USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Shirley > History of the town of Shirley, Massachusetts, from its early settlement to A.D. 1882 > Part 7
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In 1837 the subject of slavery had begun to agitate the political circles of the State, and had opened its way to her legislative assemblies. On the 18th of January, of this year, the United States House of Representatives adopted a resolution,-" That all petitions, memorials, reso- lutions, propositions or papers, relating in any way, and to any extent whatever, to the subject of slavery, or the abolition of slavery, shall, without being either printed or referred, be laid on the table, and that no further action whatever shall be had thereon." This was considered a serious infringement on the rights of freemen; and a memorial was forwarded to the Massachusetts Senate, praying that body to "protest, without delay, in the name of the people of this Commonwealth, against said resolu- tion,-and to invoke the House of Representatives of the United States to immediately rescind it." This memorial was dated February 13, 1837, and was referred to a com- mittee, of which Mr. Parker was chairman. On the 22nd of the same month, he submitted the following resolutions for the consideration and adoption of the Legislature :
"Resolved,-That Congress does not possess the con- stitutional power to interfere with slavery within the limits of the respective states.
"Resolved,-That Congress does possess the constitu- tional power to abolish slavery within the District of Columbia.
"Resolved,-That the foundation principles of our political institutions, the honor of our country, and the
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peace of all, do demand the solemn consideration, by Con- gress, of the wisdom and effects of exercising the power aforesaid.
"Resolved,-That the right of petition, and free discus- sion in regard to all matters within the constitutional powers of Congress, ought to be held sacred; and any attempt to impair or abridge it should be met with devoted firmness.
"Resolved,-That his Excellency the Governor, be requested to transmit a copy of the foregoing resolutions to each of our senators and representatives in Congress."
A careful perusal of the above resolutions, as reported by Mr. Parker, will show to all who were ac- quainted with him that they evince that boldness and decision with which he was accustomed to speak, when giving utterance to opinions and principles which he believed to be right and was determined to maintain. He would think, speak and act in the cause of truth and right, entirely regardless of consequences to himself; and so spoke these resolutions.
As far as the compiler of this history has been able to ascertain, no resolutions or report in any form had ever before been made in our Legislature, or in any other legis- lature in the country, asserting the right of Congress to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia, and making upon that body a solemn demand to consider the wisdom and the effects of the exercise of that power.
As above stated, this report was submitted on the 22nd of February,-the anniversary of the day which gave birth to that great man, who was "first in peace, first in war, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." And it was followed by another within five days, on the same subject, which took similar ground ; in fine, it opened the way to a more free and bold discussion of the slavery question in the Free States. Mr. Parker must, therefore, be regarded as one of the first to agitate the slavery question before a legislative body, though it had long been a theme of much discussion in private circles, in abolition conventions, and in newspapers and magazines.
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Mr. Parker was chairman of the county commis- sioners for Middlesex in 1842, when the stand was first taken to refuse all licenses for the sale of intoxicating liquors, on the ground.that the public good did not require such traffic. Such a measure was not without opposition, but it was maintained, and soon became the settled policy of the several counties of the Commonwealth.
During his last term in the legislature-that of 1850- Mr. Parker was as active and interested as he had ever been. He then proposed to have a convention to amend the Constitution, reducing the representation of the popular branch of the legislature. He was in favor of the district system which has been adopted since his death.
Such is an outline of the official and public action of the subject of this notice. In tracing him wherever he has been it will be found that he has left his mark. He never sought popularity or aimed to be a leader. So far as he had effective influence upon the public bodies with which he co-operated, it was attained by well maturing his plans, by a conviction brought home to others of his entire sincerity and integrity of purpose, and of their public utility-and further by his firmness, qualified by en- lightened conciliation and enforced by perseverance in their accomplishment. He seemed, in his public action, to have steadily looked at two things-to do good, and to prevent harm.
