USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Princeton > History of the town of Princeton in the county of Worcester and commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1759-1915, Volume I > Part 25
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33
28 - Ma finished the warp of her blue Wool.
29 - I spun some Linnen Yarn to make a Harness.
30 - Anna Perry here a few Moments.
31 - Sabbath. I went to church A.M. Mr. Adams Text ecclesiastes 7th Chap. 16th verse be not righteous over much, neither make thyself over wise, why shouldst thou distress thyself.
I792
Aug. I- I washed.
2 - I spun four skeins of linnen Yarn.
3 - I spun five skeins.
4-I spun three Skeins & scoured the best Chamber Floor. Lt. Mirricks Lady Capt. Gills Lady & Mrs. Brooks here a visiting. Pa went to Shrews- bury to see Mr. Morse with Mr. Adams. Sally is nineteen years old to-day.
5 - I spun four skeins. Nathan Perry here.
7- Sabbath. I went to church A.M. Mr. Adams Text Proverbs 3rd Chap. 8th verse She shall bring thee to Honour when thou dost embrace her. Mr. Thomas Mason & Lady dined here.
8 - I washed to-day.
9 - I spun four skeins.
10 - I spun four skeins of linnen. Uncle & Aunt Dwight & Sally came here, we rejoice exceedingly to see Sally come home.
318
History of Princeton
II - Uncle & Aunt Dwight went from here about one o'clock. I love Uncle & Aunt exceedingly. Aunt gave me a lawn Handkerchief. Pa & Ma went as far as Rutland with them.
12 - I did not do much, spent chief of my time with Sally very much against her inclination, for she sent me out of the Room fifty times in a minute but I did not care any more than our white chicken does when we drive it out of the House.
13 - I made a Cheese. Mr. Adams here to-day.
14-Sabbath. I went to meeting A.M.
15 - I washed. Mrs. Garfield here a visiting.
16 - I picked blue Wool.
17 - I broke blue Wool.
18 - I finished breaking the Wool & carded some.
19 - I carded blue Wool. Ma spun.
20 - I carded.
21-Sabbath. I went to church all day Mr. Davis preached.
22 - I washed.
23 - Silas Perry here this morning.
24 - Ma and Sally went to Mrs. Miricks and warped the Piece.
25 - Mrs. Garfield here.
26 - I drawed the Piece into the Harness & Sley & wove a yard.
27 - I wove five yards of Cloth. Revd. Mr. Morse & Miss Tamar Beaman came here & drank Tea.
28 - Sabbath. I went to church Mr. Davis Preached.
1792
Sept. I - I began to spin the white Wool.
2 - I spun three Skeins of Warps.
3- I spun three Skeins.
4-Sabbath. I went to church Mr. Rice of Westminster Preached.
5 - Rainy. Trooping & Training in this Town to-day. - Sally & I went to see them.
6 - I spun three skeins.
7 - Fidelia Mirick here a visiting to-day.
8 - I spun three Skeins to-day.
9- I spun three Skeins. Pa & Ma went to Mr. Rich- ardson's a visiting.
10 - I spun three skeins.
II - Sabbath dull weather. I stayed at home all day. Pa preached at Leominster.
12 - Sis came home. - Lucretia Mirick here.
13 - Timmy cut the stalks to-day. - Ma & Sally went to Lieut. Miricks.
319
Diary by Elizabeth Fuller
16 - Esqr. Gill's Lady & her sister Becky here a visiting. 17 - Pa went to Daniel Cheever's.
18-Sabbath. Mr. Sanders Preached. Put in the white Piece.
19 - Mr. Russell here.
20 - Pa & Ma went to Mr. J. Rolph's on a visiting.
22 - I wove. Put in the white wool.
23 - I wove to-day.
24 - I wove.
25 - Sabbath. Wet weather. Mr. Goodridge preached. 26 - I wove.
27 - I wove to-day.
28 - Mr. Rolph & his Lady here a visiting this afternoon.
29 - I wove to-day.
