USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Norton > History of the town of Norton, Bristol County, Massachusetts, from 1669 to 1859 > Part 6
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" Consented to. " J. DUDLEY." 1.
Rev. Pitt Clarke, in his "Historical Discourse," preached July 3, 1825, says it was " named Norton in conformity to a corporate town of this name in Oxford- shire, seventy-four miles north-west of London ; " and
1 General-Court Records, vol. ix. p. 100.
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INCORPORATION OF THE TOWN.
his statement is undoubtedly correct. Many of the first settlers in America gave the name of their birth- place or some neighboring locality to the towns where they settled in New England. Most of the settlers of Taunton were from Taunton and its vicinity in Eng- land, and hence gave their settlement a name that would call up old associations of the home they had left. The town of Norton in England lies northerly, and borders upon Taunton ; and therefore, very natu- rally, when our town received its " baptismal name," it was called Norton, because it and Taunton were situated relatively as Norton and Taunton in Old England were. Rev. Charles H. Brigham, of Taun- ton, in a letter he wrote while on a visit to Taunton, England, and published in the "Taunton Whig " of Aug. 4, 1853, speaking of the points of resemblance between the two towns of Taunton, says, " Bridge- water lies on the north-east of both, and Norton on the north-west." He says, also, "There is a queer distich which runs, -
' Taunton was a furzy down When Norton was a market-town.'"
We here present to our readers the Act of Incorpo- ration, and with it close this chapter : -
" An Act for raising a new Town by the name of NORTON, within the County of Bristol.
" Whereas the tract of Land commonly called and known by the name of the North Purchase, Lying situate within the Township of Taunton, in the county of Bristol, circumscribed within the Lines and Bounderies prescribed by a committee some time since appointed by the General Assembly, as fol- lows; viz .: Beginning at the Line between the two late Colonies of the Massachusetts and Plymouth, in the line of the said North purchase and Attleborough ; from thence Run- ning Southward to Rehoboth North-East Corner; and from thence Eastward, on the North-purchase Line, to Taunton bounds ; thence eastward to the Mouth of the Brook calld Burt's Brook, and extending from the mouth of Burt's Brook to the Bridge over the Mill River, near Wm. Wither- el's ; and from thence North-eastward to the North-Purchase
1158635
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PRECINCT CONTROVERSY.
Line ; and, from the North-purchase Line, the Road that leads from the said Bridge towards Boston to be the Bounds till it come to the Line betwixt the two Late Colonies aforesaid ; which Line to be the bounds to Attleborough aforesaid was set off from Taunton by and with the consent of that Town, and by an order of the General Assembly, passed at their Session in March, 1710, made a distinct and separate Town from Tawnton, containing a sufficient quantity of Lands and a competent number of Inhabitants for that purpose, and named NORTON; the full perfecting of the said Grant being adjourned and refered to the present Courts.
" In pursuance, therefore, of the afore-recited Order and Grant, and for the completing and perfecting of the same, Be it enacted by his Excellency the Governor, Council, and Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, That the aforesaid Tract of Land com- monly called the North Purchase, circumscribed and bounded as above expressed, Be and is Granted to be a Township Distinct and separate from Taunton ; the Town to be named Norton, and the Inhabitants thereof to have, Use, Excercise, and enjoy all such Immunities, Powers, and Privileges as other Towns within this Province have and do by Law excer- cise and enjoy, so that the said Inhabitants settle an able, Learned, Orthodox Minister in the said Town, and from time to time allow him a Comfortable support.
" Provided Nevertheless, That the Inhabitants in the east end of the said North Purchase shall have one-half of the said Purchase as their Precinct, when they are able to main- tain a minister, and this Court judge them so.
" June 12th, 1711.
" This Bill, having been read three several times in the House of Representatives, passed to be enacted.
" JOHN BURRILL, Speaker.
" Read three several times in Council, Concured, and passed to be enacted.
" ISAAC ADDINGTON, Sectry. " By his Excellency.
" I consent to the enacting of this Bill. " J. DUDLEY."
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TOPOGRAPHY AND NATURAL HISTORY.
CHAPTER IV.
TOPOGRAPHY AND NATURAL HISTORY.
" Nature is but a name for an effect, Whose cause is God." - COWPER.
THE town of Norton, as originally constituted, was bounded northerly by Dorchester (now Foxborough, Sharon, and Stoughton), easterly by Bridgewater, southerly by Taunton and Rehoboth, and westerly by Attleborough. It is now bounded northerly by Mansfield, easterly by Easton, and southerly and west- erly as when first incorporated.