Although so many years of the life of Mr. Parker were devoted to public affairs, he did not forget social and private duties. As a life member of the Boston Society of Natural History, an honorary member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences, in Hanover, New Hampshire, and a corresponding member of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, he has contributed his share to scientific, literary and other associations ; and at every period of his life-from the labors of the boy on his father's farm-he was interested in agriculture, and co- operated in the success of the State, Middlesex, and Worcester Agricultural Societies, in which he held mem- bership. In all his connections his friends found him true
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to his convictions of duty, and his opponents rarely ques- tioned his integrity, but generally acknowledged him honorable and disinterested.
After he returned to his native town, he devoted much time and labor to its municipal interests and its institu- tions. He gratuitously proffered his services, when occasion required, to local investigations, the preparation of reports, the regulation of town records; and, in all those questions of interest and debate that required legal advice, he was "in season and out of season," exhibiting traits of mature judgment and careful discrimination.
He always took a deep and conscientious interest in the religious wants of the town. When in health, his place in church was rarely vacant. And in the alterations and repairs which the church-edifice of the First Parish underwent, within the twenty years previous to his death, Mr. Parker stood at the helm of affairs and guided with a steady and unwavering hand the counsels and operations of these improvements. For the present beautiful loca- tion, for the form and convenience of their temple of worship, the parish is largely indebted to his careful con- sideration and unwearied perseverance.
The schools of the town were also an object of his sincere concern. For several years he was a member of the town superintending committee, and in 1842 wrote a most invaluable report on the condition and wants of the primary school, as a former of the minds and morals of the rising generation. And, as has been shown in a former part of this chapter, he did not allow himself to forget the great cause of education at his death, but left, in the fund which he established, a permanent memorial of his forecast and benevolence.
In his last sickness, which was long and painful, Mr. Parker exhibited a becoming degree of resignation. He died on the 25th of August, 1854, aged sixty-five years. A funeral service was held in the church where he had worshipped for the last twenty years of his life, when his remains were conveyed to Worcester and interred in the
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Rural Cemetery of that city, by the side of those of his wife and daughter who had preceded him to the grave. Mr. Parker married Martha Lincoln, daughter of Levi Lincoln, Sen., of Worcester, by whom he had three daughters. The two who survived him still live in that city.
JOHN SPAULDING was the next in chronological order, from among the Shirley homes, who received the honors and advantages of a public education. His father, at the time of his marriage, had purchased a farm in Shirley, intending to make it his life home,-an intention in which he was not disappointed. But by some promise of pecuniary advantage, he was induced to pass a few years in the neighboring town of Mason, N. H., previous to his complete establishment on his Shirley estate; and it was during this interval that the subject of this notice was born, Nov. 3, 1800. But, while he was yet in early child- hood, his parents returned to their Shirley home, and were residents of the town during their lives. The farm still remains in the possession of their descendants .*
The boyhood of John was passed in the healthful occupation of cultivating the soil; yet he early imbibed a strong inclination to prepare himself for a higher useful- ness than could come from any merely manual employ- ment. He had become a subject of deep religious conviction, and desired to devote his life and powers to the work of the gospel ministry. But there were obstacles in the way. His father, though a thriving farmer of the time, was encumbered with a large family, and was not only unable to give his son any pecuniary assistance, but could hardly afford to dispense with his service during what would be to him the profitable years of the young man's minority. These objections were, however, in a measure waved, and the earnest student was permitted to enter upon his coveted career, with nothing but poverty to
*See Appendix I.
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overcome. This, to some a formidable impediment, had but little influence with the subject of this notice.
