USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Our country and its people; a descriptive and biographical record of Bristol County, Massachusetts > Part 21
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 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115 | Part 116 | Part 117 | Part 118 | Part 119 | Part 120 | Part 121 | Part 122 | Part 123 | Part 124 | Part 125 | Part 126 | Part 127 | Part 128 | Part 129 | Part 130 | Part 131 | Part 132 | Part 133 | Part 134 | Part 135 | Part 136 | Part 137 | Part 138 | Part 139
There are four railroad stations in the town-Crystal Spring, on the Newport branch; Assonet on the same; Braley's Station and East
191
GAZETTEER OF TOWNS.
Freetown on the Taunton division. At East Freetown, in the extreme eastern part, is a small settlement, with three saw mills, a blacksmith shop, a school and two churches.
Braleytown, or Braley's Station, is a mere hamlet in the extreme southern part with a church and a blacksmith shop. The town farm is situated one mile northwest of Assonet. Much of the land in Freetown is now covered by forest and undergrowth and was once under cultiva- tion. Mixed farming is carried on, but the principal occupation of the farmers is market gardening and milk producing for the larger markets. As an indication of the decline of general farming it may be stated that many farmers import hay for cattle to produce milk. Among the rep- resentative farmers of this town may be mentioned G. M. Nichols, J. W. Winslow, George D. Williams, David B. Evans, Kenelm Win- slow, Marcus Woydell, Ambrose D. Winslow, Phineas D. Fletcher, Charles E. Hathaway, Andrew Webster, David Terry, Anthony D. Hathaway, Albert White, and Marcus M. Rounseville.
ATTLEBOROUGH .- This was the sixth town formed in Bristol county, the date being October 18, 1694, when it was taken from Rehoboth as the North Purchase. On September 10, 1697, the bounds between Attleborough and Rehoboth were established. February 18, 1830, the bounds between Attleborough and Wrentham were fixed and a part annexed to Wrentham. On June 14, 1887, the town was divided and North Attleborough erected. The town is in the Twelfth Congres- sional District, and with North Attleborough, Norton, Rehoboth and Seekonk, forms the First Representative District, with 4,663 legal voters, entitling the district to two representatives. It is the northwest corner town in Bristol county, and by the State census of 1895 contains a population of 8,288, with 1,511 registered voters in 1897. The Provi- dence division of the Old Colony Railroad crosses the town, and the Attleborough branch road extends from Attleborough village to Taun- ton. There are four post-offices in the town, namely, Attleborough, South Attleborough, Hebronville and Dodgeville.
Attleborough is a large and thriving village, centrally located in the town, with a population of about 6,000. Its reputation, with that of North Attleborough, is world-wide as one of the largest jewelry manu- facturing centers of the country. Most or all of these industries have been adequately described in these pages.
In Attleborough are six churches, besides the All Saints' Mission. Of these the Davis Centenary Methodist was organized in May, 1866,
192
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
and the building erected the same year and dedicated February 23, 1869. It was burned December 23, 1883, and the present edifice erected in 1885. The First Congregational Church is situated at Old- town and dates from the first settlement of the town and has been noticed in earlier pages. The town was divided into two parishes in April, 1743, and in the same year a meeting-house was commenced "on the plain where the roads meet or cross each other." In 1825 this structure gave place to another, which is now the Second Congrega- tional church.
The First Baptist Church in the town was formed in the last century, and when North Attleborough was set off, in 1887, was taken into the new town. The First Baptist Church of Attleborough was organized October 5, 1895, and now worships in a building on North Main street. The Central Congregational church at Attleborough Falls (North At- tleborough) was dedicated May 5, 1874. The Hebronville Methodist Church was organized in 1875 and erected a meeting-house in 1881. Other churches in the town are St. Stephen's Catholic at Dodgeville; Zion A. M. E. Church at Attleborough; St. John The Evangelist, Attleborough; Murray Universalist (before noticed).
The town of Attleborough has thirty-five schools, as follows: One high school, eight grammar schools, eighteen primary schools, three semi graded schools, four ungraded schools and one kindergarten. The total enrollment for 1897 was 2,028, an increase from 1888 of about 600. There was expended for all schools in 1897, $32, 695.25. In 1895 there was about $10,000 expended on new buildings and repairs.
