USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Sudbury > The history of Sudbury, Massachusetts, 1638-1889 > Part 27
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Before the service closed, William Brintnall, whose name has been prominent on the muster-lists, was assigned to the leadership of the little company who was to guard Rutland, going there as lieutenant. The following is a letter written by him to the Governor : -
RUTLAND, August 19th 1725.
Honored sr. After my duty to you presented, these are to inform your Honors, that by virtue of the Order I received from you to go to Rutland in quest of the Indian Enimies, and Scout about the meadow, with twelve volunteers, I have accordingly obeyed said orders, by having the twelve men, Eight of which are Capt. Willard's men, and Four who I Enlisted and came to Rutland with these on friday Last, and have Ever since scouted and guarded the meadow, for ye people in their get- ting of hay, we have discovered no signs of Indians as yet, but Expect them dayly, for Ensign Stephens is arrived with his son from Canada, and saith that ye [there] was a company designed for New England, when he came from Canada. he intends to be at Boston with your Honor on Monday next. all at present. I remain your Honor's Ever Devoted Lieut. WM BRINTNALL.
The new men who I enlisted are Samull Goodenow,
Benj. Dudley,
Paul Brintnall, Jonathan Bent.
Capt. Willard's men are William Brintnall,
Joshua Parker,
Danel How,
Jacob Moore,
Cyprian Wright,
James Nutting, Thomas Lamb.
Delivce Brooks,
(State Archives, Vol. LXXII., p. 258.)
According to the muster-roll of Sergeant Brintnall, he and his company of volunteers served from Aug. 17, 1725. Their pay was four shillings per day, the time of service ten weeks and two days, and their duty to serve as a guard about Rut- land. William Brintnall taught school in Sudbury shortly before his enlistment in the above service. On the town book is the following record : "Received of the Constable of Sudbury, by order of the town Treasurer, all that was Due to me for keeping the school in the year 1722: 1723: 1724. Signed per William Brintnall Sudbury, Sept. 8, 1726."
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HISTORY OF SUDBURY.
One of the last prominent military acts of this period was the disastrous defeat of John Lovewell of Dunstable, by the Pigwackets, at the present town of Fryeburg, Me. At about this date the tribes ceased hostilities. For a time the war- path was abandoned, and it was again safe for the defense- less traveller to take the forest trail.
PROVINCE LOANS.
In order to meet the exigencies of the times, in the year 1721 the General Court issued a loan to the amount of fifty thousand pounds. This was to be distributed among the several provincial towns, in what were called bills of credit. The distribution was according to the taxes paid by the towns, and was to be returned to the public treasury within a certain length of time. That Sudbury took her share of the loan is indicated by several payments which were suc- cessively made and a record of receipts received. Of these the following is a specimen : -
BOSTON August 2 : 1720.
Received of the Trustees of the town of Sudbury by Mr. Daniel Haynes, one hundred and one pounds, twelve shillings, being the first fifth part of their proportion to the £50,000. Loan.
Per. ALLEN, Treasurer.
From time to time other fifths were paid, and receipts ren- dered therefor, until Aug. 12, 1730, when the last fifth was paid, and a receipt in full was received. The loan of 1721 was followed by another a few years later to the amount of sixty thousand pounds. The order authorizing it was en- acted in 1728, and was called "an act for raising and settling public revenues for and defraying the necessary charges of the government by an emission of £60,000 in bills of credit." (Felt's " Historical Account of Massachusetts Currency," p. 84.) Sudbury had a share in this loan also.
While the attention of the people in this period was largely engrossed with educational, ecclesiastical, and military mat- ters, the regular, routine business of the town was not neg- lected. Aug. 11, 1702, "it was voted, that the Towne would
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HISTORY OF SUDBURY.
send a pettione to the general cort concerning our River meadows, that are much damnified by reason of many stop- pages, that the Generall Cort would ease us of our tax, or choose a committee to see if it may be helpt, the pettione to be sined in the name of the towne." This vote was carried out, and a petition was sent to the Court jointly by Concord and Sudbury. In it they state that they had sustained -
Grate damage by reason of the water lying on sd meadow whereby they are much straitened and incapacited to bear Town and county charges, and maintain of their families, and something hath been done in order to the Lowering of the water by Removing Rocks and bars of sand, and formerly there hath been a committe sent up by the general court to view the sd meadow, and they have found the stoppage of water may be cleared, but by reason of different apprehensions it hath Layne ever since, we therefore humbly pray the Hon1 Court that it impower a committee to see that the work be done forthwith, that so the present opportunity may not be neglected, and to set us a way that those persons concerned in sd meadow may beare an equal proportion in sd work. The court resolved to appoint a committee of persons in Concord, Sub- bury and Billerica fully empowered to order and determine what may be necessary for clearing sd meadow.
