USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Maynard > The annals of Sudbury, Wayland and Maynard, Middlesex County, Massachusetts > Part 33
USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Sudbury > The annals of Sudbury, Wayland and Maynard, Middlesex County, Massachusetts > Part 33
USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Wayland > The annals of Sudbury, Wayland and Maynard, Middlesex County, Massachusetts > Part 33
USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Sudbury > The annals of Sudbury, Wayland, and Maynard, Middlesex County, Massachusetts > Part 33
USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Wayland > The annals of Sudbury, Wayland, and Maynard, Middlesex County, Massachusetts > Part 33
USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Maynard > The annals of Sudbury, Wayland, and Maynard, Middlesex County, Massachusetts > Part 33
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39
" Dear Saviour, if these lambs should stray From thy secure enclosure's bound."
This hymn of itself, if she had written no other, would be a sufficient memorial. But if the present generation prizes this above all the other productions of her ready mind, there are other gems that sparkled among the choicest poetic thoughts and had a marked spiritual influence in the generation in which she lived. April 7, 1872, Mrs. Hyde passed away. Her death, like her life, was a triumph of faith. All that day, which was Saturday, she was planning that she might not detain any one from the service of the Sabbath to follow ; " but," said the narrator, " with the morning light she had . fallen asleep."" About a year before the event of her death she wrote a hymn, of which the following stanza was almost prophetic of the scene on that peaceful Sabbath after she had thus fallen asleep in Jesus : -
"We saw, by morning's early light, Upon thy marble brow the trace, As from glad vision of Ilis face, Sun of the world where is no night. Gone was the impress there of pain, Which thou shouldst never know again."
The life of this somewhat remarkable woman may perhaps best be expressed by giving the opinion of an early friend, as written to her children - that she was a model of faithful- ness in all duties relating to her family and friends, and " a model in her quietness of spirit, combined with such intelligence and mental culture. Whenever I was with her she always impressed me as in all respects the best example of a follower of the Lord Jesus whom it was my privilege to number among my friends." Truly it may be said in this connection. '. The precious memory of the just shall flourish though they sleep in dust."
196
APPENDIX TO THE ANNALS OF WAYLAND.
EDWARD MELLEN.
Among the citizens of Wayland who have attained eminence the name of Edward Mellen stands prominent.
Ilis professional studies were pursned chiefly in the office of Samuel Hoar. in Concord. and he was admitted to the bar in Middlesex County in 1828. After a brief practice in East Cambridge he opened an office in East Sudbury, which theneeforward became his home Hle gradually rose to distinction, and in 1855 was appointed Chief Justice in the Court of Common Pleas, which position he held until the dissolution of that branch of the judiciary.
Unfamiliar with professional life. the writer is happy to avail himself of the testimonials of Judge Mellen's associates for opinions relative to his character and endowments as a Jurist.
"At a meeting of the Bar of Middlesex the following action was taken :
" Resolved. That as members of this Bar we deeply deplore the death of Hon. Edward Mellen, formerly Chief Justice, who for more than twelve years. by his quiet bearing. untir- ing industry, pure character and courtesy of manner, adorned and dignified the Bench.
" Resolved, That in view of his position as a leading member of this Bar, and of his faithful and able services on the Bench. it is eminently fit and proper that we should bear our testimony to his eminent worth and character."
From remarks made on the above occasion the following selections have been made :
" He loved the law. With no pretensions to genius, by hard study and constant effort he won his way upward to great legal ability."
"He brought to the Bench a large experience, a judicial mind well trained by study and discipline, and an irreproachable character."
" A more patient, painstaking, conseientions magistrate, one more loyal to law and to litigant, never presided over a judicial tribunal."
But Mr. Mellen had other fields of labor and secured other trophies. He held for many years a place of trust in his Alma Mater.
