USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Barre > Memorial of the one hundredth anniversary of the Incorporation of the town of Barre, June 17, 1874 ... > Part 18
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To this there was no response, the Delegate having left.
6th. Phillipston : As "Gerry," for some years she honored a dis- tinguished representative in the Congress of the United States, but, fol- lowing our example, when her patron, by the famous " Gerry Mandamus " Act, lost his popularity in the State, she cast his name aside, and took a longer, if not a better, one. She recognizes merit, under whatever name it comes, and knows a good farmer, though he be called " Miner."
REMARKS OF MR. HENRY S. MINER.
I supposed it was generally known among all present that the town of Gerry had lost her good honest name and taken to herself
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a better one. We have been told by a gentleman here present, and it has been said for the last twenty-five years, that the farmer is to be the coming man. We have watched very closely, but, somehow or other, he fails to put in an appearance. In response to your last sentiment, I hardly know how to answer ; but I will say to all present, whether they are mining for gold, for pleasure, for profit, for reputation, if they are only true miners they will never be ashamed of their calling. In closing, let me give this sentiment, --
"The good old farming town of Barre. May her acres always be as pleasant to look upon as they are here to-day. May she never grow brown with age, and may her trees and shrubs continue to put forth the choicest blossoms, till the old town shall blossom like the rose."
7th. Hardwick : Formerly "Lamb's town," from one of its original proprietors, Joshua Lamb. With a good hardy soil, a reliable, industrious population, thriving manufacturing villages, and convenient railroad facilities, it may look forward to a future of increased prosperity when the Massachusetts Central Railroad shall have fulfilled its promises.
REMARKS OF MR. CONSTANT SOUTHWORTH.
Mr. President, - Before you stands Hardwick, a true repre- sentative of her rough exterior, and as you see, by these whitened locks, about thirty-six years the senior of her sister Barre. A rough though matronly old lady as I am, I think I have quite a respectable family of sons and daughters, besides some adopted little ones, nestling in my bosom, yet to my younger sister as these thousands of upturned faces demonstrate, I must award the palm of having been much more prolific in her progeny. Though the homestead of myself and sister may be about equal in acreage, yet I freely confess that the younger has outstripped me in pro- ducing milk, bread, and butter for our little ones ; and her children - pesky, smart fellows - have outstripped mine in the manufacture of most things that go to make up the comforts of the family, - such as head-gears and foot-gears, and cottons for shirts and chemises, and in things substantial and ornamental, in knick-knacks and gew-gaws, in brag and in gas, I confess that I retire behind the scenes. This young sister also excels me in the number of her merchants, artisans, mechanics, doctors, lawyers, and, I guess, in
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ministers and church spires ; but more especially does she excel my children in gentlemen loafers. But, Mr. President, when you come down to the solid things of this world, such as rocks and stones and uncouth places in nature ; when the children of this young sister talk of petticoats and flannels, of stud-horses and bull-fights ; when they talk of stormy town meetings and of sledge- hammer oratory, why, sir, my children can beat the children of this younger sister all hollow.
And now, sir, this old lady gives out this very promising hope (what a consoler this little word " hope " is ! ), that the Central Railroad will, on or before the 17th day of June, A.D. 1974, have fulfilled all its promises. Now, Mr. President, one very wise prophecy in relation to this vital enterprise, and this old lady retires from public view. We shall see what we do see.
8th. Petersham : As "Nichewaug," the home of the Indians, -as the volunteer town, "where the defenders of the colony received compensa- tion for services rendered," - and as the place where the famous Shay's rebellion made its last public appearance, - its record is lofty as is its situ- ation ; and if its hills are too high for railroads to climb, the hardy virtues of a New England town may thrive better out of the reach of the " Iron Horse."
The venerable and highly esteemed citizen of Petersham, Deacon CEPHAS WILLARD, had been appointed by Select- men to represent the town, and his prepared speech was as follows : -
REMARKS OF DEACON CEPHAS WILLARD.
Mr. Chairman, - It may be conceded as the privilege of old age to be excused from any attempt at oratory on an occasion so important, and attracting so large and interested an assembly, as the present ; and yet, appearing here by the request of my fel- low-townsmen as their representative, to express now and here those sentiments of friendly and neighborly esteem, sympathy, and good-will which have ever so happily subsisted without inter- ruption between the two towns and their inhabitants from their first planting, and their sincere and heart-felt congratulations on this Memorial Centennial day, which has called together from near and afar the natives and friends of your honored and pros-
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perous town, I beg to be allowed to put in writing what I feel myself unequal to express formally in an oral address, with the request that it may be obligingly read from the chair.
