USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Taunton > Quarter millinnial celebration of the city of Taunton, Massachusetts, Tuesday and Wednesday, June 4 and 5, 1889 > Part 3
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
1. See 1 Ply. Col. Rec. p. 22, A. D. 1633.
2. Passed March 5, 1638, O. S. Ply. Col. Rec. Vol. XI, pp. 31-91-169. Appendix H.
37
HISTORICAL ADDRESS.
arate and independent township-the first inland town in the Old Colony-as was Concord in the Massachusetts Colony- seems to have been officially recognized. In the absence therefore of more positive data, the 4th of June 1639 may not inappropriately be treated as our natal day, and two hundred and fifty years of municipal life have brought us to the present hour.
Probably the early settlers of this region came largely from the southwest of England, for we there find the fami- liar names of Norton, Dorchester, Weymouth, Wareham, Bridgewater, Plymouth, Barnstable, Somerset, Dartmouth, Berkley, Tiverton, surrounding the English Taunton, much as do their namesakes our own city ; and the settlers of Co- hannet on March 3, 1639, (O. S.) procured the name to be changed to Taunton, as they themselves say, "in honor and love to our dear and native country."
The Indian word Cohannett has been said to mean the place of snows, or snow-drifts, a name not inappropriately given, since one of her prominent citizens died during the great snow storm of 1717. "The name Taunton, " says the late Rev. Mr. Brigham, in an interesting paper read before the Old Colony Historical Society, in 1859, "is genuine Gaelic; Taun meaning 'of the river ;' Taun-town, a town on the river-contracted into Taunton. The proper pronuncia- tion of this word is still a mooted question, whether it is Ton, Tawn, or Tarn. The most common usage justifies the last sound. "
We know approximately the location of the first meet- ing house, and it would be interesting to know the exact situation of the first dwelling, the first store and the first school house ; but probably it is now impossible. It is be- lieved that the first block house or garrison house stood at or near the site of the present Music Hall, on Cohannet
38
QUARTER MILLENNIAL CELEBRATION.
street ; and it is tolerably certain that after our fathers had become tired of going on foot to Plymouth or Dorchester for their meal, a grist mill was built about 1652 or 1653, by Thomas Linkon, on the west side of Mill river, between Cohannet and Winthrop streets, which was afterwards owned for many years in the Crosman family, one of whom built the Crosman house still standing near by, which was such a hospitable resort for civil and military officers during our Revolutionary period. Of this prominent family, probably Col. Robert Crosman, and his son Gen. George Hampden Crosman, were the most distinguished, and their many descendants are still among us. This old grist mill remain- ed on the same site until 1823, and the first saw mill was built near it about 1659 by Henry Andrews and John Mac- omber.1 This saw mill appears to have been a serious ob- struction to the free passage of the herring, for on June 6, 1665, William Witherill and three others were fined twenty shillings for breaking down the saw mill dam so that the ale- wives might go up; and thereupon the owners of the mill were ordered by the General Court to make "a free, full and sufficient passage for the fish before the next season." Thus early did the ale-wives begin to vex our ancestors, and the day of deliverance has not yet come.2
THE FIRST RECORDED MARRIAGE
was on November 8, 1638, between Richard Paul and Mar- gery Turner, the friend of Elizabeth Poole, and to whom in her last will she left a "yearling heifer." The next spring William Hardy and Joanna Hucker, as also Thomas Gilbert and Jane Rossiter, joined hands ; and the number speedily following their example indicates that they were not then perplexed with the modern stupid question, "Is marriage a failure?" At that time a marriage was quite an undertak-
1. See Appendix I.
2, See Appendix J.
39
HISTORICAL ADDRESS.
ing, since both parties must travel to Plymouth and have the ceremony performed by the Governor or one of the magis- trates. Ministers were not allowed to solemnize marriages in the colonial days ;1 but ere long special officers were ap- pointed in each town for that purpose ; William Parker being the first marriage officer for Taunton. Neither ministers nor justices of the peace were authorized to marry until 1692.2 Wedded life, however, was not always smooth sailing then, any more than now ; for in 1654 Joanna Miller of Taunton, wife of Obadiah Miller, was complained of for "beating and reviling her husband, and egging her children to healp her, biding them knock him in the head, and wishing his victials might coake him." Mothers-in-law, too, then as now, were not without their troubles, for in 1650 William Shepherd of Taunton was convicted and publicly whipped for purloin- ing from his wife's mother." The only redeeming trait we find in this ungrateful son-in-law, was that he had the grace to publicly confess his offence in open court, and return the stolen goods !
