USA > Rhode Island > Providence County > Woonsocket > History of Woonsocket > Part 14
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II. The Smithfield route. The drivers were as follows : 1. Hull Brown 1820 2. Jolın Bradley . . . . . . . . . 1826
This man acted as managing agent of both lines until Mr. Elisha T. Read was put into this position.
3. Israel Wheeler 1831 4. "Deacon" Rounds . ... .1836
This man was an old Jehu on the Boston and Providence line. When the coaches on this route were taken off, in con- sequence of the opening of the railroad between these places, he was employed on the Providence and Worcester route.
5. Israel Wheeler 1837 6. Anson Johnson. .1842
In the year 1826 an opposition line was started by Thom- as Buffum and others. Charles Farnum was agent. It ran between Woonsocket and Providence, but continued only one season.
When the Boston and Providence coaches lost their occu- pation by the introduction of the railroad, the proprietors thereof put on a daily line from Woonsocket to Providence. The driver was Asa Smith. This company was soon bought off by the Providence and Worcester line, and Henry Morris assumed the office of Jehu. It ran down the Cumberland
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HISTORY OF WOONSOCKET.
side of the river. In 1840 Morris was discharged by the company, and started an opposition line down the Smith- field side, which continued for two years. The old company immediately put on another daily line from Woonsocket to Providence, through Smithfield. There were now three daily lines to Providence, besides the two through lines before-mentioned, namely-the Morris line, the Cumberland and the Smithfield lines.
III. The drivers on the Cumberland line were :
1. Israel Wheeler 1840 4. "Gov." Tourtellot. .1845
2. David Briggs 1842 5. Charles Brown 1846
3. John Hunting 1844
IV. The drivers on the Smithfield line were :
1. "Gov." Tourtellot. 1840 3. "Gov." Tourtellot ... . . . 1846
2. John Hunting 1845
V. Just previous to the starting of the Providence daily lines, there was a Worcester and Providence "steamboat line." It ran during Summer months of the years 1835 and 1838 inclusive. Its drivers were :
1. "Deacon " Rounds. 3. Benjamin Davis.
2. Joshua Marshall.
The horses, the coaches, and some of the drivers on these lines were very beautiful. The fare from Woonsocket to Providence was at first 75c. This was afterwards reduced to 50c., and at one time was but 25c.
About the year 1830 a line of stages was established be- tween Woonsocket and Boston. The coaches were owned and driven by Blake Parker. In 1845 another line was put on by Ezra Miller, which alternated with the Parker line, and we were thus placed in daily communication with Bos- ton. The drivers on the Miller line were :
1. - Fuller 1845 2. - Merrill . . . 1847
In the year 18444 a line was started to connect with the Boston and Providence Railroad at Foxboro. The drivers wore :
-1. Otis Pierce 1811 2. John Hunting . . . . .. 1846 23
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HISTORY OF WOONSOCKET.
A little episode connected with the history of these lines is worth recording. January 8, 1831, occurred a very severe snow-storm. The roads did not get broken through in two weeks. The mails from Worcester to Providence were de- layed ten days.
When the coaches first began, the Woonsocket Post Office was at the " Old Bank " Village. Here Christopher Almy was Postmaster for many years. The office at this place was discontinued in July, 1844.
The first Postmaster at the "Falls" was Mr. Dan A. Daniels. During the exciting times of "Tippecanoe and Tyler too," John Burnham, afterwards known and loved as " Uncle John," became famous not only for his political zeal but for his powers as a singer of political songs, and in 1840 his labors in the world of politics and of song were rewarded by an appointment to the position of Postmaster at Woon- socket. This position he held (with the exception of a short period in 1861, when Mr. William Lindsey assumed the duties of the office, but died after holding the position but one month) until 1865, when he was succeeded by Mr. Stephen H. Brown, than whom a more courteous gentleman does not exist. " Uncle John " lived but a short time after his retirement from office. His death was sincerely lamented by every patron of the Woonsocket Post Office.