In reply to the sentiment just read, I will say, that the allusion in it to " Nichewaug" as " the home of the Indians" is so far justified, that the township did originally contain in its southern part a small settlement of the aborigines, of whom, however, we have but few traditions ; yet these all testify to the friendship and good-will with which they looked upon the early settlers of the town. The " horrors of Indian hostility " were never known here ; and the reason is probably found in a fact, which I believe is undisputed, that the first inhabitants of Nichewaug honorably paid the Indian proprietors a full equivalent for the lands on which they settled. I myself well remember a slight incident in point. I heard, when a boy, Captain Joseph Stevens, one of the first settlers of Nichewaug, relate to my mother that he was once out gunning with Edward Baker ; and finding no game, they fired at a mark, setting up a hat in the knot-hole of a fallen tree. The hat was riddled so effectually as to render it useless. All at once two Indians, who had concealed themselves, made their appearance. But instead of any unfriendly interference, they good-naturedly inspected the riddled target, exclaiming, with some warmth, "Good shot! Good shot!" When, afterwards, the Indians were inquired of why they permitted Baker and Stevens to go away without injury, they replied, that they were: not enemies to the people of Nichewaug, for they had fairly bought their land and paid them for it.
The friendly allusion you have made to Nichewaug as the " volunteer town" allows me to state the fact, in explanation of this cognomen, that the original petitioners and proprietors of the town were what have been known as " Lovel's Men," volun- teers in the long-famed expedition to Lake Winnipisseogee, which has since been known as " Lovel's Fight."
As regards the "last appearance " of the Shay's rebellion, I may be permitted to say of that event, that I was present on the occasion, not indeed " bearing arms," but rather " borne in arms," being at the time about nine weeks old. For Shay's men had forcibly occupied my father's house, and passed the night there ; and were eagerly awaiting their breakfast when they descried
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the soldiers of Lincoln's army marching up the hill. So quickly did they disperse, that they not only left their breakfast to be eaten by the loyal Lincoln men, but one man left behind his musket, which he never returned to reclaim. This was after- wards sold by my brother for the sum of six dollars. I may add, that I had a brother in Lincoln's army, who marched with it from Hadley on that memorable night.
Your complimentary notice of Nichewaug, or Petersham, as lofty in its " record " " as its situation," does us honor ; while, if we are indeed " too high for railroads to climb," we are yet not wholly excluded and cut off from those great channels of swift communication with which modern improvement has more directly benefited your own and so many more favored towns. We are in these " fast times " but a single hour behind our neigh- bors, and have only to rise an hour earlier than they ; while we can readily hear, at five or six miles distant, the whistle of the " iron horse," and even feel the tremulous jar of rumbling trains through the solid crust of our frost-bound hills. Happily our remoteness and exclusion from the immediate benefits of railway travel are not without compensation, in promoting the social intercourse of our people, and fostering the higher interests of domestic virtue and religion, of order and good morals. Our pure mountain air is as eagerly sought by the invalids of crowded cities as by those in quest of healthful retirement and summer recreation amidst the attractive scenes of natural beauty which surround us, and to whose attractions our friendly neighboring towns so gener- ously contribute.
But pardon, Mr. Chairman, this display of egotism in behalf of my native town, into which your complimentary notice of it has betrayed me. After all vain boasting, it must be confessed we have never been as successful as you, either in " running " fac- tories or newspapers, a railroad, or even a hotel.
But this is your Memorial-day, not ours. Its honors all belong to you, not us. Yet we of Petersham may greet it, and share its memories and hopes all the more warmly in view of the happy concord and friendly harmony which have marked so uniformly the relations of both towns, - never, I believe, either as corpora- tions or individuals, disturbed by unhappy strife or altercation. We have ever looked without envy, rather with friendly sympathy
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and pride, upon the enterprise, growth, prosperity, and increas- ing importance of our persevering and public-spirited neighbors. The success they have won is a deserved one.
And now, on the threshold of a new century, we heartily bid you God speed, hoping that by the wise forethought of man, and the blessing of Almighty God, the days to you may never come when it may with justice be said, " Truly the former days were better than these."
Permit me, Mr. Chairman, in conclusion, to present, in behalt of my fellow-townsmen, the sentiment following : -
Barre and Petersham : One and inseparable in the happy fellowship of the past. May the beautiful chain of hills which form the common bounds of both be the enduring symbol and pledge of like unbroken friendship in the future !
REMARKS OF MR. JAMES W. BROOKS.