THE FIRST BIRTH
is believed to have been that of John Deane, son of the original settler of that name, in the year 1639, and who, as before stated, died during the great snow storm of February 18th, 1717, in the seventy-eighth year of his age: his fun- cral being delayed for ten days, until the way to the burial ground could be cleared of the snow.
The first death, so far as known, was that of John Bryant, one of the first purchasers, who died April 28, 1638, and this is the very first event in our history the exact date of which is positively known. His will was proved at Plymouth June 4th, 1638, being the first Cohannet will on record. Miss Poole was one of the appraisers of his estate (See Ply. Col. Rec. of Wills, Vol. I, p, 30.) He was probably buried 1. See Appendix K. St. 1692, c. 25. 2. 3 Ply. Col. Rec. p. 75. 3. 2 Ply. Col. Rec. p. 149.
40
QUARTER MILLENNIAL CELEBRATION.
in the Neck-of-land cemetery on Summer street, as that was the first burial place in town ; although no stone can now be found therein older than that of Elizabeth Smith, who died January 3 Ist, 1687 ; while the Walker burying ground off Somerset avenue, near Dighton, has an older stone erect- ed to Elizabeth Walker, wife of the first James Walker, who died August 14th, 1678, and her grave stone has the oldest legible inscription in this town.
The office of town clerk was created in 1646,1 and the first clerk was Oliver Purchis, and not Shadrach Wilbore, as sometimes supposed. Mr. Wilbore, the ancestor of our ex- cellent Register of Deeds, was not admitted a freeman so early as 1646, whereas Mr. Purchis became such that very year,2 and there is no record of the election of Mr. Wilbore as clerk before 1664, at or about which time Mr. Purchis moved to Lynn. Probably each town in its first efforts at self government chose some of its principal freemen, "to order the special affairs thereof, " who were called "selected towns men," but the law requiring towns to elect three or five selectmen, " such as shall be approved by the Court," and giving them many judicial powers and duties, was passed in 1665, and the first "Celect Men" under that law, were George Hall, Richard Williams, Walter Dean, James Walker and William Harvey, approved by the General Court, June 5, 1666.3
We all know that Rev. William Hook was the first " pastor, " and Rev. Nicholas Street his assistant was " teach- er, " and afterwards his full successor. Both were eminent men of their time. Mr. Hook's lot was next south of Miss Poole's estate, on what is now Summer street, not unlikely where the City Hall now stands. Mr. Street's house was on corner of Spring and Summer streets, next to Mr. Hook's ;
1. See Appendix L.
3. 4 Ply. Col. Rec, p. 124, Appendix La.
2. 2 Ply. Col. Rec. p. 101.
41
HISTORICAL ADDRESS.
the bridge over the river, near the A. Field tack works, was called " Street's Bridge." The first meeting house was built as early as 1647, and perhaps earlier, by Henry An- drews, one of the original settlers, and one of the first deputies to the General Court, as before stated. He was paid for the same in 1647 by a grant of land at Namasket Pond, called the Calf pasture.1 No doubt this house stood at the head of Spring street, on or near the site of the pres- ent Unitarian Church, and was the only place of worship for nearly a century; the second house being erected in 1729, and the third in 1789, which was removed for the present attractive edifice in 1830. Probably the first dea- cons were Richard Williams and Walter Deane; certainly they were such in 1654, in which year Elizabeth Poole died giving the church a legacy of her best cow ; and mentioning deacons Richand Williams and Walter Dean as her "over- seers." Without depreciating the efforts of others, every citizen of Taunton must realize how much we are indebted for our early position and character in the Old Colony to those worthy families which bore the names of Williams, Dean, Hall, Leonard, Gilbert, Crosman, Lincoln, Walker and Wil- bore.
TAUNTON'S IRON WORKS-1656.
We know but little more of these times until 1652, when a very important event occurred in our infant town.
As early as 1643 the manufacture of bar iron, from na- tive or bog ore, had commenced in Lynn, on the Saugus, and not long afterwards in Braintree, on the Monanticut ; and the discovery of iron ore on the banks of the Two Mile river in Taunton stimulated our forefathers to attempt the same industry here. Several of the leading citizens of the place, including George Hall, Richard Williams, Walter Deane, 1. See Appendix M.
42
QUARTER MILLENNIAL CELEBRATION.
