USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Townsend > History of the town of Townsend, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, from the grant of Hathorn's farm, 1676-1878 > Part 15
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Meeting with no resistance in stopping the court at Concord, their deportment was insolent and offensive. in the extreme, towards the judges, the members of the bar. and every one not disposed to be in sympathy with them. The court being about to be holden, at Cambridge, the Governor ordered the militia to be in readiness to march to that place. At this time says a historian, "An influential character in Middlesex undertook to make an agreement
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HISTORY OF TOWNSEND.
with the leaders of that county, that no forces should appear on either side, and wrote a letter to the governor on this subject, to their satisfaction. Shattuck broke this agreement and arranged for a larger number of men to be collected from Bristol and Worcester counties."
" Pursuant to this new scheme (the same historian) a small party of Middlesex insurgents, headed by Oliver Parker (Job Shattuck, their former Captain, coming in a secret manner in order to avoid the appearance of breaking his agreement) marched into the town of Concord. Upon their arrival, Shattuck proceeded in the night to Weston, to get intelligence of the Worcester forces, but though they had begun their march, they did not appear, and from this want of co-operation the whole plan fell through."
At this juncture, when an effort to stop the court, located so near the capital of the state, was nearly a success, without any further parley, or chance for the insurgents to rally their scattered forces, "warrants were issued for apprehending the head men of the insurgents, in Middlesex, and for imprisoning them without bail or mainprise." A company of horse was ordered from Boston to assist the Sheriff in the capture of Shattuck and his officers, which, on its arrival at Concord, was re- enforced by a party of mounted men from Groton, under Col. Henry Woods. This force succeeded in capturing two prisoners, Oliver Parker and Benjamin Page. but failed to find Shattuck during the day, as he had taken alarm and escaped. "Under this disappointment, at mid- night, in the midst of a violent snow-storm, the whole party were ordered on to Shattuck's house, in Groton, where they did not arrive till late in the morning. A
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THE SHAYS REBELLION.
search was immediately commenced, and judicious pur- suit discovered him to a party of a few persons led by Col. Woods himself. Shattuck obstinately resisted and was not taken till he had received several wounds, which he returned without much injury."*
The following list of the Townsend insurgents has been preserved among the papers on file with the town records. It is worthy of notice that about one-fourth of the persons in this list were young men in their minority. Fourteen of them had the suffix of Jr. to their names. Abraham Butterfield, the son of Peter, was less than seventeen years of age, and some of them less than sixteen years old. Many of these persons were the best men of the town, misguided though they were :-
Peter Butterfield.
Nathan Conant, Jr.
Asa Heald.
Isaac Wallis. Jr.
Samuel Stevens.
Reuben Gaschett.
Jonas Warren.
Benjamin Dix.
Jacob Bachelder.
William Stevens, Jr.
Benja. Spaulding, Jr.
David Wallace.
Andrew Searle, Jr.
James Ball.
Daniel Clark.
Asa Whitney.
Simeon Richardson.
Isaac Wallis.
John Emery.
Joseph Baldwin, Jr.
Ephm. Lambson.
Phinehas Baldwin.
Jonathan Pierce.
David Spafford, 3d.
Asa Stevens.
Solomon Parce.
Isaac Lewis.
John Conant.
Andrew Searls.
Benja. Wood.
Jedediah Jewett.
Nathan Carlton.
Elijah Dodge.
Samuel Searles.
Jesse Baldwin.
David Spafford.
Nathaniel Bailey, Jr.
Eben'r Ball, Jr.
*It is said that Shattuck was taken on the ice in the Nashna River, near the New Hampshire line.
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HISTORY OF TOWNSEND.
Zackery Hildreth.
Aaron Proctor.
Phillip Warren. Isaac Green. v Isaac Giles. v
Solomon Sherwin. v
Azariah P. Sherwin. /
Charles Richards. ‹
Peter Adams. V
Jesse Maynard. v
Nath'l Bowers. v
Joseph Rumrill. V
Jonathan Sanderson. V
Thomas Sever. V
Josiah Burge, Jr. V
John Campbell, Jr. Jonas Campbell. /
Moses Burge. v
Abijah Monroe. V
John Colburn./
Abel Keys. .
John Graham ?! Benja. Brooks, Jr. v
Elnathan Spalding.
Josiah Richardson.
Thad's Spaulding. Abijah Hildreth.
