History of the town of Oxford, Massachusetts with genealogies and notes on persons and estates, Part 24

Author: Daniels, George Fisher, 1820-1897
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: Oxford : Pub. by the author with the cooperation of the town
Number of Pages: 916

USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Oxford > History of the town of Oxford, Massachusetts with genealogies and notes on persons and estates > Part 24

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Sons of Veterans. A corps of Sons of Veterans was organized 24 Sept., 1886, and holds its meetings in G. A. R. hall.

Relief Corps. A Woman's Relief Corps was organized 2 Feb., 1887, meets at the same place, and is auxiliary to the G. A. R.

Decoration Day. The town has usually appropriated suffi- cient funds to pay all expenses, good music and able speakers have been provided and the attendance has been uniformly large. The first observance was 30 May, 1868 ; address by Rev. Samuel J. Austin ; subsequent orators have been : 1869, Rev. Daniel Wait ; 1870, A. J. Bartholomew, Esq., Southbridge ; 1871, Rev. Thomas E. Babb ; 1872, Rev. Thomas E. St. John, Worcester ; 1 1873, Col. J. A. Titus, Worcester ; 1874, Rev. Thomas E. St. John, Worcester ; 1875, Gen. Charles Devens, Worcester ; 1876, no address, no town appropriation ; 1877, Col. W. S. B. Hopkins, Worcester ; 1878, Rev. Amzi B. Emmons ; 1879, Rev. Julius F. Simmons, Webster ; 1880, Col. J. A. Titus, Worcester ; 1881, Rev. Albert Tyler ; 1882, John R. Thayer, Esq., Worcester; 1883, Lieut. Fred. G. Hyde ; 1884, Col. E. J. Russell, Worcester ; 1885, Homer B. Sprague, Boston ; 1886, Gen. Charles Devens ; 1887, Rev. E. W. Preble, Webster ; 1888, Rev. H. Francis Perry, Hudson ; 1889, Rev. Porter R. Stratton ; 1890, Charles N. Thomas, Boston.

Co. E Association. This association was organized 26 Sept., 1868, and each year on 28 of June, the anniversary of going into camp at Worcester, has held a reunion. A dinner has always been provided, of late at the town expense.

1 From the church steps in a pouring rain.

0 1

CHAPTER VIII.

INDUSTRIES.

POTASH. IRON. ELIOTT MILL. SCYTHES. COTTON SPINNING. SLATER'S

MILL. CENTRAL MANUFACTURING COMPANY. POPE & WARNER. PRATT

MILLS. OLD HUGUENOT MILLS. BUG SWAMP MILLS. NAILS. AUGUTTE-

BACK MILLS. POWER WEAVING. OXFORD WOOLEN MANUFACTURING COMPANY. GEORGE HODGES. ANDREW HOWARTH. BUFFUMVILLE. THREAD MAKING. SIGOURNEY MILL.

ROCKDALE MILL. OXFORD COTTON MANU- FACTURING COMPANY. ACWORTH MILL. LAMB MILL. TEXAS MILLS. NORTH OXFORD OPTICAL WORKS. CHASE MILL NO. 2. STONE'S MILLS. RICH'S MILL. GATES' MILLS. WALLACE MILL. WOOL-CARDING. MILLWRIGHTS. BRICK MAKING. BAKERY. CHAISE AND HARNESS. DISTILLERIES.

TAN- NERIES. SHOE MANUFACTURE.

Potash. For the first hundred years of the town's history its inhabitants were almost entirely devoted to agricultural pursuits. Scythe-making was undertaken in a small way toward the close of the last century, and before the Revolution the manufacture of potash began. This was, indeed, almost the only article of manufacture sent out of town for sale before 1800. Wood ashes were abundant ; traders received them in exchange for goods, and several had attached to their premises buildings fitted with leaches and kettles for its man- ufacture, and transacted a considerable business, marketing it in Boston, whence it was shipped to England.

