USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Framingham > Sketches of Framingham > Part 7
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And now having visited "Salem End" and learned something of the traditions of witchcraft days, we follow the river back to the Doctor's house passing Cowassack Brook and Bartons Brook, and listening to the fish stories which then possibly more than now are suggested by any cross country walk.
This then will outline what these doctors might have told a sympathetic listener. Let us now seek the clergy- men of the town at that time for friendly interviews. First of all is Dr. David Kellogg living in the gambrel roofed house on the street bearing his name, now occu- pied by Mr. Sidney Woodward. He has been the minis- ter of the first parish since 1778 and is now seventy-eight years old. As an old man he has been obliged to witness the division of his flock. But although some of his peo- ple have felt the force of the new theological thought, all are united in their love for him. He has been the leader of his people for more than fifty years, a period of many changes, and throughout it all he has borne himself with singular prudence, fidelity and dignity.
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We have his picture, a photostatic enlargement from a copy in our Bicentennial Record.
An assistant has been found in his declining years. The Rev. George Trask has come as a "colleague pas- tor." I have not found his name marked on this map and do not know where he lived when he came in 1830.
But we do read that James W. Clark when he came to town in 1846 "purchased the George Trask estate," also that the old gun house was removed in 1808 to a spot in front of the J. W. Clark house where it remained until 1834 when the "gun house and land was purchased by the Rev. George Trask, March 26, 1834." From 1834 therefore during the remainder of his pastorate we can picture the colleague minister living in the J. W. Clark, now the Nutting, home. George Trask was a radical re- former, a lecturer on temperance, a delegate in 1834 to the anti-slavery convention, and he was particularly active as an anti-tobacconist. In the genealogical notes of our history he is described as "aggressive and per- sistent with large hopefulness" and we have this illum- inating statement, "He had the fortiter in re," but he was wanting in the "suaviter in modo." A vigorous fighter for what he thought was right, but lacking in the persuasive ways of gentle exhortation.
Mr. Temple adds: "The world at large saw in him the bold reformer, his confidential friend saw a spiritual consecration, and self forgetful piety, which did not ap- pear amid the dust of public conflicts." His pastorate here ended April 6, 1836. The fact of close association of the older and younger ministers during these six years from 1830 to 1836 makes more interesting the familiar story of the effort to induce the venerable man to yield his principle of individual will to the uniformity required in signing the temperance pledge. "All right,"
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says the old man when assured that he can have his toddy upon the prescription of a physician, "but mind ye I am to be my own physician."
HOMES OF REVERENDS MUZZEY AND TRAIN
But although I have not found where the Reverend Trask lived in 1830-1834, our map enables me to locate at once the house in 1832 of the new minister who has come to the old - now Unitarian - parish. Here is the name "A. B. Muzzey" already noticed in our stroll about the Common. Artemus B. Mussey was a native of Lexington, a Harvard graduate in 1824, an A.M. from the Divinity School in 1828, and minister here from 1830-1833. This is his first parish. He is a loyal disciple of the Henry Wares, the leaders of the Harvard Unitarianism, for he gives this name to his son, Henry Ware Mussey, born here December, 1832. We have a beautiful reference to this new minister in the address made here at the time of our Bicentennial by the Rev. Dr. Addison Ballard. This extract describes so pleasant- ly the division in theological doctrines at that time that I wish to quote it:
"Of course I cannot but remember the split in the Old Parish, the withdrawing of the 'Orthodox,' as they were styled, and the forming of this, the Second or Ply- mouth Church. But even about that I had at the time a pleasant experience which many years after was deep- ened into most grateful recollection. My father con- tinued his connection with the First Parish, my mother joined the Second Church and we children were al-
