USA > Rhode Island > Providence County > Lincoln > Historical sketch of the town of Lincoln, in the state of Rhode Island > Part 1
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Gc 974.502 L63g
GC 974.502 L63g 1145997
M. L.
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
3 1833 00084 6714
n E
HISTORICAL SKETCH
OF THE
TOWN OF LINCOLN,
IN THE
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND.
COMPILED AND WRITTEN BY
WELCOME A. GREENE,
UNDER THE DIRECTION AND ADVICE OF CHARLES MOIES, ALFRED II. LITTLEFIELD AND GEORGE A. KENT, A COMMITTEE APPOINTED BY THIE TOWN COUNCIL OF LINCOLN TO PROVIDE A HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE TOWN, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RECENT PROCLAMATIONS OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND. .
L
CENTRAL FALLS, R. I. : E. L. FREEMAN & CO., STEAM BOOK, JOB AND LITHOGRAPHIC PRINTERS. 1876.
1145997
To the Honorable Town Council of the Town of Lincoln, County of Providence, State of Rhode Island :
GENTLEMEN,-Your honorable Board, agrecable to a resolu- tion of Congress and a proclamation of the President of the United States, and also a resolution of the General Assembly and a proclamation of the Governor of this State, at a meeting held May 27th, appointed the undersigned a committee to make the necessary research and write, or cause to be written, a historical sketch of the town of Lincoln since its formation, in 1871. Your committee finding the duty somewhat arduous, requiring considerable time, more than they were able to de- vote to the work from the active business of life, employed Welcome A. Greene, Esq., to collect and arrange the necessary statistics. After a careful review of the matter presented,- which we find to be ably and concisely written, and as there is to be no general gathering in the town on this Centennial birth-day of the nation, on which occasion the manuscript might be read,-we take pleasure in presenting to the gentle- men of the Board and to the citizens of the town the following printed sketch, which may be purchased at the cost of pub- lication at the Town Clerk's office.
Respectfully submitted.
CHARLES MOIES, ALFRED H. LITTLEFIELD, GEORGE A. KENT.
LINCOLN, July 4, 1876.
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HISTORICAL SKETCH.
LTHOUGH the territory embraced within the limits of our town was the scene of some of the earliest settle- ments in the State, and one of the hardest fought bat- tles of King Philip's war was finished, if not commenced, within our borders, and, from that time down through the early history of the State, those living within our limits have been noticeable for their energy, intelligence and ability both in war, when we were unfortunate enough to be suffering from that curse, and in peace, when their faculties could be devoted to the more congenial pursuits of agriculture, business and the mechanic arts, yet the history of those earlier times would seem to belong to that portion of our mother town that retains the parental name of Smithfield, and a historical sketch of Lincoln should, strictly speaking, commence at a time now but a few years past.
Up to March 8th, 1871, the territory now comprised in the town of Lincoln had formed part of the town of Smithfield ever since the incorporation of that town, February 20th, 1730-31.
Before its division (in 1871) the old town of Smithfield was the largest town in the State, with a population of over thir- teen thousand, and very much diversified in the feelings, busi- ness interests and occupations of its inhabitants.
A large section of it was almost exclusively agricultural. Another section had most of its interests pointing towards the manufacturing establishments along the Branch river at the north end of the town.
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HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE TOWN OF LINCOLN.
. Another seemed bound by business and social ties to the then new town of Woonsocket, while a fourth, which now forms the town of Lincoln, had most of its business and trade along the lines of the Blackstone and Moshassuck rivers.
Owing to this diversity of occupations and interests, there had been, for many years, more or less discussion as to the . advisability of a division of the town, but it was deemed rather a matter for discussion than for action till the year 1871, when, on the twenty-first day of January, at a special town meeting called for that purpose; a vote was had, declaring that the town was in favor of dividing it (the town) into three towns, according to a proposed act of the legislature then on the moderator's table.
A committee on division of the town was appointed, consist- ing of Hon. Charles Moies, George Kilburn, Esq., Mr. Thomas A. Paine and Mr. Job Shaw. This committee introduced the subject to the legislature at the January session, 1871, and under their able management it was so favorably received that it soon became manifest that a division would be authorized.
