USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Weston > History of the town of Weston, Massachusetts, 1630-1890 > Part 14
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148
HISTORY OF WESTON
centre of a large population. The present size of Weston is 10,967 acres by actual survey, and it has 155 acres in ponds. It is in gen- eral an uneven and, in some places, a broken tract of land. High cliffs, or ledges, of rock are found within its limits. The town is elevated above the common level of the surrounding country, and affords an extensive view of other parts. The soil is of a deep, strong loam, favorable to the growth of trees, for the beauty of which this section is noted. The hills are springy, and suffer but little from frost or drought. Brooks and rivulets abound on every side, and for the greater part rise within the limits of the town. The character of its inhabitants would not suffer by a comparison with those of any other town in the Commonwealth. Few towns within a radius of twenty miles of Boston have preserved the old- time characteristics, both as regards population and customs, as has Weston. The names of the descendants of the men of Concord and Lexington are to-day on the voting list of the town. Property and estates have changed owners but little within the past century. The finances of the town are managed with great care, while its roads and public buildings and general improvements are liberally provided for in the yearly grants.
In 1871 it was again proposed to sell the poorhouse farm and to purchase a smaller place, more centrally located. It was thought at the time that the people of the north side wanted to get rid of it in their neighborhood, and an effort was made to have the house located in the centre of the town. For this purpose the property now owned by Miss Marshall was proposed. No definite action seems to have been taken on this proposition until the May meeting in 1873, when the committee who had the matter in charge reported that they had examined several places, among them the farm of John A. Lamson, of 71 acres, valued at $8,000, that of Henry J. White, of 25 acres, valued at $8,500, and that of Nathan Barker, of 40 acres, with buildings valued at $8,000. None of these places being considered suitable for the purpose, the report was tabled. The vote for governor stood: William P. Washburn, 96 votes; John Q. Adams, 25; Robert C. Pitman, 7. Mr. C. H. Fiske was elected representative to the General Court.
The vote for governor in 1872 stood: William P. Washburn, 159 votes; Francis W. Bird, 12.
149
WAR VETERANS, RAILROADS, ETC.
The vote in 1873 stood: William B. Washburn, 53 votes; William Gaston, 9.
In town meeting, March 1, 1875, it was voted that a committee of three be appointed to purchase a lot of land of Henry J. White, fronting the house of Oliver N. Kenny, for a site for a high-school building. This lot was duly purchased, and $500 paid to Mr. White. The committee consisted of George W. Dunn, Nathan Barker, and George B. Milton. The sum of $3,300 was ap- propriated for schools, and $600 for school incidentals. At the April meeting the town directed the Selectmen to establish a town pump near the town house, and they were directed not to dig the well when the springs were full, but at the proper time.
Voted to accept the invitation of the towns of Concord and Lexington to be present at the celebration of the centennial anniversary of the opening of the Revolutionary War.
A letter was received from General Charles J. Paine, donating a town clock, if the town would provide a site for the same. Voted that the clock be placed on the Unitarian church, if agree- able to the society; and a committee, consisting of Edwin Hobbs, Alonzo S. Fiske, and George B. Milton, was chosen to confer with the trustees of the church and also with General Paine regarding the matter. Voted a sum not to exceed $500 for plac- ing the clock.
The vote for governor stood: Alexander H. Rice, 69 votes; John J. Baker, 10; and William Gaston, 13.
Edward Coburn was elected to the General Court. Weston gave him 83 votes; Concord, 178; and Lincoln, 66.
