USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Sutton > History of the town of Sutton, Massachusetts, from 1704 to 1876, including Grafton until 1735, Millbury until 1813 and parts of Northbridge, Upton and Auburn > Part 20
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and died at this place March 2, 1828. He married Hannah Dudley. Their three sons, John, Nathan and Simeon were born here. He built a house on the south side of the road, nearly opposite the barn as it now stands. He was a car- penter, and built him a shop just east of his house, which was afterward enlarged and made into a dwelling house for his son, Captain Simeon Woodbury, born Feb. 17, 1777; died at the Freeland house, June 2, 1838. He married Sally Chase, born June 9, 1780 ; died Dec. 1, 1831. They had two sons and three daughters born here. One daughter married Jonathan Howard, one married and went west, one married C. A. Tourtellott, and now lives in Millbury. Captain Simeon Woodbury was for several years deputy sheriff and constable, and was quite a prominent man in town. He and his brother John were pump-makers. They used, also, to bore logs for aqueducts, which in their day were much used. Nathan Woodbury was a school teacher and trader. He married a Prince and went to Maine, where she committed suicide. After her death they found that she had prepared a mourning suit for each of her children. The place remained in possession of his children and grand- children until 1835, when it was conveyed from Palmer Marble and Tyler Putnam with their wives, grand-children of Captain Jonathan Woodbury, to Colonel Zadok Wood- bury, who took down or removed the old houses and built the house now standing. Colonel Zadok Woodbury, son of Lot, son of Deacon Benjamin, was a carriage maker by trade and a good workman. He was a man of great indus- try, and much improved this farm. He had no children, so he willed his property to his niece and adopted daughter, Miss Frances Jane Woodbury, daughter of Luther, son of Lot, etc. She married Foster Freeland and had one daugh- ter, born here. Mr. Freeland and daughter, the present owners, now occupy the place. It is one of the best farms in town, and they keep it well stocked. Captain Woodbury had a cider-mill on the place; it stood west of the barn, now stands east of the house. Colonel Woodbury held many offices in town. See Part VI. He learned his trade, it is said, of Major Tenney, and lived and worked at it
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many years in Charlton. The present owners have already been noticed. Captain Jonathan Woodbury was spoken of as a very worthy man and special friend of Rev. Edmund Mills, who boarded with him when he first came into town.
On this farm, down the lane that runs north from the road, stood a house, first owned by Peter Marsh, son of Benjamin Marsh. It was conveyed by him to Benjamin Hovey, and by him to Silas Merriam, who sold to Colonel Woodbury ; it was quite a little farm, and now forms part
RESIDENCE OF FOSTER FREELAND.
of the Woodbury-Freeland farm. Mr. Merriam had three wives and two very worthy sons. His last wife was daugh- ter of Colonel Watson of Leicester. He died at Leicester. Mr. Merriam was one of the best of Christian men.
It is supposed that the next house was first owned by a Mr. Blanchard, who, it is said, married a Miss Carriel, who served his mother as nurse at the time of his birth; but
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being so much older than he, he finally left her and. went to Vermont. He sold the place to Mr. John Cole, who kept store in a part of the house for several years. He gave this place by will to the south parish in Sutton, the income of which was to be expended for educational purposes. That noble act speaks volumes in his praise. This history shall perpetuate the name of this worthy benefactor. The place was sold by leave of court, at public auction, about 1845, to Paris Tourtellott, who conveyed it by lease for ninety-nine years to Daniel T. Stockwell, the present owner and occu- pant, who built the house and barn on the place. He is son of Simeon, son of Nathaniel, son of Captain John. His mother, too, was a Stockwell, and he married her niece, also a Stockwell. They have had three daughters.
The place now owned by the Cole heirs was owned by Mr. Timothy Holton, who, it is presumed, built the upright part of the present house. The ell part was built by Ben- jamin Woodbury and occupied by him, and now by his family. Mr. Holton sold the place to Ezekiel Cole, who was succeeded by his son David, and he by his heirs, the present owners. His son, Hon. Sumner Cole, was born and died at this place. He was a man much respected, and hon- ored with many and important offices, as our records will show. He kept store near the Whiting tavern for several years. He was afterward engaged in the Boston custom house, then again in trade at East Douglas with William Crossman ; they did a very extensive business. He finally retired on the old homestead, and carried on this farm in company with his brother-in-law Benjamin Woodbury. Mr. Ezekiel Cole had a store which stood between the house and the main road, in which. he traded for several years. He also had an ashery where he manufactured potash. It stood in the southeast corner of the lot east of the house. David Cole married a daughter of Abner Sibley, and had one son (already mentioned) and three daughters : Mrs. Eddy, Mrs. Woodbury and Miss Charlotte Cole. Mrs. Woodbury had four daughters, three of whom are still living. For particu- lars of the Woodbury family see genealogy.
