USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > The Bristol County directory, 1875-6 > Part 7
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The township of Dighton was divided June 9th, 1814, the north part set off and incorporated as a new and distinct town. It thus continued until Feb. 22, 1826, when it was reunited with Dighton. The name of the new town was Wellington, and this was repre- sented by the following named gentlemen: Nathaniel Wheeler in 1816 and 1826; Gamaliel Church in 1817 and Thomas S. Baylies in 1819.
Population of Dighton in 1865, 1813; in 1870, 1817, legal voters 344, Valuation, $867,692,24.
In 1762 the militia of Dighton was organized as two companies of Infantry, and officered as follows:
FIRST COMPANY .- Stephen Beal, Captain; Joseph Talbot, Lieut .; Samuel Phillips, Ensign.
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BRISTOL COUNTY HISTORY.
SECOND COMPANY. - Gershom Williams, Captain; Constant Simmons, Lieut .; Henry Pitts, Ensign.
From about the commencement of the present century to 1831, the militia of Dighton was organized as three companies, and the following gentlemen held the commissions of Captain.
Richard Wescott, from May 6, 1806 to Feb. 27, 1810; Ezekiel Francis, from April 21, 1810 to 1814; Peter Paul, from July 6, 1814 to his dismissal by sentence of Court Martial, Nov. 20, 1819.
SECOND COMPANY .- Nathaniel Jones, from April 28, 1804 to 1807; James Spooner, from April 3, 1807 to 1810; Simeon Talbot, from May 19, 1810 to 1814; Ebenezer Talbot, from July 2, 1814 to 1817; Darius Perry, from June 24, 1817 till his promotion to Lieut. Colonel of 5th Regt. in 2d Brigade, 5th Division, Aug. 10th 1818; Mathew Briggs Jr., from Oct. 30th, 1818 to 1822 ; Charles Whitmarsh from May 7th, 1822, till promoted to Major of 5th Regiment April 19th, 1823; Thomas D. Wardell from Aug. 16, 1823 to April 23d, 1825; Henry Briggs from Aug. 20th, 1825, to Feb. 14th, 1827; John Chase from May 10th, 1827, till promotion to Major of 5th Regiment, March 8th, 1828; Peirce Sherman from June 7th, 1828, to disbandment in 1831.
THIRD COMPANY .- Francis Baylies from May 7th, 1805, to Jan. 25th, 1810; Abraham Briggs from March 31st, 1810, until promo- ted to Senior Major of 4th Regiment in 2d Brigade, 16th Division, April 14th, 1812; Hezekiah Anthoney from June 11th, 1812.
Abraham Briggs of Dighton, Senior Major, and Joseph Weaver of Freetown, Junior Major.
When reorganizing the militia, preparatory to meeting the exi- gencies of the "last war with England," the three militia compa- nies of Dighton with two companies of Berkley, two companies of Freetown, one company of Fall River, then Troy, and one com- pany at Somerset were made a Regiment, numbered as the fourth Regiment in 2d Brigade of 16th Division. This. Regiment was or- ganized April 14th, 1812, by commissioning Joseph E. Read of Troy, now Fall River, as Lieut. Colonel Commandant.
EASTON.
Easton (if the expression be admissible) is the child of Norton, and grand-child of Taunton, 1725 being the date at which Easton was set off from Norton, and 1711 that when Norton, including Easton, was detached from the ancient township of Taunton.
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BRISTOL COUNTY HISTORY.
The writer does not claim for what is here presented that the facts are of the greatest moment, or most indispensable importance of any that go to make up the story of this time-honored town, or that these embrace "the one thing needful" to be known of its localism, but does claim that this is no rehash of what has repeat- edly been served up in other and preceding publications, and that it is not now sought to satisfy the literary palate and deceive the taste by using pepper where the former used salt, and salt where they substituted pepper, and under a new name sent the same old dish.
