USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Weston > History of the town of Weston, Massachusetts, 1630-1890 > Part 12
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The contest in town meeting in 1826 over the election of a rep- resentative to the General Court was quite animated. Five ballots were taken, resulting finally in the election of Mr. Nathan Hobbs.
The town meeting held April 2, 1827, was held in the hall of John T. Macomber's tavern; but, as all the other warrants of
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town meetings are ordered to meet in the meeting-house of the town, it would appear there was a special meeting held at the tavern. It may be, however, that this was the first meeting out of the church. They were so accustomed to follow old formulas in the warrants that it may be the meetings were henceforth held at the tavern. The warrants, however, order meetings at the church down to 1840, when the church was ordered to be taken down. The contest over the election of representative occurs again this year. Four ballots were taken, and Alpheus Bigelow was elected. Mrs. Patience Lamson, widow of Daniel S. Lamson, applies for abatement of her taxes for 1825. The assessors report there was an error made. Her tax should be $9.15 instead of $23.63.
In 1828 Mr. Isaac Fiske ceases to be town clerk, after filling the office for a period of twenty-four years. He is succeeded by Dr. Benjamin James, who is also elected a selectman, assessor of taxes, and school committee man; and it was voted that the school committee should consist of three members only. In 1828 it was voted that a committee provide a place for holding town meetings in the future. No report is on the records .* The tithing-men, who had been elected each year since the incorpora- tion of the town, from 1830 on ceased to be elected.
In 1830 a petition was sent to the County Commissioners for a road from Luther Harrington's house to Ball's Hill. The town opposed the road as prayed for, and the Selectmen were authorized to employ counsel. Mr. Hoar was engaged.
In 1832 to promote sacred music $100 was voted, and Charles Merriam, Uriah Gregory, and John Jones directed to spend the money.
Voted in 1833 to extend the stone bridge over the watering- place and the canal, near the house of the late Dr. Kendal, and make the same passable. There had been here up to this time a place to water cattle and a driveway through it, as may be still seen in places in town. In old times, when there were large droves
* No vote of the town is recorded this year, 1828, for painting the meeting-house, as had been the case up to this time in all pertaining to the church. The painting, however, was done by private subscription. There were sixty-eight subscribers, and the sum raised was $190. [A list of the subscribers found among Colonel Lamson's papers puts the total sum at $178 .- ED.]
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of cattle on their way to market, such places were not very far apart; and, where they were not near enough to each other, the farmers were induced to have wells and troughs for cattle near the road, and a certain abatement of taxes was made to induce the citizens to establish them. One of these pumps may still be seen in front of Mr. Frank Hastings's house. It was voted to build the road and bridge from a point near the barn of the late Abraham Bigelow to the centre of the brook at the Waltham line, so far as the same is within the limits of Weston, and $400 was ap- propriated for that purpose. Up to this time the road to Waltham had run over the bridge through the Sibley property back of the present main road.
In 1834 a tract of land was purchased by the town from Isaac and Stephen Jones, to enlarge the burying-ground on its northern side to the great road, and one rod in width upon the west side, extending from the great road to the southerly side; to cause the walls to be removed and suitable gates erected, provided the same should not exceed the sum of $300. Voted that an abstract of the treasurer's account be prepared and 220 copies printed for the use of the town. This abstract was printed on sheets of paper about eighteen inches square. The publication of this abstract was probably not continued, inasmuch as only the one dated 1834 can be found. They are now very rare, but one of them should be among the records. The publication of town reports in pamphlet form did not begin until the year 1844. In 1834 Charles Merriam was made town treasurer. Voted to enlarge the East Centre School-house about twelve feet, and procure a title to the land on behalf of the town. Voted that the Selectmen procure a new building for a hearse-house or repair the old one, which had been the old powder-house in the burying-ground; but in 1835 the powder-house was sold by auction, for the space was needed to enlarge the ground.
In 1835 the town authorized the treasurer to borrow $500 in anticipation of taxes. This is the first time authority was given to make any such loan.
In 1836 Dr. James was elected to fill six offices of the town. It was voted to make the road between Dr. Field's meeting- house and the house of Mr. Alpheus Cutter in accordance with the
THE SAMUEL PHILLIPS SAVAGE PLACE, NORTH AVENUE.
