USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Medway > The history of Medway, Mass., 1713-1885 > Part 40
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THE RELATION OF JAMES PENIMAN who was received to full com- munion Oct. 19, 1735.
" I desire to be very thankful to the God of all grace yt my Lot hath been cast in such a Place where I have enjoyed ye clear light of the Glorious Gospel, and have had it from time to time dispensed unto me, and altho I have reason to mourn, & be ashamed yt I sate so long unprofitably under it, and was no more benefitted thereby, yet I have reason to be thankful yt God hath as I hope been setting home his word, & sanctifying his Providences unto me, the Deaths of others have been awakening to me, and I have been brought thereby to consider how it would have been with me if I had been taken away when they were, and I have been brought to see ye necessity of my making hast to pre- pare for my own death. And those words were awakening to me in Prov. 29: 1. He yt being often reproved, hardcneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that with- out remedy. And I have been awakened to see myself in a lost, undone, and perishing condition, & yt I must unavoidably be destroyed forever without an interest in christ. I have had such a discovery of sin made unto me as yt I think I can say yt my sins are my greatest burden. And I have had such discoveries of christ made unto me in his beauty & glory in his fulness, and sufficiency as yt I hope I prize him above every thing else, and hearing his gracious calls to sin burdened sinners to come unto him who saith in Matth: 11. 28. 29. 30. Come unto me all ye yt labor & are heavy Laden and I will give you rest, Take my yoke upon you & learn of me : for I am meek & lowly in heart & ye shall find rest unto your souls for my yoke is easie & my burden is light, and assures them yt He will reject none of those who come to Him. John 6. 37. Him yt cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. I hope I have been made willing to come to him and ac- cept of him on his own terms & commit my soul to him and put all my trust & confidence in him for salvation and put my neck under his yoke. and finding a need of more of X and of his benefits desire to wait on him in all ye ways of his appointment for com- munion with him, and communications of grace from him and therefore offer myself to this church with an humble dependence on the grace of christ to fit and prepare me to enjoy him aright in every ordinance yt in ye way of his ordinances I may be prepared for the enjoyment of communion & fellowship with him in ye heavenly world forever- more.
THANKSGIVING DAYS. " 1743 Oct. 13 Thanksgiving Day for ye Kings victory." " 1745 July 18 Thanksgiving Day for victory of Cape Briton."
THE MEETING-HOUSE BURNED. " Jan. ye 18 1748-9 the Medway Meet- ing House was Burnt." " 1749 ye 27 of April East Precinct Meeting House raised and 1749 ye 21st of May it was preached in."
FROM THE DIARY OF JOHN ELLIS. "May 19, 1780 extraordinary
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darkness prevailed over the earth, which continued from 9 o'clock in the morning to 2 o'clock in the afternoon and no eclipse was known to intervene."
"Nov. 2, 1783 Rev. N. Bucknam So years of age to-day."
"Dec. 9, 1786 a terrible snow storm in which 13 persons were cast away on Lovell's island, Boston Harbour. Several were from Wrentham, Franklin, and Sherborn. They were all frozen to death. Theodore Kings- bury of Franklin was not dead when found but died on Thursday, Dec. 21, in Boston and was brought to Franklin Dec. 25, 1786 for burial."
" June 2, 1789, Raised Medfield Meeting House to-day."
" REVOLUTIONARY CLAIM. I certify that in conformity with the Law of the United States of the 18th of March 1818 SIMPSON JONES late a private in the Army of the Revolution is inscribed on the Pension List, Roll of Massachusetts Agency, at the rate of eight dollars per month on the twenty-seventh day of April one thousand eight hundred and nineteen.
"GIVEN at the War office of the United States this fourteenth day of July one thou- sand eight hundred and nineteen.
[SEAL. ] (Signed) J. C. CALHOUN, Secretary of War."
MR. EDWARD FENNESSY, elected in 1882, was the first Irishman who ever held the office of selectman in the town of Medway.