In 1818 he entered the Phillips Academy at Andover, as a beneficiary ; of which institution he was a member for three years, availing himself of the privilege of teach- ing during a part of each winter. He graduated at the College in Middlebury, Vt., in the September of 1825. So anxious was he to commence the great work to which he felt himself called, that before the end of that year he was entered a student of the theological school in Andover, from which he was graduated in 1828. The purpose, of long solicitude, anxiety and fervent prayer, was now in a measure realized. The vineyard of his Master rose before him, demanding his labor, and he entered upon that labor with a tireless devotion. His work of preparation having closed, he immediately received the seal of consecration. A few weeks from graduation found him an ordained evangelist. This occurred on the 25th of September, in the town (now city) of Newbury- port ; and the appointed field of his missionary labor was the great valley of the Mississippi. On the day of his ordination he was united in marriage with Miss Olive Catharine B. Kendall of Dunstable, who departed with him on his western mission. She continued with him, a sharer of his toils, his joys and his sorrows, until the 14th of March, 1852, when she departed from this to a better world.
Although the tastes and talents of Mr. Spaulding were admirably adapted to the work of a religious pioneer, he was permitted to remain but a few months in the mis- sionary sphere of operations. The Presbyterian church in Athens, Ohio, was without a pastor, and it invited the young itinerant to take that position,-with which invita- tion he complied, and was installed April 23, 1829. In this field of usefulness he remained four and a half years, and was instrumental, it is believed, of winning many souls to God.
In 1833 he was dismissed from this charge that he might assume the office of secretary of the Western
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. Education Society, at Cincinnati, Ohio, to which he had been elected. Here he remained also four and a half years, when he resigned the place and was installed pastor of the Main Street Presbyterian Church, in Peoria, Illi- nois. This occurred June 6, 1838. During this and his former settlement, a period of seven years, Mr. Spaulding received to church-membership one hundred and seventy- seven persons,-which must be regarded as a successful if not a brilliant ministry. In one of these churches he had a Bible-class of eighty-seven members, all but nine of whom became professors of religion. Twenty-one of them entered the gospel ministry, two became foreign mis- sionaries, and five of them were married to ministers of the gospel.
It would seem that such signal results should have continued the laborer at his post for longer periods,-but a new sphere of usefulness now opened to him which he did not feel at liberty to decline. On the 4th of March, 1841, he was dismissed from his charge in Peoria, and appointed secretary of the Seaman's Friend Society, whose head-quarters were in the city of New-York. In this office he was continued until failing health compelled him to retire from all active engagements. His labors in his last position were very arduous. He had to travel and preach much, and also had the editorship of a monthly periodical, devoted to the interests of seamen, called the "Sailor's Magazine."
At the close of a ministry of a little more than a quarter of a century, Mr. Spaulding had preached two thousand four hundred and thirty sermons !
On the 22nd of March, 1853, he was married to his second wife, Mrs. Adeline J. McMartin of New-York, in which city he now lives, in retirement from all public engagements.
JAMES O. PARKER, son of James Parker, Jr.,- grandson of the first of the name that settled in town, and a nephew of Gen. Daniel and Hon. Leonard M. Parker,
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who have already been noticed as belonging to the list of college-graduates from Shirley,-is the next to be added to that list.
He was born at the family mansion,-in the beautiful valley which was the ancestral domain from the incorpo- ration of the town,-where he passed the days of his childhood, and from whence he went to prepare for the university. This preparation was commenced at the academy in Groton, and completed under the instruction of Jacob Caldwell, who was principal of the academy at Stow. He graduated at Amherst in 1834, and afterward attended two courses of lectures at the medical college connected with Harvard University, and one course at the medical institute in Pittsfield, from which he received a diploma in 1841. The same year he was admitted a member of the Massachusetts Medical Society in Boston.
He commenced the practice of his profession in his native town, but in 1849 went to California, then a new territory, and resided for two years in San Francisco, de- voting himself, in that place, to the interests of his calling. He then returned to Shirley, where he has since remained, living on the estate which he inherited from his father. He never has been anxious to let his profession claim his whole thought and attention, yet in the discharge of its duties he has proved himself well-read, careful and skilful.