30- I got out the woollen Piece. There is 19 yards & half of it. I drawed the linnen piece through the Harness.
1792
Oct. I - Sabbath Mr. Goodridge preached.
2 - I wove to-day.
3 -Cold. I wove.
4 - I wove to-day. Pleasant.
5 - I wove to-day.
6 - Muster at Lancaster. John Allen here.
7 -I wove.
8 - I wove.
9-Sabbath. I went to church.
10 - I wove to-day.
II - I wove A.M. Miss Polly Mirick & Miss Polly Bax- ter here P.M.
12 - I wove got out the Piece before night 27 Yards of it. 13 - My birth day. I am sixteen Years old How many years have been past by me in thoughtlesness & vanity.
14-Mr. & Mrs Warren here. Ma is making Pa a Surtout.
15 - I made Pyes to-day.
16 - Mr. Goodridge Preached. Miss Eliza Harris came here, she is to keep us company whilst Ma is gone. 17 - Pa & Ma set out for Sandwich broke the Chaise before they got to Lieut. Miricks but got it mended again & pursued their journey.
18 - I spun to-day.
19 - Elisha Brooks & Lucretia & Parmelia Mirick here this eve. Ordination to-day at Gardner.
20 - Cloudy. Nathan Perry here part of the afternoon & evening.
320
History of Princeton
21 - Elisha Brooks here.
22 - Mr. Cutting here.
23 - Sabbath. There came a considerable snow last night, so much that I shall not go to church but Sally is a going. (after Meeting) Sally has got home from Meeting. she went ankle deep in snow & mud all the way. I am glad I had not so much Zeal.
24 - Anna Davis & Ichabod Perry here this eve. Anna took offense at something & went away about eight o'clock, went to Mr. Hastings's till eleven. David stayed and sung with us an hour after she was gone. Nathan Perry here.
25 - Elisha Brooks & John spent the evening here.
26 - Nathan Perry here this morning.
27 - Elisha Brooks & Nathan Cutting here this P.M. - David Perry here this eve to sing with us we had a fine concert.
28 - Sally Gleason, Nancy Hastings, Lucretia Mirick & John Brooks here this eve we Danced, Played, and sung all the evening, had an exceedingly agreeable evening.
29 - Olive Parmenter here a few moments.
30 - Sabbath. Rainy weather we all stayed at home but Timmy.
31- Timmy went to Mr. Hastings to help Wareham Husk Corn.
I792
Nov. I - Miss Fidelia Mirick here came to spend the evening & stay all night.
2 - Fidelia went from here this afternoon. David Perry here this evening to sing with us.
3- Miss Elisa & Sally went to Mr. Brooks's this after- noon Sally stayed the evening. Nathan Perry here all the evening.
4- Clear & Cold expected Pa & Ma home but they did not come.
5 - Pa & Ma came home they have brought me some very pretty stripped Lutestring for me a gown.
6 - Sally & I went to church all day N. P. here this eve. 7 - We baked. Pleasant.
8 - Sally & I went to Esqr. Gills on a visit to Miss Re- becca had an agreeable visit.
9-Stormy weather. Mr. Hastings here.
12 - Mrs. Garfield & Sally & I went to Mr. Joshua Eve- leths on a visit.
13- Sabbath. I went to church in the forenoon.
14- I washed. Mrs. Perry here a visiting this afternoon.
321
Diary by Elizabeth Fuller
17 - Thanksgiving to-day.
18 - Sally went to Mr. Perrys on a visit to-day. I staid at home began to work me a Sampler.
19 - Nathan Perry here this eve. - Ma went to Mrs. Eveleth's this P.M.
20-Sabbath. I went to church in the P.M. Mr. Hol- comb preached.
21 - Mr. Gregory killed the hogs for us.
22 - Rainy weather. Mr. S. Russell here this eve.
23 - Miss Lucy Allen here to see me this afternoon.
24 - Sally & I went to Lieut. Miles's of Westminster a Visiting. had a agreeable visit. Leonard Woods here.
