USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Worcester county; a narrative history, Volume I > Part 17
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This accounts for so many of the towns being named for titled English- men who had no Colonial connections. The Provincial Governors, some of them Englishmen by birth and education, and all of them Englishmen in their political and social interests, sought this method of paying honor to their friends in the mother country, upon whom, perhaps, they were dependent
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for the continuance of their political power. This custom continued up to the Revolution. Thereafter good American names only were used.
The following thumbnail sketches give the date of incorporation, the origin of territory and the reason for the naming of each of the four cities and fifty-seven towns of Worcester County :
Ashburnham-Incorporated February 22, 1765. Plantation originally known as Dorchester-Canada, because the land was granted to men of Dor- chester in reward for their services as soldiers in the military expedition to Canada in 1690, in King William's War. Upon its incorporation it was named by Governor Bernard in honor of John, second Earl of Ashburnham. The noble lords of this surname and title claimed to have possessed Ashburn- ham in the county of Sussex from before the Norman conquest.
Athol-Incorporated March 6, 1762. Plantation originally known by its Indian name of Payquage. Upon its incorporation it was named by Governor Bernard in honor of James Murray, second Duke of Athol, Lord Privy Seal of Scotland. His seat was at Blair in the Scottish province of Athol, whose scenery was said to be much like that of the American Athol.
Auburn-Incorporated April 10, 1778. Parish set off from Leicester, Oxford, Sutton and Worcester, and originally named Ward in honor of Gen- eral Artemas Ward of Shrewsbury, first commander of the Continental Army at Cambridge. The similarity of the names Ward and Ware gave rise to postal mistakes, and in 1837 Colonels Cary and Drury, prominent citizens of the town, petitioned for a change to Auburn, setting forth that "the name is a pleasant one and agreeable to the inhabitants of Ward." The only sug- gested origin of the name is in the line of Goldsmith's "The Deserted Vil- lage," "Sweet Auburn; loveliest village of the plain." Goldsmith was very popular in America at the time, and an early edition of his works was pub- lished here. Mr. Harding found thirty-seven villages and towns in the United States bearing the name, and probably, directly or indirectly, the origin in every case was in this one sentimental line of poetry.
Barre-Incorporated June 17, 1774. Part of Rutland established as Barre District. The petition for incorporation asked for the name of Barre, in honor of Sir Isaac Barre, son of a French refugee, born in Dublin, rose to the rank of colonel in the English army, was present in the siege of Quebec and witnessed the death of Wolfe. His portrait is prominent in Benjamin West's great painting of the death of Wolfe. When Grenville introduced the stamp act, Barre, a member of Parliament, opposed it in a powerful speech, and stood the friend of the Colonies throughout the long contest which ended in their independence. But when Gage succeeded Hutchinson
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he wished to do honor to his predecessor, and inserted the name of Hutchin- son instead of Barre in the act of incorporation.
The name of the royalist Hutchinson became odious to the townsmen. So they petitioned the General Court for a change to Wilkes, who like Barre was a member of Parliament and a staunch friend of the American cause. Wilkes had acquired some notoriety for his writings and his course of con- duct for which he had been expelled from Parliament, placed under arrest, convicted and sentenced to imprisonment and heavy fine. Popular opinion was with him in England, and even more strongly in America, and the attempt to honor him on the part of the people of Hutchinson was natural.
In their petition they set forth their repugnance to the action of Gage in "filling up the blank act of incorporation with that obnoxious name, Hutchin- son, that well-known enemy of the natural and stipulated rights of America, which gave us a very disagreeable sensation of mind, not being able to speak of the town in which we live, but our thoughts were naturally turned upon that ignominious enemy of mankind, and, in a measure, filled with shame to tell where we lived, when requested."
The Legislature, ignoring the name Wilkes and inserting that of Barre, agreed otherwise, with the petitioners. They included in the act a "whereas, that there is a moral fitness that Traitors and Parricides, especially such as have remarkably distinguished themselves in that odious character, and have long labored to deprive their native country of its most valuable rights and privileges, and to destroy every Constitutional Guard against the evils of an all-enslaving despotism, should be held up to view in their true character to be execrated by mankind, and there should remain no other memorial of them than such as will transmit their names with Infamy to posterity."
