USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Shirley > History of the town of Shirley, Massachusetts, from its early settlement to A.D. 1882 > Part 43
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I. CATHARINE, b. at Watertown, Aug. 25, 1759, d. 1781, unm.
II. OLIVER, b. at Watertown, Sept. 18, 1761, d. 1782, unm.
III. DANIEL, b. at Watertown, Jan. 18, 1764, m. Lucy Longley of Shirley, pub. Jan. 13, 1793 ; she d. in 1794, without issue. He ever after lived unm. He pursued a course of action based on moral virtue in his private capacity, and was much respected as a public official. He was a selectman in 1800 and in 1801. He d. July 27, 1821.
IV. NATHANIEL, b. at Watertown, Jan. 24, 1766, was an infant when his father's family removed to Shirley, and never left the paternal homestead while he lived. He was the supporter of his parents through all their latter years, and served them with filial regard and affection. By a strict maintenance of a just, upright and generous character, he won the confidence of his fellow-towns- men, and received their united suffrages for places of trust and honor. He was a selectman from 1807 to 1822, with the excep- tion of one year. He was a neat and thrifty farmer, and acquired much credit as a stone-mason. He m. Abigail Jones of Lunen- burg, in 1812, and d. Jan. 2, 1830.
V. JONAS, b. at Shirley, Feb. 27, 1768, m. Polly Kelsey of Shirley, March 29, 1796. He continued his residence in Shirley unto the year 1814, when he removed to Marietta, Ohio, where he passed the remainder of his life, and where the remains of himself and wife were buried. Like the most of his father's family, he pos- sessed a mind susceptible of strong culture, and a heart matured in virtuous principles, which qualified him. for correct action, both as a public functionary and private citizen. He was a selectman during the five years preceding his removal to the West, and in his official career proved that the public confidence reposed in him was not misplaced. He d. in October, 1822. He had six chil- dren :
1. JONAS, JR., b. at Shirley, Jan. 1, 1797, m. Sarah Willis of Wash- ington county, Ohio, Sept. 2, 1827. He had ten children :
(I.) Maria, b. at Marietta, July 30, 1828, m. Thomas Waller and removed to Oregon in 1848.
(2.) Harriet, b. at Marietta, Oct., 1829.
(3.) Naomi, b. at Marietta in the autumn of 1831.
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GENEALOGY .- LIVERMORE.
(4.) Jonas, b. at Marietta, 1833.
(5.) Luther, b. at Marietta, 1835.
At this period the father removed to Pike county, Ill., where the remainder of his children were born.
(6.) Leonard. (7.) William. (8.) Mary.
(9.) Ellen. (10.) Ann.
In 1850, Mr. Livermore, with the surviving members of his family, followed his eldest daughter, who had lived two years in the territory of Oregon, and established himself in a new home. He d. in 1856.
2. OLIVER, b. at Shirley, June 27, 1798. He was twice m., (first) to Nancy Williams of Madison county, Ill., who d. 1830; m. (second) Clarinda Robson. He has had five children :
I A Son, who d. in infancy.
2.) Mary, b. Jan., 1826, d. 1863.
(3.) Louisa, b. Nov. 12, 1827, d.
(4.) Jane, b. 1829, d. in 1830.
(5.) Elizabeth, r. in Highland, Ill. She has made school-teach- ing the business of her life, having now (1877) spent twenty years in that employment. For the last seven years she has been at the head of an institution numbering sixty pupils.
3. JOHN, b. at Shirley, June 24, 1800, d. Feb. 6, 1810.
4. ANDREW, b. at Shirley, June 10, 1806, m. Betsey Fuller of Marietta, Sept. 9, 1827, r. Point Pleasant, Warren county, Ill. He has had ten children, six of whom were b. at Marietta.
(I.) Oliver, b. July 29, 1828, d. Aug. 28, 1842.
(2.) Derrick, b. Aug. 28, 1830, m. Elizabeth Stevens of Kelly, Ill., and has six children.
(3.) Russell, b. April 3, 1832, d. Aug. 28, 1850.
4.) Andrew Park, b. Aug. 28, 1834.
(5.) John Kelsey, b. Aug. 9, 1836.
(6.) Weston Thomas, b. Dec. 29, 1838.
