USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Royalston > Reflections on Royalston, Worcester County, Massachusetts, U.S.A > Part 3
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Wilder, Josiah, Family, 308, 309 Williams, Rev. C. B., 121
Williams, Rev. Roger, 126
Willis, Dr. Isaac P., 215, 33, 34, 55, 104, 168 Willis, Jules Astley, 215 Willis, Lucy Flora, 215 Willis, Martha Genette, 215, 236
Willis, Mrs. Mary Clement (Stacy), 215 Wilson, General James, 164 Wilson, President Woodrow, 177, 178 Denounced Profiteering, 179 Winchendon Leg, 41
Winship, Benjamin, Joel, 98 Winslow, Cong. Samuel E., 171, 175 Wood, Albion Royal, 279
Wood, George Harrison, 279, 307 Wood, Dea. Henry Sylvester, 278, 61, 113, 162, 196, 252
Wood, John, 278; John, 2nd, 278 Wood, John Milton, 279
Wood, Jotham, Nathan, Mary, Sally, Deborah, Elmer, Zerviah, 278 Wood, Elvira, 278, 319
Wood, Mabel L., George H., 2nd, 279
Wood, Nancy Lord, 278, 274 Wood, Winifred Morse, 279
Woodbury, Abigail Mayo, 263
Woodbury, Mrs. Almira Greenwood (Chase), 262, 159, 161, 162, 166 Woodbury, Amanda Lucinda, 263 Woodbury, Antoinette Hemans, 263
Woodbury, Benajah, 263
Woodbury, Benjamin, 261
Woodbury, Dea. Benjamin, 261, 108, 113, 317
Woodbury, Daniel Raymond, 263, 168 Woodbury, Elizabeth, 261, 229
Woodbury, George, 262, 168, 215, 317
Woodbury, George Edward, 263, 267
Woodbury, George, Daniel, Jonathan,
Polly, Daniel, 262
Woodbury, James Peter, 263
Woodbury, John, 261
Woodbury, Leslie Hanks, 263
Woodbury, Martha Almira, 263
Woodbury, Capt. Peter, 261, 168, 317 Disturbed "Meeting," 168, 261
Woodbury, Peter, 2nd, Lot, Daniel, Sally, Jonathan, Ruth, Zerviah, John, Benjamin, James, 261 Woodbury, Peter, 3rd, 263
Woodbury Residences in 1904, 262 Woodbury, Ruth, Joseph, 262
Woodbury, William Arthur, 263 Woodworth, Rev. C. L., 167, 202, 208
Following are a few notations which were omitted from alphabetical positions: Byam, Leonard, 58, 222, 291
Cushing, Lt .- Gov. Grafton D., 171, 173 Faulkner, Dea. Ammi, 305, 113 Lodge, Sen. Henry Cabot, 171, 175, 176 Longley, Timothy M., 279, 317 McCall, Cong. Samuel W., 171, 175 Perry, Thomas, 305 Walsh, Gov. David I., 171, 173
Supplementary items are given in the last pages of these Reflections which were not educed in season for alphabetical alignment in this Index.
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RICHMOND, N. H.
FITZWILLIAM, N. H.
1
2
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5
7
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Royal Cancule Forbe Falls
13
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23
25
26
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28
21
GSM
32
33
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29
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31
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Long Pond
Little Fondye
SM
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37
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338
39
40x
41
42
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-
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S
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DosDe
Public Roads
Water Courses
+HH+H Railroad
49
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Cemeteries
S Schools T Tanneries
GSM Grist and Saw Mills
SM Saw Mills
. Squares represent one mile spaces
TOWN OF ROYALSTON " COUNTY OF WORCESTER STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS. U. S. A.
GSM
5
TEMPLETON
PHILLIPSTON
WINCHENDON
ORANGE
LAWRENCE
RIVER
OSM
46
ATHOL
MILLI ES RIVOL
PRIEST BROOK
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SM- 24
Jacoba Hill
36
BRAYAN BROOK .
HONYBA
TILIY RIVER
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WARWICK
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Reflections on Royalston
VIEW OF A PART OF ROYALSTON COMMON, IN 1906.
REFLECTIONS ON ROYALSTON
WORCESTER COUNTY
MASSACHUSETTS U. S. A.
BY HUBERT CARLTON BARTLETT
We cannot be said to reflect upon any external object, except so far as that object has been previously perceived, and its image become part and parcel of our intellectual furniture .- Sir William Hamilton.