Levi Whitney.
Benja. Wallace.
Abel Green.
Moses Warren.
Isaac Spalding.
Isaac Farrar, Jr.
William Wallace.
Stephen Warren.
John Giles.
Jonas Ball.
Aaron Scott.
About thirty of the young men, whose names appear in the above list, marched to Concord under Lieut. Peter Butterfield, and were present at the time the court was stopped.
A strict search, in and around Townsend, was made for Butterfield, by the posse-comitatus under Colonel Woods when Shattuck was taken, but he eluded his pur- suers. During a part of this winter, he secreted himself in a cabin masked with evergreens, on the hill northwest- erly from his house, in plain sight of the same, where he was apprised of approaching danger by signals from his
Abraham Ball. James Sloan. Richard Warner.
John Waugh, Jr.
Joel Davis. / Jeremiah Ball.y
Josiah Rice. Abraham Butterfield. V
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THE SHAYS REBELLION.
wife. At length his retreat was discovered, and his pursuers followed his track on the snow till nearly night. when, getting into a secluded place in a thicket, in the dusk of the evening, they lost sight of his track and abandoned further pursuit. After he was satisfied that his enemies had departed, he took a direct course for the house of one of his friends, who immediately took him over the line into New Hampshire. His exertions to escape flooded him with perspiration, so that waiting, in a frosty atmos- phere, to be sure that the officers had gone, he took a violent cold, which induced rheumatism. from which he suffered more or less during the remainder of his life. He never was arrested by the officers, and there is no certifi- cate from any magistrate, showing that he took the oath of allegiance, to be found, although the same file of papers in which these names were found, contains the certificates of different magistrates, before whom sixty of these men took that oath. He was a man of excellent moral charac- ter, very industrious, and had many friends.
The leading spirit of this insurrection, in Massachu- setts, was Luke Day, of Springfield. He had been a captain in the revolution. and was a popular bar room orator in that town.
Daniel Shays, from whom the outbreak takes its name, was born in Hopkinton, 1747. After his rebellion was crushed he fled to Vermont, and afterwards moved to Sparta, New York, where he died September 29, 1825. He was a pensioner of the United States, having been a captain in the revolution.
Perhaps there never was so much smoke and so little fire, or so small a show of talent or brains in any insurrec- tion as in the Shays Rebellion. The insurgents appeared
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HISTORY OF TOWNSEND.
to dread a collision with the troops, during the whole time they were in arms against the government. All the losses in this rebellion were-three killed, and one hundred and fifty taken prisoners-all Shays men.
At the next session of the General Court (1787), an alteration of certain laws was effected, which made every- thing satisfactory to the entire voting population of the Commonwealth.
CHAPTER IX.
EDUCATIONAL HISTORY.
Early Action of the Town to Preserve the .. Candlewood "-Home Instruction in the Log-Cabins-First Record of Any Effort to Establish a Public School-First School-House-Account of Several of the School-Houses-Division of the Town into "Nine Squadrons" in 1783-First School Committee in 1796-West Townsend Female Seminary -- Townsend Academy-General In- terest in Education-Names of Some Prominent Teachers- Sketch of Hon. Seth Davis.
The settlers of this town, in common with the citizens of all the towns in this Commonwealth, displayed much sagacity in all matters concerning their future welfare. As early as 1734, the proprietors' records contained the following :-
"Voted that Jasher Wyman, Lieut. Daniel Taylor and Nathaniel Richardson be a comtee to take effectual care that there be no Strip or Waste made of Timber-or Tim- ber cutt-or Pines boxed, or Candlewood picked up for tarr, upon ye undivided Land ; and to sue and Prosecute any persons whom they shall find Guilty of said offences. Also to prosecute any persons who have been Guilty thereof, or take satisfaction therefor for ye use of ye pro- prietors."
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HISTORY OF TOWNSEND.
In connection with these precautionary measures, one interesting fact may be learned from this extract, and that is, the importance that was attached to the value of the "candlewood," or resinous pitch-pine, scattered on the un- divided land.
Families, at that time, were generally quite large, and almost every one of them constituted a school by itself. Around the capacious fireplaces, common in those days, sat the sons and daughters, in order, according to their age and advancement, while the father or mother acted as teacher. Their cabin walls, and the shining faces of youth and beauty within, were illumined through the long winter evenings by the pine knot light ; and no one can say that this training, in their rude domicils, was not sufficient to furnish the town with amiable women and honorable men. Every opportunity for intellectual improvement, within their limited means, was then turned to their advantage, and a complete exemplification of the maxim "where there is a will there is a way" has come down to us in their example.
