USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Shirley > History of the town of Shirley, Massachusetts, from its early settlement to A.D. 1882 > Part 21
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This community was divided into two families, called the Church family and the North family. Elijah Wild was appointed the leader or chief elder of the Church family, and his brother Ivory held the same position in the North family. Nathan Willard was appointed the first deacon or trustee, and was continued in office until his death in 1831.
Their meetings for worship were of frequent occur- rence.during the earlier years of their history, and were often attended by strangers from a distance. Women have been known to come to them on foot, a journey of twenty and more miles, and return on the evening of the same day. On one occasion two women walked from Mason-twenty miles-on a rainy Sunday, and were even. obliged to stop and wring the water from their stockings while on the road ; then proceeding forward unharmed by the elements, being protected by their faith.
Those who have witnessed the mild and graceful movements of modern Shaker worship cannot fully under- stand the zeal with which the early believers labored in the same vocation. Their dances and marches were
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accompanied with violent twitchings and stampings, with shakings and whirlings; and oftentimes individuals dropped into a swoon, in which they would lay for hours and sometimes for days. These proceedings, so new and extravagant, could not be expected to pass off unnoticed by an outside community. The attention of the town was called to the matter at a municipal meeting, when the fol- lowing action was taken :
"Sept. 12, 1782. Voted, that the town disapprove of the conduct of that people called Shaking Quakers, and of their meeting in this town. Then, voted to choose a committee of five to wait on and consult said people at Elijah Wild's, and discourse with them respecting their conduct. Messrs. Obadiah Sawtell, Capt. Francis Harris, Lieut. John Kelsey, Dea. John Ivory, Capt. Joshua Long- ley, were chosen said committee. Then voted, to add two to the committee. Col. Henry Haskell and Dea. John Longley were chosen in addition to said committee. Then voted to leave the matter discretionary with the committee, that they make a report to the town, at the next town- meeting in said town."
If the above titled committee ever made a report, the document failed to find a place of record.
Three years after this the following article appeared in the warrant for a town-meeting, and was probably in- serted at the request of the Shakers themselves; which, however, when called up for action, was dismissed by a vote of the town :
"To see if the town will excuse those people called Shaking Quakers from paying a minister rate in this town."
At the meeting held by the town in May of the same year [1785], it was "Voted to abate the minister rates of those people called Shaking Quakers in this town."
A similar vote was passed from year to year until 1789, when it was finally "Voted to free them that are now called Shakers from paying a minister's rate for the future, whilst they are of that denomination."
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In 1810 the town had grown so lenient towards this hitherto persecuted people as to pass the following vote :
"Voted that the people called Shakers draw their pro- portion of the school money, in proportion to the number of scholars they have to teach in future."
But, although the Shaker community in Shirley has never been seriously incommoded by legal enactments, it did not, in its earliest stages, wholly escape the virulence of mobocracy. The most notable instance of mob perse- cution occurred at the house of Elijah Wild, on the evening of June Ist, 1783, and on the morning of the fol- lowing day. From a written testimony left by said Wild, the following account has been mainly derived.
Ann Lee, and her elders-James Whittaker and Wil- liam Lee-had come over from the "Square House" in Harvard to hold a religious meeting with their friends in Shirley ; and, as the narrator states, "In consequence of Mother's testimony against all sin and every kind of impurity of flesh and spirit, and the great conviction it produced among the people in this vicinity, a tumultuous mob was raised, mostly from the town of Harvard, and consisting altogether of the enemies of the cross. The malicious crew came to my house on Sabbath evening, about eight o'clock, and surrounded the house. Some of the leaders of the mob were, or had been, captains in the militia, and still bore that title. They were followed by a large number of men (supposed about one hundred) for the evident purpose of abusing Mother and the elders."
The little assembly of worshippers, thus invested by a furious mob, knew not what course to adopt in the way of protection. They had neither the means nor a disposition to resist by physical force; their feeble defences would soon yield to the attacks of the enemy, and no one could foresee what might follow. Supposing that the malice of ' the invaders would be aimed chiefly at their female leader, they hurried her into a small, dark closet that led out of a chamber, and concealed the door of the closet by placing before it a high chest of drawers.