Probably built by Mr. Savage, who died in 1797. This place was owned and occupied a long time by Captain Thomas Bigelow, son of Josiah Bigelow, of Weston. It was later bought by Samuel G. Snelling, who extensively remodelled it about 1880. It is now owned by the heirs of Samuel Lothrop Thorndike.
THE WARREN HOUSE, LEXINGTON STREET.
The main portion of the house was built in 1743. The new part was built in 1810. This was known as the Benjamin Pierce, Jr., house previous to 1885, when it was bought by Francis H. Hastings, and by him sold in 1893 to George H. Ellis.
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order of the County Commissioners. Starr bridge, or, as it is some- times called, Stack bridge, and the causeway over Charles River were ordered rebuilt of wood or stone, in conjunction with the town of Newton; the structure to be not less than eighteen feet wide in the clear, and the cost to the town not to exceed $1,000. This bridge was carried away, as has been stated, and probably by ice.
The debt of the United States, which in the year 1791 was $75,463,476.52, was entirely paid off in 1835. The interest on this debt in 1816 was $7,156,500.42. In 1826 the interest was $4,000,000. After that year the government paid off, including interest, nearly $100,000,000 over and above current expenses; and so great was the general prosperity of the nation that the pay- ment of this large sum was but little felt by the people.
In 1833 the six winter and summer schools cost the town $859.91; town treasurer's salary, $200; and the total expenses of the town were $1,468.95 with a population as large as that of to-day.
In 1837 the town voted to procure a new hearse and pall, such as would be decent in appearance and respectable for the town. This hearse was kept in the north-end church shed, which, when the town house was built, reverted to the Lamson estate, and in 1882 was sold by auction for $6.
In March, 1837, the legislature passed an act, distributing by instalments to the towns of the Commonwealth the surplus revenue of the State. The treasurer of Weston was directed to use the fund as he received it, and pay off the indebtedness of the town. Weston received from the State treasurer $2,259.17, which' paid the town debt at that time and left a balance in the treas- ury of $9.17.
The city of Boston brought an action against the town for the support of Abijah Bemis, and the town defended the case. There is no record of the result, but later it was found that Bemis had been sent by the city to the House of Correction, and they applied to have him removed to the Weston poorhouse.
The vote for governor in November, 1837, was about equally divided between the Whigs and Locofocos. Edward Everett received 75 votes, and Marcus Morton 73 votes. Morton was elected governor of the State. There was considerable excite-
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ment throughout the State at this election, and party spirit was rife.
In 1837 great excitement prevailed throughout the State, grow- ing out of the rescue of the slave Shadrach by a mob that forcibly entered the Supreme Court room in Boston, and took him from under the nose of Judge Shaw, and secretly conveyed him to Con- cord. Francis Edwin Bigelow, son of Converse Bigelow of Weston, had removed to Concord about 1836, where he worked at the trade of blacksmithing until his death in 1893. He was one of the origi- nal Abolitionists, who at that early date had begun to make them- selves felt in the community. He harbored the fugitive Sha- drach, and drove him at night to Sudbury on his way to Canada, having clothed him in a suit of his own clothes, including a hat of Mr. Nathan Brooks. Later Elizur Wright, Lewis Hayden, Robert Morris, and others were arrested and brought to trial for aiding the rescue of the slave. They were defended by John P. Hale, of Maine, and Richard H. Dana, Jr. The most curious part of this strange episode is that Mr. Bigelow was summoned as a juror from Concord to sit upon the case to be tried. The eminent counsel had little hope of an acquittal, the evidence against the accused being so strong. To their surprise, notwithstanding the judge's charge to the jury, they were acquitted. Some years after Mr. Dana, meeting Bigelow, asked how the jury could bring in such a verdict after all the evidence. "Well," said Mr. Bigelow, "I drove the wagon that took Shadrach to Sudbury." Mr. Dana asked no more questions. When called upon to take the juror's oath, Mr. Bigelow said he felt some doubts, but, seeing an Abolition friend from Littleton take the oath, he thought he could do so, thus carrying out the "Higher Law" laid down by Theodore Parker.
