Mattapoisett and Old Rochester, Massachusetts : being a history of these towns and also in part of Marion and a portion of Wareham., Part 12

Author:
Publication date: 1932
Publisher: [Mattapoisett, Mass.] : Mattapoisett Improvement Association
Number of Pages: 516


USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Mattapoisett > Mattapoisett and Old Rochester, Massachusetts : being a history of these towns and also in part of Marion and a portion of Wareham. > Part 12
USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Rochester > Mattapoisett and Old Rochester, Massachusetts : being a history of these towns and also in part of Marion and a portion of Wareham. > Part 12


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).


Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28


At the meeting of March, 1838, warned to meet at the


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town-house, votes were taken coming in the door, and for moderator, David Hathaway had 264 and Wilson Barstow 145. The "Town-Quarter" also elected its town-clerk; James Ruggles, 264, and Walton N. Ellis, 137. For selectmen, Amittai B. Hammond had 302, Stephen Delano 251, and Joseph Purrington 362. Voted, "To take up Article 8, which they did in the following manner: Voted, that the town choose agents whose duty it shall be to call a meeting in each quarter of the town. These committees chosen by the different quarters shall confer together and make a report on the subject contained in said 8th article at a town meeting called for that purpose only and expressly. The town then proceeded to the choice of said agents and made choice of Chas. J. Holmes, Esq., Wilson Barstow, Esq., Philip Crandon, Esq., and Capt. Jas. Delano." They took action as to herrings, elected school-committee, and adjourned for three weeks.


At the adjournment, March 26, 1838, "A motion was submitted by Elijah Willis, seconded by Ansel Weeks and John Atsatt, to adjourn this meeting to the Universalist Meeting House in Mattapoisett, to Tuesday, the 27th inst, and to divide the house in order to settle the question. The town accordingly repaired out of doors, and those in favor of adjournment paraded the north side of the town house, and those against adjournment took the south side of said house. The moderator then proceeded to count both sides. He counted the south side first and found that there was opposed to the motion 206, in favor of it 147, leaving a majority against the motion of 59 votes. The town then repaired to the house." They voted to proceed to choice of town officers, voted thanks to Philip Crandon, Esq., for his long service to the


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town; and that horses, neat cattle and swine be restrained from running at large on the highways and Common; and then adjourned.


The meeting "to be only and expressly" for hearing the report of the committee on Article 8, was warned for May 17, 1838. It elected Noah C. Perkins modera- tor, fixed a bounty on crows' heads; and then voted "that C. J. Holmes, Esq., read the report of the committee, which he did accordingly." " The committee to whom was referred the subject of future town meetings have considered the same and submit the following report: In territorial extent Rochester is among the largest towns in the com- monwealth. For a century after its settlement agricul- ture was almost the exclusive pursuit of its inhabitants, and the population was scattered with great equality over its surface. In later times this primitive occupation has given place to other modes of obtaining subsistence, and acquiring property. The fact has been that while population has remained nearly stationary in many parts of the town, in others flourishing villages have sprung up, and population greatly augmented. This increase has been principally about the seaboard, and is most strongly manifested in the southwest division of the town. Gathered around the harbor of Mattapoisett is an active and flourishing population numbering probably more than twelve hundred, a large proportion of whom find profitable occupation in the shipyards, the workshops, and other incidental employments of that enterprising village. This village is situated six miles from the accus- tomed place of holding town meetings, with limited means of conveyance. This distance of travel to the place of meeting is an inconvenience deeply felt and submitted to


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with reluctance. Propositions have been made to lessen this cause of dissatisfaction by holding a portion of the meetings at that village, but it has not been considered that the relief which would thus be obtained would be more than counterbalanced by the greatly increased travel of many who are now as far, or nearly as far, re- moved from the place of meeting as the citizens of Matta- poisett. The evil complained of might be diminished by placing the town house nearer the center of travel, and opening roads for convenient access to it, and if this measure would be satisfactory as a permanent arrange- ment, the committee would recommend it to the favorable consideration of the town; but if it should be deemed inexpedient to adopt this mode of relief, and the opinion of those who feel that the existing state of things has so much more of evil than advantage that its longer con- tinuance may not be endured, and that the only remedy is by a change of public meetings, then the committee respect- fully recommend that measures for a division of the town be adopted. The committee have not arrived at this con- clusion but with difficulty and regret. They would not rec- ommend this painful remedy for evils imaginary or unreal, but to avoid those that seem to be certain, enduring, and more to be deprecated. A stateof things that shall annually or oftener bring together the citizens, and array them against each other under local banners, with keenly excited feel- ings where mutual confidence and respect are made to give place to jealousy, distrust, crimination and reproach, is more to be deplored, while it endures, than separation; in which, in all probability, after many struggles with alien- ated feelings and lasting enmity, it would terminate. - In behalf of the committee. David Hathaway, Chairman."


