USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Sherborn > The story of Sherborn > Part 2
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As would be expected, the formation of a church closely followed the establishment of the town. What the people did for worship before the incorporation of the town is not shown, but very likely they crossed the river to Medfield, or held services in their homes. In 1676 a commit- tee chosen by the General Court met with the in- habitants of Sherborn, to inquire what place would be selected for a meeting house, and it was decided to build it not far from the new South burying ground. In 1679, it was voted to pay a minister, £40 per year, of which £20 was to be in money and the rest in "country goods" and also to build him a house. They seem to have been a little dilatory about erecting the meeting house and the General Court prodded them continually to arrange the matter and settle a minister. Finally they decided on a new site, this time near Edwards Plain. Nothing was done, however, and finally the town petitioned to be relieved of the difficulties, though professing a desire to settle a pious and able minister without whom their hope- ful plantation would be ruined and they and their wives and children forced to live like heathens "without God's sabbaths and ordinances or ser- mons."
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The STORY of SHERBORN
The General Court sent them another com- mittee and the town was "placed under loving guardianship" until matters were settled satisfac- torily. Rev. Daniel Gookin, then a young man, was helping John Eliot with the Natick Indians. The Sherborn people went to hear him preach and liking him gave him a call to settle among them. He would not come though unless the meeting house be built near Edwards Plain. The first church stood north of the present Unitarian church and was burned. In 1681 matters being adjusted to his liking, he accepted the call and settled in Sherborn for a pastorate lasting thirty- seven years.
Rev. Daniel Gookin was the son of Daniel Gookin, and was born in Cambridge, Mass., July 12, 1650. He was graduated from Harvard Col- lege in 1669. His sister, Elizabeth, married as a second wife, Rev. John Eliot, whose associate in Natick the young minister became. The only account of his ordination seems to be the brief account of Samuel Sewall, who was a fellow with him at College, and who tells in his diary under date of March 26, 1685, that he "went to the gathering of the Church in Sherborn and ordaining of Mr. Daniel Gookin their pastor. He adds that Mr. Gookin was ordained by Mr.
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The STORY of SHERBORN
Wilson, Mr. Adams and Mr. Nathaniel Gookin. Sewall also tells under date of Saturday, Jan. 11, 1717-18, of the death of his old friend, Rev. Daniel Gookin. He died Jan. 8, 1717-18 and is buried in the Pine Hill Cemetery.
In 1711, Rev. Daniel Baker had come to Sher- born as a colleague for Mr. Gookin, and at the death of the latter he succeeded him and served the Church until he too passed away, May 14, 1731, at the early age of forty-five years. The next minister, Rev. Samuel Porter, also served until death ended his labors, on Sept. 16, 1758, he being but forty-nine years of age. Rev. Samuel Locke the fourth pastor, resigned in 1770, to accept the presidency of Harvard College, but returned to Sherborn three years later, and opened a clas- sical school there to which the best families of Boston sent their sons. The school was where Mrs. Eleanor Flagg now resides. Rev. Mr. Porter's wife was a grand-daughter of James Coolidge, upon whose land Mr. C. B. Prince has his home.
From 1770 to 1816, the church was in charge of Rev. Elijah Brown who died Oct. 24, 1816. He was succeeded by Rev. Shearjashub J. Town- send, who preached from 1817 to 1829, when he was obliged to resign on account of ill-health. He had, however, become so endeared to his peo-
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ple that, when the church separated a year later, he was given a call by both divisions. He was unable to accept either and died in Milledgeville, Georgia, July 20, 1832, aged thirty-six years.
After the division in 1830, Rev. Amos Clark, a native of Sherborn, became pastor of the old church and preached there for twelve years, be- ing succeeded in 1843 by Rev. Richard Stone, whose services ended in 1855. Rev. John Flem- ing, Theodore Dorr and others have filled the interim from 1855 to the pastorate of Rev. I. F. Porter, the present incumbent.
