USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Milton > The history of Milton, Mass., 1640 to 1877 > Part 15
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The remainder of the letter consists of a matter wholly private ; a project which, he says, "has for many years been on his mind." He wishes to have a new tomb built at Milton, and the remains of his late wife, deceased twenty-one years before, deposited therein, with space for himself. He says: "a T. in the B. y. at M.," which can be no other than a tomb in the burying-yard at Milton. He directs where stone can be pro- cured, and "a mason at B. or in some other T.," and bids him " leave the wall or any ornament or inscription till I return, and the sooner it is finished the better."
His son, Thomas, had already left Milton, and withdrawn to Boston. He could not have received his father's letter long before the battle of Lexington, as the transit of the mail re- quired a month or six weeks. Then rapidly followed the battle of Bunker Hill, the investment of Boston by Washington, and the confiscation of the estates of all royalists; hence this cherished design of the Governor was never carried out. More
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HISTORY OF MILTON.
than a hundred years have elapsed. It is too late now to effect this purpose of our lamented citizen. Would it were otherwise !
The following extracts are from "Notes and Queries," pub- lished in London, 1869. These show the intense and unalterable longing of Governor Hutchinson to return to his native land : --
May 15, 1779. Though I know not how to reason upon it, I feel a fond- ness to lay my bones in my native soil, and to carry those of my dear daughter with me.
He alludes to his youngest daughter, Margaret, who died Sept. 21, 1777, and was buried in Croydon church-yard, where he was afterwards himself laid.
Feb. 1, 1780. The prospect of returning to America and laying my bones in the land of my forefathers for four preceding generations and if I add the mother of W. H., it will make five, is less than it has ever been. God grant me a composed mind, submissive to his will, and may I be thankful that I am not reduced to those straits which many others who are banished are and have been.
Though in England he was looked upon as Governor of the Province, as General Gage had only a temporary military com- mand. It was thought that the Revolution would soon be brought to an amicable termination ; that he would then go out and re- sume his functions, and, therefore, in the mean time, he continued to enjoy a handsome salary. This is said to have been £2,000 per annum, but there is no documentary evidence to prove it.
" He died of heart disease or apoplexy on the 3d of June, 1780, as he was walking from the door of his house to his carriage to take an afternoon ride, as his custom was. His second son, Elisha, and his son-in-law, Dr. Peter Oliver, saw him stagger on the pavement and catch at his footman for support, and they ran downstairs to his assistance. He was led back into the Hall and placed in a chair, where he died almost im- mediately."
He was buried on the 9th of June, 1780, at Croydon, some ten miles south of London. In the summer of 1884 Hon. Edward L. Pierce, of Milton, visited the church at Croydon, and found that the interior of the church was burned some fifty years ago, and all the sepulchral monuments were destroyed, nor could he ascertain just where his body lies. It is, doubt- less, in the Croydon church-yard, where he is said to have been interred.
In this connection the following lines, from an unknown source, are brought vividly to mind : -
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MILTON HILL.
" Who blames the royal exile's sigh, As from the deck his parting eye Takes a last look at these sweet vales, And for King's sake tempts ocean gales? Nor pomp of courts, nor monarch's smile, Could from his home his heart beguile. Not gilded bribes, nor leeches' skill, Could longing cure for Milton Hill. To no disease his loyal spirit yields, But sinks, despairing of his absent fields."
After the battle of Lexington the town of Milton removed the furniture from Governor Hutchinson's house, to save it from utter ruin. Mr. Samuel Henshaw afterwards visited the house, and found in the garret a trunk full of papers, among which was the Governor's letter-book, which he secured. Col. William Taylor removed from the house several trunks, and retained them for safe-keeping. A part of his goods1 were sold at auction, at the barn of Colonel Taylor, standing where the Town-House is now located. At this auction many citizens of Milton secured souvenirs of the Governor, still retained in our families.
Extracts from the Governor's diary are as follows : "'Tis said that Washington rides in my coach at Cambridge."- "I hear that Milton House is a barrack for passing troops."
Gov. Hutchinson as Historian.
Of Governor Hutchinson's character as historian we have the following estimate in Everett's Lexington address, 1835: -
This valuable historian was on the stage for the entire generation pre- ceding the Revolution. For more than thirty years before it broke out he was a political leader in Massachusetts. From the close of the French war to the year 1775 he was probably the most confidential adviser of the crown, and for the chief part of the time the incumbent of the highest offices in its gift. He has brought the history of his native State down to the very moment when, on the eve of the war, he left America, never to return. Learned, sagacious, wary, conciliatory, and strongly disposed, as far as possible, to avoid the difficulties of his position ; no man had better oppor- tunities of knowing the truth, and, after making proper allowance for his prejudices, few are entitled to greater credit in their statements.