The principal novelty in the first attempts to proclaim the gospel was that it was preached to the poor, not that the poor needed salvation any more than the rich, but still needed it, and were those that ordinary reason would have decided to be the last in- stead of the first to whom it should have been offered, and so with our subjects, till now omitted altogether, are here made the prin- cipal themes for remark, because though important as a compo- nent part of the town's history, these were least likely to receive either from writer or reader a proper notice. To tell what has not been said, instead of repeating what has, is therefore our effort, and in which capacity we are like those that glean the scatterings of a field where the sheaves have already been bound and taken away. Former historians being those that thrust sickles into riclı ripened fields of grain, and former readers those that bound and gathered in the sheaves of a luxurious harvest, while we, like the woman of Moab, glean after the binder and " gather up the frag- ments that nothing may be lost."
Capt. Benjamin Williams (grandfather of Rodolphus H. Wil- liams, Esq., of Brockton, Mass.,) was of Easton, and he raised a company for service in the French and Indian war. He with his command were stationed at Fort Edward, in 1756. That service was performed in what was called the "Crown Point Expedition."
In 1762 the local militia of Easton was officered as follows: . Eliphalet Leonard, Captain ; Mathew Hayward. Lieut. ; and Eli- phalet Leonard, Jr., Ensign. This company of the local militia was then a part of the third Regiment of Bristol county, Samuel White, of Taunton, being Colonel, George Leonard, of Norton, Lieut .- Colonel, Thomas Morey, of Taunton, Major, and Seth Wil- liams, of Taunton, Second Major.
Ten years later, viz. (1772), Easton had two companies officered as follows :
FIRST COMPANY. -
Eliphalet Leonard, Capt .; Abiel Mitchell, Lieut., and Seth Loth- rop, Ensign.
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BRISTOL COUNTY HISTORY.
SECOND COMPANY.
Zephaniah Keith, Capt .; Macy Williams, 1st Lieut,; Joseph Keith, 2d Lieut .; and Elijah Hayward, Ensign.
The field officers and adjutant of the Regiment to which these companies then belonged were George Leonard of Norton, Colonel ; Daniel Leonard of Taunton, Lieut .- Colonel; George Godfrey, and George Williams of Taunton, Majors; and Apollos Leonard, Adjutant.
In February, 1776, the Captain of the second company in Easton, was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, and the First Lieutenant of the first company, to Major, the field officers and Adjutant then being as follows: George Williams of Taunton, Colonel; Zepha- niah Keith of Easton, Lieut .- Colonel ; Abiel Mitchell of Easton, Major ; James Williams, Jr. of Taunton, Second Major; and William Seaver of Taunton, Adjutant.
In 1779, Major Mitchell was promoted to Colonel, and Major Williams to Lieut. Colonel, their new commissions dated June 17, 1779, and on the 24th of September, 1779, Robert Crossman, Jr. of Taunton, and Jonathan Shaw of Raynham, were made Majors.
At a subsequent date the local militia of Easton, appear to have been transferred from the Third to the Fourth Regiment of Bristol County Brigade.
Easton as represented in the list of field officers of the Fourth Regiment, in Second Brigade, 5th Division, Massachusetts Militia, was as follows:
Colonels .- John Williams, from Aug. 1, 1803, to 1809; Shepherd Leach, from Aug. 7, 1809, to July 6, 1819.
Lieut .- Colonels .- John Williams, from April 10, 1797, to Aug. 1, 1803; David Manley, from Sept. 17, 1819, to April 7, 1821; John Gilmore, from Aug. 23, 1823, to 1825; Alanson White, from Feb. 12, 1827, to Nov. 4, 1828.
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Majors .- John Williams, from Oct. 7, 1793, to April 10, 1797; John Gilmore, from April 5, 1822, to Aug. 23, 1823; Alanson White, from Sept. 9, 1826, to Feb. 12, 1827.
Adjutant .- Cyrus Lothrop, from July 15, 1816, to June, 1819.
Easton for a time had a uniformed company of Light Infantry,. that was doubtless one of the flank companies of the 4th Regi- ment, and this town also had the honor to be the headquarters of the 2d Brigade, and subsequently headquarters of 5th Division.
Col. Shepherd Leach was promoted July 6, 1819, to Brigadier General, his brigade embracing the entire county of Bristol, and organized as four regiments of infantry, a battalion of cavalry and a battalion of artillery.