Attleborough village has an excellent water supply system, which had its inception in 1873. The town acquired the works in 1892, since which year large extensions have been made. The increase in con- sumption from 1893 to the present has been as follows: 1893, 217,860 gallons; 1894, 271,606; 1895, 306,357; 1896, 315,612; 1897, 352,086. The old cement pipe has been largely supplanted by iron pipe and other modern improvements made.
The Attleborough Steam and Electric Light Company was incorpo- rated in 1887. The plant was originally built at North Attleborough, but in 1888 was removed to Farmers, a suburb of the village. The company supplies electric lights for the village and power for various industries. The Attleborough Gaslight Company is still in existence and supplies lights and gas for domestic purposes.
In December, 1883, a public meeting was held and the Attleborough
193
GAZETTEER OF TOWNS.
Free Public Library Association was founded, succeeding two or three small circulating libraries. It received support from voluntary sub- . scriptions during about four years, and at the first town meeting after the erection of North Attleborough, in 1887, the library came under public control with a board of nine trustees.
Attleborough has an efficient fire department, the apparatus consist- ing principally of two hose carts and a hook and ladder truck, with ample hose, ladders, etc. The water pressure in the mains is sufficient to throw powerful streams wherever needed. There are four fire de- partment houses, two of which are in the village, one at South Attle- borough and one at Farmers. The Gamewell fire alarm system is in use.
The Attleborough Advocate was established as a weekly newspaper in 1875 by David L. Lowe, who was succeeded by E. H. Sweet & Co., and later by Sweet & Sturdy. The publication of a daily edition was begun in 1889, with the title, Attleborough Daily Sun. The two editions were continued for a time, but the weekly subsequently ceased publi- cation. The daily has passed through several changes of management, and in 1898 the Sun Publishing Company was incorporated. The ed- itor was John W. Waters. The Sun is Republican. The corporation publishes, also, the Jeweler's Herald, a weekly.
The village in this town next in importance to Attleborough village is South Attleborough, situated in the western part of the town and is connected with North Attleborough by electric cars. It is a small hamlet containing a post-office, a church, school house, a few stores, and a few industries. Among these is the tannery of William Coupe & Company and three jewelry manufacturers, Sadler Brothers, William P. Shaw & Company, and another.
Hebronville is a small village in the southern part of the town with a station on the railroad, a post office, a church (Methodist), a school, and a few shops. There is a large foreign element in the population employed mostly in the cotton mills of the Hebronville Manufacturing Company. These mills employ about 600 operatives, have 21,760 spindles. The company conducts a general store. This company operates also a cotton mill at Dodgeville, a small hamlet on the rail- road about a mile northeast of Hebronville. These mills contain 23, 168 spindles, and the company has also a general store here.
Briggs Corner is a settlement in the southeast part of the town where there is a school house, a church, and the carriage manufactory of Darius Briggs.
25
194
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
The principle interests of this town among agriculturists are in the vicinity of South Attleborough. Market gardening is carried on to a considerable extent, with general farming.
Attleborough village is connected by three electric car lines with North Attleborough, Plainville and Pawtucket.
On the night of May 18, 1898, Attleborough village suffered an un- paralleled calamity in the burning of a large number of her manufac- turing establishments, causing a loss of nearly three-quarters of a million dollars and destroying the industries of some fifteen firms and individuals, engaged principally in the manufacture of jewelry. These were located in buildings which were generally covered by insurance, saving about $80,000 of the loss. About 1,500 employees were thrown out of work. The heaviest losers were the firm of Bates & Bacon, $250,000, and W. & S. Blackinton, $150,000; other losses were Daggett & Clapp, $30,000; J. T. Inman & Co., $20,000; C. H. Allen & Co., $10,000; Bay State Optical Co., $30,000; S. O. Bigney & Co., $40,000; W. E. Heyward, $20,000; Williams Seamless Wire Co., $10,000; Reg- nell & Bigney, $20,000; Attleborough Manufacturing Co., $15,000; J. C. Cummings & Co., $15,000; Henry Wexel & Co., $15,000. Imme- diate preparations were made by most of these manufacturers to resume business and the burned buildings are rapidly being replaced by new structures.
NORTON .- This was the seventh town formed in Bristol county and was set off from Taunton on March 17, 1710. On June 12, 1711, a bill to perfect the grant was passed. Easton was set off from Norton in December, 1725. On the 26th of April, 1770, a part of Easton was constituted the District of Mansfield. Easton is a part of the Twelfth Congressional District, and with Mansfield and Raynham, forms the Second Representative District, with 2,459 legal voters, entitling the district to one representative. The State census of 1895 gives the population of the town as 1, 614, and the number of registered voters in 1897 was 348. There are five post-offices in Norton, namely, Barrows- ville, Chartley, East Norton, Norton, and Norton Furnace.