Six factories are known to have existed in town. At the north were the works of Uriah Stone, who cut and burned large quantities of wood on the Gore lands, and was perhaps the largest producer of the town. He is said to have operated two establishments. Another was at the northwest on Cox's land. In 1765 Stephen Barton sold to Dr. Alexander Campbell "potash works on Cox's land." [See Homestead 94.] Another stood north of the Butler tavern and was owned and operated by James Butler. At the north end of the Plain on the brook, called from the fact "Potash Brook," was another, owned in 1793 by John Wolcott and probably earlier by his father, Josiah ; and in the east part of the town near the outlet of Robinson's Pond, on homestead No. 14, was one owned and operated by Elisha Davis, and another on Sucker Brook in the south part of the town, owned by Ephraim Kingsbury and Jeremiah Davis in partnership. In 1788, '89, '90, Jeremiah Kingsbury, Jr., carried on a considerable business at potash making, probably at this location.

Iron. One of the earliest manufactures of the town was bar iron, the making of which began about 1798 at South Oxford, now East

189

MILLS.

Village, Webster, where an establishment operated by water-power was owned by Philip Brown and John Healy. These bought of Asa Robinson in April, 1798, six acres on which were a saw-mill and a grist-mill, where they built a furnace and forges. The ore was mined on the hill easterly from the mouth of Sucker Brook [see " S. Gore grants "], and was smelted, worked into bars and used to some extent on the premises. In Nov., 1799, Brown sold to Healy, who continued the business for a time. A letter written 21 Jan., 1801, from Dr. James Gleason to his son Jacob, then at Greenbush, "on the New York Grants," says :-

"Jesse [the writer's son] has had 3 tuns of pig iron of him [Dr. Dyer of Providence]. Capt. Heelly is a working them into bar iron and expects to have a tun soon," etc.

Operations must have been quite limited. In March, 1805, Healy sold the estate and the making of iron terminated.

Eliott Mill. Eliott mill brook, near the Hawes place, was in early times larger than at present. A stream sufficient to drive a saw- mill issued from " Burnt Swamp," near Wellington's, H. 129, now drained and cultivated. This mill was built by Reuben Eddy a short distance north of the Pope house, H. 132, and was dilapidated in 1820, but was used by Pope after he came to town. It was removed many years ago. By means of a dam at the south end a large pond serving as a reservoir was raised over the swamp. The east branch of Mill Brook rising in Auburn, now nearly dry in summer, was sufficiently large to operate a considerable mill at North Oxford station village. These branches meeting near the Pope homestead furnished a good water-power below, and near the crossing of the stream and Worces- ter road as early as 1715 Daniel Eliott built the first grist-mill of the English settlement. Before 19 March, 1716, he had sold his home lot, on which stood the mill, to Jonathan Provender. At a proprietor's meeting, 19 March, 1716, it was voted "that Jonathan Provender shall take up a small piece of land to set his house upon, lying near to the house lot he bought of Eliott." In June, 1716, Provender sold the lot and one-fourth of the mill to Samuel Barton, who settled there and died in 1732. His sons Caleb and Joshua, in 1733, sold their interests to Jacob Cummings. The mill had several owners. On 15 May, 1716, Joseph Dana sold to Jonathan Pratt one-fourth of it, "standing on Samuel Barton's rights." Eliott had removed to Sutton but retained his half until 1720, when he sold to Richard Moore " one-half a saw-mill and one-half a grist-mill." Cummings owned three years and in 1736 sold to Eleazer Ward of Newton, a capable business man, who owned mills and farm. In 1750 Ward sold to his son-in-law, Ebenezer Eddy, who, 18 years later, 1768, conveyed to his son Thomas, reserving the privilege of taking water to fertilize the meadow on the west side of the 8-rod way. The next year Thomas Eddy deeded the estate to Uriah Stone and William, son of Rev. John Campbell, who in Nov., 1771, conveyed the same to

190

HISTORY OF OXFORD.