The first pastor of the Pilgrim church was the Rev. Samuel Lee, succeeded by the Rev. Dan- iel Smith Talcott. He, in turn, was followed by Rev. Edmund Dowse, whose pastorate extended over sixty-seven years. Since its end, Rev. D. C. Littlejohn, Amasa Fay, C. B. Blanchard and Henry Bray have supplied the pulpit.
The ministers of the early towns were as a rule the most important person in the town and they felt their importance keenly. Once a stranger in town asked its minister "if he were serving in this town?" and the reply was "I rule here." They were leaders in things temporal as well as spiritual, for in the early days there was no sharp separation between church and state. They were frequently the only men of education
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The STORY of SHERBORN
in their communities which gave them added weight. The meeting houses were unheated as, was also the custom in Europe at this period. They carried small iron foot-stoves filled with live coals and were fined if they forgot to re- move the coals. The service was very long, frequently the sermon would be twice the turn- ing of the hour glass, and the families from a distance brought their lunches and after an hour's nooning were ready for another service of two or more hours. Sunday, however, was enjoyed by the people for everyone was obliged to attend the services and so it was a genuine reunion of families which occurred but seldom at other times, on account of the distances between the homes. They took an intelligent interest in the sermons and all leading questions of the day. No mention is made of a noon house in Sher- born but it is traditional that many of the fam- ilies near the church invited the women and chil- dren in, while the men ate their lunches and talked in the sheds.
Saturday night all work was laid aside at sunset but on Sunday night women resumed their knitting and work and children their play. Sun- day was kept in this way in Sherborn as late as 1864 in the home of Mr. Daniel Coolidge's family. When there were two services in Rev. Edmund
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The STORY of SHERBORN
Dowse's church, provision was made for noon visitors at his home. The minister was always supposed to entertain any strangers passing through the town and as late as 1903 a stranger stopped at Dr. Dowse's saying he was a minister passing from Connecticut to New Hampshire, and wished to stop for a day or so on his way.
The records of the first church and parish were identical with the town records until 1809, then each kept their own. The original records are in the possession of the first parish now.
Probably the next most important person to the minister was the doctor when a town was so fortunate as to have one. Dr. Jonathan Bur- bank settled in Boggestow near the Holbrooks in 1685 and practiced all over a large territory until he was accidentally drowned in 1719. There was also a Dr. Bass who practiced early in Sherborn. In the western part of the town, was Dr. Eleazer Hill and tradition states that he was self-educated and had his wife, Rebecca Richardson, as his as- sistant, she gathering and distilling the herbs he used for medicine and nursing his patients.
In 1772, Dr. Tay settled in the town; he is said to have lived where Mrs. Edith Hawes now resides, although Morse said he lived in the south- west part of the town. He held many important offices and had an extensive practice as a phy-
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The STORY of SHERBORN
sician. Dr. Wyeth lived opposite the entrance of Hunting Lane, on the main street. He was a Representative at the General Court and did much for the cause of education; his daughter kept a dame-school. Dr. Oliver Everett came to Sherborn in 1826, and was a valuable citizen as well as an able physician for twenty-five years. Dr. Albert N. Blanchard came to Sherborn in 1852, and with the exception of his four years' absence at the time of the Civil War remained in town until 1902, having a good practice. He was succeeded by Dr. Paul, whose health caused him to remove to the Adirondacks, where he is at present engaged in the practice of his profession. Dr. George Poor the present resident physician holds other important positions of trust in the town.
As the town in the early days covered so much territory it seemed pleasant to have ceme- teries where they would be of easy access and so land was set apart for that purpose in different sections of the town. The first burying ground was on the banks of Charles River near Thomas Hol- brook's farm and the first one buried there was H. Leland, in 1657; later other grounds were used. In the Centre where the old families lie quietly sleeping, on the Plain at West Sherborn, the new South burying ground, the one on Brush Hill and
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the one on Farm road or the "Farms" as it was formerly called. There are many quaint inscrip- tions and all of these old yards are well worth a visit. In 1852, Rev. Edmund Dowse delivered the address at the dedication of Pine Hill Cemetery. The site having been selected by Dr. Everett and Mr. Jacob Pratt. Dr. Everett was the first to be laid to rest in this place.
