USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Woburn > The history of Woburn, Middlesex County, Mass. from the grant of its territory to Charlestown, in 1640, to the year 1680 > Part 32
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of Thomas Henshaw, who died in 1747, gave birth to a babe ; and at the time of her travail, as was certified by the midwife under her hand, she laid it to Rev. Mr. Jackson. There is abundant reason for believing that this charge was welcome, though surprising news to Mr. Jackson's opposers, the friends of Rev. Mr. Fox. Two of them in particular, according to a tradition derived from a source of high respectability,33 encour- aged Mrs. Henshaw to go before a magistrate, and swear to the truth of the report which she had put in circulation; and that when she had taken an oath to this effect, they were seen by a friend of Mr. Jackson who was looking on, to put money into her lap. Even these persons, however, were too cautious, it seems, openly to assert the fact which that report was designed to prove. But Rev. Josiah Cotton, the acting minister of their party, with astonishing imprudence, did not hesitate to proclaim it abroad. Credulously relying upon the truth of the story cer- tified by the midwife, he on a certain day, in the presence and hearing of divers persons, charged Mr. Jackson with being the father of the widow Henshaw's child; " and called him, a vile, wicked man, a fornicator, and unfit to be a minister." 34 For these and other opprobrions speeches, uttered that day against him, Mr. Jackson commenced an action against Mr. Cotton for a libel : alleging in his declaration, that by means of his false, scandalous words concerning him, he had been brought into dis- grace and contempt; and that differences and quarrels had arisen in the church and congregation to which he ministered, by which he had been in great danger of being removed from his pastoral office : and laying his damages in consequence at £1,000.34
The case was brought before the Court of Common Pleas, at Concord, in September 1752. At this Court, Mr. Cotton, by his attorney, Benjamin Kent, Esq., of Charlestown, seems to have rested his defence, not upon any direct answer to what had been alleged against him in Mr. Jackson's Declaration, but upon the denial of some promise that Mr. Jackson had
33 Late Mr. Bartholomew Richardson, deceased.
44 Records of Superior Court, Vol. from 1752 to 1753, leaf 205, p. 2d; and leaf 206.
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averred that he (Mr. Cotton) had made him. But Mr. Jackson's attorney, Edmund Trowbridge, Esq., of Cambridge (afterwards Judge Trowbridge), maintained, that the defendant's plea was by no means a sufficient answer to his client's, the plaintiff's Declaration ; and that he was not bound to reply to it. This likewise was the opinion of the Court. And, accordingly, they decided that Mr. Jackson should recover against Mr. Cotton " the sum of One Thousand Pounds lawful money, Damage; " and £1 16s. 6d. the costs of suit.35 From this Judgment of the Inferior Court, Mr. Cotton appealed to the next Superior Court of the Province for this County, holden at Charlestown, 30 Jan- uary, 1753. At this Court, after a full hearing of both parties the case was committed to a jury, who returned as their verdict, that " they (found) for the appellant Costs of Courts." And this verdict of the jury was affirmed by the Court, who decided that Mr. Cotton, the appellant, should recover Cost of Courts against Mr. Jackson, the appellec.34
By this decision, Mr. Jackson was thrown into a truly pitiable condition. The former judgment of the Inferior Court in his favor had now been reversed by the highest judicial tribunal in the land, whence there was no appeal. His friends, many of them, grew discouraged, and hung their heads. His enemies triumphed, and freely uttered their jeers and taunts against him. And to sum up his trials, a Council of churches and ministerial brethren was convened, either just at this time, or at a little carlier period of this difficulty, to consider and advise upon his affairs. The result of this Council, it is understood, was pub- lished at the time, and a Copy long preserved in the house of the late Capt. Ishmael Munroe, of Burlington, deceased. But several years before his death, this copy was lost; and as no other is known to exist, the object and doings of the Council referred to can only be conjectured. It seems probable, however, that it was called to consider the expedieney of his dismission from his pastoral charge : and it is very possible that Mr. Jackson alludes to the proceedings of this Council, where he speaks, in his