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It was then moved by Major Haskell, and his motion seconded by Captain Peckham, to dissolve this meeting, and the town thus voted.


In the warrant of March, 1839, were the following: "Article 12th, To see if the town will re-consider all votes passed in said town at any previous meeting for holding town meetings at any place except the town house. 13th, To see if the town will instruct the selectmen to warn town meeting one third of the time in Mattapoisett Village. 16th: To see if the town will petition the legis- lature of this session to divide said town of Rochester by setting off Mattapoisett and including or excluding that part known by the name of Sippican, as the town may think proper; if included, the line to run between the old landing, so called, and the lower village, and running westerly across Bartlett's Hill, so called, so in a westerly course to the dwelling house of Jeremiah Randall, thence westerly till you come to the dividing line between Roches- ter and Fairhaven.


At the meeting March 6th, David Hathaway Esq., had 43 votes, and was unanimously elected moderator. Voted to take up Article 12, and then return to Article 2. On motion of James Ruggles, seconded by Wm. C. Haskell, "The town then voted to reconsider all previous votes that had passed at any meeting held in said town for holding town meetings at any place except at the town house." Dr. Robbins writes, on this date, "Our people sent a remonstrance to the annual town-meeting instead of going"; and the record says, "A protest was then pre- sented by Ansel Weeks against the proceeding of this meeting, signed by several of the local voters of said town, and after he had read the same it was voted to receive it


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and have it recorded with the records of the town, and here you have it as it reads: 'To the selectmen of the town of Rochester. The legal voters of said town assembled in town meeting under authority of warrant issued by two of the selectmen, under date of the 16th of February, 1839, for a meeting to be held at this time and place, the undersigned legal voters of said town believe, inasmuch as there has been a previous town meeting which in- structed the selectmen to issue warrants for town meetings to be held in Mattapoisett Village for one year from Feb. 1839, that this meeting is illegal, antirepublican, unjust and oppressive. We therefore solemnly protest against your proceedings, and that we shall not consider ourselves under any obligation to conform to or comply with any acts or doings of this meeting.'" This protest was ap- parently somewhat offensive to town clerk Ruggles, and it annoyed him to have to copy into the record the names of the "several local voters" who signed it, for there were 248 besides John T. Atsatt and John Pitcher, and a con- siderable portion of these were from Sippican.


Taking up Article 13, it was moved by C. J. Holmes, Esq., that the following motion be passed, namely: "In order that the difficulties respecting the place of holding town meetings in the town of Rochester, and other diffi- culties growing out of the agitation of that subject may be amicably adjusted, we agree that if the town meetings for the year next ensuing, after the close of the present March meeting, including the next annual meeting for the Choice of town officers, be holden at Mattapoisett, and that the town meetings for the two following years shall be holden at the town house, and that at the end of three years the town shall be divided upon fair and


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equitable terms in all respects. The moderator counted the ayes and nays upon the motion of C. J. Holmes and found that there were in favor of the motion 65, against it 62. So the motion was declared accepted."


The town then passed a vote on motion of Charles J. Holmes, declaring that "the warrant issued by Seth Miller, Jr., Esq., called a meeting of the inhabitants of the town of Rochester to be holden at the Universalist meeting- house at Mattapoisett on the first day of February last past was at the least improvidently issued, as the con- tingency upon which a Justice of the Peace might issue a warrant did not exist, and that the vote passed at the meeting held under that warrant, respecting the place of holding town meetings in said town for the then ensuing year, imposes no obligation upon the selectmen to warn the meetings in conformity with that vote;" which seems to be a very reasonable proposition. After that the meeting was adjourned to April 1, 1839, at which time Dr. Robbins writes: "Rode to Rochester and attended town-meeting. Presented my school report. All our people were up and appointed two additional selectmen. There seems to be a growing alienation between this and the Town quarter of the town." The selectmen so chosen were Stephen C. Luce and Benjamin Barstow, 2d. Hav- ing done that, they adjourned to "Doctor Robbins's Meet- ing-House, one week from to-day at one of the o'clock:" at which adjournment they simply chose minor officers.