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Their next plan was to convey intelligence to the municipal authorities and claim their protection. But this could not be easily effected, as the house was completely surrounded by the mob, and none were allowed to pass out. At length a woman who lived in the neighborhood, and who had a nursing infant at home, asked permission to depart and attend to her little one; her request was granted, and she lost no time in reporting to the proper officers the perilous condition of her friends at the house of Elijah Wild. The written narrative proceedeth :
"When daylight appeared, the leaders of the mob called for Mother and the elders to come out to them. With this demand they did not see fit to comply ; but gave them liberty to come into the house, and they came in accord- ingly. Mother and the elders requested us to prepare some breakfast for them, which was done; and the mob leaders sat down and eat. Mother then advised me to feed the residue of the mob, who were in the door-yard. Accordingly I carried out bread and cheese, of which they eat freely. After this the elders went into the door-yard ; and Elder James [Whittaker] addressed them, and said, "Why have you come here to abuse or hurt us? What have we done? Have we injured your persons or prop- erty? If we have, make us sensible of it and we will make you restitution.'
"These words so enraged the mob with enmity that they seized the speaker by one arm, and the brethren seized him by the other and held him till he cried out, Lord, have mercy ! You will pull me in pieces.' At this cry the hands of the mob were loosed from him."
The police arriving at this moment demanded peace, and ordered the mob to disperse. This brought the intru- ders to à stand, and after some parley the leaders in the riot proposed, that if the two elders-James Whittaker and William Lee-would return with them to Harvard, to the house of Jeremiah Willard-one of their brethren- they would not injure them or their friends. Though the elders had no confidence in the professions and promises
a
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of their persecutors they consented to their proposal, hoping thereby to draw them away from the house of Mr. Wild, and thus afford an opportunity of relieving the "Mother" from her confinement in the closet.
Accordingly, with a number of their brethren, they proceeded to Harvard, followed by the mob that had molested them through the night.
On arriving at Harvard the rioters violated their en- gagement with the elders-that they would not injure them -and dragging them out into a convenient place for their purpose, first tied James Whittaker to the limb of a tree,* when they scourged him with a whip until he felt that the skin was almost flayed from his back. This flagellation he received with calm submission, and blessed God that he was accounted worthy to suffer in the cause of his Master. They next brought out William Lee, who told them he would not be tied, but kneeling down bade them lay on their stripes, which he would receive like a good soldier of the cross.
Just before the lash fell, however, a sister broke through the gang of desperadoes, and throwing her- self under the uplifted whip begged that she might receive the blows instead of her beloved elder. The persecutor turned his whip and, either by accident or design, struck this sister a blow upon the temple which opened a wound and soon bathed her face in blood. At this the rioters became alarmed, and having released the elders, left their disgraceful work but half finished.
Wild says, in his testimony, that at evening "the elders returned and were gladly received by Mother and the brethren and sisters, at our house. 'Have they abused you, James?' said Mother, speaking to Elder Whittaker. 'I will show you, Mother,' said he; and kneeling down before her he stripped up his shirt and showed his wounded back, covered with blood which had run down to his feet. In washing his back, it was found to be beaten black and blue from his shoulders to his waistbands ; and in many places bruised to a jelly, as
*See Appendix X.
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though he had been beaten with a club. 'I have been abused', said he ; 'but not for any wrong that I have done them ; it is for your sakes. I feel nothing against them for what they have done to me, for they were ignorant and knew not what they did, nor what manner of spirit they were of.' Mother and the elders, with all the brethren and sisters, kneeled down and prayed to God to forgive their blood-thirsty persecutors. Elder James cried heart- ily, and said 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.' After praying for their enemies, Mother and the elders were filled with joy and thankfulness that they were counted worthy to suffer persecution for Christ's sake."