35 Records of Inferior Court of Common Pleas for Middlesex, from Dec. 1750, to May, 1754, pp. 303, 304.
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Declaration, of the danger he had been in of removal from office. But whatever the precise time and object of assembling the Council were, the event shows, that in such a dark, suspicious case, they wisely judged it best to defer a decision against Mr. Jackson till time should throw further light upon his conduct, and prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. . But even supposing this Council to have resulted in such an expression of forbearance towards an accused suffering Christian brother and friend, yet its bare assembling on such an occasion, and upon such a subject of consideration, must have been severely trying to the feel- ings of Rev. Mr. Jackson, - must have cost him many a pang. Still, the good man under all these trials was wonderfully sus- tained. The consciousness of his innocence of the crime laid against him, and his acquittal from it by the All Seeing One, proved to him a rock of support that could not be shaken, -never failed him. Nor was he wholly destitute of earthly friends to encourage him. There were still a few at least among his people who were confident of the falseness and malignity of the accusation against him ; and that this would one day be made to appear. And therefore, when his enemies would insultingly de- mand of them, "If Mr. Jackson be innocent, why is he so silent ?" these would reply (tradition says) "Aye : but by and by the cry will be, 'When will Mr. Jackson have done ?'" meaning, When will he be satisfied with the revenge he will have it in his power to inflict upon his accusers ? Cheered by the countenance and firmness of such friends, Mr. Jackson quietly persevered in the discharge of his ministerial duties; kept his mouth as with a bridle, and said little or nothing in his own de- fence. When one or another of his people would now and then come, and inquire of him, " Why, Mr. Jackson ! Don't you hear what people say of you ? And do you say nothing ? Won't you offer a word in reply ?" His answer commonly was, "Aye, all in good time." And thus this injured minister encouraged himself in the Lord his God. He silently committed himself, in the way of well doing, to Him that judgeth righteously; confident that sooner or later, by one means or another, He would bring forth his righteousness as the light, and his just dealing as the noon
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day. And in this assurance he was not disappointed. But lit- more than six months after the adverse decision of the Superior Court in his case had passed away, when God, in his providence, wonderfully interposed in his behalf, and by an occurence, appar- ently the most trifling and accidental, wrought for him the expected deliverance.
It happened one day, that, as Mr. Jackson's negro ( Cæsar, I will call him) was at work near his master's house, there came along another negro, the slave of one of Mr. Jackson's principal opposers (whom I will call Cuff); when the following conver- sation, substantially, ensued between them. "Good morning Cæsar," exclaimed Cuff, " Same to you," cried Casar : "Where you gwying ?" " Gwying !" replied Cuff, "Gwying to Widder Hen- shir's : got a letter : can you tell me where her lives ?" " Got a letter ? " answered Cæsar quickly ; " Got a letter ? O give me : I'll carry it to Massah Jackson : He'll point you where her lives." Cuff upon this, with all simplicity, yields up the letter, and away bounds Cæsar with it to his master. The letter may reasonably be supposed to have been unsealed ; for what the need of scals to letters, carried by the hand of a poor ignorant African, that had never learnt the alphabet, and to whom English and Latin, Greek and Hebrew were all alike ? Seeing it to be in this con- dition, Mr. Jackson ventured to open it; and finding that its contents furnished a complete exposure of the falsity of the charge against him, or a direct clew to such a discovery, he quickly copied it, and keeping the original for his own use, he returned the copy by Cæsar to Cuff; and Cuff, without perceiv- ing or suspecting the change, took it from Cæsar, and quietly went on his way with it where he had been sent.
And now came Mr. Jackson's turn to triumph. He embraced the first opportunity to petition the Superior Court for a review of the case which had there been recently decided against him; concealing apparently, however, for the present, as far as was possible, the source of the information upon which his petition for a review was based. The Court granted his request; and at its next session for this County, which was at Charlestown, January 29, 1854, the same place where just a year before it
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decided against him, it now came to a decision in his favor ; and one which completely vindicated his good name, which by its former judgment came near being ruined. The following is a copy of that decision taken from the records of the Superior Court of this, then province, as it is there briefly expressed.
" At a Court held at Charlestown, Jany. 29. 1754.