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, - I had a great many things I wanted to say to-day, but I am aware that this is a family gathering, and that every moment belongs to you, that no outsider should impose on the moments that are left; but I cannot let Petersham go by without saying one word. And I want to have a fling at your Orator for the comparisons he made in his address. I have come down here to witness the general glorification of Barre, and I shall simply tell you a story of a gathering, said to have taken place on the continent of Europe, one fourth of July, of Americans. They assembled, and asked one of the most dis- tinguished of their number to preside. He takes his place, alludes to the transactions taking place across the Atlantic, says the appropriate thing that should have been said, but which I have no time to repeat here, and finally closes with a toast to the United States, -
" Bounded on the north by Canada, on the south by the Gulf of Mexico, on the east by the Atlantic, and on the west by the Pacific Oceans."
Up gets number Two, and says : " Mr. President, I am not satis- fied, sir, as I contemplate that glorious country of ours, to have our limits set by the geographical proportion you have set to her to-day. Let me give you the United States, -
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" Bounded on the north by the North Pole, on the south by the ant- arctic circle, on the east by the rising and on the west by the setting sun."
Up got number Three ; I never knew his name before, but dur- ing the day I have discovered that it must have been a son of Barre. Number Three says: "Mr. President, I have listened, sir, with feelings of the profoundest patriotism, to-day to all that has been said, and sir, if your successor had been content to have left matters where you left them, I should have remained silent ; but, sir, when he disregarded the geographical limits of the United States and endeavored to give you her real proportions, why did he stop where he did? Sir, I see the American Eagle standing on Colonel Robinson's hill, her broad tail stretching out over Canada, her mighty beak reaching out over the states of Mexico and Central and South America, and let me give you the United States, -
" Bounded on the north by the aurora borealis, on the east by infinite chaos, on the south by the precession of the equinoxes, and on the west by the day of judgment."
Number Four did not get up, but after what your Orator has said of Barre, it is not for me to say any thing for Petersham. I share in your delight to-day. You have a right to be proud of the years gone by. God bless you in those to come.
The Committee are very glad to give place to the follow- ing letter, and regret that the audience were deprived of the pleasure of listening to its distinguished author: --
LETTER OF NATHAN ALLEN.
To the Committee on the Centennial Celebration of Barre.
GENTLEMEN, - Being present at your celebration, by invita- tion, with the expectation of responding to a sentiment, and being prevented from so doing for want of time, I send you some items which may, perhaps, be deemed worthy of publication in its pro- ceedings. The Historian of the day, in giving sketches of the early settlers, " stated that about 1750 there came two brothers from
32
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Sudbury, Jonathan and Nehemiah Allen, settling in the western part of the town. Jonathan Allen brought from Sudbury on his horse forty apple-trees, from which in the course of years many orchards sprung." This Jonathan Allen, my grandfather, came here soon after he was twenty-one, cleared a small patch of land and built a log-cabin, and, after spending two years in preparing his land for cultivation and making other preparations, he returned to Sudbury for a companion. In addition to the apple-trees, he took back with him a young wife, and they lived on this same place between sixty and seventy years, he dying at the age of 92, and his wife at S7. They had six children, whose average age at death was So. Nehemiah Allen had ten children, who reached at death these remarkable ages : 96, 96, 95, 92, 92, 84, S2, So. So, and 78, making an average age of 87}! We doubt whether in the whole history of New England there can be found another such instance of so large a family all living to so great an age. They were remarkably healthy, scarcely ever had any kind of sick- ness, and several of them never had to call in a physician during their whole lives. Good health, long life, and large families were characteristic of the early settlers of Barre. These are marked evidences that they originated from good stock, composed of the best English blood, with an intermixture of Scotch and Irish.
By reference to the census, it shows the town increased rapidly in population, which came, as a whole, we are confident, more by additions from births than by immigration. In 1765. it had 734 inhabitants ; in 1775, it had 1.329 ; and in ISoo, it had 1,937. The town steadily increased every decade of years till IS50, when it reached 2,976 inhabitants, and then began to decline till, in IS70, the census reports 2,572, -- a loss of 404 persons. But within these twenty years. there has been a large increase in dwelling-houses and in the number of families. The town, as to outward appear- ances, has at the present time the look of prosperity and thrift, though it has not increased in population and business as other places with better railroad facilities. Admitting that the town has suffered in its growth for the want of railroad advantages, this does not account satisfactorily for such a loss of population. Perhaps a comparison of some of the "vital statistics" of the place will throw light on this point. Ten years ago, a medical
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friend of the writer, while spending some months in Barre, made a careful inspection of the records of the place as to family histories, number of children, &c., and these are some of the results of his inquiries. He found that the first settlers had on an average to each family seven to eight children ; the second generation fell a little short of this number; and the decrease steadily continued through each generation till the present time, when scarce any large families of children could be found. As one result of his inquiries, he was confident that the average number of children in the present generation to each married couple would not exceed three, if it would over two.