Ilis mental structure was like the Tusean order of architecture - strong, massive, simple. His publie addresses, not less than his pleas in court, were free from sophistry, and were pre- sented in a manner that attested the sincerity of the speaker. Court and hall were moved not by florid display, but by the power of compaet logic. Yet, in the unrestrained conditions of home and the social circle, there was an easy play of mirthfulness and a brillianey of wit that gave a peculiar charm to his presence; while from his richly-stored memory gems of the poetry he loved would often be poured ont to give additional delight.
He was interested in Biblical studies and a firm believer in Unitarian doctrines. Politi- eal affairs did not much trouble him, but in the quiet of his adopted town his influence was deeply felt, and his effective work will descend in imperishable legacies. He raised its schools to a degree of excellence never before attained and not since exceeded. In the founding of its Publie Library the part he took has never been fully disclosed to the public. It chaneed that the writer was the first Wayland citizen to meet him on his return from commencement exercises at Brown University, in 1847. At this interview, under the seal of privacy, he diselosed the following facts : " President Wayland has proposed to give the town of Wayland the sum of $500; and on consulting me as to the form in which the gift should be made, I suggested that of a PUBLIC LIBRARY, to which the President readily acceded." Thus originated our much-valued Library. But the work of Judge Mellen did not end here. He planned a method by which the citizens were to take an active part in duplieating the gift of President Wayland, and it was a grand moment in his life when, on
EDWARD MELLEN, At the age of 42.
197
APPENDIX TO THE ANNALS OF WAYLAND.
presenting the whole matter to a crowded hall of his fellow-citizens. he found them ready with one voice to accept and adopt it. His labors, also, in selecting and purchasing the books were invaluable.
On leaving the bench Judge Mellen opened an office in the city of Worcester. But in 1872 the necessity of absolute rest from legal cares and labors became imperative. Disease was close upon him. The office was closed and his active life-work completed. He retired to his loved home and there awaited the final transit, which came May 31, 1875.
The parents of Judge Mellen were Joshua and Elizabeth (Comey ) Mellen. His marriage with Sophia Whitney, of Cambridge, occurred May 17, 1831, who, with two daughters, still survives him.
NOTE. - See also partial sketch of Judge Mellen on p. 58 in the body of this work. J. S. D.
LUCY A. LEE.
1
Lucy Ann Lee, daughter of Cyrus, Senior, and Sarah (Hagar) Lee, was born in Weston, Mass., Oct. 2. 1819. Not long after. her parents removed to East Sudbury, where the remainder of her life was chiefly spent.
Her mental powers matured early, and in girlhood she showed signs of a contemplative mood beyond her years, which gradually ripened into deep religious feeling, with an almost Puritanical strictness of moral life ; she found judgments against herself that her friends could not appreciate ; yet her trust was strong in proportion. so that a placid cheerfulness of character was the result.
She was never in robust health, and diseased conditions became apparent ere middle life was reached. It was during periods of enforced relaxation that her poetic talent was developed ; it never became a passion with her, but it was a kindly solace in painful and sleepless hours. Not many of her lines have been printed except for use on special occasions.
During a large portion of her life she was afflicted with acute pain from sensitiveness to light, and for nearly ten years was compelled to shield her eyes by a thick veil. During her last year of life her eyesight was practically useless.
" My Veil," the last of her poetic effusions, bears pathetic reference to her deprivation so long and patiently borne. Her death occurred April 16, 1889. J. S. D.
THOMAS W. PARSONS.
Thomas William Parsons is ranked among the foremost of living American poets. In the "Songs of Three Centuries," edited by John G. Whittier and published in 1881. are poems of two anthors who have resided in Wayland, viz .. E. H. Sears, D. D., and T. W. Parsons. The selection from the poetry of the former is " Christmas Hymn." and the selections from the latter are " Campanile Di Pisa " and " On a Bust of Dante." In 1872 a collection of poems, entitled " The Shadow of the Obelisk and Other Poems." by Dr. Parsons, was published in London. and in 1875 " The Willey House and Sonnets, " by the same author, was published at Cambridge. Mass.