" Edward Jackson of Woburn in the County of Middlesex, Clerk, Plaintiff, vs. Josiah Cotton of Woburn aforesaid, Clerk, Defendant. In a plea of Review of a plea of the Case &c" as in the Writ (on file) bearing date of sixteenth day of August last at large appears : The Defendant altho' solemnly called to come into Court, did not appear, but made Default, and the Plaintiff (the Defendant having paid him the Costs) Releases his Demand for Damages." 36
The " Writ on file" referred to in this Record, and which, doubtless, set forth Mr. Jackson's reasons for asking a review of his case allowed him, has been repeatedly sought for on the files . of the Court, but without success. The judgment of the Court, however, in their review (or rather, as it may be termed, the judgment of Mr. Cotton against himself ) is a complete vin- dication of Mr. Jackson. Mr. Cotton, feeling he could not defend himself, ventures not now to appear before those judges, who, a year before, had decided in his favor. The Court declares Mr. Jackson entitled to damages. But Mr. Jackson generously relinquishes that demand to his new penitent suffer- ing brother minister, he agreeing to pay the costs of Court. And this account of the matter agrees in the main with the popular tradition concerning the termination of this suit. That tradition is, When the Court was assembled and ready to attend to the Review petitioned for, Mr. Jackson put the letter above referred to into his Attorney's hand. The lawyer shows it to its anthor, a leading man of the Fox party, then present, and asks him if he knew and would own his own hand ? The writer blushed and was confounded. The cause being ex- plained to Rev. Mr. Cotton, he ran out of the Court house, and
16 Records of Superior Court for Middlesex, from 1753-1754, leaf 122, p. 2d.
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cried like a child at perceiving how deceived or mistaken he had been. And when it was signified in some way to Mr. Jack- son that he had now his adversaries completely in his power, he rose and said, " May it please your Honors, I desire not the money of these men; I have no wish that they should be deprived of their liberty; all I ask of them is, that they stand up and confess before the Court, and this whole assembly, that the accusation they have laid against me, or helped to circulate, is a false accusation." Mr. Jackson's proposal was complied with. And while they left the Court house mortified and con- founded, he left it with honor, and with the applause and sympathy of all good men. And thus were fulfilled, in a portion of his opposers at least, those words of the Psalmist, " He made a pit and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made. His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate."
Mr. Jackson did not long survive, to enjoy the vindication of his character, which the late decision of the Court had estab- lished to general satisfaction. During a large portion of the year preceding, anxiety of mind seems to have undermined his bodily health, so that a considerable portion of the time, the parish was obliged to hire preaching; and the remainder of the year, he was still in a languishing condition. The parish im- proved this opportunity to settle with him for their arrears, in paying up his salary for past years ; and granted him a larger sum than usual for the year then current. The restoration of his credit, and the silencing of accusation against him, in conse- quence of the last judgment of the Court, seem to have some- what raised his spirits, and renewed his usefulness. But before summer was gone, his health appears to have rapidly declined : so that in September the parish voted to hire preaching again for six weeks; but before that term was gone, their junior pastor was no more.
Rev. Mr. Edward Jackson was a son of Deacon Edward Jackson of Newton, and a grandson of Edward Jackson, who arrived in New England about 1642; was made freeman in 1645, and settled in Newton, then a part of Cambridge,
28
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between 1642 and 1645. He was born at Newton, April 3, 1700; graduated at Harvard College, 1719, and was ordained at Woburn, as colleague pastor with Rev. Mr. John Fox, August 1, 1729. Through life, for anything that appears to the contrary, he was sound in doctrine, correct in morals, and his public labors and services were acceptable to his people, though he has left nothing in print, by which the style, matter and manner of his preaching can now be estimated. He lived unmarried ; and died September 24, 1754, in the fifty-fifth year of his age, and the twenty-sixth year of his ministry. The parish provided for him at their cost a respectable funeral ; and by their invitation, Rev. Messrs. Abbot of Charlestown, Appleton of Cambridge, Cook of Menotomy (now West Cambridge,) Morrill of Wilmington, Jones of Woburn Precinct, and Carnes of Stoncham, accompanied his remains, as bearers, to his grave.
In view of the lamentable transactions recorded in the latter part of this chapter, some, perhaps, may be ready to say that religion and morals were at a low ebb in Woburn at that day. But this would be a rash and unjust inference. It is not right to judge of a whole community by the misconduct of a few of its members. Doubtless, several of the prominent characters in the scenes we have been just surveying were persons astonishingly wanting both in principle and morals. But they were few in comparison with the great body of the people. Many there were, I doubt not, both of men and women then in Woburn, who looked with grief upon some of the things done in the midst of them, which have here been noticed; and could not help passing a judgment of entire disapprobation upon them in one way or another, and sometimes expressing it. But after all, they kept themselves aloof from the stripes, and reproaches, and false accusations which then abounded; and meddled with them as little as possible. They were diligent and exemplary in the discharge of the duties of their several occupations and callings in the week time : they were constant in the worship and service of God upon the Sabbath; they followed habitually the things which make for peace; in a word, they did justly and loved mercy in their intercourse with men; they walked humbly with
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God; and left a good example when they died for their children to imitate. Such persons, though in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, are the excellent of the earth : they were in that day the salt of this town; and for their sakes, I doubt not, a blessing has come down upon their posterity in different generations then unborn.