In town meeting, March 6, 1876, the matter of the high school came up, and a committee, consisting of James B. Case, George W. Dunn, and George W. Cutting, Jr., was appointed to con- struct the building. They were instructed not to expend above $9,000. On March 20, same year, the above was voted to be re- considered and to be declared null and void. At a meeting held in April it was voted that a committee of three be appointed to procure plans for a high-school house and estimates of cost, and report at the March meeting. At this March meeting, held in 1877, it was again voted to build a high-school building, the expense of which should not exceed $8,500. The Committee on
150
HISTORY OF WESTON
Plans, Site, and Estimates were George B. Milton, Isaac Coburn, and Eli E. Fox. In April the committee reported that the lot at the corner of the Willow Lane and the main road presented more advantages on account of being near the post-office, library, and store, while the other was a commanding and cheapcr site. The price asked for the corner lot was $1,500 for an acre or $1,000 for half an acre. The choice of sites was voted by ballot, but, before this vote was taken, a motion was made to reconsider the whole matter. This motion was lost, however, by a vote of 84 to 69. The vote on the site for the school-house being then taken, 66 voted for the corner lot on the main road, and 77 voted for the lot already purchased of Mr. White. The Building Committee chosen were George B. Milton, Edward Coburn, George W. Dunn, Henry J. White, and William N. Gowell.
The vote for governor stood: Alexander H. Rice, 121 votes; William Gaston, 33. In November, 1877, the town voted on a State Constitutional Amendment making it eligible for the presi- dent, professors, and instructors of Harvard College to hold seats in the Senate and House of Representatives of Massachusetts. This vote stood: yeas, 30; and no nays.
The vote for governor in 1878 stood : Thomas Talbot, 202; Benjamin F. Butler, 26. In 1879, John D. Long, 164, and Ben- jamin F. Butler, 21.
In 1878 Alonzo S. Fiske was elected representative to the Gen- eral Court. The vote stood: Weston, 200; Sudbury, 124; Maynard, 129; Wayland, 149.
In May, 1884, the charter of the Henry A. Upham Lodge, No. 52, of Weston was granted by the Ancient Order of United Workmen, Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, to Luther F. Upham, Nathan Barker, Jr., Edwin A. Newbury, Oliver L. Sherburne, Merrill French, William N. Gowell, E. O. Clark, Elias King, Charles Wark, and Charles A. Moody, and to their successors. This society of workmen has for its purpose the encouragement and support of the brothers of the order when in sickness and distress, and has the further purpose of securing to the family or heirs of the brother, in case of death, two thousand dollars. Other objects are "the practice of charity, the inspiration of hope, and the protection of all good and true brothers." In 1887 there were fifty-three members of this lodge in Weston.
151
WAR VETERANS, RAILROADS, ETC.
There is nothing of especial interest connected with the town and its affairs from 1880 to 1890 worthy of being noted here. The town has gone on during these last ten years in the even tenor of its way towards development and liberal management.
It may prove interesting to my readers to know the increase of voters and of personal and real property during the past century :-
1773.
1876.
1888.
1911.
Number of polls
218
379
468
602
142
372
415
453
6
oxen
167
12
19
swine
225
297
137
472
66
" slaves . .
16
-
Value of personal estate
£2,128 7s.
$753,683
$4,388,934
Value real estate
5,241
875,400
3,393,298
Total
£7,369 7s. $1,629,083
$2,076,600
$7,782,232
66
" COWS
535
742
946
846
66
sheep
279
-
-
-
286
" dwellings
.
Debt of the town (1889), $5,695.93. Rate of taxation, $6. Number of deaths, 14, including six persons of seventy years and upwards, viz .: Mary Warren Hastings, seventy-seven years; Amanda Cheney, eighty years; Louisa K. Gregory, seventy-one; Martha Derby, eighty-three; Isaac H. Jones, seventy-nine; Beulah R. Livingston, eighty-four.
In 1911 there was no town debt. The rate of taxation was $11.30.
" horses
XI.
BUSINESS INTERESTS OF THE TOWN.