Before the old "Howe Tavern " of Sudbury was closed to the public as a place of enter- tainment and boarding, Dr. Parsons at times resided there as a summer boarder. and it is said that it is due to the description given by him to Mr. Longfellow that the " Howe." or " Red Horse Tavern." was made famous by the author of " Tales of a Wayside Inn." The poem entitled "The Old House in Sudbury Twenty Years Afterwards " relates to this old
198
APPENDIX TO THE ANNALS OF WAYLAND.
hostelry, as does also the one called " Guy Fawkes Day," the first verse of which is as follows :
" One fifth of November when meadows were brown. And the crimson woods withered round Sudbury town. Four lads from the city which Holmes calls the best. At an old tavern met for a whole day of rest."
For many years he has spent portions of his time in Wayland, residing on the " Island," or " Farm," as a boarder at the Col. David Heard place. This is an old homestead on the brow of the hill just beyond " Farm Bridge." It overlooks the broad meadows and the winding river course, and is situated under the shadow of a stately elm, beneath whose spreading branches generations have sat. It is to this quiet, rural retreat that he refers in the following verses from his poem entitled. " To Henry Wadsworth Longfellow."
" Think not that this enchanted isle Wherein I dwell, sometimes a king, Postpones till June its tardy smile. And only knows imagined spring. .. Not yet my lilies are in bloom ; But lo ! my cherry, bridal-white, Whose sweetness fills my snmy room, The bees, and me, with one delight.
" And on the brink of Landham Brook The laughing cowslips catch mine ese. As on the bridge I stop to look At the stray blossoms loitering by.
"Our almond-willow waves its plumes In contrast with the dark-haired pine, And in the morning sun perfumes The lane almost like summer's vine.
" Dear Poet! shouldst thon tread with me, Even in the spring, these woodland ways. Under thy foot the violet see, Ind overhead the maple sprays.
"Thon mightst forego thy Charles's claim, To wander by our stream awhile: So should these meadows grow to fame, And all the Muses haunt onr Isle.
" WAYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS."
EARLY GRANTEES.
Biographical Sketches of the Early Grantees of the original territory of the Town of Sudbury, who permanently located on the east side of the river, or probably resided there until they engaged in the colonization of other places.
PETER NOYES.
Peter Noyes came from England in the ship " Confidence," 1638. He is called " yeo- man " in the ship's passenger list, but is repeatedly mentioned in the records of this country as "gentleman ; " and the term " Mr." is often applied. After a short stay in America, he returned to England, but came back the next year in the ship " Jonathan," with, it is sup- posed, other children, viz., Nicholas, Dorothy, Abigail and Peter; also the servants John Waterman, Richard Barnes and William Street. Mr. Noyes was a freeman May 13, 1640, a selectman eighteen years, and represented the town at the General Court in 1640, '41 and '50. He died Sept. 23, 1657. Three years before his death he gave his estate in England to his son Thomas. The day before his death he made a will in which he made his son Thomas his executor, and named the following other children: Peter, Joseph, Elizabeth (wife of Josiah Haynes), Dorothy (wife of John Haynes), Abigail (wife of Thomas Plymp- ton), his daughter-in-law Mary (wife of his son Thomas), and his kinsman Shadrach Hap- good The Noyses have lived in various parts of the town. The mill on the west side was built by them. Prominent members of the family are buried in the Old Burying-ground, Wayland.
THOMAS NOYES.
Thomas Noyes. (See sketch of Peter Noyes.)
HUGH GRIFFIN.
Hugh Griffin (or Griffing) was a freeman in 1645, and held the office of the first town clerk in Sudbury. The Colony Records state that, in 1645, Hugh Griffin was "appointed clerk of the writs in place of Walter Haynes." He married Elizabeth Upson, a widow, who had one daughter by a former marriage. He died 1656, and left a will in which are mentioned as his children, Jonathan, Abigail (born Nov. 16, 1640), Sarah (born Nov. 20, 1642), Shemuel (born Jan. 9, 1643, O.S.), and also Hannah. daughter of his wife by her former marriage. Among his descendants was Rev. Edward Dorr Griffin, D.D., who was a professor of Sacred Rhetoric at Andover, a pastor of Park-Street Church, Boston, and third president of Williams College. Dr. Griffin was born at East Haddam, Conn., in 1670, and graduated at Yale Col- lege in 1790.
