USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Waltham > Waltham as a precinct of Watertown and as a town, 1630-1884 > Part 4
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HISTORY OF WALTHAM
brief the line was to start at Charles River and to extend to the Cambridge line so as to run on the east side of Joshua Childs' house and on the west side of Thomas Straight's. The west meet- ing-house was to be moved within two years to a piece of rising ground within twenty rods of Nathaniel Livermore's now dwelling house or a new one erected. The east house was to be moved to or a new one erected on Schoolhouse Hill within forty rods of where the former schoolhouse stood, within ten years. The line was run by Col. Samuel Thaxter on Dec. 13th. Its direction was north, forty-nine degrees east and was five rods distant from the two houses mentioned.
On Jan. 10, 1720-1, Francis Fullam, Justice of the Peace, di- rected Samuel Parkhurst one of the constables of Watertown to notify "each and every one of the freeholders and other inhabi- tanc at Watertown living on the west side of the dividing line before mentioned to the utmost western southern and northern Bounds who are qualefied by law to vote in the affairs of sd west precinct to meett at the dwelling house of deacon Jonathan Sanders [on] in sd weste precinct in watertown on munday the 30th day of January currant at one of the clock in the afternoon on sd day." This call was issued at the desire of Jonathan San- derson and Jonathan Smith and thirty-one other inhabitants who on the same day signified their compliance with the order of the General Court. Constable Parkhurst in his return stated that he had given notes to or left word at the houses of all those within the line mentioned. The house of Dea. Sanderson stood at the southwest corner of the present Lexington and Lincoln Streets, then called Hosier's Corner, Samuel Hosier being the original grantee in 1636 of the land adjoining. Although there had probably been other community meetings before, this was the first one officially called and so became the first authorized meet- ing of those who were later to become inhabitants of the Town of Waltham. The east precinct did not organize until Dec. 27, 1723.
THE WEST PRECINCT
The first meeting was held simply to organize for the short time previous to the regular annual March meeting. Lieut. Jonathan Smith was chosen moderator, Isaac Mixer, clerk, and Dea. Joseph Mixer, treasurer. Lieut. Jonathan Smith, Capt. Samuel Harrington, Serj. Jonathan Sanderson, John Cutting, Ensign Samuel Garfield, Serj. Joseph Peirce and Daniel Benjamin were made a precinct committee to call future meetings. Another meeting was held on Feb. 24 at which Dea. Jonathan Sanderson, Dea. Joseph Mixer, Dea. Thomas Livermore, Serj. William Fisk and John Cutting were chosen to treat with the proprietors of the west meeting-house in regard to its removal and another com- mittee, Capt. Samuel Harrington, John Child and Joshua Eaton to treat with Nathaniel Livermore for a place to locate it. The first annual meeting was held March 20, 1720-1, the place not being mentioned. The following officers were elected: Moderator, Capt. Samuel Harrington, clerk, John Sanderson, Precinct com- mittee, Dea. Jonathan Sanderson, Capt. Samuel Harrington, Lieut. Jonathan Smith, Serj. William Fisk, John Cutting, Serj. Joseph Peirce and George Harrington. Assessors, Dea. Thomas Livermore, Thomas Harrington and Joseph Stratton. Collectors, Daniel Benjamin and Jonas Smith. The committee on the meet- ing-house was continued and directed to report to the next meeting. This was the organization that directed the fulfilment of the purpose for which the precinct was formed, viz: to provide a meeting-house, a minister and furnish the funds for general expenses.