The early industries, commerce, and trade of Weston, from the date of its settlement, were quite extensive for so limited a population. Almost every trade was to be found within its limits. To enumerate some of them will give the reader an idea of the extent of the business interests of the town before the intro- duction of railroads. Among these was a brewery, or malt-house, numerous groceries, dry-goods stores, clock-makers, hatters, straw-braiders, grist-mills and saw-mills, machine-shop, pottery, cabinet-making, wheelwrights, shoemaking, tannery, and apothe- cary shop. All this activity seems strange to us to-day, when, until a few years ago, we were reduced to a blacksmith-shop, one grocery, and a grist-mill. We have seen how prosperous and numerous were our taverns, and how speedily they succumbed, one after another, upon the introduction of railroads. All the above enumerated industries followed the example of the taverns, and after a few years of fitful existence disappeared. Many Westonians who were storekeepers here in the early years of this century became prosperous merchants in Boston.
The oldest store of which we have any record is that of Elisha Jones, who was followed by his son Isaac. The original resi- dence of Lieutenant Jones was opposite the Baptist parsonage. It is probable that the store, which was east of the present house, was built at a very early period. This building was moved some years ago to the rear of the house, and fell into decay. The date of the ledger of this store is 1745. Here was carried on one of the most extensive businesses outside of Boston. It included many lines of goods,-groceries, liquors, dry goods, etc. Judging from the books, Mr. Jones provided all the taverns far and near with their rum, brandy, and molasses. He was the banker of the town also, and his credit in Boston was perhaps better than that of his obscurer neighbors. He carried the notes of the town
153
BUSINESS INTERESTS OF THE TOWN
clergyman and farmers, all of whom borrowed money of him and gave their notes for loans and goods. We have seen that Colonel Ephraim Williams purchased his military outfit for the campaign of 1753-54 of Mr. Jones, and during the latter part of the War of the Revolution he had extensive dealings with the army on the Hudson, shipping large quantities of clothing. We have the receipts for nine hogsheads of blankets carried by ox-team 215 miles, and Ezekiel Moore receipts for another lot teamed to Fishkill (£27 12s.). The old account books are extremely interesting and of historic value. James Otis, the patriot, was attorney for Mr. Jones, and his bold, handsome signature appears as such attorney, followed by that of Harrison Gray Otis. It seems to have been the custom in early days for both the debtor and creditor to receipt for settlement of accounts in the ledger in sign of satisfaction. Consequently, we have an uninterrupted series of autographs of the early settlers and inhabitants of Weston, and also of those living in adjoining towns and counties. Many of these autographs are valuable to-day. The present house, or what is known as the Golden Ball Tavern, was built in 1753-54, as is shown in the ledger. At this time Mr. Jones vacated his old house; and Colonel William Williams, who had married Mr. Jones's daughter, moved from Newton into the old house. Colonel Ephraim Williams, his son, came with his father, and remained until they both took up their residence at Stockbridge. The landed possessions of Lieutenant Jones and of his son Isaac were very extensive, both in Weston and in towns adjoining, and particularly in Berkshire County. The Berkshire property was a grant from the crown, as was also true in the case of William and Ephraim Williams. Mr. Jones's book shows purchases of farms and lands in Barre, Templeton, Framingham, and other places. It looks very much as if some of these properties were taken in settlement of outstanding accounts. Elisha and Isaac do not seem to have been disagreeable creditors, judging from the fact that several years' accounts were allowed to run without a settle- ment, although interest was charged in some cases.
In the accounts of the different stores in Weston it is impossible to make any distinction between groceries and dry goods. There was nothing properly called "dry" in former days, and the people
154
HISTORY OF WESTON
never went dry long or when they could help it. All dealers were licensed as retailers.
It has also become difficult to classify the different stores in the date of their establishment. Peter Jennison seems to have been a tailor here in 1750, but there is no mention of any other until 1800, when Hugh McPherson takes that position. All women were more or less tailors everywhere in country towns, and so continued down to about fifty years ago.
In 1782 Isaac Lamson, son of Colonel Samuel Lamson, kept a grocery on the site of the present Cutting store. He died in 1806. His books are in excellent condition to-day.
Ralph Abrahams, of the Isaac Jones family, kept a store on what is now the Minor property. The store stood east of the present house. In 1820 Abrahams sold the property to Alpheus Bigelow, and Bigelow sold to Oliver Shed, who remained until 1830, when the store was destroyed by fire.
