USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Our country and its people; a descriptive and biographical record of Bristol County, Massachusetts > Part 25
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And still appeals for more land went up from the inhabitants to the General Court. The original Taunton was separated from Titicut by a strip of land nearly two miles wide and Taunton settlers wanted it. After a preliminary order made by the court in 1660, a grant was made in 1665 " unto William Brett, Thomas Hayward, Sen., Arthur Harris, Richard Williams, John Willis and John Carey, to each of them three score acres of land lying betwixt the lands of Taunton and Titicutt."
231
THE CITY OF TAUNTON.
Again in 1662, "Captaine Willett is appointed by the Court to pur- chase the lands of the Indians which is graunted to such that were servants, and others that are ancient freemen." At a little later date this Willett and another were requested by the court to " view the bounds of Taunton, wherein they desire to bee enlarged," and to con- firm the enlargement if it seemed best. All of this opened the way for making the so-called North Purchase of the Indians, which was accom- plished in 1662. In this purchase thirty-five men were interested, a number of whose names are already familiar to the reader; they were as follows:
Captaine Thomas South- James Walker, worth,
George Hall,
Richard Williams,
John Deane,
Mr. William Parker,
John Wood,
Walter Deane,
Mr. Henery Andrews,
Henery Wood,
John Dunham, jr.,
John Parker,
William Harlow, John Rogers,
Gabriell Fallowell,
Joseph Warren,
George Bonum,
Gyles Richard, Senior,
Leift James Wyate,
Jonathan Briggs,
Richard Wright, John Morton,
David Briggs,
Anthony Snow,
Ephraim Morton, John Bundey,
Nathaniell Morton,
Robert Finney,
Mr. John Done,
Mr. John Gilbert,
Ensigne Mark Eames,
John Smalley,
Captaine Poole,
William Paybody,
Jonathan Sparrow.
The last three were added subsequently to the date of the order for purchase.
This purchase did not come into possession of the Taunton men for some years. A part of it was granted to the town of Rehoboth and was known as the Rehoboth North Purchase. About fifty square miles remained, bounded by the Massachusetts patent on the north, Bridgewater on the east, Rehoboth North Purchase (Attleborough) on the west, and Taunton on the south. This tract Taunton naturally wanted and, with its usual good fortune, obtained. The purchase was effected and a deed made under date of " sixt of June Ann. Dom. one thousand six hundred sixty and eight." The signers of the deed (which is in the Plymouth Records, book iii, p. 118) were Thomas Prence, Josias Winslow, Thomas Southworth and Constant South- worth. The sale was made to fifty-two persons, the then proprietors of Taunton. The name of George Shove appears on the margin, hav- ing been added upon his complaint that it was omitted through the fact of his share of the purchase price being paid by others, although he was a proprietor of Taunton. The name was added by order of the
232
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
court. It required a hundred years to definitely settle the Massachu- setts line on the north of Taunton, and many years to amicably adjust the line between Taunton and Bridgewater; but it was all finally accomplished.
What is known as the South Purchase was made in 1672, after con- siderable preliminary action, beginning in 1667. On May 6, 1669, the town voted as follows:
The town hath voted and chosen Lieut. George Masy, Henry Andrews and Joseph Wilbore to go down to Philip Sachem and confir with him about buying of ye land from the Three Mile River down as far as Storehouse Point, as far as the meadows, and to buy it of ye Sachem as far as they can into ye woods from ye Great River, and what bargain the above said men shall make with him the town doth engage to perform, and the above said men are to go down about the aforesaid design the next week.
In March, 1672, the General Court declared as follows :
That James Walker and John Richmond are authorized by the Court to purchase the land of the Indians in the behalfe of the town of Taunton, lying on the west syde of Taunton River, from the Three Mile River down to a place called the Store House.
On the 2d of September of that year the town voted the following committee to manage the purchase: William Brenton, esq., Walter Dean, William Harvey, Lieut. George Macey, James Walker, John Richmond, Richard Williams. The committee gave prompt attention to the matter and secured the deed, which was acknowledged by " Philip alias Metacum, this 1 day of October, 1672," before Con- stant Southworth. On the same day Philip conveyed to Constant Southworth, for £47, another strip on the southerly side of the first tract, a mile wide on the Great River and extending westerly four miles from the river. The deed of this land was immediately assigned to the foregoing committee. The consideration for the two deeds of the four mile tract was £190, besides £83 in a mortgage which had to be paid. The entire tract was conveyed on November 26, 1672, by the committee to the persons interested in the purchase, who numbered eighty-seven; a few apparently did not comply with the conditions of sale, for another declaratory deed was made in March, 1683-4, to only seventy-seven of the list.