In 1838 the town ordered a new road to be laid out between the house of Isaac Jones and the house of Otis Train. The old road was too narrow and circuitous. The petitioners for this new road were Alpheus Morse, Otis Train, Abijah Upham, Swift Leadbetter, Samuel Train, Jr., Adolphus Brown, Mar- shall Brown, Henry Leadbetter, and Tyler Harrington.
The great commercial and financial crisis of 1837 and 1838, the first of its kind since the Embargo Act of 1808, was seriously felt throughout the United States, and produced wide-spread
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ruin, but was not of a kind materially to affect the agricultural interests of our people.
The years 1838 and 1839 were noted for the great crusade against the indiscriminate sale of liquor. It was in fact a tem- perance movement. George W. Cutting was arrested for the sale of liquor, and taken to Cambridge jail. Joel Smith was summoned as a witness, but did not see fit to obey the summons. He also was arrested and sentenced to a week's imprisonment and a fine of $50 for contempt of court.
In 1839 took place the Dedham muster, locally famous in story and song. This was better known as the Striped Pig Muster, and was the last of the rollicking musters so famous in the old times. There was more of fun and frolic at these old meets than drilling, more of drunkenness than discipline; and yet there was this about them,-they kept up among the farmers and their sons military organizations now completely gone out of date. Towns that formerly had one, two, and three com- panies, now have none, and there are many towns that have not a single inhabitant belonging to any military company. The militia of to-day is made up of the inhabitants of large cities and manufacturing centres, to the utter exclusion of the yeomanry, and we shall be fortunate if we escape the realization of this error in the near future.
IX.
THE STORY OF THE TOWN FROM YEAR TO YEAR. 1840-1860.
With the close of the year 1839 that which can be called the ancient history of Weston closes. With the year 1840 begins a new era, within the memory of many now happily living. We cannot enter upon this period without making a few reflections in keeping with the subject-matter of this book. All that relates to the past of our town and country is hallowed to us of the pres- ent day by story and tradition, and a comparison with all that has gone before with that which follows is not in every respect to the advantage of the times we live in. Every period of time has its special defects, but it is essential that the moral element be kept at a high level, if these defects are to be safely overcome. As the American people progress in wealth, comfort, and luxury, and enjoy all those appliances in every-day life which were un- known to our ancestors, it is to be feared that the young men and women are losing sight of those sturdy moral principles which gave force and decision to the early settlers. Faith in God is not so firmly established in the minds and hearts of youth as was formerly the case. Education has become materialized, and the aims of life have taken in consequence a more sordid and vulgar level.
The marvellous progress of our country in every walk of life, unparalleled the world over, may be said to date from 1840, when railroads came in and horse chaises began to disappear. Families are not so large now, and perhaps we can say with equal truth that their virtues are less prominent. Time has be- come so valuable in the pursuit of wealth and comfort that it is thought wasted upon local affairs over which our sires fought with a tenacity little understood or appreciated to-day. People throughout New England do not love the town meetings as they
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THE STORY OF THE TOWN FROM YEAR TO YEAR
used to do. Trivial matters, such as money grants, low taxation, sanitary measures, good order, and discipline, are left to the few ambitious of local honors, and the inhabitants transfer all re- sponsibility and interest to the hands of those who will do the least work for the most pay. The result of all this is that the State is yearly encroaching upon the rights of towns that no longer care to preserve their liberties, the best guardians of which are the old town meetings, the corner-stone of the Constitution of the United States. While generous sums are being spent on education, our boys and girls are less able to cope with the labors and diffi- culties of every-day life than were their fathers and mothers before them, who little enjoyed the privileges purchasable by the plethoric purse of the tax-payer or the liberal State bounties. The fundamentals in education are being less thought of, and seem to be giving place to 'ologies and 'isms, which, while perhaps more ornamental, are but poor aid to people in the battle of life.
The majority of farm lads find themselves incapable of doing the work of the farms or unwilling to do it. Consequently, these are passing into the hands of the stranger or the foreigner. Young men flock to the cities, where the scramble for employment each year becomes greater, and where they sacrifice their independence to do the bidding of their wealthy employers, who rarely take them into their confidence. Unless young men, who go out from their modest, happy homes into large cities, are established in sound moral and religious principles, they become careless in their methods of life, and are easily led into unscrupulous business transactions. When the country loses $8,000,000 in one year by fraud and dishonesty, it is time to study a remedy; and this can be found in a higher standard of moral education rather than in the broad range of study which educates the mind at the expense of the heart.