Its length, on the north, is about five and a half miles ; on the south, about seven miles. Its breadth is about five miles at the westerly end, and a little more than three and a half at the easterly end : and it embraces an area of eighteen thousand two hundred and sixty-four acres ; of which the roads occupy about two hundred and eighty-four acres, and about two hundred and sixty-six acres are covered with water.
It is situated in the northerly part of Bristol County ; and the old meeting-house which stood on the Com- mon, nearly in front of the present Congregational church, was in latitude 41° 58' 01".90 north, and in longitude 71° 11' 35".73 west, from Greenwich.1
Norton is about twenty-eight miles south of Boston; nearly the same distance northerly from New Bedford; and eighteen miles north-easterly from Providence, R.I.
It has four villages. The Centre is the largest ; consisting of about sixty houses, two churches, one public-house, two stores, and the Wheaton Female Seminary.
1 American Statistical Collections, vol. i. p. 107.
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TOPOGRAPHY AND NATURAL HISTORY.
Barrowsville is two miles to the south-west, and consists of about twenty-five houses, a store, a Wes- leyan-Methodist chapel, and a large cotton factory ; half of the population at least being foreigners.
The Copper-works Village is about two miles south- erly, and consists of about twenty-five houses, the copper establishments of Crocker Brothers and Com- pany, and a store. A large portion of the population is Irish.
Winneconnet Village is three miles east from the centre, near where the first settlement was made; and contains some twenty houses, a Calvinist-Baptist church, a store, &c. Its inhabitants are principally native-born, and industrious farmers.
The only natural pond is the Winneconnet,1 in the south-eastern part of the town, on the shores of which was erected the first civilized habitation within our limits. It is a beautiful sheet of water, embracing an area of about a hundred and twenty-five acres, and abounding in fine pickerel and other fish.
Rumford River, occasionally on the old records called " Ten-mile" River, rises in the westerly part of Sha- ron, runs through a corner of Foxborough, and cen- trally through the entire breadth of Mansfield; thence
1 I have spent some time, and called in the assistance of others, in trying to ascertain the meaning of the Indian word "Win-ne-con-net." Accord- ing to three different writers in the Historical Magazine (vol. i. No. 8), " Winne" is shown to mean beautiful, pleasant, good, fine, or kindred significations. Hon. P. W. Leland, of Fall River, in a paper recently read before the Old-Colony Historical Society, at Taunton, upon Indian names and terms, derives the word " Se-con-net" from the two words seki, black, and konk, a goose; and explained that the terminal "et" meant place, or locality, and that the word signified " the place of black geese." If he, and the other writers we have quoted, are correct, the word "Win-ne-con-net" means " a good place for geese." I am inclined to believe that the meadows bordering upon the pond where Canoe River and Mulberry-Meadow Brook empty in would have been a good or excellent place for the wild geese to have made their nests and reared their young: and from this circum- stance, doubtless, the name comes. Mr. H. R. Schoolcraft thinks per- haps the syllable "con" may be derived from pecon, which means a "nut." If this is so, we think the word would mean "the place of fine nuts," or "a beautiful nut place." Whether, in ancient times, the nuts were plenty around the pond, we do not know; but on Great Rocky Hill, near by, the walnut now grows most abundantly of any tree. But, after all, we think the first definition is the more accurate. We will allude to the matter again if we get any new light.
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TOPOGRAPHY AND NATURAL HISTORY.
through the central part of Norton, in a southerly di- rection, till it unites with the Coweset or Wading River, and forms the Three-mile River, which passes on through the westerly part of Taunton, and falls into Taunton River, on the borders of Dighton.
Coweset (Indian name) or Wading River, so called because a man could wade it its entire length, rises in Shepard's Pond, on the borders of Wrentham and Foxborough, flows southerly and easterly through the westerly part of Mansfield and Norton, and unites with the Rumford, about half a mile below the Copper- works. The name " Chartley" is also applied to some parts of this stream.
Canoe River (anciently called Gooseberry-Meadow Brook) rises in the southerly part of Sharon, flows southerly through the easterly part of Mansfield and Norton, and empties into the north-westerly side of Winneconnet Pond.
Mulberry-Meadow Brook, called on the map "Leach's Stream," rises in the south-easterly part of Sharon, flows southerly through the westerly part of Easton and the easterly part of Norton, and empties into Win- neconnet Pond, a few rods easterly of where Canoe River empties in. The only outlet of this pond is Mill River, close by the line of Taunton, into which town it immediately passes.