I was born in Royalston, in the big house at the foot of the Common, early in the year 1848, and my last days of consecutive living in the town were spent in the house at the head of the Common, late in the year 1873. During those nearly 26 years of residence in the town, from my own personal contact with the life of the town, from the remarks of my elders, and from other sources, I gained considerable information concerning the town, its people, and their activ- ities, which later became historical in character. My home has never been more than 30 miles distant from Royalston; I have had many relatives living there, and through fre- quent visits, correspondence and the newspapers have kept informed of the happenings in the home town.
During the greater part of the 45 years since I resided in Royalston, my labors, and my recreations to a large extent, have been in connection with printing, publishing and lit- erary work. Many times I have had considerable to do with the publication of historical and genealogical work. And as I went through the work, and noted the good features and the weaker ones in the different compilations, I have thought that I would like very much to do something in the way of adding to the published history of my native town, giving it the benefit of my experience, my knowledge of the town, and my willingness to do the work. But it never seemed
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probable that enough money could be derived from the sale of the book to pay for the work that would necessarily be done by others, and the other necessary expenses, and leave a moderate allowance for what I might put into it. Nor did I suppose that I had the power to secure an appropriation of money by the town to help out on the work.
ROYALSTON MEMORIAL, 1865.
At an adjourned town meeting of the Town of Royalston, held on Nov. 15, 1864, in connection with arrangements for the Centennial Celebration planned for the following year, 1865, a Historical Committee of seven was chosen: Barnet Bullock, Daniel Davis, John N. Bartlett, Joseph R. Eaton, Charles H. Newton, Luther Harrington, and Horace Pierce. On Sept. 2, 1865, at a public meeting of the citizens, arrange- ments were made "to secure the compilation and publication of the history of Royalston." Rev. Ebenezer W. Bullard, Daniel Davis and Joseph R. Eaton were chosen to carry out the plan, "that the history proposed should be comprised [not 'compressed,' as stated in a later publication] in an octavo volume of from 150 to 200 pages, bound in a neat and substantial, but not expensive binding, and that the copies printed should not exceed 500." It was "Resolved, That we gratefully acknowledge the services of the Historical Com- mittee of the town, in investigating our records, and gath- ering our reminiscences; and respectfully request the gen- tlemen composing that committee to co-operate with us in giving completeness and permanence to their labors."
In accordance with these stipulations, a volume was issued, in 1866, probably, although imprinted 1865, and the preface was dated "September, 1865," which was the time when authority was given for its publication.
This volume was stamped "Royalston Memorial, 1865," on the outside cover. The inside title-page was a partial list of the contents of the book, which contained the story of the action of the town with relation to the observance of the Centennial; a full account of the proceedings of the Centen- nial Celebration, including the historical address delivered by Hon. Alexander Hamilton Bullock; and a large amount of valuable historical matter, consisting of notes explanatory
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of and supplementary to references in Mr. Bullock's address; giving the locations of about 160 of the earliest settlers; the military and war records; lists of town officers during the century, and of citizens who had served in political offices,- all this and much more, comprised, not "compressed," in a volume of a few more than 200 pages, bound, as ordered, "in a neat and substantial, but not expensive binding."
The compilers of the work had the courtesy to say that "For these materials, obligation is due in great part to the contributions of Benoni Peck, Esq., of Fitzwilliam,-a na- tive, and until lately, an honored citizen of Royalston,-and his son, Henry Peck, of Winchendon, and to the labors of the Historical Committee, whose preparation for our late celebration was both laborious and effective."
The members of the Historical and Publication Commit- tees were modest men. With the exception of the "Rev." on the name of Mr. Bullard, in connection with the state- ment of his selection, there is nothing in their work to show to one not acquainted with them, whether they were business men, professional men, farmers, mechanics, teachers, or just plain citizens. Mr. Bullard signed "E. W. Bullard," and in the list of Representatives to the Legislature he appears as ''Ebenezer W. Bullard." Daniel Davis' name does not ap- pear in the list of town officers 1765-1865, whether on ac- count of error or excessive modesty cannot be told; but a later listing places him as Selectman and Assessor in 1852, and the "Massachusetts Register" for 1853 places him as Selectman, Overseer of the Poor and Assessor in 1853. While it is possible that the "Register" was compiled before the town officers were elected for 1853, and the 1852 list was given, it is a fact that the list in this Memorial gives the names of only two men on these three-men boards for 1853,- a situation which the later listing did not change, thus leav- ing the position open for Mr. Davis. Joseph R. Eaton served on the School Committee before 1865, but that did not neces- sitate the publication of a list to bring forward that fact.
