USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Milton > The history of Milton, Mass., 1640 to 1877 > Part 31
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The first business of Milton was trading in furs with the Indians.
In 1619 William Trevour took possession of the island, now known as Thompson's Island, for the undoubted purpose of traffic in furs. Seven years later, in 1626, David Thompson, the first recorded settler of Boston Harbor, "obtained a grant and patent for the quict, peaceable possession " of this island, henceforth known by his name, and established quite an extensive trade with the Neponset Indians, who were famous trappers.
The seat of the Neponset Indians was at the head of navigation on the Neponset river. At the falls, which they called Unquety Quissett, they obtained their fish; and the low lands along its tributaries were their trapping-grounds. Unquety was their favored abode. From hence they made excursions down the river to sell their skins; to the " Massachusetts Fields," their planting ground, south of the river; and to Mount Hope, to bury their dead. Their cornfields were found in all parts of our town.
The first visit of the " Pilgrim Fathers " to Milton was on the 21st of September, A.D. 1621. "Sept. 18, 1621, ten men left Plymouth, with the Indian Tisquantum as guide and interpreter, to visit the Massachusetts." They landed first, probably, at "Nantasket Head," and the next day sailed over, and landed at Squantum, so called from their interpreter. On the morning of the 21st they " marched in arms three miles into the country, where corn had been newly gathered." This brought them, perhaps, to the locality called " Mount Hope," the burial-place of their warriors, as proved by the graves, beads, and Indian utensils found there, -- beads taken from these graves being now in the possession of Mr. Edmund J. Baker ; or among the open lands of East Milton, suited to the culture of corn ; proceeding two miles farther, very likely to "Thacher's Plain," lying between Brook road and Mattapan street, where, tradition says, the Indians had cornfields, " they found the women with the corn in heaps, whither they had fled from fear." At first they were afraid, but soon, the men joining them, " they were willing to entertain their guests and trade for their skins." The narrative continues : " Having well spent the day, we returned to the shallop, the women accompanying us. We promised them to come again, and they to save their skins for us. Thus, with a considera- ble quantity of beaver, and a good report of the place, wishing we had been seated there, we returned to our home."
Among the first exports of the Plymouth Colony were two hogsheads of beaver-skins, by the " Fortune," which sailed from Plymouth Dec. 13, 1621. In later years Richard Collicut and John Holman, early citizens of Milton, were among the principal Indian traders.
On the sinister or left of the shield are represented implements of agriculture, - the plough, scythe, and rake ; also a sheaf of wheat, and a few stalks of corn, -- emblems of our agricultural town.
On the dexter or right of the shield appcars a shallop on the stocks.
Nehemiah Bourne, the son of a ship-builder of London, came here in the ship business. He owned a part of the land on Milton Hill, between Col. Israel Stoughton and William Hutchinson, running back to the marsh. Bray Wilkins was also an owner of land in this same locality, and interested in the ship business. He received a license from the General Court in 1638 to run a ferry-boat from a point of land between Granite and Neponset bridges, called " the ridge," to the Public Landing at Davenport's Creek, for the accommodation of those who wish to take merchandise to Boston before roads were laid out. Stephen Kingsley, one of the " precinct inhabitants," and the first preacher in Milton, lived on the Nathan Babcock estate; he owned the whole tract of land from thence south-
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CORPORATE SEAL OF MILTON.
easterly to Gulliver's Creek. Anthony Gulliver married a daughter of Stephen Kingsley, and came into possession of a part of the Kingsley estate ; and from him the Landing took its name. Anthony Gulliver and Stephen Kingsley also purchased, Feb. 26, 1656, of Richard Hutchinson and Edward Hutchinson, sons and heirs of Richard Hutchinson, of London, a large tract of land bounded northerly on Gulliver's Creek. - Suffolk Registry, Lib. 3, Fol. 5.
In 1640 Gulliver's Landing was laid out, for the convenience of the in- habitants who were ship-builders, and was the port of the town. Gulliver's Creek, now but ten feet wide at the landing, was then a navigable stream, where vessels of forty tons could be passed.
Governor Winthrop built the first vessel, of about thirty tons, called the " Blessing of the Bay," at Medford, launched July 4, 1631. Soon after vessels of small size, called shallops, were built at or near Gulliver's Land- ing, and the business was continued there for many years. Among the early citizens engaged in this occupation are the following names: Will- iam Salsbury, Anthony Newton, Walter Morey, and Nicholas Ellen.
On the upper part of the shield, in the distance, appear the Blue Hills of Milton.
The crest is an exact representation of the north-western view of the ancient church of Milton Abbey, in Dorsetshire, England. This requires a careful and minute explanation.