The year 1840 opens with the taking down of the old church which stood upon the church green and the action taken by the town in connection therewith. Some of the steps taken will be new to many of us, and, although not carried out, it will be in- teresting to state them here as a part of the history of that period. Before doing so, however, the reader must be told of a feat per- formed by Joel Harrington and Elisha Whitney. They climbed
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HISTORY OF WESTON
to the top of the lightning rod of the church steeple, drank a bottle of wine on the top, and left their tumbler on the rod, where it remained until a hawk is said to have picked it off.
At a town meeting held May 4, 1840, the committee appointed at a previous meeting reported that they had conferred with Rev. Dr. Field's parish upon the subject of the construction of a new meeting-house in such a manner as should furnish a convenient place for holding town meetings and for other public purposes. They were to agree upon cost, making proposals to the committee of the parish as to the terms upon which the same should be done; and also to ascertain whether a convenient spot of land could be procured upon which to build a town house, and what a town house would cost.
Your committee was in conference with said church committee, who propose a building 60 feet in length and 46 feet in breadth, with a base- ment story, or hall, under it of the same dimensions, with one conven- ient room partitioned off for the use of the Selectmen, and another for the assessors of the Town, which they offered to do for $1,300, or what- ever sum the contractors shall say will be the actual cost. That when completed to the acceptance of the Town, they will convey the same to the Town of Weston, will covenant to keep the same externally in good repair and will also covenant to pay over and refund to the said Town the original cost of the same whenever the said house shall be permitted to fall into decay, or cease to be occupied as a Meeting house for the Worship of Almighty God. The Committee of the Town are of opinion that a convenient spot of land and a building for the Munici- pal and other public purposes sufficiently capacious, durable, and comely would cost the town $2,500; they are therefore, on the principle of economy, of the opinion that an agreement be made with the Parish for the accommodation of the Town, or with some individual whereby the town may be permanently accommodated, and a committee of five was appointed with ample powers to effect the same.
ALPHEUS BIGELOW, Jr., ISAAC JONES, EZRA WARREN, AMOS WARREN, Committee.
It was voted to accept the proposal of the parish committee, . the expenses of which were to be determined by the contractors, together with Oliver Hastings, of Cambridge, and Samuel Sanger,
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of Brighton; and the treasurer was authorized to borrow the money and give his notes for the same.
The town meeting last held in the old church was on May 4, 1840. At the town meeting of April 6, 1840, the citizens voted for and against a proposed article of amendment to the Consti- tution, as follows: for, 35; against, 45.
In accordance with the militia law of the Commonwealth the town made a return of those inhabitants of Weston subject to military duty for the year 1840. They numbered 147 men. This law is still in force, and returns are made each year to the State. The votes this year for electors-at-large for President and Vice-President of the United States were William P. Walker, of Lenox, 116 votes; Ebenezer Fisher, of Dedham, 116; Isaac C. Bates, of Northampton, 83; and Peleg Sprague, of Boston, 83. The vote for governor was 118 votes for Marcus Morton, and 82 for John Davis. William Spring was elected representative to the General Court from Weston. Eleven guide-posts were erected in several parts of the town in 1840 in accordance with a law of the Commonwealth. The town debt in 1840 was $4,241.55. An inventory was taken of property belonging to the town, but no valuation of said property is reported.
In 1841 it was voted that the name of no person shall be re- tained on the jury list unless as many as 10 votes are cast in his favor, and that each shall be voted upon separately.
Samuel H. F. Bingham was elected to the General Court.
In 1843 an agreement was made by the committee appointed to contract for a place to hold town meetings, and they reported that a lease had been made with Marshall and John Jones for five years, at a yearly rental of $30, for the hall in the dwelling- house near Rev. Mr. Field's meeting-house, for the purpose men- tioned and for other town business. Meetings had already been held in this hall since 1840.