His public services have been sought by his fellow townsmen, and he has been called to fill stations of re- sponsibility and trust. In 1846, and in 1847, he was chair- man of the selectmen, and for several years he was a member and chairman of the school committee ; and some of the most able reports of that body are the products of his pen. He had a faculty for ingenious investigation and the ability to communicate his thoughts intelligibly, two very important qualifications for a public official. Having entered upon the declining years of his life, his time is divided between the practice of his profession and the rural occupations of agriculture and horticulture, to which he is led both by taste and inclination.
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JOHN DWIGHT was the next to receive the honors of a college education. He was a son of Francis and Maria (Blanchard) Dwight, and a nephew of Dr. John Dwight, whose name has before appeared on these pages. His father and mother both died when he was quite young, and he fell under the uncertain care of strangers. A guardian had been appointed for him by his father, while on his death-bed; but this guardian exercised but little control over the moral instruction of his ward, and he passed along without the aid of what is so essential in the establishment of character on a proper basis. Notwith- standing these obstacles in the way of a correct early training, young Dwight grew up an orderly and indus- trious boy, and secured a reputation that met a general approval.
Being of a studious habit, he early resolved to avail himself of the benefits of a collegiate course of instruc- tion, that he might be ready, at a proper time, to enter upon the duties of some learned profession.
He was prepared for the university at the academy in Woburn, and was graduated at Amherst in 1835.
He studied divinity with that distinguished scholar and preacher-Rev. Jacob Ide, D. D., of West Medway -and received a license to preach from the Mendon Asso- ciation in the January of 1837.
His first settlement was in North Bridgewater, (now the city of Brockton,) where he received ordination April 12, 1837. He was thus, in early life, placed in the spiritual oversight of a large parish, with all the pastoral duties of his profession to learn, and required to make weekly preparation for the pulpit instruction of a people not easily satisfied with commonplace performances. He therefore soon found himself unequal to the task thus im- posed upon him, and, after an effort of from two to three years, asked and obtained a dismission from his charge.
His second settlement was in South Plymouth, in 1841. Here his labors were crowned with a most gratify- ing success. There was such a general awakening among
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his people that not a single household failed to partake, more or less, of spiritual interest and improvement ; in some instances whole families were brought to rejoice in "the Savior's redeeming love." But, in the midst of this happy experience, his health became so impaired that he was obliged to suspend his public labors, and, at the close of the fifth year of his engagement, to dissolve his con- nection with the parish and retire to private life.
He removed to West Medway, and passed the next five years in endeavoring to recuperate his exhausted and diseased physical constitution. Happily he secured this object, and found himself able to resume the duties of his profession. He accordingly settled, in 1851, for the third time. It was in North Wrentham that he was now called to minister. His labors here were prolonged for five more years, with varied success, when he was dismissed at his own request, soon to bid adieu to all the public duties of his calling. He had an ardent working mind, but that mind dwelt in a frail body that sunk under the burden im- posed upon it. Mr. Dwight remained a few years in North Wrentham, after he had left the ministry, and then removed to Cambridge, where he died of paralysis of the brain, Feb. 5, 1868.
He was buried in West Medway,-where he studied his profession, where he married his wife, and connected with which place were some of the most cheering remem- brances of his life. His widow, with her youngest son, reside in Newton. (1876.)
THOMAS EDWIN WHITNEY was the next Shirley boy that presented his claims for the honors of a college course of instruction. He was the son of Thomas Whitney, Jr., and the great-grandson of Rev. Phinehas Whitney, the first minister of Shirley. He was born in the old parson- age where his reverend ancestor had lived for over fifty years, and which, for a long time, was the largest, best finished, and most genteel mansion within the town,-but which is now removed. Thomas Edwin was an only
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child of doting parents, who sought, first of all, by a union of moral, mental and physical training, to lay a firm foundation of character in the child-life of their son. In this effort they were eminently successful. He grew up a healthy, modest and intelligent boy, and won the approving attention of all by whom he was known. He had a pre- cocious mind, and often demanded instruction beyond what the ordinary instructors of the common-schools could im- part. Yet he took no advantage of the position in which his quickness of intellect often placed him; but, with a modest diffidence of his ability, so commended himself to the esteem of his teachers as to gain their united respect and admiration. In all his social relations, during his childhood, he was regarded a model boy; and as he ad- vanced in life was looked upon as a man of promise.