Thus far all Taunton purchases had been made directly from the Indians, with or without confirmatory deeds from the government. The peninsula between the Great River and its Assonet branch, a tract about two miles long and less than one broad, the natives had refused
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THE CITY OF TAUNTON.
to sell. It was seized by the colony to pay the cost of the Indian wars, and in 1675 was pledged by the General Court for the "incouragement of the souldiers sent forth on the first expedition against the Indians." In July, 1677, the court ordered these lands to be sold and the proceeds divided among the several towns, according to their disbursements towards war expenses; if not sold the land itself was to be so divided. On November 12, of the year named, Constant Southworth, as treas- urer of the colony, conveyed the Assonet lands to George Shove, James Walker, James Tisdale, Walter Deane, William Harvey and Richard Williams, and they were divided among these men in May, 1680. In July, 1682, the tract was made a part of Taunton by order of the General Court. This was the last addition of territory to Taunton. The Neck was included in the boundaries of Dighton when that town was formed in 1712, but was set off to Berkley when that town was erected in 1799. In 1685 Governor Hinckley made a confirmatory deed of all the lands then belonging to Taunton, which is recorded in Book v, Bristol County Land Records, pp. 479-80.
The South Purchase was originally about four miles square, but a controversy with the authorities of Swansea, which was referred to the General Court in 1672, was partially settled by awarding to Taunton only about three square miles, under certain specified conditions. This order not being wholly satisfactory, agents of each town in the follow- ing July made another division under which "the propriety of the two miles abutting upon salt water shall belong to Taunton, and the pro- priety of the other two miles running into the woods shall appertain and belong to Swansey, the town of Swansey paying to Taunton thereon thirteen pounds, ten shillings." This arrangement accounts for the projection of a corner of Swansea into the southwest corner of Digh- ton, and which has been called the " two mile purchase."
The inhabitants of Taunton seem, finally, to have been satisfied with their territorial acquisitions-the original purchase covering sixty-four square miles, the North Purchase about sixty, the South Purchase sixteen, with other small additions, making in all one hundred and fifty square miles, or nearly one hundred thousand acres. The division of lands among the settlers was arranged in town meeting upon a plan of " lots, heads and estates, according to the last rate made, which was a rate of eight pounds made for public charges of the country, . and in the division three acres to be laid to each head, and three acres to every shilling that is charged in that rate, . . and three acres to
30
234
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
the house or home lot, and those that are single men to be looked upon as two heads." Each person profiting in the division paid "twelve shillings apiece to public use." The action of the town in this matter on December 28, 1659, was as follows:
The names of those inhabitants within the Township of Taunton, who are to have their division of land now agreed upon, December 28, 1659, whose proportion is to be according to the rate here following, together with the quantity of land, lots, and heads, at two acres to the head, two acres to the shilling, and two acres to the lot:
THE RATE. (THE LOTS ARE ALIKE.)
& d. s.
Heads.
Acres.
Msris Winnifred Gilbert
1 10 6
3
-
James Walker
1 5 7
8
96
John Tisdill
1 10 10
9
82
Richard Burt
- 18 2
4
46
James Burt
. 12
6
38
Francis Smith
1
7
4
6 61
Msris Jane Gilbert
9
7
55
Francis Street.
6
7
5
25
John Briant.
6
9
2
19
Christopher Thrasher
5
2
7
26
John Hathaway
10
7
7
37
Jonah Austin, Sr
19 11
2
46
William Parker
15 3
2
36
James Phillips.
13
4
2
31
Peter Pitts.
1 -
7
6
55
William Haylston
5
4
2
17
Aaron Knap
7
9
2
32
Thomas Lincoln, Jr.
- 14 8
6
43
Edward Bobbit
10
8
4
29
James Wiatt
1 8 11
2
64
George Macey
18 3
7
52
William Witherell
7 10
5
28
William Harvey
- 14
7
44
Thomas Lincoln, Sr.
2-
3
6
94
Capt. Poole
1 2
3
8
62
John Macomber
7
4
24
Edward Rew
7
2
20
Joseph Wilbore
14 7
3
37
Samuel Howard
4 4
3
9
42
Widdow Woody
5
7
2
17
Shadrach Wilbore
12
6
3
33
Robert Crossman
9
8
7
33
John Cobb
- 12
-
2
30
Henry Andrews
- 18 3
3
44
John Deane
1 8 10
8
76
-
-
I
1
-
-
9
Thomas Caswell
11
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THE CITY OF TAUNTON.