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BRISTOL COUNTY HISTORY.
General and Staff .- Shepherd Leach of Easton, Brigadier Gen- eral ; David .G. W. Cobb of Taunton, Brigade Major ; Samuel C. Fales of Taunton, Brigade Quarter-Master.
FIELD OFFICERS AND ADJUTANTS, FIRST REGIMENT.
Robert Peck of Rehoboth, Colonel ; Simeon Wheeler of Norton, Lieut. Colonel ; Rufus P. Barrows of Rehoboth, Major, and Abra- ham Ormsbee, Jr. of Seekonk, Adjutant.
SECOND REGIMENT.
Nathaniel Nelson of New Bedford, Colonel ; Nathaniel Thomp- son, Lieut. Colonel ; Thomas Wood, Major, and Henry Taylor, Adjutant.
THIRD REGIMENT.
Adoniram Crane of Berkley, Colonel ; Cromwell Washburn of Taunton, Lieut. Colonel; Nathan King of Taunton, Major, and George B. Atwood of Taunton, Adjutant.
FOURTH REGIMENT.
Benjamin Balcom of Attleborough, Colonel ; David Manley of Easton, Lieut. Colonel; Elkanah Briggs of Attleborough, Major, and Cyrus Lothrop of Easton, Adjutant.
FIFTH REGIMENT.
Simeon Ashley of Freetown, Colonel ; Darius Perry of Dighton, Lieut. Colonel ; Linde Hathaway of Freetown, Major, and Philip P. Hathaway of Freetown, Adjutant.
BATTALION OF CAVALRY.
Eliab B. Dean of Raynham, Major, and Jesse Hartshorn of Taunton, Adjutant.
BATTALION OF ARTILLERY.
Samuel Stall of New Bedford, Major, and Hayden Coggshall of New Bedford, Adjutant.
On the 16th of February, 1827, Brigadier General Shepherd Leach of Easton, was promoted to Major General of the 5th Divi- sion, embracing the militia of the counties of Barnstable, Bristol, and Plymouth, save the town of Hingham. This division was divided into three brigades and commanded as follows:
First Brigade, Ephraim Ward of Middleborough, Brig. General. Second Brigade, Cromwell Washburn of Taunton, Brig. Gen- eral.
Third Brigade, Ebenezer D. Winslow, of Brig. Gen- eral.
The first brigade then contained five regiments of infantry, a battalion of cavalry, and a battalion of artillery.
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A likeness of the author of all the historic sketches in this publication, save those of New Bedford and Taunton, and author of historic sketches of Hanson, Lakeville, Mat- tapoisett, Middleborough, Pembroke, Plympton, Roches- ter, Wareham and West Bridgewater. Also, author of published genealogies of the following families, viz :- Barnaby, Bartlett, Booth, Brownell, Caswell, Gardiner, Godfrey, Haskins, Howland, Macomber, Pearce, Peirce, Rogers, Richmond, Rounsevill, Sheffield, Shelley, Strange, Valentine, Warren, Weaver and Williams.
Gen. Peirce performed nearly twenty years service in , the local militia of Massachusetts, arriving to the com- mission of Brigadier General that he held about six years. He also served three years in the late war of the great Rebellion, leading a regiment about one year, a brigade two years and for a time a division. In one of the seven day's battles before Richmond in 1862, his right arm at the shoulder was torn off by a cannon ball which wound kept him off duty only thirty days, remaining in field ser- vice as he did more than two years with only one arm. Since the war his time has been chiefly devoted to literary pursuits and with his left hand he has done much to prove that " The pen is mightier than the sword."