The first record of any effort for a public school was in 1744, when the town "Voted to raise twenty pounds old tenor for the support of a school, and chose two men as a committee to provide a school-master : John Conant chosen first, Josiah Robbins second." The record further states where the school should be kept at different dwelling- houses, in different parts of the town ; the north school at the house of Benjamin Brooks, the school at the middle of the town at Joseph Baldwin's and the south school at Dan- iel Taylor's. One man, without doubt, taught the school at these three places. There is no record to show the name of the first teacher in Townsend.
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EDUCATIONAL HISTORY.
From 1745 to 1750, the town raised twenty pounds, old tenor, for the support of schools, which were kept at several different places. In 1746, the town "Voted to build a school-house on the highway between John Wallis' and Samuel Manning's." It was to be twenty-three feet long and eighteen feet wide. This house was never built, or rather, there is no further mention of any school-house or school in that locality. In 1749, the town "Voted to raise £Io lawful money to support a school," and designated three places at which it should be kept, one of which was "at the new school-house in the middle of the town." The foundation of this first school-house in Townsend may still be seen, on the easterly side of the highway, nearly opposite to the spot where the first meeting-house stood. There is no record of the time when this house was erected, but probably it was done during 1747.
From 1754 to 1766, the town, each year, appropriated £8 lawful money for the support of a school, and decided where it should be kept.
In 1753, the records show that there was a "school- house on the south side of the river," but the time when it was built, or its size, is not known, neither can the precise spot where it stood be pointed out. At that time, by far the largest part of the inhabitants of Townsend lived in the east part of the town, within three miles of the east line thereof, so that a school on Nissequassick hill, one at the middle of the town, and one just south of the Harbor, would accommodate the people in the best possible manner.
In 1770, "Voted to allow the north end of the town £12 old tenor of their school rate to be spent with a school mistress with that squadron." There is nothing on record,
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HISTORY OF TOWNSEND.
or in tradition, whereby the name of this teacher can be ascertained, but the record, as far as it goes, is interesting, inasmuch as it shows a due appreciation of the worth and ability of women, as educators, more than one hundred years ago. Considering the small amount of money appropriated at that time, it may be inferred that females did a large share of the work of teaching.
From the settlement of the town, to the time at which we have arrived, in its educational history every oppor- tunity was improved by the people to advance the cause of learning and piety.
It is evident, from the manner in which the town records were made during the first half century of our municipal existence, that the town clerks were men of considerable culture. Their chirography will not suffer when compared with their successors, or even with the efforts of the present generation. It is true, that in some instances, they showed bad spelling, but, considering their advantages, the wonder is that they filled this office with so much credit to themselves and to the town.
In 1783, beginning to realize that they had thrown off the British yoke, and feeling the spirit of independence stirring within them, the people at a town meeting in May, chose a committee of nine "to divide the town into squadrons for convenience for schooling." The word "squadron"-meaning districts-is to be found in most of the New England town records of the period now under consideration. It is difficult to understand why this word is used in this sense, unless it was brought over by the puritans, who used it in their native country to express portions of a city, or a county, laid out in a quadrangular manner. The lines of our school districts were very irregular, which makes the term still less appropriate.
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EDUCATIONAL HISTORY;
The committee divided the town into seven parts, for school purposes, and designated the location of the several school-houses. The names given to these squadrons were, the North, East, South, Bayberry Hill, West. Northwest, and Centre schools.
The North school-house, made at that time, stood at the north end of the six rod road over Wallace hill, a short distance west of the present school-house in that part of the town. About 1807, when the present house was built. that house was found to be too small, and it was aban- doned as a school building, and finally sold. It now stands on the said six rod road, about one hundred rods nearly south of where it was built, and is used by our worthy adopted citizen, Mr. Beckernort, for a cooper shop.
The East school-house was situated on the same road over the hill, about a mile and a half south of the north school-house. This was the most populous part of the town one hundred years ago. There are quite a number of old cellars and foundations for dwellings in that vicinity. where once stood the loved homes of "kindred, parents and children," now forgotten and unfrequented, except to gather the luscious berries that cluster around the stone walls near these ruins.