The principal village in the town is Norton, which is centrally situ- ated and within a short distance of the Taunton division of the rail- road, on which there is the station called East Norton; the population is about 450. This is and long has been a considerable industrial point, the principal present manufactures being the woolen mills of G. H. Talbert, near by which a plant is now in process of erection for
195
GAZETTEER OF TOWNS.
the extraction of grease from wool; this will be operated by the J. T. Moss Wool Treating Company. One mile west of the village is the box-board factory and planing mill of A. H. Sweet, who manufactures all kinds of wooden and pasteboard boxes. There are in the village two blacksmith shops, one wheelwright, and a mile south at Crane's Station is another. Wheaton Seminary, which is elsewhere described in this work, is situated here. About seventy students is the average attendance. A good public library is maintained which, with the books, was a gift to the town by Mrs. E. B. Wheaton. It was erected in 1887. The town hall is in the village and was a gift from Miss Har- riet A. Newcomb, in 1881, in behalf and in memory of her father, Nathaniel Newcomb. The building is an ornament to the town. The mercantile business is confined to one store. There are three churches, Trinitarian, Unitarian and St. Mary's Roman Catholic. The Norton Bulletin is a weekly newspaper, published by Samuel E. Fiske, and printed in Fall River.
Chartley is a small village in the west part of the town. It contains a post office, a general store, two school houses, a wheelwright and blacksmith shops, a Methodist church, and two jewelry manufactories. The W. A. Sturdy Manufacturing Company make a general line of jewelry, employing about ninety men. They succeeded W. A. Sturdy, who established a jewelry business before the Civil war, but later dis- continued it and again began in 1893. The other jewelry factory is operated by Freeman, Daughaday & Company and employs eighty-five men. This firm succeeded Engley, Freeman & Co. This establish- ment is situated on the site of the Chartley Iron Works, elsewhere described, built in 1696 by Thomas and James Leonard. On the cor- ner stone of the building is a tablet ordered by the town authorities stating this fact. Between Chartley and Norton is the Sweet paper box factory on the site of the old Messinger match factory. On the same road is the power station and car barn of the new electric road, extend- ing from Norton to Attleborough, opened in 1898. Other roads are contemplated which will connect the village of Norton with other points. A line is now in operation extending from Easton to Taunton and passing through this town.
At Norton Furnace, in the extreme south part of the town is a post- office, two large ice houses and a small settlement. In former years the Norton Copper Works and the Norton Furnace Company were im- portant industries, but the former removed to Worcester, and the latter to near Boston.
196
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
Barrowsville in the southwest part of the town, is a small settlement where there was formerly a considerable industrial and business inter- est. A destructive fire in 1890 left the place in a paralyzed condition. There is here a post-office, ice houses, and a station on the Attlebor- ough branch of the railroad.
East Norton is a post-office and station on the Taunton division of the railroad, where there are two grain stores, three school houses, two saw mills, and a few shops.
The principal farming interests are general crops, while many are engaged in poultry raising for the Boston market, and dairying. Among leading farmers may be mentioned C. G. Clapp, W. E. Payson, L. B. Dean, J. S. Wood, George E. Smith, Arthur E. Sweet, Jacob A. Leon- ard, O. H. Lane and C. D. Lane.
DIGHTON .- This was the eighth town formed in Bristol county, it having been set off from Taunton and incorporated on the 30th of May, 1712. It has passed through several minor territorial changes, the first of which took off a part for the formation of Berkley on April 18, 1735. On March 2, 1743, the bounds of the town were reported by a committee. January 8, 1745, the bounds were established. On Feb- ruary 26, 1799, a small part was annexed to Berkley, and on June 9, 1814, the north part was set off as the town of Wellington. On Feb- ruary 12, 1824, the bounds between Dighton and Wellington were established and a small part annexed to Wellington. On February 22, 1826, Dighton and Wellington were reunited as Dighton and the act was accepted on February 26 of that year. On April 4, 1854, a small part was annexed to Somerset, leaving the town with its present area. The census of 1895 gives the population as 1,797, and the number of registered voters in 1897 was 398. It constitutes a part of the Twelfth Congressional District, and with Berkley and the First and Sixth wards of Taunton forms the Fifth Representative District, with 2,237 legal voters, entitling the district to one representative. The town has four post-offices, namely, Dighton, North Dighton, West Dighton, and Seg- reganset. It is centrally situated in the county and is bounded on the north by Taunton and Rehoboth, on the east by Berkley, on the south by Somerset and on the west by Rehoboth.