Milton Abbas, or Abbey Milton, is situated in Dorsetshire, six miles south-west front Blandford, and about ten miles north-east from Dorchester. It lies in a deep vale enclosed by very deep, chalky hills on the north and south. Its first name was Middletown, from the fact of its location in the centre of the county. In process of time the name was contracted to Mil- ton, which name it has borne for many centuries. The earliest mention made of it was in the reign of King Athelstan, who founded an abbey here, and brought it into repute. This abbey was founded in A.D. 938; imme- diately thereupon the town rose in importance; and, in the ancient time of " Abbatial grandure," was the central market of the county.
" In the year 1309, Sept. 2d, a terrible storm of lightning happened about eight o'clock in the evening, and the church of Middleton, bell- tower and bells, were, by the lightning burned down and destroyed." It was rebuilt in 1310-11, and has remained to the present century in all its ancient grandeur.
Feb. 23, A.D. 1539, the 31st of Henry VIII., the King granted to John Tregonwell, Esq., for £1,000, and resigning a pension of £10 per annum, the site of Milton Abbey.
In 1752 it was sold by the Tregonwell heirs to Joseph Damer, created Lord Milton in 1753, and Earl of Dorchester in. 1792. In the time of the Earl of Dorchester a large part of the ancient pile was demolished, but the church remained unchanged.
In the year 1814, Hon James M. Robbins, one of this committee, passed leisurely through the whole county of Dorsetshire. Riding from Dorches- ter toward Milton, and making inquiries of a fellow-traveller respecting the country and inhabitants, his attention was directed to the mansion of Esquire Tucker, a member of Parliament, and a man of note in the county. He learned, moreover, that the Tucker family was a numerous and influen- tial family in that section.
The proximity of these familiar towns, together with the mention of a family so common at home, sent his thoughts across the waters to the old Milton, of Massachusetts, and suggested a clew to the origin of the name of our town.
Robert Tucker came to Weymouth, Mass., about the time of the incor
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HISTORY OF MILTON.
poration of that town. He is supposed to have accompanied a party that came to New England about 1635 with the Rev. Mr. Hull, from the vicin- ity and town of Weymouth, Dorsetshire; and to the place before called Wassagusset they gave the name of Weymouth. He held office in Wey- mouth for several years, and thence moved to Gloucester, where he was Town Recorder, and back again to Weymouth.
He came to Milton about 1662, and, the supposition is, was preceded by some of his family, as he purchased a large tract of land on " Brush Hill," in 1663, bounded westerly on land of James Tucker, supposed to be his oldest son. He was the first Town Recorder; was selectman for several years ; and represented the town at the General Court for the years 1680 and 1681.
The argument is, that Robert Tucker, or, if nothe, others who came from the same locality, and perhaps through his influence, followed the very common custom of naming the towns in the new world, from those with which they were familiar, and from their homes in the old world.
Milton, of Dorset, at the time they left England, retained something of its ancient importance and renown.
Our fathers had already appropriated Dorchester, Weymouth, and other towns of Old England as nantes for these new towns; it is natural to con- clude that they chose the name of MILTON for this town from the famed old Milton, of Dorsetshire.
Your committee believe this to be the origin of the name of this town. They have, therefore, adopted as a crest of the shield, a view of the ancient Church of Milton Abbey.
The motto, which appears on the scroll, is selected from the sixth line of the First Eclogue of Virgil, -
" DEUS NOBIS HÆC OTIA FECIT."
" God has given us this tranquillity - or these pleasant things,"
which was thought to be appropriate to our beautiful town. All of which is respectfully submitted,
ALBERT K. TEELE, JAMES M. ROBBINS, CHARLES BRECK.
CHANGES.
In this era of genealogical research some new points have been discovered respecting the birthplace of Robert Tucker since the above report was presented, which would lead us to modify the report, but in no important sense to change its con- clusions regarding the origin of the name of our town.
As will be seen in the chapter on " Incorporation, Name, and Boundaries," it is probable that Robert Tucker, referred to in the report, was born in Milton-next-Gravesend, county of Kent. If this is so, the ground-work of the argument in the report, referring to the origin of the name of the town, which is there only supposition, becomes almost certainty ; and these revela- tions render it even more probable that Robert Tucker and his associates were influential in giving our town the name of Milton, from the home of their ancestry and birth in the old country.
307
POST-OFFICES.