(7.) Jonas Jasper, b. June 19, 1841, d. May 8, 1862.
(8.) Socrates, b. Nov. 10, 1843.
(9.) Charles Carroll, b. Oct. 24, 1847.
(10.) William Rufus, b. Oct. 6, 1850.
All of these seven living sons but the sixth and eighth, are married and have families, and reside in and near the town- ship of the paternal home. They and their father are farmers, and have had the same success in their western enterprise that has fallen to the lot of most emigrants from New England, especially when they have carried with them habits of virtue and frugality. Andrew Livermore and his wife have been married fifty years (1877), and have enjoyed health and prosperity in an unusual degree.
5. WALTER, b. at Marietta, Aug. 23, 1810, d. Dec., 1810.
6. MARY, b. at Marietta, Sept. 8, 1816, m. Derrick Fuller, Oct., 1838. She has had one child, and r. at Roseville (1878). (1.) A Son, b. Nov. 6, 1839.
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HISTORY OF SHIRLEY.
VI. WILLIAM, b. at Shirley, June 23, 1770, m. Betsey Ames of Groton, 1 799. He was a resident of Groton from the time of his marriage until the period of his death. During the early years of his manhood he wrought at his trade, being a carpenter and master-builder. In his later years he was engaged in agricultural pursuits. For several years he represented Groton in the state legislature, and was a willing and useful actor in other spheres of public trust. He d. at Groton, March 2, 1846. He had five chil- dren, all of whom were born at Groton.
1. CATHARINE, b. 1800, d. April 9, 1877, unm.
2. WILLIAM, b. July 9, 1803. He has been twice m., (first) to Sarah C. Lawrence of Cohasset, Sept. 7, 1830 ; she d. Aug. 30, 1831 ; m. (second) Harriet Livermore of Alstead, N. H., Sept. II, 1832, r. Groton (1882). He lives in his native town, a happy and successful farmer, and sustains the office of deacon in the First Congregational church of that town. He has also represented the town in the state legislature. He has had four children :
(1.) Ellen Augusta, b. at Groton, Dec. 30, 1833, d. March 15, 1838.
(2.) Sarah Elizabeth, b. Feb. 28, 1836, m. John Gilson of Groton, Jan. 23, 1861. She has had six children : I. " Annie L.," b. March 19, 1862 ; 2. "William J.," b. Sept. 17, 1865 ; 3. "Isabella H.," b. March 4, 1868 ; 4. "Robert F.," b. Jan. 21, 1871 ; 5. "Henry Robbins," b. Oct. 28, 1874 ; 6. "John Lincoln," b. Jan. 29, 1877.
(3.) William Henry, b. Sept. 11, 1840, d. June 24, 1846.
(4.) George Stearns, b. July 12, 1846, d. Nov. 17, 1860.
3. DANIEL, b. March 26, 1805, m. Abigail Tuck of Beverly, May 15, 1831. He lived in Groton several years of his married life, but removed to Shirley in 1869, where he remained until his death. He d. at Orange, at the house of his daughter, while on a visit, Jan. 9, 1882. Mr. Livermore was much respected in town, was a deacon of the Second Congregational church, and was called to suffer severe bereavement in the death of his wife and the most of his children, who passed on before him to the spirit land. He had seven children, all b. at Groton.
(I.) William, b. July 1, 1832, m. Louisa F. Dickson of Waka- rusa, Kansas, Sept. 30, 1860, d. at Shirley, March 30, 1879. He had five children : I. "Alice E.," b. Oct. 27, 1861 ; 2. "Albert M.," b. July 28, 1863 ; 3. "Fanny K.," b. Oct. 9, 1869, d. Aug. 15, 1870 ; 4. "Eugene N.," b. Feb. 12, 1872 ; 5. "Edwin H.," b. Nov. 21, 1875.
(2.) Charles, b. April 26, 1834, d. at Shirley, Feb. 16, 1881, unm.
(3.) De Witt Clinton, b. July 16, 1836, d. aged eight months.
(4.) De Witt Clinton, b. Feb. 16, 1838, d. aged ten months.
(5.) Rufus, b. Nov. 1, 1839, m. Martha E. Todd, Jan. 22, 1863, had one child.