SOLOMON JOHNSON.
Solomon Jolinson became a freeman in 1651. He was twice married, his first wife, Han- nah, dying in 1651. By this marriage he had three children, Joseph or Joshua and Nathaniel, who were twins (born Feb. 3, 1640), and Mary (born Jan. 23, 1644). He married for his second wife Elinor Crafts, by whom he had four children, Caleb, who died young, Samuel (born March 5, 1654), Hannah (born April 27, 1656). and Caleb (born Oct. 1. 1658).
200
APPENDIX TO THE ANNALS OF WAYLAND.
He assisted in the formation of the Marlboro Plantation, and was assigned a house-lot of twenty-three acres there. He was selectman from 1651 to 1666. His son Caleb purchased, with Thomas Brown and Thomas Drury, the Glover farm near Cochituate Pond, of John Appleton, Jr. Upon this land Caleb erected a house near Dudley Pond, Wayland, and died there in 1777. In the inventory of his real estate one piece of land was " Beaver-hole meadow."
WILLIAM WARD.
William Ward came to this country about the time of the settlement of Sudbury, bring- ing with him, it is supposed. five children. John (born 1626), Joanna (born 1628), Obadiah (born 1632). Richard (born 1635), and Deborah (born 1637). He became a freeman in 1643. By his second wife, Elizabeth, he had eight children born in America, Hannah (born 1639), William (born Jan. 22. 1640), Samuel (born Sept. 24, 1641). Elizabeth (born April 14, 1643), Increase (born Feb. 22, 1645). Hopestill (born Feb. 24, 1646), Eleazer (born 1649), and Bethia (born 1658). In 1643, Mr. Ward represented the town as deputy to the General Court. He was prominent in helping to establish a plantation at Marlboro, and moved there in 1660. He was made deacon of the church at its organization, and was sent as representative of the town in 1666. He died there Aug. 10, 1687, leaving a will made April 6, 1686. His wife died Dec. 9, 1700, at the age of eighty-six.
ANTHONY WHYTE.
Anthony Whyte (or White), aged twenty-seven, came from Ipswich, Connty of Suffolk. Eng., in 1634. He came to this country in the " Francis," went to Watertown, and subse- quently engaged in the enterprise of a settlement at Sudbury. Afterwards he returned to Watertown. He married Grace Hall. Sept. 8, 1645, and had three children. all born in Watertown ; viz: Abigail. John and Mary. He died March 8. 1686, leaving a will, of which Rebecca. widow of his son John. was named executrix.
THOMAS WHITE.
Thomas White was a freeman May 13, 1640. He was a selectman in 1642. and shared in the first three divisions of land.
JOHN PARMENTER. SR.
Jolın Parmenter, Sr. (Parmeter or Permenter) came from England to Watertown. and from there to Sudbury, and was made a freeman May 13, 1640. He was accompanied to America by his wife Bridget and his son John, who became a freeman May. 1642. Other children may have come from England with them. His wife died April 6, 1660, after which he removed to Roxbury, Mass .. where he married Aug, 9, 1660, Annie Dane, widow of John Dane. Ile died May 1. 1671, aged eighty-three. Mr. Parmenter was one of the early selectmen. and second deacon of the church, to which office he was chosen in 1658. Sept. +, 1639, he was appointed one of the commissioners to lay out the land.
JOHN PAMENTER, JR.
John Parmenter, Jr., was also an early proprietor, and kept a tavern, or ordinary, at which the committee of the Colonial Court and Ecclesiastical Council for the settlement of difficulties in Sudbury, in 1655. were entertained. The old ordinary was situated on the
201
APPENDIX TO THE ANNALS OF WAYLAND.
south street of the settlement, on the house-lot assigned at the general allotment of 1639. And until near the beginning of the present century the " Old Parmenter Tavern " was con- tinued at the same spot, a little westerly of the house occupied by the late Jonathan D. Par- menter. John Parmenter, Jr., had six children, among whom was one named John. His wife, Amy, died in 1681. The Parmenter family have lived in various parts of the town, and been a people of industry and thrift.
