USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Royalston > Reflections on Royalston, Worcester County, Massachusetts, U.S.A > Part 35
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Charles Stuart Bullock married Harriet Marguerite Bullard, daughter of Rev. Ebenezer W. Bullard, (who had that year retired from the pastorate of the First Congregational Church in Royalston,) Oct. 4, 1870; he died Sept. 15, 1918, and his wife died Nov. 14, 1918. They had 3 children:
[1.] Marguerite Elizabeth Bullock, born at Hampstead, N. H., (which was the home of Mrs. Bullock's parents at that time,) Sept. 3, 1872; died in 1891.
[2.] William Stuart Bullock, according to the History of Sutton, or Stuart D. Bullock, according to Caswell's History of Royalston, born at Arlington, Mass., Sept. 22, 1875.
[3.] Hugh Bullock, born June 22, 1880.
(5.) James Frederick Bullock, 7th child of Barnet and Lucy (Newton) Bullock, was born in 1842. While but a boy he was employed in Lucas W. Partridge's store at South Royalston, and when he was not more than 16 or 17 years of age he held a very responsible position in the Millers River Bank at Athol, about which I may tell an interesting story. He followed his brother, Calvin Bullock, to Toledo, Ohio, and occupied a prominent position in a bank there. He died in 1870, about 3 months after the death of his brother.
(8.) Mary Elizabeth Bullock, 8th child of Barnet and Lucy (Newton) Bullock, was born in 1847, and died in 1869.
5. Candace Bullock, 5th child of Hugh and Rebecca (Davis) Bullock, was born in 1800. Probably she remained on the old home farm until after the death of her mother, in 1809, and removed to the Center with her father, and quite likely was his housekeeper until his death, in 1837. Her home for many years of the latter part of her life was at the Rufus Bullock "mansion." She was of a benevo- lent disposition, and was the largest contributor to the cost of the First Congrega- tional parsonage, in 1874. She died in 1885.
Further study of the Vital Records since page 242 was printed has developed the fact that Squire Davis married Althear Bullock, daughter of Moulton Bullock; and they had 7 children and 16 grandchildren. And although 4 "stalwart" Bullocks were mentioned in the Memorial as having settled in Royalston about 1770 and then having removed, the Vital Records credit the births in Royalston of 7 children of Christopher Bullock, 4 of Ebenezer Bullock, 4 of Nathan Bullock, and 2 of Na- thaniel Bullock, a total of 17, between the years 1779 and 1803; but probably some of them died young, and others removed with their parents; and there have not been many of the Bullock name or ancestry in Royalston, since 1850, at least, except the Rufus and Barnet Bullock families and other descendants of Hugh Bullock.
THE MILLER FAMILY.
George Fletcher Miller was born in Westminster early in the 19th century. His musical talent, which had been more than ordinary, was so well cultivated and developed that in his early manhood he began the teaching of singing, and that became his profession and avocation for the remainder of his life.
Mr. Miller's service in Royalston evidently began in 1835, as Rev. Ebenezer W. Bullard, in his sermon at the 100th anniversary of the First Congregational
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Church, stated that in October, 1836, the parish "voted to raise $150 to pay Mr. George F. Miller for to lead and teach the singers of said parish one year from the time his present year shall expire." The service thus begun continued year after year until some time in 1851, when he removed to Westfield, where he conducted the singing at the Congregational Church and taught vocal music in the State Nor- mal School; he also taught singing at the Massachusetts Agricultural College at Amherst. He returned to Royalston after a few years, probably in 1856 or 1857, and resumed the service of choristor and teacher of singing, which he continued throughout the remainder of his life.
Mr. Miller not only conducted the musical part of all church services at the First Congregational Church, including the Sunday school and social meetings, but also of most of the other public gatherings at the Center, where music and song added pleasure and zest to the exercises. Through the singing schools he kept a good class of singers trained to assist in the church choir, furnished wholesome entertainment and recreation for the young people, and occasionally brought out a concert of a high order for the enjoyment of the whole community. As those singing schools and concerts have been liberally illuminated elsewhere, the reader is referred to page 190 for further inter- esting details relating to those events.