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GENEALOGY .- LIVERMORE.
(6.) Albert, b. May 20, 1842, d. Oct. 27, 1860.
(7.) Abbie M., b. June 13, 1850, m. Charles Howe of Orange, Dec. 22, 1869. She has had two children: I. "Willie," b. July 6, 1871, d. July 1, 1873 ; 2. "Frederick L.," b. May 13, 1874, r. Orange (1881).
4. LUTHER, b. Feb. 17, 1809, d. May 24, 1834. 0
5. BETSEY, b. Aug. 29, 1811, m. Charles Prescott, May 3, 1835, d. Jan. 1, 1871. She had three children :
(I.) Charles, b. Feb. 22, 1836, d. Oct. 2, 1837.
(2.) Ellen A., b. Aug. 18, 1838, d. March 22, 1840.
(3.) Charles, b. May 26, 1844.
VII. JOHN, b. at Shirley, Sept. 22, 1772, d. 1784.
VIII. LUCY, b. at Shirley, March 24, 1776. She was twice m., (first) to Enoch Huse of Grafton ; (second) to Jeremiah Dyer of Grafton ; she d. without issue.
IX. DAVID, b. at Shirley, Dec. 19, 1778, m. Lucinda, daughter of Capt. John Kelsey of Shirley, Sept. 28, 1800. He was a selectman of the town in 1812, and town treasurer in 1833. In 1834 he was the candidate of the Masonic political party for representative to the state legislature ; but the party was unsuccessful in the election, and Mr. Livermore would not allow his name to be used in this connection a second time. Still, there was no man better qualified by nature, observation or education, for public preferment, than David Livermore ; and yet, few men have been so distrustful of themselves,-have shrunk back from public services with a more decided no, than he has done,-services that he might have per- formed with honor to himself and usefulness to his fellow-citizens.
As a professor of religion he was intelligent, practical and con- sistent, free from bigotry and repulsive sectarianism. As a man and citizen he was careful, thoughtful, and decisive. He never received opinions on trust, and never said yes to a proposition because yes was the echo of the popular voice ; nor yet did he reject the old because it was old, nor negative what was consistent, though it might originate in an opposite party ; was never impulsive or overbearing, but constantly aimed to secure the higher purposes of life, and a larger measure of usefulness. Few better moral examples have been presented than have appeared in his quiet efficiency, his instructive conversation, and useful action. He d. at Ayer, in the house of his daughter, Sept. 22, 1866. He had eight children, four of whom preceded him to the grave. His children were b. at Shirley.
1. SALLY, b. Dec. 16, 1800, d. at Shirley, unm., Sept. 24, 1843.
2. LUCINDA, b. Sept. 19, 1802, m. Almond Morse of Lunenburg, June, 1823, and d. at Shirley, Aug. 7, 1832. She had two chil- dren :
(1.) Jane Lucinda, b. at Shirley, July 24, 1824, m. Oliver N. Wing of Shirley, Oct. 9, 1851, d. April 26, 1856. She had one child : I. "Almond M.," b. at Shirley, Jan. 5, 1853.
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HISTORY OF SHIRLEY.
(2.) Mary Park, b. at Shirley, Aug. 11, 1828, m. E. Dana Ban- croft, Jan. 1, 1849, d. at Ayer, Sept. 27, 1860; she had four children : 1. "Mary Jane," b. at Shirley, Oct. 12, 1849, r. Ayer, unm. (1883) ; 2. "Kate Eliza," b. at Shirley, Oct. 16, 1852, m. Jacob P. Hazen of Shirley, Nov. 14, 1875, r. Shirley (1883) ; 3. "' Anna," b. at Shirley, Nov. 21, 1854 ; 4. "Clara," b. at Shirley, Jan. 12, 1858.
3. CATHARINE, b. Nov. 11, 1806, m. Nathaniel Holden of Shirley, Dec. 17, 1835, r. Shirley, a widow (1883).
4. DAVID BOND, b. Aug. 2, 1808, m. Persis W. Evans of Rocking- ham, Vt., June 15, 1850, r. Rockingham (1880). He had one child :
(1.) Charles Bond, b. at Rockingham, April 8, 1852, d. June 9, I866.