Let us now see what the census itself reports on this point. In 1765 and 1775, there is evidence to believe that more than one half the inhabitants were at that time under fifteen years of age, - that is, were children ; but in 1870, one hundred years later, the census reports in the town, between five and fifteen years of age, 394 persons, and the Registration Report, for the five years prior to 1870, gives 238 births. If we make the usual allowance for deaths under five years of age (two-fifths). we have in 1870 only about 550 persons in Barre under 15 years of age. Thus there are actually a less number of children now in the town than there was one hundred years ago, when the place was incorporated, and contained only half as many inhabitants. Several speakers at this Centennial made pertinent allusions to the next Centennial of Barre. If there should continue the same relative decrease of children with the three or four coming gener- ations as there has been in the past one hundred years, the inquiry naturally arises, who or what class of people will celebrate that Centennial ? Will they consist of the pure, genuine descendants of the present stock, or be composed largely of a foreign element or of a mixed class ?
Let us take a look from another point of view. The State Registration Reports of Births and Deaths puts Barre down as follows for the last twenty years: Births in IS53, 71 ; and in IS72 (the last published), 39 ; showing a steady decrease almost every year from 71 to 39. But not so of the deaths. From 1850 to 1860, the births slightly exceed the deaths, but from 1860 to 1870, the deaths exceed the births by some forty. Whenever the
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death-rate exceeds the birth-rate of a people, and that difference steadily increases for a series of years, it does not speak well for their permanent interests and prosperity. For a healthy and growing state of any community, the birth-rate must exceed the death-rate from 20 to 30 per cent yearly. On account of Barre being situated remote from railroads, - having but little manu- facturing business, and its interests consisting principally in farm- ing, - it has received only a small addition to its population from a foreign source. But the probabilities are that this element is to increase here more and more. The probability, too, is, that the young people of Barre, from their native enterprise, love of adventure, and desire for improvement, will still continue to emi- grate, as they have in past years. It is morally certain that the future will witness changes in the population of the place ; but just what these changes in numbers or character will be, it re- quires a greater prophet than the writer to foretell. With the following sentiment prepared for the Centennial, I close this hasty communication : -
" The first settlers of the town of Barre, - and their descendants, com- posed of a noble race, - may their stock ever be kept good not only in numbers, but long perpetuated within the ancient domain ! "
NATHAN ALLEN.
LOWELL, July Ist, 1874.
APPENDIX.
ALPHABETICAL LIST OF PERSONS WHO HAVE HELD TOWN OFFICES, OR SERVED ON IMPORTANT COM- MITTEES, DURING THE CENTURY, AND THE RE- SPECTIVE DATES.
ABBREVIATIONS. - S. M., Selectman. Ass'r, Assessor. Const., Constable. Mod., Moderator. Sch. Com., School Committee. Del., Delegate. Rep., Representative. Com., Committee. T. C., Town Clerk. T. T., Town Treasurer.
Adams, Austin F. S. M. 1871 and 1873.
Adams, Daniel. Const. 1780.
Adams, James. Ass'r, 1807 and 1827. Const. 1812. On Sch. Com. 1806, 1807, 1811, 1818, 1819, 1824, 1825, and 1826. Mod. five times. Adams, Joel M. Const. 1872 and 1873.
Adams, Luke. S. M. 1833, 1834, and 1835. Ass'r, 1832.
Ainsworth, William F. S. M. 1849, 1850, and 1851.
Aldrich, P. Emory. Del. to Constitutional Convention, 1853.
Allen, George E. S. M. 1866.
Allen, Charles G. S. M. 1872. Sch. Com. 1866, 1867, and 1868.
Allen, Horatio. Sch. Com. 1829.
Allen, John A. S. M. 1854.
Allen, Capt. John. S. M. 1799, 1805, 1806, 1807, 1808, 1809, and 1810. Sch. Com. 1806 and 1807. Mod. four times.
Allen, Otis. Ass'r, 1815, 1823, 1826, 1827, 1828, 1837, 1839, and 1847. S. M. 1840, 1841, and 1842. Rep. 1837 and 1838. On Sch. Com. 1814. Mod. once.
Allen, Zebediah. S. M. 1785 and 1788. On Grievance Com. in relation to Shay's Rebellion, Jan. 1, 1787. On Com. to execute resolves passed at Concord Convention, July 14, 1779. On Com. to hunt up Stolen Ammunition, Nov. 27, 1786.