Berlin-Incorporated March 16, 1784. Formed parts of Bolton, Lan- caster and Marlboro. There was some controversy at the time of the incor- poration as to what its name should be. The petitioners first decided to call it "Narrage," which probably was the phonetic spelling of a corruption of "Norwich." But second thought produced the name of the German capital. The pronunciation was quickly Americanized by placing the accent strongly on the first syllable, and such is the present manner of saying it. The only suggested reason for the selection is a slim one, that Frederick the Great, then King of Prussia, had been somewhat friendly to America in her struggle for freedom, had denounced the use of Hessian soldiers by the English, and had presented Washington with a sword.
Blackstone-Incorporated March 25, 1845. Set off from Mendon. Long before its incorporation it was called Blackstone, from the river upon which it stands. The river itself was named for Rev. William Blackstone,
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an Episcopal minister who was the first white settler of Boston where he built a cabin in 1625-26. Governor Winthrop found him there in 1630. The clergyman afterwards established himself upon the banks of the river where now is the village of Cumberland in Rhode Island, and his name in some man- ner became attached to it.
Bolton-Incorporated June 24, 1738. Part of Lancaster. Name was given it by Governor Belcher in honor of Charles Powlet, third Duke of Bolton. The town of Bolton, England, where the Dukedom originated, is in the county of Lancashire, which may have had something to do with the choice of the name, for some of the early inhabitants came from that Eng- lish county.
Boylston-Incorporated March 1, 1786. Part of Shrewsbury. Named in honor of the Boylston family of Boston, probably for Nicholas Boylston, a wealthy merchant, who founded the Boylston professorship at Harvard College by a bequest of £1,500. In proof that the town was his namesake, is the fact that he gave its church a bell and Bible.
Brookfield-Incorporated October 15, 1673. Common land called Quobauge, which was the name used by the English until the incorporation. Name suggested by the natural features of the place, with its fields and meadows lying along the Quaboag River.
Charlton-Incorporated January 10, 1755. Part of Oxford established as the District of Charlton. Named by Governor Bernard probably for Sir Francis Charlton, Bart., a gentleman of the Privy Chamber.
Clinton-Incorporated March 14, 1850. Part of Lancaster. Named in honor of DeWitt Clinton of New York.
Dana-Incorporated February 18, 1801. Parts of Greenwich, Hard- wick and Petersham. Named in honor of the famous Dana family, probably for Francis Dana, jurist and patriot, the most distinguished member of the family of his day, who took some interest in the incorporation of the town.
Douglas-Incorporated March 14, 1745. First named New Sherburn. Renamed June 5, 1746, for Dr. William Douglas of Boston, a Scotchman by birth, physician and author of several historical and medical books. In con- sideration of the honor he gave the inhabitants $500 as a fund for the estab- lishment of free schools, together with a tract of thirty acres of land with a dwelling house thereon. The fund remained intact for close to one hundred and fifty years. The income may have been used for the village schools, but it is known that half a century ago it had accumulated to over $1,000. Then,
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no one remembers just when, a schoolhouse needed repairing and the town fathers considered that to spend the money for the purpose was surely to spend it for "free schools." In this manner it disappeared from the town treasury.
Dudley-Incorporated February 2, 1732. Part of Oxford and com- mon lands. The Indian name, in its magnificent entirety, was Chargogga- goggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg. The whites whittled it down to Manchaugagungamaug. Named for Paul and William Dudley, descendants of Governor Thomas Dudley, who were early proprietors and said to be the first English landowners in that part of the county.
East Brookfield-Incorporated March 24, 1920. Set off from Brook- field, whose name it retained.
Fitchburg-Incorporated February 3, 1764. Set off from Lunenburg. All of the region was known as Turkey Hill, because of the extraordinary abundance of that noble bird, and when Lunenburg was established the tract now occupied by the city of Fitchburg continued to bear the name. John Fitch had formerly lived in Ashby where his garrison house had been suc- cessfully attacked by a war party of Indians from Canada and he and his family had been carried off as captives. Upon his return from Canada he became a power in the district, and was chosen by the people of Turkey Hill to procure the incorporation of the settlement. His influence must have been great, for Governor Bernard made exception to his custom and permitted the people to name their new town Fitchburg.
Gardner-Incorporated June 27, 1785. Parts of Ashburnham, Tem- pleton, Westminster and Winchendon. The name perpetuates the memory of Colonel Thomas Gardner, who was killed at Bunker Hill.