5. JANE PARK, b. Dec. 2, 1811, m. Abel Longley of Shirley, Aug. 16, 1835, removed to western New York, where she d., Aug. 27, 1847 ; she was buried in Shirley.
6. CHARLES, b. March 24, 1814, m. Lucy E. Merriam of Fitchburg, Dec. 2, 1847, and had four children. He followed the occupa- tion of shoe-making, and d. in the town of Tully, Onondaga county, N. Y. His children were all b. in Fitchburg, where Mrs. Livermore still resides (1883).
(1.) Nellie Frances, b. June 3, 1849, r. in Fitchburg, and is en gaged in teaching.
(2.) Charles William, b. March 24, 1852, d. Aug. 19, 1853.
(3.) George Edward, b. April 4, 1854, r. Worcester, unm. He is pursuing studies preparatory to the practice of medicine.
(4.) Frederick Herbert, b. March 5, 1856, d. Sept. 3, 1860.
7. MARGARET, b. Oct. 25, 1819, m. Robert Woods, Jan. 3, 1850, r. Philadelphia (1880). She has had three children :
(1.) Lucy Livermore, b. at Shirley, Dec. 9, 1850.
2.) Alice Parker, b. at Shirley, Jan. 11, 1852.
(3.) An Infant, b. at Shirley, and d. in infancy.
8. LUCY HUSE, b. Oct. 2, 1822, d. Dec. 26, 1846.
X. JONATHAN, b. at Shirley, Jan. 10, 1781, m. Susan Platts, 1816, became a resident of Boston, and passed his life in that city, engaged in the carpenter's trade. He d. Jan. 20. 1845. He had three children :
1. JONATHAN, b. at Boston, 1817, d. at Boston, April 13, 1878. The Boston Post contained the following notice of Mr. Liver- more :
"He was a painter, and was widely known and esteemed. He was a member of Franklin Lodge, No. 25, I. O. O. F., and Grand Representative to the United States Grand Lodge of the same order, and has held almost every subordinate office within the gift of his fellow-members."
2. SUSAN. 3. LUCY.
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GENEALOGY .- LIVERMORE-LONGLEY.
The facts and dates relating to the Livermore family, up to the settlement of Oliver in Shirley, are taken from Bond's History of Watertown.
LOCKE.
Deacon William Locke was b. at Stepney Parish, London, England, Dec. 13, 1628. He emigrated to this country in the ship Planter, in 1635, when he was seven years of age. It is supposed he lived at Charlestown during his years of minority, when he removed to Woburn, which remained his place of residence for life. He m. Margaret Clark of Woburn, Dec. 27, 1655 ; she d. at Woburn, July 18, 1715. He d. June 16, 1720. He had ten children.
James Locke was the ninth in the order of birth, and was born at Woburn, Nov. 14, 1677, m. Sarah Cutter of Cambridge, Dec. 5, 1 700. He d. Dec. 11, 1745. He had eight children.
James Locke, Jr., was his second son, and was b. at Woburn, June 17, 1703, m. Elizabeth Burnap of Reading, July 11, 1727. He lived first in Hopkinton, and afterwards at Ashby, where he d. Sept. 1, 1783. He had ten children. The fourth of these was
John Locke, b. at Hopkinton, Dec. 16, 1733, m. Beulah Newton of Southborough, and had ten children. The eldest of these was
Locke, Bezaleel, b. at Hopkinton, Dec. 8, 1766, m. Catharine Learned, Oct. 19, 1796. He was of the fifth generation from the immigrant. (Bezaleel,5 John,4 James, Jr.,3 James,2 William.1) He came to live in Shirley at the time of his marriage, but afterward removed to Cambridge. He was a carpenter, and d. at Greenbush, N. Y., where he had gone on business, July 24, 1824. He had four children, all but one of whom were b. at Shirley.
I. JOHN, b. Dec. 12, 1797, m. Lucy Turner, Nov. 12, 1821.
II. HANNAH, b. April 16, 1801, m. Frederick Dehon of Boston, had one child that d. young ; she d. Feb. 24, 1823.
III. CATHARINE, b. May 9, 1803, d. July, 1845, unm.
IV. HARRIET, b. at Cambridge, m. Franklin Rollins of Maine, lived at Lynn, where both she and her husband d.
See records of Shirley, and "Book of the Lockes."