As soon as it become apparent that a division was probable, the question of a name for this town became one of importance. There was much division on this subject, and the names of "Smithfield," "South Smithfield," "Lonsdale," "Moshassuck" and others besides "Lincoln" were suggested and had their ad- vocates, but it was finally deemed best by those having the matter in charge to name the town "Lincoln," in commemora- tion of the late martyred president of the United States.
On the eighth of March, 1871; the Legislature of the State of Rhode Island passed an act authorizing the division of the town of Smithfield, incorporating the new towns thereby formed and fixing the boundaries of the several towns therein interested. Those of Lincoln were as follows, viz .: commen- cing at a point on the north line of North Providence, where the Douglas Pike (so called) crosses said line, then (bounding the town on the south) running easterly along said line till it reaches the centre of the Blackstone river; thence running with the centre of the Blackstone river (bounding the town on the east) to a point in the centre of said Blackstone river, opposite the centre of the mouth of the Crookfall river; thence (bound-
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HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE TOWN OF LINCOLN.
ing the town on the west) running by and with the centre of the Crookfall river to a point where the road leading from the Providence and Worcester road (so called) past the house of Ephraim Sayles, crosses it; thence southerly in a straight line to the place of beginning.
Charles Moies, Job Shaw, Arlon Mowry and Cyrus Arnold were appointed a committee to run lines and set stone bounds between the several new towns.
These boundaries have remained ever since, and now are those of the town, (although a portion of the then town of North Providence has since been incorporated into the town of Paw- tucket, so that this town now bounds on the south in part by North Providence and in part by Pawtucket.) This gave us a territory of a triangular shape, covering about fifteen square miles, with a population of 7,889 persons, and a valuation for State Tax of $4,406,107.
The young town started in life with no Town Asylum and no Town House-both of those used by the old town of Smith- field going to the present town of Smithfield.
The only inheritance received from the mother town was the sum of twenty-five hundred dollars in cash, the records and archives of the old town-which are now in the Town Clerk's office-and the duty of paying a share of the old town's debt, which was 826,000, the total debt being $53,000.
The town by the act was divided into two voting districts, (and has since remained so divided). Voting district number one being the same as voting district number three in the old town of Smithfield, and voting district number two embracing the rest of the town.
This town was to send two Representatives to the Legislature till the next State apportionment.
The town life dates, for the purpose of electing Senator and Representatives to the General Assembly from the first Wednes- day in April, 1871, and for all other purposes whatever from the first Monday in June, A. D. 1871.
The first members of the General Assembly elected from the town of Lincoln were, Senator, Hon. Edward L. Freeman; Representatives, Edward A. Brown and Samuel Clark.
There has been no change in the general form of the town
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HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE TOWN OF LINCOLN.
government since its formation. The principal if not the only peculiarity of this town in its government, as distinguished from other towns of this State, is that while it is governed by a Town Council as other towns are, yet the south-easterly por- tion of it, embracing the most thickly settled part, is specially incorporated by the legislature under the name of "the Cen- tral Falls Fire District," with power to elect a Moderator, Clerk, Treasurer, three Assessors and a Collector of Taxes; to elect Firewards and Presidents of Firewards; to order, assess and collect taxes on persons and property within such district for fire extinguishing apparatus and keeping the same in order and using it; to prescribe the duties of firewards and of the citizens of said distriet in case of conflagration; to provide for suppressing disorders and tumult, for the lighting of streets and maintaining such police force as they may deem necessary. The reason for this is that it was not deemed just for the less thickly settled portions of the town to be taxed for these bene- fits, that would accrue almost exclusively to this Fire District, and which were not considered necessary or desirable in the other parts of the town, while to this district they were matters of absolute necessity. With this exception, our government is administered by a Town Council, consisting of seven members, who, together with seven Justices of the Peace, and a Town Treasurer, are elected annually by the people, with a Town Clerk, originally elected annually, but in the year 1874 elected for three years, under the changed law of the State. There is also annually chosen, in tax-payers' town meeting, a Moderator to preside at town meetings for the ensuing year.
The Town Council elect all necessary town officers and school committee annually.
The Town Council also acts as the Court of Probate for this town. The President of the Town Council, in addition to his duties as such, having to fulfill those of Chief Justice of the Court of Probate, the other Councilmen fulfilling those of As- sociate Justices of the same Court.