1 LEASE OF THE HUTCHINSON ESTATE.
May 29, 1776. The Milton Committee of Correspondence Safety and Inspection by virtue of a Resolve of the General Court April 19 leased the real estate of Gov. Hutchin- son lying in Milton as follows : -
To Mr. Samnel Henshaw jr. the dwelling-house, barn stable, yard & garden @ £13 16 6 To Captain Daniel Vose part of the land @
20 3 2 To Mr. Nehemiah Clapp part of the land @ IO II II
To Mr. Adam Davenport part of the land @ 7 17 9
To Mr. Moses Hayden and John Boxanont house & part of the land @ 4 4 0
To Mr. Joseph Jones part of the land @ 7 16 8
£65 15 0
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HISTORY OF MILTON.
Judgment of his Character.
In reviewing thus the life of one of Milton's most honored citizens, who was universally respected and beloved by neighbors and townsmen, at this remote point of time, when all excitement of partisan feeling is over, and prejudice can no longer bias the judgment and prevent a candid and just estimate of his public and private career, one cannot help feeling that he was a true and honest man, of rigid loyalty to his official oath ; and that his official acts, which were so repugnant to the spirit of the times, were dictated by a conscientious regard to loyalty and duty.
HENRY MAURICE LISLE, ESQ.
In the closing years of the last century, and early in the present, a lawyer of some note resided at Milton Lower Mills, by the name of Henry Maurice Lisle. In the years 1804 and 1806 he appears as moderator of the annual town-meetings. The only further mention of Mr. Lisle in the records is found in a vote of the town, Aug. 6, 1804, by which he is appointed to defend the town in a certain action before the Supreme Court. The presumption is that his residence here was con- fined to a few years. He is referred to in this connection as being the author of a poem on Milton Hill, in 1803, which, from local and personal allusions, received a somewhat wide circulation. I first saw reference to this poem in a letter to a Milton lady, Mrs. Jesse Pierce, written from Savannah at the time of Rev. Dr. Mckean's visit there in the winter of 1803; and, after diligent search, secured a copy, perhaps the only one in Milton.
The length of the poem precludes its insertion here in full, while portions of it, relating to events of that day, should not be omitted.
MILTON HILL POEM.
Whilst Mars' harsh clarion sounds again the alarms,
And calls once more Britannia's sons to arms ; Whilst France, contending at a madman's nod, For England's crown to deck her demigod, By base ambition's views again has hurl'd War's desolating weapons through the world,
Again has caused the ensanguin'd tide to flow, Again has ope'd that catalogue of woe, Which France, degenerate, to the world has shown,
Shrouded in blackest crimes, - crimes all her own, - How blest is he embower'd in rural shades,
'Midst verdant lawns, and umbrage-covered glades,
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MILTON HILL.
Who feels no terror at the echoing car, Nor all the dreadful implements of war, But peaceful, happy, on a rustic seat, Courts the coy muse to visit his retreat.
From Milton Hill unbounded scenes arise To charm the fancy - gratify the eyes. Thither with sylphic steps thy course pursue, And Nature's choicest work with rapture view. Then when with gazing, visual powers grow faint, In bright description all its beauties paint. Nor need deceptive fiction's flattering hue, In art-formed colors, gild the varied view. Her brilliant tints acknowledge at the test, That truth can here delineate the best.
Mark well that spot where distant spires arise, Pointing their golden corselets to the skies, Of native oak, where yon tall vessels float And clustered masts commercial wealth denote, There BOSTON view, New England's growing pride, Rising like Venus from her parent tide. Whilst dark oblivion Roman virtue shrouds, Her rising merits shall disperse the clouds, Factions contentious o'er the land has spread, And circle glory round Columbia's head.
Leaving this mart of commerce, turn thy eyes To where Columbia's Standard proudly flies, Where yonder battlements sea-girted stand, The CASTLE rises to protect the land.
In all directions hence, the eye may trace Unnumbered beauties o'er the aqueous space. Yon fertile islands clad by Ceres' care, Emeralds in silver to the view appear. From one in chief 1 the ascending smoke descry, Where from the barques the crimson streamers fly. There anxious mariners shall furl the sail, Nor leed the inducement of the favoring gale, But still procrastinate that happy day, Anticipated o'er tlie trackless way, When sympathetic friends shall crowd the strand, And cordial greeting welcome them to land.