THE RATE. d. s.
(THE LOTS ARE ALIKE.)
Heads.
Acres.
Walter Deane
13
1
8
44
Hezekiah Hoar
12
1
5
36
Anthony Slocum
19
4
6
53
George Hall
1 15
3
7
86
Richard Williams
1 13
6
10
91
Thomas Jones
4 3
3
16
Robert Thornton
3 10
10
William Shepard
5
10
32
James Leonard.
18
-
10
58
Nathaniel Woodward
2
-
6
Timothy Holloway
-
There was some complaint made in 1662 as to the manner of division of the lands, which was somewhat modified, particularly in 1669, by a committee of ten appointed for the purpose, and again in 1680. On the 25th of May of this year the inhabitants voted as follows:
The town hath voted that they accept of what the committee hath done; by the committee is understood those that did this day present what they had caused to be entered on the town book of Town Orders, concerning settling of our lands and town orders.
This "settling of our lands" is thus set forth in the report :
A list of the names of the present purchasers or proprietors of the Town of Taun- ton unto whom the town hath already granted or divided lands by virtue of their en- joying either purchase lots or purchase rights to divisions of land as followeth:
Richard Williams on his own rights, & on that which was Henry Uxley's, & on that which was Anthony Slocum's, and that which was John Gingil's.
John Hall and Samuel Hall on their two rights which were Joseph Wilson's and Benjamin Wilson's.
Joseph Hall on the rights which was his father's.
Captain William Poole's heirs on his rights.
Lieutenant George Macey on his own rights and on that which was Mr. Bishop's.
William Harvey on his own rights.
Edward Rew on the rights that was William Coy's.
Hezekiah Hoar on his own rights.
Walter Dean on his own rights.
John Dean on his father's rights.
Henry Andrews on his father's rights.
Increase Robinson on the rights that was Thomas Cook's.
John Cobb on the rights that was John Smith's.
Thomas Farwell's heirs on his rights.
Shadrach Wilbore on the rights that was Edward Case's.
Thomas Caswell on the rights that was John Kingslow's.
James Leonard, Junior, on the rights that was Richard Paul's.
Joseph Wilbore on the rights that was Richard Smith's.
236
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
John Smith, Senior, on half the rights that was Mr. John Gilbert's.
James Phillips on the rights that was his father's.
John Richmond on the rights that was his father's, on the rights that was Mr. Francis Doubtye's (Doughty).
Jonah Austin, Senior, on the rights that was William Holloway's.
Jonah Austin, Junior, on the half purchase rights of the Widow Randil's.
William Witherell on his own rights, & that which was Mr. Dunn's.
John Bryant on the rights which was his father's and that which was William Scadding's.
Mary Streete on the rights that was her father's.
Joseph Willis on the rights that was Hugh Rossiter's.
Eleazer Gilbert on the rights of John Gilbert.
Thomas Gilbert on the rights that was his father's.
Malachi Holloway on the rights that was Richard Hart's.
Francis Smith on the rights that was Oliver Purchase's.
Samuel Smith on the rights that was Jacob Wilson's.
James Burt on his own rights.
John Tisdil, Junior, on the rights that was Mr. Drake's.
James Walker, Senior, on his own rights & on that which was Mr. John Brown's, & on the rights which was John Luther's.
Mr.John Poole on the rights that was Miss Elizabeth Poole's.
James Wiat's heirs on his own rights.
Thomas Harvey, Junior, on his father's rights.
To John Strong's rights we find several claimers.
Christopher Thrasher on his own rights.
William Shepard's heirs on his rights.
John Hathaway on the rights that was his father's.
Peter Pitts on the rights that was Richard Stasie's and on the rights that was William Parker's.
Thomas Coggan's heirs on his rights.
John Macomber, Senior, on his own rights.
Aaron Knap's heirs on his rights.
Henry Hodges on the rights that was John Gollup's.
Richard Godfree, Senior, on half the purchase rights that was Thomas Joans'.
Thomas Lincoln, Senior, on his own rights.
Thomas Lincoln, Junior, on his own rights.
George Watson on the rights that was Giles Gilbert's.
Giles Gilbert on the rights that was Joseph Gilbert's.
Robert Crossman on his own rights.
Robert Thornton on his own rights.
John Turner on his own rights.
James Leonard, Senior, on his own rights.
Mr. John Paine on the rights that was Ralph Russell's.
Thomas Leonard on the rights that was Henry Leonard's & on half the purchase rights that was Thomas Jones'.