THE MEETING-HOUSE
The committee on the removal of the west meeting-house re- ported on April 14, 1721, at a meeting held at the house of Thomas Harrington, innholder, at the head of the great plain. (Corner of Main and Weston Streets.) It seems that the principal part of the cost of erecting the Angier Meeting-house had been provided by some sixty-three townsmen residing in the Trapelo
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HISTORY OF WALTHAM
district and along the precinct line. These subscribers were un- willing to give up their convenient house of worship and the com- mittee, unable to come to any agreement with them, reported "that it will be more for the pece of the above sd Precinct to take sum other measure." The precinct decided to follow this advice. A vote was then passed to try to obtain the Newton old meeting- house and the precinct standing committee with the addition of Joshua Child, Ensign Samuel Garfield and Thomas Biglow was instructed to find if it could be obtained on reasonable terms. At a later meeting the committee was authorized to purchase it at a price not to exceed £80 and delivery not later than the next October. At the same meeting Thomas Sanderson, Joseph Ball and George Harrington were directed to go to Nathaniel Liver- more and stake out a spot to set the meeting-house upon. On Oct. 4 the reports of these two committees were accepted and payment to Newton authorized. A moving and building com- mittee consisting of Thomas Biglow, John Sanderson, John Cutting, Allen Flagg, George Harrington, Joseph Ball, Joshua Eaton, Jonas Smith and David Fisk, Jr. was named. Another committee was chosen to obtain a grant of £150 from the town and still another "to oppose and protest a gainst anything that may be offered or voted which tends to the Cloging or hindring of our Prosedings in the seting of the Publick worship of god a mong us or a house for his Publick worship." On May 15, 1722, the town voted to grant such a sum of money as was necessary to complete the meeting-house already set up in the west precinct without apparent opposition so perhaps the latter committee was not needed. As its members were undoubtedly selected for their ability as debaters or powers of persuasion their names may be interesting to know: Dea. Thomas Livermore, Serj. Jonathan Sanderson, John Cutting, Dea. Isaac Mixer, John Sanderson, Joshua Child and Isaac Mixer. It was also agreed at that meeting that any men belonging to the precinct who offered themselves for work either to cart or by day labor were to be allowed reason- able wages if there was any such work to be done. The building that was purchased stood on the northwest corner of Center and Mill Streets, Newton, and was between four and five miles from the selected site. It was the second meeting-house built in Newton, erected in 1698, and so some three years younger than the building they had failed to obtain.
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THE WEST PRECINCT
Rev. S. F. Smith in his history of Newton wrote that this house conformed to the usual custom in building meeting-houses and that "a range of pews was erected completely around the house against the walls. A single row of similar pews were set in the body of the house in front of the principal door. The space remaining on the floor up to the pulpit was occupied by slips. The deacons' seat was raised by two or four steps and immedi- ately in front of the pulpit." As the house was taken down before moving we have no assurance that this arrangement of the in- terior was followed in the re-erection but probably no great change was made. By votes taken many years later it seems that there were galleries reached by stairs from the floor. We presume that as much of the material was used as possible for at one of the meetings it was voted to put up the "ould window Stools." John Cutting was paid eighteen shillings for straightening eighteen thousand nails. The building committee's financial report was very complete. The cost of "Puling Down and other work Done to the seeting up of the meeting House" was £51- 11s-4d. The cost "after the Raisin" was £193-10s-3d. These amounts were in addition to the £80 paid to Richard Ward and John Spring for the building as it stood in Newton. There may have been additional expenses as payments were authorized from time to time and it is difficult to ascertain if all of them were for work done as listed in the report. Excess material was sold to nine of the participants in the work for £5-8s-1d. The service performed by each person was described quite minutely. Many items of interest may be gleaned. There were about fifty- five loads of timber hauled from Newton and the carters were paid four shillings for each load. One pound each was paid for hauling two loads of shingles from Marlborough while two other loads probably smaller were brought for fourteen shillings and sixteen shillings, six pence, respectively. Loads of lumber were brought from Concord for seven to ten shillings each. The charge for bringing clapboards from Framingham was fourteen shillings per load. Lime came from Cambridge and the carter was paid five shillings, six pence per load. Two loads of poles were used for the staging. Laths from Sudbury cost about four shillings per load for transportation. Some of the nails came from Boston but the committee paid John Cutting, the local locksmith, two shillings per dozen for eight dozen spikes. Dea. Livermore was
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HISTORY OF WALTHAM
paid two shillings, six pence, for going to Boston for the gin. Ephraim Cutter, Jr's charge for "Glasing the meeting-house" was £15-7s-8d.
Benjamin Wellington of Lexington, carpenter, seemed to have been in charge of the work assisted by John Sanderson the local housewright and Thomas Stearns probably a housewright of Lexington. The lath and plaster work was done by Caleb and Thomas Dana and John Sawin from somewhere outside the precinct. All of those outside were paid three shillings, sixpence per day with board. John Sanderson received three shillings and all the other inhabitants, over seventy in number, were paid two shillings, sixpence.