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lowed, without prejudice or special solicitation, to follow the bent each of his own mind. So far as I can recall the time, not a single word of even friendly dis- cussion was ever spoken by my father or mother in the family about the division or about the differences in theological belief which caused it. The expectation I then had of entering Harvard College was probably the chief reason why I alone of the children, kept going with my father to the First or Unitarian church. Rev. Artemus B. Muzzey was their first pastor, to whom, for his warm interest in the children of the congregation, I became tenderly attached. Young as I was, I taught with heart-felt devotion for my little pupils (we were all little together), a class in that Sunday school. Failing to profit by the prudent example of my parents, I fell to urging the Unitarian views on my mother, but she would never gratify my fondness for disputation or am- bition to carry a point. I used to read Unitarian tracts. Once I got hold of a tract entitled, 'One Hundred Ques- tions for Trinitarians to Answer.' I charged my forensic rifle with some of those questions and went downstairs, from my study-chamber, to fire them off at mother. Mother was ironing, I remember. The irons were hot, and so was I. Mother was very peaceful, as it was her wont to be. In reply to those (as I eagerly believed) unanswerable questions, she said in her sweet way, 'I don't know about those things, Addison; I only know that Christ is a very precious Saviour to me.' "
Mr. Muzzey became a well-known graduate of Har- vard. His later years were passed in Cambridge. He re- ceived the degree of S.T.D. from Tufts in 1890. For some years, 1860 to 1866, he was one of the Overseers of the College. His writings are found in our college' publications. His book "Reminiscences and Memorials
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of the Men of the Revolution and their Families" pub- lished in 1883 is in our Library, and I have it here. From it I have enlarged by photostat the frontispiece. He died in 1892, aged 90 years, then one of the two survivors of his class.
And now how shall we find the Baptist minister, the Reverend Charles Train. A house is marked "C. Train" on this map near School House No. 3 in Parks Corner, which would indicate that at one time he lived there near the old meeting house. But a new meeting house was dedicated on Church Green Jan. 1, 1827, and prob- ably the minister has found a more convenient living place. Let us imagine then that by good luck we meet him at the entrance to this new church house. How proud he is of the loyalty of the thirteen of his followers who have agreed to build this beautiful place of wor- ship. It is the only Framingham meeting house which has survived the century. Mr. Train, a native of Weston, has had long association with our town. He is a graduate of Harvard in 1805, also an A.M., and came here in 1808 as Preceptor of our Academy. Since 1811 he has been the minister of the church, some twenty-two years, and he remains the minister until 1839. At the time of our call he is recovering from a severe fall, in March 1832, but he is still able to attend to his accustomed tasks. His family name is continued in our records by the service of his son, Rev. Arthur S., as minister of this same church from 1866 to his death in 1872, and by the public service of another son, Charles R. Train, Attorney General of the Commonwealth. In the bio- graphical sketch of the Rev. Charles Train in Temple's History, we read that "at the time of his death in 1849 he lived where he had for several long and wearisome years, looked out upon a beautiful spot in the heart of
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Framingham, Edgell Grove Cemetery, which was to be his final resting place."
There is still another church organization in 1832-3 about which we must make inquiry. Here on Main Street is marked "Universalist M. H." This is in faint letters and may have been added to the original draw- ing. This meeting house was dedicated in September 1832. But I doubt if there was any resident minister. We read that Rev. Thomas J. Greenwood preached here eight years. But his name is not in our Genealogical notes. This is a small but earnest movement, destined however to disappear in a few years, the meeting house later being occupied by the Episcopalians and still later by the St. Bridget Catholic Parish. It has recently been demolished.
As further evidence of the religious activity of this period we read of the movement to establish a church in Saxonville, which culminated in the Congregational church of that village, later the Edwards church in 1833.
ACTIVE CITIZENS OF THE TIME
And now finally what were the people whom we have met, and other active citizens of Framingham interested in at this period one hundred years ago? And what were the political questions? What were the topics of general interest? Our introduction to the clergy indi- cates an active interest in the religious life of the com- munity. Not that there was bitter dissension, but a keen interest in the writings and preaching of the old and new leaders in theological thought, an interest that
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was intelligent, sincere and on the whole tolerant. In spite of these differences neighbors were friendly and were ready to cooperate in matters of public interest. There were District schools located so as to give equal advantage to all parts of the town. The Academy was strongly supported by this and other communities. There was a degree of public spirit equal to, - yes, on the whole, I think excelling, - that of any other period in our town's history.