The compilers of the Memorial admitted that they were not infallible, and, in a note near the end of the book, ex- plained that they had printed statements relating to some of the early families which later information changed quite materially.
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Whether the printer of the Memorial did his best or his worst in getting out the book is unknown, but he certainly succeded in injecting a large number of typographical errors into it; and a nice page of "Errata" pasted in the back gives corrections of between 35 and 40 of the rankest errors, some of which, probably, were not entirely due to the carelessness of the printer; but there were many others which they did not mention which were so due. Several of these errors have been immortalized by a later historian, who evidently grabbed out choice morsels here and there, without compari- son or analysis, in his innocent ignorance believing he had the absolute truth.
On Sunday, October 14, 1866, the one hundredth anni- versary of the establishment of the First Congregational Church was observed by appropriate services, and Rev. Ebenezer W. Bullard, pastor of the church at that time, delivered a historical discourse, which was preserved in printed form. This, too, called for a small "Errata" slip, which was wisely pasted on the first page, instead of at the end of the book,-a danger signal in advance of the pitfalls, enabling the reader to make sense as he reads.
There have been chapters or notes on Royalston history published in works of a general character, most of which were built up from and around the contents of the two pub- lications mentioned, some of which carry incorrect and faulty statements, and some bear strong evidence of advertising intent in the brilliant "illumination" of certain individuals or families.
HISTORY OF A HISTORY.
Entertaining the opinion previously explained of the impracticability of getting out a work on the history of Roy- alston, I was somewhat surprised, to say the least, when I received this letter:
L. B. CASWELL, CIVIL ENGINEER, Bank Building, Athol, Mass.
MR. H. C. BARTLETT, Fitchburg, Mass.
ATHOL, Feb. 1, 1911.
My Dear Mr. Bartlett :- I am engaged in writing a History of the Town of Royalston, and am looking up all the old families of the town. If I am not mistaken you used to be in business in Royalston. Are you a native of the town? If the Bartlett family is a Royalston family would like to have you send me a sketch of the family; at any rate would like to have you send me a sketch of your own life.
Give me the date and place of your birth, who and when you mar- ried, if married, how many children, where you received your education, what business or occupation you have been engaged in and where, offices you have held, and societies to which you belong.
I will also enclose you a circular describing the work, and a slip for your subscription if you would like one of the books.
Trusting that I may hear from you at an early date, I remain
Yours truly, L. B. CASWELL.
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Reflections on Ropalston
Following is a copy of the circular mentioned, as nearly as it can be conveniently reproduced in type:
Every Past or Present Resident of Royalston, Mass. Should subscribe for The History of Royalston NOW IN PREPARATION
It will be a book of over 400 pages bound in an attrac- tive manner and FINELY ILLUSTRATED with views of
Scenery, Residences, Portraits, Old Landmarks, etc.
Its several chapters will treat of the Land Grants and Early Proprietors, The Settlement of the Town, War of the Revolution, History of the Churches and Schools, War of 1812 and War of the Rebellion, Old Royalston Families, Noted Sons and Daughters of Royalston, Scenery and Min- erals of Royalston, Biographical Sketches, Longevity, etc.
THE PRICE OF THE BOOK IS $4.00 in Cloth Bevel Cover, or $5.00 in Full Leather Gilt Edges.
L. B. CASWELL, ATHOL, MASS.
And here is a copy of the slip referred to, with typographical errors corrected:
Please make the necessary number of Lithotype portrait prints, size price $ from picture of
furnished and insert same in the publication
History of Royalston
Deliver to me one copy of the book in binding, price $. for which I will pay
dollars to the publisher on publication and delivery of the book.