He played the violin with more than ordinary ability, and usually accompa- nied the singing at church services, sing- ing schools, and other public exercises, with the music of his sweet-toned in- strument. When the pipe organ was installed in the First Congregational Church, however, in the words of Rev. Mr. Bullard, in his centennial sermon, Mr. Miller was "allowed to lay aside the former instrument of his power." On one occasion, and only one within my recollection, covering several years fol- lowing the installation of the organ, he rendered an appreciated violin obbligato accompaniment to the versatile organ. Perhaps the great volume of sound and the comprehensive range of tone of the Residence of George F. Miller, 1873. organ, together with the license given the organist for extemporaneous work, made it incompatible for the violin to ac- company it regularly, as it had previously accompanied the seraphine, melodeon, or cabinet organ.
At one time, before the advent of the pipe organ, the chorus choir singing was accompanied by orchestral music, the instruments being Mr. Miller's violin; a bass viol, or violoncello or cello, as it is now usually called, played by Joseph Estabrook; a double bass viol, vigorously manipulated by Herman M. Partridge; and the cus- tomary bellows-reed instrument, progressively named seraphine, melodeon and cabinet organ, operated possibly by one of Mr. Miller's daughters, or perhaps by Elvira Jane Partridge, wife of John Milton Partridge, who handled that instru- ment for several years, in conjunction with Mr. Miller's violin.
The pipe organ called for operation with skill developed along somewhat differ- ent lines. My recollection and the data at hand indicate that a Mrs. Crawford, presumably a daughter of Lucien Webster, of South Royalston, was the first organ- ist; Joseph P. Estabrook, son of the Joseph Estabrook mentioned above, qualified for the position, and held it for 6 or 8 years, more or less; and Mrs. Partridge ac- quired the skill to operate it acceptably for many years, her service concluding with the illness that ended her life in 1901. Among others who filled the position, not as experts, but to help keep the service unbroken, the name of Ella P. Chase, daughter of Chauncy Chase, comes to mind. Dr. Adams, who served as choristor after the death of Mr. Miller, and who had served as organist elsewhere, probably assisted. The names of others who have helped in this part or the church services in the earlier and the latter times cannot be given here with certainty.
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Among the soprano singers who were prominent in the choir under Mr. Miller's leadership were Mrs. John M. Prouty and Mrs. Newell Knight, and later, Mrs. Knight's daughter, Nellie A. Knight, who became the wife of Warren L. Wheeler.
Mr. Miller's salary from the parish was probably never much if anything in excess of the $150 per year voted in 1836, and he depended largely for his income upon the singing schools and concerts conducted elsewhere than in Royalston; and while some places might have yielded him gratifying returns, others might have brought but little more than actual expenses. He was generous with his time, his labor and his money, in promoting matters that would enhance the interest and satisfaction in whatever he sought to carry out for the public good; the Sunday school was an especial object of his service and expenditure.
While he was not an office seeker, Mr. Miller served the Town faithfully in various positions for many years; as Town Clerk 10 years, 1847, 1848, 1849, 1851, 1866, 1867, 1868, 1869, 1870 and 1873; as School Committee 7 years, 1868 to 1874. He was Clerk of the First Congregational Church, and of the Parish, for many years. And all records and documents made by him were most carefully written and as legible as print; he sometimes instructed a class in penmanship. At one time he added the janitorship of the church building to his services for the public good. Sometimes it seemed almost as if he lived in that church building, he spent so much of his time there when not out of town, and was seen going and coming so often. He had some of his paraphernalia stored there, and aside from his duties in arranging for all of the musical exercises for everything held there, he devoted much time to making arrangements for other things that would add to the interest and attractiveness of the occasions; he seemed to never tire of providing new and valuable features for the Sunday school.
