USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Milton > The history of Milton, Mass., 1640 to 1877 > Part 13
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August 6, 1855. We have been paying a very agreeable visit at the house of that good Mr. Forbes, who headed a petition to his Government, and commanded ships which brought out American contributions of food to the starving Irish. Milton has a charming vicinity ; fine trees, hedges, and
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even roads, bordered by hedges, from which hang lovely draperies of smilax and vines, English in outline if not in detail. The village is on high ground, and has every here and there extensive views, with the sea, Boston and Boston Harbor, - particularly from the granite quarries towards the Blue Hills.
The only children of Elijah Glover were a son by his first wife, Samuel Kinsley Glover, born in Milton, June 28, 1753; and a daughter by his second wife, Susannah, born April 21, 1765. She married Charles Pierce, of Milton, Nov. 4, 1790, and died Aug. 31, 1845, aged 80 years.
Samuel Kinsley Glover lived in Milton through a long life, and died here July 1, 1839, aged 86 years. He inherited from his grandfather, Samuel Kinsley, a large landed estate, and owned and occupied the homestead on Milton Hill. At the age of 18 he entered Harvard College; leaving when the College was suspended by the war, he applied himself to the study of medicine and surgery and served his country as surgeon in the navy until peace was restored, in 1783.
He was married, April 21, 1781, to Eunice Babcock, of Mil- ton, daughter of William Babcock. She died Dec. 1, 1826, and left three sons. Samuel, b. May 6, 1783; d. July 22, 1831; unmarried. Elijah Anson, b. July 19, 1785; d. September 22, 1819; unmarried. William, b. July 26, 1788; m. Eliza Gleason, of Wrentham, January 2, 1816. Dr. Samuel K. Glover built the "Glover house," on the north- erly slope of Milton Hill, on the Babcock land belonging to his wife, which he occupied during the latter years of his life. For many years this house was a tavern and the head- quarters of the stage from Milton to Boston, of which Mr. Glover was proprietor. Charles Breck before becoming a citi- zen of Milton passed a night in this house in 1823. It was then kept by Elisha Ford. This place descended to his son William. He was a goldsmith by trade, and kept a jeweller's and silver-plater's shop in Boston for several years. After his removal to Milton he opened a store of the same kind in a small building near the bridge on the Milton side. He died in Milton, June 15, 1856, aged 60 years. The Glover house, on Milton Hill, was sold by his widow and heirs, through the trustee, Samuel L. Buss, to Capt. E. H. Faucon, who is the present owner of the estate.
Gen. Moses Whitney built the Whitney house, situated between the Glover and Swift houses, in 1820. These three houses are now standing, in good condition, on the easterly side of Adams street, Milton Hill.
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HISTORY OF MILTON.
SWIFT ESTATE.
In the old survey made by James Blake, 1747, from the Town House in Boston to the Governor's farm in Milton, the estates are given along the line, and probably all the principal houses then standing. On the south side of Neponset river appear two buildings, one on the site occupied by the present choco- late mill, another where the house occupied by the late Dr. Ware stands; then, ascending the hill on the east side, the " Stanley house," occupied by Wade; the next is the Miller house, far over the hill ; and on the south-west side of the road, nearly opposite the Miller house, the Swift house ; the Daniels, Kinsley, Babcock, Holman, and Gulliver houses follow.
The old Swift house stood in the field on the south-west side of Adams street. About forty rods from the street, below the barn of Mr. Dudley, a depression in the field plainly indi- cates the position of the cellar and house.
Thomas Swift, son of Robert, of Rotherham, Yorkshire, Eng- land, first appears in the Town Records of Dorchester, Nov. 22, 1634. He was a maltster by trade, but followed agriculture. He left a large estate, for the times. Among the household goods that he brought from England was a carved oak chair, very antique and beautiful, which is now in the possession of Miss Elizabeth R. Swift, of Milton Hill. At one time he owned a large tract of land extending over many hundred acres, said to be about 1,400, in the north-east part of Unquity. On this were two houses, one of them built as early as 1649. In one of these Mr. Swift lived; the other was occupied by Henry Merifield. (See Suffolk Deeds, Lib. 13, Fol. 408.) He died May 4, 1675, and was buried in the old Dorchester burying ground, where are now to be seen the large slabs of stone then placed over his grave to protect it from wolves.