Andrews, H. P. On Sch. Com. 1853 and 1854.
Avery, Samuel. Mod. in one town meeting.
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Babbitt, Pliney H. Ass'r, 1872 and 1873. Const. 1857, 1858, 1862, 1864, 1865, 1866, 1870, 1871, 1872, and 1873. Mod. sixteen times. Babbitt, Samuel. Del. to Money Grievance Convention at Worcester, second Tuesday in April, 1782.
Bacon, Daniel. Const. 1821, 1822, 1823, 1824, 1825, and 1826. Ass'r, 1824, 1825, 1829, 1830, 1831, 1837, 1840, 1842, 1845, 1846, and 1855. Mod. five times.
Bacon, David. S. M. 1829, 1842, and 1847. Mod. once.
Baker, Ezra. T. T. 1819.
Barnaby, Joseph. Ass'r, 1808.
Barrett, Deacon Joseph. S. M. 1811, 1812, 1813, 1814. Ass'r, 1815. Sch. Com. 1818, 1819, 1821, and 1822.
Bassett, Isaac. On Sch. Com. 18II.
Bassett, Samuel M. S. M. 1848.
Bates, Dr. Anson. T. T. 1813, 1814, 1815, 1816, and 1817. Sch. Com. 1826.
Bates, Dr. Joseph N. Sch. Com. 1855.
Bemis, Charles. S. M. 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, and 1842. Mod. once.
Bemis, John. S. M. 1847, 1848, 1849, 1855, and 1854.
Bemis, Silas. S. M. 1820, 1821, and 1822. Sch. Com. 1821.
Bemis, Silas, Jr. Ass'r, 1845, 1846, 1852, 1853, 1854, 1859, 1860, 1861, 1862, and 1863.
Bent, Joel. S. M. 1781, 1795, 1796, 1797, 1798, 1801, 1802, and 1803. T. T. 1784, 1785, 1786, 1787, 1788, 1789, 1790, 1791, 1793, 1794, 1799, and 1808. T. C. 1796, 1797, 1798, 1799, 1800, 1801, 1802, 1803, 1809, and 1810. Rep. 1801, 1802, 1803, and 1804. Ass'r, 1796, 1797, and 1798. Mod. nineteen times. On Com. to enlarge Common and draw a plan of new Meeting-house, May 8, 1785. On Com. to sell pews, 1787 and 1788. On Com. on Embargo Petition.
Bigelow, Abijah. On Sch. Com. 1812. Mod. six times.
Bigelow, Charles. On Sch. Com. 1837.
Bigelow, Samuel.
On Com. to act on division of County, May 2, 1796.
S. M. 1795, 1796, 1797, 1798, 1799, 1804, and 1805. Ass'r, 1799. T. C. 1804, 1805, and 1813. Mod. sixteen times.
Black, Archibald. S. M. 1830, 1831, and 1832. Rep. 1813 and 1831. On Sch. Com. 1812. Del. to Althol Convention to divide County, Dec. 16, 1810. Thanked for his services by vote.
Black, John. S. M. 1776, 1787, and 1788. Ass'r, 1776 and 1787. Rep. 1787, 1788, 1789, 1790, 1791, 1792, 1793, 1794, and 1796. On Com. of Safety, 1776. On Com. to sell pews in proposed new Meeting-house, 1785. Added to Com. to estimate cost of material, April 8, 1786. On Grievance Com. in relation to Shay's Rebellion, Jan. 1, 1787. Del. to Convention for acting on Constitution, second Wednesday in January, 1788.
Bond, Rev. Henry F. Sch. Com. 1846, 1848, and 1849.
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Boyden, Moses. Const. 1779.
Braman, Rev. W. A. On Sch. Com. 1855.
Brigham, Henry. S. M. 1787 and 1788. On Com. to lay out eight School Districts, Jan. 28, 1790.
Brimblecom, Charles. S. M. 1857 and 1858. Sch. Com. 1850. Rep. 1857 and 1858.
Brimblecom, Samuel. Sch. Com. 1841, 1842, 1843, 1844. and 1845.
Brimhall, Samuel. On School Districting Committee, Jan. 25, 1790.
Broad, Joseph. On Sch. Com. 1818.
Broad, Willard, S. M. 1863. T. T. 1845, 1846, 1859, and 1860. Brooks, Dr. Ephraim. On Com. to enlarge Common and draw plan of
new Church, May 9, 1785. Sold half an acre of land to enlarge Common, June 21, 1785.
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