The little picture herewith is that of the house occupied by Mr. Miller from the time of his return from Westfield until the end of his life; the location is at 12C on our map; another view is given on page 55. The house had been occupied previously by Dr. Isaac P. Willis, who had removed to the next house south, at 2C on the map, known us the Austin house, and said to have been built by Joseph E. P. Austin, who had the store that was burned, at 8C, on the corner between the two high-pillared houses. On pages 55 and 241 I have assumed that Mr. Miller resided at the house at 58C before he removed to Westfield,-the place which afterwards was the home of Col. George Whitney for many years; but it would be difficult for me to furnish evidence that would be accepted by a court that such was a fact, for my information is based on some "hearsay" of long ago, and probably there is no person living who could substantiate it.
Mr. Miller died Dec. 1, 1874, aged 73 years, according to a notice in a periodi- cal published by myself under date of January, 1875, based of course upon current . and undoubtedly correct information of that time; thus discrediting Mr. Caswell's statements, more than 40 years later, that he was born in 1804 and died in 1875.
His wife was Malinda Edgell, of Westminster. They had 5 children:
1. Mary Edgell Miller, born Sept. 30, 1831; married Calvin Bullock, 2nd, in 1859; their home was in Toledo, Ohio, until his death, in 1870, after which she returned to Royalston, where she died, Oct. 18, 1905. (See page 245.) They had a child, Calvin Bullock, 3rd. (See page 247.)
2. Sarah Elizabeth Miller. She probably taught school at times, but was sometimes in poor health, and remained with her parents throughout her life.
3. Susan Maria Miller. She became a school teacher, and probably followed that occupation until her marriage to Rev. F. D. Austin, who was pastor of the Second Congregational Church, at South Royalston, from 1863 to 1867.
4. Emily Bullock Miller. She married Herman M. Partridge, in 1859; he died' in 1904. They had 3 children: Edward M. Partridge, born in 1862, for many years a druggist at Millers Falls; Mamie Partridge, who died in her young girlhood, in the vicinity of 1880, at Fitchburg; and another who died in infancy. Mrs. Emily Bullock (Miller) Partridge died about 1916, at the home of her son at Millers Falls.
5. George Edward Miller, born in 1838. He went to Norwalk, Conn., in his early manhood, and became connected with the Norwalk Savings Bank, of which he was Secretary and Treasurer for many years, to the end of his life. He married Fannie Miner Brooks, of New York, in 1864, and they had 3 children. He died in 1903, and his wife died in 1908.
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THE CLEMENT FAMILY.
The house represented by the little picture on this page, as has been stated on pages 55, 94 and 250, was probably built by Joseph E. P. Austin, who had a store at the location adjoining, 8C on our map of the Center Village, the location of the house being at 2C. While information has been gathered that Austin was con- nected with that store from 1837 to 1848, at least, and that the store was burned, nothing has been revealed about the dates of the building of the house and the burning of the store; perhaps the house was built somewhat earlier, but circum- stances indicate that the store was burned not very far from 1850. Austin proba- bly never held any town office of importance, and left little record as to his char- acter and attainments, or about his family. Not then having acquired ambition to gather and disseminate historical intelligence, I neglected, when I had the oppor- tunity, to ask for information from those able to give it from personal knowledge; and now I cannot think of a person living who could add anything to the informa- tion which I already possess about those matters of three-quarters of a century ago. The absence of later data relating to Austin and his family indicates that they removed from Royalston soon after the destruction of the store.
The Austin house stood vacant during the early years of my going up to the Center school, in the early 50s. I remember that I went with my mother to call on Dr. Willis, while he resided in the house at 12C, later occupied by Mr. Miller; that might have been in the vicinity of 1854. Dr. Willis removed to the Austin house probably about 1855; following his death there, in 1863, Dr. Hanks occupied the place for about 5 years (see page 216), after which it became the home of William W. Clement.