DRINKING AND DRUNKENNESS. About 1816 the Rev. Jacob Ide, pas- tor of the Second Church of Christ, requested the selectmen to canvass the town to ascertain the number of drunkards. The result showed that there were twenty-five men who would improve every opportunity to drink, and would become so drunk as to abuse their families. That there were forty- two men who would become intoxicated often, but not such beastly drunkards as the first class, and that there were eighty-four men in a fair way to become drunkards. These three classes making a total of one hundred and fifty- one men who were already or would soon become drunkards, out of a popu- lation of about fourteen hundred, including men, women, and children. Cer- tainly seventy years have done something to cure intemperance.
A MONUMENT ERECTED TO THE MEMORY OF THE REV. DAVID SAN- FORD IN 1860. Upon the completion of this monument commemorative ser- vices were held, Tuesday, October 2, 1860, in the meeting-house of the Second Church of Christ in honor of the Rev. David Sanford who was for thirty- seven years, 1773-1810, the revered and beloved pastor of that church. There were present more than one hundred of the Rev. Mr. Sanford's lineal de- scendants out of the whole three hundred and more living, and also a large congregation gathered from the parish and the surrounding towns.
The Rev. Samuel H. Smith, of New Jersey, a great-grandson of the honored dead, offered the prayer of invocation and read the Scriptures.
The Rev. Stephen Sanford Smith, of Warren, Mass., a grandson, offered the prayer preceding the address.
The Rev. Jacob Ide, D. D., the immediate successor of the Rev. Mr. Sanford, and in the forty-sixth year of his pastorate, made a most appropri- ate commemorative address.
The Rev. Abner Morse, of Boston, who in early life was a parishioner and hearer of the Rev. Mr. Sanford, gave some very interesting reminiscences of him and of the olden time.
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The Rev. Henry M. Dexter, of Boston, offered the concluding prayer .. After this service a procession was formed and marched to the cemetery and assembled near the monument where prayer was offered, an original hymn sung, and the benediction pronounced. The family connections then repaired to a hall in the Village and partook of a collation, after which brief addresses were made.
THE FIRST BURIAL in Oakland Cemetery was that of Mrs. Mary Dar- ling who died October 26, 1865, at the age of 102 years, five months, and ten days, probably the oldest person who ever died in the town.
CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION, July 4, 1876, in Shumway's Grove, West Medway. Charles H. Deans, Esq., president of the day. Exercises : Prayer by the Rev. E. O. Jameson. The reading of the Declaration of In- dependence by the Hon. M. M. Fisher. Oration by the Rev. S. J. Axtell. Music by the West Medway Band. After these exercises a collation was furnished, and in the evening there were fireworks.
A MEMORIAL SERVICE was held September 26, 1881, in Sanford Hall, commemorative of the death of PRESIDENT JAMES A. GARFIELD, which oc- curred September 19, preceding. The following account of the occasion was published in the local paper of that date :
" Abram S. Harding, Esq., president of the day, read the proclamation of Governor Long. Hon. M. M. Fisher, chairman of the committee on resolutions, then read the resolutions of the committee, which were unanimously adopted. The Rev. John E. Burr of the Baptist Church of West Medway invoked divine blessing, which was fol- lowed by response by the choir, with E. L. Holbrook, Esq., of East Medway at the organ. The Rev. John C. Smith of the West Medway Methodist Church read from the Scriptures. A quartette, consisting of Mrs. Dr. Kelsey, Mrs. G. M. Richardson, Mr. James M. Grant, and a gentleman from Middleboro, rendered a selection. Addresses were then made by the Rev. S. J. Axtell, of New Orleans, formerly of West Medway, and the Rev. R. K. Harlow of the Village Church, which were followed by singing by the congregation, of the funeral hymn, composed for the occasion by Dea. Anson. Daniels, of West Medway, and sung to the tune of Hebron, as follows :
" O God, beneath these autumn skies, With heads uncovered, weeping eyes, And banners trailing in the dust, A nation stands before the Just.