One of the new matters of business inviting attention was the organization of a bank under the laws of the Commonwealth. This made Framingham a business center for a circle of towns radiating at least ten miles in all directions. Another matter of business discussion was the proposal of the new railroad from Boston to Worcester, a matter of such uncertain possibilities as to invite both hopes and fears. Two routes were sur- veyed, one along the present location, the other through the Center village. Mr. Temple writes "the route through the Center was regarded as more feasible; but the Wheeler brothers and others interested in the turn- pike opposed this plan, and their opposition led to the selection of the Southern route." I think without dis- torting history we can imagine an earnest discussion between Major Benjamin Wheeler of the Center village, and Captain John J. Clark, the landlord of the distant tavern at the South End, familiarly known as "Captain Jack Clark," not one of the Centre aristocracy, but of sufficient business standing to be asked to be one of the directors of the bank. "A railroad through Framingham Centre" "No, sir, we don't want it," says the Major. "Our stage coaches passing through our square, sixteen or more each way every day, accommodate the traveling public. This new method of hauling cars by a steam
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locomotive is untried, it is not likely to succeed, it is dirty, noisy, and dangerous, and we don't want it." "All right," says the practical southender, who had every- thing to gain and nothing to lose, "let us then support the layout south of Farm Pond. A railroad station will bring travel to my hotel. There will be hungry people to be fed with doughnuts and hot coffee, and if you don't want it, we do, and we'll work for it." And they did and got it, and soon business developed around this station, the population increased to out balance the old center, and high school, town meeting and even the bank within half a century all followed.
And what were the political questions? It was a time of national excitement. The great names were Henry Clay and Andrew Jackson. These men were the presi- dential candidates in the fall of 1832. The ticket in favor of Clay following the prevailing sentiment in Massa- chusetts, had claimed a majority of our votes, 99 being cast for the Clay electors. But Old Hickory had 59 sup- porters in Framingham who registered their choice for him. And in the course of a few months this great Demo- cratic leader, re-elected President of the United States, came to Massachusetts. In this very year we have been studying in June, 1833, he was tumultuously received on his northern trip through Philadelphia, New York, Providence, Dedham and Boston, and granted a degree of Doctor of Laws at a special meeting called by the cor- poration of the President and Fellows of Harvard Col- lege in Cambridge.
I have been curious to learn how he came, thinking possibly the natural way would have been by Worcester and along the turnpike through Framingham, but not so. An examination of the newspapers of this period shows that he followed the short route coming to Boston
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and that he returned via Salem and Lowell and Con- cord, New Hampshire, and then by some northern route to New York. In this connection I am reminded of a story told by a class mate of mine living in Bedford of an old house in Lexington marked with this sign, "This is the house Paul Revere would have passed if he had come this way." Framingham is the town through which Andrew Jackson would have passed if he had only come or returned this way.
But his coming must have excited our own townspeo- ple. No man of his time, or possibly at any time in our history, was more loved and more hated, than Andrew Jackson. And I imagine that the conservative people of Framingham who idolized Webster, and Clay, and the younger Adams, were considerably excited.
There is this passage in the interesting life of Jackson, "An Epic in Homespun," written by Gerald W. John- son, descriptive of this incident:
"In the summer of 1833 the President made a journey into the North and Philadelphia, New York and Boston successively went mad. Harvard University conferred upon the man who never could spell 'yield' the degree of Legum Doctor, presented with an address in Latin, thereby moving John Quincy Adams to scandalized re- flections upon the degradation of his Alma Mater.
"Also at Boston a hemorrhage from the lungs - they were growing increasingly frequent - put an end to the tour. Andrew Jackson, LL.D., seventh President of the United States, exterminator of Nullification, idol of the country, turned back to Washington to resume the endless battle, old, weary, sick, lonely and sad."