CHAPTER XI.
Ordination of Rev. Josiah Sherman. - Death of Rev. John Fox. - Reunion of Third Parish with the First. - Rev. Josiah Cotton dismissed, and Third Church disbanded. - Col. Roland Cotton. - Enlargement of First Parish meeting-house. - Woburn in French War, 1755-1763. - Memo- rials of events in that war by Woburn men. - Dismission of Rev. Mr. Sherman.
THE last chapter of this History of Woburn closed with an account of the death of Rev. Edward Jackson, junior pastor of the First Church. This event occurred September 24, 1754. For above a year previous, in consequence of his declining health, and of the age and infirmities of the senior pastor, Rev. John Fox, the pulpit of the First Church had been supplied by preachers from abroad, at the cost of the parish. And it continued to be so supplied for some weeks after Mr. Jackson's death, without any special reference to the settlement of a colleague with Mr. Fox. But at a meeting, January 6, 1755, the parish took some prelim- inary steps to this important end. They directed their com- mittee, for the supply of the pulpit, to employ Messrs. Aaron Putnam, Jonas Clark and Stephen Minot, graduates of Harvard College, who had recently commenced preaching, two Sabbaths each; and when these gentlemen had severally completed the term of their respective engagements, the parish gave direction for their continued employment among them, three Sabbaths cach in succession ; and at a meeting, June 1 8th, they attempted to make choice of one of them for their minister. But as commonly happens in such cases, the attempt was without effect. Each of the three candidates appears to have had a party among the people in his favor ; the vote was a divided one; and there being no prospect of union in either of them, they were all three dis- charged from further service in Woburn.1 Mr. Putnam was settled not long after at Pomfret, Conn. as Mr. Clark was in
1 Records of First l'arish, Woburn, Vol. 11., pp. 11, 15, 20, 21.
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Lexington, Mass. Mr. Minot, a son of the venerated " Master" Timothy Minot of Concord, received and accepted a call to the pastoral care of a church in Portland, Maine, in 1759; but died before the day appointed for his ordination arrived .?
The gentleman next employed to preach here as a candidate for settlement, was Mr. Nathaniel Potter, a native of Elizabeth- town, N. J., and a graduate of Princeton College, N. J., 1753. At a parish meeting, July 2, 1755, the committee for supplying the desk was directed to hire him for three Sabbaths; the engagement then entered into was subsequently prolonged twice; and the last time, Mr. Potter was requested by the committee (agreeably to instructions from the parish) "to tarry a few days " in the place, in order that he and the people might become better acquainted. At a meeting, September 22, 1755, the parish (in concurrence with the church) chose Mr. Nathaniel Potter for their "Gospel minister"; voted to give him a salary of £80 per annum, and £133 6s. 8d. settlement; and then, after appointing their standing committee, jointly with the committee of the church, to inform Mr. Potter of their choice of him to the ministry, they adjourned their meeting to October 20th. But at this adjourned meeting, Mr. Potter returned a negative answer to their invitation. Upon the 19th day of November following, 1755, he was ordained the pastor of the church in Brookline, Mass., and after sustaining that relation a term short of four years, he was dismissed June 17, 1759.3
But though the citizens of Woburn First Parish, had been thus twice disappointed in their hopes of obtaining a settled minister, yet they still persevered in their efforts to this end. Nor were these efforts long without success. At their meeting, October 20th, above referred to, after voting to leave it with their committee to supply the pulpit at their discretion till further orders, they adjourned for a fortnight, to November 3d. But before that day arrived, Mr. Josiah Sherman, a graduate of the same college with Mr. Potter, and very probably by his
? Shattuck's llistory of Concord, p. 247.