Deacon Thomas Swift, oldest son of Thomas, was born June 17, 1635. He married Elizabeth Vose, daughter of Robert Vose, of Milton, in 1657. She died Jan. 15, 1675. He married again Oct. 16, 1676, Sarah Clapp, of Milton. Deacon Swift received from his father-in-law Vose, in 1659, nineteen and three-fourths acres of upland in Milton, confirmed to him by deed Feb. 23, 1663. (Suffolk Deeds, Lib. 42, Fol. 33.) This was in the region of School street, opposite the house of the late Wm. Davis, Can- ton avenue, stretching towards Churchill's lane. Here he set- tled at the time of his first marriage, and became one of the most enterprising and useful citizens of Milton. He was selectman for thirty-five years, 1668-1704, inclusive, excepting the year 1677, and filled various other offices in the town and colony.
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May 5, 1676, he was made quarter-master of a troop of horse, as had been his father, with the rank of lieutenant. He was appointed by the General Court to the charge of the Neponset Indians, and was constantly active in the Indian wars. He was one of the founders of the Milton Church, signing the covenant Aug. 24, 1678. Aug. 20, 1682, he was ordained deacon. He died Jan. 26, 1718. His wife died the day after his funeral.
We have no data from which to decide when the Swift house was built on the south-west side of Adams street. It is known, however, to have been standing there in 1747, and may have been the house built prior to 1649. Subsequently a house was built on the opposite side of Adams street, where most of the family yet to be spoken of were born.
William Swift, son of Deacon Thomas, was killed in the dis- astrous expedition against Quebec, 1690. He was a member of Captain John Withington's Company, Dorchester.
Col. Samuel Swift, the youngest son of Deacon Thomas, was born in Milton, December 10, 1683. He married Ann, daughter of Thomas Holman, of Milton, a prominent man of his day. Col. Samuel Swift was one of the wealthiest and most influ- ential men of Milton. He, like his father, filled many offices of trust and importance in the town. He was Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, Colonel of the militia, Representative to the General Court; moderator of the town-meetings for eleven years, between 1734 and 1747, and selectman for fifteen years, between 1735 and his death, 1747. His second son, Samuel Swift, was a distinguished barrister in Boston, to whom reference is made in another place.
Ebenezer Swift, the youngest son of Col. Samuel, was born in Milton March 24, 1724-5, and died January 17, 1805. He mar- ried Judith, daughter of Deacon Nehemiah Clap, of Milton. His first son, John, was born at the ancestral home, on Milton Hill, June 24, 1747, and died in Milton January 14, 1819. He married Elizabeth Babcock, daughter of William and Hannah (Blake) Babcock, of Milton. Ebenezer occupied the old Swift house, south-west of Adams street, built by his ancestors ; and his son Samuel built the house on the opposite side. This house and the land south-west of the street remained in the Swift family until August 25, 1835, when it was conveyed to Thomas Hollis, who sold the land on the south-westerly side to B. F. Dudley, the present owner.
Capt. John Swift, as he is called in our records, was also a leading man in Milton. He built the house on Adams street, opposite the opening of Randolph and Canton avenues, in 1790
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HISTORY OF MILTON.
known to this day as the Swift house. This house is nearly one hundred years old. In business he was a successful manu- facturer of gentlemen's and ladies' beaver hats, in which he rivalled the imported goods. His place of business was the house now standing between the Stanley and Swift houses. In the memorable year 1776 he was chosen one of the Committee of Safety and Correspondence. He was a true and faithful mem- ber of the body politic, positive and determined in character; and this was a leading characteristic of the Swift family. In 1781 he, with his brother Samuel, was appointed to raise men for the Continental Army. In 1817 he was second lieutenant of a company sent out at the time of Shay's rebellion.
Dr. Morison says : -
About sixty years ago, I have been told, that, at a town-meeting in Milton, no public measure could be carried which was opposed by John Swift, the energetic head of an important family.
Mr. E. J. Baker writes : -
His was no negative character. He loved his friends and hated his enemies, while he " rendered unto Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's, and unto God things that are God's." In the days of my boyhood I met him frequently when he was at the age of threescore years and ten, and my remembrance of him is that he was tall and portly, dignified in his person and in his gait, and elastic in his step. His hair was very white with the cue of the former generation. He was always social and pleasant in his conversation, and a constant attendant at church. His hospitality was bounteous, and shared alike by his neighbors and transient visitors.
Samuel Swift, brother of John, and second son of Ebenezer, was born at the paternal mansion, Milton Hill, May 28, 1749, and died in the house he built, February 1, 1830, aged 81 years. He married, October 4, 1782, Abigail, daughter of William and Eunice (Bent) Pierce. He was the father of Eunice, wife of Josiah Wadsworth; of Judith, who died, unmarried, 1857, and of George Swift, whose famous picture is in many of our albums. Like his brother John he was an ardent patriot, vigilant and active in Milton through the stirring times of the Revolution. By his will, dated Sept. 24, 1827, he devised his house and lands to his children. His mansion and a part of the land was sold by the heirs to Mr. Thomas Hollis, of Milton. It then passed into the hands of Professor James B. Thayer, of Cambridge, and was finally purchased by Mr. Lewis W. Tappan, Jr., a lineal descendant of Obadiah, son of the first Thomas Swift. Mr. Tappan still owns and occupies the old mansion, which now shines out in new life.