James Walker, Oliver Purchis, Elizabeth Poole and others formed a joint stock company, with a capital of £600, and built a dam across the Two Mile river, on the main road leading to Raynham, and made all the preparations for the manufacture of bar iron from bog ore. Prominent among them was George Hall, the first clerk and manager of the company for many years, and the first "celectman" of Taunton. He continued to be an influential man in all town affairs until the day of his death. It gives me pleasure to say he was the ancestor of our esteemed, efficient and worthy Mayor and president of the day.
To secure experienced workmen for this new industry, the town voted on the 21st of October, 1652, to invite three workmen from Braintree, viz. Henry Leonard and his broth- er James, and one Ralph Russell, "to come hither, and join with certain of our inhabitants to set up a Bloomery work on the Two Mile River. "1 At that time no person could become a citizen of any town except by permission of the same. If the above named three persons all came to Taun- ton, Henry Leonard and Russell did not long remain, for Leonard is known to have resided in Lynn as early as 1665, and Russell's name does not subsequently appear associated with the enterprise. It would seem that James alone re- mained, for on June 3d, 1655, the town conveyed to him individually about fifteen acres of land on the east side of the Forge Pond on the Bloomery, situated next to the old pond adjoining the road to Raynham. (Ply. Col. Rec. of Deeds, Vol. III, Part I, p. 47.)
The preparations for this enterprise required some time, and it was not until 1656 that the manufacture of iron actually commenced, and soon afterwards bar iron became a circulating medium in this community in place of money, and so continued for many years. As disaster soon over- 1. See Appendix N.
43
HISTORICAL ADDRESS.
took the earlier works at Lynn and Braintree, our own may justly be considered the first permanent successful iron works in this country.
James Leonard above mentioned was first employed as a forgeman or "bloomer" therein ; afterwards he became part owner, and his son Thomas, distinguished in many ways, was a subsequent manager of the works ; and for many years the Leonard family were prominently connected with the establishment. In 1777 it passed into the hands of Hon. Josiah Dean, who converted it into a rolling mill and nail works, and also for making copper bolts for shipbuild- ing, the first manufacture of this kind in this vicinity. It continued in the Dean family for three generations, and in 1 825 was changed into an anchor forge, and it is only with- in a few years, as most of you know, that the foundations have been demolished. These iron works were so much favored by the Government, that in 1655, and again in 1662, the "bloomers" employed therein, were exempted from mili- tary duty " unless upon some spetiall occasion of watching that may arise." (3 Ply. Col. Rec. p. 89; 4 Id. 15.)
Other iron works soon followed ; one at "Whittington " in operation as early as 1678, by James Leonard, who had left the first works ; another about 1695, on Three Mile river near the Dighton line, on or near the present site of the North Dighton Furnace, built by Richard Stephens and others ; again in 1696 the "Chartley Iron Works" in the west part of the town, on Stony Brook, by Thomas and James Leonard, afterwards called the Leonard Iron Works ; another in 1723-4 on Littleworth Brook at East Taunton by Capt. John King and others, and called "King's Fur- nace," which made the first iron hollow ware in the Old Colony. This establishment was afterwards converted into a box board mill, and is now owned by Nathan S. Williams.
44
QUARTER MILLENNIAL CELEBRATION.
Miss Poole formerly owned land on this stream, and with her brother William had a grist mill there near King's Furnace, vestiges of which may still be seen. The sixth ancient iron establishment on Mill river, below Reed & Bar- ton's works, was built in 1739-40, by Capt. Zephaniah Leonard, named the "Hopewell Iron Works, " a rolling and slitting mill succeeding it about 1776-7.
Still another iron establishment was the Baylies Iron Works on Three Mile river at Westville, built by Messrs. Bollan and Laughton, as early as 1738 or '39, operated awhile by Thomas Baylies, Jr., as iron-master, afterwards owned by his brother Nicholas, from whom it passed to his youngest son, Hodijah, who much enlarged the establish- ment, and conducted it successfully for many years ; in that period making for the frigate " Constitution, " an anchor so large as to require ten yoke of cattle for its transportation to tide water at Dighton.
We are indebted for most of the foregoing facts to the indefatigable secretary of the Old Colony Historical Society, who unites in himself the name and the blood of several of our ancient and most distinguished families, John Williams Dean Hall.1
With such an early education and long experience in the manufacture of iron, it is not strange that it should be- come a flourishing industry among us, and go on increas- ing in volume until its present product, including tacks and small nails, exceeds the sum of $2,000,000 annually.
TAUNTON NORTH PURCHASE-1668.