Dighton village, or South Dighton, has a post-office, three churches (Methodist, Baptist and Unitarian), three stores, two hay, grain and coal dealers, a wagon maker, a stove lining works, established many years ago by Gideon Francis; a color works now operated by Mason,
197
GAZETTEER OF TOWNS.
Chapin & Co., of Providence; and a stove foundry which has been in operation nearly ten years. Former merchants in this village were E. F. Andrews, Charles E. Whitmarsh, and his father at a still earlier period, Allen Ingalls, William Phillips and H. N. Walker. A news- paper is published called the Dighton Rock, which is one of several printed in Fall River by Samuel E. Fiske and circulated in various towns.
It has already been stated that Dighton was a port of entry and had a custom house until 1834, when it was removed to Fall River. A con- siderable cotton manufacturing industry existed here in early years, and ship-building was carried on to some extent. The old Dighton Universalist Church was organized in the latter part of the last century and the church building still standing was dedicated in 1802.
North Dighton is a small village in the extreme northeast part of the town, a part of which is in the First ward of Taunton, the several in- dustries of which have been described. There was formerly a cupola furnace here, which is not now in operation. The Dighton Furnace Company has an important industry, and the paper mill of L. Lincoln & Co. does a large business. The North Dighton Co-operative Stove Foundry was incorporated in 1886. There are four churches, Baptist, Congregational, Catholic and Methodist. There are two stores and blacksmith and wagon shops.
West Dighton is a small settlement in the west part of the town, with post-office, a Baptist church and two stores. Segreganset is a new post-office near Berkley station, on the railroad; it has no business in- terests. For many years a wooden bridge has spanned Taunton River from Berkley to Dighton, which was superseded by a fine structure in 1897. The farming community is very largely engaged in strawberry growing for the Boston market and many foreigners have taken up the poorer lands of the town in recent years.
EASTON -This was the ninth town organized in Bristol county, was formerly a part of the Taunton North Purchase, and was set off from Taunton December 21, 1725; its territorial boundary has not since been materially changed. It is in the Twelfth Congressional District, and with Mansfield and Raynham, constitutes the Second Representative District, with 2,459 legal voters, entitling the district to one represent- ative. The town lies in the extreme northeast corner of the county and is bounded on the north by Norfolk county; on the east by Plym- outh county, on the south by Raynham and Norton, and on the west
198
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
by Norton and Mansfield. The State census of 1895 gives the popula- tion as 4,452, and the number of registered voters in 1897 was 1,012. There are four post-offices in the town, namely, Easton, Eastondale, North Easton and South Easton.
The most important village in this town is North Easton, the popu- lation of which is given as 2,937. It is situated in the northeast part of the town on the line of what was the central division of the Old Colony Railroad. The village is pleasantly situated in near proximity to Brockton, with which and with Taunton it is connected with electric cars. The village contains six churches, Methodist, Swedish Lu- theran, Swedish Methodist, Catholic, Unitarian and Baptist. The two Swedish churches have come into existence mainly to accommodate a large element of that nationality which has been attracted to the place by the profitable field for their skilled labor in the Ames Shovel Works. The schools of the village are liberally supported and a handsome high school building, erected in 1896, was presented to the community by Oliver Ames, whose death took place in July before the building was dedicated. This is called the Oliver Ames High School. There are seventeen stores in the village, including hardware, clothing, dry goods, groceries, confectionery, etc., and the usual complement of shops of various kinds. There is a newspaper printed once a week, named the Easton Bulletin and edited by Orville Tilden.
The Ames Free Public Library was founded by Oliver Ames and opened in March, 1883. It occupies a handsome stone building in which more than 10,000 volumes are placed. Near the library building is the Ames Memorial Hall, erected in 1881 by the children of Oakes Ames as a memorial to their father.