The first Town Council of Lincoln consisted of Hon. Charles Moies, John A. Adams, Joseph W. Tillinghast, Benjamin Comstock, Stephen Wright, Hazard Sherman and William D. Aldrich, elected the first Tuesday in June, 1871, and all well
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HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE TOWN OF LINCOLN.
known as having the interest of the town deeply at heart, and conspicuous for their honesty, integrity and administrative ab- ility. They chose for the first President of the Town Council the Hon. Charles Moies, (who had been a member of the Town Council of the old town of Smithfield for fifteen years, and been President thereof for ten years of that time). He has been retained in that position ever since, and now holds the same by virtue of the votes of his fellow-citizens and co-conn- cillors, thus showing the large confidence they have in his ability, energy and integrity, and it is no more than his due to say that the continual good order, quiet management, and the general satisfactory manner in which the town government has been carried on is largely due to his continued and continual labor, watchfulness and honest care in its administration.
The first Town Treasurer was Thomas Moies, Esq., in whom the citizens of Lincoln have had that continnous trust and con- fidence in their financial matters to re-elect him to that import- ant and responsible position each year since, and he at present holds the office and we trust long will.
For the year 1871 the duties of the Town Clerk were per- formed and the office held by the Hon. Samuel Clark-now General Treasurer of this State-who had for many years per- formed those duties for the Town of Smithfield.
The Moderator of town meetings for this year was Thomas Moies, Esq.
For the first few months of the new town, Joseph M. Ross, Esq., who had been Trial Justice in the town of Smithfield for some years, held the position of Trial Justice, but in his resig- nation of the office, on the fourth day of September, 1871, the town early lost a valuable officer. He was succeeded by George F. Crowningshield, Esq., elected on the same day to be his successor, who has since been continually elected and re-elected to the same trust, and which he now holds, to the general sat- isfaction of our citizens, who all have the greatest confidence in his honor and integrity.
In describing the officers elected by the town I have not deemed it necessary to refer to the seven Justices of the Peace elected each year, as that office seems to be purely an honorary one.
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HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE TOWN OF LINCOLN.
At the first meeting of the Town Council, the Town Ordin- ances of the old town of Smithfield were passed and established as ordinances of the town of Lincoln; and on June 24th, 1871, Joseph M. Ross, John P. Gregory and Frederick N. Goff were appointed a committee to draw up, codify and report ordin- ances of the town of Lincoln, which duty they performed in a most satisfactory manner.
As before stated, this town originally had no Town Asylum, or place for the taking care of the unfortunate poor. Recog- mizing the great Christian duty of charity in the caring for the unfortunate who are unable to care for themselves, and find their lot cast amongst us, the Town Council appointed one of our judicious citizens, Mr. Henry Gooding, as overseer of the poor, and, after arranging with the town of Smithfield for the temporary care of such of the poor as could not be cared for at their own homes, but needed the accommodations of a town asylum, the town officers devoted themselves to securing a proper place for a town asylum.
After much negotiation it was finally decided to purchase the Christopher Kelly place (so called), for $3,000, and also an adjoining lot from the Lonsdale Company for $1,000, for a town asylum, and on the thirty-first day of December, 1871, the deeds of the estates were accepted and money ordered to be paid.
The total amount expended in the care of the poor in the first year of the town, over and above the expense of providing a town asylum, was $2,005.02; and of this was expended in the care of State paupers, or those having no legal settlement in this town, the sum of $1,083.12, leaving the amount neces- sary for the care of what may be considered as our home poor only $921.90, which, for a population of 7,889, is certainly a favorable showing, and indicates a prosperous state among our people generally at that time.