For many years manufacturing of various kinds was carried on in Sherborn but there is no longer any interests of this kind in town. Shoes were made by James Bullard, Nathaniel Dowse & Son, Lowell Coolidge and William H. Coolidge. Whips were manufactured by Joseph and Ben- jamin Dowse; straw goods by Palemon Bickford; willow baskets by John Fleming and his brothers; axes, ploughs, and forks by Malachi Babcock at the Stone house on the Plain. For many years Jonathan Holbrook operated the largest cider mill in the world, exporting refined cider but his build- ings were burned. There is a small factory now owned by P. McCarthy. The tailor at one time was Andrew Becker, and the blacksmith was Elbridge Bickford. Muskets and gunpowder were also manufactured and a successful painters' shop where carriages were repaired as well as painted existed for many years over the present post office, the owners being assisted by the black-
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smith's shop across the street which was a suc- cessor of the R. Sanger shop.
The business of the town is now mainly agri- culture, many of the farmers being engaged in the poultry business. There are some success- ful growers of small fruits such as strawberries, raspberries and blackberries, and some fine peach and apple orchards are the pride of their owners.
In the earlier days there was the customary country store where every kind of merchandise was sold indiscriminately in one long room, a strong odor of shoes, print, codfish and whale oil being mixed with a thousand other like smells and giving to the confined air a peculiarity all its own and to be smelt to be appreciated. One of these stores was kept by Alpheus Clark and his sons, Charles and George Clark. Now there are two grocery stores, one owned by J. Jackson & Son at the Centre, and the other belonging to Levine & Son in South Sherborn.
For a long time there were circulating librar- ies connected with the churches and schools and also one belonging to a Farmers' organization. In 1860 these were all merged into a town Library. In 1913, a Memorial Building for the Sherborn Library was given to the town by William B. H. Dowse, Esq., in memory of his father and mother, Rev. Edmund Dowse and Elizabeth Bowditch.
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The STORY of SHERBORN
This building consists of a stack room, two read- ing rooms and a hall, all of them well heated and lighted, and housing a library of about eight thou- sand volumes.
An Historical Society was founded in 1911 which is collecting articles of historic value and these are kept in the Library building. Lectures and papers are given at its quarterly meetings, in connection with the history of the town and its people. Its present president is the Rev. Henry Bray. This society erected a monument in the old South cemetery in memory of the first set- tlers of the town, for which Mr. W. B. H. Dowse prepared a bronze tablet. Mr. John Batchelder gave an address at its dedication and Miss E. D. Coolidge read an appropriate poem. At this time, Mr. Arthur Dowse was president of the society.
The town has always furnished its quota of men for the defence of home and country. It was well represented in the Colonial, Revolution- ary, Mexican, Civil, and Spanish Wars, and to- day (1918) there are sixty boys in the Navy and Army, some at home and more "Somewhere in France." Mrs. Benjamin Twitchell was the last Mexican War widow to receive a pension. Thomas Taber, died in Andersonville Prison in the Civil War. Robert Dowse, son of Charles Dana Dowse, died in the Spanish War. A ser-
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mon was preached by the Rev. Edmund Dowse at the funeral of Theodore Pratt who died in the Civil War which has been printed. Mr. Dowse was also Chairman of the Christian Commission at Chattanooga, Tenn., in the Civil War.
The ladies of the town have a Special Aid Society connected with the Red Cross, and have been giving fine service in aid of relief work dur- ing the present European War. Mrs. Mabel Bard- well is its president. Work has also been done for the Navy League and for hospitals in France at the home of Mrs. Coolidge, under the leader- ship of Mrs. W. B. H. Dowse.