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On the south part of this farm there was a private burial- place, where it is said the Holton family were buried. The graves were near where F. H. Marble's house now stands. Mr. David Cole established a private grave-yard on the east part of his farm, on the stones in which may be found the names of Cole, Woodbury, Walker, etc.
RESIDENCE OF THE HEIRS OF DAVID COLE.
The house now owned by F. H. Marble, son of Simon L., son of Andrew, son of Malachi, son of Freegrace, son of Samuel, was originally a part of the house now owned and occupied by M. M. Hovey. It was moved and fitted up by Simon L. Marble. It has since been enlarged and improved by the present owner; he has also much improved
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the land. Still farther south on this farm stood a house owned by one Buxton; the bridge near it was known as Buxton's bridge. The Marbles have both had large families, as the genealogy will show. The sons were both shoe- makers. Simon L. made very fine custom work.
The next place on the great road was owned by John Whipple, who, it is presumed, built the upright part of the house ; he was succeeded by his son John, who conveyed it to Rev. Edmund Mills about the year 1803. He occupied it something like fifteen years ; his son Henry was born here. It was next owned by Hon. Jonas Sibley, then by his son Jonas L. Sibley, Esq., and now by Hon. John D. McCrate. The ell was built was built by the Sibleys, and used at one time as an office by Jonas L. John Whipple, jr., was edu- cated at Leicester academy. He married Anna Hall, daugh- . ter of Deacon Willis Hall, and went to Charlton, where he died July 3, 1843, aged eighty-one. He left a large estate. Jonas Sibley was a man of prominence and influence. He represented his native town for nineteen years in the state legislature, and was also a state senator. He also repre- sented the Worcester congressional district in Congress. He was a man of gentlemanly deportment, candid, unassum- ing, and faithful to every trust. He married Lydia Rice, and had three children, Susanna, Jonas Leonard and John Jay. Susanna married Daniel Hovey and had Jonas Augus- tus Hovey.
Jonas Leonard graduated at Brown University, class of 1814, studied law with the Hon. Levi Lincoln, and was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in 1817.
He also represented his native town for several years in the state legislature. His reputation reached President Jackson, by whom he was highly esteemed and appointed United States marshal for the port of Boston. He married Margaret N. Monroe, daughter of Dr. Stephen Monroe, and had eight children, only four of whom survive. Susan, the eldest daughter, married Hon. John D. McCrate, the present owner of the place. He studied law with Judge Bailey of Wiscasset, Maine, Joseph E. Smith, Esq., of Boston, and Hon. Peleg Sprague of Hallowell, Maine. He .
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was admitted to the bar and commenced practice at Noble- boro', Me. He represented that town for five successive years in the state legislature, was appointed commissioner of insolvency for the State of Maine in 1829 or 1830; collec- tor of the district of Wiscasset in 1836 by President Jack- son, and elected to Congress from the Lincoln and Oxford district in 1844. He is a man of rare strength of mind and memory ; entered college at thirteen, graduated at seven- teen, and began the practice of his profession at twenty years of age.
The second daughter, Joanna Le Baron, married Rev. John Pierpont, jr., and died in Medford, March 30, 1852.
John Monroe, the eldest son, married Experience C. Wheelock of Warwick, Mass. They have one son, John Pierpont Sibley. John M. graduated at Yale College and is now superintendent of schools for the State of California.
Henry Jonas was for a time a broker in Chicago ; is now engaged in a mining interest in California.
Frances Mary married James W. Stockwell, Esq.
In his profession Jonas L. Sibley had to a large extent the confidence of the community, and his practice was that of a true lawyer-the settlement of difficulties between the two parties instead of carrying them before the courts, yet his practice at the bar was extensive, having for a single term of court eighty cases on the docket.
He was a man of fine presence, and pre-eminently a public- spirited man, and every enterprise having for its object the welfare of the citizens, or the beauty of the town, received his ready support and active co-operation. His kindness of heart is illustrated by the following incident :
While he was United States marshal, a merchant vessel running into the port of Salem had on board a negro boy, supposed to be held as a slave by the captain. This boy was brought before Judge Davis, judge for the district of Massachusetts, on a writ of habeas corpus. No one claiming him, Marshall Sibley, moved by his demonstrations of affection, was induced to take him under his care. He brought him to Sutton and placed him in school. He could not speak the English language at all, but learned rapidly. He ever retained his affection for the man who had befriended him and was a faithful servant, seeming to strive to the utmost to repay the kindness he had received. After the death of Mr. Sibley he became the coachman of one of his friends in Boston.