Grafton-Incorporated April 18, 1735. The plantation of Hassana- misco, which was set off from Sutton, was originally one of the Indian Pray- ing Towns. Named by Governor Belcher for Charles Fitzroy, Duke of Grafton, a grandson of Charles II. The Duke in his later years is credited with having told the King, when informed that a numerous body of German troops were to join the English forces for the subjugation of America, "Your majesty will find too late that twice the number will only increase the disgrace and never effect the purpose."
Hardwick-Incorporated January 10, 1739. The Plantation of Lambs- town, established by John Lamb and others who purchased the lands from the Indians in 1686. The native name of the place was Wombemesiscook. Named Hardwick by Governor Belcher, probably in honor of Philip York, a
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distinguished English jurist, who became Lord Chief Justice and the first Lord Hardwick.
Harvard-Incorporated June 29, 1752. Parts of Groton, Lancaster and Stow. Named for Rev. John Harvard, founder of Harvard University.
Holden-Incorporated January 9, 1741. Part of Worcester then called Worcester North Half or North Worcester. Given its name by Governor Belcher in honor of Honorable Samuel Holden, a director of the Bank of England.
Hopedale-Incorporated April 7, 1886. Part of Milford. The name Hopedale was given to a Restorationist settlement, a communal society of the period 1841-46. The name of Draper appeared prominently in the brief record of the society's activities. From its industrial existence evolved the great Draper Company, the world's largest manufacturer of cotton looms, about whose works the town is centered.
Hubbardston-Incorporated June 13, 1767. Part of Rutland estab- lished as the District of Hubbardston. Named for Thomas Hubbard, a Bos- ton merchant, who agreed to give the window glass for the first meeting- house erected in the village if the town should bear his name. The people procured plans for a church containing an unusual amount of glass, but before the building was ready for it Hubbard died, insolvent. His widow could not make good his promise. So the town had to buy all its own glass. Hubbard was at one time treasurer of Harvard College, and was owner of lands in Hubbardston, Royalston and other towns.
Lancaster-Incorporated May 18, 1653. Common land called by the Indians Nashaway. The inhabitants had decided that their town should be called Prescott, for John Prescott, one of the proprietors, a worker in iron, who had been conspicuous as a leader in the founding of the settlement. The first draft of the answer to the petition for incorporation contained the name as asked for. But it got no further. There was no precedent in New Eng- land for naming a town for its founder. Not even a magistrate or a Gov- ernor had been so honored. Probably the Governor himself, or others close to him, refused thus to exalt a blacksmith who was no freeman, and had but recently taken the oath of fidelity. Associated with him as a proprietor had been Robert Childe, who had been a troublesome figure in the Colony because of his religious belief, sturdily upheld, and who had been expelled from the province for fear that he was a secret emissary of Presbyterianism. Pres- cott's sympathy with Childe was known, and this may have been a factor in making his name distasteful to the Governor. So the petition was refused,
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so far as the selection of its name was concerned, and the vague name of West Towne was inserted. This satisfied no one, and the matter went over for a year. Disappointed in their first choice, the Nashaway people petitioned for the name of Lancaster, taken from the English shire where Prescott was born, and this was granted.
Leicester-Incorporated February 15, 1713. Common land called Towtaid by the Indians and Strawberry Hill by the whites. Named from old Leicester, England.
Leominster-Incorporated June 23, 1740. Part of Lancaster. Named for the English town of Leominster.
Lunenburg-Incorporated August 1, 1728. Called Turkey Hill until time of incorporation, when it was named in honor of George II, one of whose titles was Duke of Lunenburg, for the city of Lunenburg in the old Kingdom of Hanover, the King being of the house of Hanover.
Mendon-Incorporated May 15, 1667. Common land called by the Indians Quanshipauge. Named for the town of Mendham in England.
Milford-Incorporated April II, 1780. Part of Mendon which had become a parish known as Mill River because of a corn mill built on the stream in the early days and burned by the Indians in King Philip's War. There were several fords in common use before the day of bridges. So the name must have been for the "mill by the ford." The Indian name for the place was Wopowage.
Millbury-Incorporated June 11, 1813. Part of Sutton known as the North Parish. Name probably suggested by the mills on the Blackstone River.
Millville-Incorporated May 1, 1916. Set off from Blackstone. Named for the town's activities.
New Braintree-Incorporated January 31, 175I. Common land granted to inhabitants of old Braintree for services in the Indian wars. Known as Braintree Farms until the incorporation when New Braintree was substituted.