Sherborn is now lighted with electric lights, has fine tarvia roads and is planning for town water. The streets are named for some of the old families as, Bullard, Leland, Sawin, Sanger, Everett, Eliot, Perry, Lane, Goulding, Hunting, Rockwood, Coolidge, Holbrook, Washington, Nason Hill, Dowse's Corner, Butler Lane, Russell Square, Whitney's, Death's Bridge. Maple Street ought to be called Fleming Street as six brothers of the name lived there, one being a minister at the Unitarian Church.
Some interesting houses are the old Sanger House next to Mr. Grout's; the Goulding house, once owned by the Lelands, which has some fine panelling and stair-cases; the Jason Leland house
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which contains valuable old furniture and clothes; the Dr. Tay house in West Sherborn, now owned by Daniel Whitney; the Dr. Wythe house, now owned by Mr. Willis; the Daniel Whitney house, owned by A. F. Carter, and the Flagg house, where Rev. Elijah Brown lived. Sewall's meadow was a stretch of land belonging to Judge Sewall's wife who inherited it from her father, John Hull, that wealthy merchant of Boston who first mint- ed the famous "Pine-tree shilling." Her daughter, Mrs. Cooper, inherited the meadow and used to visit Sherborn, owning the old Sanger house next to the Grout farm. The southern half of the meadow was sold to Capt. Joseph Ware, as the northern had been to Richard Sanger. It seems as if nearly all the old farms touched on some part of Sewall's meadow. The great elm stand- ing by Capt. Ware's house, which is now owned by James Calford, is said to have been planted by his slave, Duty, who appears to have been in charge of his gristmill, the first in the settlement. It is related that when Judge Sewall visited Sher- born he used to be escorted by soldiers as he was afraid of the Indians.
One of the most prominent men of the town was Daniel Whitney. He lived where Hunting Lane is now and was for many years a Repre- sentative to the General Court. The first Rep-
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resentative, however, was Isaac Coolidge; others were Capt. Joseph Morse, Edward West, Hope- still Leland, John Coolidge, Lodowick Dowse, Thomas Sawin, Thomas Holbrook, Samuel Bass, Jeremiah Butler, Dalton Goulding, Capt. Paul, Amos Bullard, Townsend Morse, Lowell Coolidge, E. E. Paul, and James Leland. Calvin Sanger left money for a society to help widows and or- phans, and Aaron Greenwood made a bequest to this society as well as to the Library. A legacy was also given to the poor of the town by Leonard Ranlett. The Barbers, Howes, Pratts, Davis's, Strattons, Chamberlains, and Churches furnished many other honorable citizens.
Among the newer residents of the town we find, Mr. Richard Salstonstall, Prof. B. A. G. Ful- ler, C. S. Houghton, H. Vaughan, J. Fay, Henry Channing, C. B. Prince, George Dexter, Prof. Wieren, Mr. Bushman, Mr. Ordway, Mrs. Kitson, and Mrs. Morton.
The first railroad went through Sherborn in 1868-9 and the railroad from New Bedford to Framingham was opened here in 1874.
There have been several Sea Captains who resided in Sherborn. Capt. James Bickford was commander of a Whaler; Capt. Amariah Leland of a merchant vessel and made voyages to all parts of the world; on one trip Capt. Jesse Hol- brook killed fifty-two sperm whales.
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The following items are of interest to the res- idents of Sherborn :- Jonas Fairbanks was fined for wearing great boots as he was not worth £200; Rev. Elijah Brown is said to have had one son noted for his amiable manners and another one noted for his unamiable manners.
Oct. 3, 1687, Judge Samuel Sewall wrote in his diary, "I and my wife (Hannah Hull) ride to Sherborn." They came to see about the bounds of the meadow and placed the letter "H" on cer- tain trees, they stopped at Joseph Morse's, Good- man Whitney's and Moses Adams and husked corn, ate apples and drank cider. In 1720, Judith Sewall, the Judge's daughter married William Cooper.