The South school-house stood about a mile southerly of the first bridge west of the Harbor pond.
The Bayberry Hill school-house was situated only a short distance from the school-house now standing in that part of the town.
The West school-house was built nearly opposite the spot where the owners of Ash Swamp pass through a gate, leading off from the Ashby road, to approach their lands.
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HISTORY OF TOWNSEND.
The Northwest school-house was situated on the side of the road leading from the cemetery, in West Townsend, to the old turnpike. On the south end of this house was a nice sundial, made and presented to this school by Hezekiah Richardson.
The Centre school-house probably stood on the same foundation, occupied by the first school-house in that district, which, in 1783, had been built thirty-four or thirty- five years, and it undoubtedly was too small for the accommodation of this central location.
Most of these houses were built in 1784. In October of that year the town appropriated "£40 to build seven school houses." The size and style of these buildings may be learned from the one still standing, which is twenty feet long and fourteen feet wide. These structures were in use for the purposes for which they were intended, till the first years of the present century, when they were superseded by a more commodious and better class of buildings.
The Northwest "squadron" did not build its house for ten or eleven years after all the others were finished. The inhabitants of that part of the town, then as well as now, were scattered over a large territory. and they probably preferred being without a school, than raise the twenty pounds required to build their house.
On all three roads, leading from different parts of Townsend to Mason, were families which lived within a short distance of the state line, and they were obliged to travel more than two miles to reach their school-house. There was considerable feeling throughout the town when these districts were made. It always has been, and probably always will be, very difficult to satisfy this sec- tion of the town in its school accommodations.
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EDUCATIONAL HISTORY.
In October, 1784, "Voted to raise £24 for the sup- port of a school, in addition to the £6 interest due the town for that purpose." The six pounds was the interest which accrued on one hundred pounds. left the town by a legacy from Lieut. Amos Whitney, which has been mentioned in another part of this work. From this time. till 1800, the amount appropriated by the town for schools. varied from thirty to eighty pounds.
Nothing of importance is on record in regard to educational affairs, from the time these squadrons were made till the population of the town had increased so that larger houses were required.
In 1796, "Voted to choose a man in each school squadron for a school committee. Chose Samuel Stone, Jonathan Wallace, Life Baldwin, Jacob Blodgett, Ephraim Lampson, John Sherwin, and Daniel Adams, Esq .. for said committee."
This first school committee chosen in Townsend, was made up of men of prominence in the districts to which they belonged. What they lacked in the higher branches of mathematics, as taught at the present time in our gram- mar schools, and on which much time is lost by pupils who never expect to fill any learned profession. they made up in square common sense, general intelligence, and integrity of character. A committee of this kind was not chosen every year, till the state made a law obliging every town to elect a superintending school committee.
In 1797. the town appropriated $300 for the schools. and this was the sum raised till 1802, when $350 was the sum. In 1803, $400 was appropriated, and this amount was annually repeated till 1807. when $500 was raised, which sum was found to be sufficient, for the satisfaction of the town for school purposes, for about twenty years.
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HISTORY OF TOWNSEND.
The school-houses which took the places of the original seven (of 1784), were made by the several districts, between 1802 and 1810. The town voted to number the districts eighteen years after the first com- mittee was chosen. In 1814, "chose Rev. David Palmer, in No. 1, Samuel Stone, Jr., in No. 2, Peter Manning, in No. 3, Abraham Seaver, in No. 4, Josiah Richardson, Jr., in No. 5, Aaron Warren, in No. 6, John Scales, in No. 7, Walter Hastings, in No. 8, Samuel Walker, in No. 9, Nathaniel Cummings, in No. 10, a committee of inspect- ing, to inspect the several schools in this town, and each district to choose a clerk, and the clerks to notify their own district meetings, and set up their own schools, pro- vided they do it according to law."
That the town elected their best men on this com- mittee may be inferred from the fact, that it contained the town's minister, one lawyer, and three justices of the peace. And the town from that time to the present has placed men on this committee, who have given their best efforts to the cause of the common schools.