One of the most important cares and duties of the town gov- ernment is to provide and watch over and keep in efficient operation a sufficient system of schools for the edneation of the growing generation, that when the time comes for them to assume the rights and fulfill the duties of citizenship they may be able to do so understandingly. Fully appreciating the
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HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE TOWN OF LINCOLN.
importance and necessity of this duty, one of the first acts of the Town Conneil was to appoint an able and efficient School Committee, consisting of Messrs. George A. Kent, Lysander Flagg and Henry H. Jenekes. They organized by the appoint- ment of George A. Kent (who had been for six years previous a member of the school committee of the old town of Smith- field) as chairman, and so efficiently and satisfactorily did he perform his manifold and ardnous duties that he has been a member of the School Committee ever since, and been appoint- ed each year to the position of chairman. Lysander Flagg was chosen Superintendent of Schools, and Henry H. Jenekes Clerk of the Committee,
In the year 1872 the members of the General Assembly chosen from this town were-Senator, Joseph Wood; Repre- sentatives, John A. Adams and William H. Davis.
The town officers elected in June, 1872, consisted of-Coun- cillors, Charles Moies, Hazard Sherman, Stephen Wright, Wil- liam D. Aldrich, Edward A. Brown, Albert P. Carpenter and Jonathan Chace; Town Treasurer, Thomas Moies; Town Clerk, Benjamin A. Reynolds; Moderator of Town Meetings, Thomas Moies; Trial Justice elected by Town Council, George F. Crowningshield.
Mr. Samnel Clark, formerly Town Clerk, had been chosen as General Treasurer of this State, and consequently desired to relinquish the position of Town Clerk, and Mr. Reynolds had been chosen as his successor, but had never qualified himself for the office, and consequently Mr. Clark was obliged to con- tinne to hold over and perform the duties thereof through this year, which, though it was a serious tax on both his time and energy, he did with his accustomed cheerfulness and ability.
The School Committee for this year consisted of George A. Kent, chairman, Lysander Flagg, Superintendent, Henry HI. Jenckes, Clerk.
At the first meeting of the Town Council of this year, they voted not to grant licenses to sell liquor within its limits, and it will be a satisfaction to many to be reminded of the fact that the Council of this town has always set its face resolutely against the liquor traffic; always, when it had the power, re- fusing to grant licenses for the same; always maintaining offi-
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HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE TOWN OF LINCOLN.
cers for the suppression thereof, and doing everything in its power to suppress the hydra-headed monster of intemperance.
Up to 1872 the town had been without any Town House or hall, or even office of its own; the Town Clerk's office having been in a building on the premises of and belonging to the Town Clerk, Mr. Clark, and the Council meetings and Justice Courts having been held in varions halls in Central Falls. But in this year a committee, consisting of Charles Moies, Albert P. Carpenter, Jonathan Chace and Henry S. Fairbanks, having the matter in charge, decided upon the present location of the Town House, on Summit, near Broad Street, Central Falls, and the land was purchased from Andrew Jenks, for $1,812, in September, 1872. The erection of a Town House was imme- diately commenced, and the same was finished and ready for occupancy in the month of October, 1873, having cost, to- gether with the land, furniture, &c., $13,485.98.
On October 25th, 1873, it was voted that the Trial Justice Courts be held thereafter in the hall of that building, where they have been held ever since.
In April, 1873, the members of the General Assembly elected from this town consisted of, Senator, Stephen A. Jenks; Re- presentatives, John A. Adams, William II. Davis and Henry S. Fairbanks.
There had been a new State apportionment of representation within the year past, and owing to its advance in population Lincoln was now entitled to three Representatives, instead of two as before.
The town officers elected in June, 1873, consisted of Coun- cillors Charles Moics, John A. Adams, Alfred H. Littlefield, Jonathan Chace, Samuel D. Learned, William H. Aldrich and William B. Monroe; Town Treasurer, Thomas Moics; Town Clerk, William H. Gooding; Moderator of Town Meetings, Thomas Moies. These officers were all duly qualified, and, upon the accession of the new Town Clerk, the town was en- abled to dispense with the services of Mr. Samuel Clark, who had been a true and faithful servant both of the old town of Smithfield and the town of Lincoln for many years, until he had been invited by the freemen of Rhode Island to go "up higher," to the position of General Treasurer, and who con-
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HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE TOWN OF LINCOLN.
tinned then, urged on only by a feeling of patriotism, though the duties must have been very irksome and vexatious to him to perform the labors of Town Clerk till one was chosen and duly qualified, a space of over one year.
In June of this year Mr. George F. Crowningshield was elected Trial Justice of the town, which office he would hold, by virtue of the new law of the State, for three years.