But this excitement was soon forgotten in the state campaign which came in the Fall of 1833. At this time a name was disappearing from state politics to enter the
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the Federal field. Levi Lincoln of Worcester had been our Governor longer than any former Governor in our history, but now he seeks election as Congressman. He was the junior of that name. His father, Levi Lincoln, had been the Attorney General in Jefferson's Cabinet. They were the outstanding Massachusetts leaders against the old and dying Federalists. In his place a new as- pirant was appearing for the Governorship - John Davis, born in Northboro, who had become a leader of the bar in Worcester. A new and strange party was also appearing, the anti-masonic party. One Morgan had disappeared in New York, murdered it was said because he had exposed some of the secrets of free masonry. And out of this excitement had come a na- tional and state political party. And in Massachusetts this party had prevailed upon John Quincy Adams, who had held the office of President of the United States, to accept its nomination for the Governorship. And the anti-whigs were bringing into prominence the name Marcus Morton for many years a candidate for the Governorship. A Workingman's Party also was in pro- cess of being born. In this mixed situation it is interest- ing to read the Framingham vote in November, 1833, 110 for Adams, 97 for Davis, 26 for Morton. Framing- ham's vote is probably due more to popularity of the former President than to any real anti-masonic distrust. This is evident when we scan the thirty-seven Framing- ham names among the signatures to the "Declaration of the Free Masons of Boston and vicinity, December 31, 1831." Among these names are the Rev. Charles Train, Lawson Buckminster, Jr., Jonathan Greenwood, Enoch Belknap, Ebenezer Freeman, Amasa Kendall, Josiah Adams, Samuel Warren, John Wenzell, Luther Haven,
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Luther Belknap, George Wheeler and others who were among the leading men of the town.
There was no choice by the people, and the Legisla- ture later selected Davis. He soon became known as "Honest John Davis" serving as Governor and as a member of the United States Senate.
A letter from my father to his sister written from Southbridge in 1841 when he was 21 years old, closes with the question, "Have you read the message of 'Honest John?' "
In personal appearance he has been described as re- sembling a great polar bear, of large frame and with shaggy white hair. He had a strong following among the people and must have had many personal friends and admirers in Framingham.
I have thus tried to recall the Framingham of One Hundred Years ago. On the whole I hope we can all agree that it was an interesting period, and it continued so with but slight changes for a generation. The Civil war brought problems which disturbed all our Massa- chusetts communities, and later developments served even more to disintegrate our earlier community life. Our towns and villages in this period were more com- pact socially, more internally self-sustaining than in these later years. There were fewer outside diversions to call people away from their home circles. It was an age of longer association of families with places. And I hope it has not been wholly idle to spend this evening in an effort to visualize these earlier days and recall some of the people who made them what they were.
BOOK III FIFTY YEARS MORE 1900-1950
FIFTY YEARS MORE 1900-1950
T HE development of our town Framingham in this half century has been the most significant in our history.
In population there has been an increase from 11,302 to approximately 28,500; the exact total not having yet been announced. In assessed valuation there has been an increase of nearly five times, from 8,809,900 to 42,- 655,178. In grants by our town meetings for municipal purposes, indicating public improvements, there has been a jump of over ten fold, from 200,622 to 2,571,180. The total value of business manufactures is difficult to estimate, but the output from the General Motors and the Dennison Company must place Framingham among the leaders in the Commonwealth. The increase in bank deposits is some evidence of this total. In 1900 the Na- tional Bank, organized as a State Bank in 1833, was the only commercial bank. Today we have two commercial banks, one savings bank and two cooperative banks, with total deposits of over forty million. And this in- crease is not due to any single industry, but to a broad diversity of business enterprises. Our Dennison Com- pany has developed into the broadest industry of its kind, possibly in the United States, from the beginning of making paper tags, with the stringing as a home em- ployment, into paper products used the world over. Within the memory of our older citizens what was the Hickory Bicycle factory became the Para Rubber Shoe Company, and now with many additions the plant of the Dennison Manufacturing Company with head-
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quarters here, has sales branches in our large cities and in London.
The rubber industry is here with the Hodgman Rub- ber Company developing products of natural and syn- thetic rubber. And the Angier Company has improved a water proof paper as a novel product for which there is much demand. The Roxbury Carpet Company, suc- cessor of the old Simpson Mills of Saxonville, is kept busy working in certain seasons nights as well as days.