Northboro-Incorporated January 24, 1766. Part of Westboro estab- lished as the District of Northboro. Named for geographical relation to parent town.
Northbridge-Incorporated July 14, 1772. Part of Uxbridge estab- lished as District of Northbridge.
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North Brookfield-Incorporated February 28, 1812. North Parish of Brookfield and hence the name.
Oakham-Incorporated June 7, 1762. Established as District of Oak- ham. Originally known as Rutland West Wing. Some of its settlers came from Oakham, England, the shire town of Rutlandshire, and the township is known for its fine oak trees.
Oxford-Incorporated May 31, 1693. Common land, much of which was held by the Huguenot settlers who were first upon the ground. Origi- nally called by the proprietor New Oxford for the English town.
Paxton-Incorporated February 12, 1765. Parts of Rutland and Leicester established as the District of Paxton. Governor Bernard gave the town its name in honor of his friend Charles Paxton, one of the Commis- sioners of Customs in Boston. Paxton, it is said, promised to give the town a bell in recognition of the honor bestowed upon him, but never kept the promise. He became odious to the people in consequence of his adherence to the royal cause and his "political rascalities" in general, and departed from Boston at the time of its evacuation in 1776. One of the earliest public acts of the town was to appoint a committee "to petition the General Court for a name more agreeable to the inhabitants and the public than Paxton," but no action was ever taken to bring about a change.
Petersham-Incorporated April 20, 1754. The plantation of Niche- waug. Named by Governor Shirley for the English town of Petersham, but whether on his own initiative or at the request of the inhabitants is not known.
Phillipston-Incorporated October 20, 1786. Parts of Athol and Templeton. The original corporate name was Gerry, for Governor Gerry, but in 1814 the inhabitants, disagreeing with the Governor's official actions, from which came the word "Gerrymander," petitioned to have the name changed to Phillipston in honor of William Phillips, then Lieutenant-Gover- nor, and their wish was granted.
Princeton-Incorporated October 20, 1759. Part of Rutland and common lands adjacent established as the District of Prince-Town. Its Indian name was Wachusett, and sometimes it was called Rutland East Wing. Named in honor of Rev. Thomas Prince, who for forty years was pastor of Old South Church, Boston, and who was an extensive owner of land in the vicinity and took an active part in the settlement of the town.
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Royalston-Incorporated February 19, 1765. Common land granted to Colonel Isaac Royal and others, who at a meeting in a Boston tavern voted to call the township Royalshire. Whereupon, Colonel Royal agreed to pay £25 towards building a meetinghouse, which, many believe, was the agreed price for the honor of a wilderness namesake.
Rutland-Incorporated February 23, 1714. Common land called Naquag. Probably named for the county of Rutlandshire, England, which, the smallest county in England, corresponds almost exactly in size to the original great township of Rutland. The incorporators asked for this name, and some of the first settlers were from Rutlandshire, which seems to refute the claim that it was the Duke of Rutland who was honored, for there was no apparent reason why they should desire to compliment that worthy noble- man.
Shrewsbury-Incorporated December 6, 1720. Common land. Named probably for Charles, Duke of Shrewsbury, following the custom of the day in honoring the English nobility. It may be, though, that the General Court or Governor had the English town of Shrewsbury in mind.
Southboro-Incorporated July 6, 1727. Part of Marlboro lying to the southward.
Southbridge-Incorporated February 15, 1816. Parts of Charlton, Dudley and Sturbridge. Previous to its incorporation, for some unknown reason, the locality was called Honest Town. Corporate name was chosen because of the location in relation to Sturbridge.
Spencer-Incorporated April 12, 1753. Part of Leicester established as Second District of Spencer. Lieutenant-Governor Spencer Phipps approved the act of incorporation and gave the place one of his own names, which probably did not please the inhabitants as Phipps had previously vetoed an act to incorporate the town.
Sterling-Incorporated April 25, 1781. The Second Parish of Lan- caster, then commonly called by its Indian name of Chocksett. One theory is that it was named for the town of Stirling. Peter Whitney in his History of the county states that the name honored Lord Stirling, a native of New York who claimed the Earldom of the name in Scotland. He was true to the American cause and fought against England under Washington, rose to the rank of major-general, and as a patriot had an honorable place in Ameri- can history. Considering the date of the naming of the town, 1781, it is a far more reasonable conjecture that the people desired to compliment the patriot and not the Scottish town.