About the year 1832* the people of Woonsocket began to realize that the splendid coaches, which daily passed through the village, did not come up to their requirements, and a movement was started to construct a railroad from Woon- socket to Boston. Various projects were discussed for the attainment of this end from time to time. One was to inter- sect at Mansfield with the Providence and Boston Railroad, and another to connect at Framingham with the Boston and Worcester Railroad. In 1843 the people had become suffi-
*I derive this from an editorial in THE WOONSOCKET PATRIOT of 1843, which said that the subject had been disenssed for upwards of ten years,
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IHISTORY OF WOONSOCKET.
ciently aroused, and articles began to appear in the news- papers, urging the connection of our isolated hamlet to the sinful world without. In the Autumn of this year a corres- pondent to the Providence Journal invited the attention of capitalists to the feasibility of a railroad between Woon- socket and Providence. He estimated that the cost of con- struction would be not over $200,000, and that the annual freight between the two points would be 25,000 tons. But the railroad projects did not meet with universal favor. Many of our best citizens regarded the advent of the locomotive as a public calamity. One of these, then engaged in commercial pursuits, and since honored by his countrymen with one of the highest gifts in the land, in anticipation of the impending evil, sold out his business and accepted a position in a bank- ing institution.
The views of this class are well expressed in a communica- tion, signed " J. C. M.," which appeared in The Woonsocket Patriot of December 29, 1843. " Where," he asked, "would the two hundred horses, which now feed here daily, then feed ? Would an equal amount of grain and hay be devoured by the locomotive ? Would farms be rendered more or less valuable in this vicinity ? Would the loss of a market for the farmer's great staple be compensated for by the sublimity of his being " whisked " through the air at the rate of twenty- five miles per hour ?" The fun of this communication ap- pears to the best advantage, in the light of the present age, in the following extract: "The cheapness of transportation, which seems to be the great benefit to be derived from this " bubble," would be the means of bringing into more general use hard coal, which many prefer to wood." The views of " J. C. M." have undoubtedly been changed somewhat since the publication of his remarkable leiter.
Wednesday, January 3, 1844, a meeting was held in Provi- dence, at the office of the American Insurance Company. It
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HISTORY OF WOONSOCKET.
was for the purpose of considering the subject of building a railroad from Providence to Worcester. A committee was (1) appointed to survey the route ; (2) to collect facts rela- tive to business, etc., along the line ; (3) to procure charters, etc. The committee consisted of the following-named gen- tlemen :
William Rhodes, of Providence. Harvey Chace, of Valley Falls.
Isaac Thurber, John Osborne, of Smithfield.
Jos. II. Carpenter, Paul Whitin, of Northbridge.
Christopher S. Rhodes, .€ Samuel Wood, of Grafton.
James Y. Smith,
I. In the Autumn of this year Mr. T. Willis Pratt, the engineer, presented his report to the committee. I will give an abstract thereof. He says :
"1. The principal village on the route is Woonsocket.
"2. To this place from Providence, the line has no inclination exceeding 17 95-100 feet per mile. This was the line following the Blackstone Canal to Lonsdale.
"3. Were it to pass through the villages of Pawtucket, Central Falls and Valley Falls (which it did), the route would be more circuit- ! ous, and the maximum grade 26 40-100 per mile, instead of 17 95-100. But the expense per mile would exceed but little that of the Moshas- suck route.
"4. North of Woonsocket two routes were suggested. One was the river and canal line, through the village of Millbury, and was estimated to cost $1,000,000. The other was to intersect with the Boston and Worcester Railroad, at the Grafton depot, and was esti- mated to cost $900,000."
The former route was the one which was adopted.
II. The sub-committee appointed to collect facts in rela- rion to the prospective business of the road, thus reported in relation to Woonsocket and vicinity :
"1. Hamlet-population, 250-contains two cotton mills, with 5,832 spindles, 120 looms, employing 67 females and 74 males, producing 20,000 yards of cotton cloth per week, and working 650 bales of cotton per annum.
Estimated annual tons of merchandize 400
66
66 sum for passengers per annum $400
freight 700
"2. Bernon-population, 750-contains two cotton mills, with 11,000 spindles, 288 looms, employing 175 females and 75 males, producing 38,500 yards of cotton cloth per week, and working 1,000 bales of cotton per annum.