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ملامراد فـ
A southerly view of the birth-place and residence of Gen. Ebenezer W. Peirce, situate on the easterly side of South Main Street in Assonet Village, Freetown, Bristol County, Mass. This house was erected by Capt. Job Peirce, Jr. in 1796, and continued to be his residence until his death Sept 22d, 1805. Capt. Peirce was a wealthy and very successful merchant, engaged also in ship building. A remarkably liberal, generous hearted and public spirited man, and extremely popular as an officer of the State Militia. Under a large military escort his body was taken from this house to his grave in Middleborough now Lakeville, and buried with military honors more than seventy years ago. . The house soon after Capt. Peirce's death became the residence of his younger brother, (and junior partner in business,) Ebenezer Peirce, Esq., who occupied it as a home until his decease, January 6th, 1845, and from whom a part of the premises was inherited by his only son, Gen. Ebenezer W. Peirce, and the remainder has since become the property of the latter by purchase.
The large trees were set during the week in which Gen. Peirce was born, indicating the pleasure of his parents and their desire to mark with enduring monuments the happy period at which they were permitted with truth to say, " Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given."
The horse represented is that rode by Gen. Peirce while regimental, brigade and division commander on the battle- fields of Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky and Tennesee, during more than three years' service in the Union Army in the war of the " Great Rebellion."
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BRISTOL COUNTY HISTORY.
The second brigade consisted of five regiments of infantry, a battalion of cavalry, and a battalion of artillery.
The third brigade, of three regiments of infantry, and a battal- ion of artillery.
Major General Shepherd Leach's command was therefore thir- teen regiments of infantry, two battalions of cavalry, and three battalions of artillery.
As his aids de camp General Leach selected Major William A. F. Sproat of Taunton, and Major Philander Washburn of Middle- borough. Gen. Leach continued to command the division until 1830, when he resigned, and was succeeded as Major General by CromwellWashburn of Taunton, whose aids were Lieut. Col. John Baylies of Taunton, and Major Philander Washburn of Middle- borough.
From the date when, by an act of the Legislature the old militia system of Massachusetts was abolished (viz. April 24, 1840), no military company existed in Easton until the enlistment of a com- pany of light infantry, raised and for a time commanded by Capt. William E. Bump. This company was organized in 1853, and was at first part of a battalion commanded by Major Charles H. French of Canton, and afterward belonged to the Fourth Regi- ment of Light Infantry ; Charles H. French of Canton, Colonel; Joshua F. Winslow of Abington, Lieut. Colonel; Oliver Ames, 3d of Easton, Major; and Edward Potter of Braintree, Adjutant. This Regiment formed a part of the Second Brigade in the First Division of Mass. Volunteer Militia, the Division being comman- ded by Major General Benjamin F. Edmands of Boston, and the Brigade by Brigadier General Ebenczer W. Peirce of Freetown.
The Easton Company promptly responded at the "first call" of our Country in the late war of the Great Rebellion, and performed duty three months near Fortress Monroe in Virginia, being a part of the Fourth Regiment under Colonel Abner B. Packard of Quincy and in the Brigade commanded by Brigadier General Ebenezer W. Peirce.
The Field Officers, Adjutant and Surgeon of the Regiment in which the Easton Company served in Virginia.
Abner B. Packard of Quincy, Colonel; Hawkes Fearing of Hingham, Lieut. Colonel; Horace O. Whitemore of Braintree, Major; Henry Walker of Quincy, Adjutant; and Henry M. Sa- ville of Quincy, Surgeon.
Names of Commissioned and Non-Commissioned Officers and privates of the Easton Company on duty three months in Virginia:
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BRISTOL COUNTY HISTORY.
COMMISSIONED OFFICERS.
Milo M. Williams, Captain; Linton Waldron, Lieut; and Wm. E. Bump, Jr., 2d Lieut.
NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS.
Sergeants :- John A. Lynch, Rufus H. Willis, Robert Clifford, and Alfred B. Richmond.
. Corporals :- John W. Gerry, George Richards, James N. Mac- kay, and Albert Tilden.
Musician :- William H. Wallace.
Privates :- Charles Bellows, Oliver H. Blaisdell, Daniel B. Blais- dell, Charles Baker, William Crocket, George H. Davis, Robert Dollard, John Duffy, David Fisher, Bernard Galligan, Charles Hanson, Reuben Harlow, Wm. Keenan, Charles Maguire, James T. Morley, John Matherwell, James S. Myers, David Mulhern, Henry Pettee, Seth Record, Jacob J. Randall, Michael Shechan, Wm. F. Story, Hiram Thayer, George W. Warren, and Robert Watts.