In 1710 the town voted to petition the General Court to make the long causeway "a county road." Feb. 22, 1714-15, it was requested "to see what method the town will take for mending and raising the causeway from the Town Bridge to Lieut. Daniel Haynes." On June 2, 1720, it was requested "to see if the town will raise the causeway from the Gravel pit as far as Capt. Haynes'es old place, proportionally to the aforesaid Long Causeway when mended."
Feb. 25, 1714-15, the town ordered that it would choose a committee of three men to join with Concord to view the obstructions and stopages in the great river.
In 1723-4 a way was laid out from Lanham to the west meeting-house. According to the records, "the latter part of said way, bounded as follows, viz. through the ministerial land, near the southwesterly corner, and so on, something northwesterly. From thence it went, in a straight line, to Nathaniel Rice's, and so northerly, to the highway leading to Lancaster, near the new meeting house." It is now known as the Old Graves Road, so called from a house
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HISTORY OF SUDBURY.
which stood just south of the Old Lancaster Road, at its intersection with this one.
Dec. 14, 1715, the town voted that "there be a horse bridge built on Assabeth river : : : and that the selectmen do order that ye bridge be erected and built over assabath river between ye land of Timothy Gilson and Thomas Burt's land." In 1717-18 the town voted that it would have "a New bridge built over Sudbury river where the old bridge now stands, at the end of the long Causeway."
About 1715 a statement is made in relation to three pounds for providing " a burying cloth, for ye towns use."
In 1722 there is reference to two padlocks, - one for the pound, another for the stocks, -indicating that the unruly were subject to restraint and discipline.
May 13, 1723, it was voted to choose a committee to pre- sent a petition to the General Court "to prevent ye stopage of ye fish in Concord and Sudbury river."
CHAPTER XVII.
1725-1750.
Highways. - Bridges. - Schools. - Movement for a New Township; Remonstrances. - Petition Relating to the River Meadows. - Sale of Peter Noyes's Donation of the Hop Brook Mill. - Gratuities to the Ministers. - Miscellaneous Matters.
The years with change advance. TENNYSON.
THE period upon which we now enter was an eventful one throughout the whole country. Three governors, Bur- nett, Belcher, and Shirley, bore rule. Burnett died in 1729, Belcher left office in 1740, and Shirley entered upon the office in 1741. During the latter part of this period war again called to the front the provincial forces, and the towns were to hear its stern voice and to feel its rude shock. Before, however, the season of strife set in, there was a brief season of peace. During this respite the town made advancement. The tokens of increasing prosperity were manifest in the construction of highways and bridges, and the attention given to miscellaneous matters.
HIGHWAYS.
Of these improvements we will notice, first, those relating to highways. This subject had more prominence than in the preceding period, the reasons for which are obvious ; as time passed on new clearings were made upon which to locate new homes, and new homes perhaps demanded new roads. The last period was one of war; new facilities may have been postponed till better times. Furthermore, the forma- tion of the west precinct doubtless called for new roads. With a meeting-house at Rocky Plain, and a community beginning to gather, new paths were to be opened to it.
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HISTORY OF SUDBURY.