" No aid from human hands can come ; The mighty fall, the wise are dumb; From North to South, from sea to sea, Our yearning hearts still turn to Thee.
" In all his nobleness he died ; His virtue, conrage, patience tried : The mighty head, the loving breast Have ceased to throb at Thy behest.
" Walk Thou upon this troubled sea, The ship of Freedom, keep it free, And let Thy benediction fall On widow, fatherless,- on all.
" The Rev. James M. Bell, of the Second Church of Christ, West Medway, offered prayer; singing by the congregation of "God save the State," tune "America." Benediction by the Rev. Mr. Shields, of West Medway.
" On the platform, besides those mentioned, were the committee on resolutions : Messrs. M. M. Fisher, C. H. Deans, E. H. Holbrook; committee of arrangements : Messrs. M. C. Adams, C. F. Daniels, J. M. Daniels; selectmen, and Mr. Edward Fen- nessey. Mr. Henry B. Woodman was marshal, and Messrs. J. Tuttle, S. E. Howard, A. I. Fiske, and M. Brennan, aids; the ushers were Messrs. Clark P. Harding, Edward S. Harding, Frank W. Clark, and George W. Whiting.
" All those connected with the services wore black crape upon the left arm. The Rev. E. O. Jameson, of East Medway, was expected to be present, but was detained at home by the illness of his only son, whose death occurred the following Friday."
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WINTER BLOSSOMS.
The following lines were written by Miss Mary B. Richardson, of East Medway, during her last illness, which was long and painful, and terminated in her death, September 15, ISSt. She endured her suffering with great fortitude and submission, patiently and cheerfully breathing ever this prayer, "God's will be done " :
I looked from my window, the landscape was dreary, The brooklet was ice-bound, the orchard was bare, The meadows and fields with pure snow-crystals glistened, But the beauty was lifeless, not a blossom was there.
The day was fast waning, the sun shone but feebly, There was chill in the air, there was frost on the pane, And I wished as the sun sank behind a huge snowbank - I wished, how I wished it was summer again.
My chamber grew dark, as the soft winter twilight Slipped hurriedly down the horizon, as though It, too, felt the chill of the landscape, and hastened To follow the sunshine and bask in its glow.
I turned with a moan on my pillow, and murmured, My life is all winter; its blossoms laid low ; Its brooklets of usefulness ice-bound ; the meadow, The fields I would cultivate, covered with snow.
The winter of sickness has come to me early, Its pain and its suffering, like ice and like snow Freeze from my heart the sweet bloom's rejoicing ; Oh ! might I the summer of health again know.
Through the darkness came a footstep, A gentle hand fell on my brow,
A voice in low and tender accents Asked "How's my little Mary now?"
Then a little talking followed : Trivial chats on subjects small -
As household matters, books, and papers, And stories we could both recall.
Trivial words and lightly spoken, But when left alone again,
Spring seemed near, the winter broken, Warmed with love the chilly pane.
And I thought, here is one floweret, Sister's love still blossoms sweet, Then the love of father, mother, Rose this other love to meet.
Love of friends came crowding onward, Sympathy and tender care ;
Kindly words from almost strangers ; Gifts of flowers and viands rare.
Burdens borne for me by others, Self-sacrifice, though gladly given,
Making souls like spirit flowers,
[ven.
Which budding here, will bloom in Hea-
In my own heart now are budding, Flowers which may in time expand, Gratitude and resignation Planted by a Father's hand.
Trust and love of human nature, Hope, which ever is a gain ; Praise the Lord for all the blessings Plucked in winter's cold and rain.
THE CEMETERIES.
" Beneath those rugged elms, that yew tree's shade, Where heaves the turf on many a mouldering heap, Each in his narrow cell forever laid, The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep."