The following year, 1840, it was voted "to warn all meetings in Mattapoisett until the Nov. Meeting, and that thereafter all meetings for one year be at the town-house." Pursuant to that vote, March 24, 1840, a meeting was held at the Congregational meeting-house in Mattapoisett,


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under a warrant of two articles, to ballot on an amendment to the constitution and to fix the price of herring.


In 1841 there was a small gathering of voters at the town-house, who elected officers and then voted, 61 to 58, "that the town hold their town meetings in Sippican Village for one year from the first of March next." Meet- ings continued to be at Sippican; aswhen on March 7, 1740, it was voted "for an Armory for the Mattapoisett Guards, to pay for Eaton Hall $50, and fitting up the same, which amounts to sixteen dollars and some cents." July 12th, there was another meeting at Sippican about the Great Neck road.


March 13, 1843, met at the town-house, as also in April and in June. In November, however, there was a meeting at "the old Congregational meeting-house in Mattapoisett, which accepted Barstow street from Church to Hammond, and also "the continuation of Michonicks Street." In April, 1844, at the same place, when was a spirited con- test between Theophilus King and Abner Harlow for town clerk, resulting on the third ballot, King, 166, and Harlow, 152. By this time, however, the custom seemed to be established of holding sessions in the various "Quar- ters." November, 1844, and April, 1845, at the town- house, at which latter meeting it was voted "that the town offers Joseph Meigs $2,500 for the right to the privilege of the mill at Mattapoisett Weir, except what the town now owns, and take deed for the same." April, 1846, meeting at the "old Congregational Meeting-House, Sippican." November, '46, and April, '47, at the town-house, and November, '47 and April, '48, at Mattapoisett; then two meetings at the town-house, and two at Sippican.


At one of the latter, held April 1, 1850, the condition of


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the old town-house apparently demanded action, for there were four articles in the warrant; to sell, to build anew, to repair, and "to see what the town would do in regard to the depredations made on the town-house." Only one of these articles was acted on: it was voted to repair. This warrant also called for action on the layout of a road leading from Cannonville corner in Mattapoisett to Neds Point lighthouse. At that meeting also A. B. Hammond was chosen a committee on town map.


November 11, 1850, the citizens met "at the Methodist Meeting-House in North Rochester at 3 P.M.," and after action on other matters, voted unanimously " to hold all ยท future meetings at the town-house in the Center of the Town." Accordingly, on January 20 following, at the town-house, was a special meeting at eleven A.M., the only article being, "To take into consideration the expediency of petitioning the legislature to set off Mattapoisett as a town by itself, also that said Mattapoisett when set off as a town may be annexed to Bristol County, and act thereon." The meeting voted that a committee of three from each quarter of the town be a committee to investigate the whole matter touching the second article of said warrant, and re- port at a future meeting. Motion made by Wilson Barstow. Voted that John LeBaron, Theo. King, Stephen C. Luce, Wm. Sears, be a committee to nominate the persons for said committee from each quarter of the town who forth- with reported the names of A. B. Hammond, Lemuel LeBaron, John H. Clark, Royal Smith, Thos. Ellis, Walton N. Ellis, Gilbert Hathaway, Jos. S. Luce, Geo. King, Linus Snow, and Josiah Bisbee. Voted that Geo. Bonney be added to the above committee at large.


This committee reported at a meeting, on February 27,


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that it was inexpedient to petition the legislature to divide the town. Anticipating, perhaps, such a report, various citizens had in the meantime acted and had petitioned the General Court: and the town at this meeting was by the warrant requested to act on both the petition of R. L. Barstow and others, and of Walton N. Ellis and others. Abner Harlow submitted a motion "that, in consideration of the great extent of territory of the town, and the great inconvenience the citizens in the southern part of the town are put to in attending town meetings, it is advisable, and the town believes it expedient, that the town of Rochester be divided,"-and that the new town or towns so incorporated should receive proper shares in the town property; which motion was voted in the affirmative. Voted against Dr. Ellis's petition, 48 to 96; approved the Barstow one, 100 to 56; and appointed Col. John H. Clark to be the town's agent at the legislative hearing.