At a proper age he was sent to a Quaker school in Bolton, but completed his preparation for college in the Groton Academy. He was entered at Cambridge in 1841, and graduated in 1845. While in college he taught one term of a winter school, in his native town, and after his graduation was engaged in the charge of a select school, which he conducted with singular skill and success. By his mild manners and happy address he endeared himself to his pupils, and the proficiency which they made under his supervision showed that teaching was the profession in which he was made to excel.
It was, therefore, an evil hour when he was induced to leave the work of his choice, for the discharge of which he had been so richly prepared,-a work which accorded with his tact and taste, in which he had proved his excellence, and through which, in all probability, he might have secured usefulness and honor,-for occupa- tions with which he was not acquainted, towards which he was naturally disinclined, and for the performance of which he had no preparation or ability, and the pursuit of which must result in poverty and a mortifying defeat of all his life hopes. For none of the business relations into which he was subsequently introduced was he in anywise
Autoglyph Print, W. P. ALLEN, Gardner, Mass.
RUFUS LONGLEY, M. D.
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qualified ; hence, failure followed every undertaking. His inherited property wasted away, until the hard-earned estates of four generations were sunken, past redemption, under the withering touch of his unpractised hands. His credit, which on account of his standing and relationship was dangerously large, (and through which several friends sustained serious losses,) eventually departed ; and he gradually sunk, body and mind, under the burden of mis- fortune and dejection, from which he received no reprieve until death, the great subjugator of earthly woes, came to his relief. He died at the old Whitney estate, the last male member of that branch of the family. His remains were deposited beside the graves of his father and mother. The entire family rest together in the place of the dead.
JOHN MARSHALL EDGARTON was the next graduate in the order of time. He was a son of Joseph Edgarton, Esq., and a younger brother of the distinguished Sarah C. Edgarton, afterwards Mrs. Mayo. He was a young man of much personal activity, of great energy and decision of character. He graduated at Harvard University in the class of 1847, and upon leaving college resolved to devote himself to literary pursuits. He accordingly established a magazine, which he intended to issue monthly, and to sus- tain which he had secured help from some of the most able contributors in the Commonwealth; but as the first number was on the eve of publication he was attacked by disease, which soon proved fatal. And thus his fond hopes, with those cherished by his friends, were suddenly disappointed.
The name of RUFUS LONGLEY ought not to be wholly omitted in these notices, for, though he did not remain to graduate, he was for a season a member of Harvard Uni- versity. He was a son of Joshua Longley, Esq., and was prepared for college at the academy in Groton. After leaving Cambridge he commenced the study of medicine in the office of Dr. Prescott, of Groton, and received his medical degree from Dartmouth College. In 1812 he
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opened an office for the practice of medicine and surgery in Haverhill, which proved to him a life settlement, as he remained there until his death.
A notice of him appeared in a medical journal, a quo- tation from which is here inserted : "Nature had bestowed her favors upon him with a liberal hand. She had given him a large and well-developed physical frame, a fine form and commanding appearance. He was also endowed 'with high mental qualities, quick perception, retentive memory, an ardent love of truth, and every social quality. He did not neglect his talents. By observation, study and experience, he cultivated his intellectual powers, and ac- quired a fund of knowledge and strength of judgment which fitted him for that high position which he attained as a citizen and physician."
He took elevated rank in his profession and his death was considered an irreparable loss by those families whose medical counsellor he had been for almost half a century. There is a singular coincidence in his history,-his first patient was also his last. His last professional visit occurred but a few days before his own death.
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