.
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TOWN OF SUTTON.
John Jay, youngest son of Jonas, graduated at Brown University, class of 1814 ; he died March 10, 1815.
Jonas L. died February 1, 1852.
The next house was moved upon its present site and made into a dwelling by Lewis W. Howard, who occupied it several years ; then rented it to several different families. It is now owned by Stephen H. Stockwell and occupied by his hired man, Mr. John Baker, who has also been employed by Mr. MeCrate.
The place directly opposite was owned by Samuel Dwight, who came from Dedham in 1730 and settled here. Nathaniel Carriel married his daughter, Jane Dwight, and to him the place was conveyed. He was succeeded by his son Timothy, whose heirs sold to Mr. Stephen Cummings, who married Betty Carriel, daughter of Timothy; he conveyed the property to L. W. Howard, who sold to Abner B. Lane, the present proprietor. The house on the place was built by Nathaniel Carriel. Since then an addition, now belonging to L. C. Howard, has been built on by Jonathan Howard, who had a wheelwright shop here, where he made wheels, did repairing, etc., for several years. He was a very worthy man and had a large and respectable family, as the genealogy shows.
Mr. Cummings was the first " teetotaler" in town; he could never drink any kind of intoxicating drink, yet his full temperament and florid complexion led strangers to think that he might indulge.
There was a blacksmith shop on this place for several years, occupied by James Inman, F. F. Sibley, M. A. New- ton and others. It is now the barn of James Deviny.
The next house on the same side of the street was owned by Major Joseph Elliot, who married Anna Dwight, daughter of Samuel Dwight. It has since been owned by Rev. Edmund Mills, Abel Cole, Dr. Stephen Monroe, Jonas L. Sibley, Mrs. John M. Sibley and L. W. Howard, the present owner. Major Elliot kept tavern in this house for several years. The majestic elms standing in front were set out by him. I think most of the children of the Rev. Mr. Mills were born here. The house has since been occupied by
34
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HOMES OF THE
many different families. Silas Carlton, son of Benjamin and ยท father of Silas G. Carlton, the father of Mrs. Charles H. Barton, once lived in this house several years. He died suddenly by sunstroke while on fatigue duty in haytime.
The house now occupied by George E. Hastings was built about 1844 by William E. Cole. It has since been owned
EMERSON-SO
RESIDENCE OF STEPHEN H. STOCKWELL.
by William C. Chase and Horace Leland, and now belongs to Stephen H. Stockwell, son of Simeon, son of Israel, son of Abraham, son of William, and brother of Capt. John. Mr. Cole is a carpenter and has been noticed elsewhere. Mr. Hastings has been much in office, as our list of officers shows. He married Lucy Morse, daughter of Deacon Sylvester, son of Dr. Nathaniel.
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TOWN OF SUTTON.
Just east of the above, there once stood an old red house with a long back roof and back basement. It was owned by Mr. Daniel Tenney, then by Daniel Hovey, then by his brother, Benjamin Hovey, then by widow Sally Marble, then her heirs ; now the site is owned by S. H. Stockwell, who took down the old house.
Polly Harback, sister to Mrs. Marble, owned a part of the house with her. Daniel Tenney, who died here October 23, 1812, aged ninety-one, and his wife April 14, 1803, aged eighty-five, had but one son, Simon, who had but one child, the late Daniel Tenney, Esq. One of .Daniel Tenney's daughters married a Hovey, and was the mother of Daniel, Benjamin, William, etc. One married Samuel Blanchard, and was the mother of the great inventor, Thomas Blanchard, and the late Stephen Blanchard of West Millbury, one of the best of men. One married Azor Phelps, a man of some note.
Jonas Augustus Hovey, son of Daniel and Susanna, was born in this house in September 1809.
He was a fine looking man, and one of the most enterprising and successful of our manufacturers. He married a Miss Waters, and lived in Millbury several years, then went to Ballston, New York, where he owned several factories, and built a mansion costing, it is said, when finished and furnished, one hundred thousand dollars. After which he had an unfortunate litigation concerning some of his titles, then the pressure of the times fell heavily upon him, somewhat reducing his wealth. But his perseverance was truly wonder- ful. His business took him frequently to New York and other cities, so he attended to his business in such places in the day time, taking his chief rest in sleeping cars by night, until he became insane from over exertion and want of sleep, and finally died in an asylum where he had been under treatment for a few weeks.