Estimated annual tons of merchandize. 633
.6 sum for passengers per annum $633
freight 1266
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HISTORY OF WOONSOCKET.
"3. Woonsocket-population, 4,000-contains 17 cotton mills, with 34,456 spindles, 812 looms, producing 151,039 yards of cotton cloth per week, and working 5,251 bales of cotton per annum ; three woolen mills, with 10 sets of machinery, producing 4,700 yards of cloth per week, and working 281,500 pounds of wool per annum ; six machine shops, an iron foundry, two grist mills, a saw-mill, one spool and bobbin shop, one soap manufactory, two wholesale grocery stores. In the mills 418 females and 456 males are employed.
Estimated annual tons of merchandize 15,233
sum for passengers per annum 66 $10,100
freight 30,466
" N. B .- It should be stated that the estimation of sum received from passengers was based on that estimated to be received by stages."
III. The Rhode Island Charter for the road was granted at the May session of 1844. In a short time the road was located, and passed through the following Woonsocket estates : Joseph Wilkinson, Hamlet Manufacturing Com- pany, Sullivan Dorr, Crawford Allen, Amos D. Smith, James Y. Smith, Samuel G. Arnold, Cornelia G. Greene, Frances E. Arnold, George C. Ballou, Joel Fletcher, D. D. Buffum, Henry Sayles, William Greenman, Lyman A. Cook, Osman Fuller, Charles E. Slocum, Olney Mason, Amos Grant, Seth Arnold, Erastus Keach, Ballou heirs, Johnson Matthewson, Aaron White, Edward Harris, Abagail Arnold, Mary Ann Mowry, Dinah Veazie, Farnum Harris, Welcome Farnum. The Aaron White in the foregoing list was the lawyer, and not the stage-driver of that name, before- mentioned.
I embrace this opportunity to speak particularly of "Squire " White, because this chapter is devoted chiefly to the subject of "transportation," and his many eulogists, in speaking of his eminent abilities as a lawyer, his sterling virtues as a man, and his faithful services as a Dorrite, never omit to mention his extraordinary powers as a pedestrian. It is one of the traditions of Woonsocket that Squire White could seldom wait for the stage-coaches, and that with his law books and briefs under his arm, he would hasten on foot to Providence, and beat the coaches every time ! The office
.
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HISTORY OF WOONSOCKET.
of this celebrated man was removed to make room for the Woonsocket depot of the Providence and Worcester Rail- road. This building was erected in August, 1847. On the 9th of this month the locomotive engine " Lonsdale " arrived at Providence. On the following month the transportation of freight begun, and October 1 passenger trains ran regu- larly between Providence and Millville. Monday, October 25, 1847, the road was formally opened. Stockholders and invited guests, numbering about 1,500 persons, passed over the route, and partook.of a collation at Worcester.
But the railroad in which the citizens of Woonsocket had deepest interest, of which they first talked, and for which they labored with most zeal, was still unfinished. It would require more space than I have devoted to the entire history of the town, to recount the trials and discouragements which were encountered, ere at last we were placed in direct rail- road communication with Boston. The bitter feelings which were engendered between individuals, and the jealousies awakened between rival railroad and municipal corporations in the controversy, have furnished themes for countless essays and innumerable editorials. In the ever-memorable struggle, the learning of Samuel Ames, the eloquence of Christopher Robinson, the shrewdness of Edward Harris, and the in- domitable will of Welcome Farnum were put to their severest tests.
August 12, 1846, a convention met at Armory Hall. Up- wards of five hundred were present. George S. Wardwell was elected President. Edward H. Sprague and Orin A. Ballou, Secretaries. Hon. Luther Metcalf and Otis Pettee, of Massachusetts ; Hon. Asa Jillson and Hon. Samuel Webb, of Connecticut ; Edward Harris and Samuel Greene, of Rhode Island, were chosen Vice-Presidents. E. K. Whitaker and Warren Lovering, of Massachusetts; George S. Catlin, of Connecticut; W. S. Slater and L. W. Ballou, of Rhode
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HISTORY OF WOONSOCKET.
Island, were chosen a Committee to report business for the convention.