Had this been earlier known, the committee might have adopted as the crest of the shield the front of the ancient Mil- ton-next-Gravesend Church, now five hundred and thirty-two years old. And yet, what more fitting to embellish the munici- pal seal of our Milton than a representation of the famed Milton Abbey, founded A.D. 938; the name of which has been sound- ing abroad for near a thousand years, until twenty towns in the old country have adopted it, and the people, in grateful remem- brance of their childhood's home, have brought it with them to this new land, where thirty-two towns have appropriated the name, the first and oldest of which is believed to be our own municipality?
"MILTON NEWS."
"The Milton News," a weekly paper, was established at Milton village about five years ago.
Two years after it started the paper passed into the hands of W. A. Woodward, who is still the editor and proprietor. It has had a constantly increasing list of subscribers, and meets a needed want as the medium for local advertisement and the vehicle of town news.
POST-OFFICES.
As the early records at Washington were destroyed by fire, it is impossible to ascertain, from official sources, the exact date of the establishment of the first post-office 'in Milton. The office is known to have been in existence in 1801, or before. Dr. Samuel R. Glover was the first postmaster. It was located at the Lower Mills in the "Stanley House," then a public house kept by Mrs. William Badcock. The mail was brought by a carrier, on horseback ; it was packed in a small travelling-bag, which also contained the mails of other towns. It was re- ceived once a week, on Thursday.
Dr. Glover was succeeded by Gen. Moses Whitney, who was appointed Dec. 19, 1805, and held the office until 1817. Under his administration the office was kept in the building now owned by Robert Gordon, on the corner of Adams street and Canton avenue.
Nathan C. Martin was the third postmaster; he was ap- pointed Nov. 4, 1817 ; he kept the office in his store, just north of the railroad, until 1839 ; he was succeeded by
Edmund J. Baker, who was appointed April 1, 1839, and kept the office, first, in a building standing where Chapman and
308
HISTORY OF MILTON.
Strangeman's shops are, and afterwards in the building which stood on the site of Associates Hall, in which the Public Library was first located.
George Thompson followed Mr. Baker as fifth postmaster, Jan. 19, 1844, and continued in office until May 29, 1849.
Mr. Martin was reappointed as the successor of Mr. Thomp- son, and held the office until his death, Aug. 26, 1864, making the entire term of his service about thirty-seven years. Oct. 20, 1864, Louis N. Tucker received the appointment, but de- clined to serve.
The seventh postmaster was Henry Pope, who kept the of- fice in a part of the building now the provision-store of George Everett; at his decease, in 1880, his widow, Mrs. Abigail F. Pope, was appointed postmistress of Milton, and soon after the office was removed to its present locality in " Associates Build- ing." Mrs. Pope died in 1883, while in office, and was succeeded by the present incumbent.
Henry A. Pope, the ninth postmaster of Milton, commis- sioned July 16, 1883. At this office there are morning, noon, and evening mails sent out and received.
EAST MILTON POST-OFFICE.
A post-office was established at East Milton in April, 1872, with J. William Babcock as postmaster. It is now in charge of Josiah Babcock as postmaster, appointed 1879; at this of- fice mails arrive and leave three times daily.
BLUE HILL POST-OFFICE.
A post-office was established April 1, 1874, on Canton ave- nue, near Harland street, named "Blue Hill." Stillman L. Tucker was appointed postmaster. It sends out and receives one mail daily, at six o'clock P.M., through the Mattapan office.
DORCHESTER AND MILTON BANK.
The Dorchester and Milton Bank was incorporated by an act of the Legislature passed March 17, 1832; capital stock, $100,000. The persons named in the act of incorporation were as follows : Moses Whitney, Darius Brewer, Samuel Bridge, Caleb Hobart, Robert P. Tolman, Abel Cushing, and Asaph Churchill.
309
DORCHESTER AND MILTON BANK.
The subscribers to the stock met on the 2d day of April, 1832, and accepted the Act of Incorporation, adopted a Code of By-Laws, and elected the fol- lowing-named persons Directors, viz. : - Joseph Rowe, Moses Whitney, Caleb Hobart, Gridley Bryant, of Milton, Darius Brewer, Cheever Newhall. Robert P. Tolman, and Enoch Baldwin, of Dorchester, Josiah Brigham, of Quincy, Leonard Everett, of Canton, and James Littlefield, of Stoughton.
The first meeting of the directors was held April 30, 1832. The board was organized by the election of Moses Whitney as President; and at a meeting held May 22, 1832, Hananiah Temple was elected Cashier. The Directors leased the rooms over Mr. R. P. Tolman's store in Dorchester for the uses and purposes of the bank, at a rental of $70 per annum.
After the organization of the Board of Directors, and such other prelim- inary forms as were required by law, the bank opened its doors for business on the 7th day of July, 1832.