William Clement settled in Royals- ton before the Revolution, and served in the Revolutionary army. His place was in the easterly part of the town, on the road from the Common towards Winch- endon. He married Anna Nichols, a daughter of Henry Nichols, in 1780, and they had 9 children. Of those who lived to maturity, Isaac married Mary Town; Elizabeth married Asa Bacheller (see Residence of William W. Clement, 1873. page 214); Sally married Isaac Prouty, who became the proprietor of the tan- nery established by William Brown (see page 68); Mercy married Ira Bragg; Wil- liam Clement, Jr., married Rosanna Cooper, of Croydon, N. H., to which place a part of the family had removed about 1810.
William Clement, Jr., returned from Claremont to Royalston; he had 4 chil- dren by his first wife; he married, 2nd, Mrs. Martha (Butler) Bacheller, widow of Dr. Stephen Bacheller, Jr. (see page 214); they resided for many years at the loca- tion designated 19E on our map of the Center village, and both died there-Mrs. Clement in 1881, and Mr. Clement several years earlier.
The children of William Clement, Jr., and Rosanna (Cooper) Clement were:
1. Benjamin F. Clement, born in Croydon, in 1812; died in 1851; he married, and had 5 children, of whom the one who lived to the greatest age and was the best known in Royalston, was Dwight E. Clement, who was born in 1836, lived in Royalston, and afterwards at Tully, in the edge of Orange. He married, and had 3 children: Charles, born in 1868, died in infancy; Cora E., born in 1869; and Walter H., born in 1870, died at Los Angeles, Cal., in 1919.
2. Sylvander Clement; he was for many years superintendent of the carding room at the woolen mill at South Royalston; he died in the vicinity of 1865.
3. William W. Clement, born at Croyden, in 1819. He was employed as clerk in a store in Croydon, and came to Royalston with his father. He married Gerry, and they had a son, George, who died in childhood. They occupied the place
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known as the Major John Norton place, located at 13E on our map; in 1868 they removed to the Austin-Willis-Hanks place, located at 2C on the map, and pictured on the preceding page, which was their home until the death of Mr. Clement, in 1876; the place had been occupied by two physicians, and two others made their homes with the Clement family, as mentioned on pages 217 and 218.
William W. Clement conducted a grocery store in Brookline for a few years, as he personally informed me, and Mr. Caswell is authority for the statement that he was engaged in market gardening near Boston for a few years. He served as clerk and assistant post-master at the post-office store in Royalston for 2 or 3 years. He served the Town of Royalston as Selectman from 1859 to 1865 inclusive, and again from 1871 to 1875, inclusive; and as Assessor in 1859, 1861 to 1865, inclusive, and 1871 to 1875, inclusive. He served as Representative to the General Court from the district of which Royalston was a part, in 1866. He died in 1876.
4. Jane R. Clement, daughter of William Clement, Jr., and Rosanna (Cooper) Clement, married Ebenezer Whitney in 1848 (see page 242).
THE NICHOLS FAMILY.
Isaac Nichols was a citizen of Sutton before Royalston was "thought of." He married Sarah Wilkins, of Boxford, and they had 9 children, probably all born in Sutton, between 1730 and 1750; 3 of these children, Henry, Isaac and William, came from Sutton to Royalston, and settled in the new town before 1765.