Previous to this meeting the Massachusetts Legislature voted adversely to the " Pettee route," and the Connecticut Legislature had granted a charter to the " Air Line " over the veto of Gov. Toucy.
May 6, 1847, another meeting was held at Armory Hall. Ezekiel Fowler was chosen Chairman ; Samuel Greene, Vice- President ; E. H. Sprague and L. W. Ballou, Secretaries.
I refer to these meetings simply to give the names of the actors in the drama. The play itself is not worth preserv- ing. In the meantime, Christopher Robinson and Samuel Ames had discussed the matter pro and con before our Legis- lature. The Providence Journal reported and applauded the effort of the last-named gentleman, and referred to the speech. of Mr. Robinson in a single sentence. This aroused the indignation of The Woonsocket Patriot, and a lively news- paper war ensued.
But in spite of these meetings, speeches and editorials, the genius, will and money of Welcome Farnum prevailed, and the " Air Line" came to Waterford instead of Woon- socket.
Not until September, 1863, was the dream of Woonsocket realized, and a railroad completed connecting it with the hub of the universe.
0
CHAPTER XII.
CONCLUSION.
THE history of Woonsocket is that of New England in miniature. It is the same play with different actors. True, no witches have been hanged in this vicinity, but no doubt there ought to have been; neither has this been the scene of any extraordinary military achievement, if we except that of
" Laban Wade With his brigade, And Landers with his cannon."
But Woonsocket has had its superstitious and its military age, and now, in common with her sister towns, has entered upon its industrial age. The hum of the spindle has drowned the soft strains of the shepherd's pipe. The questions of the hour are not how many bushels of corn or potatoes to the acre, but how many yards of cloth to the loom ; not the value of the smiling meadow and the fertile field, but of the un- broken forest, the swift-running stream and the barren ledge. Fifty years ago a large and well-cultivated farm was a source of revenue ; to-day (except in certain localities) it is a tax. The depreciation of real estate in the country, and its ad- vanee in villages and eities, equally command our attention, and awaken us to the fact that the manufacturer and the merchant are soon to become the landholders of the State. Here and there, dotting the hill-side or nestling among the trees, stands the ancient farm-house. It is falling into ruin. The neglected lilac hangs over the decaying fence, and the fragrant tanzy, hidden amidst the rank grass, seems to
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HISTORY OF WOONSOCKET.
breathe a sad perfume from the past. On the other hand, the cow-path through the lonesome swamp has been trans- formed into the bustling street of the village, and the elatter of the loom has frightened the owl from his accustomed haunts.
The merchant and the tourist are now placed in easy and rapid communication with distant climes; a trip to the four quarters of the earth is stripped of its perils and hardships ; the fields of the West, the gardens of the East, the rivers of the North and the groves of the tropics, pay tribute at our daily meals. Ease, comfort and plenty seem to surround us. The piano and the sewing-machine have usurped the honors of the ancient spinning-wheel. The homespun garments of our ancestors have given place to silks and satins. The poorest now indulge in luxuries that the richest once could not obtain. Poverty seems to have been stripped of its ter- tors and wealth of its arrogance. And yet, for all this ap- parent progress, we have had to pay a heavy price.
1. The word " economy," which to us is well-nigh obso- lete, to our ancestors was full of meaning. Where Nature was unpropitious, and when Art was in its infancy, with their own hands they were forced to gather the materials for their shelter, clothing and sustenance. Their cloths were " homespun "-their furniture was for use rather than dis- play ; their " crockery" was made of wood, or in some aristocratic families, of pewter ; their carpets were sand, sprinkled upon the floor.
But there was one thing which pervaded their house- holds, which glittered upon their pewter-platters and glis- tened upon their ceilings like the harvest moon-beams on the river. It was neatness and order ! The marks of grease were visible from cellar to attic-but it was " elbow-grease." Their counterpanes were coarse as dog's hair, but they were white as snow ; their tables ponderous as ox-carts, but smooth as marble. Thus in a soil enriched by industry,
24
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HISTORY OF WOONSOCKET.
frugality and order, the tree of American Independence took root! Let us beware lest the weeds of indolence, extravagance and discord do not impede its growth !