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MILTON HILL.
The only members of the Swift family living, and now resident in Milton, are the Misses Elizabeth R. and Mary Swift, of Milton Hill. Dean Swift, their brother, druggist in Milton, died Aug. 26, 1859, and William died June 2, 1875, within the memory of most of our citizens.
JOHN GILL.
John Gill was a member of the Dorchester Church in 1640. He was lessee with Roger Billings of John Glover's " Newbury farm " at Squantum, in 1641. He married Ann Billings, sister of Roger. John Gill lived in Unquity before 1652, in a house which stood on the north side of Adams street, almost opposite the opening of Pleasant street. This house he subsequently sold to Anthony Gulliver. David Rawson, grandson of Secre- tary Rawson, married a daughter of Capt. Jonathan Gulliver, through whom the house came into the Rawson family. The last occupants of the old house were David Young and Richard Falkingham, who married daughters of Rawson.
An ancient deed discovered in the Records of the Proprietors of Dorchester throws much light on this section of our town.1
June 30, 1649, Thomas Holbrook bought of Mrs. Stoughton and executors thirty acres of land on the south side of Nepon-
1 26 day of the 3 month 1652 John Glover and William Robinson on the part of the Town of Dorchester and by power given them by the said Town have graunted and bargained unto John Gill and Anthony Gullwer the lands lying between their lands and the brook near Mr. Holmans, bounded or laid out at the end near Mr. Collieots, on the corner of the new garden now is and the walnut stump about the midst of the weadth of the said land graunted, and about fower rods from Mr. Collieots house and from the said walnut stump to the river by a - - about six or seven rods from Mr Collicots house and the half wedth of the said brook to the other end thereof, to them and their heirs and assignes forever. Provided that Anthony Gullwer shall make and maintayne a faire open suffi- eient highway for all the country forever over the brook where the way now lyeth, and from the same to a roek above the said John Gills house upon the rising of the hill and between the garden of Goodman Kinsley and the brow of the hill on the south side thereof.
The meaning of these presents being that the said John Gill and Anthony Gullwer shall have the said lands in severaltie eaeli of them to themselves as it lyeth before their lotts, and that the said Anthony Gulliwer shall make and maintayne a faire passable high- way over the said Uneaty brooke and so far as his land lyeth towards John Gills and also that which lyeth above the line of said John Gill's lott to the aforesaid roek on the foot of said hill ; and also that the said John Gill is to make and maintayn the way faire and sufficient so far as his lott goeth in breadth towards the said roek aforesaid; and further that if Mr Riehard Collieot requires to have his proportion of common right there- in, then both the said Anthony Gulwer and John Gill shall permit him to have it by lotte to be east between him the said Richard Collieot and the Town of Dorehester; the first lott to begin at the end where the passage is over the brook and the second lott to begin at the end of the land next Mr Collieots, and both of them to abate so much out of that which lyeth before their lotts aceording to proportion of the whole, so as both may have equally therein.
And the said Anthony Gullwer and John Gill do promise and eovenant henceforth to make and maintayn the said highway for the country forever as aforesaid, and that the said lands shall be chargable therewith forever; also Mr Holman is to have liberty of a footway from his house over the brook if he requires it. - Records of Proprietors of Dorchester, Book II., Page 17.
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HISTORY OF MILTON.
set river, bounded north-east by the river, south-east by John Rigby, south-west by John Glover, and north-west by John Redman and Anthony Gulliver.
Feb. 10, 1652, Thomas Holbrook conveys the same land, " situated in a place called Vncatyquissett, with a frame house thereon standing," to John Gill ; both deeds were recorded April 2, 1652.
In 1656 John Gill bought of Elizabeth Stoughton, executrix, one hundred and one acres of the Israel Stoughton land, called the "Indian Field." This was bounded north-easterly and westerly by the Neponset and " Babcock " rivers; then the line turned and made the boundary between Mrs. Russell and Dr. Holbrook, as far as Randolph avenue, and then it ran just south of Mrs. Russell's house straight to the river. This took in the whole of Milton Hill, north of the Russell house. Mr. Gill was one of the three petitioners for the incorporation of Milton. He was made trustee of Milton Church, 1664, and died in Bos- ton, 1678.