And last and most recent of all is General Motors Company, covering a former farm area with a large plant at which automobile parts are assembled from distances and put together as complete cars to be dis- tributed by the thousands throughout New England.
Fifty years ago an old time industry, the making of wagon wheels, was foremost in our local business life in a building off Waverly Street near Hollis Court, con- ducted by Alfred M. Eames, a descendant of the early settler Thomas Eames. The float exhibiting this in- dustry was prominent in the bicentennial anniversary parade, a monster wheel gaily decorated and drawn on a six horse dray, and this is shown as an illustration in the published Memorial. Today this is all gone and we have the General Motors Industry, a superlative trans- formation typical of changes, characteristic of this half- century period.
The character of our citizenship has been improved by the bringing together in our town of the active leaders of these enterprises. Henry S. Dennison who came with his company has been a leader in our town life, serving for some years as a member of our Board of Public Works. Other residents brought here by this company are William E. P. Howell and Arthur B. Newhall, ac- tive as trustees of our Framingham Union Hospital and
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as Directors of our National Bank. And the General Motors has brought its General Manager, Clare S. Swayze here, also to serve as Trustee of our Hospital and Director of our Bank. These and many more citizens active in town, church and civic life have come here because of their identity with these business enterprises.
In these fifty years we have had to meet the call for troops to serve in two world wars, and we have met these calls without hesitation. In World War I our record was 1,104 and in World War II over 3,600 in the army and navy, and of these a total of 129 made the supreme sacrifice, one of whom was Lowell Whitte- more, a member of our local bar.
BY WAY OF REMINISCENCE
On the occasion of our 200th anniversary I served as a member of the Committee of Thirty-three and was selected by the committee as Vice Chairman, and now fifty years later I have been selected by the Town as General Chairman of this 250th Anniversary Com- mittee, being permitted by the Committee, however, to designate a "Steering Committee" to assume the active work. I am the sole survivor of the earlier Com- mittee, William H. Walsh and Richard L. Everit, the most recent living members, having recently deceased. George H. Eames, serving on our present Committee, was active in the sub-committee of fifty years ago on the Historical Exhibit and is referred to in our Bicen- tennial Volume as giving "loyal support" to the interest- ing exhibit then displayed.
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I should like to recall some of the recollections of fifty years ago in my association with the committee on that occasion.
I can clearly visualize the Chairman Samuel B. Bird, who had given long services as assessor, selectman, mod- erator of our town meetings and representative in our General Court, as he presided over the Literary Exer- cises in the old Chautauqua auditorium on Mount Wayte. By way of opening he summarized the record of the past and then concluded:
"The past is secure, - Not a stain, blot or blemish mars its record of two hundred years. It is clean, pure, bright. A record of which every citizen may well be proud. And the present, - with its edu- cated, intelligent, middle-aged and young men, with its able, experienced, honest and honorable corps of Town officers, there are no fears for the present; And the future will be largely what the young men and the young women of today, what the two thousand school children assembled yester- day shall make it. But whatever the future may have in store for us, may this Town, in the future as in the past, be the home of a happy, prosperous, in- telligent, lawabiding, liberty loving, God fearing people for generations yet to come."
I think these fifty years have fulfilled his prophecy, and that if he were with us today, we would emphasize it with even greater confidence.
And I have most intimate recollections of Walter Adams who presided over the Banquet in the old Skat- ing Rink, off Hollis Street, used for town meeting pur- poses in the interval between the Town Hall period at Framingham Center and the present period of the
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Nevins Memorial Hall. He was the leading citizen of his time foremost in every undertaking. There is this appropriate record adopted by the Vestry of Saint John's Episcopal Church following his death:
"Walter Adams died on Nov. 8, 1923, at the age of seventy-five. For sixty-eight years he had lived in Framingham. As a boy he found himself much in the company of older men and his relations with some of them - Colonel Moses Edgell, James Wil- son Clark, Charles Upham, George Phipps - be- came quite intimate in later years.
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