"Election Day" was the last Wednesday in May and was a notable holiday. The General Court elected the Governor and the people made merry. The great delicacy was Election cake which everyone either made or bought. The general Training day was in the fall and on this day all the men in the town between the ages of eighteen and forty-five met on the Common or Training Field, for military exercises. Each man provided his own gun, cartridge box, belt and "primer," and there was always plenty to eat and drink. Col. Sanger was the leader of the men for several years.
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The STORY of SHERBORN
Only a small portion of the manufacturing was done in the central buildings. Shoes were sewed and bound at home and by hand as it was before the days of machines. Straw was braided at home and then brought to the factories to be made into bonnets.
In 1850-60, Rev. Richard C. Stone, the pastor of the Unitarian Church withdrew with a part of the congregation and formed a third Religious Society, building a chapel just north of the Uni- tarian Church. This society finally dissolved and the building was moved into Linden Court.
In 1869, when the Rev. Edmund Dowse was State Senator, he was Chairman of the Prison Committee, and presented the bill for establish- ing the Women's Reformatory at Sherborn. This was the first institution of its kind in the world. Mrs. Morton was for many years its Superinten- dent but was forced to resign finally by ill-health. She continues to reside in Sherborn.
The famous gold rush to California in 1849 was represented from this town by Amos Green and James Bigelow. Green lived where Mr. Charles Fields now resides and Bigelow's home was nearly opposite. Miss Mary Pratt went to California by way of the Isthmus of Panama and was married there to Amos Green, but after his death a couple of years later, she returned with
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her baby crossing the Isthmus again while there was a Central American revolution in progress.
A granite monument was erected in 1887 just north of the Unitarian Church on the common by the Leland Association. At this time there were so many families of the name in town that the only way of distinguishing them was by their first names as Deacon Aaron, Mr. Fred, Mr. Bill, Sugar, Charles, etc.
And so we leave Sherborn, dear to the hearts of all of us that call her mother. Quaint, delight- ful, beautiful, as the succeeding years glide softly by, may she ever be worthy to hold her place amongst the old historic towns of Massachusetts.
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A BASKET of EGGS
c
A BASKET of EGGS
A TRUE STORY OF JUNE 17, 1775
"Cousin Margaret's Phillida is coming," shouted a group of girls and boys, one morning, as they saw an old colored woman approach the house, in front of which they were playing, and they ran to meet her with great delight as they had only pleasant memories connected with her visits. Phillida was a slave belonging to the Temples in Boston and had been sent with a bas- ket of eggs to Mistress Dowse in Charlestown. When she left them at the kitchen door she said "There's a note for Miss Eunice and some maple sugar which had just come down from the north country, for the little ones." The note was as follows:
"Dear Eunice,
I send your mother a dozen of the eggs that she wanted and when convenient she may send me a dozen of her black Spanish beauties and Phillida will set them for me. Come over as soon as you can and visit. Did you know Uncle
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A BASKET of EGGS
Nathaniel's Dorothy is going to marry Capt. Kid- der when his ship comes in? Elizabeth and her twin sister Susannah have just been in from Billerica.
With love to Joseph and all the babies from
Margaret Temple Dowse." Boston, May, 1775.
Eunice was eager to accept the invitation as she delighted to visit her Cousin Margaret in her pleasant home in Boston, for Margaret had a home of her own though not as old as Eunice.
"I think we will have a dozen to send in a week or two and, if the British soldiers are not too plenty, you can go over," her mother said and wondered what would be the outcome of all the disturbance in the towns around.
The home of the Dowse's was at 132 Main Street, in Charlestown, not far from where they crossed the Charles River in Boston. It consisted of a large two story house, barn, and work shops. Eleazer Dowse was a busy man when at home but at this time was with the militia. He was much interested in the affairs of his country and was one of the men who signed a petition against the importation of tea (in Nov. 24, 1773) by the East India Co., and so must have attended the meetings at "The Green Dragon."
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The house was comfortably furnished for those times; much of the old furniture might have belonged to Mr. Dowse's ancestors-although the country was now provided with many luxuries such as were used in the Mother country.