In 1804 George W. Smith opened a grocery store where now stands the Cutting house, then the property of Joel Smith, his father. Upon the marriage of George Smith with Clarissa Lam- son (sister of John and Daniel S. Lamson), Joel Smith gave his son George the estate now of Mrs. Robbins, and the store was moved to a position about where the driveway of that estate now is. It remained in this position until the death of Mrs. Smith in 1852, when it was bought by Mr. Cutting, and again moved to its original place. Mr. Cutting kept the store at this place for a short period, and then it was altered into the present dwelling-house in 1867. Previous to the last removal Captain Smith leased the store to William S. Barker, of Medford. He remained until 1828, when Mr. Smith again took the store. He died in 1829, and was succeeded by Jonathan P. Stearns, the business being conducted by Mr. George W. Cutting, who came to town from Wayland in 1822. In 1830 Mr. Cutting bought out Mr. Stearns, and remained the leading and deservedly popular storekeeper of Weston until his death in 1885. In 1852 the old Lamson stand, with the house and barn adjoining, which had been occupied as a store for a century, came into the possession of Mr. John Lamson, who took down the old buildings and erected the present store. It was leased to Charles Johnson, who with
155
BUSINESS INTERESTS OF THE TOWN
his son, Byron B. Johnson, later the first mayor of Waltham, kept both a grocery and dry-goods store until 1856, when Mr. Cutting took the lease, and in 1875 purchased the store of Mrs. E. T. Lamson. Mr. Cutting was succeeded by his son, G. W. Cutting. The old store above mentioned, and the one occupied by Isaac Lamson in 1782 (died in 1806), were taken about 1810 by Daniel S. Lamson as a dry-goods store. Under his manage- ment this store became one of the most important in Middlesex County. The business was very extensive, taking in all the towns west of us to the Vermont and New Hampshire line. It was the custom in old times for women to make their purchases in the spring or fall for the whole year. They would drive down from long distances in their "one-horse shay," put up over night at the tavern, returning home the next day. No one ever thought of going to Boston to buy goods. Waltham ladies came to Weston to buy. Cloths of all sorts were to be had. But, complaint being made that there was no one to make up the cloths, Mr. Lamson built the little shop about 1817, and installed a tailor. Mr. Lamson died in 1824, leaving what was considered a hand- some fortune in those days, all of which he had made in Weston. Mr. Charles Merriam, who had served his time with Mr. Lamson, coming to Weston in 1821, was very popular. He succeeded Mr. Lamson in the business, and maintained the reputation of the store to the last. In 1836 Mr. Merriam, with Mr. Henry Sales, established the large business house of Sales & Merriam. Mr. Merriam died in 1865, leaving a large fortune. He was succeeded in Weston in 1836 by Henry W. Wellington, who remained until 1838. He is now of H. W. Wellington & Co., Chauncy Street, Boston.
With the departure of Mr. Wellington the prestige and glory of this store and business began to decline. The days of rail- roads had begun. George W. Smith kept the store for a while, but the profits of the business had gone to Boston. George W. Bigelow opened a store in the west end of Mrs. John Jones's house, but he was not one to recall the halcyon days of those who had gone before him. Both Bigelow and Smith went down at the whistle of the steam-engine. Mr. Merriam, when here, built the house now belonging to E. O. Clark; and here Charles
156
HISTORY OF WESTON
Merriam, the present wealthy Boston merchant, was born in 1832.
In 1791, 1792, and 1793 Wareham Woodward, son of Rev. Mr. Woodward, kept a store in the west end of what was later the paint-shop of M. & J. Jones. Mr. Frank Kendal, son of Rev. Dr. Kendal, appears to have been associated with him for a while. There was a small store next the west wall of the bake- house property, at one time used as a school and also as a shop. This building was moved to property now owned by George W. Dunn. The farm-house on the Lamson estate was at one time a hat store. Hats were manufactured here by Royal McIntosh. He sold this bake-house property to Benjamin Peirce in 1816, and in 1859 Mr. Peirce conveyed it to Mrs. E. T. Lamson. In 1823 and 1824 Sarah Woodward kept a store in the building formerly occupied as a store by Woodward and the Kendals. Abraham Hews built the Marshall Jones house somewhere about 1765.