The first purchase, above spoken of, resembled in shape a rhombus, or diamond like tract, with parallel sides, but no right angles, having its northerly corner or apex near the center of the town of Mansfield. This was called " Cob-
1. See a very interesting article by him, read before the Old Colony Historical Society in 1884, and published in No. 3 of their collections.
45
HISTORICAL ADDRESS.
bler's Corner, " because, as it is said, when Miles Standish and his. men ran out the boundary line in 1640, one of them mended or cobbled his shoes at this spot. The extreme southerly point was near the Lakeville line, the easterly corner in the edge of Bridgewater, near Nipenicket Pond, and the westerly angle at the point where Taunton, Digh- ton and Rehoboth all meet. It was eight miles long on every side, and generally called "The Eight Mile Purchase," or the "Long Square," and contained about sixty-four square miles, or over 40,000 acres.1
Notwithstanding the extent of this first purchase, our early settlers soon became anxious for more land, especially pasture and meadow land, and in 1640, '43, '63 and '65 vari- ous additions were made to the original territory mostly on the southerly side towards Assonet ;2 but the second great addition was made in June, 1668, called the Taunton North Purchase, being the land surrounding the northwesterly end of the old Town, and extending northerly to the Massa- chusetts Colony line, which is now the southerly line of the towns of Stoughton, Sharon and Foxboro'.
This second purchase was bounded easterly by Bridge- water, southerly by the First Purchase, and westerly by Rehoboth, now Attleboro'.3 The northerly line was twelve miles long, the east and west lines about seven, while the south line was made by the apex of the old town projecting into it. The tract contained about sixty square miles, or thirty-eight thousand acres, and cost one hundred pounds. Dorchester and Taunton were thus made adjoining towns, and so continued for nearly half a century.
TAUNTON SOUTH PURCHASE-1672.
But our ambitious forefathers were not yet satisfied. In less than four years after the North Purchase, they were 1. See Appendix O. 2. See Appendix P. 3. See Appendix Q.
46
QUARTER MILLENNIAL CELEBRATION.
looking with longing eyes to the fertile lands southerly along the banks of the Great river ; and after several negotiations, another tract on the west side of the river, described as four miles square, though somewhat more, was bought of King Philip for one hundred and ninety pounds, and eighty-three pounds more was paid for a mortgage on the same tract, pre- viously given by King Philip to the Plymouth Colony and by its Treasurer assigned to the purchasers. This embraced the territory now constituting the town of Dighton, and contained at least sixteen square miles.1 These several purchases with some subsequent additions towards Assonet Neck, the whole embracing about one hundred and fifty square miles or nearly one hundred thousand acres, (consid- erably larger than the District of Columbia,) and comprising the present towns of Norton, Easton, Mansfield, Raynham, Dighton and Berkley, constituted the entire township of Taunton until 1711. Therefore we gladly welcome the peo- ple of these towns as jointly interested with us in the cele- bration of this day.
KING PHILIP'S WAR-1675.
But we must hasten on to more stirring events. Thus far peace and prosperity have attended the Colonists' path, but trying times are now before them. King Philip, the most wily and sagacious of his race, becoming restive under the constant advance of the white settlers, resolved upon their extermination. It is an error to suppose that Philip was justified in any degree by encroachments of the white people upon Indian lands. Gov. Josiah Winslow, in a letter of May 1, 1676, says :- " Because some of our people are of a covetous disposition, and the Indians are in their streets (straits) easily prevailed with to part with their lands, we first made a law that none should purchase, or receive of 1. See Appendix R.
47
HISTORICAL ADDRESS.
gift any land of the Indians, without the knowledge and allowance of our Court, and penalty of a fine of five pounds per acre, for all that should be so bought or obtained. And lest yet they should be streightened, we ordered that Mount Hope, Pocasset, and several other necks of the best land in the Colony (because more suitable and convenient for them) should never be bought out of their hands, or else they would have sold them long since. "1
Doubtless Philip felt that his own race must melt away before the superior intelligence and more regular and industrious habits of the white people. Hostilities were imminent, but mediation was first attempted. In the little church at the head of Spring street on April 10th, 1671, an interview took place between King Philip and three Com- missioners from Plymouth, viz: Gov. Prince, Josiah Wins- low and Constant Southworth, at which also were three Commissioners from Massachusetts, viz .: William Davis, William Hudson, and Thomas Brattle; sent at the request of the Plymouth Colony to negotiate between the contend- ing parties. King Philip and his men in their war paint came into town by Cohannet street, past the old grist mill to the Green, and all parties adjourned to the meeting house. There the most singular scene took place ever witnessed in this region. "On the one side of the Church," says the his- torian Barry, "were the English, wearing the distinguishing garb of their day, with solemn faces and close shorn hair ; on the other were the Indians in the loose dress of their country, adorned with wampum and all the finery in which savages delight, their long black hair hanging down their back, and their small sunken eyes gleaming like coals of fire." The old church had never seen such a congregation before. Philip, at first denying that he had any hostile in- tentions, at length admitted that he was collecting arms and 1. Mather's Indian Wars, Postscript, p, 3.