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Sturbridge-Incorporated June 24, 1738. Common land originally granted to inhabitants of Medfield and called New Medfield. Named from Stourbridge, Worcestershire, England, on the river Stour.
Sutton-Incorporated October 28, 1714. Common land, purchased by proprietors from John Wampus, Indian sachem. It may have been named for some member of the Sutton family of England, or for the old town of Sutton. Tradition has it that John Wampus crossed the Atlantic and visited England, and while on the return voyage, becoming very sick, he was treated by a fellow-passenger, Dr. Sutton. In gratitude to the Good Samaritan, he suggested the name for the town when he gave the deed for the land. The original name of the place was Southtown, and it is not unlikely that Sutton is a colloquial contraction of that word.
Templeton-Incorporated March 6, 1762. The plantation called Nar- ragansett number six granted to veterans of King Philip's War. Bernard gave it the name of Templeton in honor of John Temple who represented in America the family of Richard Grenville, Earl Temple.
Upton-Incorporated June 14, 1735. Parts of Hopkinton, Mendon, Sutton and Uxbridge. Probably named for Upton, England, an ancient town on the river Severn.
Uxbridge-Incorporated June 27, 1727. Part of Mendon. Its Indian name was Waruntug. Named in honor of Henry Paget, Earl of Uxbridge, and at that time a member of the Privy Council ; or for the town of Uxbridge, England. The only reason for believing it was the Earl is the coincidence of the date.
Warren-Incorporated January 16, 1742. Parts of Brimfield, Brook- field, and Palmer, then known as Kingsfield. Originally incorporated as Western. This led to postal mistakes, due to the similarity of name to Weston. Therefore, in 1841, the name was changed to Warren, in memory of General Joseph Warren who fell at Bunker Hill.
Webster-Incorporated March 6, 1832. Common land and parts of Dudley and Oxford. Named for Daniel Webster.
Westboro-Incorporated November 18, 1717. Part of Marlboro known as Chauncey Village and other lands. Named for its geographical relation to the parent town.
West Boylston-Incorporated January 30, 1808. Parts of Boylston, Holden and Sterling. Named as lying west of Boylston.
OLD POTTER HOUSE
Built in the Revolutionary period by John Potter, famous character of Brookfield and Captain in Washington's army. Man of many trades, he built this house with his own hands, even to the nails. latches and hinges. The mansion stood in North Brookfield until a few years ago when it became a dominant unit of Storrowton, the old-time Yankee village on the grounds of the Eastern States Exposition, Springfield
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West Brookfield-Incorporated March 3, 1848. Part of Brookfield, of which it was the West Parish.
Westminster-Incorporated October 20, 1759. The plantation of Narragansett number two, granted to soldiers of King Philip's War estab- lished at the District of Westminster. Named for one of the seven bor- oughs of London.
Winchendon-Incorporated June 14, 1764. The plantation of Ips- wich-Canada, granted to inhabitants of Ipswich who served in the expedition to Canada in King William's War. Governor Bernard named it to honor his own family, for he was the eventual heir of the Tyringhams of Upper Win- chendon, England.
Worcester-Incorporated October 15, 1684. Plantation of Quinsiga- mond. We quote Mr. Harding as to the naming of the town: "William H. Whitmore, a critical student of the early history of the Colony and the origin of names, is authority for the statement that there is a tradition that the name was chosen here as a defiance of the King, but he neither states any facts nor uses any argument to support its truth. Neither does he express any opinion as to who suggested the name. Does this tradition rest upon any foundation, and if so, in whose mind did the idea originate?
"We find in the Colonial records of 1684, the following record: 'Upon the motion and desire of Major General Gookin, Captain Prentice and Cap- tain Daniel Henchman, the Court grants the request that their plantation at Quinsigamond be called Worcester.' It is well known that Daniel Gookin was the most influential and prominent of the little band that planted the seeds of civilization within the borders of our city.
"He was born in Kent, England, in 1612, and was called the 'Kentish Soldier.' . . . At the time Worcester was named, 1684, Charles II was King, and by his oppressive measures and tyranny had incurred the dis- pleasure, opposition and moral resistance of the Colony, which resulted in the revocation of the first charter two years later, 1686. Thirty years before, 1651, Charles II, at the head of the Royalists, fought at Worcester his great and losing battle against Cromwell, from which he barely escaped with his life. The battle of Worcester was called 'Cromwell's Crowning Mercy.'
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