Burt's Brook, designated on the map by BB, rises in two localities in Cedar Swamp, near the south- westerly corner of the town, runs easterly between Lemuel and Asa Arnold's, and empties into Three-mile River, a short distance below Lincoln's Furnace.
Goose Brook rises also in the westerly part of the Cedar Swamp, flows northerly, passing between the Asa Hodge's House and No. 4 Schoolhouse, and emp- ties into Wading River, a short distance above where Allen and Augustus Lane live.
Stony Brook, marked SB on the map, - sometimes also, on old records, called " Chartley," - rises in Attle- borough, flows nearly east in Norton, passing in front of the old Judge Leonard Mansion House, and empties
40
TOPOGRAPHY AND NATURAL HISTORY.
into Wading River, a little below the bridge, near the Leonard estate.
Log Brook, marked LB on the map, rises easterly of the house of Jason F. Alden, and, running south between the house of Austin Messinger and the Com- mon, empties into the Barrowsville-Factory Pond.
Dora's Brook (not on the map.) rises westerly of No. 7 Schoolhouse, flows westerly on the southerly side of the house of Aaron Lincoln, jun., and, soon after, empties into Three-mile River, just below the junction of Rumford and Wading Rivers. It took its name from Dora (Theodora ?) Leonard (supposed to be a witch), who lived in a hut on its banks.
Swab-tailed Brook (not on the map) rises easterly of the railroad, and, flowing north-easterly between Amos Keith's house and the Asahel Tucker House, empties into Canoe River, about half a mile below Eddy Lin- coln's grist and saw mill.
Drink-water Brook, marked DB on the map, rises in the south part of Mansfield, and, flowing southerly, empties into Rumford River, a short distance to the south-west of Norton Alms-house.
Great Brook rises in Mansfield, flows south, and then east, between Luen C. Leonard's house and that of Thomas Gooch, emptying itself into Rumford River.
There are other brooks by which the town is watered : but they are nameless ; at least, to the writer.
In all these rivers and brooks of any considerable size are found pickerel, perch, hornpouts, and, in the spring, suckers.
Anciently they abounded in the spring with herring; or " alewives," as they were once called.
I am informed by Seneca Lincoln, that, many years ago, one of his ancestors dipped up with a scoop-net out of Burt's Brook, just below where the furnace now stands, a wagon-load of them in a few minutes. But the construction of numerous dams has entirely shut out from our waters these fish, which formed an im- portant article of diet and trade for the early settlers of the town. So fearful were they that some obstruc-
41
TOPOGRAPHY AND NATURAL HISTORY.
tions would be placed in the streams to prevent the progress of these fish in their annual visit, that men were chosen at town-meeting (as, for instance, in 1722-3, when the town chose " Thomas Stephens and Eleazer Fisher) to Keep Coweset or Wading River, so called, clear from all wares or any other Encumbrances whatsoever that shall stop the fish from Going up sd. River." And also, in 1745, "They made choice of Josiah Harvey, Israel Woodward, and Timothy Briggs, to take care that ye fish have a free Passage up the rivers," by removing all wears, &c., designed to stop them in their journey ; and the dams that were built across the streams were, by law, obliged to be so con- structed as to allow " sufficient passage-way through or round such dams" for the fish to go up and down in the spring and fall, under penalty of fifty pounds.1
Great Rocky Hill is situated a short distance north- erly of Winneconnet Pond, and easterly of Mulberry- Meadow Brook. For the information of strangers, we will say, that not the "hill," but the rocks, are "great."
Timothy Plain is situated westerly of Winneconnet Pond and Canoe River, and is traversed by the road. leading from Amos Keith's to Hathaway Leonard's. It derived its name from Timothy Halloway, one of the early settlers of Taunton, who once owned a por- tion of it.
" Chartley " was a name given to the iron-works esta- blished at Stony Brook by the Leonards ; but the name is indiscriminately applied to streams and other loca- lities in that neighborhood. The name, probably, had some connection with the working of iron.
Lockety Neck is the point of land between Rumford and Wading Rivers, just above their junction.
On some of the old deeds, the farm now owned by Allen and Augustus Lane was said to be on Lockety Neck ; and no doubt the "Neck Woods," so called, between the Centre Village and Calvin Lane's, took that name from their proximity to Lockety Neck.
1 See law of 1741.
4*
42
TOPOGRAPHY AND NATURAL HISTORY.