JOSEPH BELCHER.
Joseph Belcher, son of Gregory Belcher, of Braintree, born 1641, married Rebecca Gill, daughter of John, in 1667, and had three sons and one daughter: John, b. 1667; Joseph, b. March 14, 1668; Rebecca, b. Nov. 12, 1671; Gill, b. 1678. Joseph Belcher, Jr., was brought up in the family of his grandfather, John Gill, in whose will his education and support were provided for. He graduated at Harvard College in 1690, and settled as minister in Dedham, 1693, where for thirty years he remained the faithful and beloved pastor until his decease, April 27, 1723. He passed his childhood in Milton, and became heir to the larger portion of the Gill estate through his grand- mother Gill. At his decease the family returned to the home of his childhood, where they remained for about fifteen years. Joseph, his eldest son, was born in Dedham March 23, 1703-4 ; graduated at Harvard in 1717 ; married Elizabeth Butt, of Dorchester, Dec. 24, 1731; and was elected selectman of Milton in 1734. The estate on Milton Hill was first sold to Perez Bradford, of Duxbury, who married a daughter of Mr. Belcher. It was reconveyed to the Belchers in 1735, and by them sold to Thomas Hutchinson, Jeremiah Smith, William Babcock, and others about 1740.
THE MILLER FAMILY.
June 25, 1690, Samuel Miller, of Rehoboth was married to Rebecca Bel- cher, of Milton, by me Peter Thacher, Pastor. - Thacher's Journal.
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MILTON HILL.
Samuel Miller had three sons and three daughters, all born in Milton : Samuel, b. 1696; Eben, b. 1703; Joseph, b. 1706; Elizabeth, Mary, and Hannah. He lived on Adams street, on the southerly slope of Milton Hill, near the residence of B. F. Dudley, in a house built by himself or by John Gill, the grandfather of his wife, where he kept tavern in 1712, and for many years. This mansion, which was standing within the memory of some now living, was three stories high, stately and aristocratic. It was one of the best of the times. The well is still there, within a yard of the sidewalk.
In 1712 Samuel Miller, with three other citizens of Milton, purchased of Boston three thousand acres of land, called the " Blue Hill Lands," half of which was united to the territory of Milton, and lies in the south-westerly section of the town. On this tract a house was erected and continued in the family until the Revolution.
Samuel Miller was an influential and highly respected citizen of Milton. He died about 1744.
His eldest son, Samuel, was a leading man here during the whole of his mature life. As Samuel Miller, Jr., he was our Representative to the General Court in the year 1743 ; and after the death of his father he filled this office for eight years, the last in 1756. He was moderator at the annual town-meeting for thirteen years ; and selectman for sixteen years. He mar- ried Rebecca Minot, 1724, and had Samuel, b. 1725 ; Stephen, b. 1727 ; and John, b. 1733, spoken of in biographical notices. He died in Milton, of small-pox, 1761, aged 65.
His son, Col. Stephen Miller, as an active and leading citizen, followed in the footsteps of his father. He was the Representa- tive of the town in 1774. He was a moderator of the town for five years prior to 1770 ; and selectman for eight years, serving for the last time in 1773. At the time of the Revolution he took sides with the Royalists, and removed to the Province of New Brunswick, where he passed a long and highly useful life, and died in 1817, aged 90 years. His Milton residence was the house built by his father on the new purchase in Scott's Woods. This was burned in 1770.
Last Friday afternoon the large dwelling house of Col. Miller acci- dentally catch'd on fire and was entirely consumed together with a great part of the furniture. [Monday, April 2, 1770.] - Boston Evening Post.
His property was confiscated, and was purchased of the commissioners by Hon. E. H. Robbins. It is now in the possession of Col. H. S. Russell.
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HISTORY OF MILTON.
This estate has been owned or occupied by Mr. Bowers ; next by " Quaker Anthony," as he was called ; then by Mr. Packard, of Bridgewater, Capt. Josiah Bent, Nathaniel Tucker, and Dr. Simeon Palmer.
Rev. Ebenezer Miller, D.D., the second son of the first Samuel, was born in Milton June 20, 1703. He was prepared for college under Rev. Peter Thacher, and graduated at Har- vard 1722. He was ordained in England, in the Episcopal Church, by the Bishop of London, and was appointed rector of the church gathered by himself in Braintree (now Quincy), where he was supported as missionary by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. Here he contin- ued for thirty-six years, until his death, Feb. 11, 1763. He received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from the University .of Oxford in 1747. He is said to have been the first native descendant of the colony ordained to the ministry of the Epis- copal Church.
COL. JOSEPH GOOCH.