When Phœbus hastens to the western main, And, sable night resumes the right to, reign, When the black clouds obscure the spangled sky, And hide fair Cynthia from the wanderer's eye, When winds tempestuous burst Eolus' cave, And Nereus guides the fury of the wave, Amidst the perils of the dreadful night, How joyous to the heart the well-known sight Of yon tall LIGHTHOUSE whose benignant ray Directs the helmsman o'er his boisterous way ! And, as the winds and waves in concert roar, Guides him in safety to the long-sought shore.
1 Quarantine.
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HISTORY OF MILTON.
Turning from ocean's surface, next survey The fir-clad mountains, which behind you lay. There the GREAT BLUE HILL rears its cloud-capped liead, And knotted oaks their verdant foliage spread ; Behold its summit! View the rising stage That marks the weakness of the Iron Age, Proclaims that man is never satisfied With Nature's works, whilst lie's a wish denied, But to the Andes still would add a foot, To paint the weakness of his species out. Extensive plains around its base, display The gaudy livery of the roseate May ; Whilst Flora's fragrant tribes their charms unite To fill the sense with exquisite delight. .
From 'midst the scatter'd domes that westward lie, MILTON's fair spire attracts the wandering eye : With grief depicted on her beauteous face, The Muse dejected turned and viewed the place ; Then wiping from her cheek the trickling tear, To great Olympus thus addressed her prayer : O Thou, who didst this blooming Eden form, Who guid'st the whirlwind and direct'st the storm, Who canst in mercy stay the fleeting breath, And wrest the victim from the grasp of death, From Milton's Pastor' bid disease begone, Save Science and the Muse's favorite son ! Bid sage Minerva dry hier flowing tears ! Bid pure Urania dissipate her fears ! In mercy hear, in kind compassion speak, And health again shall blossom on his cheek. Again his lustrous periods fraught with sense, Again his matchless powers of eloquence, Shall charm the ear, instruct the ignorant mind, Convince the sceptic, and reclaim mankind. Thousands, in gratitude, with one acclaim, Shall chant their pæans to thy holy name, In songs of praise shall hallelujahs rise, And swelling chorus reach the vaulted skies.
Words are too feeble, language is too mean, To paint the beauties of the varied scene Where Dorchester's and Milton's borders join, And Nature, Industry, and Art combine To form yon Village - to adorn the spot, And render man contented with his lot. May all its charms embellish nobler themes, Long as Neponset rolls her limpid streams.
When fair Columbia's rights, by means infernal, Practis'd by foes within and foes external, At hazard lay. And Gallic ministration Threatened our country with annihilation, - Their treaties broke - defied the avenging rod, Named death a bugbear - disavowed their God, And, deaf to pity's cry, without emotion, Murder'd our helpless seamen on the ocean ---
1 Dr. McKean.
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OTHER MILTON ESTATES.
Plunder'd our barques - rob'd pen'ry of her rag, And dyed, with native blood, Columbia' flag. Then to evince their promptness to accede To all the measures wisdom had decreed, To save the country from her savage foes, By yonder Village Sons that ARCH arose. There read the language of the federal band Who raised the structure, and, with valorous hand, Wrote this inscription, penned in freedom's cause, " We unite in defense of our country and laws." An index to their honor may it stand! And sentiments like these pervade the land.
Nature has here her greatest power essay'd, And gilds with smiles the paradise she made. Description fails, and colors are too faint, The boundless landscape's scenery to paint. Nor picturesque prospects here alone can please Or crown the laborer with content and ease. But, with the product of a genial soil, Plenty rewards his anxious hours of toil. Ceres, with golden sheaves, his corn-barn stores, And from his press Pomona verjuice pours. The inclement winter comes without a sigh, And all his horrors pass unheeded by.
Milton, adieu ! Some nobler poet's song In future periods shall this theme prolong. Who, whilst with transport he surveys this hill, Shall own the subject worthy of his skill. In smoother numbers shall the task rehearse And celebrate thy name in loftier verse. Milton, Adieu ! Ne'er may thy beauties fade, Nor thy increasing domes be prostrate laid. Until the convulsed universe shall quake, And earth's foundation to its centre shake.
OTHER MILTON ESTATES.
The estate of Governor Hutchinson extended on the westerly side of Adams street from his mansion to Eliot street and Ruggles lane. During his residence in Milton he laid out on his own land the passage-way now named High street, leaving a tract of about one hundred and twenty-five feet in width between this passage-way and Adams street, and five hundred and fifty feet in length, from Eliot street to Canton avenue. At that time Adams street, from the river up the hill, was very narrow, barely sufficient to allow carriages to pass each other, and was confined to the easterly side. For the widening of the street to its present dimensions Governor Hutchinson gave a strip of land twenty-five feet wide and five hundred and fifty feet long, reaching to Canton avenue; the remaining
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HISTORY OF MILTON.
portion of his land east of High street was laid out into lots, fifty feet wide and one hundred feet deep.