The inhabitants of Trapelo Road and those near the northern part of the precinct line did not take an active part in the build- ing. They were in fact very averse to giving up the Angier meet- ing-house. It was used of course by the whole precinct and by some near-by in the east precinct during the erection of the new building but there was no settled minister. The names of those who preached in 1719 and 1720 are not known but Hezekiah Gould filled the pulpit the first six months of 1721 and Timothy Minut, - -
Gibson and Robert Sturgeon the remainder of the year and until the new house was ready early in 1722. The latter continued to preach in the older house for more than a year and on July 11, 1723, the sixty-three proprietors before men- tioned signed a bond for £1000 obligating themselves to pay him £84 a year. The selectmen did not approve of this action for a month later they warned him from town and refused him as an inhabitant. Previous to this a committee of the General Court had reported an order to the sheriff to have the building taken down but it was not carried out at that time. After this action of the selectmen the proprietors gave up the struggle, dismantled the meeting-house and joined the congregations of the two precincts according to their residences.
It seems that the east congregation also tried to obtain this meeting-house but failed. This was in 1722 before its proprietors had abandoned its efforts to continue services there. The next January the building committee was impowered to purchase the frame when taken down if fit and serviceable or make a new one. The sum of £115 was paid for the frame of the meeting-house erected between 1723 and 1725 but it was not stated whether it
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THE WEST PRECINCT
was the frame of the Angier building or a new one. Some of the material of the old east meeting-house was used in the new one so it is possible that it was a composite structure.
In October 1726 the committee of the West Precinct directed the treasurer to pay Mr. Sturgeon £2-4s for preaching in the township meeting-house, possibly a payment that the town had refused to make.
To accommodate those living at the northeastern part of the precinct it was voted in 1724 to "move in any proper methods" to obtain a highway from the North Street to the meeting-house. This was accomplished for in February 1724-5 the town laid out old Forest Street for that purpose.
The Rev. John Hancock, Jr. preached the first sermon in the west meeting-house. Others to fill the pulpit were the Revs. Fessenden, Gove, Wigglesworth and William Welsted. In August the precinct voted to concur with the action of the church select- ing the latter for a settled minister. A salary of £84 a year was voted and the three deacons, Sanderson, Livermore and Mixer, with Samuel Harrington and Samuel Garfield, were made a com- mittee to treat with him. The call was declined by Mr. Welsted in a letter to the committee dated Sept. 7, 1722. The records of the church after the death of Mr. Angier have not been pre- served but on Dec. 18, 1722, the precinct again voted to concur with the choice of the church, viz. Rev. Warham Williams, at the same salary (later increased to £90) and the same committee was chosen. The efforts this time were successful but Mr. Wil- liams' acceptance was not written until April 17, 1723. He made several conditions such as: "that a convenient and Suitable place for my comfortable outward accommodation may be obtained upon Reasonable Terms," that the precinct pay for the cutting and carting of his firewood, he to furnish the wood, and that if circumstances warranted it the precinct would do what was needful for his "decent and Honorable Support." The precinct on April 30 voted to comply with his proposals. Each year money was voted for the firewood and extra payments were frequently granted. He purchased at different times three lots of land, viz: 21 acres now included in the Lyman estate, 13 acres on Prospect Hill and 16 acres on Winter Street. In January 1724-5 Nathaniel Livermore gave him three quarters of an acre northeast of Lyman's field (now crossed by the railroad) and
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HISTORY OF WALTHAM
adjoining the southern end of his 21 acre purchase. This gave him access to the highway and on it he built his house.
On May 31, 1723, a committee consisting of Capt. Samuel Harrington, Daniel Benjamin, Joshua Child, William Brown and Thomas Biglow was chosen to provide for the ordination of Mr. Williams, to be held on June 11. The committee was limited to an expenditure of £15 and a contribution was set for the next Sabbath. Nothing else in regard to this ceremony has been found.
Mr. Williams at this time was a young man in his twenty- fourth year. He was born at Deerfield, Mass., Sept. 7, 1699, the son of Rev. John and Eunice (Mather) Williams. On Feb. 29, 1703-4, a French and Indian attack on Deerfield was made. The whole Williams family were taken prisoners. The two youngest children were killed at the time and the mother was killed on the return march to Canada. He, his father and the other children were well treated but were kept prisoners in Canada until they were redeemed Oct. 25, 1706. They arrived in Boston on Nov. 21. Warham entered Harvard College when he was sixteen and graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1719. He took the degree of Master of Arts in 1722. This was his first pastorate and he remained with the West Precinct and Waltham church until he was stricken with apoplexy in the pulpit Feb. 10, 1751, and died on the 22nd of the following June. A collection of his manuscript sermons, written in a microscopic hand, is preserved in the Waltham Public Library. On many of them the places and dates of delivery are noted. The "Earthquake Sermon" was preached by request at many places.