Ann Cobb's Bridge is over Wading River, southerly of the Common, at the upper end of the Barrowsville- Factory Pond. It took its name from Ann Cobb, who once lived near it, and was reputed a witch. A loca- lity anciently known as " Scotlin," or " Scotland," is supposed to have been in the neighborhood of No. 3 Schoolhouse.
The Seekonk Cedar Swamp is in the south-westerly part of the town.
The Invincible Swamp is north-casterly of Winne- connet Pond, on the borders of Norton and Easton.
The Great Woods are in the northerly part of the town, between Wading and Rumford Rivers.
Beech Island is situated north-easterly of Hon. Cromwell Leonard's house, near the junction of Great Brook with Rumford River.
Crossman's Way was where the road crossed Rum- ford River by Loren Willis's sawmill.
The town of Norton is one of the flattest of its size in the State. There are several little swells of land, but almost nothing that can be dignified by the name of " hill." The land generally slopes to the south, as will be noticed by the course of the streams.
The soil is not of the first quality. In the easterly part, around Winneconnet Pond, it is quite sandy, yet, on the whole, is capable of being made quite produc- tive by proper cultivation, being well adapted to the raising of most kinds of grain. The geological for- mation is what Dr. Hitchcock terms "graywacke ; " the rocks of the town being for the most part of a slaty character : but, in some localities, the conglome- rate, or plum-pudding stone, is quite prominent. Iron ore was formerly dug in large quantities in various parts of the town, and " there is more of the same sort left." In the northerly part of the town, bordering upon Mansfield, anthracite coal has been dug up; but it exists in such small quantities, and is of so poor a quality, that it will not pay for digging. Clay is to be found between Rumford River and the Depot, and . bricks were once made there.
43
TOPOGRAPHY AND NATURAL HISTORY.
On Great Rocky Hill is a cave, formed by the pro- jection of one very large rock over another, with a perpendicular side, producing at the top an acute angle, about five feet from the ground, with an area at the base of about fifteen feet by nine, and open at both ends ; though the northerly end could very easily be barricaded, as a large rock stands within two or three feet of it. This cave, of itself, is a great curio- sity ; but it has become famous from the tradition, which is probably true, that it was once a noted retreat of King Philip, when on fishing excursions to Winne- connet Pond. It could readily have been turned into an almost invincible fortress. It is known to this day as " Philip's Cave."
Between the house of Williams Keith and the rail- road there is a large bowlder, that will weigh six or eight tons, which rests upon another somewhat shelv- ing rock ; and it is so exactly poised, that it is believed, if a little stone, by which it seems to be blocked up, was pushed out, it would immediately, of its own accord, roll off. We hope, however, that the experi- ment will not be tried. For the gratification of all lovers of Nature's freaks, it should be allowed to remain. Occasionally, small holes have been found in the rocks, which have given rise to some very whimsi- cal notions. One of these holes is back of the old Leonard House, and we may allude to it again.
The natural forest-trees are the white, red, and yel- low oak; the white, black, and yellow birch ; cedar, elm, hornbeam, pignut hickory, white and pitch pine, white maple, sassafras, holly, hemlock and beech, savin, chestnut, and other trees and shrubs. From the land of Judge Leonard, near where Samuel G. Hicks now lives, the keel of the frigate " Constitution " was cut ; and from that neighborhood, since the death of Mrs. Bowen, in 1850, immense quantities of first-growth white oak have been carried off to New Bedford and elsewhere for ship-timber, &c.
The native fruits are the high and vining blackberry, the thimbleberry, the low and swamp blueberry, the
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TOPOGRAPHY AND NATURAL HISTORY.
black whortleberry (huckleberry), the dangleberry, strawberry, checkerberry, cranberry, grape, &c.
The wild animals are, or rather were (for nearly all have now become extinct), bears and wolves, to some extent ; wild-cats, deer, foxes, raccoons, beavers, musk- rats, minks, woodchucks, squirrels, weasels, &c.
Tradition (rather an unreliable personage) says, that, in the early history of the town, a bear entered a sawmill when the saw was going, and, seating him- self on the log, was carried along by the carriage till the saw began to scratch some part of his body. This so enraged poor Bruin, that he immediately grasped the saw with his fore-legs to give him a hug for his impu- dence ; and he was, of course, literally sawed in pieces for his temerity. A wolf is said to have attacked and killed a colt belonging to Eleazer (?) Eddy, a short distance westerly from where George B. Crane now lives. Wolves and wild-cats were formerly so nume- rous and troublesome in the State, that laws were early enacted, offering a bounty to any person who killed them. I can find no record of any wolves being killed in Norton ; but wild-cats were not so fortunate. At a meeting of the town and North Purchase held for that purpose, March 30, 1724, it was -
" Voted, that they would Pay out of the treasury of Nor- ton five shillings a head to any Person or Persons that shall Bring any wild-cat's head to the towne Clerk: and if the said clerk any ways scruples whether they ware cilled in the sd. towne or Present, that then they shall make oath that they ware before the towne Clerk; and then the said clerk shall Give an order to the towne treasurer for sd. sum or sums, who shall Pay it accordingly. And there shall be a rate made upon the Poles and estates of sd. towne and Present to supply the treasury for that Purpose."