The School Committee elected by the Council this June con- sisted of George A. Kent, chosen chairman, Lysander Flagg, chosen superintendent, and Rev. Clement JJ. Whipple, chosen clerk. In this year it became necessary, under the changed law of the State, for the School Committee to decide by lot which should hold for one, two or three years, and each inen- bent, as his term expired, to be replaced by one holding three years from that date. Lots were drawn, and Rev. Clement J. Whipple was lotted for three years, Lysander Flagg for two years, and George A. Kent for one year.
In the year 1873 there were more internal improvements in the town than any other. The Town House was built; a new iron bridge was built at Valley Falls, and a substantial bridge was built, under the superintendence of George Kilburn, Esq., at Berkeley, to take the place of the tumble-down structure that had been there for years, and a large sum was expended for re- pairs on the bridge at Ashton. The total amount expended for our share of these two new bridges (one half the expense being borne by the town of Cumberland), was $10,500.
In addition to the above improvements, and the usual open- ing and fixing of new streets always going on in a town that is rapidly increasing in population, it became necessary this year to go to large expense in grading and draining Washington street. A committee, consisting of John A. Adams and Alfred H. Littlefield, was appointed to attend to the same. It became obvious to this committee that the only expedient method of providing for the drainage of Washington street was to pur- chase the land of Edward Dwyer and turn the drainage of a large portion of the street into it, and this was finally done.
These improvements, together with the opening of the new streets necessitated by the growing and spreading of the manu- facturing part of the town, were absolutely necessary; and yet
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HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE TOWN OF LINCOLN.
their immediate beneficial influence was confined in great part to the south-easterly and easterly parts of the town.
The increased taxation necessary to pay for such expenses, together with the knowledge of the fact that the town owed heavily in its share of the debt of the mother town of Smith- field, caused a strong feeling to spring up in the more rural part of the town to the effect that they were being dragged into a vortex of debt by the pushing, enterprising, but (they deemed) ill regulated spirit of the manufacturing population of the Central Falls Fire District. The inhabitants of the lat- ter, at the same time, had, many of them, the feeling that they could not get their needed improvements authorized and per- formed by the Council so fast as their best interests required, and that they never should be able to do so as long as they were tied to the excessively conservative spirit of their rural co-citizens.
The result of these feelings was that petitions were drawn up in various parts of the town, petitioning the legislature to set off portions of the town of Lincoln to adjacent towns,- principally to set off the village of Central Falls to the town of Pawtucket.'
Party spirit ran high upon this subject, but the advocates of the different plans did not sneceed in infecting the legislature with their views, where a more conservative spirit prevailed, and the different projects for a division of the town died an easy death in the legislative portfolios.
In the year 1874, it was finally ascertained what our propor- tion of the town debt of Smithfield would be, and the Town Treasurer was, on the thirty-first day of January, 1874, au- thorized to hire $25,000, under the direction and approval of Charles Moies and John A. Adams, for the purpose of liquida- ting the debt. The debt to be paid was $26,000. The com- mittee and Treasurer proceeded to hire what money was needed and with it pay the debt.
The members of the General Assembly chosen in the month of April, 1874, for the ensuing year, were-Senator, John A. Adams; Representatives, Henry S. Fairbanks, Edward L. Freeman and William H. Davis.
The town officers elected in June, 1874, were-Councillors,
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HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE TOWN OF LINCOLN.
Charles Moies, John A. Adams, Alfred II. Littlefield, William J. Hood, Samuel D. Learned, William H. Aldrich and William B. Monroe; Town Treasurer, Thomas Moies; Town Clerk, William H. Gooding, elected for three years under the new law: Moderator of Town Meetings, George A. Kent.
On June 15th, Mr. Frederick N. Goff was authorized to serve as Trial Justice in the absence or inability of George F. Crown- ingshield.
Mr. George A. Kent, whose term of service in the School Committee expired in June of this year, was re-elected for the term of three years.
Mr. Lysander Flagg, who had served with great ability on the School Committee since the incorporation of the town, re- tired from that board this year, and his place was filled by the Rev. James H. Lyon, who, on the first meeting of the commit- tee for organization, was elected Superintendent. The board was otherwise organized as the year before.
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