John Stone of the North Gore. In Jan., 1778, Stone sold to Anthony Sigourney, who in 1792 sold to Nathan Patch of Worcester. In Patch's deed the property is described in two lots, one of 67 acres and one of six acres. The latter lot of six acres Patch probably sold to Jeremiah Learned, who deeded the same to Whitmore, and Patch in March, 1796, sold to Whitmore 53 acres adjoining the same. All details of early operations at this location are lost. There is, how- ever, reason to believe that milling was continued here by the suc- cessive owners up to Sigourney at least.

Scythe making. On 1 April, 1793, Jeremiah Learned sold to Nathaniel Whitmore, Jr., of Sutton, six acres of land, the dwelling- house, now standing, and blacksmith shop, near the site of the Eliott mill. Whitmore put in a trip-hammer and carried on blacksmithing and scythe making until 1801, when he sold to John and Thaddeus Hall, father and son, of Sutton, who raised the dam, enlarged the shop and continued scythe making for nearly ten years. In 1810 they deeded to Jonathan Davis, who in 1811 conveyed to Amos Hudson, who in partnership with John Wait, his brother-in-law, con- tinued the scythe business.

Cotton Spinning. As early as 1811 an interest was awakened in the town on the subject of working wool and cotton by machinery. John Hudson, Thomas Kendall, Jr., and Ephraim Edson projected a plan for the business at South Oxford, and completed a bargain with Elijah Pratt for the necessary land and water-power, but meeting with discouragement gave up the enterprise. Mr. Edson then went to Pawtucket and solicited Mr. Samuel Slater to purchase, which he subsequently did through Bela Tiffany.1

Slater's Mill. No event in the history of the town, viewed from a business standpoint, was so far-reaching and important in its results as that of the beginning of manufacturing at South Oxford by Mr. Slater. Its immediate effect was to give the wives and daughters of the farmers what they never before had, a means of accumulating earnings outside household duties ; it led the way to the introduction of other like enterprises which have added materially to the prosperity of the mother town, and it was the germ from which has grown the present thriving town of Webster. Unlike most other similar under- takings in the vicinity, this interest continued in the family ownership through a long series of years, and had a steady and continuous growth until it was classed among the wealthiest and most successful

1 Mr. Bradford G. Edson (brother of Ephraim), who is authority for this narrative, is positive that Slater came up and looked over the prem- ises at the invitation of his brother. It is not reasonable to suppose that he would enter upon a scheme of such importance without first giving it a thorough personal inspection. An account of the manner in which he became acquainted with the locality is given in Ammidown's His.

Col., I., 464. The letter there quoted, from Bela Tiffany to him, dated 27 May, 1811, evidently describes a place Slater had not then seen. Therein Tiffany states that he had obtained a refusal of it until 20 June, and that other parties were negotiating for it. Doubtless Hudson & Co. were the other parties. They had no deed of the property but were in some manner bound and lost a considerable sum in the operation.

191

SAMUEL .SLATER.

manufacturing concerns of the State. Its operations at South Oxford were a very small part of its later transactions, but these only, come within the scope of this work.

In the latter part of 1811 the land purchases were made, the first deed being of 6 Jan., 1812, from Elijah Pratt, and included nine and one-half acres, a dwelling house, barn, grist-mill, saw-mill and trip- hammer shop, for $3,700. The next was of 28 Jan. from Asa and Samuel Robinson, and included a farm of 203 acres with buildings, for $3,500. A third, of 4 May, from Josiah Kingsbury, included 56 acres, a house and clothiers' works, for $1,800. These embraced the territory now East Village, and all the water-power at that locality. Mr. Tiffany, who acted for Mr. Slater in purchasing, continued owner of one-sixth and was a partner in business, until Nov., 1816, when he sold to Mr. Slater. In 1812 the "Green Mill" was built, and early in 1813 machinery was put in operation. For about 12 years spinning only was done by power, all weaving having been done in the dwelling houses of the vicinage. This method was superseded by power looms about the beginning of 1825. [See power weaving.] The mill was enlarged as the increase of business demanded, and in 1832, when Webster was incorporated, contained 4,000 spindles and 100 looms, producing sheetings, thread and knitting cotton.1

Dye House. Dye works being required as a part of the manu- facture, a large house was built in 1813, and with John Tyson (who had been employed at Pawtucket) as the head, a company was formed called the " Oxford Dye House Co.," which transacted a thriving business until Mr. Tyson's decease, 1821, doing a large amount of custom dying as well as that of the Oxford and Pawtucket mills.