From this time the Shirley Shakers have never been seriously oppressed by outside enemies. They have been permitted to till their grounds, train their children and worship God, according to their own convictions of pro- priety and duty ; and when any minor vexation-such as the spoliation of their fruits by garden plunderers-has occurred, they have been disposed to submit to the wrong without the indulgence of a retaliatory spirit ;- although they have felt that such violations of justice have been greatly aggravated by the fact that they have always fed their visitors with the choicest gatherings of their trees and vines, without money or price, when they have come in day-light and in the character of friends.
While they have in these and other Christian ways won the respect, confidence, and, in many instances the affection of the world without, they have oftentimes been aggrieved by the misbehavior of their own brethren. Clandestine and runaway matches have frequently oc- curred ; and seceders have at times been more inveterate in their opposition than have been other opponents.
The greatest offence of this kind which the Shirley Believers were ever called to endure occurred on this wise, as communicated by some of the elders of the society :
"On the night of March 3, 1802, the meeting-house of the Shaker Society in Shirley was broken open by Peter Perham, Eleazer Robbins, William Blanchard, Aaron 35
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Lyon and others. They had formerly been of the Shaker faith, and contributed something towards the build- ing of our house of worship. From this circumstance they laid claim to the building, and took possession of it as above stated, but were not discovered until nine o'clock on the following morning. Their conduct was outrageous. They had supplied themselves with intoxicating drink, in which they so freely indulged as to put decency and shame at defiance. They marred the rooms, broke and mutilated the furniture, and allowed themselves in many indecent and extravagant excesses. They continued masters of the building for the space of four days, having barred the doors against the entrance of any without their permission.
"On the fifth day of the revolution they were arrested on a complaint made by Nathan Willard, the trustee of the society. The warrant of arrest was prepared by Joshua Longley, Esq., and served by William Going, constable, under the direction of Samson Woods of Groton, deputy sheriff. The transaction excited so much interest that about one hundred people were collected to witness the performance. When the rioters were com- manded by the officers of law to come forth they refused with shouts of defiance. A ladder was then raised to a window of the second loft on which Mr. Constable Going ascended, and having broken the glass and prepared to enter, Robbins aimed at him a blow with a deadly weapon, which would have taken effect had not his mur- derous arm been withheld by his coadjutor, Perham, who knew the consequence of such resistance better than Robbins did.
"Going was quickly assisted, by the rapid ascension of the posse from without, to secure Robbins and Blanchard -Lyon having absconded. Poor Peter, the leader in this nefarious business, on seeing the officers entering, escaped to the garret and concealed himself in a closet, but was soon found, and with his companions was exam- ined before Justice Longley, and all were bound over to take their trial at the next term of the criminal court to be holden in Concord.
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"But, as is supposed through the treachery of the county attorney, the grand jury did not find a bill against them, and so they were acquitted. Not satisfied, they commenced an action against Nathan Willard and others for malicious prosecution, which was tried before the Supreme Court at Cambridge; and the whole matter being carefully investigated by said court, the Shakers were honorably discharged. It was a matter of surprise to the court that the grand jury did not find a bill against the conspirators in the outset, for it was amply proved that they were vile aggressors, and deserved punishment.
"It was supposed, however, as Perham was a man of property (which was expended in this case,) that he bribed the prosecuting attorney to use his influence with the grand jury to liberate his prisoners. Some remarks of the Judge-Francis Dana-in the final trial seemed to intimate that there had been foul play in the matter.
"The above account was communicated by Nathan Willard and others, who were witnesses of the whole transaction ; which has been confirmed by other witnesses not of our faith."*
Though the Shaker Society was the first organization that ever seceded from the Congregational order of wor- shippers in Shirley, the number of schismatics was too small to be severely felt by the parent society. And such have been their retired and careful habits, that they have never made themselves obnoxious to the peace and moral comfort of their fellow-townsmen.
The secular and ecclesiastical rules and regulations which the Shakers have imposed upon themselves have never been repugnant to the laws of their country. To these rules they all cheerfully submit, indulging as great liberty as the wisdom of their institutions will permit.