It was the usual custom to "seat the meeting-house." By this was meant to have the pews assigned to the heads of families by a committee appointed at a precinct meeting. In the West Pre- cinct this was not done at first and at one meeting, held Jan. 12, 1724-5, it was voted not to do so. Probably the house was large enough to provide good seats for all. But the precinct grew and early in 1729 we find that Mr. Anthony Caverley, a new and wealthy inhabitant, petitioned for a pew or pew room. A meeting was held on April 7 and Capt. Samuel Harrington, Thomas Harrington, Thomas Biglow, Zechariah Smith and Joseph Grout, representing all parts of the precinct, were made a committee to seat the meeting-house according to real and personal estate, having some respect to age. It was further voted that Mr. Cav-
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THE WEST PRECINCT
erley be given the first choice after Rev. Mr. Williams and that after him the next highest in estate and so on.
Town meetings were held in the Angier meeting-house up to and including May 15, 1722. Then they were held in the old East Precinct house until the new one was built on Schoolhouse Hill where the first one was held Mar. 1, 1724-5. Apparently the western inhabitants did not seriously object to traveling this long distance a few times a year as it was used for that purpose over five years. (A proposal to use the meeting-houses in turn made in August 1728 was not accepted.) On Dec. 3, 1733, the first town meeting was held in the West Precinct house and after that they were held alternately at the east and west houses.
THE SCHOOLHOUSE
That the early inhabitants were not as keenly interested in education as they were in religion is quite evident. This applies particularly to the second generation in this country. A large number of the men, many of them very influential in the com- munity could not write and a woman who could sign her name was a rarity. The third and following generations recognized its importance and a desire for a convenient schoolhouse in the west precinct became evident. The first school held in the precinct has already been mentioned. (See page 31.)
On Feb. 24, 1726-7, after the vexing question of the locations of the meeting-houses had been satisfactorily settled by making two distinct precincts an article in the call for the annual town meeting was "to hear the request of Sundry Inhabitants of the town (which was lodged with the Selectmen) respecting the school in the town." This petition was probably from the in- habitants of the west precinct but no reference is made to it in the precinct records. At the meeting held on March 6 the petition was referred to the next town meeting, the two precincts in the meantime to decide on the most suitable location, each in its own territory. At the next meeting action was again deferred to the next annual meeting held on March 4 of the following year. At that time a vote was passed to have two school-houses and com- mittees were named to select suitable sites. John Cutting,
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HISTORY OF WALTHAM
Capt. Samuel Harrington and Zacheriah Smith were chosen for the west precinct. Their reports were made on May 4. A site near the meeting-house was proposed for the east precinct and for the west precinct one on land of Dea. Thomas Livermore on the west of the highway and about 30 rods northwest of Allen Flagg's house. This would be where the house of the late Melvin L. Childs now stands. It would seem from this vote and report that the project was soon to be carried out but, no reasons being recorded, the town refused to accept the reports and to erect the schoolhouses at those places. The matter was brought to the attention of a meeting held the 23rd of the next December but the town refused to "fix the places," a poll being necessary to determine the vote. At the next annual meeting, Mar. 3, 1728-9, a vote was taken to see if each precinct be impowered to select its own site. The vote was disputed and there was some debate. Night was coming on and the moderator, Joseph Mason, desired to adjourn the meeting but the voters urged him to have the matter decided. He then directed those in favor to move out of the south door and stand on the west side ("it being lighter abroad than in the house") and those of a contrary mind to stand on the east side. There were about thirty-eight persons on the west side but "not one person (as the Moderator could see) to the east side" so the vote "appeared to the Moderator to be in the Affirmative."