Recapitulation :- Commissioned, 3; Non-Commissioned, 8; Mu- sicians, 1; Privates, 26; Total, 38; all of Easton save privates Thayer and Warren, who belonged to W. Bridgewater and Stough- ton.
Part of a company for the 7th Regiment was also raised in Easton and taken to the field by Captain Foster. Several of the soldiers above named also enlisted for three years in the Massachu- setts 29th Regiment, of which the writer of this article received the commission as Colonel, and led as his Regiment, while Colonel, or, as a part of his Brigade, while Brigade Commandant, until Nov. 1864, a period of about three years.
The town of Easton has furnished field officers for the Fourth Regiment of Light Infantry as follows: Lieut. Col., Oliver Ames 3d, from 1857; Majors, Oliver Ames 3d, from Dec. 1854, to 1857; Frank M. Ames from 1857.
For the battalion of light infantry, Easton furnished the Adju- tant in the person of Oliver Ames 3d, from 1853 to Dec. 1854, when he was promoted to Major of the 4th Regiment of Light Infantry.
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BRISTOL COUNTY HISTORY.
FAIRHAVEN.
The Indian name of this township was SCONTICUT. From June 4th, 1645, to Feb. 22d, 1787, Fairhaven was a part of Dartmouth, and from Feb. 22, 1787, to Feb. 22. 1812, was a part of New Bed- ford.
At the date last named, Fairhaven was incorporated as a new and distinct town. June 15th, 1815, a small portion of the easterly part of Freetown was set off and annexed to Fairhaven. Feb. 13, 1860, Fairhaven was divided and a part set off and incorporated as a distinct town under the Indian name of Acushnet. It would have been in much better taste if the Indian names had been re- tained in other localities, and indeed in most all of them.
Indian names are often beautiful and always expressive.
"Who I have injured, him I hate" was an old and true saying, and would be equally true if stated "what we have injured, that we hate," and hence a nation or a people so deeply injured as were the red men, aborigines of this country and true owners of the soil, by the early European settlers, would not be likely to retain such a place in the thoughts, feelings and remembrance of their op- pressors and exterminators, as to make the language of the wronged and destroyed agreeable to the ear, dear to the heart, or respectable to the understanding.
Injury begets insult and insult begets injury. To add insult to injury or injury to insult is of all things the most common, and to christian nations does seem the most natural, moralize as we may upon the right and wrong. 'Tis not good principle but almost universal practice, 'tis neither poetic or theoretically pious but nevertheless true.
Time, that pacifier has now after almost two centuries made it possible for christians to do comparative justice to the heathen, whom they have robbed, persecuted and destroyed, souglit to ex- terminate root and branch, and finally the very names by which the birthrights and homes of the latter were called, persistently labored to blot ont.
Less religious pretention and more years, have made it possible to bestow on localities Indian names, and thus are we returning in part to the just, the true, the expressive, the appropriate and the beautiful.
Let us rejoice in the fruit, though yet meagre in quantity, of slow growth and the product of numerous years. Take courage, for the world moves.
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BRISTOL COUNTY HISTORY.
It was in what is now Fairhaven, but then Dartmouth, that oc- curred one of the most stirring and memorable scenes of the war of the American Revolution in this section of the State. The night of Sept. 7th, 1778 was the date of that occurrence when the British troops made an attempt to destroy the village of Fairhaven, des- tined however, as the sequel shows, to be saved, and in time to give its name to a large portion of the surrounding territory when the same was incorporated as a distinct town.
A day or two before making the attack at Fairhaven, the British troops had burned several houses upon the other side of the river, now New Bedford, (but then Dartmouth), and from New Bedford had marched around the head of the river to Sconticut Point, leav- ing for some unassigned and unknown cause the villages of Ox- ford and Fairhaven unmolested. Remaining awhile, these troops reembarked on board the vessels in which they came. The next night however, these troops proceeded up the river with a design as was thought, and as it proved, to finish their work by the de- struction of Fairhaven.