THE OLD CHURCHYARD.
THE most ancient burial-place for the dead was located in the easterly part of the town. Some years before the incorporation of the town of Medway under date of March 4, 1700, the town of Medfield
" Voted, That the Inhabitants on the west side of Charles River shall have two acres of land for a burying Place whare they and a committee chosen by the selectmen for that end shall order it in any of the Town's Commons there." Not until some years after was anything further done. Under date of March 16, 1713, " The select men ordered Henry Harding and Alex- ander Lovell to lay out the two acres of land granted by the town to the in- habitants on the west side of Charles River in the year 1700 for a burying place there."
But before these gentlemen attended to this order of the selectmen of Medfield, the new town of Medway had become incorporated, and at a meet- ing of the legal voters of the town, October 29, 1714, at the house of Peter Adams, of which Theophilus Clark was moderator, it was
" Voted, That the buriing place should be upon Bare Hill sum whare within forty Rods of the meeting house and a commity was chos by the vote of the Town to joyn with the committy yt Medfield have chosen to lay out the buring place who are cpt george fairbanks and Zackri Partridge and John Richardson."
This was the first burying-place in the town, and for many years it re- mained the only one. It was merely a place to deposit the dead. No attempt was made to beautify or adorn it. It laid open and uncared for until, many years after, a committee was appointed to fence, clear up, and lay it out in lots with some regularity.
Early in the autumn of the year 1714 the plain, small, and humble meeting- house was erected on the western slope of Bare Hill. Following the good old English custom, the early inhabitants, when called upon to part with their dear ones, laid them to rest around their Sanctuary, and to this day their de-
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scendants continue to bury their loved ones within the hallowed enclosure, no longer a barren, dreary, and intimidating place, but covered with verdure. set with trees, adorned with flowers whose perfume fills the air ; and the morn- ing carols and evening vespers of birds make vocal the hallowed ahode of the silent dead. What spot so dear, so solemnly sacred, as the churchyard of our fathers? While wandering among the ancient tombstones one is impressed with the beauty of the place and the appropriateness of its selection. From this elevated spot the villages of Holliston, Sherborn, Medfield, and Norfolk can be seen, while away to the eastward appear the Blue Hills of Milton. On a pleasant Sabbath morning the mellow tones of the church bells of the sur- rounding towns can be plainly heard and their chimings are wafted gently and sweetly to the ear. The old houses of the town are visible, while to the westward appears the Village, and farther away towards the setting sun the spires of the churches of the New Grant are plainly seen. In a central posi- tion of this "God's acre," standing within a shaded avenue, is a tomb with a granite front, bearing the names "BUCKNAM & LOVELL, 1795."
This was erected by the Rev. Nathan Bucknam and Captain Joseph Lovell, of Revolutionary fame ; a slate-stone slab bears the date of the death of Mr. Bucknam, " Feb. 6 1795. Æ 92 years." Mrs. Margaret, his wife, "Died May Ist 1796. Æ 91 years." It is said that the tomb became filled and there was no room for other interments, and in the year 1845, under the direc- tion of the Hon. Joseph Lovell Richardson, a grandson of Captain Lovell, it was opened, the remains were carefully collected and deposited in an iron box which was buried in the ground in the centre. The vault was repaired and afterward used by the Richardson family as a burial-place until November 10, 1880, when the remains of the Hon. Joseph Lovell Richardson, who died in his ninety-fourth year, the last of his generation in the family, were placed in this ancient tomb, and it was permanently sealed.