EDMUND RICE.
Edmund Rice was born in 1594, and came to this country from Barkhamstead, Hertford- shire, Eng. He was twice married. His first wife, Tamazine, died at Sudbury, where she was buried June 18, 1654. His second wife, whom he married March 1, 1655, was Mercie (Hurd) Brigham, widow of Thomas Brigham of Cambridge. He had twelve children, nine of whom were born in England, and the others in Sudbury . Henry (born 1616) ; Edward (born 1618); Edmund; Thomas; Mary; Lydia (born 1627); Matthew (born 1629); Daniel (born 1632) : Samuel (born 1634); Joseph (born 1637); Benjamin (born 1640); Ruth (born 1659); and Ann (born 1661). Mr. Rice died May 3, 1663, at Marlboro, aged about sixty- nine, and was buried in Sudbury. His widow married William Hunt of Marlboro. Mr. Rice was a prominent man in the settlement. He early owned lands in and out of the town, some of which came by grant of the General Court. His first dwelling-place at Sudbury was on the old north street. Sept. 1, 1642, he sold this place to John Moore, and Sept. 13 of the same year leased for six years the Dunster Farm, which lay just east of Cochituate Pond. He bought of the widow Mary Axdell six acres of land and her dwelling-house, which were in the south part of the town, and some years afterwards he bought of Philemon Whale his house and nine acres of land near " the spring " and adjacent to the Axdell place ; and these taken together, in part at least, formed the old Rice homestead, not far from the "Five Paths." This old homestead remained in the Rice family for generations. Edmund sold it to Edmund, his son, who passed it to his sons John and Edmund, and afterwards John trans- ferred his share of it to his brother Edmund, by whom it passed to others of the family, who occupied it till within the last half century. On Sept. 26, 1647, Mr. Rice leased the " Glover Farm " for ten years, and April 8, 1657, he purchased the "Jennison Farm," which comprised two hundred acres, situated by the town's southerly boundary, and between the " Dunster Farm" and what is now Weston ; and June 24, 1659, the "Dunster Farm " was purchased by Mr. Rice and his son. He was one of the substantial men of the Sudbury plantation. He was a freeman May 13, 1640, and was one of the committee appointed by the Colonial Court, Sept. 4, 1639, to apportion land to the inhabitants. He served as selectman from 1639 to 1644, and was deputy to the General Court several successive years. He was prom- inent in the settlement of Marlboro, for which he was a petitioner in 1656. The Rice family in Sudbury have been numerous, and the name has been frequently mentioned on the town books.
HENRY RICE.
Henry Rice was the son of Edmund (see sketch of Edmund Rice), and was born in England, 1616. He was assigned a house-lot on the south street of the settlement, adjacent to that of John Maynard on the east, and his father, Edmund, on the west.
HENRY CURTIS.
Henry Curtis (or Curtice) had his homestead on the north street of the settlement, probably about where, until within nearly a half century, an old house called the Curtis
202
APPENDIX TO THE ANNALS OF WAYLAND.
house stood His deseendants have been conspienous, not only in town history, but also in that of the county and eolony. Ephraim, his son, was a famous Indian seout. Major Curtis, whose grave is in the west part of the " Old Burying-ground," was a distinguished citizen.
JOHN STONE.
John Stone eame to Sudbury from Cambridge, and was son of Dea. Gregory Stone, of that place. He was born in England, and accompanied his father to America. He married Ann, daughter of Elder Edward Howe of Watertown, and had ten children, most of whom were born in Sudbury. He was at one time an elder in the church, and in 1655 was town elerk. He was an early settler on land now in Framingham, and at one time owned the land that is now ineluded in Saxonville. It is supposed when the Indian war began he removed to Cambridge. He was representative of that town in 1682-83. He died May 5, 1683, aged sixty-four.