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LONGLEY.
Among the early settlers of Shirley, the Longley families held a conspicuous position. The descendants of these families, of the fifth and sixth generations, in large numbers, still retain residences within the town and vicinity. At the commencement of the present century they were so numerous that a large portion of the population could claim affinity with them. They have not only filled a large place,
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HISTORY OF SHIRLEY.
numerically, in our community, but they have also, as a general fact, maintained a useful and honored citizenship. There have been many titled personages since the Norman conquest, of the names of Longley and Langley, that have figured in the annals of Brittany ; but whether the humble settler in Lynn, of that name, was a de- scendant of any of these personages, time has not fully revealed, though some efforts have been made to show this, to which we may refer in another place.
Richard Longley, the supposed original of all of that name in New England, was settled at Lynn, as early as 1635. He had children, among whom were William and Jonathan, and perhaps others. His future history is rather blind, but he is presumed to have lived and died at Lynn. His posterity have sometimes called themselves Langley, though this orthographical distinction is no proof of dis- tinction of families .*
William Longley, supposed to be a son of Richard, removed with his family from Lynn to Groton, and was a resident proprietor of the extensive territory that bore that name. When the land was equitably divided among the shareholders, he became the owner of a large amount of native forest, which was eventually divided into farms, and occupied by his descendants. According to a manuscript record left by the late Rev. James D. Farnsworth, William Longley settled in Groton as early as 1659. His name is found in the records of that town in 1663, and in 1665 he was chosen selectman. He died at Groton, Nov. 29, 1680. How many children he had does not fully appear, but he had one son :
William Longley, Jr., who was probably born at Lynn, and married in Groton, and had five children ; or, as one tradition has it, eight children. He held a reputable position among his fellow-townsmen, and was appointed town clerk in 1666, and was continued in that office until his death, in 1694. At this period he and his family be- came the victims of Indian depredation, and all were slain but three of the children, who were carried into captivity. The house was rifled and burned, and near where it stood the mutilated remains of the murdered family were buried, and a small stone, even with the surface of the ground, was the only monument to mark the place of their interment for almost two centuries. Recently, however, a more imposing structure has been erected to hallow the spot of such sad historical interest. Mr. Butler gathered the traditions of this tragedy from the older inhabitants of his time, and condensed them into the following account, which is taken from his History of Groton, pages 93 and 94 :
"The Indians, having lurked about the premises undiscovered, the day previous to the slaughter, watching a favorable opportunity to effect their purpose, early in the morning of the fatal day turned the cattle out of the barnyard into a cornfield, and lay in ambush. This trick had the desired effect to draw out some of the family, probably Mr. Longley and his sons, unarmed, to drive the cattle from the corn.
*See Appendix AA.
521
GENEALOGY .- LONGLEY.
The Indians then rose upon them, and killed or captured the whole family. It is said, however, that Jemima, a daughter of Mr. Longley, whom they had tomahawked and scalped, was found alive, sitting upon a rock, and that she survived many years, married, and had children."
The condition of the killed was little more to be deplored than the fate of the spared members of the family, who were carried into cap- tivity. They were three in number, Betty, Lydia and John. Betty died in her captivity, of starvation. Lydia was sold to the French in Canada, and upon becoming a Catholic, entered a nunnery at Mon- treal, where she remained for life. She became very much attached to her order, and carried her zeal for her faith into the most decided bigotry. She wrote letters to her brother John, expressing her sorrow that he should remain under the influence of a heretical faith through which none could obtain salvation.
A milder fate awaited the third captive, John, who was about twelve years of age when his family was massacred and himself made prisoner by the Indians. It is said that after proceeding some way with his captors from the scene of their devastation, when the com- pany came to a halt, he told them that his father's sheep were shut up in the barn, and would starve unless they would permit him to go back and let them out, and that having done this he would at once return to them. They consented, and he fulfilled his promise. Instead of lamenting his change of condition the lad entered into the pursuits of his new state with a relish, and during the five years of his wild life that followed hoped that he might never be removed from his savage to his former civilized position. Accordingly, when he was ransomed by government, he was so reluctant to leave his new and cherished pursuits, that force had to be added to persuasion to bring the young captive from barbarism to civilization.