In 1843 it was voted to have Town Reports printed in a pam- phlet form, and a copy distributed to each family. This pam- phlet appeared in 1844, and has continued to be issued in this form down to our own time.
In 1844 the town voted to build a barn on the poor-farm, 40 by 50 feet, and 16-feet posts. Five hundred dollars was ap-
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HISTORY OF WESTON
propriated for that purpose. The actual cost of the barn, when finished, was $828.50. The vote for governor of the State was: George Bancroft, 102 votes; George N. Briggs, 100. Edwin Hobbs was elected to represent the town in the legislature.
As early as 1845 a petition of Leonard C. Drury and others for the widening and straightening of the road between the meet- ing-house and Hobbs's Depot was sent in, but opposed by the town. It was done, however, on an extensive and expensive scale, costing the town about $8,000. This road is now called Church Street. The vote this year stood 49 for George N. Briggs and 60 for Isaac Davis. No representative was sent to the General Court this year.
At a town meeting held March 1, 1847, a vote of thanks was proposed, and unanimously carried, to be presented to Dr. Benja- min James for his long and faithful services as town clerk. He had held the position since 1828, a period of nineteen years. Dr. James was succeeded by Mr. Nathan Hager in the office. The school committee was directed to draft a plan for a high school.
In May, 1847, it was voted to build a town house, and Benjamin Peirce, Nathan Hager, and Marshall Jones were appointed a committee for said purpose. June 7 this committee reported :--
That the plan of a house, such as we think would be satisfactory when completed, should be 60 feet long, including the colonnade, 40 feet wide, and two stories high. The cost of such a house finished like those in neighboring towns would probably be about $3,000. Town Committee would recommend that the Town House be located on the northerly side of the meeting-house Common, which is now occupied by a pound and for horse-sheds and a highway, provided satisfactory arrangements can be made with the parish and the owners of the sheds.
It was voted that acceptance of the report be decided by a yea and nay vote. The result was: yeas, 76; nays, 46. A resolution was also carried that the committee be authorized to hire the money for all expenses pertaining to the building of said house.
December 13, 1847, the committee reported that the expense incurred in erecting and furnishing the town-house building amounted to $4,078.62, which amount was then due. At this meeting it was voted that any inhabitant or inhabitants of
-
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THE STORY OF THE TOWN FROM YEAR TO YEAR
Weston shall have a right to the use of the hall for singing or lectures or discussions on any subjects which are intended to diffuse useful knowledge in the community, provided they are free to all, and that they furnish fire and light. Voted that the next town meeting be held in this house. The vote for governor in 1847 stood 76 for George N. Briggs and 57 for C. Cushing.
At a town meeting held March 6, 1848, it was voted that the lower rooms in the town hall may be used for school purposes. Voted that all demands for abatement of taxes, heretofore passed upon in open town meeting, be henceforth referred to the assessors for their action thereon. In 1848-49 no vote is recorded for a representative to the General Court. Otis Train was sent in 1847.
In 1851 it was voted to build three new school-houses, one in the North-west District, one in the North-east District, and one in the West Centre District, which three houses cost $4,111.92.
At a town meeting held November 10, 1851, on the question "whether it was expedient that Delegates be chosen to meet in Convention for the purpose of revising or altering the Constitu- tion of this Commonwealth," the vote was as follows: yeas, 58; nays, 94.
Again, in 1852, the same question arose as to the appointment of delegates in convention for the same purpose, resulting in a tie vote, 76 to 76, and Edwin Hobbs was chosen delegate.
In accordance with the law passed by the legislature in June, 1855, concerning the sale of spirituous liquors, the Selectmen appointed Joel Upham an agent for the purchase of spirituous and intoxicating liquors to be used in the arts or for medicinal purposes in the town of Weston.
At a town meeting held March 3, 1856, a breeze was created after the election of the Selectmen and town clerk. Objections were made by J. Q. A. Harrington to these officers being sworn, on the ground that the check-list had not been used in their election, as required by law. It was decided to go back and proceed to a new election. The vote, as declared, elected John A. Lamson town clerk, and Nathan Barker, Luther Upham, and Edward Coburn Selectmen, John A. Lamson acting as town clerk. Nathan Hager, who was undoubtedly legally elected
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