Sally Marble was widow of Andrew, son of Malachi, son of Freegrace, son of Samuel. They had four sons and three daughters, Simon L., Capt. Royal T., John and Simeon Russell ; the daughters were Sally, Polly and Hannah ; the two latter were drowned, with Adeline M. Lombard and Nancy Tenney, by the upsetting of a boat in Singletary pond, May 29, 1822. They were all very fine young ladies, and much lamented.
Moses L. Morse once lived in this house. His son, Rev. Charles Willard Morse, was born here. He is one of the
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HOMES OF THE
purest of men. His mother was Huldah Sibley, daughter of Reuben and sister of Judge Solomon, making him cousin to Gov. H. H. Sibley, late of Minnesota.
C. Willard Morse is a very effective preacher. He came liere on a visit after he had been gone several years, and preached on the sabbath. As he rose in the pulpit he said: "This is a sacred place to me. I love old Sutton, for it is the place of my birth ; my father was also born here, and it was here that I found my Saviour, and here my father also learned to love the Saviour. I remember the dear ones who assisted us while under conviction; who prayed for us, but they are not here now. I miss many familiar faces of those days, who have gone to their reward. I love old Sutton! I love her hills and her valleys! I love her green fields! I love her very rocks! I love her inhabi- tants, too! But I love Jesus more than them all, for he died that I might live, and I owe him a debt of gratitude greater than I can conceive. He died for you, too, my friends. Let us pray." As he prayed, his grateful heart welled up and run over, until the hardest heart in church was touched with sympathy. Mr. Morse preached in the forenoon, afternoon, and at five o'clock. The five o'clock meeting was the largest of the three. The week before there were thirteen out at the five o'clock service. Why did they come now? They came to see and hear the man that loved Jesus, and it did them good. They caught the spirit. When an honest, God-loving Christian preacher utters the sincere feelings of a grateful heart, he reaches the hearts of his hearers. A magnet lifts a piece of iron, while another piece of iron of the same shape has no effect upon it. Rub the magnet upon the other dead iron, and it becomes a magnet too, while itself is not weaker for having imparted its power. So the Christ-like spirit may be imparted to sinners by the true magnetizing power. But the shape of the iron does not make the magnet, nor does profession make the Christian. The man himself must be brought into contact with the life- must have the inward experience - then will he impart the power he has received, and by the attraction of a life molded after a heavenly standard lead others into the better way.
Directly east of the above, L. C. Howard built a shoe shop where he carried on the shoe business for several years. He sold the shop to John C. Woodbury, who moved it, and converted it into a dwelling, where Mrs. Rich now lives. After the shop was moved, Mr. S. J. Woodbury built a two- story tenement house on the same site. It was occupied by four families. George B. Nason lived there when it was burned, the first Monday in November 1859. The house already mentioned in district number two as " tintop," was afterward erected on this spot.
A little farther east, Capt. James T. Elliot built a large barn, intending to keep tavern; but the railroad taking the travel, he gave it up, and Mr. S. J. Woodbury bought the farm, and converted the barn into a large boot and shoe
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manufactory, where he did an extensive business. He let this shop to Twiss and Miller, who kept the business until the fire, when house and shop were both burned, as above mentioned. The house now standing on this place was built, it is presumed, by Rev. David Hall, D. D., for one of his sons. It has since been owned by Dr. Stephen Monroe, Dr. David March, Capt. James T. Elliot, Samuel Taylor, and the Stockwells, who are the present owners. John Sherman once kept tavern in this house.
Dr. Stephen Monroe, born in Bristol, R. I., 1758, died very suddenly in the house where Mr. Bond now lives, Sept. 10, 1826. He married Susanna Le Baron, daughter of Lazarus and Susanna. Mrs. Le Baron was the daughter of Andrew and Susan Johannot, son of Daniel and Susan.
Daniel Johannot was born in France about 1668, and was one of the first party of thirty families that arrived in Boston in the year 1686, in company with his uncle, Andrew Sigourney. He went with him to Oxford, Mass., remained there until that settlement was broken up by the incursion of the Indians, August 25, 1696, and the massacre of John Johnson and his three children. Mrs. Johnson was the daughter of Andrew Sigourney and was rescued by Mr. Johannot, to whom she was subsequently married and had six children. He lived and died in Boston; he was a distiller and was engaged in mercantile and other affairs.
The following advertisement was in the Boston News Letter of that day :
" A likely Negro Man 20 years of age fit for service in Town or Country for sale. Inquire of Daniel Johannot, Marlboro st.
May 26, 1756."
The Rev. Mr. Prince of the old South church advertised a likely Negro woman to be sold. Her age was twenty and the advertisement was in the same paper.