From a long and intimate acquaintance with this peculiar people, the compiler has been led to regard them as a sincere and devoted band of Christian brethren, who are seeking a better country, that is a heavenly.
*See Appendix Y.
1
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A copy of their "Rules for Visitors" is subjoined, to show the precision with which the "United Believers" conduct their minutest affairs :
" First. We wish it to be understood that we do not keep a public house, and wish to have our rules attended to as any would the rules of their own private dwelling.
"Second. Those who call to see their friends and rela- tives are to visit them at the office, and not to go, elsewhere except by permission of those in care at the office.
" Third. Those who live near and can call at their own convenience are not expected to stay more than a few hours ; but such as live at a great distance, or cannot come often, and have near relatives here, can stay from one to four days, according to circumstances. This we consider a sufficient time as a general rule.
" Fourth. All visitors are requested to arise and take breakfast at half-past six in summer and half-past seven in winter.
"Fifth. At table we wish all to be as free as at home ; but we dislike the wasteful habit of leaving food on the plate. No vice with us is less ridiculous for being in fashion.
"Sixth. Married persons tarrying with us over night are respectfully notified that each sex occupy separate sleeping apartments while they remain. This rule will not be departed from under any circumstances.
" Seventh. Strangers calling for meals or lodging are expected to pay if accommodated."
View of the North Family buildings in Shirley.
CHAPTER V.
Universalist Society-Rise of Universalism-Formation of a Society-Meeting-Houses-Ministers-Church and Sunday-School-Ladies' Aid Society, etc.
In the year 1812 the ecclesiastical unity of the town was again disturbed. At this period the minister's salary was a part of the town tax, and by a large portion of the people was as cheerfully allowed as any assessment that could be made. Owing, however, to the inability of Mr. Whitney to supply the pulpit, while he yet had a claim upon the town for his salary; to the fact that, if a col- league should be settled, an increased amount of taxation would be laid upon the people; to the desire of several families that a meeting-house might be located in the South Village-which had then assumed considerable importance through the manufacturing interests; and more, perhaps, to the predilections of several influential individuals in favor of the doctrine of universal salvation, a society of that faith was organized on the 21st of Sep- tember of the above-named year. It bore the title of the First Universal Christian Society 'in Shirley .*
The doctrine of Universalism was first preached in Shirley by Rev. Isaiah Parker, of Still River Village in Harvard. It was a lecture delivered in a private house- now a factory boarding-house-on a Sunday evening. Mr. Parker was a doctor of medicine as well as a minister of the gospel. He commenced his ministry in the Baptist denomination, but was eventually converted to the faith of the Universalist, which he retained through life. Joshua Flagg, an early advocate of Universalism, was the second
*See Appendix Z.
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preacher of this faith in Shirley. He preached in the west part of the town, in the house of John Davis, an active supporter of the new doctrine. From this begin- ning the faith gradually progressed, until its adherents- with the assistance of some who joined them on account of local position-became a separate religious organiza- tion.
For a few years the Universalists maintained religious worship in private houses-occasionally occupying the town meeting-house when not otherwise engaged-and enjoyed the services of some of the ablest preachers of the time. But as private houses are always incon- venient places for public meetings, and as denomina- tional partnerships in pulpits are calculated to breed disturbance and unchristian alienation, the Universalists determined to set up an independent altar. Operations. were accordingly commenced to build a temple of worship in 1816. John Davis, the veteran Universalist before alluded to, entered into a contract with the society to furnish material for the frame of the house and to put it in order to be enclosed and finished. And Daniel Kil- burn contracted to find materials for its completion, and to prepare the structure for occupation. It was made ready for consecration by the close of the year. It was a humble structure, neither neat, tasteful, nor convenient. It was fashioned, in part, after the ancient New-England mode of church architecture, and yet failed in all the essential qualities of its model. Its high box-pews and angular aisles were not made to contrast with the orna- mented mouldings and fretted cornices that had dis- tinguished even the puritan temples of worship of that period. It had but one door of entrance, which opened into a narrow porch leading to the body of the church. A singers' gallery extended along the western wall, and was entered by flights of stairs located within the audi- tory of the house. It was covered by a hip-roof, and furnished with a numerous array of windows not protected by blinds. In fine, the cheap and unartistic properties
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and proportions of this religious temple marked the care and frugality of the age in which it was erected. That age projected no more in the way of church-building than could be effected without imposing the burden of debt; a precaution that has not generally prevailed at a later period, much to the detriment of religious as well as secular corporations.