48
QUARTER MILLENNIAL CELEBRATION.
8
ammunition for an attack upon Taunton and other villages. He was compelled to surrender about seventy guns into the hands of the commissioners, and promised better behavior for the future.1 But the truce soon failed. The issue was too vital to be settled except by force of arms; and in the long and bloody conflict that ensued, costing over six hun- dred lives, half a million of dollars, (of which Taunton con- tributed over three hundred and twenty-seven pounds) and the total or partial destruction of fifty-three towns, Taunton, from its central position was the chosen rendezvous of the troops from Plymouth, Boston and elsewhere. For the same reason it was a constant point of attack by the savages, and several of its dwellings were consumed, and their inmates cruelly butchered; among others John Tisdale, James Phillips, Henry Andrews and Edward Bobit. The danger of the entire destruction of the village was so imminent that the Cape towns actually invited all our people to remove thither until the war was over. This offer was declined by Taunton people in a letter full of thankfulness to their friends, and with a firm reliance upon the Lord God of Hosts, for final deliverance from all their perils.2
As might be expected, the Anglo-Saxon blood soon be- came dominant ; and in August, 1676, twenty men from Taunton, under the guidance of a friendly Indian, attacked a body of the savages at Gardiner's Neck and put them to utter rout ; and their squaw-Sachem, Weetamoe, formerly the wife of Alexander, sister-in-law of King Philip, in attempting to swim the Great river, perished in her flight. A few days after, by the death of Philip, and the capture of Annawan by Captain Church at Rehoboth, this sanguinary conflict was terminated and our land had peace.
1. See Appendix S.
2. See Appendix T.
49
HISTORICAL ADDRESS.
FREE SCHOOLS-1677.
Whatever reason there is for believing that some school had been kept by " Master John Bishop" at the earliest set- tlement of the town, the year 1677 is memorable for the in- auguration of the Free School System in the Old Colony, which, notwithstanding its many imperfections, has doubtless done more than any human agency to improve and elevate the great body of our people. By a law passed that year it was provided that, "In whatever Township consisting of fifty families, or upwards, any meet man shall be obtained to keep a Grammar School, such Township shall allow at least twelve pounds to be raised by rate on all the inhabitants ; and the profits of the Cape Fishery shall be distributed to such towns as have such grammar schools, not to exceed five pounds per annum to any one town. "1 No doubt Taunton availed itself of this law, for in 1683 she received three pounds of the Cape Fishery money for her "scoole," then kept by Mr. James Green, who was paid mostly in bar iron ; and in 1685 good Parson Shove tells us that "Taunton has eighty scholars on her list, some of whom have entered Latin. " We have lived to see in one-seventh of the old town, forty-five hundred scholars, nearly a hundred teachers, and over thirty school houses, representing an estimated value of more than $300,000, all maintained at an expense of over $60,000 annually. "Though thy beginning was small, thy latter end hath greatly increased. "
TAUNTON'S RESISTANCE TO GOV. ANDROS-1686.
But soon another cloud appeared on our northern bor- der. In 1684 the Massachusetts Charter was falsely de- clared forfeited ; and Gov. Edmund Andros having been appointed Governor over the whole of New England, com- menced his arbitrary and tyrannical measures. One of the 1. See Appendix U.
50
QUARTER MILLENNIAL CELEBRATION.
first was to levy a tax of twenty cents on each poll, and one penny in the pound upon all the property in the late Col- onies and Provinces. But the people of Taunton replied to him, they did not "feel free to raise money on the inhabi- tants without their own assent in an assembly. "1 For trans- mitting this spirited answer to John Usher, the Treasurer, our Town Clerk, Shadrach Wilbore, was fined twenty marks, and imprisoned for three months in Boston and in jail at Bristol. In less than two years from that time Andros was himself on his way to England under arrest to answer for his misdeeds, and Wilbore received from his grateful towns- men one hundred acres of land at Cotley, "in consideration of his imprisonment and suffering. "2
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.