Henry Nichols, 2nd child of Isaac and Sarah (Wilkins) Nichols, was born in 1732; he married Elizabeth Town in 1757; his settlement was on the place later well known as the Chipman H. Maxham place, and afterwards occupied by Alfred Neal and Henry S. Wood. There Henry Nichols kept a public house, and carried the appellation of "Landlord Nichols." His 1st wife died in 1781, and he married, 2nd, Mrs. Mehitable (Dwinnel) Gale, widow of Isaac Gale, Jr., who had taken over the mill privilege on the Lawrence, near Doane's Falls, which Benjamin Marsh had failed to develop to the satisfaction of the Proprietors (see page 61); and Henry Nichols settled his son, Henry Nichols, Jr., on the home place, and removed to the mill lot and carried on the mill, and afterwards settled his son Elijah there. Henry Nichols died in 1814, and his 2nd wife died in 1818. The 8 children of Henry and Elizabeth (Town) Nichols were as follows:
1. Anna Nichols, born in 1759; married William Clement, in 1780, and they had 9 children (see page 251).
2. Isaac Nichols, born in 1760.
3. Moses Nichols, born in 1762; married, 1st, Sallie Beal, in 1786, they had 2 children, and she died in 1792; he married, 2nd, Sarah Whitney, in 1795, and they had 2 children; she died in 1801; he married, 3rd, Mehitable Cutler, in 1802, and they had 6 children. He died of measles, in 1842, at the age of 79 years. Moses Nichols lived on the Felch place, at the north part of the town, which he exchanged with Benjamin Heywood for one farther north, near the New Hampshire line, which had been occupied previously by Silas Heywood and Silas Heywood, Jr.
Isaac Nichols, son of Moses and Sarah (Beal) Nichols, was born in 1786; he married Nancy Walker, in 1813. He was commonly called "Cap'n Isaac," and had probably acquired his title as one of the numerous Captains of the "Royalston Grenadiers," an independent military company which was organized at the time of the War of 1812, and continued in activity for some 35 or 40 years. He served as Selectman in 1855. He lived for a time on the Major Norton place (13E), and in the latter part of his life he acquired the old parsonage building at the head of the Common, and died there, leaving it to his widow, who died there in 1868.
Henry Nichols, son of Moses and Mehitable (Cutler) Nichols, was born in 1816; he remained on the farm left to him by his father throughout his life; he inherited the old Lee parsonage place from his half-brother's widow, and sold it to the pro- moters of the new parsonage in 1874.
4. David Nichols, son of Henry and Elizabeth (Town) Nichols, was born in 1764; he married Hannah Thomson, in 1787; they had 4 children.
5. Jonathan Nichols, twin brother of the above-mentioned David Nichols, was born in 1764; he married Ruth Fry, in 1788; they had 7 children.
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6. Henry Nichols, Jr., son of Henry and Elizabeth (Town) Nichols, was born in 1768; he married Sally Eddy, in 1793; she died in 1838, and he married Susana Richardson the same year. His father settled him on the home place, as previously mentioned, and he left it to Chipman H. Maxham.
7. Elijah Nichols, son of Henry and Elizabeth (Town) Nichols, was born in 1770; he married, 1st, Mrs. Asenath (Wilder) Fairbank, in 1827; his father settled him at the mlll, and he built a house there; later he built a house north of the Lee parsonage on the Common. His 1st wife died in 1847, and he married, 2nd, Mrs. Betsey Stone, of Grantham, N. H., in 1848. He died in 1856. Elijah and Asenath (Wilder) Fairbank Nichols had 2 children:
(1.) John Hubbard Church Nichols, born in 1828; he was killed by lightning in 1845; a daughter of James Peirce was killed by the same bolt.
(2.) Joseph Town Nichols, born in 1832. He married Martha Gale Turner, daughter of Leonard and Martha (Peirce) Turner, in 1858, and they made their home at the house built by his father, at 5C on the Common, the only picture of which, as it appeared then, may be the little one at the left on page 52. He served in the Civil War,-mustered into the 25th Regiment Massachusetts Infantry in 1861, where he became a sergeant; discharged in 1863 for promotion to the 55th, a col- ored regiment, where he became a lieutenant; he resigned in 1864. He carried on the small farm left to him by his father, and for several years drove the mail and passenger coach to South Royalston, which had been established by William Bailey Goddard, and which Mr. Goddard later resumed. About 1871 Mr. Nichols sold his home place to Anthony Donnelly, and resided for a short time in the old parsonage. He then went to Fitchburg, where he gained experience in undertaking, and about 1876 returned to Royalston and for more than 30 years was the undertaker at the Center. He acquired the place previously owned by Austin, Willis, Hanks and Clement, and he and his family occupied it more than twice as many years as all of its previous owners combined. He filled various town offices very satisfactorily; was Town Clerk 2 years; Treasurer 1 year; Selectman 9 years; Assessor 5 years; School Committee 4 years; and Cemetery Commissioner many years.