The militia of the nearest towns both in Bristol and Plymouth* counties had been brought to the scene of these warlike operations, but the chief commander being a man of advanced years, was very strongly influenced by that languor which at this period frequently enfeebles both the body and the mind, and he therefore determined that the place must be abandoned to the ravages of the foe, as to his mind no opposition could be made with any reasonable hope of success.
This decision of the chief commander of the patriot forces neces- sarily spread a benumbing influence on the minds of the raw mili- tia there assembled, and threatened the absolute prevention of all . enterprise, and leaving to destruction Fairhaven village.
* NOTE. To get some idea as to who the persons might have been that were then present and holding high commissions in the militia, I give the entire ros- ter of the General and Field Officers of Bristol County Brigade at that date.
George Godfrey, of Taunton. Brigadier General and commander of all the militia of the county, then organized as four regiments of infantry.
First Regiment :- Thomas Carpenter, of Rehoboth, Colonel; Luther Thurber, Lieut. Colonel ; Nathan Daggett, Senior Major; Peleg Slade, Junior Major.
Second Regiment :- John Hathaway of Berkeley, Colonel; Sylvester Rich- mond, of Dighton, Lieut. Colonel; Manasseh Kempton, of Dartmouth, Senior Major; Joseph Durfee, of Freetown, Junior Major.
Third Regiment :- George Williams, of Taunton, Colonel ; Abiel Mitchell, of Easton, Senior Major; James Williams, Jr., of Taunton, Junior Major.
Fourth Regiment :- Jolin Daggett, of Attleborough, Colonel; Ephraim Lane, of Norton, Lieut. Colonel; Isaac Dean, of Mansfield, Senior Major; Enoch Clapp, Junior Major.
It is quite probable that nearly all, if not quite all the Bristol County Brigade were called out on this occasion, together with the Fourth Regiment of the Plymouth County Brigade.
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BRISTOL COUNTY HISTORY.
But among the field officers of the militia forces present was Major Israel Fearing of Warcham, senior major of the 4th Regi- ment in Plymouth County Brigade. The 4th Regiment at that time embraced all the train bands and alarm lists of the towns of Middleborough, Rochester and Wareham, or what is now Lake- ville, Middleborough, Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester, Wareham, and a small part of Acushnet.
Of the 4th Regiment in Plymouth County Brigade at that date, Ebenezer Sprout of Middleborough was colonel; Ebenezer White of Rochester, lieut. colonel; Israel Fearing of Wareham, senior major, and John Nelson of Middleborough, now Lakeville, junior major, and Joseph Haskell Jr. was adjutant.
Major Israel Fearing observing the torpor which was spread-' ing among the patriot troops, invited as many as had sufficient spirit, to follow him and station themselves at the post of danger.
Among those accepting the invitation was one of the colonels, who of course became the commandant, but after they had arrived at Fairhaven and the night had come on, he proposed to march his followers back into the country, but in this he was warmly op- posed by Major Fearing. The colonel however, retired to a house three miles distant, where he passed the night in safety.
A wag who had divined the true reasons of the Colonel's retreat, followed him to the house where he lodged, and finding by inquiry that notwithstanding his original declaration to the contrary, he had concluded to take up his lodgings there for the night, resolved to be his sentinel. He therefore mounted the jaw bone of a horse upon a pair of small wheels to serve as a cannon.
This piece of artillery the wag at regular intervals during the night pretended to load and discharge, as a means of defence to his gallant commander, who he had the pleasure to find not only alive, but safe and sound the next morning.
When the valiant (?) colonel had withdrawn, Major Fearing, now commander-in-chief, arranged his men with activity and skill, and ere long perceived that the British troops were approaching.
His followers already alarmed at the reluctance of two of their superior officers to meet the enemy, and judging that men of years must understand the real state of danger better than Major Fear- ing, a comparative youth, became panic struck and commenced withdrawing from their posts.
At this critical moment Major Fearing with the decision that awes men into a strong sense of duty, rallied them, and placing himself in their rear, declared in a tone that removed all doubt that he would kill the first man whom he found retreating.
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