There is another tomb near by, which was erected in 1797 by Captain Na- than Jones and Abijah Richardson, M. D., the former a prominent citizen, and the latter an eminent physician, and for a time a surgeon in the Revolutionary army. Surrounding these tombs on every side are a large number of mounds, each with its monument or headstone, marking the resting-place of citizens more or less prominent in their day ; majors, captains, ensigns, and ser- geants, deacons, elders, and good men ; also the graves of good and true women, mothers in Israel, no less worthy than their companions. Tablets long since covered with moss, and almost obliterated inscriptions record in verses quaint and queer the virtues of the deceased, and the hopes for their eternal welfare. Here is where the forefathers lie with their children, gath- ered together in family clusters. To this silent congregation the loved of the present generation are being added one by one, and the ancient churchyard be- comes each year more and more hallowed by the remembrance of those who sleep beneath the turf,-a remembrance which serves to impress the living with the lessons of noble example.
In the year 1855 a number of citizens, desiring to provide additional land for burial purposes, petitioned and were incorporated under the statute law as an association for the purpose of legally holding land donated wholly or in part by Henry Richardson, located northeasterly of the churchyard and ad- joining the same, for the purposes of a cemetery. The first meeting of the
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association was held under a warrant of John C. Jones, Justice of the Peace, in the vestry of the First Church on the twenty-eighth day of January, 1855. One hundred members signed the rolls and selected lots. A tomb of granite was erected by Henry Richardson, Esq., grounds were regularly laid out, lots surveyed and taken, avenues made, and shade trees set out. This burial- place is now known as THE OLD CHURCHYARD CEMETERY. Within these hallowed limits lie buried soldiers of the Revolution, and also twelve noble men who gave their lives for their country in the War for the Union, whose ashes within our home of the dead make sacred these grounds as a part of " The Nation's Field of Glory !" The names of these Union soldiers are WILLIAM DANIELS, THOMAS MUNYAN, GEORGE H. READ, GILMAN KINGS- BURY, WILLIAM DANIELS, 2d, JAMES MITCHELL, MOSES HILL, SYLVANUS BULLARD, WILLIAM FOSTER, ROBERT MORSE, LIEUTENANT CHARLES DANIELS, CAPTAIN J. D. STOCKBRIDGE.
THE INSCRIPTIONS ON STONES IN THE OLD CHURCHYARD CEMETERY.
Captain Thomas Metcalf.
" Your friend lies here bereaved of breath Take warning from his sudden death And hearken to God's voice to-day Be ready now without delay Your death is daily drawing nigh As swift as wings of time can fly."
Mrs. Mehitable Hill.
" Imitate her virtues and follow her to glory."
Miss Betsey Richardson.
" The time was once, that time is passed When youth I bloomed like thee The time will come tis coming fast, When thee shall fade like me."
A Child.
" Her days on earth sweet child were few She passed away like morning dew Take warning by her call in youth And early seek the God of truth."
Mrs. Rebecca Bullen.
" The pains of death are past Labor and sorrow cease And life long warfare closed at last Her soul is found in peace."
Phinehas Allen.
" Behold and see as you pass by As you are now so once was I. As I am now so you must be Prepare to die and follow me."
Stephen Harding.
" Receive, O Earth, these faded forms In thy cold bosom let them lie Safe let them rest from every storm Soon may they rise no more to die."
Colonel Amos Turner.
" The usefull friend and tender husband dear
With many of his children slumber here Until the golden trumpet shall be blown When one and all shall meet before the throne
When Christ descends with all his splen- did train,
The clods will burst our friends will rise again."
Mrs. Mehitable Partridge.
" While earthly friends stand here and weep
Her tears are ever dry
These sighs shall not molest her sleep Her spirit rests on high."
Asa Turner, died at 20 years.
" We murmer not whatever is, is right Yet still we mourn his so untimely flight Look wistfull on his grave and deep de- plore
His early exit to return no more." Mrs. Sibyl Lovell.
" Time was I stood as thou dost now And viewed the dead as thou dost me Ere long thou'lt lie as low as I And others stand and look on thee."
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Captain Henry Ellis.
"The church yard bears an added stone The fireside shows a vacant chair Here sadness dwells and weeps alone And death displays his banner there The life is gone the breath is fled And what has been no more shall be The well known form the welcome head Ah where are they, and where is he."