On the ninth of January, 1817, this new meeting- * house was set apart, by solemn consecration, to purposes of social and religious worship.
Prayers were offered by Rev. Edward Turner of Charlestown, and a sermon was preached by Rev. Hosea Ballou of Boston ; which was printed at the request, and for the use, of the society. Mr. Ballou took for a text the passage from I Kings viii, 20, "I have built a house for the name of the Lord God of Israel." The purpose of the sermon was to set forth and elucidate the peculiar doctrines of Universalism, which was done with the characteristic force and clearness of its author.
Subsequently an elegant quarto bible, in two volumes, was presented to the society for the use of the pulpit, by William Parker, Esq., of Boston. Mr. Parker was a native of Shirley, and took a generous interest in the success and prosperity of the town.
For the space of twenty-nine years this house was continued for purposes of worship in its original, unattract- ive form ; and, without a doubt, as faithfully secured the designs of its establishment as a more costly and im- posing structure would have done. It had at least the honor of sowing the seed of what its abettors have called "the Abrahamic faith," in this vicinity ; it being, for a long time, the only place where the doctrines of Universalism were statedly preached. Hence, it reckoned among its early supporters many who resided in the adjacent towns.
In the year 1846 the Fitchburg Railroad, leading through the South Village in Shirley, had been completed, giving promise of a large increase of population in that locality. The leaders of the Universalist Society, in con- sequence, considered themselves justified in an attempt to
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improve their place of worship. They accordingly made a thorough revision of their meeting-house, both externally and internally. It was changed from its original uncouth form, and made to present the proportions of a graceful structure, combining neatness with utility. It contained forty-four pews, and a gallery for the choir. It was sur- mounted by a tower, in which was hung a fine-toned bell. It was ornamented with a pulpit of choice mahogany, and supplied with an elegant communion table and chairs. It was also furnished with a small organ, which was after- ward removed to give place to a larger and better instru- ment-the gift of N. C. Munson, Esq. It had fixtures for illuminating the interior, when required for evening ser- vices. The aisles and floors of the pews were uniformly carpeted, and the pew seats were furnished with comfort- able upholstering.
In the attic a commodious hall for the use of "Fre- donia Lodge" of Odd-Fellows was constructed, and there they held their weekly meetings. The entire cost of the new house, with all its accompaniments, was about seven- teen hundred dollars.
It was dedicated August 28th, 1846. Prayers were offered on the occasion by Rev. M. E. Hawes of Fitchburg and Rev. Varnum Lincoln of Westminster; a sermon was preached by Rev. Benjamin Whittemore of Lan- caster.
The location of the Universalist church is unusually pleasant. It stands upon the table-land that rises precipi- tously from the valley of the Catacunemaug, and com- mands a view of the railway station and most of the mills that are situated along the glen. Indeed, from the porch of that church the eye can take in a large portion of the entire village. The surrounding farms present a pictu- resque view of natural scenery, which, when clothed with the robes of summer, rises before the beholder a landscape of varied richness and beauty. Descriptions of this en- chanting scenery have appeared in some of the poems of the late Mrs. Sarah C. (Edgarton) Mayo.
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Until the year 1869 the meeting-house, as remodelled, remained, doing good service for its sabbath assemblies ; and, through all these years, it had rarely been closed on a Lord's day. It was then decided to build anew, and the old church was removed to a different locality and became a part of the "Village Hall," which has been described in another chapter of this history.
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