After young Longley had returned to his former home in Groton, and had become somewhat weaned from the romance of his captive
state, he entered into John Long loy 1704 the duties of civiliza- tion with the same zeal that he had manifested in his savage life. He was twice married, (first) to Sarah Prescott of Groton, a daughter of Jonas Prescott, Esq., by whom he had five children,-three sons and two daughters. She was a sister of Hon. Benjamin Prescott, who was the father of Col. Wil- liam Prescott,-of Bunker hill memory,-of Col. James and Dr. Oliver Prescott of Groton. Sarah, the first wife of John Longley, died March 8, 1718. He married (second) Deborah Houghton, by whom he had seven children. She died Nov. 7, 1763.
Mr. Longley was the clerk of the town for six years, and had three elections to the office of representative to the general court. He was a deacon of the church twenty-eight years, a good man, and an exemplary Christian. He died May 25, 1750.
It has been seen that William Longley, Sen., the grandfather of 66
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HISTORY OF SHIRLEY.
John of Indian memory, was one of the original proprietors of Groton, and with two exceptions he was the largest proprietor. It is highly probable that when the territory was divided among the pro- prietors, according to their number of shares in the stock, a large tract of land lying in what is now the southern part of Shirley was awarded to him, as his children of the third generation became per- manent settlers there.
The three eldest sons of the redeemed captive, John, emigrated to Shirley, in company, in the year 1751. This was thirty years after the settlements had commenced in Shirley, and but two years before the town was incorporated as a district. As, however, the northern and eastern sections of the town,-being nearer the center of Groton, and, of course, nearer the paternal homes of most of the Shirley settlers,- were first inhabited, and as the progress of settlement was slow, but few families were supposed to be living, in 1750, south of what is now known as the "Pound-hill" school-house. Hence the three farms of the Longleys were in a wild state, and covered with a primitive growth of pine, oak and chestnut, the progress of whose huge bodies had never been disturbed except by wind and age.
The younger of these three brothers had previously lived within the limits of what now constitutes Shirley, as his name appears on the list of the petitioners for a separate town, in 1747; but he had probably returned to his paternal home in Groton, and prepared for a final settlement on his Shirley inheritance, with his older brothers, in 1751.
More than forty years ago the daughter of Jonas, (the younger brother of the emigrants,) then past eighty years of age, related to the compiler of this history, an account of the removal of her father and his brothers from Groton to Shirley, their new home. She said her father liked to often repeat this relation to his family, as the most notable adventure of his life.
The distance in a direct course could not have exceeded eight miles. But, although rude bridges had been thrown over the intervening streams at certain places, and a highway had been surveyed from Groton to Lancaster, the bridges were too far down the stream to be available, and the highway was so far east as to leave the territory of Shirley untouched. They could travel a short distance on the road leading from Groton Centre to Chelmsford ; then they must make a . right-angle in their way, and take a southerly direction, and pass over the territory that now forms the town of Ayer, towards the dwelling of the late Abel L. Holden. There the banks of the intervale were so low that the river could be safely forded, and passing over the farm now owned by Charles Dodge, they would reach the borders of their own estates.
When the day of their departure arrived they assembled, with their wives and children, their cattle, farming utensils and household gear, taking such a store of provision as was demanded for present want, and commenced their trying journey, some ten or more miles through the wilderness, to what proved permanent earthly homes for them- selves and for some generations of their posterity. They made good
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GENEALOGY .- LONGLEY.
progress while they travelled east, but when they turned the angle to the south they found imperfect cart-paths and narrow bridle-ways, with obstructions at every turn ; these were succeeded by an untrod- den forest in its natal wildness. Huge logs lay across their path ; stony pitfalls, concealed by pitiless jungle, were obstacles in their way ; so that the spade as well as the axe were required to open a passage for their overburdened teams. Almost three entire days were required to complete this undertaking. But, as the father of my in- formant stated, "The weather was warm and clear, so that our healths were uninjured, yet we thought it a terrible long v'y'ge !" This narra- tive of the removal of the Longleys exhibits some of the lighter trials endured by the fathers in the early settlements of the country.
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