The night after Phillida's visit, as the family gathered around the open fire, for the evenings were cool even in May, Mrs. Dowse said, "Joseph, is there a hen that wants to set?" "Yes, Mother," he replied, "old Blackie has been wanting a nest- ful for some days," then she told him the eggs were rare ones and she wanted the hen put where there would be nothing to disturb her. "Why not put her in one of the old cradles in the shed cham- ber," said Joseph. "Just the thing, those cradles your father will keep because his father and grandfather had them for the slave's babies." The eggs were placed under the hen in the old cradle in the shed chamber with plenty of hay for a nest, and she was to be left undisturbed for three weeks except as she came off for food and exercise.
We never know how our plans may be changed. Little James of six years and John of nine were especially interested in this venture and could hardly wait for the appearance of the chicks, and every day watched for Biddy to come off and feed.
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A BASKET of EGGS
Mistress Dowse had an anxious spring, she was the second wife of Mr. Eleazer, his first wife was Eunice Dana, who had left three children, Eleazer, Eunice and Joseph, and now there were five more little Dowses, quite a family to provide for in ordinary times and more difficult now, as the father and eldest son were in the militia. The latter had enlisted in Capt. Joseph Chadwick's Company, Richard Gridley's Regiment. Eunice, the eldest at home, was nineteen, Joseph, a boy of fifteen, was Mrs. Dowse's great dependence, and although he was interested in military affairs he was kept at home for work, too busy for one of his years his mother knew, as he had no time for study and little for play. He was happy in his work and seemed to realize the hardships his mother had to endure as few boys would have done. For this reason it must have been that he did not know of the unusual excitement of the night of the 16th of June.
The morning of the 17th, Eunice announced to her mother that there were thirteen eggs and added, "Please can't I carry them to Cousin Mar- garet today?"
Mrs. Dowse knew that there had been more than the usual disturbance in the distance, and ever since the last lot of British troops had come to Boston the commotion had increased, but she
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realized also that there would be few chances for the girl to go, and as she knew of no immediate alarm, she said, "You can go by noon and be sure and come home early," for although there were street lights in Boston then, it certainly would not be safe for young people to be out, and Joseph must go with her.
Eunice dressed herself in her new blue gown and her bonnet of straw with bright ribbons, but her mother said she could not go in that way, she must wear her grey linsey-woolsy dress and cape with a hood to shade her face or she could not go, Eunice rebelled at once but when she saw the tears in her Mother's eyes, she said, "Anything if I can only go." "You remember how the sol- diers troubled young Harrison Grey Otis on his way to school last month," said Mrs. Dowse, "and now I hear they are taking young men to help them, I cannot let them have Joseph." Eunice with a sigh, partly on account of her dress and partly because of her mother's distress, started with Joseph who carried the basket of eggs. "Be sure and bring the basket back and don't let the soldiers get Joseph," called the mother, as she stood at the door holding little Thomas in her arms.
The basket was an oval one given many years before to one Benjamin Dowse by the Indian
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A BASKET of EGGS
Wampatuck. Benjamin was a witness when this Indian and others gave a quit claim deed of the Peninsular of Boston.
Just as Eunice and her brother came near the ferry to Boston, (there was no bridge then) they saw marching along a company of British soldiers. Eunice's first thought was of Joseph, what if anything should happen to him? She seized the basket of eggs, told him to run for the water and take a boat, and he was gone as quickly as she said it; knowing she was thinking of what their mother had said. Then Eunice thought to herself, "Mother said I was dressed so no one would notice me and Joseph says I look like an old woman," so she bowed her head and limped a little to complete the deception. As the soldiers passed her one called, "What is in your basket, old woman?"
When on the other side of the river, she ran through cross streets to Cousin Margaret's home, sent the knocker flying and when in the hall quickly explained to her Cousin the reason she was dressed as she was, her fright, and how thankful she was that her mother had been so thoughtful in regard to her dress.