2. Again, the appliances of Art in economizing and ap- propriating the gifts of Nature, while opening new avenues to industry and wealth, have taken from the American yeo- man that spirit of self-reliance and independence for which lic was so distinguished in the past. He is no longer con- tent with the humble products of his fields and meadows, and he goes out beyond the limits of his little realm to mingle with his fellows in the outer world. The individuality of such men as David Mowry, Arnold Speare, Thomas Mann and Lewis Dexter, has passed away forever !
Whether this change has been for the better or the worse, it is not my province to discuss. Vice and corruption exist as abundantly, perhaps, as in the days of Aaron Burr. Scof- fers at religion are as numerous, perhaps, as in the times of Thomas Paine. There may be more Sabbath-breaking and less cant-more profanity and less hypocrisy-more apparent vice and less outward virtue ; but no age of the world has developed more benevolence, more virtuc, more heroism than this in which we live ! And surrounded as he may be by poverty and suffering and want, the philanthropist is cheered by the thought that the children of men are better clad, better fed and better sheltered than ever before. Regret- ting as he must, the modern modes of thought, the seen- ing disregard of forms and customs which our fathers cher- ished with a jealous carc, the superficial views of truths which have been tested in the crucible of centuries, the Christian feels that, underneath these glittering shams, the hearts of men with nobler aspirations, deeper yearnings, throb and pulsate in the light of Heaven ! So, cheered, sustained and strengthened by the swiftly-changing pictures of the past, the patriot, in this centennial year, looks for- ward to the future with a glorious hope !
APPENDIX A.
-
GENEALOGY.
WHILE collecting material for the foregoing History, I found much genealogical matter which I deem to be worth preserving. In offer- ing it to the reader, I do not vouch for its strict accuracy. But in its compilation I have bestowed a fair amount of time and research, and trust that it will be thankfully received.
THE DESCENDANTS OF WILLIAM ARNOLD. FIRST GENERATION.
1 WILLIAM ARNOLD.
He was one of the thirteen original proprietors of Providence. He was born 1589. The first notice of him, according to Staples, is in 1635, when he was a citizen of Hingham, Mass. His children were :
2 Benedict-He was the first Gov. of R. I. under the charter of Charles II.
3 Stephen-Lived at Pawtuxet; was one of the Inman proprietors. (See History.)
*4 Thomas-Born 1616; died Sept., 1674. (See History.)
5 Joanna-Married Zachary Rhodes.
SECOND GENERATION.
V 4 THOMAS ARNOLD married
6 PHEBE, the daughter of John Parkhurst.
The first notice that I find of this man is Jan. 6, 1634. (See N. E. Reg., Vol. XIV., p. 347.) He was then 18 years of age. His first settlement in Rhode Island was at Providence. He afterward settled in the valley of the Moshassuck, near the lower Quaker Meeting-house. (See History.) IIis estate was divided by the Council between his widow and his 5 remaining children. At that time his children were :
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HISTORY OF WOONSOCKET.
*7 Richard-Born March 22, 1642 ; died April 22, 1710
8 Thomas.
9 John.
*10 Eleazer.
*11 Elizabeth-Died Oct. 20, 1747. She lived to be upwards of 100 years of age. I find in the N. E. Reg. a notice of 2 other children. The names of these are :
12 Ichabod-Born March 1, 1640.
13 Susanna married
14 John Farnum, April 7, 1654.
THIRD GENERATION.
17 RICHARD ARNOLD (see History) married
15 SARAH ANGELL. Their children were :
*16 Richard-Died June, 1745.
*17 John-Born 1671 ; died Oct. 27, 1756.
*18 Thomas-Died Feb. 3, 1727.
19 Mary married Thomas Steere.
10 ELEAZER ARNOLD.
I derive the following from a copy of his will. Ac- cording to this his children were :
21 Joseph.
22 John.
23 Eleazer-The will refers to his daughter-in-law, Sarah Arnold. Her husband died Feb. 6, 1712-13.
24 Jeremiah.
25 Ellenor.
26 Mary.
27 Phebe.
11 ELIZABETH ARNOLD married
28 SAMUEL COMSTOCK. (See History.) The marriage was
consummated Nov. 26, 1678. Their children were :
*29 Samuel-Born April 16, 1679.