Name,
Where delivered,
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Reflections on Ropalston
The state of mind into which I was thrown by the receipt of this letter and its accompaniments bars description; therefore I will not wear out perfectly good type and the patience of the reader in attempting to describe it. "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread," we are told. But here was an angel who had rushed in where the fool had feared to tread. Here was Mr. Caswell, working without acknowledged help from any source, getting out a book about Royalston, and so far ad- vanced in the work that he could describe the book, set the price and solicit subscriptions for it. Well, I hastened to inform Mr. Caswell that the Bartlett family of which I was a proud scion, was really a Royalston family, as he had suspected. I referred him to my cousin, Edward Elmer Bartlett, as the man who could give him a life-size "sketch" of the said family, with all the wigs, ruffles and knee-breeches on. I also enclosed the much desired "sketch" of myself; I was a little short of some of the ingredients called for by his prescription, but such as I had gave I unto him. I also informed Mr. Caswell that I was the proud possessor of historical information relating to certain doings in Royalston, especially the early manufacturing industries at the Center and vicinity, which, be- cause my family, including myself, was very much mixed up with them, I thought I knew and could tell much more about than anyone else then living; and I suggested that perhaps I could furnish him with a chapter on that particular matter for his book. That was early in 1911. I never received a reply to that letter from Mr. Caswell, nor to any other letter which I ever sent him; and every letter I sent him was sent to give in- formation which he had asked for.
While still in ignorance as to Mr. Caswell's backing on the History which he was advertising solely in his own name, but knowing that he could not get out much of a History of Royalston without access to the town records through the Town Clerk, I wrote a sort of letter of protest to Dr. Frank W. Adams, Town Clerk of Royalston, enclosing the litera- ture which I had received from Mr. Caswell and repeating my claim to special knowledge on certain matters. This letter did not especially call for an answer, and it was something like two months before it received one. Meanwhile, having noticed that the Town of Royalston had at its annual March meeting for 1911 appropriated $500 "for printing town history," I sought information from a friend in Royalston, and was told that at the March town meeting in 1910 a committee, consisting of Dr. Frank W. Adams, Fred W. Cross and William H. Leathe, had been chosen to report on the cost and advisability of getting out a history; that the appropriation of $500 in 1911 was initiated by Dr. Adams, and it was expected that more would be appropriated as needed, with the object in view of having the work completed and the books ready for sale at an anticipated 150th anniversary celebration in 1915; that the committee of 1910 had been retained, and Charles H. Brown and Colin Mackenzie had been added to it; that Dr. Adams had employed Mr. Caswell during the winter of 1910-11 to collect material, and that this was the basis of the book that Mr. Caswell was advertising in his own name. William A. Emerson had issued in Fitchburg, in 1887, an illus-
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trated book entitled "Fitchburg Past and Present." Later he went to Athol and began work on an "Athol Past and Present." Mr. Caswell bought him out and issued the work. In his preface it is stated that the first five chapters were printed in 1893 and the remaining ten chapters in 1896, while the title-page bears the imprint of 1899.
A "Past and Present" book is not necessarily a history. While it may contain considerable easily obtainable historical matter, the men and the business interests of the "present" receive the most marked attention; they pay for the "illumination" which they receive. Prior to 1885, or thereabout, pictorial illustration in print was accomplished principally by means of wood engravings and steel-plate engravings. The wood-cuts presented the illustrations in raised figures and could readily be adjusted to work with ordinary letterpress types, thus pro- viding for the picture and its story or description on the same page. On the steel-plates the figures to appear in color are cut into the plates, presenting indentions rather than raised surfaces; and in printing from them the color is rolled into the indentions and carefully removed from the raised surfaces, and the paper is then pressed into the indentions to receive the color; hence the steel-plate engravings cannot be printed in connection with letter-press matter, but must be produced on separate sheets. Lithographs are produced by painting the designs on stones, which are chemically treated in such a way that only the figures desired are printed. Not much later than 1885 a class of pictures variously called albertypes, collotypes, lithotypes, etc., came into quite general use. By means of what is known as the gelatine process a printing surface in relief is obtained from a photograph, from which prints may be made without the trouble and expense of engraving. This class of prints have the advantage of clearness and accuracy of photographs. They also have the disadvantage, in common with steel-plates and lithographs and all others which must be printed on separate sheets, of being capable of ruining the binding of the books to the leaves of which they are tacked or pasted as inserts. Emerson's "Fitchburg Past and Present" and Caswell's "Athol Past and Present" are illustrated by lithotypes, and readily show the disadvantage mentioned.
Sometime in the vicinity of 1885 photo-engraving was introduced. By this process photographs are transferred to copper or zinc plates, which are etched chemically and mechanically to give the raised surface required. Line-cut plates made by this process show in simple black and white. Half-tones are produced by interposing screens between the camera and the plates during the photographing and transferring process, the screens used consisting of sheets of glass ruled to the required number of lines per inch, varying from 50 to 225, the coarser screen work being adapted to printing on unfinished papers, while the finer work produces the best results when printed on smooth-finished paper. The screening is visible to the naked eye on the coarse half- tones in the newspapers, while it requires the aid of a magnifying-glass to discover it on the finer work.