Three months later, April 7, 1851, the town assembled and voted, 197 to 127, in favor of the motion of Gilbert Hathaway. "Whereas the citizens of Sippican are to much expense and inconvenience in attending town meeting, and for other good and sufficient reasons, it is very desirable and necessary that the southeasterly por- tion of the town of Rochester be set off and incorporated into a new town on the basis of the petition of W. N. Ellis and others now before the legislature, praying for such new and municipal corporation."


Voted also, on a motion submitted by Wilson Barstow, "that the town vote to a division of the town agreeably to the petition of R. L. Barstow and others;" 204 to 93. And the town was apparently in a hurry, for on motion of Gilbert Hathaway, it was ordered "that Col. John


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H. Clark, our representative to the general court, is hereby instructed to aid by his influence with the members of, and his vote in, the general court, to obtain the enactment of such acts by the present legislature; namely - Incor- porating two new towns from Rochester disposing and dividing the present town property and privileges, also the poor and insane, etc., as fully desired by the vote this day taken, a true copy of which together with the vote on the motion, the town clerk will make and attest the same, and see they are forwarded to Col. Clark by Capt. Matthew Mayhew of Mattapoisett, Tuesday morning, to-morrow, and Col. Clark to present the same to the first committee on towns in the afternoon of the same day."


The legislature was not thus to be hurried, for it was the next General Court which, on May 14, 1852, passed an Act (Chapter 225) incorporating the town of Marion, to comprise the territory in the southeastern portion of Rochester, around Sippican Harbor. Why, for a name, the modern Marion was given in place of "soft-sliding sibilant Sippican," is not recorded. Some say the prefer- ence of Mrs. Elizabeth Tabor, the founder of Tabor Academy, had an influence. However that may be, Charles Neck, the Great Neck and Little Neck, the Great Hill and Minister's Rock, the Old Landing and Sippican, Rocky Nook and Happy Alley, lie to-day in Marion, the summer town on Buzzards Bay.


By the legislative act town income and property was divided equably, and the new town preserved its interest in the "town mills" and in the alewive fisheries of Mat- tapoisett River; and the inhabitants of Rochester continued to hold their rights in the shell and scale fish from the shores, flats, and waters of its former territory. To settle


-


-


THE OLD LANDING, MARION


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matters with Marion, the town of Rochester, June 9, 1852, appointed Rogers L. Barstow, Theophilus King, and Alden Rounseville a committee. Mr. Rounseville desiring to be excused, Wilson Barstow was chosen in his stead. At the same meeting Joseph W. Church was directed to fit up the vestry as an armory.


In the four years from 1851 to 1855 town matters moved along very peacefully. A committee was authorized to sell the almshouse property; Amittai B. Hammond was sent to represent the town at the convention for amending the constitution; and Loring Meigs and Abner Harlow were directed "to meet the county commissioners to show cause why the road should not be built as by them laid out leading from Sippican to Mattapoisett."


On the warrant for town-meeting dated December 27, 1856, there appeared two articles for action toward an- other division of Old Rochester. Article 6, "To see what action the town will take in regard to a division of said town of Rochester." 7th: "To see what action the town will take in regard to chosing a committee from the north and from the south parts of said town who shall agree on the division line and all other matters pertaining to said division, and also be authorized to petition to the legisla- ture for an act to divide said town;" and also Article 8, "To see what action the town will take in regard to peti- tioning the legislature to be set off from Plymouth County and annexed to Bristol County."


"Pursuant to the above warrant the town met and the meeting was opened at ten minutes past eleven A.M., the roads being so obstructed with snow the town clerk could not arrive at an earlier hour. The voters had repaired to the vestry under the Academy Hall and had organized


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the meeting by choosing Theophilus King Esq. as modera- tor. On the arrival of the town clerk it was supposed necessary to reorganize the meeting, whereupon the town clerk, with a few of the voters, forthwith repaired to the town hall, read the warrant, and on motion of Jas. Ruggles, Esq., the meeting was adjourned to the vestry. Mr. King was then chosen moderator. Mr. King then read the warrant again. Under Article 6, it was voted to take the sense of the meeting in regard to a division of the town. The vote for a division was unanimous. Voted that voters from the north and south parts of the town arrange themselves in different parts of the room and agree upon a committee, three from the north part, and three from the south part, whose business it should be to agree upon a division line. Members from the north part reported on T. King, Geo. Pierce and Thos. Ellis. Members from the south part reported the names of N. H. Barstow, J. H. Holmes, Lemuel LeBaron. Voted to accept the above names as such committee. Mr. King wished to be ex- cused. Voted to excuse him. Voted that Alden Rounse- ville fill the place of Mr. King. Mr. Rounseville asked to be excused. Voted not to excuse him. Voted that if Mr. Barstow should decline on being notified of his appointment, that the committee be allowed to fill the vacancy." "Voted to adjourn to one week from next Saturday at 10 A.M." "NAHUM LEONARD, Town Clerk."