*30 Hezediah-Born April 16, 1682 ; died Feb. 21, 1764.
31 Thomas-Born Nov. 7, 1684.
32 Daniel-Born July 19, 1686.
33 Elizabeth-Born Dec. 18, 1690 ; married - Sayles.
34 John-Born March 26, 1693.
35 Ichabod-Born June 9, 1696.
36 Job-Born April 4, 1699.
*37 Jeremiah.
FOURTH GENERATION.
16 RICHARD ARNOLD (see History) married
38 MARY WOODWARD. There was a Woodward family, who lived where Albion now is. Their children were :
*39 Thomas-Died Dec. 11, 1765.
*40 Richard.
41 Edmund-Married Mary Staples, Dec. 24, 1738; no issue.
*43 Woodward.
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HISTORY OF WOONSOCKET.
*44 Josias.
*45 Joseph.
Wilkinson alludes to a daughter,
46 Mary, who married
47 David Wilkinson, and gives them nine children.
17 JOHN ARNOLD (see History) married, first,
48 MARY MOWRY, daughter of Nathaniel. See No. 1.155. She died Jan. - 27, 1742. Their children were :
*49 William-Born Dec. 9, 1695 ; died Aug. 2, 1766.
*50 John-Born May 29, 1697; died 1727.
*51 Israel.
*52 Daniel-Died July 30, 1773.
53 Anthony-Born Jan. 12, 1704; m. Susanna Fisk ; removed to New York.
*54 Seth-Born July 26, 1706 ; died 1801.
*55 Anna.
56 Mercy-Born Oct., 1701 ; m. - Lapham ; removed to Dart- mouth.
*57 Susanna.
*58 Abigail.
He married, second,
59 HANNAH HAYWARD-No issue.
18 THOMAS ARNOLD. I have not ascertained the name of his wife. Their children were :
*60 Job-Born Aug. 9, 1707.
*61 Jonathan-Born Nov. 18, 1708.
62 Mary-Born Oet. 28, 1710.
*63 Thomas-Born Nov. 4, 1713 ; died July 31, 1749.
64 Elizabeth-Born 1717.
65 Sarah-Born April, 1722.
29 SAMUEL COMSTOCK married
66 ANN INMAN. Their children were :
*67 David.
68 Sarah married
69 Seth Aldrich, of Mendon.
*70 -
30 HEZEDIAH COMSTOCK married, first,
71 CATHERINE PRAY, daughter of
72 John Pray, who lived near what is now Ashton. Their children were :
73 Susan-Born April 7, 1707; married Thomas Arnold, No. 39. 74 William-Born May 3, 1708; died No. 16, 1745.
*75 Gideon-Born Nov. 4, 1709 ; died 1801.
76 Rachel-Born Sept. 9, 1711 ; married Anthony Steere, May 11, 1746; died June 13, 1806.
*77 Catharine-Born Sept. 19, 1713 ; died Dec. 17, 1751.
*78 Hezediah-Born Jan. 9, 1715; married Mary Arnold, No. 174; died Dee., 1751.
79 Penelope-Born Feb. 11, 1717 ; died June 17, 1736.
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HISTORY OF WOONSOCKET.
*80 Anthony-Born Nov. 7, 1719; died Feb, 20, 1762. 81 Andrew-Born Jan. 22, 1721 ; died April 19, 1735. 82 Jolin-Born April 16, 1724 : died 1792.
He married, second, Ang. 10, 1730,
83 MARTHIA BALCOLM. Her children were : *84 Anna-Born April 14, 1731 ; died June 5, 1794.
85 Ezekiel-Born May 1, 1733; married Martha Arnold, No. 166; died June 7, 1777.
86 Phebe-Born June 5, 1735 ; died Nov. 25, 1740.
87 Rufus-Born Oct. 26, 1738; died Nov. 23, 1740.
88 Martha-Born Jan. 3, 1742 ; married - Staples ; died Aug. 16, 1779.
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