Soon after the baptist meeting-house, at West Town- send, was erected, the subject of establishing a young ladies' seminary at that village began to be discussed. The idea was suggested by Mr. Levi Warren, who was at that time the most influential man in that section of Town- send. In 1835, between thirty and forty gentlemen, a part of whom did not belong to Townsend, contributed towards purchasing the land and erecting the building known as "the Seminary." No sum was subscribed less than twenty-five dollars, which was called a share. Most of these subscribers took one share, while others gave according to their interest in education and the prosperity of the village. The largest contributor was Mr. Levi
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EDUCATIONAL HISTORY.
Warren, who subscribed for nineteen shares. Charles Warren, fourteen shares, and Isaac Davis, Jacob Sanders, and Ralph Warren, six shares each. The building was finished in April, 1836, and the institution was inaugu- rated under highly favorable circumstances, which more than met the expectations of its patrons and founders. On petition, the General Court granted the following charter :-
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS. In the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine.
An act to incorporate the Proprietors of the TOWNSEND WEST VILLAGE FEMALE SEMINARY.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Represen- tatives in General Court assembled and by the authority of the same as follows :
SECTION I. Levi Warren, Jonathan Richardson, Jacob Sanders, and their associates and successors, are hereby made a corporation, by the name of the Proprietors of the Townsend West Village Female Seminary, in Townsend, in the County of Middlesex, with all the Powers and Privileges, and subject to all the duties, re- strictions and liabilities set forth in the forty-fourth Chapter of the Revised Statutes.
SECTION 2. The said corporation may hold real and personal estate to the amount of twenty thousand Dollars. to be devoted exclusively to purposes of Education.
House of Representatives. March 12. 1839. Passed to be enacted.
ROBERT C. WINTHROP, Speaker.
In the Senate, March 13, 1839.
Passed to be enacted.
MYRON LAWRENCE. President.
March 13th, 1839, approved, EDWARD EVERETT.
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HISTORY OF TOWNSEND.
The lady who was principal when the seminary com- menced its existence, remained in office only about a year, when she married and left town. Another principal suc- ceeded her till the fall term of 1839, when the trustees engaged the services of Miss Ruth S. Robinson, a person of excellent judgment and ample scholastic attainments.
Associated with this principal were six teachers of experience in the natural sciences, mathematics, the French, German and Latin languages, intellectual and moral philosophy, the ornamental branches and music. This board of instruction was selected with much care by a board of Trustees from different New England states. The Seminary was under the auspices of the baptist denomination, but it enjoyed the confidence and patronage of all sects and creeds. The baptists of the eastern states and some from New York sent their daughters to West Townsend for an education at this seminary, which for more than twenty years was very popular. In almost every state in the Union may be found one or more teachers, principals of high schools and seminaries, besides wives of educated professional men, who remember the pleasant days of their youth, passed at this. their Alma Mater.
In 1844, a more lucrative and responsible position was offered to Miss Robinson, when she resigned her office. Two other ladies had charge of the seminary, each in turn, till 1846, when Miss Hannah P. Dodge was selected as principal. Miss Dodge is a native of Littleton. and was graduated at this seminary in 1843. This lady remained at the head of this institution till November, 1853, when, at her solicitation on account of ill-health, she was dismissed. During a larger part of the time since
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EDUCATIONAL HISTORY.
her connection with the seminary was dissolved, she has been a practical educator.
The building was commodious and well arranged, its rooms richly furnished, and carpeted in a tasteful manner.
The Lesbian Society, for literary exercises and im- provement among the young ladies of the seminary, was a perfect success.
Belonging to the institution was a very judiciously selected library, a large part of which was presented by Messrs. Levi and Charles Warren, and their baptist friends in Boston.
In every particular, it had no peer in America, except. perhaps, Miss Willard's Female Seminary, at Troy, New York. But after a successful existence of about twenty- five years,-after it had shone brightly among the con- stellations of the literary galaxy of its time,-in an evil hour, it finally sunk, never to rise again from beneath the horizon of financial mismanagement, which enshrouded its exit. Thus this civilizing influence, which to a great extent built up the west village, which gave a fresh impetus to our public schools, and made Townsend an objective point as a seat of learning and refinement, was irretrievably lost.
Among the names of the Trustees, at different times. are Hon. Isaac Davis, Worcester, Massachusetts, Wil- liam H. Shaler, D. D., Portland, Maine, Dea. George Cummings, Lancaster, Massachusetts, Dea. Simon G. Shipley, Boston, Massachusetts, Henry Marchant, Esq .. Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and S. T. Cutting, Esq., New York City.
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