At one time, with Ralph Plympton, Mr. Hews carried on the manufacture of chairs and other cabinet-work. Many of the chairs are still in use in the town, and were so faithfully and sub- stantially put together as to promise a lasting existence. Mr. Hews sold this property to Plympton when he removed to his new house and pottery works, now belonging to Marshall Lam- son Hews. Plympton sold to Marshall Jones in 1824.
In 1765 Abraham Hews established the pottery business, said to have been the first industry of its kind in New England. This business was transmitted from father to son in Weston from 1765 to 1871, a period of one hundred and six years. In 1871 it was found necessary, owing to the rapid increase in the business, to remove the works nearer the central market, and a large factory was erected at North Cambridge, at which time the name of the firm was changed to that of A. H. Hews & Co. The pay-roll of 1871 contained fifteen names; that of 1889, from eighty-five to one hundred. In 1871 800,000 pieces of pottery were required by the trade; in 1889, 7,000,000 are needed. The account books of the concern from 1769 are still preserved. The quaint charges and small beginnings of those early days make interesting reading to-day. It seems to have been the custom to mix up family
157
BUSINESS INTERESTS OF THE TOWN
affairs and general running expenses with the work of the business; for instance: "Samuel Brocett to my horse to Framingham, 12 miles, three shillings"; "Samuel Lamson, to my horse to Con- cord, two shillings"; "Isaac Lamson, to my horse and cart to Boston to bring Samuel's wife and children up to Weston, twelve shillings"; and so on. Dr. Gowen, at one time in the last century, had his office and apothecary shop in a building in front of the present school-house on Highland Street. This building belonged to the Isaac Jones estate, and was removed to their house. A grocery and dry-goods store was located in the William Hastings house. D. G. Ingraham kept it for some years, followed by Enoch Greenleaf in partnership with Caleb Hayward. Ad- joining the Hastings place on the west was that of Ralph Abrahams, who was one of the Jones family. He kept a store in a building east of the present Minor house from 1802 to 1821, when he sold the property to Alpheus Bigelow; and he in turn, in 1824, sold it to Oliver Shed, who kept a grocery and retail liquor store until 1830, at which time the store was destroyed by fire.
The next place was that of the Livermores, who owned and operated the malt-house. It has been found impossible to discover the actual date when it was so operated and how long. The Livermores sold to Alpheus Bigelow, and he sold later to Mr. Cutting. Bigelow again purchased it some years later, and sold it to Jane Caswell, and Mr. Caswell still owns it. One of the first school-houses of the town stood about where the Caswell barn now stands. The Simeon Brown farm was owned by Marshall and Josiah Livermore, who sold it to Mr. Brown in 1836.
Henry Flagg kept a dry-goods store on the east corner of the estate now of Mr. Bennett. The building was moved, and is now the Bigelow farm-house. In the early part of this century there was a clock-maker in town named Cutter. Mr. Cutting has a handsome parlor clock made by Cutter. His shop was afterwards owned by Mr. Bingham, who invented the butter and cheese drill, since so generally in use. Orders came to him for these implements from all over the country, and they were in such demand that he had difficulty in filling his orders. Mr.
158
HISTORY OF WESTON
Bowen succeeded Mr. Bingham in this business, and continued in it to the time of his death in 1860 .*
It was a custom throughout the State, in early days, to locate houses and people in Weston by the distance from the tannery. Bark was brought to the tannery from Vermont and New Hamp- shire, and as late as 1795 vessels loaded with bark from Maine came to Watertown. Thence the material was teamed to the tannery. Old bills for all this kind of work abound.