Woolen Mill. In 1815 an important addition was made by the erection of a woolen mill near the Green mill, and the beginning of broadcloth making under the management of Edward Howard, an Englishman, previously employed at the Merino factory. This branch also flourished until 1820, when the mill was burned. Soon after the woolen plant was removed to the present South Village site, then in Dudley.

1 Samuel Slater was born at Belper, Eng., 9 June, 1768, learned cotton spinning of Jededialı Strutt, partner of Richard Arkwright, came at about 21 years of age to New York, was employed a few weeks in a cotton spinning establishment, but the machinery being inefficient he applied for a situation to Almy & Brown of Providence, who were experimenting at l'awtucket in the same line. Mr. Brown replied : "Almy & Brown want the assistance of a man skilled in the frame or water spinning. An experiment has been made which has failed, no person being ac- quainted with the business, and the frames im- perfect ... If thy present situation does not come up to what thou wishest, and from knowl- edge of business can be ascertained of the ad- vantages of the mills, so as to induce thee to come and work ours, and have the credit as well

as the advantage of perfecting the first mill in America, we should be glad to engage thy care so long as it can be made profitable to botlı, and we can agree.

MOSES BROWN."

Slater went to Pawtucket, engaged with these men, introduced Arkwright machines of his own construction, and the first successful power spin- ning in America began. He was soon admitted as a partner in the firm. Later with other part- ners he enlarged operations at Pawtucket, build- ing a new mill and machinery, continuing after he began business at South Oxford.

We learn something of the profits of the early manufacturers, and Mr. Slater's business tact, from the fact that in Jan., 1829, he estimated his estate at nearly a million dollars.

192

HISTORY OF OXFORD.

Town's Pond project. Another scheme originating about the same time was that of Dr. Daniel Fisk, Titus V. Shepard and others who contemplated mill operations on the west side of Town's Pond. In the hope of obtaining power a canal was dug from the pond to the swamp on the west, which had the effect to reduce the level of the water somewhat, but furnished no considerable power, and the plan was abandoned.

In 1813 the making of woolen goods at the " Merino" Village, Dudley, began, and here two Oxford men, at least, Peter Butler and Elijah Pratt, were engaged. This and the operations of Mr. Slater familiarized the people with manufacturing, and when the proposition was made in 1814 to introduce it in Oxford adventurers were readily found to join the enterprise.

Central Manufacturing Company. The first legally organ- ized business concern was "The Central Cotton and Woolen Manu- facturing Company," incorporated 17 Oct., 1814, the following, all men of moderate means, being named in the act : Daniel Fisk, John Hudson, William T. Fisk, Henry G. Learned, Joel Eddy, Daniel Eddy, Amos Hudson, Ezra Lovell of Millbury, and Sylvanus Pratt. William Craig of Auburn, John Wait and Thomas Kendall, Jr., were also of the company. Dr. Daniel Fisk, John Hudson and Amos Hudson, each acted for a time as agent, Kendall, who had been a head mechanic at the Merino factory, Dudley, was machinist, and Lovell accountant and store-keeper. The place of business was near the Eliott mill site. In Jan., 1816, Amos Hudson deeded to the company four acres of land and the water power. The mill, containing a picker, carder, roper and two spinning frames of 72 spindles each, stood about 40 rods easterly from the Worcester road. A store was added. But the times were inauspicious. The markets were full of English goods which had been kept back by the then recent war, which were being sold at rates with which small operators could not compete, and in less than three years the capital of the company had been sunk and the business suspended. The result was disastrous to the stockholders, some having been ruined finan- cially and several were arrested for debt and imprisoned, while others absconded to avoid the enforcement of the law.