Edward Bobbitt on his own rights.
Samuel Holloway on his own rights.
237
THE CITY OF TAUNTON.
Jonathan Briggs on the rights that was Benjamin Dunham's.
Nicholas White, Senior, on the rights that was David Curwithie's and on the rights that was Giles Slocum's.
John Parker's heirs on his own rights.
Mr. George Shove on his own rights.
William Haylston on his own rights.
Mr. William Brenton on the rights that was Mr. Nicholas Streete's.
These purchasers or proprietors, fore-mentioned, are hereby and by virtue hereof entitled and interested only unto the first purchase of the township of Taunton and not unto any later purchases.
This list was made and agreed upon and concluded and confirmed by us whose names are underwritten, being the major part of the committee chosen by the town for that end. Dated May 14, 1678. Richard Williams.
James Walker.
Walter Dean. John Richmond. John Hall. Joseph Wilbore. Thomas Leonard.
CHAPTER XI.
THE CITY OF TAUNTON.
Occupations and Locations of the Pioneers.
Almost all parts of the then large area of Taunton had its early set- tlers. On the eastern side of Winneconnet Pond, in the northern part, was William Wetherell, settled in 1669, whose name has come down to the present as ancestor of numerous worthy descendants. Dwelling on the main road from Taunton to Boston and being a man of conse- quence he sometimes entertained travelers. An old deed in possession of one of his descendants records him as "eldest sergeant in Captain Gorham's company in the great Narragansett Swamp fitt." Others who settled in that region are noticed in the accounts of the towns of Norton and Easton, and in later pages of these chapters, especially Thomas Leonard, sr., and James Leonard, sr., who located at Stony Brook and were given 200 acres of land, as an " Incouragement to set up and build a forge to make iron at said place." That forge was of immense importance to the pioneers.
238
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
A petition bearing date November 27, 1707, and signed by forty- three persons, was presented to the town by residents in the north part for the establishment of a precinct in that locality, the reason being given as their great distance from church and school. The town did not seem inclined to grant this appeal, and on October 20, 1708, an- other petition was sent to Governor Dudley, which called forth from the General Court the following order :
That the Selectmen of Taunton be served with a copy of this petition, and heard thereupon before this Court upon the Second Tuesday of the next Session of ye sd. Court, if anything they have to say why the prayer of the within Petition should not be granted.
Before this matter could be settled the residents of the south part of the town took similar action, their petition bearing date October 11, 1708. These matters were both acted upon by the town on the 1st of February, 1709, but not conclusively. A remonstrance was, however, sent to the governor a few days later against the proposed change. Petitions and remonstrances, meetings and arguments, characterized the proceedings for a considerable time, until finally, on August 31, 1709, the matter was adjusted by a legislative committee, as far as re- lated to the north part, which gave the boundaries of the new north precinct, which included substantially the territory now in Norton and Easton. Another controversy now arose between two factions, one of which was satisfied with the precinct and the other demanding the organization of a town. The General Court accepted the report of the committee September 16, 1709, and the precinct was legally estab- lished; but in less than two years the new precinct and the town as well agreed to the formation of a new town, to have the name, Norton.
The south precinct, after the usual controversy, was established September 16, 1709; but this arrangement soon became unsatisfactory and measures were adopted for the creation of a new town to be called Dighton. This purpose was effected in May, 1712.1
1 While upon this subject it will be sufficent for the purposes of this history of Taunton to state here that after the customary proceedings in opposition to and in favor of the measures, the town of Raynham was formed by legislative act passed April 2, 1731, and the town of Berkley April 18, 1735, since which date the boundaries of Taunton have remained with only slight changes. So, within a period of a little less than twenty-four years the original town of Taunton gave up territory, for the most part reluctantly, for the formation of five new towns and one precinct. The historical fact may also be noted here that a number of Taunton men, in 1735, pe- titioned the General Court for incorporation of a new town on the west bank of the Connecticut River. to be called New Taunton; they were acting in the belief that this would lie within the bounds of Massachusetts, the area of the new town' to be six miles square, and the location a few miles south of what is now Bellows Falls. All preparations for the venture were made, but when
239
THE CITY OF TAUNTON.