June 7, 1836, H. Temple resigned his office as Cashier.
June 14, 1836, Joseph L. Hammond was elected Cashier.
Sept. 29, 1848, Joseph L. Hammond vacated his office as Cashier.
E. J. Bispham was appointed Cashier pro tem.
At a meeting of the stockholders held on the 11th day of October, 1848, the following-named persons were elected Directors, viz. : - Darius Brewer, E. J. Bispham, William Pierce, Roswell Gleason, Hananiah Temple, E. J. Baker, Asaph Churchill, and Tho. Liversidge.
At a meeting of the Directors on the 17th of October, 1848, H. Temple was elected President, and E. J. Bispham was elected Cashier.
On the night of June 1, 1850, the bank vault was forcibly entered by burglars, and $31,921.57 of funds of the bank stolen therefrom.
March 28, 1851. Name of bank changed from " Dorchester and Milton Bank " to " Blue Hill Bank, of Dorchester," and the capital increased to $150,000.
Oct., 1853. H. Temple, President, resigned the office of President and director, and Asaph Churchill was elected President.
At the annual meeting, Oct. 3, 1864, it was voted to organize the Blue Hill Bank as a national institution under the United States banking laws, and provision so to do was obtained from the government. December, 1864, the organization was effected, and the capital increased to $200,000.
Sept., 1867. The bank was entered by three burglars, at about 12 o'clock M. The Cashier was struck down, gagged, and bound, and the bank robbed of about $20,000 of bonds and money.
1872. The bank removed to building erected for its use on the corner of Washington and Richmond streets, Dorchester, and the capital was increased to $300,000.
1876, Jan. Asaph Churchill resigned the office of President, and was succeeded in that office by E. J. Bispham. Mr. Bispham having re- signed the office of Cashier, Mr. S. J. Willis was elected Cashier.
1879. The capital was reduced $100,000, leaving the capital stock $200,000.
1882. The name of "Blue Hill National Bank, of Dorchester," was changed to the name of "Blue Hill National Bank, of Milton," and the bank was removed to rooms in Associates Building in Milton. The bank building was sold to the city of Boston.
310
HISTORY OF MILTON.
MILTON HORSE-THIEF SOCIETY.
As the Milton society for apprehending horse-thieves, and the recovery of stolen horses, is one of our old and very useful societies, we have thought that a brief history of its use and progress might be interesting to the citizens of the town, as well as to its members.
It was one of the many societies started nearly seventy years ago for the mutual protection of its members against the crime of horse-stealing, which, at that time, was very much more prev- alent than at present. Those whose memory runs back to the time of its formation know that horse-stealing was then a very common affair, so much so that the wise heads of the time thought proper to establish this society. It was formed Feb. 15, 1819, and a constitution and by-laws were adopted for the government of the society. It started with about sixty-four members, all of whom are now dead. There have since been added to the society about four hundred and twenty-six, making about four hundred and ninety in all. About two hundred of these are now living. There has been paid into the treasury since its formation about $500 for membership. Since the society was formed there have been but seven horses stolen from its members, all of which have been recovered by the society.
The expenses of the society thus far have been, for the re- covery of horses, pay of treasurer, clerk, and printing, about $834; cash on hand, $250; whole amount, $1,082, -which shows that our treasurers, one of whom managed the funds for forty years, have neither run off nor defaulted.
Since the formation of the society it has had eight different presidents : Barney Smith, two years ; John Ruggles, twenty years ; Josiah Fairbank, two years; A. T. French, three years ; Charles Breck, ten years; Dana Tucker, five years ; Samuel Cook, seven years; Geo. K. Gannett, the present incumbent, eighteen years. It has had six treasurers : Jedediah Atherton, six years ; Lemuel Babcock, ten years; Jeremiah Crehore, two years ; C. C. Crehore, six years ; T. T. Wadsworth, forty years ; E. D. Wadsworth, the present one, three years. It has had nine clerks : Wm. Crehore, four years ; Ebenezer Billings, one year ; Benjamin Turner, five years; Nathaniel Davenport, three years ; C. F. Bronsdon, one year ; Dana Tucker, twelve years ; Timothy Tucker, seventeen years; Charles Breck, the present one, twenty-five years.
311
FIRE DEPARTMENT.
FIRE DEPARTMENT.