Joseph Town Nichols died in 1915, at the age of 83 years; his wife, Martha Gale (Turner) Nichols, received callers on her 90th birthday, March 19, 1926, one of whom was Mrs. Marilla Stone, another Royalston young old lady, 95 years of age. They had 5 children:
[1.] Jessie Nichols, born about 1860; she died in 1863, at the time when her father was making the change in his military connections, and he was able to be at home at her funeral.
[2.] Leonard Nichols, born in 1869. He was employed in a wholesale furniture house in Boston from 1885 to 1892, and on the Providence Journal for 2 years. In 1894 he was appointed Deputy United States Shipping Commissioner, and after- wards as chief United States Shipping Commissioner of the Port of Providence, and held the position many years.
[3.] Frederic Carleton Nichols, born in Fitchburg, in 1873. He was for 3 years a page in the Massachusetts Legislature, from 1891 to 1893. In the latter year he became connected with the Fitchburg National Bank, and in 1895 with the Fitchburg Savings Bank, of which he became Assistant Treasurer in 1904, and Treasurer in 1906. He served as a member of the Fitchburg Common Council from the ward in which he resided in 1902 and 1903; as Representative to the Gen- eral Court from one of the Fitchburg districts in the 2-years term of 1923-4; as President of the Fitchburg Board of Trade and Merchants Association; and as official, director and trustee of various financial, mercantile, philanthropic and other organizations. He resigned his position as Treasurer of the Fitchburg Savings Bank in 1925, and in 1926 entered the employ of William Brown & Sons, wooden ware manufacturers, at Winchendon. Frederick Carleton Nichols married Ethel Holmes, of Plainfield, N. J., in 1899; they have 2 children: Anna Holmes Nichols, born in 1907; and Louise Nichols, born in 1913.
[4.] Mary Louise Nichols, married Sidney Weston Wheeler, of New York; they have 2 children: (1) Ruth Wheeler, who married Robert Nutt, and they have 2 children, Isabella French Nutt, born in 1919, and Ruth Nutt, born in 1923; (2) Sidney W. Wheeler, who married Mae Holden, of Royalston, and they have a son, John W. Wheeler, born in 1923,-the 3rd great-grandchild of Mrs. Martha Nichols.
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[5.] Agnes Nichols, 5th child of Joseph Town and Martha Gale (Turner) Nichols, married Cornelius Quinlan, of Athol, and they have a daughter, Marjorie Quinlan.
8. Daniel Nichols, the 8th child of Henry and Elizabeth (Town) Nichols, was born in 1775; he married Esther Bartlett, in 1795; they probably had no children. Esther (Bartlett) Nichols died in 1815.
Isaac Nichols, another of the sons of Isaac Nichols of Sutton who settled in Royalston, was the 4th child of Isaac and Sarah (Wilkins) Nichols. He was born in 1737; he married Dorcas Sibley, in 1758, and they had 9 children. This Isaac was the one who "embodied" with "The Church of Christ in Royalston," in 1766; and he was a deacon from 1781 to 1787. He served in the Revolutionary army. His place of settlement was south of that of his brother Henry. He removed to Croydon, N. H., about 1790. After his removal the place was owned for a while by David, son of Henry Nichols, and was afterwards occupied successively by Abra- ham Eddy, his son Gibbs W. Eddy, Francis Chase, and his son Charles F. Chase. The 9 children were as follows:
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