In 1735-6 a way is mentioned as " beginning at Marl- borough road, at Mr. Abraham Woods shop until it comes to Lieut. John Haynes." About the same time is the state- ment of a change of highway from Whale's Bridge over Pine Plain (Wayland), a part of which way is spoken of in connection with Jonathan Grout's land. In 1736 a new highway is spoken of over Pine Brook at John Grout's. , In 1733 the town accepted of a road "laid out by Samuel Dakins to Concord line, and so into the road leading to Stow by Mr. Jonathan Browns in sd town." Also at the same meeting "a way for the upper end of little Gulf at Mr. Samuel Noyes land by David Maynards to Pantry Bridge." In 1734 a way was laid out "from Landham to Sudbury part of the way to go through the land of John Goodnow and part land of Isaac Reed." About 1735-6 a way is spoken of " from Landham to the Clay pits on the east side of Paul Brintnal's barn." During this period " Zackriah Hurd was to make a new way lastly laid out by John Grout's by a Jury," "a substantial, passable County Road." In 1742 a highway was "accepted for the County road by the town bridge to Sedge meadow." The next year Eliab Moore was allowed "to set up gates or bars and fence from the highway leading from the town bridge to Sedge meadow." Towards the end of the period a highway is spoken of "from Honey Pot Brook through Jabez Puffer's land." In 1728 the town accepted of a highway "from the centre road by the house of Joseph Moore by the training field till it come into the Concord road." In 1729-30 it was voted "to accept the way laid out from Thomas Smiths to the west meeting house." This was to go "through Pantry." In 1730 men- tion is made of a way from "Non sidge round hill by Peter Bent's into town." Also a highway is spoken of from Lancaster road "beginning at Mr. Peter Plympton's land leading into Gulf neck, by David Parmenters and Uriah -Wheelers, by the training field, and so into same road at Lake end." A way is also spoken of in 1729, in the east precinct of Sudbury, "from Non Such Round hill to the meeting house in said Precinct." In this period there is mentioned a road "from the New bridge, by Mr. Joseph
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HISTORY OF SUDBURY.
Stones In sd Towne to the road leading to Framingham by Mr. Benjamin Stones In sd town."
As might be expected, when so much attention was paid to the highways, the causeways and bridges were not neg- lected. In 1733 two men were to repair the bridge at the east side of the causeway, " so as ye said butments may not be washed down or be carried away by ye floods as in times , past." In 1735 new plank was provided "for the Grat bridg at the East End of the Long Causewa." About 1743 a sub- scription was made for a bridge between the land of "John Haynes on the west side the river and John Woodward on the east side the river, and Mr. Edward Sherman and John Woodward, agreed, if the subscribers would erect the bridge, to give a good and conveniant way, two rods wide through their land." In 1747 Jonathan Rice rebuilt Lanham Bridge, and received for the same five pounds. The next year there is a record as follows : "To Matthew Gibbs for Rum & for raising Landham Bridge 12 Shillings." In 1726-7 it was voted to expend on the "long causeway from the town bridge to the gravel pit one hundred pounds." In 1729 the town voted to build a new bridge at the east end of the long causeway. In connection with this record we have the two following of about the same date : that "part of the effects of the old meeting house " was to be paid toward the build- ing of the bridge over Sudbury River. The other is this report of the committee chosen by the town to build a bridge at the eastern end of the long causeway: "To David Baldwin for frame of Bridge, 37 pounds. To twelve men to raise said bridge, who went into ye water 3 pounds." Other items were given, among which is this: "For Drink &e. 5$ 1d." (Date, 1729.) On the town records, dated Nov. 28, 1730, is the following: "Received of the selectmen of said town [Sudbury ] four pounds and ten shillings in full dis- charge for building a bridge for said town over the brook by Mr. Abraham Woods in Sudbury [South Sudbury ]. I say received per John Goodnow."
EDUCATION.
During this period educational advantages were on the gain. In 1732 a school-house was built on the east side.
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HISTORY OF SUDBURY.
1
In 1735 the town voted thirty pounds for the support of public schools. The next year the town granted twenty pounds for the out-schooling in said town, three parts for the west and two for the east side of the river. In 1733 the committee were instructed " not to exceed sixty pounds for the schools ye year ensuing." In 1734 it voted thirty pounds for the grammar school in Sudbury; also voted that their representative present a petition to the General Court in behalf of the town for a school-farm in some of the unappro- priated land. In 1734 it " granted 30 pounds to support schools at the school house, and twenty pounds for and towards schools in the out parts or quarters of sd town for that year.' In 1735-6 Amos Smith asked to have the gram- mar school removed into the several out-parts of the town "for the futer;" but the town voted in the negative. In 1740 it was ordered that the grammar school should be kept " in the five remote corners of the town, as it hath formerly been from the 8th day of December until ye end of October next." In 1747 the town voted that the schools should be kept at five places, " at the school house near Nathan Good- now's, at that near Israel Mosses, and at or near the house of Mr. Elijah Haynes, at or near the house of Dea. James Brewer as can conveniantly Bee, and ye school belonging to ye farm near Mr. Smiths." Thus former school privileges were still kept up, while new opportunities were extended to districts more remote.
MOVEMENT FOR A NEW TOWNSHIP.