$ l'arish Records. American Quarterly Register, Vol. VIII., p. 42. 28*
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recommendation, appears to have come to Woburn, and to have preached one or more Sabbaths, by invitation of the committee. At the adjourned meeting, November 3d, the parish voted to request Mr. Sherman to preach for them as a candidate for settlement, and to tarry in town; and appointed a numerous committee to communicate this their request. By this com- mittee, Mr. Sherman immediately signified to the parish his compliance with their request, and so acceptable did his subse- quent services prove, that all hearts seem to have been at once united in his favor. At a parish meeting, December 1st, only four weeks from the time he agreed to preach as a candidate, a call was given Mr. Sherman, apparently unanimous, to settle in Woburn. In this deeply interesting proceeding, the church took the lead, casting twenty-four votes in favor of Mr. Sherman. The parish then concurred, by a vote of eighty-three, in the choice of the church; voted, to grant Mr. Sherman a settle- ment of £133 6s. 8d., lawful money of this Province, and an annual salary of £80 " so long as he shall carry on the work of a Gospel Minister in said Parish:" and having chosen a committee to inform him of these votes, adjourned their meeting to December 22d. On that day, Mr. Sherman communicated his acceptance of the call given him: upon which the parish fixed upon January 28, 1756, as the day of ordination; and then, at an adjournment of one week, December 29th, voted as follows :
1. To accept the offer, made by Mr. Benjamin Flagg, of his house, for the entertainment of the Council; and voted, that Lieut. William Tay, Mr. Nathan Richardson and Mr. Zebadiah Wyman be a committee to provide for the Council there.
2. "Voted by said Parish that the following Ministers and their Churches be sent unto, to assist in the Ordination of Mr Josiah Sherman : viz : the Revd Mr Appleton of Cambridge,
Mr Dunbar of Stoughton,
Mr Tureil of Medford, Mr Hobby, Reading, Mr Cook, Menotomy [West Cambridge, ] Mr Morrili, Wilmington, Mr Bridge, Chelmsford, Mr Carnes, Stoneham,
Mr. Jones, Woburn, 2d Parish, Mr Potter, Brookline."
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3. " Then chose a committee of two, Mr Benjamin Wyman and Mr Jabez Richardson, to assist Mr Sherman in drawing up the Letters missive to the above Churches.
4. Requested Josiah Johnson Esqr. "to get Mr Sherman's Letter of Recommendation from the Church in Milford in Connecticut." 4
Agreeably to arrangements cited above, Mr. Sherman appears to have been first admitted by Letter, as a member into the First Church of Woburn; and then to have been ordained its pastor, January 28, 1756, the day appointed. For, at the annual parish meeting, March 8, 1756, it was voted that they would raise £80 to pay Mr. Sherman's salary the present year, " which began Jan 28th, 1756 "; and £133 6s. Sd. to pay his settle- ment.4
The ordination of Mr. Sherman was soon followed by the death of the senior pastor, Rev. John Fox, who deceased December 12, 1756, when about seventy-eight years of age.
He was the eldest son of his immediate predecessor at Woburn, Rev. Jabez Fox; and was probably born at Cam- bridge, where his father resided, and occasionally preached, before he was settled at Woburn, in 1679. He was graduated at Harvard College, 1698; took charge of the grammar school in Woburn in 1700; and apparently continued in that employ- ment at his father's death, in February 1702-3. Shortly after that event, he was invited to preach three months upon proba- tion in his father's place; at the expiration of this term, his engagement was prolonged to three months more, and then receiving an invitation to settle, which he accepted, he was ordained over the church and town of Woburn, November 17, 1703. For twenty years, his services were acknowledged with frequent tokens of acceptance and success : such as repeated voluntary grants from the town, in addition to his salary. But then, his health began to fail, so that he was often indisposed and unable to preach; which brought the town under the unwel- come necessity, first, of frequently hiring preaching from abroad, and then of settling a colleague; and for the last fifteen years of his life, he was totally blind. The loss of health and sight, however, did not wholly put a period to his usefulness. While
· Parish Records, Vol. II., pp. 22-24, 26.
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laboring under these great discouragements, he still occasionally preached; "and often catechised the youth of his parish, who use to resort to his house for this purpose, and to receive his pious counsels and exhortations." In Alden's notice of him, in his Collection of Epitaphs, two sermons of Mr. Fox from I. Samuel XIV. 15, occasioned by the great earthquake October 29, 1727, are spoken of, as then extant.
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