Mrs. Cynthia Leland.
" Farewell my Mate My children fond and dear Friends and Physicians could not save My Mortal body from the grave Nor can the grave confine me here When Christ shall call I must appear."
Josephine M. Adams. A Child.
" Rest little Josephine rest thee here Sweet Mortal bud a moment given
To show how bright those forms ap- pear . That only blush and bloom in Heaven.
" And tho' the melting tear drop starts From parents almost broken hearted We hope to clasp thee to the heart Where tears are not nor friends are parted."
Mr. Simeon Hill.
" I with my offspring here securely rest God takes or leaves our comforts he sees best
Prepare my friends to meet me on that shore
Where sad bereavement will be felt no more."
Miss Lucretia Bullen.
" Grieve not thou dear affianced friend That earths fond hopes so soon shall end."
Mrs. Simeon Richardson.
" The sweet remembrance of the just Shall flourish tho' they sleep in dust."
Captain Amos Turner.
" Here lies in peacefull shades relieved from care
A Husband Father and Friend sincere Benign to all a patern and a guide
The Poor who sought his aid were not denied
Here and forever his dust secure shall lie
Beneath the care of Heavens omnish- ent eye."
A Wife and Mother.
" Farewell my spouse and children dear I've left this world of pain May Virtue be your practice here Till we do meet again Farewell, my friends, dry up your tears My dust lies here till Christ appears."
Mrs. Abigail Daniels.
" My youthfull days soon past away Old age comes at last By slow decay I wore away And now my days are past."
Deacon Asa Daniels.
" Around this monumental stone Let friendship drop a sacred tear The husband kind the Parent dear The upright man lies buried here."
Mrs. Hannah Mellen.
" Decay ye tenements of dust Pillars of earthly pride decay A nobler mansion waits the just And Jesus has prepared the way."
Mrs. Angeline Ware.
" Farewell dear friend again farewell Soon we shall rise to thee And when we meet again no tongue can tell How great our joy shall be."
Mrs. Hannah Daniels.
"The months of affliction are o'er The days and the nights of distress We see her in anguish no more She has found a happy release."
Mr. Fesse Daniels.
" Afflictions sore I long endured Physicians proved in vain At length God pleased to give me ease And free me from all pain."
John Harding, died, age 19 years.
" Blooming youth had passed away Manhood's riper years had come
Longer here I thot to stay But alas the grave's my home."
Miss Caroline E. Munyan.
" She has gone to heaven before us But she turns and waves her hand
Pointing to the glories o'er us In that happy spirit land."
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Miss Esther Lovell.
" To Bliss and Life God's love hath surely borne thee
Dear cherished one. Nor seek we to re- tain thee How much we loved how much we miss and mourn thee
He knows alone, and blessed be his name God is Love."
Mrs. Abigail Hammond.
" Humble and meek, a lowly path she trod
And while she lived on earth she walked with God
Good without show obliging without art
Her speech the faithful language of her heart
Her hope was grace and her delight was prayer Her aim was heaven. O may we meet her there."
THE EVERGREEN CEMETERY.
The second burial-place in the town was laid out in West Medway.
At a meeting of the inhabitants of the West Precinct in March, 1749, a committee consisting of Eleazar Thompson, Nathaniel Cutler, and Henry Guernsey was chosen to consider and report on a suitable piece of land for a burying-place. At a meeting held April 12, 1750, the committee made a report which was accepted and the Precinct " Voted to lay out one half of an acre of land of Henry Guernsey next to that land he gave to this precinct. Said land to be for a burying-place, and the price to be £1 Is 4d lawful money."
In this place were interred the remains of many of the early residents of the West Precinct. The names of Adams, Allen, Bullard, Clark, Hill, Harding, Partridge, and Plympton frequently occur on the stones that mark the ancient graves.
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