The New England pioneers, of whom the foregoing records speak, settled in Taunton with the all-important purpose of founding homes for themselves and their posterity; but second only to this commend- able object were their early efforts to secure the services of a minister, a house of worship in which they could listen to his teachings, and adequate schools for the education of their children. Francis Doughty, one of the first purchasers, was a minister, but as such was not warmly approved by his associates and he removed elsewhere, as already shown. Then came William Hooke and Nicholas Street, probably through the influence of the Pole family. According to the then prevailing custom, one of these served as minister and the other as teacher, but their joint labor was largely religious in character and their duties were frequently interchanged; both worked for the advancement of the cause of Christ and the good of their fellows. Both were graduates of an English university and men of the highest character. Of the formation of the first church in Taunton in its earliest days there is no reliable record, but a traveler has left the following historical note regarding it:
"Cohannet, alias Taunton, is in Plymouth patent. There is a church gathered of late and some ten or twenty of the church, the rest exclude Master Hooke, pastor ; Master Street, teacher.
"Master Hooke received ordination from the hands of one Master Bishop, a school master, and one Parker, a husbandman, and then Master Hooke joyned in ordaining Master Street. One Master Doughty, a minister, opposed the gathering of the church there, alleging that according to the covenant of Abraham, all men's children that were of baptized parents, and so Abraham's children, ought to be baptized, and spake so in publique or to that effect, which was held a disturbance, and the minister spake to the magistrate to order him, and the magistrate commanded the constable, etc."-Thomas Lechford's "Plain Dealing, or Newes from New England."
This extract is, perhaps, chiefly valuable for its giving the name of "Master Bishop," the first school teacher in Taunton. Mr. Hooke was not only a man of learning, but possessed natural gifts that especially fitted him for his calling and for an exalted position in the Common- wealth. Many of his sermons were preserved and contain ample proof of the truth of this statement. Mr. Hooke returned to England and died there March 21, 1678. His house lot in Taunton was directly opposite the meeting-house, next to Miss Pole's, and on the site of the present City Hall.
the settlement of the boundary between Massachusetts and New Hampshire was fixed and left them in the latter State, the undertaking was abandoned and the projectors for the most part sold their improvements; their town is now known as Westminster, Vt., and boasts the oldest settle- ment on that side of the river.
240
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
A part of Mr. Hooke's term of labor in this country was passed in New Haven, whither he was called, and Rev. Nicholas Street, his as- sociate, was left the sole minister and teacher in the place. He " was a pious, judicious, modest man, and no inferior preacher," as a reliable record has it, and for a score of years was influential in, and intimately associated with, the growth and welfare of Taunton. Like his pred- ecessor, Mr. Street also went to New Haven, where he was " Teacher of ye Church of Christ," as noted in the introduction to his will; this document was dated April 14, 1674. He died on the 22d of April of that year.
Mr. Street was succeeded in the ministry in Taunton by Rev. George Shove, who was probably born in Dorchester, and was ordained in Taunton November 17, 1665. The church had been without a pastor since Mr. Street's removal to New Haven in 1650, about six years. Mr. Shove was one of the proprietors of the Taunton North Purchase; also one of the six original proprietors of Assonet Neck, and a large land holder. His home lot was that of William Phillips, one of the first settlers on the east side of what is now High street, between Co- hannet and Winthrop streets. He remained with his parents until his death, April 21, 1687, nearly twenty two years.
Rev. Samuel Danforth was the fourth minister in Taunton, a grad- uate of Harvard, and a very able man. He came in 1688 and pur- chased land of Capt. Bartholomew Tipping, who was brother-in-law of Joseph, eldest son of Walter Deane. The land was paid for by con- tributions from the inhabitants. Mr. Danforth was married and was father of fourteen children. His own death took place November 14, 1727, at the age of sixty-one years.
The fifth minister was Rev. Thomas Clap (as he spelled the name, though it has been commonly written with two p's). The family is a distinguished one in New England history as descended through Sam- uel Clapp. The Taunton minister was born November 11, 1705, grad- uated from Harvard College in 1725, and settled in Taunton in 1729, remaining until 1738, when he returned to his paternal estate. Mr. Clapp seems to have been a man of liberal social habits, fond of com- pany and very hospitable, and probably gave dissatisfaction to some of the more strict members of the church; but that he was an able preacher is amply substantiated. It was during his pastorate that the matter of building a new church came up for discussion. The first edifice was built by the pioneers in a beautiful spot on the Church
241
THE CITY OF TAUNTON.
Green, where now stands the stone edifice of the First Congregational society; it was erected by Henry Andrews, but the exact date of its completion is not known. The date may be approximately fixed by the following :
Jan. 15, 1656. It's agreed by the towne, that there be 5 men, to wit, Captain Poole, Deacon Williams, Deacon Deane, James Wyatt, George Hall, who shall order all matters in and about the granting of seats in the meeting-house and shall seat the inhabitants according to their discretion.
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