Dr. Monroe was a successful practitioner and a very worthy man; he had four daughters and one son. One daughter married Jonas L. Sibley ; their first daughter was born in this house. One married Jacob March ; one married Dr. David March ; one married first, Charles White, Esq., and second, Edward Clark, Esq. The son married first, Louisa Barber of Medway, Mass., second, Miriam Clarke. Probably all of Dr. Monroe's children were born in this house.
Dr. David March died in this house in 1829, aged forty- four. Since then the house has been used as a tenement
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house by many different families, too numerons for personal mention. Mrs. Catharine Laphlo Malhoit died here Dec. 30, 1867, aged 100 years, seven months, fourteen days.
The house known as the Wheelock house was owned by Gardner Waters, the same noticed in the " Annals " as giving the steeple elock to the first Congregational society. He was succeeded by Major Josiah Wheelock, who married his widow.
Major Wheelock was a clock and watchmaker and jeweller. He had several apprentices, among them Capt. Josiah Hall, Simeon Marble, Clark Sibley, Moses L. Morse, Brigham Smith and others. He invented a watch known as the Wheelock watch. It was a great improvement on the old verge watch, and was but slightly improved by the introduction of the "Patent Lever." It was really the best watch of his time. He also made superior clocks. He gave an organ to the church, which was played for several years by one of his apprentices, Brigham Smith, son of Capt. Thomas. Major Wheelock owned a factory in Fitchburg. He had no children.
After he and his wife were both dead, Aaron Small sold some part of the farm to Gibbs Lilley, who conveyed it to Abijah H. Pierce of Boston, brother of Hon. Samuel Hoar. It was next owned by Mr. John W. Whipple, who sold to Mrs. David Thurston; it now belongs to George Moore. After the death of the Wheelocks the place was occupied by several different families. It is said that Mr. Le Baron once lived here and that his daughter Hannah was born here January 22, 1776. Samuel Metcalf has lived here several years. Prentice Billings lived there a number of years. He was a printer, and set the type for the Bible three times with his own hands, and read the proof. He was quite a gentle- man when sober, but would occasionally imbibe too freely. Sometimes he would be steady for a year, then drink to excess, and waste himself in ill-timed wit and bacchanalian humor.
The next house, once a shop, then a store, was fitted up as a tenement about 1843 and first occupied by J. C. Woodbury and Asahel Newton. It has since been occupied by too many tenants to admit of enumeration. It is now owned by George Moore as a part of the Wheelock place.
Between this and the next house William C. Chase built a large shoe shop, where he manufactured shoes for several
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TOWN OF SUTTON.
years. He had for a partner at one time F. F. Sibley. It was also occupied at one time by Joseph L. Hall, who did quite an extensive business.
The shop was finally divided and moved to Millbury, where it was made into two fine dwellings. A part of it is now owned and occupied by Osgood H. Waters, and the other by R. C. Thayer.
The next house was built by Gibbs Lilley of the choicest of lumber brought from Maine. Mr. Lilley was engaged in trade, first with Mr. Chase on the corner, afterward alone in the same place until his store was burned. Then he started a new store near this house and commenced manufacturing ready-made clothing, employing William Mecorney, now of Worcester, to do the cutting. He sold the house to Mrs. Sarah B. Chase and went to Michigan City, Indiana. Mr. Lilley was a very active and generally successful business man. Mrs. S. B. Chase, widow of Nehemiah, daughter of Deacon William Bond and only sister of Rev. Alvan Bond, D. D., lived here several years, until the place was sold at auction to Harrison Bliss of Worcester. It was next con- veyed to Mr. Henry C. Batcheller, the present owner. Mrs. Chase is a very worthy woman and was left quite wealthy by her husband. Mr. Batcheller is a boot and shoe manu- facturer, and doing business with Mr. A. Newton in Fram- ingham. He married Miss Theresa Little, daughter of Capt. Luther Little ; they have two children.
The next house was originally owned by Gideon Walker, and conveyed by him to Darius Russell, and has since been owned by Foster Freeland, Dr. William Terry, Mrs. Lin- coln, a niece of Mrs. Russell, and now by Mrs. Miranda Sibley, widow of Captain Nathaniel, son of Renben, son of Jonathan, son of Joseph, son of Joseph, son of John. . Mr. Walker and Mr. Russell were both blacksmiths, and had a shop just east of the house. Mr. Russell was one of the best workmen in the state, and made some surgical instruments and fine cutlery. His wife was a Fetcham and a very superior woman. They had no children, and left a large estate to their relatives. Mr. Russell was a man of ability, and held many offices, as our list will show. Hc had
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