While the town was thus making perceptible progress, and the tokens of wholesome prosperity were appearing here and there, an occurrence arose which was thought to be por- tentous of undesirable things. This was an attempt, in the year 1739-40, by a portion of the Sudbury inhabitants to colonize and become a new town. The movement was made jointly by parties from Framingham, Sudbury, Marlboro, and Stow. A petition was sent by them to the General Court, March 14, 1739, in which they ask to be made a "separate Township, invested with proper liberties and privileges, and as such proposing our centre at a pine tree with a heap of
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HISTORY OF SUDBURY.
stones round it." The reasons they gave were that " we have for a long time been greatly incommoded, and labored undere great difficulties as to an attendance on ye means of grace, publickly dispensed, by reason of ye great distance from ye place of ye public worship in ye towns to which we respectively belong, some of our houses being three, four, five and six miles therefrom, and ye roads very difficult espe- cially at some seasons of ye year." They further state " we apprehend ourselves capable by the blessing of Heaven on our lawful endeavor to support ye charges yt may accrue." This was signed by forty-three persons. The Court received the petition, and by an act of the House of Representatives, March 14, 1739, it was ordered that the petitioners " serve the towns represented by it with a copy of the petition, that they might be present at the next May session, and show cause, if they had such, why it should not be granted." (State Archives, Vol. XII., p. 137.)
Sudbury was duly represented at the appointed time. The town voted, May, 19, 1740, " that Capt. John Haynes & Mr. John Woodward Be a committee fully impowered in the town's behalf To go to the Great & General Court or assembly to give our reasons why ye prayer of the Petition of Sundry inhabitants of Sudbury, Framingham and Stow should not be granted as set forth in the petition." When the case was called up by the Court, the delegates in behalf of the town presented the protest. In the document that contains it they set forth several reasons why the petition of David Howe and other inhabitants of Sudbury, Marlboro, Framingham, and Stow, dated March 14, 1739, should not be granted. They state that " there in an uncertainty " about the petition ; that the town does not know what damage it is likely to sustain by loss of population or land ; that to weaken the town would tend to discourage the min- isters, who have several times applied for more salary, which would very readily be granted if the ability of the town would admit of the same. They refer to the -
Very great charge that the town hath lately been at in building 2 meeting houses, 2 school houses, and settling 2 ministers together with several great bridges and sundry long and difficult causeways, which
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HISTORY OF SUDBURY.
with the continual accompanying changes of the said town, make the burthen in a great measure insupportable on many of the inhabitants, and if any should be taken from said town, it would make the burthen still heavier. That the meeting house on the west side of Sudbury river was placed by a committee of this Hon. Court, where the Petitioners desired it, and that they signed to the place where the meeting house now standeth with their own hands, and yet many of the inhabitants on the west side of said River, live at a greater distance, from the west meeting house than any of the Petitioners. The very great difficulties that the town of Sudbury is under by reason of the floods that in the summer season often overflow our meadows, and so damage our hay and grain, that makes many of the inhabitants of said town so weak, that instead of bearing charges in the town apply themselves for relief, all which reasons and considerations lay the town of Sudbury under a necessity of claiming those privileges granted to them by the Royal Charter in the following words, viz. That all and any land, tenements, hereditaments, and all other estate, which any person or persons, or bod- ies, politic or Corporate Towns, do hold or enjoy or ought to hold and enjoy, within the bounds aforesaid, by or under any grant or estate duly made or granted by any General Court formerly held, or by any other lawful right or title whatever shall be by such Towns their Respective Heirs, successors, assigns, forever hereafter held and enjoyed according to the Import and patent of such respective grant.
We therefore pray this Hon. Court to take the Premises into ye wise consideration and dismiss the before recited Petition, and so resting we Crave leave to subscribe our Selves your Excellency's and Honor's most humble servants, who as in duty bound shall ever pray.
JOHN HAYNES Committee for JOHN WOODWARD Sudbury.
A remonstance to the petition was also sent by the town of Framingham, and the request of the petitioners for a new township was not granted.
RIVER MEADOWS.