In the course of the years 1768-74 most of these lots were sold. No. 1, now owned by Mr. Johnson, was sold to Edward Wentworth; No. 2, to Nathaniel Gulliver; No. 3, to Lemuel Davis; No. 7, to Joseph Fenno ; Nos. 8 and 9, to William Bad- cock; and No. 10, to Samuel Vose. These lots changed hands many times before they were finally improved and settled upon by actual residents.
The hill was then much steeper than now. At the building of the railroad, in 1847, the land near the river was raised ten or fifteen feet.
LAND SALE OF JAMES WARREN.
Hon. James Warren, the third owner of the Hutchinson estate, when about to remove to Plymouth, had that tract of land lying between Canton avenue, High street, Ruggles lane, and the river surveyed and divided into two sections. The line of division is the present wall between the Morton and Thompson estates. The westerly half was sold to Gen. Jacob Gill, in 1795, and the easterly half to Gov. Edw. H. Robbins. On this tract Governor Robbins built the Morton house. In 1800, Aug. 22, he sold this to Samuel Cabot, of Boston. In 1805 Mr. Cabot sold the same to William R. Miller. After Mr. Miller's death, in 1815, his brother James and his sisters lived for a while in the Morton house, and then sold to Joseph Morton. The old house that stood on the Degan land, near Canton avenue, and opposite Mr. Samuel Gannett's house, was built by Mr. John Wads- worth. It afterwards came into the hands of Atherton Tucker. Subsequently the Millers, who had left, returned to Milton and bought this place, where some of the remaining members of the family lived and died. In the gale of 1815 the roof of this house was secured by ropes to save it from destruction.
Miss Annette Miller built the Degan house forty-five years ago, for a young ladies' seminary, which, if ever fully estab- lished, continued but for a short time. The property passed into the possession of Mrs. Gen. Whitney, and her daughter, Mrs. Degan, inherited it from her mother.
The Millers sold a corner lot to John Durell, on which he built the house now owned by F. M. Severance.
THE JACOB GILL LAND.
Isaac Sanderson married a daughter of Jacob Gill, and came into possession of the westerly half of the land. He was a
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OTHER MILTON ESTATES.
paper-maker here in 1798, and lived in the house occupied by the late Dr. Ware. This tract was sold by Sanderson and the heirs of Jacob Gill to Mrs. Dr. Jonathan Ware; a portion of it is still owned by her heirs, upon which they have erected a hand- some residence. The other owners are Mrs. George Thompson, E. L. Pierce, heirs of Capt. J. G. Pierce, Miss Susan C. Richardson, and Thomas Quinn. Gen. Jacob Gill lived in a house that stood where the shoe-shop and building of S. W. Johnson now stands ; he bought of Ann Adams Dec. 12, 1782. He was a hatter by trade, occupying for a shop the location covered by the provision- store of George Everett. He died in Milton Sept. 20, 1820.
ESTATES ON ADAMS STREET.
Plummer & Swift bought the old Gill house and land, and erected a two-and-a-half story building; in the basement coll- fectionery was manufactured; stores occupied the first floor ; and above was the Odd Fellows' Hall. The roof was burned away Jan. 11, 1848, and the building was then finished in the way it now appears.
The old Mill house stood on land now occupied by the chocolate mill, near the railroad; adjoining was Mr. Collins' wheelwright's shop; subsequently he occupied part of a build- ing where Mr. Everett's provision store now stands.
In early times the land on the west side of Adams street was a high bank, covered with small buildings; as the houses were built it was lowered to its present level, and the fronts of most of the present houses were ranged exactly on the westerly line of the street.
The house owned by Rufus L. Chapman was built by Major Phinehas Paine ; he lived there until 1805 or 6, and then removed to Concord; it was afterwards owned by James Campbell, whose daughter R. L. Chapman married. Joseph Fenno, who was connected in business with Daniel Vose, built the house now owned by E. L. Pierce. In the midst of his activities he was drowned while getting a vessel up the river, and his estate passed into the hands of his widow. She married a Mr. Mellus and had a son who became a sea-captain, and a daughter who married Benjamin Crehore. Mrs. Mellus died February, 1814, when the estate descended to her children. Capt. Mellus took the Pierce house. The shop of Benjamin Crehore, which stood on the land, was moved back from the street, enlarged, and fitted into the house adjoining that of Mr. Pierce, the basement serving as a shop ; this was conveyed to Mrs. Crehore.