The west precinct acted promptly and at a meeting held April 7, 1729, voted to accept an offer made by Mr. Allen Flagg of a lot near the north end of his orchard as a place for their school- house. This would be on the east side of Lexington Street near the bend and south of the house lot of Charles E. Baird. The records of the east precinct make no reference to the school or schoolhouses, but "Sundry of its Inhabitants" asked to have the old schoolhouse moved to twelve or fourteen rods east of the meeting-house or erect a new one there. This petition and that of the West Precinct was presented to the annual meeting of Mar. 2, 1729-30, but the town refused to accept the proposals. Previous to that the town had, at a meeting held on Jan. 16, refused to build either ten rods east or ten rods west of the east meeting-house, to build thirty rods west of the one in the West Precinct or to select the sites. It also refused to choose a com- mittee for that purpose, to grant money to build or to support
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THE WEST PRECINCT
two schools. It did grant £45 for the support of the school where "it is Now keept." The selectmen notified the assessors, John Stearns, Nathaniel Harris and Dea. William Brown to make a rate for that purpose on April 28. The two last named stated that they were not obliged to make the rate. Mr. Stearns was probably at the time in poor health for he died before Nov. 16. The selectmen prepared a complaint against the two others for presentation to the Court at Concord but at a meeting of the town held on Dec. 4 it was decided that the vote of Jan. 16 ap- propriating the money was illegal thus upholding the assessors. At the same meeting another grant of £45 was made.
In the meantime the West Precinct took more active measures to obtain facilities so that "Learning may Be Advanced amongst us." On May 1, 1730, a vote was passed expressing its willingness to be set off as a separate township according to the precinct line. A petition for that purpose headed by John Bemis, Daniel Child and Elnathan Whitney (all three residents of the extreme north- western part) was presented to the town on Dec. 4. There was evidently at this meeting a majority favoring the desires of the West Precinct for votes were passed refusing to have the school kept any longer in the old place but to have it kept near the meeting-house in each precinct. It was voted to build two school- houses, one within 20 rods of the east meeting-house and the other within 40 rods west of the west house, to grant £50 for the purpose and to name a building committee. This meeting refused to consider the petition for the separation of the town.
The votes at this meeting would seem to be decisive but John Bemis, Joshua Biglow, John Fiske and others complained that some of the votes taken were on matters not included in the warrant and still others insisted that they were not legally warned to the meeting. Another meeting was called for Dec. 30 and at that meeting the matter of the schoolhouses was recon- sidered and votes were passed to continue the school in the old place. Besides the meeting refused to grant money for the "In- couraging of Learning in the most Westerly Part of the Town." At a meeting held on Jan. 26 of the following year the town refused to grant money for the encouragement of learning in either the more westerly or more easterly parts of the town.
The next move made by the West Precinct was at its meeting of Feb. 10, 1730-1, when a committee consisting of Dea. William
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HISTORY OF WALTHAM
Brown, Anthony Caverly, Dea. Thomas Livermore, Thomas Biglow and Jonas Smith was selected to "further by all Propper and Reagular means whare by to obtain" the setting off as a separate town. The General Court Records show that on Mar. 1, 1730-1, in reply to a petition by Anthony Caverly and others asking to be set off as a separate town on account of the schools &c, it was ordered that the town show cause why the petition should not be granted at the first Tuesday of the next May Session. The town on April 19 appointed Lt. Samuel Stearns, Joseph Mason and Jonas Bond a committee to make answer to the General Court on this order. The Court records make no mention of what took place at this hearing. In August the select- men voted that if the committee of the West Precinct saw fit to procure a place to keep the school in, then the school would be re- moved immediately to that place. Nothing appears to have been done in regard to this offer. That a recommendation was made by the General Court is shown by an article in the call for a meeting to be held May 19, 1732, referring to the "Advice of the Honorable House of Representatives, recom- mended to them the last Summer relating to the School." At that meeting it was voted to confirm the vote passed Dec. 4, 1730, regarding the building of a schoolhouse in each precinct. Nothing further was done at that time.
The next year a petition headed by Jonathan Sanderson and Zechariah Smith asking to have the Westerly Precinct set off as a separate town was brought to the attention of annual meeting. (Mar. 5, 1732-3.) It was voted not to act upon it "under the present Circumstances." Seventeen days later the West Precinct appointed Daniel Benjamin, Jonas Smith and Allen Flagg to address the town either "to set us off a Distinct town by our selve (We Bearing our equiel Proportion to ward the Charge of the Great Bridg over Charls River)" or to have "two schoolhouses and two school Masters of which each Precinct to have one" as recommended by the House of Representatives. This was con- sidered at a meeting held on May 21 and the latter alternative was accepted but final action was not taken until June 18, 1733, when it was voted that "the place of Ground betwixt old Deacon Sandersons & Mr. Allen Flaggs near to Hosiers Corner to be the place to build a Schoolhouse on for the West Precinct of the Town." This place was where Bacon Street joins Lexington
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