25 - Sally, Timmy & I went to Mr. Woods this evening had a fine visit Leonard is to keep school at Sterling.
27 - Sabbath. I went to church.
28 - Mr. Gregory here to kill a cow for Pa.
29 - Miss Nabby Miles here is a going to stay all Night. 30 - Miss Nabby Miles went from here this morning. - Sally & I went to Lieut. Miricks on a visit Quilted on Miss Eunice's bed-quilt there was a number of Girls & Women there. - We spent the evening at Widow Miricks.
I792
Dec. I - I spun some to-day.
2 - Pleasant weather. Mr. Goodridge drank Tea with us this afternoon. Dr Wilson here a few mo- ments.
3 - I spun to-day very pleasant indeed for the season.
4-Sabbath. Mr. & Mrs. Betsey Mason Dined here. I went to church in the P.M. sat in Mr. Masons Pew.
5 - Mamma went to Mr. Miricks on a visit.
6 - Mr. Fisher here to-day on business.
7- I minced link meat A.M. made the sausages in the afternoon.
10- I spun. Nathan Perry here this evening.
II - Sabbath. I went to church in the A.M.
12 - I picked Wool to-day.
13-Stormy weather. I picked Wool. Nathan Cutting spent the eve here.
14 - I broke Wool. Silas Perry here to-day.
15 - Miss Lois Underwood & Miss Hannah Woods here a visiting. Sally & I went to the singing meeting this evening.
16 - I broke Wool. Mr. Rice of Westminster here to stay all night.
322
History of Princeton
17- Mr. Rice of Westminster went from here this morning.
18- Sabbath. I stayed at home.
19 - I spun. Nathan Perry here at work. - Rainy.
20 - Nathan Perry here at work in the forenoon. Mrs. Perry & Mrs. Hastings here on a visit in the afternoon.
21 - Mrs. Garfield & Miss Lucretia Mirick here a visit- ing. Silas Perry here most of the afternoon. I spun two skeins.
22 - A severe storm. - Joab Eveleth here.
23 - Nathan Perry here to-day. - Aaron Perry here this evening.
24 - Cold weather to-day.
25 - Sabbath. Stormy weather & cold. I went to meeting.
26 - I spun three skeins. Ma washed.
27 - Very pleasant weather. - Anna Perry here this evening.
28 - Rebecca Hastings here to get Sally to make a Gown for her.
29 - Parmelia Mirick came here to get Ma to cut out a lambskin Cloak for her. - Sally & I went to Mrs. Miricks on a visit staid the afternoon and evening.
30 - Ma went to Mrs. Eveleth's to carry home some Yarn. 31 - Nabby Eveleth here.
Family of Rev. Timothy Fuller. - Besides the five sons, there were five daughters, who survived Rev. Timo- thy Fuller. From the time of his death, on the third day of July, 1805, till the death of his son Timothy, on the first day of October, 1835, a period of full thirty years, that family circle of brothers and sisters remained unbroken. Now all have passed away.
These ten children were much attached to each other, as well as to their parents, while living, and their memory when departed. Mr. Loring, in his address to the court on the death of Henry, gives a touching picture of the ten children of Rev. Timothy Fuller, who, some quarter of a century after he had gone to his rest, and long after the family dwelling in Princeton had passed away, visited its site together. Nothing remained but its cellar, which time had partially filled, whose rounded excavation it had carpeted with greensward. Here the children gathered
323
Diary by Elizabeth Fuller
and, seated in the charmed circle of what was once their home, sang again together the sweet hymns to which their tongues had been attuned in childhood, by their faithful parents, in the dearly loved home which had once rested upon that spot. They did not visit it again, in concert; and many of them sought it no more. Death, in a few years, broke that circle; and one after another they went, in quick succession, the way of all living.
Extract from Sketch of Chaplain Arthur B. Fuller, by Richard F. Fuller.
CHAPTER XIII WACHUSETT LEGENDS
Mount Wachusett. The introduction here, of the va- rious statements concerning Wachusett and the surrounding territory during the early years of the settlement of New England, would be only to repeat that which has been so well told by the historians of the town.