Saturday, February 7, 1857, the town met, and "Voted to take up the sixth article." Lemuel LeBaron submitted a resolution of Mattapoisett citizens. "Voted to divide the resolution so as to act upon the matter of a line and of the division of property separately. Voted that the north


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line of School District No. 10, as suggested in the Matta- poisett resolution, should be the dividing line. Voted the last part of the Mattapoisett resolution relating to the divi- sion of property according to the valuation be stricken out, that the property shall be divided justly. Then voted to lay the Mattapoisett resolution on the table. 6th. Voted to adopt that part of LeBaron's motion that does not relate to division of property. Voted to chose a committee of three disinterested persons from out of town to agree upon conditions of a division. Voted that the chair appoint a committee to nominate a commit- tee as above. The chair appointed Jas. Ruggles, J. Clark and J. T. Atsatt. Mr. Atsatt, by request, was excused. R. L. Barstow was chosen in Atsatt's place, but was ex- cused by request. Voted to reconsider the foregoing vote. Voted that a division should be effected on these conditions: The engine should be valued at $1200.00, town hall and Sprague legacy should be given to the northern portion, and the remainder of the town property should be divided according to the valuation. The meeting thereupon voted to dissolve."


Under a new warrant of March 24, 1857: "To see what action the town will take in regard to an order of notice served upon the town by the legislature now in session, in regard to the division of said town, and to do anything the town may think proper in relation to said division or anything they may think proper in regard to a former vote touching the division thereof or anything in relation thereto." Meeting was held March 31. "Voted to chose a committee to consist of three persons from the north and three from the south part of the town whose duty it shall be to draft a bill to be presented before the legislative


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committee. A committee of nomination selected by the moderator reported the following names as persons suit- able to compose this committee, namely: Loring Meigs, R. L. Barstow and Jonathan H. Holmes, Jas. Ruggles, David Lewis and Jos. W. Church. Voted to accept the report. Voted to instruct this committee to be governed by the previous action of the town touching this matter."


Less than two months later, May 20th, the Great and General Court, by Chapter 202 of the Acts of 1857, enacted the division; stipulating, however, that the two sections should continue to vote together at state elections until the next decennial census, or until a new apportion- ment of representatives. As at the separation of Marion, mill and herring interests and rights to fish and dig shell- fish were continued as before. The town's vote that the fire engine be valued at $1200, and be taken by the south- ern portion; and that the Sprague legacy and the ancient town-house be kept by the part where the building stood, was included in the act. The line of division from Fair- haven across to Marion was defined; and to accommodate Colonel Clark, who desired to retain his citizenship in the northern section, it jogged southerly around his buildings on Wolf Island. Thus Rochester was separated from the sea; and thus was created a new town on the shore of Buzzards Bay, with the old name of Mattapoisett.


CHAPTER X


THE CHURCH IN THE SECOND PRECINCT


W RITTEN history within and for the territory now incorporated as the town of Mattapoisett dates from 1736, and begins in two volumes, - "The Chh's Book, or the Records of the Second Chh. in Rochester, Which was first Embodied July 27, 1736," and "The Book of Records for Mattapoisett Precinct in Rochester, Decem- ber the 9th, 1736." Of these, the volume of Church records is a small book (about 6 x 72 inches) bound in full leather, and containing, usually in the handwriting of the pastors, the account of meetings, marriages and baptisms, considerably mixed up through the book, extending down to 1857. Since that date the record is in two volumes, and has, since 1865, been kept by the following clerks: Solomon K. Eaton, 1865-70; Henry Taylor, 1870-80; Noah Hammond, 1880-94; and by the writer since 1894. The first precinct book is a much more pretentious volume of full leather (8 x 12} inches) of 560 pages. It covers a period of one hundred fifty years, ending 1886. There are many variations of handwriting, of which, with the possible exception of the last entries as made by Noah Hammond, the first forty pages as kept or copied in by Gideon Southworth are by far the best, - as is often the case in ancient records in New England. Many curious forms of spelling appear, both phonetic and otherwise.




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