Pope & Warner. In May, 1819, Jonathan A. Pope of Reho- both and Thomas Warner of Providence came in and continued the business. In 1822 Warren Cudworth, to whom Hudson had sold the lower privilege, built for them a weaving shop near the old grist- mill, which with ten looms went into operation in the fall of that year. The water-power proving insufficient a plan was formed to reinforce it by drawing from the Maanexit, and by agreement with Stephen Learned water was taken from above his dam and conveyed to the pond by a canal. A trench nearly half a mile in length was finished, but the project was a failure, as the gravelly soil through which the canal passed absorbed the water so that little was available.

193

MILLS.

Early in 1826 Pope and Warner dissolved partnership, Pope remain- ing at the old mill and Warner removing to the Joseph Stone mill, previously occupied by Cragin and Dudley. In 1828 both removed to Millbury.

Nahum Sibley. In 1826 Pope mortgaged to Abijah Davis five acres of land, the mill and two dwelling houses. In June, 1832, Davis assigned his mortgage to Nahum Sibley, who began making · cotton thread, his brother Francis being partner, and later friction matches, their operations being quite limited, continuing until 14 Jan., 1837, when the mill was burned. The store had been destroyed by fire the previous year. The site has been abandoned and hardly a trace of the mill remains.

On 18 May, 1818, Amos Hudson deeded to Warren Cudworth 14 acres with buildings, at the lower site, including the old mill, black- smith shop, etc. Cudworth operated the grist-mill ten or twelve years and it passed into the possession of Abijah Davis on a mort- gage. On 1 July, 1833, the executors of Davis deeded the same to William Sigourney, who in partnership with Jasper Brown conducted here a small business at pistol making, employing Brown's brothers, Danforth and Daniel. This continued only a short time and the buildings were left to decay, the old house only now remaining. The widow of Sigourney sold the premises to Michael Toomey who sold to Jasper Brown, whose heirs are present owners.

Pratt Mills. On the east branch of the stream, a little north from the present North Oxford railroad station, Sylvanus Pratt, in 1809, built on his father's estate, H. 156, two dams near each other, and at each place a mill, the lower being the principal one, and for several years transacted a brisk business at scythe making. Later two of his apprentices, Nehemiah P. Barton and John McKnight, continued the same for about two years. In 1818 Silas Ludden, who had been an employé, took the business and made scythes at the lower shop, while Abijah Craig turned bobbins for the cotton mills at the upper one. The business declined under Ludden and later Craig occupied a part of the lower shop. In 1834 Amory Trumbull having bought the property, fitted it up for wheelwright work and occupied

it until about 1860. Later Nathaniel Eddy became proprietor and in June, 1868, sold to Joseph S. Swain, who died soon after. In Jan., 1870, the estate came into the possession of Ebenezer B. Walker, who built the present dam and a large two-story building containing a grist-mill, saw-mill and wheelwright shop, adding a steam engine for auxiliary power. He operated the mills for several years and later rented them for box-making. In 1875 he died, and on 10 May, 1878, the estate passed to the ownership of Orlando C. Ward of Worcester, who leased to Warren Glover of Millbury. On 25 Oct., 1878, the building was burned, and on 10 Oct., 1880, Ward sold to William H. Marble, the present owner. Nothing has been done here since the fire.

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HISTORY OF OXFORD.