From the time when Gov. Winthrop and his party in 1632 discovered the " very high hill due west about forty miles off " Wachusett became a well-known landmark, and for many years was considered as the headquarters of certain Indian tribes, and in the times of the terrible Indian war of 1675-6 it was the scene of noteworthy events. The thrilling story of the attack of the savages upon Lancaster town, the capture of Mrs. Rowlandson, and her weary journeyings for months, ending at Wachusett, where her release was accomplished, has been repeated again and again, until every schoolboy in the town, at least, has it at his tongue's end.
Occasionally there is to be found in the early records of the Colony and in the histories of the Indian tribes and their wars, a reference to the "hill," the Sachems of the Wachusetts, the Waushacums, etc., but the field has been so thoroughly gleaned by others, that there is little or nothing new to offer here. Could its unwritten history be told, what a record would there be, of quiet Indian life, of the hunt and the dance, of Councils of war, of secret plottings and perhaps of cruel butcheries of innocent victims.
The "fires of the Indian" have long since been extin- guished, and the hill, once a resort of the "aboriginal tribes," has become a resort of the lover of beautiful scenery, the seeker after health, and even the "fashionable
324
FOS" PLE LIBRARY
VIEW OF PRINCETON CENTRE AND WACHUSETT FROM THE SOUTH
325
Wachusett Legends
boarder" who idles away the hours, without a thought of the "Redman" or a care for life's duties.
In 1762 a valuation of £50 was put upon the hill by the Province authorities, but an attempt to make sale of it proved unsuccessful (see Potash Farm, page 54).
In 1765 Mr. Eliphalet How, representing himself "in low circumstances" asked the Court for a grant of the hill, and at the same time Mr. Robert Keyes petitioned for "Ye easterly half of said Wachusett hill." The House acting upon the two petitions together, ordered that the hill be "granted unto the petitioners in equal halves, The easterly half thereof to the said Keyes, and the westerly half to the said Eliphalet How" &c. unfortunately however for both, the Council refused to concur in this action and the petition was dismissed.
In 1767 Rev. Timothy Fuller, the first settled minister of the town, petitioned the General Court for a grant of the hill for reasons specified. This original petition is in Massachusetts Archives, Vol. 14.
The Court granted the request and conveyed the whole tract of land to Mr. Fuller, Jan. 20, 1768. Subsequently Mr. Fuller bought the Allen farm of 230 acres, lying south- west of the hill, the two making an extensive tract, though the larger portion of it was apparently not very desirable.
If the Reverend gentleman did not reap a sufficient advantage from the delightful prospect from the hill, he doubtless secured some income from the land, and in the sale of it by sections profited considerably. The profits re- sulting from the "prospect" were reserved for the projectors of modern hotels and mountain roads. The Wachusett Mountain Company, incorporated in 1874 for the purpose of purchasing, improving, and disposing of land upon or near Wachusett Mountain, was authorized to build one or more hotels and carry on the same, construct and oper- ate on its own land one or more roads for the transporta- tion of passengers and property to the summit, and to charge tolls for transportation, road to be operated upon rails either by tram or horse power.
326
History of Princeton
On June 14, 1795 Ezra Cary of Sterling acquired the mountain property of Mr. Fuller, and fifteen days later conveyed the same tract to Moses Gill for $810. It was transferred to Ward N. Boylston in 1805 who conveyed it later to John Brooks. The Wachusett Mountain Company owned the property from 1876 until the failure of that cor- poration in 1877. It then, after being leased for a time, passed into the hands of Phineas A. Beaman and after his decease was purchased of the Beaman heirs by the Com- monwealth for the sum of $20,060 and is now a State Reservation. This purchase of 533 acres with the addition of a smaller tract purchased of Samuel F. Mason and Thomas H. Russell increased the area of the reservation to 563.51 acres. Many improvements have been made and the reservation has gained steadily in popularity as a summer resort.