Sept. 14, 1724, the town and East Precinct " Voted . to pay Benjamin Drake for killing one wild-cat, £00. 05s. Od." He probably was of the East Precinct.
" March ye 1st, 1724-5. - Joseph Godfrey, John Cas- well, and Ebenezer White, Brought Each of them a wild-cat's
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TOPOGRAPHY AND NATURAL HISTORY.
Head to me, and I cut the Ears of from them ; and the towne of Norton was to Pay five shillings a head for each of them.
" Per me, GEORGE LEONARD, Clerk."
Oct. 6, 1725. - " Voted to Raise five shillings more in said Rate to Pay to Thomas Skinner, Sen., for a wild-cat's head which he ciled."
March 28, 1726. - " Voted, that they would not Pay for Killing of wild-cats the year ensueing, nor for the wild-cats which have been Killed sence ye act about said cats was out."
In 1731, another " Act for Encourageing the Killing of wild-cats " was passed, offering a bounty of twenty shillings for any wild-cat one year old, and ten shil- lings for every one under that age, to be paid by the town, and subsequently to be refunded by the State ; but it does not appear from the records that any bounty was claimed after the passage of this act.
The last wild-cat that was killed in town was some thirty years ago, on the farm now owned by Mr. George Barker.1
On the other hand, a law was enacted as early as 1698, forbidding any person to kill wild deer between the last day of December and the first day of August following, under a penalty of two pounds for the first offence, three pounds for the second, five pounds for the third ; and so on in that ratio for every succeeding offence. A similar law was probably re-enacted about 1738 ; for, on the 25th of October of that year, " The Inhabitance made Choice of Eleazer Eddy, the first, and Thomas Skinner, the Second, according to the Late act Relating [to] the Preservation of the Deare : " and for several years thereafter, at the annual March meeting, two persons were chosen for that purpose.
1 In 1801, a showman was passing through town with a leopard in a cage. By some means, the animal escaped from confinement, and, near the old house between William Lane's and the old Leonard estate, attacked and severely lacerated the face of Michael Sweet, a lad about fourteen years old ; and would probably have killed him, had not a pig fortunately been near, which the leopard preferred to the boy. The furious beast was finally shot before doing further damage. It was the only leopard ever killed here, and created quite a sensation among the inhabitants.
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TOPOGRAPHY AND NATURAL HISTORY.
Several of the early residents of Norton had parks of deer, which they kept for their own private use ; and among these were the three Judges George Leo- nard, the last of whom continued to have his park down to about the commencement of the present cen- tury. Previous to the death of his father, he had a park back of his then dwelling-house, on the rise of ground beyond the Leonard Mansion House ; and some of the posts to the fence are still remaining. After the death of his father, he continued to keep deer in the park back of the old homestead, where many of the posts of the fence, six or eight rails high, yet remain as monuments of the pristine nobility of our town.
The following " thrilling event" connected with Judge Leonard's deer-park will doubtless be read with interest: About the year 1792, Nathan Perry, afterwards Dr. Perry of North Bridgewater, then a youth some sixteen years old, was one day passing by the park, when he playfully reached his hand through the fence, and took hold of one of the old buck's horns, and for some time annoyed him in that way. At length the deer got out of patience, broke away from his hold, and, quite unexpectedly, leaped over the fence, seven or eight feet high, and made a furious attack upon young Perry, throwing him upon the ground; but, very fortunately, the horns of the en- raged deer, instead of striking his body, passed down on each of it. While in this position, Nathan grasped the horns of the buck, and succeeded in preventing him from doing any injury, till his brothers Gardiner and Alvin, with one of Judge Leonard's workmen, came and rescued him from his perilous position.
It is probable that Rev. Mr. Avery had his park of deer ; but nothing is certainly known about it.
The feathered tribe are similar to those found in most towns in New England. In early times, the wild geese and ducks were quite abundant in the pond and streams. Partridges, quails, woodcocks, &c., were also more plenty than now.
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