JOHN RUTTER.
John Rutter eame to Ameriea in the ship "Confidenee," in 1638 at the age of twenty- two. He married Elizabeth Plympton, who came to this country in the ship " Jonathan," in 1639, having as fellow-passengers Peter Noyes, who was on his second voyage to America, and also the mother and sister of John Bent. John Rutter had a house-lot assigned him on the north street, a little westerly of Clay-pit Hill. He was by trade a carpenter, and engaged with the town to build the first meeting-house. Ile had three ehildren, Elizabeth, John, and Joseph. About the time of the settlement several aeres of land were given him by the town, in acknowledgment of some publie serviee. He was selectman in 1675.
JOHN LOKER.
John Loker was assigned a house-lot just west of the meeting-house, where he lived in a house with his mother as late as 1678. The town purchased of him at that date, for a par- sonage, the east end of his house, together with an orehard and four aeres of land, and the reversion due to him of the western end of the house, which his mother then oeenpied. It is said that before 1652 he married Mary Draper. Families by the name of Loker have lived within the original limits of Sudbury since the days of its settlement, dwelling for the most part in the territory now Wayland, and more especially in the southern portion. Isaae Loker was eaptain of a troop of Sudbury men on the memorable 19th of April, members of his eom- pany coming from both sides of the river.
HENRY LOKER.
Henry Loker was perhaps brother of John.
JOHN MAYNARD.
John Maynard was a freeman in 1644. It is supposed he was married when he came to this country, and that he brought with him his son John, who was then about eight years old. Perhaps there were other children. He married for his second wife Mary Axdell, in 1646. He had by this marriage Zachery (born June 7, 1647), Elizabeth, Lydia, Hannah, and Mary, who married Daniel Hudson. Mr. Maynard was one of the petitioners for Marl- boro, and died at Sudbury, Dee. 10, 1672. The Maynard family has been prominent in
203
APPENDIX TO THE ANNALS OF WAYLAND.
the town, and honorably connected with its annals. Nathaniel Maynard was captain of a company in the Revolutionary War.
PHILEMON WHALE.
Philemon Whale was in Sudbury in 1646. He was a freeman May 10, 1688, and Nov. 7, 1649, married Sarah, the daughter of Thomas Cakebread. His wife died Dec. 28, 1656; and Nov. 9, 1657, he married Elizabeth Griffin. He owned land in various parts of the town, but his early home is supposed to have been not far from the head of the mill-pond. Afterwards he built a house in the neighborhood of the " Rice Spring." A culvert or bridge near the mill-pond is still called " Whale's Bridge; " but the name, except as it is thus per- petuated, is now seldom heard within the limits of the town.
JOHN SMITH.
John Smith was at Sudbury in 1647. He may have been John Smith, an early settler of Watertown, or a relative of his. His wife's name was Sarah. He had assigned him lot No. 29 in the second squadron of the two-mile grant. The name Smith has been a common one in town. Capt. Joseph Smith commanded a company from Sudbury on the 19th of April, 1775. The Smiths have lived in various parts of the town, and were early settlers of what is now Maynard ; the names of Amos and Thomas Smith being prominent among the pioneers of that part of Sudbury territory. A descendant of the Smiths on the east side of the river is Mr. Elbridge Smith, formerly principal of the Norwich Free Academy, and present master of the Dorchester High School.
JOHN GROUT.
John Grout came from Watertown to Sudbury about 1643, and about the same time came into possession of the Cakebread Mill, and was allowed by the town " to pen water for the use of the mill " on land adjacent to the stream above. The name of his first wife was Mary, and for his second wife he married the widow of Thomas Cakebread. He had ten children, two of them by his first marriage, John (born Aug. 8, 1641) and Mary (born Dec. 11, 1643). His children by his second marriage were John, Sarah (who married John Loker, Jr.), Joseph, Abigail (who married, in 1678, Joseph Curtis), Jonathan, Elizabeth (who married Samuel Allen), Mary (who married Thomas Knapp), and Susanna (who marrried John Woodward).
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.