LUCY KEYES
THE LOST CHILD OF WACHUSETT MOUNTAIN
Prefatory. In most of our New England towns the historian finds some traditions or legends which have been handed down from one generation to another until they form a part of the history of the town. They may relate to Indian invasions or other events of war, to exhi- bitions of bravery, to instances of suffering, or hardship, or even to personal peculiarities of some of its citizens. Some of them may be based upon truth and yet contain much error, and others may have no foundation whatever.
The town of Princeton has its share of such traditions, among which the most familiar is the story of Lucy Keyes the " lost child." How often has this story been told, and how many speculations have been made as to her fate! Many of the old people of to-day vividly remember sitting by the fireside and listening to the story which was ever fresh and thrilling. It has not only moved children to tears, but has awakened in older persons a tender interest in the mysterious fate of the child. Visitors to the town
327
Wachusett Legends
are shown the spot where the child lived, and again the story is rehearsed with more or less correctness in detail. Yet, notwithstanding it has been so often repeated, the writer, in view of certain facts he has discovered, has deemed it well to relate it again, in order that the truth may be made known, and as far as possible at this late day the character of one unjustly charged with crime may be vindicated.
Robert Keyes was born in Chelmsford, Mass., Sep- tember 21, 17II, and when a young man removed to Shrewsbury, where December 24, 1740, he married Martha Bowker. They lived in Shrewsbury some ten or twelve years. On the 13th of June, 1749, he bought of his towns- man Benjamin Muzzey, for £400 " old tenor," a tract of two hundred acres on the easterly side of Wachusett Mountain, which had been granted Mr. Muzzey by the General Court, on account of the losses and suffering sus- tained by him while held in captivity by the Indians, he having been a soldier of the Province at the time of his capture. In October, 1750, Mr. Keyes sold his house in Shrewsbury, and the following May removed with his family to his new home on the mountain side. At this time there were but three or four families living in the whole territory now embraced within the bounds of Prince- ton, and they living widely apart, although it is probable that a few stray individuals without families were living in isolated places in the district.
Thus Mr. Keyes and his family were practically alone in their mountain home, his farm being surrounded by unappropriated and unoccupied lands. His nearest neigh- bor on the south was probably Abijah Moore, who had a tavern on what is now called the Sterling Road, near " Russell's Corner." On the north it is possible the Wil- lards or the Goddards had begun to build their sawmill, while on the southeast, four miles away on the "old Houghton place," was the " Wilder tavern " for the ac- commodation of travelers to Nichewaug, the same road upon which, one mile farther north, Mr. Moore, above
328
History of Princeton
referred to, kept his place of " entertainment for man and beast."
In Rutland " East Wing " there may have been one or two families, but they were miles away from Mr. Keyes. In Westminster, four miles distant, there were probably two hundred and twenty-five inhabitants in 1751, but there was no settlement which could be called a village, and the same can be said of Barre fifteen miles southwest, and of Hubbardston on the west. Southeasterly, sev- enteen miles away, lay the old town of Shrewsbury, Mr. Keyes' former home, while Rutland town was ten miles to the west, and Lancaster, probably the nearest settle- ment of any size, was twelve miles distant on the east. Rutland " East Wing," with the " farms adjoining on the north," which included Mr. Keyes', were incorporated as the District of Princetown October 24, 1759, and as the Town of Princeton April 24, 1771.
Although no record furnishes evidence of any road near Mr. Keyes' farm, yet there was no doubt one following the old Indian path, and perhaps identical with the present Westminster road, connecting the road on which Mr. Moore's tavern was located with the older traveled road towards the west which passed by Wachusett Pond to some of the interior towns.
Mr. Keyes was by trade a blacksmith, but one cannot readily conceive at the time of his settlement, or for many years afterwards, any demand for his services in that lo- cality, except for his own personal needs. Miles from any village and away from the traveled roads, and even those roads used so little, we can understand that he was forced to lay aside his accustomed trade and give attention to clearing the land and tilling the soil. The wildness of the country, abounding in large areas of woodland, afforded him, also, facilities for exercising his skill as a huntsman, for which he was famous.