Old Huguenot Mill. The occupants and lines of business pur- sued at the " Old mill " at the lower end of the Plain have been many. Its site was included in the home-lot of Jonathan Tillotson and was sold by him in 1719 with the adjacent orchard, and a "mansion house" to Ebenezer Mackee of Killingly, Conn., who soon sold to John Comins, who removed hither from Killingly and occupied the premises.1 He was an enterprising man and much improved the estate. [See Comins.] He sold in 1726 to Josiah Cummings of Woodstock, per- haps his son, from whose possession it soon after passed into that of Ebenezer Learned and Benoni Twichell. The next proprietor was Nathaniel Patten, a cooper, of whom we can learn very little. In Dec., 1729, Patten sold to Joseph Read of Leicester, who took pos- session and operated the mill until 1731, when he died. In May, 1733, his heirs conveyed the whole original estate to Timothy Harris of Watertown, who with his descendants owned and occupied a part of the premises nearly 150 years. Before 1750 a saw-mill was built on the east side of the stream, the grist-mill being on the west. In 1805 Jonathan Harris sold the west part to Peleg Foster, the grist- mill at that time having been removed and clothiers' works erected instead. These works had been built a few years before by Thomas Davis, Ebenezer Humphrey and Elihu Harwood in partnership, who had leased the premises, the two latter selling out to Davis before the completion of the building, and cloth finishing had been carried on under the management of one Binney. Samuel Jewett had also been employed and managed the business in 1793. Foster continued suc- cessfully for five or six years, when he leased to Zebina Abbott of Southbridge, who occupied until July, 1814, when Foster sold to Russell Clark of Chatham, Conn. Clark continued until 1819, and returned to Connecticut, the property passing through the hands of Stearns Witt to Jeremiah Moffit, who had in 1808 purchased the saw-mill on the east side of the stream and rebuilt it. Henry Puffer then took the cloth-finishing shop as lessee, was occupant in 1820, remained two or three years and was succeeded by Welcome Green, who in partnership with Thomas Aldrich of Oxford continued the business until the death of Moffit in Dec., 1824. At the settlement of Moffit's estate the mills were bought by his sons, Jeremiah, Sumner and Rufus, who continued sawing and cloth-finishing until 1829, when they sold to Rufus Robinson. He was the first to manufacture at this place, bought the right of flowage, removed the old buildings and erected new and much larger, in which were a grist-mill, custom carding machine and cloth-finishing appliances.2 To these he added machinery for the making of satinets, and began this branch with

1 This orchard was that set by the Huguenots, and referred to in another place as having been voted by the town on certain conditions to Ebe- nezer Humphrey.

2 Up to this time these mills had stood idle each

year from 1 May to September, the water of the pond having been drawn off to enable the owners of the meadows above to grow and harvest the annual hay crop.

195

OLD HUGUENOT MILL.

eight looms. Later, facilities for making cloths were increased. In 1836 the mill was sold to William E. Hacker of Philadelphia, Robin- son continuing as manager until 1841, when he retired, and the estate was sold to Learned Davis and Col. Alexander DeWitt.

In 1842 Jonas Bacon engaged in spooling thread in a small build- ing attached to the factory, and the saw-mill, of which Daniel Davis, Robinson's brother-in-law, had charge many years, was kept in opera- tion, but the main mill was unoccupied until the spring of 1843 when Lyman P. Low took possession and began the manufacture of sati- nets. In Oct., 1844, he received a deed of the property and for a few years was very prosperous. Desiring to increase his operations he enlarged the mill, putting in an expensive breast water-wheel, aux- iliary steam power, and a quantity of new machinery. He retired in 1848 and died the next year, and the estate reverted to Davis and DeWitt. The mill was unused again until 1851, when Lyman Cope- land from Rhode Island began operations, but remained only a few months and returned, taking his machinery, to Rhode Island. In April, 1852, the place was sold to Olney Bolster, who put into it a grist-mill, planing machine and other facilities for making shoe boxes, which he operated for a year or more and leased the establishment to Charles Fuller, who was then doing a large business as carpenter and builder. While thus occupied, on the 27th of May, 1856, the build- ings were burned. Bolster soon after rebuilt of stone, as it now stands, adding at the east end a wood building for a grist-mill, which was operated until Warner came in, 1866. In July, 1857, Bolster sold one-half the estate to Col. DeWitt at the same time mortgaging to him the remainder.

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History of the town of Oxford, Massachusetts with genealogies and notes on persons and estates, Part 24

Author: Daniels, George Fisher, 1820-1897 Publication date: 1892 Publisher: Oxford : Pub. by the author with the cooperation of the town Number of Pages: 916

Author: Daniels, George Fisher, 1820-1897
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: Oxford : Pub. by the author with the cooperation of the town
Number of Pages: 916