The earliest recorded movement in the direction of a fire department was the formation of a society called the "FIRE- WARD SOCIETY OF DORCHESTER AND MILTON" in 1793. Indi- viduals on both sides of the river united in the purchase of a fire-engine for the benefit of the estates of share-owners. One share represented a hundredth part of the engine and fund of the society. A certificate of the membership is seen below : -
THIS entitles entitle John Lillie Efgr to one Share or Hundredth Part of the Engine and Fund of the FIREWARD SOCIETY in Dorchefter and Milton, and to be a Member of the faid SOCIETY, according to their articles agreed upon for the relief of thofe who may be diftreffed with calamitous Fire. Stephen Badham Enos Blake
S.BADLAM Clerk
COMMITTEE.
June 24th 1794.
The towns of Dorchester and Milton joined in the enterprise by exempting members of the company from military duty, and afterwards by refunding the poll-tax to each member. In Mil- ton, some years later, this was changed to an annual salary for each member, first of five, and then of ten dollars.
The first machine was a small hand-engine, filled by leather buckets, which were ranged along the poles of the engine. Members of the society and chief citizens owned two or more of these fire-buckets, which were generally hung in the front hall of the house, for ready use.
312
HISTORY OF MILTON.
The "Fountain " was the first suction-engine in the vicinity. This was located near the end of the bridge, on the Dorchester side, and afterwards near the stable of Brock & Crane, on Adams street. It was manned by thirty-two men from Milton, with an equal number from Dorchester. At a later date the "Alert," a Dorchester engine, was located on the Milton side, between the river and the trench, at Mattapan ; this, too was manned, in part, by Milton men, and was ready for the protection of Milton property. No other provision was made by the town of Milton for protection against fire for the next fifty years.
HYDRANT ENGINE.
In 1845 the hydrant engine was purchased by the town, at the cost of $1,200, and in connection with this the Granite Hook and Ladder Company was formed. The engine-house was located on Adams street, East Milton, just south of Gulliver's brook. In 1873 it was removed to its present location on Granite avenue.
NINETY'S HOSE COMPANY.
In 1845 the town purchased two hundred and fifty feet of hose to use in connection with the pump at Webb & Twombly's mill, and in 1848 the Ninety's Hose Company was formed. It took its name from the "87 Hose Company " spoken of in " Doesticks,"-a volume issued about that time. In 1861 pipes were laid from the mill to Canton avenue, and six hydrants were located. The Ninety's are in charge of this village sec- tion, and have done valuable service at several village fires.
CHEMICAL ENGINE.
A chemical engine was purchased by the town in 1881, cost- ing $2,000; and an engine-house was built on the land belong- ing to the town in the rear of the Town-Hall, at the expense of $3,195.
FIRE-ALARM TELEGRAPH.
The fire-alarm telegraph was erected through the town in 1882-3. It consists of twenty-three miles of wire; eighteen signal-boxes ; two tower bell-strikers ; and five six-inch gongs, with a battery power of seventy-two jars.
RESERVOIRS.
There are six reservoirs in town, in the following places : One at the Town-Hall, one on Central avenue, near the opening of
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TOWN PROPERTY.
the street now in process of building. Four at East Milton, located as follows : on Granite place; at the corner of Adams and Mechanic's streets ; at the corner of Mechanic's street and Granite avenue ; and at the corner of Adams street and Granite avenue.
At the March meeting of the town, 1887, an appropriation was voted for the purchase of a steam fire-engine, and also for a suitable engine-house. The building is now being erected at Milton Centre, on the town land, near the Chemical Engine House.
PRESENT CONDITION OF MILTON FIRE DEPARTMENT.
The present condition of our fire department may be learned from the last report of William S. Leavitt, Chief Engineer.
The organization of the department consists of a Board of four Engineers and a Chief Engineer.
Manual Force.
The manual force of the department consists of eighty-one members-one driver of the Chemical Engine, and eighty call men, distributed as follows : - Hydrant Engine forty-five men.
Granite Hook and Ladder twenty-five men.
Chemical Engine
five men.
Ninety's Hose .
five men.
Apparatus.
The apparatus now in the service consists of one engine ; one hook and ladder truck ; one chemical engine, with two horses; three hose-jumpers ; and one supply wagon.
TOWN PROPERTY.
In addition to the town farm and buildings, the town-hall, school-houses, engines, engine-houses, lock-up, gravel-pits, stone- crusher and engine, fire-alarm telegraph, with the land under and around the same and the equipments and appurtenances thereunto belonging, the town owns two landing-places.
One is at East Milton, known as Gulliver's Landing, laid out by Dorchester in 1658, at first embracing two or more acres of land at the mouth of Gulliver's Creek. This has belonged to Milton for two hundred and twenty years, during all which time it has been useless and unproductive, yielding little, if any, income to the town ; only serving as a bathing-place for boys.
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