Loss of the Child. Mr. Keyes had ten children, of whom five were born in Shrewsbury, or at least before the parents settled at Wachusett. The principal event which
329
Wachusett Legends
has brought this family into notice occurred on Monday, the 14th of April, 1755. On that day his daughter Lucy, four years and eight months old, wandered away from home, and was never seen again by the family. It was at first surmised that the child lost her way in the woods while attempting to follow her elder sisters Patty and Anna, aged nine and seven years respectively, who had gone to Wachusett Pond, a mile away, perhaps as some have stated to get some sand for household purposes. As stated before, there were near Mr. Keyes, only a few paths following the Indian trails, or such paths as he himself had marked through the woods, and a child of the age of Lucy could easily have wandered away and been lost.
Disregarding tradition and the additions to the original story that would naturally be made, as it was reported from one to another year after year, we may well accept as correct the statement published in Whitney's History of Worcester County in 1793, at which time the father and the sisters named above were still living; and it may be reasonably believed that this statement was obtained directly from the family : -
"It was in the month of May in the year 1751, when Mr. Robert Keyes, now living, removed with his family from Shrewsbury, and fixed down near the foot of Wat- chusett hill, on the east side, being the fourth family which settled in the place. Upon the 14th of April, 1755, a child of his, named Lucy, aged four years and eight months, attempting, as was supposed, to follow her sisters, who had gone to Watchusett Pond, about a mile distant, and having nothing but marked trees to guide her, wandered out of her way in the woods, and was never heard of afterwards. The people for nearly thirty miles around collected imme- diately, and in companies traversed the woods, day after day and week after week, searching for her, but never made the least discovery. Many journeys were taken by the father, in consequence of reports, but all in vain. Various were and have been the conjectures of people respecting the fate of the child. Divers concurring circumstances render the following most probable, that she was taken by the Indians, and carried into their country, and soon forgot
330
History of Princeton
her relations, lost her native language, and became as one of the aborigines."
The grief of the mother was exceedingly great. She mourned for the loss of this her dearest child and watched daily for her return, often going out into the woods and calling her by name with the wild hope of hearing a re- sponse. As the days passed and the child did not appear, the sense of loneliness and loss became almost unbearable and her reason nearly forsook her. Even at the time of her death more than thirty years after, she had not re- covered from the effects of the bereavement .* The loss of the child created a great excitement as the news spread about and reached the neighboring settlements, and plans were quickly made to commence a search. The old neigh- bors of Mr. Keyes in Shrewsbury, seventeen miles dis- tant, came up to help; Lancaster, twelve miles east, sent its contingent, while Rutland and other towns contributed their share of volunteers. Notwithstanding the lack of regular means of conveying the intelligence, the news spread quickly, and a very large number of men were assembled together, the pond was dragged, and for many days a sys- tematic search was carried on, even long after all effort seemed likely to be fruitless. Naturally the failure of the long search strengthened the suspicions to which Mr. Whitney alludes in his account, that the child was stolen by the Indians.
The father, clinging to this theory, used every exertion to get some trace of the child, following eagerly every pos-
* "The mother was brought to the verge of insanity by the loss of her little girl, and for a long time after her disappearance she always went out at night- fall and called, Lu-cy! but the echo from the aged forests was the only answer." Notes of Prof. Everett.
"The conjectures as to its fate were various, the most prevalent being that it was carried off by a straggling party of Indians on a visit to the mountain. This was made more probable by the story of two men, who went some years after this occurrence from Groton, on a trading expedition among the Indians on Canada line. They related, on their return, that they found living among the Indians a white woman, who knew nothing farther of her birth or parentage, than that she once lived near 'Chusett Hill.'" - Russell's History of Princeton.
331
Wachusett Legends
sible clue, but often misled by false reports. The means of communication were imperfect, and the expenses of trav- eling were large, especially for one in his condition of life, but nevertheless he appears to have spared no efforts within his power to find the child.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.