The Oliver Ames High School was a gift to the town by Oliver Ames and was dedicated December 12, 1896, with impressive exercises. The Easton High School was founded in March, 1868, under the principal- ship of Rev. George G. Withington. The other principals to the pres- ent time have been E. H. Peabody, C. M. Barrows, C. C. Sheldon, Charles R. Ballard, and M. C. Lamprey. A training school and even- ing schools are maintained. The cost of the schools for the year 1897 was almost $20,000. The number of schools in the town is ten besides the high school. North Easton has many fine private residences, among which are those of the Ames, Gilmore, French and Lothrop families.
North Easton has a number of important manufactures, the princi-
.
199
GAZETTEER OF TOWNS.
pal one being the Ames Shovel Works, founded in 1852 by Oliver Ames, and now employing several hundred hands. This establishment is known throughout the world. Other industries were the cutlery factory of Capt. John Ames; a grist mill near the site of the present shovel works; another near the present site of the Ames office; still lower down was the cotton mill of the Easton Manufacturing Com- pany. At the lower end of Stone's Pond steel was being manu- factured at the beginning of the century. A grist mill was soon built at that point and later a nail factory. Elijah Howard and Will- iam G. Andrews began manufacturing cotton yarn here, and later be- gan making cotton cloth. This business was carried on by different proprietors until 1839, when tack machines were put in. Edward J. W. Morse subsequently rented a part of the works and manufactured knitting cotton. In 1852 the works were acquired by Oliver Ames, as before stated. Near this place in early years was also a mill for break- ing flax. At the lower end of what is now called Shovel-shop Pond was a dam with a grist mill, nail shop, and a forge This property was also purchased by Oliver Ames. In 1852 the old factory became too small for the business and Mr. Ames erected a stone building five hundred and thirty feet long and two stories high, to which additions were subsequently made.
The manufacture of hinges was begun in this town in 1854 by E. W. Gilmore, in association with Oakes and Oliver Ames. In 1871 Mr. Gilmore purchased the Ames interest and then built the large works which he now occupies, moving thither in 1872. When the hinge trust was formed the business was absorbed by it and the factory is now used for the manufacture of wire for hanging pictures.
In 1851 A. A. Gilmore & Co. (Oakes A. Ames and Elisha T. An - drews) began the manufacture of fine calfskin boots and shoes. Oakes Ames succeeded to the interest of Oakes A. Ames, and in 1870 Messrs. Gilmore and Andrews acquired his interest. This business was aban- doned in 1879. In 1855 Ward L. Foster and William Andrews be- gan making shoes; this business closed in 1857. The firm of Pratt, Foster & Company manufactured for a period in the same building. In 1863 George Brett manufactured shoes in the same building. In 1865 John B. King and P. A. Gifford began making boots and shoes.
The New England Novelty Company is now engaged in the man- ufacture of screw drivers, cutlery, hinges, etc.,
South Easton, Eastondale, and Easton Center are so closely con-
200
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
nected that they are practically one settlement. Easton Center is a small hamlet with a station on the railroad. Here is a cluster of houses, a blacksmith shop, a school house, and an Evangelical Congre- gational church. South Easton is a small village on the line of the Taunton and Brockton electric railway. It formerly had the old thread factory of E. J. W. Morse & Co., who removed to Roxbury in 1893. The principal industry at the present time is the manufacture of heels for shoes. The Ross Heel Company has employed as many as three hundred hands, but now has about sixty. A new shoe factory has re. cently been started by Theodore Darling. J. F. Randall also manufac. tures heels, employing about twenty hands, and J. O. Dean & Company conduct a grist mill. About two miles southwest of the settlement is a large incubator manufactory conducted by J. Rankin & Company, who also are extensive poultry raisers. The village has a post-office, carriage shop, grist mill and a general store. This store was formerly conducted by the Copelands (Horatio Copeland, the father, and George Copeland, the son), who sold the business to H. Y. Mitchell. Easton- dale is a scattered settlement along the Brockton turnpike, containing a post-office, wheelwright and paint shop, and a general store con- ducted for many years by J. W. Howard & Son. The old Morse shoddy mill was situated here on what is still called the Shoddy-mill Pond. At what is known as Square-Top neighborhood, which is prac- tically a part of North Easton, is the heel factory of Willis Drew, em- ploying one hundred hands. A Methodist Church building is also lo- cated here.
The principal farming interests of Easton are the production of milk, market gardening and poultry raising. Among the leading farmers are Gilbert Phillips, Albert Ashley, John B. Marshall, W. H. McCloud, H. W. Willis, John Beattie, William P. Howard, W. E. Drake, L. Howard, the Morse brothers and L. C. Randall.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.