Photo-engraving came rapidly into popularity. Here was a class of
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Reflections on Royalston
illustrations which could be produced at less cost than any other kind, and which could be printed alongside of type matter, thus doing away with the extra expense caused by printing and placing inserts and the damage to binding caused thereby. Books, magazines and newspapers were profusely illustrated by half-tones and line-cuts, and before 1900 almost every other form of illustration had been superceded by them.
And yet in 1911 Mr. Caswell was sending out slips calling for orders for lithotype prints to be inserted in his History of Royalston.
But Dr. Adams' letter has arrived. Here it is.
Office of TOWN CLERK AND TREASURER, ROYALSTON, MASS.
FRIEND HUBERT:
April 10, 1911.
I have only time for a word. Your letter impressed me and I sub- mitted it to the Committee last Saturday evening, reading it aloud.
We have as yet taken no final action, but will come together next Saturday evening for further deliberation.
Mr. Cross would like to do some of the work, I am sure.
Have you anything you would like to submit to the Committee, set- ting forth what you might be able to do and at what rates. I am not now speaking of printing and publishing, but of gathering material and doing the work of an author and editor-getting manuscript ready for the printer.
İ do not believe Caswell will have the whole work, and I should advise not sending material to him until further notice.
Yours very hastily but sincerely, FRANK W. ADAMS.
As already stated, I did not, at the time that I wrote to Dr. Adams, know that the Town of Royalston was in any way interested in Mr. Caswell's projected History. But before receiving this letter I had secured the information as to the real status of affairs. My answer to Dr. Adams' suggestion that I submit a proposition relating to "doing the work of an author and editor," was that I would willingly do any- thing that I could do, and I was not looking for a chance to "make" out of it, but would be satisfied with the same modest remuneration that would be accorded to others for similar work. I did not suppose that the literary members of that committee would give over the entire work to any one individual. It seemed to me that with Dr. Adams, who had then lived at the Center more than 35 years, and had been in charge of the town's business and records during much of that time, and Fred W. Cross, who had been a live wire connected with South Royalston for more than 40 years, -with these two in the active work of compiling the history, I could add considerable that would be of value from what I knew of Royalston and its people and its business, before Dr. Adams ever lived in the town and before Fred W. Cross was born.
Dr. Adams did not write me immediately after the meeting at which he had asked me to submit something; in fact, he did not write me at all, and has never written to me during the more than seven years since that time. However, some days later than the date of the meeting, it might have been ten or twelve days, more or less, Dr. Adams and his wife called on me at my office. They were on their way from Royalston to .
Worcester, and having missed steam-car connection at Gardner, had
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come on to Fitchburg to go to Worcester by electric. Having a little time to wait, they called on me. Dr. Adams soon reported on the meet- ing by saying that the Committee had decided to have the work done by one head; and when I said, "That head is Caswell?" he replied in the affirmative; and then went on to say that they would like to have me give what I had to Caswell and pay me for it. I demurred on the propo- sition, and told him I had nothing to sell, but offered to submit a chapter to the Committee, to which he replied, "No," and later added that he, personally, might like my spicy writing, but the Committee had decided otherwise. He said they had given all the work to Mr. Caswell up to seeing it through the press; and he did not wish to have Mr. Caswell do that, as in that event Caswell would probably want to have the printing done in Athol, whereas he (Dr. Adams) wished to get bids on the work from various printers. Dr. Adams at that time in 1911 knew about the half-tone illustrations and said he intended to have them used, and had noted the fault of the inserted lithotypes in Caswell's "Athol Past and Present," saying they cut the binding of the book. Referring to the circular and solicitation of subscriptions sent out, he said Mr. Caswell was not authorized to do that.
The more I thought of it the more sure I was that I did not wish to contribute to the History of Royalston by the Caswell route. I would cheerfully have carried my little hods of brick to the feet of Dr. Adams or Mr. Cross, but I did not wish to act as hod-carrier to Mr. Caswell. I. soon wrote Dr. Adams to that effect, and told him that I thought it would be best for me to get out something on my own account, as "Reminiscences of Royalston." I enclosed a stamped envelope and asked him to return the Caswell documents in it, which he did not do, but a week or two later he called on me and brought them. He was on his way to Worcester again, and I accompanied him to the car, in order to have all the time for talking. One of my last remarks to him was to the effect that I thought best to get out something independently, and he replied, "I would," and said it would make the book too large to put it all in the History.
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