"I am glad you came today for Dorothy is here and we can make plans for the wedding," said Margaret.
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Eunice, after she had given her mother's messages about the eggs and chatted a while, was anxious to go home to learn about Joseph and relieve her mother's anxiety. Margaret's mother, Mrs. Temple, who was with her daughter as her husband had gone to England on business, said that no girl should leave the house alone as she knew something more than the ordinarypractising had been going on that afternoon. So the girls set- tled down to a delightful time as only girls can, each contributing her share to the conversation, and although Eunice could not forget Joseph and her mother, she was interested in Dorothy's de- scription of her gifts as Capt. Kidder had come and brought her many fine things from foreign coun- tries, which could not be bought in Boston. Mar- garet showed them her portrait just painted by Blackburn, in which she was dressed in green silk trimmed with lace, seated on a green bank with a bunch of flowers in her hand.
The afternoon went all too fast and the sup- per of meat, muffins, marmalade, and cake was about ended when Joseph was ushered in. He was so excited he hardly stopped to make his manners to the ladies but said, "You must come quickly, Eunice and go over in a boat with me for father has come and we are going to move to- night to a place where it will be safe for us while
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he is gone. It is in Sherborn and we shall load on a sloop tonight and go as far as we can, then we are to be met by a man with a team who will take us to Sherborn near where father has been." Eunice had been putting on her cloak and hood while Joseph talked, and was in as much of a hurry to leave as he was, and in their hurry and excitement, the basket was forgotten. Eunice could help at the oars and they were soon across, without any interruption, and both went to work. Eunice cared for the little ones, dressing them and getting their clothes and toys, while the older ones carried down such articles of furniture as could be taken. Little John and James seemed so heartbroken at leaving the setting hen, that Joseph with his kind heart could not resist trying to take her, and carefully covering the cradle with an old blanket, he carried it to the boat. While they were at work the house was set on fire by the British soldiers, for it was the evening after the battle of Bunker Hill, but the family all went onto the boat and so escaped.
At what is now Malden, the furniture was reloaded on to a wagon and driven from there by a man by the name of Morse. Joseph cared for the hen and cradle much to the amusement of all, as they knew the frequent changes must be hurtful, but greatly to their surprise nearly
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every one of those eggs hatched and many people came to see them. Henry Morse, the driver, of course, was interested and continued his visits after the wonder of the chickens ceased, when it became evident that it was Eunice that was the attraction, and in 1780, on Oct. 19, she was mar- ried to him.
Joseph was drafted in Dec., 1777, for six months into the company under Captain Har- rington and stationed for some time in Sherborn, also at Mystic, guarding military stores. He en- listed July 13, 1779, under Capt. Thomas Hovey, was in Springfield and in 1781 was in New Jer- sey with General Washington.
In 1789 after the States had elected a Presi- dent, Cousin Margaret invited the cousins to visit her in Boston and witness the parade in honor of the visit of the President.
Eunice came with her husband and brother and while Joseph was telling about the journey of the cradle and hen, Margaret interrupted by saying, "I've your basket now," and had it brought in and given to Joseph for his mother."
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DECORATION DAY, 1918.
To Joseph Dowse, 1760-1839. 1
One warm, bright morn in the month of May Laden with flowers for Memorial Day, Great, great, great, granddaughter Sue Went to walk the graveyard through. She found a little, old, grey stone Covered with moss and quite o'ergrown With creeping vines. She, by its side Put a starry flag and to it tied Her flowers, in loving memory Of great, great, great grandfather D.
She knew with pride that he had been At the Boston Tea Party and Green Dragon Inn; That he left his wife and children nine, For his Country and for yours and mine; That he was out at Great White Plain, And gave a son, whom 'tis said, had lain At Valley Forge in the ice and snow, And probably more that I don't know Did great, great, great grandfather D., Whose stone little Sue had come to see.
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DOWSE MEMORIAL LIBRARY Sherborn, Massachusetts
(Copy 2)
y / circulate
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