the fulling-mill had passed into the hands of Asa Newcomb, who was a brother of Annes, and a sawmill had been built: for, on that day, he (Asa) sold one-half of the fulling-mill and one-half of the dam to Thomas Danforth, reserving the water not needed for the gristmill and fulling-mill for his (Newcomb's) sawmill ;2 which shows that the saw- mill was standing at that time. In February, 1811, Danforth sold to Jonathan Smith, Simeon Presbery, jun., Daniel Presbery, Stimson Austin, and Alanson Cobb, reserving to himself three-eighths of a water privilege ; and they built thereon a factory for mak- ing cotton-yarn. This factory was owned by different individuals up to 1822; when Nathaniel Newcomb bought the whole of it, and made yarn for a time, then thread, and finally wadding and batting. In December, 1831, the factory was burned; and Mr.
1 Records of Deeds, vol. lxxv. p. 6.
2 Ibid. vol. Ixxiii. p. 347.
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WATER PRIVILEGES, MANUFACTURES,
Newcomb rebuilt on the same spot, in April, 1832, the mill he now owns. In 1812, James Beaumont, of Canton, received a patent on a certain kind of wadding. Mr. Newcomb bought of him the right, and has manu- factured that wadding from 1832 to the present time. The gristmill went into disuse about 1814; the fulling- mill, about 1820. The sawmill still stands, and is owned by Eddy Lincoln and George R. Leonard.
Not far from 1790, William Carpenter built a mill for cutting nails, on the westerly side of Rumford River, near the house now owned by Mrs. Eli Wood. By a freshet in 1806 (?), the dam was carried away, and the mill partially removed from its foundation ; so that it was never after used as a cutting-mill, and was subsequently removed from the spot. The build- ing now occupied by Ruel Robinson as a wheelwright- shop was built by Thomas Braman, 3d, in 1833; he having bought, April 18 of that year, the privilege. He made doors, window-frames, and sashes. The building was afterwards owned by George Clapp, and used for the same purpose. After the death of Mr. Clapp, Earl and Royal P. Hodges bought the privilege, July 2, 1845, and continued the same business. They sold the sash and also the saw mill, Dec. 28, 1846, with the land belonging thereto, to Jacob Shepard (guardian of John L. Hall) ; and, in a few days, Mr. Shepard sold the same to Loren Willis, the present owner of both buildings. He made iron axletrees in the sashmill two or three years. Mr. Ruel Robinson hired the building in the autumn of 1850, and com- menced the manufacture of carriages, and still carries on quite an extensive business in that line. In 1809 or 10, Zebulon White built the sawmill now standing above the road, and owned by Loren Willis. After Mr. White's death, the mill was bought, in 1843, by Eli and Elkanah Wood, jun. They sold to Earl and Royal P. Hodges, May 3, 1845. Many years ago, pre- vious to 1800, there was a potash-building on the oppo- site side of the road to the sawmill; but by whom owned, or when built, we are not informed.
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AND STATISTICS OF INDUSTRY.
In the year 1796 (?), Benjamin Horton built a slit- ting-mill on Wading River, at what is now called the Copperworks Village, on the spot where the Cupola Smelting Furnace stands, adjoining the bridge. This building was burned the fore part of the year 1824. Mr. Horton had also a mifl for cutting nails, on the opposite side of the river, which was burned some years previous to the slitting-mill. Crocker and Richmond erected the Cupola Furnace Building, in 1825, for a copper-rolling mill. The same year, they erected the building back of the furnace for a copper-refining fur- nace. It is now used as a yellow-metal furnace. In these two buildings the company carried on the copper business till 1835. In that year, the Crocker Brothers dug the canal from the mill-pond by Allen and Augus- tus Lane's, and erected what is called the Lower Mill, on the northerly side of the river, which is operated by the water from the canal. In 1838, they added the upper or zinc mill ; all of which, for some years past, have been owned and carried on by the Crocker Bro- thers and Company, of Taunton. During the year 1857, they put on an addition to the Cupola Smelting Furnace, for the purpose of condensing the oxide of zinc escap- ing from the furnace, which previously passed off through the chimney into the atmosphere in the form of vapor or smoke. It has proved to be a valuable improvement, not only for getting rid of the nuisance, but also in a pecuniary point of view ; for, on an ave- rage, more than fifty dollars' worth of the powder is saved daily, when the furnace is in operation, and is used in painting, though not quite so clear and white as lead. Mr. William A. West, about the year 1837, in one of these buildings, commenced making cents for the United-States Government; or rather, he prepared them for coining, and then sent them to the mint for that purpose. He continued to manufacture them till the issue, two or three years since, of the new and smaller cent ; and, on an average, he made about sixty tons per year.
It is believed that Isaac Francis built a cutting-mill
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WATER PRIVILEGES, MANUFACTURES,
about sixty years ago on Rumford River, back of the house now owned by William A. King, between the Centre Mills and the road leading from the village to the railroad depot. It was afterwards owned by Icha- bod Clapp, but has been down many years.
Araunah Smith had a cutting-mill, forty-five or fifty years ago, back of where his son Deacon S. Smith now lives, on the brook that passes between Allen B. Tucker's and Ansel Keith's.
George Hodges built a fulling-mill on Wading River, a short distance below Barrowsville, about 1810. He had trouble with the owners of the factory, for flowing back upon their water-wheel, and was obliged to take down his dam. He moved his mill to the little stream near his house (where Samuel H. Lane now lives), and carried on business till he died, in 1828.
David and Josiah Woodward built a sawmill on Rumford River, just above its junction with Wading River, about 1815 ; and it was used some ten or fifteen years. The privilege has not since been occupied.
Isaac T. Braman erected a building on Wading River, in 1853, nearly half a mile below Mansfield Line. It is used for a gristmill, circular saws, and a turning-lathe.
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