Col. Gooch removed from Braintree to Milton in 1740. He purchased a tract of land on Milton Hill of Samuel Miller, and built the Churchill house, now standing on the corner of Churchill's lane and Adams street. This house, regarded as a fine structure in our day, is a specimen of the best building of the last century. The interior has points of rare beauty, especially the hall and stair-way. Col. Gooch represented the town at the General Court in the years 1752 and 1756. He is spoken of as a man of strong points of character, and of great ambition.
We find the following notice of his death :
Last Friday sen'night died at Milton Joseph Gooch, Esq., one of his Majesty's Justices of the Peace for County of Suffolk; formerly Colonel of a Regiment of Militia. Feb. 19, 1770. - Boston Evening Post.
His son, Joseph, was born in 1728 and graduated in 1747. After his father's death he removed to Vermont, and the estate passed into the possession of Hon. E. H. Robbins, by whom it was conveyed to Hon. Asaph Churchill, in whose family a portion of it still continues. Miss Sarah Churchill occupied the home- stead until her death, in 1886; and the Hon. Joseph M. Churchill had a residence, built by himself, on the home estate. C. M. S. Churchill, Esq., also resides on the same territory. A picture of the house and stairway is here presented.
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MILTON HILL.
REDMAN ESTATE.
Nathaniel Babcock bought the Redman homestead in 1714, " containing eighteen acres, bounded North on Nathan Bab- cocks land; East on the Town Highway; South on the way leading to William Voses ; and Westerly on William Voses and Mr. Belchers farms." William Vose's house stood on Churchill's lane, then called " Vose's lane," occupying nearly the site now covered by Col. O. W. Peabody's cottage. After- wards, Thomas Glover, son-in-law of William Vose, lived in the house, and Mr. Seth Baggs. The old Vose well is still in use on the place. Nathan Vose, son of William, built and occupied the house owned by Col. Peabody, recently burned. On this same lane was the Robert Redman homestead. In 1831, when Edmund J. Baker was making a survey of the land on the corner of Adams street and Churchill's lane, he discovered an old cellar, a short distance down the hill; here stood the old Redman house.
The small house that stood half-way down Churchill's lane, on the west side, was occupied by John Drew, who married Betsey Wallace, the last descendant of a slave family. They were the faithful domestics in the family of Hon. E. H. Rob- bins, while he lived in the Churchill house.
About 1832 Capt. R. B. Forbes purchased the land on the corner of Adams street and Churchill's lane, of Adam Daven- port and Dr. Gardiner, and, in 1833, built the mansion now occupied by J. Murray Forbes. It was long known as Madame Forbes' house, having been presented to her by her children. Between the house and the street stood the house and chair- factory of Adam Davenport. The house was removed to Dor- chester, and the chair factory was purchased by Benjamin Henshaw and removed to Randolph avenue.
DANIEL BRIGGS.
Daniel Briggs lived in a large house built by Abel Allyne where the double cottage now stands. This was purchased by John M. Forbes. The house was torn down, and one of the cot- tages was built, and after a few years the other was added.
Thomas S. Briggs built a house on the site of Col. O. W. Peabody's house in 1830. Rev. Dr. Lothrop purchased of Briggs, and lived in the house several years. He then sold the house, which was removed to a position on the avenue now lead- ing to the estate of Col. W. H. Forbes, and was occupied by
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- HISTORY OF MILTON.
Rev. Chandler Robbins. In 1851 Dr. Lothrop built a new house, which in turn was taken down a few years since, and the mansion of Col. Peabody erected. Dr. Lothrop occupied the house for ten years or more, through the summer months. At the same time a goodly company of clergymen, with their fami- lies, were scattered over the hill, spending the summer vaca- tions.
On one occasion a gentleman from Boston wishing to find Rev. James I. T. Coolidge, then living on Milton Hill, inquired at the Milton depot for his residence, and received directions somewhat as follows: " As you ascend the hill the first house on the right, a little off from the road, is that of Rev. George G. Channing. In the next house, on the same side, lives Rev. Francis Cunningham, and a little farther on, nearly opposite, is the house of Rev. Dr. S. K. Lothrop. These houses you will pass ; then a little farther, on the left, is the house of Rev. Joseph Angier ; near Mr. Angier's you will pass the house where Rev. Edward E. Hale is spending the summer. Still keep on by Rev. Dr. Morison's house, who lives this side of Rev. Chandler Rob- bins, and the next house, on the rising ground, is where Rev. Mr. Coolidge lives; but do not mistake his house for that of Rev. John Weiss, who is out here for the season." Who wonders that it was then called Zion's Hill ?
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