July 15, 1742, a petition was presented, signed by Israel Loring and about seventy-five others, relating to the river meadows. It was directed to His Excellency, William Shirley, Esq., Captain General and Governor, and was as follows : -
The petition of us who are the subscribers, who are the major part of owners and propriters of the meadows lying upon the river called Con- cord and Sudbury River, Humbly showeth, that wheras your petitioners
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HISTORY OF SUDBURY.
have and do often times suffer very great damages both in our hay as well as our grass, by reason of the floods which hath and do very often over flow and stand a long time upon our said meadows, and great cause whereof as we humbly conceive in the many bars and stoppages which are in the river, and sundry of these within the bounds of Concord and Sudbury, whereof our humble request is that your Excellency and Honors would be pleased to appoint for a relief, as in your great wis- dom you shall think best, commissioners of sewers (as the law directs in such causes) with full power to act and do for our relief what may be thought by them in our case needful and necessary for the removal of said bars and stoppages that are in the said river &c, all which is humbly submitted, and your petitioners as in duty bound shall ever pray. (State Archives, Vol. CV., p. 209.)
There was a further list of sixty-two names given in an additional part, dated December, 1742, accompanied by a statement that the signers did not have opportunity to sign the first petition.
SALE OF HOP BROOK MILL.
In 1699 the town chose a committee to receive a donation given by Mr. Peter Noyes, late of Sudbury, to the poor of the town. This donation consisted of his mill. After the town took possession of this property, it was leased for a term of years to Mr. Abraham Wood. On the town record is the following reason for granting this lease : -
Wheras the towne taking into consideration the gift that Ensign Peter Noyes hath given to ye poore of our towne namely ye mills, com- monly called by ye name of ye new mills, with ye lands and privilleges belonging to ye same and being sensible that ye letting of it yearly, will be a means to bring ye sd mills and housen to decay and in time utter ruine, in which will be a great wrong to our poore, and that will not answer ye end of ye (Townes) doner, Therefore in respect to both [him] and our own good which is involved in ye same, we therefore by a vote, grant liberty to them that are concerned as to ye disposal of said gift, to dispose of it for years as they shall see cause for ye benefit and in behalf of ye poore of ye towne of Sudbury.
March ye 19th, 1700. This was passed into an act by ye towne by a magger vote.
In 1728-9 it was voted to sell the mills, and give a deed in the name of the town. The heirs of the donor had laid claim to a considerable part of his gift ; a lawsuit had com-
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HISTORY OF SUDBURY.
menced, and the town had voted money to defend the prop- erty ; the town, therefore, voted to sell the same for the sum of seven hundred pounds. The money was to be put on interest for the use of the poor, and to be disposed of by the selectmen and ministers. The property was purchased by Messrs. Abraham Wood, Sen., and Abraham Wood, Jr. The following record was made concerning the sale: "These may certify that the subscribers, selectmen of the town of Sudbury, have received the bonds or security given by Mr Abraham Wood Sen. and Abraham Wood Jun. for seven hundred pounds Province Bills, in full of and at the hands of Noah Clapp, Uriah Wheeler, and John Hayns. Barin date Mar. 13th 1728 : 9."
In 1730-1 the town petitioned the General Court "that the Great Bridge over Charles river may not be built, but a ferry erected instead."
The four records following show the kindness the town exercised towards its ministers: In 1733 it voted to give Rev. Mr. Cook twenty pounds in money towards making up for the loss of his barn, which it is said was agreeable to a petition of some inhabitants of Sudbury ; it also voted, at the same meeting, to give the ministers a gratuity of forty pounds each for the year ; in 1734 the town voted that Rev. Mr. Minot should have five pounds for preaching three days when Mr. Loring was lame; in 1735 the ministers were to have so much as to make their salaries, including the wood, a hundred and fifty pounds each of them.
In 1739 an article was in the warrant " to see if the town will grant money to provide more ammunition to the town's stock."
In 1740 the town "voted to procure another meeting house bell as good as the one they had."
In 1741 the following items were inserted in the town book : "To Dr Roby for medicine administered to Frank, negro woman." "Granted ten pounds for cutting and clear- ing the brush growing or standing around the west meeting house." Granted twenty pounds for the relief of the [poor of the] town. "Granted to Joseph Muggins and Joseph
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STORANTE (P BOSTON
THE WOODS OR ALLEN HOUSE.
The oldest house in South Sudbury, and the author's birthplace.
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HISTORY OF SUDBURY.
Goodnow, to take the care of, and sweep the meeting houses in sd town, and take care of the two school houses in sd town, at forty shillings apiece, old tenor, End the year ensuing." "To Thomas Reed for what he did for Frank, Negro, in ye time of her last sickness."
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