It has been difficult to fix the exact date when the Weston tan- nery was established by the Hobbs family. It has only been by overhauling the family papers that anything like a clear statement has been possible concerning this ancient industry. Perhaps a sketch of the Hobbs family in this connection will not be out of place, the better to understand the business, probably one of the first established in this country.
Josiah Hobbs came to Weston from Boston in 1730, and the same year purchased large tracts of land, a part of which is now owned by Mr. Edward Brown and Mr. Gowing. The deed of this property, bought of Cheeney, is dated October 4, 1729. Josiah Hobbs died in 1779, aged ninety-four. He had eight children, all born in Boston, excepting Nathan, who first saw the light in Weston in 1731. Ebenezer Hobbs, the eldest son of Josiah, born in Boston in 1709, is the ancestor of all the Hobbs family in Weston. He had nine children. He is mentioned as a shoe- maker in old records as early as 1750. Isaac Hobbs, the eldest son of Ebenezer, was born in 1735. He married Mary Sanderson, of Waltham, in 1757. Isaac built the double house, one-half of which was occupied by his grandson, Captain Samuel Hobbs, and the west end by Captain Henry Hobbs. Isaac Hobbs was a deacon in the Weston church, and filled the office of town clerk
* The following note about Messrs. Cutter and Bingham appears in the papers of Colonel Lamson :-
Ezekiel Cutter bought the place known as the Bingham place of Abel Rice, of Sudbury, who was a school-teacher at East Cambridge in 1827. There was previous to this purchase a grist-mill on the premises, run by one Sanderson. Cutter was a clock-maker, and George W. Cutting bought his parlor clock of him when he married in or about 1830. The clock is to-day in good condition. Bingham succeeded Cutter, and made machinery for the manu- facture of coarse woollen goods, purchasing the property about 1830.
Between 1835 and 1840 the United States government contracted with John Cutting, of Weston, to manufacture the plumbago for the government crucibles, to melt the gold and silver of the mints. While the material was baking, the mill took fire and was destroyed and not rebuilt. The work was being done by Mr. Hews, of Weston .- ED.
-
THE DEACON URIAH GREGORY HOUSE, MERRIAM STREET.
Said to have been one of the oldest houses in Weston. The property was in the Gregory family for over two hundred years. It was torn down in 1885.
THE ABRAM BIGELOW HOUSE, CONCORD STREET.
Mr. Bigelow was one of the selectmen of Weston, and a prominent man in the history of the town from 1757 to 1771. He was the original of "Deacon Badger" of Mrs. Stowe's "Oldtown Folks." In recent years it was bought by John Poutas, whose descendants still own and occupy it.
159
BUSINESS INTERESTS OF THE TOWN
for forty years. He died in 1813, at the age of seventy-eight. Matthew Hobbs, the sixth son of Ebenezer Hobbs, was an active promoter of the Revolution. In 1780 he was captain of the Weston Company, the men enlisting under him for three years, or the war. Isaac Hobbs, the third son of Isaac, was born in 1765, and married Mary Baldwin in 1790. He died in 1834, aged sixty-nine. The Hager house was built by Isaac Hobbs, in 1786, for his sons Isaac and Ebenezer. Ebenezer, by his will dated October 13, 1762, bequeathed to his son Isaac all his stock in leather and hides, and also his tan-houses and bark for tanning. So far as can be gathered by records, the tan- nery was started between 1750 and 1760. Captain Henry Hobbs, son of Captain Matthew Hobbs, was born in 1784. He died in 1854, aged eighty. Henry was a harness-maker, and occupied the building which stood on the south-east corner of the double house, later the shoe factory of Hobbs & Hager. Henry was also a carriage-maker, and occupied for this business the sheds which formerly stood on the south-west end of the Hager barn. The first chaise ever seen in Weston was owned by him, and was probably of his make. In 1795 he took out a license for this chaise, for which he paid three dollars. The license mentions "a two-wheel carriage, called by him a chaise, to be drawn by one horse and to carry two people." Henry owned the land now of Curtis Robinson, and the little building formerly Dr. Kendal's study was moved to this property and is now the Robinson shoe- shop.
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