About the year 1798 Capt. Lewis Vose and Benjamin Crehore
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HISTORY OF MILTON.
bought one of the lots between Adams and High streets, and began to build a house in company. Mr. Crehore was a piano-maker, earning four or five dollars per day. Capt. Vose was a harness-maker, realizing about a tenth part of the earn- ings of his fortunate neighbor ; he, however, was a cautious, provident man, while Crehore spent lavishly, with little regard to circumstances. The result was that, as the building pro- gressed, Capt. Vose was called upon to meet the payments, and finally became sole possessor of the Vose house, which has continued in the family to the present time, and belongs to the estate, a part of which was so kindly and thoughtfully be- queathed by Miss Sarah Vose, the last immediate descendant of the family, in legacies to Milton Public Library, and to the deserving poor of Milton. The personal estate was given to the Library, and the real estate, after the death of present occupants, was given to the minister and deacons of the First Congregational Parish of Milton, for the poor of the town.
The house on the corner of Adams street and Canton avenue was purchased by Samuel K. Glover of Samuel Vose. Dr. Glover sold it to Ebenezer Vose, Jan. 5, 1794, for £450 lawful money. Jan. 13, 1798, Ebenezer Vose sold to Isaac Williams, of Roxbury. April 30, 1806, Williams sold to Moses Whitney the house and buildings, with about one quarter of an acre of land, for $2,100. It was used by Gen. Whitney as a post-office, and as a morocco manufactory. It is now owned by Mr. Robert Gordon.
DANIEL VOSE.
Daniel Vose married Rachel, daughter of Jeremiah Smith. In company with Joseph Fenno, he bought of Mr. Smith a piece of land on the east side of Adams street, near the way leading to the public landing-place, where the pump now stands. There they erected a building serving as a dwelling- house and store. In this building they traded for fourteen years. In the mean time Mr. Fenno having been drowned, and the business increasing greatly on the hands of Mr. Vose, he was led to put up a store seventy-five feet long and forty-five feet wide, with conveniences for residence above, occupying nearly the same ground as Associates' Hall. This was burned in 1860. The old house was removed and enlarged, and now stands next to the Milton depot, memorable as the building in which the "Suffolk Resolves" were passed Sept. 9, 1774. It is now owned by the Hon. N. F. Safford. Dr. Holbrook occupied the old house before its removal, and also, for a time, the house in its present location.
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OTHIER MILTON ESTATES.
COMPARISON.
All these men and women who figured here in days gone by have passed to other scenes; and with them, in the progress of years, and in the changed condition of things, have disap- peared the attractive features of old-time life. Progress exacts its penalties, but in the long run gives more than it takes.
In admiration of the "good old times " comparisons are often made to the disadvantage of the present age. While not insensible to the elegant costumes, the stately manners, the chivalric feeling, and the devoted piety of a by-gone age, we nevertheless believe that true nobility of character, genuine kindliness of heart, and unfaltering loyalty to God, have not passed away with old fashions in dress, and old styles in furni- ture, and with the loved and honored of " Auld Lang Syne."
The old times were good, but the new are fresher, brighter, broader.
Oh! the pleasant days of old, which So often people praise ! True, they wanted all the luxuries that Grace our modern days ; Bare floors were strewn with rushes, - The walls let in the cold ; Oh! how they must have shivered In those pleasant days of old !
Oh ! those blessed times of old ! With their chivalry and state ; I love to read their chronicles, which Such brave deeds relate; I love to sing their ancient rhymes, To hear their legends told. But Heaven be thanked ! I live not In those blessed times of old !
FRANCES BROWN.
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HISTORY OF MILTON.
LACROIX
WADSWORTH HOUSE
CHAPTER VI.
OLD HOUSES, CELLARS, AND LANDMARKS.
" While to the south the front is found, The hinder roof goes sloping to the ground. Before the shady door the cows and geese repose, While near are pumpkins ranged in yellow rows. There the tall well-sweep reaches to the sky, And here are apples hung on strings to dry."
A S we trace out the pathways of those who have been before us, and find here and there the outlines of a cellar, marking the dwelling-place of some one of the early inhabitants ; or follow the stone wall along the parallel lines far into the woods, prob- ably the work of those who first occupied the land, and undis- turbed from that day; or discover the old well of some early settler, the mind is borne back, and we live amid the scenes of other days and other men.
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